11 months! (late as always!)

This is the mood we started out with taking 'our' 11-monthary pictures. In the bustle of the day, I, of course, forgot to take pictures first thing in the morning. So this is later in the morning, I believe after her first nap. She did not wake up as happy as she normally does!


Day 2 of introducing cow's milk. We are using the Horizon Organic Vitamin D Milk that costs an arm and a leg! We have good days and bad days when it comes to liking and drinking the milk.
I normally feel that this is cheating (which it is) but I really wanted to get a good 11 month picture for the monthly progression picture frame. First picture of 11 month, 1 day was a success!
And here is the second picture. Seems we were one and done!
Emily <3

HADLEY IS 1!

I absolutely cannot believe that the last year has gone by so fast. Last Christmas, Hadley was a tiny, tiny little thing who only cried and slept. This year she is into everything! Attached are pictures from her first birthday party, and the cake that I made for her. Hadley just gets more and more fun as she gets older, and she is talking! Yes, I said she is talking!!! So far, her vocabulary includes Mama, Dada, bye-bye, hey, gobble (she loves to eat, and she likes to say "gobble, gobble" while gobbling up her food), ow, papa, no (she pronounces it "na na na"), Deacon (our dog's name, which she pronounces "De Da"), and the newest word is pretty--everything is "pretty" right now.

I never updated everyone on the ear infection issue. We went to the ENT and they recommended tubes, but I didn't want to do it unless we had tried all other options first-- especially since it does not seem to be affecting her hearing that much since she is saying so many words. For a few weeks, we thought she might be growing out of it because she went for about 6 weeks without an ear infection (that's the longest she's been without one since she was 6 months old). I took her to her follow up ENT appointment on a Friday and she was all clear--no infection, very little fluid, and perfect hearing test. But, alas, by that Monday, she had her fifth ear infection in 6 months. Which also means she has been on a relatively constant stream of antibiotics for the last six months--and has been enduring the whole host of other side effects they cause. So, she is scheduled to have tubes inserted in January. Say a prayer for us because that is going to be really hard for us to go through. I have heard that it is a simple procedure and hopefully will improve her hearing and balance. She is not walking yet, but I have heard that some kids start walking almost as soon as they get tubes because it clears the fluid out of their ears and helps them balance themselves.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and hope you all have a Happy New Year!

Good thing she wasn't born a monkey...

So it turns out that Molly has a sensitivity to bananas.....BANANAS.....bananas! Really, who can't eat bananas?!?! They are a staple in our household and Molly loved them. Hence the reason her rash was staying around so long and I couldn't get rid of it. She was eating mostly bananas while I worked to figure out what the sensitivity was. Silly mommy! Anyway, once we got rid of bananas her face cleared right up. I am still in the process of reintroducing everything back into her diet though. A couple of days ago I gave her black beans and then 2 days later she broke out into a rash. I don't think it was the black beans though....that night I rubbed her face with olive oil, a suggestion from the pediatrician for her eczema....the next morning her face looked like a strawberry! So my kid might have a sensitivity to olive oil too, at least topically......well, with all the skin problems and allergies I have none of this is too much of a stretch for my daughter.

I'm sad about the bananas, mainly cause they're so easy, but that's not to say that she might outgrow the sensitivity. I'll try them again after she turns one (which is not that far away!!!)

Been awhile

It has been awhile since I've posted, not because things have not been exciting around here, but because things are just busy. Isaac just turned 9 months, and we had our check up today.  Other than being a huge drama queen about finger pricks and flu shots he's a happy healthy little boy.  He's slimmed down a little, and is now in the 75% clear across the board ~ 21 lbs 11 oz and 28 1/4 inches long. He's also getting all four of his front teeth at the same time!  Kinda surprised me when the doctor told me cause he hasn't been drooling as much as he used to and I couldn't feel anything in his mouth. Teeth are coming though!

He is doing great with food and his sippy.  We actually have dropped 3 bottles including his last bottle before bedtime, which I thought would be a challenge.  He just has one more bottle with his afternoon snack.  Everything else is in a sippy now and with a meal.  We are looking for more options for finger foods, because he has started to reject some of the normal mush.  He really does like eating "people" food, so if you have found anything that has worked for you all, please share!  Thanksgiving was fun to try some of the table food, and I think we'll be starting some pastas, and casseroles soon.  I just have to get over my small case of OCD before I let him make a big mess.

I LOVE Christmas time, but decorating was a little different this year since Isaac is cruising along. I'm sure for those of you with full on toddlers, its been quite an adventure to baby proof Christmas time.  Luckily, Isaac responds really well to word no.  We're talking full on tantrums when he hears that word!  Adam and I just laugh when we see that lip pout out and the tears start pouring.

We're also going through some pretty bad separation anxiety when I leave for work.  His nanny is nice, but if he's awake when I leave there is always a meltdown.  Like everything now, we're just trying to ignore the behavior and make nothing of it so he doesn't reinforce those habits or get spoiled.  It was so nice to have the past week off, and I'm looking forward to having the last 2 weeks off in December to just stay home.  I do go a little stir crazy sometimes though, so if Emily and Melissa want to hang out, I am open and available!

Well, I guess that's it!  Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas season!! ~Andrea

Turning it back around on us!

So babies like to imitate. I thought that meant that Hadley was supposed to imitate us. However, that game is apparently not as "fun" as getting us to imitate her. Lately, everything she does, she tries to get us to do it too. When I feed her Cheerios, she tries to feed them to me. I give her a toothbrush to hold on her own while I brush her teeth. While I am brushing her teeth, she tries to brush mine with the toothbrush she is holding. Today she even tried to feed me her sippy cup. AND she thinks it is SO hilarious! It is about the cutest thing ever, but every new thing she does is the cutest thing ever.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

--Amanda

All things for one year olds...

So I can hardly believe that my little boy is 1 year old already. We had a great time at our birthday party, although he slept most of the time, and of course it was the same weekend as the cold snap in North Carolina, and since it was an outside tailgating party it was a little stressful for mommy. But we all managed and his little friends had a good time and Andrew got his first hug and kiss from one of my husband good friend's little boy. They are about 4 months apart and they we SO CUTE together!

So anyways, I thought I would fill you guys in on some new "Andrew" thoughts. He is totally on whole milk. I think his reflux is rearing its ugly head again because he is beginning to spit up again and this stuff stinks like vomit. Plus he is waking up in the middle of the night which is unusual for Andrew. My good friend told me when her son was Andrew's age he started doing this too and his doctor said that sounded like reflux. So when we take him for his first year check up that is first on our list of things to ask. I don't like the idea of putting him back on meds, but I don't want him to be uncomfortable. In case you are wondering why he hasn't already had his appointment. He has been a little sick the past couple of weeks. First pick eye with an ear infection. Then the stomach bug, then another ear infection and now he is just kind of snotty with a little cough. They won't treat the reflux until he is back to normal, and I don't want him getting shots until he is feeling better either.

He is finally using a sippy cup!!! It took a long time and a lot of money wasted on the nice expensive sippy cups, but what can I say, my baby...I mean 1 year old...has cheap taste. The only one that has worked for us are the "take and toss" variety. We went cold turkey on bottles this week, and thank goodness for daycare because it saved this mommy her sanity! This little bottles you can kind of squeeze so they would let it pool in his mouth until he finally got the hang of it. Plus it helped that they gave him some crackers before hand to make him thirsty. Such smart ladies! Oh and the one bit of advice that I have learned is that at his age milk is a beverage, not part of his meal. Of course dehydration is an issue, but if i just give it to him when he is thirsty then he will drink it. Duh, why didn't I think of that. That has helped with my stress level tremendously. The only thing is that these cheap sippy cups leak, so eventually I would like to change him over to the "no leak" kind or at the very least ones that don't leak as bad since this little guy likes to throw his milk when he is done.

No progress in the food department. The doctor has reassured me it is because of the reflux issues in his past and he probably will take his time getting used to finger foods. But I know what this little guys likes and it is all things bread. I spoke to his PT lady (remember me telling you that he was being evaluated because of not wanting to put things in his mouth? This was MONTHS ago.) and she said that it might take a long time before he is over his texture/reflux issues as it pertains to eating- like until he is 2! She also said because of this I shouldn't be surprised if he is a little slowing with his communication skills because all this is related. And then she sent us on our way. We have closed out his case and mommy and daddy are on their own. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. As much as I felt excited to show her all his skills monthly, I always left these session feeling let down because he never felt like he was up to pair. I have started to see a pattern emerge and basically I think he is about 1-2 months behind his friends at daycare, which really isn't that big of a deal. In fact he is doing all the physical things his best friend is doing (they are one week apart) which includes walking full steam ahead! I HAVE A WALKER!!!

I promise I haven't forgotten to fill you guys in on the eye doctor experience, but we haven't gone yet. And I promise I am not trying to procrastinate here. We had an appointment but then the doctor was sick, and then we rescheduled and then Andrew got sick. And now the the next early morning appointment isn't until December 10th, this way his daddy can come to it...I am still not comfortable with what we *might* hear, but I guess this is what being a parent is all about.

So this post is insanely long so I will end it now. Hope everybody is doing well. Turkey day is just a short week away!

Melissa

Finally, some variety!

This picture is of Molly when she was having a bad rash day. It looks a little odd cause she has Eucerin cream on her cheeks. But she's still happy!!!









The poor girl, Molly has had nothing but butternut squash and rice cereal for the past 5 days. But I must admit, her cheeks are looking fabulous! A little dry but I think that's because of the weather, especially how it keeps changing from hot to cold. Finally, day 6, she actually gets to eat something different, though not drastically different. It was sweet potatoes and rice cereal for breakfast! I think the plan is to do a couple of days of sweet potatoes, with some butternut squash thrown in every once in a while, and then try a banana. I really don't want her to be allergic to bananas but it will be nice to know what it is!

I have heard that most children grow out of allergies or sensitivities by age one so I hope that is the case here. I will keep you posted!

Emily

Here are some pictures from Halloween! She was the cutest lion around!