Hungry Baby

Such a big boy!

Mom came to Jonesboro today and went with me to do a little xmas shopping. I thought I might need some extra help with Stratton, but he did great. He was asleep for most of our outing. We had to take a break at the food court at the mall to give him a bottle and after that he went back to sleep! My dad joined us later and we went to eat at O'Charley's. Stratton was a big boy and tried to sit in the seat. He's almost able to sit by himself, it won't be long.

[yeah, he's not spoiled, at all. . . ]

[happy boy, after his bath]

Sunday with the fam

We went to Hickory Ridge this morning and spent the day. We went to morning services at HR then had lunch with my grandparents and had a good afternoon with my parents (well, Stratton & Jarrod did, I took a nap!). Then after church tonight we had a family birthday dinner for my dad. As you can imagine Stratton was the center of attention!

[My two good looking guys]

 

[Stratton helping Pops blow out his candles]

 

Rolling around

Stratton has learned to roll. . .and roll. . .and roll. He rolls until he gets "hung up" on a piece of furniture or some other impassible obstacle. It's amazing how he went from slowly rolling over to now flipping over really fast! He starts out on his back on the play mat and ends up.  . . well a lot of different places. We have noticed that he only rolls to his left?

And if you look close you can see the bump on his right leg where he got two of the shots. He did pretty good today, he didn't seem like he was having any side effects from the shots, but he slept quite a bit, then again we all did! The three of us stayed in our pj's all day! It was nice to have a relaxing day at home, I don't think we have had one in, um, about 5 months or longer! ha!

4 mo. check -up & shots

Stratton "officially" weighs in at 17.3 lbs (90%) and is a little over 27 inches long (97%). We had a pretty uneventful visit to the doctor's office. He was happy and smiled and talked to the doctor and cried just for a minute after getting his shots. He didn't run fever and seemed to feel ok, he slept a lot. But then, we did give him tylenol before he got his shots and then gave him some more later tonight. We went out to eat lunch and ran some errands before having dinner with Amber & John and their boys.

4 Months Old!

Really? I keep asking myself how it could be possible!!

We think he weighs between 16-17 lbs. He is taking about 6 bottles a day, around 6 ounces each time. He sure can "talk" when he is in the mood!  He gets tickled and smiles and laughs a lot!

He had found his thumb (actually his entire fist) and likes to suck on it. He is happy most of the time, especially after eating and napping. He can sit really good if you are holding him or if he is sitting with some back support. He can roll over and is doing this more frequently lately. He does "stomach crunches" when he is laying in the floor he tries to sit up and it looks like he is doing crunches. He also tries to sit up in the car seat or if your holding him in a reclined position. He also found his feet. He isn't trying to eat them yet, but he does stare at them a lot and gets excited when they move, don't know that he has put together that HE is the one moving them yet either. . .

 

He enjoys evenings with his daddy, watching the news. . .

and he is the sweetest after he has had his last bottle and a bath. . . 

What's funny is that this time last year Jarrod and I were in Florida with some friends and Kristen and Kate met us in Pensacola and spent the night there with us. I remember Kristen and I sitting on the balcony after everyone had gone to bed and talking about me thinking about maybe getting pregnant and she and Brett thinking about having another baby. . . .and look at us a year later! We both have babies! It's amazing the changes that can happen in just one year!

Another busy weekend

Friday afternoon we had pictures taken at Harding. . .

 

Then went and ate at KJ's in Judsonia with Terry, Margie, Jennifer & Daniel, who by the way are expecting!! She is due June 12th! If their baby is born on that day he/she will only be 11 months younger than Stratton! I can't wait to be an aunt! They are going to be great parents, they are so good with Stratton. I am also convinced that they will have a girl. Daniel already has two nephews on his side and then we have Stratton, so I am just sure they will have a girl!  But we will see. . . .

Saturday morning mom and I went to a shower for my friend Kelly, I didn't get pictures at the shower, but Stratton was a big hit and Kelly of course looked awesome for someone who is carrying twins and running around keeping up with a one and a half year old. It was fun catching up with some friends I haven't seen in a while. I found this outfit at Dillards, I love that it has a tractor and pumpkins, perfect for fall!  . . .

Saturday Jarrod worked on the farm and Stratton and I hung out at mom and dad's house. Then Saturday night we had a family birthday party for my Papa.  Sunday we went to church and did a little bday/Christmas shopping, you know Christmas is just a little over a month away! Crazy!!

Family Pictures

We had our first family pictures taken by Daisha Sheets in Searcy Friday. She did an awesome job! To see more go to Daisha's website www.dlifeful.com and enter our password, Staggs, that should open our gallery.

Silly boys. . . .

Kayce got this picture of the boys today! I think it's just priceless! I don't know what she did to get them both to smile like that!!

[Stratton & Cooper]

Our Happy Boy

I know how lucky we are to have such a happy, laid back little boy. I am really enjoying seeing his personality come out a lot more lately. He smiles ALL the time and it's so easy to get him to giggle and laugh. He rarely cries, only when he his hungry or extremely sleepy. He loves other kids. Of course he is around cousin Cooper three days a week and I am sure that has something to do with it, but even at church he likes to watch the other kids and just smiles at them. He also seems to like people in general. Occasionally he doesn't want to be held by a stranger, but for the most part he is either really friendly or just really tolerant! I am amazed at how he is changing! I love to see him doing new things! I really love the age he is right now! It's like he does something new or makes a new sound everyday!  He is just one week away from being 4 months and he can roll over (he CAN, but he doesn't do it often), he can bat at toys hanging over head, he can sit up on the couch or chair by himself, he can make all kinds of noises and lots more!! He can't sleep unless it's dark (that is if he isn't worn smooth out) and he can't sleep without being swaddled(he can nap but not sleep for long). He prefers to be laid down when he gets tired. He will tolerate some cuddling but when it's time to go to sleep he'd rather just be put down and left alone (haha! like mother like son I guess!).  He doesn't take a pacifier hardly at all anymore. He has started sucking (loudly) on his hands and fingers a lot more. I think we have some teeth coming in the way he "chews" on his bottle and he is slobbering a whole lot lately! So far he has been so good when we take him out to eat, to church or just to the mall shopping. I am not nervous at all about taking him somewhere alone, he is so well behaved!  As long as we have a stroller, the Sleep Sheep (thanks Gibson family) and a bottle we are good to go! I think he likes going shopping!

We go back to the doctor on November 20th for his 4 month shots (we are a little off the normal schedule due to his premature birth) and I am anxious to see what he weighs and how long he is now. Stratton attended his first Weight Watchers meeting this week.  My mom had him and she had a meeting so she took him with her! They weighed him there and according to their scales he weighs 16lbs! I am sure he is at least 27 or 28 inches long now, too! He is getting some meat on his bones but he isn't overly chubby, he is just a big boy!

Everyday has been an adventure! It's not always a walk in the park, but seeing that smile does make it all worth it!!

Daddy is funny

 

Chilling in the recliner

Typical male. . . .

[seriously acting like a little man!]

[the way he has his arm propped up is just the funniest thing!]

 

[Uh Oh! I've been spotted!]

Is it just me or does this look just like Jarrod? Stratton LOVES to watch tv. Especially football and the weather channel (just like dad and mom, I guess!). He will try to twist his head around to see it if you are trying to prevent him from looking that direction! And if you are trying to feed him he will actually stop eating to watch the tv. I guess we are going to have to put Baby Einstein dvds on the Christmas list!