6 months

*In honor of half a year, I'll be doing a post today and tomorrow night. We go to the doctor tomorrow for a weigh in, and we are having family over for a little 1/2 a year party tonight :) I'll update on those tomorrow.

Preston,

You are six months old today!

Where did half a year go?! You are such a big boy these days. Mommy and Daddy think this past month has been the one with the most changes in you. The biggest development has been crawling! You get faster everyday, and you are figuring out how to coordinate your arms and legs better too. This month, you will also sit unassisted for a few minutes. You are getting better at that too!

You are eating well! So far, you have had pears, apples, apricots, bananas, peaches, raspberries, green beans, peas, squash and sweet potatoes (all in baby food form, of course). You LOVE them all. You get so excited in your high chair! You gobble it down pretty quick. You eat solids three times a day now. Fruit in the morning and for lunch, and veggies for dinner. You have bottles that follow them and you usually drink anywhere from 4 - 6 oz. Before you go to bed at night, you get one last bottle. And when you first wake up, you get one full bottle. Unfortunately, you are still spitting up ALL the time. Mommy and Daddy thought that once you started eating more solids, it would stay down better. We were very wrong. Mommy and Daddy are already talking about all the furniture and rugs that will have to be replaced once you stop spitting :)

As far as sleeping goes, it still isn't your best feature. You are getting better though. You still wake up once or twice, but usually fall back asleep pretty quickly. Now that Mommy isn't feeding you anymore, Mommy and Daddy take every other night, so that one always gets a good nights sleep. Usually you just eat once in the middle of the night.

No teeth in sight, although you have all the symptoms. The drool is out of control!

Some of your favorite toys right now are your Johnny Jump Up, your walker, this little car that spins and you can crawl after it, and My Pal Scout. You just love him. He sings songs about you and you smile at him.

You have clearly figured out the roles that your parents have taken. When Daddy walks in the room, it's playtime! You just giggle, laugh and get this wild look in your eye. You want him to throw you, pretend to drop you, and "fly" you around the room. Daddy thinks you are a daredevil, because you really like danger right now. With Mommy, you want her to rock you, hold you, walk around with you, and lay down on the floor with you.

Mommy and Daddy think you might start pulling up soon. There is a little stool in your room right now, and you have been trying to figure out how to get to the top of it. Then Mommy snapped this picture today....

Soon Mr. P! As always, your Daddy and Mommy love you more than anything. We love watching you grow and discover new things. We can't imagine life without you, Mr. P.

My follow-up to the first BF post

So this is a follow-up to this post.

We made it. We made it six months. Well, almost six months. I am saying six months because we got pretty close. I have to say that I am proud of our family of three. I say I am proud of all three of us because it took me sacrificing my body and time, Preston learning to master nursing, and Brian coping with it all :) Mostly coping with me and being supportive.

As of right now, Preston is officially weaned. It was much easier than I thought it would be, and it only took about a week. In a way, this was bad for me, or should I say Brian, because my hormones went CRAZY because we stopped fairly quickly. I have kind of been stretching out my feedings and pumpings so that it wouldn't be like that, but I don't think it can really be avoided.

My plan was to wean at 6 months, but truthfully, Preston kind of weaned himself. It got to the point where he was much more interested in the food in his highchair than he was in his mom. I am glad it went this way, because it could have been so much worse. Preston just wasn't interested in doing it anymore, and of course, I am not going to push it. In fact, I am pretty sure it was harder on me than it was him. I would bring him to me, and he would just look around and pull away, and was totally distracted. I interpreted that as, "Mom, I'm over this. I am almost 6 months old. Can I have bananas?"

I had a few friends ask me if I was sad that BFing is over. I say no, because I never really liked it that much anyway. But, then when I think about it, maybe I am a little. I think what I am sad about is that he isn't a tiny baby anymore. I think I would feel that way no matter what. So, with that said, I will definitely breastfeed again although that won't be anytime soon. Who knows what challenges with BFing our next child will face, but I can go into it with confidence because I know I conquered it the first time. However, the #1 thing having a child has taught me is that YOU CANNOT PLAN FOR EVERYTHING.

So... bring on the drinks, the caffeine, the dieting, my old wardrobe and a renewed sense of freedom!

Is it football season yet?

Preston recovers a fumble.
Apparently, I gave birth to an inchworm. Hey, if it works buddy!

Farmer's Market & Weekend

This weekend, we made a little trip to the Farmer's Market closest to our house. It's just a couple miles from home. We have been feeling bad lately because we haven't taken P out much on the weekends. It is just SO HOT and we both worry about Preston getting over heated. However, we braved the heat for a little family time.

Brian LOVES blueberries... can't say no to them. I lost him for a minute, and eventually found him over at the Jones Orchard booth picking out blueberries. He likes to leave them in the freezer and puts frozen ones in everything from cereal to ice cream.

Then we got some homemade vanilla ice cream from a vendor. It was so delicious! We let P have a small bite, but he wasn't a fan. I think it was more about how cold the ice cream was than the taste.

We didn't stay too long, because it was really hot. P was sweating! That night, after P went to bed, Brian and I made blueberry cobbler using this recipe. It was TO DIE FOR! The best part was the cinnamon on top. Of course, we ate it with more ice cream. We ate the last of it last night, and I was sad to see it go :(

Sunday, we went to church. We checked out their nursery for P, and the room was huge and really nice! So looks like we'll be leaving him there on Sundays so that we can actually listen to what's going on during Mass. At the end of Mass, Brian whispered that he didn't hear or catch anything during the whole hour. I told him I didn't either. We were handing P back and forth, digging through his diaper bag for things to entertain him, walking him around outside, etc. Plus, we sat in the cry room, so if we weren't distracted by our kid, everyone else's kids were distracting us. Oh well, at least we were there!

Other than the Farmer's Market and church, we didn't really do much this weekend. Preston STILL isn't sleeping well, so we are both just tired. I can't figure out if it's teething, tummy problems, some of the reflux still going on, etc., or that he is just a light, bad sleeper. I also know that he doesn't sleep well when he has reached a new milestone. When he first learned to roll over, he kept doing it in his sleep and waking himself up. He is doing this with crawling now. He'll just pop up and crawl across the crib crying.

We are going on 6 months of sleeplessness, and with both of us working full-time, it is just exhausting after a while. The longest he has ever slept in his life was 9 hours at night. He has done that three times. We still have nights where it is like he is a newborn and wakes up every 3 hours. What's puzzling is that he is SO scheduled during the day, a decent napper, and we have a great bedtime routine that we NEVER veer from. Yet, he is so inconsistent at night. I've read every book from Babywise to Whisperer and implemented it all. For him to finally go to bed on his own in his crib at around 8 p.m., it took him crying it out for a month and a half before he would finally put himself to sleep without screaming. Our pediatrician told us it usually takes a week. It was absolute torture for Brian and me. I remember so many nights where Brian and I were almost crying too... it hurts your heart to hear your child cry.

So what does this mean for Preston and sleep? Maybe he is just one of those kids that doesn't need much. Maybe he'll cut out naps early. He is so happy during the day, and doesn't seem to be bothered by the lack of sleep. I just wish Brian and I were the same way!

I remind myself that Preston is perfect in every other way. We also know that it won't last forever. Eventually he'll sleep, and one day, Brian and I will too. At least until he starts driving.

On Travel

I'm super proud of my mom for blogging. For those of you that don't know, my mom is a globe trotter :) She's all over the place, all the time, and she and my dad have instilled in my brothers and I the importance of traveling. My parents exposed us to many different travel experiences beginning at an early age.

The first time I went overseas, I was in 8th grade. We went to England, Ireland and Wales. I was forever changed the first time I went. After that trip, future trips lead our family to Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and France. My brothers and parents also took a trip when I was away in college to the Czech Republic - one I am still regretful to have missed. My brothers and parents separately have also been to cool places like India, Istanbul, Slovakia, Peru and Honduras to name a few.

When Brian joined our clan, he was able to experience travel with us. We were able to go to the Bahamas together, and to Mexico for our honeymoon. We've also been a few places in Europe together. My hope is that we'll be able to take Preston to exciting and fun places. Maybe one day!

A while back, my mom and dad traveled to Peru. She started a blog before she went. She's kept on blogging through trips back to Europe, and a trip to India she took this Summer. I'm proud of my mom for blogging. I am so glad she has records of all of her recent trips. You should check it out if you ever get a chance!

Where is my baby?

What a week. This weekend we headed to Atlanta to celebrate our friends' wedding. We left Preston overnight for two nights. It was the first time ever we were both away from him overnight. He stayed with his Mimi and Mook. He went right out of my arms and had a fun weekend like we were never even separated.

When I first had Preston, I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of insecurity. He needed me (and his daddy) for everything. He couldn't hold up his head, he couldn't eat without us, he only drank milk, he cried and cried and our attempts to soothe him were countless. How could I possibly give him everything he needed? I remember wishing for him to grow bigger, to gain independence, to just grow past this newborn phase so that he would be more comfortable. Preston is such an active baby, I felt like we would all be happier when he could DO more.

Here I am, eating my words.

As of this weekend, Preston is crawling. Yes, he decided to crawl for the first time while we were in Atlanta. He got up in the crawling position and took a few crawls forward, lunging his body trying to go as far as he could. His eyebrows go up, and he gets this determined look on his face. From the moment he first crawled, it became an obsession with him. It is ALL he wants to do. He is a boy on a mission. When he moves, you can see such a sense of pride on his face. Of course, when he crawled the best we couldn't get it on video, but you get the idea.



In addition to the new found freedom of crawling, he is eating his food in a highchair. He looks so big in the highchair. Sitting proudly, easily opening his mouth and eating whatever we put in front of him. It doesn't matter - fruits or veggies - he loves it all. Then last night, I decided I would just hand him a sippy cup with some water in it to see what he would do. He immediately grabbed it, held it perfectly, lifted it up to his mouth and took several sips of water, in between the green peas he was taking down. I was in awe.

I looked at my baby this morning as Brian and I were getting ready for work. He was wearing a navy blue Polo shirt and khaki shorts, crawling across our bed. He just looked SO big. I know I will have more moments like these - when I look at him and can't believe how big my baby is. I was talking to Brian about this a little last night while I was rocking Preston before bed. I told him that no matter how big he gets, I want to always remember how small he once was, how dependent he was on us, and how special this time in our life was.

When he was a newborn, I used to think "How do people forget this?" Everyone says you do. Now, I am beginning to forget what it was like to have a tiny baby, nursing round the clock, that feeling of insecurity. Our boy is growing up before our very eyes. And it is so bittersweet. His belly laugh just melts my heart.



In other news, our first weekend away from him was actually kind of nice. People kept asking me if it was hard, and it really wasn't. I knew he was in good hands, and Brian and I needed some quality time together. We stayed in a nice hotel in the Buckhead area, spent time together and spent time with his college friends. But, when I woke up Sunday morning, my heart hurt. I really needed to see him again. I am pretty sure I could not have made it three nights. I was relieved to make it back safely to this big boy who looked fatter, longer, and more grown up. We really love him so much and Brian and I were all over him when we saw him again :)

Our First Real Illness

Preston got sick for the first time this past week. Boo!

I knew this day would come and I was dreading it. About a week ago, Preston had all the symptoms of a cold. Coughing, runny nose, a slight little fever, etc. Brian took him to the pediatrician (I had a meeting at work I couldn't miss), and he said Tylenol every 4 hours, and if the fever goes up or he gets sicker, come back.

Well, last night, 7 days after the original doctor appointment, Preston felt a little warm. I took his temperature and it was 101 exactly. Poor guy! Our pediatrician's group has an after hours clinic til 8 p.m. and also a weekend clinic on Saturday AND Sunday (LOVE that!) so after a quick call to the nurse to confirm my suspicions, we were on our way to the doctor at aruond 6:30 p.m. They got us in and out - it took 20 minutes total - and said Preston had a sinus infection. They gave us antibiotics and told us to continue the Tylenol. I can't wait until he can finally take Motrin at 6 months. Last night, he was up three times just because he couldn't breathe. As soon as I put him on my shoulder, he fell back asleep. I think being upright helped him.

Working at a children's hospital really puts things in perspective. I wasn't nervous or anything and knew he would be fine. I am thankful that it's nothing more serious, but HATE having a sick baby. Hoping he feels better soon!

Lately

We've been battling illness at our house, so I'll recap what we've been up to over the last couple weeks.

For the fourth, we visited my grandparents down in Alabama. These fellows greeted us when we got there. A huge beehive in the tree out front!

Speaking of beehives, my grandparents had some amazing honey straight from the comb. So good!

And a trip to the farm wouldn't be completely without some amazing food...

And family time...

Even though I was super sick through most of it, it was still nice to see everyone.

Yesterday, we learned that our little wild man is a fish. He went swimming for the first time and absolutely loved it. The Fields have a pool, and I have a feeling P will be spending lots of time in it in the future. We thought he would like it, because he loves the bath so much, so it was fun to see him enjoy it on a much larger scale.

Hope you had a nice Fourth of July!

Five Months

Preston, you are five months old!

We aren't sure how much you weigh because you haven't been to the doctor since your last well baby appointment, but you have really started chunking up. Your legs especially! Lots of little dimples and rolls. I mean, you are still a little guy, but definitely growing!

Your days of colic and reflux are behind us (we hope!). You are a much happier baby now than when you first came into the world. Listen baby boy, that reflux and colic was NO JOKE. You gave us a run for our money.

You now take solids twice a day and 4-5 bottles a day. We have had lots of fun feeding you! You love bananas, applesauce, and pears (all mixed with rice cereal of course). Pretty soon, we'll start you on some veggies. Daddy just bought you some sweet potatoes, so we'll probably start with those first. You do so well with eating! You get excited and open your mouth wide for food. You also try to grab the spoon. It's a huge, sticky mess a lot of the time, but I'm always surprised how much you are able to eat. It seems like a lot.

As far as sleeping goes, you are getting better. Last Thursday, you slept from 8:45 p.m. til 7:00 a.m. Your daddy and I thought we had died and gone to heaven. Of course, you haven't done it since, despite our efforts to try to perfectly recreate that day down to what you wore! You just wake up once now, so it is manageable. Your mommy is tempting to try to let you cry it out here pretty soon, but it is just so hard! We hate to hear you cry, but we want you to get the sleep you need. One thing you are doing great is falling asleep. After we do our whole bedtime routine, we put you in your crib, sometimes wide awake, and you just lay there without a peep, roll over and go to sleep. This took you over a month to master and we couldn't be more proud!

One of your favorite things to do right now is take a bath. This makes your daddy and I laugh, because when you were a newborn you HATED it. Now, you take long baths and play with your "bath friends" as we call them. There are 4 rubber ducks and 5 toys that squirt water. You LOVE to splash. You sit up in the tub, and throw your arms around wildly to make big splashes. You also like to stand up and splash with your feet. It soaks the bathroom, but your daddy and I have just as much fun as you do.

Right now, you are really into your daddy. If he just looks at you funny, you crack up. You think he is the funniest person on the face of the earth. You just laugh and laugh these days. Some toys you are loving are your walker, your Johnny Jump Up, and this set of toy keys that you always like to play with. You also love our nightly walks around the neighborhood where we stop and talk to all of our neighbors and they comment on how cute you are. :)

Your daddy and I really notice you doing new things everyday. We love being your parents because we get to see all the tiny changes in you. Your motor skills are getting so much better. You can reach and grab your toes, you roll over as soon as we put you down, you sort of semi-scoot, and you are getting closer to sitting unassisted. You have also become great at holding your own bottle. You can hold it for a while now, which is fun to watch you try to hold it and stick the bottle in your mouth independently. You have become quick these days too. Sometimes I will put a toy a few inches away from you, and when I turn back around, you have it in your mouth! You surprise us all the time. Just today, you blew raspberries at your mom for the first time. You are just so precious to your daddy and me. You really are our sunshine!

We love you sweet baby boy. Happy five months!