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Monthly Update

Ten Months

November 27, 2013

Cullen has been 10 months old for a little over a week now. In case you don’t know, this is part of the reason I’m a little late with this month’s update. Anyway…onto the fun stuff.

I feel like Cullen is learning so much these days! He can say ‘Momma’. (He only says it when he is pulling on my leg telling me to pick him up, but I’ll take it.) He also babbles ‘Dada’, ‘hey’, and says ‘no’. I think. Some times it is difficult to discern what is an actual word and what is just babbling. Which he does a lot. Very loudly. I can’t even tell you how many times I have heard Corey say “I can’t hear you over Cullen.” I’m sure the noise level will continue to increase as he gets older. Boys are just naturally loud, right? I just wish a knew what he was saying. Sometimes, he seems to have some pretty serious conversations. I love watching all of the little conversations he has with himself, Macey, us, even his toys. It is just so cute!

He is still trying to stand on his own. He actually does pretty well sometimes. He can practically run if someone is holding at least one of his hands. My mom is convinced he will be walking within the next week. We shall see.

Some of his favorite things to do these days include unloading his diaper bag, banging coasters on the coffee table, pulling all of the diapers out of their basket, and going up the stairs (supervised of course.) Remind me again why we buy him toys?

When he is not being a little tornado, Cullen has actually started to pay attention when we read books, instead of trying to eat them. His absolute favorite is Five Little Pumpkins, but he also loves this puppet book, Goodnight Moon, and Hey! Wake Up! I love watching his face light up as he takes in the pictures on every page. We are starting to love story time in our house! Even if it is the same few stories over and over again.

Cullen is also giving lots of kisses these days. He even tries to give the dog kisses. It is the sweetest! Sure, they are open mouth slobbery kisses and can land anywhere: cheeks, nose, eyes, arm, etc. But, I absolutely love them!

I haven’t had a chance to weigh or measure Cullen this month, but based on his stats from last month he is doing okay in the weight department. Who needs the gym when you can lift this adorable chunk?

I will be back later this week with an update on Cullen’s first Thanksgiving and the start of our Christmas festivities. Until then, have a great week!

Nine Months

October 22, 2013

I know I say this every month, but I cannot believe that we have a nine month old! That seems crazy!

I didn’t know it was possible, but Cullen is becoming more independent and more clingy at the same time. He wants his freedom; wants to be able to crawl, stand, and cruise whenever and wherever he wants. Half the time he insists on feeding himself (which he is getting really good at!) Then there are times when I cannot walk to the other side of the room without tears. If i walk away from him, he crawls after me like a little puppy until he reaches the baby gate; then he pouts. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad that he loves me so much, but being loved so much makes fixing dinner or picking up the house very difficult.

Let’s hope I don’t jinx this, but Cullen seems to be sleeping much better at night! Cullen’s nine month well check was a little over a week ago, and one of the things we discussed was his sleeping behavior. I got a pretty stern lecture from the pediatrician about how I was handling middle of the night wakings. (It was pretty obvious that Cullen was waking up because we I had created that habit; he didn’t need anything other than attention.) The doctor suggested that we try some kind of sleep training to get back to everyone in our house getting a full night sleep. We discussed three or four options, but he suggested trying the cry-it-out method (based on his own personal experience with his three children.) I was hesitant (what mother wants to let their child just cry alone in their crib?), but Corey really wanted to try it. So I went along with it…for two nights. Those first two nights were pretty rough. the third night was awful. Cullen cried that night like I have never heard him cry before. I cried right along with him and decided that we were going to have to try another way. This was not working. And then, he slept 10 hours in one night. I heard him wake up a few times, but no crying and he went right back to sleep on his own. The next night, he slept almost 8 hours. So far, we are all sleeping much better! I feel like a whole new person. (Let’s hope it stays this way!)

As of last Friday, this little chunk weighs 20 pounds 12.5 ounces and is 29 1/8 inches long. That puts him in the 74th percentile for weight and 84th for length! Which is not surprising because all of a sudden, this boy can eat! He is up to three meals a day. He loves any kind of fruit, yogurt, cheese, and some vegetables. Its getting to be a little more difficult to get him to eat just veggies. I have a feeling that is a battle we will be fighting forever, but mixed with fruit, he will eat just about anything. And Puffs…he would eat a whole can of Puffs in one sitting if I’d let him. We have to make sure that container is hidden until he has eaten everything else, or he will refuse to take another bite of the healthy stuff.

I love watching Cullen feed himself. (Does that sound weird?) He makes a huge mess, but seeing him use those little fingers to pick up a Puff or a piece of cheese and work to get it to his mouth has to be the cutest thing ever! Macey loves when Cullen feeds himself too. She stays camped out under his highchair at meal time. It makes for pretty easy clean up though. No need to mop after Cullen eats; Macey picks up every drop of food practically before it can hit the floor.

I am fairly certain we are going to have a walker on our hands before we know it. Cullen is cruising around furniture like it’s his job and is getting more confident on his feet. He has started trying to let go of whatever he is using to balance himself when he stands up. He very quickly sits down, or holds on again, but you can tell he really wants to stand on his own. As much as I love watching him grow and learn new things, I am not ready to chase a walking baby around! Chasing after him now wears me out!

Feeding Baby milestones Monthly Update

Eight Months

September 21, 2013

A lot has changed over the past 8 months! I looked at Cullen the other day and realized that he is definitely not my little baby anymore. He has started to look and act more like a little boy.

Cullen’s biggest milestone this month? Crawling…or his version of it. He doesn’t really move his hands and knees at the same time. He looks like a little inchworm. Or, He moves on his hands and feet with his rear-end stuck up in the air. I’m not sure that he will ever move in the traditional ‘crawl’. I have a feeling he will go from what he is doing now straight to walking. While it may look kind of funny, this little boy can move! (Especially if he spots a dog toy or something else he is not supposed to have.) There is no keeping up with him now. I was changing his diaper before bed the other night and no sooner than when I got the wet diaper off, he rolled over and crawled halfway across the room. Stark naked…and laughed the whole way. Silly little boy!

He can also get to sitting from his tummy. Yay! No more frustration from being stuck on his belly.

Cullen is also getting pretty good at pulling up and climbing. He tries to pull up using whatever he can get his hands on, and is doing pretty well with it. Every person, chair, and toy has the potential of being a jungle gym. We had to lower the mattress in his crib this week.

He is already getting into all kinds of trouble. Like I’ve said already, we have to be on the lookout to keep the dog toys away from him. (Macey does not help by bringing her toys to him to play with. Isn’t she sweet?) He is now also pulling things down on top of him. We have had to remove everything from the coffee table since he can reach it very easily. (He got his first bruise under my watch last Sunday. Mom of the year right here!)

Another new development over the past few weeks…loud noises are scary. He jumps and clings onto the nearest person when I use the blender, vacuum, or start the car.

Cullen also got his first cold this month. I thought I was having some allergy issues until Cullen started having the same runny nose and sneezes. Poor guy…he was miserable for a couple of days. I think that was when he stopped sleeping so well at night. I feel like I have a newborn again. Since he was about two months old, we were getting at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep a night and more recently he was sleeping about 8 hours straight. Now all of a sudden he is up at least twice every night. If I could sleep in with him in the mornings I wouldn’t mind so much…but this momma is exhausted! Any ideas? I’m hoping he will outgrow this quickly.

Right now, Cullen is eating about two ‘solid’ meals a day. Usually breakfast and dinner, but I think he is about ready to add lunch. He is still eating mostly purees. We keep trying to introduce Puffs or chunks of food but he is a little hesitant. (Anything else he finds goes right to his mouth, but for some reason he won’t put food in his mouth. Go figure.) So far he has eaten two Puffs. Macey has gotten about 20 Puffs. I have a feeling the high chair is getting ready to be her new favorite hang-out. So what is he eating? Bananas, avocado, apples, pears, peaches, plums, summer squash, zucchini, sweet potato, carrots, parsnips, and green peas. Still, the only thing he refuses to eat are green beans. I think next we are going to try yogurt and hopefully start introducing more finger foods instead of purees. He will figure it out when he’s ready though.

And at 8 months, Cullen’s unofficial measurements: 19.8 pounds and a little over 28 inches long

Did you notice the pictures are a little different this time? Yeah…we tried. Twice. He was having none of it. He refuses to sit still and is convinced the chalkboard is a toy. I think someone is trying to teach me that I cannot control everything. Oh well…we still got some pretty good pictures of this cutie!

Monthly Update

Seven Months

August 25, 2013

That’s right, this little cutie pie is seven months old already!

No doctor visit this month, so we don’t have an official weight or height. But, I think he weighs about 19 pounds and is 28 inches long. Growing like a weed!

Look at all of that personality! Cullen is so much fun these days. Corey and I have so much fun playing with this silly boy after work and on the weekends. So what does this little boy like to do?

Chewing on toys, books, fingers, his toes. Basically whatever he can get in his mouth. (He has even gotten his hands on a few dog toys recently…eww!)

Playing Patty Cake. For some reason, he loves when you clap your hands. He puts his hands on yours like he is trying to help and laughs as loud as he can. I love it!

Swimming. Cullen loves the pool. He doesn’t really like being in the pool float we got for him, but he loves being held on his tummy so he can splash and kick his feet.

Playing in the bath. Notice a trend? After coming back from the beach, this little boy loves the water! He loves playing with his bath toys and splashing, and he now screams when you take him out of the tub. So bath time is fun, ending bath time is not!

Trying to crawl and pull up. He spends a lot of time moving from sitting to his tummy and then getting frustrated because no matter how hard he tries he cannot go forward. He has been able to push himself backward some, but he can’t quite get his legs and arms to move together without plunging his face to the floor. He is getting close though. I think we will have a mobile baby before long. He is also getting close to being able to pull himself up. He has an activity table that he tries to pull up on to get to the toys. And if he is sitting in your lap, he holds onto your arms and tries to stand up. He gets himself about halfway up before falling back on his tush. I don’t think I am ready for Cullen to be standing and crawling just yet.

This seven month old now has two teeth! His bottom front teeth first popped through about two weeks ago. I can’t even describe the cuteness of those little teeth!

Can you tell someone got his hands on the chalkboard again? I think I had to rewrite it three times to get this month’s pictures. And I had help from Corey! This little boy is a mess!

Monthly Update

Six Months

July 31, 2013

Look at this little chunky monkey! Is he not the cutest?!

Cullen now weighs 17 pounds 3 ounces, which puts him in the 42nd percentile for weight, and he is 27.4 inches long, which puts him in the 80th percentile for height. He has really grown over the past two months!

So, what is Cullen up to these days?

Sitting up! I am amazed at how quickly he went from a constant wobble to sitting up straight without toppling over. It was almost overnight. It is so nice to be able to sit him in the floor with his favorite toys and actually get something done.

Eating! So far Cullen likes squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, and avocado. His favorite is banana and avocado mixed. The only thing we have found so far that he absolutely does not like is green beans. (Unless they are mixed with apples! It seems like he will eat anything mixed with apples.) He also wants whatever happens to be on your plate or in your cup. We are going to try carrots tonight, and will start trying a sippy cup in the next few days.

Cullen is not mobile yet, but he wants to be. When he is on his tummy playing and the toy (or wipes box or table leg) that he wants is out of reach, he stretches as far as possible and twists and turns. It is so funny watching him turn in a complete circle trying to get his hands on something.

Growing hair! His bald little head is finally starting to get some hair again. It is coming back in red! I have always loved red hair. So cute!!!

Giving hugs and kisses! He gives the best hugs and the best open mouth, slobbery kisses!

As much as I don’t want him to grow up too fast, I love how independent Cullen is becoming. He has no problem spending time alone with his toys and entertaining himself. I love the little boy that he is becoming. Even Corey said the other day that he loves how much fun Cullen is at this age and his giggles can brighten any day!

Along with this new independence comes trouble for us. Gone are the days of him laying still for a diaper change or pictures. Diaper changes are now a wrestling match; as soon as he gets the diaper off he wants to roll over. And this months photo session required help from my mom…and we could have used another person.

Look who discovered the chalkboard!

I may have to rethink his monthly photo shoot format…this is going to get really interesting when he starts crawling.

Bonus: Here are a few outtakes from this months photo session.

And a few really sweet pictures I was able to capture before the fun started.

Stay tuned! I will be posting pictures from Cullen’s first beach trip soon.

Monthly Update

Five Months

June 22, 2013

Can you believe it?

I think Cullen weighs about 15 pounds now. He is growing, growing, growing! He changes everyday. I love watching what he will do next!

What Cullen’s Up To Now:

As you probably know, we started solid foods this month. We tried oatmeal first…Cullen is not really a fan, so we gave up on that for now. A couple of days ago we tried squash. Fresh from GG and Papa G’s garden. Day 1 of squash: unimpressed. Day 2 of Squash: He loved it! He kept pulling the spoon to his mouth for more! After another day or two of squash, we will try peaches…fresh from the local orchard.

Cullen is almost sitting on his own! He will for about 5 seconds or so before he falls sideways or forward.

Reaching for what he wants. Well…not really reaching. More leaning his whole body in the direction of what he wants. (Which is probably part of why he falls on his face after sitting for more than a few seconds.)

What Cullen Likes:

Talking/Squealing. His newest thing is to screech velociraptor-style. At first it is adorable and hilarious. Then it is kind of obnoxious because it is very difficult to carry on a conversation with that going on. (Silly boy already knows he is the center of everyone’s attention and apparently intends to keep it that way at all times.)

Bath time! This is quite a change from last month. Until about a week ago, Cullen just sat in the water with a look on his face that said “I’m a boy. Boys don’t bathe. Get me out of here.” Now, he has discovered the bath toys and is content to chew on a crab and kick his feet in the water.

Eating people. If Cullen can get to your face, the first thing he is going to do is chew on your nose. It is hilarious!

The remote. It is his favorite thing to hold/look at/talk to. (He has a remote that is his very own at my parents’ house.) My mom sent me this picture a few days ago:

I love how much fun it is to be around this cutie these days. He’s not that cuddly little newborn anymore, but he has so much personality for such a little person!

Doctor Appointments Monthly Update

Four Months

June 6, 2013

At his 4 month well check, Cullen weighed 13 pounds, 8 ounces and was 26 inches long. This boy is long and skinny! But he is finally starting to get some adorable little leg rolls…I love them!(Based on our scale at home, he is now about 14 1/2 pounds…only about 2 weeks later. That is some serious growing!)

What Cullen is doing these days:

Rolling from front to back. I was home from work with him one day and he flipped about 10 times in a row. I’m glad I thought to take a video of it, because he didn’t flip for Corey until about a week and a half later. Apparently Cullen does not do things on demand; he will do them on his own time.

Laughing out loud. This is my new favorite! The things that make him laugh the most are zerberts on his belly and lots of kisses on his neck. He definitely ticklish like his mommy. He starts laughing if it even looks like I’m going to get near his neck. Silly boy!

‘Talking’ All. The. Time. Just like his Daddy. 😉 Seriously. Between Cullen and Corey, I don’t think I’ll ever get a word in again. He babbles on and on; sometimes like he’s telling you something funny that happened earlier, and sometimes like there are some serious issues that need to be taken care of and this is no time for giggles…you’d better listen to what he has to say.

Nursing like a pro. We had some issues in the beginning and were pretty confident I was just going to have to pump and bottle feed for a year. (Which wasn’t the most convenient, but at least he was getting my milk.) About a month ago though, something clicked and Cullen figured it out. Leaving the house is so much easier now!

Putting everything in his mouth. Toys, books, blankets, bibs, fingers, arms… If he can get it to his mouth, he is going to chew on it. And he drools everywhere. We go through at least 3 bibs a day, usually more. Early stages of teething? Or just experiencing new things?

What Cullen likes:

Flying super hero style. It amazes me how quickly he can go from fussing to laughing when Corey lifts him in the air.

Being naked. As soon as the clothes and diaper come off, he flashes the biggest grin he can. He loves it!

Looking at pictures. Of people he knows, people he doesn’t know, and especially himself. i think I’m going to make him a book of pictures to look at.

Sitting and standing. If Cullen is awake, he wants to be sitting up. If you try to lay him down, he does sit-ups and gets all red-faced. I can’t believe how close he is to being able to sit on his own.

Tummy Time. Now that he can roll over, Cullen actually enjoys being on his tummy again!

What Cullen doesn’t like:

Baths. He doesn’t cry or anything, but he is definitely not amused. We try to make it fun with toys and splashing, but he is just not a fan yet.

Burping. He hates it. Most of the time, I don’t even try.

Once again, I am amazed at how quickly time flies! Pretty soon, we will be attempting solid foods…I feel like that is a huge step! I hate to be ‘that mom’, but he is growing up way too fast! I love how much fun we have together, though!

Bonus: Look at this cutie in his hat and shades!

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Monthly Update

Three Months

April 22, 2013

I cannot believe this little cutie is three months old already! I say it every month, but he is growing so fast. I am afraid to look away from him; I might miss something. Needless to say, it has been a while since I have gotten anything done around the house. Oh well, he is only this age once, right?

I had a hard time picking just a few pictures to post this month. The faces he makes are priceless!

How could you not love that sweet little face?

We didn’t see the doctor this month, so I’m not quite sure what he weighs. I tried to measure him last week, and based on my amateur measuring skills, it looks like he has grown another inch and is about 24 3/4″ long. No wonder his pants are turning into high waters…time to move up a size!

We are going to be in trouble when Cullen starts moving. He is already trying to sit up all the time. He should have some pretty awesome baby abs with all the sit-ups he attempts these days. Most of the time, he will fuss if you lay him down; he wants to sit up and look at everything! (Including the TV. I cannot tell you how many times this weekend I caught him sitting in someone’s lap starring at the television. I can’t believe I’m having to fuss at him already!)

A few weeks ago, Cullen rolled over from his back to his stomach. He hasn’t done it since, but I’m sure we are close to him rolling over more often. He tries to flip over every time he’s on his tummy, but hasn’t quite figured it out just yet.

If this little ball of fun isn’t asleep he is staring at or talking to something. He loves to look at patterns, especially whatever is on your shirt and the frame wall in our den. And he is fascinated by his feet! If they are anywhere near his line of sight, he stares at them with a quizzical look as if he’s thinking, “what are you, and what do you do?” He was wearing footie pajamas one night and started talking to the monkeys on his feet. I’m telling you, this kid will talk to anything: you, his toys, his feet, the couch. Anything he can look at is worth talking to. I love listening to all of his ‘ah-goos’ and almost giggles.

This past week, Cullen has started paying more attention to our puppy, Macey. He looks at her like she is the best toy ever and he can’t wait to get his hands on her. Macey on the other hand, is not quite as interested as she used to be. With his constantly moving arms and legs, she gets hit and kicked fairly often…I don’t think she’s a fan. I can’t wait to see how they react as he gets older.

I feel so blessed to get to be the mother of this wonderful little boy!

Monthly Update

Two Months

April 17, 2013

So, I’m only about a month late in writing this post, but I’m going to blame it on the craziness being a new mom. (I can still use that excuse for a little while, right?!) I mean, I still haven’t gotten all of the thank you notes and birth announcements mailed. I promise…they are coming!

Anyway, another month has flown by! Like I said last month, I feel like Cullen changes every day. I am afraid to blink; I might miss something.

At Cullen’s two month well check, he weighed 11 pounds 6.5 ounces and was 23.8 inches long. This kid is long and skinny…not quite the chunk we expected, but he is as healthy as can be.

We are truly blessed to have such a healthy and happy baby. (Corey warns me not to tell people how great he is…apparently this is not the norm.) He almost never cries or fusses and is a great sleeper! A little before the two month mark, Cullen started sleeping 6 – 7 hours at night and has been doing so ever since. He is a little night owl and goes to sleep between 11 and 12 at night and sleeps until 6 or so in the morning. It is wonderful! Naps are a totally different story though. Cullen is a cat-napper. He likes to sleep for 15 to 30 minutes and then is up and ready to play again. Occasionally he will sneak in a longer nap in the mornings, but its almost like he is afraid he will miss something if he sleeps too long. As long as he is happy though, we are just going to let him do his thing.

Speaking of happy, this little boy loves to smile and laugh! If he is awake, you can probably get him talking and laughing. Our days are now filled with ‘ah-goos’, giggles, and the biggest smiles ever. My cheeks hurt most days from smiling so much!

Corey and I feel so blessed to be the parents of such a wonderful little boy. I love watching him grow and learn new things every day. He is a little ball of fun and he keeps everyone entertained. I cannot believe how much personality such a little person can have. I am excited to see what he will do next!

Doctor Appointments Monthly Update

One Month

February 26, 2013

I cannot believe that Cullen is already a month old! This past month has flown by. It’s hard to remember what it felt like not to have this little boy with us, but at the same time, it seems like just yesterday I was still sporting the baby belly.

This little cutie has changed so much in the past month.

During the first few weeks, it seemed like all he did was sleep. We had to wake him up at least every three hours to eat. And by wake him up I mean undress him, change his diaper, rub/tickle his hands and feet…we tried absolutely everything. This kid could sleep.

Cullen has done a complete 180 in the past couple of weeks. He still sleeps a good bit during the day, but has more and more awake time everyday. We are now able to feed him on demand. During the day he wants to eat every 2 to 3 hours. Most nights he is still waking up every 3 hours to eat, but occasionally we will get a 4 or 5 hour stretch. I love those nights!

At this point our day consists of naps, lots of eating, reading stories, time in the swing, and tummy time. Cullen and I usually get out of the house a couple of days a week, even if its just for a quick trip to the store. He really is a happy baby, and enjoys everything we do during the day. The only time he really fusses is when he’s hungry; so about every two hours he cries until I can get the bottle in his mouth. But once fed, he is happy again.

I got my first ‘real’ smile at the one month mark. He was laying on his activity gym grunting (as usual). I went over to pick him up and laid him in my lap. as soon as I started talking to him, his face lit up, his eyes got wide, and he showed off the most adorable toothless grin. These smiles are still pretty sporadic, but they melt my heart every time!

Cullen is becoming a pro at holding his head up. He has had surprisingly good neck control from birth, but it gets better every day. He loves tummy time and is great at lifting his head off the ground for a pretty good length of time. If he is awake and laying on someone’s chest, he pushes back and holds his head up to look around. We are going to be in trouble when this little guy starts moving. I have a feeling it will be early and he will keep us moving.

Last week, Corey and I took Cullen to the doctor for his one month check-up. He now weighs 10 pounds 6 ounces and is 23.2 inches long. Such a big boy! I can’t believe how fast he is growing. Like any mother, I don’t want him to grow up too fast; I am really enjoying this newborn stage. But I am also looking forward to seeing who this little boy becomes and being able to do more with him.

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