7 Months and Growing

Kylen keeps getting older which makes me sad but we are enjoying every minute of watching him grow and learn. He has just recently learned to use the furniture to stand up which is terrifying since he is only 7 months. He does it with such ease and excitement. Even though he is standing he still hasn't mastered crawling. He is able to get on his knees and he will rock back and forth but then he drops his knees and takes off doing his army crawl. His favorite places to crawl are to the dog bed, the fireplace and the dog's water dish. I have been trying to find toys that he really enjoys but he seems to only be interested in things that aren't his. He loves water bottles, the dogs’ food dishes, which he bangs on the kitchen floor, remote controls and pretty much anything that he is not allowed to have. He keeps me on my toes and very active.

He is also in his own room now. He has been sleeping in there for about 4 weeks now. We are down to only one feeding at night. I have tried to wean him off of it by giving him water but it hasn't worked. He goes to sleep at 7:30pm, wakes up between 1:00am and 3:30am for a bottle, and then I get him out of bed at 7:00am. He is a good napper. He takes 2 naps a day and each is about 2.5 hours.

We have made it through all the first stage foods without any problems. Well except for the fact that he refuses to eat peas and green beans. I have tried a couple times but he will not budge. He makes a face like "really mom.. this again? Yuck!" but he does well with everything else. He loves to munch on his Baby Mum-Mums which are little rice rusks that dissolve in his mouth. I also give him juice ice cubes in his fresh food feeder. These help me a lot since he needs to be entertained constantly.

He is in 6-9 month clothing which I cannot believe. I remember taking him home from the hospital in newborn clothing that was too big. I felt like he would never get big enough to wear the older month outfits. But there I was in Target the other day, buying 9 month pants.. Oh how time flies. He is still in size 2 diapers. He can fit in size 3 but I still have a whole pack of the size two from my shower. And since they still fit we are still putting him in those. Speaking of clothing and diapers, changing him has become an extremely challenging task. He will not stay still! He rolls over and tries to crawl. I can't seem to keep him still long enough to put a new diaper or outfit on him. It ends up turning into a battle and lots of tears.

He is a very happy baby (when not being changed). He loves to smile and giggle which fills my day with laughter and happiness. Andrew and I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful son and we couldn't ask for anything more :)

Half a year!

We had Kylen's 6 month appointment on Monday and he is doing great! He is now a whopping 15 pounds 15 ounces and 26.25 inches long. He is only in the 13th percentile for size at his age but we feel like he is huge. The doctor says his small size does not mean much right now. Even though he is small he is ahead of the game. Dr. Jones was surprised that he is sitting up by himself and on the verge of crawling.

 We started him on baby food which he seems to really like. I also started giving him teething rice crisps because my finger can't handle his bite anymore! The doctor thinks we should move him into his own room if we want to get some sleep since he is still not sleeping through the night. Supposedly, sleeping in the same room as the parents can keep them from sleeping all night. We are going to get his room put together this coming weekend but I still don't know if I can part from him at night. I have become accustomed to him being so close that it will be hard for me to know he is in his own room. We will see how I do.. I am guessing not very well :o)

Kylen's First 4th!

Yesterday was Andrew, Kylen and I's first 4th of July as a family. We got up early (as usual) and cleaned house. Andrew cleaned the patio for the first time and now our backyard looks more like a backyard than a junkyard. The patio was being used as a storage for old 80s appliances and leftover hardware items. It was a prefect time to clean it up because my mom and grandma came over and surprised Andrew with a grill and a smoker. Later a few friends, Jamie and Beans, came over along with Andrews two brothers. We used our new grill for the first time and headed over to the pool. Kylen loves to swim! We always seem to go right before his nap time so he doesn't last very long until he is ready to head home and go to sleep. After dinner we dressed Kylen in his American flag outfit and headed to see fireworks. It took him awhile to notice the fireworks though; he was more impressed with the grass. It was a very nice, relaxing 4th of July.

Mommy's little fire cracker :)

I can't believe how much Kylen is growing and learning. He is sitting up all by himself now. He looses his balance occasionally but he is doing really well for the most part; I am amazed on how quick he picks up on things. He is trying hard to crawl but he hasn't quite figured it out yet. Right now he just crawls in circles or pulls himself across the floor. I know as soon as he is able to do it, he will be all over the place! My mom agrees so she bought us a really nice, big playpen. Like I said earlier, he loves to go swimming. We try to take him in the mornings before it gets too hot and Andrew heads to work. His first two bottom teeth already cut through. I had a feeling he was teething because his naps were getting a little shorter, he was fussier than normal, he drools like a St. Bernard and he HAS to put everything in his mouth. Sure enough I felt his gums the other morning and two are already broke though. I am going to miss those adorable gummy smiles :( Who knew that teething would lead to more sleepless nights?..not me!  He loves to make people laugh. If he does something funny he will look at you and if you laugh he will start to giggle with you. It is so adorable.

Watching momma make a night time bottle!

mm chocolate ice cream!

I started school on June 20th and it has been quite the experience. Kylen is not a fan of momma sitting at the computer doing homework. School was a whole lot easier when I didn't have a little one but if there's a will then there's a way! I just have to figure out a way to keep him entertained while I do school work.. hmm.

Making Our House a Home

We are finally moved in to our new home.. for the most part at least. We just have to move over the rest of Kylen's furniture which we are dreading because we have to take his crib apart to get it out of the door. We are still working on the house though.. it feels like a never ending project. Hopefully it will start to wind down soon. It is nice to not have to go from house to house anymore. We are starting to get on a schedule and feel stable. Kylen is growing so fast! He started  a new trick where he stick out his tongue and blows bubbles and if you start doing it then he will mimic you. He is also getting really good at picking up his toys. It amazes me every time he learns something new. We started to put him in his crib to sleep. He does pretty well but he has his nights when he wakes up every few hours.. last night was one of them. Even after a rough night of sleep, he wakes up in a great mood and is all smiles. He has been playing with his toes for a long time but he is finally able to get them into his mouth and he loves it. He also is constantly putting his fingers in his mouth.. he makes himself gag but he thinks it is funny. I am worried he is going to be a daredevil because he loves when Andrew dances around with him and puts him in the air.

As if a new house and a 5 month old baby wasn't enough, we adopted 2 puppies this weekend. They are both girls; Sammie is a 3 month old Australian Shepard mix and Nellie is a 5 month old Border Collie mix. Both are really sweet and surprisingly good puppies. They adore Kylen.. even when he is pulling their hair and their ears. Our little family is making our new house feel like a home :)

Just hangin with the pups!

Nellie loves to give Ky Bear kisses

And she doesn't mind if he pulls her hair

At Uncle Roof's hockey game

Very first swim in the pool!

So handsome in Momma's shades

Do I have to wear this hat grandma?!

Four Months Already!

Well life has been nonstop lately so I have not had any time to write on my blog. Andrew and I were finally given the keys to our new home on Saturday, April 30th, 2011. Since then we have been in our house trying to fix it up. Each day we are there we get a little bit more done; not as much as we would like but it is a slow process, especially when you add our little man, Kylen, into the mix. Last night was the first time that we stayed there. Kylen stayed with Nana so we could work late and wake up early to to get more done. Poor Andrew hasn't had a real day off in a while. He wakes up early to work on the house then goes to work till late in the evening and until a week ago he was trying to work school into his schedule as well. We can't wait to fully move in and get settled.

Kylen is getting so big! He went to his 4 month appointment last week and he is now 14 pounds and 25 inches long. On Friday, May 13th, 2011 he rolled over for the first time! I was in the kitchen working on our cabinets while he laid on his back under his play gym in the family room. I looked over and he was on his belly! He had been working on it work for a couple weeks but he finally did it.. whoo hoo!! Now his rolling is constant. He rolls from his back to his belly and then back onto his back. The doctor was surprised because 6 months is the usual age when infants start to roll both ways but not Kylen! He is a very good, happy baby. He loves to dance around the house with dad and sit in his Winne the Pooh walker that grandma bought him. He also loves rice cereal with peaches. He is getting better at eating from a spoon but he tries to suck the food off the spoon as if it were a bottle.. we are working on that :-)

It has been so long since I have posted that I haven't been able to tell you about his very first Easter. Well we took Kylen to sit on the Easter Bunny's lap the week before. We couldn't get him to look at the camera, let alone smile at it but we got a pretty good picture. But we did have to go though the line twice to get it!  The Saturday before Easter, Andrew, Kylen and I went to church with Nana. It was a very nice service and Kylen was a good boy.. he just sat quietly with Nana. After church we had our usual Saturday night BBQ dinner at Nana's and Tata's. Easter Sunday we had brunch at The Cheesecake Factory with Aunt Michelle, Tristyn, Niki and Kyle. Then Kylen and I came home and Aunt Michelle and I made dinner for Pa while Tristyn decorated eggs.. When I say Michelle and I made dinner it means Michelle made dinner and I heated corn in the microwave :-) I am working on my cooking skills!

I can't believe Kylen is already four and a half months. Time flies but we are trying to take in every moment and smile we have with him.

I am having problems with my computer so I can't post pictures yet but I will as soon as I can.

The Past 3 Months

Since I am starting this blog a little late I feel like I should catch you up on the past 3 months.

On January 8th, 2011 I went on my usual morning 3 mile walk with my mom and noticed that I was..um.. leaking. I didn't think much of it.. maybe it was just another one of those weird pregnancy things that no one tells you about so I waited to mention it to anyone. A few hours went by and I was beginning to get a little worried so I told Andrew, my mom and my sister. They were instantly concerned but I blew it off like it was nothing.  It was the day of the Tuscon tragedy so Andrew, my family and I spent the day watching the details unfold on the news. The concern of my family never let up and around 6:00pm Andrew and I were on our way to the hospital. I thought for sure that they were going to send me home but to my surprise, the nurse told me that my water did indeed break and I would be admitted into the hospital.

I was terrified and didn't feel like I was ready but who is really ever ready to give birth?! After a very long night of strong contractions, I decided it was time for an epidural. Around noon on January 9th, 2011 I received my epidural. I was nervous to get it but it is not nearly as scary as I thought it would be and trust me, it is well worth it! Then around 3:00pm, Kylen decided he was ready. I was lucky enough to only have to push for 15 minutes until I got to meet my beautiful baby boy :)

At 3:23pm we welcomed Kylen Rene McClamrock into the world. He weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces and was 19 inches long.

He had a cone head!

Headed home for the first time!

We spent two days in the hospital until we were released and had to care for him without the help of the nurses. Andrew had 2 weeks off from work so he was able to help a lot. We took shifts at night because Kylen refused to sleep in his crib. We were two exhausted parents! About a week and a half after he was born we took him in to be circumcised and his pediatrician heard a murmur in his heart and was concerned about his dropping weight which at that time was 6 pounds 4 ounces. He sent us to the Phoenix Childrens Hospital to be looked at. After many tests and a long day in the ER, the doctors declared that there was nothing wrong and we could go home. They took his temperature right before we were about to leave and it was high. A high temperature in an infant so young bought 2 weeks in the hospital. After many more tests and a lot of tears we found out that Kylen had bacteria in his blood which was caused by a urinary tract infection. He was instantly put on antibiotics and monitored constantly. Those 2 weeks were the longest weeks of my life but we were so thankful that his infection was caught early and we were able to take home a healthy baby.

So hungry!

Holding onto dad's finger

With mom at the hospital

Since then Kylen has almost doubled in size. He is full of smiles and loves to be talked to. He is at the hair grabbing and drooling stage. I now understand why moms get the "short mom haircut". He still does not sleep in a crib. He did not sleep in a crib during those 2 weeks at the hospital so I think we both got used to it. It is something that we need to work on and we plan on doing that when Andrew and I move into our house. I am trying to get him on a schedule but that has not been easy either. With Andrew and I living separately we are constantly going back and forth between our houses or running around preparing for our move. Hopefully everything will settle down once we live under the same roof.

Big smiles at 2 months

More smiles at 3 months

Grandma bought me a new hat!!