Weight:  16 lbs 5 oz at 9 months.

Height:  28.5 inches at 9 month appointment.

Medical Issues:  None at this time.

Sleep:  Daytime – average 2 naps now.  1-1.5 hours in the morning and 1-2 hours in the afternoon.  He naps much better at home than at the new daycare.

Nighttime – bedtime is around 7:30pm.  He’s still up 1-2 times a night to eat.  Usually up for the day anywhere between 5:30-7am.

Clothing Size:  9 Months.

Diaper Size:  Size 3.

Diet:  Formula (Parent’s Choice Advantage).  He usually eats 5-7 4 ounce bottles a day.  He will not take any more than 4 ounces at one time!  

He’s eating more and more solids.  He loves the Gerber stage 3 meals with small chunks of food.  Puffs and yogurt bites are favs too!

Baby Gear Love:  Infantino carrier for being out and about. Any toys he’s able to pull himself up to standing on.  White noise machine for sleeping.

Milestones/Firsts: Crawling right at 9 months, pulling up to standing right after.  Now scaling furniture too.  Two bottom teeth are all the way through.

Likes:  Baths, pacifier (sleeping and in car), freedom to craw and play, mommy, daddy and sister.

Dislikes:  Waiting more than a min or 2 for a bottle.  The carseat.  Now that this little guy is mobile he HATES the carseat.  

Things I Don’t Want to Forget:  I swear I have the happiest baby on the planet!  He’s such a joy to have and we are so lucky!  I keep saying this over and over.  He’s so mellow.  I enjoy nothing more in the evenings sitting on the living room floor with the kids and spending time with them.

What’s Next?  Walking.  He’s not far from this milestone at all.  1st birthday party is coming up before we know it.  I also have his one year pics scheduled.

I’ll edit this post later with pics as they’re all on my computer.

A few months late but here it is!

My little girl is no longer a baby.  I have a full fledged toddler on my hands who acts like a little girl more and more every day.

I’m trying only to share things from Jan-June, then write another update around 3 years so bear with me.

We have received many compliments on how well she talks for her age.  From birth, I have always talked to her just like anyone else.  I don’t like baby talk at all, so I never changed anything about how I say things around her.

Her favorite thing to do earlier this year was the zoo.  She has been in gymnastics and enjoyed that too.  We had to stop that at the end of June though since we switched daycares in July.  She loves to be outside playing in her pool or sandbox.  She also loves trips to the park, usually those are with daddy on the weekends.

She still isn’t a big fan of her brother right now.  He adores her and always laughs/giggles at her and she’d rather not be around him at all.  I hope that changes soon.

Potty training has been a bust.  No interest whatsoever.  Mommy’s a bit frustrated regarding this.  I know she won’t be in diapers forever but geez, this is annoying.

Weight wise she’s still below the charts and has an had a weight check in July which I will write about later.  When it comes to eating she has good days and bad days.  I just go with it anymore and keep offering a variety of foods.  She does like taco meat (hamburger with taco seasoning) so that’s been a plus.  

I’ll have to update with pics from my computer later as I dumped every thing off my phone recently.

I think I mentioned recently we switched the kids from our in-home provider we’ve used for 2 years to a newly opened center in the town that we live in.

Past:  Our in-home provider started caring for Mackenzie when she was 8 months old and had her until 2.5 years old.  She also started watching Oliver at 4 months old until 8 months old.

Current:  The first day of new daycare was 07/10/2017 so we’ve been going for about 6 weeks now.

The new daycare is located in a nursing home so the kids and residents of the nursing home can interact with each other.  There’s one room for 0-2 year olds (4 kids max at 1 time) and another room for 2-5 year olds (following DHS staffing ratios).  They are not an accredited preschool but the director will be using a preschool curriculum with the kids so that takes the stress off of us of finding a preschool.  The wait lists here are crazy long.

I’ve been hesitant to write about this until I had some time in the center invested and could see how things were working out.

Mackenzie seems to be doing quite well.  She enjoys playing with her new friends and gets to do all kinds of hands on projects.  They go outside often which is a plus.  She comes home singing all kinds of songs now which is so fun to listen to.   It’s definitely been a positive change for her.  She also asks to pray before meals now which is good.  We’re not a very religious family but I’m glad that she’s getting the exposure to it.

Oliver, on the other hand, seems to be doing just ok.   The amount he eats bottle wise has been decreasing and I’ve had 4 incident reports for him written up in the last 2 weeks.   He’s in a room with a couple of 1 year olds and that doesn’t seem to be the best fit for him at the moment.  He’s been injured 3 times by kids now and it’s starting to make me question what to do for him.  I have an email drafted to our daycare director but I’m sitting on it and will proofread it later before I send.    I really want to think about moving Oliver to another location but I’d like for the kids to be together in the same place.

As a mom, I’m struggling with being away from Oliver so long and having this all happen.  I feel like I barely get to see my son (maybe 30 mins in the morning, and 1-2 hours in the evening) and that’s weighing heavily on me right now.   Being a full-time working mom is tough, but quitting my job is not an option.  We cannot live comfortably on my husband’s salary and if we do want to consider baby #3 next year (yes, I should probably write about this too) I want to stay where I’m at and keep my awesome maternity leave.

I really want to think about changing my hours so I have more time with the kids, but right now my husband and I commute 30 miles together and it’s been nice just driving one car instead of two.  We have one nice vehicle and another one that’s ok but has almost 200k miles on it now.

Anyways, all of these sidebars is not what this post is about.  Those are more topics I need to write about as I find time.  I’ve been forcing myself to stay up later in the evenings just to have mommy time (going to bed at 11pm-12am now) and honestly I feel like I have more energy on 5-7 hours of sleep than I did getting 9 hours.  Maybe this will be my new thing for a while!

If anyone that reads this has their kiddos in a daycare center, can you give me an idea of a number of incident reports you’ve received for your kid aged 0-1?  What were the reports?  I just want to know if I’m being the overbearing mom (which is likely the case) but at the same time, I want to know that I’m doing everything I can to protect my child.  My kids mean the world to me and I want to know they’re safe when I’m not there with them.

I have some exciting news!  I was one of 20 selected to be a brand rep for a local business I support called Trendy Littles!  

For those who are friends with me on facebook, you’ll see me posting pics of different products and linking to the website.  

There are lots of cute clothing and accessories and the prices are good in my opinon.

I have bought quite a few things already and love the dresses for Mackenzie.  

Feel free to check out the website:

http://www.trendylittlesgroup.com

There is also a page on facebook you can join!  

I look forward to supporting this business and sharing super cute stuff with you all!

Weight:  15 lbs 11 oz as of 7/9

Height:  No update.  25.5″ at last appt.

Medical Issues:  None at this time.

Sleep:  Daytime – average 3 naps.  1-1.5 hours in the morning, 2-3 hours early afternoon and 30 minutes early evening.  This will likely be changing soon as we switched daycares, but that’s another blog post to come.

Nighttime – bedtime is 7:30pm.  Will wake once or twice overnight to eat.  Up around 6-6:30am.

Clothing Size:  6 months to start, 9 months to end.

Diaper Size:  Size 2 to start, size 3 to end.

Diet:  Formula (Similac Pro-Advance). He has leveled out around 4 ounce bottles 6-7 times a day.  Once in a while he will take 5-6oz but it’s rare.  He’s toleating this formula well so I’m going to try switching him to parents choice as that is what our new daycare provides and I can hopefully save a bit of money on formula the next 3.5 months.

I try to make sure we offer solids in the evenings and once in a while he eats them in the mornings too.

Baby Gear Love:  Carseat/Stroller (it puts him to sleep), infantino carrier, jumperoo, foam puzzle mat for the floor, and small toys that he can grab, and now he’s on a pacifier kick too.

Milestones/Firsts: He’s on hands and knees rocking!  Crawling will be soon to follow!  I thought he’d be crawling by now but he’s still oh so close!

He is now sitting unassiated!

Likes:  Baths, pacifier, sitting, playing on the floor, carried around in the baby carrier when we are out and about, toys.

Dislikes:  Waiting more than a min or 2 for a bottle.  

Things I Don’t Want to Forget:  I swear I have the happiest baby on the planet!  He’s such a joy to have and we are so lucky!  

What’s Next? Crawling and his first 2 teeth.  They’re just starting to show now!

I’m way behind on updates!  I’m writing myself a list of what I want to put out there soon!

*Oliver’s 8 month update (7/8)

*Mackenzie’s 2.5 year update (was 6/17)

*Kansas City Trip (7/1 & 7/2)

*Being annoyed with my family…

I’m sure there’s a few more things too.

Weight:  15 lbs 6 oz as of 6/6 (6th percentile)

Height:  No update.  25.5″ at last appt.

Medical Issues:  None at this time.

Sleep:  Daytime – average 3 naps.  1-1.5 hours in the morning, 2-3 hours early afternoon and 30 minutes early evening.

Nighttime – bedtime is 7:30pm.  Will wake once or twice overnight to eat.  Up around 6-6:30am.

Clothing Size:  6 months.

Diaper Size:  Size 2

Diet:  Formula (Similac Total Comfort). He has leveled out around 4 ounce bottles 6-7 times a day.  Once in a while he will take 5-6oz but it’s rare.  I’m going to try to switch to the regular similac advance soon and if he does ok with that, move to a store brand.

I try to make sure we offer solids in the evenings and once in a while he eats them in the mornings too.

Baby Gear Love:  Carseat/Stroller (it puts him to sleep), bouncer, infantino carrier, mirror, foam puzzle mat for the floor, and small toys that he can grab, jumper.

Milestones/Firsts: He’s on hands and knees rocking!  Crawling will be soon to follow!

Likes:  Baths, activity gym, mirrors, sitting upright on our laps, mommy, daddy and sister, and lastly rolling around on the floor!

Dislikes:  Waiting more than a min or 2 for a bottle.  

Things I Don’t Want to Forget:  I swear I have the happiest baby on the planet!  He’s such a joy to have and we are so lucky!  

What’s Next? Crawling and sitting unassisted!

Started Thursday 5/11:

• Anyone else hate the sound of your dog or cat cleaning themself?  
• Why are my kids constantly sick with some sort of cold or virus?  I’m tired of all these germs!
• I’ve enjoyed a couple days at home this week by myself way too much.  I love being with my husband and kids, but I sure did miss quiet time.
• The weather is perfect today.  Why can’t every day be like this.  70 for a high and sunny.
• I’m paranoid to spend too much time in my back yard right now.  The snakes are out.  I’m terrified of the damn things!
• Will my daughter ever decide she wants to start potty training?  She refuses to sit on the potty.
• Why does my daughter hate bath time now?  
• My son is growing up too fast.  I miss newborn snuggles already.
• How do people leave their young kids overnight?  I’d love to go on a mini trip with my husband but leaving the kids with family or friends really isn’t an option for me.
• Do people really like radishes?  My dad and I were just discussing this.  I think they’re gross.
• Why can’t I have more days off like today?  I’m currently sitting in the sun reading a book and it’s glorious.
• I’m really, really out of shape and today’s workout proved that.  No more excuses.  I need to do this.
• I’ve told myself I cannot buy any more lularoe this month.  
• People on buy/sell/trade pages drive me nuts.  You want it, pay my price and meet on my terms.  
• Why is my 4 days off already coming to an end? I feel like it just started.
• I’m really looking forward to steak on the grill for dinner tonight!

Continued Tuesday 5/16:

• Do I really have to go to SD this weekend? I’m so tired of traveling with the kids.  It’s exhausting.  Plus they sleep like crap anywhere that’s not home.  I like my sleep.
• The embryo storage bill came the other day.  What do I do?  Pay it or discard our embryos.  Argh!  
• It was 90 degrees here yesterday.  I hate the heat.  Bring back my 70’s.

Yeah…forgot about this post until today.  Guess I’ll publish it anyways lol.

Weight:  14 lbs 6 oz (4th percentile)

Height:  25.5″

Medical Issues:  None at this time.

Sleep:  Daytime – naps anywhere from 30 mins to 3 hours now.  

Nighttime – bedtime is 7-7:30pm.  He usually wakes 30-60 minutes in to finish a bottle or take a couple ounces extra.  Most nights he’s up between 12-2 for a bottle then up around 5-6 to eat again.

Clothing Size:  6 months.

Diaper Size:  Size 2

Diet:  Formula (Similac Total Comfort). Another month of not really having any eating patterns.  He eats anywhere from 2-4 oz at a time (sometimes an occasional 5 or 6 oz bottle) and totals about 21-24 ounces an day.  Formula is still fortified to 24 calories an ounce.

We have introduced solids and he likes most.  The only one he’s really refused so far is peaches.

Baby Gear Love:  Carseat/Stroller (it puts him to sleep), bouncer, infantino carrier, mirror, foam puzzle mat for the floor, and small toys that he can grab.

Milestones/Firsts: He’s been using the jumparoo and bouncer for the last week or so and enjoys them.  He’s just starting to try to hold bottles occasionally.

Likes:  Baths, activity gym, mirrors, sitting upright on our laps, mommy, daddy and sister.

Dislikes:  Waiting more than a min or 2 for a bottle.  

Things I Don’t Want to Forget:  He’s such a happy baby still and my heart melts when he smiles and laughs at my husband, daughter or myself.  Every once in a while he just snuggles into my chest and I love it!  He was baptised this month.  He also experienced his first tulip fest!

What’s Next? One more trip and then we are done with any overnight trips for a while.  Hopefully sitting up unassisted will be happening soon!

Weight:  13 lbs 6 oz (4th percentile)

Height:  23.75″ at 4 months, will be measured again at 6 months.

Medical Issues:  None at this time.

Sleep:  Daytime – naps anywhere from 30 mins to 3 hours now.  

Nighttime – bedtime is 7-7:30pm.  He is usually up for one bottle somewhere been 3-4 am then up again around 6-7am.

For the first 3 weeks of this month he started waking up 2-3 times a night and boy, was that rough!  He still has days he gets up as early as 1am.

Clothing Size:  3 Months to start, 6 months to end.

Diaper Size:  Size 2

Diet:  Formula (Similac Total Comfort). Another month of not really having any eating patterns.  He eats anywhere from 2-4 oz at a time (sometimes an occasional 5 or 6 oz bottle) and totals about 21-24 ounces an day.  Formula is still fortified to 24 calories an ounce.

Baby Gear Love:  Carseat/Stroller (it puts him to sleep), bouncer, infantino carrier, mirror, pack and play for activity mat.

Milestones/Firsts: Rolling both directions.  Sleeping on his tummy.  Grabbing toys and sisters hair lol.

Likes:  Baths, activity gym, mirrors, sitting upright on our laps, mommy, daddy and sister.o

Dislikes:  Getting dressed after bath time.  Waiting more than a min or 2 for a bottle.  

Things I Don’t Want to Forget:  He’s such a happy baby at this age. Such a joy to be around right now.

What’s Next? Baptism.  Two trips.  First Easter.