Zane at 9 months

December 21, Zane turned 9 months. 

This past month has been a big growth month with new teeth (currently has 2 bottom, 2 top and his 2 upper eye teeth are coming in) and new movement.  Zane is on the move, no crawling but he can roll himself to where he wants to go. 

Oh, and remember how I used to say that he was a little unhappy in those first 6 months...that phase has passed.  Zane is one happy baby boy now!

Go figure, the boy who normally gets kicked out of class at church actually fell asleep IN A CRIB (lights on and parents picking up other kids).  As you can tell, I was so amazed I had to take a picture. 

He is so well adjusted now in part to his extremely involved big sister who loves him dearly. 

Zane absolutely loved going to the doctor's office sitting on the exam table and ripping the paper to shreds...in front of a mirror no less! He measured in at 28 inches (75% percentile) and 20.4 lbs (50% percentile).  I am thankful that our sweet boy is growing healthy.  He did have his first ear infection this month which took 2 rounds of antibiotics to clear. 

At 9 months, Zane loves:

Big Sister

Eating food

Nursing

Dada (oh yeah, that is his first word-no love for Mama)

Sissy (the dog)

Putting everything in his mouth

At 9 months, Zane dislikes:

Waiting for food in the high chair 

Sleeping thru the night (he just chooses not to even try)

Summer's Christmas Program

Summer had her very first Christmas program tonight at her school which we love, SonShine Preschool.  Here she is with some of the sweet girls in her class, Raelie and Lila.

And we couldn't ask for more caring teachers, Ms. Melissa and Ms. Debbie. 

And this first performance was for a packed house including Nana, Grandad, Daddy and Zane. 

Of course, Mama does get some credit too as I have been practicing with Summer listening to the SAME 3 SONGS in the car for the past 19 days.

They performed The Little Drummer Boy, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. (hmm, video is emailing upside down-will figure out how to flip then post)

Here is our little drummer girl (afterwards in the parking lot).

We are so proud of how well she performed and didn't get stage fright.  I could even hear her singing in some verses!

When tragedy strikes

Last week's tragedy of a deadly shooting of innocent children and adults in Connecticut prompted many thoughts.  First, I didn't want to know...just shelter my brain and heart from hearing the details.  Then. I received a daily email devotional including this poem:

 

"My First Christmas In Heaven"
I see the countless Christmas trees around the world below
With tiny lights, like Heaven's stars, reflecting on the snow
The sight is so spectacular, please wipe away the tear
For I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear
But the sounds of music can't compare with the Christmas
choir up here.  I have no words to tell you, the joy their voices
bring.  For it is beyond description, to hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me, I see the pain inside your heart
But I am not so far away, We really aren't apart.
So be happy for me, dear ones, You know I hold you dear.
And be glad I'm spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

I sent you each a special gift, from my heavenly home above.
I sent you each a memory of my undying love.
After all, love is a gift more precious than pure gold.
It was always most important in the stories Jesus told.

Please love and keep each other, as my Father said to do.
For I can't count the blessing or love he has for each of you.
So have a Merry Christmas and wipe away that tear
Remember, I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ
this year.
                                                                 Author Unknown

 

How awesome! My prayer for the families of the victims is to feel the peace to know that their children are celebrating Christmas with Jesus Christ!

Santa Came Early

Well, Summer wrote Santa Claus a letter asking him to come visit us and bring a few presents while Papa and Mammy were visiting this past weekend and sure enough he did just that!

Summer was so excited.  When she went to open each gift however she did so VERY carefully to save the tape...she said that her teacher, Ms. Debbie, was out of tape and she needed to save this for her.  So thoughtful! 

Oh wow, Mammy, Summer and Papa posing in front of Summer's new kitchen. I see lots of cooking in her future.

I was surprised to see how much excitement Zane showed over his new riding toy! This boy is going to have fun. Maybe he is just so thrilled to see that not all toys are made pink. 

On a sidenote: Summer looked at my toes, which were painted by moi about, ohh 2+ months ago and as you can tell they are desperate looking...and she said to me "pretty toes Mommy!"  I wish I could see life through the eyes of a 3 year old.

Zane_8 months

Back on 11.21 little Zane turned 8 months old.  He is such a sweet love these days. 

Zane weighs in at 19lb 12oz.  He wears 12 month clothes and eats 3 meals a day.  For my records, he has eaten bananas, pears, peaches, applesauce, oatmeal, avocado, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, puffs, cheeto-type puffs, teething biscuits, yogurt...tried cottage cheese today and it didn't seem to be a hit. 

Zane loves being entertained by Big Sister and trying to pet Sissy, when she's still.

We welcomed two bottom teeth this month.  The mega drool has temporarily stopped but I am sure we will see it again as more teeth make their appearance.

Zane hasn't started to crawl yet but he is no longer content just sitting there like he has been.  Now when in the seated position he wants to get on his tummy and roll.  For Mama, that means he can no longer sit on the bed with Sister during her breathing treatments or sit on the couch and watch his movie...that sure was a nice phase!  Here is his pre-crawl picture.  I imagine in the next month he will start moving.   

This week he has started this loud scream.  Its like he is finding his voice but whoa, buddy it doesn't have to be so loud!

We went to Alabama for Thanksgiving and stayed with Uncle Bud, Aunt Jen an d Cousin Brody.  We had alot of fun playing at the park near their house.  Here are the boys swinging while Summer explored the rest of the park.

Zane is still getting up in the night but we have limited that to once a night, whew!

Off to watch the SEC Championship, Roll Tide!  Update: Alabama won after a heart attach of a game.

Where has November Gone?

Where have I been?  Wow, not blogging I can see.  Well here is a quick recap of what we have been up too before I get too behind.

I took the kiddos on a road trip to Alabama.  They were amazingly good in the car and we only added an extra hour to our trip...I had planned for the worst.

We went to see Mimi...

 Uncle Bud and Cousin Brody

 Cousins Ella, Emma and to celebrate Aunt Dot's 60th Birthday!

 Everyone got to see and love on Zane for the first time.  Here he is with cousin Tiff.

 Seeing Grandmama was great!  And we loved spending time with Aunt Jen.

 After we got back home, it was back to my Motherly duties...playing princess.  Notice that my hair has been put in pig tails, one with a white tape measure and the other with a strand pulled from a pom pom.  We have a thankful tree and every night we have been writing what each member of the family is thankful for.  On this night, Summer said she was thankful that Mommy played dress up with her! Sweet.

 Zane is growing and has sprouted two bottom teeth...well they are still trying to grow tall but the worst part is over, hopefully.  Summer is in imagination overdrive.  I know that's good but those of us around her just have to hang on and wonder if we are supposed to call her Summer, Princess Summer, Ms. Debbie, Tooth Fairy...not to mention who our dog is...mean bear, nice bear, coyote...Luckily Zane is completely amused by her and it works out for Mama.

 And that is my QUICK recap!  Happy Thanksgiving Day or as Summer's hat says, "Get Your Turkey On!" Gobble Gobble Gobble. Those brown things are turkey legs on the side of her hat...not a good angle for the pic, sorry.

Summer Update

Let me tell you a little about Summer (3 yr. 5 mo.).  She is such a caretaker.  She loves to mother Zane and even her friends at times.  She wants to be good and her heart melts if she thinks she has disappointed or upset you.  Therefore she is a very obedient child...more so at school and church.

She loves school and her teachers. 

These days we play school so much at home.  Most of the time she is Ms. Debbie and I am in her class, or she has pretend students, or Zane is her student. 

This week we were playing school and this was the conversation:

Summer: Who has on a green shirt, and a black shirt, blue jeans and house shoes?

Jana: (I raise my hand. That's how the game goes.)

Summer: (Walks to me and puts her hand on her hip.) Hmm, you have a green sweater.  I said who has on a green shirt.

Seems silly, but this is how all of our pretend conversations go...she asks me a question-I answer and she then says "no" and picks a different answer.  I just sigh and wonder if I will ever get it right.

 

When they line up at school the teacher tells them what color square to stand on.  When Summer gets to stand on the pink square it makes her day!  She got to do that last Friday.  So as we were driving to school Monday morning she said, "I wish wish wish I get to stand on Pink.  God took my wish away-and put it in Ms. Debbie and Ms. Melissa's heart."

I just smiled and thanked God for her sweet heart. 

Here she is loving on Zane during his first adventure SITTING in the front of the grocery cart.  So glad our grocery store has double child carts.

Not sure if I posted this one before...it was from when Mimi was visiting this past weekend before the weather turned cold.  Our little grown man! 

Pumpkin Comparisson

This weekend I went through Summer's outgrown clothes and found these cute Halloween pajamas and thought maybe Zane could wear them. 

Here is Summer at 17 months

 Zane wearing the same pajamas at 7 months

By the way, the pajamas are size 12-18 months!

Fall Activities

We are excited to be enjoying Fall with the colorful leaves all around us and nice weather...because it seems winter temps are on the horizon. 

Summer anxiously awaited the arrival of the pumpkin patch on the lawn of her school.  We purchased a few pumpkins large and small.  One morning this week we painted them.  I painted the big one and Summer painted all of the small ones.  I was impressed with the face she made on one of them...but then the painting continued and the mixing of colors continued and now we have 3 pumpkins that look like a brown explosion happened near them.  She related them to a piece of dark chocolate that she tried the night before for the first time.  "See, they look like dark chocolate."

So many cute ideas on Pinterest, right?  Well I found these cute rice krispy treat pumpkins with mini rolos as the stem and green icing as the leaf.  Summer, Mimi and I made them last night and took to her class today for a special surprise.  They were a hit. 

Mimi is visiting from Roll Tide (as Summer would say) and it is so nice having 2 more ready and willing hands around.

7 Months, 9 Years, 3 weeks

Little Man Zane is 7 months now. 

The past month has flown by.  He can now: Sit unassisted and Eat puffs, mum mums, cheerios on his own.  What a game changer!  I can put him in his high chair with a handful of Cheerios and it is a snack and entertainment. 

He is much happier these days yet he still loves his naps at home. That swollen gum still has not produced a tooth but it isn't causing him grief. He loves big sister which is good because she wants to be his mama and she gives him zero personal space. This morning when we went to get him out of the crib she got in with him and less than 1/4 inch from his face she yells"It's BIG SISTER!" I mean, I could barely handle it as we just-woke-up, but he just smiled at her (sigh). Glad they love each other.  His new thing is to sleep on his tummy.  That is fine with me except he will wake up and decide that he is suffocating.  I have watched him on the monitor and he can roll over but there are times when he feels that he can't and THAT is what keeps me getting up twice a night with him.  If its not the teeth its the rolling over...I'm sure he will come up with something different next month.  Anything to get Mama to come visit him, right?

 

Chad and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary this week!  We had an awesome dinner at Ruth's Chris and enjoyed a real adult conversation without multitasking involved.  9 years is a long time...I decided to talk about our past 9 anniversaries and uh oh, we couldn't remember years 4-8.  So, I insisted on a picture and a blog entry.  Now to start planning the big 10.  I am thinking a beach in the Caribbean!

The past 3 weeks I have been on my version of the Atkins Diet.  When our friend, Lisa, came to visit she got me going as she has lost 20 lb on it and has sustained it for 4 months or so.  The first 2 days were grumpy (to say it nicely) as I am a carboholic.  However, I stuck with it after I immediately saw 3-4 lbs drop off.  By the end of the first week I was figuring out what I could eat and I can honestly say that I feel satisfied.  In the past 3 weeks I have lost 8 lb.  Here is a sample of what I eat.

Breakfast: Atkins Bar 

Snack (if I'm at home): cottage cheese with  tomatoes and pepper

Lunch: Salad with Protein (chicken, eggs or cottage cheese), Avocado and a little hummus

Not pictured: Afternoon Snack consisting of an Atkins Treat Bar with a cup of coffee

 

Dinner: Roasted Chicken with lots of veggies (zucchini, squash) and avocado.  But I also eat alot of spaghetti squash with butter and cheese.

Just thought I would share in case anyone is looking for a jump start to healthy eating.  In time, I will reintroduce carbs back into my meals but in a natural way (sweet potatoes, corn, fruits).  It has been good for me to break my addiction to bread.  I didn't realize how much I ate it until I had to remind myself not to eat it.

Zane Laughing

This weekend Zane found his new love...balloons! 

After hysterically laughing for a few minutes we finally decided to get this on video.

Brother Sister Sweetness

Summer and Zane are at a sweet stage where they really love each other.  I will savor these sweet moments...and those chunky edible thighs!

Big Sister is such a loving little mama. 

Fast forward a few years and there will be some serious wrestling like this!  I assume accompanied by some high pitch screaming. 

As well as alot of plain ignoring each other. 

Sitting Up, Teeth and Travel

Look who learned to sit up this week! 

For the record, Zane is getting to be a happier baby.  The past two grocery experiences I took him in his carseat (instead of the baby bjorn) and he was so content that he fell asleep (in public).  He smiles all of the time.  Love him so much!

In addition, Zane is getting his first tooth!  He has been drooling for months but he officially has a swollen gum and I pray it will pop thru the skin TONIGHT! Till that happens, we are on tylenol.

This past week we had a quick trip to Charleston to get a car.  The car didn't work out but the upside is we got to spend some time with this sweet girl.  Zane and Madelyn sitting in a tree... 

 K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Summer went to the allergist/asthma specialist to have a skin test done to confirm the previous blood allergy test.  We called it "planting a garden" on her back and turns out nothing grew!

Which means we can spend more time outside without the fear of grass, pollens etc setting her asthma off. 

Summer loves her daddy!  In this moment, she said "Daddy loves I."  Yes he does! 

Zane is 6 months old

Zane is 6 months old!

Time flies! He loves to give his Mama sweet smiles.

"Let's be clear...I'll smile if you give me food, right?" 

Who is 3 years old and who is 6 months old?  

Big sister better live it up 'cause little bro is going to catch up soon in size.  And yes, those thighs are ridiculous!  I often don't button the outer 2 snaps of his onesies so it doesn't pull to tight on his legs, ha ha ha. 

 "She's knocking me over Mom!"

 "HELP! Get her out of my crib!"

At 6 months old, Zane weighs 18 lb (50%) and is 27 inches tall (75%).  He wears size 9-12 month clothes.
He Likes:

• Eating baby food that Mama makes and Baby Mum Mums-thanks Aunt Jen
• Baby Einstein
• Exercauser-load up all his toys then he knocks them down
• Putting everything in his mouth
• Routine and napping in his crib
• Being carried in the Baby Bjorn
• Being entertained by Big Sister or our dog, Sissy

He Dislikes:

• Waiting for anything! meals, naps, being picked up
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on Baby Einstein DVD-funny, Summer did the same thing...when he starts crying we know TTLS is on and after the scene changes he is back to smiling!
• Not being able to nap in his crib when he is sleepy-he will fight falling asleep in any other environment.

Basically he is just the sweetest baby at home!  I eat him up everyday.  He smiles and giggles.  He can roll over each way and can sit up if leaning on a toy for a few seconds.