Rachel's Zoo

Monday, July 15, 2013

7 Months

I had to post this picture first, even though it occurred a little later in our photo shoot. It's a "mirror image" to the first picture in the post I did of Abram's 7 month beary pic. Click here.

Yet another photo shoot where I take a whole bunch of pictures...and love them all...even the blurry ones. Forgive the lack of focus...I prefer not using a flash and it makes it really hard to take non-blurry pictures when there is always some part of a babies body in motion at all times! I'll give a few brief updates and then there will just be a long line of un-captioned photos.

Abram also jumped in on the action at the end of this shoot, and I loved those too, despite the fact that his "smile" has morphed into grotesque contortions of his face. Lydia is amused by this.

I haven't weighed or measured her this month. She is probably a bit bigger, since she's not shrinking:) She is able to wear her 3-6 month clothes if they are separates, but one piece outfits have been outgrown. Her 6-12 month wardrobe isn't nearly as diverse and abundant as 0-6 was...I could have dressed 2 or 3 baby girls for the first 6 months.

She is eating a sleeping beautifully. Still breastfeeding and she is doing pretty well with Baby Led Weaning. She's tried a few more things like crackers, green beans, chocolate frosting :) She'll have an occasional off day/night with naps and sttn, but usually she is good with 2-2 hour naps at 9 and 1ish and a cat nap in the evening. Today she didn't go down til 2, slept til 4, so didn't nap again, but by 8:00 bedtime she was exhausted. It's crazy how much sleep babies need!

Sits up very well now, just sit her in the boppy or put some pillows behind her. She can reach way out in front of her, grab an object and sit back up with it. This means she also leans forward so far that she falls onto her belly and then gets "stuck"...because she still hasn't remembered that she is able to ROLL! Playing more with toys now and we've even done some baths sitting up! Getting so big!

Anyways, here are all her pictures! Its apparent that I don't subscribe to "less is more" when it comes to photographs. She's just so expressive and I have to share it with you! Enjoy!

The "bowed" photos

The "bowless" photos

The brother pictures...oh, how she loves him!

Post photo shoot play.

(Ah! Love this one!)

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Abram Update

Yes, we still have another child (and pets, actually)! Lydia's been hogging the blog posts of late and I told Abram today that I'd do a post for him too.

Abram is 29 months old. From about 24 months to about 2 weeks ago, I was really struggling. His little will had really started to come out, with a vengeance, and for some reason I was surprised! I know everyone talks about terrible two's and I guess I was just hoping (praying) that I had that perfect child that would always obey the first time, listen to my every command and never throw tantrums with foot stomping (something his daddy apparently excelled at when he was 2).

This has not been the case.

I kept trying to explain things away because of all the transitions that were happening in our family. New baby, moving to my parents, moving to new house, changing from crib to bed, potty training...the list seemed endless. I realized that much of my frustration was not due to Abram adjusting, but rather, ME, just plain-old-stressed-out, adjusting to all those transitions and doing TOO much! I realized that I needed to slow down and play alongside Abram, include him in the chores that couldn't be ignored (laundry, dishes, meal prep), and really focus on TRAINING my child to behave how God (and I) would expect him to behave. I realized this because...

I started rereading "The Ten Commandments of Child Discipline" by James and Ruth Lyons, a book that my Aunt Jeanne gave to me, that I refer to as the "how to spank book". It's a quick read, and it is very helpful in explaining why spanking is the best discipline, but when to spank and when NOT to spank...and how to go about doing that. I read this when Abram was 14 months old and at the time, I didn't feel it was quite relevant yet. But now it has become QUITE relevant. THEN, I heard about another book, "To Train Up A Child" by Michael and Debi Pearl. After requesting it from the library, reading it cover to cover, and having Curtis read it, I'm ready to buy it to keep in the house as my "disciplinary bible". The authors are Amish and take their disciplinary methodology straight from the King James Bible (spare the rod, spoil the child). Since reading that book, I have felt so much calmer and self-assured in my ability to handle my son and anything he throws at me. Don't get me wrong...he'll still frustrate the daylights out of me at times...but I feel so much more in control of MYSELF, which in turn has completely shifted the way I respond to his misbehavior. I think his behavior has improved because of this and I'm enjoying his company more...which is how it SHOULD be!

So, now that I'm enjoying Abram's company again, I'm noticing all the really cute things he's doing! His vocabulary is really growing by leaps and bounds. I know he almost ALWAYS understands what I am saying to him (which is helpful in discerning disobedience) and I can ALMOST always understand what he's trying to say to me. I think this language barrier leads to much of a toddler's frustrations...not being able to communicate your needs clearly can be extremely frustrating! He can speak now in fairly complex sentences/concepts. The other morning, after eating two eggs scrambled and a piece of toast, I asked if he wanted anything else to eat and his response was "More egg, more toast....please." He will often try to correct Lydia when he thinks she is doing wrong. "No, baby, no touch, doggie (me, kitty, toy, mommy, etc). Frequently asks "where daddy go?", "go Pappaw's house?" "ride my bikissle (that's how he pronounces bicycle...so cute!)? Just today he was doing better adding the "gran" to grandpa, rather than "pappaw", which I feel like we've been working on forever!

He is SUCH a helper! He wants to help with everything, and most of the time we let him! He loves to help us in the kitchen. He drops the fruit in the juicer to make juice and breaks the eggs and stirs them to make scrambled eggs for breakfast. The other day he helped me assemble the lasagna and then tore up lettuce and spun the lettuce spinner to make salad. He helped Daddy make chocolate chip cookies in the stand mixer and we've mixed up pink lemonade several times recently. He also loves to "wash the dishes"...which is mainly just playing with the water in the sink. Last week I'd pulled something out of the clothes dryer and left the door open. A few minutes later I look in and Abram is pulling out the rest of the clothes into the hamper and then he pushed it down the hall to the living room, where I always fold the clothes. Today he picked up the branches and leaves that we trimmed off of the shrubs and pulled them to the field/brush pile or put them in the trash can. He ALWAYS wants to help if it means being with his daddy or his grandpas...he's a little shadow.

We finally hit a stretch of weather warm enough (and dry enough) to go swimming! We had practiced putting on Abram's new "puddle jumper" several times, dry runs if you will. He was VERY opposed to wearing them and cried and cried. Well, once we got him in the water and distracted long enough, he forgot that he didn't like them...rather quickly. First he was jumping off the side and before we knew it, he was going off the diving board!! Now, he shoves those skinny arms into that puddle jumper himself and asks me to buckle it! He LOVES to swim! So glad for that!

I've upped the ante on potting training. He would have good days and bad days in his cloth diapers/pull ups...but he didn't seem to be bothered by wet/soiled diapers...so I've put him in underwear! He has had a few pee accidents...one major poop....but for almost a week and a half he's been in undies while he's awake and he's doing really well. He can definitely tell when he's wet/soiled and takes himself to the bathroom. He still isn't INITIATING going to the potty...I always tell him to go try. He only gets a chocolate bit or an M&M (his fav) when he has dry undies ("Dry diaper" or "Dry 'wears") now, rather than getting them for peeing and pooping in potty. I think we'll reach our potty training goal of September, so he'll be able to go to the next class level at church on promotion Sunday. I sure hope Lydia potty trains faster when the time comes...I feel like Abram's been "half-trained" forever!! He is getting to be a big boy though. He weighs right around 30# (50% percentile) and he's 37 1/2" (75-90% percentile). He's definitely tall...just look at those legs dangling down! I wonder where he got those!

(The day after) Father's Day! Abram and Lydia are so lucky to have such a good daddy!

Saturday, June 29, 2013

6 months

Really, 6 months...1/2 a year. It doesn't seem possible. And yet, so much has changed during this last month. Room sharing, an arrangement that I was so worried about, seems to be working out beautifully. Abram loves to check on Lydia after her naps and doesn't seem to be bothered (doesn't wake up) when she cries. She is sleeping very well, 10-11 hours regularly at night with 3 naps during the day (2, 2, 1)...trying to drop that last one and move up bedtime but its a quite a stretch!

We started solids right at 6 months, with a little bit of oatmeal cereal. She took to it like a fish to water. She'd been acting interested in our food for quite some time and is always trying to grab food off of my plate. I've been looking into Baby Led Weaning and trying to introduce solids using that method rather than pureeing and making baby foods. I'm so much more relaxed about food in general this time around...and honestly don't have time to steam and puree everything, nor do we have the freezer space. So far Lydia has "nommed" on slices of apple, avocado, and carrot, watermelon (in mesh feeder) and applesauce. Abram didn't have any food allergies, and neither do Curtis or I, so we'll still do a food at a time, but I'm not going in any specific order and I'm not spacing them out every 3 days. I like the basic concept of Baby Led Weaning and like that it goes hand in hand with primarily breastfeeding. My supply went down before a year and I had to supplement with formula for Abram. I have nothing against formula...I just don't want to pay for it! I'm hoping to breastfeed right up to cow's milk this time!

At her 6 month appt. she was 26" long and a 1/2 ounce shy of 15#. So 50% in length and 25% in weight. She has to go back on July 5th to get her 6 month shots (our appointment on the 10th was too close to her 4 month shots and the Dr. was on vacation the latter half of the month). She's nice and healthy, hasn't really been sick, just stuffy a few times. Doesn't mind her nose frieda or nail trims. Has started some teething pain (6 1/2 months) and for the last two nights has cried and cried when we put her to bed...which is new...and unwelcome. I'm expecting to see one or two teeth pop through in the next few days...hopefully.

She is very frustrating when it comes to breastfeeding in the middle of the day. She might eat, she might not. Sometimes she'd rather suck her thumb, or watch Abram play, or look for that noise that she just heard in the room or the cat that just jumped over both of us on the bed. She is very easily distracted, and constantly unlatches, relatches, unlatches, which leaves me hanging, er, leaking all over the place. Like I said, frustrating. Only 5 1/2 more months to go, then we're done with that!

Our 6 month photo shoot was fun and fast. She smiled and talked and made all the funny faces that have been cracking me up lately. She has a new one where she purses her lips, wrinkles her nose and breathes in and out through her nose really fast. Usually she does then when Abrams playing with her, or Joan jumps up by her on the bed. Its an ornery expression/sound. For her 6 month shoot she wasn't quite sitting independently, but now (almost 3 weeks later) she is, and she's been sitting up a lot better on her own, with just some pillows or the boppy behind her. Occasionally she face plants and gets on her tummy...which really upsets her. Still not much of a roller, but I'm hoping the sitting will strengthen her "core" enough to where she'll be able to get herself into and out of other positions. I've put her in the walker while in the kitchen. Abram was scooting everywhere at this age, but she's content to sit and play with the toys on the tray and twirl her feet. Since she's been sitting more, Abram's been interacting with her more, bringing her toys and talking to her. I keep saying, "he was walking by 10 months, she'll be talking by 10 months!"

Here are most of the pics I took at the 6 month photo shoot...pictures were taken on time, even if the blog post is almost a month late. It's hard to be on time when my computer isn't online yet...but I don't mind not paying for that service.