Pierce's 9 Month Check Up

Stats & Favorites

WOW - He's Been Out As Long As He Was IN!!



I remember feeling the same way when Kaiden turned 9 months - how is it possible that he is as old - outside the belly - as it took to cook him?! And as I've mentioned on several previous posts, my boys just couldn't be MORE DIFFERENT! As is evident with Pierce's 9 month Stats:

STATS:
Weight: 19 pounds Height: 27 inches - Mom's Back - HURTING!!!

YIKES can you believe that? Either this is what a 'normal' baby should be & this illustrates just how petite Kaiden is OR somehow our tipsy-turvey universe has made it so that my baby is bigger than my big boy - who knows?! OK well actually I went back and looked at the post for Kaiden's 9 month check up, and they aren't that different! Kaiden was 16 pounds and 27.5 inches tall - but Pierce is just SOLID!! I guess it's like comparing 5 pounds of feathers to 5 pounds of bricks!

How He's Doing
Well I think he's doing AWESOME - but I may be slightly biased! He is very enthralled with Kaiden! Pierce really wants to be where he is - makes entertaining him a little easier because Pierce is just happy to watch what Kaiden does, although I know that will not be lasting for long!
He is mastering the whole crawling thing - hands & knees - moving in tandem and making forward progress - that's a BIG deal!
He isn't as into books as Kaiden was, but I feel like that is partially my fault since with your first there just seems to be infinite time to do what you want when you want (within reason) then with your second - it's more like "OH crap - what is your big brother into? Here play with this while I chase down what the 'Uh-Oh' was for!" Well at least that how it works in my house - I know there are those super moms out there who have every child actively engaged in some enriching activity while also homeschooling said children, making their own clothes, and every meal is made from scratch. These are most likely also the women who not only purchase but enjoy making homemade scrapbooks, as opposed to the $300 worth of blue & brown crap I have NEVER touched for Kaiden's scrap-BabyBook - good thing Dave doesn't actually read my blog! Of course the fact that Pierce does NOT want to be rocked to sleep also plays a big part in the whole not getting as much book time. Really I've never (to date) rocked him to sleep, as sad as it is, it has worked well for us seeing how Kaiden still wants Dave to hang out & rock him for 30+ minutes EVERY night. Pierce prefers to have all night time preparations done (jammies, new diaper, pacifier) then put in his crib and allowed to flip to his tummy & pass out! We usually do his routine downstairs since Dave likes to spend as much time as he can with the boys before they go to sleep, so now he is programmed to know that when we get to the top of the stairs he looks to his door, waits to get his paci (we only give it to him for naps and nighttime sleep) and as soon as it gets in his mouth he starts to flip over. And let me tell you that little dude is friggin STRONG, so you have to make sure you give him the paci over the safety of the crib so if he tries to sleep roll & you lose your grip he won't fall far!

Food Wise
Well there isn't much this baby doesn't like! Really not ONCE has he spit out, grimaced or turned his nose up at any food - I think that's a good thing!? Dave just laughs cause he thinks Pierce will do anything for food - sadly he's right - this kid loves the stuff, wonder where he gets that from?! Let's see does he have a favorite? Maybe that new gerber yogurt - it's basically the same as real yogurt, except it's not in the cold section & it seems a little more custard like. Oh and maybe nilla wafers - he does seem to get really excited and starts to 'jig it out' in his high chair when he sees the big yellow box coming his way!

Entertainment
Again, I know the AAP may not agree with this, but my boys LOVE Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - Pierce will stop chewing when he hears the song start - see above paragraph to understand magnitude of that statement! And of course he is really loving Trooper Dog - and since P is always good for some yummy crumbys - the feeling seems to be mutual! Pierce is also a water baby, this kid loves his baths, and it is SO much easier to give them now that he is a sturdy sitter and no longer requires the infant tub. He and Kaiden splash and play (you know as much as a 2 year old and almost 1 year old can play) in the tub happily, which is great since they need baths pretty much every night - at least that is one chore that is more fun than dreadful ~ as opposed to diaper changes, laundry, floor cleaner. . . .

Health Wise
From a cardiac stand point he is doing great! Thank God!! In fact we haven't been to the cardiologist in months - that is awesome!! Not that we don't love our Dr. Khan, but losing doctors after having 7+ at one time, is a really great feeling!

We are unfortunately still having issues with his reflux, which I am hoping and praying, for everyone's sake will be rectified soon! I am sure Pierce would be much happier not spitting up/vomiting all day & Lord knows I would be a much happier camper without wearing said spit up & vomit. Plus the the work load that would be lightened by not having 3+ dirty outfits from BOTH Pierce & me (although some bad days I just say screw it & wipe the obvious off & keep wearing the dirty shirt since I know it's just going to happen again in a little while. Of course this is when I know NO ONE is stopping by & we have NO intentions of going anywhere that day, I know it sounds gross but sometimes only a little gets on me & I just deal with it. Other days it looks like a scene from the exorcist & wardrobe changes, showers & baths & LOTS of smell good lotion are needed. . . . no one EVER said being a mom was glamorous!!!) a day 2-4 dirty sheets a week, countless bibs, burp cloths, socks - the puke always gets on the socks - and on and on. . . . Anyhow we have some testing coming up to see how everything is going because beyond being gross & annoying we need to make sure that his reflux isn't damaging his esophagus or mouth and to check just what is the cause of this frequent spitting up. I'll keep you posted. But I just have to say if you're children never experienced reflux, say an extra prayer thanking God for this bit of good fortune and to those of you who are suffering through it - keep your head up! We will all make it out of this stage (eventually) and although it seems SO overwhelming now, I believe that in the future when we think back it will have been but a hiccup on the spectrum of raising a happy & healthy baby! God, I look forward to the day when I can laugh about it!!!

Photo Friday

What Big Brothers Are For

Love, Support, Encouragement - Pestering. . .

"Everybody Sitting Down Together"

"HI Baby Pierce! Wanna Crawl?!"

"Don't Get Upset Baby. You Can Do It!"
"Yay! You're Doing It!"

Taking A Break Together

"I'll Show You How To Do It!"

"I Love You Baby Pierce"

A Quick Update

I Know, I Know. . . .

I'm WAY Behind On Blogging - Here's A Recap:

I know it is the lamest excuse that EVER existed but I've been busy! Of course probably not as busy as I seem at the time but with Pierce in full on crawl mode & Kaiden who is convinced he is the King of this castle I do not get much face time with my lappy!

Pierce Is CRAWLING!
So did you pick that up in the intro? Yup Pierce is full on, hands and knees crawling after EVERYTHING. He mastered this last Thursday (which is in a soon to be posted post) but the funny part is we have several of those 'encourage crawling' toys. You know they rock and roll and light up and play music & he giggles at them but wasn't really inspired by them, but sure enough Flik drops this blue sparkly cat ball with a bell inside and dude gets up on all fours and takes off after it without even thinking! It's awesome that he is crawling - although my life just got ten times crazier - it is a good thing!

Although being a boy & a Kirk - he wasn't satisfied with crawling for long! As I said he mastered crawling on Thursday by Sunday night he had moved on to putting his feet & hands flat on the floor - in a 'downward facing dog' pose and he tries to walk his hands back towards his feet to stand up. He's getting close although thankfully right now he just falls on his touche and tries again - of course not without letting out a few howls of frustration. It's only natural that his next progression is pulling to stand - which he does every time you get close to him. He doesn't feel comfortable using objects yet to pull up on, but your hands, knees, legs anything human (or canine) and he is trying to elevate!

One last accomplishment for Pierce - he has mastered the sign for "more". Of course everyone's motivation is different Kaiden mastered this sign while watching 'Gumi Bear' videos on YouTube, Pierce on the other hand was motivated by slices of fresh pear & bananas! The other really cool thing is if you put said pieces of fruit on a toddler fork and hand it to him, Pierce can accurately guide that fork into his mouth and chomp down - of course you need to pull it back out and reload it. I was really impressed by this! Again Dave dismisses it as "Pierce will do ANYTHING for food" - but I digress!

Kaiden Is . . . Well, KAIDEN!!
Where do you even start with this kiddo? Well as I type this he comes scooting in the room on his Mickey Plane completely naked with a HUGE smile on his face! That's as good a place as any to start! :o) Again I don't know if it's a boy thing, a toddler thing or a Kirk thing but this kid is OBSESSED with Naked Time!! At least three times a day there is a buck naked Kaiden running sprints through this house. I'm not sure when it happened but he has mastered undressing himself - zipper jammies, pants, diapers, socks & shoes - none of them can hold him back! Shirts on the other hand are a little tougher, he usually gets them right up around his head then squels like a stuck pig that he's "STUCK". Back to the motivation thing, we are using 'Naked Time' as his motivation to go on the potty. Because he will come to me in full seriousness and say "Hey Mom, I really need to be naked right now." It's friggin hilarious & I figured why not try and make it work for us!

Another of Kaiden's daily needs includes dancing - we listen to a LOT of music in this house - those of you who aren't home during the day, there is NOTHING worth watching once his morning shows are over & even then all those high pitch 'happy voices' can begin grating on your nerves. So our solution is to listen to music! Now this may be where I am failing as a Mom, but my kids prefer top 20 hits to nursery rhymes and 'the wheels on the bus'. Which is quite comical because one of the Mom's that came to the Christmas party in Kaiden's class - saw her son looking at a playskool bus & doing the round & round with his hands - & to his delight she went over and started singing 'wheels on the bus' for him. At which point my child looks at me and says "Oooh the bus, it's gonna go pick up all those kids & they gonna have a good day at school" - in no way was I upset about hi association with the bus but it made me laugh cause as soon as we got in the car to go home he hears the first few beats ' duh duh duh duh duh duh duh wooooo hooo' & he yells out "Ooooh Mom Party Everyday Song is on - which is what he calls the B.E.P. 'I Gotta Feeling' ! Ha Such is life!You would think he was a new addition to the family if you see the way Kaiden goes crazy over him - but Trooper is Kaiden's new favorite toy! I haven't yet decided if this is to the delight or dismay of the dog - but I am so happy that it has finally come that they are Best Friends! They play chase and 'tug o'war' which usually ends up as pull Kaiden around the floor on his back, still fun for all! And recently Kaiden has discovered Troopers 'nummy nummies' - in our house treats are called nummies, and on Christmas Day Kaiden fed almost the whole bag of beggin strips to Trooper, seems harmless enough until the next day - P. U.!!! Anyway chalk it up to a ROOKIE mistake, or being distracted, but while I fed Pierce his dinner last night Kaiden asked for two nummies for Troops - I was all too happy to let him have a distraction while I finished up. So off he goes, he asked to go upstairs to the playroom & again, all too happy to let him. It wasn't more than ten minutes later when I realized Trooper was barking like a mad man (which I knew meant Kaiden had hid the treat) and that Kaiden was laughing wildly. They were up to something!

I got Pierce cleaned up and we headed off in search of the awesome twosome, sure enough they were in my bathroom which is an extension of his playroom, Kaiden is sitting down in our big Jacuzzi tub (don't worry it was empty) with a GIANT smile. Trooper is standing outside the tub barking like crazy & it hits me something smells wonderful!! That's not right! I get closer to the tub look down in and discover an entire container of my warm sugar vanilla bath salts has been dumped in the tub - yay for me - I can't be mad at Kaiden it was my fault for letting him play without me up there! Then I say 'OK Kaiden, no more play time right now. Give Troops his treat so he stops barking & let's get Pierce ready for bed." He so sweetly responds "I can't give it to him Mommy because it's stuck" . . . . . . . . YUP - that's right he had hidden Trooper's treat INSIDE one of the jets in the tub! Again YAY me! I am the one who taught Kaiden to hide Trooper's treats because he has fun finding them, I just obviously didn't give specific enough instructions on where to and NOT TO hide the treats! Lesson learned or more like reinforced - QUIET TODDLER = UP TO NO GOOD!

Coming Soon
So like I said we've been busy and as you may know this weekend is going to be a very special one for us as Pierce is being Baptized on Sunday!! I am SO excited for this, our sweet little P has been through so much and we know that God & his angels have been with him through it all and know he gets to be Baptized with our best friends as his Godparents - it's going to be GREAT!!

Also I have some ADORABLE videos I am working on getting up here - the deal with those are that it takes a LONG time to convert them to MP3's and then to upload them to blogger - ugh but I am hoping Sunday night to get some uninterrupted time with the lappy & camera. Because lets face it blogging is FUN but being 25 posts behind in blogging is STRESS inducing! Yup that means I have 25 posts I have started but not yet published ♦ seriously what Mom do you know that needs any extra help in the stress department?!