Thursday, May 29, 2014

LUCAS | 7 MONTHS

Well folks, our "Laid Back Lucas" is officially gone... In his place, crawls, squawks, and STANDS one rough and rowdy little boy. And this little boy is going to drive his mother straight to an early grave. My cause of death will read: "Neurotic mother to one unpredictable and unlucky little daredevil."

Bring on the bubble wrap.

Yes, this past month has been a trying time for us. We've landed ourselves in the emergency room, complete with IV fluids and a full work-up for L's first head injury. I say "first" because the way things are going, there are pretty good chances that it won't be his last. He had been sitting up for about a week, and one day just decided to go straight back while sitting on the hard vinyl floor (because it's no fun to play on the nice, soft padded area that Mom had for him). A few hours later, I was a frantic mess, covered in vomit-- and he was a little zombie, who kept throwing up and couldn't protect his own airway. It was joyful, really. (#sarcasm) I was armed with bulb suction and was basically feeling like I could vomit myself from the anxiety. (five years working in a PICU will do that to you. I was doing everything possible not to let my mind go HERE =>  brain bleed. surgery. ICP bolt. shunt. medically-induced coma. intubated. -- Isn't knowledge fun?)

A few days later, a severe stomach flu took us all down. HARD. Apparently, we picked it up in the ER while we were "touring" there. Again, joyful. This almost cost us another trip to urgent care with Lucas because he couldn't keep anything down for an entire day. We were just one big disaster area this month!

And while I continue to debate the purchase of a baby helmet -DAILY- (yes, they sell them, and this boy is making a strong case to become the face of the product), here is our 7 month-old baby boy...


"huh?"    
the mini-daddy confusion scowl.


Height & Weight: The week after the head injury and the stomach flu, L had his 6 month well baby... Of course, he only weighed in at 17lbs 6oz due to the fact that he had lost most of his meals for a week. Not to mention, my supply took a big hit from all of the drama, plus hormonal changes. I fought the good fight for about 3 weeks, but without any success. I just decided to start supplementing him this week, but the end result will be that we will slowly switch him over to Earth's Best formula, just like we did with Brynn when she was a little younger than he is... As for height, I can't remember the exact measurement, but it was around the 76th percentile. He's a tall drink of water, just like his daddy. :)

Sleep: L has always been a great sleeper. I did not feel the need to start him on a schedule, since I always put him down when he started to show signs of being tired. It worked for us up until now. This month, we are officially starting a schedule. He was in the practice of taking 3-4 naps every day, so it was time to seek a little structure to our days. Of course, it will not be rigid. Just like with Brynn, I go by the sample schedules (by month) at babysleepsite.com, and I always look at it as a guide or a "goal" for each day... For this reason, I usually call it a "routine" instead of a schedule. Mostly, it will help me keep track of his sleeping hours and the amounts and timings of his solids. I find it a little easier to keep my head on straight, and I don't anticipate that he will give me any problems. He is ready for a little structure! I'm just hoping that he still sticks to his 10-12 hours at night...




Diet: Still breastfeeding and giving bottles. As mentioned before, we just started supplementing with Earth's Best formula. I have only been pumping about 2oz from each side for the past 3 weeks, and we have already used up most of my freezer stock with his appetite, so it was time to start looking at other options. Because screaming, hangry Weinzapfel babies are not so fun... *see Daddy genes for that one.

Clothes: Our little bruiser is wearing some 6-9 month stuff, but mostly 6-12 months or 9-12 months. He is wearing size 4 diapers and size 2 shoes.

wrestling with his sissy is his favorite.
B was all about being in these shots, which is so fun! of course, when I actually WANT her to be in them, primp her hair and choose a nice outfit, she is over it before we even begin. typical Brynn.
I love her so much it hurts...


Lucas' Likes: Eating- either bottles or solids. Playing with his sister. Petting long hair (both Sissy & Mommy are fair game, but he doesn't usually pull it-- he just likes to pet :) ). Crawling around the house (usually chasing Mommy from place to place while she is trying to get things done. He would prefer that I just carry him around with me all day.. The one thing he gets the most upset over is being told that Mommy just can't swing that all of the time. I have to at least TRY to get things done).

Dislikes: His car seat (yes, still a struggle). Being confined in his walker. He just spins himself in circles and usually fusses until I finally have the availability to be able to carry him with me. He also gets exiled to the walker or the bouncer when he gets a little too daring during play time... which is pretty much ALL of the time.We have had a few incidents where- had I not been paying close attention, we would have had another cracked egg (so to speak). We are certainly looking into the possibility of a helmet because this kid has no limitations in his own mind, and he physically has the capabilities to do whatever he wants. For instance, he is pulling himself up on everything- which is no big deal when Mommy or Daddy is right there to help him- but as soon as he gets up, he thinks it's awesome to go "one-handed" and then tests his luck with an attempted step!! WHAT?!? I guess he thinks he can just get right up and start walking... Ugh. I need some bubble wrap ASAP.

  
dare'dev'il: (adjective): *see lucas wilson weinzapfel.
signature move. he's got the moves like mowgli... 

it never takes him long to find his mama!


Comparison to Big Sis:

Per the usual with comparison to Brynn, Lucas is much bigger. Brynn was only in size 2 diapers at this age, but her personality was really shining through. She knew how to shake her head "No" in the correct context, and was babbling "ma-ma-mas" and "da-da-das"... When I read this in her post, I realized that Lucas isn't really doing a lot of babbling yet. He squawks and screeches a lot, but nothing really organized at all. They are both just the happiest of babies though. :)

Teething: No teeth just yet, although this week L has made it pretty clear that there is at least one about to make its debut. Daddy and I have been waking up to screams of pain every night. Poor baby boy. Tylenol and cool gel teethers have been a survival tool lately. This momma is really going to miss that sweet gummy smile... :(


   brotherly cat naps... or dog naps? they are besties & I love it.

 this expression is never good. it usually precedes something daring. 
like, for instance, thinking it's hilarious to try to crawl off the side of the guest bed. t-r-o-u-b-l-e.

mr. big muscles is definitely about to give his momma a heart attack!

the signature lucas smile. 
words cannot describe how in love with him I am...

happy 7 months to our sweet & adventurous boy!
we love you to pieces...  just not literally. :)

1 comment:

Natalie said...

He's so adorable! I love that big smile! :)

We, too, just had our first venture into the children's ER. It was not fun to see my little girl that sick. :( Luckily, we can't keep her down for long, and now she's back and bouncing around as usual!