9 Months, 3 Weeks Old!

You started saying "dada" this week! And what a daddy's boy you are!  We are amazed by how early you have taken to following him around and doting on him!  You get especially mad if he leaves the house!  Here you are trying to open the door so that you can get out to him!

You LOVE looking out the window!  You would do it all day if I would let you, but since all of our windows are up high you don't get to sit and watch nearly as long as you would like!

You seem to be taking to music just like your brother!

You love drumming with him (although I think he would classify it more as you getting in his way!) and even steal his instruments every once and a while!

You are so sweet and cuddly and I think you get cuter all the time (if that's possible!)!  You have also taken to fake laughing lately!  It is so funny!  Whenever you do something that you find comical you let out a "haha!"  Quite the little comedian!

You and your big brother also got to spend most of Friday and Saturday with Nana, Papa & Grandma while mama went to a homeschooling conference!  It was a nice break for mama to get refreshed and for you guys to spend some quality time with them!  Daddy was working or he would have helped with you guys too!  He misses you guys so much when he has to work a lot!

We love you, love you, love you!  You're sweet and precious and too funny for words!

9 Months, 2 Weeks Old!

You boys are finally on the mend, although daddy is still having problems with his ear.  Life has gotten back closer to normal and we are busy as ever with co-ops and birthday parties- before we know it it will be yours!

Your cheeks have really filled out lately and you seem to be in a chubbier stage- so cute!  Your smile is killer and you definitely know how to get what you want!

You have been into everything lately and are kind of driving your brother crazy since you like to steal his toys!  Whatever he is playing with you automatically want (and vis versa!)!  He also enjoys dressing you up every now and then- such as with his hat!

You got a kick out of it!

You are also eating us out of house and home (just as I predicted!)!  You are not much into anything pureed but you LOVE finger foods!  You eat avacado, banana, corn, olives, pasta- just about whatever we are eating in small bites!  You love to be a part of our family meals and it is also nice for mama to get to sit with everyone else while we eat too!

We went to the park with the Dordal clan and you got to go in the swings for the first time and loved it!  The slides were a new and fun experience for you too!  Our little (or big!) adventurous baby!

OH!  AND you started running your fingers over your lips and going "bububububububub"!  You love the way it sounds and think it is so funny!

You still avidly suck my pinky for comfort (although I wish that you would just suck your own fingers instead!) and you love to rub and play with your hair when you're tired and you nurse.  You also still loving lay your head down on our shoulders when we pick you up- it is the sweetest thing!

You are a genuinely sweet boy and we love you bigger than the moon!

 

9 months, 1 week old!

Still sick!  We took you back to the doctor and it turns out that your ear infection hadn't improved at all.  Dr. Bennett felt it would be best to give you a shot (another first :-(  ) of concentrated antibiotics to help give you a boost towards healing.  You tolerated it well and actually cried less than you usually do when we give you the oral antibiotics (which you HATE!).  I am glad that Dr. Bennett is so kind and understanding, but I would really rather that we didn't have to see him for a while!

Mostly, right now, we are just stuck at home trying to get you guys well (daddy has a very bad ear infection and built up pressure as well!)!  However, you are becoming quite good at the stairs and are loving chasing your brother around more and more!  You love to dance with us and your funny personality is really starting to shine!

(scary pic of mama- but YOU are cute!)

You are cruising along the furniture now like a champ and even stand by yourself a little bit!  You love to jabber also!

We love you more than you can imagine Brutus Beefcake!

9 months old!

Man- another rough week buddy!  This past Friday we ended up having to take you to the ER at 2:00 am because you had been screaming for hours and even when we would finally get you to sleep you just wouldn't stay out.  So we called Nana and Papa to come over and scoop up your brother and we reaced you to the ER.

After much hassle (apparently the fact that you were born at home completely dumbfounded them!) they finally came to the conclusion that you had an ear infection.  The debate then arose over how they should treat you because we haven't vaccinated you (an informed decision) and in this doctor's opinion you would then need to be treated more aggressively... for your ears.  What?!  Ummm... last I heard there wasn't a vaccine for ear infections, thank you very much!

When examining you he also stopped in his tracks upon pulling your drawers down because apparently he had never seen a cloth diaper before and thought you were wearing a hip brace!  Okay, so I kinda laughed at that one!  But seriously, it was ridiculous!

At about 4:30am I finally interrupted him and asked if any of this was pertinent to our current situation... your ears... so that we could go home!  We went and got your antibiotics (another first :-(  ) and headed home to sleep at last.

By Saturday your brother had a full blown ear infection as well and daddy and I spent the next two days battling your fevers with lots of luke warm baths and Motrin until we could get in to see Dr. Bennett.  He confirmed that you both had double ear infections by that point and that the antibiotics were suitable but not extra-crazy as the other doctor said they needed to be.  He assured us that the other doctor was just trying to make us feel bad and that vaccines have no bearing on ear infections!  Case closed!

Luckily daddy stayed home from work to help with you boys because between the two of you we are full-time on call!  Lots of work and your fevers still rage.  Poor guys!  We love you so much and hope you get all better soon!

8 Months & 3 Weeks Old!

Well, it has been an eventful week, to say the least!  First of all, we made our family's first official trip to minor emergency for an injury and you were the injured!  You were standing up next to our folded up travel swing and plopped backwards onto your bum, pulling it down with you... into your face.  At first I thought it didn't hit you that hard and you were just fussing like normal- then I saw the blood.  The copious amounts of blood streaming out of your mouth and all over your PJs!  Needless to say, I freaked a little bit and couldn't get ahold of any other family member to help calm my nerves and possibly come over and help assess the situation.

About a half an hour after said accident you father finally arrived home but had to leave again right away to go deliver a tool to a guy who was driving in from out of town just to buy it from him, but at least he took your brother while I hauled you off to minor emergency.  All in all, it was probably a good thing that he wasn't home when it happened anyway because when he saw your continued bleeding (which was minimal compared to the initial 10 minutes and caused mostly from your rubbing your face and tearing the wound back open... repeatedly) he got a bit pail and assured me that I was the one to handle the injury!

Luckily they got us in pretty quickly at the clinic and reassured me that your teeth were fine and your mouth would heal fairly quickly without stitches.  The doctor discovered that you had impacted your teeth and were actually bleeding out around them, but the teeth appeared to still be okay.  Through the blood the doctor also thought that your teeth had gone into your lip, but as we found out yesterday at a different doctor appointment for your brother (who has croup) you actually tore your frenulum (that little piece of skin between your gums and your lip- you have one under your tongue too).  Erg... just the thought of it makes me cringe.  The doctor said that yours was pretty think to begin with and probably would have torn at some point anyway, but assured us that now that it has happened it is out of the way and won't happen again.  Phew... at least you are okay and seem to be no worse for wear.

Other than that we have been trying to spend some time outside and enjoy our beautiful weather.  You tend to want to put everything in your mouth which is a challenge, however.  The other day when I repeatedly removed the dirt from your hands you looked straight out me and then proceeded to put your entire mouth down onto the porch.  Lovely.  Despite it's challenges, it is good for all of us to get outside and soak up some sun and fresh air!

SO I caved the other day and bought some real baby food.  I vowed that I wasn't going to do that with you, but life has been so chaotic lately that I just picked up a couple of (organic) jars to try).

You're not diggin' it!

These faces are priceless however!

Here is your brother's reaction (after asking if he could have some- we reassured him that if you didn't like it he definitely wouldn't!).

You love your finger foods but this mush was apparently just too much for you!  I think we will be going a different direction with the solids from here on out!

Pitiful.

("why are you doing this to me mom?!")

Oh, and did I mention that you now weigh 21 pounds?!?!  AND are wearing the sleepers that your brother wore when he was nearly 2, running around and "helping" us paint the basement during our remodel?!  It is just nuts how different the two of you are!