December 19, 2006

OK, I know, I know. I'm TERRIBLE. I have been trying to update this darn site for months now and it seems like every time I tried, something disastrous would happen and I would lose everything. You know, like the power going off due to the huge ice storm, and then our computer imploding. However, I believe we're back up and running. So, here we are and Milo is now 1 year old. It's crazy! He has 2 little teeth on the bottom and that's it. But that doesn't seem to deter him from eating. Our latest challenge is that he wants to eat like big people -- with a fork and knife, whole pieces of food instead of little bites. Ah well, at least he likes to eat. Great big handfuls and then wash it down with milk while he's still got a mouthful. Speaking of eating a lot, the Boy weighs 22 lbs, 4 oz now. He's not quite walking, but I think he's close. He cruises a lot, and will even let go of everything and drink from his sippy or hold a toy with both hands until he realizes that he's not holding on to anything, and then he sits down or grabs back on. God bless him, he's still sleeping 11-1/2 to 12 hours every night. It's made a world of difference for all of us. And, I am happy (OK, happy is an understatement) to say that I have retired the pump. Woo-hoo! Luckily, Milo's been SO good during the whole weaning process, it's made it a lot easier for both of us. We're only nursing right before bed, and I hope to cut that right after Christmas. We'll see.

We've had the end of our first holidays now -- Halloween and Thanksgiving were the last of them. Milo was a rock star for Halloween (see the pics) and loved the stuffing and sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. He's not a huge meat fan, but we're working on that. The first birthday party was also a success. It was a music theme, and we had it at Aaron's store, the Music Center of Kirkwood. All the kids had fun, although Milo wasn't TOO sure about all these kids running around everywhere when he couldn't. And, he also wasn't so sure about the cake -- he didn't want to get his hands in it. But then I fed it to him with a fork and got him his own spoon, and it was all over. Literally. All over him, the chair, everything. Until his spoon got too dirty and he wanted a clean one. (Hmmmmm. Whose son is this again?)

So, on to Christmas. We had our Christmas with Gramme and Grandpa (that would be Frank and Jeanie) this weekend. They didn't spoil him TOO terribly -- except for that Elmo TMX doll. Although for Milo, this Tickle Me Elmo is more a Make Me Cry Elmo right now. He's not too happy when Elmo moves toward him -- it kind of freaks him out. But, he'll grow to love him, I'm sure. (And, just as quickly, we'll probably grow to hate Elmo.) We're going to have our Christmas tomorrow night, and then on to Arkansas for the weekend.

Since it has been a year, I thought I'd write a little respective about the things I've learned in the last 365 days. Probably the most important is don't sweat the small stuff. You know, kids are going to get colds or bumps or bruises and there's not a thing you can do to stop it. And, it's not necessarily your fault when they're sick or hurt. The best you can do -- for them and for you -- is just to be there and to comfort. But it is OK if you cry right along with them. ;-) Also, everything is just a phase -- the bad and (unfortunately) the good. When they won't eat their carrots or drink their milk or lay still when you're trying to change their poopy diaper, they will in a week or 2. And, when they are sleeping all night or sitting down in the bath to play instead of running all around, they won't in a week or 2. It's all give and take. Finally, you have to stop and really enjoy the little moments -- the smiles, the looks of wonder, even the fits -- because that's what makes up our lives. If you wait for the big ones, you'll miss a lot.

OK, enough sap. And, yes, I'm sure I learned more than that in one year, but that's the big stuff. There are a TON of new pictures up. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!

http://img138.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img138/1306/1174330734o79.smil

September 17, 2006

Whew, time flies! Baby Boy is 9 months old! And, we must say, this past month has been much, much better. Still no teeth, but the reflux is back under control. We actually took him to Christine Dunsworth (Nix), a chiropractor who is also Aaron's best friend's wife and also known as Aunt Chicky. I know it may sound strange, but after two adjustments, Milo has gone from spitting up literally 30-40 times per day to maybe 3 or 4. It has to do with the vegas nerve and being out of alignment (which he was), which is normally caused by difficult labors or c-sections. And, being as Milo was so packed in there, he had to be vacuumed out of my c-section, no big surprise that he was out of whack. Even better, the sleep training worked! Milo is consistently sleeping 12 hours every night with no fussing. It's amazing! Eating is good, and we've even started finger foods. Cheerios are a big hit, and he also likes peas, green beans, pears, and cheese. We'll experiment with pasta and some other fruit this week. Milo has now said Dada. 3 times to be exact. And, he loves to babble. He's got crawling and pulling up down pat, and he even took 3 steps while holding on to the couch today. So, it's not going to be long before he's all over the place. Oy. We started swim class again -- Kipper this time, a step up from Shrimp although not really different -- and I am happy to report that Milo didn't just lay there like a lump this time. He actually splashed AND kicked. Yeah! Eight month portraits are posted, as are a ton of other, fun pictures. Enjoy!

August 6, 2006

Well, here we are at 7 months. If we're honest, this last month has been kind of a tough one. Just when we thought Baby Boy was getting some teeth (bottom fang teeth to be precise), they stalled out. So, we've got more teething coming up. His reflux is back, so he's back on Prevacid. And, his sleep has taken a sharp nosedive and crash landed in flames, but we're working on that. We actually started sleep training two nights ago, and saw some drastic improvements last night -- Milo slept over 12 hours straight in his crib! Unless it was a fluke. We'll see... Milo's an eating machine with cereal and fruit in the morning plus a jar food at lunch and dinner. He likes everything so far except peaches (but I tried the baby food peaches, and I wouldn't have eaten them either) He babbles all the time -- ba-ba-ba is his favorite, and he can now say Mama. Which is cute (unless it's during sleep training and he's standing at the side of his crib with arms outstretched wailing "Mamaaaaaaa"). Oh yeah, pulling up to stand at the side of his crib is a favorite activity. Again, cute, except in the middle of the night. Oh! And the most exciting news (besides sleeping 12 hours last night) -- Milo can not only sit up on his own from his stomach, but just started crawling yesterday. It's not pretty crawling, more like pulling himself with one leg with the other leg tucked underneath him, but it gets the job done. There are lots more pictures -- swim class, the park, Milo's first Cardinals baseball game (which they actually won somehow), and seven month portraits. Enjoy!

June 14, 2006

OK, so I wasn't very good about keeping my promise of writing more often. But, we're good. Milo Boy is 6 months old -- can you believe it?! He had his check-up today and passed with flying colors. Still hovering around 17.5 lbs and now 25 inches. He has mastered rolling both ways and even does somewhat of an army crawl -- head down, butt up -- to get to his toys. We're still trying to kick the swing habit at night, but it's getting a lot better. Mostly. Milo is STILL teething with nothing to show for it yet. I'm semi-convinced that he's never getting teeth. He's progressed to cereal in the mornings and a jar food at night; we've been through all the vegetables and are now on fruits. And, we just tried a sippy cup with juice for the first time tonight. Mi liked the cup but not the juice so much, but we'll get there. He still likes his Whooz-It, but we've added a few other friends to the mix -- Caterpillar, Frog, Spin 'n' Stack Rings, and the Exersaucer. Another favorite is watching cars go by on the road outside our house, and, really, just being outside in general. We did start Shrimp class (baby swim class) at the YMCA last weekend -- as you can see from the pictures, Milo didn't fuss but we're not so sure he really cared either. Mi is just babbling away, but no real words yet. And, Daddy and I can crack him up if the mood is right. Enjoy the pictures -- and I really do promise to be better about posting!

April 4, 2006

Whew! It's been a long time (sorry about that!), but we've been trying to get adjusted to "real" life. Erica's gone back to work, Milo's going to the sitter during the day, and Aaron, well, he's just been trying to keep everyone sane throughout. Milo's doing good -- over 17 lbs now -- and just started cereal last night. He also started teething about two weeks ago, and, of course, it's not going all that smoothly. He's very drooly, chewy, and FUSSY. Hang on, Milo wants to type something as he sits in my lap (Daddy taught him how to type): ,pppppppppppppADCZ I believe that means, "Don't believe Mama. I'm a perfect baby." At any rate, Milo's other accomplishments include talking (and hollering) all the time, sitting up, and grabbing just about anything, but his favorites are his Whooz-It, teething rings and Mama's hair. He WAS sleeping through the night -- 9 hours! -- but stopped just about when the teething started. We're hoping the cereal will make a difference. He's found his toes (you can see in the pictures), but grabs them when he's sitting up instead of when he's lying down. He's also thisclose to rolling over. There are lots of new pictures posted, including his 3 month portraits. We'll try to be better about posting more often!

February 14, 2006

Well, we've had an eventful couple of weeks here. We've finally admitted to ourselves that Milo has colic since he screams from about 7pm to 11pm every night. However, we've also found the magic solution that calms him down -- bouncing on a stability ball. I guess the upside is that we'll have some firm thighs! We also had portraits taken to commemorate him turning 2 months old (we've posted them). And, Milo now has his first little cold thanks to his mom (sorry, buddy). Yesterday at the doctor's office, he weighed 14 lbs, 11.5 oz, so eating and growing are still not issues. We've posted lots of cute pictures, so enjoy!

January 26, 2006

Six weeks down! Milo went back to the doctor on Monday for his check-up and passed with flying colors. He weighs 12 lbs, 7.5 oz -- 90th percentile on the growth charts -- and is about 22 inches long -- only 25th percentile. :) He's just started to really smile this past week when we smile at him. And, we're trying to move him into his crib, however he still mostly sleeps in his swing. We think this is going to be a challenge, but we'll get there. Hopefully. Or else, this kid is just going to sleep in his swing until he's too big! Lots of new pictures have been added -- enjoy!

January 9, 2006

Weeks Three and Four have flown by, but were pretty quiet. Milo is four weeks old today -- so hard to believe -- and now weighs 11 lbs -- even harder to believe! Obviously, he's growing like a weed and has discovered his hands and voice. He's also paying more attention to his toys and LOVES to swing. Actually, he loves moving -- swinging, bouncing, rocking, whatever. As long as he (and most of the time that means us, too) is on the move, he's a pretty happy baby. We had his portrait taken at Sears to commemorate him being one month. I've added those proofs plus a lot of new photos, so check them out!