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!
Monday, September 21, 2009
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!
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