9 Month Check-up...

Today was Gage's 9 month check-up with Dr. Nolen. When we first got there, he started getting a little antsy, so I sat him down beside this play table. Before I knew it, he had pulled up and was standing beside it playing. He stood there for a good 10 minutes and was having so much fun!

We weren't scheduled for any shots, just simply a check-up so I went by myself. I have never been along when he gets shots because I just simply didn't think I could handle it. When we got there, the nurse asked if he had all his flu shots and I told her he only had the first half. You know where this is going I'm sure. Yep...he had to have the other half of both them. I thought I was going to pass out, but I'm proud to say I didn't! He only cried for a minute and did well with both of them.

He weighed 23 lbs 14 oz (90%) and was 31 inches long (98%). Dr. Nolen said he looked great and was doing well in everything! Thank Goodness!!!

Growing up...

Last Saturday the 27th, my little man turned 9 months old :( I can remember when he was born thinking I wouldn't be one of those Moms that always wished their kids hadn't grown up. Guess what...I kinda am! Every month when I sit down and type his birthday post, I almost get tears in my eyes because he's growing up so fast. When will it ever stop?

He is wearing 18 months clothes and it won't be long before we move up to 24 months. He is still in size 4 diapers, but barely. The next case will definitely be size 5!

This month has been one of the most exciting months yet. He has taken off into a full blown crawler. As much as I love seeing him get around and go places, he is wearing us out trying to keep up with him. He is one of those babies that is very mischievous and there is scared of NOTHING! The rougher you play with him, the more he likes it. I guess he's going to be a big, tough guy like his Daddy ;) His favorite thing to do is play ball. We roll it to him, and he throws it back at us, clapping the entire time!
For some reason, Gage still doesn't have a single tooth. It is absolutely driving me crazy to still be giving the poor child baby food, but there isn't much else he can eat without teeth. We have started giving him some solids, but not many. Thanksgiving Day was the first time he ate an entire meal of solid foods. Needless to say, HE LOVED EVERY BITE! Since then we have been trying to feed him more "people food".

He started waving "bye bye" and clapping a lot lately! He waves and says "bye bye bye" to everyone he sees and often waves at his toonies, AKA cartoons. He gets excited about everything and everyone he sees and is constantly clapping about it! It is SO cute! I hope he stays this friendly forever! He must get his friendliness from me. I have never met a stranger! He is still VERY sweet and loves his Momma! That's most important right ;) Actually, I think he is still a Mommas boy, but he LOVES his Daddy just as much. The very second he sees Michael, his eyes light up and his arms go out! I guess he's more fun than me. I wouldn't have it any other way!

8 months old...

As I sit here and type this, I'm thinking to myself "can this be right?". But yes, my calculations are correct and my little man is already 8 months old! He has brought so much joy in our lives and continues to bring us more each day! I am so thankful to have him!!!

It seems so crazy that just a couple months ago I made myself a mental list of the things I needed to do before Gage starts getting into things. You know..."baby proof" the house. To be honest, I thought surely I had a little time to spare and I would get to it soon enough. Now, he is can do so much more than I ever thought an 8 month old would do and there is nothing he isn't into. He "army crawls" anywhere he wants to go, and most of the time it's places he shouldn't be going. I'm guessing he will be crawling with a few weeks or so, and before long, he will be walking everywhere! I'm thinking I had better get with it before he tears my house to pieces ;)

He has started waving "bye bye" to people, but only after we have already left them ;) You know how that goes...kids never do what you want them to do when you want them to do it. They just simply wait until no one is watching! Oh well, he is so cute when he actually does it and one of these days, he will learn when the right time is!

We went to the doctor last week and found out that he has his first ear infection. I think we have been pretty lucky so far to have made it this long without one! Hopefully he won't take after Mommy on this one and have numerous sets of tubes in his ears to keep the infections away. I had HORRIBLE ears!

After a lot of thought about the H1N1 vaccine, we went ahead and got the first part of both his flu shots this week. I have been so indecisive about the new vaccine because of everything the media has had to say about it. I talked to several doctors and nurses and got several different opinions, but I decided I would feel pretty stupid if he ended up with the Swine Flu because I didn't vaccinate him so I went ahead with it. Hopefully I don't regret my decision. He has done great with both them and hasn't been fussy at all, we've had no fever, and no sicknesses to go along. I was really worried, but he seems to be handling it well. THANK GOODNESS!!!

Tonight is Halloween night and we are taking Gage Trick-or-Treating at all the Grandparents houses. I am so excited about dressing him up and I cannot wait post pictures when we get home tonight. It should be lots of fun! I hope you all have a great night tonight and be safe!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

6 Month Update

Why is it that I can't find time to blog anymore, so I have to play catch up every weekend? Maybe it's the 22 lb baby I have hanging on my hip? Yep, you heard right! We went to Gage's 6 month doctors appointment and he weighed almost 22 pounds (93%)and he was 29 inches long (98%)! I keep thinking when it is time for him to be weighed, he will be a normal size baby, but it never happens! I suppose that may be because his Daddy is rather large as well! That's ok with me though, they are awfully snuggly!!! Gage loves the wooden sticks Dr. Nolen gives him to play with!I think we may possibly have the best Pediatrician EVER! Every time we go, she plays with Gage for a few minutes, makes sure he's on track for his age, and tells us new things we can start doing. It is always exciting to see how Gage reacts to new things we give him to try! This time she told us to start giving him sippy cups, Puffs, and a new car seat.

A new car seat? Seriously? But...he's just a baby! HA!! He's just a baby that is about to out grow his "bucket" (that's what we call the infant carrier). So, now we are in the market for one of those! Any suggestions?

As far as the sippy cup goes...he's not too sure what to think about it, but it's fun to chew on! He will figure it all out soon enough! We aren't in any hurry!

We have tried Puffs and he likes them quite a bit, but he hasn't figured out how to get them in his own mouth yet! That will come with time too!

5 Months

So, now that I have Little Man in bed for the night, I can finally update! Wow...that is about all I know to say for sure! Where have the past 5 months gone? It seems like yesterday we were starting to put cereal in his bottles, and now, he's eating baby food! He is wearing size 3 diapers and 9 month clothes. It absolutely blows my mind how much bigger he has gotten in just the past month. I just simply don't know what has happened to my tiny little baby :)

Anyway...enough pouting! To be quite honest, although I am saddened by the fact that Gage is growing up on me, he has developed quite a little personality! He smiles constantly and laughs in between smiles ;) I am so happy to be spending my time with such a happy little boy!

He has been doing so well with his eating since we started him on fruits and veggies. He usually wakes up around 7am and takes a 7 ounce bottle. Goes back to sleep until about 9. Eats 1 jar of fruit and 1 jar of veggies at Noon. Takes another 7 ounce bottle around 3. Eats another jar of fruit and another veggie around 7. Takes another 7 ounce bottle around 9 and goes to bed for the night.

Here lately he hasn't been sleeping all that great. He was doing so good for a while, but he has started tossing and turning in the night. He is still sleeping in his Pack 'n Play in our bedroom, but I think the time has come for him to go in his own bedroom. I am having such a terrible time with the thought of it, that I haven't even attempted yet. I think he would do much better if we went ahead and made the move. Michael happens to snore...A LOT...and I'm not too sure that he isn't waking Gage in the night. I guess we won't know until we try, but I'm just nauseated by the thought of him being alone in the other end of the house. Am I crazy or is this just normal?

We are in the market for a new Video Monitor, but not sure on which one would be best. Any suggestions?

I guess for now, I will leave you with a picture

...or two!

4 months and a few randoms...

Papaw (my Dad) came over one night last week to cook dinner for us. He is single, and he likes to cook, so he cooks for us! WE LOVE IT! For some reason, Gage is usually afraid of him (maybe the glasses or the cap), but that day...he loved him! Here they are playing and talking to eachother!

Kristi let us borrow the girls' exersaucer for a while until Gage grows out of it. He has been in it several times at her house, but we didn't have one at home. He loves playing in it for a few minutes, but he wears out pretty quick. At this point in time, he was having fun with it! Speaking of Kristi, last week was Gage's last week of staying with her. She has been so good to us, and so sweet to Gage. We are going to miss her and her little munchkins so much :( It seems like I just started getting attatched to them about the time we were going to stop seeing them everyday. I am going to try to make a point to see them often so they don't forget us. They are the sweetest little girls I've ever seen!

We went to the doctor today for Gage's 4 month shots and well child check-up. He did so good with the shots, and only cried for a minute. He hates it when the hold his legs where he can't move them. I think maybe if they wouldn't do that, he wouldn't even cry. He weighs 18 lbs 6 oz (95%), and he is 27 inches long (97%). Needless to say, he's a big boy! Dr. Nolan told us to start giving him one kind of baby food a week until he eats one of everything. This way we will know if he has any allergies to any foods. Tonight we started on Applesauce. Here he is waiting on his dinner...

and here he is eating his dinner! It had to be the cutest thing ever! Every time I pulled the spoon away from his mouth, he screamed. You would think I was hurnting him. I'm pretty sure he loves Applesaucce!

Gage is starting to develop such a cute little personality. He laughs all the time and smiles at everyone he sees. Michael is quite a character himself, but a little bashful. Gage is not bashful all...yet! I have never in my life met a stranger. I'm thinking maybe he's a little mixture of both of us, personality wise! He is for sure, a Momma's Boy. He likes to play with other people, but he doesn't want me out of his sight. I'm not complaining...I wouldn't have it any other way! Although I am so excited about each new phase in Gage's life, I am so saddened by the fact that he isn't going to be a baby for much longer. I guess he will always be "Momma's Baby" though!

One last thing...I need ADVICE! We have been using Dr. Brown's bottles since Gage was about 3 weeks old for colic. He is now past the Colic stage, so I have been looking for some new bootles that aren't such a pain. The Dr. Brown's work well, but it takes about 30 minutes to wash the bottles every night. They never look or feel clean and I am annoyed with them. The problem is, we thicken his formula with cereal, and I can't find another bottle that works well with cereal. I have tried just about every bottle out there and I haven't found one yet. I've even tried cutting slits in the nipple, but that doesn't work either. Any suggestions?

4 Months...

I can't believe another month has flown by! This month has definitely been an exciting one! Gage has started laughing at everything! It is the funniest thing I have ever seen. The other night Mom and I took him to Target and I was playing with him while we waited on her in the dressing room. I had him laughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath and everyone around was laughing just as hard. Isn't it funny how a baby brings such joy to everyone in the room? These people had no idea who he was!

I think I finally have his formula situation figured out. Remember when we went to the doctor for reflux and they wanted to put him on Nutramigen? Well, at first, I refused. They were telling me he had a milk allergy and I didn't think that was the problem. After a few days of the throwing up not getting any better, Michael talked me into trying the new formula. I HATED IT! It smelled to high heaven, it stained everything it touched, and every time I fed Gage he cried. It didn't take me long to realize it wasn't worth all that. We tried soy formula and it didn't help either. Thank Goodness...it stunk just as bad! So, I did what I wanted to do the entire time, and put him back on his Gentlease. He is taking cereal in every bottle now...he loves it! We have been giving him a couple ounces of pear juice every day...he loves it too! The spitting up is a lot better, but not gone completely. I'm pretty sure a little spitting is to be expected with a 4 month old. We go to the doctor next week for Gage's 4 month shots, so hopefully we will get a good report on everything. I'm thinking they will probably want to start him on some solids when we go. Part of me is really excited about another milestone, but part of me is so sad! My little angel is growing up right before my eyes :(

I'll do my best to report back soon with his stats for this month! Just a fair warning...he's a BIG boy!

One last thing...a picture of my little man!

3 Month Update

Wow! It is so hard to believe I have been a Mommy for 3 months already. This has been the absolute best 3 months of my entire life! Gage is such a good baby, and I am so blessed to have him in my life!

For the past month or so, we have been seeing a little more personality every day. He wakes up in such a good mood in the mornings, so we usually lay in bed and play for a while before I get ready for work...but don't tell Daddy ;) He smiles constantly and loves to "talk"! I mean LOVES it! He's going to be just like me in that aspect, I'm sure. MeMe usually comes over every other day or so and she gets him going instantly! It is the cutest thing ever!! it is amazing to me how much he has changed already, and i know he is going to keep changing so much more. It makes me sad, but happy at the same time. Bittersweet I guess! He is so spoiled already, and I know it will only get worse from here. That's what babies are for though, right?

The past few afternoons when Michael gets home with him, he has been screaming for hours. I have no idea what is causing this, but it has got to stop. I have been putting a little cereal in his bottles at night for about 2 weeks now. I quit doing that thinking that may be the problem, but it hasn't gotten any better. He is usually such a good baby, so I know he's in pain to be crying so hard. I have tried everything I can think of, but nothing works. Does any one have any ideas, and has any one ever experienced this at 3 months old? I would think it is a little late for colic, but I'm not positive of that. Suggestions please!

We spent last weekend at the lake for Memorial Day. Gage did GREAT the entire weekend! I was so proud of him! We went out on the party barge for a couple of hours one day and he never made a peep! He slept most of the time, and played the rest of the time! Here we are getting ready to head out on the lake!

Isn't this cute? This is Gage and his buddy Aaron. They were born on the exact same day, about 19 hours apart. Bill and Teneal (Aaron's parents) are good friends of ours. Teneal was 3 weeks ahead of me while we were pregnant...now, isn't that neat? The boys were so cute in their life jackets!

I took Gage on his first trip to the zoo last week! My friend Jodie is a kindergarten teacher so she took her class on a field trip to the zoo. We went with them, an had so much fun! Here we are!

Michael and I went to see Rance tonight, so Gage went to a ballgame with MeMe. She said he was so good!When she brought him home, he and Daddy played airplane. I love to watch them play together...he loves his Daddy so much!!

Look at those cheeks...he gets that from Daddy I'm pretty sure!

He's holding his head up so well!! Yay Little Man!!!

Here he is in his first ball cap. Actually its a hunting cap, but you get the picture. Possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen!

8 weeks

Today was the dreaded visit to the doctor for Gage's 2 month shots. All in all he did really well. He only cried for a second and it was all over. I was so proud of him! We took MeMe with us because I wasn't sure I could handle it, but it wasn't too bad. He weighs 12 lbs 15 oz (84%) and he is 24.5 inches long(95%)...BIG BOY!

This is Dr. Nolen checking him out! She said he looks "perfect"!

Here he is with his MeMe! Poor guy had no idea what was about to happen :(

He has been doing so well with his sleeping this week. He has slept for 7 hours two nights in a row!!! Even though he is sleeping great, I am not! It seems like I still wake up about every 3 hours to check on him...you know, put my finger under his nose to see if he's breathing ;) We've all done it, huh? I thought I would never see the day that I would be so paranoid. I suppose that's what happens when those motherly instincts kick in! He has started taking 5 ounces of formula this week and he seems to be getting full, so hopefully we can stay there for a while. On the other hand, he has been drooling and spitting up like crazy! I don't know where in the world this came from! I sure hope he isn't cutting teeth already...if so, I will probably cry!

Here is Gage with his Bunny Rabbit today...I can't believe how fast the little guy is growing! While we were at the doctor we saw a baby that was 1 week old and he seemed so tiny. I remember when Gage was that age and people would say "I can't even remember mine being that small". I would smile and say "really?" but inside I was thinking "you can't remember...what do you mean you can't remember?". Now I know...you really do forget! I can't remember Gage being that small either! SO SAD!!!


I realized when Michael came home today that he and Gage both had on green Polo's! I just had to have a picture...aren't they cute? I just LOVE those two!!

Time flies...

As bad as I hate to say it, my little man is already a month old. I can't believe how fast this past month has flown by. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew life was about to change, but I never imagined it would change this much. The past month has been the most challenging, yet rewarding time ever. When Gage was about a week old, we were having some trouble with his bottles and I called my mom almost in tears because I couldn't figure out what in the world we could do to fix Gage's gas issues. We talked for a little while and when I was letting her off the phone she said to me "Sis, just remember, everything with a baby is trial and error. You're doing a great job, and I am very proud of you". It meant so much to me for my mom to say that to me, and it turns out, she was exactly right. It seems like every time I think we have things going our way, something else happens and I'm sure it will be this way for the rest of our lives.

Before Gage was born, just like most men, Michael had never changed a diaper, never chaged a baby's clothes, never fed a baby, nothing! The first night Gage was born, Daddy had to be "broken in". He changed his first poopy diaper, and as it turned out, his first poopy clothes, and I'm not sure he has taken a break since. He is such a wonderful Daddy, and so sweet to Gage and I. We are so lucky to have him, and I thank God for him every day! We love you Daddy!!

Overall Gage has been a wonderful baby, and I am so thankful! He is such a blessing in our lives and I can't ever imagine life withough him! Mommy and Daddy love you Angel!!!



One more thing, if you have an iphone and a baby, you should definitly download "Baby Log" from the App Store. We have Gage on an eating schedule and I kept messing up on his feeding times, so I bought this app. It is wonderful! Check it out!!