Judd {6 months}

6 months.

Six.

One half of a year.

Stats:

22.2 lbs (98%)

27 inches (95%)

Size 3 diapers/cloth

You wear a size 12month or 18month.

You are eating solids three times a day. You eat fruit oatmeal for breakfast, a vegetable for lunch, and a vegetable and fruit for dinner. You take about 24-28 ounces of formula. You get so mad if I don't give you your own spoon when eating, so even though it drives me crazy because you get food everywhere, I do as you please and you hold one spoon (in your mouth) while I feed you with another. You take a bottle when you first wake up, go down for a nap at 10, take another nap around 1 or 2, and sometimes take a small nap around 5. Your naps can last 50 minutes or 2.5 hours. It really just depends with you.

You're in bed by 7:30 or 8:00 each night and sleep until 7am or sometimes even 8:30. The 8:30 wake up usually occurs if you wake up for a bottle at 6:00. I actually prefer this over the 7am wake up and haven't stopped you from this pattern because you can finish a bottle in 10 minutes, which means I'm back in bed very quickly and get to sleep later! Mommy loves her sleep and is very happy when her babies sleep until 8:00 or 8:30.

You still are swaddled in a miracle blanket and a summer swaddle, but those days are short lived as you are starting to roll over like a maniac. I'm having such a hard time staying consistent with transferring you 100% to the halo swaddle blanket with your arms out, because you do not sleep well at all.

You are almost sitting up but balance is hard for you. I imagine you will be sitting unassisted in a few weeks. We had to transfer you to the convertible carseat as you were just too heavy for the infant carrier and I *thought* you were uncomfortable in it since you seemed generally unhappy in the car. Well, I was wrong on that and you may even dislike your convertible seat more. (even though the below picture portrays the opposite) What am I going to do with you this summer when it's blazing hot and have to stick you in a carseat while you protest and get all worked up?

                       

You have two bottom teeth now and I'm pretty sure you are already working on your top teeth. We have had some fussy days this past week and you are a drooling machine. You don't like to chew on toys to soothe. Nope, you prefer fingers. Anybody's. And this stresses your mommy out to see you grab any ol person that touches you and work to get their fingers in your mouth. Ick!

You are on your 4th ear infection but other than that and teething, you are still the happiest, jolliest little fella!! You grin when spoken to and will go to anyone. You get so excited when we pick Ava up from school, when daddy comes home from work, and when it's bath time. You also just started reaching for me (and me only) which melts me 100 times over.

Your favorite toys are the jumparoo and a stuffed panda of Ava's. You still aren't attached to a lovey and won't take a pacifier, but I'm sure once I get rid of the swaddle you will take to a lovey very quickly.

Look at how much you've grown in the past 6 months!! 

I simply cannot believe how fast the first half of your first year has flown by. Thank you for being such a flexible, lovable, joyful baby boy! As I always say to your daddy, "This is when the fun begins!" I look forward to watching you grow each day as you develop more into a little boy with things on your mind, places to go, adventures to see, and milestones I'm sure you are eager to meet. I love you my Judskey!

Judd {5 months}

5 months, Judd. How in the world did that happen? You are almost half of a year old!

STATS

21.2 lbs

not sure on height?

You wear 9 months and 12 months in clothes. You can even wear some 18 months! You are a HAAS!! This month we introduced solids to you because milk just wasn't filling you up. You now eat two meals a day and take 4 6 oz bottles and an 8oz bottle at bedtime. Your favorite foods are sweet potatoes, green beans, and pears. You do not like oatmeal or bananas. I have noticed that you have a strong gag reflex.This should get interesting as you begin to eat more textured foods!

You still will not take a paci, and yes, I still try to offer it to you. You spit it out across the room and it is quite entertaining to do again and again and again. You don't suck on your fingers as much anymore either. You do chew on your fist from time to time, however. You have began soothing yourself to sleep by saying "ayyy ahhhh ayyyy ahhh"  outloud until it lulls you to sleep. It is just the SWEETEST sound ever.

Your sleep at the beginning of this month was not so fun! You woke up multiple times a night and would scream if I wasn't holding you. Eventually it got better and by the end of the month you were sleeping from 7:45-8:45 with one bottle at 6am. Your naps are really all over the place and you aren't on a great scedule during the day. It's just nearly impossible to keep you on a strict sleeping schedule with your sister's school schedule. I am learning to be flexible and not worry about it since you are sleeping through the night. I am also learning that the more flexible I am, the more flexible you are!

You got a TOOTH on March 27th! The right tooth on bottom. You also got an ear infection the same day. You are a trooper and barely complained!

Ava is becoming your favorite person this month. She walks into the room and you will squeal SO LOUD to get her attention. You laugh hysterically at her. I love to see you both interact.

Your nicknames are Judley, Juskey, Judster, and Jud Bud. You are so content and smile all day long. The only thing you aren't too fond of is your carseat. You are so ready to sit up and not slouch. It makes me sad because I can tell you are going to be the type of baby that wants to do things super early, which means you will grow up faster than I'd like. 

Everyone that meets you talks about your size first, and then your beautiful dark eyes and lashes and your dark complexion. I am your momma so of course I think you are the most beautiful baby on the planet, but you do get lots of compliments on your adorableness, so it must be true.

I love you sweet boy and have enjoyed your first 5 months of life.





Judd {4 months}

Judd, you are FOUR MONTHS OLD, little dude! It's just crazy how fast time is flying. What's more crazy is just how BIG of a boy you have become in the past month. You are my little chunkers and I love every single ounce of you, as there is much more of you to love for sure!!



STATS

You weigh 18.14

97%

You are 26.5 inches long

95%

Your head is 17 inches

95%

Here you are at 1,2,3 and 4 months. Not in the correct order, but I wanted the last two months to be the bigger pictures.

You wear size mostly 9 month clothes and some 12 month clothes. You pretty much skipped 3-6 months or wore it for about 2 weeks! Mommy may or may not have wasted TOO MUCH money on buying ahead for you.

You take 5 to 6 bottles of 6 or 7 ounces and instead of feeding you when you wake up from naps, I am now feeding you to put you down for naps. You seem to do much better on this schedule as you won't take a paci but want to suck a bottle to drift off to dreamland. You've also become picky about your bottle temperature and you like it HOT. I think this is so weird but if we don't get it warm enough you act like it is disgusting and will eat like a maniac. It's comical to say the least!

We started you on oatmeal and you are a fan! It probably helps that we have been putting it in your night time bottle the past few weeks since you are always so hungry. Anyway, you eat with a spoon like you've been doing it your whole life and your pediatrician told us we could start on solids as soon as we were ready. I think we will start at 5 months with steamed veggies mashed up.

You sleep from 8pm until 8:30am and still wake up around 5 or 6am to eat. You take a nap at 9:30am and sleep until 11:30 or noon and then take another nap around 1:00 and sleep until 2:00. Your last nap is around 3:00 or 3:30 and you sleep until 5:00. Some days your nap schedule varies because of Ava's schedule, but this is what it tyhpically looks like. You are becoming a great little sleeper!

You are an easy going little buddy and smile ALL THE TIME!! You absolutely love the camera on my phone and as soon as you see my phone you cheese it up big time! You also love to smile at the baby in the mirror! You rarely cry and if you get tired or hungry, you just sort of whine.

Daddy calls you "looks" because he says you are just content observing everything around you. I'd have to agree. You also love to play with your sister! She makes you giggle. Especially when she is rough with you, which is, um, rather strange.

You reach for your toy on your car seat and pull it towards you, which makes it vibrate. We think it's cute that you understand how it works at such a young age.

You roll over from front to back and occasionally from back to front. You also love to do this pelvic thrust when I change your diaper. If we lean you up against the couch or a stack of pillows you immediately try to lean forward to sit up. You are going to be on the move in no time just like your sister was!

I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that mommy is your favorite person. I find you just staring at me from across the room and if you catch my eye you grin so big it nearly splits your pants, I'm certain. I cannot express in words how much I love you. You are my favorite little guy and each month with you just gets better and better!





One year ago today

What a difference a year makes!
One year ago we had been trying for 20 months to get pregnant. I was on my third round of Clomid and was going in for sonograms monthly to determine if I was making adequate sized eggs. On Feb 8th I went in and had the best looking egg yet. Funny that I took a picture of the sono image they gave me that reads "good luck" from the sweetest sonographer.



Weird to think that's half of Judd prior to conception, huh?!

I was beyond thrilled and actually in disbelief to read this single word printed out on that infamous little stick.




After I did a little happy dance and texted a few of my closest friends who had been praying for this day to come, I hopped into my sewing room and put together a "big sister" shirt for miss Ava.





We then drove to dad's school to share the news! Here Ava is sitting in the parking lot of the school admin building waiting for him to get out of a meeting.
What a happy day that was!
Fast forward a year later and we have our precious, most adorable little chunk of a 3 month old!!





He has made this once family of three SO JOYOUS as a family of four! We love him and cannot imagine our home without him.
What a glorious day! What a special gift from above!

He grants your heart's desire and fulfills all of your plans.
Psalm 20:4

Judd {3 months}



Judd, you are no longer a newborn, sweet boy. You are now THREE MONTHS OLD! I cannot believe how fast time is flying by. What a wonderful three months it has been!

3 Month STATS

15.5 lbs

probably 24 inches

-You wear size 3-6 months clothing

-You are in a size 2 diaper, but we are slowly moving to cloth diapers as you cannot help but blow out of disposables every. single. day! I am switching between g disposable inserts and g cloth throughout the day and you wear Pampers 2's at night.

-You sleep from 8:30 until 8:30 with a feed at 5:30 or 6:00, but every once in a while you will wake up at 2:00 or 3:00 if you are extra hungry. I'm hopeful you will begin sleeping all the way through soon, just like your sister did around months 3 & 4.

-Your naps are pretty inconsistent as the part of your brain that establishes regular naps is still developing. You go down after no more than 2 hours of wakefulness and take about an hour long snooze, four or five times a day. I have noticed that your morning nap is the longest.

-You take 7 ounces of milk, every 3 hours. Sometimes though, even an 8 ounce bottle doesn't fill you up. What on earth, little boy? I can tell you will be eating solids VERY SOON!

-Your eyes are greenish brown at the moment.

What are you up to?

You are SUCH a happy baby and are very social. You love to smile when anybody talks to you. We call you a little flirt. You also LOVE to talk and hear your voice. You coo and squeal so much and it melts us!

Your favorite person is most definitely Ava. She can make you smile from ear to ear and you LOVE talking to her. Mommy is a close second after sister.

Your favorite "toy" is your red baby bjorn bouncer seat. You kick your legs a ton and so this makes the bouncer bounce and you love the movement. You also love to be in the swing.
You roll over from belly to back just as soon as we put you on your belly. Your first time to roll over was at 9 weeks, just like your sister!

My favorite thing that you do at this age is when I put your car seat in it's base in our car, you immediately look up at yourself in the mirror and grin SO SO BIG! Every single time!! I LOVE THIS about you.

You love routine and predictability and I try to give you that as much as I can, with exception to the three days Ava has school. We are in the car more than I'd prefer, but I'm hoping this makes you a flexible baby.

We love you so very much and you have brought so much JOY to this home. Ava gets so sad when I put you down for a nap because she thinks you nap too much. Ha! She wants you to be around us at all times. I agree with her, little buddy! We both get so excited and run to your room when we hear you wake up.

I am so happy you have recovered from your rough start at life and look forward to what this next month has in store for you as you continue to grow bigger, explore new things around you, and develop your sweet little personality right before my eyes!

Judd's 2 month stats

Judd is 10 weeks, or 2.5 months old. Sweet baby had his 2 month checkup today.
Here he is before we left for the appointment.

I always look forward to these appointments but dread them at the same time. I get excited to see how much my babies weigh and how tall they are, and to get the percentiles. But those shots. Oh the shots. Not a fan of those boogers at all.

He weighed 14.5 lbs. BIG BOY!! He is in the 95% for weight. I am so thrilled to have another chunky monkey. As for height, he was 23 inches, which put him in the 60%. I think it's funny because he and Ava were the exact same height at 2 months. Ava weighed 11 lbs and was in the 75%. Does this make Judd short and squatty? Haha! And as far as his head circumference? 80%. Homeboy's got lots of brains up in that noggin!
So, overall it appears that little Judd is having no problems in the physical growth department. He is happy and healthy. He is also doing great cognitively. He smiles all the time and coos so much. It seriously makes me weak in the knees, y'all. Ava never did coo all that much. She was a much more serious baby. This little man just loves to sit and coo all day long....when he isn't eating that is.
He also rolled over from front to back 5 times yesterday.
SLOW DOWN LITTLE FELLER! He was just born like yesterday! They weren't kidding when they said the second child's infancy goes by so much faster.

Now, if only it was acceptable and exciting for me to gain weight. Blech.

Judd {1 and 2 months}

I cannot even believe that it has been 2 months already that my sweet little man has been here with us. What a wild 2 months it has been. I feel horrible that I didn't blog about his 1 month stats and update but around that time it was so crazy. Let me catch you up.

ONE MONTH

 -At one month old you had just been through a whirl wind and your little body was recovering from a scary ordeal. When you turned 2 weeks old you started vomiting. I thought maybe you had a stomach bug and was watching you like crazy to see if you developed any kind of fever. You never did, but your vomiting did not let up. As we got to week 3 I thought you had major reflux. We visited the doctor several times in a week. We switched formulas, held you upright for an hour after each feeding, gave you smaller amounts of milk less often; we did it all. After tweeting with some moms on twitter I was informed about a condition called Pyloric Stenosis. I was also told to NOT google it as it would scare me, but to watch you closely and consider getting you an ultrasound if the vomiting got worse or more frequent. Well, the vomiting got worse and more frequent and I googled it. I read that PS is a birth defect that takes place in 4 out of 1000 white males and causes their pyloric muscle at the end of their stomach to enlarge, causing the food to be ejected from the stomach upwards and therefor not digest into the intestines. The only treatment? Surgery.

Needless to say, it eventually got to the point that you were throwing up every bottle, all of the bottle, and we took you in to get the ultrasound of your stomach. Within an hour it was determined that your sweet little tummy indeed needed surgery. You had Pyloric Stenosis. You were one of those 4 out of 1000. Lucky little guy. NOT.

What a scary night. I never thought I'd have a newborn who would need to have an IV, or need to be put under. I never thought I'd have a newborn having surgery at just 21 days of age. But, guess what? That surgery proved to be a success and you gained 3 pounds in the 2.5 weeks after your surgery.

-By the end of your first month you were up from 8.11 lbs to 11.4 lbs. You were back on regular newborn formula and continued to nurse before each feeding. You took about 3 oz of formula and 1 oz of breastmilk per feed.

-You smiled for the first time at 6 weeks and we noticed you had two little dimples at the top corners of your mouth. MELTS ME!

-You woke up twice a night most nights with an occasional once a night wake up or thrice a night wake up.

-You continued to grow and thrive, which was more than we could ask for!

TWO MONTHS

-At two months you are weighing an impressive 12.14 lbs!! YOU LOVE TO EAT! Mommy and Daddy (and Dr. Halpenny too) are so proud of your growth since your setback.

-You wear a size 3month clothing and are very close to wearing 3-6 months

-You wear a size 1 diaper and love to blow-out at least one diaper a day

-You take about 5 or 6 ounces of formula every 3 hours and nurse in the morning, before your naps, and at bedtime. You are starting to be over nursing as you know it's much more work than a bottle. In fact, I am fairly sure we are done nursing this week. I thought today would be your last time, but I did notice you wanted to nurse before your nap this afternoon. It may be that you only nurse once a day for comfort, or that you give it up completely. Either way, I am going to be okay with it because I was never nursing you for nutrition, sadly. Mommy just doesn't make enough to provide.

-You love your swing the best and you HATE car rides. I have become SUCH the homebody since you were born mostly because I dread getting in the car with you. Thanks for helping me spend less money. Haha!

-You got RSV AND an ear infection in your right ear at 9 weeks old and are still recovering from it. Poor boy can't catch a break but I am certain you are a tough little guy and have already almost fought this virus off completely.

-You smile and coo so much and we just love you to pieces!!

-Whever you sneeze you always finish it off with a loud coo. Your sister and I laugh every time because it is the SWEETEST sound.

-Your favorite times of day are tummy time in the morning and bath time at night.

-You go to sleep every night at 9pm and wake around 2 or 3 for a bottle, and then again around 6. You are up for the day at 9am every morning. I am so happy you are on a routine and hope to improve the routine in the day with sceduled naps as you get a little older and I learn more about you and your needs.

One and two month comparison pics. Look how much you have grown and filled out! Wow!

We love you so so much little boy and we all are crazy about you! You have brought so much joy to all 3 of us and we don't really even remember what life was like without you. You fit perfectly into our family like a glove. We look forward to watching your little personality form and you grow into an ever sweeter (and chunkier) baby boy!

Happy two months, Judd Richard!

Introducing baby Judd

Judd Richard

October 28

born at 12:46 pm

8 lbs and 6 oz

21 inches long

Judd's Birth Story:
Judd was born via repeat c section on Friday afternoon. We dropped Ava off at museum school, checked in the hospital, and everything went smoothly the entire day.

 I walked into the OR and sat on the operating table and was getting fairly anxious, which is unusual for me. I am a high strung person, yes, but I was mostly excited to have Judd be born, up until the epidural/spinal. When they told me to arch my back and suck in my stomach (which, by the way, is a funny thought considering I was huge pregnant) I was getting soooo nervous. The whole procedure of an epidural is freaky. I was thinking to myself "I just want out of this. Maybe I should try to labor." Then I thought "I guess either way it's not gonna be fun. There is no easy way out." Well, that thought alone made me quite anxious. The thoughts of "what if I'm not numb, what if I have lots of scar tissue, etc. etc." ran through my head.
But within minutes I was completely numb and ready to go! Judd came out with a precious little cry and I heard the doctor and nurses discussing what a cute baby he was. Melt my momma heart!
They put him on the warmer and assessed/cleaned him while Aaron talked to him. He knew Aaron's voice instantly. Then I started talking to him and I kid you not, he turned his head all around looking for my voice. I cried like a baby.

my doctor with Judd

What a precious, amazing miracle. He was so alert, a beautiful shade of pink, and just as sweet as could be. I was ready to be out of that operating room and able to hold my baby. As soon as they stitched me up they put Judd in my arms and wheeled us to the recovery room. We had an hour to ourselves, just as a family of four, and for me to nurse him before he had a bath.

Ava came in and was so quiet. She said "Mommy, he isn't in your belly anymore. He is here! We have to be very gentle to him." She was smitten at first glance.

The hospital stay was actually SO NICE! I didn't want to go home and would be lying if I told you I haven't had one meltdown involving wanting to go back to the hospital. The nurses were amazing and the food was so good this time. I am so serious!

But, coming home day was wonderful. We were excited to show Judd his new home and the adjustment has been rather smooth. My mom stayed with us the first week and saved our lives. She was wonderful!!! She cooked, cleaned, and got up with me during the feedings. Aaron has been so great, too! He has been sleeping with Ava since he works and I don't want to wake him all night with feedings. Ava thinks it's pretty cool to have dad in her room at night! Talk about slumber party time!!
Ava has been awesome with the adjustment. She loves holding her brudder and petting his head! I have a feeling I am going to love the age difference between them. She is so helpful!
Thanks for all of the prayers and love/support during the days leading up and day of his birth.

39 weeks, and a letter to Judd

Today marks 39 weeks that I've been pregnant with my sweet unborn baby, Judd.

{Swollen much?}

But in reality, it feels like so much longer. Not only because let's face it, the last few weeks of a pregnancy are just rough, but because of the time spent trying, failing, and longing for a baby prior to conception.
We tried to get pregnant when Ava was about 18 months with no success. We took a break and started trying again shortly after that small break:) And finally after a few trying months and infertility meds, we were delighted to become pregnant with what would become our first son. Up until about 20 weeks I was still in disbelief that I was actually pregnant. Not sure why I was so skeptical and uneasy about it, but maybe it was because I had a feeling in the back of my mind that Ava would be our only child.
Funny how God has the plan all figured out.
Funny what happens when we let go and just trust Him.

On the eve before Judd's arrival, this sweet song from Rich Mullins comes to mind. We really are on the verge of a miracle. And I am so beyond excited to watch this miracle unfold!

Dear little Judd Richard,
As I anxiously await your arrival in less than 24 hours, so much is going through my head. What will you look like, what your first cry will sound like, will you be an alert little fellow or a sleepy one? Will you have your daddy's dimples and your mom's dark hair or will you look just like your big sister...
But it's also a bittersweet feeling to know that I will not feel your kicks and rolls and your sweet little booty poking out of my belly any more. I won't ever get this time back where we share this unique once upon a time bond, just you and mommy. I will surely miss this! And as silly as it is, I do worry/hope you are just as happy, warm, and comfortable here in what will be your new world, outside of my womb.
I am so excited to begin this new life as a family of four. So is your daddy and your sister! We have prayed for you for a very long time and I am just tickled to call you, Judd, my son. While I am so scared to raise a boy, mostly because it is such uncharted territory, I know that God has so much in store and will bless me beyond my wildest dreams.
I love you, sweet baby boy!

Thank you all for the prayers for me and this baby! We should see his sweet face sometime tomorrow around lunch time. We will keep you updated!