2011 was a very interesting year for us. We quit our jobs, packed our bags, and moved to a new state. We lived in condo in an old Mental Hospital. We found out we were having a little boy. We bought and moved into a new house. We welcomed our little boy into this world 6 weeks early and life has never been and will never be the same. These last 6 1/2 months have flown by and our little boy is growing up so fast. He has been working so hard on attempting to sit independently and will be doing that before you know it!
Even though 2011 was the year that our dream to become parents came true, we jokingly dubbed this year the year of "Next Year" because there were so many activities we wanted to participate in here in our new city but couldn't due to my being pregnant or the fact that we had an infant. Today we decided that New Years Eve would continue in that tradition. As I mentioned in my post about Christmas, Carder is recovering from an ear infection. And I have a nasty cough. I actually went to Urgent Care today because my chest started feeling tight and I was diagnosed with a case of bronchitis. So, we will be ringing in the year in our home sitting on our couch instead of walking downtown to watch the Cherry Drop as we had originally planned. Derek is having a glass or two of wine and I have taken my medicine that contains Codeine and I plan on sleeping the new year right on in (much like I did last year when I was so tired from 1st trimester pregnancy that I couldn't keep my eyes open!)
This holiday season has been so busy and I haven't taken the time to put it out here just how thankful I am that THIS was the year that I didn't have to spend the holidays wishing for a baby. I am so thankful that 2011 was the year that we were blessed with Carder. My heart is blissfully full and I am truly happy. And grateful.
And I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us! I have a feeling it is going to be a wonderfully fun year!
For those still waiting, I hope that 2012 is YOUR year. You were all in my thoughts this holiday season.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Kisses from Carder
One day this week, (Tuesday I think) Carder put his arms on both sides of my head and pulled his face close to mine, mouth wide open. He planted his open mouth squarely on my chin and rubbed it around. I wasn't quite sure of this at the time, but I think I had just gotten my first kiss.
In the next couple of days, he repeated this action with increasing frequency. However, his aim went from my chin to my cheek. And right now, I am getting lots of wet kisses each day. These kisses are always coupled with one of his cute little hugs, too.
All of those tears I cried waiting for him was SOOOOO worth it.
In the next couple of days, he repeated this action with increasing frequency. However, his aim went from my chin to my cheek. And right now, I am getting lots of wet kisses each day. These kisses are always coupled with one of his cute little hugs, too.
All of those tears I cried waiting for him was SOOOOO worth it.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Christmas 2011
For years, I have dreamed about our first Christmas with a baby. There were so many things that I was looking forward to - the first Christmas card we would send with our little bundle of joy plastered on the front, the look of excitement in the baby's eyes as he/she looked at the sparkling lights on the Christmas tree, hanging the "Baby's First Christmas" Ornaments, the excitement of Christmas morning...I was so excited that after years of hoping, we would finally be getting to experience our first Christmas as a family.
As Christmas neared, things were looking great. We had a photo shoot for our Christmas card where I got lots of wonderful pictures (I think I took about 150!). You may notice that in the background of the pictures on the tree, there is a snowflake ornament. Yes, I planned it this way. Since I couldn't pick a favorite to use on the card, we used a collage of several of them. The card turned out wonderfully and I got them mailed out on time. Here are a few for your enjoyment:
Around the time that I printed the Christmas cards, I realized that there was actually 1 week less before Christmas than I thought there was. YIKES!!! So, I had to ramp things up a notch to get everything ready.
Our plan for Christmases in the future is to spend Christmas morning in our own home so that Carder can open his presents and will know that Santa will know just where to find him. However, since he wouldn't remember this Christmas, I told Derek that we could go to his parents home to spend the holiday with them, his sister, and his grandfather. So, we were going to open our presents at home on Christmas Eve morning and then would head down south a couple of hours to his parents home.
But, in keeping with the spirit of this year, nothing went according to plan.
About 2 weeks before Christmas, Carder caught another cold. This, in itself, wasn't a problem. He was a bit miserable but wasn't running a fever and seemed to be in fairly good spirits. Derek caught the cold and had sinus issues and a sore throat for a few days. I caught the cold and had a sore throat and a terrible cough. But we were prepared to power through it.
On December 23, Carder took a turn for the worse and spiked a fever. He gagged during a coughing fit and threw up. I wasn't too concerned with the fever until it reached over 102 and then he threw up again - this time without the coughing. Since the Pediatrician's office was already closed for the Holiday, I was told to take him to Urgent Care. At Urgent Care, they checked his O2 levels and were concerned that it wasn't over 94%. So, an X-ray ruled out pneumonia and a breathing treatment was given in an effort to increase his O2 level. When it didn't work, they decided to send us to the ER. I was pretty concerned at this point.
At the ER, his O2 stats were fine (which let me breathe a sigh of relief), but they were concerned that his fever wasn't responding. An hour after giving the meds, it had risen to almost 103. So, they gave him an IV and administered fluids and drew blood and got a nasal swab to rule out any really nasty viruses. Everything checked out fine, so they gave us instructions for Tylenol and Motrin dosing for fever reduction (which is apparently higher than that for pain relief). Almost 7 hours after the ordeal began, we returned home. And Carder slept between us for the next several nights - this gave Derek and I both some peace of mind.
So, it was quickly decided that we wouldn't be heading to Derek's parents. They decided to come to our house. We have a 3 bedroom home (meaning we only have 1 extra bed) and we had enough company coming that we needed 3 sleeping spaces. They arrived on Christmas Eve with all of the fixings for Christmas dinner and lots of presents and love for little Carder. Carder helped us open some of his gifts and was generally the cutest little boy in the world - just with really tired eyes and the tendency to cry and cling to Mommy.
Here are a few pictures of Christmas.
They stayed less than 24 hours and it was nice to have his family there for Christmas, but I swear the place was like National Lampoons Christmas Vacation - down to the huge dog (Sarah has a Great Dane/Black Lab mix) that our little Murfy was bound and determined to out-bark. So, as nice as it was to see them arrive, it was nice to have the house quiet again as well. And Carder - even though he felt terrible and kept a fever pretty much the whole time - was a trouper through it all. Although he ate like absolute shit (I was really concerned that we would have to take him back to the hospital for another IV of fluids.)
By the Monday after Christmas, Carder was still running a fever of over 102, so we took him back to his Ped's office. By now, he has acquired 2 nasty ears - one that is irritated and the other that is "really angry". I am not sure if you would consider this a double ear infection, but he is now on an antibiotic and has to follow up with the Ped again on the 16th.
Carder's fever seems to be gone now and he seems to finally be on the mend. I am so glad that my little man is starting to feel better.
As if this wasn't enough Holiday drama, Christmas evening I gained some new symptoms. I began running a fever and began to have stomach issues. Within 24 hours, the worst had passed but I still felt pretty rough through Tuesday evening. And by Tuesday - Derek had the stomach bug.
As if this saga wasn't long enough, my cold symptoms that had eased up have now returned with a vengeance. I have a terrible dry, barky cough and I am so tired of being sick...
I am hoping for a healthy New Year...
As Christmas neared, things were looking great. We had a photo shoot for our Christmas card where I got lots of wonderful pictures (I think I took about 150!). You may notice that in the background of the pictures on the tree, there is a snowflake ornament. Yes, I planned it this way. Since I couldn't pick a favorite to use on the card, we used a collage of several of them. The card turned out wonderfully and I got them mailed out on time. Here are a few for your enjoyment:
Around the time that I printed the Christmas cards, I realized that there was actually 1 week less before Christmas than I thought there was. YIKES!!! So, I had to ramp things up a notch to get everything ready.
Our plan for Christmases in the future is to spend Christmas morning in our own home so that Carder can open his presents and will know that Santa will know just where to find him. However, since he wouldn't remember this Christmas, I told Derek that we could go to his parents home to spend the holiday with them, his sister, and his grandfather. So, we were going to open our presents at home on Christmas Eve morning and then would head down south a couple of hours to his parents home.
But, in keeping with the spirit of this year, nothing went according to plan.
About 2 weeks before Christmas, Carder caught another cold. This, in itself, wasn't a problem. He was a bit miserable but wasn't running a fever and seemed to be in fairly good spirits. Derek caught the cold and had sinus issues and a sore throat for a few days. I caught the cold and had a sore throat and a terrible cough. But we were prepared to power through it.
On December 23, Carder took a turn for the worse and spiked a fever. He gagged during a coughing fit and threw up. I wasn't too concerned with the fever until it reached over 102 and then he threw up again - this time without the coughing. Since the Pediatrician's office was already closed for the Holiday, I was told to take him to Urgent Care. At Urgent Care, they checked his O2 levels and were concerned that it wasn't over 94%. So, an X-ray ruled out pneumonia and a breathing treatment was given in an effort to increase his O2 level. When it didn't work, they decided to send us to the ER. I was pretty concerned at this point.
At the ER, his O2 stats were fine (which let me breathe a sigh of relief), but they were concerned that his fever wasn't responding. An hour after giving the meds, it had risen to almost 103. So, they gave him an IV and administered fluids and drew blood and got a nasal swab to rule out any really nasty viruses. Everything checked out fine, so they gave us instructions for Tylenol and Motrin dosing for fever reduction (which is apparently higher than that for pain relief). Almost 7 hours after the ordeal began, we returned home. And Carder slept between us for the next several nights - this gave Derek and I both some peace of mind.
So, it was quickly decided that we wouldn't be heading to Derek's parents. They decided to come to our house. We have a 3 bedroom home (meaning we only have 1 extra bed) and we had enough company coming that we needed 3 sleeping spaces. They arrived on Christmas Eve with all of the fixings for Christmas dinner and lots of presents and love for little Carder. Carder helped us open some of his gifts and was generally the cutest little boy in the world - just with really tired eyes and the tendency to cry and cling to Mommy.
Here are a few pictures of Christmas.
They stayed less than 24 hours and it was nice to have his family there for Christmas, but I swear the place was like National Lampoons Christmas Vacation - down to the huge dog (Sarah has a Great Dane/Black Lab mix) that our little Murfy was bound and determined to out-bark. So, as nice as it was to see them arrive, it was nice to have the house quiet again as well. And Carder - even though he felt terrible and kept a fever pretty much the whole time - was a trouper through it all. Although he ate like absolute shit (I was really concerned that we would have to take him back to the hospital for another IV of fluids.)
By the Monday after Christmas, Carder was still running a fever of over 102, so we took him back to his Ped's office. By now, he has acquired 2 nasty ears - one that is irritated and the other that is "really angry". I am not sure if you would consider this a double ear infection, but he is now on an antibiotic and has to follow up with the Ped again on the 16th.
Carder's fever seems to be gone now and he seems to finally be on the mend. I am so glad that my little man is starting to feel better.
As if this wasn't enough Holiday drama, Christmas evening I gained some new symptoms. I began running a fever and began to have stomach issues. Within 24 hours, the worst had passed but I still felt pretty rough through Tuesday evening. And by Tuesday - Derek had the stomach bug.
As if this saga wasn't long enough, my cold symptoms that had eased up have now returned with a vengeance. I have a terrible dry, barky cough and I am so tired of being sick...
I am hoping for a healthy New Year...
Monday, December 19, 2011
Many the Milestones
Life has been really busy lately. In the last few weeks, Carder has experienced several milestones:
First Snowfall (11/17/2011)
First Glimpse of Our Decorated Christmas Tree (11/18/2011) and he loved the lights...
First Long Roadtrip (11/21/2011-11/27/2011) during which he made his first trip into another state. He traveled through Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia. On the way to Georgia, we left at 6:45 pm after we both worked all day and drove straight through the night. Carder slept in his carseat from about 7:30 pm until around 5:45 the next morning. He was a great traveller - all things considered - and my mom thinks we should change his middle name to "Roadtrip".
During this roadtrip, it was his first time meeting several new relatives and loved ones. These included Great Grandma (Gin Gin), Great Grandpa (Pop), Great Grandma (Janice), Aunt Karina (my best friend), Aunt Cameron (my college roommate) and her 6 week old daughter Ella Kate, and several other friends of mine and Derek's. He also met his great aunts and uncles. The only person missing was his Uncle Andrew (who is currently on a tour of duty with the military).
He had his first Thanksgiving (11/24/2011)
And, he had his first overnight stay in a hotel. (11/26/11) I didn't think to take a picture of this as a milestone at the time. Oh well.
During the roadtrip, he became very interested in cups. So, on 11/28/2011, he made his first attempt to drink from a sippy cup. He has now mastered drinking from it, but hasn't figured out how to hold it at the right angle to get anything from it yet. However, he will gladly drink from it if Derek or I hold it for him.
First Snowfall (11/17/2011)
First Glimpse of Our Decorated Christmas Tree (11/18/2011) and he loved the lights...
First Long Roadtrip (11/21/2011-11/27/2011) during which he made his first trip into another state. He traveled through Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia. On the way to Georgia, we left at 6:45 pm after we both worked all day and drove straight through the night. Carder slept in his carseat from about 7:30 pm until around 5:45 the next morning. He was a great traveller - all things considered - and my mom thinks we should change his middle name to "Roadtrip".
During this roadtrip, it was his first time meeting several new relatives and loved ones. These included Great Grandma (Gin Gin), Great Grandpa (Pop), Great Grandma (Janice), Aunt Karina (my best friend), Aunt Cameron (my college roommate) and her 6 week old daughter Ella Kate, and several other friends of mine and Derek's. He also met his great aunts and uncles. The only person missing was his Uncle Andrew (who is currently on a tour of duty with the military).
He had his first Thanksgiving (11/24/2011)
And, he had his first overnight stay in a hotel. (11/26/11) I didn't think to take a picture of this as a milestone at the time. Oh well.
During the roadtrip, he became very interested in cups. So, on 11/28/2011, he made his first attempt to drink from a sippy cup. He has now mastered drinking from it, but hasn't figured out how to hold it at the right angle to get anything from it yet. However, he will gladly drink from it if Derek or I hold it for him.
On 12/18/11, Carder tried meat for the first time. We gave him turkey in preparation for Christmas. He seemed to enjoy it despite how disgusting it smelled. And, TMI I know, his poops after the meat smelled just as nasty as the meat in the jar did.
Also, in the last few days, he has started to do this thing where he puts his arms out and grabs hair on each side of my head and pulls me closer to him - almost like a hug. It is super sweet and it absolutely melts my heart.
Six Months Old
At Six Months:
- Weighs 17 pounds 2 ounces
- Is 27 1/2 Inches
- Is wearing 6-9 Month Sized Clothing - but has almost grown out of anything with feet already!
- Is eating between 6-8 oz per feeding, 4 times per day.
- Is eating 3 Solid meals per day. Has tried Rice Cereal, Oatmeal Cereal, Bananas, Avocado, Green Beans, Butternut Squash, Pears, Apples, Sweet Potatoes, Green Peas, Carrots, & Parsnips. The only thing he doesn't care for very much is Carrots. This boy LOVES his solids.
- Is consistently sleeping through the night (falls asleep around 7:30 or 8 and will sleep until 6 or 7 in the morning. Will often awaken during the night but will fall back asleep fairly easily). However, the last couple of weeks he has been awakening around 4:00 in the morning.
- Sleeping unswaddled.
- Consistently smiles and coos and laughs.
- Still loves to "blow spit"
- Has discovered his feet and is enthralled with them.
- Helps out during diaper changes by putting his hands on his thighs and "holds" his legs.
- Will clasp his hands together below his chin (cutest thing ever...)
- Loves to lounge in Mommy and Daddy's bed (always with close supervision)
- Still isn't the biggest fan of tummy time.
- Loves his bouncy seat and jumperoo.
- Consistently rolls from tummy to back. Is showing signs of rolling from back to tummy.
- Loves to sit with assistance anywhere he can. He is very close to sitting unsupported and will be doing that before long. Likes his Bumbo chair for limited periods of time.
- Loves to stand with assistance. Will stand while holding on to something without assistance for a limited time.
- Loves to stare at the ceiling fan, windows, lights.
- Loves his Tigger, Ball with Beads, Haba rings, and his crinkle bear.
- Tolerates rides in car seat quite well
- Is wearing size 3 Disposable diapers
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