I am only days away from his 11 month milestone so we can wrap two months into one again. I can not believe I will only have a "baby for another 5 weeks"- let the tears begin. It is soooo bitter sweet.
-Thomas is very independent, and I probably give him much more freedom than I gave the others. He crawls quickly, goes from room to room exploring, and loves the change of scenery.
- He is starting to pull himself up on his knees, but no interest in standing or walking as of right now.
-Big news is as of this week, we FINALLY put the rock n play away. He started sleeping in his crib over night consistently at about the 9 month mark, and this week I finally got in him the crib for naps too!! There are some tears at nap time as he tries to work it out and get settled, but its normally not bad and he settles to sleep.
-Overnight is still pretty rocky. Last night he was up at 10:30 again at 2:30 and then up for the day by 5am. But we have had a few positive nights with longer stretches and just 1 wake up. I feel like we are very slowly making progress.
-In other big news, he did sleep through the night 1 night! It finally happened! After 10 months 5 days, we had our first full night of sleep. It was our first in Disney World and he was super tired from traveling. I was afraid it would have the opposite effect, but on this occasion it was great. He went to be at about 8:30pm and stayed asleep til 6am! Whoooo Hooooo! So exciting. It only happened that one night, it went back to normal the next night, but it was refreshing to know it can happen.
-Perfect time to talk about Thomas's first big vacation! We went to Disney World this month, and it was pretty awesome! Thomas was a good sport. He went along with all of our daily activities, napped in the stroller, nursed around the parks, and slept in the pack n play all just fine. His big brothers had an amazing time!
-Thomas has become quite the momma's boy. He wants me, and only me, all of the time. If I walk in the room and don't pay him attention, he gets angry, really angry. He wants mommy to hold him, snuggle with him, play with him at all times. Apparently when I am out of site, he is totally different, but when I walk in the door he needs to cling. I will take it, because I know its not long before Dad's become the super cool center of attention for the boys as they get older.
-To my amazement, he is still nursing and very frequently. I am finally going to reach my goal of nursing my baby on his 1st birthday!
-He has gotten much better with solid foods. We are doing the Baby Led Weaning and give him mainly soft solids. He prefers to feed himself and does not like to be fed by spoon, so we are going with his lead. Sweet potato fries, avacados, broccoli, scrambled eggs, puffs, and yogurt are some favorites. He also loves those baby food pouches that he can hold up and drink himself. I am glad to see him eating more.
Some of his favorite things are - baths, dancing, clapping, anything with music, playing catch (aka rolling the ball back and forth).
Some dislikes- bumping his head on furniture as he crawls around, not being with mommy, and going to sleep on his own.
Thats about it for right now. We all LOVE LOVE LOVE him so much. He makes off of us smile and laugh all day every day! I can't wait to celebrate his 1st birthday next month and I'll post all the details!
The Taynors
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Thursday, April 5, 2018
9 months and on the move
Here we are again for another monthly update- Thomas is 9 months old!! Let the first birthday planning begin ahhh!
This month he had two major mile stones- he finally figured out how to go from laying down to sitting AND he learned to crawl. So he is officially on the move!
Sleep is still pretty bad. The good news is most nights he sleeps in his crib all night, but he is still in the Rock and Plan for naps. But he really is still very unsettled. He eats 2-3 times a night, and cries and fusses a lot. The other night he was up and inconsolable from 12-2:45am. We are tired!
Even with the wild nights, he is pretty happy during the day.
We still nurse, A LOT. But I am cherishing the time since this will likely be the last time I nurse a baby. Bittersweet.
He loves to dance. Any song, he bops to the music!
We are still working on solids. Generally I am doing baby led weaning, but will also give purees a try once in a while depending on whats going on that day. He is definitely experimenting more, but eating is not his favorite.
We celebrated his first Easter last week and are getting ready to spend a lot of time this spring on the sports field watching his big brothers.
And for the cuteness...
This month he had two major mile stones- he finally figured out how to go from laying down to sitting AND he learned to crawl. So he is officially on the move!
Sleep is still pretty bad. The good news is most nights he sleeps in his crib all night, but he is still in the Rock and Plan for naps. But he really is still very unsettled. He eats 2-3 times a night, and cries and fusses a lot. The other night he was up and inconsolable from 12-2:45am. We are tired!
Even with the wild nights, he is pretty happy during the day.
We still nurse, A LOT. But I am cherishing the time since this will likely be the last time I nurse a baby. Bittersweet.
He loves to dance. Any song, he bops to the music!
We are still working on solids. Generally I am doing baby led weaning, but will also give purees a try once in a while depending on whats going on that day. He is definitely experimenting more, but eating is not his favorite.
We celebrated his first Easter last week and are getting ready to spend a lot of time this spring on the sports field watching his big brothers.
And for the cuteness...
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
2018 Goals
There is an expression, "do something today that your future self will thank you for" or some kind of variation of that. Well last January 2017 I had that exact thought and finally did something I had been thinking about and went to school to get my real estate license. It wasn't a great time- I was still working at the chiropractor, Mike was starting a new job with super demanding hours and travel, I was pregnant and getting ready to be a mom of 3 boys- but I had been thinking about it for a few years and that quote kept coming back to me. So I did it, I did something that was hard at the time, but the future me would be thankful for. And the expression is freakin true! A year later, I can reflect on the hard work and progress I have made and I am SUPER happy and Thankful I finally made the move.
Last year business was slow, a lot of work without a lot of reward. But it was the building blocks in real estate. I took the class, passed the test, joined my amazing team, started building leads, did a ton of training seminars and classes, asked a million questions. I did have one closing and a couple of rentals in the first 6 months of working, but nothing more than that. Then I took June-August off when Thomas was born (for the most part, I was actually negotiating a deal from the hospital room on the day he was born to try to save a deal from falling through). But I was able to step back and be primarily mom for a couple months. Then in September I stepped up my game again. I started putting dedicated hours into working and building new clients.
Well come January, it paid off. In the first two weeks of the year I got 2 listings (one already sold), and 3 buyers that went under contract. I now have active buyers, potential new listings, and closings on the calendar! I am so excited to see the work coming together. I have big goals for the year, sell 15 homes! If I am able to accomplish this, or come even close, I will be able to help my family big time financially and take some of the pressure and stress off of us.
I am so happy I made the move a year ago, and I am proud of myself for making big strides in building my business. But most of all, I love doing it. I feel like for a long time I knew I needed to work to make money, but I wasn't finding much that motivated me to go out and kick butt. But I found that in real estate. I am motivated, I am excited, I am starting to feel confident in my ability, and I love having something of my own and contributing to the family. Its hard work, I am stressed a LOT, juggling my schedule and the kids schedule is overwhelming... but I feel like its all for a good cause.
So its cheesy, but I am definitely proof behind those words of encouragement to make current changes that your future self with thank you for!
Last year business was slow, a lot of work without a lot of reward. But it was the building blocks in real estate. I took the class, passed the test, joined my amazing team, started building leads, did a ton of training seminars and classes, asked a million questions. I did have one closing and a couple of rentals in the first 6 months of working, but nothing more than that. Then I took June-August off when Thomas was born (for the most part, I was actually negotiating a deal from the hospital room on the day he was born to try to save a deal from falling through). But I was able to step back and be primarily mom for a couple months. Then in September I stepped up my game again. I started putting dedicated hours into working and building new clients.
Well come January, it paid off. In the first two weeks of the year I got 2 listings (one already sold), and 3 buyers that went under contract. I now have active buyers, potential new listings, and closings on the calendar! I am so excited to see the work coming together. I have big goals for the year, sell 15 homes! If I am able to accomplish this, or come even close, I will be able to help my family big time financially and take some of the pressure and stress off of us.
I am so happy I made the move a year ago, and I am proud of myself for making big strides in building my business. But most of all, I love doing it. I feel like for a long time I knew I needed to work to make money, but I wasn't finding much that motivated me to go out and kick butt. But I found that in real estate. I am motivated, I am excited, I am starting to feel confident in my ability, and I love having something of my own and contributing to the family. Its hard work, I am stressed a LOT, juggling my schedule and the kids schedule is overwhelming... but I feel like its all for a good cause.
So its cheesy, but I am definitely proof behind those words of encouragement to make current changes that your future self with thank you for!
How is my Baby 8 months Old!
Here we are again! A monthly update... or what seems to be my new norm, an ever other month update. Thomas is officially 8 months old as of this week, and here are the highlights of his 7 and 8 month happenings.
*Sleep is terrible. Still not happening, still hates the crib, still wakes frequently, still nurses all night. Half of it is baby, he needs the extra nursing and the contact and he is just miserable in the openness of the crib. Part of it is my fault, with the activities of the other kids, balancing bedtimes with all 3, trying not to wake them up in the middle of the night, Mike traveling and away overnight many nights of the week... its been hard to really "sleep train". When Mike is away, or the big kids are sick, anything goes. Whatever I can do to get him to sleep wins. I am aware this is an issue but its hard to make a change right now. Mike is away again this week, but next week he is home for 1 whole week in a row, so I plan to really start working on a sleep routine and at least get him in the crib overnight.
*On the other hand, naps have been good during the day, so that helps big time. He takes a good morning and afternoon nap, and occasionally a cat nap to hold over til bedtime. These naps are still in the rock and play, but they give me a mommy break to work so I'll take it.
*This month he has started dancing! Like totally bopping to the beat. Super cute.
*We have attempted to start solids and it hasn't gone well. He really does not like being spoon fed, so we are going to take the Baby Led Weaning approach with him. So far he seems to like sweet potato fries and these home made teething biscuit things I make. He is really playing more than eating right now, but at least he will bring them to his mouth occasionally. If BLW goes well, I will totally stick with it. I love the idea of him eating what we are eating and not needing to make purees and bring "baby food" around with us.
*He has gotten much more mobile. No moves towards crawling or cruising or anything like that yet, but he can roll and push forward or backwards to get to what he wants. He loves this freedom.
*Finally at exactly 8 months, he got his first tooth!! Woo Hoo! and the second is about to pop through.
*He loves being on the go and watching his brothers. As long as someone is paying attention to him, or someone is around to chat with him, he is happy.
*Thomas is starting to explore new sounds with his mouth, blowing bubbles, babbling much more. No real words but new sounds.
*He is going super strong with nursing. He loves it and will nurse round the clock if I let him. I did finally implement formal for the occasional bottle because I couldn't keep up with a freezer stash and with a lot of work hours coming up, I needed a back up option. I would say he still nurses or gets breast milk 98% of the time, but it took the pressure off of worrying about what I would do if I didn't have enough milk in the freezer. I did a bunch of research and ordered a brand from like Germany (not 100% sure what country, but it is from Europe and goes by their standards) and he took right too it.
*I am super desperate for a little mommy get away. I feel like I am running on fumes these days, but until he is sleeping better or nursing less, its impossible. I hope to plan a weekend getaway with Mike or a girls trip very soon.
Anyway, he is wonderful. Such a sweet, happy baby. Always with a huge smile on his face. Its going so fast, way faster than with the other two (probably because I am busy with the other two) and I am trying to take a deep breath and enjoy this stage. Its basically my very favorite baby stage!
Here is some cuteness!
*Sleep is terrible. Still not happening, still hates the crib, still wakes frequently, still nurses all night. Half of it is baby, he needs the extra nursing and the contact and he is just miserable in the openness of the crib. Part of it is my fault, with the activities of the other kids, balancing bedtimes with all 3, trying not to wake them up in the middle of the night, Mike traveling and away overnight many nights of the week... its been hard to really "sleep train". When Mike is away, or the big kids are sick, anything goes. Whatever I can do to get him to sleep wins. I am aware this is an issue but its hard to make a change right now. Mike is away again this week, but next week he is home for 1 whole week in a row, so I plan to really start working on a sleep routine and at least get him in the crib overnight.
*On the other hand, naps have been good during the day, so that helps big time. He takes a good morning and afternoon nap, and occasionally a cat nap to hold over til bedtime. These naps are still in the rock and play, but they give me a mommy break to work so I'll take it.
*This month he has started dancing! Like totally bopping to the beat. Super cute.
*We have attempted to start solids and it hasn't gone well. He really does not like being spoon fed, so we are going to take the Baby Led Weaning approach with him. So far he seems to like sweet potato fries and these home made teething biscuit things I make. He is really playing more than eating right now, but at least he will bring them to his mouth occasionally. If BLW goes well, I will totally stick with it. I love the idea of him eating what we are eating and not needing to make purees and bring "baby food" around with us.
*He has gotten much more mobile. No moves towards crawling or cruising or anything like that yet, but he can roll and push forward or backwards to get to what he wants. He loves this freedom.
*Finally at exactly 8 months, he got his first tooth!! Woo Hoo! and the second is about to pop through.
*He loves being on the go and watching his brothers. As long as someone is paying attention to him, or someone is around to chat with him, he is happy.
*Thomas is starting to explore new sounds with his mouth, blowing bubbles, babbling much more. No real words but new sounds.
*He is going super strong with nursing. He loves it and will nurse round the clock if I let him. I did finally implement formal for the occasional bottle because I couldn't keep up with a freezer stash and with a lot of work hours coming up, I needed a back up option. I would say he still nurses or gets breast milk 98% of the time, but it took the pressure off of worrying about what I would do if I didn't have enough milk in the freezer. I did a bunch of research and ordered a brand from like Germany (not 100% sure what country, but it is from Europe and goes by their standards) and he took right too it.
*I am super desperate for a little mommy get away. I feel like I am running on fumes these days, but until he is sleeping better or nursing less, its impossible. I hope to plan a weekend getaway with Mike or a girls trip very soon.
Anyway, he is wonderful. Such a sweet, happy baby. Always with a huge smile on his face. Its going so fast, way faster than with the other two (probably because I am busy with the other two) and I am trying to take a deep breath and enjoy this stage. Its basically my very favorite baby stage!
Here is some cuteness!
Monday, January 15, 2018
Why I Want Another Baby, but Know it Will Not Happen...
I get asked all the time- When are you going to try for that baby girl? Are you definitely finished now? Do you think you will have more kids? It is constant. And the one thing I can say is I am very conflicted with my answer. I wish I was one of those moms that "just knew" when their family was complete. That is confident in knowing I am done having kids. I was so hopeful to feel that way. But I don't. The idea of being done makes me sad. I still dream about another baby and doing through it all one more time. I am sad to think that this stage of my life is done and that as Thomas is getting older, I won't ever have that baby again.
Don't get me wrong, I am also excited about parts of the future. The traveling with older kids, not buying diapers, not being a slave to breastfeeding, working on really building my career. That all sounds fun and exciting, but it doesn't outweigh the sadness just yet.
But even though I am not convinced our family is complete, I am pretty sure it is. Because Mike and I are way to logical and calculated to have another. And mainly because of MONEY.
If I didn't have to work and I could just stay home with the baby. If we didn't have to stress about the extra financial cost associated with having a baby (Thomas's birth alone cost $10,000 and that is worth good insurance!1). If our monthly budget had more wiggle room for the extra diapers. If we could not worry about the extra fees associated with 4 kids playing sports and activities. If we could still travel and buy 6 plane tickets and the larger suite rooms on all vacations. If the idea of buying a larger SUV was an option. If I could afford to hire some help when needed, or have cleaners come to the house to ease the work load. If college wasn't so darn expensive....if these topics where not an issue, then we would definitely have one more. The decision really all comes down to money.
So with that decision being made, and knowing we are blessed with 3 beautiful boys, it is time to start getting rid of the baby stuff. I can sell the gear and donate the clothes. I can make plans for when the baby is older to do things we have been waiting to do. I can start working out more and get my body back because for the first time in 7 years I won't be preparing to get pregnant, currently pregnant, nursing, or preparing to get pregnant again :)
It is bitter sweet. Getting rid of the baby clothes is heartbreaking. I have memories of all 3 kids in those outfits. But it is time. The silly green bouncy chair was all 3 boys favorite thing to sit and play in as newborns. I don't want to give it away. But again, it's time. So wish me luck as I transition through this stage. I can tell you one thing, I am enjoying every minute of nursing him, and I cuddle longer in the middle of the night, and I try to spend more time sitting on the floor and playing with him because boy I know it goes fast and I know I'm gonna miss it.
Don't get me wrong, I am also excited about parts of the future. The traveling with older kids, not buying diapers, not being a slave to breastfeeding, working on really building my career. That all sounds fun and exciting, but it doesn't outweigh the sadness just yet.
But even though I am not convinced our family is complete, I am pretty sure it is. Because Mike and I are way to logical and calculated to have another. And mainly because of MONEY.
If I didn't have to work and I could just stay home with the baby. If we didn't have to stress about the extra financial cost associated with having a baby (Thomas's birth alone cost $10,000 and that is worth good insurance!1). If our monthly budget had more wiggle room for the extra diapers. If we could not worry about the extra fees associated with 4 kids playing sports and activities. If we could still travel and buy 6 plane tickets and the larger suite rooms on all vacations. If the idea of buying a larger SUV was an option. If I could afford to hire some help when needed, or have cleaners come to the house to ease the work load. If college wasn't so darn expensive....if these topics where not an issue, then we would definitely have one more. The decision really all comes down to money.
So with that decision being made, and knowing we are blessed with 3 beautiful boys, it is time to start getting rid of the baby stuff. I can sell the gear and donate the clothes. I can make plans for when the baby is older to do things we have been waiting to do. I can start working out more and get my body back because for the first time in 7 years I won't be preparing to get pregnant, currently pregnant, nursing, or preparing to get pregnant again :)
It is bitter sweet. Getting rid of the baby clothes is heartbreaking. I have memories of all 3 kids in those outfits. But it is time. The silly green bouncy chair was all 3 boys favorite thing to sit and play in as newborns. I don't want to give it away. But again, it's time. So wish me luck as I transition through this stage. I can tell you one thing, I am enjoying every minute of nursing him, and I cuddle longer in the middle of the night, and I try to spend more time sitting on the floor and playing with him because boy I know it goes fast and I know I'm gonna miss it.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
5 and 6 months of Fun
The 5 and 6 month milestones were soooo exciting, that I just didn't even have enough time to post about them :)
Not really, life just gets busy and before you know it the month is over. So here is my attempt to write about 5 and 6 months in the life of Thomas before we actually hit 7 months in 2 weeks (I can't believe we are nearing the 7 month mark WTF)!
The big thing that happened at 5 months is he finally started to roll. He pretty much figured out going from his belly to back and back to belly at the same time. And once he figured out this cool new skill, he wanted to show it off by rolling all over the place. He can officially get anywhere he wants by rolling.
At 5 months he also had no sleep patterns yet. He got a terrible head cold and congestion and was not sleeping, so we moved him back into the rock n play so he was propped up which helped. Unfortunately it also got him comfy back in the RNP and has lead to lots of crib issues. In short, at the 5 month mark I would describe him as unpredictable. Some naps are over an hour and great, some are 29 minutes exactly. Some nights he goes right to sleep (in the Rock N Play of course) and other nights he cries and fusses for hours. Some nights he wakes up every hour, and other nights he wakes for one quick feeding and goes back to bed. Unpredictable. And very hard to get a babysitter for date night!
At this mark he was still 100% breastfed, no solids or substitutes. I am waiting on those teeth.
He still remains a happy, go with the flow baby.
He is starting to practice sitting up by himself, but definitely needs support.
Then he hit 6 months, which fell the day after Christmas. 6mo old babies are sooo much fun and it was happening during a super fun time of year! Every where I go people comment on how beautiful of a baby he is. His smile and eyes just melt right through people. I can literally just stare at him for hours. Freakin cute!!!
By 6 months he was sitting well unassisted, and log rolling around.
Still not teeth!
He is practicing noises but nothing more than uh uh uh uh over and over again.
He is still breastfed exclusively, but we did introduce some solid foods. I am going with the Food for Fun concept right now. He has had peas, then carrots, and then some smushed bananas... all that I made him. He kind of likes it, but also thinks its kind of weird. I am not on any kind of regular feeding schedule right now. If we are home and I have something ready and he seems interested in the foods we eat, I let him try something. If we go a few days without solid food, that's okay too. I also introduced a sippy cup of water. Right now that is much more play than actual drinking but he really likes it.
We had a great first Christmas, Santa brought him some fun presents like diapers and glass bottles and a new push car for outside. Thomas liked the paper more than the gifts of course. His big brothers are totally in love. They want to make him laugh and be by him and help me in anyway they can. They really are so helpful and so sweet.
He is my little love bug for sure. He loves to be held and cuddle and make people laugh. He has these huge chubby thighs that are super ticklish. He is just amazing. My only real challenge is the sleep. It is still not going well. See above notes. Not much has changed. We attempted to crib train again this week for sleeping.... and guess what, he got the stomach virus and threw up crazy amounts. So back to sleeping in my arms and then the rock n play again because he couldn't be on his flat back. Anyway, I will try again soon. As I keep saying, we are in survival mode. Whatever gets him and I the most sleep wins. I know well enough now that everything is just a phase and he won't sleep in the RNP forever.
I have some great pictures of him, and I promise to post them later. But for now I am happy with the accomplishment of getting this blog up!
Not really, life just gets busy and before you know it the month is over. So here is my attempt to write about 5 and 6 months in the life of Thomas before we actually hit 7 months in 2 weeks (I can't believe we are nearing the 7 month mark WTF)!
The big thing that happened at 5 months is he finally started to roll. He pretty much figured out going from his belly to back and back to belly at the same time. And once he figured out this cool new skill, he wanted to show it off by rolling all over the place. He can officially get anywhere he wants by rolling.
At 5 months he also had no sleep patterns yet. He got a terrible head cold and congestion and was not sleeping, so we moved him back into the rock n play so he was propped up which helped. Unfortunately it also got him comfy back in the RNP and has lead to lots of crib issues. In short, at the 5 month mark I would describe him as unpredictable. Some naps are over an hour and great, some are 29 minutes exactly. Some nights he goes right to sleep (in the Rock N Play of course) and other nights he cries and fusses for hours. Some nights he wakes up every hour, and other nights he wakes for one quick feeding and goes back to bed. Unpredictable. And very hard to get a babysitter for date night!
At this mark he was still 100% breastfed, no solids or substitutes. I am waiting on those teeth.
He still remains a happy, go with the flow baby.
He is starting to practice sitting up by himself, but definitely needs support.
Then he hit 6 months, which fell the day after Christmas. 6mo old babies are sooo much fun and it was happening during a super fun time of year! Every where I go people comment on how beautiful of a baby he is. His smile and eyes just melt right through people. I can literally just stare at him for hours. Freakin cute!!!
By 6 months he was sitting well unassisted, and log rolling around.
Still not teeth!
He is practicing noises but nothing more than uh uh uh uh over and over again.
He is still breastfed exclusively, but we did introduce some solid foods. I am going with the Food for Fun concept right now. He has had peas, then carrots, and then some smushed bananas... all that I made him. He kind of likes it, but also thinks its kind of weird. I am not on any kind of regular feeding schedule right now. If we are home and I have something ready and he seems interested in the foods we eat, I let him try something. If we go a few days without solid food, that's okay too. I also introduced a sippy cup of water. Right now that is much more play than actual drinking but he really likes it.
We had a great first Christmas, Santa brought him some fun presents like diapers and glass bottles and a new push car for outside. Thomas liked the paper more than the gifts of course. His big brothers are totally in love. They want to make him laugh and be by him and help me in anyway they can. They really are so helpful and so sweet.
He is my little love bug for sure. He loves to be held and cuddle and make people laugh. He has these huge chubby thighs that are super ticklish. He is just amazing. My only real challenge is the sleep. It is still not going well. See above notes. Not much has changed. We attempted to crib train again this week for sleeping.... and guess what, he got the stomach virus and threw up crazy amounts. So back to sleeping in my arms and then the rock n play again because he couldn't be on his flat back. Anyway, I will try again soon. As I keep saying, we are in survival mode. Whatever gets him and I the most sleep wins. I know well enough now that everything is just a phase and he won't sleep in the RNP forever.
I have some great pictures of him, and I promise to post them later. But for now I am happy with the accomplishment of getting this blog up!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)