Holy crap..what next???

So yesterday turned out to be a pretty amazing evening for little "O" around our place. It started shortly after we got home from work. I was in the kitchen looking for/preparing something for supper. I turned around and saw Orion army-crawling his way into the kitchen, which is nothing new or amazing. Usually he'll crawl up to me and tug on my pants so that I will pick him up. I turned around to the stove to continue cooking and anticipated his pull....but nothing was happening. So I turned to see what he was up to (mind you, Seth is watching this whole time) and Orion has his eyes fixed on the open cabinet where his food is kept and he is steadly scooting that direction. Once he reached the cupboard he pulled out the shelf (we have those rolly-shelf things that make it way easier to get to the back) grabbed his favorite vegetable baby food(sweet potato) and proceeded to scoot away. Once he got closer to the living room he began investigating the baby food trying to figure out how to open. I was amazed by his intelligence. He didn't happen across the food by chance, and didn't seem surprised by any step in his process. It was almost like he was sitting in the living room and decided "hey, I'm hungry. I want some sweet potatoes" and then proceeded to go get them! Needless to say, I stopped what I was doing and feed the poor child!

As if that wasn't enough, later on Seth and I were watching tv after Orion's evening nap. Orion was sitting on my lap when he spotted the remote controls sitting on the back of the couch. He lifted himself up, grabbed the back of the couch, and proceded to walk down the couch to get the remote he wanted. Seth and I were in shock....so we moved the remote to the other end of the couch and watched him walk back. I couldn't believe my eyes. He's not even 7 months old yet, but here he is walking his way along my couch! I sat him down on the floor next to the coffee table...where he decided to go from his butt...to his hands and knees...and then grabbed the side of the table and stood up ALL BY HIMSELF! Seriously! This boy won't even crawl yet and here he is trying to walk! I think we could be in trouble. He's so proud of himself...and I am too.

My SUPER baby

Last week Seth and I decided to look at a "developmental chart" to see where Orion is in development. By 6 months he should be able to:

Hold my head up and look all around (check)
Recognize familiar faces and smile at you (check)
Coo, giggle, and make lots of sounds (check)
Push up on my hands and knees (for the most part.....he slides off his knees though)
Roll from back to stomach and vice versa (check)
Love to be held and cuddled (most of the time. He just loves to play)
Search for sounds and turn head toward them (check).

Because he had reached so many of these check points we decided to look at the 9 month chart:

Sit up without much help (check)
Begin to pull myself up and stand without help (can stand without help, can't QUITE pull himself up from the floor yet)
Crawl or scoot forward (check)
Use thumb and finger to pick up little things(close)
Recognize/look for familiar people (check)
Start to imitate and make sounds of real words (check)
Love to dump toys or things out of containers (check)

And at 12 months:

Stand alone holding onto furniture (check)
Cruise around holding on (not yet)
Take beginning steps toward walking alone (not yet)
Dance or bounce to music (check)
Respond to his name (check)
Want parents to be where he can see them (check)
Show fear or anxiety of people I don't know (check).

So here is my question: Is my son a SUPER baby, or do doctors just have REALLY low expectations for children?? I'm actually very curious about this because I've seen several other baby's that are Orion's age that don't seem to be doing half of the stuff he is. Do I REALLY have a genius, or am I just really biased because he's mine and AWESOME!!!

Amazing morning

This morning was amazing....so much so that I don't even know where to start. You know when you wake up in the morning and things just feel "right". That's where I was this morning. I then went into Orion's room since I could hear him talking (not crying) through the baby monitor and was greeted by a huge smile. I picked him up and he gave me great snugly love that only babies can get away with. We went downstairs to let the dogs out and get ready for the day and his smile and giggles just wouldn't stop. I made him some milk, he smiled...I sat him down so he could drink it, he smiled......I went to the laundry room and found his clothes, he smiled. He tried to follow me into the laundry room, which meant that he crawled out of his chair and ended up on the floor (there were a few tears), but then he licked my shoulder, and smiled. There is nothing greater in the morning than feeling such an overwhelming amount of love and happiness. It's contagious I tell ya! I am blessed to have the greatest son in the world. I honestly don't know how any other child could even compare! My son ROCKS!

Six Months Old

Orion went to his 6 month appointment last week. He is 27.5" tall and weighs 16.6 pounds. That puts him in the 85% for height! I'm so glad he's growing and happy. He's such an amazing little boy. If you haven't had a chance to meet him yet, you're definitely missing out. Over the weekend he started army crawling, which is so great to watch. He's too smart for his own good though and has even learned to us a piece of fabric to help himself slide easier. He loves to watch people and is fascinated by everything that is going on around him. I think one of his favorite things to do is to beat on my keyboard while I'm trying to do something productive. My goal for this week is to try to get some great pictures of Orion taken so that we can send them to all the grandparents,etc. for his 6 month update. I somehow believe that he has to be the smartest, most beautiful baby in the world and have to share all of his greatness with the world. I'm sorry if this seems to ramble today, but it's been so long and I really have a lot of stuff I wanted to throw out there.

5 Months OLD!

Orion is now 5 months old. I'm amazed by all the things he can do already! Last weekend he started rolling over from back to front. He loves this new trick and rolls over every chance he gets. The only problem with that is he then gets high centered on his belly, and is stuck like a turtle on their back, or a fish out of water. He wiggles and squawks but stays on his belly no matter how hard he tries to change it. He is able to spin in circles on his belly though, so he twists around to see toys, or the dogs. He is also loving "people" food...even in it's mushed up baby food form. He loves everything....except squash. His smile just keeps getting brighter and his giggle is so catching that you can't help but join in. Other than that he's pretty laid back kid. He's starting to have a little bit of the "stranger" awareness, and it rears it's ugly head when he's sleepy. He's thrown little fits now for 2 different people that tried to hold him, but calms back down immediately when I take him back. Could be scary!! So that's what's going on in our neck of the woods. What's up with you?? (Does anyone still even read this thing??)

Circle of Mom's Survey

1. How old were you when your first child was born?
24

2. What month and year was your youngest child born?
March 2009

3. How did you feel when you first found out you were pregnant?
I was completely shocked. Seth and I were supposed to begin fertility treatments, and took the test as a precaution before starting the meds. I couldn't believe my eyes!!

4. Who did you tell first?
Seth of course, then my mom. After the official test at the Dr. office we told the rest of our parents.

5. How many pounds did you gain during your first pregnancy?
I actually lost weight throughout the entire thing and ended up weighing 10 pounds less at 9 months pregnant than I did before I got pregnant. Weird huh?

6. What did you crave while you were pregnant?
Um...Chocolate milk. That's about it.

7. Did you find out the gender of your first child? Why or why not?
We tried to, but one ultrasound said girl and another said boy so we really had no clue at all.

8. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?
They were concerned about my blood pressure, but it never actually caused any problems.

9. How much did your first child weigh?
8 lb 9 oz

10. Was your first child early, late, or on time?
He was one week early because of induction. Ended up with a c-section.

11. What is the most difficult challenge or health issue that any of your children have faced?
Orion had a cold that seemed to last forever, but that's the only thing we've really had to deal with.

12. What's your favorite part of being a mom?
I absolutely love my son's smile. I think that is the easiest way to put it. I will do anything I can to see that smile as often as it is possible. That's what my goal is every day...to see him smile and hear him laugh, even if it makes me look like a fool.

13. Do you think it's easier to be a mom or a dad?
I honestly believe it's easier to be a mom. Dad's may not have as high of expectations for them, and may not be under as much "pressure" to be the perfect dad....but at the same time, I feel like Orion and I have a special bond because of the time he spent in the womb with me. Maybe that's crazy, but how else can you explain the overwhelming amount of love I've had for this boy since the instant I saw him?? I think that alone makes being a mom easier.

14. What is the best piece of advice you could give to someone who is about to have their first child?
Relax...and I don't necessarily mean sleep. I am a huge planner and hate not having things done in a certain order at a specific time (OCD anyone??) but having my son has helped with that a lot. It's taken some time, but I'm beginning to realize that he doesn't care if his socks match, or if he has peaches for supper. All he cares about is the fact that you are there showing him love (well that, food, and a clean diaper, but you know what I mean). Take the time to relax and have fun with your baby, even if the dishes pile up or you are running around in your pajamas because you haven't done laundry in a week. RELAX and enjoy. They are moments you can never get back, and would be extremely sorry if you missed.

15. Did you always think you'd have kids?
Yes. I never thought it would take as long as it did though.

16. What's been the biggest surprise about motherhood?
The amount of love I have for my son. I knew that you loved your kids, but I guess I never could fathom the bond you have with them. I honestly don't think it is something you can understand until you have a child of your own (yes adoption counts as "having one of your own").

17. Are there things you miss about life before kids?
The movies. I miss being able to go to the theater any time I want to, and I'm sure I still could, but I refuse to be the mom with the screaming baby in the back of the theater. That's just rude. I also kind of miss sleeping in until 10am, but that smile almost makes it worth it.


18. How many children do you have?
Just 1

19. Do you plan to have any more children?
Eventually.
20. Who's the mom that you admire most?
Can I say me?? I'm awesome right?? I dunno, I think every mom has something that you can learn from, whether it be good or bad. I refuse to pick favorites!

Four months already

Last week Orion went for his four month appointment. He has grown so much I can't believe it. He now weighs 13.5 lbs and is 25.5 inches tall! Time is going by so fast I don't even know what to do to absorb it all! He has been sick lately, but the doctor thinks it is just the flu. Today he finally seems like he feels better, which is great. I really don't like seeing my little boy sick. They started him on cereal at school yesterday, and it seemed to go ok so they are going to continue to do that. We started on it a couple weeks ago, but since he was sick he wanted nothing to do with it. Um....other changes....I'm waiting on Orion to roll over. I know he has the strength to do it (he can stand up all by himself!!) but he's just being difficult. I have a feeling though once he figures out how to do it I may be in trouble. He's so full of personality and already an obnoxious little thing. We may have our hands full! The only other exciting thing is that my sister Ashley is picking up Orion every Monday from school since she gets off at noon. It's great that not only is Orion not spending all day in daycare, he's also getting to spend one-on-one time with Ashley, which will help them bond, but also make it easier for me to trust leaving him with her as a baby-sitter whenever the time comes. I hate leaving him still, but he seems to enjoy the girls at school, and they all seem to love him, so that helps some. Orion is getting very close to sleeping through the night at this point (last night was over 6 hours!) so that's also a great thing. I'm desperately trying not to rush him into anything because time is going so fast as it is, but I do want to see him grow into an amazing little toddler...eventually. I'm thrilled to say though that Orion does love books, including comic books, and is also a total flirt. He smiles and stares at every girl he sees. I can only imagine what that boy has in store for me!