ER Zach

It is the beginning of our winter break and it has not started off too well. On Friday, we found out Zachary has RSV. I contacted every young mother I knew and pumped them for information about what it was like when their child had RSV. Everyone was pretty comforting and I felt good that we would just be in for a week of coughing and fever. Unfortantly, things didn't go that way. Friday night Zach was breathing rapidly and heavily so we called the after hours number for his doctor. After trying several things and none of them working, we were told to take him to the ER. We were under the impression we would breeze in and get a quick breathing treatment and be on our way home. That was not what happened at all! When we got to the back, he was evaluated. He had a very high fever and was found to have an ear infection on top of RSV. The doctor wanted chest x rays to make sure it was just RSV. Poor Zach - he was put in this terrible contraption to get a clear x ray. After that he was subjected to a shot for the ear infection and a breathing treatment. Ryan and I felt terrible for everything he had to go through. After all that, he was hooked up to a montior so we could keep an eye on his heart rate and oxygen levels. His heart rate was elevated but we were told this was due to his fever. His oxygen levels weren't too good but they sent us home with a variety of medicines to help with the ear infection and breathing. It has been an extremely stressful weekend for us all. My poor father has had to deal with constant phone calls and questions. However it has been really nice to have an expert a phone call away for all my many questions and concerns. The only slightly amusing thing is that being typical first parents, Ryan and I documented the visit with pictures. I guess it is true what they say about first time parents taking pictures of everything! Zach is doing well and I am hoping we will be done with this soon. We are amazed at how well he is taking this all. We were told he would be cranky and he has been a joy to be with. He smiles and laughs and plays like nothing is wrong. Ryan and I feel so blessed to have such a good natured child.

Santa!

We took Zach to see Santa for the first time this weekend. Zachary did not enjoy the visit whatsoever. We waited in line for awhile and Zach was in a great mood the entire time. Even as we got closer, he seemed fine, just a little curious. But then it was our turn and the hand off took place. The minute Zach left Ryan's arms into Santa's, he lost it. I managed to get a couple pictures before Santa was done and ready to be rid of the screaming baby. Zachary recovered fairly quickly once he was returned to us. I guess there is always one year with Santa where your child cries and screams in fear. As my father would say, it is all part of the experience.

New tricks and teeth!

Zach turned 9 months old on Thanksgiving and this month is proving to be an exciting one for us. He is learning so much each day and I am in complete awe of how fast he picks things up. He now gestures to things quite often by extending his arm and fist, saying "ah da", and then looking to us to see what we say. He wants to know what everything is, using gestures and "ah da" all the time.
His other new trick is "Where's Zachary?" I have only played "Where's Mommy?" and "Where's Zachary?" with him and a blanket a handful of times. He caught onto "Where's Mommy?" right away, pulling the blanket from my face and giggling each time. I moved onto "Where's Zachary?" The other night he was fussing in the car so I climbed into the back and tried distracting him for the rest of the trip. One approach I used was this game. We played a few times and then I put the blanket down for a break. Before I know it, he grabs the blanket, covers his face, and begins to giggle. I realize he has learned how to lead the game and is waiting for me to ask him "Where's Zachary?" Sure enough, the minute I ask, he throws the blanket off his face laughing wildly. He did it again and again. I can't believe he picked the game up that quickly. To see if he really understands the game, I handed him a blanket the next day and asked "Where's Zachary?" He giggled and covered his face right away. Again, I am in total awe to see him learn and apply these new things.
In other exciting news, his first tooth made it through his gums and is now showing! After months of drooling and chewing constantly, we finally have something to show for it!

Thanksgiving

I am a little behind posting our Thanksgiving. We had a very good time. We went to Ryan's side this year. Zach got to see family he doesn't get to see very often. He showed off his scoot to everyone. He even ate turkey and sweet potato baby food in honor of the holiday!

Zach scoots!

Zach is now mobile in his own little way. We thought everyone would like to see the scoot in action. Enjoy!

5 Years!

This weekend Ryan and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary! When we first got married, we would talk about where we wanted to be in 5 years. We have reached the 5 year mark having reached the goals we set back then. We wanted to be in a house. We are now in our second house since getting married. We also wanted to start a family in the first five years of marriage. Having Zachary just 9 short months ago, we have also reached that goal. We have spent the weekend being extremely thankful for all we have and all we have shared. We are very lucky and we hope our future years will provide us with as much happiness as we currently have.

Adventures in Mobility

So Zach has perfected his scoot (I have never seen an individual so determined NOT to crawl) and is officially mobile. He has found every dust bunny and electrical cord in the house. Ryan and I now understand why everyone warned us about babies being mobile. Usually Ryan puts Zach in his carrier or the high chair in the mornings while he packs everything up for work and daycare. The other day Ryan decided to let Zach play on the floor while he packed up. Zachary scooted around for awhile and when reaching for a toy tipped forward onto his stomach. Horrified at being in the semi crawling position, he started crying right away. Being on his stomach and getting so upset caused him to spit up all over himself. So Ryan stopped what he was doing to go over and sit Zach back up and clean up his outfit. Now running slightly behind schedule, Ryan goes back to packing things up. Zach scoots over to our (extremely lightweight) water bowl for the dog and proceeds to pour the entire thing all over himself! Surprised and delighted by the experience Zach starts patting the water and moving around in it, leaving trails of water behind him. Ryan has to stop again and clean all the water off our floor, take Zach upstairs, and put new clothes and diaper on him for daycare, now running way behind schedule. Needless to say Zach has been relegated back to his carrier while Ryan packs up in the mornings!

Swinging away sickness

Ryan, Zach, and I have all been pretty sick this last week. Ryan and I are finally starting to feel a little better today which is of course about the time Zach starts running a fever. We were so sick we missed Halloween which we were pretty disappointed about. By 7:15, we were all in bed. Today all we have done is lay around. Zach has slept almost the entire day. We opened all the windows because it is such a warm beautiful day outside and in hopes of getting our sick germs out of this house. By afternoon Ryan and I began to get stir crazy. I was beginning to feel like I will never leave this house or my pjs. Ryan decided he was going to water the plants and go to Lowes. However after watering plants, he was so exhausted he came back inside to the couch - too much to soon I guess. After awhile we decided we were tired of being tired, tired of being sick, and tired of being in this house. Since it is so warm outside we decided a small slow walk to the playground would be good for all of us. We walked to the playground and I decided to sit Zach on my lap and swing gently. This was really his first experience with swings, other than his infant swing he abandoned long ago. He loved it! He has been fussy all day, but when he was on the swing he was smiling and laughing. It was such a nice change for us all. Even though I was holding him, he insisted on holding onto one of the swing chains. He would take a deep breath in when we would go a little faster. Then he would smile and let out a little giggle. It was so cute and enjoyable. Now we are back at home and of course Ryan and I are laying on the couch and Zach is back asleep in the crib. Even if it did wear us out, it was completely worth it.

8 Months Old!

Zach turns 8 months old tomorrow! I can hardly believe it. He is a lot of fun right now. He is always in a good mood and only fusses if he is tired or hungry. Unfortunately he spends much of his time sick. He keeps picking up things from daycare. His hair has come back in so he no longer has random patches of hair. He isn't crawling although he has figured out how to move by sliding around on his bottom. He hates being in the crawling position and it looks like he will skip that step altogether. He is interested in pulling up and moving. He just hasn't figured out a very effective way of doing it. He has the greatest little personality and we are completely in love with him.

Pumpkin Family

Ryan and I bought a pumpkin for each member of our family and decided to carve them this weekend. Zach joined us on our back porch for the first part. It held his interest for a couple of minutes but then he decided a bottle and nap was all he wanted to be a part of. Ryan and I finished carving them. In honor of Zach trying to cut his first tooth, we carved the baby pumpkin with one tooth on the bottom.

Zach's First Haircut!

Those of you that have seen Zach lately know how interesting his hair situation is. He started out with a head full of hair at birth. It started falling out a few months ago, only not evenly and in patches. The hair that was left was clustered around the front top of his head and sides. It grew out in curls, but we didn't cut it because we figured it would fall out soon. After being mistaken for a girl a couple of times, we decided it was time cut the remaining patches of hair. I have included before, during, and after pictures of our trip to get his first haircut. He did great and looks so cute!

Settling In

We are beginning to put our own touches on our house. Our first major purchase was patio furniture for our back porch. It is very relaxing back there now. We grill out in the evenings and watch all the pond life while we eat. We have hung up bird feeders and now there is hummingbird that visits regularly. On weekend mornings we bring out Zach's excersaucer. He plays in that while we read the paper and drink our coffee. We don't know what we are going to do when the weather gets cold and we can't spend our time back there.

Unpacking

I have been unpacking for the past couple of days. As you can see, Zach has been helping out!

We Moved!

We have finally made it to our house! After moving in 100 degree heat, we are all moved in! Now all we have to do is unpack. We had a lot of help from friends and family so the move was much easier. There is a lot we want to do to the house, but it is such a relief just to begin getting settled. This sure beats the apartment! Georgia is still trying to get used to the house. She wants to be with us constantly. We think she thinks we are just visiting and doesn't want to be left behind. Zach is oblivious to our move. As long as the bottles keep coming, he is happy anywhere! Ryan and I are enjoying the new home and looking forward to make it our own.

Boys And Their Toys

Those of you that know Ryan know how he loves his electronic toys. He must have the new and best TV, DVD player, gaming system, etc. Well it looks like Zach is his father's son! Every time Zach spots a remote he must have it. To save our remotes, Ryan found an old one we don't use and gave it to him. It is now one of Zach' s favorite toys.

5 Months Old!

Zach is now five months old! He has changed so much in these five months. It is hard to believe he is the same baby we brought home from the hospital! He definitely has his own little personality. He is sweet and loving and very stubborn. He refuses to spend any time on his stomach and pitches a major fit every time we put him on his tummy. He can roll from his stomach to back and can roll side to side, but has yet to roll from back to stomach. I think this is due to his lack of desire to be on his stomach. I have tried tempting him with toys but nothing works. He is beginning to become afraid of everyone but Ryan and I. I know this is just a phase so I hope it doesn't last long. His favorite things are his exersaucer and Georgia, our beagle. He lights up every time she comes in the room and she seems just as fond of him. She greets him every time we come home, usually with a big kiss which I try to discourage. Hard to believe it has been five months already!

Not So Lazy Summer Days

Our summer so far has been very busy. We are moving into a new house next month. I am busy trying to pack up all our things. Zach is not very helpful. He wants to be held all the time which makes packing difficult. We are looking forward to being unpacked and settled. Zach has changed a lot this summer. He enjoys playing in his exersaucer and the Bumbo chair. The biggest change is in his hair. He is losing his hair rapidly. He so far has only lost hair in patches on the back. He still has most of his hair on top. This created a pretty major comb over so at times he looks like a tiny old man. We are having lots of fun with him. I am going to have a very hard time going back to work.

Zach Eats Rice Cereal

This month held another first for Zachary. He ate rice cereal for the first time. He is a big fan of solid food! He has figured out now that when I put the bib on him it is time to eat and he gets really excited. He has done a great job of learning how to to eat. I thought he might struggle with swallowing and learning how to eat from a spoon but he quickly figured it out. He opens his mouth when he sees the spoon and gets very frustrated if I don't move fast enough. Georgia loves this new development and is close by at all feeding times. The cats are occasional meal time visitors as well. I am looking forward to getting in the house and unpacking the high chair so I don't have to worry about Georgia getting too close. Zach loves watching Georgia though so I think he will be disappointed not to be able to see her so easily.

4th of July

Zachary's first 4th of July went well and was full of firsts. He took his first boat ride. He went in the lake for the first time. Having learned our lesson in Dad's pool, we eased him into the lake and he was willing to hang out in the water for short periods of time. Zach seemed to enjoy the 4th. He smiled at and hung out with all of Ryan's family. He slept through the fireworks which made me happy. It is very neat to watch Zach grow and change. Ryan and I are amazed at what a neat person our son is already. He is extremely laid back - which is obviously doesn't get from me! He seems fearless. When he heard fireworks go off before he went to bed, he would startle but just look around without crying. It was a fun 4th of July and we all had a lot of fun!

Zach Goes Swimming - Attempt 2

The second attempt to go swimming with Zachary went much better. He smiled and laughed. He even learned to splash the water. This time we eased him into the water slowly. His favorite thing to do in the pool is to be lifted up and down in the water. He was willing to hang out in his swim raft, although that didn't last very long. Alex, Dad, and Chad joined us for the swim. It was a great afternoon. It was so nice to see Zach experience something new and enjoy it.

Zach Goes Swimming - Attempt 1

The Atlanta trip was lots of fun. It was enjoyable hanging out with everyone. Zach and I would watch Dad feed the animals each night. Ryan and I played video games and hung out with Anna and Chad. We went swimming - Zach was not a fan. He cried and wanted nothing to do with the water. We realized we probably didn't do a very good job of easing him into the water. We tried taking turns holding him and putting him in his swim raft. Nothing worked so we took him out and decided to try again in a day or two.

Relaxed Already

Zach and I made safely to Atlanta. He was wonderful during the trip and only cried once when he was tired of being car seat. We have only been down here for a couple of hours but it has been very relaxing. We toured all of Dad's fruit trees and bushes and vegetables. Zach got to see the pig and all the cats and dogs. It was great walking around the property with Zachary taking everything in. I look forward to getting him into the pool for his first "swim."

Lake Trip

We took Zach for one of his first trips to the lake a few weeks ago. It was really hot and Zachary wasn't too excited about the heat so we spent most of the time indoors. We managed to hang out on the dock for a short time now and then. We would sit in the dock each evening while the sunset and watch all the wildlife. It was very relaxing. Zach still hasn't had his first boat ride or taken his first dip in the lake. However, we are going to the lake for the 4th of July and I am sure he will experience all those things. Being there with Zach made Ryan and I look forward to when Zach will be a little older and get excited about these trips to the lake.

Starting Out

Now that we have Zachary, I decided we needed a way for friends and family to keep in touch (thanks for the idea Juli!). I will try to post regularly. School is out and summer has begun. I am looking forward to the one on one time this will give me with Zachary. He and I are headed to Atlanta to visit Dad and family. He has changed so much since our last visit, I know the kids will be surprised. He now smiles, laughs, and coos constantly. He is four months now! Hard to believe four months ago it was just Ryan and I. Zach is cutting his first tooth. Hopefully we will see a tooth in a few weeks. I am still learning but I will try to post videos soon.