9 month baby checkup

I love baby checkup appointments!  I took my little moose to his last week and figured since he's almost ten months old now, I'd better hurry and share his stats while he's still nine months old!

 

 

In all we had another happy, healthy checkup. There weren't a lot of concerns this time around because Linden's finally sleeping through the night and still eating like a champ.  And as far as motor skills go, he's keeping up with the best!

 

Weight:  18 pounds 14.5 ounces (18th percentile)

Birth: 8 pounds 0 ounces

Height: 28.8 in (56th percentile)

Birth: 20.5 in

Head: 44.2cm (15th percentile)

Birth: 33cm

 



pumpkin festival 2016

It's that time of year again...time to go crazy over anything and everything pumpkin because we just celebrated the Pumpkin Festival this past weekend!

 

While 93% of Americans have begun their obsession with pumpkins, it's a fairly recent trend with the masses.  I take serious pride in the fact that we've been on the pumpkin bandwagon for decades, passing it on from generation to generation.

 

Every September, people migrate to Illinois to celebrate this amazing time of year and this year was Linden's first time getting in the mix of it all.

 

This weekend did not disappoint!

 

Friday

We had an opportunity to meet up with one of my favorites and her family and swapped turns doing family photos for each other.  We had it perfectly timed out with the weather just not so much with naptimes.  Can't win 'em all, right?

 

 

Later in the evening we chowed down on some pizza and then left the boys with my parents so Joe and I could go walk around the festival in search of pumpkin ice cream.

 

 

Saturday

By far the busiest day of my life.  After going back and forth on whether to run the festival's 10K race, I finally decided to go for it.  It was hot.  It was humid.  I skipped breakfast.  But in the end I made it, so the first 10K since having babies is now in the books. We went straight from the finish line to the end of the line for pumpkin pancakes.  I think it was an hour long wait for those pancakes, but sooo worth it. (Joe may disagree, but his opinion on the matter doesn't count right now.)

 

 

 

 

 

After loading up on seconds, we had to take them with us so we could get back in time for the parade to start.  The boys did great this year.  It's fun watching Conner getting into the candy this year (until he was totally over it and decided to lay in the street because he was so tired!)

 

 

From there, it was straight to nana and papa's house for a family picnic with all the cousins.  Let me tell you... ten kids make for a loud and high-energy atmosphere.

 

Joe and I planned it out with my parents to have them watch the boys for the night so we could get away for the first time in nearly three years without any kids.  I'd be lying to say I was a little nervous leaving my baby, but he had a blast.  Both boys actually had a blast hanging out and having their first sleepover at nana and papa's without us around.

 

Meanwhile, Joe and I enjoyed a much needed date night with some amazing flatbread pizza and a long island for the win.  After supper we walked along the riverfront, picked up Tylenol from Walmart (I know.. romantic) and decided our night would be spent best going back to the same restaurant we just came from to sit on the patio with more drinks. :)

 

 

Sunday

We got back to my parents early Sunday and enjoyed the rest of the day with them.  We relaxed, did a neighborhood walk, went to BassPro, hit up the playground, swam and napped.  We loaded up the car and started the journey home after supper.

 

 

Needless to say, I'm still exhausted and trying to recover from this weekend, but I wouldn't have done it any other way.

toddler life | 35 months

toddler life | thirty five

In one short month we will no longer have a two year old in our household. I love seeing how much this little boy has grown, but I am so sad how quickly these years have gone by.  It's been challenging, but so rewarding being able to call Conner my own.

Also, you better believe I am in full party planning mode!

Toddler Talks

Stories. Stories. Stories.
Conner loves to tell me about things that happened during the day.  He'll even tell me stories that he's told me a hundred times over.  What amazes me about this age is that he will tell me about something that happened 6+ weeks ago.  Yeah, that's better than my mom-memory at this point.  Every week his vocabulary is expanding and it's just the cutest thing listening to how toddlers pronounce words. Those "R's" are tricky for them and entertaining for me!

And he started singing! Best thing ever and his favorite song right now is "Wheels on the Bus" :)

 

Toddler Play

It's so fun when you realize that your kiddo is starting to play pretend. This past month Conner has really gotten into pretending to give me "surprise treats" and "got your nose" and other made up things.

Sharing on the other hand is still a skill that we'll be working on a for a long time. Basically anything Linden starts to play with, Conner all of a sudden needs. Sometimes it drives me nuts that I can't just put Linden down with a toy to play while I get things done because Conner will snatch it away in two seconds.  But then there are those rare moments that Conner will search for the just the right toy and rush over to give it to Linden and that makes my heart burst!

 

Toddler Eats

Sometimes I scratch my head when I think about this little boy's eating patterns.  Some days, he'll eat half the fridge and pantry and other days he'll eat five strawberries and be good for the rest of the day.  I suppose that's normal for a busy little body though.  I know when he's hungry, he'll eventually ask for food.

Conner has a renewed love for baby snacks.  Funny and very annoying.  I now have to stock up on twice as much baby snacks because if we're out and about, and I give Linden something, Conner is right there asking to eat the exact same thing.  Nevermind I just gave him some trail mix or crackers or whatever he asked for ten seconds earlier.

 Toddler Sleep

Conner developed a new habit this past month that he has never done before.. he started hauling himself down to our bedroom in the middle of the night and waking us up.  Joe and I have always been adamant about not letting him sleep in our bed because we didn't want to start that habit, but there have been a few times now that we'll plop him down in between us and let him snooze.  Again, I really don't want this to become a problem, so we plan to nip this in the bud and just put him back in his own bed even if it means one of us sleeps in his bed with him.

 

PHOTO DUMP:



Postpartum Love with UpSpring Baby

It takes some guts to have a baby.

9 months of being pregnant: morning sickness. swollen everything. narcolepsy yet sleep deprived. heart burn. joint pain. compressed lungs. feeling large. very large.

Childbirth: enough said

Postpartum Life: why doesn't my belly button look the same??? (too much info?)

 

No doubt there is so much that we go through when welcoming a little squishy baby into the world. During pregnancy our focus is set on our due date, but what about after the big day of meeting that little babe (or babes)?  I totally get why the postpartum period is called the 4th trimester. It's the last chapter that nobody really studies for.

 

When you think about it, there's so much change that our bodies go through after the baby comes that you kinda just sit there and wonder where to go now.  My plan of action after both of my boys involved UpSpring Baby.
 

 

I did some reading prior to Conner's due date about belly wrapping and came across this gem of a product called Shrinx Belly made by UpSpring Baby. Their adjustable main band along with adjustable compression bands just made sense! And then I stumbled on their Shrinx Hips product and I was sold! I bought them both pretty much as fast I found them.

 

Some of you know that Conner's delivery ended with an emergency c-section which made me a little hesitant to use the bands with my incision, but I did anyway. Best decision ever.  The Shrinx Belly made me feel like everything in my torso was being held together. (I know you C-section mamas know what I'm talking about!)

 

Within days my stomach looked amazingly flatter and the results got better over the weeks.  Same thing with the Shrinx Hips.  The hormone that your body uses to spread your hips hangs out in your body up to 8 weeks post-delivery. That is your window to use this product and gently push those hips back into place.  And it worked like a charm.
 

 

With these results, I obviously used them again after Linden's birth with the same happy results. The best part is that since Conner's birth, UpSpring Baby's product lineup has expanded! They've launched a great line of prenatals, milk supply products, and even baby vitamins. And let's not forget, for all those mamas having a night out sans babies... Milkscreen is there for you.

 

I recently had a chance to try out one of their newest products - their Shrinx Belly Bamboo Charcoal.  It's the same design as their original Shrinx Belly but made with bamboo charcoal which is wonderful at wicking that sweat. And after you have a baby, that sweat is real.  Plus an array of other benefits listed on their website involving circulation, metabolism and reduced swelling. 

 

Seriously, it's a no-brainer. This new belly wrap is a must have and makes a great gift for those mama's that are getting ready to have a baby or have just welcomed their little babe and entering their own 4th trimester.
 

 

Check them out! UpSpring Baby. Now Go! :)

views expressed are solely my own and I was not paid to make these statements. :)

 




 

10 on 10 | september 2016

10 photos | 10th of September

 

French Toast (whole wheat bread + eggs + cinnamon + sliced strawberries + Vega chocolate p/47rotein powder)

 

 random assortment of things to bring in the wagon

 

barn market. and being told not to run off (for the 8th time)

our find at the barn market and Conner's new time-out chair

when you get up from your nap too soon and you just can't make it another step

deciding on a workout while the boys napped

I'll always look back on this picture and think "remember that one time they played so well with each other? for 60 seconds."

chicken noodle soup for the win!