7 Months

I just love that wide open mouthed grin this boy has! He seriously has the best smile. Austin is now 16 lbs 6 ounces and 26 1/4 inches tall. He is about an inch shorter than Jacob was at this age and weighs about the same. He is wearing size 3 diapers and 6 month clothes. I think the time is going by so fast! I can't believe Austin is already 7 months old. Life has just been so busy I look back and feel like I haven't been able to enjoy his at all. I feel like I missed out on his infantcy. But then I think how hard and challenging it has been and I'm glad we are where we are. I think I'm ready for life to slow down a bit though. I don't want to miss him growing up. Life just needs to slow down a little!

Austin has really taken off learning to work his body the past week and a half... It all started when I decided I was going to re-teach him how to roll over from his back to his stomach. He used to do it but then stopped. Well.. It took like an hour before he was doing it on his own and he didn't stop after that. Every day he got better at working his body and can now get up on his hands and knees, transition from sitting to hands and knees and can get himself back up into a sitting position from the ground. He is so so close to crawling and I know as soon as he figures it out he is going to be off! I really think it will be within the next week. He seems to be happier, especially now that he can get himself back up to a sitting position if he falls over. He has also gotten up onto his feet a few times on lower objects. So I don't think it will be long before he is pulling himself up next to the couch either.

This boy is a mama's boy. I have gotten to the point that I avoid the area he is in because if he is happy and sees me he will automatically get upset because he wants me and if he is already upset then he gets really angry if he sees me and I don't pick him up. I know I should love it, but it kind of drives me crazy. The reason I don't think I enjoy it as much is because even when I do pick him up he isn't content to just be with me. It's like he can't get close enough to me and acts like he is trying to absorb himself into me body! He also tries to eat me and is pretty uncontent even when I hold him. I know most of his behavior is because he isn't feeling well in some way but it can still get frustrating. Every once in awhile he will just sit contently with me and cuddle with me and that I do very much enjoy! He is our little cuddle bug and I think as he gets older he will start cuddling more and more. And he is still the best cry/smiler I know! Even when he is upset you can usually get a good smile out of him and if your really good a cry/laugh out of him. Even though he tries to be angry he just can't help but be happy. Although he's a mama's boy, he still goes to anyone just fine and smiles at everyone. It's cute because when I'm holding him and others talk to him or smile at him he usually will turn to me and give me this look like, "Is it ok if I smile at them?" Then turns to them with a big grin. He will also get all shy sometimes and when anyone talks to him he leans his head onto my shoulder. Yes. I do think it's adorable!

Some fun things Austin is doing right now is suck on his top and bottom lip, fake cough, shoving all his fingers in his mouth and gagging on them, and when he is angry, blow raspberries with his mouth and rotate his hands in a circle while opening and closing his fingers. He loves attention and being played with and tickled. Usually all Scott or I have to do is lay on the floor and let him crawl all over me and that will make him pretty happy. He also seems to enjoy changing his diaper and will calm down as soon as I start changing it. Then as soon as I'm done he usually starts crying again. Sometimes while I'm changing his diaper he will clasp his hands over his chest and I think it's really cute. Austin is getting better at working the walker but still hasn't quite learned how to move forward in it. He also spends a lot of time in the jumper still and will stay pretty content as long as I'm right there next to him. It's usually where he hangs out while I'm cooking dinner. Austin still doesn't love baths and still seems to have a fear of it. So I still want to work on that.

Sometimes with Austin I feel like we take 2 steps forward, 1 step back. He was doing so good and seemed to be so happy a month ago and this past month I feel like he has gone back to being pretty fussy most of the day. I know he doesn't handle pain and discomfort well but sometimes I feel like it doesn't matter what I do or don't do or what I'm cutting out of my diet he still seems to be in discomfort or unhappy the majority of the time. I really think his digestive system is immature or hasn't quite figured things out yet and that is why I have to be careful with what I'm eating. We've done allergy testing and everything has come back normal. So I really think I just have to wait it out until his body can figure out how to handle food better.

About a week ago we did start Austin on solids and I probably should have been more careful with how I started him but he just loves food so much, and I hate the whole feeding process so much, that it was just easier to feed him table food. Well after about 5 days he got very fussy and pretty much stopped pooping so I stopped solids. Again, I think his digestive system is pretty sensitive still so it just upset his stomach and intestines. I'm going to take a break and let him body get back to normal then I'm going to start into solids again much slower. It's just hard because he just loves food and wants to eat everything! I had started him on some finger foods as well but stopped then before he really figured out how to do it. We are still nursing every 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Every once in awhile a 3 hour stretch, usually in the morning because he doesn't usually want to eat right after he wakes up or if he takes a long nap. He has started playing with his feet while he nurses and I just think it's really cute.

This past month I really started focusing in a Austin's sleeping. I was so tired of him being up till 11 or midnight. But with lots of hard work we have now moved his bedtime up to between 9 and 10! YAY!!! We still have to be careful and really watch his evening nap... But we have done pretty good. He is still getting up anywhere from 3 to 5 times a night. Most nights it's just every 2 hours. And I feed him because he goes to sleep so much faster if I just nurse him back to sleep and I'm too tired to take the time to rock/bounce him. And he gets up between 8 and 8:30. I also have spent some time trying to teach Austin how to fall asleep on his own and a couple weeks ago he started doing it really well! ..... For about three days....
And I thought it was funny because when he started putting himself to sleep and I just had to lay him in his crib and leave, A) I just felt like I had so much more time because I wasn't spending a huge chunk of my day putting him to sleep, and B) I surprisingly felt kind of sad because I felt like Austin didn't need me anymore and that he was growing up. I guess good thing he only did it for a few days! Haha. He has been taking good naps though. He takes 3 to 4 naps a day and will usually have one or two long ones. We'll figure this whole sleeping thing out someday.... I would really love if he started sleeping longer then 1-2 hour stretches. As well as put himself to sleep.

Austin was sporting a nice bruise across his forehead for a few days. Jacob wanted to hold him and then while he was holding him decided he wanted to take off with him. Unfortunatly for Austin, while he was walking he got top heavy then kind of started running, then ended up falling on top of Austin hitting Austin's head on the wood edge of the recliner. :( He felt really bad. But of course, even after a hit like that Austin comes right back around to sport his new bruise with his smile.

6 Months

This kid... What a little cutie! At Austin's 6 month appointment he was 15 lbs 7 oz and 26 inches tall. About the 50th percentile for both. He has been moved up to size 3 diapers and 6 month clothes. 6 month appointment meant another round of shots. :( Austin doesn't do the best with shots and they always make him a little cranky for a few days.

This past month has been so enjoyable with Austin! He has been reasonably happy and getting a lot better at self entertaining! It makes me so happy! He is also becoming quite the little mama's boy... More and more it seems he gets upset if he sees me and I'm not holding him. If he doesn't see me he is usually fine. So if he is happily playing I try my hardest to stay out of view. Austin has the biggest/best mouth open smile! I love it! He is also the most ticklish. He has been from day one. He laughs all the time from getting tickled. And I probably do it more than I should because it's cute when he laughs.

About 3 weeks ago Austin learned how to jump in the jumper. He seems to really enjoy it! I will often bring it with me in the kitchen when I am cooking and it usually keeps him pretty entertained. Another thing Austin does is throw his toys. Not on purpose I don't think.. But just as he's playing with them he throws them all just out of reach then gets mad because he doesn't have anything to play with anymore. He will also do it with his pacifier when he doesn't want it and you are trying to give it to him. Austin is really loving that he can sit up now. He really doesn't seem to like laying down for any reason. Probably because once he is laying down he can't figure out how to move his body so he can't do anything. He really just stays in one spot all the time. Doesn't roll, move backwards, move forwards or side to side. He just stays exactly where you put him. Which is nice in a way and not nice in a way because he will just get mad when he can't get something. I guess he did learn how to roll from his tummy to his back but he isn't very good at it and doesn't do it very often. About a week ago he did start pushing himself up with his arms. So maybe that will motivate him to start moving. Austin did have a first this month and that was riding an airplane for the first time!

Austin does not like baths. In fact. He seems quite terrified of them. As soon as I put him in the bath he is freaking out. He does just bathe with his older siblings because it's easier, but every time they did anything with water Austin would freak out. So the last bath I gave him I did it in the sink and after a little bit he seemed to calm down and start to enjoy it. So I'll need to stop bathing him with the older kids and let him get more comfortable with the water. He also doesn't really like being left alone. He is a people person and wants to be where the people are. He also hates when we are changing his clothes and you have to put the shirt over his head. If it takes too long he kind of starts freaking out.

About 5 days ago we had our last appointment with the Chiropractor! YAY!!! We went in to adjust him and they couldn't find anything that needed adjusted! So we are all pretty excited about that and glad that Austin's body is holding everything in the place it should be.

I think Austin really enjoys nursing. I definitely nurse more often then I nursed any of my other kids and I think it's because he wants to nurse more often then any of my other kids. We are still nursing every 1 1/2 hours to about 3 hours if he gets a long nap in. We haven't really started any solids yet because we've been really busy and I just don't like that stage. But we will probably start him in the next couple weeks. I have given him random food here and there while I'm eating, like applesauce. Or sliced apples or carrots which he seems to enjoy. I'll also give him the occasional rice husk here and there. About three weeks ago I did give him yogurt to see how he would do with dairy since I've been off dairy for about 3 months now. He seemed to do well with it but then he got sick and I wasn't able to experiment anymore with it. So I'm still not eating dairy.

Austin's sleeping is still not the greatest. He gets up to nurse usually every 2 hours. Sometimes he'll do a 3 hour stretch. Usually in the mornings if he does when I'm already up with the other kids. And he goes to bed pretty late. Usually between 10 and 11:30 which can be exhausting. He usually wakes up between 8 to 9. Napping has gotten a lot better though! He has started consistently taking a long 2ish hour nap during the day and it's been great! When he is tired he will rub his eyes and his head and if he is nursing while he is tired he will do it while he is nursing. I think it's cute. He also seems to like being laid down on his side to sleep. Austin still can't fall asleep on his own but I read in my sleep book that it's usually after 6 months when they learn how to do it on their own. So I'm hoping this next month we can figure it out.

Parenthood Milestone: Staples

Jacob helped us receive our next parenthood milestone by getting staples today! Let me just say how proud and impressed I was with this little boy today. He was so brave and got his 5 staples like a champ!

We were visiting the Funk's and literally were just about to walk out the door to leave for home when Jacob comes zooming around the corner with Myer, aka the tickle monster, chasing behind when, crash! Jacob forgets there are stairs and tumbles down them hitting the back of his head on the baseboard at the bottom. (At least this is what was gathered from the little bits and pieces that everyone saw...) I was just getting Austin in his car seat at the time. Of course Jacob handled it like a champ like he always does when he gets hurt and even though he had blood dripping down the back of his head and a gaping hole he just keeps saying. I'm ok!

So we decide we should probably take him in to get checked out. I was very worried to take him in because of the traumatic experience for both of us at his last doctor appointment when he got his blood drawn. So I decided I was going to try and talk him through everything I could think they might do to try to prepare him to the best of my ability. At first when we told him he had a cut on the back of his head and that he would have to go to the doctor he kind of had a big melt down. But I just tried to explain over and over what would be happening and with a little bribing (candy and a new airplane) he seemed to become ok with going. I think all of my talking helped because he seriously did soooo good! Like he couldn't have done better. I explained that the doctor might look in his ears and his eyes and they might check his heart and that they would have to give him shots on the back of his head to help it feel better. At first he wasn't very excited about the shots (who can blame him) But after explaining everything he became much more ok with them. I told him that it might be scary but that mom or dad would be with him the whole time and he could sit on one of our laps if he wanted to.

As soon as the nurse brought us back he started asking questions and nonstop talked to her. He asked if they were going to check his ears and eyes and heart and kept asking what she was going to do next and asked her about everything she was doing and writing and it was just so cute. If anyone asked what happened Jacob went into the whole story about being chased by the tickle monster and falling down the stairs and Holland was always mentioned. Then when it was time for the shots and staples. (I made the mistake of telling him they were going to bring a gun in, like a staple gun, and he looks up at me with huge round eyes and says "They are going to shoot me?" Oops...) He wrapped his arms around me and the nurse held his head to my chest and he just sat there. Right before they started Jacob all the sudden remembered he had given dad his pacifier and asked for it back.

I could tell when something hurt because he would squeeze me harder when it hurt. I could tell getting the staples hurt and the first two he handled really well but by the third the tears started. He asked if we were all done and the doctor told him two more and asked what color of popsicle he wanted when he was done. Through clenched teeth and held back tears he said, "green!" He got the last two with some tears but didn't try and move or get away at all. Just held onto me and squeezed harder and harder. He seriously did so good! After we were done he was happy and smiling and even more happy when they brought him a sticker and a green popsicle. He blew me away with how well he handled it! Now he is sporting 5 staples in the back of his head. He is one tough kid and we sure love him!

5 Months

Our little Austin is growing up so fast! He is now 14 lbs 13 oz and 24 3/4 inches tall. I think Austin has the most hair of any of my kids at this age. Still no head full but more than any of my others and we get quite a few comments on it. It also seems to be darker then any of the other kids. I would really love if that kept up and he had dark brown hair! Austin is still wearing 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers.

This kids LOVES being around people and entertained. He is so smiley when anyone is talking to him and he doesn't hold back his laugh either which I love. I'm pretty sure his smile is attached to has abs because anytime he smiles really big he doubles over and crunches into himself. It's pretty funny. He laughs multiple times a day and especially loves when Jacob plays with him and smiles and laughs at him all the time.

Ida has also started trying to play with him as well and it's so fun to watch them all interact with each other. He does not like being left in a room by himself at all and usually isn't even ok if people are in the room but nobody is paying attention to him. I'm trying to find the balance between trying to leave him alone enough to figure out how to self entertain and not leaving him alone too much so he just cries anytime I put him down. It is a fine line and I don't think we have figured it out yet. He also just really likes being held a lot. Which isn't my favorite. So we are figuring it out. He has also decided that laying back in the swing is for newbs and now only sits up in the swing.

Austin is really drooly and loves to spit and blow bubbles with his spit all the time. Earlier in the month whenever he would get really mad he would just spit the whole time and it was really funny except his shirts were always soaked. He has stopped doing it for the most part now although he still drools quite a bit. He spent a few days this past week sucking on his bottom lip and I wanted to get a picture of it but didn't and now he has stopped doing it. He also seems to really like faces and tries to grab and touch your face if you are holding him facing you. I feel like Austin has such good control of his hands and it just gets better all the time. Lately I notice him concentrating so hard to move his hands just how he wants to move them to grab onto and play with things. It's fun watching him concentrate so much. He is my most grabby baby. If you are holding him and anything is within his reach he lunges for it! It makes holding him and doing anything else very difficult... He has also learned how to anticipate and enjoys when we play anticipation games with him.  Austin has the least attachment to the pacifier then any of my other kids. I really like pacifiers so I will keep using it and encouraging it as much as I can unless he flat out refused to take it anymore. If he is hungry and we are trying to give it to him he does not accept it as an acceptable replacement to food. haha

Austin still does not really like the car seat and traveling is still hard with him. I think part of the reason is because he still can't put himself to sleep so when he gets tired he just starts screaming and screaming and has a hard time calming himself down enough to go to sleep. He also has kind of done a regression in tummy time. I feel like he used to do quite well with tummy time and had started learning how to roll from his tummy to his back but now he isn't even close and really doesn't like tummy time anymore. He usually just superman it and doesn't use his arms at all which makes him really mad. He can very easily push himself up on his arms but he doesn't. And isn't even close to rolling over anymore. He also doesn't roll over at all from his back to his stomach anymore. He did start sitting about a week ago and seems to really enjoy that and seems much happier playing that way. But if he knows something is behind him he will get lazy and fall back onto it. Austin also doesn't like bath time. I wonder if it's because I always bathe him at night when he is already kind of grouchy... I think I will try bathing him in the morning when he is more happy.

I feel like the last week or so life has seemed pretty good. Austin is usually pretty happy in the mornings and as the day goes on he gets more grouchy and wants to be held and entertained pretty much constantly in the evenings. I think this just might be his personality. But he has seemed to be doing better and doesn't seem to be in as much pain which makes me happy! We are still going to the chiropractor once a week and he just has a couple problem spots they keep working on in his neck and in his middle back. (Maybe why he stopped liking tummy time?) I think we are getting there though!

I think Austin is my best nurser! He also seems to really like nursing. He has gotten to the stage where he plays with my shirt while he nursing and I just love that and think it's the cutest! He also will rub his head sometimes when he nurses. When he is tired he rubs his eyes so he will also rub his eyes while he is nursing if he is tired. I think Austin is very interested in solid food but I'm just not ready to start him! Plus this next month is going to be really busy and we are going to be doing a lot of traveling so I don't want to have to worry about bringing his food everywhere with me and feeding him when it's just so much easier to just nurse him. So I think we will start in a month or so. He will be very ready when we do start and I think he will enjoy solid food.

Austin's sleeping is better some days and not so much others. Although it does seem more common for him to do a long 3 or 4 hour stretch at night, unfortunately it's just in the mornings when I have to be up with the other kids. But it is progress! Also as of this past week he has started to do one long hour to hour in a half nap during the day! I think this might be to stay but I don't want to get my hopes up... He has started having longer waking periods and will now have 1 or 2 three hour waking periods a day. We still have to bounce or walk Austin to sleep but I'm hoping next month we will be able to teach him how to fall asleep on his own. He does seem to fight going to sleep even when we are holding him a lot of the time. So I don't have any idea how it's going to go. I hope well. But he is also a night owl and doesn't usually go to bed until 10 or 11 at night. So getting his bedtime earlier would be really nice as well! We are no longer using the squirrel suit! We only used it for about 3 weeks before Austin was able to sleep well with it or being swaddled.

What picture taking often looks like with Austin. :)

Austin with his cousin Cooper.

4 months old and 6 weeks old

Austin with his cousin Hyrum.

4 months old and a few days old

2 Week Post-Op: Baby Cyst

I went in for my 2 week post-op appointment for baby cyst and now I don't like the doctor even more then before. First off he came into the appointment completely unprepared. He sent a sample of my tissue to be tested to make sure it wasn't cancerous and instead of reading the report before hand and being prepared with answers, he reads it right in front of me. It turns out my baby cyst wasn't a cyst at all but a borderline tumor. But because he wasn't prepared he wasn't able to give me any answers to what that meant or exactly what the next step would be. He did say that although the tumor wasn't cancerous now it could grow back and become cancerous in the future depending on what kind it was and then told me he had to make some phone calls to the place that tested the tissue to figure out what to do next.... Yup... That was my appointment.

I spent the next 24 hours freaking out because I was going to get cancer and unfortunately Scott was out of town and out of service at the time for work so I wasn't even able to talk to him about it. I literally didn't sleep at all that night. By the next morning I had calmed down. If it was going to turn into cancer it was. And if it wasn't, it wouldn't. I didn't even know if I had anything to be freaking out about in the first place.

Dr. Robinson (I don't recommend him to anyone) was supposed to call me the next day but didn't. After two days I called them and they made a bunch of excuses and said they had been playing phone tag with the test lab. I don't believe them. Either they hadn't tried calling at all yet at this point or had maybe tried once and hadn't gotten through. Finally, 5 days after my appointment he called me right at closing time and left a message with me. I talked to him on the phone a week after my appointment and finally got some answers.

After talking to him at sounds like there is a 20% chance of the tumor coming back at all and a 3% chance of it ever turning into cancer. I've decided Dr. Robinson is terrible at explaining things and still don't really understand the difference between a tumor and cyst because it sounds like it still had all the looks of a cyst. He did say they found intestinal cells in the tumor that are also found in the appendix, which I have already had removed, so we wouldn't have to worry about a tumor growing on my appendix. That is about all I got. So we will be doing a follow up ultrasound to make sure the cyst didn't come back in 4 months. If it hasn't come back we will do another 6 months after that. If it hasn't come back by then it sounds like I don't really have to worry about it coming back. If it does come back they will probably do surgery to remove my left ovary. So it sound's like there isn't really a big chance of it coming back at all so I don't really need to worry about it. If it does come back I am definitely changing doctors.

4 Months

Austin is now 14 pounds 2 ounces (25th percentile) and 23 1/2 inches tall. He only weighs 2 ounces more than Jacob did so I think his growth is going to start evening out like the rest of my children. He is wearing 3-6 month clothes soon. (When I get the desire to switch all his clothes again....) and size 2 diapers. Austin's hair seems to be pretty dark still. Even all the new hair growing in. We get compliments on his hair all the time but I'm not really sure why. haha He does have hair. Although not a ton of it, but it is on the darker side so maybe that just makes it more noticeable? I'm not sure. Austin also had his next set of shots today which he handled like a champ! I'm pretty sure he cries a lot harder when we are letting him cry it out or just mad then when they gave him the shots. And then as soon as Scott picked him up he was done crying.

I feel like Austin is so attentive! He is definitely very aware of you and loves to be around you. He does not like being left alone and loves attention! And when you are giving him that attention he rewards you with very big smiles. He loves to smile and is the best at cry smiling. haha Yes, even when he is mad he is willing to flash the smile. Austin has also become quite the talker!

He loves to talk to himself when he is playing with toys or in the car seat. (Which he still doesn't really like, sometimes he hates it a lot more than others. You just hope on trips he's having an ok car seat day) It is so fun and I love hearing him talk. I also love hearing him laugh! He laughs so much more than my other kids did and I am loving it!

Some other things Austin discovered this past month were blowing raspberry spit bubbles and gurgling spit in the back of his throat. He has started sucking on his hands more but I don't feel like he does it very often. I think if any of my kids end up being a finger sucker he is the most likely. It seems he usually sucks on his hand the most to comfort himself, not for fun. And at night he wiggles his hand up and I can hear him sucking on it sometimes. So we shall see.

Jacob playing with Austin

Because Austin loves to be entertained and has a short attention span we pretty much rotate him through toys all day long. So he rotates through the play mat, walker, jumper, swing and bouncy chair. You would think all these toys would keep Austin entertained but it doesn't. Myself or the kids usually have to also be in the room and he still just likes being held a lot. He has started liking sitting in the lazy boy with toys all around him to play with.

Austin seems to have pretty good hand coordination. He has gotten really good at grabbing onto toys and has started bringing them up to his mouth. He also discovered his toes a little over a week ago and now likes to grab onto them as well. We are reaching the hard stage of the wub when Austin likes to pull it out every time you put it in his mouth. But he has also put it in his mouth by himself a handful of times this past week and seems to be getting better and better at it everyday!

About two weeks ago Austin rolled over from his back to his tummy for the first time! And after he started doing it he didn't stop doing it... That is.... Until a few days later when I think he discovered rolling over meant he was then stuck on his stomach which he didn't like being so he kind of stopped. But for those couple days he was a rolling over machine! Since then he has done it a few times but usually just sticks to laying on his back.

So about a month ago I was so frustrated with Austin's fussiness and or seeming pain that he was in and I felt like I had tried everything and nothing was working. I was chatting to my friend Laina about it one day and she suggested I take him to a chiropractor. (Which was actually the second time she had mentioned it but the first time I actually listened) We took him the next day and it was so validating to me because with out me mentioning these things first, he talked specifically about three things he noticed about Austin that wasn't quite right. And these three things were the same three things Scott and I had noticed as well and asked the pediatrician about, who said it was fine. So the things the chiropractor saw was his head wasn't symmetrical and it was more slanted on his left side as well as his face being more scrunched on that side. He also mentioned that Austin wasn't able to turn his head as far to the left as he could the right. And the third thing he saw was that when Austin was laying on his back his body kind of naturally curved to the left making his stomach bulge out to the right. He then explained to me that he thinks when Austin was developing in the womb that instead of being curled into a ball with his spine straight, that he was curled into a ball but his spine was slightly curved to the left giving him a left pelvic tilt and pressing his head against the womb making it so his left side couldn't expand as much as the right side of his head and kinking his neck. Kind of like how he is in this pic....

After examining Austin, the first thing he told me was, "If I didn't know anything about this baby the first question I would ask you is, does he cry a lot?" He then told me that the tightness in Austin's neck muscles was something you would usually see in an 8 to 9 month old but very rarely in a 3 month old. He also said that with the pelvic tilt, if left alone, would probably have caused some problems when it came to crawling because his left side wouldn't have been as efficient as his right side and he probably would have drug his left leg a bit.

Since then we have been going to the chiropractor twice a week. He was able to fix Austin's head and face bone structure and get the left side expanded out like the right and the pelvic tilt pretty easily but his neck is still tight and causing some pain. Austin is still fussy and needy but I think he is a lot more content then he used to be. And I don't feel like he is in pain all the time now which is a relief! And as he gets older and can entertain himself better he seems to be less fussy as well if we keep a variety of toys in front of him all day. He seems to just get more fussy throughout the day. So in the morning he is a pretty happy camper. But as the day goes on he get more and more fussy and by the time evening hits he pretty much wants held or entertained at all times. We are still currently going to the chiropractor and will until we can get Austin's neck to stay where it is supposed to.

Austin's sleeping has been the biggest challenge. The chiropractor believes the pain from his neck is the main cause of this. Although I feel like Austin's sleeping schedule at night is all over the place, he pretty consistently will only sleep 2 hour stretches and on bad nights be up every hour. He has occasionally sleep 3 or 4 hour stretches though and we are trying to get that to be more consistent. I do feel like Austin must have a pretty awesome internal alarm clock though because I feel like on nights he is only sleeping 2 hour stretches it's like clock work and he gets up every 2 hours. On nights he is sleeping 3 hour stretches, again, like clock work, every 3 hours. And during the day he takes 30 min naps and you can time them! It's like exactly 30 mins every time! I do feel like we are getting a good sleep schedule during the day. Yes, he does only sleep 30 mins at a time but he also takes like 5 naps a day every 90 mins. He is kind of transitioning to going to bed earlier which means between 8-9. But will still occasionally go to bed later around 10. Just depends on the day. He will also very very occasionally take a longer nap then 30 mins. But that's like once a month. haha Austin still needs help being put to sleep but he didn't really like being rocked and walking around got old so we decided to try an exercise ball and he likes it! So apparently he isn't a rocker he is a bouncer! :) Also the past week or so Austin has not really loved being swaddled. Plus he would break out of the swaddle and every night I'd have to re-swaddle him like 5 times! But I have tried just laying him down with nothing and he would like wake up every time. So.... Drum roll please... Introducing the squirrel suit! (aka homemade zipadee zip that cost me $3 dollars vs the $40 it would have cost if I bought it offline) (Thanks again Laina for letting me borrow your sewing machine! And for telling me the squirrel suit reminds you of Blanky off of the Little Toaster! :)

I discovered this online, It's actually off of shark tank, and the design is supposed to help transitioning from being swaddled to not needing to be swaddled. So it gives them some room to move but is also slightly restricting as well as comforting. I used it the first time yesterday and he seemed to do well with it! Last night I ended up swaddling him but I think it was just a rough night. (Falling off the couch and landing on your head with an already bad neck can do that to you) So I'm going to try it again tonight and see if we have more success with it! (It was a success! He slept for 6 hours then 4! Hopefully it's not a fluke and just because he got his shots. Fingers crossed!) So far he seems to like it more than being swaddled and doesn't get super angry when I'm putting it on him. So we shall see! It seems to be working so far! He is still also sleeping in our room because I don't feel like he is sleeping well enough yet to be moved to the kids room.

Austin rockin' the exercise ball and squirrel suit!

Austin's eating is going very well. He is eating every 2 hours. Sometimes a little longer. We tried him on some formula this past month when I had my surgery and that didn't really go very well. He didn't like it.... Not that I can blame him really... Cuz that stuff stinks! It's a good thing I had plenty of breast milk saved up in the freezer. The one problem I do keep having is clogged milk ducts. I think I've had 5 of them since Austin was born and I'd never gotten any with the other kids. I wish I knew what caused them cuz they are no fun and wipe me out! For a day or so I get achy and chilled all over my body on top of the very painful milk duct that is clogged.... It is interesting...