11 Months Old

It has been a crazy month to say the least.  After ten years of struggling with random vertigo attacks as a result of Meniere's disease, I decided to have surgery to have the balance center of my left ear removed (labyrinthectomy) along with it's remaining hearing.  Although I've been reading about the surgery for over five years and talked to several doctors about it, recovery has been more challenging than I could have imagined.  I immediately woke with severe vertigo (expected) and it has not totally subsided now over a week out (not expected).  The nausea is much better and I've now gone over a week without meds for it as well as for pain.  (I think I could work on a fishing boat now)  I've had to learn to balance (sit up, stand, walk) all over again and luckily I see improvements every day.  I have to push myself to do things and just pray that doing more helps and soon this will all be a distant memory.  I've had a great support around me.  My in-laws have helped with the kids.  My parents stayed some at the hospital and my Mom has been staying with me while Jordan works.  We've had our class at church bringing meals and several ministers visited us in the hospital.  Lot's of prayers and messages of encouragement.  In the midst of all of this, our little guy turned 11 months!  I took me a few days to muster the courage to stand on a chair to take his monthly picture, so here is his update just a little bit late.

Miles grew so much while I was in the hospital!  I pumped and he took bottles while I was away and really stepped up eating solids.  He loves everything!  I know it won't last, but he will eat anything you give him, veggies and all.  He is walking around furniture and standing on his own for little bits.  He's a crazy fast crawler and loves to get into things he's not supposed to like the books on the bookshelf, the doggy door, the toilet, and the dog bowl.  He has quite the loud squeal (amped up for my loss of hearing in one ear).  He now says "bye, bye" and can wave, clap, and pull his brothers hair really well!  He's a happy guy who will give a smile to anyone who shows him attention!  He likes being outside in the sandbox and LOVES water.  He went for his first "swim" last week in the kiddie pool Jordan bought over the weekend and loved it. 

Miles Nursery

It took me six months to finish Rylin's nursery.  You may remember it from here.  It seems the owl and woodland theme really took off since then. (I won't claim to have started it, but at least I had to be on the cusp!)  Well, we'd all had enough of it here in this house so I was excited to reinvent the room with a new baby.  Since we didn't find out the sex, I decided to hold off on decorating and instead plan two different nurseries, one for a boy and one for a girl, and then execute the one that was decided on delivery day.

So ten months later (yes, I'm slower with two kids), Miles finally has his nursery.  Though he's not really sleeping in it short of the occasional cat nap, we do enjoy playing in it and he does get his diaper changed there.  It's also still our guest room, so it gets plenty of use.

The scenic print I painted on a drop cloth was the last addition to the room.

I made art for over the crib and the Camp Miles sign was made by my cousin for Mile's shower from a log cut from the tree in my yard growing up.

The fabric for the sheet was the first thing I purchased for the room.  It has cute little canned ham campers, fox and bears, and a river with canoes.

 

I used salvaged drawers from on old kitchen my dad remodeled as wall shelves and backed them with topographic maps of Colorado.  They hold books, trinkets, and a few vintage toys.

The log side table my Dad made and the vintage rocker are still favorites from Rylin's nursery.  My Mom found the canoe lamp at a thrift store and I added a new shade.

I used the mobile from the old nursery and added 50's travel post cards that fit the colors of the room perfectly.  I love that some of them actually have writing on them about someones vacation.  I used an old galvanized bucket I had for storing his stuffed animals.

I saw this cool idea on Pinterest for making your curtain rod pull double duty as a shelf.  A few shelf brackets, and a handy husband put it together for me.  It holds little thrift store finds and Miles blocks.  The curtains were a full sheet from the Company Store that I hardly had to alter to make them fit.

10 Months Old!

Miles was ten months old on Easter!  He is really growing so fast and learning new things all the time it seems.  He crawls everywhere, pulls up on just about anything and is starting to cruise around furniture.  He eats like a champ and meats are his favorite followed closely by sweet potato fries!  He has just started waving and says Momma and Daddy along with a lot of other really loud sounds.  He is smiling 99% of the time and such a sweet natured kiddo.  He is a Mommas boy but loves it when Daddy gets home and cries when big brother gets put into time out.  He still loves baths and the dogs water bowl and I'm sure swimming will be right up his alley.  He has three teeth and was 22.5lbs at his last appointment.  We have been fighting two ear infections but got a clean bill of health today after three weeks of garlic drops, colloidal silver, breast milk, and seeing the chiropractor twice a week.  Can you tell I have some aversions to antibiotics?!  

Playing with his big brother...I found them this way and it was too cute for me to get mad that Rylin had obviously put him there.

First time he pulled up Rylin was excited too!

He and Duke are good pals...still at the same eye level.

His cousin Clifton came to play one day.

Still likes to be wrapped up when he's in a grumpy mood.

9 Months Old

This little cream puff turned nine months today!  He is all smiles all the time and growing like a weed!  He was 22lbs at his 9 month check up and 75% for height and head size.  He also had a double ear infection:(  Hopefully he's on the up and up with all the natural remedies I've been giving him.  We go back next week to find out.  He just got his bottom two teeth this week, is so close to pulling up, crawls EVERYWHERE, and is jabbering all the time.  He's eating like a champ and loves his new discovery of meats.  We have been enjoying the warmer weather and Miles likes to be outside playing in the grass.  He is still not one to put things in his mouth so I'm just trying to enjoy it and not overreact about this quirk! 

Always hanging off Mommy!

 

Practicing pulling up (or chewing chairs) with Rylin.

 

Visiting Grandmother Wines

 

First horse ride

 

 

Valentines and Sweet Ellie

We had a busy Valentines week as I prepared for my cousin Valerie's baby shower and Rylin's Valentine party at school.

The boys are always excited to get mail and loved their Valentine cards from Gramps and Grammie!

We made our own little treat for Dad.  A jar of kisses and our kissie faces...

Rylin and I had fun making his robot Valentines out of match books.  And by Rylin and I, I mean I worked and he critiqued!

On Friday we headed to my parents which was close to where we were hosting the shower.  The boys got more valentines goodies from Mimi & Papa and then we had a fun day on Saturday at the shower.

Clifton and Miles hung out on the floor.

Candyce & Clifton, Valerie, Ellie, and Bonnie, Me & Miles

Love that with a big family, my kids will have lots of cousins their age like I did!

8 Months Old

My creamy little chunk of love is eight months old today!  He is such a happy sweet little guy and quite the charmer.  He started the army crawl last week and is sooo close to taking off on his hands and knees.  He likes to sit on the floor and play though you shouldn't dare to leave the room.  He has quite the "you are abandoning me" scream!  He loves to play with anything that isn't a toy like paper, spoons, Rylin's gadgets, and cups.  He loves baths and splashes constantly making gasping noises all the while as water flies in his face!  He's eating more and more table foods and likes just about everything I give him.  He's now tried bananas, apples, avocados, spinach, green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, rutabagas, blueberries, strawberries, and pears.  He says Mama and Dada and yells all kinds of other indistinguishable words!  Still no teeth but definitely working on the bottom two.