Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! We are in Midland celebrating all that we are thankful for. This year we are especially thankful for two adorable babies in our family that bring us tons of joy and happiness! Just look at their happy faces!

9 Month Well Check and Dr. T

Yesterday I took the day off work to take my little man to the pediatrician for his 9 month well check and to Dr. T for a post-op check up. Hector met us after lunch to go the medical center with Santi and me to see Dr. T. It has been almost 8 months since Santiago had surgery for his right coronal craniosynostosis. I can't believe it has been that long. Just thinking about it all can bring tears to my eyes in a heartbeat. I think it always will. I am so thankful to have that all behind us and that Santiago is growing and developing just fine!

Both appointments went really well. At the pediatrician's office we found out that Santiago is in the 97% for height, weight and head circumference. He is 25 pounds 10 ounces, 30.25 inches long and has a head circumference of 47 cm. BIG BOY! The only surprise that we got yesterday was finding out that Santiago has a little ear infection in his right ear. He has been teething lately - he now has 4 teeth broken through on the top and his two bottom teeth. He always plays with his ears when he is sleepy so I didn't know his little ear was bothering him. It did explain why he was fussier than normal on Monday and felt a little warm even though he didn't have a fever. We got a prescription for Amoxicillin and started that right away. He will take it for 10 days and hopefully clear his ear right up. I asked lots of questions at the pediatricians and found out some good information. I talked about Santiago's reaction to mosquito bites, water intake, breast milk intake at this age and solid foods. Santiago has met all the developmental milestones for 9 months except clapping and waving bye-bye. He can clap someone else's hands together but he won't clap his own for us! Soon I know he will be clapping and waving and I can't wait to see those two fun things happen. Santiago also got his first dose of the swine flu vaccine yesterday at the pediatrician's. He will get the second dose in a month.

At Dr. T's office, they were all surprised about how big, vocal and cute Santiago was. He got his post-operation pictures taken from every angle of his head imaginable. I can't wait to see the before and after surgery pictures from them - maybe at our next visit in 6 months I can see them. That's right - we don't have to go back for 6 months!! How great is that! Dr. T felt Santi's head and told me that his bones were still open on the side of his head above his ears but had closed on the top portion of his head. He said that is exactly what is supposed to be happening and reminded us that most of the skull growth will be complete by age 3 so we have a lot of time still. Santiago's forehead has made a lot of progress and Dr. T expects it to continue to improve. We were happy hearing that Santiago is progressing well. It just makes you feel better knowing that everything is ok after having a big surgery like he had. Our little boy is just perfect!
The picture at the top of Santiago on the horse is from Sunday when we ate at Spaghetti Warehouse. He wanted to practice a little because we are going to Midland soon for Thanksgiving and he knows Pappaw will be proud of him for riding a horse! The other picture is of Santiago sitting in a duck bathtub. He was really scared of this when we first blew it up but now he gets excited and wants to sit and play with it. He's really too big to bathe in it so I think we will just use it as a toy for awhile. He grunts and shouts at it when he sees it!

First Haircut

Santiago got his first haircut today with his Daddy. We just did a little trim to shape up his neck line and above his ears. We didn't cut any of the top because we love his curly hair and we are afraid that it will disappear if we cut it. I am so happy that I finally convinced Hector that Santiago needed a haircut. He looks so much more handsome now! Hector is pleased with how it turned out!

New Exciting Things

Santiago finally got a new car seat! He has been a little too big for his carrier car seat for a few months now and after a lot of research, we finally picked one. We didn't go for the most expensive - we chose one with great rating that will ensure Santiago's safety in the car. Here he is trying it out. Doesn't he look all grown up? The seat is sitting on our sitting room floor right now. I will install it into the car this weekend. I don't know if you can see in this next picture - but Santiago's two bottom teeth are showing in his smile. They are the cutest little things ever! He has two bottom teeth and two top teeth and he has been working on cutting his fifth tooth this week. We saw it tonight starting to break through the gums just to the right of his two front teeth. He has been drooling a ton this week and hasn't been that interested in his solid foods. He doesn't fuss too much or run a fever thank goodness when he is teething!

And finally - are you ready for this....you have been asking and asking if he can crawl yet and now I can finally say yes! He has been scooting, rolling and pushing his way around for awhile now but tonight he finally crawled! It's a funny little crawl because he isn't on both knees. He is on one knee and one foot with his hands down. Take a look on this really short video:

Santiago has also gotten really good at pulling himself up to stand and has begun to take tiny steps when he is standing up around furniture. This little stinker may not crawl long because he sure loves to stand!

Dinosaur Jammies

9 Months Old

Holy Moly Santiago is 9 months old today. I can not believe it! Time is flying by and he is growing more and more fun each day. I love this little boy more than I could have ever imagined! And yes I said little boy because he doesn't really seem like a baby anymore. We dress him in pants and shirts, he wears socks that look like his grandpa's, and he has a ton of hair! The overalls he is wearing in these pictures were my brother Travis' when he was little. My mom saved them and they look so cute on Santi. It also has a hoodie jacket that matches.

Here is what Santiago is up to lately:

• Weighs 25-26 pounds!
• Wears 18 month size clothes and size 3 diapers. He should be in size 4 but we are trying to use up the last of our size 3's before we buy more.
• Mosquitos love him. He is a skeeter magnet for some reason - poor guy! He may be allergic to bites because they take forever to go away and sometimes blister.
• Loves to be outside.
• Wants you to point out everything is sight and tell him what it is. He will see something across the room and start grunting until you figure out what he is looking at.
• Wants to touch everything!
• Can pull himself into the standing position while holding on to something or someone and is beginning to cruise around.
• Can stand for a few seconds unsupported.
• Can get in the sitting position by himself from laying down.
• Santiago's not crawling yet but he can scoot on his bottom, roll, or push himself backwards to get from one place to another.
• When sitting, he can walk his hands forward 3-4 steps so his stomach is close to the floor and then push himself back up.
• Laughs hysterically at Roxie and hugs you tightly when she comes near him. He hides his face in your chest or neck and gives a big bear hug and then lets go to look for Roxie again. It's like he is playing a game with her. The hug is the greatest feeling ever!
• Eats cheerios and loves them!
• Can drink through a straw.
• Loves to drink water.
• Babbles all the time - I think we are going to have a big talker on our hands! "mama" "dada" "nanana" "ba ba" The way his little mouth moves is so cute when he is talking.
• Has 4 teeth - two bottom and the two front teeth.
• Loves yogurt and pears! Those have to be his two favorite foods.When in the bath tub, loves to bend over and dip his face in the water. I think he may be trying to get a drink.
• Will clap your hands together if you hold them in front of him.
• Still loves to jump in his doorway jumper.
• Loves the itsy bitsy spider song.