9 months old!

February 15, 2015 LB turned 9 months old.
Size 3 diapers, getting snug but 4 seems kinda big on him
12 months clothes (for the most part), and 18 month PJ's
Size 4 tennis shoes
ZERO teeth but doesn't stop him from eating!
9 month checkup on 2/24/15 for new weight and height stats!!
Although he sounds babblish, I think he's saying mamamama and dadadad and his newest word UH OH!!

It's hard to believe that my tiny little 8lb 4oz baby has grown into this handful of a 9 month old. He's got a HUGE personality; you know when he's happy and you know when he is mad! It is so much fun to watch him develop daily, even hourly it seems at times. This month brought more "firsts" for us. LB took his first two steps on his 9 month birthday; he was using a push toy, but hey, I consider him mobile now. He will stand up, unassisted and just flap his arms...we clap for him and he gets sooo excited he falls over!! He is also learning how to clap...still working on it..but he did clap at a basketball game we attended (probably because that's all people did the whole game)!! haha He doesn't seem to like baby food anymore, so he eats what we eat; but modified at times. He loves ravioli, yogurt, club crackers, noodles, green beans, baked beans, and yes Byron even gave him some chocolate on Valentines Day..judge us, we don't care!!

I think parenting is a lot of "perfect little accidents." Things never go just as you plan them to. There will always be bumps along the way, but I pride myself in my ability to roll with the punches. When it comes to most things, I'm pretty laid back. Having a baby and being pregnant is a complete release of control. A handing over of reigns. Things DO NOT have to go perfectly all the time. Parenting is truly trusting God in every avenue of your life, because at any given moment, life does NOT make sense. But that trust...it leads to those perfect little accidents. Those moments that stop you right in your tracks and you can't help but be thankful and full of joy.

You may be wondering what I mean by "perfect accident" but as a parent you can probably guess. Any little thing, like simply adding too much ingredients to a recipe, but then realizing it tastes so much better even though you made a little glitch. It can be anything really, but when it happens, you realize right then how perfect the accident was. Well you all know that every baby puts EVERYTHING in their mouth! I'm still wondering how long this phase lasts!?! Well anyways, LB will play while I am cooking, sometimes in the living room with Byron and sometimes he makes it into the kitchen with me. Well he crawled in the kitchen and as I turned around, he was in IT, the dog food bowl, about to put a piece in his mouth....and I rushed over there, tripping and spilled the dog water bowl all over my baby, I scooped him up and said "UH OH", and he replied "UH OH" back...I know it seems silly, but a little accident led us to another milestone in this little ones life!! Another word, another understanding, more comprehension, or was he simply copying mama!

This was also the month that we got to announce that LB was getting a baby BROTHER! That's right, another Doughty BOY!! Hehe!! His name will be Trevor Allen and we will call him TAD. On February 16, I turned 22 weeks..although, I have not been sick with this pregnancy, I have been exhausted...maybe it's because I'm constantly entertaining a baby! But I love it!!! We are looking forward to what a household of a 13 month old and newborn will be like!!

I don't always have that "me" time anymore. I don't always get to eat my dinner hot off the stove. I rarely have time to mop my floors or clean my bathroom, but I have a baby boy and he calls me mama!!!

Love my little man! Happy 9 months big boy!

8 Months Old!

On January 15, LB turned 8 months old!

Size 3 diapers
Mostly 12 month clothes and 18 month PJ's
Size 3 shoes
Bathes in the tub now
Pulling up on the couch
Eating lots of table food
No teeth yet

My list could go on and on. This little boy is amazing. He is learning so many things, including the word "NO!" haha.  LB's has begin pulling up on EVERYTHING...the couch, the dog, chairs, the TV cabinets, in his crib, opening his dresser drawers...this boy is an explorer. He takes steps along objects! Today, he stood up, and let go and Byron and I were amazed! How can this be happening already. I'm ready for him to learn new things but it's still sad at the same time. I guess this means we are getting pretty close to walking independently. We bought him his first pair of tennis shoes, and he was a little unsure of them at first and just liked to untie them and bang them on the floor, but soon he will realize that they are for support and he will be on the run! He has also graduated from the "army crawl" to crawling on all fours. He loves to be chased when crawling so I can only imagine how much he will like to be chased when he learns to run and play outside; oh how I can't wait for spring because this boy loves to be outdoors!!

This boy can sure eat. He loves ALL fruits, including prunes! He will not drink any kind of juice, but after all that is loaded with sugar, so I'm fine with that! He is not a big fan of baby food veggies, but will eat green beans and steamed carrots off my plate! Everytime he sees Byron or me eating, he thinks he HAS to eat too. He has had quite the experience with food already! He still drinks about 4-5 six ounce bottles a day and 1-2 overnight! We are working on sleeping better at night, but on average he still wakes up 1-2 times. He starts off in the crib, and somehow when I wake up, he's in my bed :)

He still loves bathtime! He will splash and splash and throw his toys in the water over and over! He's also practicing brush his gums because we still don't have teeth yet!

He spent his first night away from Byron and I (actually for a week) from December 27-January 3! He stayed with his Nana and Pappy and aunts and uncles! He had a blast and so did they! Although that weekend, he got sick for the first time, and when I mean sick, not just the average runny nose or cold, but a bad case of croup! He had to get a steroid shot and was on oral steroids; oh how that broke my heart! I slept sitting up with him and with his every barking cough, my heart broke more. It took about a week, but then he was back to his goofy, smiling, silly self!

I love this little guy to pieces and can't wait to see what the next 8 months bring!!

Love,
Mommy