5 Months

I suck.  Little guy is already 6 months old and I'm just now posting his 5 month update.  My little guy is slightly less little, and he's learning new skills all the time.  It's really awesome seeing him learn - he concentrates on things and I can see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to master new things.  I am more than a little sad that he's growing up though.

Nicknames: Yum Yum, Yummers, Monkey, Prince Pretty

Stats: about 18 lbs 10 oz, unsure of length, wears 3-6 month clothes (bodysuits with snapped legs/feetie jams are getting snug, 9 months fit better in these styles), size 3 diapers

Feeding:  still exclusively breastfed, we still haven't introduced bottles (oops!), and I still rarely pump.

Sleeping:  we're still experiencing middle of the night wakings, and sometimes he won't go back to sleep without nursing.  B and I have talked about moving him into a Pack n Play in our room to get him used to laying flat and being slightly farther away from me, but we need to get rid of some extra furniture in our room before we can do that.  I'm hoping that transitioning him will help him sleep longer and not need midnight snacks.

Likes:  rolling over, tummy time, jumperoo (for little bursts), Moose toy, pacifier

Dislikes: loud, unexpected noises, laying still for diaper changes; waiting for me to get prepared to feed him

Milestones/tidbits:

• Rolls back to front

Recent Google searches:

• How to teach baby to roll from front to back
• Signs of teething

4 Months!

Time continues to fly by - the little dude is already 4 months old (and then some)!  This month has been really fun.  His personality is showing more and more (I think we have a future class clown on our hands), and I can really see the gears turning in his head as he tries to figure out new things.  I'm pretty sure he keeps getting more and more adorable as he grows also.  This kid could be a baby model, he's so gorgeous ... I might be a little biased though.  We had a lot of stuff going on again this month, and little buddy really surprised me with how well he adapts to different situations.  It's great that he can be so flexible while also having a somewhat normal routine at home.

Nicknames: Squeak, Yum Yum, Yummers, Tiny Daddy (sometimes - he's starting to look more like his own person), Little Love, Bright Eyes, Monkey, Buddy

Stats: 17 lb 8 oz, 26.25 inches - in the 85th percentile for weight, 90th for height. Size 3 diapers. 3-6 month/6 month clothes (although the one piece pants outfits are a little difficult to snap in the leg area)

Feeding: all breast milk, all the time! He's finally going 2-3 hours between feedings, sometimes even longer if we're busy, and a normal feed is 5-12 minutes long (unless he's sleep nursing).  If he nurses longer than 10 ish minutes, he tends to spit up shortly after he's done, which makes me think his belly gets too full.  I'm still only pumping sporadically, and typically get around 2+ oz per session (combined) in about 10 minutes.  I need to be a little better about building a small freezer stash so he can practice with bottles.  We're going to B's work Christmas party in December, so little dude needs to take bottles well (and I need to have enough pumped milk) so he can stay with a babysitter.

Sleeping:  I'm breaking all of the sleep rules and I don't care.  Drowsy but awake isn't really a state of alertness for our little guy. He's either awake or sleeping, not much in between.  He often nurses to sleep, although he has started falling asleep for naps on his own in the swing or in the Rock N Play with a lovey.  He doesn't sleep long when he's not being held, though.  At night, he nurses and snuggles to sleep, and sleeps in the Rock N Play for most of the night, but when he wakes for the second time (usually, sometimes it's the first if we're having a good night) at 3am, he stays in bed with us.  We need to get serious about rearranging our room so we can switch him to the Pack N Play for bedtime, and eventually move him to the crib - probably in the new year when he's hopefully sleeping through the night (or at least close to it).

Likes: being held, moose, blowing spit bubbles, drooling, pacifier, mommy singing silly songs

Dislikes: being in the car seat for long periods, loud noises

Milestones/tidbits:

• First Cold (he handled it so well. He was slightly more fussy, but he fought it off pretty quickly and tolerated the bulb syringe really well when I used it to clear his nose.)
• Family pictures taken
• Rolled back to tummy ... Once
• First wedding

Mom Achievement: gained back some of that weight I had lost :-/. It's not really an achievement, but it's all I've got this month.

Recent Google Searches:

• How to encourage infant to roll over
• Constipation in breastfed infant
• Activities to entertain 4 month old
• Developmental milestones 4 month old

As much as I miss my buddy being tiny and easy to snuggle, it's a lot of fun to see him learn new things and become slightly more independent. I'm finally able to get more stuff done around the house (by that I mean I can work on catching up on our family scrapbook for the year).  I'm trying my best to soak up every moment with him as he's growing because it's going so quickly.  I live for the the quiet little moments - like when the lights are off and he falls asleep in my arms at night, and I can feel him get heavier as he drifts deeper into sleep - it's the most perfect moment of my day.

Two and Three Months

Little dude's 2 month update is way late (of course) because life has been super busy, but his 3 month update is only a little late (ha!), so I'll count that as a win.

The day after he turned 2 months, we had his 2 month appointments (with shots) and we went to Chicago for a long weekend. I decided to include that weekend with the 2 month update rather than waiting for the 3 month update.

Nicknames: Squeak, Yum Yum, Yummers, Tiny Daddy, Little Love, Bright Eyes, Peanut, Monkey, Buddy

Stats: 2 months - 12 lb 7 oz, 23.25 inches at his 2 month check up on 8/20, 3 month clothes, size 1 diapers, starting size 2 diapers; 3 months - about 15 lbs, unsure of length, moving into 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers

Feeding: all breast milk, all the time, straight from the source!  I beat my deadline of weaning from the shield by 6 weeks.  Around 5 weeks, we were only using the shield in the early morning feeds, when it had been a few hours between feeds and my letdown was more intense, and after only a few days, we were able to ditch the shield completely.  Shortly after we ditched the shield, little dude started waiting longer between feeds - usually around 1.5 to 2 hours when we're at home, longer when we're out and about.

Sleeping: still varies - some nights he wakes to eat a few times, the first after 2.5 hours.  Other nights he only wakes to eat once and sleeps for 5 hours. He is doing very well in the rock n play at bedtime, although he is starting to fight the SwaddleMe because he's getting too long.  Hotel sleep was okay - ended up co-sleeping a little. His naps are usually pretty decent, but they would be better if he didn't need to sleep on me. He's taken a handful of naps in the swing or rock n play, but they've never been very long, and he usually wakes up cranky.

Likes: being held, moose, blowing spit bubbles, drooling

Dislikes: 2 months - bouncer (for long periods), the swaddle (starting), waiting to eat (he's very impatient), hiccups; 3 months - hiccups, loud noises (like daddy's sneezes)

Milestones/Tidbits: 

• Started smiling
• Stopped using shield to nurse 
• First comic convention 
• First stay in hotel
• Starting to lift head when laying down or reclined
• Discovered his fingers - they're constantly in his mouth
• First Family Reunion
• First Farmer's Market

Mom Achievements: At my postpartum appointment, everything was good (I was even almost back to pre-pregnancy weight). Breastfed in a few different public places - in the wrap while in line for celeb photos at comic con, at a park during a family reunion, at the Farmer's Market.

Recent Google Searches: 

• Thrush
• Nipple/Breast pain while breastfeeding
• APNO recipe
• Side lying breastfeeding position
• Breastfeeding in Moby wrap

So that's a recap of our very busy last couple of months, and now we're inching into holiday season, which means even more craziness.  It feels like being busy is making the little dude grow faster, and while I am so relieved that he's not colicky anymore, I'm starting to miss the tiny baby he used to be.  I'm very thankful that he is very much a mama's boy and a snuggle monster.  It would be great to get some stuff done while he naps, but I would much rather enjoy naps together before he's too big.

One Month

Our first month with baby has been quite the learning experience.  I mentioned before that our little dude is kind of fussy, and that has made life very challenging.  We're slowly figuring out the best ways to soothe him, and things are improving, but he is far from an easy, low maintenance baby.  We're definitely learning a new normal in our household.

In the interest of keeping these updates simple and easy for me, I'm going to fill in answers to the same prompts every month - here they are for month one:

Nicknames: Squeak, Yum Yum, Yummers, Tiny Daddy, Little Love, Bright Eyes, Peanut, Monkey, Little BuddyStats: 21.5 inches, about 9 lbs, in 0-3 month outfits, using size 1 diapers


Feeding:  baby is exclusively breastfed, with the exception of the one day he received a few bottles of expressed milk.  We are working on weaning from the nipple shield, and actually have had pretty good luck with it so far.  It still isn't consistent, but it's progress. I'm hoping to wean him off by 6 weeks, and it seems like we're on track with that goal.  I need to work on his latch though, because sometimes it's shallow and hurts.


Sleeping:  we're starting to get a 4 hour stretch once a night on occasion.  Those nights are my favorite. He is getting better at napping during the day - when he's held.  He's getting better at sleeping in the Rock n Play, especially on nights when he's wrapped in a SwaddleMe straight jacket.  I'm trying to start a loose routine so we can have easier days and sleep longer at night, but his random feedings and my trouble following through, along with other factors, are making this a little difficult.  I'm hoping to get somewhat of a routine going by 2 months - I have a feeling it would be easier on everyone.

Likes: boobs, farting, being held by mom, outside

Dislikes: not being held, hiccups


Milestones/Tidbits:

• gained back birthweight at 2 weeks
• had newborn photos taken
• first 4th of July
• blew out of diaper twice
• first Braves game (they won!)
• first overnight stay (with mom) at grandparents house

Mom Achievement: breastfed in the car in parking lots and park and in the lounge at baseball game

Recent Google Searches:

• is it possible to overfeed baby
• average weight gain in 1 month old baby
• nipple bruised by breastfeeding
• how to use nipple shield
• baby nurses to sleep
• baby will only sleep when held
• infant reflux with no spitting up
• how to soothe colicky baby
• newborn sleep and feeding routine
• how to correct shallow latch
• how many poops should a 1 month old have daily

So we've survived the first month (some days it felt like just barely).  I'm slowing down on the Google searches because I'm accepting that there's no magic fix and I need to trust my mom intuition more.  A lot of my experienced mom friends (and mom blogs) have told me it will get easier, and the 6 week mark seems to be magic. I love my tiny baby, but I'm definitely looking forward to easier times.

He's Here! A Birth Story and Baby Update

Our little guy has been part of the outside world for 3 weeks now, and those 3 weeks have been quite an adventure.  I actually started writing this when he was only a week old - he definitely keeps me busy!

Little man's arrival was not like I expected at all. After spending 3 weeks at 1.5 ish cm and 70% effaced, I was pretty sure baby was sticking around until at least his due date. At my 39 week appointment (6/17), I had finally made progress - 2 cm and 90% effaced - but I still wasn't convinced. My OB, on the other hand, was very confident that I would not need a 40 week appointment.  The next day, I had a couple of friends ask if I felt like baby would be arriving soon, and my answer was a very definite no - I had maybe had a few contractions, but overall I felt fine and baby seemed comfortable.  Apparently those friends knew something I didn't, because that evening, around 10:30, I started feeling contractions.  They were pretty mild at first and very sporadic, so I didn't pay much attention.  After an hour or so, it was a different story.  I spent a lot of time in the bathroom (sorry for the TMI), and the contractions were getting more uncomfortable, so I focused on timing them, and B woke up and started getting ready to head to the hospital.  I called the after-hours call center to let them know I would be coming in soon, and then started throwing up from the pain (sorry for more TMI).  We left our house shortly after 1 a.m. and drove about 15 minutes before I realized I didn't have my photo ID on me, so we went back home, grabbed my wallet, then made our way to the hospital (spoiler alert: I didn't even need the damn ID, because of course).  The ride was very uncomfortable because all of my contractions were in my back, so sitting in the car was pretty painful.  We arrived at the hospital around 2 a.m., and at my first check, I was 3 cm - not what I wanted to hear.  The nurses mentioned possibly sending us home, which we REALLY didn't want to hear (the hospital is about a 40 minute drive from home), but thankfully I was leaking amniotic fluid so I was admitted.  The request was put in for an epidural, and then we waited.  One of the nurses came back after a bit to give me some meds to take the edge off the contractions until I could have the epidural, but I needed to be less than 8 cm in order to safely get it.  After she checked, she had another nurse come in to double check - I was already 10 cm, so it was too late - no epidural for me.  (B likes telling people this part of the story because when I heard I couldn't have the epidural, I said "oh no" in a very Winnie the Pooh like voice.  I couldn't help it, I was disappointed and in pain.  B was kind enough to take a picture of that moment as well.  Good man).  The on-call doctor was called in, the room was prepped, and the doctor broke my water so I could start pushing.  It didn't take long at all - maybe half an hour or so - before our little guy made his way to the outside world.  At 3:52 a.m. on June 19, we welcomed our little man, and on June 21 - Father's Day - we took him home to start this new adventure.

*Birth Stats:  7 lbs, 14 oz, 21 inches long*

His fast and furious entrance into the world caused quite a bit of damage to my body, in the form of 4th degree internal tears - ouch (if his birth had a theme song, it would be Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus).  He's lucky he's so cute :).  My recovery hasn't been that bad, considering.  I spent the days in the hospital mostly in bed, but once we got home, I tried to be a bit more active.  I'm not sure if that helped or hurt the healing process, but it made me feel more like myself.  My tailbone is pretty sore, but the lady bits have felt fine.  My postpartum appointment is scheduled for early August, hopefully things are healed by then.

I won't lie - this little guy is pretty demanding so far.  He's kind of a fussy baby.  I'm still learning his cues, trying to figure out when he's over or under stimulated and tired.  I can tell when he's hungry, mostly because it seems like he's hungry 24/7.  At night he goes 3-ish hours between feedings, but during the day, it's usually closer to 1.5 - 2.5 hours between feedings.  I'm hoping this is just a growth spurt and he'll make it longer between feedings soon.  I have been exclusively breastfeeding him, and that has been a learning experience.  In the hospital, the lactation consultant said we were naturals - she gave me a few pointers, but said we would be fine.  And then my milk came in and all hell broke loose.  I have an awesome supply so far, which is great, but also caused problems.  I was so full of milk, my skin was too stretched out, and there was nothing for baby to latch onto.  At his newborn appointment, the PA we take him to watched as I tried to feed him, and recommended using a manual pump to get some milk out and relieve the engorgement, and then try to latch baby.  He ended up eating okay on Monday, but then on Tuesday, I felt like I was starving him.  I talked to a lactation consultant from the hospital and I had a nurse from the county come to the house to help figure out how to feed him.  He ended up drinking expressed milk from a bottle a few times until the lactation consultant recommended a nipple shield.  We've been using it ever since.  My sister in law came to help support me through the breastfeeding challenges just in time - she had problems with low supply and has become very passionate about breastfeeding - so it was nice to have someone at the house to help out.  I'm hoping to wean little man off the shield by 6 weeks - we try latching without it at almost every feed, but I have a very strong let down that he can't handle yet, so we haven't had much luck.  One of my friends on Twitter said it perfectly - "breastfeeding is the hardest thing I have ever done. It may be natural, but it isn't easy!" It's absolutely the truth, it is not easy at all, but it's been so worth the effort.  (I am not at all trying to make formula feeding or pumping seem like an easy out.  Formula feeding isn't always easy, either, especially when you plan to breastfeed but can't for whatever reason.  And formula is soo expensive!  And exclusively pumping is hard work!  Props to all moms who feed their babies using whatever form of milk - as long as baby is fed, it's what is best for baby!)

I still have moments when I look at my little clone of B and think "is this really mine?"  He's absolutely perfect and wonderful, and I'm loving every single frustrating, exhausting minute of motherhood.

Counting Down

I've been meaning to post for a few weeks now - I'm such a slacker.  Between writing thank you cards, washing baby laundry, and the last few weeks of babysitting, I just haven't had the attention span to sit down and write anything.  I know it's only going to get more difficult after baby arrives, but I'm hoping to etch out some time at least once a month to update after he's here in an attempt to help me keep up with his baby book.  Anyway, enough of my rambling, here are the updates!

In about a week - maybe even less (!!!), this kid will be on the outside, and I kind of can't believe it.  I'm definitely getting into the crunch-time/final countdown phase - making lists on top of lists of things I need or would like to get done before this dude arrives and attempting to get a little more organized (although let's face it, organization is not my strength).

I am very lucky to have several friends who have recently had babies to rely on for information about things that I need or don't need and tips on how to prepare for labor and life at home.  I've been asked by a few people if I feel "ready" and the answer to that is - I hope so!  Obviously there are a bunch of smaller things that I'd like to get done before this little guy arrives, but I think we're pretty set on the big stuff.  I'm not sure that I'm 100% ready to be responsible for this tiny, needy little thing 24/7, but I have a pretty good idea of what to do (I think).  I know B is nervous about the baby's upcoming arrival - mostly because of the huge change in lifestyle.  But ready or not, he's coming soon, so we'll just have to deal.  We've been making plans to do some of the activities we usually do - baseball games and the comic convention - and we're bringing the dude with us, so hopefully we'll be able to maintain some of our non-parent lifestyle with a baby in tow.  I've heard from experienced parents that it's do-able with one, especially when they're small and not mobile, hopefully this baby is easy and we can follow their path.

At my 36 week appointment, the "fun" started.  I had my Group B strep test done, and found out the results at my 37 week appointment - negative!  So I won't have to worry about antibiotics during labor, which is good (although I have heard it's really not too bad.  I'm just glad for one less thing to think about).  I also got some exciting news during my first cervical check - I was about 70% effaced and 1.5 cm dilated.  I was really not expecting any progress, and my doctor was a little surprised as well.  She mentioned that this was a good sign, and believes that the baby will be coming sooner than his due date.  I didn't make much change between appointments - at 37 weeks, I had only dilated a teensy bit more, up to almost a 2, still 70% effaced, and there was no change between weeks 37 and 38.  I'm planning on getting some nice walks in, and maybe some squats to help encourage his head to push down and open things up a bit :).  Baby has started to drop, so that's exciting.  I noticed a week ago when it was easier for me to breathe, and a friend of mine said the bump looked a little lower.  The pressure on my bladder is definitely increased, so I'm taking that as a good sign!  I have to admit, I was really disappointed that progress has stalled.  I would really like for baby to come a little early, but he needs to come some time this week for that to happen.

I'm still feeling pretty good most of the time - I feel like maybe I'm a bit of a special snowflake when it comes to pregnancy, because I really don't have much to complain about.  I've had some swelling in my feet and a little in my legs, but not constantly and it's been easy to manage.  Heartburn has come back, but not in full force.  I get a little burpy at night, but a Tums and an extra pillow help.  I've had a few contractions - probably Braxton Hicks - but nothing painful, just different enough to notice.  Oh, and baby has decided to start head butting me in the lady bits, which is a little uncomfortable, but I don't mind because I know it means he's getting into position.

I really hope this baby comes soon.  I'm so excited to meet him!!

Third Trimester

I meant to post this last week, but I've been a terrible slacker.  I am firmly in the third trimester now - I'm pretty sure I say it every time, but I can't believe how fast this is going!  I also feel like every time I write, it's basically the Lego Movie song on repeat - everything is awesome!  Things are continuing to go well (knock on wood) and I really can't complain.  (Well, I mean, I could, but not about anything too major.)  My OB warned me that the 3rd trimester is probably the most difficult because of the rapid changes and preparations for labor that kick in, so I'm definitely interested to see how this all plays out.

Speaking of how this will play out, we attended our birth and labor class a few weekends ago.  The instructor was fun and didn't putz around, so we actually finished way ahead of schedule (like, 2.5 hours ahead of schedule).  Some of the other preggos in the class asked some questions that I had on my mind, which was very helpful.  Overall, I felt like the class was useful, so that's a win.  After the class, we went on the hospital tour.  The hospital is only a few years old, and they're finishing a remodel of the L&D unit, so everything is really new and fresh.  We'll probably end up taking the tour again after the Breastfeeding class I signed up for in early May because the remodel will be done by then, and the unit will be different.  They're opening up more L&D rooms, they built a bigger NICU, and they're adding doors to make it a locked unit.  The rooms are really spacious - each one is private, and everything happens in that one room - labor, delivery, and postpartum.  It's nice to not have to deal with switching from one room to another.

I had my 27 week OB appointment a couple weeks ago, and I got to do the lovely gestational diabetes screening.  I was able to get the drink before my appointment, so the wait for the blood draw wasn't too bad.  The appointment went well - my belly is still measuring on track, my weight gain was good (+2 lbs since last time, up a total of 8-9), and baby was really easy to find on the doppler.  I was able to record a 5 second snip of his heartbeat on my phone, and I sent that to my mom and sisters - they loved it.  The glucose test wasn't too bad really - I had my choice of orange or lemon-lime for the drink - I chose orange because I heard lemon-lime is gag-worthy.  It tasted pretty much how I expected - like 1,000 melted popsicles mixed with flat Hi-C Orange from McDonald's.  The results were posted on my online chart on Thursday, but I didn't get the official call until Friday (and of course I missed it, so they had to leave a voicemail).  Thankfully it was good news - I passed!  My result came back at 123 (the cutoff was 139).  My next appointment is scheduled for 30 weeks (this upcoming Wednesday!), and then I'll start the every 2 weeks schedule.  Crazy!!

I think I may have caught the nesting bug.  Or maybe I just really want to get some spring cleaning done.  Either way, I've been strangely motivated to get housework done lately - I've been mopping and vacuuming floors, organizing and rearranging rooms (so we can start getting nursery furniture bought/assembled), and I even did some stain treatment on some of the hand-me-down clothes we were given.  I tried the miracle stain removal recipe that I've seen 1,000 times on Pinterest - two parts hydrogen peroxide to one part each of Dawn dish soap and baking soda.  The first load of clothes that I washed came out with mixed results - most of the clothes came out looking like they had never been worn, some of them still had a little staining.  I think not letting the mixture sit on the clothes for at least an hour is partly to blame.  I re-treated and re-washed the remaining clothes, following the directions a bit more closely, and there was more improvement.  There are a few outfits that still have a little bit of staining, but it really isn't that noticeable, and our kid is just going to spit up all over them anyway, so they're good enough in my book.

With the 3rd trimester sneaking up on me like this, I wanted to do a fun countdown to baby.  One of my sisters suggested a countdown chain, so that's what I did.  I cut some patterned paper into strips and used a tape runner to connect them.  Unfortunately, the tape runner was kind of cheap, so a bunch of the strips came undone and I had to re-make the chain using staples.  It turned out really cute, and we hung it from some hooks in one of the corners in our living room.  It's a fun little decoration as well as a reminder that we are now only 73 (!!!) days away from baby's due date.

Aside from all of the small things that need to be done before baby gets here (finishing the nursery - happening this weekend, actually!, washing small clothes, packing a hospital bag, etc), we don't have a lot of exciting things coming up.  I have a breastfeeding basics and storage class in a few weeks, and my shower at the end of next month, and that's about all before baby comes (unless I'm missing something).