2 1/2 year well visit

We finally made it to Caden's 2 1/2 year well visit that I have been dreading (since he needed vaccines). Let me first say that I am SO proud of Caden. I underestimated him once again. He was unbelievably good for the Dr. Eva and the nurse. He did shed one tear until Dr. Eva asked him to lay on his back, so she could check his tummy. Caden is very particular where he lays down at - he doesn't like laying on the carpet or couch or any hard service.

He weighs 28 1/2 lbs and and is 35 inches tall. I knew he was getting taller since his 2T pants are almost getting short on him. Dr. Eva said he is growing in the 25th percentile for height and weight, but he doesn't look tall. Probably because he has a "big head" is what she said. LOL

His ears look great, which is a bonus too! I was VERY nervous about how he would do getting vaccines since he hasn't had any in over a year. Every time he went to the doctor since his 2 year well visit he was either sick or had an ear infection. He received the HIB, Prevnair, Hep A and Flu shot. Yes, 4 different shots. He cried, but when it was done he was over it. Later in the day he kept holding his knees, rubbing them and kissing them. Silly boy.

He has come a long way at the doctors from previous visits and I'm so proud of him.

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Adisyn had an appointment for vaccines as well. It turns out every time I take her for well visits/vaccine visits she is always sick. That night she woke up every 45 minutes to an hour ALL night long. I knew something wasn't right. It turns out she had a very red throat AND an ear infection. Poor girl. Low and behold they are both sick with colds again. Good news is that Adi finally broke 15lbs. She is 15lbs and 8oz to be exact.

We go back in 2 weeks for a recheck on ears and hopes to get caught up on some vaccines.

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On the house front - we are moved in. Finally. It was supposed to be one of the happiest weeks as I was looking forward to so much. It turned out to be one of the hardest weeks of my life. I won't post the details because I never want to look back and feel what I felt last week again. Ever again. Thankfully things are looking up and I'm in a much better place today.

sick again & well visit...

Can you believe it?! BOTH kids are sick again. This is the third time in 4 weeks. Ugh. Caden came down with a cold on Monday and sure enough Adisyn followed suit yesterday. She was up EVERY 45-60 minutes like clock work last night crying. They are both really congested and Adisyn is coughing from all the drainage. She is also running a 100.0 temperture. My poor kids - they just cannot seem to catch a break. I don't know if I'll be able to fight this one off either. My throat is very sore and I feel pressure in my face. Although, it could be because I'm once again completely exhausted.

Adisyn had her 9 month well visit today. She weighed 14lbs 13oz. She is 26 1/4 inches long and her head circumference is 17 inches. I thought for sure she would weigh more than that especially since she is eating solids so well.

Dr. S assured me that her growth is perfect and not to worry. She is on the bottom line of the charts, but she started out small. She also informed me that the growth charts are based on formula fed babies. If we were to compare Adisyn on a chart from another country where breastfeeding is more common, she would most likely be around the 25th percentile. Apparently only 25% of mothers are still breastfeeding at 9 months old. Dr. S also said that Adisyn will stay petite because once she is walking she will thin out even more. So, she'll always be my little peanut.

Dr. S was not worried about her fever or cold either. She was happy to hear how well Adisyn was doing with her solids and gave me the go ahead to start scrambled egg yolk. That is what will be on the breakfast menu for tomorrow!

We go back in two weeks for vaccines for both kids. Since they were both not feeling 100% I opted to hold off on the vaccines until they are well.

adisyn's eating struggle...

Adisyn still continues to struggle with taking a bottle from our sitter and myself. Thankfully I’m still nursing and I don’t have to give her a bottle, but I do feel bad for our sitter. I can’t imagine how fussy Adisyn can be when she will literally go 10+ hours without eating. She also continues to fight eating purees. We are able to get a few bites in her before she gets fussy and then breaks down sobbing. Poor girl. She prefers to nurse and only nurse from mama. Can you imagine the pressure that puts on me?!

At her 6 month appointment our pediatrician suggested that I stop nursing and ONLY offer the bottle. That way she learns she will ONLY get the bottle. I did not agree with this approach because knowing Adisyn she will NEVER accept the bottle from me. Then what do I do? In addition, the kids and I are still living at my mother-in-laws and we are all sharing room. With Adisyn’s multiple nighttime wake ups I do not want her crying and waking up the household while I’m off in the kitchen making a bottle.

I made an appointment with another pediatrician in the office who I like very much and she was also the on-call doctor who saw Adi after birth. She was wonderful and spent some time with me talking about Adisyn and shared some great ideas on ways to get her to eat. Since Adisyn is struggling to take in solids she feels it is even more important that I continue to breastfeed. She explained it is completely normal for Adisyn to choose who she will take a bottle from. All my sitter can do is offer the bottle or other feeding techniques to get BM and food in her. It’s Adisyn’s job to eat.

The doctor said that if Adisyn is still rejecting puree food after 3 ½ months then she will probably never eat them at this point. She suggested that we go straight to soft table foods. I went over my fear of Adisyn choking. I’ve recently read a story about a 3 year old dying from choking on a hotdog and my anxiety level is pretty high. The pediatrician really calmed my fear about choking. She told me as long as Adisyn is getting air (if she starts gagging) to let her be. Let her figure it out and intervening will only drag it on longer. She also went over what to do if she truly starts to choke and cannot breathe.

Our “homework” for the next two weeks is to offer the following foods, some in which she has had before:

~frozen puree (with BM) in mesh feeder
~watermelon or other solid fruits in mesh feeder
~shredded cheese
~soft mashed peas
~rice cakes
*water from sippy cup without valve

*With the valve she won’t learn cause and effect. Once she realizes something is coming out of it she may start drinking from it.

Yesterday had success! Adisyn had a Mum-Mum (rice cake), watermelon from the mesh feeder and some banana. I pulled some small pieces from a banana and she sucked it off my finger and was excited for more! I definitely feel this is the right approach for Adisyn and I’m very excited about it!

Here are a few pictures of her eating her rice cake. (Excuse the quality – they were taken from my phone)

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6 month well visit and ear recheck....

Adisyn had her 6 (and a half) month well visit yesterday. She has gained about 2lbs and grew 3 inches since 4 months. She is now a whopping 13lbs 12oz and 25 1/2 inches long. She is such a little squirt. Surprisingly she is a half inch longer than Caden was at 6 months only he was 3lbs heavier.

She received her dTap vaccine and barely cried. We'll return at 7 and 8 months for a few more. I've never agreed with giving too many vaccines at once, but with Adisyn I'm spacing them out a bit more than I would have with Caden. Her legs always get red and she is oh-so-ever crabby for almost a week after receiving vaccines. I will say that she has been great so far after yesterday's vaccine.

We talked about Adisyn and her stubborness when it comes to taking the bottle and eating solids. She will take the bottle just great for her grandma, but puts up a huge struggle for anyone else. As for solids - forget it. She wants NOTHING to do with them. The peditrician's advice on the bottle struggle was for me to stop nursing all together and only give her the bottle. Although I don't necessarily agree with her especially because she stated she is not concerned with Adisyn's growth (which she is finally on the charts in the 25th percentile!) I may start to wean her over the next couple of months. I am going to give her a few more weeks to see if she starts taking the bottle a bit more. If not, then I may start the process. I'm very proud to have EBF her for 6 months. I do have approximately 200 ounces of frozen milk too.

She really did not offer much advice on the struggle with solids. When we go back around 7 months I am going to request a different doctor that we have seen before to get another opinion of both our issues with the bottle and solid foods. Until then we will just continue to try and offer and it's Adisyn's job to eat.

As for my little man.... he had his ears recheck and they are still cloudy, but now with fluid. His ENT appointment is scheduled for this upcoming Wednesday. I'm actually looking forward to this appointment for 1.) a second opinion by a specialist and 2.) to discuss next steps. If it turns out that he will need tubes, than that is what we'll do. I just feel so bad to put him through anything that might scare him. As any mother I would rather go through it for him.

ketchup....

I feel like there is so much catching up to do. So many things I want to record about Caden, Adisyn and life in general. It's finding the time that is hard these days. Both of them wake up anywhere between 6-7:30am and each morning is pretty much unpredictable. This morning Adisyn woke up at 5:30am and Caden slept until near 8am. For both, this is a very unusual morning. Adisyn generally naps within 2-3 hours after waking for about an hour. I take that time to get caught up on laundry, cleaning, eating, and spending some time with the little man. That one hour goes by incredibily fast.

Caden will spend most of his mornings playing with toys and watching his current favorite, Kai-Lan. Lunch time starts around 11:30-noon and both babes are sleeping by 12:30pm. I will have to say I've been very lucky at getting both of them to nap at the same time and very close to the same length of their naps. It gives me time to do chores and/or rest. I guess I could use that time to blog, but I really have not felt up to it lately. This schedule goes for only the days I'm off work. I've been off work quite a bit lately between our vacation back in June and the week before and after the 4th. I'm starting to feel like a SAHM, and I'm really enjoying it. I wish so badly that this could be permanant. Maybe in time.

In my attempts to catch up on the last month I will do so with some great photos!

The day before we left Myrtle Beach was of course the day Caden really opened up to his Grandma B. The last day we were the pool was closed as well due to someone having an accident. We were all really bummed. Caden said the whole walk back to the house "water park broken, water park broken" in his pitiful sad voice.



We fixed the water park problem by turning on the sprinklers in the backyard and Caden was in his glory.




Adisyn took a few days to open up to Grandma B, but when she did she was all smiles for her from that point forward.



Our first day at the pool Caden wanted NOTHING to do with his green arm floaties. That was until he took a jump off the step in the kiddie pool and went under. My brave boy did not shed one tear when he came up. I think he was too stunned. After I explained to him again that if he wore his floaties he wouldn't fall under water and he could in fact float. He never took them off again and had a blast floating in the big pool with mama.



We came back to reality and packed up and moved within the week of getting home. The fourth of July came and went so quickly.



We had some good laughs watching five grown men put two slip-n-slides together and acted 10 years old again. Good times!



Our little shining sparkler with her two uncles and Daddy.

Can I just take a moment to say how much I love this guy? He is so amazing. He has blessed me with the two most beautiful children. He is working so hard to make our new home perfect for his family. He is a natural with his children. Both Caden and Adisyn just adore him just as much I as do, and I'm so lucky to be his wife.

I love photo shoots with my little ones. Adisyn has more of them these days then Caden since she is not mobile. She is just so beautiful and takes my breath away every day. I see a lot of Caden in her, but I think she resembles her Daddy most of all. She is already a Daddy's girl and she has him wrapped around her sweet long fingers already.

I was pretty lucky yesterday when Caden actually let me take some "cheesy" pictures of him while he snacked on his lunch.

He cracks me up!

I could just eat this face right up. Caden is just amazing. He is too smart for his own good. He communicates so well and is talking in 4-5 word sentences. While we were driving to the new house this morning to let out Mia he said "Mama, stop the car - need help". How on earth did he know I needed to stop the car to help him? Amazing.



While he still isn't over the moon about his sister he does show some brotherly love at least once a day. (I won't mentioned that he is actually telling me the color of buttons on her shirt)

Caden had a recheck again yesterday. He has had a stubborn ear infection since May. After three rounds of antibiotics it is mostly cleared up. The doctor said it's still cloudy and wants to take another peak in three weeks when I take Adisyn for her 6 month check up. She said if it looks the same (cloudy) then she is referring him to an ENT. Good news ~ Caden gained a pound in just over a month. He is now 27lbs.

caden (2yr) and adisyn (4mo) well visit

We survived our trip to the doctors for both Caden and Adisyn's well visits (2 year, 4 month). I took the day off work because Lord knows we needed two parents to handle both kids. Both of them are doing well with the exception of a double ear infection for Caden. He is battling a cold that started last Friday.

Caden weighs 26lbs and he is 33 inches. Adisyn is 11lbs/13 oz and 22 1/4 inches long. Adisyn is not even on the charts yet and both are in the lower percentile for their height.

Our pediatrician was very impressed with Adisyn's alertness. She smiled and did well during tummy time. She gave us the okay to hold off on solids until 6 months. We discussed our main battle with Adisyn - her refusal to take the bottle. She said that typically the hunger will be stronger than her will to refuse the bottle. She was surprised to hear that Adi will go almost 12 hours without eating anything. On my days off I have to be sure to feed her from a bottle 1-2 times a day in hopes that will help. She also said the sitters could start trying to spoon feed her the milk. I can only imagine how much would actually stay in her mouth. None. I guess it's worth a try. Adisyn received the Prevnar shot and didn't even cry. My brave little peanut.

Caden was a bear for the doctor. He cried the entire time. Well, as soon as the doctor took his binkie from his mouth. She wanted to hear him talk, but instead she got a nice earful of loud screaming. She couldn't even listen to his lungs or heart. He does have a double ear infection and because of this we could not do any vaccines. We'll be going back in two weeks for a recheck and if his ears are better he'll receive the Hep A and HIB vaccines. We'll go back at 2 1/2 for the MMR.

As for Caden's sleep issues - he is still having them, but since my last post he has slept in his room three times since. Last night I tucked him in bed and told him I would leave his door and gate open. I explained Mommy wasn't tired yet and I would be watching TV with Daddy and then I left his room. Within 30 minutes he was fast asleep. He did wake up at 3:45am whining a little and I found him sleeping on the floor in front of the gate at 5am. Our pediatrician said his behavior is normal and just go with whatever makes Caden comfortable. He may feel lonely because our room is upstairs (with Adisyn in our room) and he is downstairs. In our new house we will have all three bedrooms in the same hallway, so hopefully he'll feel more secure. We'll most likely keep his and our door open, so he can wander in there if he feels the need.

Overall we are very blessed. Despite ear infections and colds we have very healthy children and are very grateful.

2 1/2 month well visit

This cutie-patootie had her 2 month well visit today. She weighs 9lbs and 12oz. She is 21 inches long too. Adisyn has more than doubled her birth weight and has grown 4 inches! She's my little peanut who is still wearing newborn clothes and size 1 diapers. While I am anxious for her to get even bigger, so we can move on to new summer clothes I am enjoying how tiny and cuddly she is. I get to enjoy the smallness (if that is even a word) of a newborn just a bit longer, and I'm okay with that.

She received the DTap and Rotavirus vaccines today. Of course she screamed her little head off, but recovered quickly and has been asleep since we got home two hours ago.

I just love her to pieces! How can you not? She is easy to love!

adisyn's 1 month appointment

Our little peanut is not so little anymore! Well, I take that back. She is still little - just not so little. Today was her one month check up and she weighs 7lbs 8oz! She has gained 3lbs since birth. I cannot believe it. She is also 19 inches (2 inch growth since birth) and her head circumference is 13 inches (1 inch growth).

It's crazy to think that she weighs 1oz more than Caden did at birth.

Way to go Adi! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you.

On a not-so-good note, she may have a cold. The doctor said her throat is a little red and she has been congested. Caden is just getting over his cold and now Ryan has one. It's circulating through our house. Ugh.

Happy 1 1/2 birthday!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this little boy. He is 18 months old today. I can't believe a year and a half has gone by so quickly. Every day is something new with him these days. Whether it be spinning in circles to make himself dizzy or saying a new word. Which both he did last night. He says "cookie" as clear as day.

Today was pretty much like any Saturday filled with household chores, grocery shopping, eating, sleeping, Mickey Mouse, playing, laughing and just being silly. We are not getting outside as much since it has been so cold. I'm not looking forward to being couped up in the house all winter, but hopefully we can still find some fun things to get into.

Over the last few days Caden has been waking up anytime before 6:30am. I'm missing the 7-7:30am mornings. **yawn** He is still the cutest in the morning no matter what time it is. He usually talks to himself in his crib for 15-20 minutes before I actually go in. It never fails, he always throws his binkie out of his crib EVERY morning.

Here he is trying to tell me where it is....

After his morning diaper change he is off to the garbage can to dispose of it. Mommy's big helper!



Lego time and being cute before breakfast...

Cheesing it up for the camera....

I left the room for two minutes and couldn't find him. He was hiding in the corner with his snack. Sneaking boy!



Yesterday I took Caden to his 18 month well visit. He weighed 24lbs and was 31 1/2 inches long. His head circumference measured 18 3/4 inches. The pediatrician said he was in the 25 percentile for all. She wasn't worried and neither are we. He looks perfect and is very healthy.... well, minus the ear infection she found. I would have never guessed, but she still had to treat it. I'm praying the amoxicillion does not upset his stomach like it did last time. He did have to get one shot (dTap), which he did as expected. Poor baby pretty much cried the entire time we were there and then passed out on the ride home. He was tuckered out.

On another note Caden ate strawberries and macaroni and cheese today. These are two foods he has refused to eat in the last 3 months! I'm hoping I can offer him something "new" each day and he'll start eating more than his selected menu. Wouldn't that be nice?

18 Month Milestones

Most toddlers should be able to . . .
Draw a scribble well - Yes
Run well - Yes
Become picky about certain foods - Ahem, this is a MAJOR understatement
Say at least 15 or 20 words - No, he is only around 10 words and no, I'm not worried
Feed self with spoon - Yes

Some toddlers will probably be able to . . .
String more words together to make phrases or puts together pairs of words - Yes, "bye Daddy"although Daddy is not always that clear and "thank you"
Talk more clearly - Yes
Brush teeth with help - Yes
Take off an article of clothing alone - No
Jump around - No, but he spins in circles

Some toddlers could possibly be able to . . .
Take apart toys and sometimes puts them back together - Yes
Show signs of potty training - Not so much
Climb out of crib and high chair - No
Take off clothes - No
Draw circles - No
Understand two part directions - Yes

Caden's 15 Month Appointment

Caden had his 15 month check up today. He was pretty fussy the whole time we were there. He did NOT want to be in his stroller or held while we waited. He wanted to be down and exploring. Can you blame him though?

He weighs 23lbs 5oz and is 30 1/2 inches long. He hasn't grown much since his 12 month appointment and the doctor said he was just below the average line. She wasn't concerned though and neither are we. He is growing perfectly and doing fabulous.

The doctor asked if he was starting to say words, trying to talk and understanding some of what we say. Yes, yes, and yes. Actually, since he started pointing (last week) he has been trying to talk a LOT more. He babbles his baby talk which I think I could listen to all day long. He learned a new word yesterday, too! He says "hi". He is still not waving, but will say "hi" over and over again.

Her question about him understanding what we say got me thinking. I know he understands more than he leads on, but here are some things he understands that I can think of off the top of my head:

~The difference between "do you want to play with your blocks and do you want to play with your legos".. He LOVES his legos!
~"Slam dunk it!" - he has a basketball net and he knows that means to put the ball in the net.
~"Are you hungry?"
~"Time for a diaper change"
~"Stand up" and "Sit down"
~"Can I have a hug" "Give so and so a hug"
~"Who says meow?" - he will answer with "kitty"

I think he understands quite a bit! There is definitely more too.

Caden did have to get one shot today - the chickenpox vaccine. He hasn't had any reactions so far, but he did not eat his dinner, nor did he take his bottle. I am sure it has to do with that vaccine to some extent. With that said, I am off to bed. With no food or bottle I am sure I am in for at least one waking or a VERY early rise.

12 Month Appointment

Caden had his one year appointment today. He is 22lbs (he gained 2lbs in 3 months!) and is 30 inches long. His head circumference is 18 1/4 inches. I cannot believe how much he has grown. He was only 7lbs, 7 oz and 19.50 inches long at birth.

He did get one shot today; Prevnair. We delayed the chicken pox and MMR until we say so. (Although he'll have to get them before he starts school anyway.)

His doctor said he should be drinking no more than 16 oz of milk per day. We cover that in his morning and night time bottle. Now, if we could only get RID of the bottles. Caden refuses to drink milk from a sippy cup. It's going to be a rough transition, but I'm not going to stress over it. He'll move on when he is ready I guess.

Overall, a great visit and he goes back at 15 months.

No more ear infections ~ and an update on Stellan

Caden went for another recheck on his ears today. After his second round of antibiotics his ear infections have finally cleared up. The doctor said he still has some fluid in his ears, but the infection is gone. I hope the fluid drys up quickly because another infection could occur if it doesn't.

He is 21lbs even! He has been guzzling his bottles and eating like a little piggy. We started his whole milk transition last Friday by doing 6 oz of formula and 2 oz of milk in his bottles. (He gets 3 bottles a day). Every Friday we will replace 2 oz of formula with whole milk and the transition should be complete by his first birthday! I intend on cutting out his afternoon bottle completely this Friday (when I'm home with him). Wish me luck! I know he will (and has for Tammy) do well with the afternoon bottle elimination, and I'm hoping it will just as easy for me.

He is walking all over the place now - with many spills. Thankfully he mostly plops down right on his bum. In just 3 1/2 short weeks our baby will be 1. To think a year ago right now I was pregnant and counting down the days. I remember being miserable and anxious to meet our son. Being pregnant seems like such a distant memory and I can't wait to experience it again. (No, we are not TTC at this moment - but hopefully soon!)





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An update on Stellan - his heart rate has been up and down so much over the last couple of days. He went into prolonged V-Tach only to come out and into a perfect rhythm and moments later back into SVT. He is manic, restless and exhausted. Please continue your prayers for God to bring Stellan's heart rate down and for him to go home to his family.

You can also click on the button on the right side bar to read his story.

Ear infections, ear infections - GO AWAY!

Caden had another recheck on his ears yesterday and the infection still has not gone away. (It probably explains why he has been waking up screaming and crying during the night over the last week) The doctor put him on a stronger antibiotic. I hope it works this time because I don't like antibiotics - they upset his tummy. He also lost 3 oz, but the doctor didn't seem too concerned. It really doesn't surprise me considering his lack of appetite last week. Poor baby just can't get a break! For the most part he has been happy though. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed he handles this antibiotic okay.

Caden keeps taking steps here and there. I often wonder if he'll be walking by his 1st birthday. Sniff sniff. I can't believe he is almost 1! I made his birthday invites and ordered them earlier this week. I sure hope they come back with no issues.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE Caden's curls?? Ryan finally got some really good pictures of his hair - I just love them :)

Caden's 9 Month Appointment & Vaccines

Caden had his 9 month appointment today. He is doing awesome! Caden weighs 20lbs even. He is 27 3/4 inches long and his head circumference was 18 inches. Caden loves hammin' it up for the doctor and showing off. He has been screaming, but in a cute way. I'll scream at him and he repeats it back. The doctor was really impressed that he was imitating me already.

The doctor thinks Caden is getting too much formula for eating 3 meals a day. Every day is different, but it could average between 24-31 oz. She said he should only be getting 3 bottles a day. One in the morning, noon and night. That's fine if Caden could handle that, but the feeding schedule I have him on is working. I can definitely try, but I'm just not sure how he will handle only 3 bottles a day.

Let me preface that I am 100% for vaccinations. I believe that if we do not vaccinate these diseases will come back. I just don't agree with the amount of vaccines they want to give at once, which is why we chose a delayed schedule. I talked with the pediatrician about our concerns with the MMR. Ryan and I have been researching this vaccine along with all the others. I know the media plays a big part in the controversy with Autism, but putting that aside it still scares the heck out of us. Have you ever read the ingredients in the MMR? I explained to her that we will not be giving him this vaccine when he turns one and that we want to delay it until he is 2 or possibly 3 years old. He is not in day-care, so his risk of catching the measles, mumps or rubella is very slim. She was on board with our decision 100%, which made me very happy.

My camera is currently out of commission. I'm off to get a new one tomorrow, so I'll update later with pictures.

Six month appointment and more..

Caden had his 6 month appointment today. He is two days shy of 6 months today - almost a 1/2 of a year ~ can you believe it? He weighed in at 17lbs 1oz and is 25 inches long. His head circumference was 17 inches. (2lb 1oz gain, 1.5 inch increase since 4 months). The doctor said he is growing beautifully. She showed me the chart and where he stands and he is right on the marker. I talked to her about my concerns on how fussy Caden can be for the sitters when it's time to take his bottle. It seems like he has more bad days then good days where he won't take much. On bad days he may only drink 4-8 oz while I am away during a 10 hour stretch. On a good day he'll take about 13oz. The doctor believes it can be due to teething or because he prefers the breast. She said most BF babies act this way towards bottles. She also said not to be concerned because if he was really hungry he would definitely eat. In addition, he is growing perfectly and because he is mostly BF I should not count ounces. If he wasn't gaining weight, then she would be concerned.

I've been reading Babies First Year and read that you can start offering juice at this age, but I'm just not ready to give him juice. In all honesty I want to wait until he is at least a year old. The doctor was fine with that. She told me to do whatever I feel is best. I don't want to feed him meat out of the jars either. Eck! It looks disgusting. She gave us some pointers on making our own baby meat, so we can control what is in there. We agreed to go that route and to start introducing meats when he is 7-8 months old. She didn't seem to concerned that he wasn't eating a lot of cereal either. I've read that BF babies need cereal/oatmeal, green veggies and meat to provide iron after 4 months.

Caden just LOVES to show off for the doctor. She laid him down on his back and he immediately rolled over to his tummy with such strength. Then he started scooting towards the stethoscope she had laying on the table. THEN he started moving around in a circle on his belly. It was SO cute and she was thoroughly impressed with him. WTG Caden!! He did get one shot and only cried for less than 30 seconds. He is getting better each time we go.

Finally we discussed Caden's waking up during the night. He still wakes up 2-3 times a night. I read in Babies First Year he really should be sleeping through the night and should not need to eat during the night either. I know that he has trouble soothing himself back to sleep and likes to nurse. IMO, I am enabling a bad habit. It's just so much easier to nurse him back to sleep than to let him cry. The pediatrician said she agrees he is waking up to nurse and that is what comes with BFing and motherhood. She said if he is one years old and still doing this THEN we can talk. What? A year?? I really don't think I'll be BFing that long, but who knows. I change my mind all the time. It's a lot harder to stop then I thought. I dont' know if I am ready to lose that part of our relationship. Maybe he will self-wean by 9-10 months? Knowing Caden he won't. He is a boob man. No more doctors until he is 9 months old!

Over the last couple of days Caden has discovered a few things. The funny part is EVERY time I read something on my mommy site about what their little ones are doing - Caden does them within a week.

~He has discovered he can scream at the top of his lungs. He only did it one day this week, but it was so funny. He would scream like something was wrong and then smile.

~He is starting to pull on the diaper tabs every time I put a new diaper on him.

~Yesterday in the tub he discovered his "doodle and friends".

~Today he started panting like he was out of breath. Since Mommy and Daddy thinks it is so funny he won't stop.

I forgot to mention that I took today off of work. We had a rough night of sleep the night before and Ryan had to fix his breaks on his car today. It just made sense to stay home, sleep in, and spend time with Caden :) Although Caden did wake up twice last night he didn't wake up for the morning until 7:30am. Here are a few pictures from today.

Visit with Grandma and 4th Month Appt

We had a GREAT visit with Grandma this last week. She flew home early this morning :( I love seeing my mom - it's just so hard when she leaves. I get so emotional and on the verge of tears until they finally break the lid. It's funny how when my parents first moved to SC and my mom would be sobbing when I left and I would comfort her - now the tables are turned. I wished my parents lived closer. Having a baby makes even harder to be away from them. I am planning a trip with Caden October 1st to fly out to see my parents :) Then we'll all be going back for Christmas.

My mom was in 7th heaven seeing Caden. She fed him his cereal every night and read him a book before bed. I felt really bad because Caden is in this phase of just wanting Mommy and Daddy, so he cried a lot when we weren't around. He did give his Grandma some big smiles and lots of coos last night. This phase literally came out of nowhere. He is going to Tammy's tomorrow and Friday, so hopefully he is good for her. My mom's flight was delayed Wednesday night, so my Aunt graciously picked her up from the airport around 2am. They visited my Grandpa the next morning and drove out from Canton to my house in the afternoon. We mostly stuck around house, but we did do a little shopping and went back out to see my Grandpa on Sunday. He looked good and LOVED seeing his great grandson.

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Caden had his 4 month appointment today. He weighed 15lbs even! He has pretty much doubled his birth weight (7lb 7oz). He was last weighed one month ago today and he is up 1lb 9oz. He is 24.5 inches long; a 5 inch growth since birth. His head is measuring 16 3/4. The doctor said he is average for his weight and just under average for his length. She wasn't worried and said he is well proportioned. When the doctor came in Caden thought he would show off and roll over. I've mentioned before that he can only roll from back to belly and the ped said that is the hardest part - rolling from tummy to back is easy. She was very impressed and said he is developing VERY well. She gave us the go ahead to start solids by giving him cereal twice a day. After a few weeks we can introduce a veggie. We have been giving him cereal (when he'll take it) once a day, but we are going to start upping it to twice a day starting tomorrow.

We also discussed Caden's sleeping habits; or lack there of. She basically said I was crazy to expect a 4 month old to sleep through the night. Haha! I'm not crazy - I know lots of moms whose babies are sleeping through the night. She said that sometimes he probably just wakes up because he is thirsty or just wants his mama's touch and told me to patient. (I think I have been more patient since I found out I was pregnant than I have in my entire life). Guess I should just keep expecting these sleepless nights until Caden decides to surprise his Mommy. **Sigh**

He only got one shot, that had 5 vaccines :( He did handle it rather well. He screamed when they poked him, but as soon as I picked him up he settled down and ate. He goes back next month for 2 more shots and an oral vaccine.

Now for some pictures from our week with Grandma!

Caden had two shots today...

Caden had his appointment to get two shots today. These are two that he should have received on his 2 month visit, but I delayed them a little longer. He screamed as any baby would, but he did recover fairly quickly.

HOWEVER, a couple hours later after he woke up from a nap he took a different turn. His poor chubby leg was a little swollen and bright red. He was screaming in pain for over an hour. He was crying harder than I've ever seen before. It was the most heartbreaking hour of my life. We gave him some baby Tylenol and put an ice pack on his leg. Thankfully this seemed to work as the swelling went down and the redness is gone (for now anyway). He finally stopped crying and ate a little and now he is taking a nap. I have a feeling it will be a long nap due to all his crying.

Last time he did not have any reaction to the vaccines. I don't want him to go through this again and he has to get a serious of these shots at all his visits. ==> Sobbing <=== Why do they have to get the same shot over and over again? Ugh!

I'm off for a nap now too. I'm exhausted!

2 Month Appointment

Caden had his two month check up at the doctor's yesterday. He now weighs 12 lbs 4 oz and he is 23 inches long. His head measured 15.5 inches. He was 7 lbs 7 oz at birth, 19.5 inches long, and his head was 14 inches. He is growing so well and is in the 50th percentile for all measurements. The doctor seemed pretty impressed with his growth. Caden was smiling and cooing at her too! I really liked this pediatrician. She was very sweet and took her time to answer all of questions. I can't stand those doctors that rush through your appointment and act as like you are part of an assembly line. My OB was like that during my pregnancy, so I definitely won't be going back to her.


Caden also had to get some of his vaccines. I do not agree with the amount of vaccines they recommended giving an infant on their visits. I am all for vaccinations, but giving them 8 in their first visit?! That's insane! I think they give too many at once and too soon. We did get majority of them, but still have to go back for two more when he is 3 months. He received one injection that had 5 vaccines and one oral vaccine. He took the oral like a trooper! His face looked like he was thinking "I know this isn't food, but I guess I have no choice but to swallow it" It was dead silence when she first gave him the injection. His face got beat red and his mouth opened to scream, but no sound was coming out. I lightly blew in his face, so he could catch is breath and he let out his blood curdling scream. Of course, I started crying with him. I felt so bad... It only lasted for about a minute and he took his paci and seemed to be okay. So far he has not had any reactions. He wasn't even that fussy yesterday - just the norm. I still felt sick to my stomach that we had all those chemicals injected into him, but it had to be done. I'm just thankful he had no reactions. I just kept praying to the light above.

***

My mom always told me that there is no love like the love you have your child. I know I loved Caden when he was growing inside me for 9 months, but I now know what my mom meant. Every day is a new day with Caden and the love continues to grow and get stronger. He means the world to me and I cannot imagine my life without him. My day is not complete without him. He has brought me so peace since the moment I found out I was pregnant. I used to have bad anxiety and would stress over the smallest things. I think some people were curious how stressed I would be taking care of a baby including me. Looking back when we first brought our dog home- I was a train wreck. I was so overwhelmed with the responsibility of taking care of this puppy. Maybe Mia was just "practice". I never felt that overwhelming cloud over me with Caden. Everything seemed to come naturally. Yes, I had my moments of crying but it never lasted more than a couple of minutes and hasn't happened in over a month. The only reason I cried was because Caden was crying I didn't know what was wrong with him. Caden gave me peace with myself and life and I am grateful for that.

***

Caden isn't the biggest fan of tummy time. He'll hold his head up for less than a minute and then he is face forward crying. He wants to hold his head up, but gets so frustrated. He does pretty well when you hold him up by your shoulder. I was at Walmart the other day and found this mat with a pillow to help them hold up their head. He made it for about 5 minutes or so before he started sucking on the pillow.

"So much better Mommy!"




and just chillin' watching TV