Half a Year Old

Well if there was a 30th in this month, Dax would then be 6 months old! Where has the time gone?!?  It seems like just yesterday I was feeling him move around in my belly and today Daniel and I sat here watching him wiggle and roll across the living room floor. Everyone always tells you that the time goes fast but you never really understand it until it happens. Tomorrow we are taking him to get his 6 month pictures done and I can't wait!  Here's a little run down on where little man stands today...

* His 6 month appointment isn't until March but as of two week ago he was right at 16lbs
* He grew super fast. He was a little guy for so long and grew so fast that he was only in his 3-6 months clothes for a month. He now fits perfectly into is 6-9 month close.
* He STILL is not sitting up on his own.... and I don't think he will. ever. lol  He is def. strong enough, he just won't sit still long enough to sit on his own. He moves CONSTANTLY.
* We've up'ed his eating to 3 times a day. He got to the point where he would get REALLY mad if he saw us or the other babies in his class eating and he wasn't so we went ahead and started giving him more and it helps. He's eating about 25-30 oz of formula a day, multi grain cereal for breakfast, a veggie for lunch, and and oatmeal for dinner.  I think we're going to add a fruit in soon.
* So far for his food he has tried butternut squash, peas, green beans, avocado, and broccoli. His favorite is the butternut squash, he loved the broccoli but it made him gassy :( , he hated avocado,  green beans were ok, and he didn't like peas at all (until I mixed it with the squash and then he liked them). I'm still making all his food and it's so  much fun!  Zucchini and sweet potatoes are my next venture.
* He's not crawling... but he def. gets around! He alternates between rolling around like a Rollie Pollie and wiggling across the floor like a caterpillar. Also in the past week he has learned to use his stomach like an axis and go in circles when on the ground. He has the crawling motion down pat with his legs, so I think once his little arms get a little stronger he'll be all over the place.
* Sleep is still sort of a mess. It's better than it was about a month ago... but def. isn't as good as it was when he was 2 months old.
* He loves his Bounce Bounce Baby and could sit in there forever. He knows how to spin the seat now so he just sits there and goes in circles playing with each of the toys and then moving on to the next. It's pretty darn cute.
* He has started being really lovable... and I'm in heaven!! When you pick him up or hold him on your lap sometimes he'll bury his head into your chest and just laugh. He'll also just lean his head against your face sometimes and has also starting giving what I like to pretend are kisses (I'm sure they're really just him trying to eat your face but I can wish right).

Saturday relaxing with Daddy!

 Yesterday getting ready for cousin Ryans bday! Such a big boy!

 Today at Babies R Us... it's a rough life ;)

This evening... ready for our walk!

Beautiful Reminder

As I sit here on this beautiful, quaint Sunday morning hearing nothing but my son snoring in his swing, my husband snoring in the bedroom, and birds chirping outside I am reminded at just how wonderful and perfect and beautiful my life is. With the everyday hustle and bustle of waking up, getting myself and Dax ready for work, running a class of twelve 3 and 4 year olds, getting home, keeping our house in order, running errands, caring for a baby and two dogs, putting Dax to sleep, and starting it all over again, it's easy to forget to step back and appreciate all you've been blessed with. It's so easy to get stuck in a daily routine, especially with a baby, that you really don't find time to look around and thank God for everything he has blessed you with. This morning has been a beautiful reminder of that. I woke up to a happy cheerful baby, fed him, played with him, cuddled him, watched him fall asleep as he looked out the window from his swing. My husband made me coffee before running back to get an extra hour of sleep. It is absolutely perfect weather... cool, kind of overcast... perfect spring time weather. And like I said earlier, now I'm sitting here just soaking up the beautiful sounds of my little family and nature.  While I have some quiet time to myself (which doesn't happen hardly ever... and I def. wish it would a little more) I figured I make a list of just SOME of the things that I am SOOO thankful for in my life. There's no way I could possibly list everything... but here's a few.

* My beautiful, perfect little boy. He's simply wonderful. To be completely honest, it's easy to get caught up in those fussy moments and wonder if being a mom was really made for me. But then I remember how perfect my little boy and how much joy he brings to my life. He smiles ALL the time. He loves nature and animals. Watching him learn and explore the world around him is just amazing. His laughs and cooing can make me forget all my worries and stresses. He's perfect. I love him. And I love being a mom.
* My amazing husband.  He really is simply amazing. Who would have thought when we were 14 and he asked me to be his girlfriend at a school dance that we would end up spending the rest of our lives together and have such a wonderful life. He's my best friend. He's strong when I'm not. He's supportive. He's so smart. He's determined. He's caring, kind, thinks about the world around him. He's loving. He's pretty cute if I do say so myself :).  And most of all... he's a GREAT daddy.
* My family.  I truly have the most amazing family. I have the family that so many people dream and wish they had. And I'm not just talking about my mom, dad, brother, and sister. My entire family, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. We area all so close and the love for one another just pours out. As a little kid we were always together... and as we've all grown up and life has changed for everyone yet we're still SO close and love being together. We all still go to the lake together throughout the year. We have random get togethers... like Scentsy parties or football watch parties... I think mostly just as a chance to be together more than actually wanting to buy stuff or watch the game. We experience new things together... Daniel and I went on a cruise with my brother and sister in law a couple years ago and our family is currently planning our third ski trip together. We all love each other so much and can't spend enough time with one another.
* My job. I have wonderful, beautiful coworkers who love what they do. I have the MOST amazing group of 12 kiddos in my class that I just adore. They make getting up and going to work easy. They're love for life and learning melts my heart. Getting hugs from them first thing in the morning and before I leave make getting up at 5:00am every morning a little easier. They truly love me (and baby Dax) and I truly, honestly love them. It will be such a sad day when they leave my classroom.
* Days like today. I am SO thankful for days like today. Days like today when God says, "Hey, slow down a minute, sit back, and look around you. Look at what I've blessed you with and be thankful for it. Appreciate me and all I've given you. Forget the day to day stresses and that to-do list that is a mile long, and be thankful for this beautiful, wonderful, perfect life you've been given."   I am most thankful for days like today.... and the wonderful Man who sends them my way :)

What a beautiful life!

Pin It!

So I've found my new favorite way to waste time.... that is what little time I have to waste...

This site is so much fun! So have you heard or inspiration boards?? It's pretty much an online inspiration board. Once you've joined pinterest you can add this little "PIN IT" to your tool bar and anytime you're on a website and you see a picture of something you like you just click "PIN IT" and it adds it to your board on pinterest. It's pretty much like you're bookmarking it, it's just a lot more simple because all of your bookmarks are in one simple spot. It's also a lot of fun because you can follow other peoples pins and see what it is they're liking. I currently have 6 boards,  My Dollhouse (things I want in our future home... one day), Words of Advice (great quotes), Kid Room Ideas (things I would love in our kids rooms), Future Classroom Ideas (things I want to do in my future classroom), Kiddie Things (things that I think Dax needs to brighten his life), and General Things I Love.  It's seriously addicting but so much fun and will one day be so convenient...like when the day comes for me and Daniel to build our dream house ;)

Here is my favorite pin from each board right now...

1. My Dollhouse

This is my dream playroom for Dax

2. Words of Advice

3. Kid Room Ideas

I want a similar border in Dax's room (chalk board, etc)

4. Future Classroom Ideas

Adorable alternative to the regular old ABC poster

5. Kiddie Things

Wouldn't Dax look PRESH in this hat?!

6. General Things I Love

I.WANT.THIS.SO.BAD.    Isn't it perfect???  LOVE it!

Ok... there's a peek at some of my Pins. If you decide to join let me know and we'll follow each others boards :)

What a Week!

Wow what a week this has been!  I'm more exhausted mentally and physically than I was when Dax was a newborn. This feeling of exhaustion is comparable to his week long stay in the NICU... and I hope I don't have to feel this way again for a LONG time!
Sunday night was our first, of what I hear will be many (apparently little boys are accident prone... no way right??) trip to the ER.   Last Thursday at daycare Dax started this little cough. It was so little that I seriously thought it was fake, that he had picked up on my coughing I had been doing from the week before and was imitating it.... I figured that he had figured out a new noise and that he was just enjoying doing it. Well by Saturday morning he was not feeling well at all. His cough had gotten deeper, he had lost his voice completely, he was breathing pretty heavy, and he was pretty fussy. He just was not a happy baby. And p.s,  a baby with no voice is so sad!! He couldn't even cry... I had to turn the monitor way up at night so I could hear if he was getting upset. By Sunday evening he was horrible. Breathing really rapid, you could hear his little chest rattling with every breath, he didn't want to eat (that's HUGE for this little piggy), cough was so bad that he would choke and cry when he was done, and he was so tired but couldn't get comfortable enough to fall asleep. After 7 hours of refusing to eat, coughing fits that sounded horribly painful, and an hour of nonstop crying we decided that we couldn't handle it anymore and took him to the ER.  When we were there he finally got a fever for the first time. They checked him out and found out that he did have RSV (which is what I suspected since it was going around so bad... while we were there we saw 6 other babies about the same age as Dax with the same symptoms in the ER). And did I mention the mid evil torture device used for chest xrays on a baby???? Well this is it...

Isn't that just awful?!?! It was a mixture of I want to cry at how awful this is and I want to laugh at the fact that my child is in strapped into a torture device.  Luckily the guy was super fast and Dax didn't have to sit in it long.  Dax's oxygen levels looked ok, he wasn't dehydrated, he wasn't wheezing, and his chest xray looked ok so we got sent home with the instructions to try and get him to eat, suction his nose, and keep him at home until he felt better. They also informed us that it would get worse before it got better....  and boy did it ever..
Each day he seemed to get worse and worse. It was one of the worst feelings to see him in so much pain and knowing that there was absolutely nothing I could do but sit and wait. Tuesday night his temp spiked to 102.5 and from there on out it stayed at about 101 even after having Tylenol every 4 hours. Wednesday was just awful. He had to be held all day long (sleeping, awake, it didn't matter, he had to be held). He wouldn't eat (he had 10oz all day.... where he usually has at least 25oz, cereal twice a day, and a veggie at lunch). His breathing was getting heavier and more labored, and he started wheezing quite a bit. He would stay awake for 20 minute spans, then he was just absolutely exhausted and would go back to sleep, and during that 20 minutes that he was awake he just whined and whined... it was simply pitiful. He seemed very weak, would just lay there, and not move while he whined. We were really concerned about him getting dehydrated but luckily he never did. Wednesday night we noticed some retractions in his ribs (something we were told to watch for) and he had some wheezing but we figured we would wait and see how he was in the morning.
Well this morning I got up and he still had the retractions in his ribs, was wheezing pretty bad, and now his nostrils were flaring (another thing we were told to watch for). So we put him in the car and headed back to the hospital for the 2nd time in five days.   While we were there he got his nose suctioned good and a breathing treatment... which he did NOT like at all... but he responded pretty well to it and sounded a lot better afterwards.  This time we got sent home with an inhaler and mask for him to use every 4 hours.  Just having that was very comforting.
Since we've been home he's been pretty good and I think... **fingers crossed**... that he's starting to turn the corner on this RSV.  He played today for the first time in 5 days, talked for the first time in 5 days, and gave me a full blown Dax smile for the first time in almost a week.  His temp has also stayed down today and we've only had to give him Tylenol twice all day. He still has a yucky cough, sounds rattly, has fussy times, and is only eating about 3 ounces every 4-6 hours but this is a BIG improvement from where he was.


Thank you so much for all of the thoughts and prayers that have been sent our way over the past week. He can't say so himself... but Dax really appreciates it :)

Sunday Night: Dax's first ER visit

Sunday Morning: He had the saddest sick eyes :(

This Afternoon:  Man I've missed that smile!

So Domestic

I did it... I made my first batch of baby food with my Beaba!  I have to admit.... I did not expect it to be THAT easy. And it was a lot of fun for Daniel and I to make it together.  We picked Butternut Squash for Dax to try first... simply because it was the veggie that looked the best at Walmart lol. I'll now be making weekly trips over to Target to get veggies to make that weekend. We decided that on Saturday mornings we'll spend an hour or two making food, that way it can freeze all day Saturday and I can bag it on Sunday for the next week.   I took pictures of our first baby food making adventure so enjoy :)


Step 1:  The Butternut Squash

 

I had never actually had butternut squash and was pleasently surprised. It looked and smelt a lot like pumpkin, and tasted like a mix of pumpkin and sweet potato. We'll def. be finding some recipes for adult uses of butternut squash.

Step 2. Cut it into small pieces.

 My wonderful BFF had warned me about the pain that was cutting up a butternut squash, so I recruited my wonderful husband to do this part... besides, my family doesn't have the best history with sharp objects so Daniel tends to not let me cut things anyways :).  This was byfar the most painful part. It was like cutting a pumpkin... just in a more awkward shape.  

Anyways, we cut it in half and took out the seeds. Then diced it up and removed the skins.

Step 3: Steam it.

The Beaba made this SOOOO easy! We filled it with water to the level 3 mark, pour it into the babycook, placed the cubed butternut squash into the steaming basket, turned the dial, and continued on with our lives. It was that easy! After 15 minutes they were perfectly steamed! We then poured the water that was used during the steaming into a cup to use to thin the puree if we needed to (the water has a lot of the nutrients from the squash in it so don't waste it!).

Step 4: Puree

Again, SOOO easy! You pour the steamed butternut squash from the basket into the bowl and puree it until you get it to the right consistency. I probably did it for maybe a minute TOTAL. That includes stopping half thru to add some of the water to it.  I still can't believe how easy it was!

Step 5: Pour into trays for freezing.

You spoon the squash into your trays. Regular ice trays work as long as you have lids for them. We use the BabyFresh trays. Set them in the freezer and let them set until fully frozen. We filled 2 whole trays and 2 more spots on another tray from this one squash!

Step 6: Put into freezer bags.

Once they were completely frozen in the trays we popped them out and put about 6 cubes into a pint size freezer bag. Make sure you label it with what it is and the date... frozen food is good for about 3 months... meats, 1 month.  This makes for easy storage and makes it really easy to just reach in and grab out what you need each day. We do two cubes at a time for our little piggy :)

Step 7: Clean up.

No picture here, but I felt it was worthy of a step b/c it was SO easy! I am not a fan of washing dishes at all... and will do basically anything to avoid having to do so. It is a rare occasion that I ever use our blender, George Foreman Grill, or Coco Latte machine simply for the fact that I don't want to have to wash it when I'm done. Cleaning the Beaba was SO easy! I was once again shocked. And having it all in one little machine was very handy. The only dishes that got dirtied up were a knife, cutting board, small cup, spoon, and the Beaba bowl and basket. So easy!

Step 8: Feed the happy baby.

 Haha!! In case you couldn't tell... he LOVED it! This was the face he made when he wanted more... he would reach for it and move his tongue in and out! He loves his cereal but he has never done this with cereal... I would say the Butternut Squash was a hit!

To sum up my first baby food making experience... I'm addicted!  I've already made green beans and I can't wait for this snow to melt so I can get down to Target to buy some organic produce and make more! Not only was it easy and allows us to control what gets put into Daxton's little body, but it was so cheap! We got about 13 servings out of one squash! That would have cost us at least $9 to buy organic baby food... and it only cost us about $2!!  I'd say homemade baby food is a success :)