9 Month Checkup

So Roan had his 9 month checkup on the 18th but I've been too sick and busy to blog about it. I'll touch on that later.

How Roan is Doing...

So, the stats for Roan's 9 month checkup are:

Weight: 20lbs 5oz (44th percentile)
Length: 28 inches (46th percentile)
Head: 46 1/4 cm (75th percentile) - last time his head was in the 86th or something like that.
And no shots this time!

He's mostly wearing 9 month clothes. Anything that's 6-9 is a tad too small. I have a feeling we'll be moving on to 12 month clothes soon.

Tooth #3 has broken through and it seems like tooth #4 is on it's way, too. His top right tooth is one that's definitely there. There seems to be a white spot next to it that looks like it might be the other tooth coming through. Either that or he's got some sort of sore...though that seems unlikely to me. He has been slightly cranky (though not unbearable) and is definitely a drool factory! But he still sleeps through the night, so we're pretty dang blessed there. I'm not counting on that being the case his whole life, but he's been sleeping through the night since he was 2.5 months old. Thanks for that one, buddy!!

He loves to stand up and definitely wants to walk. When I stand him up and hold his hands to help him walk, he always tries to pull his hands away. He doesn't seem to understand yet that he'll face-plant if I let go! He so desperately wants to be independent.

How Mom & Dad are Doing...

Well, as many know, I haven't been feeling well. I did a detox diet for about a week (ok, so more like 5 days) where I was only eating fruit and veggies. Ever since I've stopped it, I've had intense pain in my abdomen and back. It seems to hit hardest after I eat. I won't go into the other gross details, but basically, I know there is something very wrong with my digestive system. The problem is, we don't have health insurance. Roan is covered under Medicaid, but currently, Sean and I aren't. We were on the Ingham Health Plan but I was taken off it when I was pregnant and apparently Sean was taken off it in July. It really only covers the basics, so it won't help with the situation I'm in now (needing tests, a specialist, etc).

We applied for Medicaid & a social worker told Sean that we should qualify because our son has it. Somehow no one ever told us that before. I'm really hoping we do get it because my quality of life is affected daily and the pain is getting worse and more frequent. I went to Urgent Care and all the doctor said he could do is push on my tummy to see if it wasn't my appendix, gallbladder, etc. All that appears to be fine. My worst fear was a bowl blockage as I know those can be extremely dangerous if not treated.

I had to leave work early a few days, but since I had to be at the zoo with 3rd graders all last week, I chose to push through the pain. The doctor at Urgent Care prescribed Bentyl but I didn't get that until Thursday night. And really, it doesn't seem to be helping. It's really frustrating because since Sean is basically self-employed, he obviously doesn't get health benefits. And while I work full-time, I don't get any either because there are simply too many paras in the district for them to offer it. In the past when we've applied for Medicaid (pre-Roan), we were denied because we made just enough money to not qualify. So that's awesome.

Sean has been working as usual. Work, guitar practice, and guitar lessons. He has seriously been the best husband and dad ever, taking care of Roan pretty much all the time since I've been feeling so bad.

Our neighborhood is having yard sales coming up pretty soon, which I am very happy about because we have some stuff to get rid of! And also things to look for, haha. At least we now have a kitchen table for Roan to eat at! Let's be honest, Sean and I will still eat sitting on the couch until that becomes inconvenient because of the dog and/or Roan :). But the table is perfect for us because the sides drop down so it doesn't take up a lot of space unless we need it to. Just gotta find 2 more chairs, but that's not an immediate need.

Right now, I'm not in pain, which I feel like celebrating. Maybe I can actually help take care of my kid today.

Cliche, Yes.

The other day, while my son was desperately trying to pull himself up on the couch so he could reach the remote, I began to reach out to pull him up. I stopped myself. This was not the first time I had to stop myself from doing something for him. I had to watch him. He was so close! He can get on his knees, he just hasn't mastered how to get his foot out from under his butt.

It was excruciating for me. Excruciating to watch him struggle...just staring at that remote. He had that same look in his eyes that I get when I see crème brûlée. Sheer, utter, undeniable desire and determination to have it. I silently cheered for him (if I'd said anything, he would have just stared at me and forgotten his goal). His little hands gripping the edge of the couch...grunt after grunt. All fruitless. He plopped back onto his butt, defeated.

I started to wonder. How many times will I have to watch him struggle to figure something else out on his own? Probably a lot. A lot.

Really, all I had to do was either pull him up or push the remote closer. But he wouldn't learn that way.

Being a parent, I feel, has opened my eyes to how God must feel about us. The completely explainable, overwhelming love that I feel towards Roan...God loves me (and him and you) more. That alone is mind-blowing to me!

The way that I have to let Roan learn and grow on his own in some areas easily relates to how God lets us grow and learn and figure things out. It would be so easy for him to just...give it to us - whatever it is we need to learn. But he loves us too much to make us puppets.

Growth can be (and often is) painful and frustrating. But it's comforting to know that God is cheering me on...knowing that I can do it.

Photo Contests, Bed Time, Baby Gates and "GO!"

How Roan is Doing...

I entered one of Roan's pictures in a photo contest (<--click for link) on Zulily. You can vote once a day ;) His photo could end up on the sign in/log in page! If you're not aware of Zulily & want an invite (not that you need one to sign up), let me know...I get $15 with your first purchase. So much good stuff on there!

Bed time is going a lot better! I think being rocked to bed is getting uncomfortable for him, so we rock him for a few minutes (till he winds down), then lay him down. He might "cry" for 30 seconds or so; usually by the time we're halfway down the stairs, he's stopped. I do love rocking him and snuggling with him...I'm going to miss it. But I also don't want bed time to take an hour.


We installed a few baby gates. One near the stairs (thanks Joel & Alaina W!) and one to block off the kitchen and dining room. The only remaining issue is the vent on the floor. We really need to get a new cover for it because it's way too easy for his little fingers to get stuck in there.

This was the almost-81'' opening we had to block off! Love this gate!

I have a reusable Target bag stuffed behind the tv so he can't get to the wires, too.

We missed Roan's appointment. I totally forgot about it. So it's rescheduled for the 18th. Oops.

Still army-crawling like mad & he's really close to pulling himself up on things! While visiting my family in Fort Wayne, my mom was holding him and Kimura (my brother's dog) walked up - she gets jealous - so my mom pointed and said "Kimura, go!" Roan then pointed and said "Guh!" He's done it many times since, but when I try to get him to do it to show other people, he just points. I'm trying to figure out if "Go!" counts has his first word, haha.

Roan sure loves his Rosie! While we were in Fort Wayne last weekend, Sean's dad took Rosie. So when he brought her home Sunday afternoon, Roan went nuts! I was holding him and he started kicking his feet and had the biggest smile ever! I wish we had video of it.

How Mom & Dad are Doing...

Well, I am on Spring Break and loving the time I get to spend with Roan! It's my goal to get stuff organized during the week, but we'll see how that goes, haha. I've decided to put the 28-Day Challenge on hold...or stop, actually. I did the week of detoxing, which was great. I think I need to detox 1 week a month. I'm going to try using a probiotic to help my digestion and if that doesn't work, I will try gluten-free & dairy-free. Really, I haven't been in pain like I used to in years. I think if I had Celiac, I would be in more pain. Plus, the Challenge was a lot of cooking; more than this working mom can handle.

Sean has had a few days off, so it's been nice to be home together. Monday night is date night (Bama watches Roan) and last night we went to Bennigans (grilled salmon...yum!) and rented a few movies from Redbox. I wanted to watch Like Crazy and he wanted to watch Drive. I fell asleep during Drive, but Like Crazy was disappointing. I loved the aesthetics of it...very well shot. But Sean and I talked at length about how poorly they did at making you think they were really in love. I mean, Hollywood's view and definition of love is much different than real-world love.

Well, I think the little man is ready for a nap.