Ephram at 19 months

(This was written back in May)
So once behind on visits, we stay behind on visits. His well check was at 19 months instead of 18 months. This kiddo still loves to snuggle and be held. I love it, but it is getting harder the further along in my pregnancy I get and the heavier he gets! I am saying prayers daily that once little sister arrives, he will not need me to hold him or carry him quite so much.

Sleep is continues to be great for him. He is STILL taking a morning nap in addition to an afternoon nap. I think we are going to have to make him give up the morning nap. He can skip it with no problem when we are out and about, but if we are at home, he will go get his blanket and pacifier out of his bed and come get you. A sure sign he needs some rest.

His wubanub continues to be used only for sleep. We are planning on taking it away for good after we get back from Florida. We just didn't want to put ourselves through traveling with him and not letting him use it! Hopefully it will go smoothly. We want him to be broken of it before baby sister arrives, so if she is using one, he won't think he needs one as well.

His teeth have come in with a vengeance over the last few months. His top teeth are still coming in wonky. One tooth actually looks like it is being blocked by other teeth from coming down all the way. We had our first dentist appointment and he did ok. He wasn't super cooperative, but they did get a good look at him. The dentist said to just wait and see with his teeth for now. We will go back in November and see what they have to say then. The vegetable strike continues and it so frustrating. He gets his veggies from a pouch most days. Occasionally we can get him to eat some peas.

19 month stats:
Weight: 29 lbs, 3 oz (94%)
Height: 34 1/2 inches (95%)
Head: 50 cm (97%)
Clothing size: 24 months
Must Haves: Anything Wills has, trains, cars, planes (seeing a theme here?)
Milestones: Lots more words! Some we aren't very proud of (show and cookie), others we are (DaDa!!! Finally!)

Brothers Side by Side:

Wills                               Ephram

Ephram at 16 months

(This was written way back in February)
We are about a month behind on our well child visit due to travel and snow, so Ephram's 15 month visit was actually at 16 months. Our little guy is still a snuggle bug, but he is also a busy boy. He loves to be on the move and only really sits still for eating. And as soon as he is done eating, he wants down!

This kid really loves to sleep as much as his parents do! He is still taking a morning nap for about an hour and an afternoon nap for two hours. He goes to bed between 8 and 8:30 and wakes up between 7:30 and 8:30. He will skip his morning nap if we are out and about and usually does so without any problems. He will just need to go down for his afternoon nap a little earlier than usual.

Walking has been mastered. He also loves to run and climb. He is currently trying his hardest to climb on top of the kitchen table. He is fully capable of this, we just won't let him. This causes tears just about every night in our house. How dare we not let him climb on the table? Ephram also loves his wubanub (pacifier). We have been going back and forth about taking it from him and we just haven't done it yet. All of a sudden he started using it all the time. He was walking around with it constantly hanging out of his mouth. I'm already concerned about his teeth and his speech and language due to his cleft, so I know we need to break him of it sooner than later. In the last week, we have implemented a new rule where he can only have it while sleeping. The first few days of this were rough, but I think we have made it over the hump.

Ephram now has four teeth on the bottom and three teeth on top. His bottom teeth look great, but the top teeth are coming in a little crazy. He has his first dentist appointment next month so it will be interesting to see what they have to say. He uses those teeth to the fullest when it comes to eating. This kid still loves to eat and the amount he can put away is astonishing. For a week or two we were concerned because he wasn't eating as much as usual and we realized he was actually just eating regular toddler portions! He is longer an eat anything kind of guy. He is officially on a vegetable strike and has been for about a month now. His veggies are now given in disguise.

16 month stats:
Weight: 27 lbs 15 oz (96%)
Height: 33 1/2 inches (97%)
Head: 19.25 inches (93%)

Clothing size: 18 to 24 months
Must Haves: Anything Wills has, wubanub, crayons, trains
Milestones: Says "mama', "uh oh" and "go"

Brothers side by side:

Wills                                    Ephram

Ephram at 12 months

Baby boy is now a toddler! It has been such a whirlwind. Ephram is the sweetest most snugly little boy. He is still such a happy little guy except when he is hungry, tired or wants to be held. Evenings are still rough when I am trying to make dinner and have the two boys home by myself. Wills entertains himself really well, but Ephram just wants to be loved on. I don't really see this getting better anytime soon. I hope I'm wrong!

Sleep is still awesome with Ephram. I am so thankful for this. He naps for an hour in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. If you get him off schedule, he is really flexible and will sleep whenever he gets the chance (the car, the stroller, your arms, etc). If Wills falls asleep in the car for 5 minutes, you will not get him to take a nap. If Ephram falls asleep in the car, he will wake up, but he will go back to sleep without any problem once he is in his bed. It is so nice.

Ephram has his one year well check with his pediatrician on November 7th. I will update all his stats after that appointment. I said last month that I thought Ephram would be walking sooner than Wills and I was right. He officially took his first steps this month. He is very wobbly and takes no more than 5 steps at a time, but definitely a start.

He is still a champ at eating and not at all picky. He has two top teeth and two bottom teeth and he is using them to bite food like a big kid. He grabbed a sandwich off my plate while I was holding him and took a bite out of it before I knew what was happening. He was quite proud of himself.

12 month stats:
Weight: 24 lbs, 11 oz (90%)
Height: 31.25 in (90%)
Head: 19 cm (95%)
Clothing size: 12 to 18 months
Must Haves: wubabnub, cars and trains
Milestones: Walking!

Brothers side by side:

Wills                         Ephram

Ephram at 11 months

I cannot believe Ephram is 11 months old and will be one next month! This last year has flown by. Our sweet boy still loves to snuggle. He is getting better about not being held in the evenings. Probably every other night he will sit in the kitchen floor and play while I make dinner. The other nights he is either being held, being worn or just suffering :) Ephram hit the height limit for the infant carrier last month, so we have been transitioning to the next step in car seats. He is supposed to be rear facing until 2. We made it to 22 months with Wills before we felt sorry for his cramped legs and turned him around. Who knows how long we will make it with Ephram!

This kiddo is still an amazing sleeper. He is still taking two naps a day. I think the teething has messed up his sleep some over the last month. He has woken up screaming early in the morning a few times. A few of his afternoon naps have been rough with intermittent crying as well. Overall though, sleep is awesome.

We had appointments with our pediatrician and Ephram's surgeon this month. I posted about the appointments here.  Ephram is majorly on the move. He is crawling and cruising all over the place. He will go from the couch to the coffee table and back. He also started using his walker this month. I think he is going to walk sooner than Wills did. We will see.

Food is still a huge hit around here. We haven't discovered anything new that he doesn't like. We are still working on sippy cups. He uses them, but still prefers his bottle. We also introduced milk this month. He will drink it, but doesn't appear to love it. Hopefully this changes over the next month.

11 Month Stats:
Weight: 24 lbs
Clothing Size: 12 to 18 months
Must Haves: wubanub, baby walker, any toy that Wills has
Milestones: two bottom teeth, free standing, cruising

Brothers side by side:

Doctor's Appointments

Wills and Ephram went to the pediatrician last week. It was Wills' 3 year well check and Ephram's 10 month check up. They got weighed and measured. Ephram got his 1st of 2 flu shots and Wills did the flu mist. I asked our pediatrician about doing it so early, and she said you should do it as soon as it's available. She also said she has already had patients test positive for the flu!

Wills' stats:

Weight: 33 lbs 8 oz (65%)

Height: 39 inches (79%)

Ephram's stats:

Weight: 23 lbs 4 oz (88%)

Height: 30 inches (86%)

Head: 18 3/4 (95%)

Ephram also had an appointment with his surgeon, Dr. Smith, on Monday. The visit went well. He didn't have to get a steroid shot because his scar is looking good. We also don't have to go back for a year. Our next surgery (if needed) won't be until he is at least 5 years old. 

Ephram at Eight Months

Yay for another healthy month! We didn't even need allergy medicine this month. It is so nice to have two healthy boys right now. Ephram continues to be a snuggly boy and loves to be held. I still love holding him, but he is getting so heavy! We get lots of comments about his size. He is still in the infant car seat, so when you add his weight to the car seat, it is at least 40 lbs. I can tell I use my left arm to carry him the most, because it actually has a little muscle!

I continue to be so thankful that we have another good sleeper. He is even better than Wills. If Ephram falls asleep in the car, he might wake up when you get him out, but he has no issues going back to sleep once you put him in his crib. He also will nap on the go a lot more easily than Wills did. This is probably because he doesn't have a choice. Wills' morning activities dictate when and how Ephram can nap in the morning. Afternoon nap is still sacred for both boys and we always try to be home for it!

No doctor's appointments this month! That is so nice to write. His scar continues to fade. Some days it is more noticeable than others. We are not as diligent with the massage and scar fade as we were, and need to get back into the habit. We have been trying to be good about using sunscreen on it anytime we are out.

This child loves food. I don't think he has an off switch either. He continues to eat 4 bottles a day, 7 to 8 oz each. He also is eating 2-3 oz of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We started giving him these organic baby biscuits on occasion. They are super messy, but they allow me to eat my own meal without having to multitask quite so much.

Eight Month Stats:
Weight: 20.4 lbs
Clothing size: 9 months for tops, 9 to 12 months for tops and bottoms and 12 months for bottoms.
Must haves: wubanub, lillebaby carrier, our dogs,
Milestones: He started rolling to get places. You can't put him down and expect him to still be there if you walk away.

Brothers side by side:

Wills                                Ephram

Ephram at Seven months

Wooohoo! We have had a relatively healthy month other than allergies. So exciting! Ephram still loves to be held, but is content to chill in his excersaucer more than he was. I seem to be the main culprit in him wanting to be held all the time. If he can see me or hear my voice he immediately decides he needs to be picked up. Whoops. I am trying to get better. It's just so hard because he is so snuggly!

Sleep is still overall awesome. We had one night this month where he was up every 1-2 hours and it was awful. He sleeps for about an hour in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. If we are out and about in the morning his nap suffers and he sometimes will need a cat nap around noon and then his regular afternoon nap. He occasionally still needs a cat nap in the evenings too, usually about 20 minutes. He used to wake up screaming and irritated and that has improved greatly. Now he just lays in there and plays and chatters too himself until someone comes to get him.

We had another check up with Dr. Smith this month. He thought Ephram's scar looked a lot better and we did not have to do another steroid shot. He did recommend we start using preparation H on the scar to help with the redness. We don't have to go back again for three months.

His love of food continues. He has not turned up his nose at anything we have offered. He is mostly eating fruits and vegetables. I did introduce oatmeal and tofu this month. Hopefully next month I will add a little more variety into his diet. He is still taking a bottle 4 times a day and usually drinks 7-8 oz each time.

Seven Month Stats:
Weight: 19.8 lbs (65%)
Height: 27 1/2 in (61%)
Head: 18 in (92%)
Clothing size: 9 months and 9 to 12 months
Must haves: wubanubs, lillebaby carrier, big brother
Milestones:
I don't have exact dates for these, but he has discovered his feet and they go in his mouth on occasion, he started "talking" this month and he is sitting up like a champ.

Brothers side by side:

Wills                        Ephram

Ephram was crying and Wills said "It's ok Ephram. Calm down. Take a deep breath." and then he let out a big breath. Too bad big brother doesn't take his own advice!

Ephram at Six months

Still not completley healthy this month. The chronic cough continued and we did another round of steroids as well as two different inhalers. So far so good and the cough has not returned since. The clinginess continued as well. This kiddo does not like to be any where but in your arms. Possibly because he is so snuggly, we hold him more than we should. We all (us, our nanny, our family) need to get better about letting him hang out on his own every now and then.

Ephram is fully in his room this month. His wake up time continues to improve and is now consistenlty between 6:30 and 7:30. Occasionally he has gone as late as 8:00. He is no longer being swaddled and he handled that change beautifully. He now sleeps in his sleep sacks. Wills still sleeps in his most nights too. We love the sleep sacks!

We had a check up with Dr. Smith, Ephrams's surgeon this month. Ephram's scar was still too thick for his liking, so he gave him another steroid shot. We go back six weeks from this appointment to have it checked again. Charles and I both think that his scar is a lot softer since this last shot. Hopefully we won't have to do it again.

Ephram started real food this month. He has had several vegetables and a few fruits. I am making the baby food again like I did with Wills. I have been slacking a little, so his options haven't been as varied. We are doing a better job of mixing his food up. I hope this will make him like things like soups and casseroles when he gets bigger. Wills won't eat either of those things and it makes me nuts.

Six Month Stats:
Weight: 19.2 lbs
Clothing Size: 6-9 months and some 9 months
Must Haves: Lillebaby carrier, bat with crinkly wings, big brother
Milestones:
3/31 Steroid shot
4/5 Big boy bath and no more swaddle
4/6 First food, avocado

Brothers side by side:

Wills                            Ephram

A couple Wills and Eprham interactions this month include: Ephram was crying in the back seat and Wills said "It's ok Ephram. We're almost home.". Wills has also started taking books in the car and we moved Ephram's car seat over right beside him, so Wills has been "reading" his books to Ephram in the car. Too precious!

Ephram at Four Months

Ephram has had a bit of a rough go in his fourth month of life. This month we had to go in and see Dr. Smith for a steroid shot on his lip scar because he was getting a keloid. We had to swaddle him up and they gave him the shot. He was definitely not a fan. Poor guy also came down with RSV this month. RSV has caused him to have a pretty strong cough, which in turn causes him to vomit up all his food. Not great. Here is hoping he will be healthy in month five!

We did follow through on our plan to move Ephram to his own room and to sleep train this month and it started out pretty successful. Then he got RSV and it kind of got pushed aside. He is still sleeping really well all things considered. He naps for 30 minutes to an hour in the morning sometime between 9:30 and 11 and he sleeps for 1 to 2 hours in the afternoon sometime between 1:30 and 4. He also takes a little cat nap most evenings, usually around 6. His bedtime is the same as Wills' and they go to bed between 8:15 and 8:30 every night. Ephram's wake up time is so variable. It is any where from 5:30 to 7:30. You just never know! The earlier it is, the more likely he is to go back to sleep after some cuddles, otherwise, he is up for the day.

Considering all he has been through so far in his short life, Ephram is a really happy baby. I am still missing his cleft smile. This article in the NY Times blog takes the words right out of my mouth. Especially when she says "But I’ll always carry with me this ache in my heart that wonders what he would have looked like (and what his life would have been like) if we had not changed him.". There is no doubt having the surgery was the right thing, but still... His new smile is beautiful and his smiles are easy to get and his little laugh is just too precious. He still loves having the aquaphor rubbed on his cheeks. He is starting to tolerate the lip massage a little better. He doesn't start screaming immediately anymore, which is nice.

Ephram is definitely a people watcher, particularly Wills or anyone that has food. I am not sure we will be able to hold him off for too much longer when it comes to our food. He definitely stares you down and follows the food from the plate to your mouth. He is doing great with tummy time, but hasn't quite mastered rolling over yet. I am sure it will be soon though!

Four Month Stats:
Weight: 15 lbs, 11 oz (46%)
Length: 26 1/4 inches (84%)
Head: 43.7 cm (92%)
Clothing Size: 3-6 months, some 6 months
Must Haves: The Lillebaby carrier is still a must. It gets used a ton by me, Charles and our nanny. So much so, that Ephram actually doesn't like the stroller very much because he isn't used to it! Pacifiers are still very important, as are his fingers.

Brothers side by side:

Wills                                      Ephram

Wills is doing better with Ephram. He has quit telling other people to take care of him when he cries. At bedtime he tells Ephram goodnight and that he loves him. Just melts my heart when he says it!