6 Months Old, 6 Weeks Post- Op. Time to Explore!

Sitting up in my Rocking chair!

Mommy, Me & Daddy! We love each other so very, very much!

I am six months old!

Go Lions!

It was my second cousin's wedding! Wish I could have been your ring bearer! ;)

Grandma hugs!

Grandma is reading one of my favorite stories to me! I am turning the pages!

Grandma, Me & Mommy at the beach!

Not a fan of the ocean... yet.

Mommy, Me & Daddy on the sore. I am happy now that I am wrapped up in Daddy's towel! 

Grandma, ME & Daddy in the Disney Store!

Out to dinner!

Out to dinner!

Evening cuddles are the best!

Me & My Mickey!

Practicing with the bottle.

Go Wings?

I rolled over! I am a rock star! 

Waiting at the Pediatrician's office for my shots. I am such a silly & well-behaved boy!

Not sure how I feel about this whole "pool" thing,  Mom.

Goodbye kisses from Grandma. :( 

As we are quickly finding out, life at home with Caelin is very busy but so awesome! On Saturday the 15^th Caelin turned 6 months old! His first six months were remarkable and full of miracles so we are hoping these next 6 months will be simpler but equally memorable full of happy milestones.  He is growing like crazy, laughing, shouting & getting physically stronger. He also has some teeth that seem to want to pop out because he is full of drool and is constantly chewing on his fingers and any object that gets clenched in his hands. His recent favorite is his thumb! Mostly he chews on it but there have been several moments where we catch him sucking it. Hopefully this habit breaks and he sticks to the binky!

On Sunday the 16^th Caelin’s Grandma flew in.  Her and Cael really got to know each other well and enjoyed each other’s company. At first Caelin needed to get acquainted with her but it didn’t take too long for him to discover how great she is and how much she loves him. Just when he started to be comfortable alone in her company, she had to head back to Michigan. L We miss her lots! But she did get to be a part of a lot of Caelin’s “firsts” and Caelin got all kinds of spoiled by her (as did Mommy & Daddy)! We are so blessed she was able to come down for a week!

Thursday marked 6 weeks post-op from the Glenn. Because of this, three main things had to happen: reintroduction of tummy time, his first ever immunizations, and freedom to begin exploring the outside world! During only the second time laying flat on his belly since the Glenn, he rolled over from his stomach to his back all on his own! Mommy and Grandma were shocked and super excited! Of course he did it too fast to record it and of course he refused to do it again for the camera; nonetheless, it was amazing to watch him hit such a big milestone of his infancy! While at his Pediatrician’s office for immunizations he was weighed and measured. He weighed in at 14 pounds 10 ounces. He gained 2 pounds in 3 weeks! He also grew 1 ¾ inches where as the normal baby only grows about ¾ of an inch in 3 weeks. His pediatrician was floored! We told him that he has a lot of catching up to do but the doctor said if he continues this, we will have to increase his amount of formula faster than we already are (1mL/hr increase each week). During this appointment he also go his eyesight and hearing tested. As expected, things are great! He was a very brave boy while getting his two shots in his thigh. His thighs were the targets for his Lovenox shots from April to August but these shots had thicker longer needles on them and they looked incredibly painful. Yes, Caelin did scream but he calmed very easily. After falling asleep in the car and taking a nap at home, he woke up full of smiles and giggles. Although his shots didn’t seem to faze him Thursday evening/night, his leg was bruised, had a knot, and was very sensitive on Friday and Saturday, which initiated several cranky moments both days. Him teething only added to his discomfort. Poor little man.

The Pediatrician cleared Caelin to start any type of cereal (although we are sticking to rice) and any foods we want. He told us to have him eat one flavor for 2 to 3 days to check for allergies and then we can try a different one. We are sticking to at least a week in between introducing flavors because this whole oral feeding experience is still new to Caelin.  At the end of last week he was introduced to bananas! He is still not too sure if he really likes them or not but he does accept them. About a week later he got to taste carrots for the first time. He seems to really like them! The first time he ate about 5mLs and he has had a couple mLs since. He is drinking from a bottle more and he really likes to do it on his own. We have been adding a very small amount of rice cereal to the bottle so the formula doesn’t come out of the nipple too fast. Although he is using a slow flow nipple, he still gets too much at one time when he sucks on the bottle. With the little bit of cereal added, it seems perfect for him. As he gets used to sucking and swallowing with the bottle and starts to like it, we will stop adding cereal so he doesn’t have to work to get out the formula. But with getting his immunizations on Thursday he has been a bit temperamental and so any oral feeding must be on his terms. If he is not up for it, he lets us know.

Caelin experienced his first outings (besides doctors appointments) on Friday! We went to the mall because Mommy had an appointment at Lenscrafters. While she got her eyes checked, Caelin, Daddy and Grandma went to The Children’s Place and in search of The Disney Store. Unfortunately there is no Disney Store in Tyrone Square Mall. :/ Later that evening we took him down to the pool and he went in the water with Mommy for the first time! He wasn’t very impressed with being in the pool as the water was cool and he was sleepy. He grumbled and growled a lot of the time but refrained from bursting into tears so we count it as a positive new experience!

Then Saturday came- More outings! Since Grandma lives so far away, we wanted her to be a part of as many of Caelin’s first experiences as possible. So today she went with us on Caelin’s first visit to The Disney Store (at Westfield Countryside Mall), Babies ‘R’ Us, out to dinner, and last but not least, the OCEAN (technically the Gulf of Mexico)! Saturday morning we arrived to the ocean around 9:30 AM. We wanted to get there before he got really hot out. So all lathered up with sunscreen, hat on head, sunglasses protecting his eyes, and bathing suit shirt and shorts on, he looked like a little surfer baby; however, he was less than thrilled with the whole unusual experience of being in the bright sun with salt water waves splashing on his legs and sand accumulating between his toes and in his pants. It did not matter who held him; if he was touching the water, he was not a happy boy. We wrapped him up in a towel and snuggled him close and he was back on his way to enjoying the day. Once he was changed in the car and had all the sand removed, he was ready for the next adventure: home for a nap. =) As his nap was nearing an end, we packed him up and headed North to Clearwater. Here we visited the mall and inside this mall is Caelin’s new favorite place: The Disney Store. We had never seen his eyes so wide as they were once they noticed all of the Mickey attire and décor! He is so lucky & got some adorable new outfits (bought by Grandma) and his first Mickey stuffed animal. This new Mickey, he is In LOVE with! Afterward, we went to Babies ‘R’ Us and then to Smokey Bones for dinner. Before going inside the restaurant, we thought we should change Cael in the car and vent his G-tube (allow air bubbles to come out). To Mom’s surprise, he pooped ALL OVER his pants, onsie, and even leaked into his carseat. Of course. He was wearing the most handsome outfit (Collard button-up shirt from Children’s place, navy blue onesie, blue jeans, Hanes socks, and Air Jordan shoes) and all that was packed in the diaper bag as a spare was one of his old snap onesie outfits that he wore in the hospital. So disappointing, although we are pretty sure Cael thought it was hilarious. Despite his big blowout before eating, Cael was such a well-behaved boy at dinner! He sat on Mommy’s lap for a little while and ate a Mum Mum while she indulged in Smokey Bones’ famous kettle chips and dip. About halfway through, he went in his car seat and sat next to Grandma and engaged in conversation. And as a side note, unsurprisingly all through dinner, Caelin used his big bright blue eyes to swoon the ladies, especially our waitress.

For those of you on Facebook, today was the last day to vote for Caelin on the Gerber Generation Photo Search 2012. I have no idea when we will hear any news, if we hear anything at all. But if we do, I will definitely post an update! How absolutely amazing would it be to see our little warrior as the new irresistible face of Gerber (not to mention receiving thousands for his college fund)?! Hoping & Wishing! =)

This Thursday Caelin has a cardiology visit. He will get his blood pressure taken and an echocardiogram on top of all the traditional stuff. We are curious to see how everything looks (hopefully stellar) and if he has gained more weight and grown longer in just a week.

And of course, thank you all for your continued support, love, prayers, and warm wishes and thoughts. Sending Love and Hugs from Caelin!