3 months old

Can you believe it? Miss Paisley is 3 months old now!!! I feel like especially with her time is flying by. AT 3 months Paisley is 9lb, and is 20 and 1/4 inches long. She is cooing, and smiling largely now. She can roll from her back to either side but can't seem to get herself all the way over quite yet. She is my "high maintenance baby". She loves to be held and snuggled all the time, which isn't conducive to getting anything done around the house. She is continuing to love nursing and takes some of my milk pumped in a bottle fairly well. She is very gassy at times, and I wonder if she has any allergies or something that we are not thinking of.... Sleep is a huge challenge right now. She doesn't like to be put down at all, and therefore someone is going to have to hold her throughout the night. Right now she sleeps on top of me as we have been trying to get her to sleep longer....

Happy 11 months MR P

Oh my gosh! I can't believe the countdown to one is less than a month now! I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by. Unfortunately for Preston most of the last month has been spent being sick. Between a stomach bug, high fevers and ear infections this month has been so rough for him. Unfortunately I am really starting to wonder if there is some immunodeficiency component to all of his illnesses. Praying that that isn't the case. This month Mr P has finally become mobile! And I mean MOBILE! It was like once he figured it out, he was wanting to figure everything out. He now is crawling all over the place, pulling up to stand on furniture and people. He is transitioning from laying to sitting to crawling and back again very well. He most of the time falls to his bottom from standing but doesn't usally fall all the way down. THis month he also pulled himself up in his crib, ONTO THE RAIILING!!! Praising God that he didn't fall out. Due to feeling so crummy this month, he has kind of gone backwards in the eating department. There were many days when he didn't eat food at all and would only nurse. That being said I have a great milk supply again....not sure what I am going to do with my extra milk. This month he has been interested in more bland foods if at all, and has often refused to take a bottle at all from me. We introduced a few new foods to him this month as finger foods: blueberries, skinless grapes, fresh banana and watermelon, cooked (but cold) peas, and bits of pasta. He loves it all. He LOVES his jolly jumper still and is starting to not like the exersaucer as much any more as it keeps him in one place.

The poor guy has had a really tough time sleeping this month as well. It has been quite a challenge sleeping wise. I have put him in his crib each night and he wakes by midnight or so, some nights due to fevers, or coughing, or vomiting, or diarrhea, or ear pain etc etc etc.... So I end up picking him up, giving him something to help the specific problem, and then coming downstairs. He has been sleeping on little boppy pillow and that seems to make things a little easier. So he sleeps on that and I sleep on the couch. I am definitely looking forward to him feeling better. He has been on FOUR antibiotics this month:-(

And this is his new trick:

And Daddy's new nickname for Mr P is the "Master of Disaster"

10 months old

Oh my world, my little munchkin is 10 months old! I can't even believe it! It feels like this year with him has just flown by. He weighs eighteen pounds now (I brought him to the doctor last weeek) as he had had cold symptoms and goopy eye for over a week and a half. The doctor prescribed some erythromycin to cover if it was conjunctivitis and after a few days when that didn't work she has prescribed Zyrtec. It is debatable whether or not it is helping. At ten months, Preston is shaking his head no, clapping, blowing raspberries, playing peak a boo, and doing his own special version of crawling. It is the cutest thing ever. He can get from sitting down into the crawling position, and sometimes prefers to just lay on his back and look at the world going by. He continues to love his exersaucer and has tremendously strong legs because it seems like all he does all day is kick his legs or jump. Sleeping is still a hit or a miss type thing:-( He nurses around 630pm or so and then goes to sleep. He then wakes up typically between 10 and 11 and nurses again. After that we try to wait until at least five to feed him again, but that doesn't always happen. He has started rolling over to his left side when he sleeps, it is so cute.

Feeding him is so fun. Since I have been making my own I have been coming up with some weird suggestions, but he seems to really like everything tath I have made to give him. His favorite breakfast food is banana, strawberry, oatmeal. lunch and dinner has lately been a pureed chicken breat mixed with some veggie or fruit (apple, sweet potato, gr beans...) He has also really started liking feeding himself with finger foods. The gerber puffs have been a huge hit with all my kids. He also likes something called "Tiny Duck organics" and they make dried fruit pieces that he really likes. I also have tried giving him "mighty minis" popsicles which he absolutely loves...

And lets not forget our Army bear photos, I will post them tomorrow:-)

9 months old

Preston Vaughn is nine months old! I can't even believe how fast this year has flown by. He has grown so much. To put it in perspective he has tripled his birth weight, and grown 9 inches! He is now very interested in everything around him. He thoroughly enjoys watching Sam and Soph running around him all the time, and I am sure is wishing he could join them. He is rolling all over the place, sitting, and his newest thing that he enjoys doing is eating his toes. At his nine month well child check up he weighed in at 17lb 13oz and was 28.5 inches long. He still has no teeth but continues to drool like crazy so I am sure they are coming. He is still nursing probably 6ish times a day and also eating baby food three times a day. I have been making most of his food, and his favorites seem to be the green veggies. I just started giving him broccoli in the last couple of weeks and he loves it. I have mixed it with carrot and sweet potato. He also really likes peas, and green beans as well. His favorite fruit concoction that I have made was mango and apple. He is also really enjoying cold water in his sippy cup, and the little tiny gerber puffs, some fruit pieces, and cheerios. On his official nine month birthday was the first time this little monkey slept through the night!!! He has been such a stinker about sleeping but he finally did it last night. He slept from 9 to 5:30. I am praying that this is a new trend. He says Mama, which totally melts my heart. As well as Dada, and "Mmmmm" when he wants to nurse. He is so friendly and will go to just about everyone for a second but typically wants to come right back to his momma. His laugh is so contagious, and we have really had lots and lots of giggles in the last couple of weeks. He is so ticklish under his neck and his arm pits. This is one of Mr P's favorite new past times. When I lay him down to change his diaper he does it then too, and it makes it so difficult to change his diaper. This is P's army bear. My brother Dennis and Johanna got it for him when he was born. I take these photos with him with the bear every month. It is a great visualization of how he is growing, but it is also a reminder to always be praying for our troops as they defend our freedom. Hanging out in Dr V's office. He wasn't completely sure of what was going on but he was really good. Thankfully no vaccinations this month. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful doctor. All of our kids love her. She actually checked immunoglobulin levels on him to see if he is like Sam. We haven't gotten the results yet.

5 months

My tiny little peanut is five months old! And is doing so well. We certainly have had some health scares with him, but I am so thankful and happy to say he is growing and happy. Since the dairy/soy free diet he has seemed much more content and less restless. He has been happier, and when he does fuss he is easier to console. He is babbling tons these days and blowing lots of drool bubbles. He is laughing and squealing. He LOVES to watch Sam and Soph run around and play. He continues to like his hands better than any of his little toys. He loves to chew on his fingers. Since I have gone dairy and soy free, I had to throw away all my frozen breast milk that I had:-( I was so sad to do it but I didn't want someone to accidently give it to him. So then I didn't have a stock pile of extra milk in the freezer, so he actually got a little of the alimentum formula this week. He actually doesn't seem to mind the taste too much but he would certainly rather get it from me than a bottle. But I am so thankful that he will take it. We are praying that this will resolve the bleeding issue. He is getting to the point where he doesn't really like his swing anymore. His favorite things are things where he is sitting straight up, such as the exersaucer, bumbo, and we even put him in a jolly jumper at my mom's. He wasn't completely sure what to do but he stood in it for a couple of minutes. He seems to have a little bit of a cold developing so we shall see how it goes....Please pray for him.

Sweetness

So the other night when I went up to go to bed I found these two sweeties sleeping in my bed holding hands. How sweet are they?

And Preston had his four month well child check up today. He weighed in at 13lbs! And is 25 1/4 inches long!! He is definitely my big boy! When Sophia was four months she was 10lb12oz and 22 3/4inches long! HUGE difference. His head was 17inches. We also discussed the sinus' that he has, and the whole risk of kidney issues. Now that he is so big she is going to go ahead and order the kidney ultrasound to make sure the kidneys are ok. So we will be having that appointment sometime soon. It is my weekend to work:-( So I am dreading the weekend, but praying that it is still a good one. Then monday Sophia has her special ed/PT evaluation in the school district (instead of doing private PT) and then Sam has an appointment with his GI doctor. So things are going to be busy.

4 months old

I can't believe my little guy is already four months! He is doing so well. He is cooing and smiling all the time now. He is drooling constantly, and I am wondering if he is already starting to get one of his bottom teeth. Sophia and Sam got theirs much later, but the way Preston is drooling makes me wonder. Physically he is so strong, he rolls from stomach to back, almost instantly every time I put him on his belly. He is sitting in the bumbo fairly well, although when he is done sitting in it, he arches so strong that he can almost pop himself right out of it. He has a little light projector in his crib that plays music that he is actually hitting and has turned on in the middle of the night! I can't believe he has done it. The first time he did it I thought that it was an accident, but now he has done it a few times. I am not sure how much he weighs right now as his four month visit hasn't happened yet. But I am pretty sure he is my biggest baby!:-)

He is still not sleeping through the night but is seeming to be doing a little better. He has two four hour blocks during the night, he sleeps from about 7:30 until 11:30, then he eats, then sleeps until about 4. But after that four AM feeding he is wanting to eat every two hours! It is exhausting!!! I know I should just let him cry it out but I just can't do it. I always want to comfort him and make sure he is fine. And if he wakes up then he obviously is lonely so wants to be near someone.....We shall see:-) When you compair the bear pictures he certainly is getting bigger!!!

3 months old

Can you believe my baby is 3 months already??? Me either? Where does the time go? This week he is so smily and his cooing is become louder and there are starting to be different sounds instead of always the same. So my monthly posts will essentially be chronically his growth (physically) as well as (cognitively) within the last month. And of course hopefully I will continue to get pictures of him with his Army bear. Weight: 2months: 8lb 3oz 3months: 10lb 6oz (he has gained 2lb and 3oz!!!) Height: 2months: 23inches 3months: 24inches (an inch in a month? Not sure if this is accurate but wow if it is!!!) Cognitive: 2months: smiling occasionally, not always intentional. Tracking with his eyes if you were close enough. Batting at toys by accident 3months: smiles in response to us, gets really excited when you smile and talk fast to him, cooing intentionally in response to us talking to him:-) Physical: 2months: very jerky movements with arms and legs. Clumsily would get hand to mouth but not intentionally. Rolls out of anger when placed on his belly 3months: hits his toys intentionally on his gymini and swing. Reaching out to touch my face. Rolls when he is tired of being on his belly.

And Preston with the bear at 2 months:

8 weeks (the photos) or 2 months (almost)

So since yesterday I did a post comparing Mr P to his siblings, todays 8 week post is all about him:-) My super cute little guy who SMILED at me yesterday for the first time!!! Oh how I love those first smiles. I of course couldn't get it on camera but it is in my heart and mind. Here are some of my attempts to catch that elusive smile...and of course he closes his eyes whenever I take a picture...

My brother got him this bear when he was born. My goal was to take a picture with it each month. I have taken some but hopefully will get better at it. It is so funny to see how much longer he has grown already!

And just some cute ones from the last few days. He LOVES to be swaddled still, we are using the Miracle Blanket and the kiddopotamus swaddling blanket. He pretty much goes to bed each night between 9:30 and 10, and some nights sleeps only until 12 and others until 3-3:30. Sleeping is still so flukey with him. I believe his stomach is pretty uncomfortable quite often and believe that those bad nights are when he is having a rough night stomach wise.
In the last week he has become so much more interactive and making so many great faces. He has rolled now five times, from his stomach to his back. He is really starting to love the baby swing which is great for me to get stuff done around the house.