11 Months OLD!!!! – Firsts…firsts….and more firsts!

• Porter had his 1^st real haircut this weekend!
• He seems to be trying to mimic us more and more, both words and actions
• Using anything and everything to pull himself up…including his mom, dad and dogs
• He is doing a lot of freestanding, which makes me think he is getting his bearings balance-wise
• Still scooting along, and is often trying to crawl and did a little bit this weekend…always opting back to the scoot
• Hates…hates…HATES getting his nose wiped and his nails filed
• About to switch into his 3^rd and 4^th "big boy" car seat (since we now need one for each car)
• Loves it when mom shares her real food with him. Very big fan of bread, cheese and turkey from mom's Jimmy Johns sandwich this weekendJ Also seems to really like eggs.
• Loves being outside.

We had lots to do this weekend around the house, but still managed to run some errands and have some fun outside! We started our day out with family haircuts! Including little Mr. Porter's first real one!!! He was such a good boy and sat in the chair all by himself – never fussing or anything! We were glad – we had thought it might be a little traumatic.

The terrible 10’s (months…that is;)

Porter is really turning into quite the little character! He is really a lot of fun, but I was not expecting him to ALREADY be willfully disobedient….but even so, he hit that milestone about a week ago. He is fascinated with the dogs' and cat's bowls. He now knows we don't want him messing with them and delights in making sure we are paying attention before he goes in for the final attack….and letting out a mischievous little giggle with a broad grin.

He is now quite mobile. He is not crawling, but is cruising a lot and can use his little push walker toys like a champion. When there is not something or someone to help him get where he's going he has opted for a butt scoot method for his main method of transportation. Oddly – he can make pretty good time and it is quite a thing to watch!

His first Birthday is coming up so quickly! I can't believe it! It is on November 19^th and since it lands on a Friday we will probably have a family and close friend birthday party on the 20^th.

Some Porter Notables Include:

• Now has 8 chompers!
  
• Needs to have his first real hair cut sometime very soon because his hair is getting pretty shaggyJ
  
• He has a little cold right now….hopefully since his tubes have been working so well that is all it will ever be!
  
• Still LOVES music; he dances a lot and now can often be heard trying to sing….it is very sweet!
  
• Cannot wear any clothes smaller than a 12-18 month…what a chunk!
  
• Starting to try to feed me when he is eating a meal or snack and give toys to me when we are playing
  
• LOVES playing with the dogs (or rather stealing from;)
  
• Says Ma-Ma and Da-Da with some real purpose now…..for better or worse
  
• Gives kisses…the nice open mouth kind. I was crying while watching a sad part of a movie yesterday and he offered me a few to make me feel better
  
• Really likes being around people!!! Always seems very entertained when we get the chance to spend time with groups whether it is family and friends.
  
• Took part in his very first Buddy Walk!!!
  
• Loves his cousins!
  

Porter and his Puppies!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAQrSeIjck8

Miss a month…and you miss A LOT!

Porter hanging on the deck (day after I returned from CA)

Our Little Centerfold

JACKPOT!  Rollin' in the toys :)

Little Miss Taylor Grace Kriegel about 1 month old

Grandpa and Porter - January 1st - 2010

This month has been very crazy for me, starting off with a week in California with my Mom and Sisters, catching up around home and this past weekend a visit back to Delhi and Cedar Rapids to meet my friend Gretchen's newest beauty and Mom's birthday and to quickly see a few friends and family….so I haven't updated in over a month, sorry!
So….In the meantime – Porter keeps growing and changing so fast, we cannot even believe my eyes and ears!
BIG Notables:

• He has now gone more than a month sleeping through the night!!! I can't tell you how much of a difference this makes for our quality of life! Thank you ear tubes =)
• Has 4 new teeth coming in on the top making the grand total 6 Teeth!
  
• While I was in California, his Dad worked on letting him cry it out at bedtime and since then, we are pretty much able to lay him down a week and let him fall asleep in his bed at bed time. He occasionally cries for 5 minutes or less, but is doing wonderful!
  
• He is pulling himself up (as long as what he is using to do so can support him) and seems to prefer playing standing to anything else
  
• Porter has always liked music, but it is becoming apparent his favorite things are those that incorporate music. A piano, xylophone and bongo drums among his favorites
  
• He is now saying Ma-Ma, Ni-Ni, Bye-Bye in addition to his favorite….Da-DaJ
  
• In the past week or so, he has picked up a little shyness every once in a while, I don't know where he gets that ?!?!
  
• He may not say a lot yet, but he is very capable of letting you know what he wants and what he doesn't want. I think we are in for some battles of the will
  
• Been trying table food in the past few weeks and he seems to like it and handle it well. Eating has never been an issue with the little guy. His favorite has been cottage cheese so far!
  
• Is scooting backwards, but mostly rolling around as his main mode of transportation
  

In general – Porter is just a sweet little guy these days who lights up a room with his little toothy grin and wonderful giggle. He loves other kids and people in general. He is a big show-off!

 We celebrated his 9 month milestone last Wednesday on the same day as what would have been my Dad's 70^th Birthday. Celebrating Porter was another way to celebrate Dad – I only wish we got to celebrate with him in person! 

Happy Birthday Grandpa, we miss you so much!

Porter had his 9 month appointment and he is no longer off the charts, but safely in the 90^th percentile range for weight, height and cranium measurements!
 

SO Big!

As I said in my last post, Porter and I started waterbabies on Monday night at the Y.  It was so fun!  I am surprised how layed back and relaxed he is in the water - he really likes it.  On his back, on his tummy - whatever - he is comfortable and so far trusts me completely ;) Chasing rubber ducks in the pool helped me see how far he has come with hand eye coordination!  Pretty impressive, though I may be just a little biased!

What is new with P this week?

• holding is bottle consistently....thank gosh - lazy bones ;)
• still sleeping through the night (crossed fingers)
• is now quite a little show-off!
• has eaten an animal cracker, a few biter biscuits and some puffed corn finger food (and loves them all!)
• learned SO BIG at the sitters yesterday

It seems that Ollie has determined that Porter is an official member of the pack!  I had him on his belly and Ollie layed down right up against him like he does us ;)  No - I did not pose them for this picture!

8 months TODAY!!!

We are now going on over a week of a happier little guy and sleep filled nights for all! We are not wanting to jinx ourselves because it is really great! We are really enjoying it and starting to think life might start to return to some healthier version of our new "normal" – both physically and mentally!

We had a busy week last week and a busy weekend with a Poker Party for Steve and me, on Friday and the Price Family Reunion on Saturday in the Quad Cities. It was a nice time and had the chance to see a lot of my Mom's family, and my Mom doing SO well after her hip surgery! It was pretty hot outside but we still spent a little time outside and even got in a little volleyball. It was a lot of fun, but a long day since we drove home that night.

Porter's been probably mostly capable, but really lazy about holding his own bottle for a while now. Toward the end of last week his Dad started working on this with him and as I said – he is capable….just lazy! We pretty much can get him to do it with a little prodding.

He was being pretty grumpy later in the day yesterday, which I thought was weird until I saw 2 HUGE choppers that were peaking out…his top teeth are coming in. They really do look huge, we are wondering if we are going to have a Bucky Beaver on our hands in a few more weeks ;)

Tonight, Porter and I are going to our 1^st Aquababies class at the YMCA. I am looking forward to it. The few times we have had him in a pool, he seemed like he was really going to like it – this should be a good test!

Ear Tubes....Magic?

The week went ok after the tubes surgery. Porter seemed to be doing pretty well, but still was trying to pull out of that nasty respiratory thing he has been fighting. But as the week got toward the end, we started seeing some signs that he wasn’t feeling perfect, until finally Friday afternoon I got the call from the sitter and he was running a pretty good temp.

We spend the afternoon/early evening at Urgent Care. This is always unpleasant, but made more unpleasant by the fact that I couldn’t get anyone to get his records from his Dr. (whom they share a company and a building with). They didn’t seem to think it important, but with his history and my lack of attention to detail – I was thinking they could benefit from a written history under the circumstances! Porter had some major infection (per his temp and white blood cell count), probably one of his ears since it looked quite enflamed…but they weren’t sure that was causing it and he has thrush. Bummer!

He had the magical series or 3 sets of 2 antibiotics shots over the weekend and has seemed good as new….we are crossing our fingers! He deserves some time being WELL, finally!

Unfortunately because of all these lovely trips needed to the Dr. over the weekend, we had to skip our trip to Cedar Rapids to celebrate Ben, Ryan and Leah’s birthdays :( With any luck we will get to see the family this coming weekend at the Price Family Reunion in the Quad Cities!


Notable Porter “news”


• He has really started waving bye-bye pretty consistently


• He has become fond of slapping his head with his and with either 1 or both hands at a time…not the most intelligent look ;)


• Porter loves to shake his head! He may or may not know what it means, but it sure tickles him


• Since he has been sick again over these past few weeks, we have been leaving him un-swaddled and it seems like he kind or just weaned himself


• I don’t want to jinx us, but since he has felt better over the weekend – he has been consistently sleeping through the night…we really hope this continues!!!!


• He loves to mimic everything…such a little sponge!


• He really LOVES his puppies! He loves to watch them and “pet” them. They are very good sports.

“Happy” first celebration of Freedom…and of Ma-Ma & getting P’s ears fixed =)

The rest of last week was more of the same…a miserable little guy:( Steve took him to the Dr. again and he got meds to clear up his chest, hopefully quickly so he could be in shape for his tube surgery that was scheduled for Tuesday. It started working right away and he was much improved that day even. What a relief!

Here is P getting a breathing treatment:(

My friend Beth had organized a little surprise for my birthday…well – it was basically just an expansion of some plans we already had into a few more people and a celebration of my 35^th Birthday. I ruined the surprise by inviting everyone they had added onto the invitation…but it was a great time and just as appreciated! It was a girl's night. We met at Beth's for drinks, went to see Sister Hazel in concert and then on to Fong's Pizza for Pizza and more cocktails! We had a great time and it was a much needed break from reality and a very fun way to start out my birthday weekend! While we were out and about, Steve took Porter to the Altoona aquatics park with his brother Tim and nephew Colin – so they had a boy's night too!

These two are from our pre-party and the concert...of the girls

This is at the concert - Beth and I with Ken Block from the band and the girls we see at the show each year:) 

On Saturday we went to our friends the Lucas' to see the West Des Moines 4^th of July Parade. Porter wasn't feeling too bad, but he still wasn't himself – and the heat didn't make it any better…..at least P's allowed to go naked ; ) It was still fun to see him at his first parade and seeing his first fireworks! 

Our actual 4^th of July was fairly uneventful. Steve and I were just trying to make a dent in the housework most of the day, but when all we seemed to hear was fireworks outside, we took P out on the deck to check out some very impressive neighborhood displays!

Here are P's first fireworks!

My actual birthday was on Monday, and since it was a floating holiday – we were all at home! Steve let me sleep in, made me breakfast, we grabbed a nap, did a little birthday shopping and took care of a grumpy little P – we had a feeling that at this point, while his current meds were focused on his lungs, his ears were causing him problems again (which the Dr. warned us of).
That leads us to the big day! The Tube Surgery – this morning at 6:30. Of course we were nervous for him, but we so want to see him feel better consistently that we really have anticipated this day! It was just as quick as they promised and with the exception of a little "hangover" and an extra nap from the anesthesia, Porter seems like his old happy self (with the exception of a little left over congestion)! Everything looks great! We are hopeful it will make a big difference in his overall comfort and health!

My poor sick little guy :(

I have had a tendency to feel about as sorry for myself (and Steve) as I have for the little guy when he has been dealing with his recurring ear infections and other things that have popped up to make him sleep less than perfect (a little of my pre-kid selfishness that still remains under the surface), but yesterday – Porter was seriously miserable. It is rare that he actually acts sick during waking hours, but we could hardly get him to crack a smile last night and he wanted nothing to do with being put down. He had been to the Dr. and they never know quite what is wrong, but he basically has a cold with cough and congestion, ear infection and to top that off – I am pretty sure he must be cutting teeth.

The Dr. prescribed a nebulizer for breathing treatments, and he even actually liked it. He must really feel terribleL It makes me so sad.

As nervous as I am about it, I look forward to him getting tubes next Tuesday. I really hope it makes all of the difference everyone says it does!

Surviving the Foley’s and So many firsts!

I know I shouldn't be amazed at how many firsts I am starting to be lucky enough to witness daily since it is only the 7th month of the little guy's life…but I am. I am so blessed to see each and every miracle first in Porter's life! So curious to see this little "thing" turn into a real person with such a wonderful emerging personality! It is good to have such an obvious reminder that God brings us all small miracles every day!

We were only away from his Dad for 2 days and he already missed his first swim, his first clap, his first head shake, his first clown experience, his first sour lime face ;), and of course his first Foley Family Reunion! I made sure to video and photograph what I could, so he got to "see" it at least :)

Here are the links to this year's and last year's Foley Reunion Pictures: 

This Year: http://picasaweb.google.com/lori.m.mcclure/FoleyFamilyReunion

2009: http://picasaweb.google.com/lori.m.mcclure/FoleyReunion2009

At the reunion we always welcome any new family members and remember those who are not with us anymore. When talking to those who may or may not recognize you from last year it is a long standing habit to always introduce yourself, as your relationship to your father…."I am Lori, Dick Foley's youngest…" I had the distinct honor of introducing Dick Foley's youngest grandson only a minute before we had to add him to the list of those we want to remember. It was a little harder than I thought it might be….but always with the sadness, comes the smile of some fond memory…must be Dad's way of telling me to, "Cut that out!":)

Mom and Dad at last year's Reunion

So this past week or so's notable Porter 1sts include:

• playing in a kiddie pool
• playing in a big pool and first dunk;) - didn't fuss at all and really seem to like splashing and hanging out in there once he got used to it
• shaking head
• patting our back (like we do his:)
• clown experience (my cousin Donnie dresses up for the kids at the reunion)
• sour lime face (my cousin Sharon asked if she could let him taste it, he did – made a terrible face, but wanted more!)
• Foley Family Reunion – he was a good boy and a very friendly little guy!
• I wouldn't swear to it, but I think he is starting to give kisses – the big wide open mouth slobbery kind!

“Da-Da” – First official word just in time for first Father’s Day!

Porter and I spent the weekend with Grandma Foley in Cedar Rapids and were fortunate enough to see Aunt Julie and Sam every day too!  Mom seems to be recovering really well from her hip-replacement surgery!!!

7 Months old this weekend!

Since we were with Grandma we didn't get to spend all of Father's day with Steve, but Porter did start saying 'Da-Da' on cue to mark his first official word on Father's day!  We recorded it and sent it off to him Dad that morning - Great present:)  As I said in a previous post he has been big on the 'La-la-la-la' (which Aunt Julie took full credit for).  I also noticed himsaying a quiet whisper 'T' repeatedly. There will be no stopping him soon! 

I thought of Dad fondly many times on Father's Day, but sadness hadn't really been a part of it until Porter Sam and I took a walk around the neighborhood, which is something we often did during family gatherings and something I think Dad really enjoyed.  I wished he was with us...and then I remembered he was :)

Crazy Week so far…

It has been an extremely hectic week so far. Starting with our return home from a weekend away at about 9pm on Sunday night…nephew's little league game Monday…Steve's sister Deb arrived for a visit Monday night…Tuesday…family dinner…last night tried to catch up on my disaster of a house and laundry a little before Porter and I go to visit Grandma for the weekend right after work tomorrow! What a whirlwind~ Whew!!! At least I have a little relief from my biggest worry of the week…My Mom's surgery. It sounds like it went really well and prognosis for her pain relief looks hopeful! What a reliefJ

Porter has been pretty good all week, but last night didn't sleep so well – so his Dad ended up sleeping with him on the couch. I remembered a few other notable Porter milestones that I didn't mention and noticed a few new ones:

• He has been reaching out to be picked up pretty consistently for a few weeks now!
  
• Like I said, he is doing a lot of jabbering…including a lot of "LA LA LA LA LA, DA DA DA DA etc", I swear I almost got him to say his dog's name 2 nights ago…."Ollllliiiiie"
  
• We got him to do a little waving good-bye yesterday at the sitter's….not sure yet if he knows what he is doing, but it is a start!
  
• I forgot to mention his mastery of the zerbert sound….he is a big fan and has been for the better part of a month, I would guess. It hasn't stopped entertaining him yet – not gonna lie we are a little worried ;)
  

Porter has had the chance to spend a little time with his Aunt Deb this week. She lives in Arkansas so has only met him one other time when he was pretty little. So it is great that she has the chance to get to know him right now when his little personality is emerging!

Steve and I are hoping to get the chance to play sand volleyball tonight…it has been a pretty rainy season so far and this week hasn't been an exception, I am afraidL

Dad and Mom

Dad passed away 3 months ago today, on the 16^th of March. Seeing it in writing is hard as I have found the hardest thing about adjusting to the loss of him is forgetting that he is gone and having to remember, over and over.

It doesn't seem right that the world just didn't stop in semi-permanent pause that night…but even in the wake of such a loss - the world doesn't wait around for you to be ready. So we keep on with the daily business of life, with only pictures, wonderful memories and his voice on the answering machine when I happen to miss Mom when I call – as his physical presence. We all miss him so much!


I have stolen this picture from my brother's blog as it is one of my most vivid and fond memories of my Dad. He loved to sit in that very spot, night after night at the house I grew up in – always accompanied by our dog, Magi.

On this three month anniversary I am thinking of my Mom. Not only has it been a long 3 months of adjustment to losing Dad, but she has been in a great deal of pain for some time as well. She will be having hip replacement surgery later this morning. I pray that she has a successful surgery, a quick recovery and that this eases her physical pain, at the very least - and maybe help her move forward in a positive direction.

We are going to try this again…starting now!

Porter is going to be 7 months already this coming Saturday (June 19^th – on Uncle Bruce's Birthday)!

Having him added to our life has been a big adjustment and a wonderful gift! He started out his life with a lot of tummy trouble…probably would be considered colic and has been battling a lot of ear infections for the first months of his life. This made him a pretty inconsistent, a little grumpy and not an excellent sleeper. These things together made our shift to parenthood a little less magical than we had hoped.

Now that he is feeling better most of the time and we have been able to get to know this mostly happy little guy that is so quickly developing quite a charming little personality and we are starting to get our bearings. Teething even only seems to bother him for short bouts at a time.

Big Porter happenings right now:

• Porter has his second front bottom tooth now poking through that is quite apparent when he flashes a big goofy grin!
  


• He rolls over with ease
  


• He is not crawling yet, but is very strong and stands up with support for long periods of time
  


• He is sitting up alone very well…though he still loses his balance from time to time (and has been for a few weeks now)
  


• Is eating all sorts of puréed fruits, vegetables and some meats and several types of cereal
  


• Is 22 lbs and some change….he has been eating VERY well, but is now slowing down, so we think he is just finishing up a little growth spurt
  


• Loves his Rainforest Jumperoo…which is a free standing jumper – which provides hours of entertainment and exercise…very fun to watch!
  


• Chatters, coos and mimics all of the time…he has been known to return a drawn out "Hiiiiiii" from time to time
  


• Has a beautifully contagious giggle
  


• Has acquired a new very throaty horse giggle lately he likes to try out lately that unfortunately makes him cough that unfortunately makes him hurl from time to time
  


• Just had his first weekend away from Mom and Dad – Grandma Foley and Aunt Julie were kind enough to take excellent care of him while we took a quick trip to celebrate our 6^th anniversary (and try to get some sleepJ)
  

The Petersens Visit :) and Porter's very 1st kids Birthday Party and Carousel ride !!!

Kerry, Chelsea, Sawyer and Sophie came to visit this past weekend! We thought about going to the zoo, but a storm was blowing in so we settled for lunch and a quick stop at the play area at the near-by mall.  It didn't really matter where we were it was fun to catch up and see the kids!  They are so stinking cute and changing so fast :) Love them!

Porter is already flirting with his girlfriend Sophie:)

After we left them we headed off to Celebrate our friend Amy's little Calvin's Birthday!  I unfortunately didn't get any pictures of Calvin - since he was out playing, but Porter got to hang out with Sophie's competition, Chloe and meet a few new friends!  It is so fun to see him start to interact with other little kids!