Date Night

We haven't seen the Powells in a few weekends since Grant hadn't been feeling well so we were excited to get together with them tonight. Lila and Grant definitely enjoyed their date night! It is so fun to watch them grow up together :) Tonight, we went out to eat and they both did really well. We came back to our house and did some swinging on the porch and then let Lila and Grant hang out together on the couch...a perfect photo op! They are both growing up so fast! They are starting to notice each other more now and they are so cute to watch!

Almost Holding Hands :)

They Both Love to Eat Their Hands

I'm Feeling Better!

After a very long week, Grant is finally feeling better! The diarrhea has stopped, his fever is gone, and his bottom is clearing up. The skin on his face is also smoother and his nasal congestion is slowly getting better. Discovering his milk allergy seems to have solved lots of problems and I am so happy that my little man is feeling better and back to his normal self :)

I had to work on Saturday so he spent some quality time with Dad and Aunt Mary Ellen also came over for the weekend. Here are some pics from the weekend.

Watching Panthers Football with Dad

My First Baseball Cap

We Finally Figured It Out...

at least we think we did. We have had a rough week! Grant has had diarrhea since Saturday. Yes, for 6 days! It has caused a very red and irritated bottom. Brandon's mom stayed with him on Monday and Tuesday and I have stayed home with him for the rest of the week. On Monday, I took him to the doctor and they thought he had a virus that he probably picked up from daycare. They took some stool samples to send off for testing to make sure it wasn't anything else. As the week went on, he didn't get any better. On Thursday morning, he had a fever so I called the doctor back and Brandon and I took him back on Thursday afternoon. I was afraid that he had some sort of infection. Luckily, all of the tests were negative for any infection. However, he tested positive for a milk protein allergy, which means he is allergic to the milk in the formula that we have been giving him! He has always drank his milk really well, has been gaining weight (he weighed 15 lbs. 1 oz at the doctor...he is getting to be such a big boy!), spits up very little, and poops usually just 1 time a day so we had no indications of this allergy based on his eating. The doctor said that the allergy finally built up enough in his body to cause the reaction. He has had nasal congestion since he was 2-3 weeks old and has always had sensitive skin on his face. Apparently, both of these things could also be related to the milk allergy. Brandon and I have taken him to the doctor multiple times about his nasal congestion and were told that he was allergic to something in the air and that he did not have a food allergy.

The good news is that we finally know about the allergy now, although it would have been nice to know about it months ago! The main thing to do to address the allergy is to change his formula to a hypoallergenic formula (which unfortunately costs twice as much as regular formula). We switched him yesterday and he is already feeling some better today...the diarrhea is slowing down but he still has a low grade fever. The doctor also gave us some other cream for his bottom and that is starting to look better. It has been an exhausting week, but hopefully we are on the right track now and we are hoping that by changing his formula, his nasal congestion and sensitive skin on his face will go away. The doctor said it should also decrease fussiness. She also recommended that we not start solid foods until he was 6 months to give his tummy time to adjust to everything. The milk allergy should not be long term. She told us we could start introducing milk products back at 9 months and that he shouldn't have a long term allergy to milk.

We are hoping that this is the answer and that by next week Grant will be back to normal!

Three Months Old!

It's hard to believe that Grant is already 3 months old! He's getting to be such a big boy and I love watching him develop his own personality. We made it through our first full week of daycare and me being back at work. Unfortunately, Grant hasn't been feeling that well today and I think has his first daycare acquired sickness. Hopefully, he will be feeling better soon.

The last 3 months have been some of the best (and exhausting) months of my life! I love watching him learn and grow and can't wait to see what he learns next!

3 month stats/accomplishments:
Sleeping through the night (most nights) from 9-9:30 pm - 5-6 am
Eats 5-6 ozs. every 3 hours
Wears size 1 diapers, but we are getting ready to move to size 2
Wears 3 month clothing and a few 3-6 month
Weighs 13-14 lbs
Laughs out loud and smiles all the time
Babbles all the time
Holds head up consistently
Grabs rattles
Loves to suck on his thumb and fingers
Loves bath time
Getting used to daycare

This is what happens when Brandon dresses him!

Bath Time Fun!

Sunday Visit with Grandmother

Now that I am back at work, it is more difficult for me to keep up with posting so my postings are probably going to become less frequent :( We are just so busy during the week now in the evenings, that I hardly have any extra time for anything. I am hoping things will eventually get a little easier and less hectic.

Last Sunday, we went to my Grandmother's (Grant's great-grandmother) house to visit and wish her a happy birthday. Her birthday was on Friday. Kelli, Heath, Hannah, and Mary Ellen also came and we all had lots of fun playing with Grant and Hannah and visiting. Grant did a lot of smiling, laughing, playing and babbling and we all had a great time!

Heads Up!

Brandon and I were shocked at how well Grant did holding his head up today during tummy time. He seems to get better each day at holding his head up higher and higher. He almost rolled over again also, but didn't quiet make it. He is also laughing out loud, which is the cutest thing I have ever heard! We are truly amazed by how quickly he is growing and learning new things! Parenthood is by far the best thing I have ever experienced and I feel so fortunate to be his mom!

This face makes me laugh!

I Survived...and So Did My Mom

Grant and I both made it through his first two full days of daycare and my first two days back at work. I have to say that it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The anticipation of everything was way worse than it really was. Grant's teachers said he did well during his first two days. I know it will take him a little while to get use to everything...his teachers, the other children, and his new routine, but he seems to be happy and adjusting well to everything. I really enjoyed seeing all of my coworkers and I have to say that it was kind of nice to enter the "adult world" again, although it is really difficult to not be with Grant all day. Luckily, my job keeps me really busy so it helps the day go by fast and I don't dwell on the fact that I am not with him as much. Our new morning and evening routines have also gone pretty smoothly for the first two days and I know those routines will get easier. Brandon takes him to daycare and I pick him up, which is working out really well. I get so excited as it gets close to 4 o'clock each day so I can go pick him up! I hope everything continues to go as well next week!

On His Way to His First Full Day of Daycare

After Returning Home from His First Day of Daycare