Say a prayer for our little bean

Today I had to take Monk to the doctor because he had blood in his stool last night (yup, I know it's gross). The poor little guy must have been so constipated that some blood came out with all that pushing. When I got to the doc's office he took a look at his little buns and said that everything looked ok, BUT he went on to talk about Monk's weight. He has slipped from the 25/30th percentile for his weight to the 15th percentile. The percentile chart is a bunch of lines that are ascending upwards and if you drop below two lines you are considered "failure to thrive." Monk has dropped two or three lines since he has been born. I am feeding him everything I can especially since his four month check up, but he stops eating the moment that he is full. What else am I suppose to do for him? So if you could all say a little prayer after reading this that Monk will eat a little more and start gaining some weight that would be GREAT. I know that it will all work out, but right now I am just a little worried. The doctor threw out there all kinds of reasons why this could be happening among those reasons were: heart problems, a thyroid problem, and that we as parents are not giving him enough. Monk has another weight check in the middle of July so hopefully there will be good news to come from all of these prayers, thanks so much!

Missing You!

This weekend Fisherman and I went camping with some friends. We had so much fun, but we missed Monk like CRAZY! This was the first time that I had left him for more than eight hours and I must say that I missed him even more than I had expected. I was really feeling like I needed a break from him so I didn't think that it would be that hard for me. Fisherman and I found ourselves talking about him a lot and pictures of him laughing and yes even crying replayed in my head while I was canoeing or just sitting around the camp fire. It is crazy how this little being that basically just takes from you at this point can make his way into your heart. It was so good for me to get away and got me to realize how much I really do love him. Fisherman and I could not wait to get home to see him and once we picked him up he was a little fussy, but I was just so happy to see him that I didn't even care. This weekend I really realized the love that a mother and father have for their children goes beyond the depths of the ocean.

Yummy Toes

We knew that it would not be long before Monk found his toes to suck on too. Now not only does he have a secret love affair with his hands, but with his toes as well. He couldn't keep his toes in his mouth for very long so we couldn't get a picture of him with the toes actually in his mouth, but you can see that they are well on their way.

Beans and Walkin'

Monk had a busy weekend with it being fathers day and all. He has been learning how to walk a little bit with some help from an adult. He is actually pretty good at taking some steps. We know that he is a long ways off from walking, but we are just getting him ready for what is to come.
On Saturday he had some green beans for the first time and he made some pretty funny faces. He ate them, but he didn't look like he enjoyed them all that much.
He took a ride on Angler for a little while Sunday night and seemed to like that, although I am not sure that Angler felt the same way. We are so lucky to have dogs that are so tolerable. We may be singing a different tune when Monk starts crawling, but for now the dogs don't seem to mind him.
This is on the way to go see Fisherman's Dad for father's day. Monk did really well in the car for a change. Usually he is crying, but he had me in the back seat to entertain him and to take pictures. Overall it was a pretty good weekend, but it was very busy.

Hanging out in our t-shirts

Monk loves his daddy to pieces. Since Father's Day is coming up I thought that it would be fitting to post these pictures. As you can see from the delight on Monk's face, he absolutely adores his dad. Fisherman is always getting him to laugh and have fun. I have read many places that kids look to thier dads to have fun and they look to thier mothers for comfort and soothing. This is very evident in our family. Though I can get Monk to laugh he is the happiest and laughs the most at his dad.
Since Monk has gotten a little bit older and a little more alert he has been looking around for the voices that he hears. As soon as Fisherman enters the room and starts talking, Monk is looking around trying to find him.
I am so thankful for my two boys and I love them both very much. Thanks Fisherman for the dad that you are. Your willingness to help is the best and I can tell from the way that Monk loves interacting with you that he appreciates it too. Happy Father's Day! We both love you very much! -Mama and Monk

Family

Baby Kisses!

Rice Cereal

Monk had his first taste of real food today. Well as real food as rice cereal can be. It was a fun experience for all, but a little hard for me because this just means that he is one more step to being such a big boy. If I could, I would have him nurse/bottle feed forever. Although the more that I think about it, it might be a little odd having him nurse at the age of 10.

He really actually seemed to like the cereal. I was ready for a big mess and I also didn't think that he would get that much down to his tummy, but he did. I don't think that we will have much of a problem feeding him anything because he seems to be like his dad and like pretty much anything. He has never been picky about what he eats or the temperature of it. He is just happy that it is food. I still don't understand how he can drink formula. Have you ever tasted that stuff? It is like drinking a glass of liquid metal, but he seems to like it so I guess that is all that matters. So overall his first feeding was a success!

Four Months Old 6/8/06 - Monk

Monk is four months old now. I found myself thinking of when I was in the hospital with him and how I was so amazed that God created this little being. Now I find myself not only being amazed at how big he is getting, but also at how much he can do. He is getting better and better at rolling over from his tummy to his back. When I put him down for a nap on his tummy I always return to him on his back. He is still our little no-napper. For some reason he just doesn't want to sleep that much. One day he will and then the next day it is almost like I go to pick him up from a nap and he is looking up at me saying, "just kidding mom."

He loves to talk to you and touch your face. This is our nightly routine after he is finished with his bottle. He loves grabbing at toys and playing in his "fort" as Fisherman calls it. He had to go to the doctor for his four month check up and the doc says that he looks healthy as a horse. He weighed in at 13 pounds 8 ounces and was 26 inches long. This puts him in the 90th percentile for height and the 30th percentile for weight. He is our tall thin boy. The doctor was a little concerned with his weight so he suggested starting him on solids now. I didn't really want to start him until he was closer to six months, but I guess if we need to we need to. I was surprised to hear that he was so low in the weight catagory because he does have that little bit of chunk on his legs.

This picture didn't come out the way that I wanted . I could not figure out how to rotate it, but it was too good to pass up. Here is our little boy after getting his shots. You can see the battle wounds on his legs. Overall he did not have the best four month birthday because of these yucky shots. We had him hopped up on tylenol, but even then some of the pain came through.

Monk you have brightened our lives and given us purpose. We thank God everyday for the little blessing that you are. We may not always remember this when you are not taking naps, but you are the best thing that has ever happened to us. We love you with everything that we are.
Dad and Mom

Naked Boy

There is something about a naked little baby body that I just love. Every night when I take off Monk's clothes to give him a bath I have to cuddle him and take in his baby soft skin. I love the smell of it and just the way that it feels. About three times a week we need to make sure to show Daddy his naked body so that he can enjoy it too. Soon he won't be this little and we won't be able to enjoy his naked little body like we do now.

Picture Happy with Our New Camera

Monk is a sleepy boy
Laughing at mommy
So many people have said that Monk is bound to be a thumb sucker and here he is for the first time.

Monk isn't really a morning person