Leo is 3 Months Old!

We made it! Leo is now a quarter of a year old and although it may not seem like a big deal to all, to us, it is momentous. 3 months seems to be the magical age when babies emerge from fussy little blobs to full fledged happy little people (or so every book/parent tells us). Luckily, this seems to be the case for our little man. The acid reflux medicine, Axid, has worked wonders and maturity is helping as well.

This week, Leo got his first round of vaccinations, which made him grumpy for about 3 days. Joe met me at the doctor's office and I was a wimp and had to leave the room. All around, shots are horrible, but I know that we are doing this to protect Leo.

Luckily for us though, we have been rewarded with some wonderful surprises. Leo now talks (some may call it babbling) constantly. His favorite place in the world to babble is at his changing station, which doubles as his closet. Because it is recessed into the wall, there is a great sound quality that fascinates Leo to no end. He will just sit and babble to himself for up to 20 minutes...which is impressive since nothing holds his attention for that long. This week, we also discovered Leo's love for music. We will play him silly songs, clap his hands together and dance around like fools and Leo graces us with his big gummy smile.

So all and all, things are great. Leo is exploring the world around him and having so much more fun and a happy baby means happy parents. Now, if we could start getting more sleep, things would be perfect!

Too cute not to post

There isn't a real purpose to this post other than to show off my latest Leo smile pic. Our photo sessions are pretty much always the same. I spend loads of time with the boy, dressing him, playing with him and when he is in an especially smiley mood, I take his photo. This involves me throwing his blue blanket over his papasan chair as quickly as possible, taking him close to a light source and doing ridiculous things to make him smile. It works for about a minute and then he usually loses patience with me.

Leo is also cooing more and from the sound of it, he has a very cute voice. I just can't wait until he talks!

Tegan Turns 2

On Saturday we attended Tegan's 2nd birthday party. Leo was well behaved for about half of it and the other half, he was screaming. Luckily for us, most everyone there had kids, so they were very sympathetic. As always, Tegan was adorable and she really seemed to enjoy her party. We always joke that someday Leo will have a massive crush on Tegan and she will want to have nothing to do with him. After all, she is beautiful and Leo is 2 years her junior.

Side Note: Some may wonder why I am rarely in photos and I have a simple answer. I am always the one with the camera in hand, wanting to capture every moment of Leo's life. Plus, Leo always looks so cute with his dad!

First Father's Day

First of all, isn't the 3 generation photo of Leo, Joe Jr. and Joe Sr. the cutest thing you have ever seen? You cannot deny that!!! My little man looks too cool! As the photos show, Joe's first Father's Day was awesome. Not only was Joe able to share his first Father's Day with his dad, but it was also Paula's birthday!

The day started with smiles from Leo. Joe opened his gifts from me and Leo and was happy to receive a greatest dad in the world Tee-shirt (the day before, my parents also gave Joe a Dad Tee-shirt, which he will proudly wear), 2 single malt whiskey drinking glasses and a digital photo frame from me and Leo. Joe also received a very fancy bottle of The Macallan 15 year old Scotch from Joe and Paula, which was arguably his favorite gift. Later in the morning, Joe Sr. and Paula joined us and we all walked to the bagel shop for breakfast. Later, Joe prepared ribs and we all had a feast outdoors at our new picnic table (compliments of Joe Sr. and Paula).

Unfortunately, the day had to come to an end. Sadly, we said goodbye to Joe Sr. and Paula. We had an amazing visit with them and we felt so loved and cared for. Not only did they spoil Leo, they really spoiled us too. Thanks a ton...we will miss you!

10 Weeks Old

Today Leo is 11 weeks old, but all of the pictures posted are from his 10th week of life and what a week that was. I am happy to announce that at 10 weeks old, Leo hit the 10 pound mark! It's hard to believe some babies are born even bigger than he is now. He is slowly jumping up the growth ladder, so we couldn't be happier.

Leo also had his follow-up doctor visit on Tuesday to determine if the reflux is being helped by the probiotics/Axid. He has been soooo much better since we started treatment and Joe and I often ask, "Where's our baby?" It's miraculous. He is so improved and we are still in disbelief. Leo still has his fussy moments, but he is a baby after all. (Knock on wood).

Joe's dad and step mom Paula are visiting from Colorado this week and have fallen in love with their Grandson. We had a very pleasant day with them visiting local vineyards, and Leo was a champ. Joe Sr. and Paula have taken such good care of us by cooking almost nightly and allowing for us to take naps...it has been wonderful.

For now, I couldn't be more pleased. I am still not getting much sleep, but with time, I am sure that will pass as well.

Almost 10 Weeks Old

My Grandma and Uncle Andy came to visit last weekend and were able to meet Leo. Although it was to short of a visit, it was great to see them. Because Leo is a newborn, we were restricted to short visits and were unable to spend time with them when they went to the coast and to visit Jacob. Although Leo was a royal pain, he did manage to fall in love with his Great Grandma...really he did. He had been crying like crazy and then when he was put in her arms, he was in a trance. It was so very sweet.

Joe and I also took Leo to his 2 month exam and he now weighs 9 lb. 10 oz. It is hard to believe that many babies are born even bigger than he is now, but his small size just gives me a chance to cuddle with him longer. To us, he has grown immensely...after all, he is almost double his birth weight. Dr. Crowley was very happy with his weight gain, but she was concerned about his fussiness. She even decided to postpone his 2-month vaccinations until we get a handle on what is causing his fussy behavior. She suspects that he might have acid reflex. Leo exhibits many of the symptoms of a baby with reflux, including arching his back and stretching constantly. This breaks our hearts because we always found this stretching to be so endearing. Anyhow, I have eliminated dairy from my diet, in case he is lactose intolerant and he is taking probiotics, which is a natural way to help neutralize the climate of his tummy. If these solutions don't help, we can resort to medication, but since it is not FDA approved, we plan to use that as a last resort. Hopefully though, we will be posting a lot more smile pics in the near future.

In addition to all of this, we decided that I will be a stay-at-home-mom for the time being. The last three nights, Leo has awoken every 1-2 hours and I just can't imagine tending to him properly and going to work. It was a difficult decision emotionally and financially, but Leo is our top priority and I believe this decision will lead to a happier and healthier family life. I plan to fully embrace motherhood and will try to be the best mommy and wife I can.