HT is 5 Months Old

Where is the time going?!?! On February 24th, Hatcher turned 5 months old! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital & now he's such a big boy with the sweetest personality & most beautiful eyes & smile his mommy & daddy have ever seen!

A lot has happened in the past month as far as milestones go for our sweet boy! He's rolling over a lot more & is beginning to enjoy tummy time a little more. Not much more but a little more. We'll take it. He's no longer being swaddled at bed time. We had been swaddling with both arms out for several weeks but we woke up one morning last week & he had rolled to his tummy with the swaddle on & we knew those days were over! Needless to say, we've had more sleepless nights over the past week but he's getting the hang of it.

Hatcher is doing so well sitting up & I think in the next few weeks he'll be doing it on his on. His bouncy seat is by far his favorite thing to play in! I mean he LOVES it!! He's starting to not be a huge fan of his car seat although he almost always eventually falls asleep during car rides. I've learned if we're going on a long trip to make sure he has a full belly before getting in the car. A full belly with the motion of the car is the perfect recipe for a peaceful car ride!

Dooley continues to highly entertain Hatch! All he has to do is walk by him while he's bouncing & Hatcher sticks his hand out so Dooley will lick him & he'll just laugh out loud! Dooley really has no idea what's coming for him as this baby boy grows!!

He's such a great eater! We're still breast feeding & are feeding him solids once a day at dinner. So far he's had oatmeal cereal, bananas, sweet potatoes, pears, avacados & prunes. He really likes all of them! This week we're introducing squash & zuchinni. I love hearing him make sweet little sounds as he eats letting us know he's really enjoying what he's eating!

One funny thing I'll add to this post is that Hatch has made a discovery that I knew would happen eventually but I didn't think it would happen so soon! He's found his wee wee & like any boy he feels the need to make sure it's still there any time he's naked!! Haha!! Oh the fun I have in store for me as the mommy of a little boy!!!

I should also add that our fur child, Dooley, turned 3 on February 23rd! So glad he's a part of our lives!

Below are some recent pictures of our little sweetie! :)

Our 5 Month Photo Shoot!

Such a big boy!

This shirt says it all!!

Those baby blues melt our hearts!!

Mommy's sweet boy!

We visited my parents for a few days while Johny was away on business. Hatcher loved spending time with his Grammie & Poppy!

LOVE this picture! I have one just like it with my Paw Paw Wilks when I was little!

Playtime with Dooley!

Silly boy!

Riding Dooley like a pony while he enjoyed his birthday ice cream!

Enjoying the sunshine after so many rainy days!!

Sitting up like a big boy!

Pear Juice

Anytime I find that something works well for Hatcher, I want to share it with my mommy friends! Hatcher has been eating solids now for 2 weeks & as you know anytime you introduce new foods to a baby it can cause issues with them going to the potty properly. We started him out eating just oatmeal cereal mixed with breast milk. Then after a week we started mixing bananas into the cereal along with BM. Then after a week of that I introduced sweet potatoes. We're only eating solids once a day until we go for his 6 month check-up & then I'll start doing it twice a day. At the end of last week, I noticed that he was having a difficult time going to the restroom & I felt so badly for him. I started reading up on how to help an infant who is experiencing constipation. Eventually, I decided to call my pediatrician's nurse to find out what their recommendation would be. First, she assured me that this was totally normal after introducing solids so not to be too concerned. The nurse recommended Gerber Pear Juice & giving him one ounce twice a day until he seemed to be going more regularly. So I sent my hubby to Kroger last night to buy some pear juice & attempted giving it to Hatcher in a bottle. He was having none of it!! He made the most awful face & was spitting it all right out. So this morning I decided to trick him a little. He has never given us a problem with taking medicine (gripe water, gas drops or baby Tylenol). So I decided to give him the pear juice through the syringe & he drank every drop of it! Within 2 hours, he was going to the potty & I know his little tummy had to feel better! Tonight, I'm going to replace the bananas in his cereal with pureed pears to see if this will also help him. I had no idea that bananas could cause some people constipation...ya learn something new every day. Even though Hatch loves his bananas (he says hmmmm after every bite) I want to try something new to keep him more regular. Just thought I'd share this tip with others who might be experiencing similar tummy issues...fun topic I know!! :)

Hatcher is Teething!

It's official, our little man has his very first tooth coming in! The doctor told us at his 4 month check-up that his bottom gum was very swollen so we would see some action soon. Then, we slowly started seeing the signs that something was going on in there. A few of the signs Hatcher showed were:

-Fighting nap time & once asleep waking up numerous times crying or only sleeping for a maximum of 45 minutes.
-Putting everything in his mouth & biting down really hard.
-LOTS of drooling!!
-Fussiness & irritiability which is not very common for Hatcher. He's typically very laid back & chill unless he's hungry or really sleepy.
-He also went from sleeping through the night to waking up numerous times tossing & turning.

Once I realized he was definitely teething, a friend recommended Hyland's teething tablets & gel. So off I ran to Wal-Mart to find these gems! On Wednesday, he had barely slept all day. Maybe an hour since he woke up that morning. As soon as I massaged his gums with the gel, he was asleep within 10 minutes & slept for over an hour. Yesterday, I would apply the gel before nap time & he took 3 naps! I haven't tried the tablets yet but I'm very thankful for this gel!

Yesterday morning as I was massaging his gums, I felt the tooth!! It has just barely broken through the gum but it's coming in for sure. Hoping once it does, my sweet boy will get some relief before the next one arrives. Teething isn't fun for anyone but especially for the baby! We're all a little sleep deprived but we've had a discussion that tomorrow is Saturday so we all need to sleep in...we'll see if that happens!!

Below are a few pictures from this week that I wanted to share.

Up bright & early to celebrate Daddy's birthday on Monday, 2/4

Hatcher started rolling over 2 weeks ago today. But wasn't doing it very often because he's not a fan of being on his tummy. On Tuesday, he was rolling over like it was his job! Look how high he's holding that head up!! I'm so proud! ;)

What a little stinker! 

Worn out from bouncing so much!

My Diaper Rash Remedy

So I meant to post this along with the "My Mommy Must Haves" post & I totally forgot! This is my favorite remedy for diaper rash. I came upon this when Hatcher was just a few weeks old & we were staying at my parent's house for a weekend. Poor little guy was suffering from a really bad diaper rash & none of the diaper rash creams were doing the trick. Not to mention, he would scream when certain brands were applied. The only diaper rash cream he would let me use on him was the Boudreaux's Butt Paste. My dad asked if I had ever heard of using Cornstarch baby powder. I'd heard of just regular old baby powder but not the cornstarch. My parent's happened to have some on hand so we started using it. As soon as I applied it, Hatch would immediately calm down. So, since that day I've been using this powder every time I change his diaper & I'm happy to report that we haven't had one diaper rash since he was probably 4 weeks old! Amazing!! Now, I can't always find the Johnson & Johnson brand so I've been buying the Wal-Mart Equate brand which is less than $2.00 a bottle. Just thought I'd share this mommy find with you all & hope it works for you too! :)

Happy Birthday, Johny! :)

Today, is Hatcher's daddy & my hubby's 29th birthday! Since he got his birthday gifts from us a week early, I saved this post for his actual birthday. Since Hatcher's arrival, I've wanted to dedicate a post to him & I felt today was very appropriate. Today, I am thankful that his prescious mom & dad gave birth to him & raised him to be the wonderful man he is today!

Our love story began in college although we were friends for nearly a year & a half before we started dating.  We met the very first week of college at a friend's party. He was my best guy friend & we hung out all the time. Funny note, we even sort of dated each other's friends. Finally, our sophomore year he invited me as his date to his fraternity's formal. I thought it was a friendly date but later found out there were stronger feelings there on both sides. The formal was in February 2004 & we didn't make our relationship official until May 2004. Five years later, he proposed in our favorite city, Charleston & we were married in March 2010. Then in January 2012, we found out we were expecting baby Hatcher in September!

Johny has always made me extremely happy & knows me better than anyone! He's extremely laid back, quiet & very athletic. I can be high strung at times, quite loud & don't have an athletic bone in my body. So it's fair to say, we are opposites that attracted one another! Johny is not only a great daddy & husband but he's also a loyal friend, family man, hard worker & lover of all those UGA football! He loves his job & is a wonderful provider to our little family. He is so great with our beagle, Dooley & can often be found running in the back yard with him throwing the tennis ball or rolling around wrestling with him on the floor. I knew from his relationship with Dooley (our fur child!) that he was going to be a great daddy & boy was I right. Seeing Hatcher light up when he sees him or hears his voice is the sweetest thing ever! He can make Hatcher laugh at the drop of a hat & he's not afraid of a poopy diaper! I hit the daddy jackpot!

I celebrate my love for him everyday because I cannot begin imagine what my life would be like without him in it. The word "dull" comes to mind! He makes me laugh & treats me like a queen (especially so when I was preggers!) and I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else!

Below are some pictures of our life together as well as a clip from one of our favorite new shows, Nashville. It's a song called, When the Right One Comes Along sung by Clare Bowen & Sam Palladio. Johny is definitely my "right one!"

Dinner with friends at the Fish & pg

Happy 4 Months

Hatcher turned 4 months old on January 24th! He had a great check-up at the pediatrician & was such a rockstar during his vaccinations. He weighed 15 lbs 7 ozs (50th percentile) and was 25.5 inches long (75th percentile)! It's amazing to look back at pictures of him when we first brought him home & to see how much he's grown! I always said I wanted a chunky baby & boy do I have one! I love every little roll he has & as any mommy knows that's where the best sugar is! :)

Hatcher has developed many new milestones over the past few weeks & it's so much fun watching him grow & learn new things. On Friday, January 25th he rolled over for the first time! He doesn't do it often because honestly he doesn't like the end result of being on his belly but it's fun to see him work so hard to do it. He's playing in his jump-a-roo now & LOVES it! He could bounce in there for hours!! His favorite is when Johny & I jump around in front of him; he just laughs & bounces even higher! Too funny! He still loves bath time & absolutely loves being naked & looking at himself in the mirror. Johny 's parents say he always preferred being naked so maybe it's a boy thing! He's starting to recognize Dooley & watches him intently. He loves for Dooley to give him kisses & he likes for us to help him "pet" Dooley too! I hope the love between them continues as Hatch gets older. Dooley has no idea what he's in for when he's pulling his ears & climbing all over him! He still loves the Mama Roo and takes at least one nap in there every day & he still loves to lay on his play mats & look up at all his toys! He enjoys being read too & we enjoy reading to him. He's starting to teeth & wants to put everything in his mouth! And he's quite the little talker!! No idea where he got that from! :)

We tried him on oatmeal cereal on Saturday, January 26th. He wasn't quite sure about it & didn't really seem interested. We tried it three different times and he still didn't seem ready. So we decided to wait another week & see if there was any change. So we're going to give it another shot this weekend & see how it goes. Our pediatrician said we could wait until he was 6 months old to start solids since he was growing just fine on mommy's milk but we felt he was ready and that starting solids might help us start stretching him to 3.5-4 hours in between feedings. He stares us down while we're eating & watches us take every bite so I feel like he's saying "hey people, I want some!" So we shall see!

I'm so glad I've stuck with breast feeding. It wasn't super easy for me in the beginning & we had a difficult time getting Hatcher to get a good latch but we stuck it out & I'm so glad we did! When I see those chunky little leg rolls, it makes every feeding totally worth while!! It's amazing that as mommies we're able to provide our child with the nutrition they need! I know eventually we'll start using formula but for now I'm enjoying the free milk I'm producing!!

Since I'm staying at home with our sweet boy, I have decided to make his baby food. It's been so much fun! I got the Baby Bullet & Steamer as shower gifts & they're so great & easy to use. So far, I've made him sweet potatoes, carrots, avocados, apples & pears. They're frozen & ready to go when he's ready to start eating them!

Since Hatcher started rolling over & is becoming stronger & more active we decided it was time to wean him from the swaddle. Yikes!! He loved being swaddled but was starting to break out of it every night & that made me nervous. So we started with one arm in & one arm out & he did great. After 3 nights, we started keeping both arms out & only swaddling his body. It's been a rough week but he's starting to get the hang of it. Once he's sleeping through the night, we're going to move him into his crib. Sad day for this mommy as I love having him right beside me but I know we will all sleep better when he's in his own bed. Gonna be a tough night for mommy & daddy & I'm sure we won't sleep a wink for staring at the video monitor!

We continue to fall in love with this sweet child every single day! He's so laid back, happy & silly & he makes us laugh every day! He's the best & I cannot thank God enough for bringing him into our lives! We're having a great new year so far & hope all of you are too! :)

4 months old

Chewing on everything

Playdate with his friend, Quinn

Loves his playmat

So handsome!!

Really, holding his own bottle!!

My boy!

Snuggling with Dooley

Bouncing around!

Cutest little snowman!