Itty Bitty Russy

Baby Man Russ is 9 months old now.  He just so happens to have my heart wrapped around his little finger, just like his big bro.  I am in so much trouble!  One of my favorite things to do these days is go on walks with Russ strapped in the front pack.  I know our cuddly days are limited, so I am eating them up while I can.

Russ sits as sturdy as an oak now.  That is, until he tries to jump from a seated position. Wild baby!

 Brotherly love!  I couldn't be happier that they love each other SOOOOO much.

 Russ likes to take selfies.  Hahaha

 He's crawling now!!! 

Russ prefers to stand more than anything else.  The jumperoo keeps him occupied nicely while I make dinner...until he starts screeching to get my attention.  He likes it when the attention is centered on him, and only him. 

By way of other updates, Russ went in for his 9 month checkup today and Dr. E said he looks "good and healthy."  Interestingly though, Russ is not giant-sized like his big bro, but rather itty bitty (at least weight wise).  His current measurements: 18lbs 2oz (10-15th percentile) and 28 1/2 inches (50th percentile).  Since I am accustomed to Henry hovering near the top of the growth charts I strangely feel a bit guilty about Russ not being near the top of the growth charts as well.  I think Dr. E could sense that I was a bit anxious about his measurements and he reassured me that "Russ is completely within the normal weight range for kids his age.  There is nothing to worry about!"  This is especially so because he has been battling a doozy of a cold for the last two weeks (nursing is challenging with a plugged up nose) and has become much more active now that he can crawl and scoot around the room.  Dr. E confirmed that Russ is developing "on track and as expected" in all areas they monitor (fine motor skills, gross motor skills, communication, problem solving, social etc.)  Yay for a healthy baby!

Russ is eating more and more solids.  He actually prefers eating whatever I am eating (chopped up into tiny pieces of course) rather than pureed baby food (even though its homemade, so it actually has some flavor).  For example, he prefers dry cereal (like Cheerios) over baby rice cereal.  Who could blame him, I like Cheerios over cream of wheat too!  He has four teeth now to help him chomp.  It's amazing what he can gum though.  Last night he had several (tiny) bites of baked chicken.  Who would have guessed you can chew chicken without any teeth.  It gives me hope for old age (when I am toothless). 

He enjoys reading books, stealing his brothers toys, putting EVERYTHING in his mouth, banging his toys against the table, and babbling up a storm.  It's rarely quiet in our house if Russ is awake.

And, thankfully, he is starting to sleep better.  More consistently.  He usually only wakes up once now in the middle of the night (sometime between 3:30-5:00) and he consistently takes an afternoon nap (usually 2-2.5 hours).  He sometimes concedes and takes a morning nap as well (when we are lucky!). 

All in all, Russ is a pretty happy-go-lucky little dude.  I think we'll keep him!

Progress report (25x25x25)

I have made a bit of progress on my challenge, but I haven't made the time to complete my challenge on 25 consecutive days.  So far though, here's my list of items I have removed from my homestead in order to lighten my load a bit:

Day 3: 25 small bath toys (thrown out)
Day 4: 25 bathroom items (thrown out)
Day 5: 25 weeds (yard debris - not really "stuff," but they were still cluttering my life)
Day 6: 25 pieces of clothing (donated)
Day 7: 25 pieces of mail (recycled)
Day 8: 25 books (donated)
Day 9: 25 books (donated)
Day 10: 25 pieces of mail (recycled)

250 fewer items to manage.  Love it!

On another happy note, this past weekend I completed my first 8k of the year. I was super slow, but I ran (or as I like to say, bouncy walked) the whole time.  I've made time to jog 3 times a week for the last two consecutive weeks.  Cheers to becoming a runner in 2015!

Big Boy

Henry visited Dr. E for his annual visit yesterday.  Dr. E said he was happy with Henry's growth and development, stating he was right on track. Music to this Mama's ears!!! It is such a blessing to have healthy kids. I try never to take it for granted.  Dr. E confirmed Henry is still BIG.  41+ pounds (85th percentile) and 43+ inches tall (95th percentile).  He wears size 5 clothing (but quickly moving toward size 6) and getting ready to move into size 11 shoes. He prefers to wear his fuzzy Crocs over his tennis shoes, fuzzy pants (fleece or sweats) over jeans and t-shirts (long or short-sleeved) over button up shirts.  He comes by it honestly, Ryan and I both strongly prefer our casual clothes over our "fancy" clothes too.  I am not sure we really even have truly fancy clothes.  This year's physical exam was quite extensive.  They measured his height, weight, temperature, and blood pressure.  Then Dr. E gave him a thorough visual exam and asked me a bunch of questions about his development.  They also conducted a hearing test, eye exam and took a urine sample (first time ever...interesting experience for all involved...namely me) and Dr. E recommended bumping up two of Henry's vaccines in an abundance of caution (given the recent measles outbreaks in Arizona and California).  Yes, I'm a believer in vaccinating my kids!  Thankfully, my kiddos have had minimal to no noticeable side effects.  I hope that continues to be the case.  Henry was a trooper.  He followed directions like a champ!

25 x 25 x 25 Challenge

I'm all about (self) challenges these days, in an effort to create a more satisfying and meaningful life.  My new challenge, in an effort to simplify, is what I will call a 25 x 25 x 25 challenge.

Spend 25 minutes (or less) for 25 days finding 25 things to get rid of by either donating, recycling or throwing them out.  I have been feeling like I spend way too much time managing my "stuff" so I figure if I get rid of some of my "stuff" I can free up more time to do things I would rather be doing, like going on monster hunts with Henry.

So far, here's my progress:
Day 1: 25 items of clothing that I haven't worn in more than 25 months (going to Goodwill).
Day 2: 25 pieces of mail piled up on my desk (going in the recycle)...I am drowning in paper, so this will likely be a reoccurring one for me

I'll let you know how it goes!