Namesake

This blog is for Van. Hopefully one day (maybe not until he's 40) he'll want to know the stories of himself as a baby and our family as we navigated this foreign land that is parenthood. And if there is one thing I want him to know, it is the story of his name. Van, just like his mama, is named in honor of his Great Grandmother, Katharine Van Hoogen Sweeney. Van Hoogen was my grandma's maiden name and the nickname of her own father, my great grandfather. Words cannot describe what this woman meant to me and our entire family. She was the anchor - and in many ways, even after her death still is.

Yesterday, our family gathered as it was the one year anniversary of her passing. Seems completely surreal that a year had gone by and even more surreal to think of all that has happened since then, mainly the birth of Van. Even now, just thinking about the fact that she hasn't been here for his life leaves me with a giant lump in my throat. And yet, I was reminded yesterday by my Papa of what a gift the time we did have with her was. Six and a half years prior to her leaving us she was given a diagnosis that held little hope for her to survive even six months. Cancer. Cancer, that was so bad the doctors suggested she not fight it and just enjoy the little time she had left. However, being the woman of faith that she was (that is understatement) she fought. In return, God granted her (and us) not six months, but six years. Nothing short of a miracle. I say all this, because while I grieve daily for her and so often feel like we all got the raw end of a bad deal, loosing her so soon and just a few short months before the birth of her first great grandbaby, in reality we were given a true gift to have her for so many more years. For that I am eternally grateful.

There is no way for me to adequately describe the character of this amazing woman and the impact she made on everyone who was fortunate enough to know her. Yet, for as long as I have breath in me I will try to do justice to her life and ensure that Van knows of the incredible person for whom he is named.

9: The Months Just Keep Rolling...

Our little man is now 9 months old! Saying that feels so strange, but it's true. At his nine month check up Van weighed in at 17lbs 14oz (10th percentile) and was 28 inches long (41st percentile). He's still a little peanut but he's definitely a longer peanut. Up until now he's always been around the 15-20th percentile for length. Looks like a little growth spurt occurred over these past couple months! He is the best and we love him. This past month has brought new developments and changes and couple of challenges, but in the end the joy outweighs it all. Here's the latest happenings of our boy, Van:

1) For a couple months now I've tried to work with Van on picking up his food and eating it. Shortly after turning 8 months old something clicked in that little (but brilliant) brain of his and he figured it out! He now loves to eat his little treats all by himself. Another sign that our baby is becoming less of a baby. Now, if I could just get him to decide he wants to hold his bottle too :)

2) More teeth! Little guy has two more teeth, taking the grand total up to four! The latest two are on top and look more like man teeth than baby teeth. It scares me.

3) Loving music. It seems that recently Van has really come to notice more of his surroundings and especially sounds. He now loves all his little toys that make music or noise and when they start playing he looks up at you with the cutest grin ever, like he just accomplished something amazing.

4) I should have put this at number one, because it's clearly the most important, but Van now says "mama"!! Even though he hasn't figured out what it means, it still gives me the most incredible feeling every time I hear it. Music to my ears. Along with that, he is becoming more and more verbal and when he babbles on and on to you it genuinely feels like he's trying to communicate with you. I think we have a chatty kathy on our hands.

5) The social butterfly. For a long time Van seemed like a pretty reserved, quiet, and maybe even shy little man. That has all changed this past month. Suddenly, he has become an attention hog. This kid loves to be the center of attention and will smile for any and everyone. If he thinks he has your attention he will do whatever it takes to keep it, be that chattering up a storm, giving you one of his yummy smiles, or swinging his little arms and legs all over the place. Taking him to a restaurant (or anywhere) has certainly gotten interesting. My son is the flirt of all flirts. I'm in trouble.

6) Little sickie. For the first 8 months of his life we were so fortunate as Van didn't get more than a little cold here or there. That all changed this past month. Poor little man has had it a little rough (and so have mom and dad). He had his first "real" fever a couple weeks ago. His temperature hit nearly 104 for a couple days. It was so sad, but did give mom some extra cuddle time. And now he has his first ear infection. However, given my family and our history of ear infections, I'm pretty shocked he lasted this long before getting one. Despite it all, he is still such a happy boy and never fails to put a smile our faces. We sure do have a tough little guy.

On another note, we received some concerning news at Van's 9 month appointment, I'm not really sure how to explain it, but I'll do my best. Van is not quite as mobile as many of his little friends and I know not all babies crawl but something has always seemed a little off to me about it. He also doesn't stand well on his own (he can with help) and he doesn't take steps (even with help). Once his little feet are on the ground it's like they are glued there. His pediatrician expressed a little concern about this when we were discussing it. She had him stand so that she could see for herself and noticed that his feet are shaped inward and are very flat (no wonder I can never get any shoes on him). She said this is definitely something that may correct itself on it's own but if he is not making much improvement in the area of his mobility in the next couple of months we will need to take him to an orthopedic specialist. I'm not sure what the result of all that would be but we would just have to go from there. I know there is so much worse that he could have to face in life and know of families whose babies have had to endure much more difficult challenges. None the less, this is my baby and the thought of him having to face any hardship truly breaks my heart - especially at such a young age. If you are the praying type, we just ask that you please keep Van and his little feet in your prayers. He is such an unbelievable little person and no matter what challenge he may face we can't imagine life without him and are grateful beyond words to have been chosen to be his parents.