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!

Adventures with Zilla: 5 Months

How old?: 5 Months!

Weight/Height:  At his last appointment he weighed 17 lbs and was 27 inches long.  This put him in the 65th percentile for weight and 97th percentile for length.   

Baby clothes:  
Zilla is wearing some of his 3-6 month outfits still but primarily he's in 6 month clothes. He can also pull off 9 months clothes without looking like he's swimming in them.  He's moved onto size 3 diapers.

Milestones: 
He has hit so many milestones this past month; I can't even believe how much has happened in such a short amount of time.  His reaching and grabbing skills are excellent and he is the most curious little guy.  He wants to touch everything.  
Zilla went through a major growth spurt when he was 4 months and 1 week old.  It lasted the full week and just about resulted in us starting on formula.  HE ATE SO MUCH.  The weekend it started we would feed, play for an hour, feed again, sleep a little and then feed again.  We were eating at least every two hours.  I was getting a little worried about it as the weekend was coming to an end because I didn't know if I could keep up with him by pumping at work.  And I could not.  He was eating about 18 oz at daycare and I was pumping 8 at the most.  Oddly, the week he was eating the most was the week I seemed to be pumping the least.  In that week alone he gained almost 2 pounds.
He is rolling over back to front and front to back all the time now; it's his preferred mode of travel.  Already I can turn my head for one second and he's moved across our floor by rolling over a few times.  

Zilla also has at least one tooth!  Which is exciting but mostly painful...teeth and breastfeeding are an interesting little combination.  He doesn't like feeding from my right side very much and I think he's learned that if he just bites me on that side I'll switch him to the left.  Sneaky little booger.

Special outings
 No long trips this month, but we were able to go out and about more  We've been able to successfully take Zilla to restaurants with us.  He's also pretty good at Mass as long as we go during the morning times.  
Towards the end of the month we went to a baby shower for one of my dearest friends.  I haven't seen her in so long and it was just wonderful to celebrate with her! Zilla was wonderful and quite a big hit at the shower. 

Zilla went for his first swim in a big pool!  On the 4th, his daddy brought him into the pool at my sister's house.  He was such a little cutie and very relaxed about the whole experience.

Highlights of the month: 

 Nina came to visit us over the July 4th weekend!  She brought with her a rug for our living room so that as Zilla learns to crawl his little legs won't get bruised from our hard floors. 
We spent our first 24 hour period away from Zilla this month.  It was so hard, but a lot of fun.  Jason and I took a little staycation to the Adolphus in downtown Dallas.  We went to Shakespeare in the Park that night and just did a little relaxing.  It was nice to have the little break and some time to ourselves but coming home to our baby's smiling face was the best part!  
Seeing Zilla with his cousins.  It's so much fun to be parents with my siblings!  It has brought us all closer together, or at least a new kind of close.  It's like when we used to play house, except now it's for real. 

Baby's routine (this section is included for any new mom's who like me, wondered, what should a baby's schedule look like at this age?  You have so many baby books that tell you all about sleeping patterns of a newborn, but as they get older it's harder and harder to find information about schedules):
We're slowly getting this routine thing down.
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.

The routine is pretty consistent throughout the week, but we're not quite as strict about it on the weekends.  But in general, it's best if he can get in two 1.5-2 hour naps during the day.  One week this month he was having trouble sleeping through the night and woke about every 2-3 hours.  After feeding he was also being stubborn about going to bed.  We're guessing that he was teething during this time 

Baby's favorite food: breast milk. 

Baby's favorite activity: 
Rolling.  While we're playing on the ground, while I'm trying to change him, while he's lying in bed.  This kid loves to roll.   

Baby's favorite toy: His play mat and his exersaucer  

Big changes:
His ability to get around.  Even though he's not crawling, just the rolling is allowing him to get to places/things he wants to go.  We are slowly starting to remove the swaddle from his sleeping routine.  Right now it's primarily at night.  We still put the swaddle over his legs and wrap them up, but we're leaving his arms out.  So far it's going alright.  It has been a little harder to transition this to his daytime naps because he is less willing to go to sleep and too ready to play with everything he can get his hands on.  Therefore it's more necessary to wrap them up too.  

Mommy Journal

Let me just say, I have become an expert pumper.  Going to work and Zilla's ridiculous growth spurt forced me to become comfortable pumping pretty much anywhere, anytime.  I regularly pump on my way to work, yes while driving, and sometime on my way back.  I have pumped while watching a movie at the theater, and I pumped while at Shakespeare in the Park.  No, not by going to the bathroom, I stayed in my seat and did not miss any of the show.  Is it possible that someone has looked over at me and thought "What the what is she doing?"  Sure.  But I don't really care.  My son's gotta eat and my breasts need release.  I will say, when we went to North Park this month they have a very nice lactation room.  It has a cozy chair, changing station, and a sink where you can wash off your supplies.  I really appreciate accommodations like this. 

I love watching Zilla grow up.  It never ceases to amaze me how ready he is to learn and how curious he is.  He wants to hold everything and the moment he learns a new skill he loves practicing over and over.  It's just incredible to watch this little life that was in my belly not too long ago grow up so fast. 

Adventures with Zilla: 4 Months

How old?: 4 Months!

Weight/Height:  15.6 lbs, not sure about his length 

Baby clothes:  I would definitely say he's most comfortable in 3 month and 3-6 month outfits.  Still in size 2 diapers. 

Milestones: Zilla is getting pretty good at bringing toys/hands/hair/anything to his mouth and chewing on it.   One time he was looking at me and with all his concentration he slowloy raised his hands up to my face and grabbed my glasses.  It was pretty cute. He also started to giggle this month and it literally melts my heart.  He's also good at recognizing familiar voices and looking around to find the source.  We can pretty consistently make it about 10 minutes of tummy time where he's happy and sometimes longer. He loves doing tummy time lying on my shins while we play airplane.  He thinks it is so funny when we're doing that and Boots comes over and plays around my head. He has rolled over front to back a few more times and is getting so close to rolling from his back to stomach.

Another big milestone this month was that we celebrated Zilla's conception day! He has been alive for one full year, wow! This is one of my favorite parts about NFP. We can know to the day when his little life began. We also did a little celebrating on the one year anniversary of getting the positive pregnancy test. 
Lastly, I suppose this is a milestone, Zilla got sick for the first time.  He had himself a stuffy nose, a cough, and quite a fever. 

Special outings
 We made another trip to Houston this month and got to see Uncle Paul and his new wife, Kayla. Zilla also got to meet his Aunt April, Uncle Jason, Uncle Cody, and cousin Luke for the first time!   

The other big outing was his Aunt Kimberly's baby shower.  Zilla was passed around like a little football.  He did pretty well the whole day, but man was he pooped that night.

Highlights of the month: 

Without a doubt, the birth of Zilla's cousin, Reese!  My sister had her little girl this month and she is the most precious, tiniest little angel to ever grace this earth.  I'm so happy for my sister and BIL to start this parenthood journey! 

The second highlight of the month would have to be celebrating Father's Day.  I love watching my husband be a Father.  

Baby's routine:
He's falling into more of a routine these days.  we pretty consistently wake up at 7:30 for the first feeding of the day and play until 9.  Then back to sleep for two hours.  He eats again around 11:30 and plays until 1.  Then the goal is another 2 hour nap, but sometimes I have to settle for an hour to an hour and a half. He'll eat again around 3:30.  On the week days, daddy picks him up from daycare and they come home and play for a bit before it's time for another nap.  Then when mommy gets home it's time to feed and the last playtime of the day.  We try one more feeding before putting him back to bed.  If successful, he'll usually sleep until about midnight and wake up to feed but then falls directly back to sleep.  Otherwise he'll wake up around 9 or 10 for a feeding and falls back asleep.  The nights vary.  Sometimes he'll sleep for 5-6 hours in between feedings but other times he'll stick to a 3 hour schedule.    

Baby's favorite food: breast milk. 

Baby's favorite activity: 
He likes to be held facing outward these days.  He's also fond of being lifted up into the air above our heads.  

Baby's favorite toy: His play mat 

Big changes:
The biggest change for us this month is that mommy has found a job!  This is both good and sad news.  Good, because our household needed a second income and honestly, it's probably healthy for me to be getting more adult interaction.  But sad because it's so hard to leave him everyday.  The first day I dropped him off was so tough! I cried a lot that day...okay maybe that whole week.  I'm getting better, but sometimes the evenings are hard because I only get to see him for such a short time.

He does seem to be doing great at day care.  Miss D always says he's perfect, and for some reason he's quite cooperative with taking 2 hour naps with her.

The other big change is that daddy gets to come home from work earlier these days!  This is wonderful news all around.  I know it's been nice for him to get to spend more time with Zilla, and I love having him home when I get home.
Another big change is that we have moved Zilla into his crib for both naps and nighttime. This means no more co-sleeping. Much like me finding a job, this is both exciting but sad news. It's nice to have our bed back but there sure are nights I miss his sweet little self all snuggled up next to us. 

Mommy Journal

I've only been working for a little over a week now.  I think the hardest thing is letting go of an extra feeding session.  Daddy was doing one bottle feeding each night so we could build up a supply, but we cut it out so that there's usually only one additional bottle feeding each day.  It's so hard to pump every three hours at work.  Even though I know I need to in order to keep supply up, it's just awkward to disappear into my office for 15 minutes, especially when there are clients right outside.  It makes me appreciate even more when I hear about companies who are becoming extra accommodating to lactating mothers.  

Other than that, I'm enjoying work, but I think about Zilla a lot.  Luckily, Miss D sends me picture texts throughout the day.  My favorite is one of him sitting across from another little boy at the day care.  It reminds me that this is a good thing for him to start socializing, even at this young age.  These days, my favorite part of the day are the middle of the night feedings.  He's usually easy to feed and as soon as he's done he'll just snuggle into my chest and fall asleep.  I'll just sit there holding him for awhile because it's becoming rarer for him to fall asleep in my arms like that.
Part two of mommy journal is going to be more about experiencing Zilla's first illness.  He got sick one day before his 4 month birthday.  I had to go to work that day and Jason took him to the doctor.  Part way through the day I went up to the doctor's office to feed Zilla and while I was there the doctor told us we would have to take him to the ER.  Those words are so hard to hear as a parent.  I had to go back to work and the next thing you know I get a text from Jason saying his temp had jumped to above 103.  
All I could think about was his tiny little body being so hot.  I left work immediately and cried the whole way to the hospital.  And then the "fun" of watching my tiny baby get poked over and over began.  You don't realize how much the little guy means to you until you see him in pain and would literally do anything to take it away.  I would go through labor 1000 more times to have made it stop hurting.  And then there's the "what if" thoughts that started to pop into my head.  I have a tendency to go straight to the worst case scenario.  Thankfully, it was likely just a regular old virus he caught from being at daycare for the first time. 
 That night I slept on the floor outside his room so that I could hear him breathing.  After his feedings that night I sat up holding him for two hours and the next night co-slept with him laying on my arm, because he did not want to be put down in his crib.  He would be sleeping peacefully after eating, but the second I laid him down he would start screeching. It wasn't so bad.  In fact, it kind of warmed my heart thinking that being near me was comforting to him. 

Time really has gone by so fast.  Especially these last two months. I can finally say that I am in a much better place emotionally and am excited for everything ahead!  

Adventures with Zilla: 3 Months

How old?: 3 Months!

Weight/Height:  Still growing like a weed. Haven't weighed or measured him in a while.  We'll have a more accurate update after his 4 months visit.

Baby clothes:  We can still barely squeeze him into some 0-3 month outfits, but he's most comfortable looking in 3-6 months.  I pulled out the outfit we bought him home from the hospital in and may have cried a little.  It was so tiny; I can't believe how big he has gotten!

Milestones: Zilla hit lots of milestones this month.  He coos like a champ and is most talkative in the morning.  He is also doing lots more social smiles, thank goodness!  He is not a big fan of tummy time, but when we do it he's so strong and can hold up his head and push himself up.  He even rolled over for the first time!  I was so excited :)  His hands are also opening up more and more and he's stretching out.  He has definitely found his hand, in that he sucks his fist like a lollipop, but I don't think he's realized he can grab things with it.  Although given the opportunity he will gladly grab onto our fingers and hair.  He has grabbed Jason's finger a few times and stuck it in his mouth.  

Here's a video of him cooing, but you may need to turn the volume up real high because his silly mom put her finger over the microphone: 

Special outings: We had a very active month!  Starting with the day after he turned 2 months we headed down South for Zilla's first trip to Houston!  He got to see his Nina and meet his great grandparents and great aunt.  He met the entire Garcia family.  He also got to see his Papa and meet his Mimsie Kathie.  We had a great time.  He behaved so well all weekend, which was a huge relief. 

The following weekend we headed South again, but this time to San Antonio.  This trip was two fold.  First, my dad took all the kids on a little vacation.  We stayed at a beautiful resort in La Cantera.  Zilla went on his first trip to Sea World and visited University of the Incarnate Word.  The second reason for the trip was my friend Sarah's wedding!  Aidan didn't go to the wedding, in fact this was the longest time I've spent away from him to date.  It was a little rough for mommy.

The next weekend we headed to Austin!  Daddy was quite excited about this trip.  We stayed with my cousin who has a beautiful home and was nice enough to take us in for a couple of days.  It was great getting to catch up with her. 

While here we headed to UT's campus.  Unfortunately, mommy and daddy aren't great at time management and we ended up having to rush through Zilla's campus tour.  I felt bad, because I know Jason was looking forward to showing his son around.  We did get a few pictures.  

We also attended Jason's friend's wedding and Zilla came along too!  This was his first wedding outside the womb.  Thankfully, he made it through the ceremony alright, but then he got pretty fussy.  We were blessed to meet a great couple while we were there who had a 7 month old and they offered us lots of encouragement and advice.  It was nice to have someone to sit by who wasn't going to judge us for having a fussy baby.

Before we left on Sunday we went to lunch with some friends of ours in Round Rock.  It's always good to see fellow married couple friends!  We haven't seen them since their wedding last year (Zilla's first wedding in the womb) and it was so good to catch up!   

On our way back to Dallas we stopped to see my aunt and cousins and let them meet Zilla.  It was great to see them and just relax on their patio for a few hours.  We also got to take home some yummy food :)  

Highlights of the month: 

Getting to interact more with Zilla is definitely the highlight.  The days aren't quite as long now that I can actually lay him down on his play mat and talk to him and watch him soak in his surroundings.  I can even leave him there for a bit and do some cooking or cleaning.  

It was my first Mother's Day this month!  It was so surreal at Mass when they had all the mother's stand up for a blessing.  I just can't believe how far we've come in such a short amount of time.  

Baby's routine:
Yup, still working on it.  He's a bit more consistent with the sleep, eat, wake cycle.  However he hits a serious fussy time in the evenings.  It usually starts around 8:00pm, although some days it will start as early as 5:00pm.  No matter when it starts it can last until 11:00pm.  He fights sleep like no baby I've ever met.  If he misses a nap, get ready for a rough night.  This kid needs his sleep.  The good news?  Once he goes down in the evening (9 or 10) he usually becomes a super easy baby.  His feedings stretch to about 4 or 5 hours apart and once he eats he falls right back asleep! That I can handle. 

Baby's favorite food: breast milk. 

Baby's favorite activity: Laying on his play mat and walks outside

Baby's favorite toy: Sophie the giraffe always makes him smile

Big changes:  
Mostly the increase of social smiles.  

He did go a couple of days where he was refusing to eat... particularly refusing to breastfeed.  This was incredibly frustrating for me.

His ability to be more steady in my arms is a big and very helpful change. I can multitask even when I'm holding him. 

I'm (slightly) less nervous to take him out in public now as long as it's only for an hour or two.  This means more outings with friends and quick runs to the grocery store.  Any longer than that and his schedule gets a little off and the day goes downhill from there.   

We put down a deposit with a home daycare for when I find a job.  It's exciting, but a little bit sad. 

Mommy Journal

Wow! After last month's post I received so many incredible messages of support and encouragement from my friends.  I'm so grateful for each of them and wanted to share with you all some of the love in case you're a mom and ever doubt your ability to get through a hard day: 

• You're not alone.... reaching out is key and I so admire your courage to do so. I wanted to write to support and to share....Whatever happens, I hope you are able to experience peace soon with your new sweet boy!
•  I'll be thinking about y'all and that I think you have an amazing little family. I'm sure you're doing a fabulous job...Keep the faith <3 
•  It will get better and you'll remember the good times more. I love you...Just remember the amazing examples of moms you've had and know that they've gone through periods like this too.
•  No amount of preparation can truly prepare you for your experience with parenthood...You, Jason, and Zilla are in my prayers.
• Hope it gets better soon will say a little prayer that the colic ends soon
• You are a great mom. I know some days are harder than others, but you are constantly showing Zilla your love.
•  I pray that you will grow to love God, Jason, Zilla and all others more for the experiences of this season. And I pray that God will direct your path going into the next few months and years, as we trust that as he cares even for the sparrows (Matt. 10:29), he will provide all that you need in accordance with his riches in glory (Phil 4:19).
• I know it must be difficult to have a baby with colic, but I just wanted to let you guys know that I think you're doing a great job. You've managed to transition into parenthood (seemingly) easily (though I'm sure it hasn't always been), and if anything it seems to have strengthened your marriage. Zilla is lucky to have you two for parents! 

And on that note, things have gotten better.  Looking back to the first month, when we literally never slept in the bed at the same time because someone had to be up and holding Zilla, I can't believe how good we've got it now! Like I said, I can actually take him into public now with a hope he won't break down into uncontrollable screaming; yea!  In fact, more often than not, on his short day trips out he is a very pleasant and adorable little guy.  Don't get me wrong, I still have days where I struggle, but I'm trying hard to be grateful for the time we have together before I go back to work.  It's going to be so hard to leave him every day, knowing that I'm going to miss so many of his firsts.

That's all for now

The VrlyFries  

Happy Mother's Day!

This post is dedicated to the amazing moms in my life who inspire me each and every day!

First up, my mom!  Obviously, I can't do a mom post without giving a shout out to the very woman who brought me into this world.  My mom is one incredible lady.  She supports and loves me unconditionally and does so with an ever joyful heart.  I could call my mom everyday and not run out of things to talk about with her.  She laughs with me when I'm feeling goofy, cries with me when I'm feeling sad, and hugs me when I just need to be her baby for a moment longer.  I love her to the moon and stars and back again! 

Next, my sister!  This is both my and my sister's first Mother's Day.  While her little one is still in the womb, she already shows little Reese so much love and care.  Have I told you that my sister is a hero?  No really, she is.  Just trust me, only 7 months into motherhood and her motherly instincts are already top notch.  She has been the most observant and aware mommy-to-be I've ever known, and I can't even tell you how inspiring her love for her baby is.  Not just her baby, but the way she loves all the little ones in her life is amazing.  Aidan is blessed to have her as an aunt.  I'm so excited to continue to experience motherhood with my closest and longest friend.  I love her so much! 

Now, my incredible mother-in-law!  It's hard to describe how lucky I am to have married Jason, not just because of the man he is, but because of his family.  Jason's mom has given so much of herself to help out our little family as we are starting out on all of these new adventures.  From the first time I timidly came to Houston to meet Jason's family, she welcomed me with an open heart.  Her love is abundant and unconditional;   I have no doubt where Jason learned to love.  Not only is she loving, but she is so much fun!  I know that when we go to Houston to visit or have her come to Dallas to visit us we are in for a wonderful time.  I can only hope that Aidan and I have the kind of relationship she and Jason have developed.   

There are so many other women I could write about here who have inspired me as I learn how to become a mother myself.  I have some of the most loving aunts who have always been like moms to me.  My sister-in-law has been there for me in so many ways and I love watching her with my niece.  She's kinda supermom.  I have lots of friends who have the sweetest little kids and who I am hoping to continue to pick up tips and tricks from as Aidan grows.  I also want to give a shout out to all the expecting moms in my life!  I know lots of women who are only months/weeks/days from meeting their precious babies and I am just thrilled for each of them!

To every mom, I hope you have the best day. Know that you are appreciated for doing the most important job in the world!