a month in the life...

i can't believe i've gone almost a month without posting.

kyren turned 6 months yesterday, and today had his first follow-up appt. with the Occupational Therapist who saw him throughout his stay in the NICU. She was floored by his progress-- his strength, head control, and especially the fact that he is nursing full time now. She was amazed. I guess I have just gotten so used to it so quickly, i have taken it for granted. He weighed in at 11 lbs, and just about 22 in. long. So for a 2.5 month old, he is in the 25th percentile for weight, and the 3rd percentile for height. A short and squatty little fella. We'll know more about how on target he is developmentally at his next appt. in July. Right now there's not a lot he's 'supposed' to be doing, according to his 'adjusted age' (2.5 months from his due date).

we all made it through the stomach flu last week, and kyren never got it (thank you, Lord!!). It was Christian's first real 'sickness' EVER, for which we are extremely grateful! I always wondered how in the world you can care for a child who is sick while you're vomiting, yourself. I had heard moms say, "you just do it." and now i know what that means. on top of vomiting and diarrhea, when you're breastfeeding every 3-4 hrs, you don't have a ton of energy to spare. ok, that's an understatement. but miraculously, kyren slept most of that day... dave was able to come home from work early... and i was able to keep liquids down by the end of the day. Dave said there's a reason God set a limit on the bug (24 hrs). Man, our bodies are frail! Can't go more than a couple of days w/out hydration. I was really afraid of losing my supply, but God sustained it somehow in the midst of my body not receiving any fluids. And i could nurse without feeling nauseous.

Christian continues his adventures in Terribility. He is exemplifying his little sinful nature in numerous ways on a daily basis. . . testing the boundaries, perfecting his whining skills, and melting down over every little frustrating circumstance. he's even figured out how to say "no" without actually saying the whole word (since i told him he's not allowed to say 'no' to mommy). He'll look at me and say "Nuhhhhhhh...." and not quite finish the end of the word. Pretty tricky, since it's a one syllable word!

i looked up 'terrible two's' online and found a 'terrible two's calculator'. i typed in his birthdate, and it 'calculated' that he still has 415 days 11 hours, and 13 minutes left of the 'terribles'. what a cruel joke. there's gotta be a little relief in sight, right? i mean, how long can the misery really last??

i read one article where the doctor writing it said he prefers to call the terrible two's "the first adolescence". emotional highs and lows that mirror that of a teenager. and that is exactly what we're seeing. he can go from one extreme emotion to the opposite in a split second. He also said that 2 yr olds tend to say no to everything, even when they don't mean it. they will often be in disagreement with everyone and everything, including themselves. this, somehow, made a lot of sense to me, and was rather encouraging.

so these days we're not asking him too many questions. and we're trying to stick to ' a choice between 2 options' type of questions... and even then, the answer is often "No!"

and ... often, when we ask him to do something, he'll actually CHANGE the subject. "Christian, can you help mommy pick up the blocks?" .... he'll say, "i hear a motorcycle!" it's incredible to watch the rebellion at work.

and yet, somehow he is still the cutest, sweetest, most lovable precious little boy in the world... to me. i love being a mom. there is no other job on earth like it!

i just wish it came with more hours in the day to myself, so i could write more of this fabulous stuff down! ... oh, and go grocery shopping, and clean the house...and take a shower... and...