8 Months

This past month I have caught myself a lot watching Austin and thinking, "You shouldn't be doing that yet." In reality... I think Austin really should be doing all that he is doing, he just has grown up so fast that in my mind he should only be 5 months old still. I sometimes feel like I'm missing it all! Austin is now 17 lbs 6 ounces and 26 3/4 inches tall. He is right in the middle of Jacob and Ida for height. He is wearing 6 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

I feel like Austin's personality has started to come out. He really loves trying to involve himself when Dad is playing with Jacob or Ida. Especially rough housing. Austin really enjoys rough housing. There have been many times when I think Jacob is being to rough with Austin but he is just laughing and laughing and laughing so I just let him keep doing it. Ida has also started playing with Austin more as well and she can get him to laugh probably the best of anyone. I don't know what it is. But she knows how to get him laughing hard. It is so fun to watch! Austin really loves company. He does not like being left in any room by himself. He also likes being held and will crawl to mom or dad so we will pick him up. He does NOT like being in any kind of pain and he is a drama king. He is so full of drama. Way more than my other two. When he gets hurt you have to wait a minute or two to see if he's actually hurt or if he is just being dramatic. Because initially they both sound the same.

Austin started crawling a few days after turning 7 months and it took him about a week after that before he was crawling all over the house. You will often times see him one leg crawling. With one leg walking and the other crawling. He has also been getting better at the Moglie crawl on all fours. Also the week following him turning 7 months he learned to walk while holding onto someones hands, sit on his knees and walk forward in the walker. It was a really busy couple weeks for him then. Shortly after he learned how to pull himself up next to the furniture and stand in his  crib. Then about a week before turning 8 months he taught himself how to gracefully get down from standing. I was sitting next to him while he was playing next to his activity table when I noticed he kept getting down then standing back up over and over. He did it like 10 times in a row. He can now get down from standing without falling. He also got his first tooth about a week ago (bottom right)! So this month has been full of fun new learning things!

Austin has joined the rest of his siblings with screaming. His is probably the worst of all though. It is the definition of an ear splitting scream. High pitched and all. He does it when he is really really upset or really frustrated. Sometimes when he is playing with one of his toys he will just randomly let one out. Probably from frustration. Also when he is really upset he will start hitting and swinging his head around. You want to make sure you are out of the way. Some other things he's doing right now are chewing on his thumb when he is bored, slapping the table while he is eating and covering his eyes when you are trying to feed him. He randomly decided he likes baths now, with his siblings and all. But doesn't like getting his clothes changed or diaper changed. Sometimes if he is really upset it's like impossible to change his diaper. Other times he will sit nicely. So it really is just kind of hit and miss.

Austin had a first this month, moving to a new house. I feel like he adjusted normally. Pretty fussy the first couple weeks but have adjusted pretty well now. He likes being in his walker now and having a huge tile floor to walk all around now. He also still likes being in the jumper and I'll put him in there usually when I'm cooking dinner. He also still really likes being tickled. :) Austin first tried to venture out on the stairs a few weeks ago but I really don't think he likes them. He isn't very good at doing them and has fallen on the bottom one or two steps a couple times which I think has scared him of them. So he pretty much avoids them for the most part, but every once in awhile will try them out again and go up a step or two. He also is starting to learn how to walk along the furniture although I don't think he realizes he is doing it when he does it.

Once we got moved out here to Springville I started eating everything I had cut from my diet and Austin seems to be doing great with it. I also really started him on food but pretty much went straight into table foods. Besides the fact that I don't really like purees at all, neither does Austin. And he really struggles to eat them. He just can't figure it out. haha.
It is actually quite funny to watch him try. He does really really well with regular food and likes them much more. So that's what we do. Or I'll dice up fruits and veggies for him. He will hardly eat anything that's been pureed but will eat pretty much anything if it is diced or mashed. So that is what we do. He can also self feed and we break up food for him to feed himself. But beware. He will not eat anything that he doesn't like and if you try to feed him something he doesn't like he will quickly and suddenly hit the spoon with his hands so before he even know what happened the spoon and food are all over the wall and floor. He will take the feeder with purees in it so I will sometimes bring that with me for something easy. I just have to feed it to him like I'm giving him a bottle. :) He pretty much nurses just whenever he wants to. So anywhere from a hour and a half to 3 hours.

Austin's sleeping has pretty much been the struggle of our whole life. After getting to Springville I also decided I really had to get his sleeping better. 8 months is just about 3 to 4 months to long fore me to be getting up every 1 to 2 hours with him every single night. So I really focused on not letting him eat unless it had been 4 hours. Sometimes if he woke up I'd just let him cry himself back to sleep. Other times I would go in and try to pat his stomach. But let me tell you. Trying to teach an 8 month old to go to sleep on their own is hard. Trying to teach an 8 month old to go to sleep on their own who can stand up in their crib is nearly impossible. So after he started standing up I would go in and
 hold him down so he couldn't roll over to get up and stroke his head. The good news is it only took a few days for him to stop waking up every hour till 1 or 2 in the morning. The bad news is he pretty much stopped going to sleep at all unless I nursing him. The day after he turned 8 months old I was I was so frustrated and so over it all. I sat next to his crib where he couldn't see him and watched him stand up. I then watched him get down on his own and that's when I decided it was time that I just left him in there to scream and I went to the computer and pulled up "Crying it out". As I read and researched how to let your baby cry it out Austin lay in the other room screaming. He cried for 25 minutes before he went to sleep. Not bad. For once I felt like Austin was following the same pattern that most babies follow. The second night was not so easy. I was not frustrated and Austin was super happy and smiley. When I lay him down he started screaming. I was so sad to make his sad after being so happy. The screaming continued for 40 minutes. It. Was. The. Worst! I was so sad! Most cry it out methods say 3 days. 3 days for the baby to figure it out. On the third day I didn't want to lay him down. I didn't want to know that he was up in his room screaming. But! He only cried, not screamed, for 3 minutes, fussed off and on for another 7. Then was asleep. I was so HAPPY!!!!! Now for the first time in his life I feel like he is on some kind of regular pattern for sleeping! He has been going to bed between 8:30 and 10. Getting up to eat at 2 and 5. Then getting up for the day between 7:30 and 8:30. I am finally getting more then a two hour stretch of sleep and it feels great! And he is finally getting more than a two hour stretch which is great for him! He will go anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. I just really hope it sticks. I think it will. Especially if we are firm. I know find him all over the crib when I check on him and in all different kinds of positions. He still isn't overly attached to his pacifier at night and will often go to sleep without it.

Sibling Love

 

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