9 Months Old

Shook is doing great!  He army crawls like a champ, drinks from his sippy cup, can wave bye, say momma and dadda, and "talks" a lot (doctor said this is unusual for a boy).  He is 29" long (75%) and about 24 lbs (90%). 
His head circumference is off the charts but it looks like he just has a big noggin'!  This was the topic of a long discussion, spurred by the fact that whether or not it was being monitored was the first question the doctor at Children's South asked me.  Seeing as how Shook is developmentally on track, the pediatrician and I think he is perfectly fine --- just might have to buy big hats! 

He is also borderline anemic.  We have to start making sure he gets enough iron or buy the iron supplement.  Basically, he goes through stages of either drinking every drop of his formula or hardly drinking any.  I think this is what is causing his levels to be mediocre.

Weird test they did at the appointment too...they took a picture of each of his eyes to determine if he might have eyesight problems.  No word back on that test!

He does have some separation anxiety.  In fact, I can't leave the room without him yelling!  And I mean yelling!  Not crying.  His teachers and I were talking today about how LOUD he is!  Yes, he could cry it out if I wanted to hear that loud yelling all the time!!

He is also quite jealous.  I have no idea what to do with a jealous 9 month old!  Suggestions are welcome!

He drinks solely from a sippy cup (Though he still would love for someone else to hold it for him.  I asked about this at school and they said that he definitely knows which teachers let him get away with it.)  He only eats table food.  He loves trying to stand up by himself.  He loves the water.  In fact, we start swim lessons this Saturday.

Here is my cute man at the doctor.  He behaved so well, at least until we get to the last part of the exam (see below).

He still has his "Angel Wings" birthmark! (Right between his eyebrows.)

Look at these teeth!

Look at these long eye lashes!  He and Jules make me so jealous!

He really is a sweet sweet baby!

Making his e-trades!

So, I really wanted to call this post "Testicles, Testicles, Testicles".  Vulgar but that is all I have talked about the past 2 weeks (or so it seems).  Turns out we may have a slight problem in that area.  We actually went to get an ultrasound this morning and we have some news but no resolution.  Shook had evidence of a hernia when he was born but the pediatrician said we would monitor his "recovery" over time.  We've monitored it enough now to know that his canals (that lead from the stomach, where they develop in utero, to their place of storage for the long haul) have not closed.  Therefore, his are going to and from the canals which can cause a problem with infertility, cancer, injury, life threatening hernias, etc. (you know, the stuff mother's freak out about!)  As of right now, we are waiting for our doctor's recommendation but more than likely we will be seeing a pediatric urologist to determine if we should wait a little longer or go forward with surgery.  From what I have read (you know, my extensive internet searches, which we are not supposed to do) if they are not closed and descended by 1 year old then surgery is generally required.  Apparently of the 1 in 30 boys that are born with this, almost all get resolved by 3 months old, only less than 1% do not.  Of course, the more I read, the more I want to go see that urologist tomorrow and the more questions I need to ask....I need something to do at work so I'm not searching the internet!!!  No worries, I'll be updating.

Parent Teacher Conference

Today was Jules' halfway mark in her class at school so they had parent teacher conferences to tell us about her progress and what she should be working on.  Here are some of the highlights:

Jules is a genius!! :)  JK...  They did say she is advanced and very smart.  She does really well with a lot things: like washing her hands, putting up her cup, following commands, putting puzzles together etc.  Her favorite things are Eli, Elyse, waterplay and homeliving (dress up, etc).

Her best friends at school are Eli and Elyse.  She and Eli are apparently clowns and will be laughing and rolling on the ground together.  And, she and Elyse are more serious and do pretend play together.  I asked about Amelia Duke (otherwise known as MeMa) because she talks about her all the time and they said that she loves and plays with everyone but Eli and Elyse are hands down her favorites.

She is a social butterfly.  You will never find Jules playing by herself.  Apparently some kids in her classroom are always playing alone and Jules is the opposite - she goes and plays and then makes her friends come play with her!!

She is a leader.  AKA Miss Bossy.  In fact, they call her the third teacher sometimes.  They said that they don't even worry about Eli making it to the playground, etc. because they know Jules will make sure he is there.  For example, if she wants to play in the kitchen, she gets out an extra apron for Elyse and makes her come play with her!  I'm sure most people will think she gets this honestly but I actually was not a 'leader' in school situations.  I was definitely more of a follower, in my opinion.  They said this is definitely a trait that you are just born with and we have to try to channel it into a good direction.

She has great language skills.  OH!, they also said, "You never know what Jules is going to say!  Once she starts forming sentences, probably by summer, there is no telling what will come out of her mouth!"  A little scary if you are me right now!  Michael and I need to get it together soon!

She has a great attention span.  She listens attentively at group time.  She 'reads' by herself and she will sit forever and paint or draw.  They are working with the kids to get them to tell the teachers what they are drawing.  They said that whoever you ask first is the one with the real answer because after that the kids are just repeating the first answer.  So, when they ask Jules first, she will look at them and think for awhile and then she will say something like "Eli!!"

She is very tender-hearted, much like her mother was at a young age!  She hates to get in trouble and will cry if she is separated from the group.  They say this is good because they already have some kids who could care less when they are in trouble.  They also think she responds well to things like, if you don't do 'x' then you can't do 'y'.  For instance, you have to take a bath before you can watch Elmo (since she has an aversion to the bath now!  We'll definitely be trying this at home.)

She is very affectionate.  She gives hugs to everyone!  And is very sweet to her teachers and friends.  She likes to sit in her teachers laps too.

She knows the routines of the class by heart and they feel she is really going to thrive in the classroom next year (I'm assuming because it is more routine.)

The only things they would like for her to work on is dealing with and talking about her feelings and her problem solving skills.  They feel these are the two things she gets most frustrated about.  They feel that she knows who took her toy, for instance, but she gets so mad that she will not tell them about it, she just cries.  And, I know from experience, that once she starts crying, you just have to let her calm down before you can get anything accomplished.  They said she is really good at puzzles but they work with her on things like, if it doesn't fit this way, what is another way we can get it to fit.  Or, if you can't pick the block up, what else can you do (push it!)  They are also currently working on getting her to master 'peg' puzzles (advanced hand eye coordination puzzles.) Things like that.  I think those are pretty advanced skills for a just turned 2 year old and so do they.  So, they are not concerned but just think those are her next steps. 

We talked about potty training and they really think that since she obviously has the skills and wherewithall to do it that the problem at school has to have something to do with her being so social.  And, since the other kids don't go yet, she just wants to play with them.  They think that if I can keep her going, etc. at home that it will only take a week or two come September. 

They also think it is a good idea for us to start having mommy/daughter days, etc. since she and Shook are becoming increasingly jealous of each other.  They said that over the last week or two they have noticed a little bit of jealous behavior and it may be stemming from lack of one on one time.  I thought we were doing a good job of this but maybe its because when she and I do things together there are usually other friends around.  We may have to do things just me and her.  They also said I should let her help stir Shook's bottle, etc.  This one is hard since he using only sippy cups now and we are trying to get him to exert some independence.  I'm trying to do less for him so I'm going to have to work on how to do that.

Come May they will no longer be using sippy cups or bibs!  Go Jules!  You rock!

I was looking at older pictures of her class today versus now.  It is really amazing.  Here is Jules and Elyse together!  Elyse is much taller than Jules but that does not stop Jules from asserting herself!

A Weekend Away

Last weekend Michael's older brother Chris got married in Altanta.  Jules and Shook stayed with mom and Granny so we got a weekend away!  It was a fun time though I was hoping to get a little more sleep than I got, but oh well.  Unfortunately I did not take my camera either so you don't get to see me and Michael all dressed up. 

Saturday morning I called and Jules talked to me on the phone for a second, long enough to say "I love you, Mommy".  Good enough for me.  We got back Sunday afternoon to totally different kids!
They were both so excited to see us, they were going crazy!  However, they got the jealous bone while we were gone.  Mom said that they were both so jealous of her all weekend.  Then, I'd be holding Shook last night and Jules would say, "Put Shook down!".  It was looking bad there for a little while but I think we may have pushed past it now! 

Then, Shook started crawling.  He's been moving on the little bit of carpet/rug we do have but not on the hardwood.  He was doing the worm on the hardwood by Sunday!  He was going!  And, he desperately wants to pull up but he can't get ahold of anything yet.  Also, Jules started telling us she had to go potty and she would go!  However, after a LONG and TIRELESS battle with her teachers, she has regressed and is now scared to death of the potty!  (Really, really long story) She didn't have any accidents at home Sunday through Wednesday and she told her teachers 2 and 3 times a day she had to go but for some reason by Thursday she was not having it anymore!!!  What is that!  Oh well, we'll keep trying at home.  School is not all about it until August so maybe if we can get her going at home again, she will be good to go come August.  Best we do!

Jules and Shook got some good stuff for Valentines Day.  Money from Honey and Granny, Tennessee gear from DeeDee and Daddy Deck and Elmo Memory, window markers and books from Mommy and Daddy.

Here is Jules modeling her Tennessee outfit!  Super cute!

Here is Jules modeling hers and Shooks Tennessee outfits!  Hahaha!  Surprisingly (or not!) it fits!

Shook finally got to try his on.

On Friday Jules and I went with Taylor and Kathryn and their parents to the University of Alabama versus the University of Arkansas gymnastics meet.  I immediately regretted telling Jules we were going to see Tay Tay in the car because that is all I heard the entire way there.  In fact, she started crying before we got there because she wanted to see her and 'hug her'. 

Saturday we got to see Kathryn and her family again at The Little Engine That Could play put on by Birmingham Children's Theatre at the BJCC.  No pictures from there but it was fun.  Shook was perfect!  I think he really enjoyed it.

Then, of course, Shook got sick in the afternoon, probably from the cold wind we walked in to get to the theatre.  So, we spent Sunday lying around trying to take care of him.  He was running such a fever, even with Tylenol and Benadryl, and coughing like crazy so I decided to go ahead and take him to the after hours clinic.  Wasted my time there because they wouldn't give him anything - said its viral.  As I write this now, Shook is lying beside me coughing and screaming.  Yes, I'll be up all night, in case you are wondering!

Here's to hoping for a better week!

All About Me

So some of my friends have been answering these questions about their kiddos.  Its a way to remember your kids favorite things at each age.  Unfortunately, at 2, you can't really ask the questions and get an answer so I'll be Jules in this post....(with a little commentary from mom...watch out!)

1. What is your favorite color? Gweeeeen, Yelleeeww

This is Jules' typical first answer to anything phrased liked "What color is this?".  I have no idea if these are her favorite colors or if they are just the words she likes to say at this point in time.  She can get colors.  She will sometimes say her skirt is pink or her pop is blue and she gets orange correct a lot but in a typical everyday world, its all about green and yellow. 

2. What is your favorite toy? Sit in chair, have tea....

We've been making a lot of tea lately.  She even likes for Shook to sit at her table and have tea.  She pours it all for us and it tastes delicious.  She also is still into her shopping cart and stroller since she just got them for Christmas.  She has been asking for her play-dough but mom intends to save that for 'special days' (like when mom has time and energy to clean it up).  She also always wants to color and paint now.  Mom enjoys painting in the bathtub, mostly because dad cleans it up :)

3. What is your favorite fruit? Nanas, Orange

Jules be lovin' some nanas.  Until about a month ago she had a banana everyday before school.  She has started to slow down on them some and pick up on oranges.  Her school letter said the other day that she loved her oranges snack and this weekend she went to the cupboard, got the mandarin oranges can out, asked for some and then ate the entire jar followed by licking the bowl.  I sure do wish I had a picture of it!  She will eat any fruit though.  The only thing I have seen her spit out recently was a raspberry.

4. What is your favorite tv show? ELMO, ELMO, ELMO

I'm pretty sure Jules doesn't realize that other tv shows exist.  We have watched some movies and sometimes she gets into them but not very often.  Put on Elmo and she'll be shaking her booty the entire time.  She also loves her Elmo clothes.  Thank God for the red furry fellow.

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? cheese

For cheese she gets cheese with sandwich meat or macaroni and cheese.  The other night I made a box of macaroni (don't hate, the box stuff is good too sometimes) and she ate 3 helpings!  We have daddy's sandwiches (meat and cheese only for her) on Saturdays after they go to work together.  She can eat that up too!

6. What is your favorite outfit? Sox, shoes

These are the only things that Jules is concerned with.  In fact, she will fight against putting clothes on in the morning.  I have to tell her Shook and I are going to see her friends before she'll finally change clothes. She'll say tutu and jacket when we put one on etc but she doesn't care what she wears as long as she has shoes on (although she does not like to wear jackets anymore - in fact, she refuses.  I'm pretty sure people at daycare think I'm the worst parent for this but some mornings it is not worth the fight).  She takes the shoes out of my closet now so that she can put them on.  I'm sure the clothes stage is coming.


7. What is your favorite game? jump, jump

She does like to jump jump on her new trampoline but for some reason she makes one of us watch her anytime she goes to get on it.  She also likes to do it for Shook who thinks it is hilarious.  She also really enjoyed jumping with TayTay and Kathyrn on their outside jump jumps. We don't really 'play games' yet though I think I should get her the Elmo Memory game and try it out.  We also need to get out all our puzzles and start working on them.


8. What is your favorite snack? snack, snack, cheese, in a bowl

This is what she says almost everyday after school.  Snack is fruit snacks and its always in a bowl.  Sometimes it is cheese in a bowl.  Oh, and she loves black olives!

9. What is your favorite animal? Liiiion

I'm not sure where the obsession came from but it is clearly an obsession.  She'll watch The Lion King and she'll point to anything with a lion on it.  At Olive Garden with DeeDee, they had lion faces on the wall and that is all we heard about for a good 20 minutes.  In fact, she and Michael were looking at pictures of lions on the ipad this morning.

I'm not sure why but at some point she became a little frightened of Memphis.  She'll say 'Hi and Bye, Mempis' but if he starts walking toward her she starts freaking out.  Going to have to work on that...

10. What is your favorite song? Baby Bumblebee

Jules requests this song all the time.  Usually she'll just say 'Bee' and start doing the hand motions.  Lately when we sing she will come over and sit right beside me and do all the arm motions I do for songs, like Wheels on the Bus and Patty Cake.  She loves to sing.


11. What is your favorite book? Peekaboo Kisses

She has loved this book from Day 1 and it hasn't changed.

12. Who is your best friend? Kat Kat, MeeeMaaa, TayTay

I'm not sure why she can't say Kathryn but we definitley do the most with her and her family outside of school.  The teachers say they all call her Kat Kat so we'll go with that for now.  Almost everyday she will mention Amelia and say, 'MeeeMaaa at home' or 'Me and MeeeMaaa gonna go home'.  I have no idea but it's cute. 

13. What is your favorite thing to do outside? swing!, run and jump

We don't get to play outside too much at our house (hopefully we'll get to fix that soon) but when we go to the park or a friends house, this is her first choice.  We've got her where she'll do this cycle of run, stop, jump, stop, gallop, stop, march, stop, and she'll do it round and round in circles at the house.  We also need to work on the tricycle this Spring!

14. What is your favorite drink? orange juice, milp

She stopped drinking milk for a long time but we switched to 2% before her 2nd birthday, mostly because she didn't drink milk anyway, and now she is all about it again.  I never asked if they had switched at school or something.  Occasionaly she will request apple juice.  But, most nights for dinner Jules has a cup of orange juice and milk (and water for bed).  Yes, she is spoiled.

15. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? baby, watr

Her crib is filled with stuff at this point but she must have a baby and a cup of water (Michael started this for us and I'm sure I'll be dealing with it later.)  She's got covers, Violet, etc all in her crib so she is safe and sound.  We tried again moving her to the toddler bed and after a couple of crazy weeks I gave up and decided to try again later.  Maybe I'll get the energy to do this once Shook's teeth are in and I have a couple of full night sleeps....maybe....

16. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? egg

Jules can eat an egg everyday, boiled, scrambled, morning, night, it doesn't matter.  Its the most amazing thing.  She also doesn't really like to eat the yellow of a boiled egg...weird and healthy...not sure where she gets that from.  We went too IHOP for dinner the other night, she ate all her scrambled eggs, all my scrambled eggs and then had the blueberries from her pancake.  Way to healthy to be her mother's child... 

17. What is your favorite shape? Angle

Jules and Michael have been working on their shapes.  Jules knows triangle, star and egg (better known to some of you as oval).  This week happens to be shapes week at school so we'll see how far she gets with circle and square for her repertoire.  I think Michael is determined that she will know them all by the end of February. 

18. Are you introverted or extroverted?  I say hi to everyone!

I added this question because I think it will be good to see how her personality changes over time.  You know I've heard her teachers say Kathryn is shy and they usually say, Jules sure isn't!  It's weird...she generally is not shy AT ALL.  She talks to anyone and everyone at school and she says Hi, Bye, How You?, Havin a good day? to everyone at Publix, Wal-Mart, you name it (makes for interesting conversations for mom sometimes).  My mom says my brother was the exact same way - talk to anybody!  But, you know, neither Michael nor I would consider ourselves extroverts.  In fact, I know growing up I was definitely an introvert, probably a little more extroverted now but definitely not to her degree.  Then, she stiffs up around other people, usually people in our family that she hasn't seen in awhile - sorry Uncle Wayne!  And, then, there was the swim teacher who she really didn't like (but she was fairly young then).  So, I say all that to say that right now she is definitely extroverted 95% of the time.  Wonder how it will change? 

19. Are you potty trained?  NOOOO

Jules has gotten to where she says No in many weird ways, sometimes it is like she growls it at you and then she laughs.  Usually when I ask her if she wants to potty, she growls no.  She tells us she needs a new diapy, she likes her Elmo and Minnie Mouse undies, and she goes when we make it a priority but we just haven't lately.  It's completely our fault.  But, parent/teacher conferences are coming up at the end of February and I plan to bring it up with them then.  We have to catch up with TayTay who is already pee pee trained!!!  Go girl!

20. Do you like your hair up?  Hair bow, Hair bow, NOOOO

This is another area where she makes you think she is all about it and then when you go to do it she growls No, runs and laughs.  HAHA.  It doesn't really bother me on this one because it gives me a good excuse to get her hair cut off this summer!  Plus, hairbows are too expensive!

21. Can you count?  One, two, three, four, six, eight, nine, TEN! Yay! High Five!

Sometimes it starts at 8, 9, 10! I think the high five at the end is the best part!  We are working on it!

22. What's your mommy and daddy's favorite thing you say?  I Love You, I know, I don't know and You tommin'?

23.  Where are your manners?  I say Please, Pretty Please, Thank You, Thanks, Yes/No Sir (mostly to Shook), Yes/No Ma'am and G'mornin' Sunshine

I have to say that Jules does really good with manners.  Occasionally I have to remind her but then I'll forget and before I know it she'll be saying Thank You.  She says Thanks Mommy to me a lot and Pretty Please.  People are always commenting on her How Yous? and Did you have a good day? People think its really funny.  In fact, today she asked Shook in the car if he had a good day and a teacher at school said she asked her how she was!  It will be nice if she maintains this!!!

I wish I could think of more questions, this is kind of fun!!!


Here's our girl...she's a character!

Been trying to catch this one!

The fam has been a little down and out this weekend and carrying on into the week.  I got a little sore throat on Friday and that carried to Sunday at the doctor getting shots and meds.  Shook got it as well and he was out of school today.  I took him to the doctor and he has a sore throat and drainage but no medication for him so he's on the steady stream of tylenol and benadryl - he's out cold about now!  However, from the looks of this picture (which I have been trying to get for a few weeks now) you would not know that he even has a runny nose!  I got a lot of these today too!  I love them!

Cracks me up!  I just can't get enough of it!  Jury is still out on which one is my favorite.

He started eating by himself right after he turned 8 months (I know, apparently in my prevous post about Shook being rock star, I was on to something.)  He's definitely ahead of the game when it comes to eating!  At the doctor today, he was up to 24.8 lbs (up from 23.6 lbs about 2-3 weeks ago when I took him for pink eye --- side note, those people at Mayfair should know me by first name cause they sure have taken a lot of my $30 co-pays!) 

Shook gives this smile a lot while he eats.  It makes me think of my dad a lot and how he liked to teach all the kids to "show their food"!  (Yes, he was that grandparent!)  His teachers have even commented that they are always like, "Shook, thanks for the show"! 

 

I think it is one of the cutest things I have seen in a long time!  That little bit of food doesn't bother me at all! (And, it gives me a chance to see all of his new teeth that have been keeping me up at night lately!  I've worked hard for those suckers!  You might also notice what appears to be a fairly large front gap and pretty big chompers already...Yes, sometimes it is good you are cute in other areas, like these dimples.)

Speaking of suckers, he had his first "pop" today as Jules calls it - not as big a fan as Jules is.

And, he was doing some army crawling.  He is also getting his entire belly off the ground - and that looks like it would be hard for a 24 pounder!  Won't be long and I won't need bootcamp because I'll be running around the house chasing 2 kiddos.  His teachers were saying that if he would just crawl he'd be ahead of the game and I said maybe he is doing his 'moooommma' (he says it pretty good now) a favor!!!

I remember all the things other mothers before me have warned --- if you think she is a handful (which I do have my days), just wait until he is moving....Lord, be with the Deckers!

Oh, and let's not forget Jules' accomplishments, which I also photographed today.  She is no longer in a highchair or booster.  Whew! Its the small things in life sometimes.

Although, she has had a lot of things going on lately.  She is learning up a storm.  I'm planning to get to that at some point very soon.

Here's that big smile one last time, cause I know you love it too!

Wordless Wednesdays