Hahaha- Perspective

Just because I had to:

February 2nd  vs. July 3rd (5lbs vs 16lbs)

 

Time to Play

Not for Chase- but for me. It's been so long since I've "played" on any projects just for fun, I've almost forgotten how to do it. Chase's room has been a big giant source of limbo for me since before he was born. Since we aren't exactly sure where we are going to end up- there was no point to putting in all the effort into decorating his room. Plus, since I had a bassinet, and now crib, set up in our room, "his" room is basically for storage and my craft stuff. But the more of a funk I get into, the more I realize I have got to do something creative- if for nothing else, than to relieve some stress and enjoy myself. Soooo... I decided I was going to paint in Chase's room- and if the effort goes to waste, oh well! I scoured the garage and found old paint that we probably should have thrown out years ago- but hey- it's free!

The details and such are going to take a bit of time- especially since Chase won't nap for longer than 30 minutes at a time today- only because I'm trying to play. But this is the beginning of it anyway... working towards a jungle theme- and planning on making the tree corner our reading/rocking corner... the vines will get leaves and other details- just got the basic outline going for the moment. The cloud "animals" are whatever you want them to be- or happen to see.

6 Month Checkup

Well- we made it this far! He was a big flirt to all the ladies in the doctor's office- they all had to come around to the desk and oooh and ahhh over him... he got the compliment that they see a lot of babies, but he's gotta be one of the cutest- that's right!!! :) hehe

The data came in at:
Weight: 16 lbs (even)           (Birth was: 4 lb 2 oz)
Length: 25 1/2"                    (... 17")
Head Circ: 42 cm                (...30 cm)

Actual (6 months):
22nd percentile for weight
17th percentile for height
10th percentile for head circ

Adjusted (4 1/2 months):
just over 50th percentile for weight
just at 50th percentile for heigh
just over 25th percentile for head circ

The simple facts are, the child is not going to be a giant- unless he gets some wild crazy gene that gives him height, between Dave & I, I don't see it happening. So for him to be on the charts at all now is awesome :) He was going bonkers on the scale and the exam table- trying to roll around and check everything out. He started squealing and making all sorts of noises at his doc... on some things he's right on target for a 6 monther- on others, he's right on for a 4 monther... so all-in-all, he's doing really great, and very healthy.

The paper we got said development expectations for 6 months is:
-Rolls from back to tummy and tummy to back (working on it- has done both- just not consistently)
-Sits in a "tripod" position" and sits with support (yes on the sits with support, working on sitting alone)
-Transfers objects from one hand to another (he has begun doing this- okay, most the time it goes into his mouth first, but still!)
-Squeals, vocalizes, and laughs (yes to all- except the laughs are still rare- which makes them that much more special)
-Places objects in the mouth, drools a whole lots, and brings feet to mouth (yes, yes, and not yet! lol)
-Works for toys and objects out of reach (this is what inspires him to scoot and turn around- he'll twist and reach and scoot backwards to grab his favorite toys)

So see? He's not far behind- just gotta make him "work out" more often :) (now I have that song in my head...) Didn't seem to have any teeth coming to the surface- her response? You'll know he's teething when they came through. Well... duh... but her point was that a lot of the teething "symptoms" are the same things that they normally do anyway- drool, chew, fuss, etc... oh well :)

A million immunizations later- poor baby. It was 3 shots (DTaP, Polio, Hib, Hep B, PCV13) and the 1 oral one (Rotavirus)...Had to stop by Target to get more acetaminophen- so grateful for generic brands- $2 and change helps a lot compared to some other stores charging $5-$8 for the same thing. And what did the checkout lady ask while in line? Oh yeah- "Oh my- is he hungry??" (I am not exaggerating! I even brought a bottle today- tried feeding him while walking through the store)....anyway, so we're cuddled up on the couch- I plan on spoiling him this afternoon because I know he's gotta feel like crap. My sweetheart... he gets 3 months off, then we enter into flu (vaccine) season... time's flying!

How Babies Save You Money

Yeah, yeah, yeah- so diapers suck, and if you buy things new- the "gear" and clothes can add up... but... if you don't mind hand-me-downs, garage sales, and consignment shops... plus you coupon for those diapers & wipes- the cost of a baby in the long run isn't so bad.

For example- today we (ok, me) were determined to go out to eat, using a gift card we had- I was craving some awesome bread and a "spring menu" that was going away soon... So we planned on hitting lunch after running a couple of errands- but, I didn't think too far ahead, so we left the stroller and any sort of bottle... by the time it was around noon, Chase was wide awake, and starting to get fussy. I realized he hadn't eaten since around 9, so obviously was starved. Choices to make- either sit in a parking lot or bathroom somewhere to feed him, then have our meal- or go home and eat leftovers. Okay... went for leftovers and privacy. Then I was determined to go out for dinner- but oh yeah- someone was cranky all afternoon- so the idea of trying to sit through that made me realize it was not going to happen. So I ran to Publix, spent $3.50 on half a pound of salmon, $1 on a baguette, and $2 on a Caesar salad mix. If you consider that they also had bottles of wine, buy one, get one free ($9 bottles), which we didn't even touch- we were still at a dinner that totaled $6.50 for the two of us. Throw in $0.27 (also BOGO at $0.55 each) for a jar of baby food, and we're under $7 for the 3 of us. LOL.

Compare that to a dinner out- same food, salmon, a nice caesar salad, and bread- and okay, a glass or so of wine- and you're looking at $30-$50 minimum. See? Saved $20-$40 right there.

Thinking back to what we did a year (or so) ago on the weekends- concerts, restaurants, hotels, festivals, etc- I mean, come on now- LOL, all the driving around and admission fees, food & drink tabs, etc? Hundreds of dollars saved simply by having the fear of taking Chase out in public :) Or, by it not being appropriate to take him to say, a concert at House of Blues. Ahhhhh... sure, may be are temporarily fuddy-duddy's, but all it takes is a cheesy, peach-covered face to make it all worthwhile...

Disney Daze...

So we braved the crowds and heat to take the kids to Disney today- planned on Animal Kingdom, but after a couple things at the Magic Kingdom, we were not about to start trekking all over another park. I don't understand how people can pay a small fortunate to stand on top of each other and suffer from heat stroke, LOL- nah... it wasn't too bad most the day, but it is 5pm and we're already home. Sad :(

A few fun(ny) pics of the day

The start of the day...

Contrary to the look- he actually was good nearly the whole day 

The new "Fantasyland" they are building- this one is the castle from Beauty & the Beast

Uh oh- clock struck noon and we were in line instead of feeding him

On the boat at It's A Small World... classic

Teacups!

Enter in story about massive diaper blow out- nothing was salvageable- fortunately I packed change of clothes, blankets, etc- he had a chance to 'air out' while Dave went looking for more wipes or something of use- oh my

While waiting on Chase's diaper situation, Kaely's popsicle melted everywhere- funny enough, it was runny, yellow, and looked like the blowout diaster

The duck- amazing how we are in a theme park, and this is what she spent 20 minutes playing with

End of the day, after "my feet are hurting!" and every single step "Ow... ow...ow..." 

Chase stayed in good spirits though- I guess being carted around and kept in the shade helps!

Happy 6 Months!

Half of a year! He's almost as old as he was when I delivered him. Hmmm. Crazy. All those pesky issues from 4, 5, 6 months ago have diminished... we're just playing the eternal catch up on milestones- but for the most part he's "average" on size- even for a 6 month-er, and engaging with us constantly. Some of the physical milestones we're lagging on a bit- but I'm sure by the time he hits a year the gap will be gone.

We are back to waking up in the night- I guess the sleeping through the night was a temporary feat. Last night being an example, I couldn't sleep very well, so he must've sensed that, and decided to be wide awake, trying to play at 3am. UGH. He plays with his sister more and more everyday, since it's summer, she's bored and trying to help whenever possible. He still spits up constantly- I usually have to change outfits 1-3 times a day, but the kid is not lacking on nutrition. His hair is filling in- although I haven't figured out quite what color it is- looks dark, but then has almost blonde highlights... must be nice! It looks like I gave him a fade haircut- it's growing in so evenly. Kinda funny. We live for outdoor walks- the stroller is one of our best friends- even in the rain. We are still keeping the solids to a minimum- usually only one meal a day of fruits or veggies- but we're increasing slowly. No rush as long as he's happy. Still not sure if he's actually teething, or if he'll be like his sister and just act like he's teething until he's a year old before breaking one in. Eeeek!

I am thoroughly sick of people everywhere asking the infamous "Is he hungry?" question every single time I'm out anywhere- because inevitably he starts fussing near the checkout line when at a store, or anywhere we stop and stand still too long. I know people mean well, but... it's so frustrating. I swear I'm gonna just pull out a boob next time and say, "hey, you know what? Let's check..." - hmmmm. LOL- maybe not.

Now that we hit 6 months, looks like we can finally use sunscreen- which means maybe us albinos will get outside some! He's such a water baby that the pool may quickly become our best friend. It's so hard getting him to sit properly in his tub since he's always scooching around to make it so he floats. Dad always worries about water in the ears.

The independent streak, along with wanting to be involved (i.e., he was mad about laying on the floor with his toys while I'm sitting here typing, so now he's sitting in my lap, feet on the keyboard, just staring at the screen- content) constantly... on one hand it's nice because he can usually entertain himself for a good amount of time so I can get things done. The highchair is my new best friend, since on wheels, he can move around the kitchen with me while I cook or clean up- or- when all else fails, go on a "ride" around the kitchen island like a race car :)

I've finally gotten to the point that I'm not as nervous about people holding him, because he is far from fragile now. Heck, yesterday I was thinking how fragile I felt Nathan was when I was watching him. He feels so thin compared to Chase, I'm afraid of hurting him. Chase is- well, solid. I do get nervous though because Chase doesn't sit still for long, and scoots around- he'll get mad, stiffen up, and try to slip down real quick. For that reason, I still keep a close eye, because I know the tricks he likes to pull. LOL.

Using a bottle is rare, and when we do, well, it's a challenge. Another reason we haven't really had anyone watch him at all. That, and there's usually only a day or two where Dave and I have an opportunity to go out together, so... it's been way too long.

Oh well- we have our doctor's appointment on Monday, so I'll have all of his official size updates- can't wait!

and this pic I just couldn't help but post- looks like how she used to sleep when she was a baby- haha

Growing Up Too Fast

This is a statement for the both of them! Kaely wanted to hold Chase this evening, and watching her do so, it cracked me up. Hard to believe how he was the size of one of her baby dolls when she first got to hold him. Now she realizes why she's not allowed to carry him- because "gee mom! he's really heavy!" - haha.

We spent the first half of the day cleaning house- long overdue- crap like washing the curtains and mopping the floor- all the stuff I loathe. But... it needed it. Kaely had a date for an afternoon bday celebration, so Chase and I just hung out- he snoozed while I enjoyed a book. Not too bad! The kids crack me up- complete with a pouting tantrum over summer's bedtime curfew. Fun fun fun... I'll look back and think how easy these times really were- I'm sure! Happy Summer!