New Beginnings

Its been a while since I posted, but have we been up to lots of things.  We MOVED!!!  An opportunity came up to rent a house and well I was not loving the 3rd floor apartment so we jumped at the chance.  We have been here only a couple of days but already we love it!  Here are a couple of pics:

Don't mind the mess, we still are moving in and adjusting!

While we were moving Rayne turned 11 months.  Can you believe it, in a short couple of weeks my baby will be 1!!!!! I honestly feel like I was pregnant with him just yesterday.  He has grown considerably and is still loving life.  We have had some digestive problems still, but think we have figured it out and so far we have had a couple of really good days.  For a while he wasn't sleeping completely through the night because of tummy issues and also a loud and hot apartment. Since we moved he is sleeping awesome and doing so much better!  We had a pediatricians appt last week and my baby is now 21.14 lbs (70 percentile) and measuring in at 30" (85 percentile) and his 5th tooth is popping through. I will do a longer blog at his birthday but for now, hes happy, big, strong and healthy and keeping us on our toes! We love our Bean!

Dancing and Stairs

I feel like its been a really long time since I posted.  We are up to so many things around here, just go go go.  Rayne is on the move, he has taken his movement one step further, literally.  He is now climbing stairs like a champ.  I was at my parents house one day doing laundry which is just off their stairs and i turn around and he has climbed 2 stairs, so i followed him and he did the whole staircase.  CRAZY!!! I'm not ready for him to grow up this fast.  Another thing i have discovered with him is his dancing.  I will have the tv on, piano or radio and he will hold onto whatever ledge he is holding and bounce up and down to the music.  I thought he was already adorable but this put it over the top.  He turns 11 months next week so I will post that as well as we move into a HOUSE!!! More info on that later.

Standing

Well we have moved on to the next phase....STANDING!!! Rayne can't wait to find a ledge to pull himself up and then move down the line and find everything in eyes sight to grab.  He is now keeping me on my toes.  Even though he has been crawling for a while now, its taken him some time to realize that he can follow me out of the room instead of crying until i get back.  Today i was running room to room and he kept up with me until something distracted him and he would shoot off for that.  Every day i'm falling more in love with him.   He is so affectionate and loves momma and daddy and we LOVE him!

He loves the Piano

Garbage can distracted him as we were playing

9 Month Checkup

Today was Bean's 9 month check up.  He weighed in at 20lbs (70th percentile), 29 inches long (80th percentile) and i can't remember the head measurement but he is also in the 80th percentile for that.  Everyday Im amazed at how long he is, I guess he has our genes.  3 more months and my baby is the big ONE!!!! How is it that time goes by so fast? 

Favorite Moments

We had a couple of favorite moments that I had to post:

He loves playing with big cups future pop addict like his mother :)

This is what happens when daddy plays

This was my absolute favorite.  Moments before he noticed the bottle on his onsie and grabbed it with his hands and tried to suck on it.  He quickly learned it was not real!!!

Uncle Chris

Rayne met his Uncle Chris for the first time last week.  It took a little getting use to but he warmed up to him.  He especially loved the books and blocks that Uncle Chris brought.

 

One of the books from Uncle Chris

Mama

The picture is a letter that spell out his name, thanks Grandma Bates!

There is no sweeter words than a child saying Mama for the first time.  Rayne has been growing like a weed!  He is already 9 months old and saying Mama and so much more!  Everyday I point to myself and say "Mama" and Rayne use to just laugh thinking it was a game, he now knows its me!!! My mom has also showed him how to say hi to someone and wave...especially at the birds in their backyard :)   He is so perfect, everyday Kyle and I look at eachother and just look and wonder how we got such a perfect bean.  He's so happy all the time, even if its a bad day his smile can turn it around.  The last couple of months have been huge for us so many things to blog about.  We decided a month ago to sleep train Rayne, oh my goodness!  I loved rocking him to sleep but i LOVE more that he can sleep on his own now.  We still have some rocky nights but for the most part he has learned that when mom or dad carries him into his room and wrap a blanket around him that its sleep time.  He will cuddle into the crook of our neck and let us rock him for a song or two and then we lay him down say goodnight and leave the room, he still fusses for two seconds but will either find his soother or teddy bear to calm him down.  He will then roll over on to his tummy and stay there for 11-12 hrs.  He has also learned to pull himself to sitting which means if he's not quite tired he can pull himself up to sitting in the crib and yesterday i caught him standing in his crib.  We decided it was time to lower the mattress in his crib, reality sunk in that he's quickly becoming a toddler and not my little baby anymore.

 We had a small scare a couple of weeks ago, my active little boy was still and quiet.  He woke up from his noon nap and within an hr wanted to go back so I let him sleep, when he woke up around 3 he was glued to my chest and wouldn't move and as i was holding him i could feel his heart just pounding through his chest.  Although he had no fever and I decided to take him to the ER.  His pulse turned out to be 185 so they took him back and checked him out but he checked out okay with everything.  The Dr said it was probably due to teething and its stress.  No teeth have announced itself yet, but he has recovered and back to himself.

Things at this stage:
*He loves cheerios and mum mums
*Loves to grab hold of our chins and cheeks for big kisses
*Becoming a little bit strange with people.  Loves to be with Mom and Dad
*He's long!!!  I'm not sure how long,  we go for a checkup in a few days but he's quickly growing out of clothes
*Loves the grandparents both sides!  My mom called today and rayne heard her voice on the phone and talked at her.  When i hung up the phone he got upset because he couldn't hear grandma anymore
 *Still at 6 oz of milk each feeding but it has spread out further sometimes going 5 hrs in between feedings
*He loves drinking cold water out of a glass, he's actually quite good at it, if someones holding it of course or else it would be all over him
*Still has 2 teeth
*Loves technology already, any cord, remote control or computer in his reach he moves quickly to it
*Loves, Loves, Loves Books....He takes after my own heart
*Loves to walk with us, he's over the crawling stage and wants to start moving on feet
*His grin will just melt you!

Easter and so much more!

Rayne is just over 8 months old and we felt that he was just a little young to celebrate Easter in the traditional Easter basket and candy etc. this year however we still had a great Easter.  Filled with wonderful food, family and remembering the resurrection of our Savior and many firsts with our beautiful boy. 

Rayne has been rolling around lately, he has perfected the art of rolling and he's fast.  This past week he slept solidly through the night on his tummy, he now prefers it every night when i lay him down asleep within seconds he has found his tummy.  This past weekend we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa Bates and I had set a bottle of water on the floor for Rayne as he likes to sip on water every so often and we got to talking and all of a sudden we saw movement and Rayne had steadied himself up on his legs and moved forward for the water.  He CRAWLED for the first time.  He hasn't got it down all the way but he is now mobile pushing his little body all over the place.  I'm so happy for my little bean.  For weeks I could see the frustration in his face that he couldn't follow me when i left a room or if he just wanted a toy.  Although i'm told to cherish the times when he can't move, i feel relief for him that he can now move.  We witnessed another first this past weekend.  Rayne had his first night terror.  He woke up crying and when i went to comfort him he started with hysterical crying.  Crying I have never heard from a baby and I couldn't settle him or wake him.  Kyle knew right away what was happening as all the bates had them growing up.  Its a little unsettling and scary that there's not much you can do for them.  Now that I know what they are I'm more prepared and pray that it doesn't happen much. 

This past weekend was a blast and can't wait for next Easter when Rayne can dye eggs, do a egg hunt and learn more about the meaning of Easter.

'Its a new dawn, a new day....and i'm feeling good'

I know that Jan 1 always marks a new year, but for me i truly feel its a new year when SPRING arrives.  Today the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and my windows are wide open. Although winter has been really good to us,  I love THIS weather!!!!!  It always means one thing for me...PUDDLES!  I love puddles whether its splashing through them with boots on, no shoes at all, or driving through them at full speed it seems to bring out a child side and i always have to squeal with delight while driving through them.  Growing up in a very small town with nothing to do, its this weather that was so much fun to play outside.  Finding worms in the dirt, stealing crab apples off trees, planning our next fort and coming home just filthy.  Can't wait until I can experience these things with Rayne and future kids to come.

Happy Spring Everyone!

First Teeth

Its official now Rayne has two teeth that has cut through the gums.   He has his cranky spouts through the day but is still very happy and sleeping through the night.  He loves to chomp on our fingers and every so often I will catch him just sitting there running his tongue over his teeth.  Its hilarious, my bean is growing, growing, growing!!!

This is the best picture I can get of his teeth, the're on the bottom!

First Family Road Trip

This past weekend we decided to surprise family in Calgary, since the last time they saw Rayne was when he was 1 month at his blessing.  I was a little hesitant as the most we have ever traveled with Rayne is the 40 min car ride to Regina.  I wasn't sure how he would handle the 7 hr drive being stuck in his car seat and he was also constipated.  Well I have to say we were totally impressed with our bean.  He was PERFECT!  We only had to stop once to get gas and I had to take him out of his car seat twice, once to change a diaper and another to feed him.  He was smiling and giggling the whole time.  He also fought sleep almost the whole way.  He finally gave in the last 2 hrs of the trip.  We shocked great grandpa and grandma Sudyn, they were very happy to see us.  We also spent most the weekend with Aunt Megan, Rayne made a new best friend with her. 

Aunt Megan getting kissed by Rayne

Great Grandpa Sudyn

Great Grandma Suydn

We had lots of fun visiting and eating lots of good food.  Can't wait to go back for another visit.  Rayne was his usual charming self and we are so glad that family got to see him in this stage.  Our trip home was another great drive with no fuss.  Kyle took the following picture when we stopped to eat, its one of my favorites of me and my bean.

Bath Time

We were visiting at my parents this past weekend.  We were surprised with a huge blizzard and got snowed in for the weekend.  Rayne was due for a bath and I didn't have his baby bathtub, and I'm one for keeping routine when it comes to things like that.  Since he can't sit yet, I improvised and laid down towels in a little bit of water.  Well Rayne had a BLAST!!!!  I had to get it on video, its a short video but he splashed like crazy for a long time.  I think i got more wet then he did.

I love the little smile close to the end before he splashes again. I LOVE this boy!

7 Months

Another month has passed us by, I say this every time I post something but where does the time go?! Bean is now 7 months and lots has happened in the last month.  He has his first tooth cutting.  I now know why its called cutting, it is SHARP!!!!  He is almost sitting by himself, he's a little late in things because of the minor set back when he was 3 months old, he lasts a minute or two and then falls to the side.

He's a pro at rolling back and forth and is so close to crawling.  I've read that if you put toys just out of their reach it will encourage them to go for it.....I sometimes think hes going for it and then he just plops his head down in despair and cries.  He'll get it one of these days!
This little guy just loves life and is always full of smiles and laughter and always moving his limbs.  His favorite thing to do is grab kyles cheeks and plant an open mouth kiss (or leach) on to his chin.  With me he grabs fist full of hair and then leaches on to my cheek or chin.  It hurts like crap, but I can't help to laugh at his attempt at affection.  He just loves it.

He has officially grown out of his vibrating chair, i think he's reached the weight limit for it, but it comes in handy for a lot of things.  He also loves his excersaucer.

This is him graciously getting out of his chair and landing underneath

In this Stage:

*He has started sleeping through the night
*Loves peas and oatmeal
*Has the biggest smile and best laugh
*Very grabby and interested in everything we do, if we our using our cell phones, tv remote, xbox controller you name it he is leaping out of our arms or chair to try to grab it
*Cutting his first tooth
*Almost crawling and sitting up
*Still needs rocking to sleep.....still setting up a night routine but if we wait until 10ish he is guaranteed to sleep until 7am.  Late night owl like his parents
*Still on a 6oz bottle of formula

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

I love my two men in my life, and am always grateful for them, but on this day especially.