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

7 months old!

On December 15, LB turned 7 months old! Getting closer and closer to many more milestones, but enjoying every single one day by day. I expected lots of changes lots of challenges, lots of learning to be done when LB was born, but some things I just didn't anticipate. I never eve really thought about some things. Trimming tiny fingernails...and even harder, trimming tiny toe nails. And constantly! It's like every day for my boy! Grocery shopping, just LB and me. He is now finally able to sit in the big boy seat in the cart which makes it a lot easier to fill up my cart, but I make sure I keep a hand on him at ALL TIMES! I promise you the washer and dryer eat baby socks too, not just adult ones. I even have the mesh bag for his socks and they still go missing! Oh how I adore being a wife, mommy and pregnant!! 

Now that LB is army crawling very fast, he gets up on his hands and knees and will rock back and forth! He has taking a few real crawls but hasn't gotten the hang of it totally! He also will come pull on my pant legs when he wants to be picked up! He can get in the sitting position and does it so well! How is all tis possible? He was just born the other day! Although I'm so proud and excited about all these things he's learning to do, it still makes me sad. Although I'm tired and grouchy at times I don't wish away his infant months...I want to enjoy every second that he's little! I hear Byron say all the time "I can't wait until he's 4 or 5 and I can take him fishing and hunting" but deep down I'm crying cuz I don't want him to grow up too fast. I appreciate being tired during this stage of his life. I find myself afraid to blink at times. 

LB is now to the stage that he reaches for me!! It's so precious! It melts my heart! Even more precious Is watching him reach for his daddy! LB does everything with a smile on his face. If he is anything, he is fearless. LB is the cutest, sweetest, funniest guy in the whole world. 

LB is eating some table food but mainly baby food! He loves all fruits and is also a fan of squash and beans. 

"Yes, having a chi dis surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit." --Bill Cosby

We love you LB! To the moon and back. 

6 month post!

This is wayyyy past due but I find I spend my time giving LB my full attention and by the time I get me time after he goes to bed, I wanna spend it going to bed myself! So I'm finally getting time to post about his 1/2 birthday :) It's amazing to me the changes that can happen to someone so tiny in 6 months. To see these changes take place daily just blows my mind. At his 6 month well baby check up he weighed 18 pounds and 10.5 ounces and was 27.5 inches. His feet are about hanging out of his car seat! He's going to get his daddy's height! Or maybe his Uncle Daniel's! He is wearing size 3 diaper, 6/9 month clothes and 9 month pajamas!

LB is now sitting up on his own, can be a little wobbly at times but it's amazing how he is learning to catch his balance as well! He is Army crawling EVERYWHERE! He will disappear in a matter of seconds. Byron loves to play with LB on the floor! He says LB is tough and sometimes scares me with how rough he plays (he does that on purpose though)! LB adores Thorn and Thorn adores him; Thorn is so calm and gentle around it and they are becoming best friends!!

LB, you are mommy and daddy's pride and joy!

We love you!

5 months OLD!

On October 15, LB turned 5 months old. I know this post is late, but a lot has happened over the past month!! LB is going to be a BIG BROTHER. That's right...we are expecting again! June 2015 our next blessing will arrive. 

Size 3 diapers.
Mostly size 6/9 12 month clothes.
Still LOVES bath time.
Likes to watch Veggie Tales with Daddy.
Spoiled by mommy :)
Eats about every 4-5 hours.

LB is growing so fast, eats wonderful, and never sleeps! HA. He loves cereal, sweet potatoes, and peas (haven't introduced much of anything else yet). We will be attempting a LOT more foods when he turns 6 months. He has learned so much this past month. He is ALMOST sitting up, he is scooting and almost ARMY crawling. He is talking all the time, and laughs 24/7.
As I wish I had more time to blog, I would rather spend my spare time with my baby boy, because I know this time is going quick, so I will just being doing quick and short post from now on. I just want to keep this as a little journal of milestones in my baby boys life. 

Soon to be family of 4 :)

4 months old!

Little Byron is growing so fast! Yesterday marked 4 months old for this little boy and I CAN believe it. Time never slows down, no matter what your age. Some days feel like they last a lifetime, and then it's like I simply blink and another month has flown by. I guess that's just the beauty of motherhood.

My big boy now weighs 16 pounds and 6.5 ounces (80th percentile). He is 24 3/4 inches tall (45th percentile) and I'm praying he doesn't get my height! haha We had his 4 month check up yesterday and he did great! Dr. Champlin is pleased with his development, and he was a trooper for his shots. He didn't feel too good the rest of the day though, and we cuddled all night long!

He is so social and happy- in reality, he is always smiling; he smiles at everyone he sees, especially his daddy. He talks up a storm, and this boy can LAUGH. It's the sweetest sound ever...his Daddy can make him giggle for hours. They truly have a special bond.

He now reaches for everything. He can grasp a toy, and will put anything in his mouth. He loves being outside, and enjoys riding the 4wheeler with his daddy. I am looking forward to the cooler weather and lots of playtime outside!

Still wearing size 2 diapers.

Wearing 3/6 month clothes, and some 6/9 month! 

Eats 6 oz every 4ish hours! 

Sleeps from 8pm to 6am, waking up 2-3 times to eat!

We are blessed. 

 

Here are some of my favorite pics over the last month!

MY WHOLE WORLD 😍

3 Months Old!

It's August 16, so I missed the real day, but yesterday LB turned another month older! It seems I just posted 2 month pictures, so it's crazy I'm already posting 3 month pictures! LB is growing so fast; he's flying through his wardrobe and SOON will be outgrowing his 3-6 month clothes! He still wears size 2 diapers, but not sure how much longer those will be comfy for him. He doesn't mind wearing hats, but I can't keep shoes on this litte fella at all.    

     

    

                                        

LB has started sharing little laughs with everyone and smiles all the time. His laugh is the sweetest sound ever. He is a very strong baby and holds his head up very well! He loves to stand up with help and will just bounce and grin the whole time! 

I started back to work August 4! LB is staying with his great nanny and they are both having a blast. I am barely in the door to drop him off and his great papa is reaching to get him out of his car seat! I'm so thankful he's able to stay with family! It wasn't until Tuesday that I had an emotional breakdown at work and started bawling. The days don't get easier, but it's good to be in a routine. 

LB got to ride on an airplane at just 10 weeks old! I was scared and nervous. I was gonna be that mom that everyone stares at in the airport and whispers under their breath "I hope they aren't on my flight." But there was nothing to be nervous about. 6 flights total and LB was perfect...I mean slept most of the flights or was awake and smiling. I went to Pennsylvania with my dad to visit all his family! 

It's impossible to write about everything that's happened in month 3 of LB's life, so here are some of my favorite pictures over the last month! 

My carhartt baby!

First airplane ride!!

Four generations :)

First kayak trip

He still adores bath time! I can't wait until he can sit up by himself and play in the tub!

Shopping trip to Branson with his nana and aunts!

Mommys first day back to work!

Survived the first week while mommy was at work!! Now cuddles all weekend!

Child of God!

Tummy time with daddy!

A little fun in the sun!

When you're a kid, colors are more vibrant, sounds are more beautiful and smells are more fascinating. Kids love brightly colored things. The world is captivating to a child. Ugly pots and pans can keep them entertained for hours and a cardboard box is the best gift ever! When a child asks "why?" it's because their awe of the world, not their need for logic or reason. God wants us to view Him with childlike eyes. To just trust Him and know no limits. To trust Him always. When you're a kid, you're parents are brave enough to scare monsters out of your closet, caring enough to heal owies with a kiss, strong enough to lift you high above their heads in play, and smart enough to plan your daily activities. When you are a kid, everything us simple. Right or wrong. Black or white. Then you grow up and things are more complicated. But for today, let's keep things simple. Let's keep it wonderful and amazing. Let's practice this until it becomes habit. Let's have childlike eyes.