The Blackburn Family

It is really hard for me to believe that Graham is almost 4 months old. It won’t be long until he is crawling around and getting into everything. We are trying to enjoy these last few months of being able to put him on the ground and knowing he won’t go anywhere! Or at least not far. This week he started really working on rolling over. He gets so frustrated that he can’t quite get all the way over and I figure once he does he will be even more frustrated that he will then be stuck on his stomach. He is getting pretty good at rolling to his side, but never when I have the camcorder out to catch it. If motivated he will do it, but most of the time he is still content to lay on his back batting and grabbing at the toys.

Last night I put together his new toy. I don’t really know what to call it… jumparoo I guess. It was a pain to put together, but I did it all by myself. It is a pretty fun toy and I like the little songs. Well, for now. I expect them to get really old and annoying, but for now it is nice to have some new noises and songs! I am getting pretty sick of the songs on the activity mat. We put him in the jumparoo and he was mildly amused by it, but it was late and he was tired.

The lip came out after about a minute in the new toy.

This week he started talking even louder and loves to shout and fuss at me. He has been getting up more and more at night so I have been extra tired lately. Plus Casey was out of town some last week which made for very long and tiring days. I also started working more on getting him in the crib last week which made for even more crying. It was a tough week, but the weekend has been much better. I went back to putting him in the swing for a few days and now he goes right to sleep. I dread trying the crib again, but we will go back to that today. I have been doing a little nap time and bed time routine and it seems to be helping. He doesn’t scream when I try to put him down anymore. At least not lately. Wish me luck this week!

I really want to take a few “staged” photos of him with some of my backgrounds and props, but it is such a pain to get it all together and it seems like he likes to have a mental break down the days I get it all set up. I do want to do a few soon though so maybe this week. I am pushing Casey to take Friday off so if I can manage to get him to take off I can maybe get some done then. Of course getting Casey to take a day off work is almost impossible.

Here are a few pictures from this week.

With my dad.

I look like crap, but here is one with me. I pretty much look like crap all day every day lately. I liked this one because Graham is sticking out his tongue.

Chilling in the Bumbo

This is going to be a short post for now, but wanted to add a quick update. My allergies are killing me the last few days so I have no energy. Oh and I only get about 4 hours of sleep at night. So I don’t have any pictures to post yet, but I am working on some for later this week. Just need to get up the energy to do it.

Graham has had a big week! Sunday he rolled onto his left side all by himself for the first time. I was so excited. You would have thought he walked! I have been working with him during the day and helping him to roll to the side and then we do tummy time. Sunday he was reaching with his upper body which he has been doing for awhile. Then he finally figured out how to lift up his butt and roll it to the side. He farted at the same time he rolled and Casey said the fart probably propelled him over. He did it a few more times, but by the time I got the camcorder out he was done and hasn’t done it since. He loves grabbing his feet now and for any of you that have been in a yoga class, he reminds me of the happy baby pose every time. He loves to lift his butt and legs up off the ground too. It reminds me of those awful ab exercises where you lay on your back and lift up your hips. He is probably stronger than me at this point. He is growing like a weed and I have to retire a few of his 3 month outfits. The 3-6 still fit, but the 3 month are too small now. So we don’t have many options lately. If the weather doesn’t cool off soon he is going to be wearing a diaper all day. That might actually be a good idea anyway since he spits up and drools so much now I can’t keep him dry! He loves going for walks and riding in the car as long as he isn’t hungry or hot. He is still talking a lot and smiling all the time. We are trying to stick to a little bit better daytime routine and have started a bedtime routine in the hopes it helps him settle down easier for naps and bed time. He loves his bath, but for about a week he hated it. He would pull his arms and legs out of the water and was always in tears by the end. Thankfully that didn’t last long and he is enjoying it again.

I will update again later this week, but for now I will rest even though my house is a wreck. It has never been so dirty and unorganized. I really don’t even care anymore. I am too tired to care. So I think I will grab a snack and rest while Graham is taking his nap. He could wake up at any moment!!

I hope to have more videos for you soon. I wanted to edit this one more, but my new computer is like a snail and it wouldn’t even play the movie!! I need to get my IT guy working on it.

Graham had a pretty good week last week. He is really a good baby except when he is sleepy or if he gets hungry, but I am the same way. I get really cranky if I am either hungry or sleepy. Lately I seem to be both all the time so have been extra cranky too. I miss those weeks when Graham slept all night!

We went all week without the Zantec!! So excited that I don’t have to give him medicine anymore. He still spits up a ton, but that’s pretty normal for babies. At least it doesn’t seem to bother him anymore and he isn’t in pain from it.

This past week he has become even more animated and loves to talk. He has several different voices. When he gets up in the morning he coo’s and talks to himself for a long time in a very sweet and happy voice. Then at night when he is tired he likes to yell at us a bit before finally going to sleep (this is different than the crying, it is like he is yelling I don’t want to sleep yet, then he cries). He also randomly shouts and then smiles proudly at his accomplishment. He all the sudden loves being in the car and talks a lot while we drive around. He can see out the back window better now and he seems to like watching all the trees, buildings and signs go by. He is grabbing at everything now and trying to get it all in his mouth. It amazes me how fast his little nails grow and how sharp they are!! Some days he loves to have his hands in his mouth and slurps on his hands and fingers. Other days he wants nothing except the pacifier. We aren’t the best at doing tummy time with him, but he has really good head control and often tries to sit up when we are holding him. Not that he will be sitting anytime soon, but he likes to try. I am not really worried about his head control, but do worry that he isn’t getting the upper body strength he needs to push up. I really need to do more tummy time with him.

This morning I had to take him with me when I took JD to the vet and he did wonderful. He talked to himself the whole way out there (almost 30 minute drive), sat in the office the whole time looking around and then he almost made it home without having a breakdown. When I was about 10 minutes from the house he started to lose it and cried the rest of the way home. Moments before I was thinking to myself how great the morning had been and how happy he was considering I had woken him up from a nap to take him. The vet appointment went well and I was feeling good. Then the crying started and I of course missed every single light and they seemed to stay red for hours! As if listening to screaming for 10 minutes wasn’t bad enough as I turned onto our street JD decided to puke up the entire contents of his stomach. The baby food they gave him at the vet, the treats they gave him and his breakfast. It was all over him and his new splint that can’t get wet. So when I got home I took Graham out the car seat that was cooking him (why in the world do they make those stupid things so hot!!!) and carried him in one arm and JD in his puke filled carrier in the other arm, up the stairs and into the bedroom. Then I let JD out in his enclosure and he got puke all over the carpet. So much for my perfect morning.

Anyway, JD is doing better and we have to continue to keep him confined and a split on his leg for a few more weeks. Anything to avoid surgery!

So in my last post I mentioned I would update on the cloth diapers. I have really grown to love them and hate the times I have to put him in the disposables. I started out with just prefolds and covers and was told this was the cheapest option. However I don’t really see how that is true unless you factor in having another child. I have started adding some more pocket diapers to our stash and I love them. I like having some of both and the pockets aren’t as bulky which helps with dressing him. I have to put him in bigger clothes when he wears the cloth diapers. I really love my Bum Genius diapers and just ordered a few more. They should last until he is potty trained. I hope they hold up because that is a lot of washing!! For now I will continue with half prefolds and half pockets. I am dying to get him in cloth at night, but first I need to get him sleeping in the crib!

Here are a few pictures of Graham at 14 weeks.

What is she talking about?

I thought I would let you all know about the great deals I got last week! I am becoming a little coupon crazy. I am lucky to have Kroger, Food Lion, Lowe’s Foods, Target with produce/groceries, Super Wal-Mart, CVS and Walgreens all less than 5 miles from my house so shopping at multiple stores is pretty easy for me!

Kroger Deals
9 boxes of Ronzoni pasta for FREE
2 Colgate toothbrushes for $.20 each
3 boxes of Captain Crunch cereal for $.98 each

I also transferred a prescription to their pharmacy and got $20 off my next purchase so my two visits to Kroger last week came to $25 for $86 worth of groceries. I saved about $17 in manufacturer coupons, $3 doubling those and $41 in Kroger Plus savings (including the $20 pharmacy transfer).

Lowe’s Deals
I lost one of my receipts, but I will try to remember….

3 tubes of Colgate toothpaste for FREE
3 Bulls Eye BBQ Sauce for FREE
2 Mahatma Rice Mixes for FREE
3 Kraft Salad Dressings for $.79
2 Boxes of cereal (Corn Flakes) for $1.15 each (guess here, was on the lost receipt)

I know the lost receipt came to about $5, but don’t know the exact savings on it. Second trip came to about $6 for $21 worth of merchandise!

Food Lion Deals

2 Boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch for $1.40 each
Also got chicken (3 packages of boneless skinless breasts) and hot dogs on sale and a coupon for the hot dogs

Total bill came to $21.94 for $41 worth of groceries!

I also went to CVS to pick up some summer toys for Graham. Obviously for next year and the following years. Can’t wait for the beach next year!!

$30 worth of summer toys for $7.77

Time for another Graham update. Yesterday I weighed myself while holding Graham and then without him so I could get an estimate of his weight at 3 months. We figure he is about 14 pounds! Wow… and I carry that around all day! I think my arms are the only muscles in my body that are getting stronger since I have no time to work out. I actually do have time, but lack motivation at this point. I feel like I have a million things to do all the time, but really nothing so important that I can’t spare 15 minutes a day to do some form of exercise. I think exercising would really help with my stress level so I need to make it a priority. What stress you may ask? Where do I even begin. Actually I bring most of it on myself, but not all of it. Just everyday things like laundry (which has at least tripled since Graham showed up), making dinner, going to the store, cleaning up the house, updating the blog, taking and editing pictures (since I am a perfectionist this takes a lot of time), keeping up with the budget, Graham’s baby and pregnancy books, clipping coupons and finding the best deals in town, feeding and medicating all the animals, watering the plants and yard, pulling weeds and other yard works, volunteer at the SPCA…. I could go on and on. Oh and take care of Graham!!

So in my previous post I stated that we finally found a sleep solution. Note to self – never blog about how your kid is sleeping because he will take that opportunity to prove you wrong. The night after I posted about him sleeping so great he was up at 1am, 3am, 5am and then up for the day by 7:30. Ugh. The next night was more of the same. I am not sure what triggered this since many things could be contributing. Maybe a growth spurt, maybe because we stopped the swing from moving at night, maybe because he was getting more sleep during the day or maybe because he is a baby and he likes to change things up weekly! I post a lot about sleep and it is my obsession. I have been reading all the books I can get my hands on about getting your baby to sleep. Now, I don’t do this because I want to sleep, although it would be nice. I do this because I know Graham is tired, then overtired and then down right mean and grumpy. I want to help him learn to sleep and sooth himself so he can sleep anywhere, not just the swing. He would feel so much better if he would just sleep! I get really annoyed with my books, all of which state “newborns (0-3 months) sleep when they are tired and sleep most of the time”. Really? I beg to differ. Not all do this!

I am not a cry it out person. I can’t do that to him, punish him for not sleeping? It isn’t his fault he doesn’t know how to fall asleep in the crib. That is our fault! Even though I won’t let him cry it out for hours it doesn’t mean I give in to his every whimper because I do believe he has learned that he can get his way by crying. Sure, that is a good thing when he is hungry or needs a new diaper, but not so good when he needs to sleep and refuses. It took us about a week to get him sleeping in the swing without it moving. We do sometimes turn it on when he is very overtired and extra cranky. I try my best to avoid it, but that isn’t always possible. This weekend we have put him in the crib for naps. He fights it, but both times he eventually fell asleep for about 30 minutes. And no he did not cry it out. He did cry and we talked softly to him, rubbed is head and gave him the pacifier. Once we had to resort to the vacuum, but we didn’t pick him up. It is a start. It will take time for him to get used to this new sleeping environment. Many of my books suggest schedules, but the thought of that really stresses me out. I try to keep somewhat of a flexible schedule, but it is difficult when we are going to see mom, taking JD to the vet and when I have to be away (volunteer, shop, etc). I try to watch him and catch him before he gets overtired, but doing that isn’t really a schedule. I think this week I will write down when he eats and sleeps and see if I can find some sort of pattern.

So I will take a break from posting on sleep and next time I will discuss cloth diapers!

This week hasn’t brought too many new changes in Graham. He loves to talk to himself and has recently started chewing/sucking on his tongue. I guess this is better than his hands which he doesn’t do very much. He will sometimes suck on his fist or fingers, but not nearly as much as the tongue or pacifier. His favorite toy right now is his yellow bouncy seat. He smiles and talks to the birds a lot. He is getting much better at riding in the car and will sometimes fall asleep in his car seat, but wakes up as soon as you move him. He is slowly trying to grab objects and put them in is mouth, but he hasn’t exactly perfected it yet.

My brother and his friend came up this weekend and we got to hang out with them some. Graham was nice enough to puke all over his Uncle Zach. I have to say the spitting up/puke is the most annoying thing to me, mostly because I have to change my clothes so often or smell like spoiled milk all day. He is starting to drool a lot too, but that doesn’t bother me because it doesn’t smell or stain my clothes.

Uncle Zach and Graham

Graham helping with the yard work Saturday


Watching TV with Daddy

Graham 13 weeks

JD the cat has been trapped in a small corner of our bedroom for over a week now and he isn’t happy about it. Neither am I since he makes tons of noise at night making it hard for me to sleep! I am also not fond of having a litter box in my bedroom. After x-rays and 4 trips to the vet (so far) we still aren’t positive we know what the problem is, but it looks like it is a torn ligament. There isn’t a fracture and there was some debate as to whether the joint is affected and needs to be drained. When I took him in Wednesday to have a splint put on the two vets felt like the joint probably didn’t need to be drained. Let’s hope that is the case because it will require a day at the vet and sedation… $$$$ Our vet has consulted with a specialist and the other vets in her office and he is referred to as an “interesting case”. Lovely. The thing that is throwing them all off is that he seems fine for a day or so and then all the sudden he is limping and swollen again. I figure the injury just can’t heal because he keeps walking, jumping etc. So he is now trapped and bandaged in an attempt to let it heal completely. I have to take him back today so they can reapply the splint and I am sure he will have to go at least once next week.

The balloon was actually for my mom when she was in the hospital last week. Dad got it for her and they gave it to us so Graham can look at it (which he loves). I thought it would be cute to put it in with the cat for awhile to cheer him up. He wasn’t interested, too drugged up I guess.

Mom’s surgery went well and she has been home since last Thursday. I am not sure if I mentioned in previous posts, but she had knee replacement surgery on her left knee last Monday (23rd). She is also on lots of drugs like the cat. Graham and I go over and visit her so she can get her fix, but hopefully she will be able to come visit us soon! She gets around really well, but can’t drive yet due to all the pain medication she is taking. Graham loves to go sit with her and he talks to her a lot! I hope to post a video of them together soon. It is on my very long and never ending list of things to do.

There isn’t much else going on around here lately. I am dying to get out in the yard and work on the garden, but it is just too hot. I am really ready for it to cool off some, bring on fall. My favorite season. Our grass looks horrible. I am not sure if it is the brown spot mold or just the fact that I can’t seem to remember to water it anymore! I really don’t know why we even try to get grass to grow because we are terrible at it and it looks bad most of the year. It looks good for about a month in the spring and fall. Next year I need to really stay on top of watering it.

My good friend Allison is having a baby this month and I am so excited. They didn’t find out the sex so it is extra exciting. Will Graham have a little boy or girl to play with? I also get to find out what two of my other friends are having this month, both due in February. This is the second for both of them. So many new babies lately. Whenever I see a newborn I am shocked at how tiny they are compared to Graham. He has changed so much in 3 short months.

Oh, I also wanted to post some pictures Casey took of our hummingbird. He is very into nature photography. I wish he was this excited about taking pictures of me with Graham. There are NONE of those around!! Anyway, he set up the tripod and got out the big zoom lens. We were shooting from in the house through the glass door so it isn’t as crisp as it could be, but we didn’t want to scare the hummingbird. He got some pretty good shots. Maybe this weekend I can convince him to take some of me with Graham.