Simons 1st christmas

Sparkling Snowflakes Christmas

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Today, we say goodbye to a good friend

Well, they say good things must come to an end..and so today, we say goodbye to Simon's best friend, Mr. Swing. Yep, new batteries won't even fix it. We have run that swing so much it just can't go any longer. With that being said, let me tell you something a bit ironic. Three nights ago I had the strength, finally, to put Simon in his bed, awake, to start the self soothing process. He slept until 2am the next morning, not all night, but hey, it's a start. After he wakes up now in the night, we've been feeding him and putting him in his swing, just so we can all sleep peacefully for a few more hours. I'm saddened to say tonight will be much different. After he wakes, there will be no more Mr. Swing. Please pray for all of us as we transition him to strictly bed. This may just get the best of us all.

Daddy Daycare

When times are tough, you hunker down and face the challenge. This post is going to be about my amazing husband/partner in life, David. If you had asked me when I met this guy, if I would ever consider him stay at home daddy material, I may have laughed in your face. Not because he's unfit, or because I didn't have faith, but because David is a man who needs a challenge and constant change. He gets bored with routine and LOVES outdoors. Well, the inevitable has happened and David is staying home, raising our son. There really isn't a need for the why's and how's of this decision we've made, there is only deep appreciation that runs through my soul. I know it's more common for dads to stay home now, but David has exceeded any expectation I could have possibly ever had. He's just perfect with him and knowing Simon is home with him, makes work so much easier for me. There are a lot of moms out there who have to take their children to daycare, and for some, it's very difficult. Not one day have I ever been anxious about leaving for work, or have I had a panic attack about dropping him off with someone I barely know. I really am fortunate that right now, he's in his daddy's arms, safe and loved all day.
I get a little teary eyed thinking about this. I'm not sad, but overjoyed that God has blessed me with the opportunity to have such a wonderful husband who took the challenge and embraces every day. I'm sure he gets bored, and I'm sure there are some days where he gets cabin fever, but not one time have I ever heard him complain. I see the way David looks at Simon, and it's just breathtaking to see the bond they have built already. No, he doesn't get his hands dirty by working outdoors. No, he doesn't get tired from working on his feet all day. No, he doesn't get bored sitting at a desk. Yes, he gets his hands dirty with diapers, gets tired from running Simon in the stroller (when he's fussy), and gets bored from being in this house too much sometimes but he does it all with a smile on his face, and for that, I fall in love with him even more everyday.

I did say in an earlier post that I'm not a writer. Half the time I don't make sense and most of the time, I'm terrible at leaving important details out. I just wanted you all to know how much I appreciate my husband, the father of my son.

S is for Simon and Similac!

I told you I'm terrible at this. I believe it's almost been a week since I've written. The past few days have been wonderful (i love weekends) and nothing much has happened on the home front. Simon is trying to hold his own bottle and yep, still sleeping in his swing. This morning, after he had breakfast, he started yelling. Not unhappy yelling, but smiling yelling. I think he's found a new noise to make and it's pretty adorable. He's not sitting up on his own, but he is able to hold his head up, so I just had to try...

Yep, he's finally able to sit in his boppy. It seems to be a tight squeeze, especially after he eats (little buddha belly) but it works for now!
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Brianne and Christy came to see him today. They brought him his first pumpkin. I must say, for a tiny pumpkin, I was impressed...way to go, David and Brianne!
Simon with his pumpkin, in his pumpkin pj's.

Simon and Brianne lounging on the couch:

 

Okay, so Simon is a bit of a snob when it comes to formula. Yes, I did try to breastfeed, but that was about as successful as me trying to do math - it just didn't work. This really should be a separate post because I could go on about how long it took us to finally find a formula that worked, but I'll keep it short. After at least a month of searching and trying different types, David and I finally found Similac Soy, ready to feed liquid. Can I say THANK YOU to Similac for this formula! This made all of our lives ten times better, and when Si is happy, we are happy. For some reason the powder made him spit up but the ready feed doesn't. Just so you know, one ready feed bottle lasts him a day. This is what my kitchen hutch is filled with for now :

21 bottles of ready feed soy, 21 days of food! That's all I'll say about this for now.

3 months and growing...

Today, Simon turned three months old. Just three months ago he came into this world, and just three months ago I fell in love with him. It seems time goes by much quicker after you have a baby.

I don't know about you, but I thoroughly enjoy lazy Sundays, so today, we did just that. Simon had a visit from his Gigi and Jab - they gave him his first bible. It's an adorable blue precious moments bible with his name engraved. I'm so glad he has his very own bible now - we are going to read a lot from this book!

Donavon was with us this weekend so he and David took off for an afternoon of wood exploration. This was the perfect time for a long afternoon nap with my sweet boy. I had a video to upload of him talking and cooing but the computer just didn't want to upload it. I'll try posting another video soon.

Simon looked at himself in the mirror today and smiled - that's a first! I've also noticed how much he's started drooling lately... Happy three months, my favorite little boy - mommy loves you.

Slumber Party

So yesterday afternoon, David packed up and headed to Tallahassee, FL for the evening. Their band had a show at Floyd's. Obviously Simon isn't allowed in bars nor did I want to tackle the 5 hour drive with a 3 month old, so we stayed home. He spent a good portion of his day away from David so I was a bit worried how he would be but for the most part, he was just perfect! He stays home with his daddy everyday and boy have they become buddies!
At 7pm last night Simon was ready for bed, but I knew if he went to sleep that early, he'd wake up even earlier. We played around a bit and by the time 8:30 came around, I just couldn't fight him anymore. I fed him - a whopping 7 ounces - and put him to bed at 9pm. That little monkey slept until 6am, we ate together and by 6:30am, we were back to sleep. 8:20am he was up for the morning....oh how i LOVE my little sleeper! Have I mentioned he'll only sleep in his swing....

An attempt

If any of you know me, then you know I'm not a writer. This is my personal attempt to change my outlook on writing so that one day, Simon can enjoy a book of his own personal story.

I'm starting this a little late, he's already 3 months old (almost) so in my attempt, I'll catch up on things he's already accomplished.

Simon came into this world on July 2, 2011 via c-section. He was only 11 days early and due to steroid shots I'd had previously, everything was fine, no NICU needed. He was 8lbs, 19 inches of pure perfection! (pics will come later.) We spent a lot of time bonding those first few days and my arms quickly became his favorite spot. By the time we got him home, he'd decided that's where he wanted to sleep the most - and boy did I let him! The weeks flew by and before I knew it, he was six weeks old, eight weeks old, ten weeks old and at eleven weeks, Mommy returned back to work. I must admit those first few days back to work were nice. I'd spent a lot of time with him and needed a bit of a break - don't be afraid to admit you need breaks - but by day four, I was saddened every time I left for work. There is no telling how much I've already missed out on by not being with him everyday and have realized how much I took for granted while I was home with him.

Enough with the sap, Simon sleeps great at night (with the help of four D batteries and constant motion). We usually put him down around 9pm and he'll sleep at least six or seven hours at a time. We truly have been blessed with a great sleeper at such a young age. I'll get back to you on his sleeping habits once he's no longer moving all night.

I noticed early on his smiles during sleeping. All the books said it was smiles from using the bathroom or something he was possibly dreaming about. By 7 1/2 weeks, he was smiling, awake, and at 8 weeks, he laughed out loud for the first time in his sleep.

Very early on he was trying to hold his head up. I believe, in fact, before we left the hospital he was already trying to hold it up himself. He's able to hold it up for the most part now and enjoys tummy time. His favorite talking spot is in his bouncy seat. He stares at the purple hippo and talks and smiles until he's sleepy.

I'll post pics to go along with this later on. Until we meet again...