My days are different than I thought they would be. I am different than I thought I would be. If you know me, I don't tend to be an overly emotional person, a "girly girl", or creative (art and music are MUCH better suited for Matt). However, I am not sure if it was LJ's rough entrance into the world, or just being a Mom in general, but I find myself getting so excited about the little things, and I can't contain it. I find my heart breaking when LJ (or any other little one for that matter) is upset. I spend my days singing so badly that one day I just know I will be told to stop, and I am always trying to think of games to play with LJ, and I can't wait to break out the crayons. I still cry when I see babies in the NICU on television or even if I think about our adventure too much. I don't suppose I am a different person than I was before, I just have a different outlook on life. And I do still get to teach...everyday...the audience and subject matter are just different.
Speaking of LJ...he continues to do better than we ever could have hoped! He is a little over 10 months old now, and it doesn't seem possible. Prior to having a child of my own, I honestly wasn't a super fan of big first birthday parties...they won't remember them. My thoughts have shifted a little, and we will be doing something for his birthday. Nothing too major, and really more for us to be able to catch up with some that we have not gotten to see much lately. One is a huge accomplishment for us, and I think it deserves a celebration.
After LJ's 9 month appointment, we were told that he was not getting enough calories each day. Considering I can only force so much in, I was told to start higher calorie foods. We tried, and he did not approve. Fortunately, after another trip to his GI doctor, he assured us that LJ is just getting very tall, and we don't need to worry about his weight right now. They did have us go ahead and do a "milk test" to see if he had outgrown his milk allergy. After giving LJ some baby yogurt and waiting a few hours, we quickly reaffirmed that LJ has not grown out of the allergy. His stomach was a mess for over a week. We were told to try again every 2-3 months until he is 18 months old, and if he still reacts the same way, to consider it a long term allergy. We will make it work. Almond milk should work as a substitute for the time being, and it actually has more nutrients in it that cow's milk. He eats most things we give him, and we are ready to start to try to wean him of baby food and start more finger foods. We had tried before, but he wasn't quite ready. Now one of his favorite snacks is freeze dried apples, and he does a good job of chewing them, so I think it is time to add more variety.
LJ army crawls everywhere now. He has really enjoyed exploring his new world. Every time we turn around, he is in a corner, under something, or behind something. He does not like army crawling on the hardwood floors, however, so he has been working on getting to his knees. He is thinking about pulling up on things, but he hasn't quite figured out how to get his body upright yet. When left alone, one of the first places LJ will go is the bookshelf. He looks at the books, and he pulls them off the shelf. He flips through them, looks at the pictures, and puts them in his mouth. He still loves to be read to, and we take many breaks throughout the day for story time...a boy after my own heart.
LJ has been sleeping through the night for the most part. He goes to bed early, typically by about 6, and he gets up around 5 to eat and will sleep another couple of hours. Some nights, we will wake up before Matt and I go to bed. We have gotten into the habit of letting him come sit on the couch with us and eat apples. May not be a great habit, but he loves it and so do we, and he always falls right back to sleep afterwards. He takes one long nap for about 3 hours each day. One day I am sure this will all change but in the mean time, we can't complain!
We still enjoy going to the YMCA everyday. Luckily, LJ hasn't gotten sick of it. He smiles as we walk in and starts jumping and bouncing and waving his hands when he sees the girls working in the play center. Good for me too. I have finally started seeing some results, which is good because I was about ready to give up. 36 pounds down with plenty more to go.
On a totally different and random note, I have another confession to make. This summer, in addition to my completely irrational fear of spiders and bees, I have added a new one. In fact, I think this one has even taken over the other 2...maybe because it is new. Snakes. It all started in the spring when the pups had a big snake cornered in the back yard. Then I saw another while out walking with LJ. Just as the fear was starting to fade, our neighbor came over to tell us there was one on his back patio that had taken off into the woods in our back yard. And just to be sure I wasn't becoming to complacent on my never ending snake watch, the was one in our driveway Monday as I was pulling in. We are talking crazy fear...I am on constant watch when I take the dogs out. I have been putting LJ in the car and getting in myself before opening the garage door, just in case it is right there one the driveway again. I lay in bed at night thinking about them and how they are going to attack me. Yes, I know the whole idea that they will leave me alone if I leave them alone, and that they are more afraid of me than I am of them...whatever. I have pondered calling a snake man to come canvass our property and tell me what he sees. Matt laughs, grabs a stick, and goes snake hunting. He, of course, has not been home for any of my encounters, but I am glad I married a country boy who doesn't feed my fears. Winter can't be here soon enough this year so that I can get some sleep.
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| LJ loves his puppies, and they love him! |
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| Serious case of the giggles. |
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| LJ got to play with 2 of his NICU roommates this month. Amazing to see how much everyone is growing! |
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| Loves wearing Daddy's hats. |
