Twenty-Five & 7 Months

On June 4th, I got to celebrate my first birthday since Preston arrived. I thought turning a quarter of a century would make me feel old but it wasn't so bad :) I spent the day with my sweet boy relaxing at the house. That evening my parents came over to babysit Preston while Blake and I went out for our first date night without Preston. It was so strange just being the two of us! I kept calling my Mom to check on him and we both kept talking about him while we were away. We missed our little guy! I really did enjoy our romantic night out though. We went to Firebirds (my favorite restaurant), grabbed a Chick-Fil-A ice cream cone (delicious) and did some shopping. My sweet husband also made me completely made-from-scratch carrot cake for my birthday cake. I had made the comment to him a while back that I always make people birthday cakes (baking is a love of mine) but I hardly ever get a homemade one for mine. Not that I'm not thankful for store-bought cakes! Anyway, he called me up on his way home from work the night before my birthday and said he was going to make me a cake for my birthday! Blake is not too familiar with the kitchen if you know what I mean so I was a bit surprised to say the least. It was very thoughtful of him. I had to stand by and give directions but he did everything himself including cleaning up the dishes. And the cake was DELICIOUS! I'm so blessed to have my amazing husband.

In addition to my birthday, Preston turned 7 months old. It's hard to believe another month has bypassed us. This first year of his life is flying by and I know we will be celebrating his first birthday before I can realize it! I don't know his exact weight but he's probably gained a pound or so since his 6 month check-up which would put him probably around 21 pounds. He's still a big boy! Here are some of this month's new milestones and fun things!

-He is "talking" so much now, trying to make new sounds. He says "DaDa" all the time so we're going to consider this his first word. He doesn't know what it means but it still counts!

-He eats baby food twice a day, usually half a fruit and half a veggie each time. He seems to like all the foods except peas. He shudders and gags at the peas. It's pretty funny.

-Anytime he's in his carseat or stroller, he strains to lift his head and stare at people. Nosy little guy!

-He loves to be outside and walked around. He's got his Granddaddy spoiling him by walking him around the yard or in the neighborhood as long as Preston wants too. He's got some wonderful grandparents!

-Preston had his first dip in the pool! Blake got in my parents' pool with Preston and they had a great time splashing around. He loved the floating toys better than the water though. He loved splashing around though. I think he thought it was a huge bathtub :)

-We are still working on Preston sitting up unassisted. He can do it for a short time but then he falls forward. Still needs a little balance.

I'm sure there are more but I can't think of anymore at the moment (it's around midnight and I'm pooped). Enjoy a few pictures of this month!

My carrot cake from Blake
My 25th Birthday
Birthday date night
First swim in the pool!
Loved the toys better than swimming
Loving his see-saw
Give me that camera, Mommy
Sweet smile
Just checking to see if it's tasty
Love this boy!

Nighty Night

Who knew that a slight modification in our bedtime routine would result in Preston sleeping all night long? Our previous routine consisted of a bath followed by his night-night feeding in his room, lights out. Thus, he would get sleepy and have no problem laying down to sleep. Given he is now 6 months old, he is physically able to sleep most of the night without another feeding. However, he was waking around 11:00 or 12:00 at night, crying until he was nursed back to sleep. After discussing our situation with a friend and fellow breastfeeding mom, she gave me some AMAZING advice her doctor had suggested: Don't nurse him to sleep. Ha! I was skeptical that Preston would be a willing participant but I had to give-it-a-go anyway. So, we reversed our routine to having our night-night feeding in the family room with lights on and t.v. noise. Then we had our bath, lotion w/our lotion song, pj's and goodnight kiss from Daddy. Now to the hard part. Per my instruction from my friend, I was to rock him for a few minutes (gradually decreasing each night) then lay him in his crib. He did get a bit sleepy while being rocked but as soon as I laid Preston down in his bed he gave me this look of "What the heck are you doing, Mom?" I turned on his music, inserted the paci and left the room. The crying came about 30 seconds later. Continuing with my friend's advice, I was to go in every 5 minutes, calm him down and give the paci back. It took me going in twice and he was fast sleep. He slept until 5:00 a.m. that first night! I was in complete shock. I couldn't believe that such a small change could have such a drastic effect. This has been about 2-3 weeks ago and while we've had a few night awakenings, he is consistently sleeping from 8:00 p.m. until about 5:00 or 6:00 a.m. After he eats, he goes back down until 9:00 or 9:30, sometimes even later! I will let him sleep as long as he likes in the morning. This is simply because he refuses to allow this type of routine for naps later on in the day. Previously, I was able to get Preston to nap in his crib but I had to nurse him. I found out the hard way that this messes him up at bedtime. The poor guy was getting confused. So now we have to find a new way to get him to nap in his crib for naps :) And side note, Preston now goes straight to sleep when I place him in his bed at night. No rocking necessary. I hum his favorite little lullaby (ironically it's "Go to Sleep") a few times and slip out the door. I have to say, I have missed my long lost sleep and it has been extremely nice to get some much needed zzzzzz's. Speaking of, I'm off to bed!

Six Month Photo Shoot

We went to Aldridge Gardens for Preston's 6 month photo shoot with Ann Wade Parrish. She is such a sweet person and a VERY talented photographer. We love her! We got some great pictures of our boy as well as some updated family photos. Enjoy!

Mother's Day

What a sweet day. I very much enjoyed my first Mother's Day. I beam with pride when I look at my precious boy and I'm so thankful to be his Mama. I'm also proud to be the daughter of my beautiful mother. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing role model and best friend to call Mom. Preston surprised me with a beautiful pair of topaz (his birthstone) earrings for Mother's Day. They were sitting on his crib when I walked in his room (picture below). What a sneaky boy :) Honestly though, I have one thoughtful husband and I'm so thankful that he's mine! He also gave me the New Moon DVD (I'm an obsessed Twilight fan) and a framed photo of Preston and I that our photographer took and I had not yet seen. He is the best! After church we celebrated the day by having lunch with Blake's family and then dinner with mine. My brother, who lives in South Carolina, came in town on Sunday so we had a great time hanging out with him too. We also celebrated both my brother's birthdays with presents and an ice cream cake that I made. It was yummy! My loving sister-in-law made me a scrapbook of Preston for Mother's Day. She is the best! I have Preston's 6 months pictures back and I'll be uploading them soon!

Six Going on Seven

Tummy Time!
P with Ethan & Noah
What I find in the morning :)
Eating bananas!

Where did the time go? We are halfway to ONE YEAR!! I love watching this sweet boy grow and learn. What a blessing he is! We had his 6 month doctor's visit today and it went very well...until the shots of course. However, they had to prick his foot for blood work at the beginning of the visit and he did not cry. He just fussed a little bit at the prick and while they squeezed his foot for blood - but no tears! He is 20 pounds 8 ounces and 28 inches long. His head circumference is 18 inches. He is in the 92nd percentile for height and weight and 93rd for his head. Dr. Youngblood said he is just about symmetrically perfect :) He is such a sweet baby. He was smiling and laughing at the doctor. He did cry when he got the four shots but he recovered quickly, much better than last time. We started solid foods about a week or two ago but we held off the last few days when Preston seemed to have some tummy aches at night. We'll pick back up tomorrow and try his foods a little earlier in the day to see if it helps. Here are a few little things that Preston has been up to lately.

-Yesterday he rolled over by himself for the first time from back to tummy. But Blake and I both MISSED it! I left for Bunko and put Preston on his back on a blanket in the floor. Blake was watching TV on the couch above him. Blake calls me and says "Did you lay Preston on his back when you left?" Me: "Um, yes" Blake: "Well I just looked down at him and he was on his stomach." Side note: Preston rolled over again tonight and we both got to see it :)

- Last night was his first night to go without being nursed in the middle of the night. He woke up around 11:30 and after a half hour of 5 minutes intervals to return his paci, he fell back asleep until 5:00 a.m.

- Now that he can scoot around on his back, I find him sideways in his crib each morning. I peek down at him and he gives me the biggest grin. He's such a funny baby.

- He LOVES to squeal. When Blake or I talk to him all goofy, he smiles and lets out a huge squeal.

- He loves to hold his toes anytime he's on his back. This also includes riding around in his stroller (when he's in the carseat in the stroller).

- He gets distracted very easily now when he nurses. He likes to look around the room instead.

- He loves the seesaw toy on his exersaucer. As soon as I put him in it he gets both hands around the seesaw and goes back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...you get the idea. He focuses very hard on it and does is so fast. It's hilarious. I have a video that I'll try to post.

- He reaches for everything now. Anytime I have a drink or something in my hand he tries to wrap his little hands around it.

- He likes to pull hair now...kind of painful but still cute. He has a very firm grip and will clutch anything he can get those chubby fingers around.

- He likes his paci now - go figure? He's always hated it in the past but he likes it now when he gets sleepy.

- For a boy, he typically doesn't "spray" when he's getting a diaper change, but as soon as he hits the bathtub, here comes the fountain! It goes right out over his tub into the big tub. He's got good aim :)

His personality is developing now and he's at such a fun age. We love our baby boy so much! Now onto Month #7!

Firsts!

We've had several firsts over the last week. First off, (pun intended :) we went for our first family picnic while Blake was off work Friday. It was so nice outside so we packed some sandwiches and loaded up. Preston sat in his Bumbo and watched us eat but he seemed to be enjoying himself. We (Preston) had a poopie accident which required a change of clothes but other than that we just relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. Another first and MAJOR one is Preston started taking a one hour nap in his CRIB. It takes some convincing as he only allows it late afternoon, after a full meal, the bedtime routine and a paci (although he does not usually take one, he will accept it if he wakes while being laid in the crib). I am extremely proud of him because he honestly HATES to sleep and I mean HATES it! He will go down in his crib at night just fine but normally, if he's laid down anywhere during the day, he wakes up immediately and cries and refuses to go back to sleep. His "normal" naps consist of falling asleep on me, in the car, strolling around or in his carseat on the dryer. I know some people may criticize the latter but I can assure you, he has always been watched carefully. So like I said, this is a major milestone for us. In addition, Preston has also started grabbing and holding on to his toes. It's so cute to watch him in the floor holding those sweet little feet. He also started rolling up on his side. He can't quite make it all the way over but he's giving a good effort. I'm sure he'll go all the way very soon. Enjoy pictures of his firsts below (minus the nap - not taking a chance on the noisy camera flash).

Easter & 5 Months

We had a wonderful Easter this year and I'm so thankful we now have our sweet boy to partake in celebrating our Jesus! What an awesome God we have - he has risen and LIVES!!! I had planned every detail of Easter morning which included us getting to church on time. Um, yeah right. I was up at 6:30 a.m. and it still wasn't enough time. Maybe next year we will opt for the late service instead of the early one. We did manage to take a few pictures of Preston with his Easter basket before rushing him into his clothes and out of the house. We went to my parents' house for an early lunch and then to Blake's grandparents' house for a late lunch :) Preston managed to squeeze in a nap on the drives in between. We had a great time visiting with family. I LOVE our families and it warms my heart to see everyone together having fun. Preston was wiped by the time we got home and was asleep for the night at 7:30 (which by the way, he slept until 3:10 a.m., ate and went back down until 8:00 - so proud!). Preston got lots of goodies from the "Easter Bunny". I want to remember everything so thus the following list:

Children's Bible Stories book

Ducky blankie with his name on it. We have named him Mr. Quack

Fuzzy alligator ring-shaped teether

His first sippy cup!

Small bunny that hops when wound up

Moisturizing bath wash

In addition to Easter, Preston turned 5 months old on Sunday. I truly cannot believe how fast the time is going by. He is changing so much and learning new things constantly. He loves to chew on his hands and suck either his thumb or first two fingers. He is also starting to grab his toes. He loves to play and chew on anything he can wrap his little fingers around. We gave him his sippy cup for the first time today with a little bit of water in it. He starting sucking that water down so fast I couldn't believe it. He loved it! He played with the handles a little bit but couldn't quite grasp it to hold. I honestly didn't even think he would even drink out of it. He's so big! (sniff) And I mean that developmentally AND physically. He is one hefty little guy. My biceps are sure to be bulging before too long :) Preston loves to be talked too and for me to tickle his tummy up to his chin. It cracks him up. He also loves to stare at his Daddy. He will stare and as soon as Blake looks, Preston looks away. It's hilarious. He loves his Daddy so much and Blake can always get him to smile. I can't wait to see what comes next - 6 months here we come!