Biggun is 7 months!

McCoy James :: 7 Months

Its hard to believe how quickly 7 months flies by when you have kids. When I was younger, 7 months seemed like an eternity. 7 months until Christmas, 7 months until my birthday, 7 months until school gets out. 7 months was FOR-EV-VER! But now, 7 months means going from 9lbs4oz to almost 21lbs. From eating every 1.5 hours to sleeping 8-10 hours a night and taking 4-5 hours of naps during the day. From not being able to see past the end of his nose to being able to spot his mommy from across the room and laugh at her silly faces. 7 months from now we will have already celebrated Biggun's 1st birthday and will have just celebrated his 2nd Christmas. 7 months is no time at all now and that makes me sad but it is so fun watching your kids grow and learn new things with every day that passes.

Nickname: We're still going strong with "Biggun". We have had friends at church say that they didn't know his name because we just refer to him as "Biggun" all of the time. I just realized recently that I very rarely call him McCoy. Even when talking about him to other people or when dropping him off at the church nursery. 
Weight: At his 6 month appointment a month ago he was 20lbs1oz
Height/Length: He was 28in at his 6 month appt.

What is Biggun up to these days?
- He still only has 2 teeth. I keep thinking he's getting his two top teeth but just when I think they're going to be peeking through, they're not.

- The boy will not lay on his back. I put him down to change his diaper and immediately he's rolling over. He's strong too. Sometimes it's all I can do to get him to lay still lol.

- Over the last month or two he has really found his voice more and will let out these scratchy, almost mad sounding noises. For anyone who doesn't know him, they would probably think he is actually mad or upset but really he's just being loud. He will even copy you if you make the sound back to him.

- He still hates the bottle. We have been trying to get him to take a bottle since Zach and I are going to Orlando this weekend and leaving all three boys at home with Lolli and Poppi (Zach's parents) but he's just not having it. He prefers to "eat from the fruit" as Zach says lol. I guess he'll just have to get hungry enough to take that wretched bottle.

- He has recently gotten into a habit of going to sleep at about 9pm and waking at like 5am. This is new for us since the big boys were sleeping 11-12 hours a night by 4 months old. But like I said, the boy likes to eat from the fruit and waking up early means cuddles with Mommy.

- His big brothers L O V E to play with him and he seems to love being included. It's not uncommon for them to drag him either by his arm, leg, or push his walker over to where they are playing. Or sometimes they will bring all of their toys over to him. He doesn't care what they do to him, as long as he's involved. 

- I started him on solids over this last week. With the big boys, I started with rice cereal at 4.5 months and then moved on to pureed veggies and fruits. But with McCoy I decided to do Baby Led Weaning where he gets chunks/pieces of real food. So far he has had avocados, bananas, strawberries, toast, broccoli, and gnawed on a corn cob. So far he has LOVED it all. He seemed a little unsure about the broccoli but he still played with it and chewed on it. I plan to try sweet potatoes and maybe apples next. I'm sure he'll love those!

- I was sick with a stomach virus 2 weeks ago so my supply was really down due to my dehydration. Thankfully we were able to just nurse on demand (pretty much constantly) for about 5 or 6 days and he never got dehydrated and no one else got sick. (PTL!)

- He was dedicated at our church a few weeks ago.

- He is wearing 12m and 18m clothes depending on how it runs. 

- Still in size 4 diapers

- His eyes are still a beautiful shade of blue. I hope they stay that way. 

- The poor thing is 7 months old and is still sleeping in a pack-n-play right outside our bedroom in the living room. Every morning I have to break it down and put it in our room because the big boys constantly flip it over and climb all over it. I'm afraid they're going to tear the netting or something. His crib is set up in the guest room and he usually takes his morning nap (his longest) in there but I still don't want to put him in there at night because I don't think I'd be able to hear him (and I totally realize I sound like one of those helicopter moms who jumps up at every noise he makes). 

- "Die A Happy Man" is still his favorite song. Any time he's having trouble going to sleep, I just sing that song and he immediately stops crying and relaxes. It's pretty hilarious.

- He is such a sweet happy baby. He's constantly smiling and giggling. The ladies in the church nursery even like to come up and see how quickly they can get him to smile at them. 

- He likes to be thrown around, up in the air, flipped around but he still freaks out if he gets scared by a loud noise. Even just a sneeze can send him into a fit.

- He's really close to sitting up unassisted. He does really well but if he sees a toy he wants, he just dives for it and can't get himself back upright. I tried to get him to sit up in the bathtub last night but he was too excited and kept scooting down so I ended up just laying him down and he loved that.

- He loves bath time. He loves to splash the water and when I pour the water over his head. He also loves to look in the mirror. He gets the biggest goofiest grin when he sees himself and/or me.

- He is always trying to grab our phones. It doesn't matter if it's lit up or not. If its anywhere close to him, his eyes are locked on it and he's trying to get to it. 

- I think I have created a monster. He pretty much wants to nurse to sleep every time. He doesn't have to be asleep when I lay him down so I guess that's a good thing but he will NOT go to bed for a nap or bedtime without nursing (unless we're in the car). But that's okay. It gives us a chance to relax and cuddle. 

- He is really close to trying to crawl. He has the scoot and army crawl down. Now he's just got to figure out how to get up on all fours.

- It's really difficult to get him to nurse in public. And if he eats, he's constantly pulling away and looking around and ends up not getting a full feeding in. When I try to cover him to cut down on the distraction, it helps a little but he gets hot and is constantly pulling at the cover. He does okay if I'm looking down at him underneath the cover but it gets hot and its pretty uncomfortable for me so that's a bit annoying. He does the best when I can lay down and feed him but obviously that's not always possible lol. 

- I pulled out the walker this past week and he is quickly figuring out how to make it move. His brothers are also good at pushing him around too.

- He loves being down on the floor rolling around and scooting from toy to toy. He also manages to sweep up most of the dog hair so I just pick him up, hold him over the trash can, and shake. **Okay not really. But he does get hair all over him**

- Its been consistently in the 90s for a couple of months now so we've been getting some good use out of our pool lately. The big boys love to run around and jump in but Biggun isn't so sure about all the splashing. He's still a big ol' sissy and gets startled easily. We went swimming yesterday and the dogs even joined in and splashed him a few times and he didn't freak out as bad as he used to so maybe he's getting used to it.

His typical day:
6:00am - nurse, back to bed (sometimes its earlier, sometimes later)
8:00am - wake
9:30am - solid food
11:00am - big boys go down for a nap
11:30am - nurse, nap
2:30pm - wake, nurse
5:30pm - nurse, cat nap
6:30pm - solid food while we eat dinner
7:30 or 8:00pm - nurse, cuddles with Mommy, night night
2:00am - the last few days he's been waking to eat but we've also all had stopped up noses and scratchy throats so I'm thinking maybe he's just waking up because of that and thinks he's hungry. It also could possibly be a growth spurt. Who knows.

It looks like our Boppy picture days are over. As soon as I sat him down he was trying to sit up and/or roll off.

Most of the monthly pictures I've gotten have appeared pretty calm but this is usually what the wide view looks like.

And another wide shot. Since McCoy doesn't seem to want to lay on the Boppy anymore for his monthly pictures, Sanford decided that he would like to. So, he carried it around the room from spot to spot so that he always had a soft place to sit.

Mother's Day (trying not to step on "land mines")

Sweet brothers.

He is so close to sitting up unassisted but most of the time he's too busy lunging for a toy just out of reach.

Cool dude swimming in our pool yesterday.

Yummmm, broccoli!

Devouring some strawberries!

This child would probably eat a whole bunch of bananas if I'd let him.

McCoy James :: 6 Months

McCoy James :: 6 Months

Nickname: "Biggun" is the most commonly used. Occasionally I call him "McCoy Boy" or "Biggity Biggun" but when we're talking to the big boys we refer to him as "Baby Brother". They know exactly who "Baby Brother" is. They both like to come up to him, pat him, and say "Hey baby!". We're working on calling him McCoy but I'm sure it's confusing when Zach and I don't even refer to him as McCoy very often.
Weight: I weighed him using our scale at home about a week ago and it read 20.6lbs. It has been known to read a little high so I'm going to say he probably weighs around 20lbs. We go for his 6 month well check next week so we will get an official weigh in then.
Height/Length: Not sure.


What Biggun has been up to lately:

*I never did his 5 month update last month so this is what has happened over the last 2 months*

-He has 2 bottom teeth (cut them about 3 weeks ago)

- He started rolling over from belly to back right before he turned 5 months (he was a bit lazy lol) and within about a week or two he started rolling both ways. Now he's rolling and scooting all over the place. 

- He is still only nursing. I'm planning to start him on solids at some point but honestly, I'm just not in a huge hurry. He seems satisfied with only nursing and he's obviously growing so I don't feel like its super urgent. It'll be soon though.

- He's sleeping about 10 hours at night. He had a short stretch where he was waking 1-2 times a night to nurse so I assume it was a small growth spurt but that only lasted for a few days and now he's back to his normal self. 

- He has officially grown out of his 9m clothes and is in 12m and some 18m clothes. It seems like I'm constantly putting away clothes that he has outgrown and pulling out the next size. 

- He is in size 4 diapers and has been for probably a month or more. Its pretty funny considering Sanford is also in size 4s lol. They are built very differently though. Sanford is very slender while McCoy is just solid. It'll be really funny when McCoy is in size 5s before Sanford is lol.

- He is still sleeping in the pack-n-play in the living room (right outside of our bedroom) simply because we don't have a camera to put in his room and the way our house is set up, I wouldn't be able to hear him when he wakes. So, until we pull the trigger on getting the baby monitor issue fixed, I guess he'll just continue to sleep in the living room lol. He takes his naps in his crib in his room/guest room and sleeps very well in there. 

- A few weeks ago, all three boys and I traveled to Alabama and spent about 10 days there. It was great to have a chance to see a lot of friends and family who we usually don't get to when we rush home for quick holidays but it was exhausting. But I'm glad we got to go and share our sweet baby boy with so many people who love us. 

- He loves when Mommy sings to him and his absolute favorite song is "Die A Happy Man" by Thomas Rhett. If he is crying or upset, I can start singing that song and he immediately stops crying and usually gets a big ol' goofy grin on his face. I sing other songs too but that one is always the winner.

- He smiles and giggles constantly. All you have to do is smile at him or talk to him and he will give you a big goofy grin. He's such a happy boy.

- He loves watching his brothers play. Especially when they run circles around him. He kicks his feet and giggles.

- He has definitely found his hands and feet. Sometimes he resembles someone on hallucinogenic drugs because of the crazy look on his face while he moves his hands fluidly in front of his face. He's also always grabbing at his feet.

- He has been practicing sitting up and can usually stay upright for at least 2-3 seconds. It depends on how excited he is lol

- For a while there, he got into the habit of singing himself to sleep. It was the sweetest thing. He hasn't been doing it as much lately but still does on occasion. 

- He has always startled easily and that hasn't changed. It has gotten better but he still freaks out if someone yells loudly or even if I'm nursing him and softly say something. He can be dead asleep in my arms and I can softly say something to Zach or one of the boys and he will almost jump out of my arms. Its crazy considering it is ALWAYS loud at our house. ALWAYS!

His typical day:
6:00am - nurse, back to bed
9:00am - wake
9:30am - nurse (snack)
10:30am - nurse, nap
1:30pm - nurse, play (jumperoo, tummy time, bouncer, etc)
4:30pm - nurse, cat nap (approx. 30 min)
5:00pm - play while Mommy fixes dinner
8:00pm - nurse, night night


I absolutely cannot believe that McCoy is 6 months old already! Its hard to fathom that he has been a part of our family for 1/2 of a year yet I can't imagine life without him either. He is such a sweet, happy, laid back boy who loves his big brothers, loves to eat, and loves to smile. He is his Mommy's little buddy!

His 5 month picture that I took but never updated the blog. Its crazy seeing how much he's grown and matured in just 4 weeks.

I just love this shot and that it captures his pretty blue eyes. They're so beautiful in person but never seem to translate in photos. Even this picture doesn't do them justice. He's so perfect!

Mom took this picture while we were at the lake a couple of weeks ago and I just love it. She was watching all three boys while I took a shower and when I got out, I walked into the kitchen to see Biggun chilling on a lifejacket while the big boys ate breakfast and Mom was doing dishes. I think he was as amused as we were.

McCoy James :: 4 Months

McCoy James :: 4 Months

My baby boy is getting so big! I absolutely love to look back at pictures of him from when he was born all the way up until now and see how much he has grown and changed. Some changes I recognize every day but others I don't notice them until I compare pictures to him now. This little boy is the sweetest, most laid back, happiest, smiliest, little boy. He just fits so perfectly into our little family!

Nickname: Daddy dubbed him "Biggun" very early on and so far it has stuck. Mommy calls him McCoy Boy but Biggun definitely wins out.
Weight: 17lbs10oz (80th percentile)
Height: 26 inches (85th percentile)

What has Biggun been up to lately?

- The boy still hasn't rolled over lol. He sleeps on his tummy and has since he was just a couple of weeks old so I think that it is his comfort zone. He likes to be on his belly so he doesn't have as much of a desire to roll to his back. He's getting really close but just hasn't made that final push. 

- He smiles almost constantly. If someone talks to him he gets the biggest, goofiest grin on his face. He's just so happy.

- He has grown out of his 6 month clothes, his 9 month stuff fits snug, and 12 month stuff fits well.

- He is in size 3 diapers and has been for almost a month. I was looking through our diaper stockpile today and realized we have a ton of size 3s and I'm thinking he will probably be moving up to size 4 in the near future. Looks like I may have to swap them for a bigger size lol.

- Everyone talks about the "Big 4 month sleep regression" but to be honest, I'm not really sure if he has gone through one or not. He's still been ready to go to bed by 8pm but lately he has been waking up at about 6-6:30am to eat instead of 7:30am. The last several days he has been wanting to eat a little more often (every 2-2.5 hours instead of every 3). I'm not sure if its a regression/growth spurt or what. 

- He's still sleeping in the pack-n-play in the playroom right outside our bedroom door. I really think he would sleep a little longer if he were in his own room but typical Maleah fashion, I haven't gotten that room converted from a guest room to a nursery. Now that the bed is in the big boys' room you'd think it'd be an easier transition but I just keep putting it off. Slowly but surely I'll get it done…I hope lol.

- All of the ladies in the nursery at church love him. They argue over who gets to snuggle him. I went to my women's bible study last thursday and when I came in to get him to nurse him, one of the ladies was sitting out front with him passed out across her chest. I asked if he had been fussing because why else would she have him out of the room? She said "no, I just wanted to cuddle him." lol. When I told her I needed to feed him I legit didn't think she was going to hand him over. She acted like she was so upset to give him back and asked if she could hold him again when I got done feeding him lol. 

- When he is ready to go to bed, he's ready to go to bed! The other night I was nursing him as I always do before he goes to bed. We had stayed out a little later than usual so I knew he was pretty tired. He started freaking out like he was in pain. I figured it was gas so I gave him some gas drops and tried burping him. Didn't help. I got up and walked around with him and he calmed down. I tried to nurse him again and he freaked out again. When I finally got him calmed down again, I got him ready for bed and put him down. He was asleep in no time. Poor buddy wasn't hungry, he just wanted his bed!

- He has started laughing more. He used to just smile really big and goofy when someone made a face at him or a funny sound but now he will actually let out a big chuckle. Its pretty cute!

- He is putting everything in his mouth. His hands, his blankets, his lovie, everything. He just loves to chew.

- He loves his jumper.

- He loves when his big brothers talk to him. Today I even caught Sanford holding his hand and holding a toy in front of his face for him to look at. Be still my heart!

- He loves to stand up.

His typical day looks something like this:

6:00am - nurse, back to sleep
9:00am - nurse, play
10:30am - nap (in his swing)
12:00pm - nurse, play
1:30pm - nap (in his swing)
3:00pm - nurse, play
5:30pm - nurse, play
7:30pm - nurse
8:00pm - night night

**I didn't want him to get accustomed to always napping in his swing but its difficult for him to get a good nap in the pack-n-play since its in the room where the boys and I spend all of our time during the day. The swing is right inside our bedroom door which is right off of the living room/playroom so it can still be loud. But at least he doesn't have his brothers climbing in on top of him lol. **

I think I say it every month but even after having 2 kids, I didn't know that my heart could have so much love for yet another child. McCoy has brought so much joy and love to our family. He is just such a sweet boy. We have been so blessed to have three such beautiful, healthy, perfect little boys. I can't wait to see what God has in store for each of them. I just hope I don't get to see it too quickly. I'm not ready for them to grow up.

For the last few weeks, in an effort to try to save a little bit of money and to just relax a little more, we have been having picnics after church. We go to a pretty large church and it has very large parking lots with tons of green space. We try to park underneath a tree so that we have some shade (its still pretty hot here…highs of 80*+ this coming week). We eat on the sidewalk and there is plenty of grass for the boys to run around it. We usually bring a ball or something to play with too. We always have such a good time and it makes for a very relaxing afternoon.

Baby boy trying to hang.

Daddy gets diaper duty, Mommy gets nap duty, and Sanford is taking selflies.

Only about the second time the child has ever been in a stroller.

About to pass out after a trip to the park.

Somebody had a good time at the fair.

Always chewing.

Funny brother!

Happy boy.

#brothers

That smile.

Wore himself out.

Brother kisses.

That's what you call a successful transfer. I needed to try on some clothes and Daddy had the big boys in the stroller. Too bad this nap only lasted for about 2 minutes.

Checking out the books at his 4 month check up.

Worried about those shots lol.

McCoy James :: 3 Months

McCoy James : 3 Months

These last 3 months have really flown by! McCoy is just growing and changing so much with every day that passes. It's hard to believe but I promise you he gets sweeter and sweeter. There's been a lot of changes going on around here lately but I'll get into that a little later. For now, here's an update on "Biggun".

Nickname: Zach has been calling the boy "Biggun" pretty much since he was born - I can't imagine why - and it has just kind of stuck.
Weight: At his 2 month check-up he was 15lbs 1oz (90th percentile)
Height: 25 1/4in (99th percentile) at his 2 month.

What have I been up to lately?

-I am just such a happy boy. I love to smile, especially when being talked to. A few things that make me happy are someone talking to me, standing up, getting kisses from my big brothers, Mommy singing to me, realizing it's time to eat.

- If/when I do get upset, I poke my bottom lip out and pout before I start to cry.

- I get startled easily and when I do, I make a really scared face and then scream my little heart out. [Just ask my Daddy about that :) ]

- I am very ticklish. Daddy always knows the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) spots and can really get me chuckling.

-Like I said, I love to stand up. If you want me to smile, letting me stand up is a pretty good way to do it.

- I enjoy bath time. Especially when Mommy pours the warm water over me. 

- I'm still able to wear a few of my 6 month onesies but it's tight. For the most part I'm in 9 month or 12 month clothes. 

- I love to eat and I nurse pretty quickly. I've always been a quick eater. It generally only takes me about 8-10 min on one side before I'm done. Like, stick a fork in me done.

- Most nights I eat at about 8:30-9pm and then sleep until about 7:30am. I would probably sleep later if the dogs weren't so loud when Zach lets them go outside before he leaves for work but oh well. I'm also a good napper throughout the day. Mommy has my routine pretty much down to where I take my longer nap at about 11am and then another later in the afternoon. That way, I sleep while my big brothers are taking their nap at 11:15ish and she can focus on them napping since they're having a bit of trouble lately with their sleeping in general (naps and bedtime).

- I love sucking on my hands and I really love to pull anything I can get my hands on to my mouth to chew on it.

- I'm still sleeping in the pack-n-play in the playroom which is right outside Mommy and Daddy's bedroom door. Mommy says its mostly just because she is too lazy to set up a crib for me to sleep in in the 3rd bedroom but it will probably happen soon so that I can have a little more quiet in the morning.

- I am really close to rolling over from my belly to my back. I've done it by accident a time or two but haven't done it on purpose yet. It won't be long though.

- I love when Mommy wears me in the Lillébaby. My brothers have to ride in that big, cold, hard stroller but I get to get some extra snuggles with Mommy. They're pretty jealous. They just don't know it :)

- I'm not a huge fan of my car seat. Especially after Mommy has been wearing me. I have to go from snuggles to being strapped down. But I do pretty well. Its just not my absolute favorite.

- I'm generally pretty talkative in the evening, especially right before I go to bed for the night.

-*I wish I had been better about keeping up with the big boys' daily routine at each age so I'm going to attempt to keep up with McCoy's*
Right now, his days looks something like this:
7:30am - wake, nurse, play while Mommy gets big brothers up, changed, and they eat breakfast.
9-10:30am- nap (Sometimes he naps in the pack-n-play in the playroom and sometimes in the swing in Mommy and Daddy's room. It all depends on how loud the big boys are being at the time.)
10:30am- nurse
11-1:30pm- nap 
1:30pm- nurse, play
3-4:30pm- nap
4:30pm- nurse, play/hang out while Mommy fixes dinner
6:30pm- nurse, hang out
8:30pm- nurse, talk to Mommy while Daddy puts big brothers to bed
9:00pm- night night

*******************************
At the end of every monthly post I like to give an update on what has been going on overall for our family and this month is no different. The reason I'm several days late posting is because every time I sit down to write, I get super wordy and just go on and on about nothing at all. The last couple of months have been so full of emotion for me. I feel like I have been so whiny lately and that annoys me. When McCoy was 3-4 weeks old, the big boys started realizing that something just wasn't right. I don't think they were old enough, and still aren't, to realize that their baby brother is what has disrupted what they knew to be "normal" but they knew something was different. They went from acting out by pitching fits throughout the day to pitching fits throughout the day AND at bedtime. Then it turned into mostly fighting bedtime and nap time and then eventually turned into fighting bedtime, nap times, and waking several times a night and being inconsolable. Sanford has had the hardest time. It's funny because when they were itty bitty, we just knew that Smith was going to be the difficult one of the two. He's always been so dramatic and loud with his feelings. But as they get older, we're realizing that Sanford possesses a strong dose of his momma's stubbornness and hard headedness which makes him demand to get his way and if he doesn't then he will pitch a full blown tantrum until A) he gets his way or B) he gets something better. 

After 18 months of being AMAZING sleepers, these two just absolutely lost it. Sanford would even get so mad when we put them to bed that he started climbing out of his crib. Then Smith realized that he could do it also so we had to break down the cribs and move the queen size mattress from the guest room bed to their room. Over the last month, we have had many many tears shed at bedtime and nap time not only by them but also by me. But (knock on wood) I think we have things somewhat figured out. I've got McCoy on a good predictable nap routine  throughout the day and I just figured out this week that maybe if I cut the big boys' naps out completely then maybe they won't fight bedtime as hard (and it seems to be working so far). I really hope no naps will help us get back control of bedtime because it has been physically as well as emotionally draining on all of us.

Having kids really reminds me just how much I need Zach. He is not only my best friend but he is also my perfect teammate. I'm not saying that either of us or our relationship is perfect because we are far from it but that man compliments my every move so perfectly. We make such a great team. It's sickening really ;) The last couple of months have been pretty tough on me emotionally. I have felt more like a failure as a mother than ever but Zach has stepped up and been so supportive and understanding. The Lord knew I would need a partner who was willing to put up with my crazy and to help out when I lose my cool (which is a LOT) and I am so thankful to have him on my team. He has definitely made these rough times bearable and helps me realize that though there have been tough times, we are in this together and that we have to enjoy these moments, good or bad, because they could be gone in an instant.

Sweet blue eyed boy doing tummy time.

Big brothers helping with tummy time. They love to bring him toys and sit with him.

Three beautiful boys in blue.

This is what it really looks like when trying to take his monthly pictures. These two always have to "help" and someone usually ends up screaming because Mommy makes them stand back for all of about 10 seconds. 

McCoy James :: 2 Months Old

McCoy James Spraggins

2 Months

This kid always has the funniest, wide-eyed look when I try to take a picture of him. Cracks me up!

Its hard to believe this boy is already 2 months old. When I say it out loud, I can hardly believe it but when I think back on the day he was born, it seems like so long ago. Its already hard to imagine life as a family of four. He is such a sweet, laid back boy and we all love him more and more every day. 

Weight: I weighed him today and my scale said 15.4lbs which I believe is about 15lbs6oz
Height/Length: Not sure but we go for his 2 month check up next week so we'll find out then.

What have I been up to lately?

- He has started to smile and coo a lot more. Especially when Daddy talks to him. He is just so funny.

- He has always been a pretty good sleeper. He was sleeping 4 hour stretches as soon as he was born. Then he jumped to sleeping about 6 hours at night, then jumped to 8.5-9 hours at night for several nights, but then went back down to 6 hours stretches with all of our traveling and messed up schedules. Now that we're back home and things have somewhat calmed down, he's gone back to sleeping 8 or so hours at night.

- I always hear people say that their baby nurses for 20-30 minute each time at this age and still needs to eat 2.5-3 hours later. This child will eat for a max of 10 min and still sleep that 7 or 8 hour stretch. I don't know how he does it. During the day its not uncommon for him to only nurse for 6 or 7 minutes and not get hungry until its been 3 hours or more. He's a chunk too!

- He's had his first cold this week. His brothers and I passed it on to him. Thankfully, so far it hasn't been that bad. Just a little congestion and a snotty nose. It has made him a little frustrated with nursing but I try to suction it out beforehand and he usually still eats pretty well.

- He is still such a laid back boy. I love wearing him when we go places and getting those extra cuddles. He always seems pretty content too. The only problem it ever poses is occasionally he, being so close to his food source, he gets a little agitated and wants to eat a little sooner than expected. But I can usually hold him off with a paci for a little bit. 

- He loves to stand up and sometimes even bounces. He's super strong.

- We celebrated his first Christmas! We drove from Cape Coral, FL to Troy, AL Thursday December 10th. AJ (Zarah - Zach's sister) was graduating on Friday so we have planned to leave earrrrly Thursday morning (I'm talking 3am) hoping the boys would sleep the first few hours and that we'd get there at a decent time. After all, it was only an 8.5 hour trip from Cape Coral to Troy. Zach ended up having to go in to work until about noon so by the time we got everything loaded and everyone ready to go, we didn't leave until 2pm. Worst. thing. ever! We hit bumper to bumper traffic several times before we even hit Tampa which is only about 2 hours away. The boys fought their naps the whole time so they were grumpy the entire trip. We ended up not getting to Troy until 2:30am CST which means we had been in the car for 13.5 hours. Then we had to get up early for graduation. I think we only got about 4 hours of sleep that night. Then the rest of the week involved a lot of driving and family functions for both sides which meant missed naps and schedules jacked up. By the end of our trip, we were all mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. Although it was a really tough trip, it was great seeing family and introducing our newest angel to all of our families and friends. 

- He prefers to sleep on his belly. I know, I know, "back is best" and I'm a firm believer in that. But the child won't settle on his back most of the time. He just squirms and fusses and refuses to relax. I remember last month's update I mentioned that I was having trouble to get him to relax at night and I thought it was due to gas and reflux. Now I think it was just him trying to tell me that he didn't want to sleep on his back or in the swing. One night, I had been fighting him for probably 4 hours. Gas drops didn't help, burping him didn't help. Singing, rocking, and bouncing didn't help. I tried putting him in his swing and he just cried and cried until I got him out. Even when I tried to just hold him and cuddle him, he would squirm and fuss which is kind of what made me think he was gassy. I ended up putting him in the pack-n-play on his belly and he immediately went to sleep. I laid in the bed for about 5 or 10 minutes until I knew he was good and asleep and then I went and rolled him over. He slept for I think 6 hours which was a couple of hours longer than he had been sleeping at that time. Pretty much since then, I've been putting him on his belly and he sleeps really well. Its funny because at night, he will get a little fussy. I know when that happens that he wants to eat and just go to bed. He doesn't want to be held or cuddled or fussed over. He simply just wants to get in his bed. The boy likes to sleep and I'm glad because I do too!

- He grew out of his size 1 diapers while we were in Alabama last week. We had several boxes of size 2s at home so we made the 1s work until we got home but we had to be pretty strategic with how we put them on because otherwise he would have leaks out the front. 

- He is officially in 6 month clothes and could probably wear most 9 month with no problem. I pulled out a 3 month onesie today thinking it was a 6 month and was confused when I couldn't even get his arms in after I put it over his head. When I saw the size I laughed because he never even wore it lol. He has literally not worn a lot of his clothes because he's grown out of everything so fast. I remember thinking his brothers were pretty big at 2 months (they were 12lbs10oz and 12lbs7oz) but I think this chunk has them beat.

*************************

I am constantly amazed at the love I have for each of my boys. Its hard to imagine loving another child as much as you love the kids you already have but the love just multiplies. The Lord knew exactly what he was doing when he gave us McCoy. I hope and pray that he and his brothers (and hopefully future siblings) will always be close and that they always know how much their mommy and daddy love them. It sounds so cliche and you can't quite grasp it until you are a parent but being a mommy has absolutely been the most difficult thing I've ever done yet also the most rewarding. Tonight, after I nursed McCoy, we were just laying in the bed and I was talking to him. He looked me right in the eyes and gave me the biggest grin I've ever seen him make and it literally brought tears to my eyes. I swear being a mom has made me such an emotional mess! I used to tease my mom about crying over what I thought was the silliest things but now I do it too. When my boys are happy, I'm happy. 

Here's a few pictures from over the last month:

Thank goodness he is laid back because his brothers love to "pat" on him. Here they were "helping" him do tummy time by practically beating the crap out of him and slept through all of it. Look at that intensity on Smith's face and Sanford's blurry arm.

Me attempting to referee. Tummy time didn't last long that day. Now he does a lot of it either on my chest, in his pack-n-play, or while brothers are asleep.

Cuddling with Mommy with a full belly.

He fell asleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed after eating. He looked so comfy and peaceful I almost hated to move him but our bed is entirely too soft for him to sleep on his tummy. I rolled him over and I think he ended up sleeping for a while on his back. He prefers his belly though.

Here he is with Dr. Fleishman, the doctor who delivered him. We love Dr. Fleishman! 

**Funny story about this photo: this was at my 6 week postpartum appointment. Zach kept the big boys while I took McCoy with me. After the doctor did his typical exam -you know, the kind where you're naked from the waist down- I asked him if he would mind taking a picture with McCoy. My parents have a picture of my doctor holding me when I was delivered and I just think its so neat having that so I wanted one of him with his doctor. Of course he agreed. Stupid me forgot that all I had on from the waist down was a paper drape so when I stood up to get him out of his car seat on the floor, the drape fell leaving my bare butt hanging out. I did my best to hold it up all while leaning down to get him unbuckled and out of his car seat with both hands. After almost losing the drape a couple of times I finally gave up. I was a bit embarrassed and said "I don't know why I'm so worried about hold this stupid drape up." lol I'm not the most modest person when it comes to doctor visits but I definitely felt like a total moron after that. But hey, we got a cute picture and I doubt he'll remember that moment so oh well.**

Taken earlier this month when we went to Bass Pro to get Santa pictures taken.

I was a tad bit worried that the big boys would be a little scared of Santa but while we were waiting in line, Zach got down with them and talked to them about him. Then he told them to wave at him and they did. Once we got up there, we asked Santa how he wanted them and he was a bit uneasy about holding the big boys AND McCoy so he asked if they could stand in front. I wasn't too sure they would stay put but we tried it and they did really well. Sanford looks like he got in a fight with a hose pipe (even though his shirt wasn't even wet), Smith looks like he's leading songs in church, and McCoy looks like he's fist pumping. When we were done and tried to leave, we told the boys to tell Santa bye and they both screamed. They didn't want to leave Santa. It was pretty funny.

Baby boy couldn't hang in church last Sunday. He cuddled with Daddy the whole time and I'm so glad I captured this moment.

Bath time!

I can't ever seem to get a picture of him smiling big but the little grins are just as precious!

This last week has been pretty rough on everyone. We all started getting sick toward the end of our trip to Alabama. By the time we got home, the big boys and I all had bad colds. Sanford got the worst of it with fever, congestion, snotty nose, lethargy, etc. None of us were feeling too hot and we did a lot of cuddling and vegging out all week. This day was particularly tough because everyone wanted Mommy and wouldn't take no for an answer. I am surprised at how happy I look in this picture because I'm pretty sure this was the day that I shed almost as many tears as the boys did. I was tired, frustrated, and just grumpy. I think the only reason I made a point to smile was because when I didn't smile, I looked like I had been beat up and smiling somehow somewhat masked my dark circles and blemishes. Thankfully I think we're all on the mend and beginning to come out of that hole.

Last month I did good by taking McCoy's monthly pictures while the big boys were napping. It allowed me to be able to take my time and not have to worry about them messing with him while I was snapping a million and one pictures. This month, Zach was at home while I was taking them so I figured "What the heck? He can contain them long enough for me to get a few shots." Boy was I wrong. Sanford pitched a fit because he wanted to "help" and give kisses and we wouldn't let him. He was furious when I took McCoy into the other room to change his clothes. I finally just told Zach to let him go and I would just make it work. I wish I had been able to get a good quality picture of him loving on his baby brother but I'm glad I at least got something. He loves his "behbee" so much and loves to love on him. He talks so sweetly to him and will even try to tickle his belly. I can't wait for McCoy to start interacting with them.

I got a little smile while I was taking pictures of him in his "My First Christmas" shirt. I just love that little grin!