Sloane // Eleven Months Old

Our little baby girl. We had some craziness with her this month so I'll describe below the photo.

This month she has been growing like a weed! I think we'll have to buy size 4 diapers before we use the rest of our size 3 stash. She is a mover and a shaker already too. She stands up in the middle of the room without holding onto something to help her out, all with the proudest look on her face. She'll walk around with our Mr. Lion toy or while holding the couch etc, but no steps on her own yet. We haven't been pushing her on that either though. Her sixth tooth is totally broken through and I don't think she's working on any others right now. 

Her little attitude makes its appearance many times per day. She hits, scratches, growls....and somehow it is adorable. She keeps her headband on about 50% of the time and wears it as a necklace to other 50%. For the most part she is a smiley, happy little lover and we all are smitten with her. 

On June 16th it was like any other bedtime routine. We are all getting upstairs a little later than normal now that it is summer and that pushes Sloane a bit longer out for bedtime than she would like.  We got the boys in bed and came in to get ourselves ready. Typically when she knows we're about to lie down together she screams at me until we are settled. I needed to pop my back on the floor first. When I set her down beside me she immediately started throwing a fit. I was laughing at her tantrum as she rolled away from me. Often she'll do a big cry where she is silent for a few seconds and then lets out a big scream. I thought that was what she was doing, but it was a little too long all of a sudden. I told her to let it out, mind you that this was all within only a handful of seconds total, and then jumped up to grab her because she wasn't crying yet.

She was on her belly and as I lifted her she felt limp. I flipped her in my arms and instantly could tell something was wrong. I screamed for Carl and told him to call 911 as he rushed in, before he even knew what was happening. The whole thing felt like an absolute eternity. We thought for a minute she could have been choking because it felt like she wasn't breathing, but we quickly decided she was having a seizure. As one point I tried giving her breaths, she was totally stiff from head to toe, her eyes went through different stages of rolling back and looking sideways and she made strange little whimpering noises. It was well over a minute from the time I picked her up to when she seemed to come out of it and start crying.

For about 10 minutes after this, the entire time waiting for the ambulance and fire truck, she was still going through something. She cried without being able to be consoled and wouldn't really make any eye contact. When rescue got here we all sat out on the porch and she then seemed to be aware of the action. She was still crying this whole time, but now it seemed like she was really tired with it already being bedtime and then going through such trauma. Everything checked out on her at that time, but they wanted us in the ER immediately. We threw our stuff together and assured the boys everything was ok as we jumped in the car. Luckily Grandma was here so the boys didn't have to come along too. That was quite a lot of action for them since they were still awake and especially Carson was really worried.

At the ER they tested her blood sugar, oxygen levels and overall health. Everything seemed ok there as well, but it was decided that she did have a focal seizure. These can be a one-time thing or could be the beginning of something larger. We saw the pediatrician the next morning and he is leaning toward it being a result of a breath-holding spell. It is common for kids to pass out after holding their breath like that, but the seizure is much less common and more worrisome. Having one seizure like this is the equivalent of a full day's worth of brain activity. It's no wonder she was exhausted.

The following Monday, this same day she turned 11 months, we had an EEG at Children's Hospital. That ended up being a crazy experience that she was NOT happy about. We had to go in at 2:15pm with her being sleep deprived. I had to have Christy come with us so she could keep her awake on the drive over. She was so tired by the time we got in the room that she totally melted down when the guy put the sensors on her head. There were 25 of them and each one had to be measured out, the head had to be cleaned and it had to be glued on, all while she was held down on her back. All she wanted was for me to hold her and let her go to sleep.

Then they did some tests with strobe lights and she and I lied down for a 30-minute nap.

It was just long enough for her to finally get DEEP asleep and then we had to fully wake her up for more tests. He had to get the brain activity monitored while falling asleep and waking up. Let's just say this poor girl was pretty upset. She calmed down after we got all the stuff off of her and I was able to hold her again.

Luckily all the results came back normal with no seizure activity observed during the EEG. This is a good thing, but also doesn't give us any answers. If she has another seizure we would have something to base a pattern on and this EEG at least serves as a baseline measurement now. We basically are terrified to let her cry too hard and I watch her like a hawk all the time, even more than ever. I'm so thankful that I was right next to her when it happened, but scared that it could happen when I don't have eyes on her. She is so mobile now that before you know it she is out of your line of sight!

This was definitely the scariest parenting moment so far. The broken arms on the boys have been heartbreaking, but they were very cut and dry. This stuff is scary for much different reasons and sure doesn't help the parenting anxiety!!!

Sloane // Ten Months Old

My baby girl. She looks so insanely big in this photo! I can just feel toddlerhood right around the corner. This last month has brought so many changes and advancements for her. She had been army crawling to slowly get around for quite a while. All of a sudden last month she got her knees under her and took off. From that day on we couldn't keep her in any room. She is attacking everything in the pantry, going up the stairs, pulling up on anything she can reach, using us to get up and then lets go to stand alone for a few seconds at a time....

Her personality is exploding too. If I had to give her one adjective I'd say she's spunky. She squeals at any and all animals she sees, whether it is a cat, dog or fish. She laughs hard, hits hard, pulls my hair out in chunks, has growling back-and-forths with you, arches her back and melts down if she isn't happy, stares at you and yells until you share any food she thinks you are eating, rolls over and powers her way to a sitting position as soon as her diaper comes off for changing, and is starting to give some sloppy kisses...to her doll. I could kiss her squishy little face all day long and sometimes do whether she likes it or not.

She is an amazing eater so far. She loves food and will drop anything she's doing to eat. She LOVES her bath time too. She stands up, sits down, stands up, dives forward, stands up, splashes, and repeats. She crawls at super speed anytime a gate or door opens, especially the shower door. While we're washing Max (or helping Carson since he's had a cast the last 7 weeks...) in the shower she will crawl between our legs and splash the water on the shower floor. She comes out all wet and doesn't even seem to notice.

She's still a tiny girl. These pants are 9-12 months and she's drowning in them! She's still comfortable in size 3 diapers and is about totally out of 9 month pajamas because of her length and foot size, just like her brothers did. She has 5 teeth and her 6th on top is about to poke through any day. She still loves to be worn and we reconnect every day for a late afternoon nap this way even if we didn't get out in the sling another time.

She just woke up from her morning nap before I took these photos and was mega grumpy. I let her hold a big bottle of hairspray I got yesterday that she carried around the store for a good half hour. She had a grip on it while I got her undress and then dressed and wouldn't let it go for the photos. I had to trade her for my camera lens cap so that's why we have an addition to the photo. And I have no idea where the boys put the stuffed bear I always use so this is the first time he hasn't been in one of our monthly photos. :(

Sloane // Nine Months Old

Soooooo.... Sloane will be ten months old in 3 days and I haven't posted her nine month photo. This photo was on April 22, 2015. She has literally taken off so much in the last month that I can't even remember what happened at nine months and what happened after. I'll give a big recap in a few days for her ten month post.

At her 9 month appt she was 16lb 3oz at 18% and 27 1/4 inches long at 37%. We giggled at the fact that Max was 17lb 2oz at his FOUR MONTH appt! haha

She is so much fun to dress up though. I got her this adorable jean shirt in the boy's dept and I call it her art teacher outfit. She had her serious face on this day.

Carl had to go out of town for the weekend of Carson's birthday (April 21) so Carl already planned to have this day off. We went to the museum like a normal Wednesday for me and Max, but got to bring Daddy and Grandma along. It was Grandma's birthday too. We were on a green screen and Max's face here made me laugh so hard. He didn't understand why we were doing the arms so he's looking directly into the camera all confused. hahaha!

Sloane // Eight Months Old

We sped right into another new month with our little girl. Since posting last month she has totally taken off. She is army crawling all over this place. She gets her little bum up in the air, rocks like crazy and then drops down to pull herself along. She is obsessed with water bottles, just like Carson was. That was what we used to entice him to crawl for the first time. She has discovered the remotes. She is sitting up all by herself, tips over often, but can sit and play without any help. She started saying "mama" last month for a good week straight and then discovered "dada". Ever since then I've only gotten a handful of mamas when she is crying and I'm taking too long to pick her up. Other than that all she mumbles is dada all day long. It actually sounds like she says "hi dada" whenever she sees Carl, which is obviously adorable. She LOVES our cat and makes the loudest and funniest squeals and words when she is in her line of sight.

She has discovered food for real now. We can't eat around her without having something to share. She'll sit and stare at you and try to get up to wherever you are if you're eating alone. She manages to kick off her socks or shoes whenever I wear her. She's figured out her headbands are there and will routinely take them off and chew on them in the car.

It seems like she hit the separation anxiety stage a little early because she was going through it at her 6 month check-up. It is still in full-force. She will be fine one minute and panic the next if she's left somewhere alone. I'm hoping it lets up a little soon so we can start thinking about trying out the crib. Overall she just loves to be held and wants to be up where the action is. She watches her brothers so intently, screams at them happily when they approach her and couldn't be a more sweet baby.

Oh my, I almost forgot! We got her first tooth this month too on the bottom front! I can't believe I forgot to get a photo of it. It broke through all the way in the last week. I looked back here on the blog and Max got his same first tooth at this exact same time. Poor girl had a fever for almost 4 days and seemed sick, but then the tooth broke through so it made sense.

Sloane // Seven Months Old

Oh, my little lover butt. I know I shouldn't say this out loud, but holycrapsheistheprettiestbabyever! She is starting to form a little girl's face and doesn't look like an infant all of a sudden. We went to Carmel over this last weekend so we were traveling home on the 22nd; technically she's 7 months and 1 day here. Over the weekend while we were away she was so cranky! She cried every single time we put her in the car, I stood out front while she cried at dinner, she screamed the majority of the time we were out in public, she was a handful on the airplane rides and was overall a lot of work. But she was apparently working on a bunch of baby things because she crawled and clapped while we were there! Now that we're back home she is back to her sweet, playful self so she must've been really thrown off being out of her quiet routine.

She is starting to really enjoy eating solids. I hate baby food and for many reasons decided to do baby-led weaning, starting with manageable whole pieces of foods from the start. She is loving bananas, avocados and frozen mangos in her little mesh food holder thingie. Technical term. We got her a new highchair 10 days ago which is helping a ton. I couldn't bring myself to use the highchair both boys used because it will never come totally clean again.

She is still in size 2 diapers and just moved out of 3-6 month clothes. Unfortunately most brands I buy go to 6-12 so her newest clothes are pretty big on her. You can see here she's still fine in her 0-6 month tights and is wearing a new sweater dress. A sweater dress.... :)

She can go from happy to crying at the drop of a hat though. She was lying here and in no time she was DONE. It is so cute though. ;)

Sloane // Six Months Old

I am crying right now. Okay, not really, but I totally could if I tried. Baby girl is already six months old today! This couple weeks or so has seen some changes in her. Her teething is seriously the story right now. She will try to get anything in her mouth she can possibly grab onto, and stuff she can't grab onto. She is getting so grumpy, I'm sure because it can't feel great to be teething. She took a 15 minute afternoon nap both today and yesterday. She is mad when you put her down, mad when you don't sit with her just perfectly, not wanting to sleep and still giving all the giggles in between. I don't take the attitude personally. It must be rough to be a baby. She ie'ls starting to sit like a tripod too. She falls over after just a few seconds, but it is beginning. She is still rolling all over the house and when she gets mad enough she'll push off a little like a crawl. And when I don't pick her up for a minute of her screaming she'll throw some "MAMA!"s in the mix. She's starting to give big open-mouthed slobber kisses when we ask too. I loooooove that. Oh, and toes are in the mouth at every diaper change.

She was so insanely happy today when I took her photos though. I have a bunch more to go through that I'm so excited about. Right now I have SO many balls in the air that this one photo and blog was all I could manage between everything else. As I type this I have to click over every few sentences to upload reports and do a million other things. It is tough with the kids here and working, but I would be crazy to complain. At this moment I am wearing Sloane since she wanted nothing to do with being on the floor anymore, Carson is (kind of) doing his homework right beside me on the desk and Max is on the other side of me having a snack and watching the iPad. We are all happy and healthy, our house is a mess, but we are so good. I always worried that #3 would break us, but she couldn't be further from that.

LOOK AT THAT CHUBBY LITTLE BITTY FACE!!!! I could just eat her up every minute of every day. The rest of the photos to come soon....

Sloane // Five Months Old

Oh, where to begin about our little lady. Five months is looking good on Sloane. She is a rolling foolio. She has mastered all the different directions, front-to-back and back-to-front. I'll set her down on her play mat next to my desk and before I know it she's rolled into the cabinet or over the swing leg and is screaming. She is chewing on anything she can get her hands on, which results in massive amounts of drool. Sophie the Giraffe is still a favorite teething toy. We just moved into size 2 diapers last week. I think Max was in size 2 at like 1 or 2 months. Me-ow. She gets a bunch of small catnaps throughout the day because of the boys' schedules and she's becoming a really sensitive and light sleeper. It isn't very fun. She still loves to be worn all the time and is totally happy in my arms. But heaven forbid I try to sit down with her. In the sling she wiggles until I stand up; if I'm just holding her and sit down I must let her stand on my lap. She is happy as a clam sitting on Daddy's lap in the rocking chair though. Her little hands have become quite the problem for me lately. I can't eat anything with her in my arms because he tiny fingers will swap and grip onto anything she can get them onto. She's slapped a drink out of my hands, spilled my water on me today and has gotten chunks from many sandwiches. We're so excited for her first Christmas this week and I think she'll love what Santa is bringing. :) And I don't think her eye-to-head ratio is evening out just yet either. 

Sloane // 4 Months Old

My little love. We don't have a newborn anymore. Officially. Sloane has been rolling from back to tummy for over a week now. She gets over and then panics because she doesn't know what to do, or whatever babies think in that situation. She is moving all over the place. After a few minutes she is mad on the floor, but is also mad if you pick her up and don't let her move and shake. For this first photo she refused to sit straight up. All she wanted to do was arch her back to start moving which made her keep slipping down.

She is a total drool monster. I got a teething necklace that she is figuring out how to grab onto to get it in her mouth. And a new Sophie the Giraffe is getting some action now and those little fingers are always being chewed on. I weighed her about 10 days ago and she hadn't hit 12 pounds yet. Her doctor's appt is on Tuesday so we'll find out where she actually is now. She's fully in 3-6 month clothes, but most of it is still super baggy. She is pretty long though so we have to go with the bigger size. She is happiest on me in a sling, just like she is right at this moment while I type. Actually she was sleeping, but Max just coaxed his way into the office and woke her up. Go figure. She's so insanely alert when we are out that napping other than at home and the car is becoming less and less. I can hardly get her to eat when we're out because she is so distracted by all the action around her.

UPDATE: Little Miss is still teeny tiny after our pedi check up! She was 12lb 8oz (15%) and 24.25in (37%). Max weighed more than she did at 2 months! Haha! At four months Carson was a pound and a half bigger and Max was almost 5 pounds bigger!!!

Her big brothers are mildly obsessed with her. I tell them to give her some space about 1, 256,089 time per day. I have to let Max hold her before every nap and at bedtime. Carson keeps his eye on her in those quick moments when I am not looking at her and Max come roaring in. I can't wait to see their bond develop as they all grow. I look around our home and everything is perfect. Chaotic ALL DAY, but perfect.

See, rolled over and immediately got furious. Haha

She was actually just ready for a nap so she was getting a bit grumpy.

We broke out the baby seat this week too. I only use it like this when the boys aren't around and I need to cook or clean something. I can't actually wear her 24/7... She refuses to sit up straight so she grabs her toes, squishes her tummy, and spits up. Like clockwork.

Sloane // Three Months Old

Look at this little girl. She is impossibly fun and happy. I just can't stand to not be squeezing and kissing her constantly. Her little face is filling out finally so she's getting some cheeks and a double-chin. She is starting to sit up much easier, obviously while being held, but she isn't a total ball of mush anymore. We're about ready to get out the baby seat and the jumper soon after that. Her head control is awesome. She is the happiest when she's on the changing table. It makes her talk and giggle. She loves being in the bath tub and doesn't cry every time she gets out now. These are newborn sized pants which are too short all of a sudden. Since she's a girl I'm just going to call them capris. :)  She loves to "talk" with me. There's something about when I say "I love you"; she gets the biggest smile and tries to talk back. She seems to always feel like she's falling so she'll get a grip on anything she can while you're carrying her. The usual victim is my hair, but she loves my finger at all times too. She is drooling like crazy already. She isn't really able to use a chew toy yet, but that fist of hers is getting a lot of action. I haven't weighed her since her two-month appt, but she's definitely growing!

Our poor second and third babies. They just get a wall in our room instead of an actual nursery. I still need to put photos up over the crib, but I love her little wall above the changing table.

And dat belleh button.