October 23, 2015 "10 months!!"

10 months old

Time sure is flying by!!! Rayden is 10 months old. It seems like he was just born yesterday. He has truly matured a lot this month.

20.4 lbs.
46.25 cm head circumference

*It's getting really hard to take these monthly pictures. Rayden wanted to play with the sticker. Then he layed back to yawn. Eventually he just rolled over to crawl away!

*He cut his third tooth at the beginning of this month. He now has two on the bottom and one on the top.

*He can hold his own bottle without the itsy grip, when he wants to that is!!

*Has become aware of Momma's presence. He cries horribly every time I leave the room.

* I love the way he puts his thumb in the end of his paci and then sucks it. The problem here is his thumb is getting too big so it gets stuck sometimes. He mainly uses his paci to go to sleep. Other than that he just uses it as a teether to chew on.

*He reaches for you when he wants to be picked up now. And can sure throw a fit when you don't!!

*We've experienced new foods this month. He can eat a little table food like canned carrots, green beans, scrambled eggs, and mashed potatoes. He has a pacifier looking net thing that we can put food (fruit) in so he can suck the juice out. Michael decided to put a piece of steak in it. I can't even put into words how much Rayden loved it!!! When we took it away you would've thought we killed him. He screamed like crazy. We've also introduced the sippy cup with juice.

Not sure how he feels about that one.

*He sat in a high chair in the restaurant for the first time this month. I know that may sound trivial at this age, but we normally just keep him in his car seat. The restaurant high chairs are unlike his at home. They are just wooden with no cushion at all.  This promotes an issue for Rayden so this little milestone needs to be celebrated too.

*He's started making this utterly adorable face where he squeezes his eyes shut while he has this huge smile on his face.

*Rayden loves to take Daddy's hat off. He loves to chew play with it and doesn't mind wearing it either.

*His therapist has been working on holding something in each hand independently. At first this was a difficult concept for Rayden to grasp. If he had something in his hand he would drop it to pick up the other item. She would offer something else to him and he just kept dropping what was in his hand over and over. It was actually kind of funny, but he can do it now-if he wants both items that is.

*He actually said his first recognizable word this month, "mama" or something that sounds like it. He actually says it quite a bit now. I'm not going to say he knows what he's saying, but it sure sounds wonderfully sweet coming out of his mouth. Listen carefully at the end of this short video clip and you should hear it.

October 17, 2015 "Sneak-A-Peek Celebration"

We decided to have a small gathering to celebrate Rayden's 'almost birthday'. (He was kinda born twice, ya know!) Most people in the 'Spina Bifida World' call the anniversary of fetal surgery 'Butt Day' because it is the day the baby's 'butt' is born. I wanted to call this day something different. After asking around, we decided to call it "Sneak-A-Peek" Day because we just took a peek at Rayden and put him back in for 10 more weeks. I thought the cake was absolutely perfect. (Thanks Sweet Dreams Bakery) Elizabeth and Justin made the most amazing #1 cookies too. Some had his name on them, others had the Spina Bifida ribbon.

We really enjoyed the day. Rayden seemed to know it was all about him because he was super excited, didn't take a nap all day, and wasn't even ill. He laughed and played with everyone. Of course we had to follow tradition and allow him to eat his own little cake. I certainly didn't want to but I suppose he enjoyed it. Below is a short video clip of Rayden savoring his cake.

So windy I had to wear a hat. 

October 14, 2015 "First Annual 'Rayden's Day'"

Oct. 14, the anniversary of Rayden's fetal surgery, his 'sorta' 1st birthday. We asked everyone to wear their Rayden's Reason shirt or yellow to support Rayden and spread Spina Bifida awareness. The response was amazing. I know I didn't get a picture of everyone but here are a few. We are so thankful to have each of you in our lives. 

 

September 23, 2015 "9 months old!"

Rayden is 9 months old! 

*Weight: 19.6 lbs. (between 25 and 50 percentile)        

 *Length: 28.5 in. (in 50th percentile)                                

 *Head Circumference: 46 cm. (between 50 and 75 percentile)

His therapist calls him an "emergent" sitter. He loves to make noise! Mrs. Emily, PT, brought him this drum. He loves to bang on it, but it also helps him hold his balance better. 

Here is a short video clip of Rayden sitting up on the bed. He had already been sitting there for over 5 minutes before we even thought to grab the camera!!

Rayden has become very vocal. Here is a video clip of him "copying" his Daddy. 

He's noticing everything we eat and seems to want some. Michael gives him tastes of just about everything too. This Crazy Bread helped him cut his first two teeth this month. 

He got new Wheaton Braces this month. He still only wears them at night. He tries to help me put them on every evening. Of course, he's more of a hinderance but that's alright. At least he doesn't cry when we put them on. 

Rayden no longer needs the Itsy Grip to hold his bottle! He can do it himself!! What a big boy! 

We've always had so many challenges with bath time. For the longest time we couldn't bathe him because of the casts. Then it was his shunt surgeries, and most recently, his hernia surgery. Of course, Rayden has gotten too big for his baby bathtub (that we hardly ever used). Since he can't sit up without support, I placed his Summer Seat in the tub and strapped him in. He seems to like it. 

Rayden has become MOBILE!! Here is a short video clip of Rayden getting around on the floor.