9 Month Photo Shoot

Such a happy little family . ..

And a very happy little boy!!

Mom & Me

This is one of my favorite pictures! I just love the fall!

Another favorite. This is what he does when he is concentrating. I know who he got this from!

See my two bottom teeth??? I just got a third on top!

Very serious, yet sweet . . .



Here are some pictures we had done of Connor on Sunday for his 9 month photo session. As usual, he is so easygoing that the picture taking is very easy.

Connor received his helmet on Monday and yesterday was his first day wearing it! The schedule was wear it for an hour, remove it for an hour - all day except for naps and sleeping. His teacher said once it is on, he doesn't mind it at all. He did great with it. Today it will be on for 2 hours, off an hour - except naps and sleeping. After 5 days of a schedule like this, we'll be up to wearing it 23 hours as instructed. Yesterday, when he got to school, Kevin put the helmet on him and then a little girl and her Mommy came into the classroom. The little girl walked right up to Connor and started rubbing the helmet. It was so cute, Kevin said. Then Kevin had to go to the car for something and come back and Connor was by the bookshelf and all you could see was a helmet and two pretty blue eyes. It was quite funny! Kev has my camera today, but we do have some pictures of him in his helmet we'll be posting in the next few days.

That is all that is new on our end. Hope everyone has a great week!

First Haircut!

What the heck is this? What does she think she is going to do to me?

Yikes!

Well, now, I have something to play with so this isn't so bad.

Snip snip here and snip snip there . . .

Ooooohhhh - WOW.............

I can probably put this in my mouth . . .

All done! Emily, Daddy and Connor




Wow - October has been an incredibly busy month! We've had such non stop events that I have not had any time to update the blog. So much is going on . . .

Most importantly, Kevin & I have made the decision to put Connor in a helmet. Connor has torticollis (or did have rather) which really equates to having a stiff neck in adults. Due to this, Connor liked to lay his head to the right when sleeping (and not to the left), so his head flattened some in the back. We worked extensively trying to get him to turn to the left and we have done an excellent job - his range of motion is pretty much normal now. However, despite how hard we worked to keep him off the flat spot so that his head could round out more in the back, the plastic surgeon recommended that we go ahead and do the helmet so that we have 100% certainly that it will round out. It may round out more on its own over the next three months, but it may not. Better safe than sorry. So on Monday (the 26th), we will go to pick up the helmet from UNC and start wearing it. Personally, I think he will be just adorable in it!

In other news, Connor has also started a new classroom at school. The ages used to be 6 weeks up to 12 months and then 12-24 months. To help keep the children closer in respect to gross motor skill development, they have now changed it up to be 6 weeks to 9 months, 9 to 15 months and 16 to 24 months. Connor has two new teachers - Mrs. Melinda and Mrs. Sarah. He has done really well transitioning into the new class. They try to get the kids to all snack and nap at the same time - which is a small adjustment for Connor. He can adapt very well to new schedules! He really has blossomed since entering the new classroom. We now are crawling on all fours (previously was the commando style), pulling up to standing, enjoy walking while holding his hands, becoming much more vocal, and he has started new foods! We're now on stage 3 Gerber's - a little chunkier and the introduction of meat. He is also eating finger foods - Cheerios, Gerber Puffs, Animal Crackers, mashed up bananas and noodles, etc. He is LOVING the new food. And he drinks his water out of his own little sippy cup - so cute! Dinner has now gone to a 35 minute or so affair - which is good. He can munch on his finger snacks while we eat and then one of us feeds him the jar food while the other does the dishes. Works out well.

He still has just his bottom two teeth - no top ones yet. Developmentally he is right where he should be, according to his pediatrician at his 9 month check up. He also had a seasonal flu shot, so that should keep him healthy. To be honest, I am a little surprised that he has only had one major sickness since birth and that was shortly after starting school. He has the occassional cough or runny nose, but to be formula fed - this kids is pretty healthy! So are his parents, so that is not really a surprise . . . .

We go this weekend for our 9 month pictures. I'll try to post those next week. Oh yes - and the haircut! He did SO well with it. Emily, who is our good friend and stylist, trimmed Connor's hair up for me around the ears. I know everyone loves his hair long - it's getting some of Mommy's curls - but truly - the kid needed a haircut. Mommy knows best! It had just gotten way too long over the ears. Emily did a great job, as usual.

In other news, Uncle John got married last weekend (17th) to Sarah. What a beautiful wedding - and bride! We couldn't be happier for them. We also have about 6 birthdays in October, so we're busy with parties. Next week is Halloween & Connor was going to be a lobster but since he will now have the helmet, I think we're going to switch it up to be a football player or something like that. He has a parade at school next Friday where they get to wear their costumes, so I will post some pictures of that as well. Our little boy is growing so fast!

That's about all for now. More to come soon. Enjoy the cool, crisp, fall weather. It is my favorite time of the year!