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Thursday, June 27, 2013

9 Months Old

Hatcher has been out of my belly as long as he was in it! WOW! Our little guy is growing and learning so much. It's crazy to me how much they can learn in just one month or even just a few days for that matter. They're like a little sponge! Hatcher had his 9 month check-up earlier this week and we had a great visit. He weighs 20 lbs 9 ozs and is 28 1/4 inches long. He had quite a growth spurt length wise since his 6 month visit. He was in the 75th percentile for weight.

Dr. Smith told us that we could start letting him basically eat what we eat with the exception of spices and nuts. He suggested we wait to introduce any products containing nuts until he was 2 years old. He also said that we could slowly start introducing dairy products to him. He has had a dairy sensitivity and has been on hypoallergenic formula for two months that's pretty expensive so we're praying that it'll be a smooth transition and we'll be able to start giving him whole milk in the next few months. If not, we can always try soy or almond milk. We're going to start giving him yogurt once a day to see how he handles the dairy and we'll go from there with trying actual milk. I'm excited to start giving him whole foods and not having to puree everything but at the same time like any parent, I'm nervous about the hazards of choking. We'll start out easy and I really think he's going to enjoy learning to feed himself more because he's becoming more independent. He's been snacking on puffs and just recently freeze dried yogurts melts. He loves them!! He is also doing really well with the sippy cup and learning how to tilt it back to get the water or pear juice out.

The doctor also mentioned that his top 6 teeth are just beneath the surface so we should be getting some additional teeth coming through very soon! Maybe that means we'll start sleeping better or maybe not. Haha!

Hatch is still all over the place in his walker and he's into everything! He loves chasing the dog and now that he's learning to point he likes to go around the house looking at our pictures and pointing at us. It's too funny! I have also set up the pack & play in the living room/kitchen and he loves playing in there because he can pull up and see what we're doing. It's nice at dinner time because we can keep him entertained while we get dinner ready. He's crawling so well and along with that comes pulling up. If he can get to it, he's going to attempt to pull up on it. He's quite the dare devil; not a fearful bone in his body! He really loves playing with all the toys in his room now. He's learned to pull the toy baskets off the bottom shelf of the book case and he takes each toy out one by one and inspects it before moving onto the next one. Our parents have both given him toys that he can pull up on and stand to play with and he enjoys those so much. One of them he can push which will be great when he gets the hang of walking...which I fear is in our near future. He has already started letting go and standing on his own for a few seconds. Ahh!!!

He's wearing 9 month clothes and 6-12 month clothes. He's finally able to wear 6-12 month shoes although he'd rather be barefoot. He's his father's child! His feet are his newest obsession. He constantly wants to put them in his mouth. Yuck! I just moved him up to a size 4 diaper. He can still wear a size 3 but they're snug and he was leaking out of them so I'm using up a few last size 3s we had and he'll officially be in a size 4. Crazy! I did fix the wetting our clothes during the night issue. Several people suggested moving him up a size and trying the Huggies Overnight diapers in the purple box. These things work wonders and since he started wearing them, he's only had one accident. Before, we were having accidents every single night!

Sleeping is still an issue for us. He's gotten somewhat better but we're not quite there yet. We tried "cry it out" (CIO) two weeks ago for 7 nights. Some nights were easier than others and some were just plain awful. We both hated hearing him cry and felt so bad for him but he did sleep through the night every single night that week. However, nap times were terrible and sometimes he wasn't napping at all which doesn't make for a happy mommy or baby! So, I started rocking him again and now I'm rocking him at bed time too. Such a pushover!! The doctor made a great point yesterday at our appointment. He said that Johny & I had to be ready to do CIO or it would never work. He believes we should put him down sleepy and not go back in at all. We were going back in every 15-30 minutes. He's right though, I'm not sure we were totally ready. I mean we wanted sleep but we weren't sure we wanted it at the expense of hearing our son cry his eyes out. It got to the point where when we would walk to his room, he would start crying. So sad! So, I'm really going to pray about it and pray that God will gives us the strength we need to try again so that Hatcher will learn to be a good sleeper. I'm afraid if we don't get it right now, it'll continue to be an issue as he gets older. I'm still researching other methods besides CIO so we'll see what we end up doing.

Anyways, sorry for such a long update. I just want to remember everything and with my forgetful brain I know if I don't write it down, it'll be forgotten next week! I can't believe in 3 short months our baby will be 1! What an amazing 9 months this has truly been and I'm so excited to see what's next!

Playing with his new toy from Grammie & Poppy!

Cutie pie!



Can I eat this, mom?


Yummy!

I'm over taking pictures!

He loves that the puppy's nose lights up red!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Happy Father's Day, Johny!!

We had a great time celebrating Johny's first Father's Day this past Sunday! We woke up bright & early (the norm in our house with our child that wakes up when the rooster crows) had some breakfast and I began whipping up my very first cake from scratch for Father's Day lunch at Johny's parents house. I wanted to do something nice for Johny and although he isn't a huge sweets person he appreciates a good cake or cobbler. So while I attempted the Pioneer Woman's "Chocolate Nutella Strawberry Layer Cake," the boys took a morning snooze before getting ready for church. I hate to say we didn't make church and Sunday School this week but we had a great lesson in Sunday School that led to a great discussion before bedtime about what we took away from class that morning. 

After church, we headed to Johny's parent's house for lunch and fellowship with them. It was only Hatcher's second time at their house because they've always come to our house since he was born because that's just easier. Hatcher loved exploring their house and seeing all the toys they had there for him. We ate lunch, opened gifts, looked at Johny's old baby pictures comparing him and Hatcher and just enjoyed a lazy day with family! 

Hatcher gave Johny a new bathing suit, Southern Marsh t-shirt, GA belt and a new koozie. I think the gifts were a hit and that Johny's new favorite store in Macon will be Dry Falls Outfitters! All his favorite brands under one roof!

Mr. Hatcher is one lucky little boy to have Johny has a daddy! I absolutely love seeing them play together and the way Johny can make Hatch laugh by just simply looking at him. They are best buds and I know they are going to have so much fun together as Hatch grows up! :)


Love this picture!

Playing at Nanny & Granddaddy's house!

Taking a nap with Granddaddy

If Hatch had more hair, they'd be twins!!

Baby Johny looks like Baby Hatcher! :)

They finished off the day watching Sesame Street & HT giving himself a bottle 
all by himself for the very first time! 


Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Lions, Tigers & Bears Oh My!

On May 24th, Hatch and I went to Zoo Atlanta with some sweet friends. It was his very first trip and it was a success! Our play date was with my friend Lauren and her two year old son Connor. I met Lauren while working for Sealy. We became good friends and I'm so thankful she is a part of my life. She taught me a lot during my time at Sealy and I will always cherish our friendship. I was there for her when sweet Connor was born and she was a great support system for me when Hatcher came along. It's super fun to be able to let our boys play together now!

The zoo was a great first play date for our boys and I think they both had lots of fun! Hatcher enjoyed seeing the animals as much as he did all the people and kids! He's such a people watcher! :) It was a fun outing and I'm so glad we were able to go. Hatcher was so tired when we left, he fell asleep before we got back on the interstate headed home. Looking forward to our next fun outing with Lauren & Connor!!

Muddy Mr. Elephant

Giraffes - Mommy's favorite!

Baby wearing at the zoo! 

These gorillas were apparently playing with a bowling ball according to other onlookers!

Lambs - Hatch liked them so much he fed his pacie to one! haha!!!

Hatch, Mommy & Connor

Watching the other kiddos playing on the playground!

Lauren & I with our sweet boys! We didn't plan the matching shorts...hehe!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Rosemary Beach May 2013 - Hatch On Vacation

For the majority of our relationship together, Johny and I have been vacationing on 30-A in FL. We've stayed in Seagrove Beach most often but the past two years we have stayed in Rosemary Beach. We absolutely love this area and enjoy visiting year after year!

Hatch went with us to Cancun when he was 3 months old but he didn't actually go out on the beach since our resort only had a small little beach area. He got in the pool a few times but he was so little he didn't really know what was going on. So, while this wasn't technically his first trip to the beach it was his first time to Florida!

We went for an extended weekend stay & rented this adorable little carriage home in the Rosemary community.

If you've never visited this area of FL, many of the homes are very large & often have their own private pools. Many of them build carriage homes behind the main homes and they're typically loft style with one other bedroom. They're small (less than 1,000 sq. ft.) but all we need for a short stay. We were just a short stroll to the beach, pool & downtown area with lots of shopping & dining. 

Hatcher was a total rockstar on the ride there & home. We were nervous because he has never been in the car for longer than 2 hours and has begun to despise being in the car seat. He barely cried & we only had to stop once going & coming on our 5.5 hour journey. He loved exploring the beach house & getting into new things. 

We only did one full day on the beach because Hatch wasn't a huge fan. He didn't like the ocean one bit & honestly it was a lot of stuff for two people to drag down to the beach with a baby in hand. We would go down to the beach at night when there were less people & by the last night he was enjoying the sand a lot more but the water not so much! We spent most of our days at the pool relaxing, playing at the play ground & going for long walks in the stroller. He loves people watching & seeing cars go by. It's funny how the little things fascinate these little ones! We dined out for dinner twice & both times HT was great!! We ventured out for a lunch date one afternoon & he wasn't happy at all. Mommy & Hatch headed back home early & Daddy brought Mommy's lunch back to her at the house. Flexibility is key with small tots!

We had so much fun watching him experience new things & I'm so thankful that we were able to take this little trip & get away as a family for a few days! It was nice for it to just be the three of us with no work & no chores to do. It was the life!!

Here are some pictures from our first official family vacation! :)

Just strolling!

This sweet boy was tuckered out & ready for a nap!

This is the life! Snoozing on the beach with the waves crashing in the background. 
Who needs a sound machine?

Waiting on the ocean water with Daddy!

Dinner at Shades with Captain Hatcher

Daddy & Hatch at Shades!

A gorgeous Rosemary sunset!

Sunday Farmer's Market in Downtown Rosemary

Floating in the pool!

I could just eat him up!!

This is what nap time looked like every day twice a day! :)

Boy did he love to swing!!!

Playing in the kiddie pool!

Dinner at the fabulous Mexican Restaurant in Seacrest Beach with my sweetie!

Those eyes!!!!!!!

Beautiful Rosemary Beach

Mommy & Hatch on the beach

Daddy & Hatcher on the beach

Loves getting Daddy to help him walk!

The loves of my life! :)

That little grin is too cute! :)