6 month update

This morning was Andy's 6 month well visit!  Andy has really become SUCH a good little baby.  He very rarely cries and when he does cry, he starts laughing in the middle of it.  He smiles constantly and just goes with the flow! 

I find myself unable to kiss him enough every day.  I just want to sit and smooch him all day long, as in sane as that sounds.

Here are Andy's stats from today:

Weight: 18 pounds 11 ounces---> 75th percentile
Height: 27.75 inches---> 90th percentile
Head Circumference: 45 cm---> 75th percentile
(I am looking for Cal's 6 month post and can't find it anywhere... I will update to compare when I can find it!)

Andy is a big boy...I think he is going to be a giant.  He is wearing a shirt today that Cal is wearing in the 17 month picture on the side of the blog:

The shirt is big on him, but it isn't huge at all... I was cursing myself before for not timing these births better for re-using clothing (not really...but kinda), but the way Andy is going, he will be able to wear Cal's clothes in the right seasons!

As you can see from the above picture, Andy loves to suck his fingers.  He isn't much of a paci guy, but I am just now getting him to take one every now and then.  He prefers his fingers!

Andy is a strong little guy.  The other night, Cal and Andy were laying on a blanket on the floor, and Andy reached up and grabbed a handful of Cal's hair and pulled...HARD!  Cal was screaming like crazy and I couldn't pry Andy's hand open- ha!  Here he is grabbing Cal's shirt...as you can see, Cal is thrilled: 

Andy loves his big brother and watches him constantly.  He laughs at just about everything Cal does, which isn't always a good thing!  Cal can be misbehaving, and when he sees that Andy thinks it is funny, he thinks he should continue on "entertaining" his brother!  I am going to be in so much trouble when these two can gang up on me....

i am so in love with these two

HAHA- everything about this picture is funny-- Andy latching on to Cal's nose, etc etc...

Eating:
Andy loves to eat!  He is still nursing, but we are also doing lots of foods and oatmeal.  At the check up today, the doctor told us to start feeding him cereal twice a day, so he will get some at lunch and at dinner.  He likes sweet potatoes, squash, pears, bananas, and peaches.  He has eaten green beans, but only a couple of times.  I don't think they are his favorite, but he doesn't turn them away!  I've been pumping every day to have milk to mix with the oatmeal.  She said today I can mix it with water or even prune juice if he is "in need" of some. 

Sleeping:
Wellll...after the 4 month visit, with the doctor's coaching, we let him cry it out and it worked great-- he was sleeping through the night great.  Then we went to Texas and he was a HORRIBLE sleeper-- up multiple times (for multiple hours each time).  We have been trying to let him cry it out since coming home, but it isn't really working.  He will cry for over an hour, fall asleep, and then 30 minutes later wake up screaming again,  It's hard for me because I know if I just go in there and feed him for 20 minutes, he will go back down and sleep through the night.  Should I let him sit in there and scream like crazy?  Or should I just go in?  My pediatrician says to let him cry.  She thinks if I feed him in the night, he will start to think that it's routine to eat in the night and he will expect it.  Which I do agree with her on that...but now that he's 6 months, his little lungs are LOUD!  I am worried he will wake up Cal.  I think we just need to suck it up one night and let him go.  The problem is, when he's screaming, there is no way I can sleep listening to him (Eddie, on the other hand, never hears him! We always wake up in the morning and laugh about it-- he has no idea! ha), so I lay there awake just listening to him... and knowing that if I just went in there, he would crash in 10 minutes... the doc says I have to get right in my head first-- ha!
Napping is still going really well... he is very consistent with his afternoon nap-- both kids are down by one every day and they both sleep about 3 hours.  His morning nap is much more on the fly.  He will nap in his crib if we are home, but it isn't usually for very long.  If we are in the car or out running errands, he will sleep longer.  I don't mind having him take a morning nap like this as long as he continues to go down when Cal does.  I need that time in the afternoon!!!

Tricks:
Andy can roll back to front and front to back.  He is working on sitting up and is getting better and better at it.  He can't hold it for very long, but we are working on that.  The problem with him sitting is he gets excited and jolts back, causing him to fly backwards.... I am always scared he is going to bonk his head, so I surround him with pillows!


Likes:
Andy really likes books and likes to "read" them with me and Cal.  He likes laying on the floor playing with his little station that has lights and fun things to hit and play with (blanking on word).  He likes anyone talking to him and will light up if you even look his way.  He likes my mom a lot...I think he thinks she is me since we look alike. 


He is not crawling yet, but when he rolls over to his tummy, he will kick his legs and reach with his arms... it seriously looks like he's about to take off.  I am not ready to have a crawler yet!  YIKES! I think we still have a ways for that. 

Teeth- no teeth yet!  He is drooling quite a bit, so I think they will be coming in the next month, maybe?  I don't see any buds forming yet, but we will see....


Andy makes me so happy and I love him more and more every day.  Like I said before, I seriously can not kiss his little cheeks enough!!!



And here is a last picture of my favorite guys... how lucky am I to have them call me momma?

Recent STUFF

I am finding it harder and harder to actually sit down and write a good blog post.  I am trying to play catch up today so there will probably be several posts done during nap time (in between switching/folding laundry, making grocery lists, picking up the house, etc etc...).

Things have been good in the Williamson household!  CalBoy seems to be taking a slight break from his terrible twos... he will still have some meltdowns, but they are fewer and farther between.  He still says NO very adamantly, but he can shake a meltdown faster than he use to-- phew!  Or, maybe Eddie and I are just getting better at handling them??

This past Thursday, I had a little girls' night out with some friends and it was WONDERFUL!  I had been looking forward to it for SO long, but I was also nervous.  We were going to see the Rockettes at the DPAC and we wanted to grab dinner before.  Since we were crunched on time, we were meeting at 5:15 to ride to the restaurant.  Well, Andy has been resisting the bottle and I felt terrible leaving him to Eddie.  I left milk for him to try the bottle, but I had a feeling he would fight it.

This was Eddie's first time doing dinner, bath and bed with both boys.  He has done this with Cal a bunch, but this was the first time with both...so, add in two kids, one who is screaming because he's hungry and won't take a bottle, and you have me nervous!

WELL, I was totally nervous over nothing!  Eddie did GREAT, the boys had a blast grilling out and Andy did not cry once.  Sweet Eddie knew I was nervous about leaving them, so he sent me this video (and he also posted it on facebook, which I thought was pretty darn sweet too-ha!).  I love these boys... all of them!

Friday morning, I had the wrist surgery I mentioned in one of my last posts.  I had a cyst on the back of my left wrist and I went to the doctor to look at it a few weeks ago... when I bent my wrist down, I could see a lump and it was hurting a lot.  I couldn't put any weight on that hand, and since I spend 90% of my day on the floor with the kids, this was becoming a problem.  Also, I've been working out more and more and it has realllly been hurting me while lifting weights or doing push-ups (not like I do that many....come on).  SO, anyway... I saw a doctor, he said the type of cyst is super common and it's a simple surgery to remove it.

Since we have already met our deductible this year with my c-section, we decided to go ahead and get it done. 
I had to be at the surgery center at 9:30 on Friday morning, so I fed Andy at 9 and Eddie and I took off.  I couldn't eat or drink anything after midnight the night before...and if you know me, you know I like to eat.  A lot.  I also need a Diet Coke first thing in the morning (I don't drink coffee-- don't judge).  Well, we got there right at 9:30 and by 11:30 we were still waiting and I was turning into something fierce.  I was grump-tastic and about ready to scream at everyone in the waiting room.  ESPECIALLY the woman who showed up at noon with a BIG ol' bucket of some Bojangles chicken and a large drink.  I really think Eddie thought I was going to attack her.

Finally they took me back at 12:30 (grrr) and the nurse asked me if I had to pee...I kindly replied that I had not eaten or had anything to drink since midnight and that I didn't have anything to pee out.  Gotta love a smart ass.

I was under the impression this surgery would be hardly a "surgery" at all and I would just push my sleeve up and get my arm numbed.  Nope!  I had to put on the surgical gown and then a surgical cap, and then the nurse came in and put in the IV.  Hmmmm.

The anesthesiologist came in to talk to me and then he chatted with the doctor some and came back to tell me they would be using a general anesthesia to put me to sleep for the surgery.  They would knock me out, then numb the area of the cyst, then cut it out, and then on the way out of the OR, they would wake me back up.

Let me tell you-- that was quite fun!  HA!  They gave me a little dose of something as I was wheeled to the OR and that made me feel all kinds of tingly (haha) and then when I woke up, I was in the recovery room with Eddie next to me.  When I had my wisdom teeth out, they gave me some laughing gas and it made me suuuuper chatty (is anyone surprised that I become chatty??), and I was the same way this time.  I could NOT shut up.

The nurse came in and was checking my vitals and I kept saying "you are reallllllly pretty.  I think it's your teeth.  They are reallllly pretty.  Do people tell you that all the time?  Eddie, isn't she really pretty??"  HAHAHAHA  The poor nurse could not wheel me out of there fast enough!

I was quite loopy for the next few hours and quite chatty the rest of the day.  hehe.

My wrist has a super cool wrap/brace thing on it and I am suuuuuper excited to get this thing off tomorrow!  I can't get it wet, so I have to bathe with plastic bags on my arm.  Eddie has to do baths every night (not complaining there...).  It is still pretty sore and there is still a bit of swelling/bruising, but it is getting better.  I am looking forward to being able to crawl around on the floor pain free again!

We thought we would be home by 1, but since everything was so backed up, we didn't get home until way after 3:00.  Poor Andy ate a little thing of fruit, but nothing else...he won't take the bottle!  My mom had the boys and said that Andy did not cry once...woohoo!!  Maybe he's learning that he doesn't need to cry-- I will come back to him sometime, he just has to wait!  He was hungry when I got home.. I fed him and he crashed and took a great nap!

On Saturday morning, my whole family loaded up the cars and we went to the Raleigh Christmas Parade.  We weren't really sure how it would go.  It was supposed to be in the 30s and we just didn't know if it would be too cold for the kiddos.  We got there and found a little sunny spot on the route and the kids LOVED it.  Cal was pointing everything out to everyone and I think he thought all of the people were waving to him.  He was waving like crazy back to everyone.  SO cute!

ready for the parade!

grandma with 3 of the grandkids... andy was getting strapped to me in the background

cal, my mom, my aunt with jackson on her shoulders and my sister in law holding catherine

family shot

cal preferred the view from up there

andy fell asleep right as we were leaving!

Where we were standing, there was a ton of sunshine so it actually felt great out there.  It was a beautiful day and everyone had a blast at the parade.  We left downtown Raleigh and went to a restaurant for some lunch.  We took over a corner of the place and had a few pitchers of beer :) and a great lunch.  Jackson and Cal sat next to each other and cracked up the entire meal.  It was cute seeing them play together. 

Sunday, we were together again... this time we were going to see the Rockettes as a family!  Before we could go see them, we tried to get a good family Christmas Card picture... you want chaos?  Try getting everyone (including 4 kids) to look at the camera, have eyes open, and smile...all at the same time! Here were some of the attempts:

FAIL

We left Andy with a sitter on Sunday since he is too little to enjoy the show and we took off for the DPAC!  Cal LOVED the show-- he sat just mesmerized by it all.  Towards the end, he was exhausted and couldn't figure out how to get comfortable...he wanted to put his head down on my shoulder, but watch the show at the same time and couldn't do it... but he was still really good the whole time-- surprisingly!  He loved every time Santa would come out and he would announce it each time. 

It was great seeing the show twice-- once with girls (and wine!), and once with my family (and chaos!). 

Sunday night, we all laid low.  Both boys took long afternoon naps so they were up a little later than usual.  I was getting ready to put Cal in the crib when I heard Cal hysterically laughing in the other room.  I went into see what was going on and this is what I saw:

It was such a great weekend and I am in the holiday spirit now!  I don't care that it isn't even Thanksgiving yet...or that it is 75 out today... I am listening to Christmas music!  I can't wait for Thanksgiving with the family and I can NOT wait to decorate my new house for Christmas!  Call me a loser...I don't care! ha!

If you have read this whole post, I am very impressed.  It was a long one!

xoxo,

Bundled Boys

Cal at 4 months old during a snow storm

Andy at 6 months old at the Raleigh Christmas Parade