Warren Is 7mths Old Today!

Somebody pinch me because I must be dreaming... how can seven months have gone by so quickly????

Warren is just growing and changing and making us laugh and smile everyday. He is getting ready to move up to the next class at daycare, and they have been working with him to get him to hold his own bottle. While he can do it, he doesn't really like to; he would much rather rub or scratch his head with his hands, but he is getting better. He is still rolling all over the place, and now he can use his hands and arms to help him get where he wants to go. He has yet to say "dada" or "mama," but he still says "bubu" and today he made a definite "gu" sound. His favorite thing to do is jump! He also loves to sing and be sung to, and he really likes our computers and cell phones. He loves Cleo and follows her with his eyes everywhere she goes. He pets her and she kisses his hands... umm, she also licks his spit up, but we're working on that! He giggles at her when she sneezes or begs or sometimes when she just looks at him. He is still a great sleeper - goes to bed about 7pm and wakes up around 6 or 7am. This week he has had a runny nose, cough, and has lost much of his desire for a bottle. I am not sure if he has allergies, a cold, an ear infection, or is teething, but he is not 100%, that's for sure. He still loves to eat anything on a spoon, so at least I know he's not going hungry. We didn't do anything for Halloween, which apparantly makes us horrible parents, but we are just too practical - Warren has no clue, so why spend the money on an outfit that we will only use once to take a picture of him in?!!! Next year, I promise.

Random Pics from My Phone

Yes, I have a digital camera, but I find myself more often taking pics using my cell. They are usually horrible, making my nose look of mammoth proportions, but mostly I take them to send to my mom and sister, and they love me no matter what! I decided to post some of these random pics because I don't want to forget the little things. Many are of Warren and me. I never want to forget what a great boy he is, how quickly he is growing, and how amazing each moment is with him. I also don't want to forget how Roy and I feel differently now that we're parents. Roy just mentioned tonight how it's hard to imagine we thought our lives were complete before we had Warren. We just can't imagine ourselves without him. I think it's safe to say we worship him - just don't let Warren know that!

I could do this all day

Getting kisses!

A Sunday morning before church.

Waiting in Dr. Guerra's office.

We seem to have spent lots of time there in the last couple months. Mommy shared her sugar-free chocolate mousse with me!
Tonight we took pics to send to Grammie and Aunt Kim. We really miss them.

Pics from the zoo

My new shirt!

I love taking pics of Warren while he sleeps on me.

Umm, yes - mammoth nose pic! But I love the shadow of Warren's dimple, so it's worth the emabarrassment.

Gramps gave me a swing!

Reading my favorite crunchy book from Aunt Kim.

I can drink from a sippy cup - somewhat.

This was a couple months ago, but I love it - all my babies together.

One of the many silly faces of Warren Van.

I am mesmerized by the camera/phone. I really like to chew on it.

Back on July 22 - so little.

Warren's First Trip to the Zoo

Today was beautiful! We decided to enjoy the nice weather and take Warren to the Cameron Park Zoo. It was great to hang out as a family and just be together.

Before we left I had to take some pics of Warren in his little man clothes. I know we're biased, but we think he's just the cutest baby! He can sit up by himself and rolls all over the place!

Warren recently had his first taste of a teething cookie and decided he liked it.

I love his chubby pink cheeks in this pic.

Cleo is doing great with Warren now. She still doesn't want to hang out with him, but she does love on him and let him pet her. She gives him "kisses" and he just grins at her. Sometimes he even giggles at her. On this particular day, Roy was holding Warren on his lap, and I came into the room and saw Cleo all pouty faced and curled up in her bed.

6mth Checkup

Warren had his checkup and 5 shots today (poor guy). He now weighs 18lbs 12oz (70th %) and is 26.5" long (50th %). His head is 16" in circumference (whatever that is supposed to tell us!) He is doing everything that he is supposed to do at 6mths - rolling all over the place, talking, jumping, holding his bottle (only when he wants to), switching toys from one hand to the other, putting his feet in his mouth, responding to noises, etc. It's always reassuring to know your kid is on track mentally and physically.

I got this new Sassy mesh teething gadget today. You put fresh fruit or veggies in it and a baby chews on it, getting little bits of the food, without choking. I put a cold chunk of fresh pineapple in it, and Warren just loved it! He chewed and sucked on that thing till there was no more juice left (okay, that sounded dirty, but you know what I mean!) He still has no teeth showing, and doesn't seem to be slobbering quite as much, so now we are not sure if he was/is teething! Roy says he isn't going to say Warren's teething until he sees that white tooth! Good plan, Honey.

Warren has not only started being a rolly-polly, but he now shakes his head no, esp. when we are changing his diaper. This morning I got him to do it on demand; it was great. He also sticks his tongue out really far on demand. He drinks very well out of a sippy cup, and wants to eat every time we are eating. He loves eating with a spoon, and he is so great at it, too.

Tonight he started saying, "ba, ba, ba, ba..." which is so close to "da, da" it makes me sick! I say "ma, ma" to him every chance I get, and what does he do but go and try to say "da, da" first!!!!! This kid is out to annoy me, just like his father. LOL

Fall Flair Arts and Crafts Market

Yesterday my friend Taryn and I tried our hand at the craft show thing. It was in the quaint backyard of a local coffee shop, Common Grounds, which is right off Baylor campus. We made some money but had to pack up and leave after only about two and a half hours because of rain. It was a great experience, and we both learned a lot. After the show, we had lunch and then unloaded everything and exchanged jewelry. I have five new pieces to wear now! Taryn has just recently started up her jewelry business, and her pieces are awesome.

In the above pic, my main pieces are the wooden necklace sets to the left. Taryn's are on the far left of the pic and on the white display on the right side of the table. We have plenty left over since we had to leave early, so if you want to start Christmas shopping, let us know!!!!! Taryn's site is http://www.freewebs.com/tarynkayedesigns/. Mine is still a work in progress, but it's www.freewebs.com/debbeads.

I'm Six Months Old!

We just can't believe our baby is already six months old! Where has the time gone?

Warren still makes us smile and laugh every day. He makes the best faces, and he just loves to play and jump.

We have decided he for sure is teething. He is aggressively chewing everything he can get his hands on, and he really likes cold things. I have started using teething tablets (thanks, Jen!) and they seem to be helping. He wasn't restless at all last night, so we all got a good night's sleep.
He is rolling over more frequently now, and he has started rolling from back to front - esp. when I am trying to change his diaper!!!

He is eating about three 8oz bottles a day, cereal mid morning, and nearly two small jars of baby food at dinner time. Sometimes he even has cereal again before bed. He had corn this week and really likes it. Heck, he likes anything if it's fed to him on a spoon!

He weighs about 17.5lbs, and is still in 6-9mth clothing. He has shown that he has lungs and definitely lets us know when he is not completely satisfied by screaming at us . He "sings" himself to sleep in the car now. Seriously, he makes long "uuuuuh" sounds and then all of a sudden...asleep. It's really sweet.

We are constantly getting compliments on how happy he is and what a good baby he is. We are truly blessed and surprised that he is the way he is. Who'da thunk it?!

Next Tues. is his official 6mth checkup and shots. I will post stats then.

Teething...I think

It's back to the motherhood guesswork board. Last week Warren had a few days of diarrhea, loss of appetite, and lethargy. We gave him some Pedialyte and used lots of diaper rash cream, and he got better. Two nights ago he woke up at 11:30pm so stuffed up he could hardly breathe. We used the aspirator and saline drops and sat up with him for a while, and he went back to sleep. All day yesterday, last night, and today his poor nose is just running and his eyes are watering. I put him on Benedryl and it helps, but he is still very stuffy. The thing that makes it super sad is that he is still generally happy - except, of course, when we are using the aspirator, wiping his nose, or putting in saline drops. Whoa! We here about his unhappiness then! LOL He is eating well, thankfully, and he doesn't have a fever, but it's just so sad. I know the experts say diarrhea and congestion are not signs of teething, but just about every mom I talk to and every mom's blog I read says it is. He is almost 6mths old.... where is the time going?

To make things worse, my lower back started doing something funny this week. It hurts something awful, but it is still bearable, barely. Kinda feels like a disc issue, but I don't know. The pain makes it difficult to take care of Warren and do the things that I normally do w/o a second thought. Roy is being great, as usual. He went grocery shopping for me last night, and he also got up with Warren many times last night. I am trying to figure out how to do things lying down. I did manage to feed Warren while I was lying on the couch (Bless the person who invented the Boppy!), but now I am sitting up blogging and playing with Warren. I did find some Vicodin that my OB prescribed after I had Warren, so I took that for the pain. Hopefully this will pass soon. Just in case, I am planning to get my sub lesson plans and all set for Monday, so if I have to go to the doctor, I can w/o worrying about my class.

When life throws us lemons, we make a sour face, right???? Oh ya, lemonade. That's right. :)

Labor Day with Grammie and Papa

On Sunday, Warren and I traveled to Ardmore to meet up with my parents. We stayed in a beautiful LaQuinta suite. It was not only nice to spend time with my parents, but I just LOVED watching them go nuts over my son. It's great (and kinda funny, too)! I think Warren knows he's got them wrapped around his finger. He puts on quite a show for them, really hamming it up.

I enjoyed the extra time I had with my son, too, though it made it even harder to go back to school today (sigh).

Warren got to be in a pool for the first time. He did great, though the water was a little too cold, so he only got to stay in about 5 or 6 minutes. He started shivering, so I took him to the hot tub and warmed him up by putting some water on him with my hands. He seems to love water no matter the temperature!

My mom took some great shots of Warren for his 5mth pic.

Gotta love his big smile! He was looking at me in this one: These next two pics were taken at Lake Murray.

I can't imagine my life without Warren or Roy. I am so happy when I am with them that all my other worries just fade into the background. My husband grounds me and gives me a sense of stability, while my son makes my heart soar and gives me a sense of pride. What more could I ask for? (to be a stay-at-home mom, maybe?!!!)

Too Cute for Words