Where is time going?

I honestly can't believe that Jacob is almost 18 months old. I'm shocked. I feel like I closed my eyes and he grew up. I'm looking at old pictures from last year and can't believe my little itty baby is GONE! I have to admit though, this age is SO much fun! Christmas is so much different this year than it was last year. We did our Christmas to him this morning since we are leaving for California on Tuesday. He didn't completely understand the concept of opening the presents (he still enjoyed ripping the paper once I showed him how), but boy did he love playing with the toys. I couldn't get them out of the packaging fast enough for him! We only got him a few small things since we did a big trip to Dallas to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live just a few weeks ago. More on that later...

He is OBSESSED with Toy Story right now. We made the mistake of watching all three of them with him one weekend when we were ALL sick and that started the obsession. It's adorable, don't get me wrong, but man, I'm getting a little sick of watching them. I try and only let him watch one of the movies once a day, if that, but on the weekends, I let him watch a few. Like today, we watching one and three. He will seriously sit through the ENTIRE movie. It's bizarre. So, for his gifts, I picked out a few Toy Story things. A coloring book, a book with sounds, and two Buzz Lightyear action figure things. One is a little space rocket that you shake and it moves across the floor. Too cute. A few other small things here and there, but that was the jist of it. Not to mention, he is going to be SPOILED as soon as we get back home. He has enough toys as it is. Our house is seriously getting taken over!

We went to Dallas with our good friends and neighbors, Ashley, Ryan and Ryder! Ryder is 2 days older than Jacob. They are best buds. It's adorable!! We were there from December 3-5. It was a blast! We ate at yummy places and had a great time getting out of town. The boys LOVED Yo Gabba Gabba. That was Jacob's favorite show before he discovered Toy Story. He still likes it, but not nearly as much as Toy Story. He will tell me "no no no" when I put on anything else. It's really adorable. I'm sure I won't think that when he's 16. We went to the Shrek Ice Show at the Gaylord Texan. That resort is AMAZING! The ice show was pretty neat, but a little too old for the boys to really understand. It was still a really neat experience. We kinda rushed through it a little because it was 2 degrees!! Thankfully we were all really well bundled up. Jacob was a tad miserable in all the layers, but he didn't really fuss at all. He really didn't know what to make of all of it actually. Afterwards, we ate at this really old restaurant called the Mystery Time Machine Restaurant. It was hilarious. All the wait staff was dressed up in costumes. Our waiter was Mr. Incredible. Pretty funny. The boys seemed to really love it though. Jacob slept like a dream at the hotel. He's an amazing sleeper. We are really really blessed. You give him his blankies and his paci and he is good to go! I love it!

We went to see the specialist that we saw last year around this time in Lubbock for his stomach issues. We started to worry because he wasn't gaining weight and he wasn't eating much. I went to a new pediatrician here in town that diagnosed him with Eosinophilic Esophagitis Colitis, which is a pretty horrible disease. Come to find out, the only way to diagnose that disease is to do a scope and biopsies, so we went ahead and finally did it. They wanted to do this last year to him, but we couldn't bare it. It was horrible. We had to hold him down in the operating room while they held the gas mask to his little face. All I could hear was his horrible screams coming out of the mask. It took all I had to be strong for him while I was in there. As soon as I left that room I lost it. Thankfully it was only a 15 minutes procedure. He woke up about 30 minutes later and was miserable. They had to go into his colon and to do so, they had to puff air in their. He was in so much pain from the gas. He just screamed and screamed. He wanted all the cords off of him and was pretty much freaking out the entire time until we were able to leave. Once we were out of the hospital, he was GREAT! We went back to the hotel and he was good to go. He acted like nothing even happened, which was amazing! I think it was harder on Alex and I that it was on him. Either way, I NEVER want to do that again. The results came back while we were in Dallas. He did NOT have that horrible disease and he has no clue what's making his stomach the way it is. The scope pictures showed lots of inflammation and it looked really beat up. So, he put him on a drug called Carafate which is supposed to help heal his stomach. We think it might be helping because he eats more and seems to be happier. I still think he has an issue with milk, which we need to figure out. He's was on soy milk. Then goat milk. And NOW...he's on coconut milk or almond milk. ha! Poor kid.

He's getting smarter by the minute. He really starting to talk more. It's amazing! He said "Ryder" the other day as we were getting out of the car and he saw his friend. I love him to pieces.

I need to post more. I saw that all too often...

We are trying for baby number 2. We haven't really been too serious about it just yet. I've been having pretty normal periods for the last 7 months or so, so I was hoping that my body was back to normal. I don't think I'm ovulating though. Who knows? I took ovulation tests for a few months and never got a positive, but then the one month I didn't test I think I ovulated! ha!! We are going to possibly go back on clomid next month if I don't ovulate again this month. Of COURSE my period is late! I tested and tested and am not pregnant. I didn't really think I was, but it's bizarre that my body decided to act up when I need it to work.

We shall see what happens! Hopefully we will get pregnant in the next few months! I'm ready to have another one. I know it's going to be very hard, but we know we want more. Why not just get it out of the way??

A few pics!

He's 14 months!

Ok. Seriously. Where has the time gone? My little guy is 14 months old already.  He's a wild man at that too. I have SO much to catch up on. I am kicking myself for not keeping this up to date.  I miss having the memories to look back on. I've been SO busy and haven't had much time. I've been trying to pick up photography and have spent most of my free time on that. Honestly though, I'm so dang exhausted at the end of the day I end up laying in bed with the husband watching Rescue Me or The Fringe until about 11 and then we both pass out. hahaha. We enjoy it though. I need to make time for my blog though. Not that anyone reads it, but for my own memories! I want to look back and be able to remember EVERYTHING because it's FLYING by. It's nuts.

I need to do a birthday post. It needs it's own post.

Jacob just started Mother's Day Out last Wednesday at Trinity. He only goes once a week for now. I bawled my eyes out after I dropped him off. I was a wreck. What a wuss, right? I just hated being away from him, but it was actually really nice to get a few things around the house done. I cleaned the entire time after I got back from the gym. Funny thing is, I enjoyed it. I cranked up the stereo and jammed out while I scrubbed everything from top to bottom. I missed him dearly by the time 3 came around!

He was in an amazing mood the morning we dropped him off, but when I picked him up they told me he was really quiet and didn't eat anything. I wasn't worried because that is so him. He was cutting his fourth molar on the bottom left (hence the no eating), and I just figured he was getting used to his new environment. We went straight over to our friend Ashley and Ryder's house (Ryder is 2 days older) and he was acting really needy and whiny. Again, I just figured he missed me. He passed out at 6pm that night. We just figured he was exhausted from his long day. We were wrong. He had his morning bottle and about 2 seconds after he was done...he became the exorcist. He threw up the ENTIRE bottle EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was insane. He's never done that before. I cleaned us off and put him in the bath. He couldn't even sit up straight. He was so weak. It was heart wrenching. He just laid in bed with us all morning. He didn't move. It was so unlike him. I finally got him in to the doctor and of course by the time we got called in he was acting totally fine. hahahahaha. We had one more major throw up the next night, but for the most part, he was ok. It was just a tummy bug which only lasted about 48 hours. Thank GOD! My poor baby boy. I hate when he's sick.

Yesterday when I picked him up, a little boy had pink eye. Joy. He woke up this morning with a runny nose. Yay. I'm praying he doesn't get. He needs a break. He had a blast yesterday though. He ate almost all of his lunch they said and had the best time out on the courtyard playing with the other kids. That makes me so happy. This is so good for him (and me).

He's now sitting in my lap playing on my iPad, so I need to make this quick.

More later!!

My love...

Wow...

It's  been a really really long time since I wrote a post. Needless to say, I've been busy, but I can't really use that as an excuse. I just haven't felt like blogging to be honest. It takes time and I always find myself being lazy when it comes to being on the computer. I'm always on Facebook, or playing with photo sites. I'm working on my picture taking skills.

Jacob is getting so big. I can't believe in just a few short months he will be a year old. I find myself getting really sad when I think about how fast it has gone, but then again, I realize how excited I am to watch him grow! It's amazing. He grows a little more each day.

He's learning to walk. He's 9 1/2 months. I'm thinking he will be walking in about a month or so. He's taken a few steps here and there, but crawling is much faster, so he prefers that. He still lets me feed him his bottles, which I adore. He actually prefers that I feed him. Lazy little one we have there. He knows how to hold his bottle, he would just rather have me do it, which I honestly don't mind, AT ALL.

We have new friends which is SO amazing. We were getting really lonely for awhile there. Our neighbors introduced us to Ashley and Ryder. Ryder is TWO days older than Jacob which is AMAZING! They like hanging out together and Ashley is the sweetest person I've ever met, so it's a bonus. We do something with them almost everyday. It's so nice to get out of the house. We were getting a little bored before we met them because we really didn't know any other stay at home mommies with babies around his age. Of course, I have Leslie! BUT, Marlie and Holt were sick for awhile, so we haven't seen them since February!! We can't wait to see them next week. We really miss them.

We started swim lessons this month. He wasn't too sure about it at first. He clung to me and rested his head on my shoulder the entire time. I'm not going to lie, I love when he does that, but I have to push him to do things and not keep him all to myself (darn it). He's finally starting to open up more and enjoy it. We plan on going for awhile. Daddy will be coming to visit this week to take pictures and to see how cute he is in the pool with all of his friends. Ryder, Lily, Canon and Deacon (all our friends) are in the same class.

He has two teeth now. His bottom teeth. Poor thing had a hard time with them. I couldn't figure out why he was so fussy for awhile. He would just scream. I finally felt his gums and felt them poking up and it all made sense. Poor thing. I didn't know what the heck was going on! No other teeth just yet and I'm just fine with them taking their time. If the other teeth are anything like the first two, I'm not looking forward to it.

We had to sleep train him a few weeks ago. Again. After teething, illnesses, and traveling, we started some really bad habits. He was waking up around 11 or midnight and I was bringing him into bed with me in the guest bedroom. While I loved sleeping next to him, it just wasn't safe anymore. Not to mention, we both weren't sleeping really well. I was worried about him falling off the bed (even with tons of pillows lining the edge) and he's a WILD sleeper! He's all over the place. So, we had to let him cry one night. It took 30 minutes, and then the next night he did about 15 minutes and after that....he turned into a sleeping angel! He's been sleeping 11-12 hours a night straight with the exception of one or two nights. It's pure heaven being able to sleep all night in my bed. I miss him dearly in the morning though and find myself staring at the monitor wishing him to wake up.

He's just getting over a virus which caused a horrible rash all over his body. He had a small fever for two days and the rash is just now going away after a week. Poor baby. The rash didn't seem to bother him too much, but it looked horrible.

We went to see the Easter Bunny this past week and he LOVED him!!! He had the biggest smile on his face the entire time. We got a really cute picture and ordered greeting cards and mailed them to the family. I'm so excited for tomorrow morning because we got him an amazing easter basket. I got him his favorite snacks, a toy phone, balls, a new outfit, new paci's, a toy truck, plastic eggs, a few bath toys and I think that's it? I can't wait for him to see it! We plan on going to the park tomorrow to hang out and get a few pictures at the Duck Pond. We miss our family on the holidays, so it will be nice to get out and think of something else.

We just moved him into 12 month sleepers! Ah! I can't believe it. He's still in size three diapers (Earth's Best). He still has a problem with food. I think it's his reflux, which is a WHOLE other blog post. I have to cut this short because we are going to relax in bed and watch a movie (with a nice glass of wine) while the little prince sleeps.

I plan to update more often. I don't want to forget any of this. Pictures tomorrow!

This is hard.

I never really knew how hard being a mom would be. No one every really warned me on that part. It wouldn't change anything, of course. I still love every single second of it, but it's hard. No one can really prepare you for the things you will go through. Sleep runs my life.

He is having a difficult time sleeping again. His naps are back to being bad. He will only sleep 30-40 minutes. And nighttime is back to being horrific again. He can't seem to put himself to sleep anymore and I don't get it. It has to be something I did. He can't go to sleep without someone (me) rocking or holding him. We've tried letting him cry, but he doesn't let up. He just gets louder and louder and I can't take it. It's so mean. I only last 15 minutes. I can't believe people let their children cry for hours. I don't have the heart. He doesn't understand. He doesn't know why he can't sleep. But how long do I do this? I know he would be happier if he could sleep better. Does he hurt? Is he teething? Gas? It's so hard to know what's going on. That's the main reason I won't let him cry. What if he NEEDS me?

Besides the sleep issues we have, he's such an amazing little boy. He makes my heart melt. I can't believe we got so lucky with such an amazing baby. He's so happy all the time. I kiss him to death all the time.

He's very ticklish! He has certain spots that are worse, like under his armpits, his legs right under his butt and his back. It's adorable to hear his little laugh and squeal. I can't believe he's almost 7 months old. Where is time going?

Sleep

Well, we didn't have to do the sleep training. He pretty much figured it out on his own. We stopped rushing in there the minute he made a peep, which I think is the biggest factor. We also stopped swaddling him last Friday and on Monday, he slept 10 1/2 hours! The next night he slept 11 1/2 hours. We pretty much had a great week. He stopped eating a lot during the day, so he woke up the last two days around 2am for a bottle and with a little struggle going back down he slept in until 8am. It's so nice. I feel like a new woman! He's also happier. It makes being his mommy that much better.

Yay for sleep!

Sleep training...

Ugh. I don't want to do it, but I think it needs to be done. He's waking up every hour at night needing someone to hold him and put him back to sleep. We hold him, put the paci back in, and then put him down and he's good. An hour later, we do it all over again. He needs to learn how to put himself to sleep and I'm not looking forward to it.

We had his six month appointment today. He weighs 17lbs, 8oz. That's a whole pound in one week, but I think it's because he had a wet diaper and he just ate 4oz right before we got there. That puts him in the 50th percentile. He is 27 1/2 inches long which puts him in the 80th percentile! And his head is 17 inches in the 50th percentile. He's growing great. His ear is better which is nice. She said he's working on his lower teeth which I already knew, but it could still take awhile for them to pop out. I hope it happens soon because I can tell they are really bothering him.

We told her about the sleep issues and she thinks he's playing us. Or using us rather. I totally agree. I know we created a monster. I knew that, but yet, I didn't do anything about it. I enjoy rocking him to sleep, but now we can't do that because it's really making things difficult. Nighttime is no fun here. Hearing him cry and wake up every hour is really wearing me thin. It takes all the fun out of being a mommy. He needs to learn how to sleep on his own.

We plan to let him cry, but I plan on checking on him. She suggested that I don't go in there, but I can't. I can't just let him think I've left him. I want him to know that I'm there. I won't pick him up and I won't make eye contact, but I plan on at least letting him know that mommy is there. Daddy can help too. I think we may start tonight, which I'm terrified about. Alex goes out of town tomorrow, so I will be left alone for the next two nights to attempt it alone. Ah! I don't know if I can do that. It may have to wait until he gets home.

A little behind...6 months!!??

Wow...I'm just a little behind. I got really mad at my blog and haven't been back since! All my blogs that I follow are gone! I'm so sad. I was trying to fix the layout because everything is at the bottom for some reason, but in my attempt to fix it, I lost a ton of stuff. BOO! Now I need to catch up on the last THREE months! So much has happened. Little man is six months old today. I feel like it was just yesterday that he was born.

Where to begin?!

We just got back a week ago today from spending 11 days in California for Christmas. It was amazing. Jacob was a dream on the plane. We had no issues at all. He didn't cry or fuss at all. I think people were amazed at how good he was. Uncle Jeff met us at the airport. We got in pretty late. It was around 9:30 p.m. there which was 11:30 for us. Needless to say, Jacob was really tired. Our luggage got caught on the carousal.  So it took a long time to get our bags which was a little annoying. Jeff tried to install the carseat that we sent, but he had some issues (which I don't blame him because it was a pain), so we had to re-install it before we could leave. At this point it was really late and we had a 30 minute drive ahead of us. Thank goodness for Baby Einstein! He started to fuss a little, but as soon as I put that on...he was good to go. We made it to Gido and Monique's house in no time. They said their hellos and we put him to bed. He thankfully slept really welll.

Our whole trip was a blur it went by way too fast. Every morning Jacob would wake up talking. It was the sweetest thing ever. Even if it was 5am. He would lay in bed between us and tell us all about his night. Then, at about 7am every morning, Jacob and Gido would hang out on the couch. Jacob would lay on Gido's tummy and continue to talk and tell him about everything. He really started to find his voice this last month (the screaming started too!). I think one of the things I miss the most is seeing Jacob with his Gido. The love that they share is amazing. To see how much Magdy loves Jacob melts my heart and makes me love him that much more.

We had an amazing Christmas Eve with the immediate family at Monique's house in Diamond Bar, which is where we ended up staying the whole time because the Laguna house was too cold. It worked out really well. Yan, Sheri, Ian, Olivia, Jacque, Uncle Jeff, and Uncle Chris were all there. It was nice to have it just the close family this year with the kids. Olivia and Jacob are only 3 days apart, so it was really cute to see them interact. For Christmas, we went over to Gido Salah's house. It was SO nice to see all of the family with Jacob. I can't tell you how many times my eyes filled with tears just seeing the love that everyone has for him. It's amazing. He was passed all around and did really well. He wasn't used to seeing this many people! By the end of the day though, he was ready to go home and relax. He took two naps in Sarah's room and did great! I was so happy that we didn't have to swaddle him. He slept his normal 30 minute naps. It was really nice.

On the 26th, we drove down to Laguna Beach and he got to see the ocean for the first time. It was so sweet to see his face. He was intrigued. At one point, we sat him down in the sand. We were all taking pictures and not really paying any attention to anything when the tide came up and got us!! Thankfully daddy came to the rescue and pulled Jacob up. He only got a little wet on his lags. Poor daddy got drenched. It was pretty funny. Jacob wasn't even phased by any of it. He was as calm as a clam. After we threw everything in the dryer, we went to lunch at this amazing little Mexican restaurant around the corner. Jacob just sat in his (new) stroller and played with his toys while we ate.

We tried to see as many friends as we could while we were there. He met, Rick, Brandon, Matt Hull, Amanda and their three sweet girls, Augie, Kelleen and her sister Tiffany...and? I think that's it? We went to Emily and Pete's for New Years Eve and had a really nice time. We played games, ate, and just relaxed. Jacob woke up at 11:57, right before we counted down. Thankfully he didn't wake up screaming, so we were able to ring in the new year with hugs and kisses. Right after, I tried to get him back to sleep, but it was difficult, so I didn't get to hang out anymore.

It was an amazing and FAST trip. We were able to visit his great grandparents at Forest Lawn briefly. It was raining, so we didn't get to spend much time there. The best part about the whole trip was seeing him with the family and most importantly Gido and his Nana! He loves his Nana so much, and thankfully got to see her twice while we were there. It's so neat to see my mom with him and the amount of love that she has for him. I wish my dad was here to see it. I know he would love him to pieces.

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We've been dealing with a lot of issues with poor Jacob. At one point we thought he had an intolerance to milk protein, so in October, I cut all dairy out of my diet. Then shortly after that I thought  maybe soy was causing problems, so I cut that out of my diet. We saw little change. He was still having random bouts of blood in his stools. He also had a lot of mucus which wasn't seeming to get any better. We took him to the GI specialist in Lubbock because things weren't getting better with that and his reflux. The doctor did a blood test and apparently he doesn't have a problem with milk protein, but as soon as I started eating it again he had some problems with his stools again.

On Monday, January 3rd, the day after we got back into town, I took him to the doctor to learn he had ANOTHER ear infection (this is his second one now), and was told that I need to stop breastfeeding again. This is the third doctor that told me I needed to stop because they all think his problems are due to my milk. I was devastated. I've tried everything to keep breastfeeding him and I had to stop. So, I stopped. As soon as we got home I prepared myself. I made formula and attempted to feed him. It was the worst day of my life. He didn't eat for 12 hours and just screamed. He looked at me with this horribly sad face. He didn't understand why I wasn't feeding him. We both just cried all day. Then, that night, he finally took the bottle and ever since then...he's been taking it. I'm still really sad and miss it terribly. I was hoping to continue if I didn't see any changes from the formula, but my supply is going away very fast. Even if I wanted to continue to breastfeed, I don't think I would be able to.

His sleeping is back to being really horrible. The last few nights he's waking up after 40 minutes, screaming. Nothing keeps him asleep longer. I think it might be the antibiotics messing with his tummy. I'm hoping that as soon as he's done with them he gets better. We have an endoscopy scheduled for the 19th of this month for him and I've been hoping and praying that the formula makes him all better and we don't have to do it, but I have a feeling we will. His reflux is still pretty bad, even on the prilosec and the CCM (caracream max). Seeing uncomfortable and in pain is the worst thing in the world. I wish I could take it away. The lack of sleep for me is ok...I just want HIM to get rest.

Here are a few things you are up to, my love:

- You are in size 3 diapers. We are still using Earth's Best diapers. You used to be in Seventh Generation, but we switched awhile back.

- At your last doctor's appointment, on January 3rd, you weighed 16lbs and 8oz. You are growing like a little weed. We can't wait to find out how long you are at your 6 month appointment tomorrow. Not very excited about the shots though!

- You are teething really bad! You put everything in your mouth and drool like crazy. I really think you might get your first tooth soon. You love your Tigger toy that daddy got you. You also really love your vibrating teething toy. Anything that feels good on your gums, you love.

- You started sitting up all by yourself on December 29th, in California!

- You are on Allimentum formula. It stinks, but you seem to take to it really well. I know you miss nursing though, and mommy does too. You eat about 4oz every three hours. At night you can go 6-8 hours before you need to eat again and then in the morning you will eat about 6oz.

- In the last month you started solids. You have had cereal, squash and green beans. You really didn't like the squash at first, but you love it now. I think green beans are your favorite though. You didn't even make a face the first time I gave them to you and you kept opening your mouth for more. I couldn't get it in fast enough! Your first taste of cereal was on November 23rd. You were 19 weeks and 4 days old.

- You had your first long car ride. We drove 4 1/2 hours to Granbury, Texas for Thanksgiving weekend. We went to Bryan and Dawn's lake house. You did really well most of the drive, but by the end, you were done! Mommy had to sing "Where is Thumbkin" and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" about a million times just to get you to calm down. You love those songs!

- You had your first plane ride when you were 15 weeks old and 5 days (October 27th). We went to California while daddy went to Vegas. We stayed with Emily and Gracie-Rose. You were such a good boy!

- You rolled over for the first time at 18 weeks (November 12th). You will only sometimes roll over. Being on your tummy isn't your favorite thing these days. You only last a little bit before we have to turn you onto your back or now, sitting up.

- You LOVE LOVE LOVE to bouce! You play in your Jumperoo a lot.

- You love watching Baby Einstein. Grandma Tawylia bought you a lot more DVD's for Christmas along with Your Baby Can Read which we just started you on yesterday. You seemed to really like it.  You talked and screamed during the whole thing.

- You are always smiling at us. You love your daddy so much!

- As soon as you hear our voices, you turn to see who is talking. I think you are even started to learn your name.

- You started to take a paci to go to sleep now since you can't nurse to sleep. That's the only time you will take it though. As soon as I swaddle you, turn on your white noice and pop the paci in, you are almost out.

- You love to watch the cats walk around. You will stop whatever you are doing to watch them walk by and then will go back to whatever it was you were doing. 

-  You love to stand up with our help. You can even stand holding on to something. I let you stand up with your toy and you did great!

- We started a new tradition. Grandma Tawylia got a Christmas tree for your room and every year the grandparents are going to buy you a Christmas ornament to put on your tree.

- You are still on a schedule during the day. You are awake for 2 hours now instead of an hour and a half (sometimes you last about 2 1/2 hours) and then you go for a nap. You wake up at about 7am every morning for the day. We hang out with Daddy before he has to go to work and just play a little. After your first morning nap you watch Baby Einstein and then you have your cereal.

- You only nap for about 30 minutes. While in California, you started to take a long morning nap. You sometimes do that still, but it depends on how your night went.

You're amazing Jacob. Mommy and Daddy love you more with each passing minute. We really don't know what we did without you and couldn't imagine a life without you in it. You make 5am on a Sunday amazing. I never thought I would say that! I can't believe how fast you are growing up!!!