Max is 15 weeks old-OMG how did that happen? He is almost 4 months old- that’s crazy. I feel like we spent so much time trying to fix his reflux that the first 3 months just flew by!
Eating
Max has been feeling pretty good, reflux and eating wise. We have started eating oatmeal- he loves it! The child just took it right off the spoon like he knew exactly what to do. We started oatmeal because he just didn’t seem satisfied anymore. He was taking so much formula, and would then spit up a lot of it, but still wanted more to eat. So, I tried the oatmeal and he loves it! So at 10, 1, and 640 he nurses, then get some solid food, then takes 4oz of formula. He is a growing boy! =)
Development
Mister has really started talking more. He does it mostly when he is by himself playing in the pack n play w all his toys. He likes to roll onto his sides and kick. He is raising his shoulders and chest way off the mattress- but still hasn’t found any interest in his feet yet. He seems much more laid back than Lexie was. She was a determined little thing, and he just kinda doesn’t care … If he is fed and dry he is a happy boy.
Lexie loves to pay with Max. Today she had an empty wrapping paper roll, declared herself a “sheepard” and then said, “Max is Baby Jesus.” It was hilarious! We have all been enjoying the fire, Max and Missy Cat especially. He loves to watch the fire, and Missy loves to lay in front of it.
This past week was Christmas- we had snow! It started Christmas afternoon, and didn’t stop until the next morning. We literally had 8″ of snow. I will post pics later. Lexie didn’t like it much- she just enjoyed walking in it. haha But, we lost power. There was a lot of ice before the snow fall. We heard limbs snapping one after the other, and about 7:45pm we had no power! So we toughed it out that night, with a fire. The next morning we went to the inlaws a stayed the day, and night. The next morning we had power.
I will try to get a post in on what our Christmas was like. Things are just really busy here, and about to get even more busy. So, it may be a while before I get it up!
Happy New Years!
summary
Week 14 Baby Summary
Sleep
This week Mister has done amazing! He is feeling so much better, and is sleeping better too! It’s just really crazy how different he is. Before, I would have told you things were hard, but still okay. Now that he is getting well and the reflux is usually gone, I would say before was terrible, and now is wonderful! He is so peaceful now; he wasn’t a bad baby before, he was just miserable a lot of the time (more than I realized, I think). Now, he rarely cries. He cries if he is tired and ready for a nap, he cries for 1-4 minutes before he falls asleep on his own, and he cries if he’s poopy and I don’t know it yet. That’s it. The rest of the time, if he is fed, dry, and rested, he is happy, laughing, and playing!
Max slept 12 hours through the night last night. I woke up at 6:30am, only to realize the baby monitor died on me in the middle of the night. I knew I needed to buy a new one! When I jumped up to run down stairs to him, I got about half way there and realized he wasn’t crying! So I snuck in, and he was still asleep! He slept until 7:00am! It was great. I hope this trend continues, but it will probably be hit or miss for a while. I think he needs his last nap of the day from 5-6pm. That usually catches him up just enough to make it until bedtime, and I am thinking that’s key to him sleeping until 7am.
*update* he did it again last night! 12 hours! He stirred at 5:40, but I left him, and he went back to sleep within 10-15 minutes, and slept until I woke him up at 7:00am! Woo hoo. Oh, and daddy fixed the monitor, so that’s great!
Lexie got her leotard in- she loves it! It is blue velvet, with sparkles and sequin butterflies on the top. Yes it is very … “showy.” But other than plain black ones, you can’t find one that is less loud. Her other one came in today; it is red with sparkles. She hasn’t seen it yet, but I am sure she will love it!
*update* he did it again last night! 12 hours! He stirred at 5:40, but I left him, and he went back to sleep within 10-15 minutes, and slept until I woke him up at 7:00am! Woo hoo. Oh, and daddy fixed the monitor, so that’s great!
Eating
Eating is about the same. There have been a few days he hasn’t nursed that great, but it’s usually because he is so distracted, looking around. It hasn’t been because of reflux (or doesn’t seem to be). He takes 5-7 ounces when he doesn’t nurse well, and 3-5 when he does. We still don’t know about the teeth. Nothing has changed, his gums look the same, so I am thinking it’s not teething.
Development
Max is rolling around a lot, and scooting while lying on his back(that’s been going on a while). He started swinging his arm. It’s so funny! He looks like he is power walking somewhere, only laying down. He started sucking his thumb this week- yes, I know. It’s probably because I took the pacifier when we were sleep training. I have two different thoughts on this: if he were like Lexie and didn’t constantly want the pacifier when he woke up during naps, I’d be fine with it. But he can’t put the paci back in on his own which = disrupted sleep, and chances are he would have found the thumb anyway if I didn’t replace the paci. My other thought is, you can take a pacifier away later, you cannot remove a thumb. It’s bad for their teeth, it’s NOT sanitary, and can actually deform their little thumb and mouth. Of course, that is if they suck it through most of their toddler/childhood. Most babies outgrow it, and hopefully he will be one of those! If not, we will cross that bridge when we get there.
*update* today max has been sucking his thumb even when he is awake. Sometimes he just chews on his hand, but he tried to get his thumb in there a lot. Tries being the operative word, because I remove it!
*update* today max has been sucking his thumb even when he is awake. Sometimes he just chews on his hand, but he tried to get his thumb in there a lot. Tries being the operative word, because I remove it!
He smiles a lot, laughs a lot, and has started to squeal some, but not a lot. I think at this point Lexie was starting to really squeal and scream; of course that would make sense with all the talking she does. Maybe Max will be more quiet; really, he doesn’t stand a chance because his sister will probably never let him get a word in!
Lou Bug
Lexie got her leotard in- she loves it! It is blue velvet, with sparkles and sequin butterflies on the top. Yes it is very … “showy.” But other than plain black ones, you can’t find one that is less loud. Her other one came in today; it is red with sparkles. She hasn’t seen it yet, but I am sure she will love it!Daddy has been in SD, hunting. Will be home today- woo hoo! We cannot wait.
*update* JTom is home and everyone is SO excited! For the last few days Lexie has been asking for him non stop, and saying she misses him. She has cried several times, wanting Daddy. =( It was hard, but after 6 days, she woke up to him being here after her nap and was SO happy to see him. She was very surprised when it was daddy that got her from nap, and not mama. =)
*update* JTom is home and everyone is SO excited! For the last few days Lexie has been asking for him non stop, and saying she misses him. She has cried several times, wanting Daddy. =( It was hard, but after 6 days, she woke up to him being here after her nap and was SO happy to see him. She was very surprised when it was daddy that got her from nap, and not mama. =)
Angel Gabby is here! She came last night and will be staying through December. She is here to remind us what Christmas is about. I will write another post on her later. (she is our version of the Elf on the shelf).
Week 13 Baby Summary
Mister was officially 3 months old on December 2nd (also JTom’s birthday)! But because of how the weeks fell, he is 13 weeks old.
Sleeping
Max has been sleeping from about 7:15pm until 5:30-6:30am. Today (December 4th) I let him cry it out when he woke up at 5:20am. I went in and checked on him, calmed him down, then put him back in the crib and left the room. He cried and fussed on and off for about 30ish minutes. But he went back to sleep until 6:50am! So we have been CIO today. It’s not easy, but he is getting it. After his first nap he only cried (on and off) for 10 minutes before falling asleep. I am keeping one arm unswaddled, because he can use that hand to soothe himself if he needs to. (Oh yes, he is in love with his hands this week!) If it takes him longer to relax and fall asleep, I go in after 10 minutes, pick him up until he is calm, then place him back in the crib. I know today is pretty much going to mean very little sleep for him, but after a few days, he should be sleeping on his own. I think he is ready; I feel that way because when I try to get him down he struggles, wiggles, and fights me. He just can’t settle with me holding him as well anymore. So, I think it’s time he tries to settle himself. I will update at the end of the week on how it has gone.
*update*. It has been 3 days now and Mister is doing great with his day time sleep! We have rough patches through the day, but overall he is putting himself to sleep with very little crying or fussing. I watch him in the monitor, and he usually is just sucking in his hand, with his eye closed, while he rolls around some until he settles. He has been paci free for 3 days, and I think he is nursing better as a result.
Eating
He seems to be feeling better, reflux wise, so it looks like the dairy free is helping! One week of no dairy and he is like a different boy during the day. Looks like we have a dairy protein allergy. (I will make another post on that later).
Devleopment
Max is starting to try to raise his shoulders up, and he can do it pretty well. He rolls from his tummy to back easily and Lexie LOVES to watch him do it! He is already rocking/rolling onto is sides, and can almost make it to his tummy from his back! Im sure this will happen before the end of the month. I am still not sure if he is teething… I really want to say yes because of all the chewing and drooling (oh my!) but developmentally this is when babies’ saliva glands start producing more (it was part of evolution to help break down food/breastmilk as it changes with baby’s growth. Also to help build the stomach flora as baby grows bigger). And since that falls right in line with baby discovering his hands and enjoying chewing … I just don’t know! His gums have looked like he may be teething since the middle of October, and he started chewing in the middle of November … so we should have something happen by the end of this month if he is in fact teething. They do seem to be a bit more puffy and white there at the middle bottom, than the rest of his gums. So we will see.
Max is laughing, smiling, and starting to find his voice a lot! He is squealing some, especially when he is tired and ready for a nap, he starts really jabbering. He blows bubbles non stop and spit just flies every where! Lexie thinks this is a serious problem, “He’s dwooling, Mama. He’s dwooling!” She is so serious! It’s sweet.
Love Bug
Lexie has started napping again at home! We seem to have found her sweet spot during the day for tiredness, and now that those molars are in and she is no longer scared of going poopy in the potty, things are getting back to normal. But who knows how long that will last before we get more molars, or something else changes and throws her off for a while. Regardless, I will take any sleep she can get! =)
She’s enjoying gymnastics, and can do her bridge, straddle, pike and tuck. She really enjoyed the foam pit last week, and got brave enough to kick her leg up in the balance beam. It will be interesting to see what she does this week (tomorrow, Friday). We are doing Advent activities each day, and taking about Baby Jesus, Christmas, love, being kind, and God’s love for us. Sue Sue has given us some really great resources to use during the month of Advent. She has really enjoyed the Christmas stamps I got out.
She loves her daddy getting her up in the mornings, and doing her bed time routine at night. My favorite part about her being in a toddler bed now, is climbing in bed to snuggle with her when she wakes up! She makes me a spot, says “here, Mama, you need lovie.” and we snuggle. It’s wonderful! She walks around talking on her phone like a grown up (and Im never on the phone in front of her?), and loves to cook in her kitchen. Now she wants to play with Max all the time, which is basically just them laying on the floor together.
Week 10 Summary
Here he is 12 weeks old, and I am posting his 10 week summary! But just read it as if he were in fact 10 weeks old. =)
Mister has been sleeping until 6:00am most morning, when he isn’t comung unswaddled! He has started breaking out of his swaddle about 2:00am, and wakes himself up between 3-5am. His movements are not yet smooth enough to wean him from the swaddle, and he still has the startle reflex, which babies usually outgrow between 4-6 months. So for now we are keeping the swaddle.
We have pretty much been gone from the house for two weeks. We spent several days on a family road trip, came home for 2 days, then went to Memphis for a family Thanksgiving. It was a great time, although too short, as always. I have such a better time when JTom comes with me, I don’t get home sick as quickly; when it’s just me and the kids I am ready to go home within 2 days. But unfortunately, JTom can’t be gone from work that long at a time.
Mister is either on a nursing strike or the reflux is hurting him, not sure which. But he hasn’t been nursing that well. He is taking about 5oz in a bottle, after nursing. His reflux seems to have flared again, despite the prevacid. So we are going to go back to the dr after the holdiays. I called and she recommended thickening his bottles; problem is he doesn’t like them thickened. He just plays with it and doesn’t eat. So that’s definitely not good. He is finally awake for longer periods of time. He has rolled over a few times from his belly to back, but not much. Like his sister, he gets angry while on his belly and usually just fusses.
Lexie’s 2 year molars seems to be most of the way in. She loves school, gymnastics, and now she loves playing with her brother. The first few weeks were a breeze, then after about 4 weeks she realized he was staying and she started acting out. But now, it’s like she is over the acting out and jealousy
for the most part. She wakes up from nap wanting to play with Max, she wants to snuggle with us together in the chair. So, I think things are starting to smooth over, but I know there will still be rough days.
So, this is the 10 week update. It’s not as in depth, since I have forgotten a lot of what went on. But hopefully the 12 week I post in a few days will be more detailed.
=)
Baby Summary Weeks 8-9
I know, I’ve been slacking. I am running behind on Max’s updates. Things have been very … crazy around here. But crazy good!
For the last week, Mister has been waking at 4:00am in the morning! Sometimes as early as 3:30am! I knew this was a possibility, that he would go from sleeping so well, to waking early. I also read that sometimes before babies start sleeping through to wake up time, they may teeter-totter going from 3:00am, to 4:30am, back to 3:00am, etc. That’s exactly what Mister did for the last week. Then suddenly, at 10 weeks old he slept through to 6:00am! Woo Hoo! 
Now, the last two days he woke at about 4:00am or so, fussed for a minute, then went back to sleep before I even got to his room. I think this also has to do with us starting some CIO. At first I let him cry during the day for anywhere from 10-20 minutes, depending on how he was crying. And so far, things are going really well; he is only waking for about 3-6 minutes now, fussing and falling back asleep. It’s amazing! I’m not doing hard-core CIO; I didn’t do it until 8 months with Lexie, but i didn’t really have to until then. With Max I need him going to sleep on his own sooner than she did, so that’s why I am trying it earlier.
Anyway, for his weeks 8-9 everything was pretty much the same as before. Week 9 he started eating more at each feeding. He will nurse and now takes about 4-5oz after nursing… So he is a hungry little Mister! His schedule is the same, based on a 3 hour routine… He is talking a LOT, super snuggly, laughs at mommy, daddy, and Lexie all the time. He is staying awake for a little longer now. His wake time is about an hour to an hour 20 minutes, depending on what we did during wake time. If he was super stimulated (ehum, by Big Sister) then he may go down earlier. His wake time includes: diaper change, eating, burping, playing, talking, diaper change, and swaddling/wind down for nap. That’s a lot to fit into an hour and 20 minutes, so there isn’t much “playing” quite yet. I am anxious for the day he is awake longer, but I know it will come. I’m just ready for him to get to interact with all of us more. =)
I’m making Mister’s summary shorter this time, because Sissy has MUCH bigger news going on these days than Bubby does!
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| playing with Mister |
Love Bug is back in school, two days a week. We were getting read to put her in gymnastics when JTom remembered that we put aside a rather large chunk of his paycheck at the beginning of the year for mother’s day out. Our plan was to have her home w me after I stopped cleaning houses, which was at 7 months pregnant, until max came. After Max came we would do mother’s day out one-two days a week for Lexie’s sake and mine. Well …. we FORGOT! So, to use up the rest of the money (because it’s a cafeteria plan we will lose it if we dont use it) she is going 2xs a week through january. Then she will drop to once a week. However, we are still doing gymnastics- and she LOVES it! We went last Friday to try it out. She was already a beginner tumbler, she’s had so much practice in her crib and all … so she fit right in!
Speaking of cribs … we are in a big girl bed now! Scary I know- but so far so good. She loves it, the transition was an easy one. She is still in her sleep sack, not sure when we will discontinue it, but she can’t get out and roam as long as she wears it. =) Plus, she loves her “night night gown” … i think she feels secure in it.
A few weeks ago Payne came to visit us, and then the next weekend Granny and Mia came to visit.
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| Payne and Max |
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| Just a singin’ |
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| curls |
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| gymnastics |
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| wasn’t so sure about the foam pit |
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| Life is Good! |
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| Granny and Max |
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| Mia, Max, and Lexie |
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| Granny and Lexie cooking “greens” |
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| Bed head |
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| Lookin like her Mama |
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| Counting her “monies” |
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| New clothes from Granny |
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| Such a precious girl |
Comparing schedules
Ive been going back and looking over my blogs from when L was Mister’s age. Turns out they are so much alike it’s unreal. On my Nov 12th post, when Lady was 2.5 months old, she was sleeping exactly as long as Mister is, about the same size, and eating about the same amount. The biggest difference is with her, I didn’t start meds for her reflux, and I didn’t have her napping quite as well as M does. I think that just has to do with A) him being no meds and B) me knowing what to look for as far as him being sleepy.
However, I’m worried his Zantac isn’t working anymore … The last two days have been horrible. He’s been in a lot of pain and only naps well in his swing. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on but I’m going to give it the weekend before I call the dr about upping dosage (for weight increase) or changing meds; he has started pulling off while nursing again, and after eating he will cry out and then gulp/choke/gasp for breath. So I know the reflux is hurting him; and I don’t think the rice is helping. I can’t make it any thicker and it go through the nipple, so I’d have to spoon feed it to him, and I think he’s just too young for all that. Anyway, after the weekend we will see. The Coliccalm doesn’t seem to be doing anything for the reflux, not sure about his gas?
My days now are a bit more structured, mainly because I understand what baby whisperer and baby wise are saying and also because I have a 2 year old smack dab in the middle of her terrible-ness. At that time, I had L on a great routine, but looking back she was definitely way over tired by the time I was putting her down for naps, and therefore wasn’t napping well. But she always had good night time sleep (thank goodness!). So that was an okay trade off!
But, at almost 8 weeks old, here is what Mister’s routine looks like:
- 5:00-6:00- Wakes, Zantac, small feed, goe back to sleep (either in crib or with Mama in chair)
- 7:00- wake for the day, regular feeding, nurse then 3-4oz bottle
- 8:05- Down for nap- rests on and off depending on gas/reflux until
- 10:00- Eat, nurse 3-4 oz
- 11:05- down for nap- rests on and off depending on gas/reflux until
- 1:00pm- Eat
- 2:05- down for nap (however he usually has not slept well at this mid morning nap, and therefore goes to sleep closer to 1:30pm, sleeping until about 3:30 in the swing if necessary)
- 4:00 Eat
- 5:30pm Cluster feed
- 7:00pm last feeding of day
- 7:35 asleep in crib
SO, that is typically what our routine looks like, but with him being so young and having the reflux and gas, it tends to be more flexible in the naps department. Eating, however is always the same. After his 10:00 feeding, we usually go for a walk and/or play outside. If it is a day we plan to go grocery shopping or run errands, we do this about 8:30, home by 10:00 for him to eat and L to have a snack. At 25 months, her routine looks like this:
- 6:40-7:00- wake, daddy gets her from crib, she demands milk
- then snuggle time with Mommy and “my Max” while mommy nurses and daddy gets ready for work
- 7:30- breakfast (yogurt, toast, oatmeal, fruit, etc)
- play time
- 11:30-12:00- lunch depending on am wake time
- 12:00-12:30- down for nap depending on am wake time (here is when she usually poopies in her pullup (this whole potty training thing has us all out of whack), I have to go change her, then put her back down for nap… but because this interrupts her getting ready for sleep, I’ve been going back in at the hour mark and rocking her to sleep.)
- 2:30- if she didn’t nap I get her out of bed at the 2 hour mark
- 3:00- if he napped, she is awake by 3:00
- play outside, crafts, etc if napped… relax and keep it low key if she didn’t
- 5:45pm- dinner
- 6:30-7:00- bedtime depending on morning wake time
Right now, L needs a total of about 12 hours of sleep. Her naps are usually 1.5 hours, which leaves 11.5 hours of night sleep on days she naps. If she does’t nap, she has a very early bed time to prevent over tiredness the next day. It’s all a numbers game..
So, big plans for the next few weeks. This weekend we are going to a family reunion in LA. Then next weekend my dad comes to visit, the next weekend my mom comes, then a few weeks later we have Thanksgiving! ALREADY! That’s insane. I think we are going to Memphis for Thanksgiving… that should be a fun challenge. Our first overnight trip wrangling two! Fun Fun! Of course halloween is this coming week. Ew. I’m not a fan of halloween, and until my kids are old enough to stay up late enough, we aren’t celebrating. And yes, I will be one of the moms that takes the candy and exchanges it for something cool, a toy or new clothes, etc… like the tooth fairy only for crappy, overpriced junk food. =)
OK, well I am going to bed now. It;s 9:17pm, that’s about 20 minutes past my bed time!
6 Week Summary Baby 2
So, Misteris officially 7 weeks old today, and is over 11 pounds. Here is a re-cap of his 6th week of life.
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Happy boy
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We are still doing the Zantac, while waiting on the Colicalm to get here. I think it will be here Monday… fingers crossed! Anyway, he’s still on Zantac, and sleeping great at night! Sometimes 10-11 hours. He is on a 3 hour schedule, with cluster feeding in the late afternoon.
Eating
Max is nursing about 20 minutes at each feeding, then takes 2-4 ounces in a bottle. Sometimes it’s breastmilk, sometimes formula. I tried some rice to see if it helps keeping the reflux down, so far I don’t think it is really doing anything? I know it has thickened his poopy diapers and he isn’t pooping as often. So today I’m not doing any rice, and we will see how it goes. I was afraid it would mess up his system, and it looks like it may =/ Not sure though. But he seems to be doing fine without it, so I may just stop it all together. I will see how this afternoon goes.
Sleeping
Night time is great right now. His last feed is at 7, he is usually asleep by 8:00, and sleeps until sometime between 4:30am-6:00am most mornings. I am really hoping this doesn’t change and he goes back to MOTN (middle of the night) wakings, but we will just see. I swaddle him for every sleep-time, which he seems to enjoy. Once I swaddle him, and sing a little of Jesus Loves Me, he relaxes and gets ready for sleep.
Day time sleep is a bit different … Like many babies, Mister wakes about 20 minutes into his naps. This is either because A) he is over tired when I put him down, or B) he is going from light to deep sleep, and is waking up during the transition. Since i have tried an earlier put
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| Sleeping Mister |
down time, and he still wakes, I have moved on to option B, he doesn’t know how to transition during sleep phases yet. So, I am letting him cry for a bit. However, he gets more worked up if I try to let him fuss, so I usually give him 3-5 minutes, then go intervene somehow. Sometimes this is sshing him back to sleep, patting, or moving him to the swing. Babywise says to try something else until he is a bit older and then try to let him fuss for a bit, again.
Hopefully by moving him to the swing, it will help him make a smoother transition over time, and he will evcentually sleep right through the light to deep sleep phase.
I am currently putting him down while drowsy, but not completely asleep. Sometimes he goes right to sleep, sometimes it takes a bit more to get him asleep. But overall he is doing good sleep-wise. =)
Lady
And we have 2 year molars! Yay! Yesterday I tried an earlier nap time and it worked! I put her down at 12, she was asleep by 12:15 and slept for an hour and a half. Today I did the same thing and she is in there playing … I guess it’s hit or miss, but no matter what I am sticking with
the earlier nap time. it seems to be the only time she falls asleep on her own. Between the potty training, the natural sleep regression at 2, and the teething, it’s really a lost cause. But I am deteremined to keep trying. Because at some point she will be potty trained completely, past the sleep regression, and done with the molars, and we will need a consistent routine. I also need my sanity which means 2 hours of L in her crib for nap, rest, whatever you want to call it. But man, yesterday after her nap she was the sweetest, happiest girl; she was her normal Ladyself!
Not the sleep deprived, demanding, whiny “terrible twos” toddler she becomes on days without a nap!
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| Mama’s country bumpkin’ |
Life in general is good. Last weekend we took the kids to the sate fair. L LOVED all the animals; they even had a live animal show with a Bamboo, dog, and parrot. She of course really enjoyed that. Mister did good on our little family outing (of course he was chilling in the double wide the whole time so he was a happy boy). Husband’s back may be going out on him again; he’s going to see the doctor hopefully this week if he can get in. I am getting lots of night sleep, and rest during the day most days.
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| Chalk! |
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| Yummy apple |
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| Playing dress up with daddy |
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| Ready for the fair! … but is it ready for me?! |
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| Lexie and her buddy Shelby |
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| Swinging |
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| Happy girl |
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| Headed to Mommy’s dr apt |
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| More apple! |
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| This picture says it ALL! |
Weeks 4 & 5 Baby Summary
Max is now 5 weeks old, so it is time for his 4 week summary from last week.
Sleep has been about the same; a 2.5-3 hour routine, waking between 2:30-6:00am for a snack, then back to sleep until 7:00 to start our day.
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Well, I was trying to write the 4 week summary during week 5. But week 5 was so rough, I didn’t get it done.
When Max went to his newborn checkup, we knew he had some reflux. This is really normal, and as long as it doesn’t bother baby, there is nothing to really worry about. Most babies outgrow it; Lexie had a mild case of reflux, we even had an upper GI test done on her, but we never prescribed meds. She was diagnosed around 2 months and at 3 months I started cereal to help keep it down; she was already sleeping through the night it was just her days were so horrible with crying for hours.
Well …. Mister has decided to follow in her footsteps a bit early. At 5 weeks old, which was October 8, Max stopped sleeping during the day (but still slept 8-10 hours at night…)
His symptoms were choking and coughing after feedings; even 3 hours after a feeding. He would pull off when we nursed, arch his back and cry .. but then over eat from the bottle to comfort himself, which in turn caused the reflux and gas pains to be worse. He wasn’t really spitting up that much, it was more silent reflux, with occasional spitting up. The spit up would be clear with white in it; come to find out that is the stomach acid with milk in it. Normal baby spits up is just mostly milk. So the poor little guy was miserable and during the day so were Mommy and Lexie.
The doctor gave us some Zantac to try. It seems to help, but I ordered some ColicCalm, because I’d like to get him off the Zantac if I can.
It messes up the natural bacteria in baby’s tummy (because it nuetralizes the acid) and can cause constipation and even worse gas than he already has. The poor kid doesn’t need anymore issues! We are also trying a tiny bit of oatmeal in his bottles; I really didn’t want to do this, but after 4 days on the Zantac, which is helping with the burning sensation, he is still choking during naps from the reflux coming up. So we are hoping the oatmeal will keep it down. If it doesn’t work we will not keep doing it; he already sleeps so well at night I don’t want to risk anything hurting his tummy more or causing issues that interrupt the only rest he gets.
I really, really thought we were in the clear because he was so happy, so sleepy, so hungry … then the reflux flared. So, I am trying to go as natural as possible, but we may have to stay on the (very expensive) Zantac. Maybe this week will be better…
One month, One week
Well, here we are. The final stretch of this pregnancy. We had one month from yesterday, and I’m not sure what to make of it.
The crib was delivered a few days ago, it’s beautiful! The color is perfect; J is getting the paint matched in the morning at Peter’s Paint. Then he is going to paint the dresser and chest of drawers while I am gone to the baby shower my girlfriends are having for us. And hopefully we can get the crib together tomorrow night. Then I can play in the nursery all week! :). I haven’t been able to do any nesting; none of the child’s clothes or linens have been wash and out away. Heck, I don’t even know what we have in the way of clothes! I know I have some footie pajamas I bought in Branson, but other than that I don’t think I have any newborn or 0-3 clothes for him. I know I don’t have any blankets, all of lexie’s, and I mean ALL, we’re pink. I think I have a few swaddle blankets that were gender neutral, I know I had one blue one for like 3-6 months.
So, needless to say I am playing catch up for the next 2-3 weeks, so I just hope Max likes it in there. We don’t have time for an early baby!
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I wrote the first half of this at the beginning of August. Today is August 25, tomorrow will be one week to our due date. Everything is D O N E! Lexie’s party was a success- she had a blast, the food was wonderful, and the cake was beautiful! I have finished the bedding, JTom painted the furniture, put together the swing set (which Lexie loves), and finished installing the counters. I’ve made the baby a blanket, some burp cloths (but still have more to complete) and washed all his clothes. My girlfriends gave us a wonderful little shower where we got some much needed boy things- diaper bag, washcloths, bibs, blankets, and more! The pack n play is set up w the bassinet attachment ready for baby, and we made room in the storage shed for the double jogger. It’s surprising how much stuff a baby can own!
Now we are waiting on Mister! And boy, am I ready- I am enjoying the last days alone with Lexie; and my last few nights of almost complete sleep… But I am anxious to see him, hold him, and let Lady meet him. I asked her yesterday when Baby Max is coming and she replied, “soon.” I was sure hoping for something a little more specific … maybe Saturday at 10:35PM, would have been nice?
Anyway, after telling me at 36 weeks he would let me go over by 1 week, the doctor is saying he won’t “make” me get an induction, but he doesn’t want the baby getting too big. At my last appointment, he mentioned inducing THIS week, if I am dilated and effaced enough.
Going into a full blow panic attack, I told him we would N O T be inducing this week. So, I’ve been walking, taking my evening primrose oil, bouncing on my ball, etc. No real contractions …. no nothing. Since Monday (after my appointment) I’ve had a non stop messed up tummy, and I thought for SURE that was the beginning of labor. I was wrong.
So here we are, waiting. This afternoon when Lady wakes up we are going for a walk, and then I am coming in to bounce some more.
On a different note, sort of, the chickens are laying more eggs! We are getting 5 eggs a day now- 2 of the red girls started laying 3 weeks early! Pretty soon we will have more eggs than we can eat in a week, so I am going to try and sell them by the dozen. =)
Ok, pray for a safe labor and delivery of baby Max (and preferably one that happens soon!).
