Porter is 6 Months!

Well this month is a month of big changes. Our little man decided one day that he wanted to roll, so one Sunday that is ALL he did. It was ridiculous. He would roll from his bak to his tummy and then be stuck. So that meant there was a lot of putting him on his back just to have him roll to his tummy. Well he's got the hang of it now and rolling is a breeze for him! Such a big boy! We also started solids! Crazy for me that he is already there! We've tried some rice cereal, applesauce, carrots and cantelope (lovingly given to him by his cousin). He's like it all so far so hopefully his eating habits continue to be good!

We also started a sleep training program (which was incredibly difficult) but it's made life a bit more manageable. We tried it out the first night and he cried for almost an hour but then slept for 10 hours straight. Not every night has been as good as that but he's definitely figured things out now.

Well we took him for his immunizations this month (this is our first round, I wanted to wait until he was out of his colicky stage and every other time we've tried he's been sick!). He took it like a champ. Luckily Daddy was there to hold him because Mommy would not have been able to handle it herself! He cried for a minute or two and then the nice nurse had a bell that she rang which completely distracted him. 

Porter Maxwell Whiteley

Age: 6 months

Weight: 16 lbs 14 oz (apparently we thought he was heavier than he was last month!)

Height:  28 inches

Wearing: 6-9 month old clothing, the odd 3-6 month piece fits, but really he's in 6-9 month stuff.

New developments: Rolling around is a breeze now, he also manages to move even when he's not rolling. He will end up on the opposite side of a blanket without rolling at all! He loves looking at himself in the mirror and makes more and more cute sounds (like da-da-da-da). He's also eating solids! Bah make time go slower! He also sits! Not very well, and not for more than a few seconds but it's getting there!

Favorite things: Anything that sings/plays music, Mommy singing to him (makes me happy), playing with daddy, eating anything he can get in his mouth, still loves water bottles, grabbing faces, his jolly jumper and sticking out his tongue!

Favorite clothes: His green and white baseball shirt and grey sweats. It's adorable.

Now for some pictures!

Our trip to Banff!

All bundled up.

Such good Daddies.

I'm the paparazzi 

Look at those cheeks!

:)

Chillin in my Bjorn.

Don't I look cool Mom?

Gramma and Porter

Family Day!!

Daddy gave little man his watch.

I love him..

Out for a walk!

Little man :)

This teething toy is really good.

Just watching some Ellen..

Instead of jumping, someone chooses to eat the straps instead.

Nanny was watching little man and was playing in the crib with him.

New Hair… yup super short.

What?

Crazy boy.

Little man.

Porter is 5 Months!

Wow this month has flown by! December seemed to magically disappear and January came out of nowhere. Christmas was so fun this year. I loved that we had Porter with us to celebrate. It's way more fun having Christmas with a little person who has never before experienced all the lights and sounds of Christmas (I mean it's already fun to begin with, but when those little eyes light up it's magic!). I've started to go out more with Porter which is nice for me since it means I'm not house bound. 

He has however decided that he HATES bottles. So that's a little frustrating since it means I can only leave for about 2 hours at a time. It made things difficult this month as I was the maid of honour at my best friends wedding and Matt had to drive around to wherever I was to make sure he was fed. Difficult but he did so well anyway. He has been practicing with a sippy cup though and he kind of likes it. He's also come to have a fascination with water bottles! I've been able to give him a little bit of milk through a water bottle. If only he could actually drink fully out of one then we would be set! 

This month he tried out a jolly jumper for the first time and really liked it. I've gotta get one of those for our house! It seems that the months just blend together. I can't believe he's 5 months already! Lucky for me pictures that I take help me to remember the time I have with my little one. One more thing this month was that we bought an amber teething necklace (we've heard good things from our friends). I didn't have much belief in them since every article I read said there was no science behind it and that they were more of a risk than a help, but I am converted. He's soooooooo much better with this necklace. His teeth used to bug him a ton but we noticed a big difference after having the necklace on him (we put it on his ankle for naps and bedtime). I'm converted. It's a huge help and I don't feel like I'm drugging my baby since we only have to give him Motrin when he's horrible and the necklace and lavender oill isn't working.

Porter Maxwell Whiteley

Age: 5 months

Weight: Approx 17 lbs

Height: Don't know, no Dr. appt this month!

Wearing: 6-9 month old clothing, his pants are still 3-6 month size. He's getting so big!

New developments: He's still been trying to roll lots but not front to back rolls yet! He's able to hold things really well now and he loves to grab water bottles, plates and anything he can. He's growing so much. He's really become such a big boy! He's been teething a lot lately but still doesn't have any teeth. He's been sitting in his Bumbo a bunch and is still a little floppy in it but he's getting better! He's also decided that he likes to look at the pictures on his wall while I change his diaper, it makes things a little difficult but it's super cute. He tilts his head all the way back when you are holding him just to check out who has him, also super cute!

Favorite things: His penguin squeaky toy. There was a day that me holding his squeaky toy and moving it around his head was the only way that he would be quiet. It was kind of a life saver. He loves his monkey still and has decided that any music toy is awesome. He's liking his swing more and more, which is awesome because it gives me a little bit of time with hands free.

Favorite clothes: His blue checked dress shirt. It's adorable on him!

Now for some pictures!

Just reading my book.

:)

That's a mischevious look...

About to cry over the loss of a water bottle..

It's all better now!

The bedtime routine of Daddy reading a story.

I love these 2!

Porter and Tucker! 

They are soooo excited!

Thanks Auntie Emma! I love this onesie..

Just chill in, ready to brave the cold.

Baby eczema :(

Sippy cup practice

And Happy New Year!

Such a big boy! I love this diaper cover..

It was a struggle to keep the monkey next to him. It was also a struggle to get him not to roll! 

Porter is 4 Months!

Where did the time go? This month has once again flown by, which is sad because December is one of my favourite months! I love getting ready for Christmas! This past week we celebrated Matt's birthday with my family, we had a cake and some presents and it was just awesome (his birthday is the 22nd). Then in the week to come we are celebrating together and with Matt's family. We are going out to eat at the Lake House (which looks amazing) and then to see the Hobbit! Matt and I both love the Hobbit so I am stoked! We also decided to see the Nutcracker (well I hinted and Matt figured it out and bought tickets!) It was amazing. The dancers were superb and it really made things feel more Christmasy! Alright, on to updates :)

Porter Maxwell Whiteley

Age: 4 months

Weight: 15 lbs 7 oz

Height: 26.1 inches

Wearing: 3-6 month old clothing, his pants are still 0-3 month size. He clearly has short legs like his mamma.

New developments: He has rolled over a 2nd time. Still from front to back during tummy time. This time Daddy saw it and Mommy didn't! He's also started grabbing everything. I put him in his little chair so I can shower and have him close and I didn't realize that he was so close to the straightener cord. He pulled it down on top of him. Luckily it missed his noggin and was turned off but it still gave him a scare! (Mommy fail moment!) He has also started talking to himself. When he is in the carseat we have a mirror that faces him (so we can see him in the rear view mirro) and recently if he's wide awake and not sleepy he talks to the mirror (very nicely). It's cute. Last but not least, he moves in his crib. Like from one end to the other in the night! I will put him down close to one end and in the morning he is at the other end of the crib! I am scared he's going to hit his head, but the health care system tells you repeatedly not to put bumped pads in. So I'm at a loss. He's also decided he hates bottles, which is rough for me, even milk in a bottle, so we're trying to figure that one out!

Favorite things: Still smiling and baths with daddy. He kicks soo much in the bath, it's a little crazy! He likes new people too, definitely not shy unless it's a ton of people all at once! He also loves to drool, much to my dismay, which ends up in outfit changes at least 3 times a day. He has just recently decided that he loves his striped monkey from his Gramma. It's adorable and he's so cute with it!

Favorite clothes: He has an adorable striped long sleeve shirt with elbow patches that I just love!

Now for the 4 month photos!

We Had A Baby!

Sooo in case you missed it, we had a baby!

We found out December 11th that I was pregnant, which was soo exciting for us. Getting pregnant wasn't easy for us. We tried for about 2 years before being referred to the fertility clinic. After numerous tests they decided to try me on a drug called Clomid, to help regulate things in my body. We did 2 rounds and the 2nd round worked for us. It was a long process, and a tough one and waiting was the hardest part. I kept our struggle to myself and tried so hard to be happy for the many pregnant friends that seemed to announce every other day that they were having a baby. We were eventually blessed to find out that we too were going to have a baby. December 11th was one of the happiest days for Matt and I.

Well fast forward, pregnancy is not glamourous. I think I had it pretty easy compared to some, but at the same time it was really rough for me. I had morning sickness for the first 3 months combined with a persistent headache. I would have a headache pretty much every day, and when I didn't have a headache, I had a migraine. No bueno. My 2nd trimester was astronomically better, I started seeing a chiropractor and my headaches lessened and I felt like a person again! Then on to the 3rd trimester, which seemed to be the longest one! Up until about the last month of my pregnancy I felt pretty good. Then 32 weeks hit and I was done. My feet were swollen, I walked like a penguin and I had to pee every 5 minutes.

Porter was born August 18th, 2014. On his due date. Did you know only something between 5 and 10 percent of babies are born on their due date? Yeah, it was pretty cool. Wanna hear my birth story? If not you can stop reading here!

Well the week prior to Porter being born was a rough one. I struggled with high blood pressure the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy and had an appointment on Tuesday August 12th. At that appointment it seemed that my blood pressure was exceptionally high, my normal doctor was not in the office and I was seeing a different doctor. So after taking 4 readings, they sent me to the hospital and told me I would most likely be induced. Well we went to the hospital, they put me on a monitor to check my blood pressure every 15 minutes, they took blood and ran a whole slew of tests. After 4 hours everything came back clear and they sent me home and told me to make a follow up appointment at my doctor's office to check my bp again. So Thursday I had another appointment with the doctor. Well same thing happened. I was sent to the hospital again and told they would definitely induce me. They were wrong. After another round of tests, an ultrasound and 6 hours in the hospital they sent me home and told me I was fine. Well that was frustrating.

Then, on Sunday August 17th I went in to labour. It was about 4 o'clock in the afternoon and I was eating dinner at my parents house. I started to feel a little sick and had some minor cramping. Well the cramping seemed to be happening on a pretty regular basis. I would eat a couple bites of dinner and have a cramp. This continued and after dinner I went to lie down on the couch. I texted Matt from the living room saying I didn't feel well. Well my mom came in and things started to hurt a little more. After about a half hour she said she thought this was real labour. Well that kind of scared me! My mom had taught me a breathing technique to help get through pain. You breathe all different colours. So I went upstairs into my parents room to lie down on the bed (I was crying at this point, partially from pain, partially apprehension). Then after lying in bed for a bit, I went down into the basement to watch a slideshow my Dad had put together for our family. I had contractions all the way through. At about 7ish (it's a little foggy in my memory as to what time it was) I asked for a blessing. My dad, brother-in-law and husband gave me a wonderful blessing. We then decided it was time to head home.

I had contractions all the way home, still not long and not super close together. We arrived home and I honestly can't remember what I did for the next hour and a half. I know that I took a shower, and it felt soo much better. Around 9pm Matt called our Doula and said that it looked like I was in labour. We had been timing contractions and they were about 5 minutes apart, lasting 30 seconds. She told us she was on her way and headed over to our house. We stayed home until around 1:30am (during which I watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, while managing contractions). Once we got into the hospital they took me to triage to check things out. Well in triage they said I was only 1-2 cm dilated and that my cervix was posterior and that I was not very effaced. My contractions had slowed down and they thought about sending me home. They then decided due to my high blood pressure (this time it stayed high through their monitoring) they would admit me. At around 3am I was admitted. They checked me again and said that I was now dilated 3cm, fully effaced and that things were progressing. Shortly after being admitted, my water broke (I hear that's uncommon). I don't think the nurse believed me when I told her, but sure enough, it had broken. Matt took me into the washroom to get cleaned up and that's when things got really hard. I decided that it was time to ask for an epidural. I really hadn't wanted one, but I was exhausted and in a lot of pain. The anesthesiologist was in our room within 15 minutes. I was lucky and mine was the only birth happening that night. He gave me the first epidural, well it only froze 1 half of my body. My left side felt no pain, but my right side felt every contraction. So they gave me another epidural, this time it took and I could feel nothing except pressure. It was heavenly. I was able to get some sleep and at 6am they checked me again. Now I was 6cm dilated and progressing well. They walked me to the bathroom so I could use it (another thing they said was uncommon, the fact I could walk) and then I went back to sleep. Around 10:30 or so, I called for the nurses. I felt a ton of pressure and I couldn't find the button to increase my epidural, I thought it was wearing off or something. They checked me and told me that I was 10 cm dilated and fully effaced and it was now time to push. They brought in the doctor, Dr. Flowers (who I had met at my Thursday trip to the hospital). He was an awesome doctor, he spoke to me, and helped me understand what was going to happen. Well after 56 minutes of pushing our baby was born! He was beautiful right from the get go! I suffered from a partial 3rd degree tear and had some stitches, but my little boy was there! Matt was amazing through the whole experience, he really helped me to focus and breathe through each contraction. He got to cut the cord and had the stomach to watch the whole birth. I couldn't have done that without him.

Porter was born August 18th at 11:26am. He weighed 7 lbs, 14 oz and was 21.5 cm long.

They kept us another 24 hours and then we got to take our little guy home!

Here's his first photo shoot!

After the eye drops, he really didn't open his eyes much.

My amazing husband.

Soo happy to meet his little guy.

Seriously though, have you ever seen a more perfect newborn?

Cuddling with Mommy.

Daddy enjoying his brand new little man.