I just celebrated what may be my final day of nursing Peabody with a dish of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream.
Since I'll be away from my sweet boy for nearly 4 days straight, I'm thinking it's possible, if not probable, that my milk will dry up this weekend. But maybe not, and I'll certainly offer to nurse him at bedtime, as I have done for many, many months now, when I get home. He's been happy to go to bed without me a few times this month, which gives me reassurance that he's ready and going to be fine if we do end up "weaning" (for want of a better way to put it, really) now.
It has been a wild and mostly wonderful ride, and I will miss breastfeeding if it's over, but I'm also proud, so proud, to have made it to now - Peabody's second birthday (minus two days), as a nursing pair. And a part of me is ready to let it go if now's the time. I'm ready for my cycle to be more back to my own "normal" (it's been very iffy for 2 years!) and to have my skin and hair and weight go back to normal, too. But I will miss the closeness with Matthew. I hope he'll be okay with cuddling and rocking before bed, because I would hate to give that up, too. I love my cuddly, sweet, lovey little boy so much.
Matthew will be TWO when I see him after this weekend (I'll be walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure). I will miss his actual birthday on Saturday which makes me so sad, but we will celebrate him next weekend as a family. I can't believe he's 2 already, and lately have felt really nostalgic for the days just before and after his birth. He was the sweetest little newborn ever and I'd love to just hold that tiny Peabody again just one more time. But oh, what a wonderful toddler he is these days. He is talking more than ever and he totally has me wrapped around his little finger with his larger than life, crazy, silly, affectionate budding personality. I can't wait to see him every morning when he wakes up, and lately I've wanted to linger in his room at night after I've tucked him in, just to marvel at his sweet "Nigh-nigh"s and tell him over and over again how much I love him. (He loves me too. So much. I love how he loves me!)
I will post more soon about my charming little man. For now I just wanted to get some thoughts down and mark this special occasion. Two years! Never thought I could do it, but I did. We did. And I am so amazed by and thankful for that!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Words and Sweetness
Peabody's vocabulary, both signed and spoken, is beginning to take off lately. I am (and he is, clearly, judging by the smiles and proud facial expressions he displays after he uses a new word or sign) so proud of my little boy. One of my FAVORITE parts of this stage in my kids' lives is watching them learn to communicate. It's always so enriching to our relationship and so maturing for the child, too. He seems so much happier and less stressed any time he has a communication success with one of us! It's miraculous to see it unfold, is what it is.
Right now, Peabody uses many signs to tell me what he's thinking - he knows EAT, DRINK, COLD, HOT, LOVE, GOODBYE, DIAPER (which I'm hoping he'll start using to tell me when he needs to be changed), I'M SORRY (I only showed his this one ONE TIME, and he used it correctly the very next day!), GET DOWN, PICK ME UP, FISH, BIRD, DOG and several others that escape me.
He is also adding new spoken words almost daily. As of today, he can say the following:
car (gah)
ball (bah)
Mama
Dada
Papa
Nana
eat (eeee)
cheese (eeee)
please (eeeee)
water (biddoo) - this is more of a tongue trick than a word. He mimics the sound of water trickling)
banana (badoodoo) - same here, really.
cocoa - caca
cracker - gaca
eeyew - Ew. (Yuck) - this is what he says when he has a dirty diaper or sees anything yucky.
nom nom nom - YUM! He also sometimes uses this for "eat."
weet - light
yaya - outside (also his word of choice for shoes and socks, which makes sense!)
nigh-nigh - Goodnight, but also his word for nursing. He's very logical!
eee-ooo - CheezIts
OOOOOOOH - Cheerios
woof-woof - dog
Peabody loves cars. A lot. They are, by far, his favorite thing. He loves (right now) to be ya-ya, running around exploring things, but even more, to be ya-ya and allowed to climb up in the gah to explore it, pretend to drive it, beep the horn, make varoom noises, turn all the lights on and off, etc. We are amazed at his love for cars at this age. He spies them on magazine covers as we shop, points out sports cars as we drive around town (they get LOTS of LOUD varooming noises!), and will sometimes just stand at a window or on the driveway and watch them go by on the road, saying, "GAH! GAH! GAH!"
It's very, very cute.
Yesterday Alex had dance class in the late afternoon so I fed Peabody his dinner of grilled chicken and broccoli at the dinner table. After we'd been sitting there together for a few minutes and he'd eaten a few bites, he lifted his plate off the table and tried to give it to me. He was smiling, so I wondered what he was up to! I said, "Are you all done?" and he shook his head "no" and said, "YAYA!" as he continued holding his plate up to me. "You want to eat your dinner outside?" I asked him. "YAYA!" he smiled back.
So I carried his plate out onto the patio and put it down for him at the kids' small picnic table. He sat right down and grinned at it, and gobbled it all down, happy as a little clam. I don't know which made him so happy, eating outside or just having been able to communicate his desires and have them met. All I know is it was a wonderful moment for the two of us. My eyes welled up at his happiness, and at the promise that moment holds for more and better and sweeter exchanges between us, right around the corner! I can't wait to learn more about him and I know this is when that knowledge finally comes along in great, long strides.
Peabody's been very affectionate lately, as well. He loves to give me long, passionate (I know, Oedipus!) kisses and is always running up to me throughout the day to hug my legs tightly (or give me a real hug when I get down on his level for one). He hugs Bean quite a bit, too, especially when she's crying or has been gone away for a little while. When we would go pick her up from preschool (school is out for summer now), he would run straight to her and hug her the moment he saw her. Today she was being mopey on the sofa, so he went to her and tried to kiss her. When she wouldn't let him kiss her, he brought a car to her and made it drive along her legs, as he looked into her face to see if she'd cheer up. He's very sweet to his sister, mostly, except when she plays with his cars without his having offered them to her!
He loves to brush his teeth, and to pretend to wash his hair. He wants to do and have anything Bean has, no matter what, except he hasn't shown any interest in getting on the potty (which is fine, I'm not planning on starting all that for another year, probably). He loves reading books and his favorites are Curious George Rides, My First Book of Trucks, Good Night Moon, Baby Words and Baby Colors, the Pigeon books, and an Elmo Valentine book, but he will gladly sit and listen and look at most any book I read to him and ask for another when it's over. This is a relatively new thing (maybe 6 months?) and it's run concurrent to his interest in learning words to speak or sign.
Naps are still a huge battle with Peabody. He is just not willing to miss out on anything during the day, which means he has an early bed time. He can get through a day fairly well without a nap, but some days he does take one in the car if we're out running around or on the floor in the office if I'll lie down and nurse him for awhile to get him to sleep. Occasionally he'll just fall asleep while I'm holding him and then I can put him down on the sofa and cover him up. He rarely naps longer than an hour under any circumstances, though. I'm okay with it, as I suppose I have to be.
But at night? Oh this boy LOVES to go NIGH NIGH! Right now, Bean and Peabody have dinner (tea) together at 5:30. Then they both go upstairs and take their clothes off and run around for awhile while I get their bath ready, gather the pajamas and straighten up their rooms. Then they take a bath with lots of toys and splashing, and while they are in the tub, their Daddy usually comes home. We bathe them and then get them out and dressed in pajamas, and then we all sit on the floor in Peabody's room to read books and snuggle. Peabody usually ends our time together by telling Bean and Daddy NIGH NIGH and climbing into my lap. This is his sign that he's ready to put on his sleep sack and have milkies. So Bean and Daddy say goodnight and give him hugs and kisses, then they leave and I get Peabody cozy in my lap and nurse him. As he nurses, I tell him that I love him and that we had a great day and that now it's time for him to get his Puppy and lie down in his bed and go NIGH NIGH. I put him into his crib on his tummy and cover him with a blanket while he reaches for Puppy and pulls him close. I bend down and blow a kiss through the bars of his bed and he giggles (every time!). Then I tell him I love him and to have a gooooooood sleepy, and I walk to his door. Just as I open the door, he lifts up his head and says, "NIIIIGH NIIIGH" to me, and I say it back and close the door. It's just SO SWEET that he loves going to bed so much and has established his own little way of settling down for sleep.
I SOOOOOO love my little boy. He is sometimes such a handful, but he makes up for all of his mischief with such sweetness.
Pretending to go NIGH NIGH in Bean's bed, 10 o'clock in the morning, May 15, 2010.
Right now, Peabody uses many signs to tell me what he's thinking - he knows EAT, DRINK, COLD, HOT, LOVE, GOODBYE, DIAPER (which I'm hoping he'll start using to tell me when he needs to be changed), I'M SORRY (I only showed his this one ONE TIME, and he used it correctly the very next day!), GET DOWN, PICK ME UP, FISH, BIRD, DOG and several others that escape me.
He is also adding new spoken words almost daily. As of today, he can say the following:
car (gah)
ball (bah)
Mama
Dada
Papa
Nana
eat (eeee)
cheese (eeee)
please (eeeee)
water (biddoo) - this is more of a tongue trick than a word. He mimics the sound of water trickling)
banana (badoodoo) - same here, really.
cocoa - caca
cracker - gaca
eeyew - Ew. (Yuck) - this is what he says when he has a dirty diaper or sees anything yucky.
nom nom nom - YUM! He also sometimes uses this for "eat."
weet - light
yaya - outside (also his word of choice for shoes and socks, which makes sense!)
nigh-nigh - Goodnight, but also his word for nursing. He's very logical!
eee-ooo - CheezIts
OOOOOOOH - Cheerios
woof-woof - dog
Peabody loves cars. A lot. They are, by far, his favorite thing. He loves (right now) to be ya-ya, running around exploring things, but even more, to be ya-ya and allowed to climb up in the gah to explore it, pretend to drive it, beep the horn, make varoom noises, turn all the lights on and off, etc. We are amazed at his love for cars at this age. He spies them on magazine covers as we shop, points out sports cars as we drive around town (they get LOTS of LOUD varooming noises!), and will sometimes just stand at a window or on the driveway and watch them go by on the road, saying, "GAH! GAH! GAH!"
It's very, very cute.
Yesterday Alex had dance class in the late afternoon so I fed Peabody his dinner of grilled chicken and broccoli at the dinner table. After we'd been sitting there together for a few minutes and he'd eaten a few bites, he lifted his plate off the table and tried to give it to me. He was smiling, so I wondered what he was up to! I said, "Are you all done?" and he shook his head "no" and said, "YAYA!" as he continued holding his plate up to me. "You want to eat your dinner outside?" I asked him. "YAYA!" he smiled back.
So I carried his plate out onto the patio and put it down for him at the kids' small picnic table. He sat right down and grinned at it, and gobbled it all down, happy as a little clam. I don't know which made him so happy, eating outside or just having been able to communicate his desires and have them met. All I know is it was a wonderful moment for the two of us. My eyes welled up at his happiness, and at the promise that moment holds for more and better and sweeter exchanges between us, right around the corner! I can't wait to learn more about him and I know this is when that knowledge finally comes along in great, long strides.
Peabody's been very affectionate lately, as well. He loves to give me long, passionate (I know, Oedipus!) kisses and is always running up to me throughout the day to hug my legs tightly (or give me a real hug when I get down on his level for one). He hugs Bean quite a bit, too, especially when she's crying or has been gone away for a little while. When we would go pick her up from preschool (school is out for summer now), he would run straight to her and hug her the moment he saw her. Today she was being mopey on the sofa, so he went to her and tried to kiss her. When she wouldn't let him kiss her, he brought a car to her and made it drive along her legs, as he looked into her face to see if she'd cheer up. He's very sweet to his sister, mostly, except when she plays with his cars without his having offered them to her!
He loves to brush his teeth, and to pretend to wash his hair. He wants to do and have anything Bean has, no matter what, except he hasn't shown any interest in getting on the potty (which is fine, I'm not planning on starting all that for another year, probably). He loves reading books and his favorites are Curious George Rides, My First Book of Trucks, Good Night Moon, Baby Words and Baby Colors, the Pigeon books, and an Elmo Valentine book, but he will gladly sit and listen and look at most any book I read to him and ask for another when it's over. This is a relatively new thing (maybe 6 months?) and it's run concurrent to his interest in learning words to speak or sign.
Naps are still a huge battle with Peabody. He is just not willing to miss out on anything during the day, which means he has an early bed time. He can get through a day fairly well without a nap, but some days he does take one in the car if we're out running around or on the floor in the office if I'll lie down and nurse him for awhile to get him to sleep. Occasionally he'll just fall asleep while I'm holding him and then I can put him down on the sofa and cover him up. He rarely naps longer than an hour under any circumstances, though. I'm okay with it, as I suppose I have to be.
But at night? Oh this boy LOVES to go NIGH NIGH! Right now, Bean and Peabody have dinner (tea) together at 5:30. Then they both go upstairs and take their clothes off and run around for awhile while I get their bath ready, gather the pajamas and straighten up their rooms. Then they take a bath with lots of toys and splashing, and while they are in the tub, their Daddy usually comes home. We bathe them and then get them out and dressed in pajamas, and then we all sit on the floor in Peabody's room to read books and snuggle. Peabody usually ends our time together by telling Bean and Daddy NIGH NIGH and climbing into my lap. This is his sign that he's ready to put on his sleep sack and have milkies. So Bean and Daddy say goodnight and give him hugs and kisses, then they leave and I get Peabody cozy in my lap and nurse him. As he nurses, I tell him that I love him and that we had a great day and that now it's time for him to get his Puppy and lie down in his bed and go NIGH NIGH. I put him into his crib on his tummy and cover him with a blanket while he reaches for Puppy and pulls him close. I bend down and blow a kiss through the bars of his bed and he giggles (every time!). Then I tell him I love him and to have a gooooooood sleepy, and I walk to his door. Just as I open the door, he lifts up his head and says, "NIIIIGH NIIIGH" to me, and I say it back and close the door. It's just SO SWEET that he loves going to bed so much and has established his own little way of settling down for sleep.
I SOOOOOO love my little boy. He is sometimes such a handful, but he makes up for all of his mischief with such sweetness.
Pretending to go NIGH NIGH in Bean's bed, 10 o'clock in the morning, May 15, 2010.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Eighteen Months - Nursing and Growing
Eighteen months and still going. Nursing is so smooth and easy and comfortable for us both now. Peabody would nurse as many times a day as I'd let him - he's a milky, milky little boy. But we are busy and I DO turn him down on occasion. He's guaranteed mornings, naptime and bedtime and sometimes he'll get a short little session in the late morning if we can fit it in. Peabody signs "milk" for any drink, but not often for nursing - to communicate that he usually climbs into my arms and lies down or sidles up and starts trying to pry my shirt up.
Peabody naps once a day now, for only 40 minutes if I put him in his bed, but up to two hours if I hold and rock him. I'd have told another mother two years ago to NEVER do that because "he'll never learn to nap on his own" but I really tried everything else and the 40 minute naps weren't enough to keep him rested, so I've learned/taught myself to never say never. When you have a sleepy boy and you need a break in your day (even if you spend the break nursing, rocking and nodding off yourself!), you do what you have to do. And once I surrendered myself to the idea of it vs. resenting how it impacted ME and MY NEEDS, I actually began to enjoy it. I think I'll look back on this time with him as times I gave myself to my child and to God and enjoyed them both immensely. (I get to pray a lot as I rock that sweet boy in our big red chair, and I think the prayer time has really been some of the most significant and meaningful time I've had with God in my life.)
He is not much for talking other than a few signs (eat, more, cookie, help, love, drink), Ah for Hi, na-na for night-night and a few others that are so rare I can't think of them. But he loves to sing and can mimic a tune very well, matching it note for note. He is as big a fan of Elmo as Bean was at this age, maybe bigger, and whenever he sees a picture or other image of Elmo, he hums "Thaaaaaat's Elmo's wooooorld..." He also hums it when he knows he's gettin' into trouble with Al or me, for some reason, probably because he knows it goes a long way to diffusing our anger to hear him hum his favorite little tune.
I've been reading some books specific to raising little boys, as with each day that passes I feel a little more in over my head with this small dynamo we've created. He is FULL of energy and has his own opinions about everything - he's as headstrong as the day is long right now, as he has been since he was born, practically. And I don't think that's a bad thing at all, I just have had no experience with it because Bean is and has always been more of a pleaser. SoI'm trying to get educated on how to harness my boy's energy and use it all for good and in his own benefit without totally doing in his MOTHER.
I have so much more I'd love to write about my sweet little man but both kids are awake and needing me so I'll go now. Just wanted to document our 18 month milestone since I missed one year, and get this picture (taken during today's naptime) posted for posterity.
Quick stats: Peabody weighs 23 lbs on the dot and wears a size 18 mos. clothes and a SIZE 6.5 (US) SHOE. His feet are still very, very long and very skinny and they look exactly like Al's. He got his first real hair cut (by Daddy) the first weekend in February, right before he turned 18 months old (I'd cut it a little here and there a few times myself but this was an all-over cut with the clippers). He hated the cutting, but he looks absolutely adorable - a little bit more like a little boy, but still with those blue eyes and soft cheeks, he's still very much a baby.
Love my little boy! Love him, love him, love him!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Footfalls - 10 months, 1 week and 1 day.
No more slee-slooping for Peabody. He's officially converted to knee-crawling today, or sometimes one knee and one foot. He's been taking one or two "steps" like this for the past few days and was really getting the hang of it yesterday. I knew our days of the belly crawl were numbered but I thought we'd have a week or so left to say goodbye to that phase. Today the house echos with his bumpity bumping around, not thump-slide thump-slide thump-slide. He's adorable, no matter how he gets from point A to point B.
My boy also took his first sip of water out of a cup today. My water cup. He loved it and wanted more, more, more, but he wanted to do it himself after that first time. Then he wanted to put his hands in the cup, so I filled a bin with about an inch of water and let him splash away in it out on the driveway while his sister was out there playing. He really, really loved it so much!
He's also come on very strong in the past 4 days with his fine motor skills and can easily grasp a Cheerio or a veggie puff between his thumb and forefinger and move it quickly and pretty gracefully to his little mouth.
The teeth on each side of his two top front teeth are just about to break through his gums. Soon he won't have his little rabbit-beaver smile - he'll almost look like he has a full set of teeth.
My baby! He's disappearing before my eyes!
OH! But we are still nursing four to five times a day and it's going well for now. We've had some struggles here and there with teething and a poor latch, but we worked it out and are happily still a milky couple. I love nursing in these later months! It's so different from the early months - much more a give and take. I can't WAIT until he can sign or say "milk" and mean Mama's milk. That's really going to make my heart happy, I think.
My boy also took his first sip of water out of a cup today. My water cup. He loved it and wanted more, more, more, but he wanted to do it himself after that first time. Then he wanted to put his hands in the cup, so I filled a bin with about an inch of water and let him splash away in it out on the driveway while his sister was out there playing. He really, really loved it so much!
He's also come on very strong in the past 4 days with his fine motor skills and can easily grasp a Cheerio or a veggie puff between his thumb and forefinger and move it quickly and pretty gracefully to his little mouth.
The teeth on each side of his two top front teeth are just about to break through his gums. Soon he won't have his little rabbit-beaver smile - he'll almost look like he has a full set of teeth.
My baby! He's disappearing before my eyes!
OH! But we are still nursing four to five times a day and it's going well for now. We've had some struggles here and there with teething and a poor latch, but we worked it out and are happily still a milky couple. I love nursing in these later months! It's so different from the early months - much more a give and take. I can't WAIT until he can sign or say "milk" and mean Mama's milk. That's really going to make my heart happy, I think.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
8 Months, 3 Weeks: Where Does the Time Go?
I've missed out on documenting SO much of Peabody's HUGE milestones. I'm so sad about it and I know how much sadder I'll be later when I come back to read this diary and 3 full months are just not here - three of the biggest months in the life of my baby! But that also sortof explains WHY I've not written, too. I've been busy watching and participating in all the change.
Here's a list of what's happened while I've not been writing, or at least the things I can remember.
1) At last writing I mentioned the sprouting of P's two bottom middle teeth. Those, obviously are fully in now. During the time that they were making their way out, Peabody bit me several times while he was nursing, which left me bruised and made nursing difficult for a couple of weeks, but we made it through. He also absolutely REFUSED to nurse on the side he'd bitten for about 2 days, except at night when he was sleepy. Those days overlapped with our travel down South (driving) and I was really concerned that the travel, the strange new locations for nursing, the upset routine and the partial nursing strike were going to lead to my milk drying up, but thankfully it didn't.
2) Peabody's sleep was totally destroyed by that trip. He couldn't nap during the days we were in the car, and that messed up his night sleep, which would probably have been somewhat compromised by the fact that we were in a different place every night and that he sometimes got to bed pretty late. By the time we were home from that trip, his night sleep was completely shattered - he only slept 2-3 hours at a time and would wake up screaming because he was so tired. Naps were virtually non-existent. It was a very hard time for Peabody and me and the rest of the family. All that night nursing, though, did really help my milk flow stay nice and plentiful, so I have to be at least somewhat glad for that benefit.
3) While we were traveling down South, Peabody really got strong enough to sit unsupported for long periods of time. We didn't let him practice the skill much while we were traveling because the places we stayed all had hard wooden floors and we worried he might still fall and bash his little noggin. But when we got home to our house where most rooms are carpeted, we had him sitting up all the time and he's been sitting beautifully ever since. He also began immediately to fall/throw himself forward from sitting to land on his belly with his hands out in front of him.
4) He'd been eating just oatmeal cereal, rice cereal and fruits, squash and sweet potatoes prior to our trip (which I should state was the last week of February, 2009), but while we were away we introduced some jarred "dinners" that included small amounts of meat, so he started eating meat at around seven months exactly.
5) A short few weeks after our return from that trip, Peabody began teething again, and had a really hard time of it with the two middle tops coming in. So much so that we ended up at the pediatricians office for a second time with concerns he had an ear infection because he was so snotty and gooey and was constantly rubbing his nose and pulling on his ears. And once again, his ears were perfectly clear but Dr. Betancourt pointed out his awfully swollen gums and confirmed the issue was, once again, his teeth, not his ears. His sleep only got worse during those weeks. NIGHTMARE!
6) He did, however, continue to eat very well. He eats up to THREE jars of baby food at a meal. If not three jars, then he eats two jars and a large bowl of oatmeal. He also still nurses 4 to 6 times a day.
7) Peabody is MOBILE. He started that slithery, bump/slide, bump/slide crawl about two weeks ago and has been slee-slooping around the house ever since. Bean and I get so tickled at him, as we'll put him down somewhere and go to do something else and we'll hear him grunting and thumping around and come back to find him, only to not be able to find him! He's quickly slithered off to some corner, behind a chair, or under something and he's just happily parked himself there and rolled over on his back and is playing with a toy or his hands when we finally locate him, and he grins up at us with those two huge front teeth of his, that little nose all scrunched up and his blue eyes twinkling. Such a monkey!
8) Two days ago I noticed Peabody working hard to get his little knees up under himself when he was in his belly-crawl position. He just baaaaaarely got both of them up (one was usually not quite right - it ended up slightly twisted beneath him somehow) and could rock back and forth once or twice. But he's been working for 48 hours at it whenever he's had a chance and today that motion and the all-fours position are much stronger and more confident. The same day he first tried (or that I first saw him try) this, (so on this past Monday), he also went from his belly crawl to the awkward knees up position and then finally to sitting up again. That's also become a much bolder and more SURE move in the past 48 hours. I'm also finding him on his hands and knees in his crib every time I go to get him after he's slept. We will have to lower the mattress in his bed this weekend and we took the bumper out last night.
Okay that's all I have time to get down for now and I've missed some things I'm sure and will have to go back chronologically to pick them up! But I'm happy to have at least a bit of it down now and will be back soon to continue updating. I have a LOT to say about breastfeeding as we have had some struggles (some of you know about those already) but I feel like we may now be on the right track again (it's too soon to tell but I ran into the lactation consultant my pediatrician works with at the ped's office yesterday and she was kind enough to sit down with me briefly and ask me some questions which led me to try a little something different and so far I feel like this may be the answer, but we'll see!)
I still love him so! He is such a joy and so beautiful and happy and cuddly-sweet!
Here's a list of what's happened while I've not been writing, or at least the things I can remember.
1) At last writing I mentioned the sprouting of P's two bottom middle teeth. Those, obviously are fully in now. During the time that they were making their way out, Peabody bit me several times while he was nursing, which left me bruised and made nursing difficult for a couple of weeks, but we made it through. He also absolutely REFUSED to nurse on the side he'd bitten for about 2 days, except at night when he was sleepy. Those days overlapped with our travel down South (driving) and I was really concerned that the travel, the strange new locations for nursing, the upset routine and the partial nursing strike were going to lead to my milk drying up, but thankfully it didn't.
2) Peabody's sleep was totally destroyed by that trip. He couldn't nap during the days we were in the car, and that messed up his night sleep, which would probably have been somewhat compromised by the fact that we were in a different place every night and that he sometimes got to bed pretty late. By the time we were home from that trip, his night sleep was completely shattered - he only slept 2-3 hours at a time and would wake up screaming because he was so tired. Naps were virtually non-existent. It was a very hard time for Peabody and me and the rest of the family. All that night nursing, though, did really help my milk flow stay nice and plentiful, so I have to be at least somewhat glad for that benefit.
3) While we were traveling down South, Peabody really got strong enough to sit unsupported for long periods of time. We didn't let him practice the skill much while we were traveling because the places we stayed all had hard wooden floors and we worried he might still fall and bash his little noggin. But when we got home to our house where most rooms are carpeted, we had him sitting up all the time and he's been sitting beautifully ever since. He also began immediately to fall/throw himself forward from sitting to land on his belly with his hands out in front of him.
4) He'd been eating just oatmeal cereal, rice cereal and fruits, squash and sweet potatoes prior to our trip (which I should state was the last week of February, 2009), but while we were away we introduced some jarred "dinners" that included small amounts of meat, so he started eating meat at around seven months exactly.
5) A short few weeks after our return from that trip, Peabody began teething again, and had a really hard time of it with the two middle tops coming in. So much so that we ended up at the pediatricians office for a second time with concerns he had an ear infection because he was so snotty and gooey and was constantly rubbing his nose and pulling on his ears. And once again, his ears were perfectly clear but Dr. Betancourt pointed out his awfully swollen gums and confirmed the issue was, once again, his teeth, not his ears. His sleep only got worse during those weeks. NIGHTMARE!
6) He did, however, continue to eat very well. He eats up to THREE jars of baby food at a meal. If not three jars, then he eats two jars and a large bowl of oatmeal. He also still nurses 4 to 6 times a day.
7) Peabody is MOBILE. He started that slithery, bump/slide, bump/slide crawl about two weeks ago and has been slee-slooping around the house ever since. Bean and I get so tickled at him, as we'll put him down somewhere and go to do something else and we'll hear him grunting and thumping around and come back to find him, only to not be able to find him! He's quickly slithered off to some corner, behind a chair, or under something and he's just happily parked himself there and rolled over on his back and is playing with a toy or his hands when we finally locate him, and he grins up at us with those two huge front teeth of his, that little nose all scrunched up and his blue eyes twinkling. Such a monkey!
8) Two days ago I noticed Peabody working hard to get his little knees up under himself when he was in his belly-crawl position. He just baaaaaarely got both of them up (one was usually not quite right - it ended up slightly twisted beneath him somehow) and could rock back and forth once or twice. But he's been working for 48 hours at it whenever he's had a chance and today that motion and the all-fours position are much stronger and more confident. The same day he first tried (or that I first saw him try) this, (so on this past Monday), he also went from his belly crawl to the awkward knees up position and then finally to sitting up again. That's also become a much bolder and more SURE move in the past 48 hours. I'm also finding him on his hands and knees in his crib every time I go to get him after he's slept. We will have to lower the mattress in his bed this weekend and we took the bumper out last night.
Okay that's all I have time to get down for now and I've missed some things I'm sure and will have to go back chronologically to pick them up! But I'm happy to have at least a bit of it down now and will be back soon to continue updating. I have a LOT to say about breastfeeding as we have had some struggles (some of you know about those already) but I feel like we may now be on the right track again (it's too soon to tell but I ran into the lactation consultant my pediatrician works with at the ped's office yesterday and she was kind enough to sit down with me briefly and ask me some questions which led me to try a little something different and so far I feel like this may be the answer, but we'll see!)
I still love him so! He is such a joy and so beautiful and happy and cuddly-sweet!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Five Months, Three Weeks.
This is the week that I started writing in my online diary again after Bean was born, and I know why. Seems my kids turn that mystical baby corner right about now, and become happy, flexible little people after spending the first five months of life trying to kill their Mama.
Oh, I'm kiddin'. Sorta.
But Peabody, like Bean, has just finally, in the past week become, dare I say, EASIER. He's developing a little routine, spending more and more hours being happy and chipper and all those good kinds of things. And just now, when I put him down for his nap, AWAKE, and stood by his crib for a minute, he smunched around a little, snuggled his blankets, turned his head back and forth a few times, yawned, blinked, and fell off to sleep.
It was cute, people. And well, EASY.
Did I say he's getting easier?
Mama likes easier.
Yesterday he finally decided to get serious in his endeavors to roll himself from back to front. And now he's doing it over and over again, with ease. There's that lovely word again. So much ease, in fact, that he did it TWICE in the bathtub last night and nearly scared my wits out of me.
When he rolls over on dry land, he quickly props himself up AS FAR AS HE CAN GO on his hands, like he's trying to lift himself up off the ground or something, and he SCREECHES like - AAAAAAA-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! And smiles his everlovin' little cheeks off. OH, he is a proud, proud little man. And then he drops back down off his hands and reaches them out in front of himself to grasp whatever his little baby-blues can see worth grabbing.
And he's still a little pig. Can you believe he eats at LEAST 2/3rds of a cup of oatmeal (baby oatmeal, of course) per feeding? And on top of that he'll allow me to sneak half a jar of baby fruit or a little mashed banana, too. So he's eating just under a cup of food. THREE TIMES A DAY. I honestly don't know where he puts it all. Where DOES he put it all? And then he nurses, too! Craziness!
Okay so here's how Peabody's days are going lately:
12:30 AM - Wake for a belly full of milkies. Guzzle them down while still half asleep and fall back into bed like sack of cute little potatoes.
5:00 AM - Another belly full of milkies. Guzzle, fall back to bed, this time not quite so potato-ish. Chat with giraffes and birds on mobile. Accidentally fall back to sleep.
7:15 AM - Wake up and squeal with glee. IT'S LIGHT OUTSIDE. SOMEBODY COME GET THE BOY PLEASE! BUT HOLD ON BECAUSE I HAVE TO POOP FIRST. Deliver award-winning smile and major cloud of stinky to all who appear cribside. Giggle when everyone says, "EEEEEEE-YOOOOOOOO. You made stinkies again!"
7:15 - 8:00 AM - Get diaper changed, drink more milkies, snuggle and play with family.
8:00 - Eat vast quantities of oatmeal and fruit then sit in bouncy chair while everybody else eats.
8:30 - More playing. On floor or in exersaucer. Mama cleans up kitchen and does assorted housework.
9:15 - Get sleepy. Start grousing. Turn on waterworks if that becomes necessary. On Wednesday or Fridays, go with Mama to take Bean to school.
9:30 - More milkies and morning nap.
11:15 - SQUEAL everybody back into my room. Get my second or third diaper change and my clothes on and drink some milkies.
11:30 - Playtime. On Wednesdays and Fridays, go with Mama to pick Bean up from school.
12:00 - MORE OATMEAL AND FRUIT OR VEGGIES, PLEASE. FAMISHED!
12:15 - Hang out while Mama and Bean eat lunch.
12:30 - 2 PM - Play, play, play with Bean and Mama.
2 PM - Bean and I get ready for naps. Diaper change and milkies for me, story for both of us if we can both hold our eyes open. Then we go to bed.
3:45 - CHATTER. Call Mama. COME GET ME! I'm lonely! Get my diaper changed, drink some milkies.
4:00 - 5:30 PM - Play with Mama and Bean.
5:30 - SUPPERTIME! Nom nom nom.
6:00 - Bathtime. Kicky, splashy, play with my ducky. Get snuggled and lotioned and pajama'd.
6:30 - Spend a few minutes in my saucer waiting for my man Daddy to get home. Sit with everybody while they have their dinner.
7:00 - Say goodnight to everybody and take Mama upstairs for my last milkies of the day. Collapse in a heap in my bed. Another great day in the life of Mr. Peabody comes to its happy end.
That's how it's been going for the past few days, anyway. I'm hoping we can stick with this for awhile, 'cause it's working for all of us and I'm starting to feel my sanity creeping back, finally!
Oh, I'm kiddin'. Sorta.
But Peabody, like Bean, has just finally, in the past week become, dare I say, EASIER. He's developing a little routine, spending more and more hours being happy and chipper and all those good kinds of things. And just now, when I put him down for his nap, AWAKE, and stood by his crib for a minute, he smunched around a little, snuggled his blankets, turned his head back and forth a few times, yawned, blinked, and fell off to sleep.
It was cute, people. And well, EASY.
Did I say he's getting easier?
Mama likes easier.
Yesterday he finally decided to get serious in his endeavors to roll himself from back to front. And now he's doing it over and over again, with ease. There's that lovely word again. So much ease, in fact, that he did it TWICE in the bathtub last night and nearly scared my wits out of me.
When he rolls over on dry land, he quickly props himself up AS FAR AS HE CAN GO on his hands, like he's trying to lift himself up off the ground or something, and he SCREECHES like - AAAAAAA-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! And smiles his everlovin' little cheeks off. OH, he is a proud, proud little man. And then he drops back down off his hands and reaches them out in front of himself to grasp whatever his little baby-blues can see worth grabbing.
And he's still a little pig. Can you believe he eats at LEAST 2/3rds of a cup of oatmeal (baby oatmeal, of course) per feeding? And on top of that he'll allow me to sneak half a jar of baby fruit or a little mashed banana, too. So he's eating just under a cup of food. THREE TIMES A DAY. I honestly don't know where he puts it all. Where DOES he put it all? And then he nurses, too! Craziness!
Okay so here's how Peabody's days are going lately:
12:30 AM - Wake for a belly full of milkies. Guzzle them down while still half asleep and fall back into bed like sack of cute little potatoes.
5:00 AM - Another belly full of milkies. Guzzle, fall back to bed, this time not quite so potato-ish. Chat with giraffes and birds on mobile. Accidentally fall back to sleep.
7:15 AM - Wake up and squeal with glee. IT'S LIGHT OUTSIDE. SOMEBODY COME GET THE BOY PLEASE! BUT HOLD ON BECAUSE I HAVE TO POOP FIRST. Deliver award-winning smile and major cloud of stinky to all who appear cribside. Giggle when everyone says, "EEEEEEE-YOOOOOOOO. You made stinkies again!"
7:15 - 8:00 AM - Get diaper changed, drink more milkies, snuggle and play with family.
8:00 - Eat vast quantities of oatmeal and fruit then sit in bouncy chair while everybody else eats.
8:30 - More playing. On floor or in exersaucer. Mama cleans up kitchen and does assorted housework.
9:15 - Get sleepy. Start grousing. Turn on waterworks if that becomes necessary. On Wednesday or Fridays, go with Mama to take Bean to school.
9:30 - More milkies and morning nap.
11:15 - SQUEAL everybody back into my room. Get my second or third diaper change and my clothes on and drink some milkies.
11:30 - Playtime. On Wednesdays and Fridays, go with Mama to pick Bean up from school.
12:00 - MORE OATMEAL AND FRUIT OR VEGGIES, PLEASE. FAMISHED!
12:15 - Hang out while Mama and Bean eat lunch.
12:30 - 2 PM - Play, play, play with Bean and Mama.
2 PM - Bean and I get ready for naps. Diaper change and milkies for me, story for both of us if we can both hold our eyes open. Then we go to bed.
3:45 - CHATTER. Call Mama. COME GET ME! I'm lonely! Get my diaper changed, drink some milkies.
4:00 - 5:30 PM - Play with Mama and Bean.
5:30 - SUPPERTIME! Nom nom nom.
6:00 - Bathtime. Kicky, splashy, play with my ducky. Get snuggled and lotioned and pajama'd.
6:30 - Spend a few minutes in my saucer waiting for my man Daddy to get home. Sit with everybody while they have their dinner.
7:00 - Say goodnight to everybody and take Mama upstairs for my last milkies of the day. Collapse in a heap in my bed. Another great day in the life of Mr. Peabody comes to its happy end.
That's how it's been going for the past few days, anyway. I'm hoping we can stick with this for awhile, 'cause it's working for all of us and I'm starting to feel my sanity creeping back, finally!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sleepity Sleep Sleep
Peabody slept from 7:30 last night to 11:00 PM, when he awoke, grabbed a quick belly-full of milk and then went back to sleep until 5. I nursed him at five and he didn't want to resettle, but I put him back to bed and he stayed quiet until 5:40, when he called for me again, so I went and rocked him for a few minutes and put him back to bed at 6. He was up for the day at 7:15.
I also wanted to add that Al and Bean are both quite smitten with our boy, too. Not just me. When he wakes in the mornings, Bean and I RUSH in to get him, and it's the same with naps. On weekends all THREE of us, Daddy, Bean and I, clambor in and peek over the bed rails at him and fight over who gets Peabody's first big beaming smile.
I also wanted to add that Al and Bean are both quite smitten with our boy, too. Not just me. When he wakes in the mornings, Bean and I RUSH in to get him, and it's the same with naps. On weekends all THREE of us, Daddy, Bean and I, clambor in and peek over the bed rails at him and fight over who gets Peabody's first big beaming smile.
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