Paxton Owen {7 Months}

It's so hard to believe that this little nugget is 7 months already.  I better start planning his first birthday because I'm sure that's going to be here before we know it!  This little guy is growing by the day and getting to be such a big boy.  I wish so badly that time would just go a little slower, but with two in tow, it seems to be going at lightening speed!

EATING
Pax is still eating like a champ.  He has a complete obsession with food and has been eating so much.  His favorites are carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas and yogurt.  He now eats cheerios and pretzels (which we happened to wander upon on the floor, big brother drops a lot).  At first, it scared the shit out of me because I was terrified that he was going to choke, but he gums them like a champ and gets them down, so I figured what the heck!  He does have his two bottom teeth now, so they help a little to get things broken down.  He nurses typically every 3 to 4 hours and still loves him some boob.  Pumping is still going great.  I've seen no dips in supply which has been great.  I still have a freezer full of breast milk which will keep us going for a while even after he's done breastfeeding.

SLEEPING
I just recently purchase some essential oils for Young Living (I'll write another post on that someday!).  I was desperate for some sleep without a baby in my bed, so I gave these a try.  I put an oil called Peace  & Calming + Lavender on his feet and behind his ears and it helps to relax him.  Low and behold we are sleeping in his own crib now.  He was still getting up a couple of times during the night, but we'll take baby steps.  I recently started him on some Zantac (obviously I don't recommend anyone doing this without talking to their pediatrician first!!) because I've been fairly certain that he has a lot of reflux issues even though the pediatrician was thinking it was more mild and had us trying Maalox for a while.  He has been sleeping, napping and taking his bottles/boob better now that he's on that.  He even calms himself to sleep when he wakes up, which he has NEVER done.  Last night he slept from around 9 until 5am which was AMAZING!!  Let's hope that the trend continues and it was the reflux that was bothering him and now he's able to finally feel a little better :)  I think the combo of the Zantac and the oils will be our life saver!

ACTIVITY
This boy is on the move constantly.  He crawls around these floors so fast it's hard to keep up with him.  He loves his new found freedom (and being able to keep up with his big brother).  He has started to pull up on anything he can now, and I'm sure he'll be walking sooner rather than later.  He enjoys playing with anything that Cade is playing with, which is proving to be a challenge because Cade is not the best sharer.  The words "No Pa" come out of that child's mouth quite frequently.  He loves his little picture books and anything that can fit into his mouth!

Happy seven months sweet boy!

Paxton Owen {6 Months}

So I've been waiting to do this post until the little guy had his checkup so we could have some updated stats on our fast growing little man :)  We took both of the boys for their appointments today (Cade's two year and Pax's six month).  They were both the most well behaved little boys, it was definitely one of my prouder moments :P  Cade didn't shed a single tear and loved the doctor and the nurse.  Pax was great until the poor guy got stuck with 3 needles, but can you blame him for being mad?!  But back to the update, here's the latest on the Ultimate Warrior.

Height: 26.5" // 34th percentile

Weight: 17lbs // 34th percentile

Head: 17" // 38th percentile

EATING
Still eating like a champ.  We are still nursing roughly every 3 to 4 hours with bottles while I'm gone.  He's a very efficient eater and gets the job done within 20 minutes, phew!  Pumping is still great, typically getting about 13 ounces while I'm at work.  I've also been able to cut back to every 4 hours, which makes things much easier!  Solids have been going better than anticipated!  He loves his oatmeal and we have started to add blueberries and bananas to the mix.  He gets that in the morning and seemingly cannot get enough of it!  We sometimes do food at lunch, but it's typically at night when he gets his next "meal."  So far he's had avocados, green beans, carrots, and apples.  I leave everything in the whole form (minus the apples which I peeled and cut into wedges).  I then just cook everything down until it's very soft and give it to the little guy that way.  He gets some into his mouth, but usually needs some help as his coordination still needs to improve.

SLEEPING
UGH.  We have had a total and major sleep regression.  I guess sleeping through the night was short lived for this little one.  I think we may have some separation anxiety going on as he will only sleep snuggle right next to me in the bed.  I absolutely do not want him in the bed, but when I'm completely exhausted from having them in the morning, then working until 10, sometimes there are no options :/  We have tried what seems like every trick in the book with little success.  Sometimes he wakes up and wants to eat, sometimes he wants to cuddle, but he is typically up every 2 hours throughout the night.  I've tried moving him to his crib, which was another unsuccessful story.  I'm trying again tonight, but I've blown up an air mattress and plan on sleeping next to him hoping this might help with the "separation" portion.  I also ordered some essential oils, so I'm excited to get those and give those a try to see if they will help!  Any other suggestions are GREATLY appreciated :P

ACTIVITY
Pax is officially a crawler.  He is up on hands and knees and moving around like he owns the place.  I think this makes him much happier because he can get places faster rather than doing the army scoot (which we sometimes still revert to).  He's already showing interest on pulling up on things, so I'm sure that's right around the corner.  He loves to play with all the toys everywhere and wants to watch his brother ALL the time!  I'm sure it's just a matter of time before we are fighting over all the toys.  He enjoys being read to and loves to eat his books!

Happy six months sweet boy!

Happy Birthday Cade

Tuesday marked this little guy's second birthday.  Crazy.  It's funny how it seems like just yesterday when we were heading to the hospital thinking how our lives would be forever changed.  Fast forward two years and we have the most amazing, sweet, energetic little boy.  He has brought so much joy to our lives and I'm sure he will continue as he grows :) 

We were so thankful for all the family and friends that were able to make it to his party.  We definitely missed all of those that couldn't be here, but we knew you were thinking of him that day!  He was a bit of a crabby pants when the party first started because he didn't get a nap, but Memaw came to the rescue and let him open up a present and that changed his mood.  He had a great time and enjoyed running around with all his little friends.  I would have to say that his favorite (my favorite too) part was the cake that his awesome Aunt Amber made for him.  All he wanted to do was eat the fondant balls - I'm surprised he wasn't sick as a dog from all that sugar!

It was great having family in town so that Mama and Daddy actually got a little bit of time together!  We went to the mall sans kids and we were actually able to browse around without any objections. Ahhhh.  Here's to another date night in six months when Pax man's birthday rolls around :-P

We went and got donuts Tuesday morning from Duck Donuts, and my god were they amazing.  They are made to order, so everything comes out hot and delicious. They specialize in a cake donut, then you can add a coating and a topping.  YUM.  Cade certainly enjoyed his donut :)