14 months old!

I skipped last month because I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue monthly updates, but I'm back! Zach is now 14 months. After we got back from vacation, he caught some sort of stomach virus and was sick for several weeks. He's fine now, but we're dealing with temporary dietary restrictions from the virus still. Despite all that, he's doing great! He actually gained a pound and grew an inch while he was sick, so he's now 20lbs 2oz and 29.5 inches tall. He's a very busy boy.

He took swim classes. He liked it, except that he didn't want to float on his back. But he loved being in the water.

He loves to eat! He has gotten a little pickier recently, but he still has a great appetite.

He likes to try to climb.  He tries to climb this weight bench almost every day and tries to climb over the baby gates and into the tub.

He loves checking himself out in the mirror.

And, about two weeks ago, he started walking! He is all over the place now. We sit down for a minute and he's gone. He takes off down the hall and chases the cat. The animals are his best friends and he loves to play with them. Zach is also trying to dance. It's so cute! He kind of sways back and forth and looks so happy.

Happy First Birthday Zach!

Zach is ONE! We went to visit my family and celebrated his birthday there. At first, he wasn't so sure about the party.

But then he heard there was cake! Oooh, cake!

The cake was so cute! Thank you Aunt Susie and Aunt Rochelle!

Zach had lots of fun at his birthday party. He hung out with family,

Played with Miss Maggie,

And played on the swing

He got lots of nice gifts and had a great time. Thank you to everyone who came.

We had a great vacation with my family.  We went to zoo, played in the pool, had fun at Aunt Sue's house, and hung out with Zach's Great Grandparents. But his favorite thing was playing with his grandparents.

He even learned to say "Gramma" and "Grandpa." Of course, it comes out "Ga-ma" and "Gump,"but it's the thought that counts, right?

Zach got this cool toybox from Grandma Strauss. He loves Mickey and was so excited to test it out.

Zach isn't walking yet, but he's trying to take a few steps. If you ask him to walk to you, he'll say, "Can't," and go back to what he was doing. He's talking more and more. He's got about 10 words- cat, dog, Mama, Dada, Alldone (as one word), yeah, no, Grandma, Grandpa (see above), out, and down. He also will look at us very seriously and say, "Guh!" over and over. Not sure what that one means yet. He's a very noisy boy, which I love. He laughs, yells, and shrieks all the time. Of course, that's not always good.

We saw the pediatrician yesterday. Zach is 19lbs 4oz and 28inches tall. He's pretty little, so the pedi wants us to add more fats to his diet, like butter, avocado, olive oil, and peanut butter. But Todd has always been small so that may not help. He's healthy though and that's what matters.

11 months old!

Zach is 11 months old! I can't hardly believe it. He's a man on the go these days. He's not walking yet, but he crawls really fast! He's up on all fours and speeding away.  He is also pulling up and cruising the furniture and slowly becoming braver and trying to stand unassisted. He loves exploring and now crawls all over the house checking everything out.  He's also eating everything in sight. He eats 3 solid meals a day now plus usually 4-5 bottles. His favorite food is strawberries and he could eat them all day if we let him. He really loves all fruits except bananas and watermelon. He still really doesn't like bananas, but will eat them if they are mixed with something else.

Also, Zach got his helmet off this month! He has to wear it at night until his birthday, but not anymore during the day.

He looks amazing!

This is Gordon, his orthotist. We're so grateful for all he did to fix Zach's head.

The first few days without the helmet were a little rough. Zach is clumsy and falls a lot, so there were a lot of tears and bumps on the head. He's getting better about catching himself with his hands rather than his head, but we're watching him closely.

We celebrated Todd's first Father's Day this month. We went to the zoo and out to dinner. Zach slept most of the time in the zoo, so I think we'll hold off on getting a zoo membership this year. He did get to hang out with a cool gorilla.

We got Zach a new car for an early birthday gift. He's too short to push it himself, so we push him around the house. He loves it.

Another good thing this month- Zach is now down to one doctor just like most other babies. He has been released from the eye doctor, audiologist, neurosurgeon, orthotist, and physical therapist.

Have a great month!

10 Months Old!

Today Zach is 10 months old. This is one of the few pics I could get with him sitting still, so sorry he's not smiling. He's all over the place these days. He is crawling on his belly, crawling on hands and knees, pulling up, and cruising the furniture. He is trying to stand without holding on, but he falls down.

 His favorite toy is his activity table and his favorite food is strawberries. He could eat a whole pint if we let him. He's really got the eating solids thing down recently and is eating everything in sight. He still isn't a fan of bananas, but he'll eat them if mixed with something else. He eats a mixture of purees and finger foods. Usually he has purees for lunch and finger foods for dinner, unless we're out to eat (then he usually has a puree pouch) or he has left overs from dinner the night before.

He loves to eat!

 

Zach saw the orthotists about the helmet about 1.5 weeks ago. They said he is looking great. He will have to wear the helmet full time until June 5th (his next appointment), then he will wear it only at night until his birthday.

Here is a comparison shot of his head. The center photo was taken in January, before he got the helmet. The rest are from a few weeks ago. Don't mind the booty, the only time he stays remotely still is in the bath!

This kid is crazy, funny, silly, and so loveable.

Nine months old!

Zach is nine months old! I can't believe he's so big already. He's doing really well and is very smart. I wanted to list his favorite things and least favorites, but I'm going to start with least favorites first because there are fewer of those..

Dislikes- long car rides, banana, getting his nose cleaned, waiting for his dinner, teething

Loves:

Baths

Flying on the swings

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and his jumper

Teething cookies and oranges

Walks

He's doing great with the helmet and it is really helping reshape his head. He's had it adjusted twice now and the orthotist said he will only need it for about another month.

The picture on the left was taken in January and the picture on the right was taken a few weeks ago. You can really see how much rounder his head is now.

Zach graduates from physical therapy next week. His torticollis is completely resolved and he is doing great.  He is working on crawling and finally figured out how to go forward yesterday.  He is very mobile and hates to be held in one place.  His therapist is very impressed with his progress.

Zach also loves to talk! It is mostly not real words, but he babbles like a maniac. If you talk to him, he "talks" back, sometimes very earnestly.  He really likes the pets and tries to pet and play with them all the time. Now that he's so mobile, he likes to roll over to where the dogs are lying and try to cuddle with them. They aren't quite sure what to do with him, but the cat loves the extra petting!

I almost forgot, Zach has been teething like crazy lately! He has gotten 3 new teeth in past 3 weeks, for a total of 5 teeth now. I think he's got one more tooth on the way in. 

Zach will see the pediatrician for his 9 month well visit on Wednesday so I'll update more then. Bye for now!

Eight months old!

Today Zach is 8 months old! He's a sweet, silly, funny boy. This month he learned how to give hugs and it's so cute! When you're holding him, he grabs your shoulders and says, "Mmmmm!" He is army crawling in reverse and sitting up like a champ. He loves any toy that makes noise and crawls around banging toys on the floor so they make a sound. He babbles all the time and sings when the radio is on in the car. He loves to eat and his favorite foods are meatballs and fish. His least favorites are bananas and peas. Zach loves bath time and we recently moved him into the big tub from the baby tub. He gets baths every night because the helmet makes him sweaty and he gets all excited when we bring him into the bathroom to get ready. I take his clothes off in his room and then sit him on the bathroom floor while I make sure the water is ready. Every night, he finds his bath toys in the bin next to the tub and digs them all out to go in the tub with him. It's adorable.

Zach is still in PT, but he graduates next month because he no longer has torticollis! I'm not sure if I mentioned that. He has full range of motion in his neck now. His head is also continuing to improve. He goes back for another helmet follow up next Thursday.

The angle isn't great on these pictures, but you can see that his head is getting rounder.

The Helmet- one week in

Zach got the helmet on 2/25/13. He's done amazingly well with it. We worked up to wearing it 23 hours a day and now he only takes it off to change his clothes and for bathtime. We were really nervous the first night he slept with it on, but he only woke up once and went right back to sleep after eating. It hasn't bothered him at all really. In fact, I think it has helped his balance! He is sitting up better than ever and rolling all over the place. He is army crawling backwards and now doesn't mind if he bumps his head. We went back last week for his first follow up appointment and the Orthopedist confirmed that it is already working. His head is already rounding out in the back and the shape is changing. He goes back in 3 weeks to check it checked again.