Dear Doster - 8 Months

What a month it’s been!  For sure the highlight of my month was the first snow day that we spent together.  I was able to work from home and we got some quality time together.  I only took you outside for a few minutes, but you LOVED the snow.  Poor guy, I dressed you in so many layers that you could barely move!

A few weeks later, we were back at home for round 2.  This time we were joined by Daddy.

Other milestones include your first night away from home!  GrandD and Pop watched you on Superbowl Sunday, and your dad and I enjoyed a night out.  I have to say, I slept like a rock.  It was nice, but I missed you!

We also swapped out the carrier car seat for the big one.  You started to look a little cramped in it to me.  We’re still getting used to the Britax.  That also meant a stroller update.  You seem to like your new positioning--- I think it allows you to see more.

Now for your stats:

Size:

My little chunk!  I don’t have your actual measurements, but you were 19lbs 1 oz a week ago when you had your ears checked.  Those size 3 diapers are starting to look a little snug to me!

Feeding:

You are a food champ!  We continue to do 4 bottles per day, but you seem to be more interested in baby food.  You’re favorites are still squash and sweet potatoes, but we've tried almost everything.  We continue to introduce a new food every 3(ish) days.  We are still doing level 2 foods, but will probably bump up to level 3 any day now.  You are so cute when you eat.  You hang that mouth wide open, and you do this funny grunt noise. 

I’m sorry to say, but I am weaning off the pumping.  I’m just not producing that much, so it doesn't make too much sense to carry on.  This could be your last month with milk from me, and that breaks my heart just a little.

Sleeping:

You are still a fantastic sleeper, going about 12 hours most nights.  Occasionally you’ll wake up around hour 10 and cry a little, but soothe yourself back to sleep.  On nights when you are in pain from teething, you let us know, poor guy.

Personality:

You are so much fun.  You love to laugh and love making us laugh too.  What a happy guy!  Your face lights up when you see a familiar face, and it melts my heart when it happens.  You are happy to be around people, but you are also pretty happy chilling by yourself in small doses, which makes me really proud. 

Development:

You are a pro at sitting now.  On occasion you move from sitting position to crawl position, though you aren't crawling yet.  You still roll, turn, or sometimes scoot a little to get to your destination. 

You have very good hand-eye coordination.  You grab what you want, and move things around.  You can turn pages in your book, clap, play patty cake, and pull hair.  You are an expert at putting anything in your mouth!

Overall, you are such a joy to be around.  Being your mom makes me so happy.  I don’t have the history of being the most patient person, so thank you for being so easy on me.  









Okay, one more video just for fun (technically, you are 8 months and 1 day here):

Dear Doster - 7 Months

Dear Doster,

My little sweet potato!  You are already 7 months old, and I am ridiculously in love with you.  This month has been even more wonderful than the last (I have a feeling I’ll repeat the sentiment a lot!) and I love being your mommy.

Christmas with a baby was very fun but busy!  We kicked things off with Dawkins Family Christmas. You opened your first present, and boy did you love the wrapping paper!

First Present

4 Generations

I just love my family! 

We spent Christmas Eve with Papa Pat and your maternal uncles and Ran Ran (Randi doesn’t like the sound of “Aunt Randi”). You slept really well in  your pack and play while we exchanged gifts and such.

The next morning we started off the day with our little family Christmas, you, me, gigs and Brighton.

You really liked the paper again.

We hit up Grammy’s next….

And GrandD and Pop’s last.

What a busy day!


And now for your update:

Size:

You are a whopping 18 lbs and 4 ounces.  Big guy!  You are in 6-9 month clothes mostly, and still rocking
your size 3 dipes.

Feeding:

What a difference a month makes!  You are liking your baby food a lot these days.  You've tried:  bananas, apples, mango, prunes, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, pears and maybe a few more.  Squash is your favorite (it’s one of my favorite veggies too).

We do four 8oz bottles a day, and about 3 baby food feedings.  I’m still pumping, but I have noticed a decrease.  Sorry, Kiddo.

Sleeping:

You are still rocking and rolling with 12 hours on most nights.  THANK YOU!  You had a little trouble for about a week this month with some middle of the night wake-ups.  We then realized that you were sprouting that first tooth.   I still rock you to sleep on most nights.  Not because you need me to (you've proven that you’re happy to talk yourself to sleep) but because I’m at work all day and I miss you!

Personality:

Aside from the tooth aches you continue to be a very happy baby.  You are starting to develop a cute
personality.  You are so inquisitive and open.  I hope those traits stay with you!  Your teachers continue to tell us that you have a wonderful disposition.  And trust me, there are some fuss-ers in your class!  So glad that you aren't one of them.

Development:

You are very grabby and roll-y. If we put a toy just out of your reach, you’ll find a way to roll to it.  You’re starting to scoot a tiny bit.

You are getting very good at sitting up on your own, with the occasional tumble. 

I will try to be a better blogger so that I can keep up with your life (but it seems like I am too busy trying to soak in every second with you).  Thank you for being such a good baby.   You are the biggest blessing for our whole family. 


And one last look at your cute baby-legs:

Dear Doster- 6 Months

 Dear Doster,

6 months. That’s half of a year!  Ever since I came back to work, it seems like time is racing by me.  The last month has been pure joy.  You had your first Thanksgiving, and I think that our entire family can admit that your presence is what we are most thankful for this year.

A favorite moment for me was during the blessing.  We were all holding hands around the table, and you grabbed Uncle John's hand, as if you knew the routine.  Ah, melted my heart.

I am such a slacker; this is, literally, the only picture I took on Thanksgiving!

Somehow I have this picture too.  I'll have to get with the grandparents and steal their pics!

I’m getting much better about dropping you off at school.  I still cry sometimes (again, not because you are unhappy or because I’m worried—only because I miss you!).   I’m trying to live in the moment more during the time we spend together. 

In other monthly news, we took you to see Santa the weekend after Thanksgiving.  You were a pro.  You stared at Santa and were very chill.  Good job!  You also took a huge poo in Santa’s workshop.  James and I were very impressed with our pit-crew-like speed and even high-fived after we aced our first public diaper dash.

Size:

We just had your 6 month check-up today.  You clocked in at 17 pounds, 3 ounces (44th percentile) and 25 and 3/4 inches (24th percentile). 

You are now in size 3 diapers all the time, and are wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes.

Feeding:

Trying to hold your own!

You are still mostly a bottle guy, but we’ve been doing a little cereal for breakfast over the last month.   We’ve tried cereal and oatmeal and you seem to slightly prefer the latter.  You aren’t a huge eater, but we are practicing.  You LOVE your bottle and you even try to grab it.  You can put it in your mouth by yourself, but you haven’t quiet grasped the concept of the angle.  A for effort!

Towards the end of the month, we moved you to 4 bottles a day or about 1 every 4 hours that you are awake.  Half is formula, have is from me.   Let me give myself a little pat on the back for surviving 6 months of the pumping game!

Sleeping

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!  You are still an incredible sleeper.  When people ask me about your sleeping schedule, I almost hesitate to tell them.  I’m afraid they’ll think I’m lying or bragging.

You do 11 or 12 hours per night and you’ve made huge improvements in napping.  You aren’t the best napper at school, but on the weekends at home you are a pro. 

You bounce around all over your crib at night.  Your dad and I love seeing what positions you will ultimately wake in.  Sometimes your chubby little legs get caught in the crib slats-- it's just about the cutest thing.

Personality

You are still a happy man, even when you aren’t feeling well.  You’ve had a little cold this month, but you’d never know it by your disposition.   Your teacher was bragging about you again last week.  She called you her “baby of the year.”

You usually only cry when you are tired or when I blow your nose with our snot-sucker.  Can’t say I blame you.

Sometimes I think you are trying to be funny.  When you make weird noises it cracks me up.  It’s almost as if you continue doing it just to keep us laughing.  Our little comedian!

Development

You change so quickly that I could never keep up with all that you are doing.  Some quick highlights:

• Rolling all over the place
• “Practice” sitting (with assistance)
• Grabbing EVERYTHING
• Putting anything in your mouth
• Reaching
• Kicking
• Making funny noises with your mouth
• Laughing Laughing Laughing

Thank you for being such a good baby.  You fill up my heart every single day.  I never imagined I would l love being a mom so much.  It is all because you are so wonderful, and pretty easy on me.   I’m so lucky.

Dear Doster- 5 Months

Dear Doster,

This month was absolutely a favorite.  We had so much fun doing “fall activities” with you, and you seemed to have a fun time too.

The transition back to work has been a little rocky for me.  I think I still cried every day that I dropped you off at school last month (not because I’m worried about you, mostly because I miss you!).  You LOVE your school; you smile at the teachers every day!  I just get sad that they get to be with you all day, and I only see you in little spurts.  I definitely appreciate my time with more than I used to, and I just try to soak in every moment.

One of the biggest challenges this month was your first ear infection.  A few days ago, your teacher called me and told me that you were running a fever—I freaked out!  Luckily, we snagged you a doctor’s visit and Dr. Bartlett came to the rescue.  It broke my heart thinking about my little man in any type of pain.  You seem to be feeling better now, though you never even acted upset or fussy in the first place. 

Size:

Big boy!  You weigh in at 16lbs and 4 ounces.  You’re in 3-6 months clothing, and occasionally you wear a 6-9 month outfit. You are still in size 2 diapers during the day, and a size 3 diaper at night.

Feeding:

Mostly this month, you continued on your bottle schedule.  You’re still on a mixture of formula and breast milk.  I started producing a little bit more, but pumping is still a challenge at work.  A few days ago we started on rice cereal.  You weren’t so hip to it your first time, but you slowly growing more accustomed to it. We try a little in the morning and a little at night.

Sleeping:

You are still an amazing sleeper, THANK YOU!!!  You are now very easy to put down at night, and you usually sleep for 11 or 12 hours.  Lately, you’ve been waking up at 5:30 and “talking” to yourself for a few minutes.  You go back to sleep, but it definitely wakes me up.  I only get annoyed when it happens on the weekend.

Your napping has improved as well!  You take about 3 naps during the day, anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. 

Personality:

Happy Happy Happy!  Your teacher at school told me that you are the happiest baby.  She said, “If I had five more Dosters in here, my job would be a lot easier!”

What a big compliment!

You really like looking around and holding your toys.  You love walking around outside, and you absolutely adore being around Brighton.  You smile when you see people that you know, and you are just so content. 

You have been a little fussier now that you are sick—the stuffiness makes it harder for you to sleep.  You are also not a big fan of having your nose cleaned. Sorry Kiddo.

Development:

Checking out those fingers!

You love grabbing, rolling, cooing, laughing, swatting, and holding.  You get a little frustrated if you are on your tummy for too long and can’t figure out how to roll back over.  You love to make funny noises, and laugh when other people do them.  Dr. Painter said that you have excellent head control, and I think so too!  Lately, you’ve been very interested in your fingers. They are adorable, I can’t blame you!

You are such a little charmer and you make me so happy!  Thank you for being such a good baby.  I’m so proud to be your mom. 

Falla' Back, Y'all!

October was such a fun month for our little family and I wanted to take a second to quickly document some of our fall fun.

As I’ve said before, I’m not the most organized gal.  So this blog has to serve as my little digital scrapbook.  There are so many little things that I want to always remember.

Like, Doster’s first Halloween party…

We found out about the Halloween Block Party via one of our favorite stores, KD’s Treehouse.  There was music (a local band for kids, “Lunch Money”), games, food, and fire engines.

Doster seemed to really love his first concert.  He also really enjoyed seeing his reflection in the fire engine.

The next day, we took Doster to the pumpkin patch at Trenholm Road Methodist Church.  Doster was a pretty good sport and seemed to enjoy checking out the pumpkins.  It was such a beautiful day and, as always, Doster loved being outside.

On Halloween, we dressed our little Ninja Turtle for school.  Uncle Thomas dubbed him “Dostertello”, which I thought was adorable.

We trick-or-treated at a few houses near ours, which of course made Doster happy (again, anything outside is a happy time!).

We had visitors as well—my dad, mom, sister and brother came over to enjoy a little Halloween time with Doster.  He was very overwhelmed and over-stimulated at that point.   He fell right to sleep and slept for over 12 hours.  All and all, a pretty good Halloween!