Adventures with Zilla: 10 Months

How old?: 10 months! Double digits y'all!

Weight/Height:  
At our 9 month appointment he was about 20 lbs and 29 inches. 

Baby clothes:  

For onesies and shirts he can wear 9 or 12 month.  For pants he is wearing 9 or 12 months, but 12 months fit better. He is in size 4 diapers.

Milestones:

Zilla has graduated from the worm to an army crawl.  Still doesn't seem too interested in full on crawling.  He loves loves loves to stand up and walk while he holds our fingers.  He can also pull himself up onto his play table and into laps.  This also means, when available he can climb up stairs. Although he prefers not to use his arms much, so a lot of the time he will pull up with his head and neck.  

He is able to place shapes into matching holes.  He's not great at matching up with the correct hole but once we show it to him he has the fine motor control to put it in there.

Zilla has also started waiving and it is the very cutest!

Zilla has said "Ma ma ma ma!"  It's super cute.  I don't think he's connected it to a person but I still love to hear him say it.  He is all around quite the little chatter box. 

Special outings

We went to Houston for Zilla's first Thanksgiving!  We got to see his Nina and the Garcia's as well as his great aunt and great Memaw. We also saw his aunt and uncles and Paw Paw and Mimsie Kathie.  It was all around a great weekend and beautiful weather.

Zilla experienced his first snow (ice) storm this month and got to briefly sit in it while mommy got a picture.  He was so cute in his over-sized snowsuit. 

We also started our rounds of Christmases this month!  Zilla's first Christmas and first Christmas gift was at my dad's with all his cousins around.  It was a lot of fun!

Highlights of the month: 

This was a really great month!  First, I changed jobs and am now working for DARS.  I love the people I'm working with.  The best part is that I am both closer to home and getting to leave work earlier than before.  This means at least an extra hour of time spent with my baby boy!

The second highlight was the ice storm we had in Dallas.  It resulted in two days off for me where I got to hang out with my kiddo!  It was so much fun :) 

Daddy also got to spend some extra time at home with little man.  Unfortunately, it was because he got RSV from daycare.  But he handled the sickness like a champ.

Baby's routine:
Routine has stayed the exact same except sometimes he sleeps in which is awesome on the weekends.
Wake up: 7:15am

Play and eat (sometimes we'll do solids here but other times we just do milk)Nap: 9:00 am-11:00 am
    Eat solids: 11:30

Play

Eat milk: 12 or 12:30

Nap: 1:00pm - 3:00 pm

Eat Play: 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm 

Eat solids: 6:00

Play

Eat milk: 7:00

Play

8:00 - Prayer time and bed

Baby's favorite food: 

Zilla has really started to appreciate more table foods.  He'll get frustrated with us putting a spoon in his mouth and prefers to feed himself.  Although he still loves squash.  This month he started to like bananas and apples after despising them the first time he tried them.  

Baby's favorite activity: 
Zilla loves bath time with daddy! Daddy does a great job teaching him to be very comfortable in the water. I can't wait for summer to come around so we can spend some time in the pool! 

He also love knocking down blocks.  Whenever he is about to get into something I don't want him to touch I will stack some of his blocks and he will laugh and then army crawl over so he can knock them down. 

Baby's favorite toy:

Anything he's not supposed to play with.  He wants so bad to play with electric cords and our entertainment center...so he's also having to learn "no no". Although he usually just laughs whenever I say it.

Big changes:

His mobility is ever increasing and he is gaining more and more confidence navigating and transferring between surfaces when standing.  As usual I just love to see him grow and learn.

Mommy Journal

I've been thinking a lot this month about how much things have changed from just a few short months ago.  The more I reflect the more I realize how grateful I am for all of the support I received from my family and friends.  I had a really hard time those first few months.  It got to the point where I started looking into going to see a counselor, but right as I got serious about going I also started to lift out of my fog.  I want to write this because if anyone who is reading this is going through a rough patch after having your baby I want you to know there's no shame and I'm happy to share my experience with you if you want to write or need someone to talk to because you feel like no one else is having the same feelings.  Babies are hard and colicky babies are draining, but know that you are a wonderful mother even on those days you don't feel like it.  

Having a baby has been the biggest blessing in my life.  I also read a story this month about people who have sued doctors for not catching that their child has a disability and said they would have aborted had they known.  It truly breaks my heart that people cannot see the joy that comes from this new life.  I know that I have not experienced having a child with a disability, but I also know that the child has so much dignity and worth.  I work with people with disabilities everyday and it's a shame there are people who cannot see how valuable this person's life is.

  

Yes, children are an inconvenience.  I can't just leave the house whenever I want and I've missed friends' birthdays because he was fussy and left parties because it was past his bedtime.  But I wouldn't trade this blessed inconvenience for all the free time in the world.   He and his cousins are my world.  Yes, I might become frustrated standing in a long line at Toys R Us trying to find the perfect gift, but then I look on facebook and see the cutest picture of my niece and realize it is so worth it.  Because if I was at a bar having a glass of wine instead, it would mean she wasn't there to do her sweet little grunt and squeaky laugh.  And no wine is finer than that laugh.  What I'm trying to say is, don't be afraid of the "inconvenience" a child might bring to your life.  Zilla arrived in ours a few months earlier than we had originally planned, but thank God He is in control and not I, because how boring would life be without our little Zilla, Reesearoo, and Mini B (with more cousins on the way!)?

Adventures with Zilla: Month 9

How old?: 9 months! 

Weight/Height:  We will be going in for his 9 month appointment soon to get all the official numbers.  But the last we weighed him he was 22 pounds. 

Baby clothes:  

For onesies and shirts he can wear 6, 9, or 12 month.  For pants he is wearing 9 or 12 months. 

Milestones:

He is rolling less these days and relying more on what I like to call the worm.  He'll pull his little legs up and then push out to propel himself forward.  It's his own version of the army crawl.  He's also attempting to pull himself up, particularly if it involves pulling himself up onto mommy's lap.  He can do a very uncoordinated walk while holding our fingers and can hold himself up while leaning on the couch/benches/etc...though not without supervision.
Zilla now has 4 bottom teeth and two top teeth.  We think there are two more coming in on top soon!

Zilla loves to say da da da da da...we don't think he's quite put it together that that's his daddy's name, but I bet he'll make that connection pretty soon!  He's still working on making the mmmm noise so he can say ma ma ma ma. 

Special outings

Zilla made an appearance at a couple of bridal showers this month.  He's pretty special to be the only boy allowed.   

We also took a mini trip to the pumpkin patch and had Zilla's first Halloween (although we did not go trick or treating)

This is one of my favorite pictures!  I think it fits their personalities so well; he's such a goofball!

Baby Yoda!

Little Reese's Pieces :) 

Over it.

Highlights of the month: 

I would say this months highlight has been watching him find a new mode of transportation.  It's fun to watch him develop and grow.  I think this is such a great stage because he's mobile enough to get to a toy he wants, but not so mobile that he's getting in to everything just yet.

Also, my brother and sis - in - law are expecting Baby V #2!!!!  This is something we have been praying for, and I am so so excited for them! 

Baby's routine:
The routine is pretty stable except that we have eliminated Zilla time.
Wake up: 7:15am

Play and eat (sometimes we'll do solids here but other times we just do milk)Nap: 9:00 am-11:00 am
    Eat solids: 11:30

Play

Eat milk: 12 or 12:30

Nap: 1:00pm - 3:00 pm

Eat Play: 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm 

Eat solids: 6:00

Play

Eat milk: 7:00

Play

8:00 - Prayer time and bed

Baby's favorite food: 

He's a pretty big fan of bread and cheese.  He also loves all kinds of squash.  It's almost humorous.  I sure wouldn't mind if he would love something cheap, like bananas though ;-) 

Baby's favorite activity: 
Bouncing in his jumparoo  

Baby's favorite toy:

He got a lot of "new" toys from his cousin this month.  There's one that's an octopus and you put a ball in the top and then it rolls down lands under one of his legs (like a Plinko, but an octopus).  He finds it so interesting how I put a ball in the top and the next thing you know that same ball is under one of the legs.  I can just see his little brain working so hard to figure it out.

Big changes:

I'm no longer breastfeeding at night and in the morning.  I dried up a little sooner than I thought I would, but that's ok.  There are still times Zilla will act like he's trying to breastfeed and that makes me a little sad, but I know he's enjoying all of his new solids and luckily didn't have too difficult of a time transitioning to formula.

Mommy Journal

Zilla was sick for about a week this month, which meant he was having trouble breathing at night unless he was held upright.  As a result we spent a lot of time holding him in the rocking chair while he slept.  One morning I held him for about 2.5-3 hours until it was time for him to wake up.  It was so sweet to have him snuggle up and fall asleep on my chest.  He's never been the kind of kid to just fall asleep in your arms when he's tired, so these moments are pretty rare.  I contorted myself into all different positions and even managed to find one in which I could almost fall asleep.  Every once in awhile he would lift his head to turn it, and then immediately fall back asleep.  But come 6:45 he woke up and just started babbling and playing with my face, as if he wakes up in my arms every morning, letting me know it was time get the day started.  He is just so cute; I could hug him all day.

I went to whataburger one night this month to get us dinner after putting Zilla down for the night.  Zilla's sickness passed on to the whole family and we didn't have the energy to make anything.  I left the house in the sweater I had worn to work that day, some sweatpants, hair in messy ponytail  and Jason's slippers.  I fully intended to go through the drive thru until I realized that part of this sickness had resulted in me completely losing my voice.  So I had no choice but to go inside in this mess of an outfit.  While I was waiting for my order, a group of teenage guys came in being all awkward and teenagey.  All I could think was that one day Zilla was going to be a teenager and how absolutely mortified he would be for his mother to go out in public wearing what I was wearing.  Oh the good times, they are ahead!  

K mom, I'm ready.  Can we go running now?

Adventures with Zilla: 8 Months!

Since his 9 month birthday is only 4 days away...I figured I would go ahead and post what I did complete for the 8 month blog.  There are a few holes.  I got discouraged when I broke my iphone and lost all of the pictures I was going to post :(   But here's a brief 8 month post to be followed by a full 9 month post! 

Weight/Height:  

Not a clue.  I guess around 22 or 23 lbs.  His daddy is guessing around 25 lbs. 

Baby clothes:  
Zilla is wearing 6, 9, and 12 month outfits.  Still in size three diapers but on his way out. 

Milestones:

Scooting around a little. Still not terribly interested in getting into the crawling position as he prefers to roll.

Lots of new foods.  Zilla decided he was too grown up for baby cereal and he only wanted steel rolled oats with flax seed if he was going to be forced to eat cereal.  Also, he has tried acorn squash (love) and spinach (growing on him) in the puree department.  Solids-wise he is expanding into mum mums and puffs.  We also let him nibble on our adult food as we eat which means he has tried everything from salsa to chicken to green beans.

He's also develop hand/eye coordination and getting better at bringing food to his mouth.

He is developing so much curiosity and becoming smarter everyday.  He is learning about cause and effect which is fun to watch and he has object permanence down very well.

Special outings

We traveled a few times this month.  Once to Houston.  The Hubskie spent his time at a bachelor party while I had a girls weekend, which meant little man got to spend all of Saturday and Sunday morning with his Nina.  I think he had a great time!  Mommy had a little bit of a hard time being away from him that long. That Sunday we celebrated the life of a very dear member of the family who left us too soon.  We weren't able to stay for the funeral the next day, but I'm glad we were with the family for the wake. 

We also took a day trip to Giddings to celebrate the life of a pretty incredible man, Hubskie's Uncle.  It was awesome to see a whole community come out to remember him, he was very loved.  Zilla had a great time playing with the family and getting to meet some of his second cousins.  For so much car time in one day and missing some naps, he really did a great job.  

Baby's routine:
The routine is the same as last month :) 
Wake up: 7:15am
Nap: 9:00 am-11:00 am
    Eat/Play: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Nap: 1:00pm - 3:00 pm

Eat Play: 3:00 pm - 5:45 pm 

Zilla Time: 5:45-6

Eat Play: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

8:00 - Prayer time and bed

He will either sleep through the night or wake up once for a quick feed.

Baby's favorite food: 

I'll go with puffs.  He's a pretty big fan of these little rice nuggets. 

Baby's favorite activity: 
Peek-a-boo (hurrah object permanence!) 

Baby's favorite toy:

Sofie is still a favorite for teething but he also enjoys playing with the wipes package while we're changing his diaper  

Adventures with Zilla: 7 Months

How old?: 7 months! 

Weight/Height:  At 6 months and a couple of days he was 17.2lbs.  Since then there have been some changes to his diet so I would think he's weighing more than this now.

His height is now in the 99th percentile.  

Baby clothes:  
Zilla is wearing 6 and 9 month outfits.  He is still in size 3 diapers

Milestones:

He's still a little rolley poly.  He is sitting up much better these days and we can leave him unattended sitting up and be fairly confident that even if he topples it won't be tragic.  

He has tried carrots (dislike), butternut squash (LOVE), sweet potatoes (like), spinach (dislike), orange bell pepper (on the fence)

Every now and then he'll almost get up on all fours but his arm strength is still an issue as far as crawling goes.

He is sleeping through the night on a more regular basis!  Which sounds great, but it turns out I have not quite gotten to a point where I can sleep through the night but I'm sure it will happen eventually.

Zilla got his first haircut!  His daddy was insistent that we get rid of his rat tail.

Special outings

We made a trip to Houston and got to see his Nina, Pawpaw and Mimsie Kathy, his Aunt Janet, Uncle Brent, Aunt April, Uncle Jason, Uncle Cody, and cousin Luke.  We also got to see Auntie Kendall and Adam.  It was a very busy, but fun-filled weekend!  

Highlights of the month: 

The absolute highlight of this month was Zilla and Reese's baptism!  On September 15th these little cuties were welcomed into the life of Christ and the  Church.  It was such a wonderful day.  My sister and brother are Zilla's God Parents and it reminds me how blessed I have been to have such incredible siblings.  My brother and I are Reese's Godparents!  This is my first Godchild, and I am so honored to play a deeper role in the development of her spiritual life.  So many of our family members and friends came to celebrate with us and lift all of us up in prayer.  It was the perfect day!

Another highlight was getting family photos done.  I had wanted to get newborn pictures of Zilla; however we realized if we attempted to get these done we would have ended up with a lot of pictures of Zilla crying.  He wasn't really one of those cute sleeping babies who could be easily posed.  So we decided to get some pictures done when he was 6 months old.  They turned out great and I am so thankful for Tin Owl Photography.  This couple photography team was absolutely wonderful to work with! 

Baby's routine:
Our routine is pretty steady from last month.  Except his third nap has turned into something we call "Zilla time"  Essentially around 5:30 we put him in his crib for some de-stimulation time.  Sometimes he'll lay in his crib and just coo or he'll cry or sometimes he'll sleep.  It's up to him, and usually only lasts about 15 minutes and then he's up for the rest of the evening.  Also his bed time has been moved up an hour
Wake up: 7:15am
Nap: 9:00 am-11:00 am
    Eat/Play: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Nap: 1:00pm - 3:00 pm

Eat Play: 3:00 pm - 5:45 pm 

Zilla Time: 5:45-6

Eat Play: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

8:00 - Prayer time and bed

He will either sleep through the night or wake up once for a quick feed.

Baby's favorite food: 

We get to start having more fun with this one now!  I would say of all the solids he has tried, he likes butternut squash the best. 

Baby's favorite activity: 
Rolling rolling rolling  

Baby's favorite toy:

Sofie for sure  

Big changes:

The biggest change has been in Zilla's diet.  Of course there's been the introduction of solid foods.  This has been so much fun seeing his little reactions to all the new flavors.
But the other big change has been the introduction of formula.  This change has been much harder.  More-so for me than for Zilla.  Little man took to the formula very quickly.  I on the other hand cried when I gave back the pump.  It still makes me a little sad each time a bottle feed him; knowing that if I wasn't working I would still be breastfeeding.  Who ever would have thought this would be so hard for me to let go of? 
I continued to exclusively breastfeed for about a week and a half after 6 months until I realized how difficult it would be to pump for both bottles and for milk to add to his cereal.  So we started using formula in his cereal.  Then my sister in law, who so generously let us borrow her pump, asked if I was done with it as one of her friends asked to borrow it for her newborn.  Knowing that Zilla has had the chance to have mama's milk for 6 months, I wanted this new baby to have the same opportunity.  I slowly cut out pumping from my work day (ouch, by the way) and this is my first weekend not breastfeeding Zilla during the day while I'm at home.  We are still breastfeeding for his last and first feedings of the day for as long as I'm producing.

Mommy Journal

I'd like to reflect on two moments that I believe will stay with me my entire life (outside of the big things like him being born or his baptism).

The first occurred when he was only 2 or 3 weeks old, but I think about it often.  Perhaps because it's the background on my phone. 

This is one of my favorite pictures of all time.  It was past midnight, Zilla had been crying for about an hour or so, and Jason and I were exhausted.  And then he fell asleep; resting in his Daddy's arms.  Jason looked down at him and smiled; not a "thank goodness you finally stopped" smile, but an "I love you so much, son" kind of smile.  It was so beautiful.  I think this picture really captures unconditional love and so much of our first few months.  Even after the chaos and the struggles, nothing could take away how beautiful and precious our son is.
The second moment happened just a few weeks ago.  I was feeding Zilla (one of our last daytime breastfeedings) and I looked down because it seemed like he was done.  Which he was, but he was also asleep.  I gently picked him up and lay his head on my shoulder, where he snuggled in close and continued sleeping.  I knew I should go put him down as we were still sleep training, but instead I just sat on the couch holding him and of course teared up a bit.  I don't know what it was, he had done this before, but I guess this time it really dawned on me that this would be one of the last times.  And I had this realization of how fast he is growing up.  More than anything I was filled with such an intense feeling of love.  One of those kinds where it just doesn't seem like it's possible to love someone this much and the only way to express it is with tears.  Joyful tears.  God has blessed us with a perfect gift in our son.  Through Zilla, He has given us a better understanding of the depth and intensity of His great love.

Adventures with Zilla: 6 months

How old?: 6 Months!  1/2 a year! 

Weight/Height:  His 6 month doc appointment won't be until Aug. 28th so we aren't really sure.  But I would guess around 20 lbs 

Baby clothes:  
Zilla is wearing 6 month outfits and some 6-9 month.  He is still in size 3 diapers

Milestones:

Zilla has started to sit up by himself (kind of).  he can't quite put himself into the seated position, but if we place him there he can stay upright for at least a little bit without toppling over.  But he really just enjoys laying down so he can roll.  He just loves rolling so much!  

He's started scooting on his tummy a little bit too, but is still working on the arm strength to push himself up enough to be a more efficient scooter.  Poor guy got his mom's upper body strength.  I told him that's okay because he has strong legs, and that's all that matters for soccer players :) 

He now has two teeth and seems to constantly be teething.  He also went through another growth spurt this month (though not as exaggerated as last months)

He also took his first dunk in a pool.  I don't think he enjoyed it very much, but he was such a little cutey. 

  Last, he had his first bite of "solid" food!  I told Jason we could start him on trying rice cereal while he was 5 months.  But then I stalled and stalled and stalled because I wanted him to wait until 6 months (WHO recommended).  Well, I finally gave in one night before his 6 month birthday. 

Special outings

We made a trip to Temple this month to see Zilla's Great Mama and Papa as well as his Aunt Janet and Uncle Brent.  

On this same trip we also stopped in West Texas for Zilla's first trip to the Czech stop!  This is a big deal!  Any traveler along I-35 will tell you so. 

Highlights of the month: 

Making it 6 months!  I know this sounds ridiculous, but if you had asked me 4 months ago, I may have told you that I wasn't going to survive this long.  But we have!  And I am so in love with this little guy.  He brings unimaginable joy to our life and I'm so grateful for each smile and giggle.  

And we made it 6 months exclusively breastfeeding (well, exclusive breast milk)!  Again, if you had asked me a few months ago if I really thought I would make it this long I may not have sounded confident.  But with the support of my husband and enough perseverance we're here and it becomes easier and easier each day. I don't have to plan our whole day around his feedings anymore because I am at a place where I'm comfortable feeding in public; and confident that I can probably feed him without much of a fuss.

That being said this will be the last month that we exclusively give him breast milk.  1) Because it's time to start some solids!  and 2) We will likely also start mixing in some formula.  As much as I would like to save the money and continue to let breast milk be his primary source of calories, it really is so hard (and stressful) to keep up with pumping at work.  Perhaps if I worked somewhere where I wasn't the only person in the office 60% of the time and almost always having to cut off interaction with a client in order to pump.  It makes me sad to think that this part of our relationship is coming to an end, but I feel so blessed to have provided him with food for this long.  

If there was a way to let him formula feed while I'm at work/away from him and let me breast feed him when we're together that would be awesome.  But I know as soon as I stop pumping at work that my supply will slowly drop off.  I get a little teary thinking about it.  Sounds cheesy, but when I was struggling with my emotions those first couple of months and had a hard time connecting with him I always looked at breastfeeding (though bumpy and often a fight in itself) as my way of telling him "I still love you; even if I'm crying all the time; I still love you with my whole self"

So anyways, the highlight of this month was just really enjoying the ease of breastfeeding and sharing this last little bit of his newborn-ness with him.

Baby's routine:
Our routine is pretty steady from last month.  Except that this month we had a bit of a hiccup for a week or so.  And I'd like to call that hiccup teething while growth spurting.
Wake up: 7:15am
Nap: 9:00 am-11:00 am
    Eat/Play: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Nap: 1:00pm - 3:00 pm

Eat Play: 3:00 pm - 5:45 pm 

Nap: This nap is usually a little shorter than his morning naps 5:45 - 6:30 or 7

Eat Play: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

8:30 - Bath time / get ready for bed

9:00 pm feed and put to sleep

Overnight he'll usually wake up one or two time to eat and "should" go directly to sleep.

So that's the way it should be.  However, for about a week this month he was going through a growth spurt while a tooth was breaking through.  This meant that he was hungrier but refusing to breast feed because it hurt to eat that way.  Therefore I was once again trying to pump through a growth spurt.  Which is just so hard to keep up with.  He was also awake a lot during the night and much harder to put to sleep for naps and overnight.  This caused some stressful evenings, but we survived so that's good news.

Baby's favorite food: breast milk. 

Baby's favorite activity: 
I think rolling is still his favorite.  But also playing with his daddy.  

Baby's favorite toy:

His exersaucer and various balls  

Big changes:
We started sleep training with Zilla at the end of this month.  We decided it was time to help him learn how to sleep through the night better and go to sleep on his own (without rocking or being fed to sleep).  Once again, this was a hard transition for me.  At first the idea of it sounds so appealing "Oh, I don't have to spend 30 mins rocking him to sleep anymore?"  Until you go into his room while he is crying and pick him up and all you want to do is rock him.  Or realize that at least for the foreseeable future (until he's pretty solid on this whole falling asleep alone thing) I won't get to rock him.  What?  When did he get so big and independent?  

We're using a minimal crying, pick up/put down method.  Pretty much this means we aren't letting him just cry it out. I refused to let us use that method.  Instead we go into his room and pick him up until he stops crying (without rocking) and then immediately put him back down.  Rinse and repeat until he doesn't cry after being put down and falls asleep.  

I pretty much have a super strong (or just sore) back after doing this a couple of nights.  But I think he's slowly getting the hang of it.  Also, he's slowly figuring out how to put his paci in by himself at night. 

Mommy Journal

I've been thinking about the language we (I) use and how it impacts our family.  Let me explain.

The other night my brother said something that my sister in law didn't think should be said around their 2 year old.  "Don't use that work around my daughter"

So am I here to critique what my brother said?  Nope.  It's actually what my sister in law said that got me thinking.  It's something I do quite often and something I truly want to work on going forward.  

 I have this horrible tendency to change the possessive adjective (yes, I looked up that term) I use with Zilla in relation to Jason and myself based on the circumstance:

When somebody is talking to us about Zilla "Yes, our son is perfect"

Jason does something I disagree with: "Don't do that around my son"

When I'm frustrated with Zilla, "Make your son stop crying!" 

Zilla is my baby.  There is no doubt about that.  But when I'm talking about him to Jason or in relation to our family, I want to work on always using the term "our" son.  

I guess I think this is so important because I want Zilla to grow up with the emphasis on us as a family unit.  I want him to feel secure in trusting that his parents are one and that this is unconditional.  Because more than Zilla is my baby, he is our baby. And we must work together to provide, raise, and love him day in and day out.  I cannot be the mom I am without my husband and I want to be there to support my husband in being a father.

On a similar note, I also want to mention how amazing my husband is at being a dad. Maybe this should be wifey journal this month.  Jason is just so patient and loving with Zilla and he finds so much joy being with him.  When Zilla was going through his rough teething week Jason would stand in his room rocking and consoling him for as long as it took and when Zilla would finally go to sleep he did not leave his room frustrated or disheartened.  He would simply say something like "poor guy is just hurting so much.  Wish I could do more."  My husband is so loving and I learn something about parenting from him everyday.  Zilla and I are blessed to have him!