9.5 Months

Here is Terren playing with this toy for the first time. I pulled it out this past Sunday when I had Logan and forgot to send it home with him. Logan loved it, so I am still sending it his way and I will pull out the hippo toy for Terren. Terren can stand independently for a few seconds and as you can see below, he can pull himself up with no problems and also walks wonderfully with assistance.



We put our tree up last night. I was very skeptical, but the boys were home with Chad all day and he said Terren didn't touch it once. In the video above you can see his first encounter. Good thing they're off to daycare tomorrow!





Terren is so happy! In the past few weeks he's gained 4 more teeth and that makes 6 in all. Can you see them? We had barely any troubles while teething: he ate, he slept, he drooled, and he rarely fussed.

He continues to be very busy. I have tape on a few cupboards, waiting for my locks to arrive. We have to put the baby gate up as soon as we arrive home. He can climb the stairs quickly. He has started clapping and waving bye bye about 50% of the time. He is growing so fast and it looks as if he'll be walking in no time!

Me and My Cousin Martine

Playing in the Pool at Martine's Party

One of the Many Reasons My Mommy & Daddy Call Me Terren the Terrorizer

Wordless Wednesday

2 + 3 = 5

Terren is currently cutting three more teeth on top. If you read this, please say a quick prayer that he doesn't come down with another ear infection. That would be miserable. He hasn't had a fever (yet), but his poor little nose is stuffy and full of mucus. I am grateful that they are coming in more than one at a time and that he hasn't been too fussy. He continues to sleep wonderfully.

The shirt says it all!!!

Always Happy!

My Helpful Big Brother

Please pray that he will always be this nice to me :o)

8 Months 4 Weeks

Terren waved bye-bye to his mama today! I was excited! Then I got work and received my Baby Center email and here is the fact for today:

By 8 months, most babies can learn sign language, whether formalized signs or simple gestures, such as waving "bye-bye."

We have been signing to Terren, but limited. I know he understands milk, but that is about it. Other signs we show him are eat, bath, Tayten's name sign, all done, and random others. Soon enough he will not only understand, he will be using them too.

Terren hears perfectly. I know he understands more than we realize, but a few of the important ones are: Mama, Daddy, Tayten, and no-no. I am sure he understands milk, eat, and night-night too.

Terren has mastered crawling and walking on all fours like the little bear he is. He walks along furniture with ease, but is a big chicken and won't let go! He is also trying to climb, he just can't get that leg lifted high enough to get on the couch or in the tub. Soon enough.

It is amazing to watch my little baby grow and become his own little person. It seems like just yesterday that Tayten was as little as Terren. It makes me sad because I know Terren has completed our family and there will be no more babies.

I have dug out many toys in the past few weeks, many I thought too advanced, but Terren is loving them all. Tayten is liking them too. It is amazing how many toys Tayten didn't enjoy because he couldn't hear the sound. In fact, last night before bed, Tayten grabbed one of the baby toys that plays simple songs and was holding it to his ear saying, "You hear that, Mom? You like that song?" Then he continued on singing.

I am so in love with my AMAZING boys. All three of them!

Pictures to come...

Terren's First Halloween

Our Cave Baby

Continued Ear Infection

Yesterday we had to go back to the doctor.

After a ten day antibiotic, which ended Friday, Terren still had an ear infection. He started becoming feverish again on Monday and it continued into Tuesday. I am glad it is only his ears and nothing more, but I hope this second round of antibiotics cures the yuckiness or we may be looking at tubes in the near future.

Currently, we have many people infected with H1N1 in our area and I would like to keep it out of our household!

A Short Story in Pictures

Terren the Terrorizer

He crawls ALL OVER the place.
He tries to eat my plants.
He picks up any and everything and puts it in his mouth.
He pulls himsef up on EVERYTHING.
He can walk along the furniture.
He tumbles frequently.
He grabs at everything.
HE STARTED CLIMBING THE STAIRS!
He has tipped grandma's garbage twice and the dog water several times.
He needs to be removed from the situation continuously.
He is constantly bugging his big brother.
He does not like the playpen or exersaucer.
and He never stops!

It will only get better, right?

First Ear Infection

We went to the Doctor. He has a severe, ear-drum-about-ready-to-burst infection in one ear and a moderate infection in the other. No wonder he was miserable! Hopefully the antibiotics work quickly!

He wasn't too worried about the rash, but we will be returning if it doesn't go away or seems uncomfortable.

Prayers welcomed!



And just to note. Terren is crawling and has been for the past few weeks...he started a day or two after I posted that he wasn't crawling yet. He prefers to army crawl because he is much quicker that way!

Miserable

Tomorrow we will be taking a trip to the doctor. Terren had a slight temp over the weekend and it has gotten progressively worse. I thought it was related to his teeth, and it may be, but we need to get him checked out. After work, his temp was 103 and tylenol and a bath brought it down to only 101. He is still eating and sleeping, but wakes frequently. He is feeling so yucky! Last week he developed a rash, which was red and bumpy and now it is just red and all over his belly and back. Daddy went and got him from daycare a few hours early and if I would have known he was sooooo miserable, we would have went to the doctor today. I did call the ER and she thought it would be fine if we waited until morning. Doesn't he look terrible? Poor baby!

Not One, but Two!!!

Mr. Terren has sprouted two little toothers this past week. He has had a slight fever and yucky nose for the past three days and he is miserable! Hopefully it will pass quickly!

Can you see them??

TGIF!

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!

I will note that Terren still isn't crawling and nor does he have teeth. He did however pull himself up in his crib and started climbing the two steps in his daycare mommy's living room - neither safe, but I guess he doesn't have any teeth to knock out :o)

Bath Time!

This is definitely one of Terren's most favorite times of the day. He loves splashing in the water!



Other milestones and notes for me...

He has discovered the joy of his own voice. The moment you start patting his back or bouncing him on your lap, the vocal chords start moving. He does the same thing the moment we pull onto a gravel road.

The day we took him for his 6 month visit, he started babbling and it continues on with mamababadadadadadada and I think I have heard a gaga a time or two as well.

He still isn't crawling and still no teeth.

He continues to sit and play independently and loves blinking lights and music.

I have started using the play pen because now that he scoots ALL over the house, he has discovered and eats my plants, TV cords, computer corders, lamp cords, curtains, shoes, remotes, cell phones, paper, magazines, and any other random things lying about. We have to be extra careful and very observant. Tayten usually does very well and picks up anything he doesn't want his brother to have, but he has accidentally dropped a coin or two or left "no-no" toys out (pom poms, jump ropes, BBs he's been collecting from outside).

He eats well and has been sleeping all night for almost an entire month now. He has been going to bed at 7:30, but we still wake him long enough to give him a bottle and change his diaper.

He does wake briefly some nights, but he is now able to search for and retrieve his pacifier all by himself. If he doesn't stop crying after 30 seconds, it usually means he has managed to push the pacifier out of the crib or he has overfilled his diaper.

He loves to be outside.

He loves other kids, especially his big brother.

His First Real Baseball Cap

And it is worn the only way Daddy doesn't like it!

Auntie Andy bought it when her family had taken their vacation to Denver (which you can read all about over on her blog...or not...). It is still a little too big, but it is so cute. She purchased it a the Bass Pro Shop and on the front it says 'My First Fishing Hat'.

A Few From Today...More to Come!

We Need a Change

Our little man has just about perfected his eating skills! The first few weeks of cereal was quite messy because every time we put food in his mouth, his little tongue would push it out, which is to be expected, right? He has been eating cereal every morning after his 9 am bottle and a week ago we started veggies after is 6 pm bottle. He has had green beans and squash and tonight, we'll be introducing something new.


I am thinking we need to readjust his schedule a bit. Right now he has a 4-6 ounce bottle at 6 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, 6 pm, and 9 pm and food twice daily. He still wants to eat every three hours, but I have had to wake him in the morning and keep him awake til feeding time at night. We'll need to adjust to accommodate his sleeping schedule and hopefully we can do so without disrupting the harmony :o) He has been sleeping through the night since we returned for our mini vacation and I have definitely been enjoying it! Soon enough that will change too...


I am still waiting for his little toothers to start poking through. There is still no sign of any teeth. I am hoping he'll do as well as Tayten. Tayten never fussed or drooled. We were always surprised to find new little chompers! Tayten had his first tooth 3 days shy of the six month mark, which has already come and gone with Terren. Soon enough...


Terren is getting closer to crawling everyday. He still scoots/army crawls all around the house but he pushes himself to his knees constantly. We've caught him a couple of times moving forward on his knees, but only moving his little legs forward one or two times.


He has also been pulling himself up. No, not on furniture or anything, but if I sit cross legged in front of him, he will pull on my clothes until he his in standing position. If you put your hands out, he will also grab a hold and pull himself up. He loves to stand and although he shouldn't have experienced this yet, he loves to be upside down. I usually grab his little hips and flip him and he giggles. I only do it when nothing else turns the frown up-side-down.


Come back soon. I promise to post some new pictures!

Terren's 6 Month Well Visit

Little by little he is growing bigger.

I asked the nurse to write down the exact measurements (I have terrible memory these days!) so I could share them with Peep, but instead she wrote the percentile for each. Darn it.

He was just over 15 lbs and she said 26 inches...I am re-measuring him when we get home. I cannot find it possible that he hasn't grown at all since our last visit...then again, maybe he was measured incorrectly at his 4 month visit. I will update later this evening.

If you look in the picture above (Blog Title), you can see a ridge in Terren's head. I asked his doctor about this because it does concern me. He said that although it isn't normal and is a sign of Craniosynostosis, he wasn't worried because his head shape seemed normal otherwise. It is something we will keep an eye on and if it doesn't disappear or his head becomes abnormally shaped we will be having a CT scan in the future. It is a bit scary thinking that something could be wrong and there is the possibility of another "brain surgery". Sorry...had to throw that in there since some think that drilling out a small portion of the skull to insert the CI is considered brain surgery.

Anyhow, all else is well. We do know one thing for certain: his smile will not be growing...it cannot possibly get any bigger. He is the happiest baby ever! Let's just hope that holds true for this evening...the side effects from the shots aren't always pleasant.

**UPDATE** He is 27 inches - I still believe he grew more than an inch since last time as many of his outfits are too short these days. Also, he was so happy all day yesterday and slept great, so the shots didn't bother him one bit.

Terren on the Move

Here is our little buddy scooting across the floor. I can't believe he is so mobile already...this has been happening for almost three weeks. He slithers much quicker when he has clothes on :o)

6 Months!

5 1/2 Months

Terren is growing so big. I just scheduled his six month wellness check, so I will tell you exactly how big within the next month.

At this point in time, the kid is driving me bonkers and has aquired a new nickname from Daddy: Terren the Terrible! The kid has been waking up numerous times during the night for the past week and it makes for a very long day for Mommy! It is irritating, but I still love him. How can you not? He smiles constantly! I am hoping this is a very short phase!

Terren is now able to sit up for many minutes at a time with no support. I usually set him in the middle of the boppy pillow, but he has sat many times unsupported for 5-10 minutes.

He is also beginning to scoot across the floor. It looks like a cross between army crawling and a catepillar. His cousin Logan, who will be one in mid-August, just finally started crawling this past week. Chad was working with both the boys the night before Logan started, so he is taking all the credit :o)

I have started to wean Terren off the breast. That is always such a hard decision! I am only nursing him (or pumping) twice a day now compared to the six times a day before. Nursing is now like a game to him. He latches on for only a few minutes and then just wants to smile at me the rest of the time. While he is eating, he's usually grabbing my cheeks or nose and it isn't pleasant. I will be done nursing soon and will have to roll my lazy butt out of bed in the morning to make a bottle...not looking forward to it! I am so going to miss our cuddle time!

This week, I started him on rice cereal in the evening. I will feed him consistently through next week, then maybe start sending it to daycare so she can feed him in the morning. Soon enough, he'll be enjoying some veggies too!

We go to Denver in mid-August for Tayten's CI appointment and while we are there, Terren will be having an OAE (Newborn Hearing Test) repeated and if there is time, a booth test. We know he is hearing well, but how well? We just need to prove that he has no hearingloss at this point to free ourselves from worry.

That's all for now...

Mmmmmm.....Chocolate

I love my Daddy!

Terren and Karlee

(She is exactly one week younger!)

The Boys and their Cousins

Terren (5 Months) and Bodee (3 Months)

Jory, Bodee, Tayten, Terren, Dylan, Logan, and Martine

Terren Eating

Okay...so I didn't wait. Here is Terren on 7/7 eating more cereal. He loves it and can't get enough! I have only fed it to him three times total and will not make it routine quite yet. Terren is 10 days shy of 5 months old in this video. This week, he is trying to sit up by himself and is loving his exersaucer! He is quite bouncy!

Miss Marlee and Our Happy Boy

Terren Jacob with Tara and Jacob

This past weekend, Uncle Jake got married. Here we are at the rehearsal dinner on Saturday. Aren't I a lucky boy?




Terren had a very long weekend and was a crabby boy on Sunday. I think he knew it was my birthday and that I wanted to rest after being up til wee hours of the morning. He wasn't too fond of his daddy taking care of him, so I finally got up and played with him the rest of the day. When he was still crabby after I had fed him in the afternoon, I thought we'd try the cereal...I know said I was going to wait. Terren was all for it at first. He opened his mouth willingly about three times and barely pushed any out. I have no plans of adding it to his diet quite yet, but we'll try it again next week or so.

Earlier in the day, I let him taste a grape. He licked it several times and liked it. I had let him taste a strawberry at Emily's birthday party the weekend before, but he wanted nothing to do with it.

Interesting stuff, I know! This blog is more to record things for me, but the pictures are put up here for you! :o)

4 Month Check Up

Height: 26"

Weight: 13 lbs 10 oz

We took Terren to the doctor on Monday for his four month appointment. Can you believe he's already four months?! He is perfectly healthy and doing super. He still spits up more than most, but it isn't affecting his weight gain and he is always happy. I asked about starting solids and the doctor thought that would be fine, but I will hold off for at least another month...probably two.

I still want to schedule an ABR when we return to Denver, just to be sure his hearing is normal, which it seems to be to us. He responds appropriately. He startles. He sleeps through everything except Tayten's voice.

I ♥ Faces Contest Entry

See that photo above (and below)? It was taken especially for his Daddy for Father's Day. I now HAVE to enter it into the contest at I ♥ Faces this week.

This week’s theme is: "Let's Hear It For The Boys!"

Too adorable!