Lucas Parker ~ 11m update!

So this is going to be short and sweet because I want to do a BIG 1 year post but I couldn't, not share his 11 month monkey picture. He is such a wiggle worm so getting that picture was tough. He still just has two bottom teeth but the top two are right there. His gums are so swollen, I know it has to hurt. We have moved to table food for most meals but he still gets some pureed food here and there. He loves blueberry muffins, cinnamon sugar toast, grilled cheese, scrambled egg yokes, mac & cheese and of course bananas cut up! He likes Honey Nut Cheerios too. I was so worried about him not getting full on table food but when he is full he starts throwing it on the floor. We are still working on drinking from a cup. He is pulling up and crawling everywhere but not walking yet. He will hold your hands and "walk" but he rolls up on his toes. Not sure what that's all about. When I get him out of bed I put him on the floor and let him "walk" to the door before we head downstairs. He picked up crawling in only 2 days so I am confident he will be walking by his first birthday, if not soon after!

I am in the throws of birthday party planning. We are having his party on July 27th at our house and it is a monster theme (NOT Monsters Inc.). Invitations went out Tuesday. I can't wait to see it all come together! I will share pictures from the party when I do his 12 month post since the party is the Saturday before his actual birthday.

Here are the pictures I was able to get of the wiggle worm! He is such a ham!

Lucas Parker ~ 10m update!

Someone was not into his monkey picture this month!

Guess who's 10 months old! That's right. This big guy! I can't believe how much has changed in the last month. No check ups this month, so not real sure how much he's grown but he is still a very solid little guy. Lucas is on the move. Crawling everywhere! It literally happened over night. He would get up on his hands and knees, rock back and forth, and then lunge forward onto his belly. Every so often he would pull his knee forward, but would just slide it back. A little incentive goes a long way. He loves my phone, so I put it on the floor, a few feet in front of him, and his eyes lit up. One step forward, two steps back for a while, but by the next morning he was a pro! He's also pulling up on the couch and some toys. Just up to his knees though. He's still working on getting his feet under him.

No new teeth yet. Apparently it's a slow process. There are a couple at the top and at least one more on the bottom that are very close.

This boy is in love with the Bubble Guppies. He used to be stuck on Mickey, but this show has his full attention whenever it's on. To the point that when the intro to the show starts, he crawls all the way across the living room, and plants his little tush right in front of the TV. Our TV is mounted on the wall above the fireplace. He sits just in front of the tile in front of the fireplace and has to look almost straight up to see it. If we move him back, he crawls right back to his spot and will not be bothered! He will literally sit and watch an entire episode. I've never seen anything like it!

He's on a pretty good schedule as far as meals go. Wakes at 8:30 and has a big bottle. 2 hours later he has his breakfast with cereal, then nap. Wakes around noon and has another smaller bottle. 2 hours later, lunch with cereal. 2 hours later he has another smaller bottle and then naps. Wakes between 5 and 6 and has dinner with cereal. He has his last bottle around 8:30 then goes to bed. Wow! Looks like a lot when I put it like that. Must be rough eating and sleeping all day, haha!

Lucas is not a fan of getting his diaper changed so mommy and daddy have to be fast or he is rolling away. He has become a daddy's boy over the last month. Makes me a little sad but I am with him all day everyday so I guess I understand why he wants daddy when he is home. At some point this month he has also figured out how to wave. It is absolutely adorable! I have his 1st birthday theme picked and invitations are designed! I can't believe how fast it is coming. The 8 months I was pregnant took forever but the last 10 months have FLOWN by. I guess that is how the story always goes, right!?

I didn't get many pictures this month because someone doesn't sit still long enough but here are the few I did manage to get...

This face melts me to mush!

"No time for pictures mom, I got a monkey to eat"

Standing (mommy helped him up) like a big boy!

Lucas Parker ~ 9 month update!

I waited to post this so I could have his 9 months stats from his check up this morning. So technically he is 9m and 5 days old but all the pictures at the bottom are from last Thursday when he was exactly 9 months. He is 22 lbs 12 oz (82%) and 30in (93%) long. He still only has one tooth but the second one is right there about to pop through any day. He gets around by kind of army crawling but mainly rolling. He gets his knees under him sometimes but hasn't figure out how to push up with his arms at the same time so he just looks cute with his little tush in the air, haha! He is in mostly 18 month clothes and getting ready to go into size 4 diapers. This kid LOVES food! I bought some GoGoSqueeze a few weeks ago and he is a big fan of them. He will down two of them in no time. The apple banana is his favorite with apple cinnamon running a close second. They are a little pricey but great for when we are out and about, plus I love that they are all natural with no added things I can't pronounce. Score!

He sleeps great at night (9pm-8am) and up until last week would only nap in our bed during the day but has been going down great in his crib now. I am sad and miss our snuggle time twice a day but I knew that wouldn't last forever since he loves to roll and will be crawling soon. I don't need a repeat of Logan's first Easter (he woke up from a nap, crawled off my parents bed and broke his arm).We haven't lowered his bed yet since he is not crawling or pulling up yet but I am sure that is coming soon.

He likes to give kisses now.  You know the ones! That little toothless mouth gaped wide open.  He likes when you make kissy noises in his open mouth.  If you're not careful, he'll stick his tongue out and slobber all over your mouth, chin, nose, or whatever he can get a hold of! If you are able to turn away, he'll kiss/suck on your cheek for as long as you let him!  I hope he grows out of that. About 15 years from now, his girlfriend might not be such a fan! Haha! I kid!

His hair is getting thicker but has not started to curl like Logan and Abby's yet. If he has straight hair I am going to be shocked because Matt and I both have wavy/curly hair. His eyes are looking blue these days which is funny because, Logan has brown like Matt, Abby has mix of both of ours (kinda green) and if Lucas ends up with blue we will have 3 kids with 3 different eye colors! WEIRD! I am not complaining though because as much as I wanted him to have brown like Matt and Logan (my 3 brown eyed boys), I am even more excited for him to have blue like me!

He is not a fan of sitting still so this is all I got this month. Obviously, in the first one he was ready to eat the monkey! haha

Lucas Parker ~ 7 months

These post are getting harder and harder to do. My baby is growing so fast and mama doesn't like it one bit.

At his 6 month appt he was 19lb 15oz and 28 1/2 in long. He is doing solids now 3 times a day and around 22oz of breast milk. He is sitting up better and better everyday but still spends most of his time in his jumper. The kid loves that thing! He is starting to "talk" a lot more and loves doing raspberries. He still doesn't have any teeth, although I think his bottom two are going to break through any day now. He is a major drool factory, haha! He is in 9m clothes but we just bought him some new 12m stuff and believe it or not they fit. He is still in size 3 diapers. We started Gerber Puffs this past week and the sweet potato flavored are by far his favorite. We also introduced a cup and he does good with it but likes to chew on it more so then drink from it. I think it feels good on his gums. He takes 2 good naps a day and sleeps great at night, 8pm-8am (give or take a half hour). He is a fan of sleeping on his belly now, too.

I wanted to teach him sign language for common words like mommy, daddy, please, thank you, more but to be honest he looks at me like I am crazy when I do it so I stopped, haha! Maybe in a few months we will try again, maybe. I say it all the time but I just can't get enough of this boy! ❤

Here are his 7m pictures...

 Looking for me behind the camera, haha!

 This one is a little blurry because he was getting ready to fall over...sitting up is a work in progress!

 I think he is done with pictures!

Check out his 6m pics here!

Lucas Parker ~ 6 months!

How is my boy 6 months already?!?! I mean really, time please slow down. This month has been full of firsts for him. He rolled back to belly this past month and does it almost every time you put him on his back now. He will do belly to back if he gets mad enough, haha! He ALWAYS has his hands in his mouth and watching him suck on his thumb is so stinkin cute! ...Shhh, don't tell daddy! The rolls and chunkiness are still over the top adorable. He loves jumping in his jumper still and that is where he spends most of his time during the day because that's where he's happiest. I am sure you all know he had his first illness as well this past month. When he got up from his nap on a Monday, I noticed he had a fever so, not wanting to take it lightly, I took him in and sure enough he tested positive for the flu. It was so hard not being able to do anything to make him better. I really missed his sweet smile for that week. He is back to his smiley self now. His 6 month check up is not until the 12th of this month but at the sick visit appt he weighed 19lb 1oz. We have moved him into 9 month clothes and he is still in size 3 diapers. He is eating solids twice a day and an average of 28oz of breast milk.

I made my pumping goal of 6 months, YAY! I am having mixed emotions about weaning. Never in a million years did I think it would be this hard emotionally to stop. My supply took a big hit the week Lucas was sick because I ended up with a stomach bug. I am only pumping around 20-24oz a day so we are having to use a bag or two of frozen everyday. I am very proud of myself for exclusively pumping this long. The plan from this point forward is to pump what I can and when my milk dries up that's when I'll be done. That is easier for me to handle emotionally than quitting all together. Maybe I will make it to a year! ;)

Here are his 6 month update pictures. He wasn't very interested in being photographed this month. Looking at daddy and eating the blanket must have been more fun!

Lucas Parker 5 month update!

 Compare 4 months here!

Oh boy am I a little late with this post. Lucas is now 5 month and 1 week old. Things were so busy over the holiday. He is in size 3 diapers now and will be moving to 9m clothes soon. I don't have a weight update from the 4 month post but I know he has gained. I feel like he grows so much each day and it kinda make me sad. He is such a sweet boy. I can't get enough of his chunky cheeks, rollie pollie legs and his little laugh. He is grabbing at things and always has his hands in his mouth which I believe is because he is teething but no teeth yet. He is a major drool factory these days too. I purchased a baltic amber necklace to try and I think it has help cut back on the drooling. He still loves jumping in his jumper. Here is a video of him going to town while watching TV!

He is eating solids like a champ. I am making his food and let me tell you, it is so easy. He has had butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots and bananas. We tried peas but he was not a fan. We is drinking 5-6oz of breast milk 5-6 times a day and sleeps for about 10-12 hrs at night. He goes down around 9 or 10pm but becomes restless starting around 3-4am until 6am then usually falls back to sleep until 8 or 9am. We just have to give him his binky back during that time. He takes one good long nap in the morning and a few little cat naps after that. I have been feeding him on demand but am trying to get a schedule started now that he is on solids.

I am down to only pumping twice a day and let me tell you it is so wonderful! I pump at 8-9am and not again until 8-9pm. I am a little nervous my supply is going to tank but right now I am still getting 35-40 ounce per day. Since he is eating 28-30oz a day I am not able to freeze as much as before. I believe last time I added it up I had just over 3000 oz in my freezers so I am not stressed about it. My goal has always been to pump until 6 months and I am 3 1/2 weeks away! YAY! Anything after that is a bonus.  

I am not sure how we got 3 of the cutest little people but we sure are lucky! I love watching him interact with his brother and sister. They both adore him and it just melts my heart seeing them three together!

Lucas Parker 4 month update!

I am a week late with this post but I wanted to wait until I had his stats and his appt was not until yesterday.

Compare 3 months here!

He is 16lbs 10oz and 25 1/2 in long. He is wearing 6 month clothes and will be moving to size 3 diaper after this box of size 2 are gone. He is reaching and batting at things that are in front of him but has not figured out to really grab it just yet. We have finally transitioned him to his crib at night and he is doing great. He sleep about 10hrs at night. We are still trying to get a nap schedule down during the day. He take several little cats naps through out the day and one good long nap in the afternoon.

The doctor gave us the go ahead to start solids if we wanted to. I am planning on making his food but we picked up some squash yesterday just to see how he would do and well these pictures say it all!

My sweet boy is a smiling, cooing, and all around happy baby! He love his new Baby Einstein jumper we got him. The little spin thing (not sure what to call it) is his favorite. I mean look at this happy baby!

He is still a blankie baby. This is a typical way he falls asleep during the day. At night he is not aloud to sleep like this because this mama freaks out. So only when I am sitting right there and can hear/see him breathing is he aloud to have it on his face like this. haha

Time is going so fast and I am trying to soak up every second of every moment! Happy 4 months my sweet boy!

Lucas Parker 3 month update!

Compare 2 months here!

How did the last 3 months go so fast. Lucas is growing like a weed (Thanks to mama's milk, of course!) I can't get enough of his sweet face.

3 month facts...

  ~ was 13.1 lbs at his 2 month check up.
  ~ full of smiles and cooing like crazy.
  ~ sleeping through the night, YAY!!
  ~ eats 4-5 oz every 3-4 hours during the day and sleeps from 10pm to 8pm, give or take a 1/2 hour.
  ~ LOVES to have his blanket next to his face when he sleeps.
  ~ wearing size 3-6 month clothes.
  ~ is in size 2 diapers.
  ~ holding his head up better and better everyday.

I feel like we are finally on some what of a schedule around here. I am a little worried the time change is going to mess it up. Pumping is still going great. I had an original goal of pumping until 12 weeks but I have now past that so I set a new goal of 6 months. Our freezer has around 2000oz of breast milk in it so if I stopped now I could give him 3 more months of just breast milk. If I can make to 6 months then I should have enough frozen to get him to a year on all breast milk. That would be AWESOME!

Here are some more pictures of my little cutie!

2 months old and growing...

We are settling into a new normal around here. My milk supply is awesome and pumping is becoming second nature. As much as I wanted to nurse him, I am totally fine with exclusively pumping. He is getting 100% breast milk and that is all that matters to me. He eats 4-5oz about every 3-4 hours with a 6-7 hour stretche during the night. He has a little fussy time in the evenings but hoping he will out grow that soon. He is starting to really like the bath and his favorite spot to sleep is still on mommy chest. He smiles a lot these days, well except when the camera comes out. I have gotten a few pictures with my iPhone but as soon as the big camera comes out, he turns on the serious face. He really has completed our family. I love saying "your brother" to Logan and Abby. The other day I said "your son" to Matt and he asked which one. It's the little things that make me smile.

He had his 6 week check up on September 14th and he weighed in at 10lbs 8oz. That is 3 lbs heavier then when he was born. Mama's milk is doing it's job! He has his next appt on Oct 9th and I can't wait to see what he weighs. I packed up all his newborn stuff last week which was bitter sweet because he is our last one and I will never use those clothes again but at the same time it is exciting to see him grow and start doing new things.

Here are some pictures from my iPhone...