We are now entering the Falling In Love With the Baby phase.
OHMYGOSH y'all this baby is the CUTEST THING THAT EVER DID LIVE. He's so smiley and flirty and funny and earnest. And his little voice is so boyish and croony. I'm officially smitten. SMITTEN.
GARSH.
Okay I'm done. I just thought that was worth a post.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Doctor Visit and Teething
So after his cold appeared on Saturday, Mr. Peabody seemed to be feeling worse and worse until last night he started grabbing at his left ear off and on and crying. I gave him Tylenol in half-doses all day yesterday to keep him comfortable and he wanted to nurse a lot, but mostly for comfort and not because he was extra-hungry. He had several good long naps yesterday and wonderful night's sleep last night, only fully waking for a feed once at 3 AM. BLESS HIS SWEET LITTLE HEART!
I got up and called the pediatrician's office first thing this morning and they were able to see us at 10:15. He seemed better this morning - his nose wasn't running nearly as much and he wasn't sneezing as often, although he did still have some dry crusties in his nose. He also wasn't grabbing his ear. And he was smiling. Not completely his usual chipper self, but definitely better than yesterday.
So I took him in, with Bean in tow. We were seen quickly and he had no fever. MY BOY WEIGHS 14 LBS. 2 OZ. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I can't believe it! Go Mama-milk! Even the doctor commented on how HUGE he's getting and she sat and talked and played with him for a good bit (much to his delight, after his initial shy/coy responses) and commented that he acts much older than a four month old. She said he SEEMS like a six month old. And I guess when I reflect on Bean's four month vs. six month old behaviors, I'd say I agree.
She looked in his ears and said they both look 100% good - no redness or swelling, no nothing. He definitely doesn't have an infection or fluid in there. When she looked into his mouth to see his throat, she brought me over to see that his two bottom front teeth are juuuuuuuuuuuuust below the surface of his gum, and the tell-tale indentions are there. She said, "He is definitely teething hard right now!" (Which I already knew, but was nice to have confirmed of course.) It's possible the ear grabbing has to do with that, or perhaps the cold is causing some small amount of pressure in that ear canal or something.
So, no ear infection! I am SO relieved as I really didn't want him taking antibiotics. He's still so little!
The doctor mentioned as well that she'd have been surprised to find he DID have an ear infection, as exclusively breastfed babies rarely get them.
EXCLUSIVELY BREASTFED BABIES. LIKE MINE. WHOOOOOOOOO!
Yes, but on the teething, he is literally drenching the front of his shirt every hour - I've already changed him THREE times today, with the teething and stupid leaky poopy diapers. (I cannot find a diaper that can hold his poo! It's a mess every single time!) And he is constantly stuffing his whole fist into his mouth and biting down hard and SCREECHING with the pain. The Tylenol and teething tablets help that but OH, how I can't wait for those teeth to come through those gums, or at least to stop pressing upward for a day or two so my boy can get a break! I feel so sad for him. ALICE, DARLING, I GET IT NOW!
Bean NEVER showed any signs of teething. She just woke up one morning with teeth poking out. Now I am seeing the other side of that coin!
Anyway both kids are napping now and I've dragged a large stack of Amazon.com boxes in from the front porch and secreted them away to the basement, so now it's time for me to grab a little nap of my own before I'm back on Mommy duty again.
I got up and called the pediatrician's office first thing this morning and they were able to see us at 10:15. He seemed better this morning - his nose wasn't running nearly as much and he wasn't sneezing as often, although he did still have some dry crusties in his nose. He also wasn't grabbing his ear. And he was smiling. Not completely his usual chipper self, but definitely better than yesterday.
So I took him in, with Bean in tow. We were seen quickly and he had no fever. MY BOY WEIGHS 14 LBS. 2 OZ. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I can't believe it! Go Mama-milk! Even the doctor commented on how HUGE he's getting and she sat and talked and played with him for a good bit (much to his delight, after his initial shy/coy responses) and commented that he acts much older than a four month old. She said he SEEMS like a six month old. And I guess when I reflect on Bean's four month vs. six month old behaviors, I'd say I agree.
She looked in his ears and said they both look 100% good - no redness or swelling, no nothing. He definitely doesn't have an infection or fluid in there. When she looked into his mouth to see his throat, she brought me over to see that his two bottom front teeth are juuuuuuuuuuuuust below the surface of his gum, and the tell-tale indentions are there. She said, "He is definitely teething hard right now!" (Which I already knew, but was nice to have confirmed of course.) It's possible the ear grabbing has to do with that, or perhaps the cold is causing some small amount of pressure in that ear canal or something.
So, no ear infection! I am SO relieved as I really didn't want him taking antibiotics. He's still so little!
The doctor mentioned as well that she'd have been surprised to find he DID have an ear infection, as exclusively breastfed babies rarely get them.
EXCLUSIVELY BREASTFED BABIES. LIKE MINE. WHOOOOOOOOO!
Yes, but on the teething, he is literally drenching the front of his shirt every hour - I've already changed him THREE times today, with the teething and stupid leaky poopy diapers. (I cannot find a diaper that can hold his poo! It's a mess every single time!) And he is constantly stuffing his whole fist into his mouth and biting down hard and SCREECHING with the pain. The Tylenol and teething tablets help that but OH, how I can't wait for those teeth to come through those gums, or at least to stop pressing upward for a day or two so my boy can get a break! I feel so sad for him. ALICE, DARLING, I GET IT NOW!
Bean NEVER showed any signs of teething. She just woke up one morning with teeth poking out. Now I am seeing the other side of that coin!
Anyway both kids are napping now and I've dragged a large stack of Amazon.com boxes in from the front porch and secreted them away to the basement, so now it's time for me to grab a little nap of my own before I'm back on Mommy duty again.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Sleep Training's Good, and Other Happy Things
So yesterday didn't go swimmingly, although I did finally get the little guy down for both naps. It just took some doing! Turns out he must not have been feeling 100% because he woke up this morning with a runny nose and a little bit of sneezing and I have a little cold as well. No one else seems bothered by it yet.
Last night went well in terms of his going to sleep without crying. He slept 3.5 hour (or less) stretches, though, probably again because of the cold. But he slept until 7:40 AM this morning and then was ready for a nap again by 9:40 AM and is still asleep nearly 2 hours later. Poor little man!
This boy, though, is so sweet and yummy. I feel like I don't/can't say enough about what a smiley, lovey, cheerful guy he is and how much we all adore him. His smile about cracks his little face in half, it's so big and wide. He smiles it at all three of us now, too. He is madly in love with Bean - whenever she's around he LEANS in her direction with his eyes all lit up and his smile from ear to ear and he just stares at her, enraptured. Precious!
He also has this thing he does when he's all well-rested and has a contentedly full tummy. He forms his little mouth into a smiling little O and sort of whispers happily, "Oh, oh, oh!" over and over again. He has this beautiful husky boyish tone to his voice, too, almost like he's hoarse, and when he OH OH OHs in that tone I just get all squishy inside. I can't believe I have a little husky-voiced boy to call my own.
Let's see. Peanut's eyes are still beautifully blue, and his eyelashes have thickened and are long like Bean's, so the blue is framed nicely. My heart aches for the women in his life when I look at his sweet little innocent but handsome face. I fear the worst for them! Hee hee! (Bad mama.)
He's sitting up with support more and more. On a few occasions we've had him with us at the dinner table in the little portable highchairish seat we've put into a regular table chair. He can sit there and enjoy it for about 10 minutes and then he gets tired out from having to support and balance himself. But it won't be long until he can sit there longer and I LOVE the look he wears when he's there with the other three of us at the table instead of on the floor in his exersaucer. You can see by his face that he feels so happy there! It's nice to have him getting a bit older so he'll be able to be one of US more and more. This is the right season for that "all of us together" feeling, for sure. And more and more the stress of having a newborn is unwinding in me and I'm getting to enjoy my family more. Though I will say I have a long way to go in that department - there are days when I just think this intense phase of motherhood is going to do me in for sure.
I don't know why I can't just relax. I thought I would be able to this time around but no, I must torture myself and the people around me by being a basket case of stress and neurosis. It's all just so hard for me. No part of the baby stuff (except the love part) comes naturally to me. Why is that?
But it's coming. I think by 6 months with Bean I was chillin' a little more. (Crosses her fingers.)
So the sleep training is going well. I need to let him be a bit MORE awake as I put him to bed, over time. Right now he's awake but nodding, and sometimes I even have to WAKE him before I put him down, and I'm not sure that counts as putting him down awake. But I'm happy with where we are now. I hear him wake occasionally between ACTUAL wakings at night and go back to sleep, so we ARE getting somewhere in terms of his being able to settle himself. That's the ultimate goal.
I'm hoping to wrangle both kiddos into their Christmas pajamas today and get some nice pictures of them. I'd love to make that a Christmas card photo but I'm not even sure I'll get around to sending cards this year. I haven't even done a birth announcement for Peanut yet. I suppose I could combine the two somehow, if I were clever enough.
Last night went well in terms of his going to sleep without crying. He slept 3.5 hour (or less) stretches, though, probably again because of the cold. But he slept until 7:40 AM this morning and then was ready for a nap again by 9:40 AM and is still asleep nearly 2 hours later. Poor little man!
This boy, though, is so sweet and yummy. I feel like I don't/can't say enough about what a smiley, lovey, cheerful guy he is and how much we all adore him. His smile about cracks his little face in half, it's so big and wide. He smiles it at all three of us now, too. He is madly in love with Bean - whenever she's around he LEANS in her direction with his eyes all lit up and his smile from ear to ear and he just stares at her, enraptured. Precious!
He also has this thing he does when he's all well-rested and has a contentedly full tummy. He forms his little mouth into a smiling little O and sort of whispers happily, "Oh, oh, oh!" over and over again. He has this beautiful husky boyish tone to his voice, too, almost like he's hoarse, and when he OH OH OHs in that tone I just get all squishy inside. I can't believe I have a little husky-voiced boy to call my own.
Let's see. Peanut's eyes are still beautifully blue, and his eyelashes have thickened and are long like Bean's, so the blue is framed nicely. My heart aches for the women in his life when I look at his sweet little innocent but handsome face. I fear the worst for them! Hee hee! (Bad mama.)
He's sitting up with support more and more. On a few occasions we've had him with us at the dinner table in the little portable highchairish seat we've put into a regular table chair. He can sit there and enjoy it for about 10 minutes and then he gets tired out from having to support and balance himself. But it won't be long until he can sit there longer and I LOVE the look he wears when he's there with the other three of us at the table instead of on the floor in his exersaucer. You can see by his face that he feels so happy there! It's nice to have him getting a bit older so he'll be able to be one of US more and more. This is the right season for that "all of us together" feeling, for sure. And more and more the stress of having a newborn is unwinding in me and I'm getting to enjoy my family more. Though I will say I have a long way to go in that department - there are days when I just think this intense phase of motherhood is going to do me in for sure.
I don't know why I can't just relax. I thought I would be able to this time around but no, I must torture myself and the people around me by being a basket case of stress and neurosis. It's all just so hard for me. No part of the baby stuff (except the love part) comes naturally to me. Why is that?
But it's coming. I think by 6 months with Bean I was chillin' a little more. (Crosses her fingers.)
So the sleep training is going well. I need to let him be a bit MORE awake as I put him to bed, over time. Right now he's awake but nodding, and sometimes I even have to WAKE him before I put him down, and I'm not sure that counts as putting him down awake. But I'm happy with where we are now. I hear him wake occasionally between ACTUAL wakings at night and go back to sleep, so we ARE getting somewhere in terms of his being able to settle himself. That's the ultimate goal.
I'm hoping to wrangle both kiddos into their Christmas pajamas today and get some nice pictures of them. I'd love to make that a Christmas card photo but I'm not even sure I'll get around to sending cards this year. I haven't even done a birth announcement for Peanut yet. I suppose I could combine the two somehow, if I were clever enough.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Sleep Training, Day 4
From last night:
Put to bed at 7:00 PM
Cried less than 1 minute.
Slept until 10:20 PM.
Put to bed at 10:40 PM.
Didn't cry.
Slept until 2:50 AM.
Put to bed at 3:15 AM.
Didn't cry.
Slept until 5:45 AM.
(Put self back to sleep at 3:30 AM after 15 seconds or so of crying.)
Put to bed at 6:00 AM.
Didn't cry.
Slept until 8:00 AM.
Put to bed at 10:20 AM.
Cried 20 minutes.
Slept until 11:30 AM.
Put to bed at 2:10 PM.
Still stupid CRYING at 2:30 PM! GEEZ! I thought we were gettin' somewhere!
Oh wait. He stopped.
No he didn't.
Darn.
Okay, cried 30 minutes.
(Mmmmmmmmmmmmman, I hate this.)
Put to bed at 7:00 PM
Cried less than 1 minute.
Slept until 10:20 PM.
Put to bed at 10:40 PM.
Didn't cry.
Slept until 2:50 AM.
Put to bed at 3:15 AM.
Didn't cry.
Slept until 5:45 AM.
(Put self back to sleep at 3:30 AM after 15 seconds or so of crying.)
Put to bed at 6:00 AM.
Didn't cry.
Slept until 8:00 AM.
Put to bed at 10:20 AM.
Cried 20 minutes.
Slept until 11:30 AM.
Put to bed at 2:10 PM.
Still stupid CRYING at 2:30 PM! GEEZ! I thought we were gettin' somewhere!
Oh wait. He stopped.
No he didn't.
Darn.
Okay, cried 30 minutes.
(Mmmmmmmmmmmmman, I hate this.)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
17 Weeks Old & Sleep Training, Day 3
From last night:
Put to bed at 6:20 PM
Cried 20 minutes.
Slept until 11:00 PM
Put to bed at 11:36 PM
Cried 12 minutes.
Slept until 3 AM.
Put to bed at 3:28 PM
Cried 2 minutes.
Slept until 5:30 AM
(I also heard him wake up at 4:40 AM but he put himself back to sleep quickly! Go Peanut!)
Put to bed at 8:20 AM. (Waited too long.)
Slept 15 minutes.
Cried for 40 minutes.
Slept for another 30 minutes.
Slept 30 minutes or less on errand to Target. Woke up at 12:30 PM
Put to bed at 2 PM.
Cried less than 2 minutes.
Slept until 4:30 PM (I woke him up!)
Put to bed at 7:00 PM
Cried less than 1 minute.
Put to bed at 6:20 PM
Cried 20 minutes.
Slept until 11:00 PM
Put to bed at 11:36 PM
Cried 12 minutes.
Slept until 3 AM.
Put to bed at 3:28 PM
Cried 2 minutes.
Slept until 5:30 AM
(I also heard him wake up at 4:40 AM but he put himself back to sleep quickly! Go Peanut!)
Put to bed at 8:20 AM. (Waited too long.)
Slept 15 minutes.
Cried for 40 minutes.
Slept for another 30 minutes.
Slept 30 minutes or less on errand to Target. Woke up at 12:30 PM
Put to bed at 2 PM.
Cried less than 2 minutes.
Slept until 4:30 PM (I woke him up!)
Put to bed at 7:00 PM
Cried less than 1 minute.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
4 Monthsish + 1 - Sleep Training Day 2
From the night before:
Cried 1 hour.
Slept until 1 AM.
Put to bed at 1:25 AM
Cried 40 minutes.
Slept 20 minutes.
Cried 15 minutes.
Got him up and changed/fed him.
Back to bed at 2:45 AM.
Didn't cry.
Slept until 6:45 AM.
Worried I've ruined our hard work by getting him up again after the 1:00 feeding but didn't know what else to do. He was fine though. When I did get him up, he was smiling and laughing on the changing table within 30 seconds. Little goober.
Put to bed at 9:30 AM
Didn't cry. (Poor thing is exhausted!)
Slept until 11:00 AM
Put to bed at 1:45 PM (So tired!)
Cried maybe 15 seconds?
Slept until 3:45 PM
Put to bed at 6:20 PM
Still crying at 6:25 PM.
I wonder why he cries at night, but not during the day?
I left a little bit of light in the room tonight thinking that was making the difference.
I don't know if I can keep doing this if we have another night like last night.
Cried 1 hour.
Slept until 1 AM.
Put to bed at 1:25 AM
Cried 40 minutes.
Slept 20 minutes.
Cried 15 minutes.
Got him up and changed/fed him.
Back to bed at 2:45 AM.
Didn't cry.
Slept until 6:45 AM.
Worried I've ruined our hard work by getting him up again after the 1:00 feeding but didn't know what else to do. He was fine though. When I did get him up, he was smiling and laughing on the changing table within 30 seconds. Little goober.
Put to bed at 9:30 AM
Didn't cry. (Poor thing is exhausted!)
Slept until 11:00 AM
Put to bed at 1:45 PM (So tired!)
Cried maybe 15 seconds?
Slept until 3:45 PM
Put to bed at 6:20 PM
Still crying at 6:25 PM.
I wonder why he cries at night, but not during the day?
I left a little bit of light in the room tonight thinking that was making the difference.
I don't know if I can keep doing this if we have another night like last night.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
16 weeks and 5 days - Four Months-ish. Sleep Training Notes.
December 1, 2008
Put to bed at 6:30 PM.
Cried 45 minutes. (Mama's heart broken into a thousand tiny frowning pieces.)
Slept until 1:00 AM.
December 2, 2008
Put to bed at 1:30 AM.
Didn't cry.
Slept until 4:00 AM
Put to bed at 4:30 AM
Cried 19 minutes.
Slept until 7:00 AM
Put to bed at 9:30 AM
Cried 4 minutes.
Slept until 12:15 PM.
Put to bed at 2:50 PM.
Cried for 3 minutes. Was quiet for 3 minutes. Cried for 2 minutes.
How long will he sleep this time?
(Crosses fingers.)
Slept until 4:20 PM. PERFECT!
Put to bed at 6:30 PM
Cried for less than a minute.
Silent for 1 minute.
Cried for 45 minutes.
And still crying.
UGH! Shoot me now.
?
Put to bed at 6:30 PM.
Cried 45 minutes. (Mama's heart broken into a thousand tiny frowning pieces.)
Slept until 1:00 AM.
December 2, 2008
Put to bed at 1:30 AM.
Didn't cry.
Slept until 4:00 AM
Put to bed at 4:30 AM
Cried 19 minutes.
Slept until 7:00 AM
Put to bed at 9:30 AM
Cried 4 minutes.
Slept until 12:15 PM.
Put to bed at 2:50 PM.
Cried for 3 minutes. Was quiet for 3 minutes. Cried for 2 minutes.
How long will he sleep this time?
(Crosses fingers.)
Slept until 4:20 PM. PERFECT!
Put to bed at 6:30 PM
Cried for less than a minute.
Silent for 1 minute.
Cried for 45 minutes.
And still crying.
UGH! Shoot me now.
?
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