Sick Baby Update Part 1

Good morning!

                I just wanted to get a quick update up for all of those who are asking!

Please read my previous post “Sick Baby” if you haven’t already to understand what is going on.

                Oaklee went in on Monday morning for her follow up appointment. She seems to be back to normal to me and the doctor was pleased with how much she is moving and how much her attitude has changed! She requested more blood work to be done to make sure her inflammation levels were going down and to continue taking Naproxen for another four weeks and see her again.

            She called back later that day to give us the blood results and said that the inflammation levels were going down but now it showed her liver enzymes were high… Her doctor said it could be a few things like the medication she was taking or it could be another clue to whatever she has (the doctors still don’t know). She asked us to stop the medication and come in the following day (Tuesday) and get an ultrasound of her liver to make sure everything was okay and to follow up with more blood work on Thursday.

                We received the ultrasound results and everything is normal. So right now we are waiting until Thursday to see if her levels have changed since stopping the medication. I will be sure to do another update once we know more. She seems to be moving normal (I was a little nervous she would slow down after we stopped the medicine but she seems to be doing fine). It's been very stressful for us and we are so ready for it to be over! We were getting close to paying off our medical bills from Zack's surgeries from 3 years ago, Oaklee's birth and now this. It kind of seems endless but I know it will all work out. We appreciate you all taking the time to reach out and give us encouraging words. It truly means so much to me and thank you for your continued prayers. Hoping and praying for good news Thursday.

Love Always,

The Crazy Collards 

Oaklee 11 months!

Oaklee is 11 months old! How did that even happen!

Loves:

·         Crawling and following us where ever we go

·         Playing with her aunt Sadie

·         Getting to play with her cousin Declan who she calls Dec!

Dislikes:

·         Wearing bows L She rips them off in two seconds

Growth:

·         Still the same in size 12 month for tops & bottoms

·         Still in size 3 diapers

Eating:

·         We are officially done with baby food! She won’t eat it anymore! So solids all the way now!

Sleeping:

·         Sleep is still the same!

Development:

·         She seems to crawl faster and faster every day!

·         We are trying to get her to talk with us only holding one hand but she freezes and then goes back down to her butt so she can crawl. I guess she will walk when she feels ready!

Health:

·         Our family was blessed with the flu this month. (Ew) Oaklee only had it during the night, so I slept in her room and whenever she started to throw up I had to hurry and grab a towel and sit her up. She was so exhausted it was awful to watch! Luckily she was doing great by morning! Dad on the other hand got the worst of it and was sick for two days. I felt a little sick but was doing good (thank goodness for a good immune system)

Parenting:

          Oaklee has been such a sweet heart lately! She learned how to give kisses and it’s my favorite thing! She makes the little “muah” sound and everything! My heart could burst!
          She is really coming along with her sign language this last month! It’s so fun to watch people be amazed when she signs to them! It also makes our life so much easier when she can sign what she wants instead of whine!

Looking forward to:

·         Walking! I want her to walk so badly!

·         Her first birthday!

Oaklee 8 months!

Okay so I totally forgot to write Oaklee’s 8 month update. Oops!

Loves:

·            Still obsessing over dogs! Whenever she sees one she immediately says “Dog!” And also starts to sign dog.

·            She started to eat the little puff treats and loves them! Such a good treat to keep her quiet while out at dinner!

·            Still adores her daddy! He is the only one that can get her to belt out her little laugh!

Dislikes:

·            She still dislikes when you aren’t giving her your full attention.

·            Dislikes waiting for her food to be ready

Growth:

·            Currently in size 12 month

·            Wears size 3 diapers

Eating:

·            Still going strong on pumping! She gets 4-5 bottles a day!

·            Loves eating food! I am getting pretty board with the baby food selection though.

·            She loves when Grandpa Mike & Daddy sneak her treats. (Donuts, cookies, French fries & pretzels) It drives mama crazy!

·            Loves her puff & cracker treats!

Sleeping:

·            Sleeping habits are still the same. Two naps a day and sleeps through the night. Truly blessed with that.

Development: 

·            Rolls around instead of crawling

·            Can turn in circles on her tummy (so close to crawling!)

·            Can turn around in circles while sitting up

·            Can go from sitting up down to the crawling position and will start to roll

·            Can say Dog, Dad, Daddy & sometimes (almost never) mama!

Health:

·            Her two bottom teeth have grown in and it’s so adorable!

·            Eczema has been a little rough with the colder months approaching. Trying to stay on top of the lotion but she doesn’t seem to mind it much.

Parenting:

          I can’t believe how fast this year is going! Oaklee’s cousin Declan just turned one and it made me realize how fast her birthday is approaching! It’s so amazing and bittersweet to watch your child grow and develop. She is so smart and is always amazing me. 

Looking forward to:

·            Crawling

·            Walking

·            More words

·            Learning more sign language

Oaklee 7 months!

So I am only a month late but #momlife right? 

Loves:

• ·         Saying Dad, Da da & dog all day long.
• ·         Still loves rolling everywhere
• ·         Getting into everything she is not supposed to
• ·         Sitting up & playing with her toys
• ·         Eating food!
• ·         Brushing her teeth

Dislikes: 

• ·         When you ignore her. (She gets a nasty attitude) 

Growth:

• ·         Currently in size 3 diapers
• ·         9-12 month clothing!

Eating:

• ·         Oaklee is LOVING solids! She prefers vegetables over fruit though which I think is crazy but hoping that she enjoys vegetables for a long time!
• ·         Her current favorite is sweet potatoes!
• ·         I still pump so she is still getting 3-4 bottles a day

Sleeping:

• ·         Still going strong! The only down side is the time change. She usually wakes up at 6 because that is the time we get up for work but with the time change she now wakes up at 5. We just give her a bottle and she will play in her crib until 7.

Development:

• ·       Can now sit up by herself

  ·         She can go from sitting up down to her back or belly

  ·         She doesn’t seem to want to crawl because she gets around everywhere she wants by rolling

  ·         She can now clap and wave!

  ·         She knows how to sign more & all gone!

  ·         Says Dad, dog, Dada & rarely mamma. We will ask her to say mamma and she will go “Dad”. Zack thinks it’s hilarious!

  ·         Funny story! Oaklee loves watching Super Why, so sometimes when we are getting ready in the morning we will turn it on! Zack and I were eating breakfast at the kitchen table & on this episode they found the letter “R” and asked, “What letter is this?” I kid you not Oaklee said R! Zack and I looked at each other like, “did you just hear what I heard!?”

  
  

  I’m sure it was just a coincidence but it was so funny! 
  
  
  

  Health:

  
  

  ·         Her two bottom teeth are growing and look so adorable on her!

  
  

  ·         She developed excezma last month and the doctor recommended some hydrocortisone cream which completely took care of it! I am just trying to keep up with her every day lotion and once a week I give her an oatmeal bath! 

Parenting:

 I love watching Oaklee’s personality grow! She is such a spunky, sassy little girl! Some days she gives mom a run for her money! That girl has a little attitude! This month was so fun watching her catch on to sign language and words! She is so smart and we love showing our family all the new things she learns!

I’d also like to say that Oaklee reach 1,000 followers on Instagram! Woot woot! I am loving the brand repping community! It’s be so fun to capture all these amazing pictures of Oaklee!

We also went camping this month and took Oaklee on an 8 mile hike which took us 6 hours! She did so amazing! Zack carried her the entire time like a champ! 

Looking forward to:

·         Learning to Crawl

·         Learning more signs

·         Saying more words

·         Walking 

Oaklee 6 Months

How is my baby HALF A YEAR old! Crying all the mama tears I have!! It is going by so fast I can't believe it! 

 Loves:

• Rolling around the house like a mad woman
• Her swing
• Playing with Daddy
• Pick-A-Boo
• Giving high fives
• Her fur siblings

Dislikes:

• Being put down
• When you don't give her enough attention
• Teething

Growth:

• 25th percentile for weight (15lbs 8oz.)
• 90th percentile for height (27in.)
• Currently wearing size 3 diapers
• 9 month clothing

Eating:

• I still pump so she is getting breast milk regularly 
• 32-35oz a day
• We started solids this month! She loves it! She has been wanting to eat for so long! 
• So far she has tried; Rice cereal, Bananas, Mangos & Potatoes. 

Sleeping:

• Still has her regular schedule. Sleeps through the night and two naps during the day

Development:

• Just starting sitting up!
• Instead of crawling she just rolls where ever she needs to go!
• She gives hi fives!
• She can say "Da da"! (She knows what it means because when you ask where da da is she looks for Zack. 

Health:

• Both of her bottom two teeth popped out in like a day I swear! 
• We found out that she has ezcema on her back. It doesn't seem to bother her but if I don't keep up on the lotion it gets pretty bad! 
• She had a horrible reaction to her immunization shots this month! It was awful! She had a horrible fever and was screaming from the moment she woke up to the moment she went to bed! Luckily it only lasted for one day but it made me nervous!

Parenting:

This month has been a bit of a challenge! Oaklee has been teething and she is not afraid to show that she is upset! She's been very upset and will cry until you pick her up! She also figured out that if she just keeps crying someone will eventually come and get her (little stinker). We are trying to nip that one in the butt fast! 
It is always such a joy to watch your baby grow and learn new things! She is so smart and just seems to advance at a pace we can't keep up with! 
I love to watch how she lights up when the dogs enter the room. She adores them, and they just love her right back! 

Looking forward to:

• Trying more foods
• Having a break from teething
• Crawling
• Learning more words

Isla Ann Inspirations

Happy Hump day everyone! I hope this week is treating you well! Today I have another fun post for all you mamas with girls! I am really trying to get small shopping out there. It really is the best and I promise you will love it!

Oaklee and I are so lucky to be able to work with Isla Ann Inspirations! This little shop has some of the cutest bows around!

As you can probably tell, I am obsessed with the "Sailor" style! I think it's the perfect size for O and comes in so many different patterns and colors! It can bring ANY outfit together!

Each bow is so well made and I've never had a problem with anything I've purchased! It ships quick and is always packaged so nicely! And the pricing is AMAZING! I find that when people think of "shopping small" then also think "expensive", which is not the case! You can find such quality items for great pricing!

The shop owner is the sweetest and is always making sure to go above and beyond for her awesome customers!

I am always so impressed with these hard working moms who have this dream and it's so rewarding to be able to help them reach their goals! They are so inspiring to me and I appreciate them so much! Shopping small is so important to me and I really enjoy seeing how truly talented these people are!

Please be sure to check out this cute shop! Each week I will be featuring a new small shop in the hopes that you will venture out of comfort zone and search for something new!

BONUS: Use code "OAKLEE15" at checkout for a discount! 

Cool Gray Sailor

Grape Sailor

Floral Corduroy

Until next time.

Love Always,
The Crazy Collards

Oaklee 5 Months

This has been such an exciting month for us! Full of so many opportunities for this little gal of mine!

 Loves:

• ·         Growling & screaming. She is such a loud little talker!
• ·         Being tickled by Daddy
• ·         The dogs. She LOVES dogs but seems to have a fascination with Harlee. She gets the biggest smile whenever Harlee enters the room
• ·         Taking pictures. I take pictures of her daily & I think she just knows when the cameras out its time to shine!
• ·         Holding her fingers in her mouth with her other hand. See example below. It’s so stinkin cute!
• ·         Her bottle. Her eyes get so big as soon as she sees that thing!

 Dislikes:

• ·         When you don’t give her your full attention
• ·         When you don’t feed her right away when she’s hungry

  Growth:

• ·         Currently size 2 diapers but once this pack is finished we will be moving up      to size 3.
• ·         Wears 6 month onsies and pants
• ·         Wears 9 month footie jammies

 Eating:

• ·         Takes about 5 oz. every 2-3 hours during the day still
• ·         30-32 oz. a day

Sleeping:

• ·         Still sleeping like a champ!

Development:

• ·         Still being a rolly polly
• ·         Getting really good with her hands while playing with toys
• ·         We’ve been practicing sitting up more
• ·         When laying on her belly she is starting to get her butt up and pushing with      her legs
• ·         If she isn’t sleeping she is talking away

Health:

• ·         She’s starting to teeth so lots of drool everywhere

Parenting:

Being a parent can be so hard sometimes. I have serious “mom guilt” about a lot of things in my life right now. For example, I work full time and feel like I don’t get to play and enjoy a lot of alone time with O. And then when I get home I need to make sure my family is fed and the house is clean and by that time it's Oaklee’s bed time. Does anyone else feel this way? I really want to spend my time wisely this next month.

I started having Oaklee be a Brand Rep & Brand Enthusiast on Instagram recently and it’s been a blast for me! I really enjoy doing it and the opportunities it has given Oaklee and I! I enjoy working with all these amazing small businesses and helping them grow! I’m debating on doing a post on how I got started but I’m not sure yet, let me know if you’d be interested!

Looking forward to:

• ·         Sitting up
• ·         Crawling (a little afraid that she can get around on her own)
• ·         Eating solids (again a little afraid)
• ·         Spending more quality time with O