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?!
Monday, November 23, 2009
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!
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