Baby Sullivan | Week Forty

I spy Sully. 

 My mind hasn’t quite wrapped around the fact that in 12 weeks, give or take, we will have a one year old son on our hands. How did this happen? I was just waddling around, pregnant as can be, awaiting the arrival of Sullivan James Hollen. This time last year, we were getting new kitchen appliances. I was on a rampage to get the house ready for his arrival. We replaced some closet doors. I touched up some paint. We hung the decor in the nursery. We got a new furnace and had air conditioning installed in our home. Nesting was kind of expensive but well worth it.

Now he’s here and I can’t imagine not having him in our lives. He is a little tank of awesomeness. He could pretty much eat most of us under the table. He sleeps pretty much through the night. He’s napping like a little champ as I write these words. Most people comment on how they hardly ever hear or see him cry. He’s a pretty great baby and I am thankful to be his mama, over the moon even. For the second child, he has been very easy. Marin wasn’t really a difficult baby by any means, but Sully has been a part of a seamless transition to having a family with two children in it. With Marin, everything was so new and unknown. Nursing her was always a bit of a battle. She was such stinker with eating solids and still is. She now is a feisty preschooler that pretty much runs this home, at least as far as she’s concerned. Every child is different, that’s for sure. Both of ours have been so different but wonderful in their own unique way. They both keep us on our toes. 

I took Sully to his 9 month old appointment on Monday. Luckily, this appointment didn’t have any vaccinations to speak of and I am super thankful for that. Most of the time, Ryan is by my side for all of these appointments, along with Marin. But, now that my work schedule has changed and we don’t have a day off together as family at the moment, I had to fly solo. Marin was a great helper and Sully did a great job.

He weighs 23lbs, 1 oz. He’s super tall and his head is also large. He is in the 95th percentile and above for everything. He mostly wears 12-18 month clothing and currently is in size 4 diapers.  When Marin started potty training she was in size 4 diapers. Sully is 9 months old and is not tiny to say the least. Sully even wore his first pair of jeans this week and I can't believe how old he looks. He still isn't mobile yet but the doctor wasn't too concerned. She told me to just make sure he gets plenty of floor time and he will move when he's ready. 

His little jeans. They kill me. 

The past few weeks have been pretty nuts with a job transition but I feel like everything is slowly falling into place. Working for 3 days straight, from 7:30am-5pm, is a long set of days. But, now I have four days off of freedom. Not having to work during naptime has been a wonderful addition to our lives. I’m not glued to my phone or computer anymore. Granted, I still have to clean the house and catch up on loads of laundry, but I’m with the kids and that’s what counts. Too bad we can’t afford a house cleaner right now because that would be so awesome. Also, if someone wants to come fold and put away the mountain of laundry that continuously resides in our home, I would be grateful. 

Here’s Marin at 40 Weeks.

Baby Sullivan | Week Thirty Three

I've been trying to get this posted all week but this week has been a doozy and now it's already Saturday. These photos have been siting in this post ready to go for days...Oh well. It's not Sunday yet. I'm still within the week. 

Sullivan is growing up so quickly. This time next week, he will be 8 months old! Eight months. I can hardly wrap my mind around it. I was just pregnant, right?!? Time is flying. He's going to be celebrating his first birthday before we know it. 

Sully has been a little fussy this week and I think teeth are still to blame. Most days, he goes through life with red, little cheeks and some drool. I can see the top two teeth just hanging out under his gums, so it's only a matter of time before those pop through. Hopefully, he doesn't resort to biting while nursing again. We faced that when his bottom two teeth came in and that was painful. I know he doesn't realize he's causing me pain and gnawing on something eases his mouth pain but biting while breastfeeding is one of my least favorite things in the world, especially at 5am in the morning when I'm not quite awake yet and ready to take on the day. 

He's been eating solid food for a few weeks now and will not longer touch the jarred food. My mom was watching the kiddos on Thursday and she had quite a scare with Sullivan so we are making some baby led weaning changes. There's so many options and opinions out there about how to approach baby lead weaning. Some people cut food up in tiny pieces, some in strips, some in little circular shapes. We were doing the circular shape with some roasted sweet potatoes and Sully choked on one at dinner. My mom had to do the Heimlich  Maneuver on Sully. I know that gagging is part of the BLW weaning process, but choking, not so much. I'm very thankful my mom was there and was able to act fast. I know it shook her up pretty badly, but Grammy was there to save the day. That being said....we are cutting stuff up pretty tiny now these days while he still learns how to feed himself. It's such a process and certain parts of it really freak me out! 

I am trying to do a lot more floor time with Sully in hopes that he will get to the point of crawling at some point. Right now, he is so content just sitting up like a big dude, playing with his toys. I'm not totally prepared for him to be mobile yet and need to dig out the baby gates. He just grows up so much every single day. 

Some changes are coming in our lives, regarding my job and how it looks on any given week. At first, I was super discouraged by it but I'm slowly coming to terms with it. Depending on how it all falls into place, I might be able to leave work at work. The past few years of my life have been spent juggling working from home and the office, always being on and connected to my phone. I would like to be able to just be with my family when I am home with my family. Plain and simple. We might be looking for some childcare options one day a week though and I am not a fan of that. But, we have been super lucky and blessed so far with not having to pay for childcare. It is so, so, so, so expensive...like the equivalent of paying a second mortgage expensive. But, we are talking through these changes and I'm hoping to get some more clarity on it soon. If you know me well, you know that not having all of the answers about how all of this is supposed to look is slowly driving me crazy. 

Here's Marin at Week Thirty Three. 

Baby Sullivan | Week Thirty Two

I find it hard to believe that I am preparing for Marin's 4th birthday party this weekend. The gifts need to be wrapped, the food needs to be ordered. She's been growing up so quickly right before our very eyes and time needs to slow down a bit. As of this coming Sunday, we will have a four year old. Four years ago at this time, I was super pregnant, quickly passing by my due date, and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little girl. Now she's in preschool, lives life as a little sponge soaking up so many things. She also has been a great big sister to little Sullivan. Their relationship is continuing to really grow into something awesome lately. She likes to be near him. She likes to help me with him. It's pretty adorable. 

Arm rolls for days....

Sully is quickly moving away from the jarred baby food it seems. Over the past week, I have been trying some new baby led weaning recipes. It is weird to me that people use the term "weaning" for what we are embarking upon though. He's not weaning himself from breastfeeding, quite the opposite. Baby led weaning is pretty much the process of letting your baby feed themselves with solid foods that are prepared in a way that is safe and easy for them to handle. Sully loves to eat to begin with and he has embraced this new form of food with vigor. 

So far with BLW, he has had avocados, bananas, oranges, broccoli, green beans, roasted sweet potato, and his mum mums. I have been watching him closely when he eats and also watching for any reactions to any of the food. It is recommended to slowly start introducing foods so you can monitor any reactions to the food. 

We still have some jarred food that I will try to get through but he's getting to the point of not wanting to be spoon fed and just wants to dive right him himself. I'm a lot more daring this time around with what I have been giving him. Marin didn't try most of these foods until a bit later but I want Sully to have an expansive palette when it comes to food and not be so picky like his adorable sister. I think we are on a good path. He will eventually just eat what we eat. Granted, Marin doesn't even really do that but that's something I really want to work on. I would LOVE to not have to cook 3 different meals during one meal time. I also really want to share dinner together AS A FAMILY soon. Our schedules are so all over the place but someway, somehow...I want to make it happen. I think it's super important. 

Funny broccoli face. Derp. 

I am also currently shopping for new carseats for Sullivan. He is pretty much at the weight limit for his carseat. He actually might be above the weight limit...Little dude isn't so little any more. Lugging him around in that car seat has not been kind to my back either. I do like the convenience of carrying him around in the car seat but those days are going to be gone very soon. The crappy part about buying new car seats is that the new ones will not click in to a base like his current one does. What that means...every car he rides in needs to have a carseat. So, we are looking at purchasing two car seats for us and the grandparents need to get one too for Sundays. Budget wise, that's not ideal, but you aren't supposed to take those car seats in and out constantly. That's not how they are built. I'm researching like crazy for something budget friendly but safe and reliable. The one's we bought Marin are great but they are a little out of our price range at the moment. 

Week Thirty Two. 

Here's Marin at Week Thirty Two. 

Baby Sullivan | Week Thirty One

We've all been passing around a cold once more in our little home. I don't think any of us have all been healthy at the same time in a while. I know a lot of other families are facing that this season as well, but dang, this flu and cold season has been a bad one. A lot of it stems from Ryan and I bringing germs home from work and Marin bringing them home from preschool. Poor Sully gets caught up in all of our germs as well. I've been trying to make sure we are washing our hands, covering our mouths when we sneeze or cough, and trying to stay out of Sully's adorable face. Hopefully this all passes again soon and we can continue on with regular programming. 

Sully rode in a shopping cart again on Monday and is just as chill as can be. I think being able to see all of those people and things is a bit overstimulating for him but I think he enjoys not being stuck in his car seat. Ryan and I haven't gone grocery shopping together with the kids in a very long time aside from Costco. But, it made me realize of my enduring love for King Soopers Clicklist. I don't have to deal with all of the people, I get exactly what is on my list, and stay within my budget. On Monday, we bought a few too many extras that I hadn't planned on and it was just stressful. The King Soopers right by our house will offer Clicklist in a few weeks and I am thrilled to say the least. It seriously has made my life so much easier with two kids! Now if we could just get a Starbucks drive-thru near by, then I will never have to leave my van again. 

Sully has been eating great and seems to be taking a liking to solid foods. I'm getting ready to start introducing more baby-led weaning foods instead of purees. It will be nice once he can start feeding himself more instead of me having to spoon feed him all of the time. I am going to start incorporating some bananas, avocados, roasted sweet potatoes, and some other steamed fruits and veggies for him. He really likes picking up and eating his Rice Mum Mums so I don't think he will have any issues with finger foods. He's all boy and loves to eat. I'm hoping he doesn't grow up being pretty picky like his sister. Her palette is always a work in progress. 

We celebrated my mom's birthday this past weekend and it was super fun to have so many kids around. We actually have a need for a kids table! It feels strange to be at this point in our lives but I love it. I love the chaos of it all and I love that I can sit at the grown ups table and drink my glass of wine. Win win for everyone!

Week Thirty one. 

Here's Marin at Week Thirty One. 

Baby Sullivan | Week Twenty Nine

We are really getting into the swing of things with Sullivan James lately. I feel like we hit 6 months with him and so many things just started to fall into place. He is hitting so many milestones lately that I feel like there's a million new things about him every morning he wakes up. He is growing like crazy and I'm trying to soak it all in. We feel that we are done with two kids so I'm trying to embrace all of the little milestones and details of little Sullivan. He may be the last baby I nurse at 1:30 in the morning in the glow of his night light. He may be the last baby we introduce solids to and the last baby that I have to wipe down after giving him solid foods. He may be the last baby that we buy so many diapers for. It's weird to think about. 

He's been taking pretty good naps for me lately and for that I am thankful. Nighttime has been another story though. He is happy as can be all day until the moment we lay him down in his crib for bedtime. Then he cries and cries. I hate having him cry it out but he's a smart cookie and knows that mommy or daddy will come running in if he looses his binky and starts wailing. Luckily, he usually zonks out fairly quickly but it still stinks. 

He's been eating solid foods 3 times a day lately and he's loving it. We usually start the day with mushed banana and oatmeal or a jar of fruit baby food. Lunch is usually a mum mum and a jar of food. Dinner is the same. He really likes peas and pears. This week we are going to try some with meat in them, more Stage 2 foods. He's a great eater and it's been fun having him sit at the table with us while Marin eats. 

I really want to try and have some family dinners though. Right now, Ryan works late enough that I usually feed the kiddos before he gets home. Then I cook dinner for the adults after the kids are in bed. I think family dinners are important. I realize our children are still young but I also really want to expand Marin's palette beyond chicken nuggets and cheese for dinner. She should eat what we eat. I know saying that is one thing and actually doing it is another but I would like to make that my goal someday. 

We hit another milestone this week as well. Sullivan sat in a shopping cart for the first time at Costco. We usually push him in his stroller and the other parent pushes Marin in the cart but on Monday, he rode in the cart with her. He thought that was pretty much the coolest thing ever. It was nice not having to push a stroller and a cart. We are slowly getting closer to me being able to go grocery shopping by myself with two kiddos. 

Week Twenty Nine!

Here's Marin at Week Twenty Nine. 

Baby Sullivan | Week Twenty Six (6 months!)

I should have posted this blog days ago but this week has been a crazy one. I cannot quite fathom that it's already Saturday and the week starts over already tomorrow. Sunday will come swiftly, of that I am sure. This past week was the beginning of a new year. New goals, new dreams, new hopes. I am a true sucker for resolutions or goal making. I'll be posting a One Little Word for 2018 sometime soon as soon as I solidly land on my word for the new year. 

At work, we always take the last Sunday of the year off. I am so grateful for that time to just breathe, refocus, and rest. We spent quite a few days in our pajamas, slowly taking down Christmas decorations and trying to put our house back to some sort of normal. 

Wednesday was my first official work day back in the office. I actually had to put make up on and look somewhat presentable. Wednesday was also the day that Sully turned 6 months old. 6 months! We are half way through his first year and I feel like in the past few days, he has grown leaps and bounds. We started to slowly introduce solids with some purees and some baby lead weaning finger foods. I was only doing this once a day or so but lately he is so into it and seems hungry so we have been experimenting with some different foods lately. Little dude is getting so big, so fast! He loves food so far just as much as he has loved breastfeeding. I am super thankful for that and hope to carry on through this year with a good eater. 

Sullivan has his 6 month appointment on Monday and as always, I'm curious about how much he weighs. I know he's still growing but he seems to be leaning out a bit and growing taller. He's still larger for his age and I love it. 

Marin goes back to preschool next week and our lives will continue as usual. I started the Whole30 again a few days ago and as long as I plan and prep well, it isn't super difficult. I'm working on my goals and word for the year. I'm ready to get our house in order once more and go through every closet and cranny. I love the fresh start of a new year. I love where we are at with Sully and how everyday is so new and fun. 

Marin hated this nutcracker but now won't let me put it away. Goober. 

Week Twenty Six. 

Here's Marin at Week Twenty Six.