Gardner with a toy duck that I played with as a little girl. He was totally engrossed by it.
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Gardner's 9-month checkup was this morning. I can't believe it is time for that already. This was a "no shots" visit, so it was much, much easier both on baby AND mom. :) General information gathered, for those of you who love numbers like we do: Height - 28.5 inches (50th percentile) Weight - 17 lbs. 8 oz. (10th percentile) Head circumference - 18 inches His ear infection is totally gone, and the sniffles he has right now is nothing more than either a slight cold or seasonal allergies (takes after his mom). We discussed many questions today that I brought in....his schedule (perfect), his succeptability to bee sting allergies (slight), his refusal to take a sippy cup at times, and last of all, the time to wean. I am coming to grips with the fact that it will be okay if I decide to knock out all but two nursing sessions a day now that he's 9 months, supplementing the rest with formula (or pumped milk). What a sad day this is, but also how liberated I feel, as
Gardner turned 9 months old yesterday. I cannot believe how time has flown by. It saddens me in a way, but then it excites me, as well. I see more and more every day how he is growing up into a little man. And it is my and Ken's responsibility to help him grow into a Godly man, at that. We were discussing just last night how underrated the impact of parents on their children. They hear and see EVERYTHING we do. Nothing is hidden from them; nothing goes "over their heads" from the time they start to understand language. Even now, Gardner hears us say "no" when he crawls towards power cords or stairs. He immediately turns and looks at us, then backs away. So obedient already! But so amazing that he can understand, at nine months of age, what we're saying. It's a reminder to watch our mouths and our attitudes around his impressionable little spirit. What an awesome responsibility it is raising a son....but what an absolute joy, as well. :) We lov
Another milestone update.... Gardner is now: 1. Saying "bye-bye" with prompting. I guess this counts as his first word. He said "ma-ma" and "da-da" at four months or so, but was the babbling or talking? Too close to call it. I will just put it down in the record books that his first words were "bye-bye." 2. Gardner can also "gimmie five." He hasn't gotten down the "slip me some skin" version, but he can at least gimme five. 3. Gardner knows how to rock, whether he's placed in a rocking chair or on a little rocking horse (he received Ken's old one this weekend as a gift from his grandparents). How'd he know to do that? 4. He says "HUH-uh" whenever he enters a new place, as if he's saying, "OH-oh, I know where we are!! Oh, yes!" He also phrases the same syllables into a question, or as a general conversation piece as he strolls about or plays in someone's lap. It's his
Yet another first....though a little one (all are important to us, though!). Gardner has now also learned how to go from a crawl straight into a sit-down position. Before, he would just crawl and then stay on his belly till we helped him up. Now this opens up a whole wealth of new playtime possibilities for him and his little creative, explorative spirit! :)
What a week! I keep coming back to this computer to update all that's been going on in Gardner's world this past week or so. Still crawling, and getting faster! We now fully understand why this has been called the most exhausting part of baby's first year (for the parents, that is!). I am trying to childproof my home without making it look like a padded cell. We are trying to teach him what "no" means, too, because all of those safety measures won't mean a thing if he doesn't understand his limits, anyway (I would hate to imagine a 15-year-old who still has a toilet-lock in his bathroom)!! Anyhoo.... He started mimicking us this week. He blows raspberries (spits bubbles) when Ken and I do the same thing. I was reading him a book this week and, upon reaching the page with the horse on it, I "neighed." He looked up at me and promptly did the same sound back to me, as if he'd been doing it for weeks. I sat still, not believing he actua
Gardner's on the mend. We had an 8:00 appointment with Dr. Bry Hobbs yesterday morning. Gardner was a little trooper. They had to clean out his ears, and he hated that! He kept rolling over towards me on the little exam table, clawing at my arms to be picked up. I wiped off his crocodile tears and assured him it'd only be a little while. His weight was 16 lbs., and his blood-oxygen level was 99 (100 is considered perfect....that's my boy.). He was diagnosed with an ear infection in both ears, which was, in turn, causing his eye infection. We were sent home with prescriptions for eye drops, augmentin, and D-Allergy elixir. I tried to tell myself it was okay....I was upset that he was sick. Yet 8 months with no illnesses is quite a feat, and I should be very thankful that this is his first bout with something like this. The doctor assured us that ear infections are quite common among infants and likely can't be avoided. Thanks, Dr. Hobbs, for reassuring me once
Hear ye, hear ye.....Gardner's first real illness hits. :( We just arrived home from seeing Dr. Bry Hobbs, and Gardner has been diagnosed with his first ear infection. The maternal instinct told me that the low-grade fever he'd been experiencing was more that just teething.....and we were right. He has an infection in both ears as well as his left eye. He is now on an antibiotic (the "pink stuff," as Emily and I used to call it as kids), a decongestant, and prescription eye drops. Poor little guy. I held tightly to him most of yesterday....when he's sick, he just wants to be in my arms or in my lap. Surprisingly, he is still sleeping fairly well....which is good, in that it will help him recover faster. I cannot explain the sheer pain and heartache that comes with seeing your child not feeling well. You literally want to take it on and become ill yourself so he won't have to be. It is the saddest sound to hear that little weak cry that seems to ask in
2nd tooth is giving us trouble.... Gardner is teething right now, and he's completely showing all of the tell-tale signs....irritability, low-grade fever (100 or so), lots of drooling, lack of appetite, runny nose, and sleep irregularity. Poor little guy. He has just wanted to be held for the past two days now.... I have been giving him Tylenol only when it seems to be unbearable for him. And thank goodness for Orajel gum medicine. This little baby just likes to have extra TLC when he feels badly.....he just crawls at my heels until I surrender every other activity and pick him up to hold him close. It is very tender how he runs to his mom when he doesn't understand life. :) Hopefully, this will pass in another day or two. Keep G in your prayers, that this tooth will come on in and give him some relief. It isn't easy as a mom to see your little one uncomfortable and unhappy....I never knew how much a heart could break for someone else until now. :(
Gardner crawls!! This weekend, Gardner took the next step and actually crawled for the first time. Technically, we count this as the first time in that he put more than one knee forward (instead of the one knee, then flop forward, technique he'd been trying). Ken was the lucky one who was able to see it happen....he was in the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church nursery with him when he saw Gardner crawl excitedly towards a toy he spotted. :) I was so excited that Ken was able to experience one of Gardner's "firsts" himself alone....I have been the one, for the most part, to see all of his other first moments, and I know it made Ken feel a little bit left out. Ken was beaming when he told me. He was just as excited about seeing our son take his first crawl as he would be if he had just witnessed his son being inaugurated as President. Now....where did I store those baby gates!!??
Gardner's first road trip.....yeah!!! We are about to go wake up a groggy Gardner and put him in the car to hike 4 hours away to Greensboro, NC for a friend's wedding-festivity weekend. This is Gardner's first time away from home overnight, first hotel stay, everything. I hope he adjusts to the change well. We're trying to take many of the comforts of home with us so he won't feel too out of sorts! There's nothing that a little bit of Tad Bit "blanket buddy" and a nature sounds machine can't fix. :) Gardner is now eating Cheerios, Gerber fruit/veggie puffs, and even small bits of bananas and peaches (although the texture of the last two make him squirm and shiver!). Still no more teeth erupting yet, but I expect a 2nd one any time now. He is also on the very verge of actual crawling. He turns over the idea in his mind, you can tell, when he sees something of interest on the opposite side of the room. Most of the time, he'd rather go th