Say Whaaa?

I've heard both positives and negatives about the use of sign language with children who are not yet speaking.  So far, my experience with it as a parent has been VERY positive.  I am definitely a proponent of signing with all of our children because of the benefits we have seen come from it with Reagan.  The other day, I noted all of the words he currently can speak and those he can sign consistently.

Speaking Vocabulary:

1. Cookie (sounds like "ccccckie", no "oo" sound)
2. Dada (depending on the volume level, this could mean Daddy or Rubix)
3. Momma
4. NO (even wags his finger and makes a very stern face)
5. Sit (points down at whatever he's supposed to be sitting on, but is actually standing on)
6. Turtle (sounds like "tuttle", no "r" sound)
7. Uh-oh

Signing Vocabulary:

1. All done
2. Baby
3. Ball
4. Bird
5. Bubbles
6. Dog
7. Eat
8. Fish
9. Grapes
10. Help
11. Monkey
12. More
13. Please
14. Squirrel
15. Thank You (though he waffles between signing and speaking this one)

The amazing thing... signing nearly TRIPLES his vocabulary!  It also saves us (Reagan included) some unnecessary frustration due to his limited speaking vocabulary.  We can almost always figure out what he's asking for or talking about and he rarely gets upset because of a communication barrier!  

And now, Introducing...

MOUSTACHE MAYBE SMOTHERMAN!

Yes, that kidney bean in the photo is growing in my stomach.  Our name for this one is "Moustache Maybe" because it is due Moustache May 13th (which happens to be Mother's Day--I was born on Father's Day, so I'm hoping this one will come ON the due date) and it's a Baby.  May + Baby = Maybe

Eyes Wide Open

"Words can be a sword to the heart... Sometimes there's truth in them.  Sometimes there isn't.  Go over what [was] said to you.  If there's any truth in it, you'll have to decide what to do with it.  As to the rest, try to let it go."

I read these words in a novel last week.  Little did I know they would be advice for me this week.

On Sunday, someone visiting at church wrote a note to Richard and I and asked us to read it together, understanding it was meant in love.  I won't go into detail about the note, but will say that it mentioned observations of our parenting style that had been made on a few visits to the congregation.  It also had advice, as this individual stated she had successfully raised 9 children of her own and has helped others with their children.

I'm not going to lie.  My reaction to her letter was not Christ-like in the beginning.  At first I was defensive.  That's not us.  She's got it all wrong.  We've got to tell her what was really going on.  She doesn't even know.  Then, I was embarrassed.  If a complete stranger thinks that of us, what do others think?  Then, I was angry.  Who does she think she is, writing a note like that?!  She didn't even bother to introduce herself to me!  She didn't even get to know us before doing that!  What gall!  Then, I was sad.  I can't believe someone would think that of us.  We're trying so hard to be good parents and set a good example.  I thought we were doing the right thing.  Then, I was doubtful.  Is she right?  Are we doing things the wrong way with Reagan?  Have I had it all wrong all this time?

The more that I thought about the note, the more concerned I got about my parenting decisions, the more I began to worry about what I was teaching my son by some of my choices with him.  I cried a good bit of the way home, going over my choices in my head.  Then, the quote from my novel came back to my mind. Words can be a sword to the heart... Sometimes there's truth in them.  Sometimes there isn't.  Go over what [was] said to you.  If there's any truth in it, you'll have to decide what to do with it.  As to the rest, try to let it go.

Some of the note was purely based on assumption.  However, some of the note was truly an outsider's view of what was going on in our family.  I knew what I had to do was take the "truth" written in this note and consider what to do with it.  I truly believe everything that happens to us is for a purpose.  In my heart, I know that this stranger was teaching me something I needed to know that would help me.  It took courage for her to write that note.  She mentioned to Richard, verbally, it was meant in love.  She wrote in the note that her intent was to help, in love.  God was working through this woman to bring something to our attention that we hadn't seen before.  We talked over some things and came up with a solution to the problem we were having.  I prayed that God would take away my anger and bitterness toward this woman, to let me see the good in what she had done.  He did.  By the next day, I was no longer defensive, embarrassed, angry, sad, or doubtful.  I was resolved and thankful.  I am thankful that someone had the courage to speak up early on before the problem (we didn't realize was there) had gotten worse.

Patience, the Virtue I need to Possess

Richard and I were talking a bit on Sunday about some of the challenges that we might face in the coming years.  I remember long before we were married, cataloging a mental list of DOs and DON'Ts for parenting.  These weren't things others had told me, but things I had experienced as a non-parent that I would not want others to have to experience from my children or me, as a parent.  When I'd make a comment about some of the items on this mental list, others would often say, "Just wait until you have kids.  Then you'll understand."  Some of those things, I still don't "understand" because I realize that a lot of things parents let their kids get away with may be "kids being kids", but still are impolite and things you would expect a parent to be embarrassed and discipline their children for.

I feel like, so far, Richard and I agree on reasons for (and methods of) discipline.  What I think we both are going to (and already do) struggle with is being consistent with those methods of discipline.  No matter how tired I am at the end of the day, if Reagan chooses to stand on the furniture, he must be disciplined so that he understands it's not safe to do that.  If I allow him to do it one time without consequence, the point I am trying to make about safety and not standing on furniture will no longer mean anything to him.  The same goes for playing in the dog food and opening cabinet doors in the kitchen.  Consistency is the only way he will understand, but it's also the most challenging thing for me as a parent.  Whenever I'm tempted to let him do something because it's the 15th time in the day that he's done it, I ask myself, "What will I be teaching him, if he's allowed to do it this time?"  I know that he would think, "If I just wear Momma and Daddy out, I can do whatever I want."

Every day, I am reminded that I am no longer an entity unto myself.  I have a husband, child, and dog to whom I have responsibilities.  The day we adopted Rubix, I actually cried.  Not from happiness, but fear.  Richard was perfectly capable of caring for himself, but this dog we were taking home required attention, guidance, and care.  She would not be able to do things without us.  I worried about my ability to be a good "dog mom".  Sounds silly, now that I'm putting this into words, but it was the first time in my life that I was truly responsible for another being.  Adopting Rubix certainly made us less self-centered.  We could no longer stay away from the house for extended periods of time without first checking on and walking her.  Trips away from home meant taking her with us or finding someone to care for her while we were gone.  We now had a dependent.

After having a child, the scariest day for me was the first day at home alone.  My family members stayed with us in shifts for the first week, and Richard was home for half of the second week.  The night before he went back to work, worry and fear set in.  How was I going to take care of myself, a dog, a house, and a baby?  After making it through the first day, then the first week, and then the first month, I started to get the hang of things.

Now, I've started thinking about the future with Reagan and any other children we are blessed to raise.  I know that in the future, it will be important to allow our children to make choices of their own while still living with us, so that we can help guide them, rather than making all the decisions for them.  This is such a terrifying thing for me to think about.  I want our children to be capable of making wise choices while under our roof so when they get out on their own, they will already have that skill acquired.  It's so hard to figure out how to guide without controlling the situation, especially when you don't want to see your children fail and get hurt.  However, I realize that it's more important for them to struggle and fail while we're there to help them pick up the pieces, rather than when they're out on their own completely.

I guess I worry too much about the future.  Something I'm learning is that God truly never gives you more than He knows you can handle.  Being a parent can be awfully frightening when you look at the big picture.  For some reason, when I pictured myself as a parent, I only saw myself as the parent of a newborn up through the toddler stage.  I can't imagine myself as a parent of a preteen, teen, or adult.  Am I the only parent who thinks like this?  Reagan was given to us as a complete dependent.  It is our job to train him how to be independent and hope that he takes what he learns and truly applies it in his life.  I need to stop worrying so much and cast my cares on God.  Please pray for me to increase my patience, maintain my consistency in discipline, and cease worrying about future parenting struggles.  I need to focus on today and worry not about tomorrow!

Eleven and Eight

Today marks eleven months since Reagan entered this world and eight years since my maternal grandfather left it.  I miss Grandpa and wish he would have been able to meet his four great grandsons who have since joined our family, and that they could have been led by his great godly example.  I pray that Reagan will one day aspire to lead his family in such a way that he would make Grandpa proud; that he will qualify and desire to become an elder and shepherd over a congregation somewhere, as Grandpa did... or, maybe he'll desire to preach as his Papa Smotherman did.  Whatever he chooses, I pray that he do it all to God's glory.

All parents have hopes and dreams for their children's success in life.  What is used as this measure of success, though?  Is it financial wealth?  Popularity?  Education?  While I'd never wish to see my children destitute, financial wealth is not what I hope they dream to achieve.  I do not wish to hear that others disdain them, but popularity is not my hope for them either.  And while having knowledge can be powerful, it can also be a catalyst for losing one's faith in the "unknown" because faith lacks the reason that knowledge necessitates.  My dream for my children is that they learn to love God and do what He asks of them, to marry spouses who will help them accomplish this, and to raise their children to do the same. 

Since Reagan's our first child, he's the "experiment".  Fortunately for us, he's the sweetest, most well-natured "experiment" we could have asked for!  Every day, I hug him and kiss him and thank God for one of the best blessings I could have ever received.  Eleven months have gone by entirely too fast.  My little helpless baby has become an independent toddler overnight.  He's able to go farther and do more for himself every day!  He leaves me awe-struck by his intellect, and I can't help but marvel that this little person was once inside of me... he is a little bit of me and a little bit of Richard, rolled into one!

Over the past month, Reagan has accomplished much. 

• He started walking roughly one week after his 10 month birthday, and he doesn't stop!  He's probably only crawling 5-10% of the time, now... and practically running the rest of the time!  He's our little "bruiser" (and has a few to prove it--ha!)... after falling down, he looks around, gets back up, and keeps on going, without even a fuss (unless he's tired).  
• He can now climb onto our chairs in the living room (and he loves to lie down on them, with his leg on the armrest).
• He is now eating anything and everything he can get his little teeth on.  He has 7 teeth now, and I'm positive the 8th one will be through the gums in the next week or so.  The kid eats non-stop all day long, and rarely passes over any food item put in front of him!
• At a weight and height check-up a few weeks ago, he was just over 21 lbs., putting him in the 45th percentile for weight, but he measured 31 inches, putting him in the 99th percentile for height.  Looks like he may be taking after my mom's side of the family with the height measurement!
•  Just this week, he showed us that he can "talk" on the phone just like Momma and Daddy.  While pacing around the room, he carries a toy, my phone, or just presses his own hand up to his ear and jabbers away.  I'll post a video of it as soon as I can!
• He has a weird fascination with a corner to the left of our fireplace.  He sets toys on the fireplace hearth in that corner and tries to balance them upright against the side of the mantle.  He especially likes to do this with these electronic drum sticks he has.  Do we have a savant in training???  
• Words he can say: "Dadda" "Uh-oh" and "Unh, Unh, Unh"... The latter, he mimics after I say it when he's into something he shouldn't be into.  "Momma" has long since been forgotten, but I guess I should enjoy these days when he calls "Dadda" because I know there will be a day I wish for that instead of a constant stream of "MOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" coming from his mouth.
• We've been kind of inconsistent with signing with Reagan, so his signing vocabulary is a bit limited.  He can sign "All Done" (which is required for him to leave his high chair after meals--otherwise, he throws food on the floor or pulls the top of his tray off and dumps everything on himself),  and sometimes he'll sign "Dog".  "More" isn't used much anymore because everything he wants is on his tray, as he is feeding himself now.
• We visit the library once a week, selecting 10-12 books for Reagan to enjoy, then return the next week for him to pore over new books.  His favorite thing to do at the library is walk up and touch the older kids in the children's section.  He smiles and charges at them, just to say, "Hi!"  He also enjoys pulling the board books and DVDs down and looking through them.  His love of books is obvious in the amount of time he chooses to look at them on his own.  I hope this is a love he will continue to have in the future, and plan to foster it as much as possible by taking him to the library often and reading with him at bedtime and throughout the day.

Father's Day, after Reagan's bath.

I've always loved children, but until I had Reagan, never truly understood what being a mom was all about.  I am so thankful for this sweet little person whose raising has been entrusted to myself and Richard.  He brings so much joy to our lives, and I see so much of Richard in him every day.  I can't help but love a miniature version of my quirky, lovable husband!

Counting My Blessings

Life is full of its ups and downs, but I am quite happy when I look back on what has happened over the past few years... and really have nothing to complain about.

When Richard and I got engaged, it seems like people came out of the woodwork to tell us how "hard" the first year of marriage would be, and that we really needed to make sure we were absolutely certain because it was a very serious decision we were making.  I don't mean to discredit their advice.  In a world where marriage is no longer held in honor and divorce is prevalent, it is important to make sure you choose your spouse carefully.  In our pre-marriage counseling, we talked about different issues that might come up over time... finances, children, spiritual leadership, etc.  It was clear we were "on the same page".  Even though our personalities are different, we both balance each other out.  Sometimes I'm a little too uptight and Richard's a little too relaxed.  Sometimes I'm a little too serious and Richard's a little too flippant.  The great thing is... we agree on the big things, and don't fret too much when we disagree about the little things (like whether or not it's okay to throw food wrappers and soda cans away in the bathroom trash can).  We've never really had a "fight".  Simple disagreements that always end in apologies (and GENUINE apologies) because neither one of us likes to see the other one hurting.

With all that being said, we've made it through nearly 3 years of marriage with no trouble.  Whew.  And guess what?  All those things people told us about how much our lives were going to change (for the worse) after having a child... DIDN'T HAPPEN!  It seems like those same people who told us how hard marriage was going to be were just as pessimistic about having children.  I'm not saying life with a child is always rainbows, unicorns, lollipops and gumdrops.  There have been a few sleep-deprived nights, yucky diapers, and scream-filled car rides... but I can't imagine life without my sweet little man in it.  And when he started crawling... life didn't stop.  Sure, I couldn't leave him on the carpet, run to the bathroom, and come back to find him in the same spot... but I sure have enjoyed watching him learn about the world around him (and getting himself from place to place, so I didn't have to change his location for him).  Now that Reagan's walking, we're enjoying seeing the joy on his face (and the awkwardness in his movements).  Life is good. :)

Happy 9... errr 10 Months!

I failed to post a nine month update.  However, I had this one started.  So, you'll get my nine/ten month update at once.

Nine.  A number that we love...


We dated nine months before getting engaged.
There were nine people standing on the stage during our wedding.
Rubix was nine months old when we adopted her in 2009.
I began my pregnancy in the year 2009 and carried Reagan for nine months.
Our first night in our new house was the ninth day of last May.
Reagan is now nine months old!

Technically, his 9 month birthday came and went without much ado a week month ago today.  Richard's family was in town, so we were busy entertaining and being entertained.  We spent the morning at the aquarium, came home for lunch, and then went to have our picture taken as a family (and others of Reagan with his cousin Samuel).  The rest of the week we... drove to Orlando to spend time with my family on Easter Sunday, spent the night and went to the Magic Kingdom on Monday, spent Tuesday resting and then went to the beach that evening, ate lunch with Richard on Wednesday, and then Reagan had his 9 month check up and we spent time with the family on Thursday.

Now, for the 10 month post:

Reagan is now proficient at...
- saying "Momma" and "Dada"
- clapping
- super-fast crawling
- walking next to the furniture while just barely holding on
- standing with large toys in his hands
- squatting and standing back up without anything to pull up on
- climbing over his tunnel we were using as a barrier to keep him in the living room (He thinks this is especially funny.)
- moving and climbing on top of the empty Atari box to reach things higher up on our entertainment center
- pushing objects while walking behind them
- feeding himself using his hands (The spoon usually ends up on the floor.)
- reading (Haha! Not really, but it sure sounds like he thinks he can read!)

Reagan LOVES...
- playing with his big sister Rubix
- crawling all over the living room
- reading books
- people watching
- when his daddy gets home from work
- playing peek-a-boo
- eating
- finding snacks in his music table's hidden compartment
- EASTER EGGS!
- empty cardboard boxes
- grocery shopping (mostly to people watch)
- playing at the mall playground
- Bible class (especially when he gets to hold the plastic toys)
- LIFE

So... I guess that's my big update.  Can't believe our little guy is only 2 months away from his first birthday!  Where did the time go??  I'm more in love with him every day!  He is so well behaved and laid back.  God has truly blessed us with an excellent child.

Ocho.

My baby is now 2/3 of the way through his first year!  EEK!  He changes so much and I love him even more every day.   Chasing him exhausts me, but he's a busy boy who needs to burn off some energy (and I need the exercise, anyway)!  I enjoy making things for him. (Cooking and sewing are two of my favorite things to do anyway and the fact that I'm preparing things for my son's enjoyment makes it even BETTER!)

Rockin' the fisherman hat and nerd shirt.

Pulling up the bathroom rug.

Telling me it's time to get off the computer.

Accomplishments this past month:

• Crawling quickly.
• Crawling up a single step/onto the fireplace hearth.
• Standing on his own for about 5 seconds.
• Growing 3 new teeth.  (He's got 5 teeth at 8 months!)
• Signing "more".
• Sleeping 12 hours at a time. (WOOHOO!)

Obsessions this past month:

• Socks.
• Shoe laces.
• Montel Williams in THIS commerical! (He'll still stop whatever he's doing to watch it... and lean to the side to see around my big head when he's eating, too!)
• Pulling up the corners of rugs (particularly the one in the kitchen).
• Rubix (her tail, her feet, her face, her everything)!
• Pushing an empty box over to the chair to stand on it.
• Puffs.
• Food.
• Signing "more"... even when it's not appropriate.
• Fake coughing for attention (especially in church services).
• Drinking out of my water glass.
• Climbing on the hearth.
• Bath time (and the bath tub in general).

A Month to Remember

Today marks 7 months since Reagan entered this world, and boy are we thankful we had him this past month!  As my brother-in-law, Shawn put it (while Reagan was crawling around in the funeral home this past Saturday), "It must be nice to think this is just another room to crawl in."  God sure has blessed us with a little one to cheer us up when we all needed it the most.

Here are some pics of Reagan with his Papa.  I have 3 videos, too.  I will make sure he knows all about his wonderful Papa!  I am so thankful to have had the privilege to meet this wonderful, God-fearing man (and to be married to the son he helped raise)!  He will be missed dearly.

Reagan meets Papa and Grandma for the first time, September 2010

Papa with his two Grandboys, September 2010

Reagan plays with Papa's hands, Thanksgiving 2010

Here are some of the little guy's stats:

Weight: 20+ lbs. (will know the exact amount next Monday)
Mobility: Crawling (learned this in the 2.5 weeks we were in Michigan), pulling up on things
Obsessions: Cell phones, buttons, jewelry, zippers, computer cords and shoe laces (he'll untie your shoes while you're sitting on the couch)
Diet: Nursing 3-4 times a day (mostly right before falling asleep), eating solids 3 times a day (rice/oatmeal cereal, apples, bananas, avocado, sweet potatoes, green beans, butternut squash) and snacking between meals on Gerber's puffs (sweet potato and banana flavors).  We'll be adding pears, carrots, acorn squash, and peas to the mix this month!
Teeth: No new ones this month... just the two bottom ones he got in just before turning 6 months.

Celebrating 7 months by riding in his new big-boy seat (still backward, of course)!

First time riding upright in the basket at Wal-mart.  He spent the whole trip grabbing my sunglasses and flirting with old women. :)  I love my little boy!

184 days

A letter for our son.

Today marks six months (that's 184 days) since you, our dear, sweet boy first entered this world.  Sometimes it feels like everything happened just days ago.  I remember everything so vividly--the excitement when the contractions first began, the joy we both felt when we first saw and heard you, the tears we cried after you arrived, thankful everything had gone so smoothly and that you were really here.  Other days, it feels like you've always been with us, like we've always been a family.

Six months ago, we began to look at the world through a whole new pair of eyes.  We learned to enjoy every moment before it passed by.  Our busy lives slowed down so we could take in the "little things".  We watched you sleep, listening to each breath you took.  We've already been through so many "firsts" with you--the first time you... smiled, laughed, rolled over, pulled on a toy in your car seat, bounced in your jumperoo, sat up on your own, ate solid food, cut your first tooth (and another a week later), and many, many more.  Every day you experience something new and we are right there with you, watching your excitement in the things we once took for granted.  Impromptu peek-a-boo games, staring contests, watching Rubix stare at squirrels, eating reading books, singing nursery rhymes, dancing for your entertainment; these are the things our life is about now.  Not a day goes by that we wish for something different.  Not a day goes by that we wonder what life would be like now without you in it.  Every day that goes by includes a thank you to God for giving us such a wonderful, happy, and healthy boy.

Here's to new experiences, and looking at them through your sweet gray-blue eyes!

All our love,
Momma and Daddy

Our sweet boy on the day of his birth!

1 Month

2 Months

3.5 Months

5 Months

6 Months, minus 1 day

Made with Love, By Mom

If you've ever talked to me for more than a minute, you know I'm a sucker for a bargain (and hate paying full price for anything).  In fact, last Sunday I nearly jumped out of my car to save the coupons that had been irreverently scattered across the road at the entrance to our neighborhood.  (Shame on whoever did that!)

Needless to say, the transition from exclusively breastfeeding (which, of course, is the most nutritious and cost-effective FREE-est way to feed your baby) to working our way into the world of solid foods has been really bothering me because of the cost.  The thought of buying baby food off the shelf at full price has really gotten me thinking.  Sure, I can find coupons and maybe get some good deals on occasion (and stock up when I can).  In fact, I did this months ago when some organic baby food was on sale (got $14 worth for about $4).  Still, Reagan will go through those in a matter of days.  I needed to find something much more cost-effective (and a way for me to know EXACTLY what is in the food my little guy is eating).

Enter Wholesome Baby Food, a website chock full of recipes and meal plans for your growing baby.  Not only is this a cheaper way to feed your child, but a much more healthy way, too (and the recipes are EASY)!  Today I made my first batch of homemade sweet potato puree for Reagan.  It only took me 45 minutes of baking 2 sweet potatoes + 5 minutes of pureeing them in the blender with a little breastmilk and some filtered water to get enough to fill 2 ice cube trays plus a little for a taste test.  I'm freezing them for a quick defrost-able meal for our little man. 

Oh, and here's how the taste test went:

Don't let his absent, deer-in-the-headlights look fool you.  He LOVED it!  He just gets sleepy when it's eating time.

A little MySpace action.

Oh, What a Night!

Early January, back in '11...  Reagan showed us what parenthood's all about and earned us 20 bucks in the process!

On our way home from dinner last night, we stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up a few groceries.  Our sweet little guy was coughing, but it was only occasional and sounded really sweet, so I figured he just had a little tickle in his throat.  Then, all of a sudden, we heard the dreaded sound of throwing up.  We were already in the store parking lot, so we quickly parked, got him out and Richard kept guard while I changed him.  I had noticed a large SUV with its tail lights on one row over, and I motioned to Richard to keep an eye on it.  (If you've ever been with me at night in a parking lot, I'm like a hawk--looking around constantly, so I can be totally aware of my surroundings.)  Right about the time we got Reagan back in his car seat and were getting ready to head into the store, a woman got out of the SUV and walked over to us, with her cell phone up to her ear.  Her car wasn't starting and she needed a jump, but she was keeping her sister on the phone for safety reasons (and she said when she saw we had a baby, we seemed safe enough to ask).  We quickly got her car started and she thanked us, then handed me a bill.  I handed it back to her and told her we didn't need it, that we helped because we wanted to.  She insisted and put it in the stroller.  (It was $20!)

We went on into the store because Reagan was smiling and acting like nothing was wrong.  However, he threw up 4-5 more times while we grabbed enough stuff to hold us over for one night of food.  When we got him home, he continued.  I was really worried because he had never thrown up before (and he rarely spits up).  This was food he'd been fed 5 hours before.  I started wondering if he'd ingested some of the Vaseline I'd been putting on his face to treat his eczema, so I called poison control.  The woman on the other end assured me that he would have to consume a large quantity to be poisoned and that he would've had diarrhea from it instead of throwing up.

Our poor little boy continued throwing up for another hour, 15-20 minutes of which we were on the phone with an after hours nurse from our pediatrician's office.  I kept telling her he was only upset while throwing up, but laughing and playful the rest of the time.  Much laughter ensued when she instructed us to check his temperature in a way we'd never checked it before.  I tried to get out of it by telling her our thermometer was for under the arm and she told me it could be used this other way.  Reagan was such a good boy and cooperated better than I expected.  I tried to nurse him to sleep, but he got sick again--on my side of the bed.  (Convenient time for our washing machine to be broken...)  After cleaning myself and changing his clothes for the 4th time, I put him down in the pack 'n play next to our bed to listen for any other sickness.  He slept like a champ!

He woke up this morning, nursed, went back to sleep, and then I had to wake him up to get dressed and leave for his doctor's appointment.  He weighed in at 19 lbs., 2.6 oz. and measured 26 3/4" (a little over 1 lb gain and 3/4" growth since his last appointment Dec. 10th).  This means he only has 2 lbs., 13.4 oz. left in his current car seat (or 2 1/4"), whichever comes first.  The appointment was made to check on his eczema and come up with something to help with the itching.  The doctor said we can put 1% hydrocortizone cream for the itching (sparingly, to avoid thinning his skin), double antibiotic ointment to help heal the open wound from him scratching, and Eucerin to keep it moisturized.  Let's hope it works!  I told her about the previous night's events and she said to keep an eye on him, but that it sounded like something had just upset his stomach.  She also said he was very alert and observant and she was surprised by how well he paid attention to her.  She also said he was the happiest baby she'd ever met and that she had to leave before she tried to steal him. :)  I love my boy and am so happy that he's okay!