9th month in November:)

I feel like I never really had a little baby...Corey was big when he was born and he's always been a big boy... Right now, it seems to me that Corey is a full blown toddler. He's always had a mind of his own and wants to be independent all the time. In the past month of November we've gone through milestones like they were nothing...

November 1st he started waving bye...he doesn't know the concept of it yet...that you leave and you wave, no he'll do it randomly and at the wierdest times. Maybe he's just waving 'hi!' to us.

We also got him started on 3rd stage foods. It requires lots of chunks and chewing so he's starting to eat table food like eggs, banana's and teething biscuits. Not that he hasn't eaten teething biscuits before but he actually chews them instead of sucking on them.

November 13, Chris lowered his crib because he's been sitting up and lifting himself up on things...that was a moment I knew I didn't have a little baby anymore...like I said, not that we ever did have a little baby but it really hit me then. I am very proud:)

Between the 13th and the 15th his upper left tooth broke thru and he now has 3 teeth! That is amazing!! I don't know the exact date of the tooth but it wasn't there before the 13th and it was there on the 15th and plus he didn't make a big deal out of it...it must not have been too bad. Corey is a tough guy!!

For the past month, I have been teaching him to point out the nose, eyes, ears, and mouth....He's got the nose down pat and when you ask him where his nose is, he'll point to yours, lol. He doesn't have the concept that he has a nose and where it is. He'll get it soon.

And the big announcement: In the past 24 hours Corey has crawled!! Wednesday the 18th, I was getting all my scrapbook stuff out, my brads and stamps and buttons and Corey was so curious that he started crawling, he took 3 big crawls and stopped, I screamed and everyone came running in but he didn't do it again probably because I scared him. Then today Thursday the 19th, he got tired and just started crawling... anywhere and everywhere, to the picture frames on the floor, to the PS3 remotes by the tv, to the dvd stacker, just everywhere. I got it all on video and I'm so happy I got it! Thats the one reason why we got the camcorder and I'd be really upset at myself if I didn't use it.

Its been a whirlwind of milestones and firsts so I told myself I'd better get to blogging before I forget the dates!

Next week will be his first Thanksgiving! I'm making sure that every year he knows that I'm thankful for him and his Daddy...Happy Thanksgiving, All!!

Wowza!

It has been 2 months since I last wrote. I can't believe how time is passing by so quickly, it just gets away from you. It is both sad and exciting. When I'm here counting down Corey's milestones and waiting for the next one to happen, I realize that I must be patient and let it happen on its own...who cares if he hasn't crawled yet, he'll get it soon and I will wish he'd be back to his little self playing around on his tummy and back. Its so exciting to see him learning and playing! He is at the stage now where he is trying to figure out how to sit himself up. My poor baby's abs are going to be hard as rock soon, he only goes halfway up then gives up, kind of like a sit up!

Corey now has 2 teeth! His first tooth he got on September 17th on the bottom middle and the 2nd he got on the 28th of September to the left of his first one. Its hard to get pictures of them because of the trauma to his face he had since birth. It has gotten much much better but when he smiles, his mouth is still slightly crooked so no toothy grin yet that you can see real well. I know he's proud of them either way! When he spent the night at my mom's house one day around the first week of October, she gave him a bit of pancakes...he looooves pancakes now! and then on October 6th, he started eating Cheerios and little Gerber cheese puffs! It is sooo cute how he eats them...its crazy how babies know what to do as far as gumming/chewing their food up before swallowing and I love how he says 'mmmm' with every bite! He's so smart!

He likes to play by himself on the floor with all his toys! He has a ton with what I buy him and what my friends send our way. Taking books from my sister in law's garage sale was the best thing I could have done for him. He gets so excited when I pickup a book because he knows I'll sit him on my lap and read to him. Then he'll steal it and 'eat' it...boys! Speaking of which, I love that I have a boy. He is so rough and tumble and he already likes wrestling on the floor. Well, we don't wrestle we roll and I have him pinning me but he laughs and laughs. Just the other day, we were at my aunt's house and her little 15 month old girl Mariana walks around and runs and stuff. Well, she ran right over Corey and it didn't phase him at all! It was great to see that he can handle his big cousin!

Mariana is his only friend for now. We haven't really found any one we can actually go and make playdates with. My friend Stephanie who lives in another state came home for a visit and we got the boys together in September, they are only 2 weeks or a week and a half apart. Corey had lots of fun and it was so cute how they (didn't) interacted. Corey was so excited at one point that he screamed really loud and he scared his little friend Dominic. It was too cute though. Anyways, there hasn't been really anymore friends...I guess that means I have to get out more!

Sleeping is pretty much the same. We have him in his crib which we will be lowering pretty soon so that way he doesn't fall out from him sitting up on his own. He'll get up occasionally at night because he's either hungry or cold and I am too lazy to rock him back to sleep in his room so I just put him back in bed with us. Chris hates it but I tell him if he doesn't like it he'll need to go in there and rock him then. I haven't seen that happen yet so...my way so far. He'll wake up in the morning and go back to sleep after his bath and lunch then will wake up and take an evening nap. and if we're lucky a 3rd nap in between. Pretty much this is all we do eat, sleep and play...no wonder I haven't written for 2 months...nothing to report I guess!

Can you believe Corey will be a year old in 4 months...okay, okay... no more looking ahead!!

Corey's 6 month shots.

Last Thursday, Corey received his 6 month shots. It was the first time mom did not come with us for a doctor's appointment and so it was kind of nerve racking but I got through it.

Corey got recircumcised, his foreskin grew back and he needed to get it pushed back. The doctor said it was going to hurt big time but it didn't phase him one bit. He's a strong little boy!

We then had to put him through getting his shots. I had to hold him down which really sucked and it was my first time doing it. Right before the nurse gave him the shots, I had remembered I needed to give him Tylenol for it to not hurt as much and to avoid fever. It didn't help much but I gave it to him before he got the shots. He screamed and cried. I was so sad for him. We got home and he slept the whole day. When he woke up, I had to go to work but I let Chris know he needed Tylenol, a whole dropper and a half. HE ONLY GAVE HIM A HALF A DROPPER. And by the time I knew about it, it was time for his next dose of medicine. But he was asleep so I waited a whole hour before giving it to him. I gave him that dose and we all went to sleep. By the time, we woke up, Corey had a fever. His first fever since he was born...I felt so guilty for not taking care of him well enough. He had a fever until Friday night.

Saturday, my mom took him so Chris and I could go out. She called me at one in the morning saying he had a fever of 100.3. I was sooo tired and I could have sworn she said 100 and 3! I was like 'Mom! We gotta take him to the hospital, his brain is frying!!' Mom was like, 'Listen carefully, he has a hundred POINT three temp, he's fine, I'm just calling to let you know.' I was very relieved. When I went to go get him that morning, he had no fever and he hasn't had a fever since.

So, I survived his first fever. It was scary but we got through it!

Happy

I am loving life. I have a lot to be grateful and thankful for.

Tomorrow (8/21/09) at 11pm will be the start of a 9 day vacation off work. Its going to be amazing, awesome, incredible and enjoyable. I'm so excited. I have everything to look forward to and nothing that needs to be done or anywhere I need to go. I know I have plans to see people and go to some places but most of the time I will be home playing with Corey and making dinner for Chris. I plan to take long walks with them and cleaning the house top to bottom also fixing the spare room. I plan to go see my grandma and play bingo with her and party with my friends over the weekends that I'm off. I plan to go shopping a lot, not that I'll buy anything just window shopping but who knows!? I also plan on doing a lot of scrapbooking but right now its feeling more like a chore so I'll get to that when I get to it.

I have gotten down to my weight from before I got pregnant! It took me all of 5 months...5 not 6 since I've been this size for a month now. I actually weigh less then before I was pregnant so thats good! Now I'm not sure if I'm under weight but I assure you, I eat! For example, today I ate a hot pocket, chips and a cookie for lunch and Mcdonalds for dinner...yuck but I'm on the go with Corey and work so I'm not really watching what I'm putting in my body so hopefully on vacation I can find some simple receipes to do when I'm working.

I'm seriously so happy that I hope its not too good to be true...so as usual I'm praying that everything stays good and I pray that my family and friends are safe, happy, and loved.

Good night:)

Corey is 6 months old

A half a year old...half a year and he'll be a year old. It has gone by so fast and its going even faster now that falls almost here. Fall is always so busy for us with football, pumpkin festival, spoon river drive, & holidays. It seems we have something going on every week! I can't really keep up with Corey's pictures and upload them to facebook and myspace because they require lots of descriptions and dates and why i took them so I haven't uploaded any. I have lots of milestones on camera and camcorder and I can't wait to make a mini movie of it...for his birthday, yes, I'm already planning it! I'm thinking of displaying tons of pictures on a poster and having the mini movie playing! I have a method to my madness is what I tell Chris everytime I ask him to start the camcorder up:)

So now that Corey is half a year, he's not just laying around looking cute anymore. Yea, he's still cute and he gets cuter everyday but he's got a big personality now. He likes his toys and he sits on the floor and plays with all of them like they are brand new! He sits up...he's been sitting up since he was 5 months old but now he is moving his body left and right trying to get toys.

He says words...but still not 'mama'. He is getting the 'mmm' sound though so probably very soon. Dada is his favorite word still. I think before when he first started saying it, it was just a word to him but now he can look at Chris and actually say 'dada' to him. Chris is now getting the VIP treatment from him. He only used to give it to me and my mom but now whenever he sees Chris, his whole face lights up and he'll get excited. With anyone else, he will cry and get mad if anyone but us is holding him...the only 2 people he's absolutely content with is me and mom. Don't ask why its mom, maybe we look alike or something.

Corey eats a lot! I'm still nursing but he'll have cereal and fruit for breakfast. Fruit and a veggie for lunch and a meat and fruit for dinner. He's heavy!! He loves his bananas and sweet peas but he hates broccoli and chicken and chicken noodle dinner, lol. He makes a gagging noise and face when I make him eat it. I'm not letting up though he'll have to get used to it. I refuse to have a picky eater!

Chris and I let him sleep with us occasionally but sometimes he really just likes his crib, probably because we don't crowd him when he's in there. He doesn't wake up when he's in his crib but when he's with us, he'll wake up 3 times a night either because he smells his milk or we are moving around trying to get comfy with him in the middle. I like that he can sleep without us but we sometimes like him to sleep with us when the weather's bad outside or when he's sick.

He likes going over and visiting people. He likes short drives and he likes taking bites from ice cream and cookies. He likes homemade tortillas and teething biscuits. He loves gerber juice but he refuses to drink it from a bottle so we have to give it to him in a cup...not a sippy cup, a juice cup! He's worn a size 6mos. since he was 3 months and now he's in size 9mos now that he is 6 months. I get him an outfit every week...poor 2nd child...will have all hand me downs! I'm hoping for a girl for my second one but I have a feeling its going to be a boy so I'm saving everything!

Corey is rough and tumble and I'm thinking he will stay like that, he's a boy...a very mischevious and curious little boy and I can't wait to keep watching him grow up!!

Love & Marriage....

I am in love with my husband all over again!

I have mad love for him and its all just starting to come back. No, seriously, Chris and I have been focused on Corey this past 5 months (not to mention the 9 months waiting for him to come out) that we have drifted apart.

One drunken night, it all came out and I told him there was no spark and that we aren't even intimate anymore. When you're drunk, the truth comes out whether you want it to or not. Chris said some choice words to me but I hurt his feelings really bad that night and ever since then we are making up for it to each other.

Another eye opener was when a friend was having a fight with her husband and I had asked if she was ok. Her response was "We're okay, we are just having one of your and Chris's fights." She was saying their fight was comparable to our fights. It kind of upset me that she would say that but I had it coming when we argue out in the open in front of people. All couples fight, but its the ones that are out in the open that really counts, not because you'll remember them but other people will remember them and so will you. I don't remember that we fight about who's doing what around the house but I do remember the fight we had when we were at his uncle's wedding in '07 and I drove off mad (I didn't leave him, he got in before I could drive off, door dinging his brother's car along the way)

So, with those events taking into play, I realized he's my husband and I wouldn't trade him for anything ...okay maaaaybeee Tom Brady. But until Tom comes along, I'm really appreciating Chris a lot more now for what he does. And man, does he do a lot. My husband cooks, cleans, does laundry, vacuums, takes care of the baby, takes out the trash, does grocery shopping, mows the lawn, etc. I have talked to him about this and he says he appreciates me, too, which makes me happy. I asked what he appreciates about me and he said the way I take care of Corey, the way I take care of myself. He loves my body which is crazy since I just had a baby. He loves that I'm independent, that I can go have my fun while he has his. He loves that I work and bring home a pay check. He says thats why he does all the stuff I mentioned above without complaint. He knows that one thing we compromised when having Corey was that I would go to second shifts but he also knew I would not be cooking and laundry when I had to work. He is a sweetheart and I am so lucky to have him. Its made me realize I can't let him go so he's stuck with me and vise versa.

So we are fighting less and wrestling more...if you know what I mean!!


OOOOHHHH! One other thing I keep forgetting to blog about

Corey has said his first word!! Dada...!

He started saying that on July 17th. I had a small ping of disappointment but I'll give Chris this one thing since Corey looks just like me. And of course because like I said above, Chris really deserves the honor for all that he does for us!

We love you 'dada'!

Seperation Anxiety & My Grandmother

It is happening...Corey won't let me put him down and when he is with people and I leave his sight, he bawls and bawls. I knew it would happen one day but I didn't know it was going to be this early on. The good news is that when we leave him somewhere with a grandparent or a babysitter, he doesn't seem to be phased. Its only when I put him in someone else's arms and right away he realizes those arms aren't his mommies. And I have become one lazy mommy putting everything aside from scrapbooking to cleaning to even shopping just because I don't want him crying in his swing in the living room or even stroller because I can't hold him or carry him around. So, I do nothing at all and Chris comes and the house is messy and the groceries aren't there. I need a maid or a nanny. No, I need some balls and just let him cry, right?!

He got this way because of me always having him in my arms. He is spoiled because I have spoiled him. So I shouldn't complain. I love the little guy! In all seriousness, Corey will be growing and crawling and walking soon so I should cherish the time where he wants to be in my arms!

Like I said, I'm getting to be pretty lazy at things and I know Chris is getting upset about it. He picks up the slack though and I really really appreciate it and love him for it. I'm hoping he knows how much I love him. I'll get there someday where I have the energy to feed, bathe, and play with Corey along with clean, cook, and run errands.

Last week was a really hard week to live through. My grandmother came to Illinois on the 16 of June and has been struggling to adjust. The last weekend in June, she had lots of stress build up on her weak body and was rushed to the hospital that Monday. Tuesday I was waiting to go see her while the doctors did a stress test on her. She was to be in there for 3 hours and barely and hour later the doctor called my cousin whom I was with at the time and told her to get back to the hospital asap. We were freaking out. The dr said her heart stopped beating for 15 seconds. We were in shock. The doc said he was going to put a temporary pace maker in her for that day and sched the next day for surgery for a permanent pacemaker. At that time, all my aunts and uncles rushed to her bedside along with most of my little cousins and my aunt and her family with my brother and his girlfriend who all live in Texas. I went in late to work that day, not wanting to leave but knew I had to. The next day my family from Texas came right before she went into surgery. It was terrible seeing her cry from being so scared and watching her be wheeled out. I freaking cried and cried. But it was kind of a distraction when I finally saw my little brother and him finally meeting Corey. It was so cute how he wanted to keep him all day. I decided it would be best to stay in Bloomington to see my grandma and spend time with my family in the light of her surgery so I called in and I am so happy I did. I was able to see my grandma come out of surgery and hang out with my brother and his girlfriend for a while.

Needless to say, when you have an elderly in the hospital there is going to be fighting among family and ours was the worst. Everyone fought and I just stayed back and stayed out of it. For the most part, I was just happy to see family and to see my grandma come out of it alive and well. She is truly the strongest out of anyone I know and I'm so happy to call her my grandma.