Baby Miles Six Months Pictures

I realize this is an overload of pictures, but it was difficult to choose just a few to post, and like I have said before, the lady who lost her home to fire, only had the pictures on her blog, so I don't feel bad about it.

Sweet Julie took his newborns, and I asked her to do his six months, (he won't be six months till the 15th but she was going to be gone and I wanted them BEFORE he was six months-and perfect timing me wanted to post them on my blog when he was SIX months, but I couldn't wait and my mom really wanted to see them!) and she will be doing his 1yr, 2 yr and 3yr and sadly we won't be here for his 4 yr or she would be doing those!

I love her pictures, they are simple and just the views I want of my baby-real life.

www.wahoomoments.com Lubbock Photographer

If you go to her website under portraits you will see Miles nakee noo noo in front of a guitar. So cute.

She didn't disappoint this time!

But Miles is a good model.

I really wanted some Mommy and Me moments with him. Just natural real life things I do with him.

And we got it.

I have officially decided that he gets his squinty smile eyes from me.

I didn't do this with the newborns because I was just not feeling it.

But this time I gave up my care and went for it...

Despite my feelings of 'still don't look how I want to, six months post baby'.

But I have kinda accepted that I will never be a bikini model.

I LOVE this basket, he was grouchy and I took his clothes off and put him in this and he was loving it.

May have helped that I was singing every song and dancing like crazy in front of him.

He was sitting and loving every minute of this basket and then he just wooop

Pulled himself up and almost capsized the ship.

This is the same blanket and basket that we used for his newborns, I tried to use a lot of the same props.

Here is the blanket and basket in his newborns.

Precious...

And I'm sentimental like that.

My mom gave us this stacker toy, and I thought it would be an awesome way to show how busy body he is.

And I was right.

Cannot stop.

Gotta get it.

Reaching and reaching.

My wonderful aunt gave me these, and they are colorful balls that he loves.

And I love how he puts everything to his mouth.

Thats our stage right now.

Another true to life is the drool constantly all over him.

I love it, and I love that you can see it all over his chest and moobs.

I didn't think he was that chubby until I looked at these pictures.

He's turning into quite the porker.

But we like em fat!

More to love.

Brad is constantly putting his big hat on him, so I thought it would be cute to get some adorable pictures of it.

And these are my favorite I think..

He loves the hat so much.

And can take it off in a second and play with it.

I set it over there and he tried to get it.

And he reached and reached.

Then he got up on his hands and knees from sitting position (which he just started doing).

Then he crashed on his face and cried and cried. So we changed props.

My mom also got me these vintage blocks.

Which make for an adorable decoration in his room and picture!

He always throws his arms back when he is excited, and I love that she caught that!

This is the bear Brad gave me when we were first dating (like first month of knowing each other)

and its really cheezy to give a girl a bear, but he won it with Chelsea playing some game in Reno, NV on their way to CA for Thanksgiving.

It will probably make every photo shoot now.

Oh Mr. Miles, six months and you are just a whole new baby.

This is THE PERFECT example of him. He gets something, grunts, makes this face and tries to attack it with his mouth. He is a siberian tiger. Or a dragon ripping up its prey. Okay..its just a bball.

Same mitt and baseball...

Same blankie from his newborns. To me he looks nothing like himself in this newborn and he looks redheaded!

We could have just thrown anything in there and he would have been adorable I'm pretty sure.

Who knew a blankie could make a baby so CUTE.

This is true to life, he loves chewing on everything and anything.

I think this is my favorite picture. He was looking up at me with that adorable face.

Mom seriously, stop.

Okay mom, that is just disgusting.

Get used to it Mr. Miles.

PINCH ME.

Had to get him naked, just like his newborns!!!

And here we go with more of my favorites.

Love his bum.

Chelsea made this adorable quilt for him. And these are so perfect.

Irresistible. 

Here we go with Sentimental Mom again.

I have to.

He loves any type of ball. (Notice my name on the ball..haha)

He fell again trying to get the ball, and he started to cry and we were all done, but I really wanted to see that face forever, so I asked Julie to keep going.

So glad I did.

I know its a little mean.

But I couldn't help it.

That face will now forever be mine.

I didn't want to forget it. It breaks my heart but makes me smile at the same time.

Love you Miles. Stop growing up so fast.

And I can hear you singing in your crib, which means your nap is over and I'll come get you before the singing turns to crying.

Meet My Siblings Day 4: Meet Ammon

So last time I did this...I posted every consecutive day..but seriously don't make me do that again.

So as I sit here and eat my graham cracker DRENCHED in nutella, I decided I am ready to do this one. This might me my hardest sibling to do...because #1 how do I get you to TRULY understand this sibling. It's difficult but as Ammon's favorite sister-he told me- Just kidding he didn't-because he can't really talk- I feel like I can sum him up. Or try to. When he was a baby I saw him for the first time in a room we call the Piano room now, he was in his car seat and I fell in love immediately.

At night when I heard him crying I would run to his room and rock him back to sleep or get him a bottle. He was the sweetest little thing. 

Can a person be hard to love? Can a person make life harder?

Can a person make life harder but more meaningful at the same time?

Ask my parents.

Ammon is number 13 child, and Ammon is autistic. 

ha! You know you hear that thrown around like it is icing on the cake.

Oh so and so is autistic.

Oh so and so just was diagnosed with autism.

Well friends...

Ammon is a whole new level of autism.

His forms of communication are:

Biting

Clawing

Scratching

Screaming

Screeching

Raptor scream

or banging his head on hard wood floor till he gets a bloody nose.

He doesn't know how to communicate so he has these above tendencies.

He knows the meaning to a lot of words, he just doesn't have the capacities or skills to communicate what he means. He is good at mimicking someone though.

I love how Brad is yelling at him to fold his arms...just so he can say our favorite thing..haha. 

He loves to streak...
Landon's wedding reception he ran through completely naked and rubbing himself....Think what you will of that.
He also has the 6th highest world score in Temple Run..some game.
He's pretty awesome.

He is getting so big, I cannot even contain him. 

I don't have a video of him freaking out-which may be the best way to understand him. But only pure strength can stop a freak out.

He was freaking out at Thanksgiving in the hot tub in AZ and some lady said, "What's wrong with him?"

I wanted to punch her.

Like seriously but instead I said, "He is handicapped, clearly."

As Ammon was tearing my hair out and biting my shoulder and I was trying to restrain him from running away and screaming in the public area.

Then she said again, "But why is he doing that-whats wrong with him."

Then I said probably ruder than I have ever talked to anyone, "He is autistic!"

Then Brad turned to her and said, "He is pretty severe."

She then asked what autism was and I learned quite quickly she was an uneducated soul.

We always joke about what Ammon will think of each of us when he can tell us in heaven.

He will say, "Mom- wasn't scared of you, you couldn't chase me or hold me down."

"Dad I was terrified of you."

"Miles I loved your baby hands and just wanted to bite them all the time, sorry about that I had a thing with biting."

I was on the phone with my mom today and Lad (Number 15) came in and said, "Mom can you PLEASE get Ammon to stop biting me?- he keeps saying, "Bite Please" and then bites me wherever!"

Oh Lad, just get over it and take the bites.

I wanted to take a picture with every sibling of mine that was home holding Miles. We knew Ammon would be tricky.

So Landon helped out-sometimes pure strength is the best thing to take with you when you have Ammon.

He kept grunting and grimmacing. And even bit Miles hand a few times.

Then a miracle happened.

And he just turned and smiled like he was a normal kid on a normal day.

We were all shocked and showed everyone.

He hardly ever looks at you or acknowledges you exist, and never smiles for the camera. And they were combo-ed. Best combo ever.

Then he went to biting his hands and grabbing Miles' hand to bite it.

We let Miles touch his face and play with him for a minute.

See how Miles is laying here? Shortly after Ammon pulled up his right hand to his mouth to bite and that put Miles in a complete choke hold. Ammon was rocking and biting all the while Miles is getting choked. But that's why we brought Landon around.

He saved Miles real quick. And we all had a quick laugh and I scooped Miles up to the rescue.

Ammon goes to a school in Utah now where the rest of my siblings go to Idaho-we live on the border.

My mom drives him everyday the distance of about 3 hours round trip.

Good mom.

He is FINALLY getting the help he needs with trained professionals.

God Bless them.

Seriously for their safety.

My mom casually tells me that several of them have been sent to the hospital from Ammon, and its a normal thing.

One lady was bit by him. And she was older so they were worried about the blood vessels or something.

Another lady was restraining him and was standing behind him with her arms around him and he dropped quickly to the floor and that put her back out and she couldn't move.

And I think all the others have just been bit by him.
But these ladies love him with all their hearts, they told my mom they put his name in the temple, and my mom constantly apologizes to them and thanks them, and they just love him.
He has his own room at school, with a swing and padded walls and there is even a rock climbing wall.

Now you think we should teach him how to not bite.

Well people always give us advice, and they are just passerbys. 

Me a Kindergarten teacher-college degree of how to teach children........

would say to you, "You take him for 15 minutes, then you will give him right back and say, sorry I ever gave you any misplaced advice."

My mom said today he took a box of lightbulbs and started crushing them all over the house.

Our house has probably hmmmm over $40,000 of damage throughout it from him.

Mostly caused by flooding and smashing and unscrewing things.
He runs away constantly, and my mom said on the other day on the phone, "Oh Ammon is running through the snow drifts barefooted again, Oh wait! He has socks on!"
Perfect, glad he is protected from frostbite by socks.
Ammon is known for just taking things off of people's plates, or their plate altogether.
At Thanksgiving dinner this year, he just sat down by me while Brad was getting a drink and just started eating Brad's food with his hands.
My mom laughed and said, "Oh sorry, Ammon get away that is Brad's plate."
Brad graciously said, "I'll get a new one, no problem."
Haha. Ammon is KING of picking at everything.

These videos I had to split up but they are just awesome..and show a tad of his frustrated side, nothing comparative to what he can do, but he gets frustrated when things are out of order, not how he wanted them to be, when he can't have or do something, or when his 'stemming' (autistic word) is interrupted. 

So he has a robotic voice, freaks out and screams and bites his hands a lot (as you can see the damage to his hands in this video)
But he against all autistic standards, loves to cuddle and be held and give kisses.
He does love to unscrew anything in sight and Brad and Landon love to joke and make fun of his crazy dancing and jumping he does, but I think he will laugh in heaven, because they are quite funny and amazing.
Sometimes he will just come and sit on my lap and be still and I talk to him like he was a little baby again, and someday, he will be able to tell me he loves me in a non robotic voice where my mom or dad tells him what to say to me.
I hate it when he gets sad, I mean his freak outs are one thing, but sometimes he gets really sad when he hurts someone during his freak outs and realizes it.
So he is in there, he is a little boy in there, its just buried really deep and really hard to find, but it does come out sometimes.
He makes us laugh, makes us stressed, makes us not be able to go to any public places without feeling like we are being scrutinized and judged, but he also makes us humble, and better, and stronger and faster for chasing him and restraining him from hurting others and himself.
He makes us be able to deal and love people who are handicapped and different.
He is somebody's brother, son, nephew, grandson, and loved one.
My mom has been through all the grieving stages of having a handicapped child, several times over again but ultimately she knows one day she will be able to have a conversation with him and he will be able to hug her and say, "I love you mom."
But until then, she will ask him to go open the garage door, and wait outside in the car in a rainstorm for 20 minutes just hoping he will actually do it...... someday mom.
We love Ammon.
And his name really is a warrior name.

Meet my siblings Day 3: Meet Ian

Ian has always been a character. He LOVES dressing up and when he was super little he would MAKE his own costumes...like he made a jedi knight costume and cut it all out himself...

He hadn't even seen star wars. Brad and I decided that only smart people obsess themselves with star wars...Hence Ian's attraction to it.

Once he wrote his letter to santa in Star Wars language which he memorized.

He was 5.

See his previous SIBLING post HERE.

(Ian Far Right)

He is very serious and intellectual, and always has important things to say.

But he is still a kid and loves Legos.

Like obsessively loves legos.

Just watch a little of THIS

And THIS

And there is FIVE parts to it...so we could go on forever. 

To see what a little cute nerd he is.

He FORCED me to film his entire star wars battle with legos...

IT was about 15 minutes long.

Then somehow I deleted it. 

He cried and cried.

Then Brad re-filmed it.

I was burnt out.

He loved playing with Miles over the Christmas break. 

He thought it was fascinating that he would eat and chew on anything within reach.

He also asked all sorts of developmental questions....

Is he walking?

When will he talk?

What does he eat?

Like he was a research project...

but that's how a lot of things go for him.

Here is cute Ian and Lad (Number 15) at Brooke's (Number 1) wedding

So lucky to get a little shot with these two comrades. 

The way Ian talks is something else. He speaks as if he is so well rounded and edified and sophisticated.

About a year ago I had him for Christmas.

First we had an email conversation

Ian's Email to me: I was wondering what Lego star wars set you were getting for me. Well I've figured out what sets I've wanted. 2258 and 2112. Thank you. That reminds me of Thanksgiving. Are you coming home? Bye!

My email back to him:

Well I already bought them so I guess u will have to wait and see, nope we are going to dallas tx to visit brads sister but we will be there for christmas!

His email back to me:

Yeah, whatever. Its good to not know your presents for Christmas. Well thank-you anyway. See you next month!
PS, 2258 and 2112 are ninja-go sets, and I corrected your letter.

(my previous email was after his email, all corrected notice how he changed you, added capitalization HAHA)

Well I already bought them so I guess you will have to wait and see, nope we are going to Dallas, TX to visit Brad's sister but we will be there for Christmas!

So that was the start of something that I never could have expected.

He then called me at least once a week to see if I had gotten it, and he then sent me a list of about 20 options for lego sets he could have.

One conversation went like this:

Me: Hello.

Ian: Hello, I was wondering if you and Brad have bought my Christmas present yet.

Me: Ian, its November 20, I still have a month.

Ian: Well I need to send you an updated list of all the ones I want. What is your budget for me? If $50.00 is too much I have included some lower priced ones, $25.00 ones, $20.00 ones..

What is your budget?

Me: Ian, I have to talk to Brad, he wanted to help choose the set we get you.

Ian: Where is he, talk to him now.

Me: Well he is playing basketball.

Ian: In this weather?

Me: No he is playing at a church.

Ian: Okay, well what is his number I will call him.

Me: Ian, he won't answer his phone and I will talk to him when he gets home and we will decide and we will buy your present and it will be a surprise to you! So stop asking me, and stop calling me.

Ian: Bye.

He is smarter than all of us put together this kid.

Over Christmas break he was telling Brad all of the body systems and what they do.

Hello? I don't even know that, and I am married to a med student and I am 24 and have a bachelors degree, and my little squirt baby brother knows it? Well who memorizes a star wars language when they are 5?

Ian used to make paper people, and he would spend all of this time drawing them and cutting them out and making them stand up, and obviously it drove my mom crazy because he used to make hundreds and he would have a full room of paper people. They were so mini like the size of a baby carrot. Now in his spare time he still builds those, and also legos is his main consumption of time.

When I was home a few times ago he asked Brad to teach him Powerpoint. He thought Brad was so smart because he is, but Brad said to him, "What? I don't even know how to use that, ask Brittany."

Ian was shocked that I knew how to use it, he thought that only SMART people could use things like that, and me being a teacher of 5 year olds, shouldn't know how to use something like Powerpoint. So I taught him and he was pretty amazed and made his own powerpoint within a few minutes.

Genius.

Because he is unique and brilliant, its so sad to me that he gets picked on at school and I was talking with his principal (because my good friend married this guy and moved back and her husband is now the Elementary Principal so we stopped by and saw him) and he said Ian is annoyed at their lack of desire to learn and they make fun of him because kids make fun of anything that is different and unique, and Ian is unique, he is creative and a designer and artistic but at the same time smart with everything else related to being scholarly...

Also, he told me some interesting things....that Ian INSISTS on being called Hans at school..

Bahahahahhahaa

So he has been called Hans at school for some time now, but at home we call him Ian and always have.

(His first name is Hans-Hans Ian Hansen.)

Oh Ian you are full of surprises.

Ian Number 14. 

Love him to pieces.