Archer is 5 Months Old!

Archer, you are 5 months old!!!!!

 This post is a couple of days late, but little man and his big sister have kept me busy busy busy!

Weight

You are about somewhere around 17lbs. And you love to eat so I know that you will continue to gain! We are planning on starting cereal in a few weeks (closer to your 6 month mark) and I know that you will love that!

Length

You are still very long, and are in the higher percentiles for sure! You are over 27" at this point, and the last time you were measured, you were in the 97%!!! Tall boy!

Clothes

You now wear all 6-9 and 9-12 month clothes now. It is getting harder and harder to keep you in clothes! You have been wearing hats and sunglasses too, since we are spending more time outside (which you love!). Your socks are 12-18 month socks- you have HUGE feet!

Nicknames

Arch, Bub, Bubs, Bubba, Brother, Chubs, Chunky Monkey, BuddaBall, Chubbers, Archie-Boy (I am the only one who is allowed to call him that...he will NOT be called "Archie" if I can help it!)

Food

You are exclusively breastfed, and will take a bottle if you have to (of breast milk). But you won't take it from me at all! You love to eat and are eating every 3-4 hours usually. Although sometimes you still want to eat every 1-2 (I think that is when you are going through a growth spurt). You nurse for about 10-20 minutes on one side at a feeding, and it seems to work pretty well for us! I can now pretty much eat anything I want, and you handle it well thanks to your reflux medicine! You have started going about 5 or 6 hours each night, which has been nice! You eat around 10-11, then not again until 3 or 4. You have started really studying us when we eat and just a few days ago you started smacking your lips when you see food! I think when we start solids, you will be ready!  

                                                                              Sleep

You are sleeping more and more at night these days, and I LOVE IT! Still not through the night, but I am hopeful! You still don't like taking naps, but I am trying to solidify your routine, so I think that will help.

Fun Stuff- some are the same from months 1-4!

* You smile and laugh a lot!

* You love to bat at things and love to stare at yourself in the mirror and look at lights and fans!

* You have started tolerating your carseat better, which has been nice!

* You surprisingly enjoy bathtime and it seems to calm you down.

* You still love to be naked! You just smile and smile when you are stripped down!

* You are more content to just be held without having to be moving. I think now that you are seeing more and noticing more, the movement isn't as important for your sensory input. (listen to me, all OTish! HAHA!)

* You are only fussy in the evenings now, and those times seem to be getting shorter and shorter!

* You love to sit up in my lap, look around, and especially look at our faces and the cross wall!

* You hold your head up so well and are very strong. You are really starting to enjoy tummy time as long as you have a mirror or book to look at!

* You now roll over both ways on a consistent basis!

* You have started taking a paci on a regular basis. It still isn't "needed" for you, but you will take it and enjoy it some, too.

* You are super gassy and have really stinky toots! But most of the time it doesn't bother you!

 

* You can now sit up on your own!!!! This morning, you went from inclined laying to sitting up, and you were so proud of yourself! We were proud of you, too!

 

* You are very tolerant of your sister, and have really started watching and smiling at her. I think the two of you are going to be very close! Although you do love to pull her hair!!!

 

* You still prefer mommy, but are starting to really like that daddy guy, too!

 

* You are really getting good at grabbing things and love to put things in your mouth!

 

* You give kisses now!

 

* You don't have any teeth yet, but I think one is coming!

Archer- happy 5 month birthday!!! You are getting to be such a big, happy, fun, and outgoing boy! We love you so much and you have brought so much joy and happiness to our lives! We love you, and we thank the Lord each day for you! I pray that your daddy and I can honor God and raise you into the man He wants you to be!

~Mommy, Daddy, and Sister (Ava)

Sweet boy!

 

Still a bit of a "round butt!"

Crock Pot Meals

Before Archer was born, I made several crock pot freezer meals. It took the better part of one day (including shopping) but was really worth it!!! We started with about 20 meals total, and have whittled them down to our favorites! So I wanted to share those with you! I have several friends who were asking about these recipes, so here you go!!!

By the way, I used frozen chicken for these recipes. You are going to freeze them anyway, and bags of frozen chicken at Sam's Club is MUCH cheaper than buying all of the chicken fresh!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Rosemary

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 6 slices of bacon
• olive oil
• minced garlic
• black pepper
• rosemary

Directions:
Brush chicken with oil, season with pepper and a generous amount of rosemary and minced garlic. Wrap in bacon. Put into gallon bag and freeze. Put in refrigerator 24 hours prior to eating. Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes OR cook in crock pot on low for 5-6 hours or high 3-4 hours.

Sloppy Tamale Pie

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs ground beef or turkey
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 zucchini, shredded or finely diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 can olives, sliced
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 15oz cans of tomato sauce
• cornbread for serving (optional)

Directions:
Brown ground beef or turkey, carrot, zucchini, onion, and bell pepper until done. Drain and cool. Add to a gallon bag with remaining ingredients. Freeze. Thaw and cook in crockpot on low 5-6 hours or high 3-4 hours. Serve “sloppy joe style” over cornbread.

Enchilada Wraps

Ingredients:

• 3 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 16oz can of chili beans
• 1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1 12oz can of beer or broth
• 2 10oz cans of rotel, undrained
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips for serving (optional)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients into gallon bag. Freeze. Thaw and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4-5 hours. Shred chicken after cooking and serve with optional garnishes.

Slow Cooker BBQ SpareRibs

Ingredients:

• 1-2 lbs of country style pork ribs
• 1.5 cups of ketchup
• 1.5 tablespoons seasoned salt
• ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup white vinegar

Directions:
Place pork in gallon bag. Mix remaining ingredients together in a bowl and pour over pork. Thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-7 hours.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Ingredients:

• 1.5lbs chicken breasts
• 1 16oz bag frozen broccoli florets
• 2 16oz jars Alfredo sauce
• 1 large green pepper, chopped (optional)
• 1 4oz can sliced mushrooms, drained (optional)
• Fettuccine noodles (for after meal is cooked- DO NOT ADD TO BAG)

Put all ingredients in gallon bag and mix together. Freeze. Thaw for 24 hours in refrigerator. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve with fettuccine noodles.

French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs beef chuck roast
• 2-3 cans beef consomme (found in the soup aisle)
• small can of sliced mushrooms (optional)
• 6-8 hoagie buns
• provolone or mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Place roast in bag with consomme and mushrooms, freeze. Thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours. Cook on low 8-11 hours or high 5-7 hours. Remove roast from crock pot and save extra juice for dipping. Shred meat and serve on buns with cheese.

Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1.5lbs chicken breasts
• 1 cup Dijon mustard
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Place all ingredients in gallon bag and freeze. Thaw for 24 hours in refrigerator. Cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours. Sprinkle with fresh or dried rosemary for serving (optional).

Chicken and Stuffing Crock Pot

*NOT A FREEZER MEAL*

Ingredients:

• 4 thawed chicken breasts
• 6oz package of Stove Top Stuffing (I use the chicken flavored)
• ½ cup of sour cream
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup

Directions:
Put chicken in crock pot. Pour stuffing mix over the chicken. Mix sour cream, soup, and ¼ cup of water in small bowl, then add to crock pot. Cook on low 4 hours.

Archer is 4 Months

Someone is getting hungry, so I am on borrowed time here! So this will be super quick!

 

Archer, you are 4 months old!!!!!

 

Weight

You are about somewhere around 15lbs 7oz. You have lost a little weight recently because you had an ear infection and the antibiotic upset your tummy a bit. But I have no doubt you will gain it back!

Length

You are still very long, and are in the higher percentiles for sure! You measured 26" at our nutrition appointment yesterday, but we had a hard time getting you to stretch out. But even at 26", that puts you in the 75-90%! I will try to update your weight and length after your 4 month check up on monday.

Clothes

You now wear all 3-6 and 6-9 month clothes, more and more 6-9 month. Some 12 month stuff is starting to fit if it runs small. You have really big feet and wear 12 month socks. You wear size 3 diapers now.

Nicknames

Arch, Bub, Bubs, Bubba, Brother, Chubs, Chunky Monkey, BuddaBall, Chubbers, Archie-Boy (I am the only one who is allowed to call him that...he will NOT be called "Archie" if I can help it!)

Food

You are exclusively breastfed, and will take a bottle if you have to (of breast milk). But you won't take it from me at all! You love to eat and are eating every 3-4 hours usually. Although sometimes you still want to eat every 1-2 (I think that is when you are going through a growth spurt). You nurse for about 10-20 minutes on one side at a feeding, and it seems to work pretty well for us! I can now pretty much eat anything I want, and you handle it well thanks to your reflux medicine! You have started going about 5 or 6 hours each night, which has been nice! You eat around 10-11, then not again until 3 or 4.

                                                                              Sleep

You are sleeping more and more at night these days, and I LOVE IT! Still not through the night, but I am hopeful! The last couple of weeks you have regressed some, and you still don't like taking naps. But I am going to try to solidify your routine soon, so I think that will help.

Fun Stuff- some are the same from months 1 and 2!

* You smile and laugh a lot!

* You love your owl mobile that is on your pack & play. That is about the only way I am able to get a shower these days!

* You love to bat at things and love to stare at yourself in the mirror and look at lights and fans!

* You have started tolerating your carseat better, which has been nice!

* You surprisingly enjoy bathtime and it seems to calm you down.

* You still love to be naked! You just smile and smile when you are stripped down!

* You are more content to just be held without having to be moving. I think now that you are seeing more and noticing more, the movement isn't as important for your sensory input. (listen to me, all OTish! HAHA!)

* You are only fussy in the evenings now, and those times seem to be getting shorter and shorter!

* You love to sit up in my lap, look around, and especially look at our faces and the cross wall!

* You hold your head up so well and are very strong. You are really starting to enjoy tummy time as long as you have a mirror or book to look at!

* You rolled over from your back to your tummy the other night! Then you decided you hated it so you rolled back over! It was so fun!

* You have started taking a paci on a regular basis. It still isn't "needed" for you, but you will take it and enjoy it some, too.

* You are super gassy and have really stinky toots! But most of the time it doesn't bother you!

 

* You can almost sit up on your own, and I think you will be tripod sitting in the next month!

 

* You lift your head and shoulders to try to sit up, especially if you are on an inclined surface like your carseat or nap nanny. You are SO STRONG!

 

* You are very tolerant of your sister, and have really started watching and smiling at her. I think the two of you are going to be very close!

 

* You still prefer mommy, but are starting to really like that daddy guy, too!

Archer- happy 4 month birthday!!! We love you so much and you have brought so much joy and happiness to our lives! We love you!

~Mommy, Daddy, and Sister (Ava)

Dear My First Time Mommy Self...

I am not a parenting expert (and really, what does that mean anyway!?). I don't claim to be the best mommy in the world- I count days where my kids are clean, fed, and not in PJs a success. And Lord knows I have more questions than answers about being a mom. But there are some things that I wish I could go back and tell myself before having Ava. So I wanted to share them- for myself, and for my first time mom friends. I hope this offers some encouragement to your new life!

*It doesn't matter if you have a sitter, you will never leave your child (mentally, at least). But don't dwell on that too much- it will only add to the exhaustion.

*Getting frustrated is normal and expected. And it is okay. Put the baby down in a safe place (screaming and all) and walk outside. Take a little break. IT IS OKAY.

*Take the Newborn Care Class lecture about not shaking the baby seriously. Because, no matter how "educated" or "above that" you think you are, you will be tempted. It will be 3 am after 5 hours of screaming and no sleep. But you will be tempted.

*There are a lot of trappings that go into having a baby these days. But you really NEED very little.

*Don't spend your time comparing your child to your friends' kids. Spend your time enjoying your own!

*Put your phone down and talk to your baby.

*Don't worry too much about having 20 of everything in every size. You won't need half.

*Breastfeeding doesn't make you a great parent. Formula feeding doesn't make you a bad parent. Those who will tell you otherwise...don't listen to them. Do what is best for you and your baby.

*Just because dad/grandma/aunt does something differently than you do doesn't mean that they are doing it wrong. Most of the time, anyway.

*Don't worry about what people think about you when it comes to the well being of your child. They will get over it- baby comes first.

*Your living room will have toys. Your car will have crumbs. Your clothes will get poop and puke on them. And it will all be okay.

*Your pediatrician went to medical school, but you carried that little person inside you for 9+ months, and your instincts deserve some credence, too.

*It is okay to ask for help and take a break. Really. No one will think less of you.

A Bunny & A Bed

I have been busy with mom stuff lately- fussy sick baby, hosting Easter, etc.- so I am combining two posts in one. So forgive me!

Item #1: EASTER

We had a wonderful Easter, and I am so thankful for so many things! We actually got to attend church! Church has been a difficult thing for a while now, simply because Ava is older and stronger, and there really isn't a place for her at our church. But we love our church and didn't really want to find a new church home. My sister and her family, as well as several of our friends, go to our church, and it is where Ava is baptized. It is also the first church Cole and I joined as a married couple. We just really love it and want to stay. I have been talking to our WONDERFUL children & youth minister for a while now about the possibility of starting a special needs ministry at our church. A few weeks ago, we met with Emily (our children's minister) and her friend Ally (who is an OT student and the daughter of one of my friends from my old work). Ally is starting the special needs program at our church as part of her OT program requirements, and she graciously agreed to keep Ava in the nursery at church on Easter for us! It felt SO good to be IN church again! I forgot how much I missed it! I had to sit out front and watch the service on the tv for the first little bit, because Archer was NOT a fan of the music! But he nursed and slept through the service, and made googly eyes and flirted with the women behind us! So I think it was a hit with him too! And Ava, of course, had a blast!

 

 

 

Item #2: BIG GIRL BED AND ROOM

When I found out I was pregnant with Archer, we had already been talking to my dad about building Ava a big girl enclosed bed. The commercial ones were just ugly and I was worried about having her in a bed enclosed with netting for several reasons. But when we found out the crib was going to be needed, and we had a deadline, the project went into high gear. But the fact that it is an original design, has some special and complicated hardware, and is massive slowed the project way down. Not to mention the fact that my dad has a full time job and there were some family illnesses mixed in to the timeline. But a few weeks ago, the bed came together-literally- and Ava has been enjoying her completed big girl room- WITH BED- since then! She absolutely loves it, and I almost think she would sleep in it without it being enclosed! Almost. :)

 

How the bed looks when she is sleeping.

How the bed looks when she is awake. We are going to add crown moulding to it at a later time.

Her Pop put her name on it!

STORAGE!

The rest of the room...

Ava Update

I just wanted to thank everyone who has been praying for our sweet girl. She has done really well with the Keppra, and we have not seen any seizure activity since starting it. PRAISE GOD!

A lot has been happening in her little world, it seems, so I thought I would just give a quick update on some of the things she has been up to lately...

• She has been walking around with her hands behind her back. I don't know where she got that, but it is pretty funny!
• She had an Easter Egg hunt at school today, and the teachers said she had a blast! They said she wanted an egg in each hand at all times!
• She has several boyfriends at school, and I am told they all like to watch out for her and make sure she stays in line! You tell her, guys! HA!
• Her teachers call her Ava-licious. Which I find hysterical!
• One of her teachers refers to her as "my baby" which of course makes me just so happy!
• One of her classmate's mom just LOVES Ava. I think she would take her home if I let her!
• We are starting to introduce potty training. Fun times. I have no idea what I am doing! With typical kids, it is hard enough- but at least there are books and guides and tips! Special Needs kids, especially Angels, are all so vastly different that there really are not many resources- or maybe too many?! It is hard to know where to start!
• Archer has really started to notice Ava and laugh and smile at her! Just makes my heart leap to see the love they already have for each other...I need to remember those moments in a few years when they are fighting!

  

  Sweet girl, with her hands behind her back!

Fear.

"For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."                                                                                     -Isaiah 41:13


Last night, about 1:00 am, I woke in a panic. I had had a dream that Ava was in the throws of a massive grand mal seizure, and there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't find her rescue medication, and I couldn't scream so that anyone would hear me. We were in the middle of a crowded room, and I was sitting on the floor watching her seize, feeling painfully helpless, and I just couldn't get out a scream for help. If dreams are insight into our subconscious, it doesn't take an expert to tell what is weighing on me!

Every since Ava had her tonic-clonic (formerly known as grand mal) seizure last week, I have felt in a constant state of fear and panic. Not immediate, crazy fear and panic. The nagging kind. The kind that keeps you up at night, staring at the monitor to make sure she is still breathing and not convulsing. The kind that creeps into your mind in random moments. The kind that feels like the weight of 1000 boulders. That kind. And honestly, it really sucks!
Now I pray throughout the day. Just in my head. Not big, formal, long prayers. Just short, conversational prayers. Because really, isn't that what prayer is? A conversation with God?! And I rarely say "Amen." Why? Because it feels like I am saying "goodbye" at the end of a phone call, or ending the conversation with the Lord. And I never want to end the conversation with God! But lately I have been saying "Amen" at the end of my prayers for Ava. If my childhood Sunday School memory serves me, "Amen" means "Let it be." And I want, most especially, my prayers for Ava to "be." I pray for her safety. I pray for her little brain, that it won't seize. I pray for the medication to work. I pray for her protection from those evil seizures that have taken far too many Angel children from this world. And I pray for the rest of our family. I pray for restful sleep for Cole and Archer, I pray for the Lord to take these worries from my shoulders, I pray that He helps me leave them at His feet, instead of constantly taking them back upon myself.

Last night, laying there in bed after waking up from that dream, I was trying to catch my breath and realized my throat was dry and sore from doing that "silent screaming" in my sleep. I just started crying, and asked God to just take those worries. And He gave me Isaiah 41:13. "...I will help you."

"I will help you." We are not alone. When your child's life is in danger, either from an immediate threat or a looming, ever present one, what great comfort that is. He will help us.  He will not leave us. He holds our hands. He tells us not to fear.

The key is to have the faith to trust in His word.

Lord, may I have that faith. Amen.