SO Proud

A post about Kelly has been long overdue. It was his birthday on June 17th, then it was Fathers Day and today is his first day at his new job with Farmers Insurance in the California Bay Area. Kelly worked really hard to get this job and I could not be more proud of him.

He is truly the best Father there is. He is always happy to help out with the mundane parenting tasks like feeding, diapering, dressing, bathing, etc. He is more than willing to get up when Dax decides to wake up at 5 AM. He truly enjoys playing with his son and is never too tired get on the floor and roll around with the babe.

We had fun celebrating Kelly's 26th birthday. He had not started his new job yet so we were able to spend the whole day together. Kelly got to sleep in and then I made him his favorite breakfast, bacon and eggs. We spent the rest of the morning lounging and letting Dax get a nap. We went to Chevys for lunch and watch the NBA finals that evening. It was a very relaxing day. Happy Birthday an AMAZING husband and father! We are SO proud of you.

8 Months

Dax is 8 1/2 months and is becoming such a big boy.
He:

Wants to stand using the support of our fingers ALL. THE. TIME.
Still giggling hysterically..especially at small children and dogs.
Is wearing a size 4 diaper and 12-18 month clothes.
Rolls to get around...tries to crawl but looks like he's swimming in place.
Sleeps on his tummy.
Takes 2 naps a day, 10 and 3.
Sleeps from 8 to 6:30 AM.
LOVES toy trucks, he especially loves playing with the wheels.
Will spend almost an hour jumping in his bouncer.
Is getting bored with Baby Einstein.
No longer screams every time he gets buckled into his car seat.
Is a very happy baby and smiles constantly.
Prefers to be held by mom and dad but will usually be fine with anyone holding him.
Is such a fun little boy!

Congrats to the Grad

Kelly graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Business Management in April. He worked incredibly hard and got stellar grades and I am truly proud of his effort. I'm sure he'd be the first person to tell you that school is tough for him and he has to work harder than most to be successful. His education and GPA just go to show that you don't have to be "good at school" to do well. You just need to be willing to put in the time and that is exactly what he did.

Dax and I were so excited to be able to support him at his graduation ceremonies and Kelly's parents joined in on the fun as well. We are still searching for jobs but currently have a couple great leads.
I am SO proud of you Kelly. Congratulations on such a fantastic accomplishment!

7 months

At 7 months Dax is:

About 21 pounds.
Still very happy and smiley.
Starting to be able to entertain himself and has mellowed out a bit.
Often still fussy in the evening.
Entertained for long periods of time by a bowl full of toys. He empties all the toys out of the bowl, one-by-one, and then proceeds to play with them.
A champion sitter and only falls when he gets really excited.
Reaching long distances for toys.
Spending more time on his tummy trying to crawl but is still having a hard time pushing himself up onto all fours.
Standing while holding onto mommies fingers.
Still a big boy but is starting to thin out.
Fidgeting constantly the boy NEVER sits still.
Only naps 30 to 45 minutes and WILL NOT go back to sleep.
Not cuddly but will give VERY brief hugs and kisses right after he wakes up.
Dax is the love of my life and I am eternally grateful to be his mother.

6 months

I am really behind but when Dax turned 6 months (April 5) he was:
19 pounds 6 ounces - 75%
18.5 inches - 75%

He is in the funnest stage of his life so far.
He does full on belly laughs.
He is SUPER smiley and will smile for pretty much anyone.
He LOVES old people...he must think they look funny because he always laughs at them.
He adores my parents yellow lab...they have staring contests with each other.
He sits really well but I still put a pillow behind him because he falls often.
He cut his first 2 teeth at the same time.
He won't do tummy time...as soon as I put him on his tummy he immediately rolls to his back.
He sleep really well at night (11-12 hours).
He will only nap 30 minutes at a time.
He wears 9-12 month clothes.
He thoroughly entertains us everyday and definitely keeps us busy.
We LOVE our precious baby boy!

Happy Mothers Day to our Moms

My Mom is absolutely amazing. This year, as I have become a mother myself, I have gotten a better idea of how much my mom sacrifices to be the fantastic mother that she is. My mom is constantly there for me during the good and bad times. She always knows what to do in a pickle and I have called her hundreds of times to ask for her opinion. I love my mom and feel lucky to have her in my life. Thank you for being my best friend, mom!

My mother-in-law is the sweetest person in the world. She is always there for Kelly and I and I know that she would drop everything to help us. I have loved watching her with my son. Its nice to know that someone else is excited about the small things my baby accomplishes. I love and adore my mother-in-law and am grateful to be a part of her beautiful family.

Thank you to both of our moms for loving our little Daxy and being the greatest examples of caring and loving mothers. We truly appreciate everything you do for our family. We love you!

For Grandma

Grandma Cordon had surgery today and Dax wanted to do something to cheer her up. So he finally let me get a video of him giggling!

Get Well Soon Grandma!

5 months

Our little tiny newborn is becoming a big boy.

New Developments:

-He can now sit up all by himself (only for a few minutes)
-He can roll from tummy to back but not back to tummy
-He is eating solids, so far he LOVES everything except avocado and rice cereal
-He decided to start waking up in the middle of the night again
-He still has REALLY fussy time every night from 5:30 to 7:30
-He adores going for walks outside
-He is starting to laugh when we tickle him
-He still has a strong preference for Mommy but will usually let anyone hold him
-He tried out the swings for the very first time and had a take-it-or-leave-it attitude about them
-He is a SUPER smiley baby and smiles at anyone and everyone
-He is sleeping without being swaddled
-I can already tell that he is going to be a very spirited little toddler
-He is the love of our lives!

rolly polie

this video is for the grandparents. enjoy.
rolling for the first time at 20 weeks old.
He's also learning to sit up on his own...he's getting too big too fast!

4 months

I am a few weeks late but here are Dax's 4 month stats:

26 & 1/2 inches (95%)
16 pounds 12 ounces (80%)

Needless to say he is a BIG boy.

He is:

-sitting up with support
-grabbing at his toys
-beginning to giggle
-developing a preference for Mommy
-taking 3 naps instead of 4
-sleeping 9 to 10 hours at night
-prefers to sleep in his car seat
-will only sleep while swaddled
-wears a size 3 diaper
-wears some 3-6 months clothes but mostly 6-9 month
-is the smiliest baby ever
-has the worlds biggest cheeks
-loves to look at himself in the mirror
-loves peek-a-boo
-ADORES being sung to
-will sit in his bumbo and watch Baby Einstein so Mom can make dinner
-loves playing "super Dax" with Daddy
-is changing everyday

Tummy Time

I finally figured out how to make Dax enjoy tummy time. I just put a pillow under his chest and then he is happy as can be.

Photo Shoot

My mom came to town last weekend and she wanted to take Dax to JCPenny to do some photos. I was a little skeptical, but they actually turned out to be REALLY cute.

3 months

Daxton turned three months on January 5th!

At three months Dax is:

-Fitting nicely into his 3-6 months clothes.
-Wearing a size 2 diaper.
-Eating 5-6 ounces of formula at a time.
-Probably close to 15 pounds.
-Spitting up more than he ever has in the past.
-Taking 3-4 naps during the day.
-Sleeping 8-9 hours at night...most of the time!
-Still loving his baths.
-Cooing and smiling a lot more now.
-Holding his head up very well.
-Hating his bumbo because he can't kick his legs while in it.
-LOVING his play gym.
-Loving when Mommy sings to him...especially "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Give said the Little Stream"
-Liking to watch "the Lion Sleeps Tonight" on You-Tube
-Squirming all around his crib, even though he is swaddled.
-Screaming at every stop light when we are in the car.
-Able to stay awake for almost 90 minutes at a time.
-Still eating extremely slow, he takes anywhere from 25-45 minutes to drink a bottle.
-The center of attention all the time.
-The love of our lives!

*I really cannot believe our son is growing up so fast. I miss the tiny newborn phase but am also loving this new interactive phase too. I just want him to stay little forever. I love you Daxton!

All my parenting questions

Baby Dax has been congested and had a cough for the last 10 days and the little bugger of a cold will just not go away. We have tried everything from herbs to saline nose drops to putting him in a steamy bathroom. He sleeps in his car seat to keep him slightly upright which thankfully has helped him to get a good nights sleep. I have called an advise nurse and she said I am already doing everything that she could suggest. So now I want to ask all you seasoned parents out there if you have any other suggestions?

On to my next question...I am an On Becoming Babywise fanatic. I started following the book when Dax was four weeks when a friend suggested I try it since I was pretty much on the brink of insanity. It has saved Kelly and I in more ways than I can tell you. Dax is on a 3 hour schedule. Except after 10 PM I let him sleep and he usually wakes up between 6 & 7 AM. (Hallelujah for sleeping through the night!) My problem is that in order to get him to eat every 3 hours I almost always have to wake him up from his nap. I tried a few days ago to let him sleep as long as he wanted and because of it, he ended up only having 5 & 1/2 feedings rather than his normal 6. That night he woke up at 3:30 AM wanting to eat. My question is, is it okay for me to keep waking him every 3 hours or would it be better for me to let him sleep during the day? and At what age should I start stretching out his feedings to 3 & 1/2 or 4 hours? (He is 3 months old BTW.)

Lastly, Dax gets swaddled while he sleeps. Lately he has been breaking free and whenever he gets an arm loose, he wakes up screaming. He will not go back to sleep unless I go in and re-swaddle him. Do you think its time for me to stop swaddling, if so, do you have any suggestions of how to do that?


*I would love any and all advise anyone can give.* Thanks!

Baby in White

Daxton was given a name and a blessing today and it was absolutely perfect. We woke up to -15 degree weather but it warmed up this afternoon and turned out to be a wonderful day. Kelly blessed him to be a good example for others, to be healthy, to be married in the temple, and to always have faith in his Father in Heaven. It was a beautiful blessing and Dax was a perfect angel for the whole thing.

Supercalifragalisticexpialidocious

Last weekend Kelly, Dax, My Mom and Dad and I made the trip to So Cal so my mom and I could go see Mary Poppins the musical. Dax was WONDERFUL for the entire car ride. We only had to stop once to feed and change him. He had gotten his 2 month immunizations the morning we left and they made him really sleepy so he was asleep the whole time.


My brother Jared and his family live in LA so it was fun to be able to see them as well as the play. Mary Poppins was fantastic and even though I missed Dax tremendously, it was fun to have an afternoon off.


An update on our family: We are moving back to Rexburg at the end of next week. Kelly is loading up the car and trailer and driving part of the way to Salt Lake on Thursday. Dax and I are flying to SLC on Friday morning where Kelly will meet us. Then we're all heading to Idaho Falls where we will stay Friday night until we can get into our apartment Saturday morning. We will unpack for a few days and then head to Star Valley, WY to meet the ENTIRE Allred clan for Christmas. Dax is also going to be blessed in SV on Dec. 27th. Kelly's final semester of his undergrad starts Jan. 5th.

Dax is growing so like wildfire and is quickly growing out of the newborn stage. I love him more and more everyday and feel truly lucky to have healthy, happy baby.

Baby Dax and his Daddy sit like this when they watch the Chargers together.Daxy and his Grandma are good friends.

2 Months

Baby Dax is 2 months old today! I really cannot believe he is growing up so fast. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was in the hospital delivering him. Even thought I wish he would stay tiny forever, he is growing into really fun stage of his short little life.

Stats:

11 pounds 11 ounces...54th percentile

22 & 3/4 inches...46th percentile

New Milestones:

Smiling at his mommy and daddy

Moving his head to watch something exciting

Cooing and making adorable noises

He is much better at laying down and playing by himself

Only wakes up once in the night...thanks to Babywise

Loves Jingle Bells and The Twelve Days of Christmas

Has outgrown his Newborn size clothes

Wears a size one diaper

When we put the burp cloth under his chin, he instinctively opens his mouth and looks for his bottle...he knows its coming

Still has painful gas

Is fussy almost every night from 6 to 7

Is the the love of our lives!

Picture Time

Grandma and Grandpa with their 3 Grandsons! We've been waiting a long time to be able to take this photo.

Baby Dax and his cousin Ryker are BFF's.

It was really windy outside when we took this photo. Poor baby Dax was cold. We only took about 6 photos before giving up because it was too windy and cold!

We're So In Love...

...with this little guy and couldn't be more GRATEFUL to call him our son. Happy Thanksgiving!

Date Night

Our local Nordstrom was having a promotion, free New Moon tickets for buying their clothes. It was a win win situation for me since I love their clothes and I wanted to see the movie. Nordstrom bought out the entire theater and showed Twilight in all 14 theaters. It was a sneak preview so we got to see it Thursday night at 9:30. Kelly and I liked it and loved being able to get out and spend time together. Daxy had fun at home with his Grandma and Grandpa!

Like Father Like Son

Kelly's mom sent these to me a few weeks ago. He definitely looks like his Daddy!

One Month Old

This first month of Dax's life has been quite the roller coaster. I can't believe it has already been an entire month. I feel like I am finally starting to get the hang of this whole being a mom thing. In his first month of life I have learned that Dax:

• Adores the sound of the blow dryer (I went out and bought a white noise machine today).
  
• Is often content in his swing.


• Will usually wake up as soon as I lay him in his crib.


• Would probably eat all day if I let him.


• Likes being swaddled.


• Usually sleeps about 45 minutes at a time (day and night), the longest he will go is 2 hours.


• Is the happiest when laying on Mommy or Daddy's chest.


• Gets cranky in the evening.


• Likes his bath but hates getting out.


• Is a very colicy baby but we couldn't love him more!

First Halloween

Daxy's first Halloween was spent sleeping and eating. We also went out to breakfast and went and saw Uncle Chaddy's new house in Concord. Dax had two adorable little outfits and he wore them both. Halloween day was followed by a night with NO sleep. He literally slept about 3 hours the entire night, usually in 30 minute increments. Needless to say it was a long night and we are all tired...including Daxton. I'm really hoping this sleeping thing gets better soon. :) I hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween!