Hunter: 10 months!

Hunter, bud! I blinked and 3 months had passed without me writing your monthly posts. I am ashamed of myself. We've had a LOT going on, but I am making myself sit down and record these precious memories for us to look back on. You are the sweetest, happiest, most lovable baby boy there ever was (well, your brother too!). There is almost never a time where a big smile is not plastered across that darling face of yours, and I could just eat you up. Daddy and brother feel the same way! 

This month, as with the past 3, we've had our fair share of doctors visits. Earlier this month, we took you to Dr. McClard because you were pulling those ears. With the diagnosis of a double ear infection, we made an appointment with the ENT and found out you had significant scarring and mild hearing loss. We felt like horrible, horrible parents! You are so happy all of the time that we never ever knew you were in pain or sick at all. You got tubes 2 days later. I'd like to say it's been smooth sailing from there, but you've still had your issues with those too. We go back (again) next Wednesday, and hopefully with steroids and drops and antibiotics, you'll be on the mend and well enough to do that hearing test again. When we saw Dr. McClard at your 9 month checkup, you were 24 pounds, 9 ounces (98%) and 30 inches long (98%). You weighed 25 pounds at the doctor this past Wednesday and had grown about a quarter of an inch. Bragger alert: when we were at Children's for your ENT appointment, exactly 9 people stopped me and said how cute you were. I have to agree! 

You are in a size 4 diaper, 12-18 month clothing and a wardrobe full of things you are growing out of way too quickly! You've moved up to a size 4 shoe, but to be honest, I never put you in shoes, ever. Your rolls and round little belly are getting harder and harder to squeeze into those 9-12month things, so we've moved on up. You are a little linebacker, for sure. 

We've said our farewell to baby food. You're completely on table food, and boy, do you love it. You'll eat anything and everything that we sit in front of you, which is so completely different than your picky, almost vegetarian big brother. You ate caesar salad and meatballs the other night, and daddy and I just laughed and laughed. You love carbs, but who doesn't? Pears are your favorite fruit, you love bread and puffs, noodles, chicken, and the list goes on. Aunt Amber and I were eating dinner at the country club one night and we looked over to find you stealing fries off big brother's plate. You also managed to grab a gingerbread cookie from the kitchen table last weekend. You also want to drink out of a big kid's sippy, so I think we'll be phasing out of that bottle right at 1. 

You are crawling now, and you are quick! You scootch along the couch and pull up on everything. I've even seen you swinging on the furniture once or twice. You can open the piano cover and bang on the keys, which I think is absolutely brilliant. You have rhythm and can beat on your drums so well, which is so unlike anyone else in this musically-uninclined family. I think you'll be taking those first steps very soon. You just need to get a little more confidence standing unassisted on those chubby little legs. 

You're sleeping like a champ. It took a little while to get used to a new room in a new house, but we kept as much the same as we could, and you've adjusted well. You usually take a nap around 5:30 each night until 6:30 or 7, get a bath, play a bit, have a bottle and then are back down until 6:30 or 7:00 each morning. This morning, you slept in until 8:30; I'll take that! 

You're the champion of the pouty face, quivering lip, loud tantrum cry when you don't get what you want. In other words, you are MY child! You and brother can play together all the time now, and if Luke decides he wants something you had, it doesn't go over well. We have to quickly get you a new toy before full on hysteria kicks in. Luke loves you so so much; he still calls you his baby. He told Santa that he's been so good taking care of his baby this year! Ha! I love the relationship you two have and my mama heart is just bursting with pride. 

The past 3 months have been a whirlwind of excitement, fun and happy chaos. We moved from our first home on Cromwell Drive to a home just 4 miles north in Farmers Branch. We are closer to the Club, where we spend so much of our time, and we have quite a bit more space for you crazy boys to run, play and explore and grow up. I never want to move again! Since so much has gone on and it would take me days to recap, I'll just write about what we've done this month. I hope you don't mind too much! 

We started off your 10th month by getting those tubes in your ears. I took you very early on Monday morning to Children's and we got those suckers put in as quickly as we could. They are working, but those ears are still draining like a leaky faucet, so we're trying to find a remedy for that. 

The next weekend, we continued to work on our new house and we went to Jett's birthday party in Fort Worth. You crawled around with the big kids and cuddled with Ava and had the best time. It was so fun to see the Blackburns and catch up and you and brother both took great naps on the way home. 

On Thanksgiving, we drove to Austin to give thanks for our many, many blessings with the Wallaces and Daddy's side of the family. We stayed through the weekend and you got to play with your cousins, the puppy and spend lots of time with Grandma and Pappy. We also got to go to Grannie and PawPaw's house. It was the best weekend spending time with family we don't see often enough. On the way home from Austin, the traffic was awful and we happened to see Blake and Melissa on the road, so we made a pit stop and had dinner with them. You and Chase got to meet again - I know y'all will grow up to be great friends. 

On Monday the 1st, we went to the BCDC holiday party where Santa made his appearance. You were just as happy as could be, but we'll see what happens next year! 

Last weekend, we went to see ICE! at the Gaylord Texan with Nana, Papa, Aunt Emily, Uncle Adam and Maddie Claire. It was so so cold, but you were adorable in that parka. After ICE and a long nap, we drove back to Grapevine for a ride on the North Pole Express and a visit with Santa. You were a champ through all of the lines and crowds and craziness, and we made memories I'll cherish for a lifetime. Sunday, you woke up wheezy, so we had to miss church and snuggle all day. It was a good break from our go-go-go lives, but I'm ready to celebrate Advent at PCBC with our church family again! I know you are ready to get back to your buds in the nursery, too :) 

Hunter, I can't tell you how much I love you and adore being your mom. I give thanks to our Creator each day that he chose me to raise you and love you and call you mine. In this season of Thanksgiving and celebrating our Savior's birth, I'm reflecting on the gifts that He has given to me, and you, my precious son, are one of the very best gifts. It is the joy of my life to raise you and your brother. Brother Bear, I love you! 

Hunter: 7 Months!

Brother bear, another month has flown by. Somehow I say that every month and every month it's true. It's a bittersweet feeling, really. I love watching you grow and discover and learn, but then I see a newborn at the grocery and want to keep you little a little longer. But such is life! You continue to make me smile and laugh and make my heart feel like its bursting out of my chest. You are my snuggle bug and the sweetest little boy that ever did exist. And, Hunter, you are so. much. fun! 

Could it be true? We didn't grace the PAD office with our presence at all this month. Praise be to God! You have been healthier than ever since the swallow study. I still think you have reflux, but that's a conversation I'll have with your pulmonologist next month. Today, you weighed a whopping 23.8 pounds and were 28.5" long. We were eating dinner one night last week when a man stopped at our table, asked how old you were and then said with surprise "I need to be his agent!". We may have a pro athlete on our hands!! 

You're wearing size 3 diapers still, but I think we'll be moving up to a size 4 soon. Your belly is just a little too round for the 3s. You wear 9-12 month clothing and some 12 month. I still have some 9 month things in the drawers but the snaps keep popping around those thighs of yours! 

You are eating lots of food now! You like winter squash, rice and peas, chicken and sweet potatoes, pears, and lots of other things. You like to munch on bananas and mum mums. You give your brother the stare down at dinner time to get some of his food - you want the good stuff now. We're getting there! 

You are completely mobile now. You sit up, roll over, and scoot all over. You're working on crawling, but you're really just scooting right now. You are pretty fast! You can get to where you want to be, grab what you want and then get back to where you were. You're fond of looking at yourself in the glass of the entertainment center and just giggling and entertaining yourself. You can stand up for a period of time now too. It's time to re-baby proof this house! 

You continue to be an excellent sleeper. You're cutting your bottom two teeth, so we've had some crying in the middle of the night, but it's nothing a quick snuggle and some Tylenol can't fix. We usually put you down right after 7:00 each night and you wake up around 6am for a bottle. You'll take another nap or play in your crib until around 7:30am and then you're up for the day. Then, you watch Disney Jr. with brother in our bed or on the couch until it's time for school. It's a great routine for us all. 

This month, you and brother have played so well together. In fact, Luke is loving "helping" you sit up roll over and even "walk". We have to keep our eyes out for him! You like to steal his milk cup in the mornings, and it won't be long before you both are fighting over toys. This past weekend, we got two of the exact same stuffed animals so that you could both have one and there wouldn't be fighting. We're prepping for those days! 

This month was so much fun (to be fair, every month is!). We played, went to parties, out to dinner, activities are back in full swing and were on the go way more than this summer. 

Earlier in August, we drove to Conroe for a weekend at Nana and Papa's house. You were spoiled silly - baths in the sink, pool time and lots of cuddles. Maddie Claire loved playing with you and you loved watching the bigger kids run around. It was a fun and pretty relaxing weekend! 

The next weekend, we had quite a few birthday parties to attend. You tagged along, got passed around and were quite the champ. Pretty soon, we'll be attending parties for your friends too and then our social calendar will be even more packed! We ended the weekend with church and naps for everyone. 

Labor Day weekend, we relaxed, played in the pool, did lots of house work and went to church. We had no plans and it was great - just lots and lots of family time! 

Last weekend, we drove to Austin for the Longhorn game. You and brother stayed with Grandma and Pappy and played while Mommy and Daddy went to the Phi Psi groundbreaking and football game. You both loved spending time with your grandparents and were so worn out from playing you went to bed early! Although our team lost (badly), it was a great weekend in the hill country. 

Brother bear, we love you to the moon and back! I love you to pieces and I am so proud I am your mommy. 

Hunter: 6 Months!

Well, six months went by way too fast! It seems like yesterday they were wheeling me into the OR to deliver you, a sweet little bundle with a ton of dark hair and the cutest little dimple I'd ever seen. And today, here we are, six months later, and you are a chunky baby with lots of BLONDE hair and the sweetest smile (and that same precious dimple) I have ever seen. You light up every room, baby boy! This past six months has happened in the blink of an eye and I'm sitting here trying to savor every second. 

You've had a far less adventurous month health wise than last one. Praise Jesus! You're doing so.much.better. and you sound so good these days! We went to see the pulmonologist a couple of weeks ago, and he ordered an upper GI study and a swallow study. You had to wait a little while to take the tests because of ear infections and rounds of antibiotics, but we finally got them done. All was well and with a little tweaking at feedings, you've made huge strides. We switched your inhaler medicine too and that seems to have done the trick as well! At your six month well check today, you were half an ounce away from 21 pounds (95%), 27.75 inches long (90%) and you head was 17.5 inches round (75%). 

You're in size 3 diapers still and you wear 6 month, 6-9 month and 9 month clothes. I'm going to order some 9-12 month pajamas this week because the 6-9 month are getting too snug. You just have so many cute rolls we have to squeeze into clothes! 

 

This month, you started eating food! At about 5 1/2 months, we started you on rice cereal. Because we now have to put rice cereal in every bottle, we've moved on to feeding you oatmeal, avocados or bananas at meal time. To say you love it would be a huge understatement. I think oatmeal is your favorite. You also love avocado but you're still not quite sure about bananas. But hey, food is food and you don't discriminate.  

Bath time is still your favorite part of the day. I usually feed you a little bottle and then you take a bath before Daddy gets home from work. That way, you have a little time to spend playing with Dad before bedtime around 7:30. 

You're sleeping like a champ! You go to bed between 7:30 and 8 each night and sleep until 5:45 or 6. After a quick bottle, you're back asleep until big brother runs in and wakes you up with his loud voice yelling "BROTHER BEARRRRR" every morning. You just look up at him and smile and then look at me and smile and you're ready for the day. 

You're mobile now too. Gone are the days of sitting you somewhere and knowing you're safe there for a second. You're rolling across the living room, trying to scoot and attempting to get into the crawling position. The breathable bumpers made their appearance this week since you are not a still sleeper. You're talking, cooing, laughing, playing peekaboo and lots of other fun baby things. You also go walk backwards in your walker. As you explore and learn more about this world and what you can do, we see more and more of your personality. And we love it! 

You and big brother continue to be the very best of friends. We have to watch you both closely. You love each other so much - we've caught Luke a couple of times trying to pick you up or flip you over ("but, Mom, I'm teaching him to rolllll!"). A couple of weeks ago, I had to stop him from playing airplane with you. I'm sure the two of you will give me quite the run for my money in the coming years. 

This month was so fun! As I've said before, you are the easiest baby, and you hardly make a peep. You just tag along wherever we need to go and never fuss. Now that you're healthier than you have been, we've been able to do more things and get out a little more. 

On the 19th, we celebrated Luke's 3rd birthday. You slept for most of the party and then got passed around among our family and friends. It was only about 80* and it was such a nice day to be outside! 

The next weekend, we made the party circuit rounds! We drove to Waco for Jordyn's gymnastics party, ate a quick lunch with family afterward and drove back to Dallas for another party. We ended the weekend with church and naps! 

Last weekend, we went to a friend's house for a cookout, then you and Daddy and Luke went to the pool while Mommy hosted a shower at our house. That night, your sweet sitters came and you were spoiled rotten while Mommy and Daddy went out. 

This past weekend was so fun and one I will remember dearly forever. Nana and Papa bought you and brother a zoo membership, so we woke up early Saturday and spent a couple of hours there before it got too hot. 

Yesterday, we dedicated you at church in front of our family and friends. This is of upmost importance to us as Christians and it means that we are vowing to raise you in a loving, Christian home, teaching you the bible and praying for you, alongside our church family. It's our promise to the Lord to do everything within our power to raise you in a godly way, prayerfully and biblically until you decide to follow Christ, and then guiding you down that path and helping disciple you. We absolutely do not take that lightly and we will do everything we can to raise you in the truth and with love. 

Hunter, these past six months have been scary at times and stressful at others, but always exciting. You are such a precious baby and I cherish every smile, every coo, every snuggle, every sweet moment. I'm sure the next six months will fly by as quickly as the first six have, so I'm soaking in every sweet day we spend together, as I know they are fleeting. We love you so much, more than words can say.  

"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." - Philippians 1:9-11