9 Month Update!

I can't believe my handsome boy is already 9 months old! He's officially been out as long as he was in!

We had his check-up earlier this month and he's doing so good! He's right on track with everything, and is ahead of the walking schedule. While we were waiting for the doctor to come in, he was getting fussy and wiggly, so I set him down on the ground and let him crawl around. He doesn't crawl a whole lot, he just likes to crawl to the nearest object and pull himself up to stand, then hangs onto stuff to walk around. At the office, he pulled himself up to the stool, then walked himself around the drawers. As soon as the doctor walked in, he said "How long has he been doing that?" When I asked if he meant pulling himself up to stand, he said "No, I mean walking while hanging onto things. I never see babies his age do that! I usually see that more in 12 month olds who are just about ready to walk." He told me that he was really impressed about 5 different times during the appointment, and he told me he thinks he will most likely be an early walker. At first I thought "nooo, he's too young, the doctor is just making me feel like I have the smartest baby ever." But these last 2 weeks, DJ has been standing on his own, without holding on to anything for a few seconds! Then, we were on the floor in his room playing and he was holding onto the rocking chair, looked at me and let go, then took 2 full steps towards me! I was so proud, and so excited I started screaming and Savannah freaked out because she thought I was hurt. Do I sound like I'm bragging? Because I think I am. Sorry. ;-)

He took a look at both of the kids and diagnosed them with eczema. Poor kiddos inherited my skin. But I've been doing everything I can think of to help it and they both seem to be clearing up. The doctor told me that if it flares up again and gets to be too much to handle, that he would prescribe them something stronger.

I'm loving this 9 month old stage! He's getting so active and fun! The other day I was having a blast "wrestling" with him. He kept head-butting me in the stomach while I was sitting on the floor, and I would fall over and he would laugh and laugh and laugh. Then I would sit up and he'd do it again!

One of my favorite times during the day is after his afternoon nap, and both kids play in Savannah's room. He's so active and curious, and loves to pull everything out. He especially loves playing with the play kitchen because he likes all the drawers and play-food.

He's finally starting to sleep through the night! I think asking the boys downstairs not to get up and play video games loudly at 4 or 5 in the morning has really helped a ton. Every great once in a while, he will wake up and cry for a bit, and I just let him cry it out for 5 minutes. I finally decided that it was worth dealing with the renters downstairs complaints about him crying for 5 minutes than getting up with him and making us both grumpy and tired the next day. Also, remember how they are up in the early hours of the morning playing video games loudly? Yeah I don't feel bad anymore.

I've lost DJ's paper with his stats for this month, but I do remember that he was 19 1/2lbs and around 50% for everything. The doctor was impressed with how much he's chunked up in the last 3 months, and I contribute it to him not spitting up every single meal he had, and he eats solids like a champ!

He's got 5 teeth now. 3 on top all came in within this last month, but all of them are different sizes because they all came through at different times, so when he smiles, he looks like a hillbilly. It's adorable.

He can say "mama" and "dada" now too, and he waves and climbs up stairs.

He is just the sweetest little boy ever! Can I order 3 more of him please?

7 Months

My little DJ is 7 months old already! And this past month he seems to have changed and grown so much, that I kind of want to find the "pause" button on him and press it. 

He finally cut his first 2 teeth, on the bottom. Two days before Christmas, he was grumpy, clingy and fussy, and then Christmas Day, he was an angel! And sure enough, Deagan had gotten his first tooth for Christmas. Then just after New Years, in popped the other! Now he constantly has his tongue hanging out, rubbing his teeth with it, and you have to be careful, because he likes to bite. Twice just today, he bit Savannah. Once on the finger, and once on the leg.

He is a full-fledged crawler now too. His favorite place to crawl to is underneath the coffee table, where he likes to just sit and chill. Savannah hangs out down there too, often times taking a pillow and a blanket down there. I'm not quite sure what it is about that coffee table, but they both love it. He can crawl on his hands and knees, but he prefers to army crawl if he needs to get somewhere fast. He will crawl on his hands and knees on the carpet, but army crawl once he hits the hardwood floor because he slides faster. I need to get a baby gate ASAP for the stairs. Savannah was too scared of the stairs to ever go down, but DJ is pretty fearless. 

Now that he crawls, he isn't as clingy as he was before. He used to whine and cry as soon as I set him down, but now, I can sit him on the ground, and he will play with toys, or crawl and go explore. 

He can pull himself up too! He now likes to stand in his crib or on the couch. And he especially loves to climb up and stand while hugging my legs. I think he is most proud of this accomplishment, because he's usually beaming with 7 month old pride when he does it.

He's learning how to copy sounds that we make. And he's learning how to show frustration. Savannah took a toy away from him and he yelled angrily instead of just crying. And if I'm not paying attention to him, he yells too.  

 ^^He doesn't seem to mind our costco trips, in which he nearly gets buried every time^^

He's also learned how to give big wet kisses! I LOVE it!

His spitting up problem is virtually gone. Today, he was crawling in the hallway while I was painting his room, and Savannah started yelling that he had spilled some milk. When I went out, he had spit up quite a bit, and that was the first time in weeks he had done that. 

He still doesn't sleep through the night, but It's not really his fault. He gets up around 5 or 6am, which is when the boys downstairs wake up to play video games. (What teenaged boy gets up earlier than is necessary, just to play video games? It makes zero sense) and they are pretty noisy. I get up, change his diaper and give him a bottle and he goes back to sleep pretty easily and stays asleep until 8. I think I'm going to start heading to the gym after I get up with him, since he goes back to sleep, and Savannah and Bryant are still asleep until 8, and I feel more tired throughout the day if I get up and go back to sleep. 

He really is just the happiest baby you have ever met. I'm not ready for him to be so active. I miss the sleepy snuggly stage! But I think it will be nice when he's big enough to keep up with Savannah, so they can keep each other entertained.

6 Month Update!

Oh wow, talk about a crazy couple of weeks!

Any free time I had I was spent writing final papers and revising them and studying for finals and then I nearly had a panic attack when my professor e-mailed me and said she was going to fail my paper because I didn't cite my sources and that was considered plagiarism. When I went in to talk to her about it, because I DID cite my sources, it turns out I placed a comma in my citations in the wrong place. Talk about an overly dramatic professor! (This was also the same professor that told me I had failed another paper earlier in the semester, turns out, she failed everyone BUT me. Crazy.) But I fixed it and aced the paper. Crisis averted! 

Ok, rants over! I'm just relieved to have a break and to finally get some stuff done around here! Catching up on blogging is one of those things, so expect a lot of posts this week! I figured I should start with Deagan's 6 month update, since I missed his 5 month and in another week and a half he will be 7 months old. Where does the time go?

^^Always in the sling. He's such a mama's boy!^^

So, lets get to it and start with his stats!

Weight: 16lbs, 3oz, 23%

Length: 26.25in 32%

Head Circumference: 43.2cm 46%

Teeny little guy, but for as small as he is, he's still got his chunky cheeks and meaty legs!

The doctor said everything looks perfect with him, and that he's still growing along his curve. I discussed his spitting up, once again, and the doctor told us that he's confident he will grow out of it. And to my surprise, he has! He still spits up occasionally, but not anywhere NEAR the amount he used too! It's so nice not having to change my clothes 3 times a day! I think starting him on solids has really made the difference.

I also talked to the doctor about him not sleeping through the night. And he told me what I knew he probably would, to just let him cry it out. That was really hard for me because we have had complaints from the renters downstairs about DJ crying, but I decided to just not worry about them and let him cry it out. The doctor told us that the first night to expect him to cry for up to 3 hours, and to wake up several times that night. I think he cried for 2, and he woke up 2-3 times, but I never went in and got him. After that, each night became easier, and now, I either nurse him to sleep, or if he's extra fussy, I lay him in his crib with a bottle, and he puts himself to sleep. He still wakes up 1-2 times a night, and most nights he cries for 5 minutes and puts himself back to sleep. But on the nights he screams, I get up and get him a bottle. I used to bring him in bed with me and nurse him, but then I had a hard time putting him back in his room without waking him up, so I now just do the bottle. Hopefully soon, he will sleep through the night completely on a regular basis, and not just once a week.

The biggest development this month is that he can now sit up, and is on his way to officially crawling. He gets up on his hands and knees, then propels himself forward. He also army crawls everywhere. I thought once he could move, he would not be as clingy, but he still always wants to be held and so most of our days are spent with him on my lap or in the sling. 

^^This photo is from Reno, and I realized that I still have not written about Thanksgiving! Look for that post soon!^^

He loves his sister more than anyone I think. She tries to wrestle with him and it makes me nervous, but he is almost always laughing and pulling her hair and giving her kisses. They are going to be best friends!

Well, that's all for now! Can you believe Christmas is less than a week away?! 

Also, Happy Birthday to my Dad! I love you!

2 months old!

This handsome, happy little guy turned 2 months old earlier this week!

We took him in for his 2 month check-up, and I was really surprised to learn that he's not as big as I thought he was.

He is 11lbs, 3oz (34th percentile)

he is 23 inches long (50th percentile)

and his head is surprisingly small at 38.2cm (12th percentile)

I was surprised that he was all in the lower range, since he was so stinking huge when he was born! He eats like crazy too, so I was expecting him to get really fat, but instead, he's just getting long!

His cheeks though. Seriously, those things get nibbled on all. day. long.

The doctor said he is healthy and happy though. It was our first time with the new pediatrician because our old one retired to go on an LDS mission (sniff. sniff. You will be missed Dr. J!) We liked this guy though, so we think we'll keep him.

I thought it was funny how he was telling us to make sure we do "tummy time" with DJ to strengthen his neck and shoulder muscles, and as he was telling us this, he flipped him onto his stomach. Then when DJ pushed himself up and looked around like it was no big deal, the doctor stopped mid-sentence and said "Oh, it looks like he's already got a really strong neck!"

Yup, the nurse even said that the day he was born!

He smiles all the time now. He especially loves smiling at Savannah. I don't know if it's just that he likes her voice the most, or if he likes the way she looks or what, but he LOVES to look and smile at her! 

He's found his voice too and coos and chats all day long, waiving and flailing his arms, grabbing at my hair or my necklaces or whatever is within reach. Ok, funny side-story. I was a church and an older lady came up to me and asked how he was doing. I said "he's doing great! He's chatting and talking a lot now!" meaning, he's cooing and making noises right? Then she stopped for a second and took a good look at him and asked how old he was. When I said 2 months, she replied "he's only 2 months and he can talk? That can't be right..." She thought I meant he was literally talking, not just making baby sounds. I got a good laugh out of it!

 ^Both Savannah and Deagan inherited Bryant's eyebrows!^

Like I said, this kid eats a TON. He must be like Savannah and have an extremely high metabolism because the kid should be a roley poley with how much he eats. But he also spits up a lot. I asked the doctor about that and he said that where he is gaining weight steadily, and as long as he doesn't seem in pain, like crying or arching his back afterwords, that he should be fine. And he said he will probably continue to spit up for another couple of months. When I feed him at night, I now place a blanket under his head when I feed him, because if I fall asleep while he's eating, and I don't sit him up, he spits up all over the bed, and I got tired of washing the sheets every day. So now I'm washing large bundles of burp cloths and receiving blankets. 

He also had a blocked tear-duct that made his eye really gross and goopy, but we got some eye drop antibiotics and it's seemed to have cleared it all up. 

He's gone back to sleeping pretty well at night. He sleeps in his bassinet in our room from about midnight until 7am. Then I bring him into bed with me and feed him, and he falls back asleep until about 9, when his dad leaves for work and his sister wakes up. I leave him in bed with me after he eats rather than put him back in the bassinet, because even though he wiggles and wiggles until I'm practically falling off the bed, I like those couple of hours where I can cuddle next to him. I don't get too many moments like that with Savannah any more, and I know someday DJ won't want to cuddle his mom very much either. 

We love having Deagan here with us. I already feel he is growing way too fast.

Just Killing Some Time

We are headed to a BBQ tonight with some family friends. I've got everything ready to go, the kids are ready to go, DJ is asleep and Savy is watching Wreck-It-Ralph for goodness knows how many times now. Also, I put on makeup. And not just some foundation and a sorry attempt at some mascara, I mean, I did all my makeup. Feeling pretty proud about that. Even if it was 5:30 in the afternoon when I did it.

I'm just waiting on Bryant.

He always says he will be home at 5, and he's always home at 6:30 or 7. There are 3 things in life that are certain: death, taxes, and the fact that Bryant is never, ever home when he says he will be. Silly boy. And no, I'm not complaining, I just think it's funny.

Anyways, I guess I'm just trying to kill some time. Getting a few thoughts out there into the blogging universe.

Thought #1: I feel like my blog needs an updated look. Most blogs I enjoy reading have very simple, clean looks to them and mine does not. I partly want to do this because I kind of want to market my blog a little more. See if I can gain a few more readers. This blog isn't anything too special, but Its special to me and I want to see how far I can take my little slice of the internet. So, feel free to share, pin, tweet, whatever, this blog if ya want.

Thought #2: In addition to feeling the need to update the look of my blog, I equally feel the need to update my home. I have a lot of projects I want to get going on. Most importantly, I need to get both of the kid's rooms pained and organized. I need to finish my dresser, and re-paint my kitchen stools. I have several bare walls that need things to go on them. And I need a new bedside lamp. This may be the most pressing item and it's at the top of my priority list. Remember that one time when I won an entire living room set from RC Willey? Well that came with 2 lamps, 1 of which I use on the nightstand. The problem is, the switch to turn it off is waaaay up there, which is a pain in the neck to turn off when I'm laying in bed, and I'm far too lazy to want to sit up to turn it off. So I'm on the search for a smaller, more lazy-Brooke friendly lamp.

Thought #3: I realized today that I start school at the end of next month. I don't want to go, I don't want to go, I don't want to go... but I will. Because education is important.

Thought #4: I want a nice camera. But I don't know the first thing about using one. So camera-phone it is until I learn. 

Aaaaaannnnd that's about it. 

Stay in school kids.

A Day at the Doctors

I have been dreading today for 2 weeks.

Today was the day I took Savy and DJ into the pediatrician.

Deagan had his first, 2 week checkup, PKU test, and well...ahem... another thing (I cried a bit, he didn't, and I couldn't watch. That's all I'm going to say about that...)

Savannah missed her 2 year check-up because I was still dealing with her insurance (it took me over 6 months to get sorted out! Geeze!) and I had to cancel her appointment
I had made around her birthday. When I finally got her card, I was so close to having the baby, I decided I would just make an appointment for the both of them. She was behind 4 immunizations, so we did 3 today, and we will do the last one at DJ's next appointment. Then no more immunizations for her until kindergarten! Hooray!!!

I am the luckiest mom alive. My kids are super healthy, and Savannah always has been. Seriously, the blessing of having healthy kids is not lost on me. I'm grateful every day for that fact.

So, onto their stats! I always like writing these on this blog because I tend to lose the little papers they give me...

Savannah:

She is 2 years and 2 1/2 months old

She is 26lbs 8.5oz (36%)

She is 36 inches long (81%)

And her head is 48.5cm (68%)

The nurse measured her and left the room to go enter in all her stats. She came back in, and said she needed to re-measure the markings she made on the paper, because the computer was showing that she was in the 80-90th percentile, and she felt that seemed a bit too tall. She left again, then came back in 5 minutes later and asked to just re-measure Savannah all over again. And well, she's just plain tall. And very thin. With a slightly big head.

Savannah did really well. She was excited to see the doctor and as soon as he walked in she said "you check my ears? My eyes? My tummy?". She apparently remembered the doctor, because all this past week, she was running around with our thermometer and checking DJ's temperature for him, telling me she was "doing a check-up". When the doctor looked in her ears, she said "I have pixie dust in my ear". Then pretended to take some out, and threw it at the doctor, then the nurse yelling "pixie dust awaaaaayyyy!"

The doctor said he was very impressed with her language, and loved her energy and personality. My only concern I brought up with him was how picky she is when she eats, and how little she eats most days. He told me not to worry, and that if she was just a grazer, that that was fine and that she would know what her body needs. That made me feel a whole lot better. 

She was a champ about getting 3 shots today. Her daddy held her hand and she cried a bit, and then just snuggled her dad for the rest of the appointment. She was pretty excited about her band-aids though and she was showing them off to her grandparents when we got home.

Deagan:

He is 2 weeks old

He weighs 8lbs, 15.5 oz (59% and just half an ounce below birth weight!)

He is 21.75 inches long (85%)

His head is 35.5cm (21%)

So when we left the hospital, he was down to 8lbs 8oz, and he has gained a half pound to be back at his birth weight, and he grew over 3 inches! Sheesh kid! Stop growing so fast!

He did really great too. My poor little mama heart had a tough time with all he had to go through today, but he dealt with it all like a champ. At first, I didn't even think I could handle being in the room with him, but once we were in there, I thought "nope, I'm staying and I'm holding his hand because I'm his Mom!" So I sat there holding his hand, and keeping my eyes on his the whole time. He didn't even cry! What a stud! (well, he cried for just a sec when they did his PKU testing.)

I was really sad to hear that our pediatrician is retiring. He got a mission call to Chile. When I heard that, all I could think was "But... but... you have to stay! You're the best pediatrician!" He recommended a new pediatrician for us, who is in the same office. I trust his judgement, so I made DJ's next appointment with the new doctor. I am really happy for our doctor. The people in Chile are getting a really nice and considerate man down there! I like him because I never feel rushed through our appointment, like I have with other doctors. He really takes the time to listen to all of your questions and concerns, and always gives good advice, and he knows how to keep kids happy and not worried. He will be missed by the Stokes Family!

Anyways, I'm just glad today is over. Savannah said her legs hurt a little bit tonight, so she snuggled up with her grandma and we put a heating pad on her legs. Deagan has been exhausted and has been asleep almost the entire day, which I'm grateful for. I think tomorrow will be a little rough, but he will be ok. 

Again, I'm just so thankful for healthy kids!!!

20 and 1/2 months!

It's been a really long time since I have done an update on Savannah, she's growing so fast!

We finally made it to the doctors. We had missed a few check-ups and 7 immunizations, so we had to play catch-up. I had them only do 4 shots. I didn't want to be mean and have her poor legs poked 7 times. We will go in for the rest probably next month.

 (can you spot the bruise on her forehead? She got it from jumping into another kid during nursery)

My little munchkin is, as always, very healthy. I'm so grateful for this! We have never had to deal with anything worse than a cold (and that awful stomach flu we all got a couple of months ago!).

She weighs 24lbs, 6 oz (35th percentile)

She is 32 Inches tall (32nd percentile)

and her head is 47.7cm (70th percentile)

I wasn't surprised about her weight, since she's always been a skinny kid, but I was surprised about her height. She almost always was in the 50-75th percentile for height and I thought she was still fairly tall for her age. Even just today, I was at the store and the cashier asked how old she was. When I told her 20 months, she said "oh wow, she is really tall isn't she?". I just chuckled and agreed. 

 

I wasn't surprised about how big her head was though. She's always measured in the 70's for head circumference. And if you want to know how big her head really is, just ask my dad about her "head getting stuck in the plastic loom" incident that took place the other day. I'm still laughing about it!

 (Her favorite spot is on top of the couch where she can people-watch. Bryant gets mad when I let her do this because he thinks she will do it with a couch that's not against the wall and fall, so I only let her do it when he's not home. Shhhh, don't tell him! And don't worry, I'm ALWAYS on the couch with her the whole time. Just to be safe.)

She did really well during the appointment. When the doctor walked in, she was laying on his stool and spinning on it. When I asked her to get off so he could sit there, he told me to keep letting her do it, and that he thought it was a good thing that she was having so much fun. When it came time for the exam, she was sitting on my lap. When he put on the blue latex gloves, she got a little nervous, not knowing what they were, so he let her touch them and told her they were like balloons. We had brought her Mickey Mouse with us, and he did an exam on Mickey first. Showing her exactly what he was going to do and what all the instruments were for. She thought that was really funny and totally relaxed afterwards. But poor Mickey, the doctor said his nose was a little stuffy...

(Wearing uncle Sawyer's boots!)

She is learning more and more words every day. I think a lot of people don't realize it, but it's probably because I can understand the words she's saying better than someone who doesn't know her, or rarely sees her can. But trust me, she's probably got upwards of 100 words in her vocabulary. She is also able to put words together like:

"Please mommy" (peas mommy)

"I love you" (I yuh-you)

"I love you more" (I yuh-you more)

"I sorry" (I sawee)

"It's ok" (it kay)

"Are you Ok?" (you kay?)

"it's a baby!" (issa beebee!)

"Little baby" (leetle beebee)

"Where did he go?" (where go?)

"Come in!" (comemim!)

"Who is it? ("Who sit?)

"It's a mess!" (issa mess!)

(She suddenly decided that she likes hats, and requests them whenever we leave the house)

The other night we were watching Superman, and at the beginning when baby superman is in the space ship star thing, coming towards earth, Savannah got really upset and kept saying "Mommy, uh oh, babay falling! Baby falling! Uh oh!" Even though it made her really upset and she began to cry, I couldn't help but be very impressed with her sentence!

That's another thing I really like about Savannah is her compassion. She worries about the well-being of others. This morning, we went to Kneaders for breakfast, and a kid in line behind us was sitting on the floor. Savannah kept asking him if he was ok. Then, we were eating breakfast, and my friend's little boy had food on his face, Savannah tried to hand him a napkin telling him he was messy.

(Cowboy hat and snowmen jammies!)

She's very clean for a toddler. Even though she likes to make messes, she doesn't like to get too dirty or messy. She likes to have a napkin while she eats, she will ask to wash her hands if they get messy, and if she walks into a messy room, she disapprovingly tells us it's messy and that "I keen" (I clean). She knows where the dish rags are and will randomly get them out and wipe the floors or the walls. It's great because I never have to dust, I can just let her do it!

I have been debating on whether or not to start potty training her. I was planning on waiting until she was at least 2, but we have had some diaper incidents in the last couple of weeks that make me think she's ready to at least start trying.

If she wakes up in the morning and I don't get in there to take her out of her crib as soon as possible, she takes her jammies off, and then takes her diaper off. I can't tell you how many times a week I have to wash her sheets. If I DO manage to get in there while she is still clothed, she promptly asks me for a "piper" (diaper), and pats her bum.

(She LOVES to read books! Also, her hair is finally long enough to do pigtails!)

A few times, she's even walked into her room, grabbed a diaper, handed it to me, and laid down to be changed. Once, she asked for a diaper and when I checked her, she was clean and dry. 5 minutes later, she handed me a diaper and when I checked her again, she had a messy diaper.

Ug, I'm not looking foreword to potty training. Although it will be nice not to have to worry about running out of them if we are out and about. Plus, it would save me some money before I have to start buying them for the next baby! Bryant and I talked about it and decided that we will start introducing her to the potty after Christmas.

(She likes to sleep with her stuffed animals. Most nights, she kicks off her blanket, and just piles her animals on top of her.)

She is still a huge Sesame Street fan, but she has also discovered Blues Clues. For a while, anytime she went in her room she would yell "It's a clue! It's a clue!". It took me a while to realize that she meant the picture frame with her hand print in it! She also really likes Despicable Me. She would watch that movie 10 times a day if I let her. I can't wait until the 2nd one comes out and I can take her to the theater to see it!

She has been loving nursery. And she's learning a lot too. Every morning, we sit on my bed, and she forces me to fold my arms, and then we say our prayers together. Sometimes, she makes me say our prayers over and over and over. You can never pray too much right? I have to laugh every time we read books now, because when it's over, she yells "Amen!"

She loves to sing songs, or rather, she likes to make YOU sing songs. Her favorite is Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree.

I can't believe she will be 2 in just a few months! I have been trying to soak up every bit of one-on-one time with her, because in just 6 months, we won't get that as often as I would like.

But she is going to be such a good big sister. She will love having someone to play with all the time. I can't wait!