6 months strong

So you can probably tell my blogging has become non-existent. Ive been back to work for 3 weeks now and can barely keep up with life as it is. The transition was tough on me (not really on JAM). I miss him dreadfully during the day and I really miss our time together. I'm still nursing so pumping at work has become an extra part of my day. But thankfully he loves his babysitter (Hi Ana!) and does great with her. He even seems to nap better for her than anyone else!  So that is a major blessing.

Well, 6 months has come and gone and we could not be more obsessed with JAM. He has changed our lives so much (for the better).  For instance, we would much rather spend our weekends at home with the hubby, baby, and puppy, versus going anywhere, doing anything.  Just having lots of family time.  We cherish every moment.  

Jensen is now eating solids once a day and about to move to twice a day soon. He loves veggies (avocado, yams, carrots, green beans, acorn squash) but could do without bananas or peas. We are trying apples and pears next.

He is grabbing at everything he can get his hands on and is really exploring the world around him. He can sit for a while without support but will teeter over after a while. His preferred method of transportation is rolling all over the place and now he's trying to figure out how to coordinate his body movements to crawl. No teeth yet and no signs of them so far as I can tell. He weighs 20.5 pounds and is 28.5 inches long, 90th percentile for both. He has rolls on top of rolls and I could just squeeze him all day long! He finally dropped his night feeding at around 5 months and *usually* sleeps from 8pm-6am without a peep. Sleep is so lovely and perfect timing for me going back to work!  He LOVES his pacifier (and may be a little obsessed with it...oops!), going for car rides, jumping in his bouncer (man this boy can JUMP!), his Daddy's silly faces, grabbing at Sydney (and pulling out her hair too...!), watching other kids, eating his feet and sucking on his big toe, squealing with excitement, bath time and splashing, blowing raspberries, putting everything he can get his hands on in his mouth, and laughing and smiling all the time. Whew, that was a long list!  His hair is growing in so thick and don't judge me for the fact that he has a really awesome mullet in the back.  I just can't bring myself to cut his hair yet.  And as usual, here are some of his photos from his 6 month session and one from the pumpkin patch. 

 

See you later, ladies.  This pose makes me think of a Will Ferrel skit were he poses as a nude model...LOL!

My sweetness keeps growing...

And now he's 5 months old! I cannot even tell you how that happened. The months seem to be flying by. I'm in a state of delirious happiness and love for this little guy. Words just cannot do this feeling justice. I cannot get enough of him, his smell, his giggle, his chunkiness. I know I will probably say this every month from now on, but we are having a blast with him at this age.

Grabbing those feet, his favorite pastime.

Little flirt

A few things I want to remember about him at this age:
--He laughs at everything.  Funny faces, noises, being tickled, being tossed up in the air (gently).  He seems to be a thrill-seeker too. 
--He's starting to roll all over the place.  I put him on his back to play under his floor gym, walk into the kitchen to get something, come back and he's over a yard away on his tummy in the middle of the rug...!
--Rolling all over his crib and his leg even got stuck in between the rails (no injuries occurred though!)...I think its time to put on a breatable bumper
--Tried sweet potatoes and avocado so far...not a big fan of sweet potatoes but really started to like avocade by the 5th day
--Sucking the food off of the spoon instead of opening wide for it, but he is definitely eating it!
--Always trying to get his feet into his mouth
--Grabs any type of glass/cup and opens his mouth REAL big to try and get a drink of it
--When he sees his bottle coming, he starts opening and closing his mouth to signal he wants it, NOW!
--Enjoys getting out of the house to run errands and is usually very well behaved...and a great shopping partner!
--Loves to screech and squeal and learning to use his voice
--When he cries I could bet money he is saying "Mama"! (at least it sure does sound like it)
--Really starting to show an interest in Sydney...Sydney still tries to avoid him
--Has a short attention span and needs constant entertainment, it's hard to get much done, but that's OK.
--Learned how to use his jumperoo this month and loves it!
--Still loves his pacifier, but sometimes finds his thumb
--Loves to splash his legs in the water at bathtime
--Weighs 20 pounds and 27 inches long...still a very BIG boy.
--Still struggling with nap times, somedays he sleeps well, other days he sleeps for only 35-45 min at a times
--Finally dropped the night time feeding, but still having to put his pacifier back in his mouth 2-3 times per night
--Loves grabbing my hair, which is the longest it's ever been in my life...go figure.
--One of the smiley-est babies I've ever met.

We love every.single.thing. about this baby.  Sometimes we wonder why we waited so long to have children because he is really THAT awesome.  Can't get enough.  

Love those cheeks.

ROOOOLLLLLLS! 

Houston, I have a problem..

 

 ..and it's called dessert! I love, love, LOVE dessert. Ice cream. Cake. Cupcakes. Cookies. Brownies. Pretty much any baked good that I can get my hands on. And I feel the need to eat dessert after every meal. NOT GOOD, when you still have a few pounds of baby weight to lose.

It's an addiction for me. And I've heard it said that the first step to beating an addiction is to admit you have a problem. So here it is ladies and gentlemen. I, Taryn, am addicted to dessert. But am I ready to give this addiction up?!? I'm not entirely sure. Cut back, yes. Give up all together? NEVER!

It's something I inherited from my family, so it's not my entirely fault! We're the family that has more desserts at our family reunion meal than actual food. We might even eat dessert first. And we've been known to duke it out over the last scoop of my Mom's famous banana pudding.

I once got a fortune cookie with a fortune that said very eloquently "Dessert CAN make you happy". So fitting and perfect for me. I saved it to keep forever.  And have you seen the Duke's Mayonnaise commercial?  If you haven't then that's probably best.  It will make you want a piece of chocolate cake *immediately*.  It sounds weird, I know. Mayo and chocolate cake...?  But the commercial claims that adding a little Duke's Mayo to your favorites chocolate cake recipe will make the most moist cake you've ever eaten.  Then they show a fork cutting into a big slice of super moist, rich chocolate cake.  YUM.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure this little guy is going to like dessert too when he finally gets a taste of it. But I'm not going to let him eat too much or too often so he doesn't get obsessed (or addicted) like his momma...

Hair, hair everywhere!

One of the most awesome postpartum side effects is hair loss. Tons of it. Everywhere. I've heard from others about this lovely side effect, but thought (yet again, remember my stretch mark story?) that I would slide by unscathed since my hair seemed to be looking better than ever those first few months after JAM was born. Well, flash forward to the 4 month mark and it seems like I lose enough hair to use on a Barbie doll. Every.single.day. So very sad. But its all worth it for my sweetness. Let's just hope this let's up so I don't go bald soon.

And because no post would be complete without a photo of JAM man; I think he has some really long eye lashes for a baby. Not sure if this picture does them justice though.

Needed to write this down...

Today in between JAM screeching like a dinosaur (his new trick since he learned how to use his vocal cords, it's so cute...video to come) and changing a massively big, blown out diaper and outfit...I was thinking about life and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I am the happiest I have *ever* been right now. With this family. This home. This life the Lord has given me. In all of these special and fleeting moments. I am going to cherish every single second because I know it may change in an instant. We are so, so very blessed.

Tick tock

One thing about parenting that I never realized was how much my life would revolve around watching the clock. When did he finally go down for bed? What time did he wake up? When did he eat last? When did I change his diaper last? How long did he nap? It's almost bath time!...The list goes on. I feel like I am constantly keeping time for something!

Another random thought: when someone says their child is 4 months old, do they mean 16 weeks or do they determine his age by his actual 4 month birthday? I've heard it done both ways so I'm curious how others decide when to take their baby's monthly sticker photos.

Lastly, I think Sydney is finally starting to come around with baby Jam as evidenced by the following photo. For the record, she chose to lay above his head this way. I just LOVE me some puppy & baby love.

My 4 month old little man

Jensen is now 4 months and growing like a weed!  It seems like he has become so alert lately and paying more attention to his favorite people (me and his daddy) and surroundings now.  Over the last month, his hair has thickened up, he weighs 18 lbs and 9.5 oz (95th %), 26.25 in long (95th %), and sure does have a strong personality!  He used to whine a little before going to a full out cry when he didn't like something...now he gives us very little to no warning at all before losing his cool.  I cannot begin to describe how head-over-heels we are in love with him.  After we put him to bed, I have this crazy desire to go get him out of his crib to give him a few more snuggles and kisses.  I just can't seem to wait until the morning (or night time feeding) to hold him again.  We got the approval to start solids at his most recent doctor's appointment, so I'm looking forward to that. I'm hoping to make his baby food from scratch...well see how that goes!

He does so well with tummy time and has started trying to figure out how to crawl.  He can scoot around a little by face planting into the floor and lifting his butt in the air.  Bath time is his most favorite time of the day.  He figured out how to splash his little legs and doesn't mind getting water poured over his head and eyes. He blows raspberries and bubbles with his mouth all day long, so a bib is a permanent part of his outfit. He smiles and laughs constantly, and it is the best sound in the world. He loves to lay on his changing table and grab at his feet, so much that it makes diaper changes a challenge. His chunky little thighs are an obsession of mine...!

His nighttime sleeping has improved since his 3 month birthday (thank goodness!). Now he sleeps in footed pajamas and will usually wake up 1-2 times per night to eat. Sooooo much better than the 7 times he was waking up when we first stopped swaddling him. Nap times can be a struggle still, but we're working on it. He slept 8 hours without waking about a week ago so we know it's possible...! Just need to figure out how to make it happen each night...ha!

One night I had a photo shoot, so he stayed with my parents for a few hours. From the period of 4-9pm that evening he drank over 19 ounces of milk, in addition to all the times he nursed during the day. This baby can EAT! He can drink over a 9 ounce bottle at night before we put him to bed (daddy takes the night time feeding everyday to give me a break and so we can measure his intake before bed). Usually he nurses every 3-4 hours during the day.

He really seems to enjoy going to the gym and watching everyone workout. And he loves taking our nightly walks around the neighborhood with Sydney. He sits in his stroller so contently and looks all around.

Overall, life is starting to get into a nice rhythm and we feel so very blessed. Here are some of his 4 month photos.