4 months old

September 25, 2010-  A quarter of a year has passed already for our little guy.  This month Brazos has really started to laugh and smile and settle into a somewhat predictable routine. 

But we've still been battling reflux.  And thrush- he's had his third or maybe fourth round of it.  The medicine prescribed for it works great to get rid of it but then it comes back a week or two after it goes away.  We sterilize everything with a standard bottle sterilizer but have even begun to boil everything at least once a week. 

For now we've switched from the hypo-allergenic (translation: expensive!) formula back to a "gentle/sensitive" formula.  But we're still not sure if he has a sensitivity to milk protein so we may be back on a hypo-allergenic formula again. 

And he got his first immunization at his 4-month well baby visit.  With all the issues Brazos is having and the paranoia from reading too much and talking to too many moms of toddlers I'm doing a delayed vaccination schedule with him.

As for baby food, applesauce and pears seem to be his favorites.  Still not a big fan of peaches but bananas are good.  And we've started with vegetables- squash and sweet potatoes so far. 

Brazos is still wearing 3-6 month clothes, but barely!  I'm sure he'll be moving up a size in the next month.  Still in a size 3 diaper and not sure what shoe size because I've yet to put any one him- he sometimes wears socks but mainly goes barefoot everywhere!

Here's the stats from his 4-month well baby visit:

Weight: 16.5 pounds (77%tile)

Height:  26.75 inches (94%tile)

Head Circumference: 42.5 cm (55%tile)

Wanted to capture him at 4 months old so we had some quick portraits done:

the cowboy and the butterfly

September 24, 2010- The Fredericksburg Mothers of Pre-Schoolers (MOPS) group visited the Butterfly Haus at Wildseed Farms.  Despite numerous trips to Wildseed Farms for plants, gifts and bluebonnet seeds I'd never taken the time to go through the butterfly section.  But since the weather was nice and the friendly folks at Wildseed Farms let us go through it for free I thought it'd be fun to do.  It was really neat to see so many of them flying around and landing all over the place. 

One even landed right on Pecos' cowboy hat.  Actually, Oma was with us and she was taking a photo of me and the boys.  As soon as she took our photo and was walking toward us to give the camera back we noticed this butterfly landing on Pecos' hat.  "BE STILL- DON'T MOVE," I declared!  Oma snapped a photo as fast as she could before the butterfly decided manure and dirt didn't make such a good snack after all.

It just so happens that Wildseed Farms had recently received a shipment of pumpkins, gourds and various other typical fall harvest items.  Oma told Pecos he could pick out one for him and one for Brazos to "put by his door" to decorate for fall.  She meant the door to our house.  Pecos thought she meant the door to his room, so that is where he put them.  And that is where they shall stay!

labor day

September 4-6, 2010- Labor Day weekend was packed with fun for the Worrell's.  Harper has their annual community gathering, Frontier Days.  It is a day of fun in the park with plenty of kid friendly fun, followed by a parade, BBQ meal and rodeo. 

We started the day at the kid's fishing contest at the creek/tank in the park.  They stock it with fish a week or so prior to the event and hope the water level holds and the fish survive.  Pecos was in the first group to fish- the 5 and younger crowd.  So Casey baited up the Lightning McQueen rod and reel and hoped for a big one.  But there was no 5 pound bass, just a few nibbles and nothing for him to catch.  But one kid did land a fairly large catfish so we know they are out there!

Brazos was still feeling the pain of reflux and an upset digestive system so he stayed close to me for the most part.

I was in charge of the stick horse rodeo which was fun for the younger kids.  And we managed to have a successful rodeo with lots of participants but no photos!  Pecos and Brownie had a few good runs and came out first in the barrels and flag race but a late start put them third in the horse races.

Pecos enjoyed the parade; Brazos, not so much.  

Finally, on Labor Day, Casey was in Kansas ultrasounding cattle at Gardiner Angus so the boys and I had a picnic in "the shady spot" down in the pasture.  Pecos and I always talk about what a nice place that would be to have a picnic because it is shady and there are no rocks.  So we penned the horses and heifers and enjoyed our picnic.