Things are going well here. We are making the transition from car seat sleeping to sleeping in the crib. This week, LJ is taking 1 nap in the morning and 1 nap in the afternoon...in his crib. The other naps he is taking in his bouncy seat while I am on the computer. We started this yesterday and he was fine with it. Last week, I took an afternoon nap with him on our bed...I may still do that...I can't give up that nice time together! LJ is so cute...when he is sleepy for a nap (which still happens about 1 hour after every feeding)...he starts to yawn and stare for long periods of time. So, I pick him up and swaddle him, give him his pacifier, then I walk with him to he gets really drowsy, then I put him down. Last week he started smiling at me while I swaddle him...then when I pick him up he turns his head toward my arm...I put the pacifier in and he closes his little eyes. It is so cute!
We have been having some issues with his sleeping. Last week he was waking up around 4:30 - 5:00. This is no good for me because I have to start getting ready for work at 6:00. If he gets up at this time, it is useless for me to go back to bed, so I am essentially getting up at 4:30. Ridiculous. We figured out that this is happening on days that he only gets in 6 feedings instead of 7. It is hard to find time for that 7th feeding because he seems to want to go more like 3 hours now...instead of 2 1/2. Last night was good though, so maybe he's growing out of needing 7 feedings? We also put him to bed earlier last night. We started the bedtime ritual at 7:45 instead of 8:45. This was GREAT for me...I got to go to bed before 10:00! RJ will start coming home at 7:00 tonight...I told you his boss would let him.
So, we are still working into a routine, but we are getting there. You can still sign the roll call entry if you haven't already. I warn you...reading the comments might make you cry!
Monday, January 31, 2005
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Roll Call
Since we are keeping this blog instead of keeping a baby book for LJ, we'd like you to check in. That way LJ can see who read his blog and wanted to know all these intimate details of his infancy! So, if you read the blog, post a comment (you can do it without having to create an account by clicking on anonymous) and leave your name (or some code that I can figure out). You can leave a comment too, if you like.
Thanks for making LJ's blog so neat-o!
Thanks for making LJ's blog so neat-o!
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Tummy Time
So, the guidelines are "back to sleep, tummy to play." This is supposed to reduce the risk of SIDS. Ok, this is no problem; LJ sleeps just fine on his back. You'd think this would be good enough, but no! I'm supposed to actually give him "tummy time". Since babies don't sleep on their tummies anymore, they have to have supervised time to develop the motor skills that come with time spent on their tummies. This sounds simple enough, but LJ HATES tummy time! Think of a turtle flipped on its back and you can picture LJ on his tummy. He lifts his head (which is part of the purpose of tummy time), grunts, cries, pounds his face on the ground as he give up, flails his legs, and repeats. A couple of times he has flailed his legs so good he actually rolled himself over...but this is not something he does with purpose. Regardless of his disdain, we have tummy time at least 2x each day...for a total of 10 minutes. I hate to take a happy baby and do something that I know will cause anguish, but I also know that we'll get fewer minutes of good tummy time if I put an unhappy baby down in an unhappy position!
Another thing that tummy time is supposed to prevent (or lessen) is the "flat spot" on the head. CP, my MD friend has some fancy name for it like plagiocephaly or something like that. But, for the purposes of this blog, we'll just call it a "flat spot". LJ does have a bit of a flat spot on his right side. It'll go away, right? I mean his skull is still growing! Do you know any babies or do you have any children who had flat spots and how did they turn out?
Congratulations to little AP...CP the MD's daughter...CP tells me she is sitting up all by herself! YEA!
Another thing that tummy time is supposed to prevent (or lessen) is the "flat spot" on the head. CP, my MD friend has some fancy name for it like plagiocephaly or something like that. But, for the purposes of this blog, we'll just call it a "flat spot". LJ does have a bit of a flat spot on his right side. It'll go away, right? I mean his skull is still growing! Do you know any babies or do you have any children who had flat spots and how did they turn out?
Congratulations to little AP...CP the MD's daughter...CP tells me she is sitting up all by herself! YEA!
Monday, January 24, 2005
It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times...
Let's see...where to begin? I am at work right now, so I am writing this without having to bounce LJ in the bouncy seat. This change is hindering my ability to think!
The first week back at work went very well. It is a new routine to get used to, but I think it'll be ok. I'm only away from home for 4 - 5 hours at a time...and these hours pass very quickly. Heck, it is only 2 pumping sessions! It is funny...when I was planning this schedule and trying to figure out when I'd have time to pump milk...I thought this was all so precise. If LJ would eat at 8:30, I MUST pump at 8:30 or the whole thing would be off. HA! HA! HA! HA! Now, I realize that NOTHING about a baby has to be THAT precise and it NEVER will be that precise. I pump when I get around to it...within reason. Ok, back to last week. LJ was such a good boy last week...he slept straight through to 6:00 am and 7:00 am every night. This was great for us and we got really used to it. One day last week, I swaddled him up and we BOTH took an hour-long nap on the bed in our room. That was really great. RJ works until 8:00 pm and that is NO FUN. I've decided that we don't really like that. He checks and responds to e-mails in the morning while home with LJ and he is thinking about asking our boss if he can count that time and come home at 7:00 pm. I'm sure she'll be fine with it.
The first Friday went well too. SJ came over and stayed with LJ and I think they had a nice time. I know that she took him for a nice long walk and he fell asleep. Other than that, neither one of them was crying when I got home, so I think that must mean it was a success. The major bummer of this first week back to work is that RJ and I had to work all day Saturday. We had to train the leaders of the program that RJ runs. We (meaning several of us in the office) usually do this the Friday before school starts, but we were at MJ and B(S)J's wedding, so we rearranged this. MJ and B(S)J should feel powerful...their wedding rearranged the schedule of almost 100 people! Anyway, we had to be up at work almost all day. So, SJ came over and stayed with LJ Saturday too. Once again, neither was crying when I got home, so it must have gone well. I joke, but there were times when RJ came home and LJ and I were both crying!
So, Sunday was the only day of the week that we could sleep as long as LJ slept...and he woke up at 4:00 am. WHAT?????? That was crazy. I fed him, RJ put him back down...and he was a little difficult to get back down. Then he woke up again at 7:45...ARGH! Another weird thing...he fell asleep while nursing Sunday afternoon. This hasn't happened for 8 weeks! And, he slept for an hour on my lap. WHAT????? Then, he woke up at 4:00 am this morning as well...and was VERY difficult to get back down. ARGH!!!!!! So, I don't know the reason for the regression, but I can only assume it is a growth spurt! HA!
The first week back at work went very well. It is a new routine to get used to, but I think it'll be ok. I'm only away from home for 4 - 5 hours at a time...and these hours pass very quickly. Heck, it is only 2 pumping sessions! It is funny...when I was planning this schedule and trying to figure out when I'd have time to pump milk...I thought this was all so precise. If LJ would eat at 8:30, I MUST pump at 8:30 or the whole thing would be off. HA! HA! HA! HA! Now, I realize that NOTHING about a baby has to be THAT precise and it NEVER will be that precise. I pump when I get around to it...within reason. Ok, back to last week. LJ was such a good boy last week...he slept straight through to 6:00 am and 7:00 am every night. This was great for us and we got really used to it. One day last week, I swaddled him up and we BOTH took an hour-long nap on the bed in our room. That was really great. RJ works until 8:00 pm and that is NO FUN. I've decided that we don't really like that. He checks and responds to e-mails in the morning while home with LJ and he is thinking about asking our boss if he can count that time and come home at 7:00 pm. I'm sure she'll be fine with it.
The first Friday went well too. SJ came over and stayed with LJ and I think they had a nice time. I know that she took him for a nice long walk and he fell asleep. Other than that, neither one of them was crying when I got home, so I think that must mean it was a success. The major bummer of this first week back to work is that RJ and I had to work all day Saturday. We had to train the leaders of the program that RJ runs. We (meaning several of us in the office) usually do this the Friday before school starts, but we were at MJ and B(S)J's wedding, so we rearranged this. MJ and B(S)J should feel powerful...their wedding rearranged the schedule of almost 100 people! Anyway, we had to be up at work almost all day. So, SJ came over and stayed with LJ Saturday too. Once again, neither was crying when I got home, so it must have gone well. I joke, but there were times when RJ came home and LJ and I were both crying!
So, Sunday was the only day of the week that we could sleep as long as LJ slept...and he woke up at 4:00 am. WHAT?????? That was crazy. I fed him, RJ put him back down...and he was a little difficult to get back down. Then he woke up again at 7:45...ARGH! Another weird thing...he fell asleep while nursing Sunday afternoon. This hasn't happened for 8 weeks! And, he slept for an hour on my lap. WHAT????? Then, he woke up at 4:00 am this morning as well...and was VERY difficult to get back down. ARGH!!!!!! So, I don't know the reason for the regression, but I can only assume it is a growth spurt! HA!
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
The Grind...
The first two days back at work have gone smoothly, but I already feel like it is a grind. Let's see, Monday night LJ slept until 4:00 am before he wanted to eat. We woke up and fed him and went back to bed. By the time I fell asleep, I got about 1 hour before the alarm went off at 6:00. LJ started to stir around 6:30, but I turned the blow dryer on and didn't hear a peep after that. I left for work around 7:00. Would you believe LJ didn't wake up until almost 9:00??? RJ is soooo lucky!
My classes went well. I don't really like the first week...especially of the spring semester. With add/drop the people in the class change so much it is really hard to do anything good. You don't want to have to do it all over again the people who add late. But, the students seem nice...none of them show an ugly personality until later in the semester anyway ;-) At noon, RJ met me in the parking lot and we trading LJ. He had just eaten, so I went to the grocery store...since he was already in his car seat and all. I didn't have my list with me, so I ended up buying things that "looked good" and forgetting things we actually need. RJ got home around 8:00 and I was ready to go to bed. But, The Amazing Race was on and that is one of like two shows we actually watch, so we watched that. Then we gave LJ a bath and had him asleep by 9:45...
And, I woke up to my alarm clock!!!!!!!! Can you believe it???? I can't! 6:00 am and we hadn't heard from LJ. WOW! Of course, he woke up not to long after that and RJ had to get up and give him a bottle. But, this was very exciting.
And, today was a repeat of the day before. It is almost 7:00 pm now and in an hour RJ will be home. We'll eat dinner, give LJ his bath, feed him, and put him down for the night. Then I'll get a bath and we'll go to bed so that we can repeat this whole thing over again.
I told RJ this morning that we'll be doing this for like 10 more years. Think about it. If we have 3 kids (IF) and we stay home with them until they are like 3 (before we send them to Mother's Day Out/Pre-school or some other day time program...a few times a week) and we have the kids about 3 years apart...that is 9 more years. WOW! I'm not going to think about it anymore. But, we are so fortunate to have such flexible jobs and such family friendly bosses. This makes going back to work so much easier.
Here's looking forward to the weekend!
My classes went well. I don't really like the first week...especially of the spring semester. With add/drop the people in the class change so much it is really hard to do anything good. You don't want to have to do it all over again the people who add late. But, the students seem nice...none of them show an ugly personality until later in the semester anyway ;-) At noon, RJ met me in the parking lot and we trading LJ. He had just eaten, so I went to the grocery store...since he was already in his car seat and all. I didn't have my list with me, so I ended up buying things that "looked good" and forgetting things we actually need. RJ got home around 8:00 and I was ready to go to bed. But, The Amazing Race was on and that is one of like two shows we actually watch, so we watched that. Then we gave LJ a bath and had him asleep by 9:45...
And, I woke up to my alarm clock!!!!!!!! Can you believe it???? I can't! 6:00 am and we hadn't heard from LJ. WOW! Of course, he woke up not to long after that and RJ had to get up and give him a bottle. But, this was very exciting.
And, today was a repeat of the day before. It is almost 7:00 pm now and in an hour RJ will be home. We'll eat dinner, give LJ his bath, feed him, and put him down for the night. Then I'll get a bath and we'll go to bed so that we can repeat this whole thing over again.
I told RJ this morning that we'll be doing this for like 10 more years. Think about it. If we have 3 kids (IF) and we stay home with them until they are like 3 (before we send them to Mother's Day Out/Pre-school or some other day time program...a few times a week) and we have the kids about 3 years apart...that is 9 more years. WOW! I'm not going to think about it anymore. But, we are so fortunate to have such flexible jobs and such family friendly bosses. This makes going back to work so much easier.
Here's looking forward to the weekend!
Monday, January 17, 2005
And So it Ends...
This is it. The last day of my maternity leave. When I planned to be home for 10 weeks, I thought it would last a L O N G time...but I was wrong. I am kind of sad about it. I mean tomorrow I go back to work and will get four new classes of students. I haven't even really thought about that. Usually, I would have made copies of the syllabus and I would have everything all ready for the first day of school. Not this semester! I do have the syllabus ready and I am going up to work to make copies today, but I'm not terribly excited about the first day of school. It seems like last semester just started! The only thing that is keeping me from being nervous is...we don't have to put LJ in day care. That is soooo great and I am so thankful that we could work out our schedules to avoid that. Thanks to my niece, we don't have to put him in day care for one minute of the week. This is such a huge relief. Oh, and I only work from 7 - noon anyway...I'll still get to spend most of the day with little baby J. And, it is probably really good for LJ and RJ to get to spend time together. So, I'll survive, but this week will be a little hectic...getting used to yet another new schedule. Our trip to the wedding was really good. LJ was such a good baby! The trip out there took 8 hours, but we were rookies. We stopped to feed LJ his bottle...that wasted about half an hour of time when LJ is happy and quiet! So, we didn't make that mistake again...we feed him in the car from then on. He didn't get too fussy, too often and all-in-all we thought it went rather well. Any time he'd crank up, we'd play static on the radio and he'd quiet down pretty quickly. We were a little apprehensive about the hotel...thin walls and people on either side...crying baby...you understand. Well, the first night we weren't sure what we would do with LJ...see we didn't want to be able to hear his every breath or else we wouldn't get much sleep. So...we put him in his car seat in the closet! We left the door open half way and turned on the AC fan. Worked like a charm and he slept until 6:30 the next morning. I guess the car ride wore him out! The next day we "helped" decorate for the rehearsal dinner. We mostly held LJ, watched the work, and gave our opinion when asked. LJ behaved very well for the decorating and for the rehearsal dinner. We didn't have to go outside with a crying baby once. He even seemed to be watching the video of the bride and groom as children. The video made me cry! See, this is one of those weddings were you are really happy that these two people are getting married. They will be such a great team and I love them both so much. So, seeing them as children through adults with emotional music...well, it made me cry! The wedding was beautiful. Everyone looked so nice and the ceremony was really nice as well. Well, what I saw of it through the little window in the door! It was time for LJ to nap and I didn't want to take any chances. I didn't want to worry about him crying, so I just watched the ceremony from outside. RJ video taped most of it, so I'll catch those parts later. The reception was really nice also. LJ got to meet all his aunts, uncles, and cousins. I counted and 22 different people held him through the course of the weekend. He was such a good sport about it and didn't get fussy unless it was nap time. Then, he slept very nicely in his bouncy seat...even though there was a band playing and lots of people around. It was nice seeing all the family!
The ride home was great! It only took 7 hours and LJ was zonked most of the way. We are paying for it today though...he's being a little crank pot!
The ride home was great! It only took 7 hours and LJ was zonked most of the way. We are paying for it today though...he's being a little crank pot!
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Watching TV
It appears that LJ is now drawn to watch the TV when it is on. This is too bad because we don't want him to become interested in/addicted to the TV at this point. I mean, it is ok for us to watch hours of TV, but we hope LJ will aspire to greater things! So, no TV on while LJ is in the living room and not eating. This is sad for me as I go to bed as soon as I can after LJ eats for the final time, so my TV time will be limited as well. RJ probably doesn't care about it as much as I do.
In other news, LJ still loves his baby gym...unless the TV is on and then he looks at it while in the baby gym. This is how I came to decide we must turn the TV off.
LJ seems to be crying more aggressively now, but not really any more. He used to have a very mournful cry, but now it is more intense. I guess he is asserting himself more.
We seem to have the naps down, so I'm not working too hard on that anymore...we have a routine. He cries and gets a little fussy. I swaddle him, give him his pacifier, sway with him until he gets drowsy, put him down, and take the pacifier out. He usually naps for about one hour. At night, he is going 7-9 hours every night with one exception. One night last week he woke up 2x.
I have mastitis in my left breast now. I caught it before I developed a fever, so that is good. I'm on some antibiotics. I also have pink eye. I have no idea where I caught that, but I have some antibiotic drops for that. And, Saturday I was super achy all over...probably due to the tetanus shot. But, hey...what can you do?
We are on our way to my nephew's wedding at the end of this week. This will be a long car trip for us...and our first hotel stay since LJ's birth. We'll let you know how that goes!
In other news, LJ still loves his baby gym...unless the TV is on and then he looks at it while in the baby gym. This is how I came to decide we must turn the TV off.
LJ seems to be crying more aggressively now, but not really any more. He used to have a very mournful cry, but now it is more intense. I guess he is asserting himself more.
We seem to have the naps down, so I'm not working too hard on that anymore...we have a routine. He cries and gets a little fussy. I swaddle him, give him his pacifier, sway with him until he gets drowsy, put him down, and take the pacifier out. He usually naps for about one hour. At night, he is going 7-9 hours every night with one exception. One night last week he woke up 2x.
I have mastitis in my left breast now. I caught it before I developed a fever, so that is good. I'm on some antibiotics. I also have pink eye. I have no idea where I caught that, but I have some antibiotic drops for that. And, Saturday I was super achy all over...probably due to the tetanus shot. But, hey...what can you do?
We are on our way to my nephew's wedding at the end of this week. This will be a long car trip for us...and our first hotel stay since LJ's birth. We'll let you know how that goes!
Friday, January 07, 2005
2 Month Check-up
LJ had his 2 month check-up this morning and all went well. He weighs 13 pounds 7 1/2 ounces and is 23 1/2 inches long (I guess you can't say "tall" until they can stand?). This means that when we weighed him on MJ and BJ's postal scale at Christmas...it was probably pretty accurate (it said 13 pounds). Babies are supposed to gain about 1/2 an ounce a day and that was 11 days ago. LJ was very cooperative. He was still sleeping at 8:00 this morning, so I had to wake him up to feed him prior to our 9:00 am appointment. He woke up pretty happy and was all smiles at the doctor's office. All the nurses rave about how cute he is and the doctor held him and smiled with him for a while. Then came the vaccinations. He got 4 today and cried as he got them. But, he pretty quickly after that he fell asleep. Then I got a tetanus booster...I think it has been around 20 years since I last had a tetanus shot! LJ doesn't seem to be bothered by the vaccinations...he is swaddled up and taking his second nap for the day.
My friend CP came up from Houston yesterday and brought her little girl. We had a nice visit...AP (her little girl) is such a happy baby and makes all kinds of cute noises. When RJ came home she burst into tears and for a little while she'd wail every time she accidentally looked at him! It was kind of funny, but I felt badly for her...she was pretty upset at the sight of him. AP has this really neat baby mat that LJ took a turn on. It has a little star with lights that blink to music. The star and other toys hang from a couple of "bars" that span the top of the mat. LJ liked it a lot, so we went and bought one for him last night. He really LOVES it and will smile and laugh while on the mat for a good 30 minutes. We also bought him a mirror that we can hang over the seat in the car, so he can look at himself...but I can also look in my review mirror and see his face in his mirror. There are lights around the mirror and it plays music. I even have a remote control that lets me turn the lights and music on and off, louder, blinking, etc. Pretty cool huh?! This is just in time for our trip out west for my nephew's wedding.
My sister and her daughter are coming today as well as my mom. This will be my sister's first time to see LJ, so we are excited about that. We need to go shopping this weekend...LJ needs something a little less pajama-ish to wear to the wedding and he needs a baptism outfit. I'm sure his MawMaw will enjoy helping us shop for these (this is not a hint for money!...seriously!).
As I said, LJ is swaddled up and napping to the ocean sounds in his room. He sleeps to the ocean sounds at night, so we figured we'd play them at nap time too. There are some seagulls who squawk every so often (they sound scary to me), but LJ doesn't mind. RJ and I figure that we'll take LJ to the beach when he is older and as soon as he hears the ocean, he'll fall asleep! HA!
Have a good weekend!
My friend CP came up from Houston yesterday and brought her little girl. We had a nice visit...AP (her little girl) is such a happy baby and makes all kinds of cute noises. When RJ came home she burst into tears and for a little while she'd wail every time she accidentally looked at him! It was kind of funny, but I felt badly for her...she was pretty upset at the sight of him. AP has this really neat baby mat that LJ took a turn on. It has a little star with lights that blink to music. The star and other toys hang from a couple of "bars" that span the top of the mat. LJ liked it a lot, so we went and bought one for him last night. He really LOVES it and will smile and laugh while on the mat for a good 30 minutes. We also bought him a mirror that we can hang over the seat in the car, so he can look at himself...but I can also look in my review mirror and see his face in his mirror. There are lights around the mirror and it plays music. I even have a remote control that lets me turn the lights and music on and off, louder, blinking, etc. Pretty cool huh?! This is just in time for our trip out west for my nephew's wedding.
My sister and her daughter are coming today as well as my mom. This will be my sister's first time to see LJ, so we are excited about that. We need to go shopping this weekend...LJ needs something a little less pajama-ish to wear to the wedding and he needs a baptism outfit. I'm sure his MawMaw will enjoy helping us shop for these (this is not a hint for money!...seriously!).
As I said, LJ is swaddled up and napping to the ocean sounds in his room. He sleeps to the ocean sounds at night, so we figured we'd play them at nap time too. There are some seagulls who squawk every so often (they sound scary to me), but LJ doesn't mind. RJ and I figure that we'll take LJ to the beach when he is older and as soon as he hears the ocean, he'll fall asleep! HA!
Have a good weekend!
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Naps
Swaddle System 2 seems to be holding (ha!) as we have had 7 consecutive nights of 6-8 hour stretches. With the exception of 1 night, LJ goes until 5:00 ish, so we are very happy with this. Of course, when I go back to work - I'll pretty much just get ready for work after that feeding as I will need to get up at 6:00 to get to work between 7:00 and 7:30. We started giving LJ one of the two bottles he'll get while I am at work in the mornings. He doesn't seem to care about the source of his food, so we haven't had any bottle/breast issues. All-in-all, sleeping at night and eating seem to be going well.
Naps are another story. For the past 7 weeks LJ has napped in his bouncy seat with one of us bouncing him. This was due to the fact that RJ and I just wanted him to sleep, so we would do whatever it took to get that to happen. Now, I'm to the point where I want him to nap in his room without my aid. So, we are working on that this week. We (me really, RJ is at work during napping times) are using the Ferber approach. Once LJ is drowsy I swaddle him up and put him in his car seat (which is his bed right now...he doesn't like the crib...too much space). If he wakes up, I let him cry for 1 minute, and then I go in a comfort him for 2-3 minutes. I don't pick him up or rock him or anything else I don't want him to associate with sleep unless he can reproduce it himself. If he continues to cry, I let him cry for 2 minutes before I go in for 2-3. Then, I let him go 3 minutes and finally 5 minutes. At this point, I repeat in 5 minute increments until an hour is up and then that nap time is over. Well, the last 2 days he's gone to sleep without me having to let him cry more than 2 minutes...except one time today. I think I made the mistake of putting him down when he was wide awake instead of drowsy. But, once the hour was up and I picked him up...and calmed him down because he had been crying for a while...he fell asleep...of course! But, you do the best you can do. The nap he is taking right now...I put him down drowsy and he's knocked out. He still takes a nap between each feeding. He'll eat (which takes about half an hour), play (for about half an hour - 45 minutes), and then want to nap (30 minutes - 1 hour). When he wakes up, he wants to eat...and he eats every 2 and 1/2 hours during the day.
When do they go to 1 long morning nap and 1 long afternoon nap??? And when will he go longer than 2 and 1/2 hours during the day??? I'm not complaining...remember, I have a 7 week old who goes 6-8 hours at night ;-)
Naps are another story. For the past 7 weeks LJ has napped in his bouncy seat with one of us bouncing him. This was due to the fact that RJ and I just wanted him to sleep, so we would do whatever it took to get that to happen. Now, I'm to the point where I want him to nap in his room without my aid. So, we are working on that this week. We (me really, RJ is at work during napping times) are using the Ferber approach. Once LJ is drowsy I swaddle him up and put him in his car seat (which is his bed right now...he doesn't like the crib...too much space). If he wakes up, I let him cry for 1 minute, and then I go in a comfort him for 2-3 minutes. I don't pick him up or rock him or anything else I don't want him to associate with sleep unless he can reproduce it himself. If he continues to cry, I let him cry for 2 minutes before I go in for 2-3. Then, I let him go 3 minutes and finally 5 minutes. At this point, I repeat in 5 minute increments until an hour is up and then that nap time is over. Well, the last 2 days he's gone to sleep without me having to let him cry more than 2 minutes...except one time today. I think I made the mistake of putting him down when he was wide awake instead of drowsy. But, once the hour was up and I picked him up...and calmed him down because he had been crying for a while...he fell asleep...of course! But, you do the best you can do. The nap he is taking right now...I put him down drowsy and he's knocked out. He still takes a nap between each feeding. He'll eat (which takes about half an hour), play (for about half an hour - 45 minutes), and then want to nap (30 minutes - 1 hour). When he wakes up, he wants to eat...and he eats every 2 and 1/2 hours during the day.
When do they go to 1 long morning nap and 1 long afternoon nap??? And when will he go longer than 2 and 1/2 hours during the day??? I'm not complaining...remember, I have a 7 week old who goes 6-8 hours at night ;-)
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Happy New Year!
I don't know with what time zone we rung in 2005, but it was somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. It was during LJ's night feeding...which was at 2:30 am. He didn't wake again until 6:30. I have a new "rule" - once it is 6:00 am, if LJ wakes up, I'm up for the day (as he usually is too).
We did have a nice New Year's Eve though...we watched i-robot and thought it was decent. I'm really getting into this Blockbuster.com membership. This makes the second movie LJ has let up watch! The first day of 2005 has been a nice day too...except for the bowl games...while several of you are enjoying watching your alma mater play, several of us did not enjoy watching ours. We thought we'd go out to lunch, but that is not so easy to do on New Year's Day...most places are closed. We took a walk and LJ met the neighbors down the block. They have 5 girls and it was cute to watch them all peek over the stroller to look at him! Tonight, we plan to go out to look at the holiday light display outside of town. These people put up tons of lights and then charge you to drive through (it is on their land and when I say "tons of lights" I mean "tons"). Monday is the last day they will be up, so we have to get this done. We tried to go on Wednesday, but LJ would not have it...that was the day we went to visit my friend, so I think he was tired of being strapped into his car seat. LJ will probably fall asleep on the way out there, but if he doesn't, I think he'll like the changing colors and contrast of the lights.
LJ smiles ALL THE TIME! He is cooing a lot and is starting to squeal and laugh...all of these things are very fun. He is starting to enjoy his "tummy time" a little more (as he tolerates it for a longer period of time). He has rolled himself over from front to back twice...according to the book this is advanced (but we are not surprised ;-) ) He has outgrown one of our favorite outfits and is starting to wear 3-6 month clothes. They are a little big, but 0-3 month clothes are a bit too small. We have started a night time ritual. Between 8:00 and 9:00 he gets a bath (which he really seems to like). Then RJ puts lotion on him and makes this into a little massage (which LJ loves). After that, RJ uses Swaddle System 2. Finally, I feed LJ and he goes to sleep. RJ and I try to be in bed within an hour after that. It all seems to work well and I think LJ is starting to get the idea. His cradle cap is getting better, but has really improved since I proved that I am marketing person's dream. I bought the Gerber Cradle Cap Kit. I've decided it is nothing more than mineral oil, a comb, shampoo, and some light lotion. BUT, we used it for the first time last night and there are considerably less flakes...who's the sucker now?! And we are still working on getting rid of the thrush, but I am relentless in my attack. LJ sees that medicine dropper coming and opens his mouth like a little bird. Of course, the medicine is fruit flavored, so he probably likes it anyway!
HAPPY NEW YEAR ~ Wishing you a great 2005!
We did have a nice New Year's Eve though...we watched i-robot and thought it was decent. I'm really getting into this Blockbuster.com membership. This makes the second movie LJ has let up watch! The first day of 2005 has been a nice day too...except for the bowl games...while several of you are enjoying watching your alma mater play, several of us did not enjoy watching ours. We thought we'd go out to lunch, but that is not so easy to do on New Year's Day...most places are closed. We took a walk and LJ met the neighbors down the block. They have 5 girls and it was cute to watch them all peek over the stroller to look at him! Tonight, we plan to go out to look at the holiday light display outside of town. These people put up tons of lights and then charge you to drive through (it is on their land and when I say "tons of lights" I mean "tons"). Monday is the last day they will be up, so we have to get this done. We tried to go on Wednesday, but LJ would not have it...that was the day we went to visit my friend, so I think he was tired of being strapped into his car seat. LJ will probably fall asleep on the way out there, but if he doesn't, I think he'll like the changing colors and contrast of the lights.
LJ smiles ALL THE TIME! He is cooing a lot and is starting to squeal and laugh...all of these things are very fun. He is starting to enjoy his "tummy time" a little more (as he tolerates it for a longer period of time). He has rolled himself over from front to back twice...according to the book this is advanced (but we are not surprised ;-) ) He has outgrown one of our favorite outfits and is starting to wear 3-6 month clothes. They are a little big, but 0-3 month clothes are a bit too small. We have started a night time ritual. Between 8:00 and 9:00 he gets a bath (which he really seems to like). Then RJ puts lotion on him and makes this into a little massage (which LJ loves). After that, RJ uses Swaddle System 2. Finally, I feed LJ and he goes to sleep. RJ and I try to be in bed within an hour after that. It all seems to work well and I think LJ is starting to get the idea. His cradle cap is getting better, but has really improved since I proved that I am marketing person's dream. I bought the Gerber Cradle Cap Kit. I've decided it is nothing more than mineral oil, a comb, shampoo, and some light lotion. BUT, we used it for the first time last night and there are considerably less flakes...who's the sucker now?! And we are still working on getting rid of the thrush, but I am relentless in my attack. LJ sees that medicine dropper coming and opens his mouth like a little bird. Of course, the medicine is fruit flavored, so he probably likes it anyway!
HAPPY NEW YEAR ~ Wishing you a great 2005!
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Swaddle System 2 and Other News
I figure I'd better get something posted or LJ might lose his following!
The Js had a very nice Christmas! LJ traveled well and was a sweet boy for his grandparents, aunt, and uncles. We returned to spend the day with them on Sunday and he was happy once again. He is all smiles many times throughout the day...and is starting to be smiley in the late afternoon as well. He is being so pleasant that we are able to watch some movies lately. RJ's brother had my name for Christmas this year and he got me a 2 month subscription to Blockbuster online movies...they deliver 3 movies to my house and I can keep them as long as I want...then I mail them back and get more movies delivered. It is a monthly fee, so the more quickly I watch the movies, the better deal it is!
Today, we went to Houston to visit my friend and her baby...her baby girl is almost 5 months and is a little (actually, she's big!) cutie. She laughs and smiles a lot. Sometimes she squeals with delight and that is so cute! LJ was a sleepy head most of the visit, but that was probably good! I think they are coming with some other friends to visit here on Monday.
Now I will share our most recent ideas...
As LJ gets bigger and more active, he is escaping from his swaddles! So, RJ came up with a new technique (this will be no surprise to those of you who know RJ...he thinks of improvements for most things!) . I'll try my best to explain how to do it and then I'll tell you about our wonderful night of sleep last night!
You'll need:
1. a big enough swaddling blanket. Chances are, any receiving blankets you have are not big enough. I went to the fabric store and bought 2 yards of thin flannel. 1 yard was big enough, so now we have 2 "blankets".
2. a cloth dish towel. I have several of those white, thin, big, cloth dish towels...I've always called them flour sack cloth towels. I bought them at Target I'm sure.
3. a precious baby!
Swaddle System 2 (our name for it ;-) )
1. Lay the swaddling blanket down as with a normal swaddle
2. Lay the dish towel down on top of the swaddling blanket so that the longest part of the dish towel is horizontal.
3. Put baby in the middle of the dishtowel so that the top of the dish towel is at arm pit level.
4. Pull one end of dish towel between baby's arm and body and then wrap around so that the towel is covering the baby's arm and the baby is laying on the end.
5. Repeat with other side.
Now you should only be able to see the dish towel around each arm because the baby is laying on the rest of it.
6. Now swaddle with the other blanket as you normally swaddle.
The swaddle blanket holds the dish towel ends (which are pinning the baby's arms to his sides) firmly in place behind the baby's back. This makes the swaddle impossible to escape AND eliminates your need to be concerned with holding the swaddle blanket so tight. And you don't have to be so concerned with the "perfect" swaddle...you need to be concerned with the "perfect" dish towel placement...as it is THE KEY to the Swaddle System 2.
Now, we have swaddled LJ at night since birth and have been getting 4-7 hour stretches (mostly closer to 4) at night. We used the Swaddle System 2 for the first time two nights ago and he went 7 hours the first night and 6 hours the next!
Tonight we are going to try the "waking him up to feed one last time before WE go to bed" idea. This way, maybe we can maximize OUR sleep time during that long stretch.
The Js had a very nice Christmas! LJ traveled well and was a sweet boy for his grandparents, aunt, and uncles. We returned to spend the day with them on Sunday and he was happy once again. He is all smiles many times throughout the day...and is starting to be smiley in the late afternoon as well. He is being so pleasant that we are able to watch some movies lately. RJ's brother had my name for Christmas this year and he got me a 2 month subscription to Blockbuster online movies...they deliver 3 movies to my house and I can keep them as long as I want...then I mail them back and get more movies delivered. It is a monthly fee, so the more quickly I watch the movies, the better deal it is!
Today, we went to Houston to visit my friend and her baby...her baby girl is almost 5 months and is a little (actually, she's big!) cutie. She laughs and smiles a lot. Sometimes she squeals with delight and that is so cute! LJ was a sleepy head most of the visit, but that was probably good! I think they are coming with some other friends to visit here on Monday.
Now I will share our most recent ideas...
As LJ gets bigger and more active, he is escaping from his swaddles! So, RJ came up with a new technique (this will be no surprise to those of you who know RJ...he thinks of improvements for most things!) . I'll try my best to explain how to do it and then I'll tell you about our wonderful night of sleep last night!
You'll need:
1. a big enough swaddling blanket. Chances are, any receiving blankets you have are not big enough. I went to the fabric store and bought 2 yards of thin flannel. 1 yard was big enough, so now we have 2 "blankets".
2. a cloth dish towel. I have several of those white, thin, big, cloth dish towels...I've always called them flour sack cloth towels. I bought them at Target I'm sure.
3. a precious baby!
Swaddle System 2 (our name for it ;-) )
1. Lay the swaddling blanket down as with a normal swaddle
2. Lay the dish towel down on top of the swaddling blanket so that the longest part of the dish towel is horizontal.
3. Put baby in the middle of the dishtowel so that the top of the dish towel is at arm pit level.
4. Pull one end of dish towel between baby's arm and body and then wrap around so that the towel is covering the baby's arm and the baby is laying on the end.
5. Repeat with other side.
Now you should only be able to see the dish towel around each arm because the baby is laying on the rest of it.
6. Now swaddle with the other blanket as you normally swaddle.
The swaddle blanket holds the dish towel ends (which are pinning the baby's arms to his sides) firmly in place behind the baby's back. This makes the swaddle impossible to escape AND eliminates your need to be concerned with holding the swaddle blanket so tight. And you don't have to be so concerned with the "perfect" swaddle...you need to be concerned with the "perfect" dish towel placement...as it is THE KEY to the Swaddle System 2.
Now, we have swaddled LJ at night since birth and have been getting 4-7 hour stretches (mostly closer to 4) at night. We used the Swaddle System 2 for the first time two nights ago and he went 7 hours the first night and 6 hours the next!
Tonight we are going to try the "waking him up to feed one last time before WE go to bed" idea. This way, maybe we can maximize OUR sleep time during that long stretch.
Friday, December 24, 2004
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to everyone! We are enjoying have RJ home all day today (and all next week). This morning we had an LJ photo session and then went to HEB to get some pictures printed (and to buy some groceries). Now, RJ is wrapping some presents in LJ's room and I am to find something else to do (this must mean the presents are for me ;-) ) So, I am bouncing the bouncy seat with my foot, checking e-mail and updating you all. I must say, I am impressed with my ability to bounce the bouncy seat with my foot AND type an e-mail. This feat has taken several weeks of practice, but I am getting it down.
LJ hasn't quite been himself these last 2 days. He hasn't been sleeping as much as usual AND his awake time has been a bit fussier. But, he doesn't show signs of sickness, so who knows? He is napping now...which negates what I just said! Maybe I'm the one who isn't herself?!
Tomorrow we are going to RJ's brother's house (about an hour away) and all of RJ's family will be there. We are only going for the day though. So, we'll wake up and have Christmas morning at our house before we head up there. This will be the first time RJ and I have had Christmas morning all to ourselves! I don't imagine LJ will care too much about Christmas this year, but we'll document his first Christmas just the same.
I think Mawmaw and my sister and her family will come over one day next week and we plan to go to Houston one day next week. My friend from Florida and her baby girl will be at my friend's house and I'm dying to see her and her baby! Other than that, we have no plans and we are happy about that.
Ok, I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas!!!! Hope you've had a GREAT year and are looking forward to another one!
LJ hasn't quite been himself these last 2 days. He hasn't been sleeping as much as usual AND his awake time has been a bit fussier. But, he doesn't show signs of sickness, so who knows? He is napping now...which negates what I just said! Maybe I'm the one who isn't herself?!
Tomorrow we are going to RJ's brother's house (about an hour away) and all of RJ's family will be there. We are only going for the day though. So, we'll wake up and have Christmas morning at our house before we head up there. This will be the first time RJ and I have had Christmas morning all to ourselves! I don't imagine LJ will care too much about Christmas this year, but we'll document his first Christmas just the same.
I think Mawmaw and my sister and her family will come over one day next week and we plan to go to Houston one day next week. My friend from Florida and her baby girl will be at my friend's house and I'm dying to see her and her baby! Other than that, we have no plans and we are happy about that.
Ok, I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas!!!! Hope you've had a GREAT year and are looking forward to another one!
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Back in the Groove
LJ is back to a more "normal" sleep schedule...which means he is getting to sleep pretty easily at night and going somewhere between 4 - 7 hours between feeding. I just got to add the 7 this morning because he went from 8:15 pm - 3:25 am last night! Then he wanted to eat again at 5:15! RJ held him off until 6:00 and I've pretty much been up ever since, but hey - I had 5 good hours, followed by almost 2 more.
RJ had off from work yesterday, so we finished up some Christmas shopping. We ran into LJ's uncle and ate lunch with him...that was an unexpected treat! I took a walk with LJ and we stopped at the neighborhood grocery store for a few items...LJ decided to howl and would not be pacified by the pacifier. But, you know what? I've come to understand a few things being on this side of parenthood. First, parents don't instantly remove their screaming child from public places because they have learned to tune out their child's cries until they hit a certain level. I always thought these parents were just insensitive to the fact that the general public doesn't want to hear their child cry. Second, I now know why parents of infants walk around with spit-up on their shirts. First, they probably don't know it is there and second, they probably don't really care and third, if they knew and cared they forgot about it before they had time to change clothes!
The following involves breastfeeding and bowel (LJ's, not mine) talk, so don't read if you don't want:
Remember the green diapers? Well, it is a good thing I have gotten over being worried about that because he still has them...probably one a day. Almost all of the diapers have some green, but we probably have one totally green one a day. He doesn't appear to be bothered by it and is gaining plenty o' weight.
I started experimenting with a new hold and latch on technique because I figure that after 5 weeks, my breasts really shouldn't be hurting so much. I have been doing this for about a day and a half and my breasts feel MUCH better. I was dreading feeding him! I have also been pumping a bit almost every day. At first, I'd get about 2-3 ounces total...now I'm up to 5 - 6. This is good and allows me to take a bottle out with me...and I don't have to limit all my outings to 1-2 hours. But, here is the million dollar question...how do I know how much to put in the bottle????? I don't want to thaw too much and waste precious milk, but I don't want him to be starving and fussy. How do you make this decision?
End of breastfeeding and bowel talk
That's all for today...gotta change a diaper (oops...I guess that is bowel talk!) ;-)
RJ had off from work yesterday, so we finished up some Christmas shopping. We ran into LJ's uncle and ate lunch with him...that was an unexpected treat! I took a walk with LJ and we stopped at the neighborhood grocery store for a few items...LJ decided to howl and would not be pacified by the pacifier. But, you know what? I've come to understand a few things being on this side of parenthood. First, parents don't instantly remove their screaming child from public places because they have learned to tune out their child's cries until they hit a certain level. I always thought these parents were just insensitive to the fact that the general public doesn't want to hear their child cry. Second, I now know why parents of infants walk around with spit-up on their shirts. First, they probably don't know it is there and second, they probably don't really care and third, if they knew and cared they forgot about it before they had time to change clothes!
The following involves breastfeeding and bowel (LJ's, not mine) talk, so don't read if you don't want:
Remember the green diapers? Well, it is a good thing I have gotten over being worried about that because he still has them...probably one a day. Almost all of the diapers have some green, but we probably have one totally green one a day. He doesn't appear to be bothered by it and is gaining plenty o' weight.
I started experimenting with a new hold and latch on technique because I figure that after 5 weeks, my breasts really shouldn't be hurting so much. I have been doing this for about a day and a half and my breasts feel MUCH better. I was dreading feeding him! I have also been pumping a bit almost every day. At first, I'd get about 2-3 ounces total...now I'm up to 5 - 6. This is good and allows me to take a bottle out with me...and I don't have to limit all my outings to 1-2 hours. But, here is the million dollar question...how do I know how much to put in the bottle????? I don't want to thaw too much and waste precious milk, but I don't want him to be starving and fussy. How do you make this decision?
End of breastfeeding and bowel talk
That's all for today...gotta change a diaper (oops...I guess that is bowel talk!) ;-)
Monday, December 20, 2004
Weekend Report
Well, here we are on the other side of our first weekend with overnight visitors. All-in-all, LJ was a pretty good boy and had a great time meeting his aunt, uncle, and cousins. He didn't fuss any more than normal and everyone (except one cousin who was a little sick earlier in the week) got to hold LJ while he was in good spirits. We had a very nice visit.
LJ slept in our room for the first time in 3 weeks. RJ and I did not sleep too well as 1) we are not as sleep deprived as we were 3 weeks ago or 2) LJ is a much more noisy sleeper than he was 3 weeks ago...or 3) both 1 and 2. He was grunting, snorting, groaning, and flailing most of the night and I think RJ and I heard every one of his noises! But, last night we were back to our routine and LJ slept in his room. He went 4 hours once, 5 hours once, and then 3 hours. If he was making all those noises, we couldn't hear him and RJ and I had a good night of sleep (well, as good as they get with a 5 week old!)
Yesterday, RJ and I took advantage of having our niece (who will stay with LJ on Fridays this spring semester) still in town...she babysat while we went to a movie. We were going to see National Treasure at 12:40, but decided we would rather go out to lunch with our family visitors...spend a little more time with them before they left. Plus, BigBro was paying ;-) So, we went to the 2:00 Ocean's 12 instead. We really didn't care what we saw...we were just excited to be going to the movies! If you've seen Ocean's 12 we'd like you to e-mail us as we want to know what YOU thought of it. (Don't post anything to the blog that might anger those who haven't seen it yet, but who plan to see it.) Anyway, I didn't see all the parts as I found myself waking up 4 different times...unaware that I had fallen asleep, but obviously I had. I asked RJ and I hadn't missed any crucial parts! Refer to paragraph 2 if you can't understand why I would fall asleep in a darkened room.
So, here we are, the week before Christmas. Many of you are starting your Christmas journeys this week or family members are making their way to your house. We pray for safe travels for all!
LJ slept in our room for the first time in 3 weeks. RJ and I did not sleep too well as 1) we are not as sleep deprived as we were 3 weeks ago or 2) LJ is a much more noisy sleeper than he was 3 weeks ago...or 3) both 1 and 2. He was grunting, snorting, groaning, and flailing most of the night and I think RJ and I heard every one of his noises! But, last night we were back to our routine and LJ slept in his room. He went 4 hours once, 5 hours once, and then 3 hours. If he was making all those noises, we couldn't hear him and RJ and I had a good night of sleep (well, as good as they get with a 5 week old!)
Yesterday, RJ and I took advantage of having our niece (who will stay with LJ on Fridays this spring semester) still in town...she babysat while we went to a movie. We were going to see National Treasure at 12:40, but decided we would rather go out to lunch with our family visitors...spend a little more time with them before they left. Plus, BigBro was paying ;-) So, we went to the 2:00 Ocean's 12 instead. We really didn't care what we saw...we were just excited to be going to the movies! If you've seen Ocean's 12 we'd like you to e-mail us as we want to know what YOU thought of it. (Don't post anything to the blog that might anger those who haven't seen it yet, but who plan to see it.) Anyway, I didn't see all the parts as I found myself waking up 4 different times...unaware that I had fallen asleep, but obviously I had. I asked RJ and I hadn't missed any crucial parts! Refer to paragraph 2 if you can't understand why I would fall asleep in a darkened room.
So, here we are, the week before Christmas. Many of you are starting your Christmas journeys this week or family members are making their way to your house. We pray for safe travels for all!
Friday, December 17, 2004
Top 10 Things that Calm LJ
Nothing much news worthy going on here...just eating, awake time, and sleeping - punctuated with a trip to run some errand or another. We are in somewhat of a rhythm and I like that! Today we have a grandmother, an aunt, an uncle, and several cousins coming to visit. One of LJ's cousins is graduating from college today! So, we get to venture out to the NEW HEB which just opened this week...very close to us. I am excited about it...it is bigger than the one in our neighboring city. It will probably be very crowded and I'll get frustrated, but for now I am excited.
The nights of 5 -7 hours between feedings seem to have vanished. These days the best we do is 3 1/2 - 4 1/2. I knew it was too good to be true. Of course, maybe he's just going through a growth spurt right now and he needs to eat more...ha! That is what the book suggests. I've decided the book posits all these possibilities just to keep you hopeful that, whatever your circumstance that has you consulting the book will soon pass and a more tolerable and pleasant circumstance might replace it!
Ok, here it is...
Top 10 Things that Calm LJ
10. Sitting in the swing, but only on high - low just won't do
9. Sitting in his bouncy seat
8. Going outside...even just for a second or for a walk
7. Listening to water running (this is how I get my shower in the morning)
6. Listening to the hair dryer (this is how I get my hair dry in the morning)
5. Looking out any window or at any light
4. Sitting in his bouncy seat while someone bounces him - with vigor
3. Being held by RJ
2. Sucking his pacifier
and the #1 thing that calms LJ...
1. Eating!
And, it is time for that right now...!
The nights of 5 -7 hours between feedings seem to have vanished. These days the best we do is 3 1/2 - 4 1/2. I knew it was too good to be true. Of course, maybe he's just going through a growth spurt right now and he needs to eat more...ha! That is what the book suggests. I've decided the book posits all these possibilities just to keep you hopeful that, whatever your circumstance that has you consulting the book will soon pass and a more tolerable and pleasant circumstance might replace it!
Ok, here it is...
Top 10 Things that Calm LJ
10. Sitting in the swing, but only on high - low just won't do
9. Sitting in his bouncy seat
8. Going outside...even just for a second or for a walk
7. Listening to water running (this is how I get my shower in the morning)
6. Listening to the hair dryer (this is how I get my hair dry in the morning)
5. Looking out any window or at any light
4. Sitting in his bouncy seat while someone bounces him - with vigor
3. Being held by RJ
2. Sucking his pacifier
and the #1 thing that calms LJ...
1. Eating!
And, it is time for that right now...!
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Random Thoughts
Today has been pretty good...LJ has slept most of the day. He didn't have a lack of sleep last night, so I'm not really sure why he is so zonked today? It has made today very pleasant, but you can guess what I'm going to say next...I'm worried he won't sleep tonight! RJ says not to worry about it...and I'm not terribly worried...but at 2:00 am, if I've gotten little sleep...I'll be tired and cranky!
Nothing really note worthy to write about today, so I think I'll do a random thoughts...
It is very odd to think of the day in terms of how many feedings there are until RJ gets home from work. Seriously, my day passes in 2 1/2 - 3 hour increments...and it goes by pretty quickly.
This isn't a new thought, but...what do babies think about? I look at LJ and he seems to be thinking about something, but what could it be? He doesn't have much of a concept for anything at 4 1/2 weeks old, so how can he really think about anything?
I have noticed that he seems to be focusing on things...and faces a lot more. AND...he is smiling now. Not just that little "I have bubbles in my tummy" grin, but a full-faced, open-mouth grin. Mostly in the morning...I think he is a morning person...that is when he is the happiest. Just like his Mommy...and the opposite of his Daddy!
LJ has developed a slight case of cradle cap...it slightly mars his handsome visage. So, we read the book and it says to use mineral oil (baby oil) and massage it in with a brush...then shampoo out. We do this and the "shampoo out" didn't work too well. It has taken about 4 washes to get MOST of the oil out. This made his beautiful hair not-so-soft for a day or so. The cradle cap has relented a bit, but we still have some work to do.
RJ thinks LJ's legs are strong enough to stand if he could only find his balance. I guess the balance thing is what takes so many months to master.
All right, I'll let you know how the night goes...
Nothing really note worthy to write about today, so I think I'll do a random thoughts...
It is very odd to think of the day in terms of how many feedings there are until RJ gets home from work. Seriously, my day passes in 2 1/2 - 3 hour increments...and it goes by pretty quickly.
This isn't a new thought, but...what do babies think about? I look at LJ and he seems to be thinking about something, but what could it be? He doesn't have much of a concept for anything at 4 1/2 weeks old, so how can he really think about anything?
I have noticed that he seems to be focusing on things...and faces a lot more. AND...he is smiling now. Not just that little "I have bubbles in my tummy" grin, but a full-faced, open-mouth grin. Mostly in the morning...I think he is a morning person...that is when he is the happiest. Just like his Mommy...and the opposite of his Daddy!
LJ has developed a slight case of cradle cap...it slightly mars his handsome visage. So, we read the book and it says to use mineral oil (baby oil) and massage it in with a brush...then shampoo out. We do this and the "shampoo out" didn't work too well. It has taken about 4 washes to get MOST of the oil out. This made his beautiful hair not-so-soft for a day or so. The cradle cap has relented a bit, but we still have some work to do.
RJ thinks LJ's legs are strong enough to stand if he could only find his balance. I guess the balance thing is what takes so many months to master.
All right, I'll let you know how the night goes...
Monday, December 13, 2004
Such a Good Boy
Little LJ was such a pleasant boy this weekend that we managed to get all the Christmas decorations up...including lights outside. AND...all the empty boxes are back up in the attic until it is time to take the decorations down. RJ and I also watched a DVD...the whole thing in one sitting...on Saturday night. It was "Timeline". I enjoyed the book (Michael Crichton...sp?), but the movie was kind of a let down. There was next-to-no character development...which was a problem. See, if you don't really know the characters, you can't really care about them...even if you are a new mother with hormones that make you care about everyone and everything. Plus, I had read the book and you know how that goes. RJ had not read the book, but he thought the movie could have been much better as well. One interesting thing that I learned from the movie...Trebuchet (the font that I use to type this blog) is a French catapult. Who knew? Not I!
I digress (which many of you may like...I mean seriously, how much can you really want to hear about the daily happenings of a 4 week old and his crazy parents?!). LJ really only seems to cry when he is a) hungry, b) hurting in some way (usually needs to pass gas, but yesterday he scratched his face with his fingernail and wailed pretty heartily), or c) is tired and can't just close his little eyes and sleep. Other than that, he just sits and looks around. He likes light a lot...so, he looks out the window or at lamps a lot of the time. He seems to be smiling these days. I think it is different from the "I'm feeling gas bubbles" grin as he uses his entire face. It is usually in the morning, right after eating, when I hold him to my face and talk to him about what we are going to do that day. It is VERY cute and confirms (in my mind) that he is the sweetest baby known to man. Of course, no one who visits with a group of people will not concur. He seems to get over stimulated by groups of people. This causes him to be fussy. This should make this weekend interesting. My brother and his family are coming to stay with us...my nephew and his fiancé are graduating from college, so LJ will get to meet his aunt and uncle and other cousins. That will be several people and hence, the over stimulation potential. But, we'll try something new. Since they will be here for a while, we can have people hold him with a delay in between...maybe then it won't seem like he is being passed around in rapid succession? This is all trial and error you know! I cannot guarantee that he will sleep through the night this weekend...he hasn't gone more than 4 hours in the last several days!
Other than the above, we are working on a Christmas card/birth announcement and I have started pumping (milk, not iron). I figure pumping is our ticket to being able to go to a movie or out to dinner alone one day in the near future. I know...this weekend! There will plenty of capable adults around to baby sit! ;-)
I digress (which many of you may like...I mean seriously, how much can you really want to hear about the daily happenings of a 4 week old and his crazy parents?!). LJ really only seems to cry when he is a) hungry, b) hurting in some way (usually needs to pass gas, but yesterday he scratched his face with his fingernail and wailed pretty heartily), or c) is tired and can't just close his little eyes and sleep. Other than that, he just sits and looks around. He likes light a lot...so, he looks out the window or at lamps a lot of the time. He seems to be smiling these days. I think it is different from the "I'm feeling gas bubbles" grin as he uses his entire face. It is usually in the morning, right after eating, when I hold him to my face and talk to him about what we are going to do that day. It is VERY cute and confirms (in my mind) that he is the sweetest baby known to man. Of course, no one who visits with a group of people will not concur. He seems to get over stimulated by groups of people. This causes him to be fussy. This should make this weekend interesting. My brother and his family are coming to stay with us...my nephew and his fiancé are graduating from college, so LJ will get to meet his aunt and uncle and other cousins. That will be several people and hence, the over stimulation potential. But, we'll try something new. Since they will be here for a while, we can have people hold him with a delay in between...maybe then it won't seem like he is being passed around in rapid succession? This is all trial and error you know! I cannot guarantee that he will sleep through the night this weekend...he hasn't gone more than 4 hours in the last several days!
Other than the above, we are working on a Christmas card/birth announcement and I have started pumping (milk, not iron). I figure pumping is our ticket to being able to go to a movie or out to dinner alone one day in the near future. I know...this weekend! There will plenty of capable adults around to baby sit! ;-)
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Tears
LJ cried tears this morning! Sure enough, the What to Expect book says tears come around the end of the first month...LJ will be 4 weeks old on Sunday (I cannot believe it has been 4 weeks). This will probably tug at our heartstrings for a couple of days.
Yesterday was a very pleasant day. LJ slept all right the night before...he went about 4 hours between each feeding, but went right to sleep each time. LJ's Aunt MJ came to spend the day with us. She came last Wednesday too and I think she plans to come each Wednesday until I go back to work. She has to get her LJ "fix"! We went to Target and I bought a Boppy. I had been getting frustrated with using a pillow to support LJ while feeding, so I broke down and bought the Boppy. I think they are a little expensive, but I am already SOOO HAPPY I bought it. Feeding him yesterday and last night was so much more comfortable with it. LJ got fussy in Target...so much so I had to take him out of his car seat. Once I did, he filled his diaper and the fussing ended...until we were in the car. But, that fussing only lasted until he finally went to sleep. He still can't just fall asleep during the day...he has to fuss it out first. We all took a walk in the afternoon...it was a nice day even though it was cloudy and looked really cold.
RJ came home early as we were celebrating my birthday last night. My niece, nephew, and niece-to-be came over and we ordered Wing's-n-More. We ate that while RJ and I took turns trying to calm fussy LJ. He was ok, he just gets fussy sometimes. At 7:30 it was time for LJ to eat and RJ and I try to go to bed as soon as we can get LJ down, so we kicked out the college kids (who told us they would baby sit while RJ and I went to a midnight movie if we want...they are still up at that time! Ha! We told them we set an alarm to wake up to watch the 10:00 pm news the other night!). LJ ate at 7:45 and we didn't hear from him until 2:15. RJ and I went to bed at 8:30 ourselves, so we got some good sleep. LJ ate again at 5:15 and then 8:45 this morning. He has sat and looked around pleasantly...except when he needed to close his eyes...then he fussed. Now he is squirming and I know he needs his diaper changed. Then he'll eat and we'll go get RJ for lunch.
Is this what we do all day! So, when are babies able to just close their eyes when they are tired?
Have a happy day!
Yesterday was a very pleasant day. LJ slept all right the night before...he went about 4 hours between each feeding, but went right to sleep each time. LJ's Aunt MJ came to spend the day with us. She came last Wednesday too and I think she plans to come each Wednesday until I go back to work. She has to get her LJ "fix"! We went to Target and I bought a Boppy. I had been getting frustrated with using a pillow to support LJ while feeding, so I broke down and bought the Boppy. I think they are a little expensive, but I am already SOOO HAPPY I bought it. Feeding him yesterday and last night was so much more comfortable with it. LJ got fussy in Target...so much so I had to take him out of his car seat. Once I did, he filled his diaper and the fussing ended...until we were in the car. But, that fussing only lasted until he finally went to sleep. He still can't just fall asleep during the day...he has to fuss it out first. We all took a walk in the afternoon...it was a nice day even though it was cloudy and looked really cold.
RJ came home early as we were celebrating my birthday last night. My niece, nephew, and niece-to-be came over and we ordered Wing's-n-More. We ate that while RJ and I took turns trying to calm fussy LJ. He was ok, he just gets fussy sometimes. At 7:30 it was time for LJ to eat and RJ and I try to go to bed as soon as we can get LJ down, so we kicked out the college kids (who told us they would baby sit while RJ and I went to a midnight movie if we want...they are still up at that time! Ha! We told them we set an alarm to wake up to watch the 10:00 pm news the other night!). LJ ate at 7:45 and we didn't hear from him until 2:15. RJ and I went to bed at 8:30 ourselves, so we got some good sleep. LJ ate again at 5:15 and then 8:45 this morning. He has sat and looked around pleasantly...except when he needed to close his eyes...then he fussed. Now he is squirming and I know he needs his diaper changed. Then he'll eat and we'll go get RJ for lunch.
Is this what we do all day! So, when are babies able to just close their eyes when they are tired?
Have a happy day!
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Do We Have a Trend Here?
4 nights of the last 7...LJ has gone 5-7 hours between feedings (sorry Chrissy). He eats somewhere between 7:30 and 9:00 and then we don't here from him again until 5-7 hours later. At first, I was worried (what's new?)...now we just roll with it and are very thankful. RJ and I go to bed between 8:30 and 9:00 if LJ is down...that way we can get several consecutive hours of sleep ourselves. So, my question is...is this a trend? I'm not going to start counting on it because it will just bother me when he doesn't go that long. I think he must have inherited RJ's love for sleep!
Speaking of worrying...it is crazy how much stuff I "worry" about these days. I was worried that LJ was gulping, gasping, and choking when he ate. He doesn't do that anymore, but the first time he didn't I worried that something was wrong. See, I worried when he started doing it, but then I got used to that. So, then I worried when he wasn't doing that anymore. CRAZY! I notice that my level of worry correlates to how tired I am.
Everything here is going pretty well. The antibiotics have put the hurt on my mastitis, so I'm feeling much better. LJ is eating well. He is spending more time in a quiet alert state, so we are "playing" more. This = me talking to him and singing to him (he doesn't know how terrible a singer I am!). We have been picking RJ up for lunch, taking walks, going to the bank, post office, grocery store, etc. This weekend we are going to put up our Christmas decorations...I'm sure that will take much longer with little LJ "helping", but it will be nice once they are up.
Oh, and RJ and LJ did just fine while I was at the beauty shop on Saturday. Talk to you all later!
Speaking of worrying...it is crazy how much stuff I "worry" about these days. I was worried that LJ was gulping, gasping, and choking when he ate. He doesn't do that anymore, but the first time he didn't I worried that something was wrong. See, I worried when he started doing it, but then I got used to that. So, then I worried when he wasn't doing that anymore. CRAZY! I notice that my level of worry correlates to how tired I am.
Everything here is going pretty well. The antibiotics have put the hurt on my mastitis, so I'm feeling much better. LJ is eating well. He is spending more time in a quiet alert state, so we are "playing" more. This = me talking to him and singing to him (he doesn't know how terrible a singer I am!). We have been picking RJ up for lunch, taking walks, going to the bank, post office, grocery store, etc. This weekend we are going to put up our Christmas decorations...I'm sure that will take much longer with little LJ "helping", but it will be nice once they are up.
Oh, and RJ and LJ did just fine while I was at the beauty shop on Saturday. Talk to you all later!
Saturday, December 04, 2004
Happy Mastitis to Me!
Thanks to so many of you who wished me well on my birthday...let me tell you what kind of day I had. We'll start with the night before...
I fed LJ and told RJ as we were going to sleep ourselves that my right breast REALLY hurt. We went to sleep and woke up to LJ's cry about 4 hours later at which point I told RJ that I was REALLY thirsty and he had to get me something to drink...which he so kindly did. LJ ate and went back to bed quickly. In between that feeding and the next, I dreamed that I had a 99.5 degree fever. So, when LJ awoke the next time, I told RJ that I thought I had a fever, so we took my temperature...100.5. I thought it interesting how close I was in my dream. I knew I felt cruddy and that my right breast felt as though it were bruised, so I got out the What to Expect book and we decided I had mastitis (infected milk ducts...given to me by the germs in LJ's mouth entering any tiny little crack I have.) So, at 8:00am I called to make an appointment with the doctor.
We had planned to take LJ up to work yesterday...there was a holiday pot luck and we thought it would be a good time to let our co-workers meet LJ. So, we went up there right before our visit to the doctor and LJ was a perfect dream. I was feeling cruddy...Tylenol was only working for about 2 hours, so I felt bad for the other 2 before I could take some more. The doctor confirmed my mastitis and gave me some antibiotics. We took this opportunity to weigh LJ (so I could rest my mind about his green diapers...which he still has...and this whole hind milk issue). He weighed 10 pounds 9 ounces! So, he's gained over a pound in a little over a week. I'm not going to worry about this anymore. At this rate, we'll have to get a new car seat in 6 weeks!
We went back up to work...I had to grade my students' finals and get their final grades figured. LJ was passed around to be held by many people and this caused him to wail and wail after a while. So, we brought him home (without me getting my work done) and finally got him calmed down. He slept well last night (RJ and I went to bed at 8:20 pm ourselves) and this morning I have a hair appointment at 10:00 am. It is 9:10 am now and I'm about to feed little LJ. Then RJ will be home...without food for LJ...for an hour or so. I'll let you know how they survive that!
I fed LJ and told RJ as we were going to sleep ourselves that my right breast REALLY hurt. We went to sleep and woke up to LJ's cry about 4 hours later at which point I told RJ that I was REALLY thirsty and he had to get me something to drink...which he so kindly did. LJ ate and went back to bed quickly. In between that feeding and the next, I dreamed that I had a 99.5 degree fever. So, when LJ awoke the next time, I told RJ that I thought I had a fever, so we took my temperature...100.5. I thought it interesting how close I was in my dream. I knew I felt cruddy and that my right breast felt as though it were bruised, so I got out the What to Expect book and we decided I had mastitis (infected milk ducts...given to me by the germs in LJ's mouth entering any tiny little crack I have.) So, at 8:00am I called to make an appointment with the doctor.
We had planned to take LJ up to work yesterday...there was a holiday pot luck and we thought it would be a good time to let our co-workers meet LJ. So, we went up there right before our visit to the doctor and LJ was a perfect dream. I was feeling cruddy...Tylenol was only working for about 2 hours, so I felt bad for the other 2 before I could take some more. The doctor confirmed my mastitis and gave me some antibiotics. We took this opportunity to weigh LJ (so I could rest my mind about his green diapers...which he still has...and this whole hind milk issue). He weighed 10 pounds 9 ounces! So, he's gained over a pound in a little over a week. I'm not going to worry about this anymore. At this rate, we'll have to get a new car seat in 6 weeks!
We went back up to work...I had to grade my students' finals and get their final grades figured. LJ was passed around to be held by many people and this caused him to wail and wail after a while. So, we brought him home (without me getting my work done) and finally got him calmed down. He slept well last night (RJ and I went to bed at 8:20 pm ourselves) and this morning I have a hair appointment at 10:00 am. It is 9:10 am now and I'm about to feed little LJ. Then RJ will be home...without food for LJ...for an hour or so. I'll let you know how they survive that!
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