Dalton's First Christmas 2008

Nana Hubbard and Me at Christmas Dinner

Our Little Family '08

Grandpa & Ms. Kim (Grandma) letting me play with the tree

Playing with my toes

Zonked

Hanging with Daddy in my dress clothes

Daddy and I...isnt my tie cute?

Christmas Morning...Ohhhhh Paper!!!

Shiny Paper

Christmas Eve opening ONE toy!

Here are a few photos of Dalton from his First Christmas!

5 Months

Ok so I had to take Dalton to the Dr on 12/22 because he has a cold and I wanted to get him checked out...since he doesnt have a 5month actual checkup I figured we would use his weight from this appt.

Weighing in at a WOPPING 16lbs 6oz

What can I do now:

• Roll to both sides
• be pulled up to a standing position from laying down by holding onto someones fingers
• I am cutting teeth!!!! and chewing on EVERYTHING in site.

Christmas - Round # 1 & # 2

On Monday 12/16 my mom (AKA. Grammy) came into town with Mom Mom S. to celebrate Round 1 of Christmas. They were here all week long and helped us get the house ready, etc. Dalton slept right through opening presents with Grammy as well as Daddy not being there since he was sick.

On Friday 12/19 Dalton started round 2 of Christmas celebrations. Pop-Pop, Mom - Mom Jeanne and Tyler all came in town to bring the delivery santa made at thier house. Dalton found the tissue paper a little more interesting than anything else but that is ok.

One more to go with Grandpa and Ms. Kim on Christmas Day...Photos will be coming soon.

Dalton's First Christmas Tree

We went on Saturday to pick up the first Christmas tree for Dalton...I have to have real ones. So it was COLD but fun. We got a great tree and it is up and decorated now. I havent taken any photos yet but they are coming.

Jetsetter to be...Our First Airplane Ride

On Friday 12/5 Dalton took his first airplane ride...We went to PA to visit my family. Dalton did FANTISTIC!!! He slept when the plane took off and woke up when I put him in the car at the airport. I am so lucky!!!

Not to mention we got to see Dalton's first SNOW too!!! I dont think he was as excited as Mommy was...haha!

Yummy Sweet Potatoes

We have now mastered the spoon in mouth issue...he takes to that better than the bottle...haha! He is going to chub right up with this food. He cant get enough. I have tried carrots and sweet potatoes with him...he didnt wince at the sweet potatoes, you would think I had fed him chocolate...haha! I will have photos soon...the only messy face ones I have is on my phone so I will have to take some with the camera for you guys!

4 Month Checkup!!!

On Monday 11/17, Dalton had his 4 month checkup. All went GREAT! Here is the stat update:

He weighed in at 14lb 15oz (3 oz shy of 15 pounds)
He is now 25 3/4 inches long!!! Getting super tall and we dont know how...haha!

They said his growth is fantasic and he is in the 50th% for weight and 70th% for height. He is doing everything developmentally he should be and even a little more. While the Dr was talking to me and checking him he was rippind the paper they lay on the table to shreds...anything he can get ahold of is fair game to him...haha! The Dr commented that he was going to keep us busy when he is moving more. The other exciting news we were given....HE CAN START SOLIDS! Yeah! I was very excited about that because I couldnt wait to let him have the other good stuff.

More details about the first night eating solids will come in another post. But on a sad note....the shots didnt do well for Dalton this time. Last time at his 2 month he had an allergic reaction to the DPT shot...so this time they gave him the D-Tap shot instead. He was out of sorts for 2 days with just not eating an whining like he was hurting...he was up a lot at night, etc. So finally on the 3rd day at night he was back to his good ole self! I am glad because Mommy is out of sorts too when he is not himself...such a nervous first time mom...haha!

My first night in my OWN room!

Ok so last night was Dalton's first night in his own room in his crib. He has taken many naps in the crib but never slept in the room all night. The main reason this has not happened yet is because Mommy and Daddy were too scared to have him that far from us...haha! So last night we decided he is ready to sleep in his own room...we set up the monitor (and I know you guys are going to get a kick out of this) on our TV so it would be bigger and both of us could see it in the middle of night. So we hooked up the video cable and there the shot was on the FULL screen....it was great. Well I have been really stressed at work and so has Mike so we were both EXHAUSTED and sleeping pretty hard. We went to bed at 11pm and when I woke up at 4am I immediataly looked at the screen to see if he was ok...HE WAS NOT IN THE SCREEN....of course I FREAKED and jumped out of the bed and started running (literally) to his room. Mike wakes up when I start running and gets his glasses and all he sees in the screen is Dalton's pants....here is what happened...

When I got in there my fear was 1. he was on on the wedge thing that he hates to sleep on but the Dr tells us we need to keep him on and rolled onto his face or 2. I didnt know what the heck happened to him...haha. But he had wiggled his way all the way down the wedge and off of it and turned himself sideways in the crib. So the reason we couldnt see him was because he was at the bottom of the crib going the width of it not the length of it...haha! I about died when I actually calmed my beating heart and saw him sleeping there. I went in and told Mike and fixed him up and switched to the flat positioner that keeps him on his back. That boy is CRAZY! But he slept pretty good. After that debacle at 4ish we all went back to sleep until 5:30 which is great since the 2 nights previous to that he woke up around 2 or 3 each night.

Atleast it makes for a great story with his first night alone in his room...haha! Just thought I would share our night.

I love my blankie!

Last night Dalton was loving on his blankie and I thought it was adorable so I took some photos. Here are a few!

Halloween

This was Dalton's 1st halloween. Since I call Dalton my MONKEY it was only fitting for him to dress up like one. He was not really happy in his costume though because he has gotten so long that he had to keep his legs tucked up in his costume and he wasnt having it. So needless to say he only stayed in it for a short period of time. Here is a little look at the my man!

I have a VOICE

Dalton is realized he has a voice and it makes lots of fun noises. He has come alive in his vocal ability and many times he just screams out just to hear it! It is hilarious!!!

I am growing

Dalton was 3 months old on 10/17 and wow has time flown by. It is amazing the things he has learned, the amount he has grown and the fun he has had.

What he can do now:

Roll from his back to his side

sucks his thumb

hold onto a SMALL toy and shake it

pull his paci out of his mouth

We dont have a new weigh in yet because they wont see him again until his 4 month appointment.

We have our first attachment...Our Blankie!

Dalton has now become particular about his blankie. He loves to lay with it, hold it and rub it against his face. I cant blame his...that thing is soft...I want a giant one...haha!

I rolled over (well halfway)

Today I had Dalton on his little floor mat with the fun things that hang down over him... I was folding laundry in the livingroom and looked over...he had rolled from his back to his side ALL BY HIMSELF! It was great. We had suspected he was rolling over in the bed but with the way our bed is it kinda pushes him to his side if we are laying next to him...not this time...it is official...he is working on rolling over. Now we just need to teach him how to get that shoulder out from under him and he will make it to the belly.

The other side to this is that there is NO MORE leaving him alone anywhere where he can roll off the table, etc.

Party Animal

Dalton is a party animal at heart...he attended his first wedding for his Auntie Ailis and boy did he have fun. Thanks to all his Aunties he danced, played and was happily held by all.

Dalton meets his extended family!

This past weekend Dalton made the LONG trip to PA to meet his extended family. We left on Friday morning and even after being in his seat for 7 hours he did great on the trip up.

Friday afternoon Dalton met his cousin Tyler, his great Aunt Midge and Aunt Brenda and cousin Elaine. We had a great visit with everyone and got some rest for the busy next day.

Saturday we had Dalton's great-grandmothers 80th surprise birthday party. The whole family was there and I think it might have been a little over-stimulating for he did well overall.

Saturday afternoon, we went up to Shanan's parents house and met little Ella (born the day before Dalton) and hung out with the Shortuse family and Maranda. Then after that visit it was back to Jen and Jeff's house to crash for the night.

We had a great trip and everytime we go it makes me miss home even more. For now though we will just have to keep visiting.

I have found my hands!

I have found my hands...and I can grab and hold onto things now!

E-A-G-L-E-S!

Mommy and Dalton watching his first Eagles game...sad they lost but atleast we were supporting right?

Random Playtime with Daddy!

Here are a few photos of random playtime with Daddy. He loves his bonding time with Daddy and isnt he just the cutest thing EVER!!!

Dalton's First Road Trip - OBX!

Dalton made his first road trip of 3 1/2 hours this past weekend. We went to the Outer Banks to see his Uncle Travis and Aunt Meghan get married. As an added bonus he got to see Pop Pop Work too! We arrived on Friday night and get settled in hoping that we could go onto the beach and feel the sand in our toes Saturday morning...no such luck. The wind was so bad that we couldn't go out there. Our hotel did have an indoor pool though so we used that. We put Dalton in the pool with his adorable gator bathing suit and he didn't give us the expression we thought we would get...no crying but no laughing either. So I am not sure if he just thought it was a giant bathtub or didn't know what to think all together. Either way we had a great time and it was preparation for his second road trip this weekend...PA here we come!!! Double the time in the car which means more stopping or feeding as we drive like I did on the way to OBX!

Dalton's first road trip - leaving tomorrow

Dalton is going on his first road trip tomorrow...to the OUTER BANKS for Uncle Travis and Aunt Meghan's wedding. Pop - Pop Work is going to be waiting anxiously for him to get there. I will have photo and more details on Monday!

2 Month Checkup

Today was Dalton's 2 month checkup. He has grown A LOT! We did have to get 5 shots today and I dont know who took it worse in the office...me or Dalton...haha! Dalton did not do well with the shots though. After a couple hours home he started to cry uncontrollably and nothing I could do would console him. Thankfully, a friend had just stopped by to see us and was there to help me keep myself calm...try hearing your little baby in so much pain and not have it break your heart is so hard. So after and hour of crying and his leg getting more swollen, red and hot I called the Dr. They said he was more than likely having a reaction to the DTP shot (which they dont see often) and I needed to get Benadryl. I have given him so much medication today it feels like because of the Tylenol, Benadryl and his acid reflux meds I feel like I am doping him up. All will pass tomorrow I assume...keep your fingers crossed for that because tonight is going to be a LONG night.

Stats:
Height ~ 24 inches ( a WHOLE 2 feet now)
Weight ~ 11 lbs 8 oz (he gained 2 lbs from his 1 month to 2 months)

He is in the 50% for both height and weight, so right in the middle and doing great!

They did also up his meds because of his weight and they thought he outgrew the dosage.

Developmental Updates

These are the things that Dalton can now do at 2 months old:

While on "Tummy Time" he can hold his head up all the way for atleast 45 seconds.
While holding Dalton up on your shoulder he can hold his head all by himself.
He coos now
He gives big smiles now
He can follow things with his eyes
He can grasp onto things for a very short period of time.

First Bath

I know I am pretty late on publishing this one but I just got some time to do it. Dalton gets his bath in his room each night and he just splashes, giggles and has a good old time. Below are some photos of his first bath (and yes he did pee on us!)

Sleeping Well

Well Dalton has found his routine and he likes it. Each night we give him a bottle with cereal at 8:30p and then around 9:30 it is bath time, which Dalton LOVES, and then asleep by 10pm. Most nights he sleeps from 10p - 4am and a few times he has been extra nice to Mommy and Daddy and slept until 5am. Overall, he sleeps great for us.

Just recently I have started putting Dalton down for his naps in his crib to get him used to sleeping in it. He loves his room so much and is so calm in there that I think he actually sleeps better in his crib. The only problem is that Mommy and Daddy are not ready for him to be in another room all night long where we can't check on him.

One Month Old

Dalton had his one month checkup on 8/18/08. He weighed in at 9lb 7oz and was 21 3/4 inches long (yes they measured wrong at the hospital). We did have one little scare and Dalton had to get an upper GI done at the hospital. They said he has reflux and now has to be on Prolosec and Zantac everyday. He is eating great and growing strong.

Height ~ in the 75% percentile
Weight ~ in the 50% percentile

Our First Trip To The Park

We took our first trip to the park on Labor Day. While we expected Dalton to be very excited about the new scenery and colors he slept through the whole darn thing.

First Dr Appt.

At one week old was Dalton's first Dr. Appt.

Weight ~ 7lb 11oz (gained 2 oz from the time he left the hospital)
Height ~ 20 3/4 inches (seems he shrunk huh?)

Dalton Has Arrived!

After many long awaited months Dalton Michael Canders has arrived into this world.
On Thursday July 17th at 2:55pm Dalton was born via C-section at Cape Fear Valley Hospital.
He weighed in at 7lbs 15oz and was 22 inches long.

Mike and I are so happy! We just can't stop staring at him.