9 Month Appointment

Orin had his 9 month doctor's appointment on Tuesday, Nov. 24 before we left town for Thanksgiving.

Here were his stats:

Weight: 20.6 pounds (55%)
Height: 29.5 inches (90%)
Head Circumference: 44cm

Doctor M wasn't concerned about his eating habits. She reiterated that most babies around this age will become less and less interested in the bottle and instead become more interested in solids. Plus he is thriving and growing consistently so she said not to worry about it. I have to say that now that I have cut him back to making sure he takes only 6 ounces every 4 hours, he seems to be doing much better with the eating. He still fights it and needs to be entertained most of the time, but he will get it down. I am the only one that can succeed in getting him to take 6 ounces each time so I guess it is good that I'm home most of the time to get this accomplished!

The doctor also mentioned to start introducing more textured solid foods such as cottage cheese and yogurt. We tried the cottage cheese and he gave us many funny faces. Orin wasn't a big fan! We'll keep trying though!

Doc was pleased with how Orin is thriving and growing. She even spent several minutes holding him and talking with him. This was the first appointment with her that I was really pleased with how things went and with how well she answered our questions and concerns. We'll be seeing her again in three months when our baby turns one. How is that possible already??

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Orin also got to endure the allergy testing on Saturday after Thanksgiving. That wasn't very pleasant to watch, and I'm sure Orin would say it was even worse to have it done! But good news...no allergies!! We are so thankful for the results! And I think my parents are even more excited that they won't have to get rid of their dog and cat! It was totally worth it having the test done and knowing that we don't need to worry about any allergies at this point.

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We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I'll share more about our happenings later.

9 Months

Someone is 9 months old today! I can hardly believe it. On one hand it seems like he has been with us forever and we can’t imagine life without our little man. And on the other hand, it feels like just yesterday when we got to hold this precious baby boy for the first time.

Here is what he is up to at 9 months:
• Wears 12-18 month clothes pajamas
• Just moved up to size 4 diapers
• Weighs around 20 pounds
• Sill loves to roll everywhere
• Does no form of crawling to get around
• Just learned today how to go from laying down to sitting up
• Loves to look at and read books
• Prefers to play with toys that light up or make sounds
• Has the cutest smile in town
• Smiles and laughs a lot!
• Eats four 6ounce bottles (24 ounces)
• Eats a jar of baby food after each mealtime bottle- loves the jarred food!
• Very little fighting of the bottle has occurred this week- probably due to the healing of the ear infection
• Had his second ear infection this month
• Amoxicillin makes for some really nasty diapers and blowouts!
• Drinks water out of a sippy cup after each meal of solids
• Has really discovered his voice box this month- screams and growls a lot!
• Says dada and other random sounds
• Is very aggressive- he loves to kick and slap when being held because he is so excited!
• Busy, busy, busy constantly getting into something
• Hates any kind of textured food, even the homemade baby food
• Takes two naps a day: 9:30-11:30 and 1:30-4:00
• Bedtime routine starts around 7:30 and he is usually in bed around 8:15
• Still no teeth
• The wild hair is finally starting to lay flat which makes me a little sad.
• Is extremely quiet and content in the car (unless it is a long trip)- he is very curious and loves to look out the window
• Smiles from ear to ear and gets super excited when Daddy comes home for lunch and at the end of the day
• Loves to grab our faces and to give us kisses

A Special Thank You

To my blog friend, Neil, and his Mom:

Thank you so much for the adorable tie onesie!

I am told that I look ready for prep school when I wear it.

It was so nice of you to think of me and to send a picture!

Maybe we could meet up someday when we are a little older.

Date with Mom

In less than two months, I will be sitting at a Brad Paisley concert with my mama!

Watching this man rock it on stage will surely, without a doubt, make for a fun-filled and exciting evening.

We are really looking forward to the concert since it will be the first time we get to see him live. And since my mom and I are about 3 hours away from each other, it will make for a fun time to be together just the two of us.

Really, Brad is only the beginning to several other amazing country artists that will be headed to our area in the year 2010. Tim McGraw, Reba and George Strait, and Taylor Swift. I better start saving my money!

Trip to the Chiropractor

Today, I took Orin to his first chiropractic appointment. I have never been to one myself, and it was a little unnerving and uncomfortable for me. But I’m glad I took him.

First, the doctor had Orin lay tummy to tummy with me while I laid on the couch on my back. He used a tool and rubbed up and down Orin’s spine while feeling for anything that was out of place. He pushed and prodded three or four spots back into place.

Next, I got up and laid Orin on the couch on his back. The doctor felt around in his neck. He said that a lot of times, the neck area can be out of place which causes ear problems. (He is currently battling his second ear infection of the year.) As he felt around, he said his left vertebrae was out and he popped that back into place. It hurt Orin and he cried, but he was quick to get over that.
We will see the doctor again in a week to check for progress and make sure that everything is well adjusted. I haven’t noticed any extraordinary results yet and I’m really not sure that I will. I just felt the need to cover all my bases.

I’m hearing from a variety of people that 28 ounces is a lot to feed a 9 month old. I guess I have been basing this number first off of what the doctors have said about him getting an average of 24-32 ounces a day. I have also paid attention to what other babies similar in age are eating. And it always seems like Orin can’t keep up.

I’ve heard from a few moms that their babies around this age are drinking 20-25 ounces a day. After hearing this, I have considered offering him 4 six ounce bottles a day instead of 4 seven ounce bottles. Switching from 28 ounces offered to only 24 ounces offered. However, I really don’t think that will end the battle. He doesn’t fight it after 4 or 5 ounces. The battle begins after only drinking one or two ounces. And this happens even when he may have only taken 2 or 3 ounces during the previous feeding. It is bizarre.

Now that he has an ear infection (I took him in Friday morning before leaving town for the weekend.), I have been much less pushy on trying to get him to eat. Some feedings he only has 2 ounces and some he has all 7. I realize that he is probably more or less hungry at different times of the day just like we all are.

Today, he had 5 ounces, 5 ounces, 7 ounces, and 5 ounces. Obviously that falls into the 20-25 ounce range. I would say that is pretty darn good considering his cold and ear infection. And it sounds like I should be very pleased and happy that he is drinking that much. I guess I am trying to follow the advice I have been given and make sure that he falls somewhere in that range each day while continuing to offer him baby food three times a day.

I still plan on getting answers from my pediatrician on next Tuesday to see what she has to say about all of this. I know she is a firm believer that all his needed nutrients are found in the formula so make sure he is drinking the recommended amount before offering solids. But we’ll wait and see what her “magical” number is and if she has any suggestions.

Thank to all who have been of help and offering advice. I really appreciate that so many are trying to figure this out right along side of me.

Feeding Battles

Orin's feedings are getting worse and worse each day again. This has been going on since he was two months old, so we have been dealing with the feeding battle for almost 7 months. There are good patches, really bad patches, and some in between. The last few weeks would fall in the terrible category!!

At least two feedings a day, he will refuse the bottle from the get go. Like not even let it touch his mouth. And even when we do get him to take it, he will only have about 2-3 ounces and want to be done. He will use his hand to fling the bottle half way across the floor or he will use his tongue to maneuver the nipple anywhere but inside his mouth.

Oh and now he has figured out how to grab the nipple and pull it out of the ring so that milk spills everywhere. There has been a few huge messes!
But all of this to say...he's not eating well.

Feeding times are long, frustrating, and very stressful. Currently, he is offered 28 ounces of formula a day and he usually gets between 22-25. On a good day, he will take all 28. Yesterday, he had 19 ounces. And he had a crying, bawling mama who felt like a failure of a mom, who had no clue what to do with a son who wanted only one ounce at both morning feedings. But I’m over that now. Today is a new day!

If he drinks most or all of his bottle, I give him baby food for the three meal times. The other day, he got no breakfast food because he would only drink 4 ounces. But for lunch, he had a whole jar of carrots and for supper, 4 cubes of avocados. I would think it was the food that was filling him up and causing him not to drink the bottle, but he acts this way regardless of if he has had food during the previous feeding or not. For example, his 11:30 bottle is the worst one to feed him, even on days he doesn’t have any solids before lunch.

He sure does scarf down the solids though...as long as it is jarred food. He will not touch any of the baby food I prepared for him many months ago. In fact, he gags and throws up when I try to get him to eat the cubed food (except avocados). Cubed sweet potatoes- gagged and thrown up every time. Jarred sweet potatoes- loves them and sits there with his mouth open wide waiting for the next bite. I think we have an extreme texture boy on our hands.

AAGH!! I could just pull my hair out. I don’t want to battle this for 3 more months. We go for his 9 month appointment in a few weeks, so we are going to try to get more answers than “just keep doing what you are doing.” So not helpful! We also have an appointment tomorrow with a chiropractor in town. Maybe he needs adjusted?? All I know is that I’m at my wits end and I’m desperate. I’ll try anything to get my child to eat!

Random Update

So we have a few crazy weeks behind us and a few crazy weeks ahead of us. Mostly for my benefit, I want to recap what has been going on lately.

Over a week ago, Ryan’s brother and his wife and two boys flew in from California. We hadn’t seen them since Easter, so it was awesome to get to see them again. We have seen them off and on for the past two weeks, and we will be spending this coming weekend with them as well before they fly back home. We really didn’t do much of anything. Usually when we get together, we do a lot of game playing (Settlers of Catan, anyone??). But this time around, we mostly sat around talking and eating. Oh and I guess the guys did get one board game in if Axis and Allies.

We did take all 6 kids to take a group Christmas picture. Grandma always buys the kids coordinating outfits for them to wear for the picture, and then the picture is used for their Christmas cards they send out every year. Our family consists of two 3 year olds, a 22 month old, a 12 month old, an 8 month old, and a 4 month old. Can you imagine the chaos? Oh, and the 1 year old has major separation anxiety. He kept crying and crawling away trying to get to mom and dad. The two oldest and the two youngest did amazing!! The two oldest were so cooperative and helpful with the little ones. And Orin and Tucker (4 months) just hammed it up for the camera. They were all so stinkin cute in their outfits! I’m hoping to get a few pictures this weekend of them all in their gear. We’ll see how that goes! But we did end up with two pictures that we liked enough to order. Are they perfect? No. But with those ages, there is no such thing as a perfect picture!

This past weekend was gorgeous!! We took several walks around the neighborhood, which Orin just loved. And I have to say that we did too. It just felt perfect to be out enjoying the beautiful weather as a family.

Sunday, we had our church’s harvest supper. It is the equivalent of a Thanksgiving meal with all the fixings. We started with a time of fellowship and worship music, ate the delicious meal, and then ended with sharing time on what God has done in people’s lives over the last year. I have no other words than to say that the whole evening was AMAZING!! I realized that Ryan and I have been to at least 6 churches together during our dating and married years, and I have never ever been a part of a church that just feels right to us. When we moved back to our college town, we did a lot of praying and some church shopping to try to find the right fit for us. The church we go to is a Bible teaching and living the word kind of church, and we love it! We are getting fed through church and life groups, and we actually look forward to going to worship with other believers. God has done and continues to do great things through our church, and I’m excited to be a part of it all as we raise up our family in this church. Huge blessing and praise!

I subbed today in preschool. I am not a preschool teacher. Heck, I’m not a first grade teacher. I love little kids, but to teach them at that age?? Not for me! It was only for 4 hours, so it was very doable. But I only brought home around $20 after paying daycare and taxes and IPERS come out. I have come to the conclusion that it isn’t really worth the stress of getting myself and Orin ready and out the door on time to only work 4 hours and bring home hardly anything. Plus, I’d rather be home reading my own child books, doing laundry, singing silly songs, and washing dishes. Regular sub days are different and pay better so I will continue on with those. I have to do what is best for my family, and I really don’t think $20 is worth being away from my son. But I do have 12 days of long-term subbing in the middle school coming up in December. It will be crazy, but I’m actually looking forward to it. I think it will be a lot of fun, and I know we will appreciate the extra money around the holiday season.

I did another photo shoot this past weekend. I’m still in the editing process, but I will be sure to post a few pictures once I am finished. It has been so fun to learn and practice, learn and practice, learn and practice. I love it!

I will leave you with little man playing in the tub. He loves his baths, even without toys. This was the first time I gave him his one and only set of bath toys. When he was little, he had an infant bath he laid/sat in. And then we moved him to laying on a sponge once he got too big for the bath. And now, he just sits in the tub on the sponge or a twel, which is why he could finally have toys to play with. He loved them! He really kicks and splashes now!

Curiosity Kills the Cat

How do you punish a kid who is now responsible for his own motion, but can’t understand “No, No!?” It’s not a willful disobedience. It’s rather a continued naïveté. He continuously goes back to what we tell him “no, no” to. He keeps trying to pull the medal candle pumpkin tree on top of him, and it is with good reason that we tell him “no no”. He has pulled it over twice now and luckily escaped injury. It’s not willful disobedience, it’s more of a curiosity thing. How do we deal with that? Do we simply just keep redirecting him away from those harmful things?

Obviously, we don’t feel comfortable spanking an eight month old. He doesn’t have the intellect or capacity to understand what we are saying or why we are not allowing him to play with harmful things. At this point, he doesn’t have to necessarily understand why we are telling him “no, no”. However, he does need to learn that “no, no” means don’t do that and to choose to be obedient.

Or maybe mom should just baby proof the house.

But in all seriousness, I would love to hear feedback on how this was handled and taught in your household or any advice you may have to us as first time parents.

Bye, Bye, Car Debt

After exactly one year, we now own our 2008 Nissan Altima. On November 5th, 2008, we decided together that we would work our hardest to pay off our 3 year car loan in one year. And we did it!!

Oh how it feels good to cross out that debt! Now if only our student loans would magically disappear! :)

*Image from Car Gurus

Family Pictures- 8 Months

I love you through and through.

I love your top side.

I love your bottom side.

I love your inside

and outside.

I love your happy side,

your sad side,

your silly side,

your mad side.

I love your fingers

and toes,

your ears

and nose.

I love your hair and eyes,

your giggles

and cries.

I love you running

and walking,

silent

and talking.

I love you through and through…

yesterday, today, and tomorrow, too.

*Inspired by Bless Our Nest
*Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti Shustak

Trick-or-Treat Night

All the cousins before heading out to go trick-or-treating.

Say what?? I get to go too??

You were too little to collect candy, but we still gave you a bucket.

Cousins Jackson and Lilly loved trick-or-treating!

Checking everything out.

You and Mommy.


Everyone thought you were the cutest little stinker. You did so well with your first trick-or-treat night. Mommy and Daddy carried you around the neighborhood as your cousins ran door-to-door. You were quiet as could be and just took everything in as you watched your older cousins in their costumes. Everyone kept offering to give you candy in your bucket, but we thought we should wait till next year when you can actually enjoy the candy!

Paper Towel King

This is what happened when Mama tried to work on the budget while attempting to keep half an eye on Baby Boy playing in the office. He was only a few feet away so what trouble could he possibly get into???

Halloween Party '09

Last weekend, we had our big halloween party with our friends and all of their kids. A total of 16 adults, 9 kids, and 2 kids on the way makes for a big group and a lot of fun to be had! Everyone dressed up, snacks were munched, and best and worst costume awards were given. It was a blast!

Here is our little skunk. Ryan was Superman and I was a bag of Jelly Beans.

Legoman and Hippie

Darth Vader, Princess Leia, and Yoda (Orin's friend, Hazel)
They won the best costume award.

Turtle, Bee, Tigger, Chicken, and Princess Lilly

Egg and Sperm

Barney and Princess Izzo

Hick Cowgirl and Richard Simmons

The large group