Hunter's 1 Year Update! (At 13.5 Months!)

So this is obviously late if you couldn't tell by the title... Haha! Oops.. So neglectful... But here I am now.... Determined to finish this post to round up the first year of Hunter's updates! I stopped doing monthly updates after 9 months because everything seemed to be about the same!

Height/Weight:

He weighed 24 lbs at his 1 year appointment. I don't think she told me his height, because I can't seem to come up with a number... We did measure him on the wall, but that's in his room, and he is currently sleeping in there.... & since I'm determined to finish this post tonight, we're just going to have to scratch the height.

Routine:

We don't really have too much of a routine... It's been basically the same thing for a few months now. He wakes up somewhere between 7am-8am and we usually take it pretty easy... Have some snacks, watch the Wiggles... Then a nap somewhere in the late morning, early afternoon. Then play, lunch, play, snacks.. The typical things you would do with a 1 year old I guess! Lots of playing outside since we've been spoiled with good weather the whole year! The one part of our day that's always the same is the evening when I start cooking dinner. Dinner at 6pm, bath RIGHT after because #MessyBaby. Then we hang out and play until bedtime at 8pm!

Sleeping:

He wakes up between 7-8am.. He'll have 1, maybe 2 naps a day. If he has a second nap, he's usually [obviously] harder to put down at bed time... but if he doesn't take that second nap.. Holy moly watch out. He goes to bed for the night at 8pm. Then usually comes into bed with me somewhere after midnight. I'll nurse him back to sleep & then he'll usually only wake up 1 more time before the morning to breastfeed. 

Eating/Feeding:

He likes to graze throughout the day... It's easier to give him snacks then it is to sit him down and try give him a meal, except for dinner. We'll usually start the morning with yogurt and frozen berries + chia seeds, which I help him eat because that's not a mess I want to clean up first thing in the morning haha! I'll sometimes sit him in his high chair for lunch, which is usually leftovers, or a mix of random fruits, veggies, cheese, bread, etc. Some of his favourite snacks/foods are: yogurt & frozen berries, together or separate. He's obsessed. He also loves marble or mozza cheese, pickles, peas, bagels, bread, spaghetti, & tacos to name a few! Oh and he breastfeeds like 938759237652 times a day. 

Sizes:

I'm literally just about to pack up his 9 month onesies. Hahaha! His shirts and sleepers are anywhere from 12-24 months... But I'm about to clear out the smaller sizes and so more shopping in bigger sizes. His pants are definitely smaller, probably 12-18 months at most.

Milestones:
He says so many words! (Mum mum, dada, tweet tweet, hot-hot-hot <--mommy's coffee, tickle tickle, yummy yummy, probably some more but that's all I can remember for now)
He's been walking/running around since he was 9 months old.
He has 8 teeth and I think his molars are trying to come in because ho wa! #TeethingIsAnAsshole
He also got his first haircut! Cut by me!

 ^^Blurry, but oh my goodness... Look at that precious little face!

 

 

^^The day of his first birthday! My handsome boy!

^^His first time bathing in the sink before his first hair cut!!

^^Not so bad right?? Such a big boy!

Hunter's 9 Month Update!

Height/Weight:

The last time we weighed him, maybe a week ago, he was 23 lbs! 

I haven't tried measuring him, so I don't know how tall he is. 

Routine: 

You can put an "ish" after all these times... Nothing is ever at a specific time, but this is a pretty close estimate. Oh and there's breastfeeding in-between everything whenever he wants to nurse.

8am: Wake up, change diaper, make coffee, sweep & play

10am: Breakfast.. We used to do breakfast closer to when we would wake up, but I found he just didn't have the patience to wait for me to cook, and then he would barely eat... I think he needed to work up more of an appetite. 

11am: Change clothes, then nap

1:30pm: Lunch

If we do anything for the day, after lunch is our prime time of the day to go out. He's usually the happiest & most patient in the early afternoon!

3pm: Nap

5pm: I start making dinner

5:30pm: Potential nap. This nap is a hit and miss. He is always SO tired around this time but always refuses to go down for a sleep. If he does, he only naps for about 20 minutes... but those 20 minutes make all the difference. 

6pm: Eat dinner

6:45pm: Bath, jammies + read books and play. 

While Hunter's in the tub, Bo watches him while I quickly sweep the kitchen and living room.

8:00pm: Daddy takes Hunter to bed. 

Mommy then gets to clean the kitchen, do dishes, pick up all Hunter's books and toys, etc. 

9:30pm: Hunter has been waking up about an hour after he falls asleep for the night. Dad will go in and bounce him back to sleep & then he'll sleep for 2-3 hours. 

12am: Wakes up & then comes to bed with mom and dad & dream feeds all night :) 

Sleeping: 

There really hasn't been much change in the sleep department. He goes to bed at the same time every night and wakes up every 2-3 hours to dream feed. He takes 2 sometimes 3 naps a day. 

Eating/Feeding:

He breastfeeds probably 4-7 times a day. It changes depending on many factors.... His mood, teething, how much solids he's had, etc. 

I try to give him breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Sometimes we skip lunch. Sometimes we just have small snacks all day. It really just depends on what we have, or what/when I'm eating. 

Some of his favourite things to eat is pasta, any kind of meat, butternut squash and yogurt.. Oh and he stole my pizza crust right out of my hand the other day, and he seemed to really enjoy it. Haha!

Sizes:

His clothing sizes are still kind of all over the place. I would say he's mainly in 12 months.  

Size 4 diapers.

Milestones:

*He started walking TODAY! It was so amazing! Head over to my Facebook to see the quick video!

*He has cut his 2 top teeth! Which brings him to a grand total of 4 teeth! 

*We got to experience his first Christmas! Ah! Words cant describe how great it was. Christmas morning was so exciting!! 

^^ "Look mom! I'm planking!"

^^^ Hunter's face in this one absolutely killlllsss me! So funny!

^^^ Here's how this month's update photo went. It's a miracle I got what I did! Lol!

Hunter's 7 Month Update!

 

Height/Weight:

Not too sure about height, as we won't have an appointment until 9 months, & I don't want to try measure myself because he's never willing to lay still haha! We just weighed him the other day and he's 20lbs!

Routine:
This is an approximate time of his schedule. Times will vary, but it's usually somewhere around these times! His naps are like, maximum 1 hour. They usually tend to be around 40 mins.
7am: Breastfeeds himself awake
8am: Breakfast - Baby oatmeal with fruit 
9:30am: Nap
10:30am: Wake up & breastfeed
11:30am: This nap is a hit or miss and usually sets the tone of the day haha! He used to always take his 2 morning naps close together but then he started kind of phase it out & push it until the afternoon. It seems like it's coming back now.. We'll see.
12:30pm: Wake up & breastfeed
1:00pm: Lunch - 2 cubes of puree. I like to do something like fruit with quinoa or chia seeds, or a protein that isn't meat, like chick peas or black beans. 
3:00pm: Nap
4:00pm: Wake up & breastfeed 
5:00pm: Dinner - I like to give him a meat & sweet potato puree or another protein, then a veggie or veggie/fruit combo for dessert. 
6:00pm: Bath time
6:30pm: Play and read like 10-15 books before we lay him down for the night. No joke, he loves reading. 
7:30pm-8:00pm: Bed time
Then he wakes up maybe 4 times before morning to dream feed!

Just hanging out, watching 101 Dalmatians

Sleeping:
Well, were back to somewhat of a schedule. He had a week where everything was sooooo messed up, sleep wise. We had a night where he was wide awake at 3am & waking up for the day at 5am some other mornings. Gah it was terrible terrible terrible. 
Now were back to about the same schedule as before. Waking up at 7am for the day, 3 naps, then down for the night at about 8pm. 
I still bring him into my bed when he wakes up for the first or second time after he's gone down for the night, but when he wakes up to nurse around 5am, I usually bring him back to his crib. He doesn't seem to want to go back to sleep in my bed at that time, but if I put him in his crib, he'll pass right out! It's kind of nice, but it's also a little frustrating because I tend to stay awake and not fall back asleep for a long time!
One day, we'll get a good system going that we both like. Maybe one day he'll even sleep through the night, in his crib! Haha.. Wishful thinking. 

We were having a rough day & Bo took over so I could shower... When I came out of the shower, this is what I saw. 

This literally never happens. It's so extremely rare that he falls asleep on me like this. I think it's happened maybe 3 times since he was a newborn.

Eating/Feeding:

He still breastfeeds every time he wakes up from a nap, and sometimes before he goes down for a nap. He usually only does that if he's missed a nap and has been awake for a long time. He nurses probably 4 times a night still too. 
I have a huge stock of bagged homemade purees that I froze in ice cube trays. Fruits, veggies, grains, proteins. It's quite a nice variety I'd say! He loves fruit, obviously... But he'll literally eat anything I give him. I made him a black bean/avocado puree with chill powder, cumin, and garlic, & I thought "he is going to hate this", but he gobbled it all up! 
I always breastfeed before I give him solids.
I'll give him 2 cubes of fruit mixed with baby oatmeal in the morning.
Then 2-3 cubes of something for lunch. I'll usually try do veggies mixed with fruit, or a fruit & grain or bean puree. 
Then he has 2 cubes of meat or some other protein for dinner and then 2 cubes of veg or fruit puree for "dessert". 
*He's also done baby led with chicken parm, toast, banana, apple and pasta!

Sizes:

For clothing he is anywhere between 6 months and 12 months.
He's in size 4 diapers.

Milestones:
HE TOOK HIS FIRST STEP!
He has also grown 2 teeth so far!
He's also learned how to flip pages in a book.
He knows to sit down when I tell him to sit down. [Always when he's in the tub! Little monkey!]

He also had his first Halloween! My second favourite holiday :)

What I've Learned In The First 6 Months Of Motherhood!

The journey through motherhood continues! Do I even have to say that I can't believe I have a 6 month old baby? I think it's a given that his age is always going to come as a shock to me haha!

So lets just jump into it! 

1. Sleep training is frikkin HARD, but it is so worth it. 

2. It is so incredible when your baby learns something. Hunter learned to lift the flaps in his flap book & I cried. 

3. The very first solid food brings a crazy mix of emotions. 

"Is he going to want to stop breast-feeding?" 

"Is he going to choke on this?!" 

"Is he eating enough?" 

"Omg he loves it!"

4. Having said all that, you're still going to be second guessing yourself. 6 months in, I thought things would be a bit easier, but I constantly second guess myself & am always pondering the millions of decisions that I face regarding my child. A mother always only wants whats best for her child, and the answers don't always fall in your lap. 

5. Once they learn how to crawl, that's it. There's no turning back. What has been learned, cannot be unlearned. Prepare to re-organize your living areas. 

6. Teething is the biggest asshole. If you're lucky enough to have a baby who breezes through teething... Keep that information to yourself because my baby is the complete opposite & it's hard. It's so rough on him. Rosy cheeks, sore gums, irregular sleep... Gah!

7. You may have had plans to make all your baby's food... or do baby led weaning.. or do this.... or do that.. If you stick to your original plan, wow.. good for you! Haha! I on the other hand, have mixed it all up! I said I wouldn't give him cereal. Well guess who eats baby oatmeal or ancient grain cereal every morning! Ive done a bit of baby led and a bunch of puree. I've made my own, I've bought the jars. Do what YOU want and feel comfortable with & what works for your baby! 

8. Changing diapers gets interesting when you're baby is trying to twist and turn and roll over and crawl away. By interesting, I mean annoying. 

9. This is SUCH a fun stage. Learning your baby's ever developing personality is the funnest thing! You see what makes them laugh, and they make you laugh. You can play together and watch their reactions. Seriously. So fun! 

10. The love is unreal. Especially when they can give you hugs and kisses now. A kiss from your 6 month old baby is definitely on the Top 5 Cutest Things in the World list. When they put their hands on your cheeks and open those slobbery mouths and attack your face... Melt my HEART!!! 

Perfection.

Click on the following links to see my previous blog posts!

What I've Learned in the First 5 Weeks of Motherhood!

What I've Learned About Pregnancy!