Tanner James: 9 months

This is the best I could get. It's getting harder and harder.

• Still loves all foods and has tried everything. He's had Chow Mein, spaghetti and meat balls, tacos, etc. 
• Starting to do a few more sounds, finally, and has figured out how to gain attention by raising his volume.  It makes things interesting when we are out in public.
• Cutting 1st tooth
• He is cruising really well now and has let go and taken a few steps. He's at expert-level crawling now. It's terrible because he's so fast that he gets away too quick and is into everything these days.  He's a climber too!
• His hair is still a darker, auburn color.  Definitely different than Blake's in color but about the same as far as the curls go at this point.
• He refuses to wear a hat or socks. This bugs me because I want him to wear beanies in the winter because they are so cute. 
• He's a sweaty hot guy all the time. 
• He was a total trooper at his 9 month appointment shots.  Nothing really bothers him for too long. It's a good thing too because he is always getting bumps and bruises. 
• His stats at 9 month check up are: Weight: 19lbs  Height: 28.5 in Head Size:47.5 (98th percentile) That's a huge head!

**Yeah I know this is over a month late. The pictures are taken at at the correct time and I collect the info/milestones on my phone so the info is accurate. I'm just late on the post ;)  10 month post coming soon. 

Tanner James: 4 months

What's been happening this month:

• Scooting around all over. He tries to scoot on his booty out of the bouncy chair and swing.  He has to be buckled at all times now. He can also turn himself completely around when laying on his back.
• Still swaddled but gets his arms out a lot.
• Still in bassinet and sleeping with us.
• He is waking up more at night since I have gone back to work.  I don't really mind it since I get extra cuddles at night.
• I'm back to pumping, so that's annoying.
• I've had a lot more trouble losing weight this time around so Kyle got me a Fit Bit for my birthday.  It's helping a lot.
• He still spitting up a ton.  It's frustrating for all of us.  We all need an extra change of clothes at all times.
• He is super snuggly and loves to be held, worn in a sling, and cuddled.
• Rolling over from tummy to back.
• He doesn't mind his tummy time and will hang out there for a while.
• He has set a predictable schedule with a long afternoon nap but is pretty flexible too.

Tanner James: 3 months

What's been happening this month:

• Lots of smiles and laughing.
• He is super ticklish.
• Loves taking baths but cracks up in anticipation of being tickled when I wash in his neck rolls.
• Getting really chunky.
• He is starting to lose his hair and its kind of patchy.  It's not the best look.
• He is still the most easy going, chill baby. He doesn't mind tummy time. He can and will go from wide awake to asleep all on his own, although I nurse him to sleep anyway because I like to.  He never cries.  He just so happy all the time.  
• His neck is getting really strong and he's more and more sturdy every day. 
• We got a swing and he loves being in there.  Blake never really liked the swing.
• He tries to mimic our facial expressions and coos. 
• My milk supply is still really good.  That's making things less stressful this time.
• My nursing aversion is almost completely gone. I'm so glad I finally have a name to what I was experiencing. I had it in the beginning with Blake also and never could figure it out after many hours of Googling.  I described it as itching or that my nerves felt like they were going crazy when I was feeding Blake.  I would scratch and tear at my face and neck whenever I was feeding Blake in the beginning.  Then it went away and I forgot about it.  Then I had Tanner and it started up again. This time I Googled "skin feels like it's crawling while nursing baby."  Up popped all this info about nursing aversion.  I seem to have a mild case since all it really does is make my skin feel creepy and sensitive but some people get bad feelings toward their children which is terrible I'm sure. Anyway, it's gone now, yay!
• I went back to work which is going fine but still sucks. Thankfully he's easy on all of our baby sitters and Blake is a great big sister helper.

No-bake Lactation Bites

Modified energy balls for lactating moms (or anyone else who likes sweets).

• 1 cup dry oats
• 2/3 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup flax seed meal or freshly ground flax seeds
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 tbs brewers yeast
• 1/3 cup honey or agave 
• 1 tbs chia seeds
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 scoop of protein powder (I use vanilla Perfect Fit Protein)

Mix ingredients together and chill in fridge for 30 min.  Then roll into balls and store in the fridge, 

I'm using a Fit Bit now so trying to track calories,  I think these are approximately 100 each. 

*If the ingredients are too dry add a bit more peanut butter to make it sticky. 

Enjoy!

Tanner James: 1 month

One month down and it has been so easy.  I get to really enjoy every moment home with both my kiddos because I don't have any of that first time mom stress and anxiety. We have been making the most of every day and doing as much as possible, while still making sure to have lots of relaxing down time for bonding.    

• Tanner is eating like a pro and has been since the first day.  He was already almost up to birth weight at the 2 day doctor appointment.  At the 2 week, he was up to 8lbs 9oz from 7lbs 1oz leaving the hospital.  He does spit up a lot but we aren't too worried about that, it seems to be a laundry problem only.  He also eats fast.  It's such a change from Blake, who took an hour to eat every time. 
• He is super noisy.  He grunts and snorts all day long.  It's pretty cute.  Blake says he sounds like Peppa Pig.
• He's so easy-going and just goes with the flow.  He sleeps under any light or noise conditions, which is convenient because his sissy is often screaming and running through the house during the day.  
• We have been going everywhere because he's so easy.  I started doing things right away.  He has been to a dinner party with the girls, visits to MiMi's and Grammie's, Knott's Berry Farm, Disneyland, a baby shower, a birthday party, the park, the beach, story time at the library, a Superbowl party, my office, My Gym, countless walks, several doctor appointments (mine and his), tons of dinners out, and trips to Target and the grocery store. We have been very busy. :) 
• He has quite a bit of hair and it's darker than Blake's.
• He grew out of the newborn diapers and newborn clothes by the 2nd week.  We are in the size 1 diapers and have not started cloth yet. 
• He loves to be swaddled and is 50/50 on the pacifier.
• He is sleeping in his Halo Swivel Sleeper Bassinest, which is the coolest bassinet ever.  He also sleeps with me when I can't get him back in the bassinet.  This time around I'm not going to make myself crazy with sleep deprivation.  We just do what works and yes we are being safe when co-sleeping. 
• He sleeps a lot still. Napping on and off during the day with a few short periods of wakefulness in the morning and in the evening.  At night he sleeps really well (up only once or twice usually). Of course I get up and change him and feed him but it does not seem hard like it did the first time.  We are pretty rested.  Maybe because he goes back to sleep pretty quick.  I'm sure I will feel differently when I got back to work. 
• I don't need to pump so I haven't been and that makes all the difference.  I feel free.  Pumping sucks!
• He makes tons of funny faces and smiles a lot.
• He loves being in my Solly Baby Wrap.  I also use the Ergo because it's easier to nurse in but the infant insert is kind of a pain so I've been using the wrap more. 
• We got a cool double stroller for our walks that Blake can stand up on so we are getting used to that still. 
• I'm still obsessed with his smell, especially his head. It's like a drug. 
• I seem to have less ADHD symptoms which is weird because the opposite is supposed to be true.
• I got pink-eye. Ugh, the worst. I followed the advice of many mommies and put my breastmilk in it.  Gone in less than a day. I know doctors disagree but it works.
• We survived a cold that Blake picked up at Story Time. She had a pretty miserable stuffed up nose for a few days and I panicked that Tanner would get it so I washed all our hands obsessively and sprayed Lysol on everything.  I thought we were in the clear as she came out of it but a day later Tanner had a stuffed up nose.  It lasted less than a day (yay for the antibodies in breastmilk) and he is totally fine. As a side note, I recommend the snot suckers like the Nose Frida for every mom out there. They work SOOOOO much better than the bulb syringe.  
• Kyle and I both think he looks really different than Blake but most everyone else says they look the same :/ 
• Blake is so in love with him and with being a big sister.  She asked to hold him all day long, gushes over how "tiny" and "cute" he is and gives him tons of kisses. It was hard to tell her no she couldn't kiss him during the days she was sick :(

Overall, it has been an amazing month.  I feel like I could do this at least one more time but hopefully two more.  Now to convince Kyle that we need two more kids...

Blake Olivia Turns One!!!

I can't believe it!  This year has gone by so fast.  Even with our sleepless nights, it still flew by.  I swear I'm going to turn around and she will be asking for a car.

The party was awesome, except for the fact that Orange County is baking right now.  It must have been 95 degrees inside my house that day.  Ok so the theme was luau but I got really into flamingos towards the end of my planning so it was sort of pineapples and flamingos.  I don't really know what that technically is but I don't care...it was super cute.

Some highlights:
-We had a great turnout and Blake had tons of amazing people to celebrate with.
-There were tons of babies here, all about the same age, and not one meltdown.  Good job moms and dads.  We have some really great kiddos :)
-Blake participated in the cake eating but didn't really love it.  Yessss, I hope she doesn't get her mama's terrible sweet tooth.
-She wore her adorable gold Gap sandals all day and didn't have a fit about it.
-She received tons of really cool toys and super cute outfits.

And for my last monthly post for the 1st year...
Here's what's been happening this month:

• Cruising and walking holding on.  She is so fast now and has even taken a few steps on her own.  She's really close to just letting go.
• She had a clingy phase toward the beginning of the month and a total sleep regression.  This could be tooth related or just developmental, I don't know.
• She now has 8 teeth in and 2 more cutting through.  We brush twice a day every day now and she loves it.  I have to sing the Raffi "Brush Your Teeth" song every time of course.
• She loves to be sung to and we sing at every bed time and nap time now.  I have to sing to get her to eat, to let me change her diaper, etc etc.  She must love my terrible singing voice.
• She also loves Sesame Street songs which I will admit right now that I'm a terrible mom and she does get a little "screen time" on the ipad watching them. She dances and sings along to them.  I highly doubt I'm doing that much permanent damage ;)
• I'm still nursing on demand and my stock answer every time someone asks when I'm going to wean her is " when we are ready."  So basically I have no idea and we are totally fine with that.  It's so hard in the beginning and we have just gotten to the good part a few months ago so I'm definitely not ready to give that up yet.
• I tried to stop nursing to sleep to see if that might help her sleep longer and it backfired on me.  She was just going through a phase and we are back to the old routine and she's getting better and better.  This week I've had a 8 hr stretch and a 7 hr stretch, which makes me feel like a new person in the morning.  I might try some more light training in a month or two and see how she does.  By that I mean trying to night wean for part of the night and keeping her in her own bed for the whole night no matter what.  We are already starting some of that so it won't be a huge transition. 
• Blake's current loves: books, bath time, Curious George, doing things she's not supposed to and getting caught (she's an adrenalin junkie), flirting, waving, her sippy cup, driving (going for walks in her pink push car), swim class, and cheerios.
•  She's waving and saying bye bye but it sounds like buh buh buh.  I have heard hi a few times also and of course the mama/dada babbling still but they don't have the real meaning like bye bye does.

Over the course of this year, I have experienced extreme sleep deprivation, highs of confidence, lows of insecurity, the fear of baby's first fever, the thrill of her first crawl/steps/word, the amazing feeling that comes when she leans in for a kiss without being asked.  I learned how to do just about anything with a baby strapped to my chest/back or on my hip.  I'm learning to let stuff go, to lead by example (put myself in check), to take one day at a time because you just can not predict what will come up, and I'm even (a year later) starting to find myself again and do some things just for me.  This year, I have learned more than I have in the last 25 years in school.

It's been the most challenging and most rewarding experience of my life and I can't wait to see what I have in store with year #2.

Blake Olivia: 11 months

What's been happening this month:
***I can't believe this is my last monthly post before she's 1 year old!***

• 7 teeth. 4 on top and 3 on bottom. We started brushing everyday.
• Sleep regression.  She never has slept well but it has been a little bit worse this month.
• She is a master crawler and is much more sturdy standing up(still holding on).  She is taking steps pushing the toy stroller with her baby doll in it.  She is cruising on the furniture also.
• Clapping, pointing to what she wants.
• Understanding my signs: nurse, eat, all done, etc.  Signing herself: all done, more. I should work on this a little bit more.
• Longer naps occasionally, which is always a pleasant surprise.
• Understands a lot of words.
• Very secure and confident.  Will go to pretty much anyone.
• Got sick with a fever.  Turned out to be Roseola we think. The doctor was no help on this one.
• Very easy going and easy to take out.  She loves being around people and just watching her surroundings.
• She ate dog food, oops :)
• Started swim lessons.
• Got a bruised cheek falling at Grammie's when mommy had her back turned. Another oops.
• We have had lots of play dates, concerts in the park, walks, shopping trips (getting ready for her b-day), backyard pool days, 1st trip to Del Mar, US Open, and other fun summer activities :)
• We have checked off almost everything on our summer bucket list.

Blake Olivia: 7 months

What's been happening this month:

• We started solid foods.  She pretty much hates it.  We keep trying but she gags at everything (sweet potatoes, avocados, peas, oatmeal, bananas, apples).  Every flavor and every texture.  I did, finally, have some success with avocados yesterday in bigger chucks.  She might just be one of those babies who hates the mush :)
• At her doctor appointment she was a little low in weight, story of her life, so the doc said to keep trying with the high fat foods like avocados and egg yolks (not the whites which are the part people can be allergic to).
• We are still trying to do a schedule to help with sleep.  I'm not sure if she's getting better or I'm getting used to it.  Maybe both but we have had a few nights where she slept through and some others with 5-6 hours stretches so I think that's an improvement :)

As a positive bonus, her schedule is really good for me.  I get a lot more done when I'm organized and forced to do it.  I have a natural tendency toward lazy which makes me feel terrible so keeping to a schedule really helps.  I also read somewhere once that people with ADHD had amazing improvements when they had children because of the schedule they put their baby on.

• We have been going to Beach Fit Moms which is a beach workout for moms and we bring the babes.  Blake is the youngest there and she usually makes it until about half way, which is cool because I need a break about then ;)
• Blake is sitting up all by herself.  And for pretty long periods of time too.  She still topples over when she reaches too far for something though.
• I discovered the hip carry position on the Ergo Baby which has been awesome because she didn't really like the Ergo anymore.  She wants to see what's going on and front facing in the sling isn't completely "hands free".  Here's a link to a video on how to do it. 
• We are totally off the swaddle now and exclusively using the Zipadee Zip.  I'm glad I waited until she was ready instead of being pressured by the pediatrician.  The nurse practitioner told me to just take it away, lay her down, and walk away.  Haha ya right.  Also, we will never let them give us an appointment with her again :)
• She almost gets up on her knees during tummy time.  One step closer to crawling!
• We have had a couple nursing strikes/low supply issues this month.  I'm not sure if she caused it or it caused her to be frustrated but it was just a gentle reminder to never get lax on the breast milk supply maintenance.  It's a full time job.  For me at least.  Totally worth it but something I always have to pay attention to.