Monthly Update

Cooper is 5 months old! 

He is still so mellow, sweet, cuddly, and just pure joy. Someone at the daycare still tells us how wonderful he is on a weekly basis. 

He had his first ear infection in the last month. It was discovered at his 4 month check up. He was unable to get his shots because of it, and since that appt was a couple weeks behind and required 2 weeks of antibiotics before re-checking ears, we have 5 month stats too. 

We have no trouble putting him to sleep at night. He gets a bottle and is laid down in a drowsy state, return 5 minutes later and voila, he's out. We are getting into a pretty routine sleeping pattern of 8:30pm to 6-7am, and then he will go back to sleep almost always. He is still in the rock n' play right now, but we might try to move the crib soon. Acid reflux will either let that happen or say it's too soon. 

Drew's mother says Cooper rolled over when she was watching him one day. We have yet to see this. At this point, Griffin was already rolling with ease. He has definitely found his hands recently (see photos) but seems to be taking his time on "milestones".

Height: 26" - 65th percentile

Weight: 14lbs 4 oz - 16th percentile

Head: 42.75cm - 45th percentile (hard to belive, because his head looks big!)

Diaper size: 2

Clothing size: 6 months

Likes: baths, Griffin (more like LOVES), being tickled, conversations, 

Dislikes: loud noises, getting shots

Griffin begged to be involved

Griffin gets smarter by the minute. I feel like I say the same things about him each month. Just when I think he couldn't get any wittier, active, ornery, etc.....he does. 

He is sooooooo loving to Cooper. He enjoys how Cooper interacts with him and lights up/smiles/laughs anytime he looks his way. Griffin will spend 15 minutes talking to him or entertaining. They are "going to be best buds". 

Griffin is super loving in general. I'm currently fighting a head cold. He assured me last night that he would make me feel alllllll better and wanted to know where I hurt. Drew had been traveling this week, and when I told him I didn't think I could read all 3 of his nightly books to him, he quickly problem solved and said that he would read to me. So sweet. 

I wish I could record every moment of the day with him. He is constantly saying something too funny or challenging us to stay focused during a serious discussion or disciplinary situation. 

This month's photos just HAD to include his "muffs". 

Happy Anniversary/Memorial Day Weekend

Drew and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary by taking our first big trip away without Griffin. We chose Dallas/Ft. Worth since I had never been and it was just a "short" 8 hour drive. Drew would prefer to drive anywhere, and I like seeing the country so that works out. The only draw back is that Oklahoma and Texas aren't very exciting looking. I'm nervous about my upcoming flight out to see Shasta without my two guys, but I realized on this trip.......the odds of having a fatal car crash in 16 hours worth of driving are much higher than trouble with 5 hours of flights. I'm feeling much better about that. 

We left Friday evening and finally stopped in McAlester, OK. The next day I convinced Drew to make a small detour to the current city where Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert live, Tishomingo. She opened a store there last fall (genius marketing strategy) and I was the sucker that paid $30 for a t-shirt. 

drink created by Miranda - carbonated water with cherry and vanilla flavoring, yum!

Our first stop in Dallas was Dealey Plaza. One of my high school history teachers was slightly obsessed with the assassination of JFK (it took place here) and I had decided if I ever made it to the big D I would have to go check it out. We did not wait in line to go up in the old Texas Schoolbook Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly shot him from. The line was snaked back and forth 37 times. We did however walk around and take all the touristy photos. Super cool. 

deep in the heart of Texas.....

*tear*

we'll have to go up to the museum on another visit

Lee Harvey Oswald was sitting in the second window from the top
........far right side of the building on the left
I'm standing where the car was

X marks the spot of the President's car at the moment of shot #2

in case you couldn't find it......

We made our way to our hotel in the historic Stockyards district of Ft. Worth, and quickly got busy walking and seeing all it had to offer. Highlights from the weekend include:

across the street from the hotel

yes, that's cow skin furniture

mooooo

"because that's what I am", says Drew

our window is the 1 you can see after 'Yards'

Stockyards Rodeo

pretty cool pic for a cell phone

daily cattle drive happens at 11:30am and 4:00pm

people pay for this.....

Cowtown Colliseum, home of the first indoor rodeo and the one we saw

took a lot of convincing to get Drew to wrestle a bull

....it got the best of him

anniversary dinner that was $$$.$$

last night at the dueling piano bar

We had a great time but were definitely ready to get home to Griffin. That kid has changed us completely.

Tubes

At Griffin's last appointment with his pediatrician it was decision time on whether Griffin needed to see the Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. At that time he did not have an ear infection but still had fluid on both sides. Dr. Sponenberg decided he had went through enough trouble and made us an appointment to discuss getting tubes in his ears (what are tubes?). We had our consultation where they decided that he did need tubes and scheduled us for the surgery. This past Sunday we were back at urgent care and discovered Griffin had developed another ear infection. Based on the way he was acting, it seemed like his worst one yet. 


Flash forward to today.........Griffin now has tubes! 


Our arrival time was 6:55am at the surgery center so we had to leave our house by 5:15am. I was a little nervous about how Griffin would handle that since he wasn't allowed anything to eat or drink until after we were done. All of the commotion did wake him but he was asleep again 20 miles down the road. The actual surgery only took about 5 minutes once we were done with paperwork, seeing Dr. Allphin and anesthesiologist, and getting all of our instructions. 


Griffin is definitely cranky like they said he would be and not having breakfast when he wanted was heartbreaking to him. I don't think he could have waiting one more minute this morning. He was really upset afterward which they said was normal but he finally settled down. I'm crossing my fingers that he wakes up from this nap he is taking now in a much better mood. Also hoping that this will really help in all aspects of his life like they said.....speech, hearing, of course ear infections. I guess time will tell!

Bring on the warm weather.....

We've had an exciting week. Our highest temperature yet was taken, coming in at 103.1 degrees. That prompted a trip to the doctor's office and the result......add a double ear infection to the pneumonia we are fighting! I guess our pediatrician decided we weren't messing around anymore; Griffin is on so much medicine (including breathing treatments for the first time) that he is wound for sound! It's nearly impossible to get him to take a nap. He would rather work up a sweat jumping in the exersaucer/screaming/breathing fast/shaking when grabbing something. I'm blaming it on the steroids. We have a follow up tomorrow morning. 


Tooth #2 is coming in and about to catch up with #1. This is my best attempt at a photo of them both:

Griffin has also decided he needs to try to stand up at all times. I caught him standing in his crib one day when he was supposed to be taking a nap. It's no longer safe to put him in the crib and expect him to lay there. When he is quiet he is plotting and planning a way out, or at least a way to get up and then slip and fall hitting his face somewhere on the way down.

Hold still Aunt Tammy, I'm trying to stand up

He is also learning how to make the kiss sound. Or picking up on it I guess, since I haven't really tried to teach him. I guess he just hears it so much that he's figured out how to do it himself. It's quite funny to get in these "kissing wars" with him where you take turns making the sound. 

It seems there is always something new and exciting happening!