Mid Month Check-In

Alright, it's a little more than mid month, and really only about a week before Kael turns 5 months old, but things are happening and changing so quickly that I feel like I need to start updating more often.

I never did get to post his "usual" pose for his 4 month shoot- so here it is.

I know I am slightly biased, but isn't he cute! He is going to be a heartbreaker...

Well, where to begin?

This month Kevin and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. We have been together for roughly TEN years! We met and started dating when I was a freshman in high school, a mere 14 years old! We had our rough patches and did the whole break up/get back together thing, but I always knew that he was my soul mate. Kevin has been by my side through everything and I mean everything! He has seen me at my absolute lowest and has helped pick me up and wipe the dirt off my back. He is my best friend, and my biggest support. This anniversary was so different than the rest, we have Kael. The previous two anniversaries, I was pregnant. Having Kael here this year was just a reminder of how truly blessed we are. Kevin is an amazing father, and I can't wait to watch Kael follow his daddy's foot steps. Here is Kael the morning of our anniversary. His shirt says, "Daddy and I Love Mommy" :)

We went for our first jog together. He was a trooper, and lasted a whopping ten minutes before he was passed out. I on the other hand, had my butt handed to me on a silver platter! Pushing that little chunk was much tougher than I anticipated. I made it through my jog with a few more walking breaks than I hoped for, but was thankful we were able to get out and enjoy some of the beautiful Alaska weather we have been having. Sadly, the day we went for a run was the last nice day we have had in about 2 weeks... it is back to being cold (mid 50's) and rainy. So long summer... hello nasty winter!

He is all over the place now! Putting him on his quilt is pretty pointless since he manages to roll himself off within a matter of seconds. You can tell he is pretty proud of himself too.

We took Kael to his first church service, and other than spewing all over me, the pew, and the floor, he did great! He enjoyed the singing and was intrigued by the ceiling fans. He fell asleep about halfway through the sermon, and was out the rest of the service. The church family was amazing and so welcoming. It is a tiny church where everyone knows each other, and just made us feel right at home. Oh, he also got several compliments on his hair. :) After church we went to have lunch at on of our few restaurants, and Kael was just not having it in his carseat. We tried putting him in one of the high chairs, and he was in heaven! It was like he felt like he was part of the conversation, and just looked around at all people around us.

Kael also had his first haircut this month! We have really been debating on when we would be doing this, and had originally agreed to 6 months. This past week I went in for a hair cut, and when Kevin and Kael came to pick me up, Kevin finally caved and said we could cut it! The lady who cut his hair was GREAT and really didn't cut much off at all. She had Kael sit on my lap, and kept him distracted by letting him play with some of her combs. I was really happy with how it turned out. She mainly cut off his mullet in the back, took a little off one side to help even it out (that darn bald side!), and cut a little off the top so it didn't hang in his eyes. I can't really tell he even got it cut- although Kevin swears he can! He is blurry in all of the pictures since he was moving so much. :(

I guess that is all of the MAJOR stuff that has happened this month. I wont spoil everything so I will still have something to write about for his 5 month post.

Baby Kael... can you please slow down?!?

Reality

After reading a friend's blog last night, I laughed to myself as I began to realize something. While I was pregnant, I had all sorts of "ideas" as to how I would do things once my bundle of joy arrived. Of coarse, the majority of them went straight out the window once Kael joined us, and I'm just wondering if this is how most moms have felt.

Here are a few examples:

Thought- My baby will not leave the house (except for Dr. visits) until he is 6 weeks old.

Reality- After his Dr. appointment at 4 days old, we made a trip to Walmart and went and had Mexican food

Thought- He will only sleep in his pack-n-play in our room until he is a month old

Reality- He is still sleeping there... and he is 4 months old!

Thought- I wont cut his hair until he is a year old

Reality- I would cut it right now if Kevin would let me! Our agreement is 6 months

Thought-He is going to wear baby jeans and shoes everyday (just because they are so cute!)

Reality- He wears "stretchy" pants when he is at daycare, but as soon as we get home even those get stripped off! I would rather him be comfy than cute

Thought- I'll breastfeed for 3 months MAX

Reality- I have fallen in love with breastfeeding, and will probably continue until he is one (the fact that he refuses formula plays a role in that decision as well...)

Thought- No trying for another baby until he is at least two

Reality- I think about having another baby ALL.THE.TIME. I feel really guilty about it too. Will we try for another one right now... NO WAY, but I'm pretty sure once he is a year old we will start trying again.

4 Months Old

Every month I think to myself... how is this possible?!? It is amazing how fast time flies by when you want to cherish every single moment. I look at Kael every morning and wonder to myself, "is it possible that I love him even more than yesterday?" I feel like with every day that passes, my heart just grows a little bit more. I miss having a newborn, but getting to look at a smile like this one...
Makes everything that much more exciting. It makes me excited to watch his personality continue to grow, each milestone, his first steps, his first words... there is just so much to look forwards to! Although I can already tell I am going to have my hands full! He is not "easy going"- but rather a busy body. He gets bored quickly, and wants to go, go, go!

At about 3 months, 3 weeks Kael found his toes... and has become obsessed! Anytime he lays on his back, he immediately grabs his toes. He is slowly starting to figure out how to put them in his mouth as well. I can't put him in his bumbo seat anymore either, since all he does is bend over and grab at his feet and try to pull them to his mouth- it pretty much defeats the purpose of the chair!

At 3 months, 2 weeks Kael rolled over from back to belly... and hasn't stopped! He doesn't stay on his back for very long before he flips himself over. After 2 weeks of rolling like this, he learned how to roll back and forth between back and belly. I will walk out of the kitchen into the living room, and he will be half way to the kitchen, leaving his blanket far behind! Once he got the hang of rolling down, he began pivoting. Once he gets himself onto his belly, he pivots himself around in a circle until he can see what it is he is looking for, or grab the toy he wants. Needless to say... I don't think we have much longer before he begins scooting and crawling (which is scary to think about!).
This is the 8th week that he has been in daycare (and I have been back to work!) Seriously?! How did that happen?!? As much as I dreaded having to put him in daycare, I am actually really glad that he is there. It's amazing to watch him already interacting with the other babies. He loves to watch the older babies crawl past him (he tries to grab their hair!) or jump up and down in the exersaucer next to him. He smiles at them, and even reaches out to touch their hands or feet. There are two other babies that are just days apart from him (and another one about to start soon), so half the class is 4 month olds! It's interesting to see where each of them are at developmentally, and to see how they each grow and learn at their own rate.
We have also started rice cereal. I am using Earth's Best Organic Whole Grain cereal, and he LOVES it. He is eating about 2-3 tablespoons with an ounce of breast milk for breakfast and dinner. He devours it! He has come a long way with the spoon, and has no problems with it anymore. I am still debating when we will start fruits and vegetables. I know it is a sore topic with most parents, as far as when you should start, but his doctor told us that as soon as he is comfortable with the spoon and cereal, to go ahead and start slowly adding in the rest. I plan on making my own, and will probably start him off with avocado and green beans. I'd like to wait until he is 5 months, but with the rate he is going, I wouldn't be surprised if I started earlier.

This past Friday, he had his 4 month well child check. He is 26 1/4 inches long (90th percentile) and 15 pounds 13 ounces (50-75th percentile). They are still concerned about the flat spot on the one side of his head, and continue to gripe at me to keep him off the back of his head. I don't know how to do that anymore! He rarely does lay on his back other than when he is sleeping, and I switch which direction he is lying each night. My biggest fear is that they will eventually tell us that he will need a helmet to reshape his head, although I really doubt his flat spot is that bad.

He is still doing good with his sleep, going from 8pm-5am pretty much every night. He eats at 5, then goes back to sleep until 7:30am. He is starting to stretch his feedings out to 2.5-3 hours during the day. He typically takes 3-4 naps, each lasting about an hour. He is becoming very predictable, in the sense that he is eating and napping at almost the exact same times each day.

We have moved up to size 3 diapers, and he is now wearing 6-9 month clothes.

He is vocal, and loves chatting away with anyone who will listen. He is starting to say "ba" and use consonant sounds. He has the sweetest laugh, and singing, tickling, big/dramatic bounces on your knee, and kissing his neck will make him giggle.

He is losing the hair on the right side of his head :( He looks like he has a real old-man comb over now! It breaks my heart, but I know it will grow back. We still aren't completely sure what color hair he is going to have. Some days it looks very light and golden brown, but other days it looks much darker with a red tinge. I guess only time will tell! We have also agreed that we will cut his hair at 6 months. I'm ready to cut it now! His mullet is BAD, and the top is so long I can't even try to spike it up anymore, but Kevin is the one putting his foot down on this matter.

My heart is happy... I love my son more than words can express, and every night before I go to bed I can't help but thank God for giving me everything that I have ever wanted. :)