Happy 9 month birthday Sean!

Sean is 9 months old today (almost 6 months corrected - on April 3rd).
Now that he is almost "6 months", he is rolling a lot more.  As a matter of fact today he rolled a lot.  A lot more than he has up until now.  We place him on his back and he rolls on his stomach.  He loves it! 

Sean has been on solids for almost 4 weeks now.  What a difference from day 1.  On day 1, he knew to open his mouth, but was not sure about the new experience with the spoon.  Now after almost 4 weeks, he opens his mouth wide and is eating more.  He has been finishing all his cereal, fruit and veggies.  He is now eating 2 meals a day, breakfast and dinner.  Milk is still his primary source of nutrition.  He has six 4 ounce bottles per day.  He's a really good eater.  We will try again soon to see if he will eat the peas and green beans.  He "said" no on our first attempt. 

We are looking forward to the weekend and more time with Sean.  Weekday mornings and evenings with Sean go way too fast!   His bedtime is still about 7:30.  

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sean rolls from back to front

I forgot to mention in previous post that Sean rolled from back to front for the first time on Saturday.  He likes rolling on his side, but this was the first time he actually rolled from back to front. 

He is doing great!   We love our baby boy.

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sun hat and applesauce

We had a great weekend with Sean.  It was raining on Saturday, but we still got out to purchase a sun hat for Sean.  What a "perfect" day to purchase a sun hat...on a rainy day. 

Sean tried his first fruit over the weekend...apples.  He loves apple sauce.  He is eating really well.  So well that he now weighs 16 lbs. 12 oz! 

Today (Sunday) we took Sean to Petroglyph to to make a print of his tiny feet on a plate.  Later Daddy returned to Petroglyph to finish the art work.  We will pick up the final product in a few days.  Sean and Mommy are looking forward to seeing Daddy's "masterpiece". 

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sweet Potatoes, Springtime and Sunglasses

Sean continues to try new solid foods.  He rejected peas, but LOVES sweet potatoes.  This weekend Sean will try fruits for the first time. 

Now that the Winter season is over and Sean has received his last Synagis injection, Mommy & Daddy can "relax" a little and not be as concerned with Sean becoming ill.  But RSV Season is not over until the end of April, so we will still be cautious with Sean. 

Last September, when Sean was discharged from the hospital, we were asked to keep Sean away from large crowds and small children.  We've complied by "the rules" and it has paid off, Sean has had only one cold all Winter. 

Although we can begin to "relax" a little, we still need to be cautious Sean's first (corrected) year of life.  Which means until October of this year, we still have to be cautious of germs.  The doctors say the first year is the most critical for babies born premature.

Avô took Sean for a walk this week.  It was sunny out, so Avô put on Sean's new sunglasses to protect his beautiful blue eyes.  Sean wanted nothing to do with this new "contraption" on his face.  Sean shook his head back and forth and up and down.  This was his way of communicating that he's not yet ready for sunglasses.  We will find another way to protect his eyes from the sun.  Daddy & Mommy plan to shop this weekend for a new sun hat for Sean.   A hat will most likely work best. 

Sean went to his eye appointment this morning.  The Doctor said Sean can see objects close up, but is not yet interested in focusing on objects far away.  Babies are more interested when they are 7 to 8 months corrected, Sean is only almost 6 months corrected, so the Doctor asked to see Sean again in a couple of months.  At that time, the Doctor will place drops in his eyes and check his sight. 

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sean "says No" to green beans

Sean has been on solids for two weeks now.  So far so good.  He hasn't had any allergic reactions.  Sean has tried both rice and oatmeal baby cereal, he prefers the oatmeal (it has more flavor)  He has also tried a few veggies (carrots, squash and green beans).  He likes the carrots and squash, but he spit out the green beans and had a very "funny" look on his face.  So for now, no more green beans for Sean.  We are going to try a couple more different veggies before we serve him fruit.  His Pediatrician said save the good stuff (fruit) for last. 

Sean weighs close to 16.5 lbs! 

"Auntie" Diana came to visit Sean on Sunday.  Last time she saw Sean was shortly after he arrived home from the hospital.  He was itty bitty.... now he's getting to be such a "big boy!"

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sean learns how to scooch

Sean has learned how to move himself slightly from one location to another.  When on tummy time, Sean scooches backwards on his mat.  He is now able to move all by himself.  What a "big boy"!  

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sean makes it on all 3 growth charts!

On Wednesday, Sean and Mommy went to visit the Pediatrician for his 8 month (5 months corrected) well check appointment.  The Doctor was pleased with Sean's growth.  He weighs 16 lbs. 3.5 oz and he made it on all 3 growth charts for the first time (based on his corrected age).  Length, weight and head circumference!  Sean is now 26 inches long! 

At previous appointments he was not big enough and had not made it on the charts yet.  Now he's on all 3!  The doctor said he is in the 50th percentile!

From http://www.kidshealth.com/
Why Do Doctors Use Growth Charts?
Growth charts are a standard part of any checkup.  They show health care providers how kids are growing compared with other kids of the same age and gender.  They also allow doctors and nurses to see the pattern of kids' height and weight gain over time, and whether they are developinig proportionately. 

For example:  a child was growing along the same pattern until he was 2 years old, then suddenly started growing at a much slower rate than other kids. That might indicate a health problem. Doctors could see that by looking at a growth chart.

Information regarding 50th percentile from http://www.kidsgrowth.com/

Pediatricians and family physicians use a growth chart to keep track of a child’s progress. As all of us realize, there is a wide variation in the height and weight of "normal" children. Growth charts were developed from information obtained by measuring and weighing thousands of children. From these numbers the national average for weight and height for each age and sex were established and plotted forming a curved line. This became the 50^th percentile curve, meaning in a sample of 1,000 boys or girls, 500 would be above the curve and 500 would be below. 

Example of a growth chart from http://www.supermagnus.com/mac/Growth_Charts/

Night Night Sean

One of Mommy's favorite things to do is put Sean down for the night.  Mommy takes him into the bedroom and uses two pillows to slightly prop her up.  Sean lays on top of Mommy with his back against Mommy and the back of his head nestled into her chest.  Mommy sings his favorite Brazilian lullaby and rocks Sean to sleep.  Sean loves it and shortly thereafter falls asleep.  Mommy lays Sean down and kisses him goodnight.  It is the sweetest thing to see Sean fall asleep. 

We love having a baby!

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sean weighs 16 lbs!

We weighed Sean tonight...he's just over 16 lbs!  We were so excited we went out to purchase #3 diapers.  He's almost too big for the #2s. 

We took Sean on an adventure this weekend to the Gilroy Outlets.  He loves the outdoors.  We also went to Grandma Harriet's and Grandpa Richard's for a barbeque.  Sean enjoyed his visit with Grandma and Grandpa. 

Sean is doing well with eating solids.  So far he has tried cereal and carrots...next squash. 

Sean continues to laugh and play!  He's a happy baby boy. 

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Fun and Playful

It's amazing how quickly and how much babies change in such a short period of time.  Sean is beginning to enjoy playing a lot more.  He loves swinging in his swing, he loves playing and holding his toys, he loves being lifted into the air, he loves going on walks, he loves the outdoors, he smiles and he laughs. 

We are enjoying our sweet baby boy.  He is doing so well that sometimes we forget he was born so tiny and fragile.  Daddy and Mommy were watching a video of when Sean was first born and it's amazing to see (now) how tiny he was.  We are so grateful for everyone's support and prayers.  We are so grateful to God for blessing us with such a beautiful and sweet baby boy. 

Sean is beginning to roll over more now from front to back.  All the "tummy time" he gets is helping him.  He is still going to Physical Therapy.  Sean is doing well developmentally for his corrected age of 5 months. 

We love you Sean!

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sean receives his 5th and final Synagis injection

Today Sean received his final Synagis injection.  Sean has had a good Winter Season so far...with only 1 cold. 

He was weighed today at the Synagis clinic.  Sean now weighs 15 lbs. 11oz!

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sean had a super Saturday!

Sean began his morning with his very first meal of solid food.  He liked his rice cereal! 

What a beautiful day today.  Daddy, Mommy and Sean took a drive up to Hwy 9.  The view was beautiful.  It was so clear we could see the ocean from the Summit. 

On our way back, we stopped to visit with Grandma Harriet and Grandpa Richard.  Sean was awake and alert.  He loved his visit with his Grandma.

Daddy, Mommy & Sean went to lunch.  Sean had a great day.  By the evening, he was tired and went to sleep earlier than normal.

Sean's Mommy & Daddy