10 Months Old!

Double digits! Can you believe it!

Logan continues to bloom each and every day. His language skills have definitely been developing lately. He loves to mimic and will often do it on command. Aka: "Logan, say 'da-da.'" 

He makes the "b" sound for blueberries and knows what a kitty says. 

I am also pretty certain I heard him say "kitty" also, well, his version anyway. 

He has been a very oral baby all along, but now his babbling feels very conversational.

This month he also started clapping his hands and doing the "roll 'em up" motion from patty cake. There is a lot of "Yay!"-ing accompanied by clapping going on around here these days. 

Logan can also answer several questions like, "Where are you hands?" , feet, toes, a book, etc.

Speaking of books, they are a favorite right now. We keep a basket of toys and a basket of books in the living room, and lately he is more often looking at a book than playing with toys. 

He loves to turn the pages, and lift the flaps, too. When you sit down to read to Logan you better have a stack of books ready, because just a couple is never enough!

This month he also got his first tooth! (Finally!) The second one is working hard on popping through, and his gums are so puffy that they almost swallow the one he already has!

Lately sleep has been a bit rough. After so much traveling Logan became very accustomed to nursing to sleep, and would want me to nurse him to sleep multiple times during the night! We are currently working on disassociating nursing and sleeping, by nursing after naps instead of before and reading a few books after our bedtime nursing session. We are only a few days into this, and I am still nursing during the night, but it is already getting better.

Coming up this month we have Easter with family and cousins! 

If only Logan would start walking within the next two weeks so he could hunt eggs too. ;) 

I can't wait to see him play with his cousins again!

P.S. Yes, all he owns are white onesies. :P 

Thoughts on Thankfulness: Milk Supply

Today I thawed out and disposed of my tiny "freezer stash." Every bit of it was pumped when Logan was in Children's hospital at one week old. 

I never once had to rely on my stash, and for that I am very, very thankful. I know many women have issues with low milk supply and I feel lucky to have not had that problem. 

After feeling so thankful for that I decided to share

Our Breastfeeding Journey 

One of my 44 in 404 goals is to breastfeed for at least a year. At almost 10 months, I do not see it being an issue at all. It is such a natural part of our daily lives. Logan still nurses 6-9 in a day (depending on how many times he get up in the night!). 

Our breastfeeding journey has been fun, with our fair share of challenges, but nothing I would consider major. 

Logan latched soon after birth and nursed for 10 solid minutes. The next five days were full of challenging feedings, working on getting a good latch established. I was so grateful for my mom's help in those early days. 

Then on day five he really seemed to be backsliding. Then he just wasn't eating at all, even when we dribbled the milk into his mouth. Of course, that is what put us in Children's where he was diagnosed with PDA. 

Because of his PDA, Logan would get very tired during feedings, and sometimes his little feet would turn blue. Nursing is like a workout for tiny little babies! I started pumping and bottle feeding, and kept meticulous notes on when and how much he ate.

For four and a half weeks I wrote down every bit Logan ate down to the quarter ounce. It started in the hospital when the nurses wanted to know how much he was consuming, and it became a habit I couldn't seem to break. 

I knew I wanted to switch back to the breast eventually, but I had become accustomed to knowing exactly how much he was eating and was nervous about him being physically ready. I visited with a lactation consultant, she was so sweet and helpful, but I can't give her the credit. My mom and sister visited for a weekend and gave me the real push I needed to stop writing and to start trying. 

It was a sticky, wet, milky mess at first. Lots of skin on skin and letting him just "play" around with it. They convinced me to start on the Sunday morning that they left, and the only times I pumped after that were just a few middle of the night feedings when Logan was just to sleepy to put forth the effort. I was so amazed at how fast and how easily he was able to transition from bottle to breast. 

Since then we have had only very minor bumps in the road. A few times I think my monthly cycle changed the taste, because he would be very fussy at the breast for a few days then everything would settle back in to normal. 

Only in the last few days has he started to bite me. Yeouch! He has only done it a few times, but when he does he looks up at me for a reaction! I think he knows he isn't supposed to, so he is testing his limits. I give him a firm "no," and take away his "num num." He is smart, so he shouldn't take long to catch on. 

We both feel like pros now, and I look forward to the months ahead. I know I will be sad when he weans. 

9 Months Old!

Logan has had personality from day one, when he was giving us the eyebrow and asking, "are you the ones who dared to remove me from my cozy womb?" 

But these days? Oh my, how the personality doth bloometh. 

Accurate depiction of 9 months:

This boy wants to be standing at all times. However, since that isn't possible(yet!) it is handy that he is now a crawling PRO. He can get where he wants to be and pull up on almost anything. Except for the spinning red recliner. That one still gives him the run around. 

Last month I wrote that I wouldn't be doing these monthly photo shoots without my assistant.

Wish I would have read that before I took this month's without him! Luckily I caught little Lo-Lo every time he dove head first off the chair. Sitting still is not an option when you have just learned how to make your body work for you!

At his 9 months well-baby visit Logan weighed in at 17.2 lbs and was 29.3 inches long. That puts him in the 10th percentile for weight and 84th percentile for height. From birth to six months his weight percentile dropped at every appointment. At his six month well-baby visit he was down to the 5th percentile. We were glad to see it has raised to 10%. PDA can make it difficult for babies to gain weight.

Speaking of PDA, he will be undergoing a catheter procedure to close the hole in his heart next month on March 22. Please keep us in your prayers!

Logan has always loved books, and now he can turn the pages and lift the flaps on his own! It is so much fun to see his understanding of language grow. He knows what the phrase "turn the page" means and where to find a book when I ask if he wants to read one.

Not only does he understand things we are saying, he is starting to try to say a little of his own! He has been babbling for several months, but now he is starting to say "Mama" and "Da-da." Last night while we were reading I am pretty sure he said "dog" too! He also has a strange little sound he makes when he sees Molly. 

He is turning into a little ham. I love it! Whenever we laugh he laughs right along with us whether he gets the joke or not. And if I say "cheeeese," he makes this face:

This adorable wrinkled nose smile is his new favorite face to make. It started last weekend, and I don't see an end in sight. 

When it comes to meal time, this boy can put away the food! He loves to feed himself and is very good at it. So far there isn't anything that he doesn't like. Cuties are a definite favorite. Although they are a teensy bit labor intensive for me, but I don't mind. ;)

This past month sleep has not been the best. At nine months old Logan has 0 teeth. They are on the way though, and I blame them for the poor sleep. I study his gums daily and am convinced that he is working on four at once. 

I can't believe Logan's first year is already 3/4 of the way over. It has flown by so fast. I imagine the next three months are going to be a blur, and I am trying my best to savor every day. 

As with every prior month, this is the best one yet.

*YES! I finally have a new charger for my camera! However, I have never claimed to be a photographer and never will. :)

8 Months Old!

(Yes, these pictures are YET again taken with my phone. A new camera charger is on the way!)

These pictures aren't getting any easier to take, but they are definitely getting more fun! Just like Logan!

He has recently started rocking back and forth on his hands and knees. Crawling isn't far behind!

His little personality just continues to bloom. Now he will hide behind a blanket or other object to play peekaboo with us. He also has a new game that has been dubbed "Flop Neck." He flops his head to one side or the other and waits for you to mimic him. It always cracks him up.

Speaking of cracking up, Logan is laughing so much more now! Sometimes he will be laughing at seemingly nothing. Although I am sure we just didn't get the joke. ;)

Last month he discovered the letters, this month that poor tiger got some serious abuse.

Who knows what the next four months will bring! I probably won't be taking them without my assistant (Matt) anymore though!

Snow Memories

Where I grew up in Texas it didn't snow very often. So when it did, it was a big deal. Especially if you were a kid. And even more so if it was a school day!

I remember my mom would always wake me up by quietly whispering in my ear, "It snowed last night."

I would go from asleep to looking out the window in no time at all!

It snowed here recently, and the bright winter wonderland, still untouched by any playful children, reminded me of those mornings. 

I now have my own child, and I can't wait to make special memories with him as he grows up. 

I will always remember those lightly whispered words and the excitement I felt in those moments.