Monday, August 30, 2010

7 Months Old

Chaser, our little baby boy who just couldn't wait to grace this world with his beautiful presence, is now 7 months old.

And a big one! He weighs in on our home scale at a whopping 22 pounds! Now, that's not official but if you were able to get your hands on our heavy weight, you would probably agree that it's pretty close.

I never could have imagined how deeply I would love him - every ounce of his chubbiness, every roll, every finger, every toe, every giggle, every burp, every fuss, every funny face, every tug on the hair, clothes and jewelry, and of course, every last bit of the sweetest sweetness I have ever known!!! He is, as Addison (and Dora) would say, DELICIOSO!!!!

He's eating a ton of fruits and veggies and taking about 25 ounces of milk. He fits best into 12-18 month clothes but I am trying to still squeeze him into some of his smaller sizes because I hate to pack outfits away without him ever having had the chance to wear them! He is still in size 3 diapers but as soon as we get through this last box, we will be moving him up to 4's!

He goes down at 6-6:30pm and wakes somewhere between 6:30-7:30am. If he wakes before 6:45, he eats a few ounces and goes back down for another hour. Otherwise, he just takes his 2 regular naps each day, racking up another 3-4 hours of sleep between those. The boy does like to sleep!


He is still as happy as can be, rarely ever fussing and almost never crying. Actually, I have noticed lately that he is quite sensitive. I was on the phone with a friend last week, while feeding Chase in his highchair, when my call dropped (darn iPhone!) I called her back and said, "I have just about had it with AT&T" and Chase immediately looked at me, frowned and busted out in a very loud, scared cry. Tears and all! This is so unusual that it really caught me off guard and just broke my heart. I told Dustin about it and he said that he was a very sensitive child and cried when his mom would look at him in a certain way. So, needless to say, I am going to have to be very careful around Chase. Awwwww!!!

Chase definitely knows his name as well as Mommy, Daddy and Sissy. He loves my phone and other electronics. If Addison is down for her nap and I am feeding him his bottle, he loves to hold the video monitor and watch his sissy sleeping. He no longer falls asleep in our arms while we are feeding him. When he is done with his bottle, he wiggles to let us know he is ready for bed. We lay him in his crib and he'll flash the biggest grin and fall asleep with no problem.


Chase puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. Toys, blankets, his fingers, my fingers, your fingers, hair, jewelry, his clothes, my clothes, your clothes, feet, (not my feet or your feet!), spoons, combs.....honestly anything he can get his hands on! He doesn't drool, I don't feel any teeth coming through, and he's not fussy. So, I would venture to guess that he isn't teething but just likes to have things in his mouth! Ironically, he wants nothing to do with a pacifier.

Chase is becoming pretty vocal, mostly in the screaming department. He loves to sit in his high chair or exersaucer and squeal. I remember when Addison went through this phase. I used to think she sounded like a teradactyl. He isn't quite as screechy, but still very loud! I don't mind it, but if we're in the kitchen and I have the back door open, I will close it just so the neighbors don't think he's being tortured or something!

He is very fond of certain toys, including Sophie the Giraffe and Leap, the little frog that sings the Alphabet song (it was Addison's favorite toy when she was younger and she still likes it!) He loves going up and down steps and marching through the house. Both activities get him laughing so hard. He has such a jovial little spirit!


There's so much more I could say about our little (big) 7 month old, but there is only so much time in a day!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Up on the Roof

Dustin and I went to a fundraising benefit yesterday evening, called "Up on the Roof". It's an event that raises money for the OSU James Cancer Hospital (where I was/am treated for my cancer). In the 17 years that this event has been held, it has raised more than $5 million dollars to support the hospital and Solove Research Institute, such as the opening of a new state-of-the art cancer hospital targeted to open in early 2011. I am also helping fundraising efforts in another way and Dustin is beginning a great opportunity with the hospital as well....more on that sometime in the future!

It was a fancy black-tie affair and we had a wonderful time! I had a very special one-on-one conversation with Chris Spielman and met some very influential people, including Coach Jim Tressel (the Buckeyes football coach), Gordon Gee (OSU President) and State Senator Jon Husted.

Love our neighbors!

This is a small sample of what happens when my neighbors snatch my daughter and camera (don't worry, they asked permission) from my house. Addison loves these kids so much and I really trust them with her (and my very nice camera), thank goodness!!!

As I went through these pictures, I couldn't help but laugh. There were definitely some good ones in there.

Our new neighbor, Madison, who along with her two sisters, has become very fond of Addison.

Random teeter totter in the front yard.




Kiernan is hilarious. He runs into his house when he hears Addison coming. She's not very sneaky about it, but rather, she yells his name the entire time she is running through our yard to their house. And then she wonders why he's no longer in the garage!

I truly think he secretly really likes her. Check this out....

He looks really annoyed....or embarrassed??

"Please get this little girl off of me! She has cooties!"

And then all of a sudden, it appears his mood has changed.

Oh, the beauty of young love!


You have to look closely and notice the hand holding. HILARIOUS!

Is he tickling her feet?

She's loving it!



I can't wait to show these to Addison when she is older!

FEET!

Chaser found his feet and boy is he is heaven! He also found sissy's hair. She is so sweet. If he has hold of her hair, clothes, etc. she'll very calmly call for me and let me remedy the situation (with my jaws of life....he has one heck of a grip)!




Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Yellow Squash

I lied again! This should be the last of them! Yup, he loved the yellow squash!





Aunt Beth and the baby registry

Beth is having a baby - due this January! She came up for the day (yesterday) so I could help her start her registry. I have a slight obsession with baby gear, so this type of thing is right up my alley. We spent all day at Babies R Us and exhausted the heck out of the poor momma-to-be!

Of course I couldn't let her leave without a preview of what's to come. Plus, my kiddos needed some QT with their busy, baby-delivering, Dr. Aunt Beth!



Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Neighbors

The day we arrived home from vacation, Addison jumped right back into the swing of things. I think she really missed her friends! All of the kids were out playing and Addison wanted to join them. They ended up wanting to have a picnic so all of us parents gathered a bunch of food to share. I don't think we could have gotten any luckier in the neighbor department. Our cul-de-sac is always jumping with activity. As a bonus, we now have next door neighbors - girls ages 2, 3 and 7. Perfect playmates for Addison! Everyone gets along great and I am so happy that my kids have this kind of neighborhood to grow up in.

Peaches

I lied when I said I wouldn't be posting anymore of Chase's "first foods". I forgot I'd taken this picture while in Canada of him eating peaches (on 8/16). It's probably not necessary to mention that he loved them!

Canadian Vacation - Day 1

We started for Manitoulin Island in the Ontario Province of Canada at 7:30pm on Saturday night. We had a long 12 hour drive ahead of us. The million dollar question was how the kids would do and how much sleep the adults would get. The answers were ultimately "fair" and "little to none", respectively! Addison slept about 7 1/2 hours, waking every hour to cry/scream and Chase slept about 10 1/2, only stirring a few times.

We arrived at 7:30am and got right down to business! Addison's first stop: the sand and water!


Wrigley testing out the water temps. Verdict: chilly.

Addison didn't seem to mind!




Chase decided to forego the lake this year and instead, hang out indoors.


After we all took naps, we went out for our first boat ride. Chase says, "Please don't make fun of my Dora life jacket. Next year, they'll get me a more masculine one!"

He loved his first (and last of the trip - the girly life jacket was just too much for him!) boat ride!

Addison loves driving the boat.