Oliver is 6 Months!

6 MONTH CHECK UP

Oliver had his 6 month check up today. He measured at 18.3 lbs (65%) and 27.3 in (75%). He seems to be finally slowing down a bit! But he is still a big boy. He checked well and healthy. His eyesight is great. The doctor gave us the go ahead on starting solids, which I am excited for! Oliver got his 6 months shots, including his first flu shot. His doctor is very impressed with his growth and mental development. And she can't believe how cute and chubby he is!!! He always flirts with her and the nurses! He is my little stud for sure.

Developments

Oliver can now roll both ways. It took him about a week of practicing before he finally figured out how to go back and forth. Now I can't stop him. He will start out in the middle of the front room and not even 5 minutes later he is all the way on the other side stuck up against something! He hasn't quite figured out what to do when he gets stuck up against something. So I have to go and move him before he gets mad!

Oliver can grab items really well, and of course is great at putting them into his mouth instantly. He is still practicing passing things from hand to hand. I have also been giving him a sippy cup to start getting used to. So far he just throws it around. But if I show him how to use it, he will suck on it and get some water. But then as soon as I let go he drops it. 

He can sit up on his own pretty well now! He does need to have a pillow or a person behind him because he will just throw himself backwards randomly. So he requires some cushion. But he does pretty good at correcting himself if he starts to tip. He can lean forward to grab toys without falling over. He just started sitting up unsupported one day and then the next he was even better at it. I am excited for this development because he is so hard to hold. He is always rocking back and forth, so its nice to be able to finally sit him on the floor instead of having to wear my arms out. 

Oliver has started being able to make a few consonant sounds, instead of just the vowels. It is pretty cute! He also loves to make noises by blowing his spit. I think that's his favorite thing to do. 

He has started getting really interested in playing with toys now. Stuffed animals, links and toys that make sound are his favorite. He also loves to bang things on the floor and table to make noise.

FOODS

So today was his first time trying food. I have held off until now because he just hasn't needed it. He has been doing great on breast milk and his doctor and I didn't see the need to introduce food until he was ready. And boy is he ready. He has been very interested in our food for a little while now. We can't eat while holding him because he just gets so excited and tries to grab whatever we are eating. So the last couple days he has been sitting in the highchair with us at the table. And I think he likes it! I have been giving him and ice cube in one these mesh feeders for him to chew on. But now that he can eat food I'll be giving him some tasty treats to chew on. He got to try a banana in it today while I made some food for him. I don't think he quite understands that he can chew it because he just kept sucking on it. But I think he liked it because he sucked on it for a while. 

I also mashed up some banana and some avocado for him to try today. He liked the banana pretty well but wasn't much of a fan of the avocado. But we'll keep trying! This part is so fun. I love to watch babies' faces when they try new foods. Even if they like it they will get a sour face! 

I am going to try to make homemade baby food because the prices for store bought are ridiculous. And with us living off of one income, we cannot afford to buy it! Plus I think it will be fun mixing flavors and seeing which ones he likes and doesn't like! And because we waited until he was 6 months to start food he is old enough to just eat some of what we are eating. Pureed of course!

He has not cut any teeth yet, but he drools like crazy. So I'm sure it's not far off. I',m not really looking forward to that stage so the longer the better!

I cannot believe how fast they grow and learn. I am so happy that I have been given the opportunity to be able to stay home with my kids and watch them grow. 

Oliver is 4 1/2 months old!!!

Wow, I cannot believe four months have gone by already. In some ways it seems like he was just born yesterday. But, then at the same time it feels like he has always been a part of our family. I honestly can't remember what my life was like without the two of them. And I am so happy to have him. He makes it really feel like we are a family now.

So, Oliver had his four month check up on 10/10/13. At that visit he weighed in at 16 lbs 6 oz. And measured at 26.1 inches long. That puts him at 75% for both his height and weight. He is growing so fast. And he has the cutest little rolls all over, and his cheeks!! Oh my his cheeks are so pudgy and kissable. I love how they jiggle when he moves.

Obviously the doctor says he is healthy. His eyes are developing great, he can stand up on his own pretty well with a little assistance with balancing. His eyes are getting lighter and lighter blue every day. I have to say I love that our whole family has blue eyes!

Oliver has become very vocal. He loves to squeal and growl. He has also learned to blow spit bubbles. Which doesn't help much in the drooling department. I am dreading the teething stage because he already drools like crazy! He is slowly working in consonant sounds into his "vocabulary." So far he has just done vowels.

He still hates his tummy time. I am lucky to get him to lay there for five minutes before he starts crying. But on a good note he ROLLED OVER!!! On Tuesday, Oct 22 he rolled from his belly to his back three times!!!! And he has only been on his stomach for a few seconds when he did it. However he has not done it since. I don't think he really understands how he did it. But I'm sure once he figures it out we will never get him to do tummy time for long. He is also very close to rolling the other way, from back to belly. He gets his bottom half completely over but the top half gets stuck over his arm. Its exciting watching him learn these things, but I'm also dreading the day he becomes mobile and I have to break out the baby gates!! I know he is going to be a terrorizer.

He can sit really well now with just a little support. So about a week ago I brought up his "exosaucer" that Grandma and Grandpa Hazley bought him. I just roll up a blanket and wrap it around him to support him and he goes crazy in it!! He has started to learn that if he bounces his legs the whole thing bounces and shakes. His favorite toy is his moose. He loves that thing!! He will grab one of the feet and growl as he shoves it in his mouth and chews on it. He also loves to lay under it and hit it so that it swings back and forth.

He has started to notice his feet now, too. When he is laying on his back he will bring his legs up and grab onto his feet. Soon he will be able to put them into his mouth! Oh joy! He absolutely loves his big sister Cambry. All she has to do is say something, anything, to him and he will get the biggest grin and even laugh sometimes. She gets him to laugh more than anyone. And she doesn't have to look like an idiot to do it!! I have to make all kinds of funny faces and sounds to get him to laugh at me. But, he gives out smiles like candy!! He has the biggest smile and its so easy to coax it out of him. It just melts my heart when I see it. Especially on the days that I work, when I come home and he smiles at me like that I almost want to cry! This past Saturday was the best. I came home and could hear him crying before I even opened the door. Apparently he had been crying for about 20 minutes. So I walked over to him and said hi to him. He got excited, and smiled but was still whining. So I put my arms out to grab him and he put his out towards me for a second! And as soon as he was in my arms he cuddle his head into my neck and stopped crying! It made me feel so special to know that I can make him so happy just by holding him!!!
There really is nothing better than being a mommy and watching your kids grow and learn.

Just an Average Mom

This post is for the "Average Mom." The mom who is pretty good at cooking, can keep the house somewhat clean sometimes, not so great at crafting, has no real great advice to offer, and is just thankful her kids got fed and are still alive at the end of the day.

With how easy it is to access the internet and all of the "wonderful" things it has to offer us, its easy to compare yourself to those "Super Moms" who seem like they are the ideal homemaker. They make gourmet meals or they make these super cute clothes for theirs. They make crafts for every holiday, and all of their party decorations are handmade yet good enough they could sell them afterwards. Their homes are super organized with matching labeled bins for everything. They have the motivation to exercise every day and lose all of their baby weight in just a couple months.

Now, I'm not saying these women are bad. They are, like I said, "Super Moms." For some reason they were blessed with these talents. But the majority of women were not. I am included in that majority. And the fact that its so easy for these moms to post about their talents and accomplishments, makes it harder for the "Average Mom" not to compare herself to these women. I am jealous of them. I wish I could do all of that and still be such a great mom to my children and wife to my husband like they are. But unfortunately that was not meant to be me.

It has taken me awhile to realize that, its okay that I'm not like that. Its still very difficult for me to not compare myself to them. Especially with pinterest being so addicting. But it is okay that I cannot craft well, or sew at all. I'm not very motivated or organized hardly at all. In fact my house is a disaster 90% of the time.

But we have to realize that just because people are pinning these awesome ideas, recipes, crafts, and exercise routines, doesn't mean they are actually doing it. And just because these women are blogging about how organized their pantry is, doesn't mean the rest of the house looks that way. And who knows, maybe they have to do all of that because the rest of their life isn't so perfect. But that's okay if it isn't. We are all human. We are all moms, so instead of judging and trying to impress each other, why don't we support each other? We should be saying congrats that you made it through another day as a mom and you didn't rip your hair out! We all know how stressful motherhood is.

So basically what I'm trying to say is, if your a "Super Mom" then kudos to you. You are one of the few who are talented. Keep doing what your doing, but also remember that not everyone is as talented in those ways as you are. And if your an "Average Mom" like me, kudos to you, too. You are great, and there is nothing wrong with you. Our children will love us the same whether their shirt is bought or hand sewn. What they care about is that you spend time with them, and show them love in the only way you know how. Whatever way that may be.

Please join me in my effort to equalize all of us mom's. Don't take pins, blogs and posts to heart. Live your life and give support to all others. Don't judge anyone, including yourself. We are all moms!!!!

Oliver is 2 Months old!

Oliver is two months old now! In a way it seems like it went by so fast, but then it also seems like he has always been here!

He had his two month check up on the 7th. He weighs 13 lbs 6 oz and is 24 inches long. That puts him at 75% for his weight and 90% for his height! His sure is a big boy. For comparison he weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 20 inches at birth, and then 8 lbs 7 oz and 21.75 inches at two weeks. He is nothing like his petite "little" big sister. He still fits in 0-3 months clothes, but not for long. There is not much room for growth left.

The doctor was very impressed with him. He is growing quickly and developing just as fast. He still smiles, a lot. Its so easy to get a smile out of him, and he is so so so close to giggling! I can't wait for that day. His eyes are developing like they should, and he is getting pretty good at holding up his head. He also prefers to sit up now. He loves to be able to sit up and look around.

After he was born, when they were doing his exam and tests, the nurse had a concern about his heart. She said she could hear his heartbeat louder on the right instead of the left side. So they took him to X-ray his chest. The radiologist didn't see anything abnormal. His heart was in the right place and looked normal. And the pediatrician said everything sounded fine the next day. But when we went to his two week appointment she heard a murmur. She thought it was closing up and recommended we wait until his two month check and see if it closes up. Well, IT DID! She could not hear any trace of the murmur!
I was so happy when she told me that! I know small heart murmurs aren't a big deal but, as a mother, you don't want there to be anything wrong with your children. No matter how small it may be.

We are still exclusively breast feeding! I can't believe how difficult it can be. I rarely get a break since I'm really the only one who can feed him. But its definitely worth it.  Not only does it save us money, but I get that extra bonding time with him that no one but me gets.

He is still doing good with falling asleep on his own, but he will only take naps in the swing in the front room. He sleeps just fine at night in the bassinet, but will not nap in it or in the pack n play in Cambry's room. But I figure its not a big deal because it will help him learn to sleep through noise.

Our Family Trip to the Zoo

On July 17th, Grandma Vonda took the four of us to the Zoo. It was Oliver's first time out and about, besides family parties and trips to the store. He did great, too. We were there pretty much all day and he mostly just slept the whole time. Cambry had a lot of fun. She is at the age now where she can really enjoy seeing the animals.

I saw this idea on Pinterest to make a Zoo Animals Passport. And throughout the zoo when they see an animal that is in the "Passport" they get to mark it off. So I made one for Cambry, and she absolutely loved it! She had so much fun trying to find all of the animals in the book and then getting to mark them off. I would totally recommend everyone doing this for their kids.

Cambry said that her favorite animal was the polar bear. She thought it was so funny that he was doing laps around his enclosure. He would start in the covered area and touch his nose to the wall then he would go outside, around a rock and then back to the wall. Sometimes he would throw in a dip into the water to his circle. It was pretty funny to watch and Cambry had a blast trying to follow him!

The "Rocky Shores" exhibit was pretty cool. I have to admit I was pretty excited to see it myself. Then next thing they are working on that I cannot wait for is a Splash Pad for the kids. It was supposed to be open in June, but they are obviously falling behind. But it will be so great for the kids when it finally does open. It gets so hot in the summer! They did have those giant misting fans to help out with the heat though.

Oliver Mason Yeates Has Joined the Family!

Our adorable little boy was born on June 4th! He weighed 7lbs 9oz, and was 20 inches long. He was born with light blonde hair, unlike his sister's black/brown hair. Even his eyebrow and eyelashes are blonde. He also has cute little blonde side burns, too! We are so happy to have this addition to our family. It really feels like a complete family now.

What a Cuddle Bug!
Oliver sure loves to cuddle! I am so happy he does because Cambry did not like to cuddle at all. If you are holding him and he is not in the spot or position he likes, he will wriggle around until he gets there. Then he will sigh, relax and fall asleep. How adorable is that!? He also loves to be swaddled. As a newborn, the tighter the blanket the better. Now he doesn't care to have his arms included, but still loves the rest of him to wrapped up good and tight. His favorite thing though, is to fall asleep in someone's arms. He doesn't particularly care who. Just anyone willing to cuddle will do for him!

Yes, I know, everyone says "don't let them sleep in your arms, or they will begin to expect it every time... blah..blah..blah...
Well I happen to disagree! There is no way I'm not going to cuddle by baby as much as I want! But now that he is almost two months old, I have started making sure that I only cuddle him to sleep once or twice a day. All the rest he is laid down in his bed or swing semi-awake. And he has done just fine learning to fall asleep on his own!

Sleeping (or lack thereof) 
He is pretty good at falling asleep on his own, but the length and how often he naps is really irregular. Some days I can't keep him awake and other days I'm lucky if he sleeps for more than an hour at a time. I'm trying to get him into a schedule of eating every 3 hours with play time for 1.5 hours and nap time for 1.5 hours. I've been trying that for a week and so far I have been pretty unsuccessful. But I will keep trying.

At night he now eats every 3-4 hours. As a newborn he was eating every 2 hours. Which resulted in me getting about 1-1.5 hours of sleep at a time. Boy was that rough. Especially since Cambry always slept at least 6 hours from the first night we brought her home. There has been three nights that he slept for 5-7 hours, and that was so nice. I'm hoping that will eventually become a regular thing if I can get him on a schedule.

Smiling!
Yes, he can smile now! And he knows he's doing it! He even giggles a little sometimes, too. I thought he was pretty adorable before, but now that he smiles daily, he is even cuter!

Growing, and Growing, and Growing
Oliver is growing so fast. At his two week appointment he had gone from 7lbs 5oz (weight the day we left the hospital) to 8lbs 7oz! And from 20 inches to 21 3/4 inches. In just two weeks! He has his Two month check up on August 7th, and I can't wait to see how much more he has grown. He no longer fits in newborn clothes. He wears 0-3 months now. He is so chubby! His thighs have rolls and his cheeks are so chubby and kissable! He just eats like crazy. Although it has not been easy feeding him. I have exclusively breastfed him since he was an hour old. The first three weeks were so hard! It hurt so bad I would cry almost every time I had to feed him. I dreaded it so bad. So I finally gave in and sought help. A lactation specialist came to my house and helped me. That was probably the best $70 I have ever spent. It was immediate relief and I have not had that problem since. Then I started struggling with him because he started to only nurse for 5 minutes and then he would scream and cry and act hungry. But he would refuse to eat. That went on, off and on, for about two weeks. I tried everything I could think of and finally nursing in a reclined position, burping him after 5 minutes when he starts to get fussy and not feeding sooner than 3 hours seems to have done the trick. So finally after 6 weeks we seem to have figured things out a bit. Now all that's left is getting him used to nursing with him covered so I can nurse outside of my home easier. But after all that, I am so glad I did it and didn't give up!

I really hope that I can keep up on his growth and updates better than I have before. I now have a computer and internet at home, so hopefully it will be easier for me.

Co-Sleeping

So on Friday night Cambry decided to sleep in our bed with us because she was "scared." That was the first time in 3 1/2 years that she has ever slept in our bed all night. The only other time was when she was really sick and she only slept in our bed for about 4 hours. Neither time did I sleep at all. I have no idea how parents sleep with their kids every night. I give props to you!!
Every time she would move, I would wake up. Which, let me tell you, was more times than I can count. Both Jake and I slept right along the edges of the bed the whole night and Cambry of course had the whole middle. I woke to her literally laying completely sideways with her head in Jake's back and her feet in my back. Jake told me that she slapped him in the face at one point, too. Needless to say, that was a DISASTER!!! I really hope she doesn't start making a habit of that. Especially if Jake is not there. Because, our bed is very tall, as in I have to climb up and roll into bed. I would not sleep just from worrying that she would fall off the bed. With Jake there, I didn't need to worry about that.
So again, I give props to those parents who do sleep with their children.

Lots of news!!!

WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!!!!! I'm so excited and super nervous. I am due June 13, 2013 and we are having a boy. Yes, I know, ANOTHER June baby!! I am 23 weeks along now. This pregnancy has been a completely different experience from when I had Cambry. I had nausea pretty bad for the first few months. I had to get on medication for it so that I didn't get too sick or dehydrated. That helped, but it made me so tired. Even when I took it at night, I would wake up in the morning feeling like a didn't sleep at all. So it was nice when I was finally able to stop the meds. I am also on shots of blood thinners again, due to my blood disorder that puts me at risk for blood clots. That is not fun at all. I have to give myself an injection every day up to 6 weeks postpartum. I have also had a lot more of the common symptoms that I didn't have at all with Cambry. I just hope the delivery goes as smooth as hers did.
We have picked out a name for our little boy.... Oliver Mason Yeates. I love the name Oliver because its not very common, but its still a classic name. Not like the crazy names people come up with now a days. I had no idea that name was also Jake's grandpa's middle name until I mentioned that I liked that name. So it also holds some meaning for the Yeates family. I just hope no one is too upset with us using that name.

Cambry is getting so big!! I can't believe how fast they grow. Unfortunately I was unable to afford to put cambry in preschool and dance. However, she does go to a daycare that is basically like a preschool. She has learned to count to 16 on her own, and can trace letters, numbers and shapes really well. She knows all of her basic shapes and all the colors. She can sing her ABC's but cannot identify all of them yet. But she loves to learn those things which makes it easier to teach her. She also loves to color and draw. She can draw a face, head and all! And she actually does really well at staying in the lines when she colors. I have compared her pictures to other kids in her class at daycare, and you can definitely see the difference. She loves going to daycare and everyone there LOVES her too!
Cambry hasn't really grown a whole lot physically in the last year. But its normal for her. She only weighs 28lbs. She is now into size 3T clothing but can still fit into most of her 2T shirts and dresses. She is just a petite little thing! She is pretty excited about her little brother coming. She gets frustrated when we show her the ultrasound pictures because she wants to hold him NOW! She is so impatient and its so cute. But we will see how much she likes him when he actually is here!

Everything else is pretty much the same for now. We hope to be able to get a new vehicle sometime this year. Jake's car has started having problems and we don't want to have to deal with the expenses of fixing it when we have the baby. I'm hoping we can get a Ford Explorer. We will also have to put doing the frontyard on hold for this year. I will have to go back to part time hours after the baby comes so we won't be able to afford it. But if anyone knows of anything that I can do part time to make some extra money that doesn't take a lot of time or work please let me know!!! Also if anyone knows of anyone that could watch an infant a couple days a week please let me know. I really don't want to put him in daycare so young, but it may be my only option. I will update with photos next time.