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.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Five and a Half Months
Oh, my boy.
Peabody surprised the heck out of me last night by sleeping from 8 PM to juuuuuuuuuust before 5 AM. Of course, as any self-respecting neurotic Mama would, I woke up at 3:30 AM and lay there worrying he was dead until he started cooing at 4:45. It doesn't even sound crazy to me in the light of day, either. I was THAT doubtful that he'd sleep that long, as he's been back to waking every 3 to 3.5 hours again for weeks. And I expect this long sleep to have been a fluke. I am definitely not getting my sleep-like-normal-humans hopes up about Mr. Peabody - he's nothing if not totally unpredictable.
For the past fourish days or so, after he finally shook off the final remnants of a cold he'd had for awhile, he's also been napping very well, 90 minutes at least but usually more, twice a day, from about 9:30 to 11 and again from 2ish to 4. Then he goes to bed between 7 and 8, depending on when Al gets home and we get dinner eaten and cleaned up. I LOVE this schedule - it's perfect for all of us, gives Al a chance to see his son each day, and gives me time to get some things done around the house. Again, though, I'm trying to just keep my hopes in check because he's always been so darned unwilling to commit to any type of pattern!
Also, he has TEEF! Two of them. The two bottom middles are just slightly peeking above the surface of the gum. Yes, indeedy. He's only taken 3 1/2 months to slowly and painfully and slimily coax them in, my poor boy. I hope he gets a little break now, I really do.
The boy eats like a horse, too. He's still nursing like a CHAMP, every two to three hours, and eating vast quantities of oatmeal and a few little ittybitty bits of organic fruits and veggies when we feel like it. With these teeth, I think I'll start offering him some bits of real food, a la baby-led weaning, as well. Peabody loves to reach for, retrieve and hold onto things right now, and drop them, pick them back up, drop them again, and in the process insert them into his little drooly maw a time or two hundred, so adding food to his favorite game seems like a great way to open up the world of cuisine to his little self.
Oh, and I love him. He's the most beautiful, cheerful, loving, flirty, handsome, funny little boy ever made. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I love him love him love him!
LOOK AT THIS BOY! WHO COULD NOT LOVE HIM?
Peabody surprised the heck out of me last night by sleeping from 8 PM to juuuuuuuuuust before 5 AM. Of course, as any self-respecting neurotic Mama would, I woke up at 3:30 AM and lay there worrying he was dead until he started cooing at 4:45. It doesn't even sound crazy to me in the light of day, either. I was THAT doubtful that he'd sleep that long, as he's been back to waking every 3 to 3.5 hours again for weeks. And I expect this long sleep to have been a fluke. I am definitely not getting my sleep-like-normal-humans hopes up about Mr. Peabody - he's nothing if not totally unpredictable.
For the past fourish days or so, after he finally shook off the final remnants of a cold he'd had for awhile, he's also been napping very well, 90 minutes at least but usually more, twice a day, from about 9:30 to 11 and again from 2ish to 4. Then he goes to bed between 7 and 8, depending on when Al gets home and we get dinner eaten and cleaned up. I LOVE this schedule - it's perfect for all of us, gives Al a chance to see his son each day, and gives me time to get some things done around the house. Again, though, I'm trying to just keep my hopes in check because he's always been so darned unwilling to commit to any type of pattern!
Also, he has TEEF! Two of them. The two bottom middles are just slightly peeking above the surface of the gum. Yes, indeedy. He's only taken 3 1/2 months to slowly and painfully and slimily coax them in, my poor boy. I hope he gets a little break now, I really do.
The boy eats like a horse, too. He's still nursing like a CHAMP, every two to three hours, and eating vast quantities of oatmeal and a few little ittybitty bits of organic fruits and veggies when we feel like it. With these teeth, I think I'll start offering him some bits of real food, a la baby-led weaning, as well. Peabody loves to reach for, retrieve and hold onto things right now, and drop them, pick them back up, drop them again, and in the process insert them into his little drooly maw a time or two hundred, so adding food to his favorite game seems like a great way to open up the world of cuisine to his little self.
Oh, and I love him. He's the most beautiful, cheerful, loving, flirty, handsome, funny little boy ever made. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I love him love him love him!
LOOK AT THIS BOY! WHO COULD NOT LOVE HIM?
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Five Monthsish - Just Stuff
My hormones are WACKY these days! I'm losing all my hair, my skin's a complete disaster, I've had some weird spotting (no period though) and my moods are just all over the map from minute to minute almost.
We even had a bizarre what-if-we're-pregnant-again week last week. I took pregnancy tests EVERY DAY for 4 days and of course with Al's surgery (back in November) and my nursing though the night still, it all came out negative but I sure FELT pregnant for a few days!
Peanut had a few nights of sleeping VERY well, only getting up once a night and sleeping 6 hours at a stretch, but that has all ended as quickly as it began and he's back to getting up to eat every 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
We've started him on cereal - I can't remember exactly when, maybe 2 weeks ago? And I know it's not 100% advisable/approved by the American Association of Pediatricians, but the boy was hungry ALL THE TIME and miserable, so we tried him with some cereal mixed with breastmilk and he slurped it down like he'd been doing it all his life. He's eaten two small meals daily (breakfast and dinner) for awhile now but yesterday we added a lunch portion as well. He just loves to eat his little meals and he kicks and smiles and coos through them happily unless the spoon isn't getting into his mouth fast enough and then he whines and cries for Mama or Daddy to hurry up.
It's amazing how this has actually IMPROVED our nursing relationship. He still nurses just as often, pretty much, but it's so much more relaxed and happy vs. his being frantic and my being stressed out. Now he eats and pulls off and looks up at me and GRINS into my eyes, whereas before the cereal he'd pull off angrily and cry sometimes. I feel like it's improved things overall for him and for me, though we still have a long way to go before I feel like myself again. I am trying hard not to rush him along but this waking time and time again is beginning to wear so much on me. I mean it's worn on me all along but I just see the toll it takes on me emotionally and how dead I feel from tiredness and how that takes away from Bean and Al and my other relationships, friendships, etc. That's such a recurring theme in my life right now - how much I adore my boy but how I ache to be able to invest more time and energy in the other people I love. But not at his expense.
He's just a different baby at this point than Bean was. She'd become happier and more predictable by now, I think (I didn't start diarying her life until she was almost six months so I'm not 100% sure of exactly what she was like). I think she was only getting up once a night by now, too, and by six months she went through a phase of sleeping through the night although that didn't last very long, I don't think. But after four months I don't think she ever got up more than once a night unless she was sick. Of course she was guzzling tons of formula by that point, too.
Peabody's very very physical and busy these days grabbing and holding and shaking toys, teething on EVERYTHING, and try, try, trying to get mobile when he's on the floor. He can roll from front to back easily still but hasn't QUITE made the back to front maneuvre on his own. He so loathes being on his front that I'm not sure he'll EVER learn that until he learns to crawl and HAS to get on his front to do it. And since he's a tummy sleeper, not being able to get onto his tummy from his back after he's flipped himself over is a major interrupter to his sleep.
OY. I am feeling rather negative about the whole baby thing right now. He took two wonderful naps yesterday - 2 hours each! But then the night sleep was awful. Maybe that was too much sleep for him? I don't know.
Also, Peabody is a major spitter-upper! I burp and burp and burp him after his meals, both liquid and solid, and still he spits up after each of them. Sometimes it can be quite a bit and others it's a fairly small amount. I just wonder why he does that and how much longer he WILL do it. I'm getting a bit weary of smelling like sour milk all the time, and I worry there's somthing wrong with him. He doesn't show signs of any major problems and he's of course gaining weight like nobody's business, so it can't be serious. And he's always done it - since he was tiny, so it's nothing new.
Well he's up now (the naps aren't going well today at all!) so I'm off to get him again.
ARGH.
I miss the rest of my family so much. And me. I miss ME.
We even had a bizarre what-if-we're-pregnant-again week last week. I took pregnancy tests EVERY DAY for 4 days and of course with Al's surgery (back in November) and my nursing though the night still, it all came out negative but I sure FELT pregnant for a few days!
Peanut had a few nights of sleeping VERY well, only getting up once a night and sleeping 6 hours at a stretch, but that has all ended as quickly as it began and he's back to getting up to eat every 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
We've started him on cereal - I can't remember exactly when, maybe 2 weeks ago? And I know it's not 100% advisable/approved by the American Association of Pediatricians, but the boy was hungry ALL THE TIME and miserable, so we tried him with some cereal mixed with breastmilk and he slurped it down like he'd been doing it all his life. He's eaten two small meals daily (breakfast and dinner) for awhile now but yesterday we added a lunch portion as well. He just loves to eat his little meals and he kicks and smiles and coos through them happily unless the spoon isn't getting into his mouth fast enough and then he whines and cries for Mama or Daddy to hurry up.
It's amazing how this has actually IMPROVED our nursing relationship. He still nurses just as often, pretty much, but it's so much more relaxed and happy vs. his being frantic and my being stressed out. Now he eats and pulls off and looks up at me and GRINS into my eyes, whereas before the cereal he'd pull off angrily and cry sometimes. I feel like it's improved things overall for him and for me, though we still have a long way to go before I feel like myself again. I am trying hard not to rush him along but this waking time and time again is beginning to wear so much on me. I mean it's worn on me all along but I just see the toll it takes on me emotionally and how dead I feel from tiredness and how that takes away from Bean and Al and my other relationships, friendships, etc. That's such a recurring theme in my life right now - how much I adore my boy but how I ache to be able to invest more time and energy in the other people I love. But not at his expense.
He's just a different baby at this point than Bean was. She'd become happier and more predictable by now, I think (I didn't start diarying her life until she was almost six months so I'm not 100% sure of exactly what she was like). I think she was only getting up once a night by now, too, and by six months she went through a phase of sleeping through the night although that didn't last very long, I don't think. But after four months I don't think she ever got up more than once a night unless she was sick. Of course she was guzzling tons of formula by that point, too.
Peabody's very very physical and busy these days grabbing and holding and shaking toys, teething on EVERYTHING, and try, try, trying to get mobile when he's on the floor. He can roll from front to back easily still but hasn't QUITE made the back to front maneuvre on his own. He so loathes being on his front that I'm not sure he'll EVER learn that until he learns to crawl and HAS to get on his front to do it. And since he's a tummy sleeper, not being able to get onto his tummy from his back after he's flipped himself over is a major interrupter to his sleep.
OY. I am feeling rather negative about the whole baby thing right now. He took two wonderful naps yesterday - 2 hours each! But then the night sleep was awful. Maybe that was too much sleep for him? I don't know.
Also, Peabody is a major spitter-upper! I burp and burp and burp him after his meals, both liquid and solid, and still he spits up after each of them. Sometimes it can be quite a bit and others it's a fairly small amount. I just wonder why he does that and how much longer he WILL do it. I'm getting a bit weary of smelling like sour milk all the time, and I worry there's somthing wrong with him. He doesn't show signs of any major problems and he's of course gaining weight like nobody's business, so it can't be serious. And he's always done it - since he was tiny, so it's nothing new.
Well he's up now (the naps aren't going well today at all!) so I'm off to get him again.
ARGH.
I miss the rest of my family so much. And me. I miss ME.
Friday, December 12, 2008
4 Months, 1 Week - My Beautiful Boy
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.
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.
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.
?
Saturday, November 15, 2008
14 Weeks, 2 Days
Al has been on vacation this week and we've all been together, the four of us, as a family, for 8 days, which means I've had lots of help with both kids and Al has had so much time with Peanut, which has been good for both of them, I'm sure.
Peanut appears to be teething. Actually he's appeared to be teething for a month or more now. He drools constantly, all bubbly and stringy and shiny, and frequently stuffs his whole fist in his mouth and gnaws on it. Sometimes, though, when he does that fist thing, it looks like it's related to pooping, because often he poops or makes a little poo-poo sound, as we call it around here, at the same time. Anyway his gums show no sign of pending teeth, but he's very drooly and gnawy right now.
He's also at that stage of development where his desire for stimulation and his physical ability to entertain himself are out of balance, and he's dependent on us to cart him around upright so he can look at things, to help him stand, then sit, then stand, then sit, ad nauseum and to generally find ways to keep him happy and occupied so he doesn't constantly rail against his boring life. Either that or his teeth hurt (or something hurts!) and when we distract him, he forgets about it for awhile and seems happy.
Regardless, these are sortof grisly, snarky, unhappy days for him and we find ourselves running out of ideas as to how to cheer him up. He also doesn't seem to be eating all that well (hard to tell for sure though, you know), so maybe he's got a little cold (no mucus though) or maybe it is all down to his teeth. I've given him a tiny little bit of Tylenol two nights running at bedtime to help him with whatever ails him and it does seem to help, although maybe it just makes him sleep better. Lately he's been nearly impossible to get down at bedtime! It has taken me up to TWO HOURS a couple of nights, but then at the same time, his napping has improved dramatically. (Maybe the two are related?) (But he MUST nap! It's crucial for all of us.)
Ah yes, life with a baby this age is a constant guessing game.
But he's mighty cute and when he's happy and occupied doing something he loves, like looking at a smiling, loving face, or taking a bath, or both at the same time, he is ALL SMILES and all kickity-kick-kick and he easily melts my heart and makes me want to chew on him. Goodness that boy is CUTE.
We bought Peanut an exersaucer thingy last weekend and he seems to really enjoy standing in it for short periods of time. I keep it mainly in the kitchen so he can be right there at my feet while I cook or clean up or fold laundry and he also generally uses it while the family eats meals together, right there with us at the table. I'm shopping eBay right now for a Bumbo seat, as well, as I think that will be a major source of fun for him - he is just so into the upright position.
The nursing distraction continues although right now it's hard to tell if he's squirming and popping off and on because his teeth are hurting, or because he doesn't really feel hungry, or if it is TRULY that he's distracted. He rarely eats both sides at a feeding and thus the feedings have to be much more frequent. I'm okay with it for now because it seems related to something that's going on with him physically, but it's not been great for my milk supply as he never really gets going with wild abandon - he's more snacking off and on right now so The Girls are serving up snack-sized portions. Not so gratifying for Mama. I sortof like that feeling of being able to fill him all up until he's nearly overflowing vs. giving him an ounce here and there. It makes me feel like I'm DOING something for him.
Al continues to feel I should just stop breastfeeding and give him formula, because he can be so hard to feed, but I don't see that solving any issues, really, only potentially causing more.
I WILL nurse him until he's 4 months old. I am willing to listen to and consider adding formula and/or solids at that point if it seems necessary or helpful to Peanut to do so. For now, I don't see a reason to stop nursing, and I see plenty of reasons to continue nursing, so that's what I'm going to do. I don't like being at odds with Al over it. I know Al only wants to help me and I appreciate it, but his getting up once a night to feed Peanut wouldn't REALLY be that helpful to me and it's disruptive to Peanut and causes Al to miss out on sleep, so why do it? I'd rather have help in other areas, anyway.
Peanut's still big, regardless of what he's eating. He's closing in on 14 pounds now and will probably be there in DAYS. We will have to do another total wardrobe overturn in a week or two, I think, and move on to 6-9 mos. stuff. He's just so LONG.
He's also beginning to grab for objects (and for me, and for Bean!) and to make noises and facial expressions to get our attention when we're not looking. He does this especially to Bean. He'll look at her and make little "Ah! AH!" sounds and smile or laugh, and kick his little legs. He gets really irritated when it doesn't work, too. He pouts and cries angrily when she ignores him. Oh dear!
No longer content to sit in his bouncy chair, he prefers to be lying free on the floor where he can kick wildly or to be in my arms, upright, or standing in the exersaucer. I can already tell that when he gets mobile, my life is going to be total chaos, as he's going to be WAY more active and into EVERYTHING much moreso than Bean ever was. But I expected that.
And so ends another disjointed chapter about the life of Peabody.
Peanut appears to be teething. Actually he's appeared to be teething for a month or more now. He drools constantly, all bubbly and stringy and shiny, and frequently stuffs his whole fist in his mouth and gnaws on it. Sometimes, though, when he does that fist thing, it looks like it's related to pooping, because often he poops or makes a little poo-poo sound, as we call it around here, at the same time. Anyway his gums show no sign of pending teeth, but he's very drooly and gnawy right now.
He's also at that stage of development where his desire for stimulation and his physical ability to entertain himself are out of balance, and he's dependent on us to cart him around upright so he can look at things, to help him stand, then sit, then stand, then sit, ad nauseum and to generally find ways to keep him happy and occupied so he doesn't constantly rail against his boring life. Either that or his teeth hurt (or something hurts!) and when we distract him, he forgets about it for awhile and seems happy.
Regardless, these are sortof grisly, snarky, unhappy days for him and we find ourselves running out of ideas as to how to cheer him up. He also doesn't seem to be eating all that well (hard to tell for sure though, you know), so maybe he's got a little cold (no mucus though) or maybe it is all down to his teeth. I've given him a tiny little bit of Tylenol two nights running at bedtime to help him with whatever ails him and it does seem to help, although maybe it just makes him sleep better. Lately he's been nearly impossible to get down at bedtime! It has taken me up to TWO HOURS a couple of nights, but then at the same time, his napping has improved dramatically. (Maybe the two are related?) (But he MUST nap! It's crucial for all of us.)
Ah yes, life with a baby this age is a constant guessing game.
But he's mighty cute and when he's happy and occupied doing something he loves, like looking at a smiling, loving face, or taking a bath, or both at the same time, he is ALL SMILES and all kickity-kick-kick and he easily melts my heart and makes me want to chew on him. Goodness that boy is CUTE.
We bought Peanut an exersaucer thingy last weekend and he seems to really enjoy standing in it for short periods of time. I keep it mainly in the kitchen so he can be right there at my feet while I cook or clean up or fold laundry and he also generally uses it while the family eats meals together, right there with us at the table. I'm shopping eBay right now for a Bumbo seat, as well, as I think that will be a major source of fun for him - he is just so into the upright position.
The nursing distraction continues although right now it's hard to tell if he's squirming and popping off and on because his teeth are hurting, or because he doesn't really feel hungry, or if it is TRULY that he's distracted. He rarely eats both sides at a feeding and thus the feedings have to be much more frequent. I'm okay with it for now because it seems related to something that's going on with him physically, but it's not been great for my milk supply as he never really gets going with wild abandon - he's more snacking off and on right now so The Girls are serving up snack-sized portions. Not so gratifying for Mama. I sortof like that feeling of being able to fill him all up until he's nearly overflowing vs. giving him an ounce here and there. It makes me feel like I'm DOING something for him.
Al continues to feel I should just stop breastfeeding and give him formula, because he can be so hard to feed, but I don't see that solving any issues, really, only potentially causing more.
I WILL nurse him until he's 4 months old. I am willing to listen to and consider adding formula and/or solids at that point if it seems necessary or helpful to Peanut to do so. For now, I don't see a reason to stop nursing, and I see plenty of reasons to continue nursing, so that's what I'm going to do. I don't like being at odds with Al over it. I know Al only wants to help me and I appreciate it, but his getting up once a night to feed Peanut wouldn't REALLY be that helpful to me and it's disruptive to Peanut and causes Al to miss out on sleep, so why do it? I'd rather have help in other areas, anyway.
Peanut's still big, regardless of what he's eating. He's closing in on 14 pounds now and will probably be there in DAYS. We will have to do another total wardrobe overturn in a week or two, I think, and move on to 6-9 mos. stuff. He's just so LONG.
He's also beginning to grab for objects (and for me, and for Bean!) and to make noises and facial expressions to get our attention when we're not looking. He does this especially to Bean. He'll look at her and make little "Ah! AH!" sounds and smile or laugh, and kick his little legs. He gets really irritated when it doesn't work, too. He pouts and cries angrily when she ignores him. Oh dear!
No longer content to sit in his bouncy chair, he prefers to be lying free on the floor where he can kick wildly or to be in my arms, upright, or standing in the exersaucer. I can already tell that when he gets mobile, my life is going to be total chaos, as he's going to be WAY more active and into EVERYTHING much moreso than Bean ever was. But I expected that.
And so ends another disjointed chapter about the life of Peabody.
Monday, November 3, 2008
12 Weeks 4 days - A Day in the Life
First day after we've "fallen back."
I've been having some issues with waking up in the night and feeling like the previous day was wasted - that I was out of control and disorganized, that the kids' day didn't have enough structure, that I didn't get anything done. It all translates to a brutal 2 AM realization that I'm a horrible mother and wife.
And that's not fun to contemplate at any time of the day.
So I decided to write down a day's activity with the kids so I can look at it objectively and SEE for myself what needs fixing, or if maybe I'm just not able to see the forest for the trees and things are really fine.
I do know that the END of each day, right as Al gets home, is the hardest, most chaotic, most exhausting time, and I do need to work on that time period to see if I can take some of the angst out of it.
5:45 AM - Peanut cries. Up to feed him. He eats one side and falls back to sleep. I put him back into his bed a little after 6. Meanwhile, I hear Bean come out of her own room and begin to cry.
6:10 AM - I hug Bean and walk her to my room, settle her among the pillows and blankets.
6:15 AM - After running to the bathroom, I go get Peanut out of his bed, change his diaper and settle him in my bed with Bean. I go to the kitchen for Bean's hot cocoa and my coffee.
6:30ish - We all hang out on my bed together. Bean and I play with Peanut, I check my email on my laptop.
7:00 - Bean watches Arthur while I nurse Peanut (the other side).
7:15 - We play with Peanut a little more before he starts to act sleepy.
7:30 - I take Peanut back to his room for a diaper change, little rocking and nursing to sleep.
7:45 - Peanut falls asleep
8:00 - I transfer him to his bed.
8:00 - 9:00 - I make the beds, get Bean's clothes out for her, take a shower, do my hair and make-up and get dressed. Bean gets dressed, then plays computer games with the TV on, in my room. I do Bean's hair.
9:00 - Peanut awake. We all go downstairs together. Peanut sits in his bouncy chair while I make breakfast and eat it. Bean stays at the table with Peanut at her feet in the bouncy chair while I clean up breakfast, assemble the crockpot lasagna for dinner, load and turn-on the dishwasher and wipe down all the countertops and the table.
9:35 - I nurse Peanut, both sides, while Bean watches TV.
10:00 - Everybody back upstairs. Bean and I change Peanut into his clothes for the day. All three of us have impromptu jam session to a Carribean Steeldrum CD in Peanut's "white noise" machine.
10:15 - Bean and I brush our teeth while Peanut plays on the floor of my room.
10:25 - We all load up in the car and head out for KidRock.
11:15 - Peanut falls asleep in my arms while Bean's in her class.
11:45 - Home from KidRock, Peanut awake in his carseat. We stay outside, Bean playing, Peanut looking around, me talking to both of them.
12:15ish - Nicki and Bubba walk over and join us. I nurse Peanut, both sides.
12:30 - Nicki holds Peanut, kids play, I eat a snack and drink some water.
1:20 - Nicki and Bubba leave, we clean up driveway and come inside.
1:30 - I take Peanut up and nurse him briefly on both sides (he didn't nurse well outside).
1:45 - Peanut is asleep. I accidentally nod off too.
2:00 - I wake up and put Peanut in his bed. I go down and give Bean a snack and get her into bed.
2:15 - Bean up to go potty, and back down. I work on the computer (writing this).
2:50 - Large, loud truck goes by back of house. Peanut startles awake and cries for several minutes. I go in, pick him up, pat/rock/bounce him back to sleep, and put him down.
3:00 - Peanut back in his bed asleep. Me back on computer. Bean napping.
More to come later ...
3:30 - Peanut awake. I get him up and feed him. Both sides. Good feed.
3:45 - Peanut in his bouncy chair on counter (bad Mama) while I empty dishwasher, set table, and get coffee pot set up for tomorrow morning.
4:00 - Bean awake and downstairs.
4:10 - We put on shoes and jackets and go out to play with neighbors. Bean plays with kids, I talk to the Mamas. The Mamas hold Peanut.
5:10 - Peanut getting cranky. Take both kids inside, give Bean a light snack. Kill time playing with Peanut.
5:30 - Bean watching Arthur. Take P upstairs, change him into his pajamas, feed him (both sides).
5:45 - Peanut asleep.
6:00 - Put Peanut into his bed. Go downstairs and play games with Bean.
6:30 - Bean and I finish getting dinner ready.
6:45 - Get Bean into her pajamas. Start to read a few books.
6:47 - Daddy home!
7:00 - Dinner for Bean, Daddy, Mama.
7:30 - Clean up dinner dishes together.
7:45 - Daddy helps Bean brush her teeth.
7:49 - Peanut wakes up. Cries for several minutes. I go in, try to soothe him - no luck. Pick him up. He sucks his fist and roots around. Hungry!
8:00 - Feed Peanut bottle of expressed milk. He sucks it down like he hasn't eaten in a week.
8:15 - Peanut full and back asleep. I put him in his bed and head for the bathtub for a soak while Al sits on the floor chatting with me.
8:30 - Al and I climb into bed to watch mind-numbing TV.
I've been having some issues with waking up in the night and feeling like the previous day was wasted - that I was out of control and disorganized, that the kids' day didn't have enough structure, that I didn't get anything done. It all translates to a brutal 2 AM realization that I'm a horrible mother and wife.
And that's not fun to contemplate at any time of the day.
So I decided to write down a day's activity with the kids so I can look at it objectively and SEE for myself what needs fixing, or if maybe I'm just not able to see the forest for the trees and things are really fine.
I do know that the END of each day, right as Al gets home, is the hardest, most chaotic, most exhausting time, and I do need to work on that time period to see if I can take some of the angst out of it.
5:45 AM - Peanut cries. Up to feed him. He eats one side and falls back to sleep. I put him back into his bed a little after 6. Meanwhile, I hear Bean come out of her own room and begin to cry.
6:10 AM - I hug Bean and walk her to my room, settle her among the pillows and blankets.
6:15 AM - After running to the bathroom, I go get Peanut out of his bed, change his diaper and settle him in my bed with Bean. I go to the kitchen for Bean's hot cocoa and my coffee.
6:30ish - We all hang out on my bed together. Bean and I play with Peanut, I check my email on my laptop.
7:00 - Bean watches Arthur while I nurse Peanut (the other side).
7:15 - We play with Peanut a little more before he starts to act sleepy.
7:30 - I take Peanut back to his room for a diaper change, little rocking and nursing to sleep.
7:45 - Peanut falls asleep
8:00 - I transfer him to his bed.
8:00 - 9:00 - I make the beds, get Bean's clothes out for her, take a shower, do my hair and make-up and get dressed. Bean gets dressed, then plays computer games with the TV on, in my room. I do Bean's hair.
9:00 - Peanut awake. We all go downstairs together. Peanut sits in his bouncy chair while I make breakfast and eat it. Bean stays at the table with Peanut at her feet in the bouncy chair while I clean up breakfast, assemble the crockpot lasagna for dinner, load and turn-on the dishwasher and wipe down all the countertops and the table.
9:35 - I nurse Peanut, both sides, while Bean watches TV.
10:00 - Everybody back upstairs. Bean and I change Peanut into his clothes for the day. All three of us have impromptu jam session to a Carribean Steeldrum CD in Peanut's "white noise" machine.
10:15 - Bean and I brush our teeth while Peanut plays on the floor of my room.
10:25 - We all load up in the car and head out for KidRock.
11:15 - Peanut falls asleep in my arms while Bean's in her class.
11:45 - Home from KidRock, Peanut awake in his carseat. We stay outside, Bean playing, Peanut looking around, me talking to both of them.
12:15ish - Nicki and Bubba walk over and join us. I nurse Peanut, both sides.
12:30 - Nicki holds Peanut, kids play, I eat a snack and drink some water.
1:20 - Nicki and Bubba leave, we clean up driveway and come inside.
1:30 - I take Peanut up and nurse him briefly on both sides (he didn't nurse well outside).
1:45 - Peanut is asleep. I accidentally nod off too.
2:00 - I wake up and put Peanut in his bed. I go down and give Bean a snack and get her into bed.
2:15 - Bean up to go potty, and back down. I work on the computer (writing this).
2:50 - Large, loud truck goes by back of house. Peanut startles awake and cries for several minutes. I go in, pick him up, pat/rock/bounce him back to sleep, and put him down.
3:00 - Peanut back in his bed asleep. Me back on computer. Bean napping.
More to come later ...
3:30 - Peanut awake. I get him up and feed him. Both sides. Good feed.
3:45 - Peanut in his bouncy chair on counter (bad Mama) while I empty dishwasher, set table, and get coffee pot set up for tomorrow morning.
4:00 - Bean awake and downstairs.
4:10 - We put on shoes and jackets and go out to play with neighbors. Bean plays with kids, I talk to the Mamas. The Mamas hold Peanut.
5:10 - Peanut getting cranky. Take both kids inside, give Bean a light snack. Kill time playing with Peanut.
5:30 - Bean watching Arthur. Take P upstairs, change him into his pajamas, feed him (both sides).
5:45 - Peanut asleep.
6:00 - Put Peanut into his bed. Go downstairs and play games with Bean.
6:30 - Bean and I finish getting dinner ready.
6:45 - Get Bean into her pajamas. Start to read a few books.
6:47 - Daddy home!
7:00 - Dinner for Bean, Daddy, Mama.
7:30 - Clean up dinner dishes together.
7:45 - Daddy helps Bean brush her teeth.
7:49 - Peanut wakes up. Cries for several minutes. I go in, try to soothe him - no luck. Pick him up. He sucks his fist and roots around. Hungry!
8:00 - Feed Peanut bottle of expressed milk. He sucks it down like he hasn't eaten in a week.
8:15 - Peanut full and back asleep. I put him in his bed and head for the bathtub for a soak while Al sits on the floor chatting with me.
8:30 - Al and I climb into bed to watch mind-numbing TV.
Friday, October 31, 2008
12 Weeks - Just When You Thought it Was Safe to Put Your Bra Back On
Twelve week growth spurt - BOOM - smack on target! Been feeding the boy every hour and a half in the day hours and about every three hours at night. Man, he's like clockwork. Next time I'm toying with the idea of giving up breastfeeding I'm going to KNOW we're headed into a growth spurt.
Also, he's entered the "Mama no can turn her back on me!" thing too, which I remember from Bean. I'm not allowed to leave his sight when he's awake except in his immediate post-feed moments, and must remain facing him, preferably smiling, unless I am prepared to listen to broken-hearted weeping. It's kinda funny, actually, but also frustrating for him and me.
But whoooooooo dawgies when I do look at him and smile! He just RADIATES. It's adorable and so heartwarming. He loves his Mama. And she loves him back, too.
Been trying today to get him off to sleep without being attached to me. He's doing pretty well, actually. A lot better than I thought it'd go this first day of trying. A minute ago I unlatched him just as he was nodding off and rocked him briefly until he was sleeping. Then I put him in his crib. He woke up and cried for a minute or two and then went back to sleep. SCORE! I hope we'll see that happen more and more often.
That's all for now. I have a million things to do today and maybe an hour to get them all done!
Also, he's entered the "Mama no can turn her back on me!" thing too, which I remember from Bean. I'm not allowed to leave his sight when he's awake except in his immediate post-feed moments, and must remain facing him, preferably smiling, unless I am prepared to listen to broken-hearted weeping. It's kinda funny, actually, but also frustrating for him and me.
But whoooooooo dawgies when I do look at him and smile! He just RADIATES. It's adorable and so heartwarming. He loves his Mama. And she loves him back, too.
Been trying today to get him off to sleep without being attached to me. He's doing pretty well, actually. A lot better than I thought it'd go this first day of trying. A minute ago I unlatched him just as he was nodding off and rocked him briefly until he was sleeping. Then I put him in his crib. He woke up and cried for a minute or two and then went back to sleep. SCORE! I hope we'll see that happen more and more often.
That's all for now. I have a million things to do today and maybe an hour to get them all done!
Monday, October 27, 2008
11 weeks 4 days - First Coldish Thing
Our little man has his first cold. It started yesterday - I knew he wasn't quite right just by the way he was acting. He was easily upset and extra tired, and not as smiley as usual - really just not as into interacting with anyone, even me, as he normally is, just like most people are when they don't feel 100%.
He slept quite a bit off and on all day (in fact except for a few short wakeful and upset times he slept pretty much all day long, when I think about it) but in broken little amounts. He sneezed a LOT when he was awake and by nightfall he had a runny nose and a rectal temp of 99.6° F. (Which isn't bad at all, considering that a rectal temp can be as much as 1° higher than an oral temp - it really doesn't even qualify as a fever.)
He had a decent night's sleep last night, only getting up at 1 AM and almost 4 AM and then only briefly at 6 AM (just now). He's asleep again now. He's eating, but not quite as much or as hungrily as he normally does, as far as I can tell. The times I've held him to feed him since bedtime last night he's felt cool to the touch and seems content enough so I think he'll be fine. I'll just try to keep him restful and well-fed today and we'll see how it goes.
(He's still the cutest boy EVER.)
He slept quite a bit off and on all day (in fact except for a few short wakeful and upset times he slept pretty much all day long, when I think about it) but in broken little amounts. He sneezed a LOT when he was awake and by nightfall he had a runny nose and a rectal temp of 99.6° F. (Which isn't bad at all, considering that a rectal temp can be as much as 1° higher than an oral temp - it really doesn't even qualify as a fever.)
He had a decent night's sleep last night, only getting up at 1 AM and almost 4 AM and then only briefly at 6 AM (just now). He's asleep again now. He's eating, but not quite as much or as hungrily as he normally does, as far as I can tell. The times I've held him to feed him since bedtime last night he's felt cool to the touch and seems content enough so I think he'll be fine. I'll just try to keep him restful and well-fed today and we'll see how it goes.
(He's still the cutest boy EVER.)
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