Cuteness Squared

Woohoo! We're down to two!

Two naps, that is.

Yes, you read that right. My little one loves to sleep. We just recently were able to get him down to only two naps a day instead of three. Supposedly most babies are down to two naps around 9 months-Not my kid! I started noticing on the monitor that he was not sleeping, just playing quietly in his crib the whole time during one or two of his naps. That is when I said, "That's it."

I now keep him up in the morning until 9:30 and he sleeps for about an hour. Then his next nap is at 3:00. This has become his two hour nap. Yea, Alex!

My little one is getting on a schedule and Mommy is loving it!

Oh what fun was had!

We spent the weekend with my parents. On Monday, John came to visit and brought his three girls. Gianna had fun stacking blocks for Alex and letting him knock them over. She made sure they didn't fall on him or make too much noise. (Her sisters were sleeping.) It was precious to watch how she took to him. He was happy to have someone to play with as well, though he is still learning how to play with others.

Most of the rest of the family was there as well as a Skype call with Christy, Zak, Bill, and the almost-here Yonas. Seven more weeks!

I was able to scrub the baseboards in the dining and living room, use the shop-vac to suck out the water that had accumulated in my dad's old sailboat, take a car ride through Belton to see all the newly built stuff, and play with the family. What a great weekend!

On Friday I will go back with Alex. I have been hired as my Mom's maid. I am excited to start. I need to help with income since I quit my job. There are many things (like dirty baseboards and other low-lying items) that I have noticed since having my son crawling around there so often and I want them cleaned. I will be going every other week and my dad/whoever-else-is-there, will watch the kid. Yea. Sounds like a winning situation from every angle.

Is he one or two?

Alex has begun to express his voice on lots of things these days. He is quite loud and will swat his leg as he cries. He gets himself all worked up. We are trying to teach him baby sign language, but even though I think he understands me, he doesn't quite get how to talk back. This, along with his insatiable need for independence has led me to believe that the "terrible twos" are, for us, beginning a bit early. It is draining to say the least. He is still happy and smiley, but he will get frustrated when he finds out that he can not open the fridge or drag his walker on his back.

Tonight he threw an all out tantrum because I took away his graham cracker. (I am perfectly okay with being the mean mommy sometimes.) This fit lasted for a good ten minutes with him rolling on the floor and screaming at the top of his lungs. When he finally calmed down, we tried dinner again. First bite- good, second bite- fit. We were just about to leave my mother-in-law's house anyway, so we just packed him up still screaming and gave him a sippy of milk. He finally calmed down after about another ten minutes in the car. By that time I doubt he still knew what he was crying for. He finished his dinner at home with no fuss. (thank goodness)

I have spoken to some friends about these fits and they all say it is normal. Talk about testing out the mommy skills early. Good thing I have practice with lots of kids screaming at me all day!

Big Helper

He saw me getting out the hand sweeper and dust pan and decided he needed to be involved. He held the pan while I swept, then cried when I needed to use it. Then the mop came out and he was soooo excited. He "mopped" my floor pretty well. I can't wait until he is old enough to do the real job so I don't have to!

UP & DOWN

Alex was taught by Grandma Franklin how to get down from furniture and Mommy taught him this morning how to use Roman and a box to get up. He has been going up and down all morning!
UP Down

Baby Signing Time

Alex has been watching Baby Signing Time at home. This is my brilliant boy signing "baby" as I sing the beginning song. So sweet.

Three cheers for the Birthday Boy!!

We were all excited to celebrate Alex's first birthday. So much so that we celebrated three times!! On the Sunday before, we went to Grandma Franklin's house for brisket lunch and cupcakes. Alex and Clementine had a blast together in their diapers. Alex wouldn't eat the cupcake, but Clementine definitely loved hers. On his real birthday, poor thing had to go to daycare and didn't get picked up until 6 (bedtime.) Not much excitement that night, but he did get woken up to the birthday song. Then the following Saturday, we had crabfest and bday party at Grandma and Grandpa Ludlow's house. This was a big family get together and Alex decided he liked his chocolate cupcake! Yea!

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!!!

My angel is officially one year old today at 12:10 this afternoon. My, how time flies when you're having fun!

A new kind of exercise

He loves to climb!



...but it sure is exhausting!!

Yummy!

While at Cracker Barrel the other day, I gave Alex the lemon from my tea and found out that he LOVED it! The waiter brought him a plate of orange slices and he spent the entire time chewing on them. He likes the rind, too. Weird. I also learned that he loves strawberries. Not a good idea while in clothes-even if he is wearing a plastic bib. Even his diaper got pink.

3, 2, 1. . .

The countdown is on! Only 8 more school days until I am a SAHM!!!! I am so excited and nervous I can't stand it! I am trying to plan as much as possible in order to have some semblance of normality with all the new "free time".

Happy Mommy to me!!

Is there a more perfect mother's day gift than to offer your baby to God? I think not. We dedicated Alex to the Lord yesterday and had a good number of our family come to celebrate with us. Even Patrick's dad (Papa) and Pam made it up for a while.

Afterwards, we all went to our house for pizza and cake. (Thanks mom for helping out!) Alex crashed as soon as we got home. When our friends came over with their kids, it was quite a happy home. One of the kids thought Alex had woken up and so decided to go in his room and turn on the lights. He didn't like that very much. But, it allowed our family and friends some time to hang out with him.

Alex got a few gifts including toys, a bible, books, clothes and a piggy bank. Thanks everyone!

Happy Mother's Day to us all!

Before and After

Before: Notice the long locks. After: Daddy gave him a trim. Before: "What is that brown stuff over there? I wonder what it tastes like." After: "But I am having fun. I don't want to go to bed."

REALLY?

Alex went to the doctor yesterday. We thought he had pink eye and found out he also had another ear infection!!! I thought he was over that. Even the doctor was stunned.

Summer please come quickly!

life after surgery

He had his ear tubes put in and his adenoids were removed last Thursday. It took him a while to get over the sleepiness of the anesthesia. I relished in the fact that he was once again laying still in my arms for more than two minutes. He was so drowsy that he didn't even flinch when the nurse took out the IV. My brave son!

He is on antibiotic ear drops twice a day, antibiotic liquid three times a day, the nebulizer twice a day and ibuprofen for pain management every four to six hours. I think the medicine is reducing his appetite and upsetting his tummy, making feedings very difficult. It is so frustrating. Oh, and apparently when addenoids are removed the sinuses fill with mucous to aid in healing and then drains profusely out the nose. That doesn't help him with eating very much, either.

Seven more Mondays. That is all the time I have left until I am an official SAHM! I can't wait to have a son who is well and NOT on antibiotics.

A day at the park, et al

Big Daddy and his Mini Me


Bathtime fun. How he loves his turtle toy!


Ooh, what's that?


During Spring Break,we went to a park and Alex was able to experience grass. A very cool new thing to feel and taste.

Happiness

Today, Alex started clapping! He was really happy and started smacking his hands together as he would with toys. Patrick clapped and Alex continued. I tried to get it on video, but of course, he stopped as soon as the camera came out.

It was sooooo cute!

What's for dinner?

That is the worst question anyone can ask at 5:30 when I still have to bathe, feed, nebulizer treatment, and put to bed Alex. (Patrick usually comes home after Alex's bedtime.)

I end up staring into the pantry and fridge for endless minutes trying to see what I can whip up fast enough that I can still eat and sit for 10 minutes before going to bed at 9:00.

That is why I started to use Emealz. This site is great!! It tells me what to make, how to make it, and gives me a grocery list that goes with it! I am stoked. I tried one of the recipes tonight and really liked it. I think everyone should check it out.

Laugh Until You Cry

Right when I stopped taping, he started crying. It was all too much fun for him.

I love seeing my men together!

A little pushy

This is REAL talent!

They painted his hands and he slapped the paper. Such talent at such an early age. Notice how well inside the lines he is?

Best Friends

Cute

Up and At'em

Well, he is now able to crawl on his knees. He still likes the tummy scoot, but for close things or moving toward something he is going to pull up on, the knee crawl works best. He went all the way across the living room floor!

This is very exciting and worrisome at the same time. He is into everything!!! We can't leave him alone for a second without him getting quickly into something he shouldn't. Like the dog's water bowl, trash can, computer wires, my purse, or shoes.

He loves to crawl into Roman's lap as well. (He thinks Roman is the greatest thing on Earth and gets more excited to see him than me.) He tries to poke at his eyes and ears. Once, I had to stop him from putting Roman's ear in his mouth. Yuck. Roman is so sweet. He just licks Alex all over and takes it without any fuss. I think he is just loving the fact that one of us still recognizes he is in the room. How sad.

Side note: We now have a new pediatrician and took Alex in yesterday to see him due to severe coughing and congestion. Results: Alex has another ear infection and is on a nebulizer for wheezing due to a cold (RSV?). He needs to see an ENT in two weeks to talk about getting tubes in his ears. He said Alex is a typical daycare baby. I can't wait until June!

9 months and counting

I can't get over how fast this year has flown. My little man is today 9 months old!!

He goes to the doctor for his well-baby next Monday. Who wants to take a guess at his weight?

Since getting over that last bout of sickness, he has been doing really well at eating. At daycare, they tell me how anytime anyone else is eating, my little one decides that he needs to be a part of the feeding. He loves food! Yesterday he got his first animal cracker. Like everything else, he gave a "gross!" look and continued eating, then asked for more.

Now if I can only convince him that sippy cups are made to drink from and not to throw.

Sleepy Time

I noticed yesterday that while eating, Alex started to shiver. I decided to cover him up while still allowing him to eat. It was quite a cute site. Noticed how stuffed he looks. He ate a lot!

I love the photo of his sleep position. He likes to keep his booty high.

New Heights

This is his first time being able to stand in his playpen. He was on his knees a lot before, but today he made it!!

Videos

My boys



He was so loud and excited that we let him crawl into the kitchen with us!



Standing tall



Precious baby bottom

DADA

This morning Alex was playing on the floor. He turned around to look at Patrick and said, "dada" then crawled over to him!!! Patrick was so excited.

My baby is growing up so fast.

Another First

This morning was my first day back at work after a full two weeks off with Alex. It was a tough morning for us all. I was lucky to have a quick kiss goodbye after he woke up. Patrick was on call for morning Daddy duty again.

This past week was very active for Alex. He learned how to move forward and hasn't stopped moving since. That makes dressing and diaper changes very difficult. I learned how to put a diaper on while he tried to scoot on his belly and to put his clothes on while he wiggled and turned. Patrick did not have that great opportunity and so this morning was taken aback by Alex's twists and turns.

Every time Patrick tried to put Alex's diaper on, Alex would decide he wanted to get moving so Patrick had to flip him back over. Alex thought this was a very funny game. "Daddy wants to dress me, so I'll flip over and try to get away." Daddy did not think it was that funny-he had things to do so he could get to work himself. After several failed attempts to get him in his diaper, Patrick flipped him back over and firmly told him to stop. Alex was laughing as he was turning back over until he saw Patrick's face and heard the firmness in his voice. He was in trouble.

Alex started crying knowing he had done something wrong. This was his first time getting in trouble. (and it won't be the last)

As I promised

Not now

Alex is not going to have his surgery tomorrow. Big, frustrating story. In a nutshell-the anesthisiologist doesnt feel comfortable putting him under when he still shows signs of bronchiolitis. I took last week off to help him get better and this week to make sure he stayed that way for surgery. My days are about gone, the stress-levels here are high, and it all seems a waste.

Positives: (because that is how I work)
1. I got two weeks off with my baby boy.
2. Alex is getting better.
3. I got to watch Alex practice crawling forward instead of daycare telling me he did.
4. We do not have to fork over $2,ooo for the procedure and doctor costs.
5. My house is cleaner.
6. I get to nap everyday.
7. Alex sleeps very well at home and is less cranky in the evenings.
8. I get to feed Alex solid food instead of just a bottle.
9. Roman got to go for walks.
10. My husband got to eat many wonderful meals and snacks.

Well, that made me feel a little better. Thanks for listening/reading.

Forward, March!

That's right. He can now move forward. Not on his knees or very far,though. He scoots on his belly in order to reach for soemthing he wants. His bottle or the computer cords are great incentives for him to get moving. I will try to get a video so you can share in my joy soon.

Yea Alex!!!

Dr. Update

Yesterday Alex went to the ENT to see about getting ear tubes. Well, the doctor did say that 6 ear infections in 4 months was a bit extreme but wanted to see what was causing it. Since Alex was sick, the doctor was able to see how he breathes through his mouth now. He looked into his nose and didn't see any swelling so he concluded that the only other reason he would be congested would be his adenoids. Supposedly Alex got a bad infection that caused them to swell up. This would make the mucous trap in the sinuses and push up into his eustacian tube toward the inner ear. The adenoids have to be taken out.

Next Thursday on January 21st, he will get them removed and get tubes in his ears. It should take about 30 minutes total and he will be unconscious. Since he is so little, he should heal pretty quickly.

They cannot do the operations when he is sick. Since he has a little fluid in one ear, this bout of sickness could turn into another infection. A couple days before the surgery he is going to take antibiotics to try and kill anything that might be there. Since he has RSV/Bronchiolitis, I am keeping him out of daycare this week and next to try and get him to rest up and heal quickly.

Be praying for us. I know that it is a routine procedure and will be quick and relatively pain-free for Alex, but he is my baby. I would rather he didn't have to go through any of this. I would take it all on myself if I could, but of course, that wouldn't make anything better for him. Hopefully this procedure will keep him from getting sick as often from now on.

That makes Three!!!

Alex just cut his top tooth!!! The other is just a little bit behind. No wonder he was so fussy. Usually, even being sick, he smiles as though he is okay. Today was different. Fuss, fuss, fuss. Yea Alex!!

Messy Fun

This is what eating looks like after he learned to shake his head!

Did I say that?

Well, looking over my last post, I realized I lied. Alex is sick again. Yep, it took just one week back at daycare for him to start coughing, sneezing and getting snotty. Isn't that just my life? I am so used to having him sick, it doesn't even shock me anymore. I just wish he could have lasted a little longer so we could visit the fam this weekend.

He goes to the ENT for his eartubes this wednesday. (well the preliminary appointment at least.) With the new snot in his nose and chest, I wonder if he has another ear infection. Just my luck if he did.

Can you hear the frustration in my typing? ARGH!

By George, I think he's got it!!!

Alex has decided that he now likes to eat from a spoon!!! My little man can now wolf down an entire baby food jar (the littlest ones) of food. Of course, I am not feeding him, daycare is. But he is eating! They are feeding him twice, along with his bottles. I don't know how they do it without giving him a full bath afterwards like I feel I need to do sometimes. The are good. So far, he has eaten everything I sent-even the vegetables. (A football player in the making, Mom!)

Speaking of daycare, Alex has decided that he no longer needs to nap longer than one hour a day and wants to crash as soon as I get him home. Monday and Tuesday he slept in his day clothes because his evening nap ran into bedtime. Now I know better and put him in his jammies as soon as we get home, feed him a bottle (because a spoon is too hard to use when that cranky) and put him right to bed around 5 o'clock. Will this ever stop?

At least now he is over his ailments. But, all it takes is one sneeze from another kid, and we will have some majorly frustrated Franklins.

Well, hope you enjoy these new pictures. I will try to get more on soon.

Sick for Christmas

Well, it is official. Alex is sick again. He got RSV that led to bronchiolitis that led to two ear infections. He was okay until the 23rd when he started coughing a whole bunch. On Christmas Eve, he coughed so much, he threw up his breakfast. I took him to the doctor (they were open for walk-ins) and that is when I learned of the illnesses. He got a shot to jump-start the ear infection antibiotics and then medicine for ten days.

Well, today I ended up taking him back to the doctor. He had a fever of 102 last night and 103 this morning. After Tylenol and half a bottle, he threw up and cried. The doctor said that we have to stop the meds. He got another Rocefin shot today and will get another tomorrow. The worst part-or maybe the good part-he has to see an ENT for ear tubes. Tubes in my baby's ears!!

I don't know if I am more afraid of him getting this done, or the amount of money it is going to cost us. I feel like a terrible mother saying that. We are so tight right now and him going in to the doctor every other week is really running us dry. Maybe next year will be better.

Found this hat at Baby's R Us. Reminded me of Grandpa. Isn't he adorable?

How blessed we truly are.

As many of you already know, we are not buying gifts this Christmas. I was pretty bummed about this, until we went to Walmart tonight and I noticed just how few toys there are for babies under one year old. The cool ones were pretty expensive and the others were just blah. I bought some yogurt and asked if Alex wanted to get yogurt in his stocking and he started laughing! He is so easily amused. I guess that just proves that the Christmas I had imagined was more about me than Alex, Patrick or Jesus. Maybe God is working on me with this.

I love giving things to people and was limited in my gifting, so I gave one big gift. With some of my Christmas money from my father-in-law, I decided to buy a goat. Yes, I said goat. World Concern is an organization that provides sustainable gifts to people in 3rd world countries. They teach the recievers how to feed, milk, and care for the animals they are given. I could have bought a pen and vaccines for the goat, but that was over my budget. I was so excited to get this goat!! Everyone knows just how practical I am. What is a more practical gift than a goat for a starving family? That really made me second guess the extra goodies we typically buy each other with little thought and a lot of money that will eventually break, get lost, or even regifted.

How blessed we are to have what we do! Yeah, maybe the bills wont all get paid this month, or there might not be as much money in the "MISC" fund, but when all is said and done, God has already provided everything we need. The rest is just frivolity. It is easy to get swept into the American trap of having to have things-lots of things-just so we can appear up-to-par with the crowd. As I sit in my living room typing on my laptop computer, I am realizing just how much of this stuff is for show and to help me be lazy. What would my life be like if I got rid of all this stuff and lived with just the necessities God has already provided? Many would say it would be miserable. But do those things really bring us the happiness, or is it the peace and security we think they provide?

This Christmas, I want to focus on God. The real reason all this got started. I will remember the many blessings (even the ones that brought tears of sadness at the time)that He has gifted me with. I want to start redirecting my thought patterns to focus on God and His will for me and my life. He didn't promise an easy life, but He did promise one with Him. That is enough for me.

--The pictures below are a few weeks old, but still worth posting. Gianna loves her cousin and was willing to pose for the kiss. She is so sweet.

Sittin' Pretty

My little boy got to sit in the grocery cart today for the first time. I got one of those cart covers for my baby shower and, though the back was made for a skinnier seat, it worked. Alex was very cautious and amazed at his new view He barely moved at all, just his eyes darting every which way. I think he liked it (in a quiet sort of way.)

Since he got his shots yesterday, he got a fever last night of 102.5. I stayed home with him and called the doctor, but she said not to really worry just yet. He is much better now after a few long naps. He didn't smile or play a lot today, but I still loved being here with him. He wanted to be held a lot--and I didn't mind a bit.

Pop Goes the Weasel!

As I was sitting in church today with my little man gnawing on my finger, I felt something peculiar. It felt as if he had something other than just his soft gums in there. What was that thing popping out?

He has shiny, thin, white tooth!

It is barely noticeable, but very much there. I wanted to show a picture, but he keeps sticking out his tongue every time I try to see it.

My baby has a tooth!

Santa!!