Vincent's 9 and 10 month update!

Well, I totally failed at the 9 month update. I had it written out, but since I'm always in the photos with Vincent and Mike has been working so much lately, we just never got around to taking them! So I added those updates to this post. :)

Height/Weight: According to our home scale and measuring tape, Vincent still weighs 20 lbs (42%), is 29 inches long (76%) and has a head circumference of 48 cm (98%). 

Daily: For the most part, we have stuck to the same schedule that we started at the end of my last update, which is waking at 8 AM, taking a morning and an afternoon nap and going to bed between 7 and 8. After Thanksgiving, we purchased a baby gate for Vincent, which wraps around his whole play mat. It allows him to crawl around and explore freely without messing with the animals or the animals messing with him or his toys. It's nice for him to have his own space, where he isn't disturbed and I don't have to worry if I need to turn my back on him for a moment! He loves playing with all his toys and moving about! He still loves his horse bouncer - sometimes I think he is going to shoot out of it like a rocket because he bounces in it so hard! We haven't used his bouncy seat in a couple of months, because he would fall forward out of it, so I am going to take it apart and put it in storage. :(
He likes to hang out in his swing in our bedroom, but now, I HAVE to use the whole 5 point harness. I am ashamed to admit that I wouldn't use the shoulder straps in the past, because he just never needed them. But now, he will manage to sit forward and fall out otherwise. He has become a total wiggle worm! He doesn't sleep in his swing at all anymore - he only sleeps in his crib, or in his pack n play when we are at Auntie's.
Vincent also has his own room now! Timothy moved out a week or so before Christmas and he has been doing really well in his own room. Now Mike and Vince aren't waking each other up anymore!

We continue to do the same bedtime routine: bath, zippy, bottle, book and sleep. :) He loves "The Going to Bed Book" SO much, that when I tell him I'm about to read it to him, he will start to laugh! And he likes to flip the book shut when we're done. :D

Sleep: On December 25th, Vincent slept through the night for the first time! It was a wonderful Christmas present. We decided that it was the solid food that helped him sleep such a long stretch. The fact that he is in his own bedroom now definitely helps as well!

I've also started to cut his naps a little shorter; we are still up at 8 AM every morning. The first nap generally goes from 11 AM to noon and the second from 3 PM until 4 PM. Bedtime has been moved until about 8 PM unless he shows signs of being tired earlier.

I've stuck with not letting him have a bottle to sleep, unless it's for a night feeding. I feed him between naps and an hour to half an hour before bedtime. It gives him a little time to digest and has helped him not become so dependent on using it to fall asleep. I've found that if he falls asleep nursing or in my arms and wakes up in his crib, he becomes confused and upset, which results in crying. When he falls asleep on his own in his crib, he is much better about sleeping longer stretches and getting himself back to sleep without my help.

Eating: Between months 8 and 9, I slowly weaned Vincent off of breastfeeding and over to formula. I could no longer deal with the stress of my supply issues. I've become much more relaxed and Vincent has as well! I really hoped to breastfeed until he was at least a year old, but that's okay. He is happy and healthy and that's all that matters to me! And I'm proud of myself for nursing him as long as I did and will always treasure the bonding experience.
Since Christmas day, Vincent all of a sudden wants ALL the table foods! Haha - he went from having little to no interest in solids, to wanting more and more. And my mother in law taught him how to tell us he wants more by saying "Nomnomnom!" He seems to like just about everything we feed him now - I hope he continues to like everything! I am going to begin cooking a wider variety and a little healthier to get him used to eating and liking things.
We shoot for at least two solid meals per day now and he drinks between 3 and 4 8 oz bottles of formula as well.

Sizes: Vincent is now in 12 month clothing and some 9 month. I can't believe 12 month baby clothes are considered toddler...what happened to my baby?! :( 

I imagine he will be in size 4 diapers for quite some time, especially since blowout diapers are a pretty rare thing now. 

Milestones and Changes:

• Towards the beginning of November, Vincent began to stand unassisted, while holding onto objects.
• Vince got his first owie! Little man managed to fall out of his swing, because I only used the 3 point harness instead of the 5 point. I felt AWFUL, but luckily he didn't fall far at all and the bed broke his fall. He cried really hard, but other than a little bump on the head, all was okay!
• In November, Vincent learned to sit up on his own. He gets on his tummy and pushes himself into a sitting position with his hands.

• We celebrated Vince's first Thanksgiving at Aunt Marcy's!

• On December 5th, Vincent pulled himself up in his crib for the first time! So we lowered it all the way to the bottom. He is now pulling himself up on EVERYTHING, including the play pen, entertainment center and mommy and daddy! 

• Vincent can walk assisted, meaning by either pushing a walker or by holding somebody's hands. He has gotten better and better within the past month! He can also walk along furniture.

• Vincent got his first haircut from his auntie Danielle! No more baby mullet! :D

• Vince crawled on his knees for the first time the week before Christmas! He has continued to do so ever since.

• Vincent met Santa for the first time! He was getting grumpy while we were in line and we were almost certain that he would cry. But as soon as he saw Santa, his face lit up! He loved him! :D

• On the morning of Christmas Eve, I was skyping with my mom and she said "Hi!" to Vincent. He then started clapping for the first time! It was so cool for her to be able to witness a first from so far away.
• Vincent celebrated his first Christmas! We had a fabulous time with family this year and Vince got a kick out of helping me unwrap presents. I can't wait to witness his excitement next year when he is a little older!

• As I mentioned before, he slept through the night for the first time on December 25th! Meaning from around 9 until I woke him up at 8:30! 

• Vincent got his first cold and fever after Christmas :( Poor guy had a 102 degree fever and was not a happy camper! Luckily it didn't last very long.

• Throughout the past two months, Vincent has eaten eggs, rice, beans, cheese, stuffing, turkey, chicken, spaghetti, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberries and a little bit of pie filling! He has also tried various tastes of things off of our plates, like salad and ranch dressing, white and brown gravy, salsa and even french fries. He seems to like just about everything now. 

Vincent's 8 Month Update!

I am over a week late posting this, but here is Vincent's update! He turned 8 months old on the 7th of November. :)

Height/Weight: According to our home scale and measuring tape, Vincent weighs 20lbs (57%) and is 28 inches long (62%) with a head circumference of cm (95%). 

Daily: During the majority of the past month, we had the same daily routine as we did when I last updated, but now that Vincent has gotten a little older, he is needing more awake time during the day and less nap time. I am SO grateful for the ladies in one of my Facebook groups, who gave me great advice about changing Vincent's schedule! Since we've begun this new routine, there have been no more instances of being up until 2 or 3 AM with a baby who refused to sleep.

Now, we get up every morning at 8 AM unless Vincent wakes earlier, in which case we stay in the bedroom and have some quiet time until 8. Now he takes about 3 1/2 hours worth of naps during the day and is awake for about 8 hours. In those 8 hours, he enjoys army crawling about and exploring the house! I've baby proofed the house pretty well for the most part, and I keep the areas blocked off that aren't baby friendly. He LOVES the dogs and cats - he likes to steal kisses from Yoda (which I very quickly try to prevent haha!) and pet the kitties. As soon as they come near him, he starts laughing hysterically! He still really enjoys his horse bouncer and swatting at the toys hanging from his activity gym, while sitting upright. I am sad to say he has "grown out" of his bouncy seat. He still fits in it fine, but he tries to escape out of it by leaning forward so far, that I'm afraid he will fall out of it! I occasionally put him in his swing in our bedroom if I am cleaning in there or folding clothes and he still enjoys giggling at the bees and mirror on the mobile. 

We still end the day with the same routine - every other night, he gets a bath either with his dad in the tub or in the kitchen sink. He loves to splash and hold his hand under the faucet when the water is running! I put him in his zipadee-zip, we have story time, then I feed him an "oat bottle" before bed.

Sleep: Sleep continued to be really good almost all the way through the month of October. He went down between 8 and 9 and woke between 2 and 4 times for a quick feed and went right back to sleep with no fuss. A couple of weeks ago, he hit a new wonder week, so we were back to bad sleeping. It took HOURS to get him to sleep - we would be up until 2 or 3 AM. So, as I mentioned earlier, I got some great advice from mommies in my Facebook group and I've completely changed his sleep and nap schedule. We wake at 8 AM, then he goes down for a nap from 10-12. At 3, he goes down for his final nap and I wake him at around 4:30, if he isn't up before then. I wanted to stick to the 8 PM bedtime, but since switching his schedule, he now goes down at about 7:30. I try to get him down before he becomes overtired and struggles to fall asleep.
I've also begun not letting him nurse or have a bottle to fall asleep. I feed him in the light and talk to him, to encourage him to learn how to fall asleep on his own. It is REALLY helping! So I've been putting him down in the crib awake and not picking him up when he fusses, unless he wakes for a feeding. Instead, I rub his head or sing to him, because getting him out of the crib wakes him up and I have to begin the "settle down" bedtime routine all over again.

He is still waking a few times per night, but I think once he has adjusted to this new schedule and is done with this wonder week leap, it will improve. 
His Zipadee-Zip is still working GREAT and I think I may order the next size up soon. He seems so comfortable in it and I like that it keeps his hands and feet warm now that it's getting colder.

Eating: I've had to begin supplementing a lot with formula, because my supply is just not keeping up. I've tried everything from lactation cookies and supplements to pumping between feedings and drinking a beer in the evenings. Frankly, I was so stressed over it, that my supply dropped more and more every day. Once I let it go and stopped beating myself over the head about it, I've become so much less stressed. He was exclusively breastfed for 6 months straight and is healthy and thriving. Whether breast milk or formula, he is getting the nutrition that he needs and that's all that matters! I still nurse him a few times a day and for every feeding during the night. I give him about three bottles during the day, depending on how hungry he still is after nursing on both sides. Instead of mixing breast milk and formula together, I give him either straight breast milk or straight formula. Every night before bed, I give him a 6 oz "oat bottle", like I have been for the past several months. Fortunately, he goes from breast to bottle and breast milk to formula with no issues at all. I found that pumping was part of my stress, because I would worry if I wasn't able to pump enough. So I've completely stopped pumping.
He eats solids 1-3 times a day, just depending on whether or not he wants it. Some days he wants one piece of food after another, and other days he is uninterested and tosses it on the floor, or in the case of a popsicle, bangs it on the table until the food flies off it and onto the walls and floor (which the dogs love!) Haha! His favorite is still apples! :) I can absolutely not spoon feed him anymore. He will blow raspberries into the spoon or once the food is in his mouth and it splatters in my face. xD 

Sizes: Vincent has grown out of most all of his 6 month clothing and is wearing 6-9 and 9 month clothing, all of which seem to be around the same size. I'm still finishing off the rest of his size 3 nighttime diapers, but otherwise, he is in size 4. He kept having one blowout after another in size 3 and I was washing his sheets and sleep wear every day. Size 3 is supposed to go up to 28 lbs (?!?!) and Vince is just under 20, but that size is just not working anymore!

Milestones and Changes:

• Vincent had his first Halloween! He was "Captain Stinker" and we had a great time at the party we attended. :)

• We also visited the pumpkin patch for the first time as a family. It was a fun trip - Vince got a kick out of looking at the animals!

• As speaking of - he does NOT like mommy's hair dryer or the sound of ripping paper. It scares him so badly, he cries! But for some reason, the vacuum cleaner or garbage disposal don't bother him at all, probably because he hears them both very often.

• He is totally mobile - at the end of last month, he was beginning to army crawl and now, there's no keeping him out of things unless he is in his pack n play or strapped into something! If I put him down on his butt, he leans forward into an awkward looking baby yoga position until he flops forward onto his tummy. He still doesn't get up on his knees, but that doesn't keeping him from dragging himself all over the house. His favorite location is (was) the dog bed, until I moved it out of reach! I have a feeling he will skip crawling on his knees and go straight to walking - he tries to push off on his feet on the floor and likes to stand, although he can't do this unassisted yet.

pre baby-proofing - he wouldn't leave Daddy's shoes alone!

above mentioned awkward yoga pose ^^

• Vincent is starting to purposefully drop things, particularly when he is in his high chair. I can tell when he isn't interested in eating anymore, because he will drop his food. 
• He likes to bounce a lot!! He bounces his butt wherever he is sitting. This is often accompanied by headbanging haha!

• Vincent is a talker - he will just sit and babble all day long. His recent new sounds are "Lalala" "Rarara" "Daddy" and "Thith". He sometimes sounds like is saying "Hi" or "Yeah" as well! When he first discovers a new sound or "word", he will say it over and over for several weeks and not want to say anything else! He hasn't said "mom-mom" in a while, like he was for over a month straight. Now, he says "da-da" a lot and clacks his tongue!

• Vincent tried drinking from a sippy cup for the first time! I just put a little bit of water in there for him to taste. 

• He is getting more and more ticklish! There are times that I'll simply wipe him when I change his diaper and he starts laughing. :D

Birchbox Beauty Review | October 2014

Yay! It's that time of month, when I open the mailbox and there's a little pink box of goodies inside, addressed to me! :D Here's what I received in my October box:

Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle Leave In Conditioner In the short product description on the Birchbox card, it said that the scent was addictive, which couldn't have been more accurate. I couldn't stop sniffing my hands after applying the product!! It smelled SO amazing. I wanted to eat it. Seriously. And it made my hair feel incredibly soft, easy to brush after showering and seemed to work great as a heat protecting spray. This is one of my favorite Birchbox products so far. I definitely plan on purchasing the full-sized bottle in the near future!

Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Eyeshadow Palette Set, Ballerina

This is some of the best eyeshadow I've ever used! That being said, I generally purchase cheap eyeshadow, but I was beyond pleased with the product. The shadows were highly pigmented, even without primer and blended together very well. I combined all four of them together and added a little white shadow I already had, to highlight under my brows - the result was stunning! 

LuMESH Hydrating Lip Gloss, Sadie

This product okay, but I found it to be a bit too sticky. But then again, that's sort of standard for lip gloss. I was also not a huge fan of the scent. It's not a bad lip gloss, but even the full-sized version is definitely not worth $25.

suki exfoliate foaming cleanser I really liked this cleanser. The lemon scent was so pleasant and refreshing and left my skin feeling super smooth and soft after washing my face! I felt so much more awake after using it as well, which is a huge plus for me.

TOCCA Crema da Mano, Bianca Hand Cream This cream really helped hydrate my dry hands, without leaving a greasy or oily residue. It was super light, but very long lasting, as was the scent. It's so elegant and feminine - it makes me want to put on a Victorian dress and host a tea party. ;D

If you're interested in receiving a $10 monthly box of goodies, be sure to shoot me a message!

Vincent's 7 Month Update!

Height/Weight: According to our home scale and measuring tape, Vincent weighs 19.6 lbs (68%) and is 27.5 inches long (66%) with a head circumference of 46cm (90%). 

Daily: Vincent has started to settle into his own routine. In the morning we have a feeding, then he plays on his mat on the floor while I have breakfast. And I have to keep a good eye on him while he does, because he has begun to army crawl! Between noon and 1 PM, he goes down for his first nap and sleeps until around 2. When he is up, he eats a little bit of solid food, then goes back to playing. He has also been very content sitting in either his high chair or bouncy seat, wherever I'm doing work or cleaning around the house. As long as he knows I'm close, he has become pretty good at keeping himself entertained. I talk to him a LOT, and he seems to really enjoy having "conversations"; he will babble at me and I will answer him. Then I ask him questions and he will babble back or squeal in response. It's pretty entertaining! he generally goes down for his last nap at around 4 PM and I don't let him sleep any later than 6. He won't go down for the night at bedtime if he naps too late. While I make dinner, he either sits in the kitchen with me in his high chair, or with Mike if he is home. I make it a priority to have meals together at the table, which is when Vince has his second helping of solids for the day. After dinner, Vincent often spends time with Mike, while I wash dishes, pump and prepare everything for bedtime. We don't always give him a bath before bed, but I still bathe him in the sink, or Mike brings him in the tub with him to take a bath. He really likes to splash and kick in the water!

Sleep: Vincent has been getting much better sleep this past month. The 4 month sleep regression period seemed to stretch over nearly two months and it was beyond exhausting! It's so much easier to get through the day, now that we are all getting better sleep!

I still put Vince in his Zipadee-Zip at night. Although it would be nice to have him just sleep in a sleeper, this thing has been such a lifesaver. It's comfy, convenient and eliminates the need to use a blanket. It works so well and he sleeps so much better at night with it.
He wakes up anywhere between 2 and 5 times per night to nurse and generally goes right back to sleep. He has gotten to where he sleeps in his crib the best. He still occasionally naps or sleeps in his swing, but not very often. He has become a total side and tummy sleeper, just like his mommy and daddy!

Eating: Vincent doesn't nurse near as often as he did a few months back. I was very worried that solids might be replacing nursing sessions, because he would get too full and not be hungry for milk, but it seems instead that his feedings are spacing out and he is consuming a larger amount of milk in one feeding. 
We've been trying baby led weaning, which is basically allowing your baby to feed himself table food. I have a couple tupperware containers full of different types of cut up fruits and veggies in the freezer, which I let him chew on. He is particularly fond of apples! He will gnaw and suck on them until all that's left is the skin. I still give him baby food popsicles too; green beans are his favorite. And the fact that most of the food I give him is either frozen or cold seems to really help soothe his gums from teething as well.
At bedtime, I still give him an "oat-bottle". I pump about 4-5 oz and mix in 1-2 tbsps of baby oatmeal. 

Nom, nom, nom, apples!

Eating lemon for the first time!

Sizes: Vincent wears 6, 6-9 and 9 month clothing. But he wears 12 month clothing if it runs small (Gerber!!). He is still in size 3 diapers, but we will be moving up to size 4 as soon as we've used up everything we have.

Milestones and Changes:

• Vincent has learned to army-crawl! He will drag his body across the floor and try to push off with his feet. As soon as he figures out how to get up on his knees, he will be off. And I will need to go and purchase baby proofing supplies! Hehe :)

• He has begun to shake his head back and forth, as if to say no. He does this mostly when he is tired. When he is happy or has gotten my attention, he bobs his head up and down, like he is saying yes. Or headbanging. I am trying to figure out if he is trying to actually tell me something when he does it, or if he is just enjoying this new discovery!

• Vince has started to scream. A lot. LOUDLY. It is so funny - he gets super worked up and excited, starts letting out little screams and simultaneously hitting his thighs.
• Vincent got his first professional photos taken!! They turned out so adorable - I just melt every time I look at them. 

• Vincent took a ride in the shopping cart for the first time! My cousin got us this awesome cover that we take to the store every time now. He loves it! He likes looking at me and around the store and being able to play with his toys, which are attached to little loops sewn into the cover.

• Apparently, this boy thinks scary things are amusing. Mike and I took him to Target and came across this rather creepy possessed teddy bear-looking Halloween mask. Vincent thought is was the funniest thing he had ever seen. I put it on and said "Boo!" and he laughed like I had never heard him laugh before! He also likes to yell at zombies on TV when Mike and I watch The Walking Dead.
• I think he is starting to say "Mama" on purpose now. When he wakes up from a nap, I hear him say it on the monitor until I come to get him. I LOVE it when he says it!! It sounds more like "Mom-mom" :D