Thursday, September 20, 2012

Jack Turned 3!

As Jack's birthday rolled around, we immediately knew what the theme of his party had to be...SUPERHEROS!!  The day turned out great!  We grilled out, had cake and candy and cookies, we got a bounce house for the kids and all around had a good time in the back yard with family and friends!  Jack got spoiled with gifts, as usual!

At his 3 year check up he weighed 29 pounds 6 ounces and was 36 inches tall. Still my tiny little man, but the doctor wasn't worried because he is still on the same steady growth curve he has been on since he was a baby! BUT just as a comparison - I took both kids to the doctor last week together (Norah had Bronchitis and Jack had Croup) and Jack's weight was 28 pounds 7 ounces and Norah's weight was 18 pounds 6 ounces! Only a 10 pound difference and he is 2.5 years older!

The cake tables...with no cake..
I didn't get a good picture of the cake, but this is what it was and it seriously looked just like this!  It was awesome!


Backyard Set up!

The bounce house didn't match the theme, but no one seemed to mind!

Bean being the DIVA that she is!

One of my favorites - Sophia Claire

A little slide time!

Breckin!

Lovin' the bounce house!

Jack, Addy and Breckin - my brother's two kids.

CANDY!

Blowing out the candles!

Momma, Daddy and Bean got Jack a Spiderman Bike!

Jack and Piper - she is future wife material!

Spiderman Pinata!
 
This is my favorite picture of the day!

Bounce House Fun!
 
Norah and Miss Tonya - Tonya is our daycare provider and we couldn't be more lucky!

We also did a little fishing and he caught a birthday fish! Can't beat that!

Two Engagements!

Old Exciting news in these parts!  Two of my favorite people both recently got engaged - not to each other, thankfully!

First, is my brother, Derek!  This is his second marriage, but I think Chelsi is a keeper!  They are having a destination wedding at the Dreams Resort in Cancun!  Yay!  So this is where I will be spending 7 amazing, relaxing, drunken filled days in April!  Be jealous!
 
Next, is one of my very best, bestie's in the whole world and Bean's Godmother to boot!  Julie has found her man...finally!  :-)  Chris is great, I loved him the first time I met him and Chris and Chris get along great too - always a bonus!  Since I'm so behind on posting this post they actually just had their engagement photos taken and I love them!  They are so cute!
 





Julie's wedding is also in April so it's going to be a busy month...I better get skinny!  :-)



Memorial Day Weekend

Every year we go to Glenpool, OK for the Spear Family reunion (the timing couldn't be worse because it always falls on Jack's birthday...boo!). This year we had an infant in tow so I was on edge the majority of the time. One year we didn't go because I was due with Jack any day, and by the next year Jack was 1 and drinking milk and no bottles or formula to drag along and he was sleeping through the night! Norah however was still getting up every 3-4 hours and I don't trust the water in different towns so I had to fill an empty milk gallon jug up with our water and I wouldn't risk washing bottles in the water either so I had to pack enough bottles for the entire trip. It was a nightmare! The best part, at this time Norah still HATED her car seat and wouldn't sleep in it longer than like 30 minutes without waking up and screaming, but to my surprise she did WONDERFUL in the car and the trip actually seemed like a turning point between her and her car seat! Here are a few pictures of the weekend and in case you are wondering; yes it's at a house in the middle of town, yes they just sit in the yard the whole time, the best part is the 10x10 foot swimming pool at the Best Western we stay at (that has the doors on the outside mind you)...need I say more?
 





Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Norah - Four Months

**Disclaimer - I wrote this over 3 months ago and I have yet to get the pictures off my camera's memory card so it's a post without pictures...but the info is there and that's the important stuff, right?

One, Two and Three month updates have already been written and now it's time for FOUR months!  I can hardly believe my baby Norah Jane is four months old and is actually becoming more and more fun by the day! She has, for the most part, outgrown the "newborn fussiness" phase which is GREAT!  I feel like now I can leave her for an afternoon with the grandparents and not worry so much about whether she is crying hysterically the entire time!

Jack and Norah continue to develop the cutest relationship.  He really is going to be a great big brother and I can't wait to see how he reacts once she becomes a bit more mobile!  His favorite and "go-to" phrase continues to be, "Hiiiii!  Hiiiii!  Hiiii Baaabbyyyy Nooorrrlaaahhh!"  It's so funny!

Eat - Norah is still eating 7 times a day at this point.  She takes 4.5 ounces at each bottle. Some days she hardly spits up and other days she is an ever-flowing fountain, so we just keep working with her reflux and she will eventually grow out of it and be able to keep more down at each feeding and then, then she will hopefully sleep through the night!  At her four month well baby visit Dr. Mijares said we could start solids whenever we wanted, I plan on holding off until closer to 6 months.  I think Norah is more than ready, but why rush it and why mess with her little belly?  Really, at this point the food is only for practice and I do not believe one bit in the whole "Food makes them sleep theory!"

Sleep - Norah is going to bed anywhere from 6:30 - 7:00pm for the night.  She still wakes to eat around 11:00pm and 3:00am and then is up for the day at 7:00am.  She then usually has a shorter, maybe one hour nap in the morning and then a longer 2.5 - 3 hour nap in the afternoons.  I know some people have already sleep trained their babies at this point using the CIO method or other sleep training methods, but I just don't really get that - at least not at this age.  We never really had to do any sleep training with Jack, but I do know we never let him fuss himself to sleep until he was way past 6 months old and even then it was fussing, not full out crying.  I just can't do that for hours on end, so for now we respond to her hunger demands and feed her when she wakes!  We are also still swaddling Norah at night time and for naps and she is still in her Rock N Play sleeper - I know we need to break these habits, but I just can't imagine messing up her sleep routine and the doctor said as long as the blankets we are using allow her hips to move and for her to be able to pull her legs up or straighten them then it's fine and we use The Miracle Blanket which has a pocket for the feet and then is really only tight around her arms and chest so she said that was fine!  I need to look online and see if there are such a thing as "Arms Only" swaddle blankets/wraps?!?  She is almost too big for the RNP but she really still needs the angle for her reflux, I'm contemplating moving her big crib into our room and using pillows or blankets to create the incline and then using a rolled towel in a "U" shape under the fitted sheet as kind of a seat or anchor for her to "sit" in so that she doesn't slide down the hill?  IDK, until she can't fit in the RNP at all anymore I'm leaving her - she loves it!

Health - Norah faired pretty good this month when it comes to the health front.  She did have to get more vaccines at her well baby visit - 2 shots and 1 oral.  She did great and hardly cried once I picked her up.  I was sure she was going to be a mess for a good 3-5 days following the shots because she was a basket case after the first round, but she did great!  She never really fussed or anything, we did have one night, I think 2 nights after her shots, that she was randomnly awake from like 9:30pm to 2:00am.  She wasn't fussy though, she was just awake and wanted to play.  It was odd and this Momma did not appreciate it at all!

Play - This month Norah is obsessed with her play mat and all the toys that dangle from it!  She has mastered reaching for toys and studying them and then they usually head straight in her mouth!  She is becoming more and more vocal and loves to laugh at her big brother!  The bath tub continues to be another one of Norah's favorite places to play, she loves floating on her raft and kicking her feet and making the water splash!

Learn - Norah has definitely started recognizing familiar faces.  She loves to stare at her Daddio.  I think she is thinking, "I'm pretty sure I know you?  Yup, I do know you!" she will stare at Chris for a good 5 - 10 minutes at a time from across the room.  It's really funny!  She loves to give smiles, giggles, and feet kicks to anyone that shows her attention though!  Still no rolling over (I guess I'm doomed to never have a rolly-polly baby, oh well), but she is tolerating tummy time a bit better these days and can push up really high on her arms.  She also started a new move, when she is on her back, she puts her feet flat on the floor and then pushes up and back and kind of makes an arch, like a back bend, and then scoots back a few inches.

Grow - Norah's official 4 month stats from her well baby visit were 15lbs 4.5oz and 25 inches - she was in the 75th percentile for her age, weight and height!  She is wearing all 3-6 and 6 month clothing.  She is in size 2 diapers during the day and size 3 at night!  She is growing like a little weed!

My Superhero...

Jack has become obsessed with Superheros!  He loves them, so dress up costumes were soon to follow!  We have Captain America and Batman.  He also has Spiderman PJ's and a matching mask!
 

 
 
 


Catching Up...

I'm going to spend the next 30 minutes trying to catch up on some items on my HUGE backlog of posts. 

WARNING: They will be primarily photo driven posts - I don't have time for words, people!  :-)

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Upcoming Posts

I know, I'm adding more post topics and I haven't published any from the original list.  Forgive me, I'm tired! Soon, very soon!

I am seriously behind in my blogging! Work is crazy right now, Chris is traveling alot and it's summer!  :-)

Here are some upcoming blog posts though that are either already drafted and I need to add pictures or that are great ideas and aren't written yet!
1. My Superhero
2. Norah's 4 Month Update
3. Memorial Day Trip to OK
4. Two Engagements
5. Jack's 3rd Birthday and Check Up
6. Double Trouble in the Tub
7. Jack's First Slumber Party
8. Norah's 5 Month Update (Can you believe she turned 5 months last week?)
9. A Bow Addiction
10. New Home Tour - A Year Later
11. Independence Day!
12. Wisdom Teeth Extraction
13. Norah Thinks Jack is Funny!

14. Baptism (Chris actually went to church!)
15.  Norah's 6 Month Update
16. Momma Got  A New Ride!
17. Jack @ The County Fair

Now, I know you are all dying from the excitement of these potential posts BUT really this list is more for me to keep everything straight! Don't think these are all gonna happen in the near future either, but I'm working on it!  All with good intentions!  Life just gets in the way sometimes and it's much easier to post a picture to Facebook or Instagram then it is to type out a post and upload photos!

Follow me on Instagram @ darci_spear since I know you'd love to keep up with our daily lives in a more "real-time" fashion!

xoxo

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Norah - Three Months

I apologize this post is so late.  I've had it drafted and took the pictures on her 3 month birthday, but it has taken me 3 weeks to upload the pictures onto my computer.  Mom fail, I know, but better late than never!  And just think this means you will get her 4 month update in just a couple weeks! :-)



Baby Girl is now THREE months old, time is definitely flying by quicker now that I'm back at work.  Her Two Months and One Month update seem like forever ago!  This is when routine is KEY for us and we all seem to be adjusting pretty well.  She is getting such a personality and still growing, growing, growing!  Norah had her second photo shoot this month and the pictures couldn't have turned out any better!  I am thrilled with them!

Jack has decided he LOVES Norah this month and it's so cute to see him try to entertain her and help her.  Peekaboo is his "go to" when he is trying to make her happy.  We were also baby-talking to her the other night and he found that pretty amusing.  He always tries to help when she gets fussy by putting her Button in her mouth, problem is sometimes she doesn't want it but Jack will persist and hold the button in her mouth even as she is shaking her head side to side trying to break away and spit it out!  It's pretty funny, he is finally catching on that she doesn't want it when she does that!  Tonya also says that Jack dotes on Norah alot during the day at daycare - always telling her when Norah wakes up or when Norah is fussing/crying, etc.  What a good big brother he is!

Eat - Norah has been eating 4 ounces 7 times a day.  She takes one middle of the night bottle still anywhere from 2-4am.  I really think we are almost to the point of dropping this bottle but as soon as I do she starts waking up at 2am versus sleeping consistently to 4am.  But it's really not too bad because most of the time she goes back to sleep rather quickly, most of the time.  Tonya and I were just discussing bumping up her bottles another half ounce to see how well she tolerates it - it's not that I don't think she could or would eat more, it's whether or not her tummy can handle that much and if it will cause her reflux to be worse.  We shall see.

Sleep - Norah is still sleeping pretty good at night.  She goes down and is usually in our room by 7:30pm asleep.  She is still sleeping in her Rock N Play sleeper next to the bed - boy I'm going to hate the day we have to transition her to her crib, but I'm avoiding that as long as possible.  She still gets a bottle usually from Chris anywhere between 10-11pm and then again anywhere from 2-4am then I usually get her up a little before 7am to eat and get ready to head to daycare!  Not a bad schedule.

Health - We did have our first illness this month. Norah developed a super stuffy nose - no cough, no fever and the drainage was always clear/white. I let her fight it off for 10 days on her own, but after 10 days and no improvement I took her in to see Dr. Mijares. She wanted to give her a few more days to try to kick it and said to bring her back the start of the following week if she wasn't better. Norah overall didn't seem too bothered by the stuffiness except when trying to sleep or when I had to repeatedly use the suction bulb. The next week came and she wasn't any better, so back we went and at that point her oxygen level was 95, still fine but "normal" is 98 or 99. Since babies don't know how to breathe through their mouths she was fighting to breathe through her little nose and just wasn't getting as much oxygen. She also didn't gain any weight in the 6 days between visits and even lost 3 ounces. Dr. decided it was time for antibiotics - 14 days worth of antibiotics in fact and Norah just took her last dose yesterday! She didn't have any reaction to the medicine other than the fact that it tore her belly apart. She takes a probiotic every day which helps with gas and keeping her bowels moving, but it just wasn't quite enough once the antibiotics wiped out all the good bacteria in her belly so she was much gassier than normal, mostly at night, so I'm hoping she will be back on track here in the next few days.  She is also still taking Prevacid twice a day and it seems to be working well for her for now so we will stick with it and maybe try to wean down to once a day around 6 months or so.

Play - Norah has really become more interested in playing this past month and usually can entertain herself for about 20-30 minute sessions (more if the toy has lights AND sounds).  She loves being more upright, I'm guessing so she can see everything.  She loves her play mat though and the mobile on her RNP.  She hasn't fully reached out and grabbed a toy, but she bats her arms around until she catches one and then will hang on to it for a minute or so and let it go and then start batting around again until she finds something else.  She is getting close though! Norah also loves to play in her baths!  Jack and Norah started taking baths together this month so Norah is in the big tub and she just loves kicking her legs and floating on her Pomfitis bath pillow!  It's so cute!

Learn - Norah started giggling/laughing this month which is her biggest achievement.  She still hates tummy time so she isn't even close to rolling over.  She is pushing up higher though on her arms (when forced to do tummy time) and her head control is great.  She can sit in an assisted postion for a long time too, she just needs help balancing around her mid section!  She also noticed her reflection in a mirror this month, of course she doesn't know it's her but she will often stare, smile and make faces at the mirror on her play mat!

Grow - At 12 weeks old Norah weighed 12 pounds 12 ounces and was 23 inches long!  She is in 3 month clothes, but some seem to be getting a little snug.  She is also now in size 2 diapers, BIG GIRL!

Norah and Lenny!

Friday, May 4, 2012

12 Weeks

This is late and is only for my documentation - Norah weighed 12 pounds 12 ounces and was 23 inches long at 12 weeks.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Online Viewing - 3 Month Pictures


Here is the link to Norah's 3 Month Pictures. 
Find her name under "Recent Photos" - you might have to hit the "More" option.
The password is "Jane"

Enjoy!  I'm thrilled with how they turned out!

xoxo