I was just reading through the last entry and I can't believe how much has happened since then. He seems like such a different kid. He is very close to crawling. In the past couple of weeks he has realized he enjoys spending time on his belly and rolls and pivots across the room. A couple of times he has gotten on his toes in push up position and he's working on getting his knees under himself so I'm sure it won't be long now before he's officially mobile.
Christmas was so much fun. Busy, but fun. We spent the night out at my uncle's house and D opened up some pretty cool toys (including a big CAT dump truck he can ride at some point; he liked honking the horn). Then my mom came down and spent the week. As usual, Christmas eve was spent with family but this year we were at the new Drakes house. Then Christmas morning we opened up gifts at home before heading back over to Drakes for more fun. Danny got quite a pile of new toys and some clothes and it seems like his favorite so far is this $8 Baby Einstein music toy that he can just lay back and hold on to. My dad came over in the afternoon with more presents (we all got the most awesome sweatshirts and they match!). Then it was back out to Randy's family's house for dinner. Whew! Danny did great. He got overwhelmed and overstimulated but seemed to really enjoy seeing all the family. He even showed off his new dance moves and did his best to crawl.
What else? Not much else new really. He is just a moblie-ish guy now moving around on the floor. His personality has really just blossomed. He smiles all the time and makes silly faces. Loves loves loves being scared. Boo! He started clapping earlier this week too. Oh and he's up to eating 3 ice cube servings of veggies at night and enjoying more grains and fruits in the morning. Okay, so I guess there is newness after all.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
8 months old!
I know I say this every month, but it's true. I can't believe he is 8 months old already?! Where has the time gone? No seriously, where has it gone? It is amazing to see how much he has changed in such a short period of time. This past month was full of new things.
He now has 2 bottom teeth and I'm sure there's another one trying to come through. At least that's what we and everyone else blames on fussiness. I sure hope I haven't lost my laid back baby to the tooth monster. Some nights he just screams for no apparent reason and no matter what we do it seems like he's not happy. So, we blame it on constipation and/or teething. Things we can't see and can't really seem to do much about other than give Tylenol and teething rings (which he isn't a huge fan of).
I should mention the Tylenol thing..sometimes it seems to have a placebo effect. He will be screaming his head off and nothing else is working and then as soon as that dropper comes near his mouth he's all excited and then happy as a clam (what does that even mean?). Anyway, I digress.
He's still practicing sitting up and seems to enjoy this new way to play with the same old toys (thank goodness Christmas is coming..he is just SO bored of his current toys. well, not really, I'm just sayin'). He is not a fan of falling back. When we are in the living room where there is hardwood floor, I usually try to guide his fall so he isn't really falling. But when we are on carpet I've let him lose his balance a few times and he "hits" his head on the carpet. Boy screams louder (after he stops breathing for a few seconds because of how upset he is) than when he gets shots. I think it just scares him. Although, last night he rolled from his belly to his back and his head kinda landed loud on the hardwood floor and he started to get upset but when we didn't react, he was fine!
Eating is going well. He still nurses 5-6x a day. Sometimes on both sides, sometimes just on one, but in either case he has gotten much more efficient. He usually finishes up in 10-15 minutes. And he's really enjoying solids, especially vegetables. He's up to eating 2 ice cube servings of veggies now. Sweet Potatoes and Peas are his favorites.
He is no where near crawling yet. This is most likely because he hates being on his stomach and so doesn't spend much time practicing that development. He does love to stand though. Loves being in his exersaucer and being carried around in the ergo. We recently put him on my back so that it would be easier for me to do stuff around the house and he liked it so much he fell asleep!
He continues to sleep 10-11 hours at night. Naps are going okay. When I'm home he usually (not always, last week was a nightmare) goes down once in the morning and then late morning/early afternoon and sleeps for about 30-40 minutes in his crib. The rest of the day is hit or miss. Sometimes he'll nap in the car if we are out. The late evening is his toughest time though. He wakes from his last nap around 4ish and doesn't go to bed until 8:30ish, so there should be a nap in between there, but instead, he'd rather have us carry him around or cry and fuss which makes dinner time a little stressful.
He doesn't say any words yet but does say a lot of "ooohhh" which is cute. And he babbles a lot, but he's always been pretty chatty. He gets that from his Daddy.
Other than that we are just getting ready for Christmas! We'll be going shopping next weekend and I hope to get things wrapped and done so I'm not out running around at the last minute like I am every year.
He now has 2 bottom teeth and I'm sure there's another one trying to come through. At least that's what we and everyone else blames on fussiness. I sure hope I haven't lost my laid back baby to the tooth monster. Some nights he just screams for no apparent reason and no matter what we do it seems like he's not happy. So, we blame it on constipation and/or teething. Things we can't see and can't really seem to do much about other than give Tylenol and teething rings (which he isn't a huge fan of).
I should mention the Tylenol thing..sometimes it seems to have a placebo effect. He will be screaming his head off and nothing else is working and then as soon as that dropper comes near his mouth he's all excited and then happy as a clam (what does that even mean?). Anyway, I digress.
He's still practicing sitting up and seems to enjoy this new way to play with the same old toys (thank goodness Christmas is coming..he is just SO bored of his current toys. well, not really, I'm just sayin'). He is not a fan of falling back. When we are in the living room where there is hardwood floor, I usually try to guide his fall so he isn't really falling. But when we are on carpet I've let him lose his balance a few times and he "hits" his head on the carpet. Boy screams louder (after he stops breathing for a few seconds because of how upset he is) than when he gets shots. I think it just scares him. Although, last night he rolled from his belly to his back and his head kinda landed loud on the hardwood floor and he started to get upset but when we didn't react, he was fine!
Eating is going well. He still nurses 5-6x a day. Sometimes on both sides, sometimes just on one, but in either case he has gotten much more efficient. He usually finishes up in 10-15 minutes. And he's really enjoying solids, especially vegetables. He's up to eating 2 ice cube servings of veggies now. Sweet Potatoes and Peas are his favorites.
He is no where near crawling yet. This is most likely because he hates being on his stomach and so doesn't spend much time practicing that development. He does love to stand though. Loves being in his exersaucer and being carried around in the ergo. We recently put him on my back so that it would be easier for me to do stuff around the house and he liked it so much he fell asleep!
He continues to sleep 10-11 hours at night. Naps are going okay. When I'm home he usually (not always, last week was a nightmare) goes down once in the morning and then late morning/early afternoon and sleeps for about 30-40 minutes in his crib. The rest of the day is hit or miss. Sometimes he'll nap in the car if we are out. The late evening is his toughest time though. He wakes from his last nap around 4ish and doesn't go to bed until 8:30ish, so there should be a nap in between there, but instead, he'd rather have us carry him around or cry and fuss which makes dinner time a little stressful.
He doesn't say any words yet but does say a lot of "ooohhh" which is cute. And he babbles a lot, but he's always been pretty chatty. He gets that from his Daddy.
Other than that we are just getting ready for Christmas! We'll be going shopping next weekend and I hope to get things wrapped and done so I'm not out running around at the last minute like I am every year.
Monday, November 23, 2009
sitting on a tooth?
I can't believe it's been almost a month since I wrote the last entry! Lots of cool newness this past month.
Danny turned 7 months on 11/7 and just a few days shy of that he sat up on his own! Just all of a sudden..BAM! Look at me! Of course this was about 4 days after we just took family pictures and he couldn't yet sit up for those. Oh well! So anyways, the sitting up. We were hanging in his room and I sat him down to practice and I let go and there he sat, for a good 10 seconds. Kona was right there and D was reaching out to touch her..cute!
For Halloween he was a monkey! So freaking cute! I took some time off that night and we hung out. Nothing exciting, but I enjoy being home on a Saturday night and hanging with my boys.
Then almost a week ago D got his first tooth! He had been super fussy the previous days but it was nothing noteworthy, just normal evening fuss bus. Then the next morning (I think Wednesday) I reached in his mouth and there was a tooth! At least for all that pain he has something to show for it now! Since he cut that tooth, he's been in a more pleasant mood. I was starting to think I was losing my mild mannered child forever since teething goes on forever.
Hmmm..let's see, what else? I'm making D's baby food which I'm pretty proud of. It's way easier than I thought it would be and he really seems to like it (well, except for green beans). He even likes peas! So far he's had applesauce, pears, bananas, peas, sweet potatoes, avocado, butternut squash and green beans. He's only had green beans once and he about gagged himself so I'm guessing he's not so much a fan. We'll keep trying though! He's now eating about 2tsp of oatmeal mixed with about 1-2 tbs of fruit in the morning and then 2 ice cube sized portions of veggie.
Nursing is going okay. I've been having what I thought were supply issues this month. The problem seems to be that my pump had a problem which then led to a supply problem which I'm hopeful is improving. When I'm home he nurses 5-6x a day. Still both sides in the AM and PM and usually just one side for about 5-10 minutes the rest of the time. He has really become more efficient. It used to take me 40-60 minutes sometimes in the morning for one feeding. I'm loving all the extra time I have now!
He continues to sleep about 10-11 hours per night and he handled the time change surprisingly well. Although some nights he is ready to pass out at 7:30 and then other nights, like tonight (it's 8:48) he's chatting up a storm in there. He usually wakes up about 6:30. Naps have gone well this week, although I wish they were longer. The good news is that he's been taking them in his crib! WooHoo!
So that's the latest and greatest. Of course he continues to be the cutest baby in the world and is just doing so many new little things all the time. He talks talks talks all the time. No words or anything that sound like words but boy does he babble and sing. He smiles a TON but makes us work kinda hard for laughs. He loves standing. He can pull himself up while just holding on to our fingers. Not a fan of tummy time so my guess is he may skip the crawling all together. Who knows?!
Danny turned 7 months on 11/7 and just a few days shy of that he sat up on his own! Just all of a sudden..BAM! Look at me! Of course this was about 4 days after we just took family pictures and he couldn't yet sit up for those. Oh well! So anyways, the sitting up. We were hanging in his room and I sat him down to practice and I let go and there he sat, for a good 10 seconds. Kona was right there and D was reaching out to touch her..cute!
For Halloween he was a monkey! So freaking cute! I took some time off that night and we hung out. Nothing exciting, but I enjoy being home on a Saturday night and hanging with my boys.
Then almost a week ago D got his first tooth! He had been super fussy the previous days but it was nothing noteworthy, just normal evening fuss bus. Then the next morning (I think Wednesday) I reached in his mouth and there was a tooth! At least for all that pain he has something to show for it now! Since he cut that tooth, he's been in a more pleasant mood. I was starting to think I was losing my mild mannered child forever since teething goes on forever.
Hmmm..let's see, what else? I'm making D's baby food which I'm pretty proud of. It's way easier than I thought it would be and he really seems to like it (well, except for green beans). He even likes peas! So far he's had applesauce, pears, bananas, peas, sweet potatoes, avocado, butternut squash and green beans. He's only had green beans once and he about gagged himself so I'm guessing he's not so much a fan. We'll keep trying though! He's now eating about 2tsp of oatmeal mixed with about 1-2 tbs of fruit in the morning and then 2 ice cube sized portions of veggie.
Nursing is going okay. I've been having what I thought were supply issues this month. The problem seems to be that my pump had a problem which then led to a supply problem which I'm hopeful is improving. When I'm home he nurses 5-6x a day. Still both sides in the AM and PM and usually just one side for about 5-10 minutes the rest of the time. He has really become more efficient. It used to take me 40-60 minutes sometimes in the morning for one feeding. I'm loving all the extra time I have now!
He continues to sleep about 10-11 hours per night and he handled the time change surprisingly well. Although some nights he is ready to pass out at 7:30 and then other nights, like tonight (it's 8:48) he's chatting up a storm in there. He usually wakes up about 6:30. Naps have gone well this week, although I wish they were longer. The good news is that he's been taking them in his crib! WooHoo!
So that's the latest and greatest. Of course he continues to be the cutest baby in the world and is just doing so many new little things all the time. He talks talks talks all the time. No words or anything that sound like words but boy does he babble and sing. He smiles a TON but makes us work kinda hard for laughs. He loves standing. He can pull himself up while just holding on to our fingers. Not a fan of tummy time so my guess is he may skip the crawling all together. Who knows?!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Solids and other newness
So D has been eating solids now for a few weeks. It's been going okay and he just keeps practicing. We started with applesauce because we were told that would help with constipation. Well..he wasn't constipated but he just wasn't going. We weren't sure if he was or not. This boy used to poop 4-6x a day and then nothing for a week. Unusual, right? This started before we even started solids. So anyway, I digress..we started with applesauce (later to find out that it can be constipating..errrr! So many conflicting opinions/advice). He was cool with it. Moved to peas..not so cool. Then to oatmeal which was 'eh. Then sweet potatoes last night..winner winner chicken dinner! Well, actually winner, winner, sweet potato dinner! I mean he ate it right down with very minimal mess. Then today when he was eating breakfast (oatmeal mixed with applesauce) he even opened his mouth when I put the spoon up there. I think he's getting the hang of it. He is still only eating about a teaspoon, but he's practicing.
Hm. What else? He's working on sitting up, although mostly he just collapses forward into a face plant. He is loving his exersaucer and rolling to his belly, not so much to his back. He's reaching for stuff, holding stuff, putting stuff in his mouth, you know-all the normal stuff babies do. Oh and of course "he's teething". Well that's what everyone keeps saying anyway and has been for the past month or two. What does that even mean really? I tend to think that anytime babies are fussy for some unexplained reason people (myself included) jump to "he's teething". I'm sure he is teething but how long does this last anyway? In any case, he doesn't have any teeth yet.
Sleeping continues to go well. He's been sleeping for 10-11 hours at night and taking 2-4 naps during the day. He's been better at taking some in his crib, although he usually only naps for about 30 minutes at a time.
He still nurses 5-6 times per day although there has been some changes recently with the introduction of solids. He seems to nurse on each side for the first and last feed but during the day he only nurses on one side at a time. Always keeping me on my toes! Currently we are nursing on one side, giving oatmeal & applesauce then nursing on the other side. In the evening he hasn't been eating solids consistently. This is for several random reasons. But the plan is for him to eat a veggie about an hour after his 4pm-ish feeding.
Oh and the talking. He's totally playing with his voice and it's super cute. Just blah blah blah, scream, blah blah blah, scream.
Hm. What else? He's working on sitting up, although mostly he just collapses forward into a face plant. He is loving his exersaucer and rolling to his belly, not so much to his back. He's reaching for stuff, holding stuff, putting stuff in his mouth, you know-all the normal stuff babies do. Oh and of course "he's teething". Well that's what everyone keeps saying anyway and has been for the past month or two. What does that even mean really? I tend to think that anytime babies are fussy for some unexplained reason people (myself included) jump to "he's teething". I'm sure he is teething but how long does this last anyway? In any case, he doesn't have any teeth yet.
Sleeping continues to go well. He's been sleeping for 10-11 hours at night and taking 2-4 naps during the day. He's been better at taking some in his crib, although he usually only naps for about 30 minutes at a time.
He still nurses 5-6 times per day although there has been some changes recently with the introduction of solids. He seems to nurse on each side for the first and last feed but during the day he only nurses on one side at a time. Always keeping me on my toes! Currently we are nursing on one side, giving oatmeal & applesauce then nursing on the other side. In the evening he hasn't been eating solids consistently. This is for several random reasons. But the plan is for him to eat a veggie about an hour after his 4pm-ish feeding.
Oh and the talking. He's totally playing with his voice and it's super cute. Just blah blah blah, scream, blah blah blah, scream.
Working for a living
So I've officially been a working mom now for about 2 months. With as much dread and anticipation I had about it initially, it's not so bad. In fact, sometimes I like working. There I said it. I feel guilty even thinking about how I sometimes enjoy time away from my son, but I think having a balance is what makes life enjoyable. I'm getting into a routine now at work and somewhat feel competent, so that's a nice balance to the times as a new parent where I feel absolutely incompetent. I enjoy being social with my coworkers and doing work that I feel good about. It makes the time with my son just that much sweeter. I absolutely adore that little man.
Now, while I do enjoy the work at times, I would still love to work less. Ideally, 2-3 days a week of work would be perfect. I even wouldn't mind putting in long days (10-12 hours) since I'm already putting in 10 hour days, what's a couple more, really?
It has taken some time to get into the swing of things though and I'm sure now that I've said this, things will change tomorrow and throw me off. So I'm working 4 days a week from 12-10pm. Danny has been sleeping until about 7 or 7:30 which allows me on most mornings to get up before him and eat breakfast. He wakes up and I feed him which takes 45 minutes or so, then we go for a walk, he naps while I shower and get ready. Once he wakes up from his nap we play a little then feed him and get him ready to go and we are out the door by 10:30 or 11, depending on where I am commuting to. Then when I get home from work, he's asleep :( While I hate that I don't get to see him for the rest of the day, it does make focusing on work easier. I take the mommy cap off when I drop him off and then put on the work cap and then when I get home I can put on the Karen cap. All these caps and I don't even look good in hats...
Then there are the 3 days off I have. I LOVE having 3 days off in a row (all mommy cap here!). I feel like I can really spend some quality time with him. It will be even better once Football season is over and we can have more family time on Sundays. Although, I must say how impressed I am with Randy. He has given up quite a bit of his quality football Sundays to hang with me and D.
One of the biggest downers about working is not seeing Randy that often. He often leaves before I get up and I get home after he's gone to bed. But it is absolutely wonderful that D gets to spend so much time with his daddy and he spends so few hours in daycare. I have really seen such an amazing bond happen between father and son.
I'm going to do another entry about D's newest developments...
Now, while I do enjoy the work at times, I would still love to work less. Ideally, 2-3 days a week of work would be perfect. I even wouldn't mind putting in long days (10-12 hours) since I'm already putting in 10 hour days, what's a couple more, really?
It has taken some time to get into the swing of things though and I'm sure now that I've said this, things will change tomorrow and throw me off. So I'm working 4 days a week from 12-10pm. Danny has been sleeping until about 7 or 7:30 which allows me on most mornings to get up before him and eat breakfast. He wakes up and I feed him which takes 45 minutes or so, then we go for a walk, he naps while I shower and get ready. Once he wakes up from his nap we play a little then feed him and get him ready to go and we are out the door by 10:30 or 11, depending on where I am commuting to. Then when I get home from work, he's asleep :( While I hate that I don't get to see him for the rest of the day, it does make focusing on work easier. I take the mommy cap off when I drop him off and then put on the work cap and then when I get home I can put on the Karen cap. All these caps and I don't even look good in hats...
Then there are the 3 days off I have. I LOVE having 3 days off in a row (all mommy cap here!). I feel like I can really spend some quality time with him. It will be even better once Football season is over and we can have more family time on Sundays. Although, I must say how impressed I am with Randy. He has given up quite a bit of his quality football Sundays to hang with me and D.
One of the biggest downers about working is not seeing Randy that often. He often leaves before I get up and I get home after he's gone to bed. But it is absolutely wonderful that D gets to spend so much time with his daddy and he spends so few hours in daycare. I have really seen such an amazing bond happen between father and son.
I'm going to do another entry about D's newest developments...
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
6 months old!
I know I always say this (and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon) but I can't believe how fast time has gone by and that he's already 6 months old. That's like, half a year or something! While I get excited for every monthday, this one seems extra special or something. Like it's more momentous or something. I don't know. But I do know that I'm feeling pretty reflective on the past 6 months as well as the past year when I was pregnant. So I'm going to start big and then later talk about the cool new things D-Man is doing.
It just trips me out to think that at this time a year ago, I wasn't even past the first trimester! He was like the size of a poppy seed or something. Insane how fast they grow in such a short amount of time. I was so full of hope and wonder and anxiety about what the rest of my pregnancy would be like and what my little embryo would be (boy or girl) and what they would look like. So much has happened since then. From the lows of losing my job and our cat passing away to the big, thriving beautiful boy that we now have. I'm now full of hope, wonder and excitement about what type of person he will become. What will his likes and dislikes be? Hobbies? Will he like school?
When he was born he was just this teeny tiny little adorable blob. All he did was sleep, nurse, poop, spit up, repeat. We were so excited once he started sleeping for 5 or 6 hour blocks and even more excited once he finally stopped paying more attention to the blinds and started making eye contact. Then he was holding his head up, smiling and laughing. He is now a big healthy boy who is just so much fun to be around.
Oh and can I just say at how proud I am that I am still nursing him. All the doctors recommend exclusively breastfeeding your children until 6 months of age. Done! He has gained all his weight from just breast milk. Incredible!
Okay, so on to the current stuff since it sounds like he is waking up. We went to his 6 month appointment yesterday. He weighs 16 pounds 13.6 ounces, is 25.5 inches long and his head is 18 cm. He also got another round of immunizations yesterday as well as his first in a series of flu shots. He seems to be developing well and doing what he's supposed to. Doctor wants us to start solids so we have that on the plan for Sunday. Although maybe sooner depending on his poop situation. More about that in a minute.
Big new development in the past couple of weeks is the roll over! He has been a rolling over fool! He finally mastered it a couple of weeks ago and now just does it all the time. Mostly from back to belly but he can get himself from his belly to his back and has rolled over a couple times where I look up and he's in a totally different spot than when I put him down. He's quick too! I look away for a second and bam! He's rolled over.
He still loves grabbing his toes and getting them into his mouth. Both sets, doesn't have a preference. Just loves his toes!
Tons of smiling and laughing now. So freaking cute! Loves laughing at silly Daddy, songs, being tickled and especially the dogs. Although he sometimes seems to get scared when they play fight..they do sound mean!
He's been sleeping from about 8:30 or 9 until around 7 or 7:30. Pretty good! He's also shown his adaptability when he goes to sleep over at Drakes and then gets woken up to be driven home. He goes right back to sleep for the night!
Eating. When I'm home he still nurses 5-6 times a day on both sides. The 4 days I work he nurses twice then eats about 18-20 ounces of breast milk from a bottle when he's with Daddy and daycare.
So he's up now and I'm feeding him as I type so I might not remember everything I was going to say. I did want to mention that yesterday I put all of his NB and 0-3 month clothes up and got out the 6-9 month stuff. He's still wearing 3-6 and now also 6-9 month stuff. Also, he's now wearing size 2-3 diapers. Not because he outgrew size 2, but because the size 2-3 were cheaper.
Oh OH oh! Did I already mention the thumb sucking?If so, then stop reading and skip to the next paragraph. If not, he's now a thumb sucker! He's finally figured out how to use it and it really helps him self soothe. Plus, it's freaking adorable.
Also can't remember if I mentioned that he now uses a big boy car seat with Daddy. In any case, it's worth saying again. He seems to like it.
Oh, the poop. Or lack there of. He hasn't pooped since last Wednesday. This has been going on a couple weeks now. He used to poop several times a day. So not sure what's up. May just be he's learning how to control his muscles better, may be that he's going through a growth spurt and using up all the food to develop, may be constipation or some combination.
Hmm...guess that's about it for now. Oh wait..no teeth yet either. And I bought him a monkey costume for Halloween. Okay, that's it. Going to finish feeding him and hopefully take some pictures.
It just trips me out to think that at this time a year ago, I wasn't even past the first trimester! He was like the size of a poppy seed or something. Insane how fast they grow in such a short amount of time. I was so full of hope and wonder and anxiety about what the rest of my pregnancy would be like and what my little embryo would be (boy or girl) and what they would look like. So much has happened since then. From the lows of losing my job and our cat passing away to the big, thriving beautiful boy that we now have. I'm now full of hope, wonder and excitement about what type of person he will become. What will his likes and dislikes be? Hobbies? Will he like school?
When he was born he was just this teeny tiny little adorable blob. All he did was sleep, nurse, poop, spit up, repeat. We were so excited once he started sleeping for 5 or 6 hour blocks and even more excited once he finally stopped paying more attention to the blinds and started making eye contact. Then he was holding his head up, smiling and laughing. He is now a big healthy boy who is just so much fun to be around.
Oh and can I just say at how proud I am that I am still nursing him. All the doctors recommend exclusively breastfeeding your children until 6 months of age. Done! He has gained all his weight from just breast milk. Incredible!
Okay, so on to the current stuff since it sounds like he is waking up. We went to his 6 month appointment yesterday. He weighs 16 pounds 13.6 ounces, is 25.5 inches long and his head is 18 cm. He also got another round of immunizations yesterday as well as his first in a series of flu shots. He seems to be developing well and doing what he's supposed to. Doctor wants us to start solids so we have that on the plan for Sunday. Although maybe sooner depending on his poop situation. More about that in a minute.
Big new development in the past couple of weeks is the roll over! He has been a rolling over fool! He finally mastered it a couple of weeks ago and now just does it all the time. Mostly from back to belly but he can get himself from his belly to his back and has rolled over a couple times where I look up and he's in a totally different spot than when I put him down. He's quick too! I look away for a second and bam! He's rolled over.
He still loves grabbing his toes and getting them into his mouth. Both sets, doesn't have a preference. Just loves his toes!
Tons of smiling and laughing now. So freaking cute! Loves laughing at silly Daddy, songs, being tickled and especially the dogs. Although he sometimes seems to get scared when they play fight..they do sound mean!
He's been sleeping from about 8:30 or 9 until around 7 or 7:30. Pretty good! He's also shown his adaptability when he goes to sleep over at Drakes and then gets woken up to be driven home. He goes right back to sleep for the night!
Eating. When I'm home he still nurses 5-6 times a day on both sides. The 4 days I work he nurses twice then eats about 18-20 ounces of breast milk from a bottle when he's with Daddy and daycare.
So he's up now and I'm feeding him as I type so I might not remember everything I was going to say. I did want to mention that yesterday I put all of his NB and 0-3 month clothes up and got out the 6-9 month stuff. He's still wearing 3-6 and now also 6-9 month stuff. Also, he's now wearing size 2-3 diapers. Not because he outgrew size 2, but because the size 2-3 were cheaper.
Oh OH oh! Did I already mention the thumb sucking?If so, then stop reading and skip to the next paragraph. If not, he's now a thumb sucker! He's finally figured out how to use it and it really helps him self soothe. Plus, it's freaking adorable.
Also can't remember if I mentioned that he now uses a big boy car seat with Daddy. In any case, it's worth saying again. He seems to like it.
Oh, the poop. Or lack there of. He hasn't pooped since last Wednesday. This has been going on a couple weeks now. He used to poop several times a day. So not sure what's up. May just be he's learning how to control his muscles better, may be that he's going through a growth spurt and using up all the food to develop, may be constipation or some combination.
Hmm...guess that's about it for now. Oh wait..no teeth yet either. And I bought him a monkey costume for Halloween. Okay, that's it. Going to finish feeding him and hopefully take some pictures.
Monday, September 21, 2009
toes and turning
Well, almost turning over. He's been working so diligently on rolling from his back to his belly for the past couple of weeks. Everyday I think "today is going to be the day" but not quite. Although he did roll from his back to his belly while we were laying on the bed today but in all fairness..there was an uneven surface which probably helped his momentum. It's just so stinking cute to watch him so determined and to watch him get closer and closer to being successful.
Toes. Yeah, he's found both sets now. Loves loves loves grabbing them and is working pretty hard at getting them in his mouth. I'm sure he would have rolled over by now if he wasn't splitting his time between working on toes in the mouth and the rolling. He likes to take on big tasks I guess.
He's working on sitting up too. Not doing so well. Usually when I put him in a seated tripod position he collapses forward pretty quickly. But there's time for that.
He still loves standing and seems to want to do it quite a bit. He's been tolerating his exersaucer now too. I think because he can stand in it. He seemed frustrated with it for a while. He keeps going after the stationary toys and seems to get upset when he can't get it in his mouth. Oh yeah. Also, he likes to put stuff in his mouth. Everything.
He's laughing and smiling and just overall super duper adorable. I can barely stand it!
Daddy hangs out with him 4 days a week now while I'm at work (boo!) and he is adjusting great! He is eating from a big boy (8oz) bottle now while with Daddy. I can totally see how bonded D is to his Daddy and it's amazing. I love both those boys so much! The 3 days a week I'm home he eats about 5-6 times, still from both sides. He has also been sleeping from about 9-6:30 or so which is good! Hope it keeps up!
The past couple of weeks I've noticed his head shaking while I'm nursing him. This is the same shaking that was happening which landed us in the ER a few weeks ago. It tends to be for a few seconds, usually when he's nursing on my left side. I talked to the doctor today and she assured me it's probably nothing to worry about but just his nervous system still developing. He isn't exhibiting any of the signs she listed off for seizures, so that's good. I just wish he would work that out already. It freaks me out. You know, nursing your kid and his head is shaking. Not so fun.
Pumping has gotten a little challenging. I'm having a hard time getting into a regular routine while at work due to the ever changing schedule. Consequently, my supply dropped last week. My plan is to add another pumping session and I hope to get the supply back up. I'm still determined to nurse him until a year.
That's all for now!
Toes. Yeah, he's found both sets now. Loves loves loves grabbing them and is working pretty hard at getting them in his mouth. I'm sure he would have rolled over by now if he wasn't splitting his time between working on toes in the mouth and the rolling. He likes to take on big tasks I guess.
He's working on sitting up too. Not doing so well. Usually when I put him in a seated tripod position he collapses forward pretty quickly. But there's time for that.
He still loves standing and seems to want to do it quite a bit. He's been tolerating his exersaucer now too. I think because he can stand in it. He seemed frustrated with it for a while. He keeps going after the stationary toys and seems to get upset when he can't get it in his mouth. Oh yeah. Also, he likes to put stuff in his mouth. Everything.
He's laughing and smiling and just overall super duper adorable. I can barely stand it!
Daddy hangs out with him 4 days a week now while I'm at work (boo!) and he is adjusting great! He is eating from a big boy (8oz) bottle now while with Daddy. I can totally see how bonded D is to his Daddy and it's amazing. I love both those boys so much! The 3 days a week I'm home he eats about 5-6 times, still from both sides. He has also been sleeping from about 9-6:30 or so which is good! Hope it keeps up!
The past couple of weeks I've noticed his head shaking while I'm nursing him. This is the same shaking that was happening which landed us in the ER a few weeks ago. It tends to be for a few seconds, usually when he's nursing on my left side. I talked to the doctor today and she assured me it's probably nothing to worry about but just his nervous system still developing. He isn't exhibiting any of the signs she listed off for seizures, so that's good. I just wish he would work that out already. It freaks me out. You know, nursing your kid and his head is shaking. Not so fun.
Pumping has gotten a little challenging. I'm having a hard time getting into a regular routine while at work due to the ever changing schedule. Consequently, my supply dropped last week. My plan is to add another pumping session and I hope to get the supply back up. I'm still determined to nurse him until a year.
That's all for now!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
5 months old
Little D is 5 months old now! Incredible how fast the time has gone. It's hard to remember when he was so small and first born and now he's probably around 16 pounds.
Tomorrow starts my regular work schedule, Wed-Sat 12-10pm. I finished up training on Friday and am so glad I am done. That commute was draining me and I felt like I never got to see the kid. It was very nice to know that he was home with Daddy all week. It really made the transition easier on me and I'm sure that it was great for father and son to get some bonding time.
I feel at a loss about what to write regarding his development and weekly stuff that I had been writing about. Since I'm obviously not with him as much I'm working with less material here :) But here we go anyway.
Sleeping continues to go well. Because he tends to get fussy around 7, we tried an earlier bedtime but he didn't end up falling asleep until 9:30 or 10 anyway, so I think we are embracing the 9 or 9:30 bedtime for now. He was used to me getting him up at 6:30 all last week so of course him sleeping until 7 or later is out the window. But the past couple of days have been closer to 7 so hopefully he'll get back into waking up a little later. Also Saturday morning he decided to wake up at 4:30 and required a feeding and then again at 6:30. Not sure what that was about. Hm. Glad he so far hasn't made it a habit. Naps are still sporadic. Although he seems to not be sleeping as long in the mornings now. Usually he would go right back to sleep after his morning feeding but lately he's been laying in there for an hour and a half and only sleeping 20-30 minutes. So I think I'm going to start taking him for walks in the morning and keeping him up a little longer and then trying a nap. I'm pretty sure I'm getting the hang of this parenting thing. It's called trial and error.
Anyway. Eating is also going well. When I'm home with him he's eating 5-6 times per day. When I'm gone I feed him in the morning before I leave and before bedtime. He is eating about 18 ounces during the day and I'm pumping about 20-22 ounces so feeling pretty good about my ability to provide food for my child. Getting a little nervous about the thought of starting solids. The doctor said 6 months is when we should start but other places I've read (like the AAP) say the middle of the first year is good..so that could be 7 months. We'll see. I want to just follow his lead. Apparently babies give signs that they are ready to eat. So I figure I should just hide the markers and paper and he'll never be able to tell us and then I can continue to feed him for free.
Developmentally he continues to work on those motor skills. He is grabbing for stuff and doing a better job of holding it now. Of course everything goes in the mouth. He still hasn't shown a preference for sucking his thumb or fingers. He doesn't discriminate and they all go in there. He is spending more time in the exersaucer although I think it frustrates him after a few minutes. It's been interesting to watch him play and see what his temperament is like. I think the gets frustrated when he can't get the toys from the saucer into his mouth. He also seems like he's pretty close to rolling from his back to his stomach. He spends a lot of time on the floor sort of spinning himself around and trying to launch himself. Usually when I go to get him in the morning he has turned himself some way either 90 or 180 degrees in his crib. Saturday when I went to get him he was 180 degrees and scrunched up right under his aquarium. Tummy time is still happening for short periods of time and he's working on his balance. He can shift his balance to one arm and grab stuff with the other. Just today he started to topple over and regained his balance on his tummy. Oh and the laughing. So cute! Not really lots of full on giggles yet but definite laughter. So freaking cute.
And earlier I didn't think I had a lot to write about. Hm.
Tomorrow starts my regular work schedule, Wed-Sat 12-10pm. I finished up training on Friday and am so glad I am done. That commute was draining me and I felt like I never got to see the kid. It was very nice to know that he was home with Daddy all week. It really made the transition easier on me and I'm sure that it was great for father and son to get some bonding time.
I feel at a loss about what to write regarding his development and weekly stuff that I had been writing about. Since I'm obviously not with him as much I'm working with less material here :) But here we go anyway.
Sleeping continues to go well. Because he tends to get fussy around 7, we tried an earlier bedtime but he didn't end up falling asleep until 9:30 or 10 anyway, so I think we are embracing the 9 or 9:30 bedtime for now. He was used to me getting him up at 6:30 all last week so of course him sleeping until 7 or later is out the window. But the past couple of days have been closer to 7 so hopefully he'll get back into waking up a little later. Also Saturday morning he decided to wake up at 4:30 and required a feeding and then again at 6:30. Not sure what that was about. Hm. Glad he so far hasn't made it a habit. Naps are still sporadic. Although he seems to not be sleeping as long in the mornings now. Usually he would go right back to sleep after his morning feeding but lately he's been laying in there for an hour and a half and only sleeping 20-30 minutes. So I think I'm going to start taking him for walks in the morning and keeping him up a little longer and then trying a nap. I'm pretty sure I'm getting the hang of this parenting thing. It's called trial and error.
Anyway. Eating is also going well. When I'm home with him he's eating 5-6 times per day. When I'm gone I feed him in the morning before I leave and before bedtime. He is eating about 18 ounces during the day and I'm pumping about 20-22 ounces so feeling pretty good about my ability to provide food for my child. Getting a little nervous about the thought of starting solids. The doctor said 6 months is when we should start but other places I've read (like the AAP) say the middle of the first year is good..so that could be 7 months. We'll see. I want to just follow his lead. Apparently babies give signs that they are ready to eat. So I figure I should just hide the markers and paper and he'll never be able to tell us and then I can continue to feed him for free.
Developmentally he continues to work on those motor skills. He is grabbing for stuff and doing a better job of holding it now. Of course everything goes in the mouth. He still hasn't shown a preference for sucking his thumb or fingers. He doesn't discriminate and they all go in there. He is spending more time in the exersaucer although I think it frustrates him after a few minutes. It's been interesting to watch him play and see what his temperament is like. I think the gets frustrated when he can't get the toys from the saucer into his mouth. He also seems like he's pretty close to rolling from his back to his stomach. He spends a lot of time on the floor sort of spinning himself around and trying to launch himself. Usually when I go to get him in the morning he has turned himself some way either 90 or 180 degrees in his crib. Saturday when I went to get him he was 180 degrees and scrunched up right under his aquarium. Tummy time is still happening for short periods of time and he's working on his balance. He can shift his balance to one arm and grab stuff with the other. Just today he started to topple over and regained his balance on his tummy. Oh and the laughing. So cute! Not really lots of full on giggles yet but definite laughter. So freaking cute.
And earlier I didn't think I had a lot to write about. Hm.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
back to work
So first week back at work. It was a tough week but we made it through and only 1 more week of training. Life seemed pretty chaotic for both me and D. We planned out a transition for him into daycare but I just don't think it went that well. My mom came down to help and watched him some of the time. I'm not sure if there were just too many different caretakers or he just was out of sorts since I wasn't with him. Who knows.
He spent the first day with Daddy. Then all day Tuesday and Wednesday with Grandma, Thursday was part time with Grandma and with L, the daycare provider and all day Friday with L.
Needless to say, since I wasn't around him much this week I don't really know much about his development either. What I am happy to report is that he did just fine with taking a bottle. Seems like he probably ate more frequently but smaller amounts. I still fed him in the morning before I left for work and before his bedtime. His bedtime routine stayed pretty consistent, although there were a couple nights he didn't go to bed until after 10. I also got him up earlier than he's used to at 6:15 so that I could have enough time to feed him before leaving.
Thankfully he continued to sleep through the night this week so that's good! Naps were another story though. I think the first couple days I was gone he didn't really nap much at all. Poor little guy looked just exhausted when I got home. He apparently did get a couple good naps in with L on Friday and he looked much less tired by the end of the week.
I did notice that he has become a pro at grabbing both feet at the same time. He's laughing out loud a little more and still tons of smiles! He loves to stand and is getting pretty good at hanging out in his exersaucer where he practices standing and grabbing toys.
As for the work thing. I am a little irritated about this 2 week training. It's hard that there is a different schedule for D for just 2 weeks then it changes again. Oh well! Randy took vacation and is staying home with him this second week which I am so happy about. I think it will be easier for both D and myself. The training is going okay. It is kind of nice to be back working in the field I enjoy and having some adult conversation during the day. It is a struggle to balance both work I enjoy and family but I guess this is just a transition period and hopefully it will work itself out sooner rather than later! I was just exhausted this week. Up at 5:45 to leave by 7:30 and I didn't get home until 6:30. That is a long ass time to be away! When I got home D looked bigger and I just felt disjointed. I was used to being around him all day and just knowing what he needs. Now I am relying on others to tell me what he's been doing and trying to anticipate his needs that way is challenging. Thankfully so far the commute has been as good as I can expect it to be and I hope it continues!
He spent the first day with Daddy. Then all day Tuesday and Wednesday with Grandma, Thursday was part time with Grandma and with L, the daycare provider and all day Friday with L.
Needless to say, since I wasn't around him much this week I don't really know much about his development either. What I am happy to report is that he did just fine with taking a bottle. Seems like he probably ate more frequently but smaller amounts. I still fed him in the morning before I left for work and before his bedtime. His bedtime routine stayed pretty consistent, although there were a couple nights he didn't go to bed until after 10. I also got him up earlier than he's used to at 6:15 so that I could have enough time to feed him before leaving.
Thankfully he continued to sleep through the night this week so that's good! Naps were another story though. I think the first couple days I was gone he didn't really nap much at all. Poor little guy looked just exhausted when I got home. He apparently did get a couple good naps in with L on Friday and he looked much less tired by the end of the week.
I did notice that he has become a pro at grabbing both feet at the same time. He's laughing out loud a little more and still tons of smiles! He loves to stand and is getting pretty good at hanging out in his exersaucer where he practices standing and grabbing toys.
As for the work thing. I am a little irritated about this 2 week training. It's hard that there is a different schedule for D for just 2 weeks then it changes again. Oh well! Randy took vacation and is staying home with him this second week which I am so happy about. I think it will be easier for both D and myself. The training is going okay. It is kind of nice to be back working in the field I enjoy and having some adult conversation during the day. It is a struggle to balance both work I enjoy and family but I guess this is just a transition period and hopefully it will work itself out sooner rather than later! I was just exhausted this week. Up at 5:45 to leave by 7:30 and I didn't get home until 6:30. That is a long ass time to be away! When I got home D looked bigger and I just felt disjointed. I was used to being around him all day and just knowing what he needs. Now I am relying on others to tell me what he's been doing and trying to anticipate his needs that way is challenging. Thankfully so far the commute has been as good as I can expect it to be and I hope it continues!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
good times
Today Danny laughed out loud 3 times. First when Daddy was tickling him. Then later just laughing at Hilo. Then when I tickled him.
He smiles a lot when looking at the dogs and when they kiss him.
Earlier today he pooped all over me while in the ergo at Babies R Us and yet somehow managed to not get any on him. Weird.
Yesterday I watched him suck his thumb. He had been sucking his fingers off and on but not really his thumb much. It was cute.
I am going to miss seeing all this stuff when I'm at work. That's all.
He smiles a lot when looking at the dogs and when they kiss him.
Earlier today he pooped all over me while in the ergo at Babies R Us and yet somehow managed to not get any on him. Weird.
Yesterday I watched him suck his thumb. He had been sucking his fingers off and on but not really his thumb much. It was cute.
I am going to miss seeing all this stuff when I'm at work. That's all.
Friday, August 21, 2009
a picture post :)
Just born :) 4/7/09
1 month old
you guessed it..2 months old
the chick magnet is 3 months old here :)
sitting up like a big boy at 4 months
Exersaucer time! 4.5 months
one of mom's favorites..laughing at daddy, 4.5 monthslast days
Today was my last day of maternity leave! I am so so so sad. I have been dreading this day that I would have to go back to work and leave my son with someone else. But time moves on and here we are. Although my leave from the County isn't up until 9/24, I start my new job on Monday. Boo!
I want to make an entry about our last few days off. We spent most of the time just hanging out at home. It was great! We took some naps together, took walks and played a lot. This past week has been so exciting developmentally too and I'm so glad I've been around to see it all. He is more smiley and interactive than ever and just so freaking adorable!
This morning things were a bit off for him. He just did not want to go back to sleep after his morning feeding. He laid in his crib "talking" for 45 minutes then I got him up and put him in the ergo and vacuumed thinking that would lure him to sleep. Nope. So finally after about a half hour in the swing he slept for about 30 minutes. We did some tummy time in his room and he practiced rolling over. He spit up and then face planted in it. Nice. He is more interested in the dogs too. He gave big smiles when Kona kissed him. The rest of the day was pretty routine, although his afternoon nap went a little later than normal. He woke around 5pm. We laid in the bed and I napped a little, read a little and watched him sleep :) Perfect afternoon.
I am sad for obvious reasons. I have to leave my little boy who right now depends on me and his dad for everything all the time. I've watched my little preemie son grow and the changes are just incredible. When we left the hospital he weighed around 5 lbs 14 oz. At his 4 month appointment he weighed over 14 pounds! People went from commenting on how tiny he is to how big he is. He was this scrunchy little squeaky newborn who had some challenges nursing and sleeping. He wanted to be held all the time sometimes and it was (and still is) just simply exhausting. Now he is this big strong, healthy 4.5 month old who loves to stand, play in his exersaucer, eat and interact with his parents. Oh how our lives have changed!
I have been given the gift of 4.5 months off and it's been wonderful. I think that no matter how much time I would have off it would never be enough. I'm pretty sure I want to move to Canada before we have another one so I can have a year off. Anyway, I have enjoyed being a stay at home mom. I didn't know if I would. It was hard getting into a routine and feeling like I was being productive. I struggled especially in the beginning when all I did was sit on the couch and feed him every 1-3 hours. But what a job that is. While it sounds and often felt a little lazy, I was feeding my boy..pretty important job if you ask me! But at the time it's hard to have that perspective. So I got into a routine and I really liked being at home to keep the house clean, cook dinner, make lunch for Randy and be here for all the things Danny did. Oh and not to forget baking Friday! Yes it was challenging at times but totally worth it.
I wonder how this next chapter is going to be. It's hard to imagine doing everything I've been doing plus working 40 hours. But I'm sure we'll make it work. We have to.
I want to make an entry about our last few days off. We spent most of the time just hanging out at home. It was great! We took some naps together, took walks and played a lot. This past week has been so exciting developmentally too and I'm so glad I've been around to see it all. He is more smiley and interactive than ever and just so freaking adorable!
This morning things were a bit off for him. He just did not want to go back to sleep after his morning feeding. He laid in his crib "talking" for 45 minutes then I got him up and put him in the ergo and vacuumed thinking that would lure him to sleep. Nope. So finally after about a half hour in the swing he slept for about 30 minutes. We did some tummy time in his room and he practiced rolling over. He spit up and then face planted in it. Nice. He is more interested in the dogs too. He gave big smiles when Kona kissed him. The rest of the day was pretty routine, although his afternoon nap went a little later than normal. He woke around 5pm. We laid in the bed and I napped a little, read a little and watched him sleep :) Perfect afternoon.
I am sad for obvious reasons. I have to leave my little boy who right now depends on me and his dad for everything all the time. I've watched my little preemie son grow and the changes are just incredible. When we left the hospital he weighed around 5 lbs 14 oz. At his 4 month appointment he weighed over 14 pounds! People went from commenting on how tiny he is to how big he is. He was this scrunchy little squeaky newborn who had some challenges nursing and sleeping. He wanted to be held all the time sometimes and it was (and still is) just simply exhausting. Now he is this big strong, healthy 4.5 month old who loves to stand, play in his exersaucer, eat and interact with his parents. Oh how our lives have changed!
I have been given the gift of 4.5 months off and it's been wonderful. I think that no matter how much time I would have off it would never be enough. I'm pretty sure I want to move to Canada before we have another one so I can have a year off. Anyway, I have enjoyed being a stay at home mom. I didn't know if I would. It was hard getting into a routine and feeling like I was being productive. I struggled especially in the beginning when all I did was sit on the couch and feed him every 1-3 hours. But what a job that is. While it sounds and often felt a little lazy, I was feeding my boy..pretty important job if you ask me! But at the time it's hard to have that perspective. So I got into a routine and I really liked being at home to keep the house clean, cook dinner, make lunch for Randy and be here for all the things Danny did. Oh and not to forget baking Friday! Yes it was challenging at times but totally worth it.
I wonder how this next chapter is going to be. It's hard to imagine doing everything I've been doing plus working 40 hours. But I'm sure we'll make it work. We have to.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
week 18
Danny is 19 weeks old today and I'm updating about his 18th week. Pretty eventful week, especially the past few days.
First an update medically. He went in last Tuesday for his sonogram (I can't remember if I added this in last weeks post or not). Worst experience for him ever. Ugh. He screamed and screamed for nearly 20 minutes. I think he was just mad since he couldn't really squirm as much as he's accustomed to. His sonogram of his head came back fine thank goodness! We did however, have our first trip to the ER on Sunday evening. While he was nursing he began to shake. This lasted a few seconds, stopped and then happened again. Freaked me out! He did not seem phased by it all but I called the advice nurse anyway and of course we were told to go into the ER. Everything checked out fine of course. They think it was probably a spasm of some sort. Since he's still young his nervous system is still developing. I was worried they were going to run a bunch of tests but I'm glad they didn't. He had no signs of seizure or anything so we're good!
So over the past few days he has really started reaching and holding on to toys (not to mention how much he loves grabbing his right foot during diaper changes)! He puts them in his mouth and seems to be enjoying this new found skill. Very exciting :) Just the past couple of days he has been reaching out and touching my face and he gets a big old smile! He is also perfecting his hand sucking skills. In particular he seems to prefer sucking his 2 or 3 fingers (like his mama!). Not really interested in his thumb.
Lots of smiling and more beginnings of a laugh. Daddy is super funny these days. He likes it when you play peek a boo and he gets just a little scared.
This past week he has been standing on our laps and loves it! He seems so proud and smiles a lot!
This week he continued to eat 5-6 times per day. I noticed though a few days he was only interested in eating on one side which is different. He got very fussy and screamed when I tried to feed him on the left side. This went on for a day and was very odd. He was fine by the end of the day. Weird.
Sleeping at night went well. This week he continued to go to bed around 9 and woke up between 6:30 and 8. Naps are still all over the place. No regular time or place.
Yesterday I put a bunch of his 0-3 month clothes away. He can still wear quite a few of them. So he is wearing both 0-3 and 3-6 month.
This is my last week of maternity leave! I cannot believe how fast, and yet at times how slow, it has gone. I start my new job on Monday and I will be in training Monday-Friday for 8 hours so I am going to be away from D a ton the next couple weeks and I hate it! I have been pretty emotional these past few days just thinking about it. It has kind of been consuming my thoughts. I keep thinking only "x more days left to do...". I know he will do just fine in daycare (oh, we officially decided on one, btw) but the thought of him wanting his mama and I'm not there just kills me. Luckily he is a pretty easy going guy and I'm sure he will be okay. So we are spending this last week doing nothing! I did all my errands yesterday so that we can just hang out for the rest of the week. Just this morning I brought him back to bed to nurse after he woke up then we slept til 10 :)
While I'm trying to relax and enjoy this week I can't help but feel anxious about this new job and making sure I have as much in order as I can. Kind of like that first day of school jitters. Luckily though since I've worked for this agency before (and actually been through this training before) I kind of know what I'm going to be doing. While this initial 2 week schedule sucks, I'm kind of glad that I will be in training. I think it will ease me back into a work mindset. I just wish I could find a way to make money while staying home!
So I'm hoping that I will still be able to update this blog regularly, who knows what it will be like returning to work. I will eventually be off on Tuesdays and hope I can keep up with the weekly updates but my more realistic goal will be monthly updates. And I suppose I should add pictures. One of these days!
First an update medically. He went in last Tuesday for his sonogram (I can't remember if I added this in last weeks post or not). Worst experience for him ever. Ugh. He screamed and screamed for nearly 20 minutes. I think he was just mad since he couldn't really squirm as much as he's accustomed to. His sonogram of his head came back fine thank goodness! We did however, have our first trip to the ER on Sunday evening. While he was nursing he began to shake. This lasted a few seconds, stopped and then happened again. Freaked me out! He did not seem phased by it all but I called the advice nurse anyway and of course we were told to go into the ER. Everything checked out fine of course. They think it was probably a spasm of some sort. Since he's still young his nervous system is still developing. I was worried they were going to run a bunch of tests but I'm glad they didn't. He had no signs of seizure or anything so we're good!
So over the past few days he has really started reaching and holding on to toys (not to mention how much he loves grabbing his right foot during diaper changes)! He puts them in his mouth and seems to be enjoying this new found skill. Very exciting :) Just the past couple of days he has been reaching out and touching my face and he gets a big old smile! He is also perfecting his hand sucking skills. In particular he seems to prefer sucking his 2 or 3 fingers (like his mama!). Not really interested in his thumb.
Lots of smiling and more beginnings of a laugh. Daddy is super funny these days. He likes it when you play peek a boo and he gets just a little scared.
This past week he has been standing on our laps and loves it! He seems so proud and smiles a lot!
This week he continued to eat 5-6 times per day. I noticed though a few days he was only interested in eating on one side which is different. He got very fussy and screamed when I tried to feed him on the left side. This went on for a day and was very odd. He was fine by the end of the day. Weird.
Sleeping at night went well. This week he continued to go to bed around 9 and woke up between 6:30 and 8. Naps are still all over the place. No regular time or place.
Yesterday I put a bunch of his 0-3 month clothes away. He can still wear quite a few of them. So he is wearing both 0-3 and 3-6 month.
This is my last week of maternity leave! I cannot believe how fast, and yet at times how slow, it has gone. I start my new job on Monday and I will be in training Monday-Friday for 8 hours so I am going to be away from D a ton the next couple weeks and I hate it! I have been pretty emotional these past few days just thinking about it. It has kind of been consuming my thoughts. I keep thinking only "x more days left to do...". I know he will do just fine in daycare (oh, we officially decided on one, btw) but the thought of him wanting his mama and I'm not there just kills me. Luckily he is a pretty easy going guy and I'm sure he will be okay. So we are spending this last week doing nothing! I did all my errands yesterday so that we can just hang out for the rest of the week. Just this morning I brought him back to bed to nurse after he woke up then we slept til 10 :)
While I'm trying to relax and enjoy this week I can't help but feel anxious about this new job and making sure I have as much in order as I can. Kind of like that first day of school jitters. Luckily though since I've worked for this agency before (and actually been through this training before) I kind of know what I'm going to be doing. While this initial 2 week schedule sucks, I'm kind of glad that I will be in training. I think it will ease me back into a work mindset. I just wish I could find a way to make money while staying home!
So I'm hoping that I will still be able to update this blog regularly, who knows what it will be like returning to work. I will eventually be off on Tuesdays and hope I can keep up with the weekly updates but my more realistic goal will be monthly updates. And I suppose I should add pictures. One of these days!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
week 17
Danny is 18 weeks old today, and what a sleepyhead! It's 7:30 and he's still out!
Yesterday was his 4 month appointment. He weighs 14 lbs 9.4 oz, is 25 inches long and his head is 17.25 cm. Big old head! I think it's in the 82 percentile or something. Anyway, Dr. Z is very pleased with his weight gain! Yay! We talked about starting solids and I don't plan to start them until he is 6 months. She said as long as he continues to be satisfied with breastmilk and isn't waking up in the middle of the night to feed it's fine to wait. Of course I went in with my list of questions and concerns but most everything is fine. Dr. Z is a little concerned that his soft spot is still so "open" and wants to do a sonogram to make sure everything is developing okay. Great, no worries mom..just want to make sure your son's head is developing normally! Ack! I'm sure it will be fine but I'll just be glad when it's over and we know that to be true :) She was pleased to see his head/neck stregnth and to see him roll over. I was just thinking all this time that it was his big head that was toppling him over. Nope, indeed his rolling over since he was just a few weeks (maybe around 6 or 7?) is in fact developmentally rolling over! Oh and he got a couple vaccines yesterday. Dtap and rotavirus. I don't remember him being that fussy after the last round (hib and pc) but I do remember it after his 1st round of dtap and rotavirus. Anyway, he was unusually fussy last night but seemed to do better with a bit of tylenol.
Eating and sleeping at night continue to go well. He ate about 5-7 times per day this last week. A little more than he had been. Sleeping is the same too, although we did have a couple shifts in his routine this week and he did great. He is still going down around 9 and wakes up anywhere from 6:30-7:30. Although on Sunday he slept until 8:45! I fed him on one side at 8 like normal then since we were still out we had him hanging out. Put him in his jammies for the car ride home. He slept all the way home and we got home around 9:45. Barely fed him on the other side (hey, I just wanted to make sure the kid was good and full before he went to bed) and he was in bed probably by 10:15 or so and slept all the way to 8:45. I was kinda bored in the morning..didn't know what to do with myself! Ha! Naps this week were still inconsistent. Some days he only took a couple cat naps. Some days he did take a 2-3 hour nap in the late afternoon around 3. A couple days it seemed like were spent just trying to get him to sleep.
He continues to be very chatty this past week. He is also squealing and what the doctor confirmed to be a start in laughing. When he's smiling sometimes he takes in a bunch of air and makes a funny sound. Hard to describe in words. Anyway, yay for laughing...almost! He has just been thinking mommy saying "hi" and this fast breathing thing that sort of sounds like I'm making the H sound repeatedly..he loves it! So many smiles and so cute!
In other news I got a job! I will be working back at Seneca Center but this time I'll be working for their Mobile Response Team. My schedule will be Wednesday to Saturday from 12-10pm. It will suck since me and Randy won't see much of each other these days but it will really limit D's day care to about 15-20 hours a week which is great! I am also happy that Daddy and Danny will have so much one on one time to bond. Plus I will have 3 days off and get to spend every morning with him. So I think it will be a good fit for us for now.
The challenge now has been to find someone good enough to watch our little man. Guess what? They don't exist! Shocking I know. I am lucky though that I think we have 2 good possibilities that I checked out this week. We are visiting one hopefully tonight and I hope to make a decision by the end of the week. It's stressing me out and I just want to have it done so I can enjoy my time left with D. Oh and the worst part about the job..the start date! 8/24! So I have just about 2 weeks left. I'm so sad. But I guess at some point he would have to make this transition anyway.
Sounds like he's waking up now!
Yesterday was his 4 month appointment. He weighs 14 lbs 9.4 oz, is 25 inches long and his head is 17.25 cm. Big old head! I think it's in the 82 percentile or something. Anyway, Dr. Z is very pleased with his weight gain! Yay! We talked about starting solids and I don't plan to start them until he is 6 months. She said as long as he continues to be satisfied with breastmilk and isn't waking up in the middle of the night to feed it's fine to wait. Of course I went in with my list of questions and concerns but most everything is fine. Dr. Z is a little concerned that his soft spot is still so "open" and wants to do a sonogram to make sure everything is developing okay. Great, no worries mom..just want to make sure your son's head is developing normally! Ack! I'm sure it will be fine but I'll just be glad when it's over and we know that to be true :) She was pleased to see his head/neck stregnth and to see him roll over. I was just thinking all this time that it was his big head that was toppling him over. Nope, indeed his rolling over since he was just a few weeks (maybe around 6 or 7?) is in fact developmentally rolling over! Oh and he got a couple vaccines yesterday. Dtap and rotavirus. I don't remember him being that fussy after the last round (hib and pc) but I do remember it after his 1st round of dtap and rotavirus. Anyway, he was unusually fussy last night but seemed to do better with a bit of tylenol.
Eating and sleeping at night continue to go well. He ate about 5-7 times per day this last week. A little more than he had been. Sleeping is the same too, although we did have a couple shifts in his routine this week and he did great. He is still going down around 9 and wakes up anywhere from 6:30-7:30. Although on Sunday he slept until 8:45! I fed him on one side at 8 like normal then since we were still out we had him hanging out. Put him in his jammies for the car ride home. He slept all the way home and we got home around 9:45. Barely fed him on the other side (hey, I just wanted to make sure the kid was good and full before he went to bed) and he was in bed probably by 10:15 or so and slept all the way to 8:45. I was kinda bored in the morning..didn't know what to do with myself! Ha! Naps this week were still inconsistent. Some days he only took a couple cat naps. Some days he did take a 2-3 hour nap in the late afternoon around 3. A couple days it seemed like were spent just trying to get him to sleep.
He continues to be very chatty this past week. He is also squealing and what the doctor confirmed to be a start in laughing. When he's smiling sometimes he takes in a bunch of air and makes a funny sound. Hard to describe in words. Anyway, yay for laughing...almost! He has just been thinking mommy saying "hi" and this fast breathing thing that sort of sounds like I'm making the H sound repeatedly..he loves it! So many smiles and so cute!
In other news I got a job! I will be working back at Seneca Center but this time I'll be working for their Mobile Response Team. My schedule will be Wednesday to Saturday from 12-10pm. It will suck since me and Randy won't see much of each other these days but it will really limit D's day care to about 15-20 hours a week which is great! I am also happy that Daddy and Danny will have so much one on one time to bond. Plus I will have 3 days off and get to spend every morning with him. So I think it will be a good fit for us for now.
The challenge now has been to find someone good enough to watch our little man. Guess what? They don't exist! Shocking I know. I am lucky though that I think we have 2 good possibilities that I checked out this week. We are visiting one hopefully tonight and I hope to make a decision by the end of the week. It's stressing me out and I just want to have it done so I can enjoy my time left with D. Oh and the worst part about the job..the start date! 8/24! So I have just about 2 weeks left. I'm so sad. But I guess at some point he would have to make this transition anyway.
Sounds like he's waking up now!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
week 16
Little D is 17 weeks old today! This past weekend we took our first overnight trip together as a family. We went up to Grandma's house in Clearlake. Daniel did great! He slept the whole trip up. I was a little worried how he would do sleeping all night in his pack n play in a strange place but he slept right through! He enjoyed watching the ducks with Daddy and meeting Grandma. He gave out lots of smiles. On the trip home he woke up about an hour away from home and was a little fussy but it wasn't too bad.
This week also appears to be the end of his swaddling days. On Thursday when I went to put him to bed I realized his miracle blanket was still in the dryer..and no where near dry. So I put him in a sleep sack and hoped for the best. Little guy slept straight through! And he appears to be enjoying his new found freedom to suck away at his hands :) He's growing up!
Sleeping and eating continue to go pretty well. He has been eating 5-6 times per day with the exception of yesterday. He was a little extra fussy and ate closer to 7 or 8 times and his last night feed lasted nearly an hour and a half! So I'm wondering if maybe he's going through a growth spurt. He still goes to bed around 9 and wakes up between 6 and 7. A little earlier this past week.
I noticed yesterday while doing some tummy time on the diaper changing area that he is getting so strong. He is now really pushing himself up. He still seems to favor one side and leans which results in rolling over a lot.
I also started looking at day care options. Not happy about this! But I guess it's a reality at the moment. I don't have to go back to my job until the end of September but I am looking for something else. I interviewed last week for a position and they are hoping to have someone start "as soon as possible" so I wanted to at least have some ideas of what is out there. They haven't called me back for a 2nd interview yet but have started checking my references.
This week also appears to be the end of his swaddling days. On Thursday when I went to put him to bed I realized his miracle blanket was still in the dryer..and no where near dry. So I put him in a sleep sack and hoped for the best. Little guy slept straight through! And he appears to be enjoying his new found freedom to suck away at his hands :) He's growing up!
Sleeping and eating continue to go pretty well. He has been eating 5-6 times per day with the exception of yesterday. He was a little extra fussy and ate closer to 7 or 8 times and his last night feed lasted nearly an hour and a half! So I'm wondering if maybe he's going through a growth spurt. He still goes to bed around 9 and wakes up between 6 and 7. A little earlier this past week.
I noticed yesterday while doing some tummy time on the diaper changing area that he is getting so strong. He is now really pushing himself up. He still seems to favor one side and leans which results in rolling over a lot.
I also started looking at day care options. Not happy about this! But I guess it's a reality at the moment. I don't have to go back to my job until the end of September but I am looking for something else. I interviewed last week for a position and they are hoping to have someone start "as soon as possible" so I wanted to at least have some ideas of what is out there. They haven't called me back for a 2nd interview yet but have started checking my references.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
week 15
I'm writing this late again but there isn't much new to report. Except that little D Lud is getting cuter and cuter by the day. He is just so alert and makes lots of eye contact and smiles so much. He loves to sleep like his mama and daddy. He has been waking up around 6:30 but he just hangs out in his crib until I get him around 7. He smiles when I come in and unwrap him from his swaddle. Love it!
Grandma came to visit him this past week and she just loves him so much. Grandma bought D some 6 month onesies from Carters and he's starting to wear them. So bittersweet. He's growing which is great but also makes me sad at the same time. He is wearing 3-6 month jammies and seems to be quickly growing out of size 1 diapers. He is still in between sizes though. He can still wear his 0-3 month stuff as well.
Sleeping and eating continue to go well. He is sleeping about 10 hours straight at night. I am so thankful. We have such an easy going baby I just hope it continues. He is eating 5-6 times per day. I'm trying to get at least one feeding from a bottle per day, but it's not consistent. We have a freezer full of breastmilk that is about to expire so we've got to use it up! I worked hard for it!
Grandma came to visit him this past week and she just loves him so much. Grandma bought D some 6 month onesies from Carters and he's starting to wear them. So bittersweet. He's growing which is great but also makes me sad at the same time. He is wearing 3-6 month jammies and seems to be quickly growing out of size 1 diapers. He is still in between sizes though. He can still wear his 0-3 month stuff as well.
Sleeping and eating continue to go well. He is sleeping about 10 hours straight at night. I am so thankful. We have such an easy going baby I just hope it continues. He is eating 5-6 times per day. I'm trying to get at least one feeding from a bottle per day, but it's not consistent. We have a freezer full of breastmilk that is about to expire so we've got to use it up! I worked hard for it!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
week 14
Danny is now 15 weeks old and it's been a fun week. It seems like there has been a few new things happening for D Lud.
Let's see, where to start. In the past week we've taken professional pictures twice. We got a coupon for a free picture package and decided to take advantage. We weren't planning on doing professional pictures just yet, but who can pass up free? Not me! Unfortunately, the first time we went the pictures just didn't turn so good. I think we had a newer photographer and the top of his head was cut off in some of them. Just not very good. So I called and they invited me to come back again. This time we got 2 "experienced" photographers and the pictures turned out much better. Plus they gave me a sweet deal on pictures so we ended up getting quite a few. Danny seemed to really like the camera (not the flash so much) and we got some cute shots. He's not a big fan of being on his belly though. He got fussy and toppled over pretty quick.
Developmentally, this week has been exciting. D continues to straighten his arm out which I guess is him trying to reach for stuff (like my glasses. apparently bad investment for me it turns out). Randy was playing with him and Danny started mocking him. Randy was smacking his lips together and Danny was doing it back! Not consistently. But boy was he trying and he got several "smacks" in back. Danny also seems to be feeling around for his toes. When I am changing his diaper, he puts his arms towards his feet and I move his hand so it touches his feet. He seems to like it. We usually get smiles :) And while, technically this happened last night which means he was really in his 15th week and I should post this next week, I'm excited so I'm posting it now. Randy said Danny laughed last night! So sad I missed it, but I'm sure there will be lots more. D is really starting to use his voice cooing and letting out little screams. So cute!
Eating continues to go well. He's still eating about 5-6 times per day from both sides usually.
Sleeping also continues to go well. He is going for longer stretches at night and pushing towards 7:30 the past few days! Naps continue to happen whenever they happen. No schedule. But I try not to keep him awake for longer than 2 hours at a time and that seems to work well. We are working towards getting him to nap in his crib instead of the swing. So far..he's not liking it so much!
Let's see, where to start. In the past week we've taken professional pictures twice. We got a coupon for a free picture package and decided to take advantage. We weren't planning on doing professional pictures just yet, but who can pass up free? Not me! Unfortunately, the first time we went the pictures just didn't turn so good. I think we had a newer photographer and the top of his head was cut off in some of them. Just not very good. So I called and they invited me to come back again. This time we got 2 "experienced" photographers and the pictures turned out much better. Plus they gave me a sweet deal on pictures so we ended up getting quite a few. Danny seemed to really like the camera (not the flash so much) and we got some cute shots. He's not a big fan of being on his belly though. He got fussy and toppled over pretty quick.
Developmentally, this week has been exciting. D continues to straighten his arm out which I guess is him trying to reach for stuff (like my glasses. apparently bad investment for me it turns out). Randy was playing with him and Danny started mocking him. Randy was smacking his lips together and Danny was doing it back! Not consistently. But boy was he trying and he got several "smacks" in back. Danny also seems to be feeling around for his toes. When I am changing his diaper, he puts his arms towards his feet and I move his hand so it touches his feet. He seems to like it. We usually get smiles :) And while, technically this happened last night which means he was really in his 15th week and I should post this next week, I'm excited so I'm posting it now. Randy said Danny laughed last night! So sad I missed it, but I'm sure there will be lots more. D is really starting to use his voice cooing and letting out little screams. So cute!
Eating continues to go well. He's still eating about 5-6 times per day from both sides usually.
Sleeping also continues to go well. He is going for longer stretches at night and pushing towards 7:30 the past few days! Naps continue to happen whenever they happen. No schedule. But I try not to keep him awake for longer than 2 hours at a time and that seems to work well. We are working towards getting him to nap in his crib instead of the swing. So far..he's not liking it so much!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
week 13, whoops...
I'm a couple days late in posting this update. No real reason. Tuesday, the day I try to write I had a job interview in the morning and it kind of threw the day off. Anyway, here we go.
D Man is now 14 weeks old and I'm giving an update on his 13th week. It seems a little silly going by weeks as there isn't typically much different, but I think looking back on this I'll be glad I'm doing it weekly as much as I can.
Sleeping is still going well. He seems to consistently be sleeping longer in the mornings. He is still going down around 9 and his wake up time has been closer to 6:30 or 7. Naps continue to be what they will. After his first feeding he then goes back to sleep for around 2 hours, wakes up and plays for a little bit. I usually put him in the bouncy seat to let him kick around and look at stuff. Sometimes he falls asleep in here. If we are out, he will also usually take a little cat nap. Then he usually wakes up to eat again between 11 and 12, more play then nap in the swing for 2-3 hours. I really need to try to get this nap into his crib as it is the most substantial nap of the day. I'm working on it. In my head, I'm working on it :) Then the rest of the afternoon is really hit or miss. He eats about every 2.5-3 hours the rest of the day.
7pm continues to be when the fuss bus goes into frown town. It's like clockwork. No, it's like Kona..she knows exactly when it's time to eat and her behavior changes. Danny knows exactly when it's 7 and he is just fussy. It's really not too bad. It just requires mommy and daddy to entertain him a little more hands on. He seems to like walks, going outside or being held and walked/bounced around. In my head, I'm toying with the idea of moving up his last feeding from 8pm to this time and putting him to bed a little earlier. But I really don't want him waking up any earlier. We'll see.
Not sure if I mentioned this before. But he has learned the frown. His little bottom lip sticks out and it is just the saddest/cutest thing ever.
Still working on that tummy time and strengthening his neck. He still requires a bit of guidance to keep that big head up!
Oh and new this week..hands taste good! Hands in the mouth all the time! And the drool...
We went to the Corn Fest in Brentwood this past weekend. It was hot. We ate a little bit, drank a little and people watched. Danny didn't tolerate the heat for too long so we left. We thought we were there for much longer than the 2 hours we were!
Oh yeah..and I had a job interview Tuesday. It seemed to go pretty well and I feel hopeful yet really guilty at the same time. I really don't want to leave Danny in day care. I really really don't. Yet this job would be a pretty good fit and I think I would like it a lot. We'll see if I get an offer.
D Man is now 14 weeks old and I'm giving an update on his 13th week. It seems a little silly going by weeks as there isn't typically much different, but I think looking back on this I'll be glad I'm doing it weekly as much as I can.
Sleeping is still going well. He seems to consistently be sleeping longer in the mornings. He is still going down around 9 and his wake up time has been closer to 6:30 or 7. Naps continue to be what they will. After his first feeding he then goes back to sleep for around 2 hours, wakes up and plays for a little bit. I usually put him in the bouncy seat to let him kick around and look at stuff. Sometimes he falls asleep in here. If we are out, he will also usually take a little cat nap. Then he usually wakes up to eat again between 11 and 12, more play then nap in the swing for 2-3 hours. I really need to try to get this nap into his crib as it is the most substantial nap of the day. I'm working on it. In my head, I'm working on it :) Then the rest of the afternoon is really hit or miss. He eats about every 2.5-3 hours the rest of the day.
7pm continues to be when the fuss bus goes into frown town. It's like clockwork. No, it's like Kona..she knows exactly when it's time to eat and her behavior changes. Danny knows exactly when it's 7 and he is just fussy. It's really not too bad. It just requires mommy and daddy to entertain him a little more hands on. He seems to like walks, going outside or being held and walked/bounced around. In my head, I'm toying with the idea of moving up his last feeding from 8pm to this time and putting him to bed a little earlier. But I really don't want him waking up any earlier. We'll see.
Not sure if I mentioned this before. But he has learned the frown. His little bottom lip sticks out and it is just the saddest/cutest thing ever.
Still working on that tummy time and strengthening his neck. He still requires a bit of guidance to keep that big head up!
Oh and new this week..hands taste good! Hands in the mouth all the time! And the drool...
We went to the Corn Fest in Brentwood this past weekend. It was hot. We ate a little bit, drank a little and people watched. Danny didn't tolerate the heat for too long so we left. We thought we were there for much longer than the 2 hours we were!
Oh yeah..and I had a job interview Tuesday. It seemed to go pretty well and I feel hopeful yet really guilty at the same time. I really don't want to leave Danny in day care. I really really don't. Yet this job would be a pretty good fit and I think I would like it a lot. We'll see if I get an offer.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
week 12
Well the Dan Man turned 3 months yesterday! We went for 2 more shots yesterday, the Hib and PC and we got a weight check. 12 pounds 10.5 ounces. He's a little chunker for sure. It's amazing to think that the milk I produce is what is helping him to grow.
I feel like this past week he has really gotten more alert. I feel like I say this every week. But he should be getting more and more alert every week. Anyway, more eye contact and more social smiling. I just can't get him to smile for the camera! Soon though. I hope.
Sleeping continues to go well. In fact, he's finally started sleeping for longer periods after I get him up for his first feeding. He goes to bed around 9pm and wakes up between 5 and 6, eats, then goes back to sleep for 2-3 more hours! It's great! I notice he does get a little fussy about an hour into this sleep but I've found that by leaving him to work it out he goes back to sleep for the most part. I just hope that he keeps up this good sleep pattern.
Development. His head continues to get stronger as well. Tummy time is going better for him. He keeps his head up for longer periods of time and is starting to become interested in a toy that hangs from his little floor gym. Although, still not much compares to his blinds and his "corner" which is the fireplace and picture frame area. So much to look at! He seems to make lots more eye contact and I get more smiles when we are changing his diaper. He does in fact like it when we sing to him. Brings a smile most times.
Oh and this past week I've noticed how long his eye lashes are! Still no eye brows but boy are those lashes long like his Daddy's :)
Eating continues to go well (see above weight!). He eats 5-7 times per day. We are trying to get him to have a bottle for one of those feedings so that he can stay familiar with it as well as try to get through some of the frozen milk that is about to expire at the end of the month.
He is in size 1 diapers now. We've been using a couple different type of Huggie's but I'm not a fan. I thought given the elastic part in the back this would prevent the "poop-up-the-back" explosions but not so much. We've had about one every other day. Still no where near as bad as "poop-out-of-the-leg" opening explosions but yucky nonetheless.
That's pretty much it for now!
I feel like this past week he has really gotten more alert. I feel like I say this every week. But he should be getting more and more alert every week. Anyway, more eye contact and more social smiling. I just can't get him to smile for the camera! Soon though. I hope.
Sleeping continues to go well. In fact, he's finally started sleeping for longer periods after I get him up for his first feeding. He goes to bed around 9pm and wakes up between 5 and 6, eats, then goes back to sleep for 2-3 more hours! It's great! I notice he does get a little fussy about an hour into this sleep but I've found that by leaving him to work it out he goes back to sleep for the most part. I just hope that he keeps up this good sleep pattern.
Development. His head continues to get stronger as well. Tummy time is going better for him. He keeps his head up for longer periods of time and is starting to become interested in a toy that hangs from his little floor gym. Although, still not much compares to his blinds and his "corner" which is the fireplace and picture frame area. So much to look at! He seems to make lots more eye contact and I get more smiles when we are changing his diaper. He does in fact like it when we sing to him. Brings a smile most times.
Oh and this past week I've noticed how long his eye lashes are! Still no eye brows but boy are those lashes long like his Daddy's :)
Eating continues to go well (see above weight!). He eats 5-7 times per day. We are trying to get him to have a bottle for one of those feedings so that he can stay familiar with it as well as try to get through some of the frozen milk that is about to expire at the end of the month.
He is in size 1 diapers now. We've been using a couple different type of Huggie's but I'm not a fan. I thought given the elastic part in the back this would prevent the "poop-up-the-back" explosions but not so much. We've had about one every other day. Still no where near as bad as "poop-out-of-the-leg" opening explosions but yucky nonetheless.
That's pretty much it for now!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
morning feeding
So I just finished feeding Danny for the second time today and wanted to write about it. It's just a typical feeding, but I found myself smiling at the silly little man.
As I'm burping him he lets out several burps, spits up as usual but all at the same time as letting out one long fart and/or poop. You don't really know which it is until either the diaper leaks (which we've been having a lot of lately) or until you check the diaper. Funny. All the noises. Then when he is eating on the other side, he seems to get so excited about eating. His eyes get big, wide mouth. Gimmie!
And then he falls asleep while eating and shows off a big old grin. So cute!
Oh and I forgot to mention the little dance we do trying to get him latched on. He likes to have his hands front and center. Not so helpful as they block the roadway, so to speak. I move one hand, go to move the other then by that time he has the first hand back in the way. Repeat:)
I noticed yesterday out in the sun, one part of his hair, on the right side is pretty red. I hope it all grows in like that! He'll have red hair like his daddy!
As I'm burping him he lets out several burps, spits up as usual but all at the same time as letting out one long fart and/or poop. You don't really know which it is until either the diaper leaks (which we've been having a lot of lately) or until you check the diaper. Funny. All the noises. Then when he is eating on the other side, he seems to get so excited about eating. His eyes get big, wide mouth. Gimmie!
And then he falls asleep while eating and shows off a big old grin. So cute!
Oh and I forgot to mention the little dance we do trying to get him latched on. He likes to have his hands front and center. Not so helpful as they block the roadway, so to speak. I move one hand, go to move the other then by that time he has the first hand back in the way. Repeat:)
I noticed yesterday out in the sun, one part of his hair, on the right side is pretty red. I hope it all grows in like that! He'll have red hair like his daddy!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Week 11
Today Danny is 12 weeks old. I can hardly believe it. He has really gotten so big. He has stretched out and filled out and has fat rolls on his arms and legs. No more newborn. Looking at the clock now, he is just now 12 weeks old and about 6 minutes. Not that I'm counting.
So we had a pretty eventful week 11. Lots of outings, meeting new people and seeing family. We had 3 days in a row of activity which required a one way drive of 40 minutes or more. Not so much a fan and I'll be taking a break from that, at least if I'm driving by myself. It seems like when we get about 20 minutes away from home he decides to fuss and scream. Not so much fun driving with that. He did seem to enjoy his day by the pool at Grandma's house yesterday. He didn't get in on the pool activity but hung out in the pack n play looking at trees and enjoying the occasional breeze.
Did I mention how ridiculously cute my little man is? Just so adorable and amazing. We are so lucky.
He is making more and more eye contact and smiling. Although he is still more interested in blinds, at least he is looking at us now! Just this morning Randy caught Danny checking out his feet. Oh the new things to discover! His neck strength is getting stronger as well. He is pretty much holding his head up but still needs some guidance for when that big old noggin gets moving around he can't quite regain control of it yet. Not a lot of tummy time happening, but we do it when we can, which is most days. He doesn't seem to tolerate it for too long, maybe 5 or 10 minutes at the most each time.
Sleeping. Danny is still sleeping through the night. We had one 2am wake up this week but it's probably due to the heat. It has been super hot the past few days. Naps continue to be where ever he falls asleep. Usually in his swing or his bouncy seat (which he has really started to LOVE this week). Unless we are on the go, he will sleep for a bit in the car seat, although he doesn't seem to be a big fan of it. He also likes naps in the sling. So one of these days we'll get him to napping in his crib. I just feel like he spends so much time there at night that I like to have him out in the main area of the house so I can look at him more:)
Feeding continues to go well and I'm anxious to see how much the little chunker weighs. I actually just went and did an approximate weight and it appears he may be around 13 pounds! Holy cow! I'm sure it's off by a little bit, but still! He eats about 5-7 times per day and usually takes a bottle for 1 feeding at least every other day.
Oh and we ended up back in newborn diapers this past week. He seems to be in between sizes and we have been having lots of diaper leaks. No fun!
So with all the activities this past week, I think we are just going to be hanging out for the most part. I'm realizing just how fast this time goes by and I know that before I know it I'll have to be back at work and I want to enjoy every single minute. I've really got to get started on his baby book. Am I the only one who procrastinates this? I doubt it, but I feel bad I haven't done it before now.
We also found out yesterday that we will have another new niece. So excited! She will be arriving in November :)
Well I said my plan for today is to sleep when Danny sleeps. I am finding that I am just so exhausted. Even though he is sleeping for 6-8 hours, I'm not. It seems that like clockwork, I'm waking up at 2am-ish and up about every hour after that. So now that he is asleep, I've eaten breakfast, I'm going to lay down. Which I'm sure means that he will be waking up :)
So we had a pretty eventful week 11. Lots of outings, meeting new people and seeing family. We had 3 days in a row of activity which required a one way drive of 40 minutes or more. Not so much a fan and I'll be taking a break from that, at least if I'm driving by myself. It seems like when we get about 20 minutes away from home he decides to fuss and scream. Not so much fun driving with that. He did seem to enjoy his day by the pool at Grandma's house yesterday. He didn't get in on the pool activity but hung out in the pack n play looking at trees and enjoying the occasional breeze.
Did I mention how ridiculously cute my little man is? Just so adorable and amazing. We are so lucky.
He is making more and more eye contact and smiling. Although he is still more interested in blinds, at least he is looking at us now! Just this morning Randy caught Danny checking out his feet. Oh the new things to discover! His neck strength is getting stronger as well. He is pretty much holding his head up but still needs some guidance for when that big old noggin gets moving around he can't quite regain control of it yet. Not a lot of tummy time happening, but we do it when we can, which is most days. He doesn't seem to tolerate it for too long, maybe 5 or 10 minutes at the most each time.
Sleeping. Danny is still sleeping through the night. We had one 2am wake up this week but it's probably due to the heat. It has been super hot the past few days. Naps continue to be where ever he falls asleep. Usually in his swing or his bouncy seat (which he has really started to LOVE this week). Unless we are on the go, he will sleep for a bit in the car seat, although he doesn't seem to be a big fan of it. He also likes naps in the sling. So one of these days we'll get him to napping in his crib. I just feel like he spends so much time there at night that I like to have him out in the main area of the house so I can look at him more:)
Feeding continues to go well and I'm anxious to see how much the little chunker weighs. I actually just went and did an approximate weight and it appears he may be around 13 pounds! Holy cow! I'm sure it's off by a little bit, but still! He eats about 5-7 times per day and usually takes a bottle for 1 feeding at least every other day.
Oh and we ended up back in newborn diapers this past week. He seems to be in between sizes and we have been having lots of diaper leaks. No fun!
So with all the activities this past week, I think we are just going to be hanging out for the most part. I'm realizing just how fast this time goes by and I know that before I know it I'll have to be back at work and I want to enjoy every single minute. I've really got to get started on his baby book. Am I the only one who procrastinates this? I doubt it, but I feel bad I haven't done it before now.
We also found out yesterday that we will have another new niece. So excited! She will be arriving in November :)
Well I said my plan for today is to sleep when Danny sleeps. I am finding that I am just so exhausted. Even though he is sleeping for 6-8 hours, I'm not. It seems that like clockwork, I'm waking up at 2am-ish and up about every hour after that. So now that he is asleep, I've eaten breakfast, I'm going to lay down. Which I'm sure means that he will be waking up :)
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
week 10
So this past week Randy and I celebrated 3 years of marriage. Hard to believe! We went to dinner at the restaurant where we had our rehearsal dinner. It sucked! But we still had a nice time and ended the meal with treats from Foster's Freeze. Yum!
Danny is now wearing size 1 diapers. He ran out of newborn size and he seems to be too big for newborn and still too small for 1's. He leaks out of both of them. So for now, he will stay in the size 1's. He continues to sleep through the night, thank goodness! I do hope he keeps it up. He still isn't waking up at the same time which is strange since he goes down at the same time. But I'm sure he will work it out. Daytime naps are still inconsistent, but I'll take it as long as he keeps sleeping at night! He sleeps mostly in his swing for naps. He seems to stay asleep longer that way than when he is in the pack n play or his crib.
He is doing more social smiling but still is often more interested in objects around us than us. I guess it's a sign of things to come. When he's older he won't be interested in us either. We continue to work with tummy time so he can build his head strength but he doesn't typically tolerate it longer than 5 or 10 minutes. I bought him a toy that sits on the floor and has a mirror and some other interesting things on it. He is starting to get interested in looking at himself in the mirror. Cute!
Danny is now wearing size 1 diapers. He ran out of newborn size and he seems to be too big for newborn and still too small for 1's. He leaks out of both of them. So for now, he will stay in the size 1's. He continues to sleep through the night, thank goodness! I do hope he keeps it up. He still isn't waking up at the same time which is strange since he goes down at the same time. But I'm sure he will work it out. Daytime naps are still inconsistent, but I'll take it as long as he keeps sleeping at night! He sleeps mostly in his swing for naps. He seems to stay asleep longer that way than when he is in the pack n play or his crib.
He is doing more social smiling but still is often more interested in objects around us than us. I guess it's a sign of things to come. When he's older he won't be interested in us either. We continue to work with tummy time so he can build his head strength but he doesn't typically tolerate it longer than 5 or 10 minutes. I bought him a toy that sits on the floor and has a mirror and some other interesting things on it. He is starting to get interested in looking at himself in the mirror. Cute!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Weeks 8 & 9
Daniel is 10 weeks old today. Boy how the time is flying. He continues to sleep through the night. He usually goes down around 9 and wakes up sometime between 3 and 6. We have settled into a nice evening routine that consists of a walk and then some nursing and cuddle time, then to bed. Despite this routine, he is still a pretty inconsistent daytime sleeper. I guess that's because he doesn't always wake up at the same time. He usually takes cat naps in the morning. He feeds for a little bit then sleeps for a little bit, repeat. Sometimes we just go on a walk and he seems to like that too. He is taking a good middle of the day nap (so I have time to do things like update this blog!). Usually for 2-3 hours and usually in the swing. My goal is to have him nap in either the pack n play or his crib. But he loves his swing! Then the rest of the afternoon is kind of like the morning.
Developmentally he is making progress as well. While still much more fascinated with things like walls, shadows, blinds and recently the ceiling, he is starting to make more eye contact and track objects with his eyes. We are also doing tummy time 1-3 times per day. He holds his head up for several seconds, can turn his head side to side and has rolled over, although I suspect gravity has more to do with it than his intent.
He is still wearing NB diapers but I suspect we are on his last pack. He switched to 0-3 month clothes within the past 2 weeks and they seem to be rapidly getting tighter on him.
We had his 2 month well baby check last week. At that appointment he weighed 10 pounds 4 ounces and was 22 3/4 inches long. He also got a couple of vaccines. At this point I think I am going to follow an alternative vaccine schedule where he will still get everything he needs by the time he needs, but just spread out. I worry about all those toxins going in at once. He did tolerate the first round well though.
Three days after his well baby check we went back in because he was spitting up. A LOT. But apparently he's just a "spitter". That's what the doctor calls it. So we try to hold him up longer after feedings to help decrease that. But, in just 3 days, he gained 6 ounces! He weighed 10 pounds 10 ounces at this appointment! Needless to say..feedings are going well.
And the best part..he started social smiling in the past few days! It's not often and not quite the full on grin that he does involuntarily but definitely smiles! Yay!
That's all for now!
Developmentally he is making progress as well. While still much more fascinated with things like walls, shadows, blinds and recently the ceiling, he is starting to make more eye contact and track objects with his eyes. We are also doing tummy time 1-3 times per day. He holds his head up for several seconds, can turn his head side to side and has rolled over, although I suspect gravity has more to do with it than his intent.
He is still wearing NB diapers but I suspect we are on his last pack. He switched to 0-3 month clothes within the past 2 weeks and they seem to be rapidly getting tighter on him.
We had his 2 month well baby check last week. At that appointment he weighed 10 pounds 4 ounces and was 22 3/4 inches long. He also got a couple of vaccines. At this point I think I am going to follow an alternative vaccine schedule where he will still get everything he needs by the time he needs, but just spread out. I worry about all those toxins going in at once. He did tolerate the first round well though.
Three days after his well baby check we went back in because he was spitting up. A LOT. But apparently he's just a "spitter". That's what the doctor calls it. So we try to hold him up longer after feedings to help decrease that. But, in just 3 days, he gained 6 ounces! He weighed 10 pounds 10 ounces at this appointment! Needless to say..feedings are going well.
And the best part..he started social smiling in the past few days! It's not often and not quite the full on grin that he does involuntarily but definitely smiles! Yay!
That's all for now!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Really, it's already the end of May? Really?!
I started this post on May 11 and am just now getting back to it on May 26! Wow how the time flies!
It's been a difficult but exciting few weeks. Danny is doing more and more everyday and it's so fun to watch him develop. He is making good solid eye contact now and his head and neck seem to be very strong. We are trying to do tummy time everyday and he seems to like it. He's still not real interested in any toys. He'd rather stare at the things around him. One of his favorite places in the house seems to be the hallway. When we walk through there his eyes get big and he looks around.
Weeks 5 and into 6 were perhaps the most difficult weeks yet. But if you are paying attention to the date on this, you'll realize that we are now in week 7 and things are looking up. Week six brought a lot of fussiness. Not real sure why. Could be a growth spurt, who knows. But we spent lots of sleepless nights up trying to figure out what was going on with our little guy. Not much seemed to make him happy. He seemed to get overtired in the evenings and then would resist sleep. Also he wasn't napping well. He would sleep 20 minutes to 2 hours at the most. Also during week 6 we went back to the lactation consultant for a weight check and to our surprise our little premature son was weighing in at a big 8 pounds 1o ounces! Just two weeks before that he was 7 pounds 4 ounces. I still can't believe that weight gain! Yay!
Then something happened. On week 6 day 3 he decided to sleep through the night! Now it's not the sleep through the night kind of thing that I'm accustomed to. The professionals call "sleeping through the night" a 5 hour stretch or more for newborns. He slept 5 hours that night! I think what happened is that we learned the art of the swaddle. My friend, my wonderful friend, came over that day and showed me her swaddle stuff and I think it works! Because since then, he has been sleeping for a 5-6 hour stretch every night! Last night he slept from 11pm-5am!
Now while this sounds great and before you go high-fiving me on all the sleep I'm now getting, wait a second. For some reason, I can't sleep more than a 3 hour stretch, if that, at a time. WTF? Guess who has trained me on their sleep pattern? *looks over at Danny* When I do lay down to go to sleep, my mind is filled with, well I don't even know what. But I just can't get to sleep. I'm exhuasted and I can't sleep and I have the opportunity to sleep. In any case, I'm thrilled that Danny is getting all this sleep. In addition to his lovely sleep at night, he's also sleeping 2-3 hours during the day for naps. It's great!
But of course, this new found lovely sleep has now led me to more worries. These worries are about my supply. I'm still breastfeeding and it seems to be going well (note big weight gain cited above). In fact, today marks the end of the 3rd day of not using a nipple shield. But now with his increased sleep, he is going longer between feedings and I'm worried about maintaining my supply. I went from having an oversupply to being worried about having enough.
In addition to these worries thoughts about work are also filling my mind. I'm just not sure what is going to happen. There are pros (well one or two, not many) and cons to staying in my current position and to looking elsewhere. I'm just hoping that the perfect opportunity will just fall into my lap and I won't have to think too hard about it. Of course, I'd love to figure out a way to stay at home, not go back to work and still have an income..hmmmm...if anyone else figures it out, please let me know.
It's been a difficult but exciting few weeks. Danny is doing more and more everyday and it's so fun to watch him develop. He is making good solid eye contact now and his head and neck seem to be very strong. We are trying to do tummy time everyday and he seems to like it. He's still not real interested in any toys. He'd rather stare at the things around him. One of his favorite places in the house seems to be the hallway. When we walk through there his eyes get big and he looks around.
Weeks 5 and into 6 were perhaps the most difficult weeks yet. But if you are paying attention to the date on this, you'll realize that we are now in week 7 and things are looking up. Week six brought a lot of fussiness. Not real sure why. Could be a growth spurt, who knows. But we spent lots of sleepless nights up trying to figure out what was going on with our little guy. Not much seemed to make him happy. He seemed to get overtired in the evenings and then would resist sleep. Also he wasn't napping well. He would sleep 20 minutes to 2 hours at the most. Also during week 6 we went back to the lactation consultant for a weight check and to our surprise our little premature son was weighing in at a big 8 pounds 1o ounces! Just two weeks before that he was 7 pounds 4 ounces. I still can't believe that weight gain! Yay!
Then something happened. On week 6 day 3 he decided to sleep through the night! Now it's not the sleep through the night kind of thing that I'm accustomed to. The professionals call "sleeping through the night" a 5 hour stretch or more for newborns. He slept 5 hours that night! I think what happened is that we learned the art of the swaddle. My friend, my wonderful friend, came over that day and showed me her swaddle stuff and I think it works! Because since then, he has been sleeping for a 5-6 hour stretch every night! Last night he slept from 11pm-5am!
Now while this sounds great and before you go high-fiving me on all the sleep I'm now getting, wait a second. For some reason, I can't sleep more than a 3 hour stretch, if that, at a time. WTF? Guess who has trained me on their sleep pattern? *looks over at Danny* When I do lay down to go to sleep, my mind is filled with, well I don't even know what. But I just can't get to sleep. I'm exhuasted and I can't sleep and I have the opportunity to sleep. In any case, I'm thrilled that Danny is getting all this sleep. In addition to his lovely sleep at night, he's also sleeping 2-3 hours during the day for naps. It's great!
But of course, this new found lovely sleep has now led me to more worries. These worries are about my supply. I'm still breastfeeding and it seems to be going well (note big weight gain cited above). In fact, today marks the end of the 3rd day of not using a nipple shield. But now with his increased sleep, he is going longer between feedings and I'm worried about maintaining my supply. I went from having an oversupply to being worried about having enough.
In addition to these worries thoughts about work are also filling my mind. I'm just not sure what is going to happen. There are pros (well one or two, not many) and cons to staying in my current position and to looking elsewhere. I'm just hoping that the perfect opportunity will just fall into my lap and I won't have to think too hard about it. Of course, I'd love to figure out a way to stay at home, not go back to work and still have an income..hmmmm...if anyone else figures it out, please let me know.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
oh the noises!
Boy is this little man noisy! He grunts when he sleeps and even when he's awake. He squeals like a piggy, hence the nickname he has of "Piggy". He sighs out loud when he eats and when he sleeps. I guess he just has lots of stories to tell. The noises when he sleeps are hard for me to deal with. Well, not hard, just more difficult to figure out. I hear him making noises and think maybe either a) he hasn't fallen asleep yet or b) is stirring from waking up and wants to eat. So I go check on him and often times he is fast asleep! Makes resting hard for me I guess. But at the same time, it's pretty cute. So I guess he can stay :)
The past few days have been very low key. No visitors this week so it has been nice to just hang out and get to know him. He is more and more alert and has had a few periods of fussiness in the evening which seem to be solved by breastfeeding. The schedule we had for him in the first 2 weeks or so is pretty much shot. I'm trying to feed him on demand. Sometimes he goes 4-5 hours without eating and then, like in the evening, he feeds every hour or two. He seems to be getting the hang of it and also is wanting less of the supplemental feeding, which is great. Randy still feeds him a bottle in the mornings and that gives me a couple more hours to sleep. In the end, Danny runs the show I guess :) For now anyway!
I've figured out how to use the ergo carrier and I really like having him so close and also having my hands free! We've gone on a few walks this week and it makes me feel good to get out of the house. I went from a job I hate to enjoying these simple things in life...bonding with my son, playing with my dogs and rather liking this stay at home mom business more than I thought I would.
The past few days have been very low key. No visitors this week so it has been nice to just hang out and get to know him. He is more and more alert and has had a few periods of fussiness in the evening which seem to be solved by breastfeeding. The schedule we had for him in the first 2 weeks or so is pretty much shot. I'm trying to feed him on demand. Sometimes he goes 4-5 hours without eating and then, like in the evening, he feeds every hour or two. He seems to be getting the hang of it and also is wanting less of the supplemental feeding, which is great. Randy still feeds him a bottle in the mornings and that gives me a couple more hours to sleep. In the end, Danny runs the show I guess :) For now anyway!
I've figured out how to use the ergo carrier and I really like having him so close and also having my hands free! We've gone on a few walks this week and it makes me feel good to get out of the house. I went from a job I hate to enjoying these simple things in life...bonding with my son, playing with my dogs and rather liking this stay at home mom business more than I thought I would.
Friday, April 24, 2009
where is the time going?
This week seemed to fly by! Randy went back to work and I was left at home to tend to the child. The days went quick with the regular rotation of Daniel eating, burping, pooping, sleeping and growing! He had his 2 week appointment today and he is up to 6 pounds 11 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long! Even though he's gaining weight, some of the newborn clothes are still too big for him! He continues to be more alert every day and is getting better at tracking with his eyes. He's eating a lot and pretty regular. I've spent the past few days doing more "on demand" eating which is what "they" seem to recommend. So he's eating every 2-3 hours during the day and up to 4 hours at night. It's kind of an exhausting routine. I breastfeed him, then either I or Randy feed him a bottle with breastmilk and then I pump 3 times a day. But we are getting a schedule down. I'm doing the 2am feeding and Randy does the 5am one which allows me to get some sleep. It's working pretty good. I do need to spend some more time resting during the day though. I had visitors over every day this week and while I enjoyed the visits, I felt more tired. So, my goal for next week is to rest when Daniel rests. It's hard to lay down though when there is stuff around the house to be done.
That's all for now :)
That's all for now :)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
2 weeks
Daniel is 2 weeks old today! I can't believe it's already been 2 weeks...oh how the time is flying! In the past few days I've noticed that he is more awake and alert during the day and he is just curious about his environment. He likes it when we walk around the house and he gets to check stuff out. The dogs are also doing pretty good at welcoming their little brother. Kona continues to be very gentile with him and Hilo is even warming up a bit to him.
Today we went and had lunch with some friends and of course Daniel slept through meeting everyone. Then a friend of mine who also happens to be a public health nurse, came over and weighed Daniel. He's up to 6.95! The doctors wanted him to get back to his birth weight by 2 weeks of life and he's already passed that up!
Randy went back to work yesterday and this was our 2nd day at home alone. Things are going pretty good. I'm eager to get some kind of routine going. I've got a list of "to-do's" and I'm able to do just a couple things each day while also trying to get some rest. Unfortunately because today was so busy, I didn't get a nap so I foresee an early bedtime in my future :)
Today we went and had lunch with some friends and of course Daniel slept through meeting everyone. Then a friend of mine who also happens to be a public health nurse, came over and weighed Daniel. He's up to 6.95! The doctors wanted him to get back to his birth weight by 2 weeks of life and he's already passed that up!
Randy went back to work yesterday and this was our 2nd day at home alone. Things are going pretty good. I'm eager to get some kind of routine going. I've got a list of "to-do's" and I'm able to do just a couple things each day while also trying to get some rest. Unfortunately because today was so busy, I didn't get a nap so I foresee an early bedtime in my future :)
Friday, April 17, 2009
good news friday
We have gone to the doctor 3 times this week but we got some good news today! Daniel's weight is up from 6.2 on Monday to 6.5 today. We had a follow up visit with the pediatrician on Monday and then 2 visits with the lactation consultant on Wednesday and Friday. Daniel is eating more at each feeding and will hopefully require less supplementation as he gets the hang of eating. I am down from pumping every other feeding to 3 times per day. The lactation consultant was happy to hear that I'm pumping 3-4 oz at each feeding. So I think things are heading up. All things considered though, we are so happy to have a healthy little baby.
In other news, Daniel is now free. Free from his umbilical cord stump which fell off today at the doctor's office and free from his plasti-bell from his circumcision!
And in non baby news...Kona went to the vet for her physical and we had some blood work done to ensure that her kidneys are working well because she's had some bladder infections in the past year. She got a clean bill of health! Yay! I always feel like you are asking for trouble when you run those kind of tests but we are so happy it came back good.
And...I also got some news that someone close to me is expecting another child! Yay!!
Today was a good day.
Off now to try to get some rest...
In other news, Daniel is now free. Free from his umbilical cord stump which fell off today at the doctor's office and free from his plasti-bell from his circumcision!
And in non baby news...Kona went to the vet for her physical and we had some blood work done to ensure that her kidneys are working well because she's had some bladder infections in the past year. She got a clean bill of health! Yay! I always feel like you are asking for trouble when you run those kind of tests but we are so happy it came back good.
And...I also got some news that someone close to me is expecting another child! Yay!!
Today was a good day.
Off now to try to get some rest...
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
the first week...
Our first day at home was fun but a little tough. We had to introduce him to the dogs which was a little chaotic. They were excited to see me since I hadn't been home since Monday night. They were very curious about this new little person. Kona was especially gentile with him. She was very calm and yet curious about him. Hilo seemed much more upset by the situation. He was stressed out and very intrigued by all the sounds Daniel made.
We spent the day holding him and feeding him. He slept pretty much all day. And then when night fell and it was time for us all to go to sleep, he was awake and crying much of the night. He eventually settled in on daddy's chest so we were all able to get a little shut eye.
We went back to the doctor on Friday for his 2 day appointment. Unfortunately, Daniel had lost a little more weight and his biliruben levels were higher than the doctor was comfortable with. They wanted Daniel taken back to the hospital so he could receive some phototherapy.
We arrived at the hospital and they showed me to a room where I would be allowed to stay. After being assessed by the Peditrician, it was determined that Daniel could receive his phototherapy in the room I would be staying in. Being back at the hospital also provided me with an opportunity to work further with the lactation consultants to help get his weight back up.
Randy spent the days and into the evenings with us at the hospital and I sent him back home at night so he could get some good sleep and spend time with the dogs.
Each day at the hospital, they monitored Daniel's weight and biliruben levels. Finally on Easter Sunday, it was determined that he was healthy enough to go home. When we were admitted to the hospital on Friday, Daniel's weight was 5 pounds 14 ounces and his biliruben level was around 16. By Sunday his weight was back to 6 pounds 1 ounce and his biliruben level was 6.5. We were sent home, again, from the hospital!
We had another follow up appointment on Monday where we met our new Peditrician. Daniel's weight was up to 6 pounds 2 ounces and his biliruben level was up to around 9 which was still a safe level for him.
Our first few nights at home have been much easier than that first night. Daniel is adjusting to life at home and the dogs are adjusting to their new little brother. Daniel is more alert at eating times and is already developing quite a little personality. He makes lots of noises and lots of funny faces. We have already taken our first walk and had our first outing which was to Michael's and Target. I'm pretty sure he was excited to be out of the house. We also noticed that his eye color is starting to develop from a blue gray color to a brighter blue.
It's hard to believe that a week has already passed since his birth. I suppose this is an example of what is to come and we will be sure to soak up every moment with our new little son.
We spent the day holding him and feeding him. He slept pretty much all day. And then when night fell and it was time for us all to go to sleep, he was awake and crying much of the night. He eventually settled in on daddy's chest so we were all able to get a little shut eye.
We went back to the doctor on Friday for his 2 day appointment. Unfortunately, Daniel had lost a little more weight and his biliruben levels were higher than the doctor was comfortable with. They wanted Daniel taken back to the hospital so he could receive some phototherapy.
We arrived at the hospital and they showed me to a room where I would be allowed to stay. After being assessed by the Peditrician, it was determined that Daniel could receive his phototherapy in the room I would be staying in. Being back at the hospital also provided me with an opportunity to work further with the lactation consultants to help get his weight back up.
Randy spent the days and into the evenings with us at the hospital and I sent him back home at night so he could get some good sleep and spend time with the dogs.
Each day at the hospital, they monitored Daniel's weight and biliruben levels. Finally on Easter Sunday, it was determined that he was healthy enough to go home. When we were admitted to the hospital on Friday, Daniel's weight was 5 pounds 14 ounces and his biliruben level was around 16. By Sunday his weight was back to 6 pounds 1 ounce and his biliruben level was 6.5. We were sent home, again, from the hospital!
We had another follow up appointment on Monday where we met our new Peditrician. Daniel's weight was up to 6 pounds 2 ounces and his biliruben level was up to around 9 which was still a safe level for him.
Our first few nights at home have been much easier than that first night. Daniel is adjusting to life at home and the dogs are adjusting to their new little brother. Daniel is more alert at eating times and is already developing quite a little personality. He makes lots of noises and lots of funny faces. We have already taken our first walk and had our first outing which was to Michael's and Target. I'm pretty sure he was excited to be out of the house. We also noticed that his eye color is starting to develop from a blue gray color to a brighter blue.
It's hard to believe that a week has already passed since his birth. I suppose this is an example of what is to come and we will be sure to soak up every moment with our new little son.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Daniel Edward is here...early!
Daniel Edward decided to come early at 36 weeks and 3 days. He was born on 4/7/09 at 7:49 am. He weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces and was 19 inches long. Apgars were 9 and 9.
April 6 was my first day of maternity leave. I spent it running errands and trying to get a jump start on my to do list. Randy came home from work early that evening and also got some chores done. While watching television I saw an ad for biscuits and we decided biscuits and gravy sounded good for dinner. I ran to the store to get the ingredients and cooked dinner for us. After dinner I sat back down to finish sorting what I thought to be a never ending supply of baby clothes.
At about 7:30pm I felt what I thought to be my water break. I ran to the bathroom. Randy was in his bathroom and wondered why his pregnant wife was running down the hall. Just as it dawned on him why that might be, I said "I think my water just broke!".
Randy brought me the phone and I got on the phone with Labor & Deliver who told me to come on in. Meanwhile, Randy ran around the house trying to pack a hospital bag, which was on my list of things to do...guess I should have done that chore on Monday! After the bags were packed we gave the dogs a treat and headed to Kaiser Deer Valley.
We arrived at Kaiser around 8:00pm and after walking down the longest hallway in the world (really poor planning on their part...L&D was at the end of a very long hall) we finally got there. They put me in triage to confirm that my water did in fact break. It did and they admitted me to the hospital and told me we'd be having a baby!
Feelings of excitement, joy, anxiety and a little bit of fear overwhelmed us. Upon being admitted they hooked me up to a bunch of monitors to keep track of contractions, baby's heart beat, blood pressure, etc. I was feeling minor contractions but apparently they were regular. Things were going almost as I had hoped with the exception of his premature arrival which I was a little worried about.
The midwife explained that she wanted to move labor along since my water had broken this left the baby more vulnerable to infection. She wanted to start me on some pitocin but I wanted to hold off because I had heard that makes the contractions much more painful and I really wanted things to progress naturally. In addition, I hadn't had a particular test done yet so they started me on some antibiotics to protect the baby. The antibiotics were repeated every 4 hours. Oh, did I mention how bad having the IV put in my hand hurt? Well, if I didn't..it hurt, bad. I'm glad I didn't see how big that needle was until they took it out the next day. Anyway, I digress...
We were moved into a Labor & Delivery room. The rooms were huge. Lots of space and we had a pretty decent view, except that it was night time, so it didn't really matter much. Labor continued on but my contractions became irregular. Randy and I spent this time laughing a lot, watching Old School, watching our trip to Kauai video and talking about what our new little son would be like. This "light" labor continued until about 3:00am. The midwife finally decided it was time for the pitocin since my contractions were irregular and I wasn't progressing. The pitocin was given around 1:00am and then the "fun" began around 3:00am.
Contractions got much more intense and I got more and more uncomfortable. The bed was uncomfortable and I had to keep moving which then made the nurses continue to come in to adjust the monitors. Needless to say, I wasn't able to rest much. I finally decided to get some relief and had a narcotic given to "take off the edge". Yeah, whatever. I think they only thing that did was help me rest in between contractions. The pain was pretty intense. Randy stayed right by my side the entire time and was so incredible. He was supportive and said and did all the right things.
About 30 minutes after the narcotic was given I decided to go for the epidural. The pain was so intense. It seemed like it took the anethesiologist forever to get there. It seemed like it took the anethesiologist even longer to get the epidural adminstered. I think she had to give me 5 different locals and it took 3 attempts at the epidural to get it in right. She was less than helpful. Apparently, I have a curve in my spine and this was inconvient for her. She wanted to discuss the situation and finally Randy just said, "yes, she must have a curve in her spine". Oh also, the moving I was doing during the contractions was also inconvient and she kept telling me to hold still. Yeah, thanks..I'm trying. Finally, she got her job done.
I don't remember a whole lot of specifics during this time. But apparently it took a while for the epidural to get going. The thing I worried about with the epidural was not being able to feel my legs and fortunately, this wasn't an issue. By the time it was time for me to push I was told that I didn't even get the full effects of the epidural because things happened so fast. I think I went from being 3 cm dialated around 3:00am to 8 cm at about 5:00am. When they told me I was only 3 cm dialated, I felt so discouraged and that was when I ended up deciding to get something to help with the pain.
Also, I guess they were having a hard time monitoring the baby's heart rate and they wanted to use an internal fetal monitoring device. I did not want that and told them that. The midwife was worried about not being able to monitor his heart rate but agreed to let me try and push. Finally! During the active part of labor I think one of the hardest things was the feeling of pressure and not being able to push. I started pushing around 6:30 am. Randy continued to be by my side and was with me during every breath and contraction and kept telling me to relax, breathe and push.
I pushed for about an hour. I kept being moved from laying on my back to my sides to help him make his way out. Finally, at 7:49 am Daniel was born! Sunny side up! Randy got in there and cut the cord. Hearing that little guy cry for the first time was incredible. There are no words. They put him right on my chest and began to clean him up. I think I said "Oh my gosh there's a real person in there!" and Randy kept telling me how awesome I did. That might be true but he did pretty freaking awesome himself.
Daniel calmed down pretty quickly after being put on my chest and cleaned up. He spent about an hour resting on my chest before they took him to weigh and bathe him. He laid on my chest and cooed and looked around and it was just amazing.
Randy went with them when it was time to clean him up. He put on his first diaper and was right there by his side during his first medical examination and bath. Soon after they were done, Daniel was brought back to me and the 3 of us spent some time as a new family.
We spent a couple days in the hospital so that Daniel's weight and possible jaundice could be monitored. They discharged us on 4/9 and we headed home to start our new life as a family of 5. I am of course, including the dogs in this number :)
Sunday, April 5, 2009
36 weeks and no more work!
Friday was my last day at work, finally! Hopefully I've got a few weeks now to rest and get ready for Baby. We definitely have all the stuff, just a matter of finding a place for it! So I'm hoping to spend some time getting the nursery together and all these clothes put away!
During this past week I've felt a little cramping which seem to be consistent with Braxton Hicks, so hopefully things will be moving along as they should be. At this point, I start seeing my doctor every week and I hope to get an idea if he is still head down and if he has dropped at all. It sort of feels like he has because I've had lots of pressure in my lower abdomen.
I've also been trying to get letters for the baby's name but Michael's hasn't been cooperating. I've got one letter left to get and I asked when it would be in. When they scanned the label it said they had 40 of them! The lady couldn't find any so they are on order now.
During this past week I've felt a little cramping which seem to be consistent with Braxton Hicks, so hopefully things will be moving along as they should be. At this point, I start seeing my doctor every week and I hope to get an idea if he is still head down and if he has dropped at all. It sort of feels like he has because I've had lots of pressure in my lower abdomen.
I've also been trying to get letters for the baby's name but Michael's hasn't been cooperating. I've got one letter left to get and I asked when it would be in. When they scanned the label it said they had 40 of them! The lady couldn't find any so they are on order now.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
35 weeks
I'm 35 weeks pregnant today and have 35 days left until the due date...wow! Overall, I feel pretty good. I fluctuate from feeling exhausted to anxious. There is so much I want and need to do (I think "they" call that nesting) but then I get tired so quickly. I don't really have a feeling about when Baby will make his appearance, but I hope he doesn't go much past his due date. This past week I've been sick with a cold. If at all possible, avoid getting a cold while pregnant. It's perhaps been the worst week of my pregnancy thus far. As if sleeping isn't hard enough these days, not being able to breathe out of my nose certainly complicated the situation. I'm still a little congested but feel better. I just hope that my allergies don't start up.
Doctor appointments have been going well. My last one was at 34 weeks and I go back at 36 weeks and then every week after that. At the next appointment we are supposed to meet with a midwife (who may be delivering Baby) and we should also get our "Stork Parking" so that when the time comes, we get good parking!
In the past 2 weeks we have been fortunate to have 3 baby showers! It has been exhausting, but also very exciting. Two weeks ago my mom came into town for the friends and family shower that my mother in law hosted at her home. It was so nice to see everyone and boy did we get a lot of stuff! From that shower we got the high chair, first aid items, diapers, nursery decor, blankets, gift cards and lots of clothes! Then on March 17 I walked into what I thought was going to be a St. Patrick's Day potluck at work. Instead my co-workers threw me a surprise baby shower. It was very nice and again we got lots of clothes, diapers, bottles and other essential items. The following weekend my previous co-workers threw me a shower and it was wonderful to visit with everyone. That shower brought lots more clothes, blankets, diapers, an umbrella stroller and lots more essentials.
Now....what the heck to do with all this stuff? It's hard to imagine how one little person needs all this stuff!
Well, we finally got the carpet in the nursery (and 2 other bedrooms) and Randy worked hard to put together the crib and dresser. So things are coming along. We have done and still have a lot of organizing to do. But there will be time for that soon. There is baby stuff all over our house! Baby clothes piled on the chair in the living room and in the dining room, blankets and other baby items in the hallway...oh boy!
After the showers were finished, we decided to take our gift cards to Babies R Us and get some items from our registry that we still needed. Close to $700 later (all on gift cards, I might add!) we got our travel system, crib mattress, diaper changing pad, sheets, exersaucer, and lots of other stuff! It was quite a shopping spree!
In other news, my doctor has recommended that I take the full 4 weeks off before my due date to rest. No medical reason because we are both healthy, she just believes it to be a good idea and I certainly didn't argue with that! So, my last day of work is this coming Friday, April 4. My leave is up October 23...that's 6 1/2 months off potentially. We'll see how that works out with pay but hopefully I'll be able to take all that time off to spend with the baby. It also leaves me plenty of time to find a new job...hopefully!
Doctor appointments have been going well. My last one was at 34 weeks and I go back at 36 weeks and then every week after that. At the next appointment we are supposed to meet with a midwife (who may be delivering Baby) and we should also get our "Stork Parking" so that when the time comes, we get good parking!
In the past 2 weeks we have been fortunate to have 3 baby showers! It has been exhausting, but also very exciting. Two weeks ago my mom came into town for the friends and family shower that my mother in law hosted at her home. It was so nice to see everyone and boy did we get a lot of stuff! From that shower we got the high chair, first aid items, diapers, nursery decor, blankets, gift cards and lots of clothes! Then on March 17 I walked into what I thought was going to be a St. Patrick's Day potluck at work. Instead my co-workers threw me a surprise baby shower. It was very nice and again we got lots of clothes, diapers, bottles and other essential items. The following weekend my previous co-workers threw me a shower and it was wonderful to visit with everyone. That shower brought lots more clothes, blankets, diapers, an umbrella stroller and lots more essentials.
Now....what the heck to do with all this stuff? It's hard to imagine how one little person needs all this stuff!
Well, we finally got the carpet in the nursery (and 2 other bedrooms) and Randy worked hard to put together the crib and dresser. So things are coming along. We have done and still have a lot of organizing to do. But there will be time for that soon. There is baby stuff all over our house! Baby clothes piled on the chair in the living room and in the dining room, blankets and other baby items in the hallway...oh boy!
After the showers were finished, we decided to take our gift cards to Babies R Us and get some items from our registry that we still needed. Close to $700 later (all on gift cards, I might add!) we got our travel system, crib mattress, diaper changing pad, sheets, exersaucer, and lots of other stuff! It was quite a shopping spree!
In other news, my doctor has recommended that I take the full 4 weeks off before my due date to rest. No medical reason because we are both healthy, she just believes it to be a good idea and I certainly didn't argue with that! So, my last day of work is this coming Friday, April 4. My leave is up October 23...that's 6 1/2 months off potentially. We'll see how that works out with pay but hopefully I'll be able to take all that time off to spend with the baby. It also leaves me plenty of time to find a new job...hopefully!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
32 weeks
Well it's been far too long since I've written an update, but thankfully that's because the last month or so has been fairly uneventful.
Baby is moving around a lot more and his kicks are usually pretty strong and visible from the outside. My stomach is getting bigger and bigger, which I guess is a good thing! I'm just not sure how he's going to keep growing in there for 8 more weeks! Some of my maternity shirts are not quite long enough anymore and I have to keep tugging them down! I'm starting to get some swelling in my fingers which means I am now only wearing my engagement ring. Oh also this past month I invested in a body pillow to help me sleep and it sure has made my already tossing and turning nights a bit more comfortable. I usually have to get up 2-3 times a night to use the bathroom and Randy is frequently reminding me at what a good job I'm doing of being up all night and not waking him up! Despite the frequent wake ups, I have been dreaming like crazy! Just this past week I think I had 3 labor and delivery dreams! I think I'm worried he is going to come too early and we won't be ready yet. Although, I tend to think we won't be ready yet even if he comes on May 2!
There was a period of time a couple weeks ago where his movements slowed down and I didn't really feel much movement for a couple of days. This was the first trip into Labor and Delivery at the hospital. They hooked me up to listen to his heart beat and to monitor any contractions (which I wasn't having). Unfortunately, Randy couldn't be there right away so I was by myself listening to the little guy's heart beat for nearly an hour before Randy got there. The good news is that Baby's heart beat is strong. The doctor wanted to do an ultrasound just to get a look and I certainly wasn't going to object to that! Randy showed up just in time to see the ultrasound. I can't believe how big he has gotten. One of the best parts of the u/s was that the doctor was able to confirm that Baby is in fact a boy! The pictures we got from the 20 week u/s weren't very clear. This doctor pointed out his junk and even gave us a couple pictures to take home.
My first baby shower is next weekend and I'm pretty excited for that. We haven't made much progress on the nursery yet though, although we finally got some carpet ordered. The room is not really cleaned out yet, but it's been organized so that when it's time to move stuff out it should be a little easier.
I also think I have finally gotten my maternity leave benefits straight. Dealing with the County is ridiculous! I have to get information from benefits, personnel, payroll and my supervisor! And of course much of their information isn't consistent. Geeze! I think I have decided to work up until 2 weeks before. Hopefully that will give me some time before Baby arrives to just relax and finish up any last minute things. I am fortunate enough to get 18 weeks of paid time off, so that will leave me 4 months with Baby after the birth.
Baby is moving around a lot more and his kicks are usually pretty strong and visible from the outside. My stomach is getting bigger and bigger, which I guess is a good thing! I'm just not sure how he's going to keep growing in there for 8 more weeks! Some of my maternity shirts are not quite long enough anymore and I have to keep tugging them down! I'm starting to get some swelling in my fingers which means I am now only wearing my engagement ring. Oh also this past month I invested in a body pillow to help me sleep and it sure has made my already tossing and turning nights a bit more comfortable. I usually have to get up 2-3 times a night to use the bathroom and Randy is frequently reminding me at what a good job I'm doing of being up all night and not waking him up! Despite the frequent wake ups, I have been dreaming like crazy! Just this past week I think I had 3 labor and delivery dreams! I think I'm worried he is going to come too early and we won't be ready yet. Although, I tend to think we won't be ready yet even if he comes on May 2!
There was a period of time a couple weeks ago where his movements slowed down and I didn't really feel much movement for a couple of days. This was the first trip into Labor and Delivery at the hospital. They hooked me up to listen to his heart beat and to monitor any contractions (which I wasn't having). Unfortunately, Randy couldn't be there right away so I was by myself listening to the little guy's heart beat for nearly an hour before Randy got there. The good news is that Baby's heart beat is strong. The doctor wanted to do an ultrasound just to get a look and I certainly wasn't going to object to that! Randy showed up just in time to see the ultrasound. I can't believe how big he has gotten. One of the best parts of the u/s was that the doctor was able to confirm that Baby is in fact a boy! The pictures we got from the 20 week u/s weren't very clear. This doctor pointed out his junk and even gave us a couple pictures to take home.
My first baby shower is next weekend and I'm pretty excited for that. We haven't made much progress on the nursery yet though, although we finally got some carpet ordered. The room is not really cleaned out yet, but it's been organized so that when it's time to move stuff out it should be a little easier.
I also think I have finally gotten my maternity leave benefits straight. Dealing with the County is ridiculous! I have to get information from benefits, personnel, payroll and my supervisor! And of course much of their information isn't consistent. Geeze! I think I have decided to work up until 2 weeks before. Hopefully that will give me some time before Baby arrives to just relax and finish up any last minute things. I am fortunate enough to get 18 weeks of paid time off, so that will leave me 4 months with Baby after the birth.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
3rd trimester!
According to some of the "books" I've started my 3rd trimester. Wow. I can't believe we are in the final stretch already. It seems like it's gone so fast. Now at 27 weeks I'm feeling the baby move around several times per day and those little kicks are getting stronger. Daddy is finally able to feel him move around too but hasn't seen my stomach move just yet. It seems as though baby is a little jokester already. He'll move around for me and when I call Daddy over baby stops.
For the most part, I've been feeling pretty good. Some ligament pain, some inconsistent sleeping and difficulty bending over complete my list of "complaints". Although they really aren't complaints. I enjoy being pregnant. It's pretty amazing to realize there is a little human growing and developing in there.
We've created a baby registry. Wow, what an experience that was. Fun at first and tiring as we went into the 3rd hour. It was fun but I'm glad the bulk of it is over.
We need to start getting the nursery ready. We picked up the crib and dresser yesterday and I'm excited to see it put together. It is the Renew collection from JC Penny in the Coffee stain. Here are the links...
Crib
Dresser
For a rocker I get to use my grandparent's rocking chair which was the inspiration for the color in the nursery. Hopefully the chair and the furniture will match! We still have to pick out some carpet and clean out the actual room before we can put it together. Hopefully we can do that in the next month or so.
I celebrated the big 31 last week. I spent the day relaxing, watching a 30 Rock marathon while Randy took care of me. He even baked me a birthday cake! It was delicious!
As far as the job goes...well all I have to say is 9 more weeks until I can start my maternity leave!
For the most part, I've been feeling pretty good. Some ligament pain, some inconsistent sleeping and difficulty bending over complete my list of "complaints". Although they really aren't complaints. I enjoy being pregnant. It's pretty amazing to realize there is a little human growing and developing in there.
We've created a baby registry. Wow, what an experience that was. Fun at first and tiring as we went into the 3rd hour. It was fun but I'm glad the bulk of it is over.
We need to start getting the nursery ready. We picked up the crib and dresser yesterday and I'm excited to see it put together. It is the Renew collection from JC Penny in the Coffee stain. Here are the links...
Crib
Dresser
For a rocker I get to use my grandparent's rocking chair which was the inspiration for the color in the nursery. Hopefully the chair and the furniture will match! We still have to pick out some carpet and clean out the actual room before we can put it together. Hopefully we can do that in the next month or so.
I celebrated the big 31 last week. I spent the day relaxing, watching a 30 Rock marathon while Randy took care of me. He even baked me a birthday cake! It was delicious!
As far as the job goes...well all I have to say is 9 more weeks until I can start my maternity leave!
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