WW 50 and Zipadee Zip {11 month Baby Summary}

by Meghan // July 7, 2017 // No Comments

Ooooh, sweet Baby #4.

Not only is she just precious, and fun, she definitely knows what she wants! Unlike her older sister, #3, she has been a very vocal, more demanding baby. We are entering Wonder Week 50, or Leap 7.

Last month we went on a family trip to the south; while we were gone C cut a new tooth (it literally cut through on day 2 of our trip), and ran a fever with it. She was not feeling good; by the time we got to my family she was miserable- we don’t know if it was from teething, the travel, new people and places, or what … Probably a combination of it all.

As she is starting to enter the territory of toddlerhood, I am finding tantrums abound! I’ve never had a baby throw fits like this one; she gets so angry, and I am hopeful that as she gets more words and mobility, the tantrums will subside.

Development

C is a strong girl! She is a little copycat, and will say just about anything you say, at least once. She repeatedly uses the words: hi, Huck (one of our dogs), Max, Mama, Dada, Up, dog, toes, and Ma for more. She likes to play peek a boo, itsy bitsy spider, pat a cake, and will move your hands off your face to find you.

She is signing for more, but that’s about it. *insert eye roll here* I am so ready for this wonder week of development to be done so we can move beyond this phase. It is hard!

She wants to move, but refuses to crawl. She likes to walk around the house, with me holding her hands from behind, but isn’t yet walking on her own. So, I brought in the big guns today. Hopefully using the push toy she will begin picking up her feet and becoming more comfortable standing and moving on her own. I really want her to crawl, but after hours and hours (combined, not all at once) of blood curdling screams and her banging her head no the floor in anger, she just isn’t wanting to crawl. So, I think we will begin moving in a way that makes her happy, and then hope she will crawl and walk on her own.

Sleep and Schedule

We have dropped her first 2 bottles of the day-no more bottle at 7am, or 11am after nap #1. When we wake at 7am, she goes straight to breakfast with some of her homemade milk in a sippy cup.

7am wake, snuggle, wake up siblings, breakfast, play
9am first nap-this will drop soon and we will move to one nap from 12-3
1030 wakes
11 lunch
1:30pm nap #2
3:00pm wake, bottle, snack, play
5:30pm dinner, bath, play
6:40pm bedtime bottle, bed

We tried switching out of her transition swaddle a few months ago, and it was a disaster. This usually isn’t the case, but C sucks on the sleeve of the swaddle blanket, right on the seam. So when we took it away she freaked out! She would not accept her lovie, which she’s slept with since about 4 months old, as a substitute.

So, on to a Zipadee-Zip we went. Yesterday we tried it for second nap and it was devastating for her. =( But last night she did fine, and this morning for nap she did great!

I like the Zipadee-Zip because it allows more movement for her in bed, which should help with her physical development (because we all know babies practice development in their sleep). In the transition swaddle (which is AWESOME, until they need a little more room), she just couldn’t stretch and move that one arm, because she wanted the sleeve zipped on for sucking.

In the Zipadee-Zip, she is able to put her arms into full, unrestrictive sleeves, which she can also suck. But she also can open and close her hand very well inside, so if she wants to grab a rail, a lovie, etc she can. When I opened the Zipadee-Zip it looked HUGE. C is about 23lbs and almost 12 months old, so I went with the large. After I washed and got it on her, it fits great, and has lots of room for her to grow. It is comfy, soft, and really nice. I am so thankful we decided to go with it, because it is a perfect fit for our needs at this time.

I am excited to see what the coming months bring; hopefully more words and mobility for her, so she can express herself and feel more confident. She is so much fun, and so full of personality!

Just for fun =) Baby #4, and me when I was a baby

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

7 Months Old Baby Summary Schedule {baby #4}

by Meghan // February 24, 2017 // 4 Comments

I cannot believe my baby is 7 months old. I am really not certain where the time has gone- I guess just in every day life.

In trying to be present for all the moments, I have been journaling more of our days than I have been blogging them. But I am trying to put some of that on the screen.

Our schedule for now is a typical 2-3-4 schedule. We will stay here until she drops to one nap. To transition to one nap, she will naturally begin shorten one of her naps between 11-14 months old. To make sure it is the morning nap, I will start capping that nap when she shows signs that she is ready to shorten a nap, then eventually we will drop the morning nap and move the afternoon nap to 12:00 noon.

We moved to the 2-3-4 around 6 months, but it was still messy and uncertain. The day after she turned 7 months I decided we were sticking to the 2-3-4 schedule and not looking back. It has been a *dream* since.

I know scheduling babies is not for everyone. But I can tell you that while hard at first, sticking to it pays off. It gives me a life outside of babies, it gives my marriage freedom outside of babies, it gives my babies independence to sleep, be happy, and healthy on their own. I can give my baby and their schedule to anyone in the case of an emergency, and any of them would probably do pretty well as long as their caretaker kept to the schedule- it is all in the consistency.

Routine creates confidence, confidence creates happy babies.

Today, Coralie’s schedule looks like this:

7am wake, bottle, snuggles, mommy baby time, then get the older 3 up
7:30/8 solids
read books, activities with everyone on the floor
9:00 Baby down for first nap
11:00 Baby up from nap, bottle, snuggles
make lunch for all, feed solids
12:15 2 year old’s nap
12:50 4 year old’s nap
1:30 Baby 2nd nap
3:00 everyone up from naps, baby bottle
play outside, errands, activities, mama prep dinner
5:30 solids for baby, dinner for all
bath time
6:40 baby botttle
6:50 baby bed, right to sleep

She LOVES:

drinking kombucha from a sippy cup
bouncing in her bouncer
eating
snuggles, just being held
warm days outside
sitting up high so she can see everything
being tickled
being talked to
chewing on anything
her swaddle blanket- she has one arm out, but does NOT want the other arm out. She likes to suck on the cloth
sleeping on her side
sleep- she loves her naps and bedtime sleep. If i get sidetracked she is super quick to let me know it is time to get ready for bed!
being in the car- maybe she doesn’t love this, but she doesn’t mind it, which makes me life easier
holding her firefly and her skwish
chewing on things with her 2 bottom teeth

She really doesn’t enjoy:

cold days outside, or cool and windy days
the dog in her face (can’t say I blamer her…)
being alone
having a wet diaper
hiccups
people invading her space
the exersaucer outside- it is the same exersaucer all my other babies have used. She hates it. She prefers her bouncer or rocker
loud noises
bright lights
being woken up (did I mention she likes her sleep?)
teething

She has been such a joy for us. Everyone needs “baby time” in the house, and we all delight in her new developments. She is a sweet girl; we are pretty sure she is teething her top teeth now, so there is lots of drool, lots of fussiness, and a little clinginess. But this too will pass, and probably all too quickly!

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Weekly Wrap Up {homeschool update} with Baby #4 Summary

by Meghan // November 23, 2016 // 1 Comment

So, how goes being a mama of 4, 6 years old and under? It is going really great!

We have fallen into our groove with routines, baby is sleeping great *most* days for her naps, which helps with our learning time as a family. The kids are enjoying their school time; we have finally gotten pretty comfortable with Mister doing more activities while I teach Lexie. Ila walks around with her ABC flash cards (I laminated them and put on a ring for her) during most of learning time. She likes to come sit in my lap through out the morning and “read” to me. =)

Lexie (6 years old)

The Lady is just flying through everything I give her or introduce her to. She enjoys reading; we are still going over the rules as we work through All About Reading, because I don’t want her to have gaps down the road. However, she is reading on a 4-6th grade level. Next we are going to start working to build her vocabulary, because when reading at a higher level, she is coming across many words she doesn’t know yet.

She is learning her math facts in math and really enjoys challenging herself with those. She does her math sheets independently and we do calendar most days (sometimes I just forget ..). Whenever we do hands on math with manipulatives Max likes to join in. He can do math on her level, but his writing skills aren’t there yet so we don’t focus on a math curriculum at all for him- just hands on fun! (like it should be).

We have started using the CD that came with our science (Apologia’s Astronomy 2nd Edition)- that way I don’t have to read, but I can listen along and pause it to go more in depth or explain something a little better. The kids follow along in the book, and then Lexie does the science journal.

Handwriting and math are part of her “clip board work,” that she does independently; I check over these after she has completed them to be sure she did her best, or understood everything. She loves watching herself improve, and I enjoy the discipline she is learning in completing her work on her own.

Max (4 years old)

Mister is just reading like crazy. He does not like to read formally, off a piece of paper yet. He likes me to write words on the board for him to read, and I am 100% okay with that! He is only 4, after all.

He is working through Reading the Alphabet by ThisReadingMama.com- I used that with Lexie and she *loved* it, so he is enjoying it now. Each week we go on to a new letter/site word. His favorite activities are the mazes (he is constantly asking me to find mazes for him to do), and he enjoys syllable counting. Max is also very interested in counting to 100 .. every. single. day. Which is great so I go with it; he likes to get out his number chart for that (check our Rainbow Resources for those!).

Mister is still obsessed with puzzles and anything he can do with his hands. We try to make sure he gets plenty of movement, hands on learning, and has lots of play time so he continues to grow a love for learning.

Ila (2 years old)

Ila is tagging along with us in everything we do. Right now she enjoys puzzles, dolls, coloring, and practicing her letter sounds. She doesn’t actually know the letters that correspond with the sound, but she likes to try and I like encouraging her. She is going to follow Lexie in her eagerness to learn and read, I think.

Our Routine For Now {baby #4 is 4 months old}

7am baby up, nurse
7:15-7:20ish I get Max up for mama and baby time while I give baby a bottle
Mister gets “the sisters” up =)
I cook breakfast, baby hangs out in bumbo or bouncer, older 3 do morning chores/get ready for day
everyone eats breakfast and we do our morning basket “stuff”
8:25 baby down for nap
all 3 bigger kids go outside or downstairs to play until 9am
9am we begin school
10:30- it is time to get baby up and fed. We are usually done with school by this point, Lexie may have some clipboard work to finish on her own for the rest of the week
11:15 everyone has lunch
12:00 baby takes nap, then I put Ila down for nap, bigs go outside to play
12:45 Mister goes down for nap, Lexie has rest time reading books, mama writes blog posts, does chores, or rests
2:00 time to get baby up for feeding- Lexie usually comes in to spend time with me and baby
3:00 everyone up from naps, outside or downstairs to play or we run errands
3:30 baby down for last nap, I prep dinner if not yet done
5:00 Baby up, nurse
5:30 everyone eats dinner, baby gets solids
bath, wind down, sometimes we watch a show like Mister Rogers, Bob the Builder, Boxcar Children, etc
6:30 baby gets bottle and goes right to bed
7:00 everyone in bed, unless Mister napped good then he and Lexie get to stay up a little later (but they’re always ready for bed-that’s what happens when you spend most of your day running around a farm!)
Mama and Daddy time- this is my favorite part about keeping a good routine while our kids are young~I get 1:1 time with my husband and we can unwind from our days together without little people needing us non stop. It’s nice!

Not everything is set to a specific time, but naps and feedings are. Everything else works around that, and just sort of falls into place; it is simple and flows well because I don’t have to force anything.

Coralie {4 months old}

Baby #4- wow. She is already 4 months old (19 weeks) and SO happy. The best thing I could have ever done for this baby is getting a good sleep schedule down- without it she would still be crying, fussy, unhappy, and unpredicatable.

Because of her eating and sleep routines I am able to pinpoint what she needs, she rarely cries (and if she does it is because something is wrong), and she sleeps very well as long as I hit her wake time right (too short results in a short nap, too long results in crying).

But the BEST part of her routine-she went from HATING going to sleep in her crib, to *loving* it. Before about 15 weeks old, she cried every time I laid her down on the changing table to put on her sleep blanket (we use THIS ONE). Now, the girl is happy, kicking, and ready to go to bed as soon as I zip her up! We talks and babbles while I sing Jesus Loves Me, sucks/gnaws on her hand (teething), and when I lay her down she goes to sleep within 20 minutes. Sometimes she fusses after talking for a bit, but never cries for me to get her. IF she is crying-crying, I will go rub some oil on her gums or try to burp her and then lay her back down. Then she usually drifts off to sleep.

She is still a very social girl, loves talking and playing. She got a jumper from her grandparents for Christmas, which I had to let her play in early because A) babies outgrow things fast and it seemed silly to waste a whole month of having it but not using it and B) she is all about kicking these days. She loves it. This way she can see everyone and know what is going on, which is right up her alley.

She is eating every 3.5 hours, her wake time is anywhere from 85-95 minutes (lengthens as we go through the day), and she is experimenting with solids. We have done soft boiled egg yolk, green beans, squash, carrots, and peaches. She devoured all of them, and stares at us while we eat. I think she is ready for more in her day, but honestly I am not ready to have to tote around baby food, spoons, bibs, etc every time we leave the house. I already have to pack formula and hot water, so Im good for now. I am going to try to get by without daytime solids until 6+ months. She is only having them at our dinner time (5:30) now.

That is pretty much it for our weekly wrap up and summary. We are just trucking through everything, enjoying it as we go.

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Baby Dispositions- Touchy Baby- {Baby Summary 10/11 weeks}

by Meghan // October 13, 2016 // No Comments

This week I really saw how Coralie is a “touchy baby;” she is really starting to come into her own personality and I am enjoying learning about her. She also showed me that she isn’t hungry at the 3 hour mark anymore; we have gradually shifted to 3.15-3.5hour routine and she is eating MUCH better now. This seems to also have helped her naps.

She seems to still have a witching hour in the evening, and it may have increased a bit in length; I am not sure why yet… We didn’t really settle into this new routine/schedule until today actually (Friday, her 11 week mark) but she has been showing me she was ready for a few days.

I’ve learned that as a parent when you start thinking, “Hmm, I wonder if she is wanting to stretch her feedings/sleep/waketime/etc,” she probably is! Go with your gut- use your tools, like helpful books, but use them in conjunction with your gut and you won’t go wrong. Oh .. and be consistent! 😉

The Routine/Schedule Now Is:

6:45-7am nurse, bottle
7:30 nap
10:15am nurse bottle
11:00 nap
1:30pm nurse bottle
2:15 nap
4:30pm nurse bottle
5:30 swing for cat nap
6pm nurse (?) sometimes I try to skip this cluster feed
6:45-7pm nurse bottle
Bed right after eating. She usually fusses and eats 1-2 more times after I put her to bed, until about 8:00pm
***Waking between 5-6:30am– I have started putting her in the swing with a paci to sleep until DWT of 6:45-7am. This has worked the few times that I’ve tried it, hopefully at some point, skipping nursing this early will help her sleep through to DWT (it helps by training her metabolism and sleep patterns if she is ready).**Also, I chose to try and skip eating at this early wake time because she wasn’t taking a FULL feeding, but just enough that she wasn’t hungry at her DWT; thus she would wake early from nap hungry. By holding her off until DWT (designated wake time), she gets in a good, full feeding and starts her day off better! Also, DWT most definitely affects how baby sleeps the following night so keeping that routine consistent is important for good, solid sleep.

Coralie is back in the Woombie, after a nap or two of busting out of the swaddle waking herself, and she seems happy again. So Woombie it is! She is still swaddled and then Woombied at night, and that is working for now.

This week she began spinning in her sleep; it has always been rotating to her left but today she started rotating to her right! How funny their development is!

She still seems to need to cry before sleeping. I put her down awake, but drowsy and within a few minutes she is fussing. She hasn’t learned to settle herself, and cry it out (in small amounts of time) doesn’t seem to help. So after she gets a good cry in I go pat her to sleep. It takes maybe 20 seconds. She just can’t get there alone yet, but I am sure it will come. Read why I let her cry a little HERE, in last week’s update. It is just her way of decompressing for now.

Eating

We have a big growth spurt coming up at 12 weeks, so that should kick in soon. Right now Coralie is nursing well, and has become much more efficient, finishing a feeding within 15 minutes. She then takes 4-6oz of a bottle, sometimes more.

Oh- speaking of bottles! Whether you feed your baby through milk or formula, you should always find the right product. Something that parents experience with their kids is after having been fed, they can experience colic/reflux when bottle feeding, therefore it is beneficial to look into something like best baby bottles for wind. Be sure to do your research when it comes to providing the best products for you and your baby, as an infant’s health is the main priority to any parent. You could also check out https://www.dapplebaby.com/baby-friendly-dish-soap/ to learn about baby friendly dish soap. We all know how dirty baby bottles can get, so getting a soap that cleans them is vital!
We have moved from the crazy expensive Nutramigen formula (which is just corn syrup solids- Yuck!) to a homemade recipe! (Not the bone broth recipe I made for Max and Ila, which is also great, but takes a little more work.) I will have a separate post on the new recipe soon. =)

I feel like Coralie may have more updates on the blog than Ila did, simply because she changes more from week to week with her touchy personality dictating things so much. Ila was an angel baby- by the book. Super easy; just simple and tagged along. Coralie most definitely lets us know when things are not okay with her, and that is a lot of the time. *sigh*

What is a Touchy Baby?

Per the Baby Whisperer– Touchy babies are the most fragile; they thrive on routine and NEED predictability. She says the more consistent you are the better you will understand each other, the happier baby will be, and the sooner she should sleep through the night. Usually touchy babies are later to the game of sleeping through the night, around 10-12 weeks. (this is certainly true for Coralie after the terrible 7-9 week wonder week!) Without a structured routine it is hard to gauge a touchy baby’s cries and that will most definitely make her more irritable. They are easily thrown off by an unexpected visitor, a dog barking, and if mama doesn’t notice and hunger or sleepy cue, baby gets upset and is hard to calm down <-- YES! YES! YES!

After nursing, Coralie gets SO upset if her bottle isn’t in her mouth within a few minutes. It is always best if I warm her bottle, then nurse, THEN have the bottle right on hand. But that just isn’t always possible. What stinks is it’s really hard to have a touchy baby as your 4th baby! Because you really need them to “tag along” and go with the flow more than the others. Thing is, people will say, “well if you just do it baby will adjust.”

NO THEY WON’T! At least not usually.

A touchy baby is such by nature; they are born that way, you can do nothing to change that. All you can do is everything possible, within reason, to make your life easier which means understanding and respecting their personality and developmental needs.

I don’t for one second believe that accommodating a touchy baby is spoiling them; it is called respect. They are people.

Do you like for people to run the vacuum or run into your bedroom screaming at the top of their lungs while you sleep?

Nope, me neither.

Do you like for dogs to unexpectedly bark loudly in your ear when you are relaxed and being cuddled? Or for someone to say they will meet you at 6pm and not show til 8pm? Yea- touchy babies don’t either!

Lexie was SO much like this, but so was I at that time in my life. I didn’t realize she needed it as much as I did, or even more. Looking back I know she was an easier-ish *ha* touchy baby because I kept her in routine, on schedule, she knew what to expect, when to expect it, and I eased her into things. For instance, she wouldn’t have done well staying away from home at 2 years old; I knew that. We waited until she was older and could make that decision herself; we respected her personality and because of that she has grown to a very independent young girl. She is confident in who she is, and recognizes what she needs- quiet time alone, snuggles with daddy, playtime outside, etc. She knows what she needs because we have helped give her the tools to do so.

I will keep praying that God continues to guide us with our newest touchy baby. =)

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Baby #4 Summary- Week 9

by Meghan // September 30, 2016 // No Comments

Coralie is 9 weeks old, almost 10. And sleep. Is. Awful.

There is a wonder week from weeks 7-9, and honestly I don’t think I remember my first 3 being affected by it. Coralie is definitely feeling this one!

While her witching hour has gotten better, she is waking in the night more- not every night. Some nights she goes until 4, 5, or even 6:30am! Other nights she is up around 1am and again around 4am, or she may sleep through from 1-6:30ish. You see- there is no consistency, and that makes me crazy! =P

I can handle wakings, bad naps, fussy babies … been there done that. But this inconsistency of sleeping good, then not, then sleeping through the night, then not- that I cannot handle.

So I am praying she comes out of this wonder week (which she should technically be done with), sleeping better, or at least back to where she was!

Her naps are pretty routine, but she is waking mid nap. Pacifier isn’t helping, and frankly she seems overstimulated by anything I try to do for her. So I often let her cry until she is just worn out, then pat her to sleep. (because even holding her doesn’t help and she refuses to eat; she isn’t hungry. Just an overtired mess!)

Personality/Development

Coralie is so social- she is still a happy girl, loves to talk and gurgle at back at you, and gets really upset when I get her ready for naps. As soon as I lay her down to begin her sleep time routine, she usually starts fussing (too bad she doesn’t realize she needs sleep to grow, develop, and be happy).

She loves being outside, being held by her siblings, and bouncing in her bouncer. Loud noises scare her, loud voices make her jump, and she cries over the smallest of things. Much like her biggest sister, Coralie is a touchy baby to a Tee. She is easily overstimulated, likes to suck (though it doesn’t help with sleep anymore-maybe that’s a phase?), needs LOTS of comfort and security about her world, and seems to use crying before sleep as a way to decompress from the world.

I remember Lexie crying before every single nap, every bed time. It wasn’t that she wanted to be held- that didn’t help. She wasn’t hungry, she’d just eaten. She didn’t really want anything, it was just how she fell asleep. She needed to let go of all the tension she took in while being awake; and that is OKAY. I am guessing that Coralie will be the same way; when she is a bit older and ready she will do this while putting herself to sleep.

My next post will have more detail on how/why Coralie is a touchy baby.

For now, our routine is still loosely:

7am nurse, bottle
10am nurse bottle (outside)
1pm nurse bottle
4pm nurse bottle (outside)
6pm nurse/bouncer in living room (while family eats/ winds down for evening)
6:45-7pm nurse bottle bed
Bed right after eating. She usually fusses and eats 1-2more times after I put her to bed, until about 8:00pm

Her waketime has been at 40 minutes the last 2 weeks, and with her naps being a bit of a mess, it is hard to tell if this needs to be increased or not? But I am guessing that by 12 weeks we will be at about 50-55 minutes.

We do wind down at the 35 minute mark, and “set the stage” with the room dark, calm, quiet, and white noise. I put her back in the swaddle full time because the woombie seemed to be frustrating her a bit. At night she is swaddled and then in the woombie because she busts out of the swaddle at night.

So, there it is- the 8-9 week old update! =)

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Introducing Baby #4 {weeks 1-5 Baby Summary, sleep schedule and feedings}

by Meghan // September 3, 2016 // No Comments

Well, on July 22, 2016 at 10:47pm we welcomed our 4th child, and 3rd baby girl, Coralie into the world.

Her birth story is to come (and it’s a pretty good one!) but for now I will just focus on her summary for weeks 1-5.

Weeks 1-2 we focused on nursing, sleep, and getting her days and nights in order. Not only was she confusing her days and nights (I had to wake her to eat during the day and she was up all night wanting to nurse 24/7), but she had reflux and was generally unhappy, sometimes even while nursing.

I didn’t cut out dairy before she was born, like I did with #3, and I did cheat and have creamer in coffee 2xs during the first 2-3 weeks so it is quite possible that her reflux was due to dairy in my diet. As of now (week 5), she is not having reflux.

We also decided to go ahead and supplement with formula pretty early on. I tried to avoid it with each baby, and with my last she lost 14% of her body weight only nursing before we tried formula. So, in an effort to avoid that all together, for my peace of mind, and hopefully to satisfy her upset stomach we started Nutramigen formula- and within 2 days she was a different baby! She was satisfied, her tummy didn’t seem upset as much (though she still had reflux from time to time) and she was happier. (when she is older and I have more time we will probably start on our homemade formula)

Today, at 5 weeks, I am 100% off dairy, she is nursing great, and reflux is gone. Reflux is known for coming and going and flaring back up around 6-8 weeks, but we are praying that won’t be the case. (I am actually posting this at 7 weeks ols, and her reflux seems to be back .. =/)

She has her days and nights in order, though I do have to wake her at the 3 hour mark sometimes to eat during the day. She is going from about 7pm of last feeding to about 2-4am most nights now. At 4 weeks old it was 2xs a night, and this past week has been mostly 1-2 times a night. Sometimes she makes it until 5am

She is having a witching hour that varies from 4 or 6pm until 9pm. Some nights she goes to bed at 8pm after her dinner no problems, other nights she witches until 9 or 9:30pm. Regardless, I am not complaining. Those first few weeks were incredibly tough, much harder than they were with my second or third babies. But things are calming down.

I would say so far Coralie is most like my oldest as a baby; she is amazingly alert during her wake times, eats like a champ, and I think it will be a while longer before she gets her nights stretched out really well.

At week 5 here is our routine:

6:45-7:15 wake, nurse, bottle (if she doesn’t wake up by 7am, I wake her to start our day)
40 mins later nap- her first wake time is usually about 40 minutes and she is asleep by 45 minutes
10:00am wake, (go outside) nurse, bottle- if she doesn’t wake herself before now, I wake her at 10
40 minutes later nap (or after first yawn if she yawns before 40 minutes)
1:00 wake, nurse, bottle- if she doesn’t wake up I wake her 3 hours after her last feeding
40 minutes later nap (or after first yawn if she yawns before 40 minutes)
4:00 wake, (go outside) nurse, bottle
40 minutes later down for nap, (or after first yawn if she yawns before 40 minutes)
This is where she usually begins her witching hour. She may go right to sleep for this nap, or she may stay up and fuss. If she is fussy I typically hold her on and off so she gets some sleep; we also will nurse on demand if that is all that will soothe her
6:30 bath if it is a bath night, I wake her if she is asleep
7pm nurse, bottle, straight to bed- sometimes she continues with the witching hour until after 8pm, sometimes she goes right to sleep
1 or 2 middle of the night wakings anywhere from 11pm-2am, and 4am-6am

Sometimes I miss her sleepy cues at nap and she gets a bit OT; I can usually give her a paci (a wubbanub to be more specific, she won’t take a regular pacifier …) to calm her, put her down and when she drifts off & spits it out, I take the pacifier away. Sometimes it only takes once, sometimes it takes more than once, but usually that works. Our biggest issue is getting her burped in time for the 40 minute mark without her falling asleep while being held and THEN avoiding hiccups. Just like in utero, she is very hiccupy!

She is just like her biggest sister, in that she is very sensitive to wake times! Sometimes she wakes early into her nap & fusses a few minutes and goes to sleep before I can even get to her; but mostly keeping her WTs at 40 minutes right now seems to be key.

Though a happy baby, she is a bit colicky, but very social. She started smiling and cooing earlier than my others, it seems. She is ticklish under her arms and at her ribs and loves to be snuggled by her older siblings.

She enjoys being outside and talked to. I would say she is definitely more needy than Ila was, but then again, Ila was basically perfect in the eating, and sleeping departments. Coralie is more like her brother and oldest sister right now.

We will see how she changes and grows!

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8.5 month Baby Summary Update {ww37 and babywise schedule}

by Meghan // May 27, 2015 // No Comments

Well, here we are; somehow Ila is 8.5 months old! To think she is closer to 1 year old than a newborn baby … =( It is going by so quickly.

But God meant for healthy things to grow, and she is surely growing! She is a little over 20lbs and 28.5″ long; not as big as her siblings at this age, but that is okay.

Ila has 5 teeth and is working on one or two more. She gave up nursing around the beginning of April, and though I was devastated and continued trying to get her to nurse, she was completely done by the third week of April. Trying to nurse had become a battle that stressed us both out. I really thougth she was going to nurse for the long haul; she was my best nurser out of my three babies. But just like the others, once she realized the milk in the bottle came out faster, with less work involved for her, (even though it was the smallest size Tommie Tippee nipple), she was done with mama. =(

She still has a head full of hair, and that is the first thing people notice about her. The second thing they mention is how happy she is. And she is happy. The happiest baby ever; I know I say that on all of her summaries, but really. She doesn’t get upset over much, she has never spit up a day in her life (which I attribute to not getting dairy protein through nursing or her formula), and the only time she has a hard time with sleep or not feeling well is during wonder weeks; she is even pretty happy while teething, with only one or two rough days. I know this won’t last forever, at some point she will become a tiny tantrum on two feet, but for now, it is bliss!

Eating At 8 Months

Ila is eating every 4 hours … sorta? =/ She is eating solids LIKE CRAZY. If we are eating, she wants a bite of it. Which means that she has been eating: burger meat, steak, meat loaf, rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, spaghetti, cooked carrots, cooked green beans, sautéed zucchini and onion, grapes, apple sauce, pears, banana, eggs … and really the list goes on (though no processed foods). Basically if it is soft enough for her to chew, and homemade with real ingredients, she gets it. I did give her some BBQ from a local restaurant the other night, and she liked that too. =)

So at 3 of her 4 feedings she eats solids, then takes her bottle. She refuses her bottle before she eats real food, and she won’t take it right after she eats … so a little after she has eaten she is ready for her bottle. Oh- and if she hasn’t had a poopy diaper she won’t take a bottle, so basically her life revolves around when she poops! haha But I am working on not letting her eat as much food before her bottle, since that should still be her primary form of nourishment right now.

Schedule

Ila has moved seamlessly to a 2 nap schedule. I knew it was time to drop the cat nap because her naps were being interrupted, but she was still tired after waking and about 20 minutes later she would go back to sleep. Also, the third nap just seemed to be messing with her night sleep and first morning nap. So … we dropped to a 2-3-4 schedule (loosely) and it has been working great. Really it is more like a 2-2.5-4 hour schedule. She hasn’t quite worked up to 3 hours at that second nap yet, but it won’t be long. I imagine after this wonder week (ww37) she will be ready.

So at 8.5 months, her schedule looks like this:

7am wake, bottle, solids
9 down
10:30 usually wakes, rest until 11
11 up, lunch, bottle
1 down for nap #2
2:30-3 wake, solids, bottle
5:30 dinner, bath
6:30 bottle, bed
Asleep by 7pm

Development

Ila is doing new things every day! Since my lsat summary, she has started sitting up, scooting on her belly, rolling all over the place to get to things she wants, clapping, and signing. She likes to roll around on the floor and is really trying to crawl; she is thiiiiiis close to crawling! But honestly, with the move, and rent house, etc. I am not a huge fan of her crawling too soon anyway!

She has started signing for milk and more. I think she started signing for milk about a month ago, but I wasn’t 100% certain. Then she began signing for more, and it was pretty obvious what she was wanting! haha The baby is covered with fat rolls and loves to eat, what can I say?

The other day at the rent house Ila was in the floor with Scout (the singing talking dog). It was singing a song and she started DANCING. It was possibly the cutest thing ever. So now, she just bounces and dances when it plays music.

Ila is working on grasping small pieces of food, and while she can usually pick them up, she has a hard time getting them into her mouth. She has also discovered throwing things .. including her water cup! NOT FUN. Ugh. But our little Mister is so sweet and gets it for her every. single. time she “drops” it. haha He is helping create a monster. =)

Big brother and sister adore her. I mean … just smother her to death adore her. Including Mister- she is his “sweet baby girl Ila.” I love that he is (usually) so gentle and good with her. And big sister is mama’s BIG helper. She is also in love with Ila and is always teaching her new things (works on signing with her) and cheering her on! Did I mention Charlie loves her, too?

As far as the WW is going … there is some fussing at sleep time and all around weirdness going on, but in the nest 3 weeks that should end. *whew*

That is all of Ila’s 8month update I think … I *love* this stage! (minus the wonder week!)

What is your favorite “baby stage?”

19 weeks Baby Summary {babywise}

by Meghan // January 28, 2015 // No Comments

Well, tomorrow marks the beginning of Ila’s 20th week of life; we just finished week 19. Oh my goodness! She has two more weeks before she actually turns 5 months old, so I am using that as a way to console myself that she is already this old. It is just going by so quickly.

Ila is simply a joy. My oldest was a happy girl, but was colicky- gas, a little reflux, etc. Mister was a bear of a baby (and still is)- very fussy, screaming with reflux, sensitive, didn’t nap well because of it, etc. (they both have dairy sensitivities/allergies)

I think I sorta thought that babies = crying, gas, etc.

Boy was I wrong! Next to “happy” in the dictionary should be a picture of Ila James! (Provided I am dairy free, and she is too, so that is probably most of it. She is able to eat and sleep well, and it just makes a HUGE difference.) She is the baby that meets your eyes and just starts smiling for no particular reason except that you’re there!

She has gone through her wonder week 19- it was a doozy, and she got her first tooth during it! It broke through a few days ago. YAY! As of now, her schedule looks like this:

7am wake/nurse/bottle
8:15am down for nap (soon to be 8:30 I think, some days she stays awake a while before falling asleep) and she has decided this first nap is a great time to have a poopy diaper!
11:00 wake, nurse, oatmeal with breast milk and applesauce, bottle
12:15pm down (soon to be 12:30 I think), asleep by 1:00
3:00pm up, nurse, bottle-soon to add solids here
4:30pm down, asleep within a few minutes usually, sometimes asleep at 5pm
7:00pm up, nurse, bottle
7:40pm in bed, asleep
Sleeps until DWT of 7am

At 23 weeks there is another wonder week, and I imagine during or after that phase she will start trying to drop the third nap. So at that time we will probably move dinner up to 6:15 or so, and bedtime up to 7pm. Depending on her needs it may be even earlier than that. (It always has been for my other two.)

Development

During her waketimes, Ila is talking like crazy! She discovered her voice this past week and she loves to talk. Usually she does it if she is by herself in the living room, or pack n play. I have to sneak up on her to get it on video. Usually once someone is there she gets quiet again.

She is trying to roll form her back to her belly, so that is fun. She is almost there and can get twisted over on her side, but needs help to get all the way over. And she has discovered her thumb … I am not thrilled about this; we already have one thumb sucker (Mister) to break eventually, so I am hoping this is just a phase since she found her hands and is able to get them to her mouth. But I don’t want a pacifier either, since she sleeps fine without both I am just pretending like she isn’t doing it, and hoping she stops. 😉 (maybe she is just rubbing in the teeth? There is another coming in.)

She is not reaching for things, like purposely. She wakes her arms a bit but has no interest in stuff around her or in front of her yet.

She hasn’t lost her hair yet, so maybe she won’t? Lexie and Max both lost some; Ila just has a thin spot on the back where she sleeps. I have to spry in conditioner and comb out the tangles a few times a week (there is just so much hair!).

Eating

So far, Ila is still a nursing champion. She loves to nurse; she has started talking while she nurses. Sometimes she just stops and looks up at me and babbles while milk pours out of her mouth. It is pretty funny; then she will just smile and go back to nursing. After practicing for a few weeks, she is finally taking food from a spoon. I know she is young, and she doesn’t really need it. However … this baby is nursing 15-20 minutes, then taking an 8 ounce bottle. EIGHT OUNCES! Every 4 hours … of a $45 per can formula. Which equals $150 a month! She has gone from going through one can in 10 days, to finishing a can in 6-7 days. She is HUNGRY! Plus, good fats are good for her. I am going to give it another week of practicing with homemade oatmeal and breast milk, then start giving her soft boiled egg yolks. She has had avacado and liked it. Introducing her to good fats at 5 months isn’t going to hurt her or cause problems. We will hold off on veggies, meats, and fruits for a while. Solids aren’t needed right now, but because she is so hungry, I think healthy brain-power fats are fine.

Sleep

Ila is still double swaddled to sleep for naps and bed time. Doubling swaddling is a great method for babies that can get out of the swaddle during sleep, but aren’t ready for their hands to be free yet. I don’t think unswaddling her is far off, but I have tried SO MANY TIMES to transition her with one arm out, and it just disastrous. So for now, she is still double swaddled and goes to sleep perfectly this way. Once she starts rolling over this will for sure have to stop.

As for me, postpartum not much has changed. I am getting sleep, so I’m a happy mama! I am working on healing my diastasis recti, which means no traditional exercises like crunches, or other things that are in most all of my workouts (T25, the 21 day fix workouts, BBL, or Turbo Fire). I am using Fit2B.com to heal my DR and strengthen my transverse muscle FIRST, while I walk/run on the treadmill.

My mom and some others have asked how I knew I had the DR; I discovered I had DR a few ways- my back was constantly hurting. Provided, I have been overweight for 2 years (since after I had Max), but I knew that wasn’t causing the pain. Every time I worked out with any of my workout dvds I couldn’t get out of bed the next day, let alone walk, even after doing the modified moves. I also just couldn’t feel my abs anymore; after Ila there wasn’t even anything to flex. When I came across DR, and tested for it, it was the most disgusting thing I have ever felt. Basically, when you have a DR, your abs are split and you can put your fingers down between your abs. How many fingers fit determines just how bad yours is. Mine is 3-4 wide. *ewww* I remember after Lexie my abs were split, but I don’t remember ever trying to “heal” them, I just sorta went on with life. But this time I knew I had to do something. So, I signed up for Fit2B and I LOVE IT. I am finally starting to feel my abs again, and although this isn’t going to burn 600 calories in 40 minutes, it is healing my body so I CAN eventually burn 600 calories in 40 minutes doing my favorite heavier exercises. Exercises like crunches, planks, and basically every. single. move. in all my workout DVDs cause DR to worsen, not heal. So for now, those are on the back burner.

But that is okay! I am working on waking early in the mornings to get my workouts in (this is hit or miss, sometimes I have to fit them in during the day or before bed), but I feel good and eat good, so there you go.

And that is pretty much it! Ila’s 19th week of life. =)

Baby Summary 17 Weeks {WW 14-19}

by Meghan // January 17, 2015 // No Comments

WW 19 summary lookin like big sister {QuietInTheChaos.com}

Looking like her Big Sister, wearing the same jammies, same age. Lexie on left, Ila on right

(I started this post last week. Ila is now 18 weeks and we are still trucking through this WW.)

Ila was 17 weeks Thursday, January 8th. Really, it has been so crazy here, I thought she was 16 weeks- I can’t seem to keep up.

Ila is in the absolute dreaded WW (wonder week) 14-19. And oh man, are we aaaaall up in it! On top of that, she is teething, so life is just hard. I have been rubbing diluted oils on her gums to help with pain and am waiting on her teething necklace to get here. Naps and wake time length are just all over the place. I can’t wait for this WW to end!

She is somewhere around 15 Lbs I think, and is still practicing rolling from tummy to back. She sits up nice and straight with support, and holds her head up so well. She is sitting in the bumbo for one meal a day; we are practicing with oatmeal and apple sauce but she really doesn’t care anything about it. But I figure we should start now so that when it is time that she definitely needs solids (at 6 months or so) it doesn’t take us another month or two to get them in her. She still spits the oatmeal out; but she is nursing and then taking 5-7ounces of formula so it is DEFINITELY time for this big girl to get some solids in her belly!

She has started practicing with consonant sounds like “buh” and is infatuated with her hands. She loves to talk, but isn’t her same smiley self these days, thanks to the icky teeth.

Overall she is developing well and is a sweet baby. We all just lover her =)

Thanksgiving Week

by Meghan // December 5, 2013 // No Comments

So, I have been MIA this past week.

I really have no excuse … I just didn’t schedule any posts for my 2 weeks of travel.

We spent time with family in Memphis, before driving to Arkansas. Max was pretty cranky on our trip. His disposition is more like mine when I was little- he doesn’t like strangers and he doesn’t warm up to others well. At all. And he likes home.

Lexie has had a great time; she is our social butterfly. But man, was she happy to be home! It was hard being out of our routine- no independent play, naps were a mess. While in Memphis Mister took 2-2.5 hour naps every day.

In Arkansas, naps were only an hour, and he woke up screaming from every nap and every morning. Sometimes he cried at night (most nights). But, he was also in the most horrible of horrible, wonder week 64. So I do attribute some of it to that. Now that the wonder week is over, I am curious what developmental leaps he will start showing in the coming weeks! Maybe more words? I don’t know.

I just kept telling myself, this too shall pass. And it did.

We did have a lot of fun though- in Memphis we visited family, and Lexie got to spend some time cooking with Granny. Then in Arkansas, Lexie went to see the dinosaurs at the museum with her Sue Sue, we played in the deer woods, saw the gingerbread house downtown, went to the hot springs downtown, and saw the lights at Garvan Gardens. It was a lot of fun.

Playing in the woods with Daddy

While in the woods, we decided our vehicles are just too quiet and smooth- neither of our children ever sleep in the car… Max fell asleep riding around in a huge, loud, bumpy Razr, in the cold!

This was while playing in the back yard at my husband’s parent’s house. Lexie was pretending to be Tigger, climbing trees in the One Hundred Acre Wood.

I am so thankful to be home! Oh my goodness- 11 days is just too long. A week isn’t quite long enough, but I am thinking 9 days next time. We will see.

Flying home!

——–
I feel like it is already the middle of December! =( I haven’t even started decorating for Christmas or planning our Advent activities. I am so behind. No Christmas tree yet … think we will do that tomorrow or this week. I am in desperate need of Christmas and a whole month of non stop Jesus!

Lexie loved, loved our Advent stuff last year, and I really want to plan some fun stuff this year. So guess what I will be doing all night? (After I get some blog work done, anyway).

Here is to a wonderful December!

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