7 months of Bob

physically: he is getting so big. 16 pounds 10oz, and 26 inches long. 

teeth: two teeth. and i am pretty sure there is two more on the way. tons and tons of drool. cranky. good times (not really)

eats: just about everything. still on formula, but also eats purees.  he also started eating "adult" food. he loves sausage, toast, rice, chicken, and beans.

sleeps: in his crib. he was doing really well, sleeping 7-7 but lately the sleep has been regressing. waking up anywhere between 5:30am-7. ugh.

wears: still in 6-9 month clothing. 

loves: playing with his dad. seeing the cats. being picked up and put by the mirror ( he loves looking at himself). jumping in the jumper. and laying in the swing. 

hates: i can't really think of anything that he hates right now. nothing really comes to mind.

vocally: he is babbling SO much. it's pretty cute. he also started blowing spit bubbles while talking. i love it.

he just started crawling!!!!!!!!!!!! like two days ago on august 1st. i was volunteering when his dad sent me a video of him crawling. super crazy! makes me really happy to see him hitting these milestones but at the same time pretty sad that my baby is growing so quick. 

he's also been really sick. for about the past 2.5 weeks he's had super bad diarrhea. i took him to the doctor and she said there is a virus going around but they are wanted to do some labs so we are waiting on the results. he also just got a cold and last night was one of the worst nights we've ever had. so much screaming no matter what we did. holding him, rocking him, letting him lay down, he just cried. it was the worst. hopefully he starts feeling better soon. 

6 months of bob!

physically: he is so big now! my arms hurt when i hold him for long periods of time. i've also had to adjust the straps on the car seat twice now. crazy crazy.

teeth: he has TWO teeth now. TWO! both came at once. and i think there is more on the way. lots of drool! and lots of chewing. on everything.

eats: this kid LOVES food. he is currently eating puree'd foods but i also give him little snack crackers every meal as well. his favorite puree'd food so far is mangos. this kid has mangos everyday and can't seem to get enough of it. 

sleeps: bob is doing really well. sleep training last month was the best decision ever. he goes down at 7pm and usually sleeps till 7. we just moved so he's been having a few rough nights and waking up earlier than he should. theres been a handful of 4:30-5am mornings. ugh.

wears: this kid is now in 6 month clothing. i packed away all this 3-6 month stuff because all the onesies and tshirts were too small. i want him to stop! stay little forever bob. 

loves: he loves eating (especially mangos). t.v in the mornings. his dad making him laugh. mj kitty. 

hates: i don't know that he has any hates right now. i'm trying to think of something, and i don't think there is anything.

vocally:he is babbling so much these days. he makes the loudest noises. it's the best. 

so much has happened in this past month. in addition to bob growing like a weed, we bought a house! so exciting. we officially moved all our stuff in yesterday. now we are working on unpacking, and making our homestead more comfortable. 

5 months of bob!

physically: he is getting gigantic. my arms are getting more an more sore everyday with how heavy this kid is getting. on thursday we will know his height and weight. that's when his 5 month well appointment is. 

teeth: no teeth yet. but he's chewing on everything, and drooling like crazy. i made sure to stock up on tylenol while at target yesterday. teeth, we are ready for you!

eats: formula as well as some solids now. we started shortly after he turned 4 months giving him different fruit and veggie purees. he is a pretty picky kid. (like his mama). some of his favorites are sweet potatoes, chicken, prunes, apples, and berries. he isn't a fan of peaches or sweet peas though. 

sleeps: really well. a few nights ago we started sleep training. it only took two nights of "crying it out." when i say crying it out ii don't mean that i left him crying in the crib by himself all night. he cried for only a few minutes while i went in every few minutes to sooth him. last night he slept in his crib, alone, for 12 hours. no crying. SO GOOD. he woke up so much happier, and alert. well and so did i. yay for sleep. go bob.

wears: bob is still in 3-6 month clothing. 

loves: eating, and sleeping. the hubs bought bob an activity center to play in which bob loves. he enjoys being on his belly more than anything in the world. he also loves being around other babies. he's finally becoming aware of them, and loves smiling at them.

hates: he still hates having diaper changes, as well as being on his back now that he's discovered how awesome being on the belly is.

vocally:lots and lots of babbling. it's incredibly cute how much he babbles.

this past month has been crazy. we did some going back and forth down to san diego for the hubs work, as well as to see family. we also started sleep training which has been the best decision ever made. we really loved co sleeping, but none of us were getting a full nights rest. now we are able to all sleep comfortably. it's really nice. he slept 12 hours last night! so good. i'm trying to think of what else has been going on, but i haven't had much coffee yet and i have a full day of work ahead of me. i will attach some photos from the past month. 

4 months of bob

physically: bob is getting huge!!! he graduated this week to size 2 diapers. am i the only mom sad about that? i even packed away a size 1 diaper to keep. i never thought i would be one of those sappy, save everything type moms but i am. on monday we will know his weight and height.

teeth: none yet. but i definitely think something is coming. this little guy is chewing on everything. especially my fingers. we ordered him some teething rings, and have tylenol on hand for when he does. 

eats: still on formula. and lots of it. he eats anywhere between 20-25 ounces. 

sleeps: he still sleeps through the night. i usually put him down anywhere between 7-8pm, and he sleeps till 6am on the nose. bob still sleeps in bed with us, and will continue to do so when we are ready to put him in his room. but for now he is fine sleeping with us. he is ready to eat right when he wakes up, so i usually bring the bottle with me into the room and feed him as i make our way into the living room. as for naps its a hit or a miss. he either naps really well, or not so great. lately we've been all over the place. he's currently napping now which is great.

wears: bob is now in size 3-6 months. i packed up all his newborn stuff and put it away. as for diapers, like i said before he's in size 2. so crazy!

vocally: he babbles SO much. especially at night time when he's tired. or before a nap. it's really sweet. he loves when the hubs sings to him. he laughs so hard. it's the best. he's also started making tons of high pitched noises. i love it. i know we are a ways a way from this, but i can't wait to hear what his first words will be.

loves: bob loves bath time. loves when people sing to him. loves grabbing his feet!!! thats a new thing he started yesterday. so good. he loves the projector that shines on the ceiling at night time, he smiles at it and talks to it. he also loves being held. 

hates: bob hates being in the car. hates it. he also hates being put down. when we change his diaper and set him down to do it, he screams until he realizes that you aren't walking away from him. but if you do walk away, he will scream. 




dear bob, i love you very much. it's so fun watching you grow, and turn into a little person. you are a completely different baby. you're happier, noisier, and bigger. we love it. here's to another great month with you. 

our week in photos

family photo before bath time (bob's bath time)

happy bob in his new zara outfit

someone found his feet this morning

this was on our walk last weekend <3

we've had a pretty uneventful week. hanging out at home, staying in doors. with it being in the 90's it's been way too hot to leave the house. but now today will be a day of cleaning and prepping the apartment. it's the hubs birthday tomorrow, and then my dad will be up on sunday. bob has his four month shots on monday, and i will need some help. poor guy. hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

3 months of bob!

today bob is 3 months!!!! holy guacamole, where did the time go? 
bob has grown SO much. i'm not sure how much exactly, he has his 3 month doctor appointment tomorrow. the hubs and i measured him ourselves and he looks to be around 23.5 inches, and weighs about 12 pounds. love my little chunker. 

• he sleeps through the night now. usually from 10pm-7am. it's really nice.
• when sleeping he loves to have his face pushed up against mine. almost like he wants to feel me breathing. anyone else's babes do this?
• he still sleeps a lot through the day. but that's ok. that gives me time to get things done.
• he started laughing! it's the BEST thing ever. he has only laughed for me twice, but he thinks his dad is hilarious. laughs at him all the time. especially when singing silly songs.
• he is always smiling. except when i try and take pictures of him. i guess he's camera shy?
• he's eating tons now. anywhere between 4-6 oz a feeding. probably because he's growing like a weed.
• he still also hates tummy time. 

since last saturday bob has been super fussy. lots of crying, and whining, and wanting to be snuggled. also super fussy with the pacifier and the bottle. i'm guessing it's a growth spurt. i felt around in his mouth and i couldn't feel any bumps under his gums, so i don't think that's what it is. i'm hoping he starts acting less fussy soon. i miss my cuddly happy baby. 

on a sad note of it all, we are quitting breastfeeding. we've been struggling with bf from the start. our routine was nursing, then a bottle, then i would pump for an hour. by the time it was all done, it was time to feed him and start the whole process over again. being hooked up to the pump for 8+ hours a day isn't fair to bob or myself so i decided it was best to start to wean, so i could spend more time with him. i'm still working on weaning which is pretty hard. emotionally and physically. i still am pumping but only 2-3 times a day as apposed to 6+. i get to spend much more time with him now which is great. i have to keep reminding myself that i made it to 3 months of breastfeeding. which is GREAT! i should be proud of myself. he will continue getting the stuff i am pumping until my supply is dried out, then i will give him my freezer stash. he will probably have breast milk until 3.5 months which will take us to the end of flu season. sad it's over, but go me for making it this far!

video love

my dear friend bobbie made a beautiful video of bob and i. love this so much, and i will cherish it forever.

i will post the link here, because the video won't upload.

Video

our struggle with breastfeeding

wow what a struggle breastfeeding has been. it started off great, but then slowly got harder and harder. when bob was 3 days old, his doctor told us he had jaundice. which then, our pediatrician asked us to supplement with formula. soon after that my supply tanked. it was hard enough being told i would have to use formula, but then having my milk supply go way down which really sucked. 

as soon as bob turned 6 weeks, the jaundice was gone, and i really wanted nothing more than to kick the formula to the curb and to exclusively breastfeed. so i decided it was time to meet with a lactation consultant. i met with linda hannah who works with my nursing coach . she did tell me that my supply was low, and suggested some supplements as well as using an sns. for those of you  who don't know what an sns is, i highly recommend googling it. i had never heard of or had seen one of these things previous to her showing it to me. weird little contraption. it worked great at first, but then once bob got wise to it, it no longer worked. 

so i decided what's best for us is to nurse, then give him a bottle, then pump. right now he's an eating machine. 2oz of breast an 2oz of formula from the bottle, then he's also getting whatever it is from when he nurses. 

it's a looonnnnnng process, but it is currently what works best for us. i love my boy so much, and will do whatever it takes to keep him healthy, which right now he is perfect. 

we also got this amazing opportunity to do a video shoot with what to expect when you're expecting. our lovely lactation consultant recommended me to be in the video with her. we 3 different breastfeeding videos with bob, linda, and heidi murkoff. such a wonderful and fun experience. i also ended up doing a bottle feeding video, as well as packing a diaper bag. bob and i had an absolute blast. bob also made a little friend. it was really sweet. 

Bob is two months!!!!!!!

craaaaazzzyyy! i can't believe my sweet bob is two months already. i am so lucky to be this boys mama. these past two months have been flying by. it seems like only yesterday that the hubs and i were on our way to the hospital. 

bob now weighs 9 lbs 10 oz, and is 22 inches long!! he's getting so big!!!! even his little chicken legs are starting to put on weight. he still has his beautiful blue eyes, but that light hair of his is getting darker.

he also finally started smiling, and cooing. seeing that smile makes my hard delivery all worth it. he likes when we talk to him and he likes when his dad does silly voices. he's even sleeping through the night now!!!! even though he sleeps really well, i am constantly waking up checking on him. i heard that want to check constantly never goes away. 

so.much.love. 

bob 1 month!

wow. i can't believe it's already been a month (plus 2 days.) the time is flying by. as much as i want him to grow bigger, i also want him to stay tiny forever. he doesn't sleep much which means i don't sleep at all really,and he sure is a fussy baby, but he's totally worth it!! he was born 6 pounds, 6 oz. 20 inches. at his 1 month appointment, he now weighs 7 pounds, 10 oz. and is 21 inches long. my sweet baby is growing! aghh!!!! i love being a mother. it certainly has it's challenges. i can't wait to see his personality come out. i can't wait to hear his laugh, and see him smile. ahhh he's such a sweetheart. my heart is so full.

we were so lucky to have our dear friend jenny come over to shoot pictures of bob. she's an amazing wedding photographer for planes weddings.getting married? call her! so talented! anywhoo... here are some of the pictures she took of bob on saturday!

my birth story

our little robert came a little earlier than expected. two weeks early to be exact. i went into my normal ob appointment on tuesday, january 31st. my ob was out of town on vacation so my appointment was with the lovely nurse practitioner. around 35 weeks my blood pressure had started getting on the high side, along with some swelling of my legs and feet. well at this appointment at 38 weeks, my blood pressure was at 140/85 and i was unable to put on shoes at this point due to swelling. so the nurse practitioner sent me into the hospital to be checked out. i was only there for a few hours before they sent me on my way home. while at home i started getting a migraine that wouldn't go away. no matter what i took to try and get to to go away, it just stayed.  so come wednesday morning i had to call my OB's office back and the attending doctor who was filling in for mine told me to go back to the hospital. 

adam and i arrived at cedars around 1pm i believe, and i was admitted right away. the doc who was filling in for mine came to speak with me, and told me it would be best if i was induced to prevent anything bad happening later on down the road with my high blood pressure. so i was hooked up to monitors, and they started me on fluids through an iv. while laying around waiting, another doctor came to speak with me about putting me on magnesium sulfate to prevent me from having a seizure with high blood pressure. they really didn't want to because of the side effects, but decided it would be best. ( high blood pressure + a migraine is a sign that you could be close to having a seizure.) my husband then went home to double check on the cats, and to grab some stuff, and thats when i asked him to bring me my "last meal". while on the magnesium they said i wouldn't be able to eat, and with not knowing what would be coming i wanted to make sure i had lots of food in my stomach. 

nothing much happened wednesday night except putting me on the magnesium sulfate (which sucks btw), but come thursday morning they started me on pitocin around 9am. come 930am, i was laying on my side talking with the hubs, when all of a sudden i felt a gush of water come out of me. at this point I didn't know if i was peeing myself, or if my water had broke until i felt a second gush of water. then the nurse confirmed that yes indeed, my water did break.   then we waited around a lot.... waited....waited... i was starting to have bad contractions, but we still waited. finally the anesthesiologist came at 3:30pm to give me my epidural. all seemed well until i still could feel everything even two hours later. around 5pm, the anesthesiologist came back with a team, yes a TEAM of people. they ended up discovering that due to my neurofibromatosis there was a fibroma blocking my epidural space. therefore, they had to take out that epidural, and re-do it along with a spinal tap higher up on my spine. they made a point to say " we'd like to say this never happens,but it never happens."  he also said that this was one of the top 5 most difficult epidurals that they've ever had to do. *sigh*. anywhoo, my contractions at this point were super horrible. i was in so much pain. my night was pretty much hell. my poor nurse and husband heard me screaming all night, i was having horrible pain in my bum and bad back labor. around 5:30 am i was so desperate to be checked that i lied to my nurse (i know shame on me). i told her that the pain was way worse when i was having a contraction. so she finally checked me. i was finally at 9 something centimeters. so right as she was about to call my ob, my ob actually called her. i was then told that my ob was going to leave home, and by 6:30am my ob was there!!! as soon as she walked in the room, i told her i was ready to start pushing so we started right away. for the first hour or so, my contractions were coming about 3 minutes apart which SUCKED!!!! so they slowed down the pitocin which then made me labor slow wayyyyyyyyyyy down. they then started coming around 6-8 minutes apart, and before we knew it it was already around 10am. bob was down low, but my ob told us that it would be best if we did the vacuum and if that didn't work by the 3rd try we would need to do a c-section. the first try with the vacuum i gave a big push and she pulled but it popped off. then we gave the vacuum a second try, and bamn! baby bob came out. they showed bob to me, but then handed him off to the pediatricians to be checked because he was kind of limp, but very vocal. while they cleaned him up, i lost tons of blood. the doc took care of me, and once i was all good ( i won't go into detail with all that) they handed me my sweet baby boy. he was 6 pounds, 6 oz, and twenty inches long. 26 hours of labor total, and 3.5 hours of pushing. 

my husband was so wonderful during all of it. he held me leg and head for every contraction, encouraged my pushing, and was so excited to see his son being born. i wouldn't have been able to do it without him. as rough as all of it was, i'd do it all again for my little man. he is such a wonderful baby. (even though he doesn't let me sleep.)


and yea.. that's it... sorry for the poor grammar, and if it seems choppy. that is due to the lack of sleep. 

Robert Otto

meet robert otto!!! he was born on january 3, 2014 at 10:27am! 

our hearts are so filled with joy.