It's Almost Here

We are just days away from Landon's first Christmas!  2 days until it all starts for our family, to be exact.  I can hardly contain my excitement!  I have always loved Christmas and when Scott came in to my life I met my match.  Actually, he is more of a Christmas Elf than I am!  One of the many things I adore about my husband.  This year (the first of many) will be so much better now that we have a child to share our joy with. 

I decided today to start a tradition with Landon of baking a cake for Jesus on Christmas Eve.  Scott doesn't know about my plan yet but I have a feeling he'll like the idea.  He is a Christ centered man (another one of the qualities I adore about him) and I know it's important to him to teach Landon about God and Jesus.  For me, it is also very important to teach Landon that Christmas is about celebration (of Jesus birth), family, togetherness and, most of all, love.  I know he's just a little guy and will always be excited for the gifts.  I'm not totally out of touch with reality.  I just want him to remember why we all gather together.  It isn't about the material things around us, although those things can make life fun and enjoyable.  Our lives are enriched by the love we have for one another and the quality time we spend together.

2 more days!!!  Let's do this!     

Gratitude and Hope

I often wonder if I will ever be able to look at my baby and not get emotional.  It seems like in the last week or so my emotions have intensified.  I have always felt a huge sense of gratitude for being given such a precious gift.  This week, it seems like I've felt it more than ever.  Every time I think about Landon, I feel a tug at my heart.  I've cried every single night this week while rocking him to sleep.  Sunday night I was on the verge of sobbing.  OK, being honest, I was sobbing.  I tell him all the time how much I love him and how grateful I am to be his Mommy.  I thank God all the time for sending him to me.  I feel like I can't ever be thankful enough.  How can I express enough gratitude?  How can I show in action and word how truly blessed I feel?  Is this how other Mommy's feel? 

I hope these feelings never go away.  I hope Landon always has a sense of exactly how much he is loved.  I hope he always knows how much Scott and I wanted and prayed for him.  I hope he knows he is more than we ever imagined or dreamed of.  I hope he always knows he's perfect just the way he is.  I hope he always holds steadfast in his beliefs.  I hope he loves his fellow beings as much as he himself is loved.  

He is my world.  My first born.  My sweet baby boy.  My angel sent from above.  He is perfect.  

Sicky Poo Baby

Landon experienced his first ever sickness last week.  Let me tell ya, it was NOT fun!  Especially considering I was sick too. 

It all started Saturday (a week ago) night.  We did some work around the house and it was a generally busy weekend.  We are trying frantically to get the basement finished before the first of the year.  Landon spent the day at Nana's house so Scott and I could get some painting done.  When we picked him up, Nana reported that he had a good day, other than a little fussiness.  We chalked it up to possibly teething, since it seems like he's been getting teeth non-stop since the first one at 5 months old.  We got home just in time for dinner.  He ate his normal jar of organic veggies and had a 7 ounce bottle.  All was well....until....I tried to burp him.  Instead of a burp I was covered in projectile vomit.  Now when I say covered, I'm being literal.  It all happened so fast.  One minute I was gently patting his back and the next I had baby barf all over my face, hair, down the front and back of my shirt...you get the point.  I said, "OH MY GOSH!" and Scott came running in to the room.  By then I was laughing hysterically.  I still have no idea why I reacted with laughter but I'm really glad I did.  He took Landon so I could get to the shower.  I nearly barfed while stripping my shirt over my head.  We had no idea Landon was sick.  I thought maybe he just choked or something.  The next day this trend continued and he started having some pretty nasty diapers.  Sunday evening I started feeling yucky too.  I stayed home from work Monday and my Momma came over to take care of Landon.  That was a HUGE blessing!  It took until Thursday before Landon and I were finally feeling better!  Amazingly, Scott dodged the sickness.  Moral of this story:  If your baby pukes all over you, it isn't the end of the world, but it may get you sick too.

Worst Blogger EVER!

Geeze, I've been totally terrible lately at this thing called blogging.  I promise to TRY to be better. 

Next blog: Sicky Poo Baby

A few pics from his Half Birthday (6 months)

5 months old

Landon is 6 months old!

OK, firstly, I am aware that I've been a bad, bad blogger lately!  Sorry for that.  Moving along...

Landon is 6 months old today.  As I sit here typing I can't help but think about where I was at exactly this moment the day Landon was born.  I believe I was being given an epidural in preparation for a C-section.  Wow, the old saying is true, time gets away from us very quickly! 

Here are some updates on the things Landon is doing now:

• Sits up all by himself
• Chatters constantly (waiting for a Momma or Dada any day now!)
• Rolls over all over the place
• Gets his knees up under himself set to crawl.  That will probably happen soon
• His two bottom teeth are through
• Chews on his fingers, our fingers, his toys, blankets....pretty much anything he can get his hands and mouth on
• Smiles, giggles, smiles, giggles.... :-)
• Jumps like a lil jumping bean in his doorway jumper
• Scurries around in his walker
• Holds his own bottle for the entire feeding
• Eats and likes avocado, peas and squash
• Dislikes cereal so we don't feed it to him anymore
• Is completely fascinated with Levi and Emma (our dogs) and Levi loves him too.  Emma could care less
• Plays in his exer-saucer (Thank you Aunt T, Aunt C and S for this wonderful gift!!) and gets mad at the bird toy attached to it.  He will look at that bird and scowl and cry.  Kinda funny.
• Kicks his shoes off a lot but we still keep putting 'em on him
• Sometimes wakes up at night just needing some Momma snuggles.  It's frustrating but rewarding at the same time.  Inside, I like it. 
• Is starting to notice the television more.  We still don't let him watch it. 
• Likes books!  We bought him Brown Bear, Brown Bear for his Half Birthday and he LOOOVES it!
• LOVES to be outside

He's the light of my life and a pure joy.  I pray with him every night before bed and thank God for choosing us to be his Mommy and Daddy.  I'm still in awe that I have this precious baby. 

Landon rolls over!!!

Landon has been on the verge of rolling from his back to tummy for at least a week now. He would get balanced on his side, so ready to go all the way over, only to end up on his back again. We knew it would happen any day and today was the day! He came to work with me today and was laying on his blanket playing and chattering away. He was getting very close to rolling all the way over but just couldn't quite get there. Amber (my co-worker) and I were watching very intently for him to just do it already! I had stepped away to wash my water glass when I heard Amber say, "He just did it!" She missed it too, looking over to find Landon on his tummy. I quickly ran over and flipped him to his back in hopes that he would show me his new trick. Much to my amazement he did it again right away! And again after that!! What a little show off. He's been rolling and rolling all day long. He even tried a double roll but his arm got in the way. I have a feeling we're not too far from him getting seriously mobile! How can one tiny little boy bring so much joy, amazement and pride?!? This Momma stuff is the absolute BEST!

4 months old already!

Wow, it's hard to believe the 4 month mark has already come and gone. Landon has changed so much and continues to bring so much joy to our lives every single day. I am still brought to tears a lot of times when I look at him. I am always thinking about how lucky I am to be him Momma. What a blessing he is!!

Landon is changing every day and has recently discovered his hands. He loves to reach for things and has mastered the art of finger chewing! He is able to grab the toys we dangle in front of him. He really likes sitting in his exersaucer (even though his feet still don't quite touch!) and "talking" to his toys. Speaking of talking, he's certainly turning into a lil chatter box! I love to have "conversations" with him. He's yet to roll over but we're sure that will happen any day now! He's nearly there!! Our first experience with rice cereal didn't go over too well but he's liking it a lot more now. He smiles all the time and recently has really started enjoying his stroller. We love to take him for walks and he seems to love it too. We hope you enjoy the pictures!

Landon's 4 month check up

We went for Landon's four month check up on August 27th. I can hardly believe how much he's grown and changed! Here are his stats:

Weight: 16 pounds 11 ounces (83%)

Height: 24.5 inches (35%)

Head Circumference: 16.5 inches (41%)

He's definitely growing and healthy!

Books, sleeping patterns, giggles, oh my!

Landon is doing so good! He's happy most of the time and rewards us with smiles on a very regular basis! He loves to sit in his bouncy seat and "talk" with us. He also loves when we read to him and his favorite books right now are Mortimer and The Pokey Little Puppy. I was reading Mortimer to him last week and he was on the verge of giggles! Speaking of giggles, he seems to save those for Daddy. Although, last week, he was sitting on Amber's (my co-worker) lap and I was talking to him and he giggled for me for the first time! So fun! He's started to kick and splash a lot during baths so we tried moving his little tub from the kitchen in to the big bath tub. Not fun. We did this for 2 nights in a row and he screamed! I'm not sure what it is that he doesn't like in there. I wonder if it's that he is so much further from me. In the kitchen sink he's right there close. Anyway...we decided to do away with baby tub in the big tub and try the kitchen sink alone. Wow what a difference! He loved it! So, it looks like bath time will be in the kitchen for a while. At least until he outgrows the sink. :-) July 26th was the first time Landon slept through the night (exactly 13 weeks old!) and he's kept it up. We woke up to our alarm on the 26th and Scott said to me, "He slept through the whole night!" We were both shocked, proud and, as you can imagine, refreshed! We have had a babysitter come to our house the last 2 weeks to be with Landon 2 days a week. It has gone really well! I'm adjusting to not being with him 24/7 and he seems to be doing just fine with me being away. Although, I have noticed he seems to want to be close to me more. That's just fine by me! Another thing he's started is not wanting to lay down to nap by himself on the weekends. He wants to be held. Again, just fine by me! I'm gonna hold him as much as I can because he will one day outgrow this phase. The way we see it, it isn't affecting his ability to sleep all night in his crib so what's the harm. Also, I'm away from him during the week so why not enjoy him all I can when I'm with him?!? Baby slings rock!

3 month pictures

"Hi everyone! Look how much I've grown. I'm THREE months old!"

Realizations sometimes bring sadness

I'm sad. I'm crying as I type this. I always try to see the glass half full and stay positive most of the time but tonight I'm just sad. I'm going to allow myself to sit with the feeling in order to process through it. I think most of my sadness is coming from two things. Number one, I can no longer breast feed my sweet boy. I know, he'll be fine, we've bonded, he can get his nutrition other ways...blah, blah, blah. I've never felt this kind of sadness, disappointment, failure...there are so many emotions. When I found out I was pregnant there were two things I wanted more than anything. One was to have a natural, un-medicated birth and the other was to nurse my baby until he was at least a year old. I didn't get to do either one of those things and that just sucks. I am thankful I was able to nurse Landon for the first 3 months, even if he got minimal milk from me. I know I gave him a good start and now all I can do is make the best decisions for his nutrition from now on. I am glad we got those 3 months together. It doesn't make my sadness any less right now though. The other reason I'm sad is because tomorrow I will leave my baby at home with a sitter. Although he spent last Thursday with my niece Abi, this will be the first official time I go to work knowing he's at home with a sitter. I thought, "I'll be fine. He'll be in good hands and at home in his own environment." I was wrong. Tonight as I sang his special song and rocked him to sleep I cried. I didn't want to put him in his crib. I just wanted to keep him in my arms. The logical side of me says, "Don't be silly, it's just for the day." But my heart and emotional side says, "You're going to be away from him for an entire day." I know he will be well taken care of. I just feel sad. I never expected this to be so hard. I want to go in to his room right now, pick him up and hold him. But that's selfish. I know I should let him be and get his rest. I am saying prayers right now that God will bring me strength. I ask that you all include me in your prayers as well. I know I'll be alright. After all, I will wake up to a darling baby boy. And even if I do have to leave him for the day, I'll get to come home to his amazing smile. Thank you God for my many blessings.

Daddy showing Landon the moves

Smiley boy!

These are the FIRST pictures where I've captured Landon when he was smiling for real. These were taken on his 2 month birthday. I was getting ready to get him out of his swing and when I started talking to him he responded with big grins. I quickly grabbed the camera and this is what I caught. Also, here's his 1 and 2 month pictures with his bear. I think you'll know which is which by how much he's grown and changed!!

2 month check up

We had Landon's 2 month check up with our pediatrician last Friday. He weighed in at 11 pounds 13 ounces (54th percentile) and is 21 and 3/4 inches long (11th percentile!). His head circumference is now 15 and 3/4 inches (51st percentile). So, as you can see, he's a shorty just like his Momma. I just hope and pray that he has his Daddy's stature as he grows up. :-) Dr. Harrington said he is VERY healthy. He showed off for her when she put him on his tummy by holding his head high and pushing up with his arms and upper body. I wish I would have gotten a picture of that! We did find out Dr. Harrington is from Boston, which Scott found really cool. :-) We were talking about television not being good for babies and she was telling us the reasons why. She and Scott agreed that the only time T.V. is ok for Landon right now is if the Red Sox are on. She's GREAT and we're very thankful to our friends Dana and Bobbi for the referral! Here are a few photo's from our time at the doctor.

Bathtime

Landon out grew his "bath hammock" and is now just in the baby tub. He actually started to enjoy bathtime last week. We were able to get through the bath, lotioning and massage without any fussing! That was kind of a big deal. ;-) Here are a few of my favorite bath pictures....so far.

Father's Day

Here are a few pictures from Scott's first Father's day. I did my best to make his day special and I think he enjoyed it. We celebrated with his dad Saturday then had brunch with my Dad, Shannon and the twins Sunday morning. There was a lot of relaxing later in the day too!

Playdate with cousin Colby

We were so thrilled last weekend to have Angie (Scott's sis) and our new nephew, Colby, in town. Landon loved meeting his cousin and we got some pretty cute pictures of them together. The matching outfits were compliments of Nana. Thanks Nana! :-) It was so much fun to see the boys together and I just know they will be good friends through the years. It was also really nice for me to have a good visit with Angie talking about all kinds of baby stuff. It's wonderful to talk to other mom's who are going through the same thing, at the same time as I am. It was really special for me to bond with Angie through our babies. I've always felt blessed to have such a wonderful family and after marrying Scott I am definitely double blessed! I truly have the best in-laws!