That is what the pediatrician told us today at Seth's 2 month checkup! Yay! We sure fooled him! Haha, just kidding. I work really hard at making sure this kid is on track. And by on track I mean growing faster than mushrooms after the rain. Stats:
Weight: 13 lbs 9 oz - 90th %ile
Height: 24.5 in - 95th %ile (surprise surprise)
Head Circ: 16.25 in - 75th %ile
He's definitely a big kiddo. He also got all his 2 month shots today, boo for him. He screamed and his face turned so dark red I thought his head might explode. I really think he just didn't like being held down. After it was over I picked him up and cuddled for just a minute and he calmed right down. He loves his mama, that's for sure. So far I haven't noticed any ill effects from the vaccinations. When we got home he went down for a nap and slept for about 2 1/2 hours, which is long for him, but also not that surprising since his morning nap was cut short when we left for his appointment. After that he ate a good meal and almost immediately got really crabby so I thought maybe he didn't feel well, until about 20 minutes later he burped one of the most monster burps ever. Then he seemed happy, but tired again, so down for another nap he went. Lots of whining and 3 trips to put the pacifier back in, but he finally settled down.
Night times sure have been weird. We were doing so good all weekend, getting a good 4-5 hour stretch of sleep out of him after his "midnight" bottle, one night after having just 2 ounces. Then last night he woke up at 3:30am again, after taking a full 4 ounces. Eric had a theory that maybe 4 oz was too much and so he was waking up early with an upset stomach. The doctor said that's unlikely because when babies overeat they just spit up, they don't moan and groan and feel uncomfortable like adults do. He said babies' sleep patterns are just that random. Hmmm. I'm not really buying it. Tonight could be an anomaly due to the vaccines, but we are going to figure this out. When he sleeps until 5am, this mama is a seriously happy camper.
On another note, March Madness begins! I'm sure Eric is pretty jealous that I get to watch the tournament all day while he's at work, haha! I filled out my bracket today, but when Seth wakes up I'm going to check with him and see if he agrees with my picks. Blink once for yes, two for no... Too bad he's a little young for sign language just yet. Next year!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Seth 9 weeks old
Dear Seth,
You are 9 weeks old today and you are certainly developing your own personality. I love all the silly expressions you make and all your little noises. I'm constantly thanking my lucky stars that I was blessed with such a happy easy baby. You're such a good boy, I can't say it enough. And you are getting SO BIG. A lot of your 3 month clothes are too short for you and you can't stretch your legs out all the way. But the 6 month clothes are still a little too big. So maybe you'll just have to be naked for awhile. That would be fun.
This weekend you had lots of firsts - your first trip across the state, first time sleeping in a hotel room, first time meeting your "Aunt" Mandy and her kids, first time sitting on uncle Andy's lap, first blast of wind in the face when we stopped in Ellensburg... and you took it all like a champ. Your routine was turned almost upside down and you got through it all with very little crying and an amazing amount of sleep. The upside of shaking things up was it seems to have broken your nasty habit of waking up at 3:30am on the dot. The last three days you woke up at 6am, 5am, and this morning at 5:45am. Phew! Today I feel like I got enough sleep last night that I wouldn't even need a nap! Amazing!
Tomorrow will not be so much fun. You have to go to the pediatrician for your two-month checkup. Unfortunately that means shots. You are probably not going to like it, sorry buddy. But it has to be done and I will be right there with you. It will only hurt for a minute. But then I guess you might feel a little icky for a couple of days after. So it's a good thing I got enough sleep last night... ugh.
Oh, and guess what? Yesterday the last little piece of your umbilical cord finally fell off. I went to change your diaper before bed last night and there it was, stuck in your diaper. In fact, it scared the willies out of me because I thought it was a spider or something at first (give me a break, the lights were dimmed for bedtime!). Anyway, I had started to wonder if it would be there forever but nope, it's gone. Yay!
Love, Mama
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Seth 8 weeks old
Dear Seth,
Today you are 8 weeks old. You smile all the time now and it is so fun. I keep trying to get a picture but when I hold up the camera you just stare at it in curiosity instead of smiling for Mama. Then AS SOON as I put it down, you smile right on cue, you little stinker. Go figure. One of these days you'll figure it out I suppose. Today we got a present in the mail from Mrs. McIntire and you were REALLY excited about the tissue paper it was wrapped in. We played peek-a-boo with it for a long time and it was awesome! Yay! Then I folded it up into a small square and held it out to you and it almost seemed like you reached for it, but that might have been an accident.
I wanted to tell you a story about what happened last night. Your father made some poor decisions. First, he came home from work and decided to take a shower before giving you your bottle. So of course while he was in the shower you started to wake up, of course, because you were hungry, of course, because you always get hungry about that time of night. So anyway, that woke me up. Grrr. You weren't quite awake yet, just making your little noises, so I waited for daddy to get out of the shower and then I said "daddy, I'm hungry" in my best baby sing song voice so he could hear it on the monitor. He came hustling in then all apologetic like and got you. Well then, GUESS what he did next? Just guess... he thought it would be a good idea to CHANGE your diaper before feeding you. Um, yeah. You were NOT happy about that. So then what did you do? You POOPED while you were eating, haha. Payback!
This week I made a wonderful discovery. I found that if I hang your toys from the play mat low enough so that your hands hit them when you're waving them around, you stay entertained for about four times longer. You love it when you accidentally hit Steve, the octopus, and his rattle rattles. I've also learned that if I put you down for a nap in your crib before you're asleep, you take a bit to settle down - usually talking to yourself for about 10 or 15 minutes, but then you seem to actually sleep LONGER. Amazing! Yesterday I also melted one of your toys in the microwave sterilizer, oops. Sorry about that. It wasn't one of your favorites anyway.
We are taking you on your first trip across the state this weekend. I'm going to have to pack about 5 suitcases full of stuff just for you. And I'm sure I will still forget something. Anyway, it will be an adventure for sure. Can't wait!
Love, Mama
Today you are 8 weeks old. You smile all the time now and it is so fun. I keep trying to get a picture but when I hold up the camera you just stare at it in curiosity instead of smiling for Mama. Then AS SOON as I put it down, you smile right on cue, you little stinker. Go figure. One of these days you'll figure it out I suppose. Today we got a present in the mail from Mrs. McIntire and you were REALLY excited about the tissue paper it was wrapped in. We played peek-a-boo with it for a long time and it was awesome! Yay! Then I folded it up into a small square and held it out to you and it almost seemed like you reached for it, but that might have been an accident.
I wanted to tell you a story about what happened last night. Your father made some poor decisions. First, he came home from work and decided to take a shower before giving you your bottle. So of course while he was in the shower you started to wake up, of course, because you were hungry, of course, because you always get hungry about that time of night. So anyway, that woke me up. Grrr. You weren't quite awake yet, just making your little noises, so I waited for daddy to get out of the shower and then I said "daddy, I'm hungry" in my best baby sing song voice so he could hear it on the monitor. He came hustling in then all apologetic like and got you. Well then, GUESS what he did next? Just guess... he thought it would be a good idea to CHANGE your diaper before feeding you. Um, yeah. You were NOT happy about that. So then what did you do? You POOPED while you were eating, haha. Payback!
This week I made a wonderful discovery. I found that if I hang your toys from the play mat low enough so that your hands hit them when you're waving them around, you stay entertained for about four times longer. You love it when you accidentally hit Steve, the octopus, and his rattle rattles. I've also learned that if I put you down for a nap in your crib before you're asleep, you take a bit to settle down - usually talking to yourself for about 10 or 15 minutes, but then you seem to actually sleep LONGER. Amazing! Yesterday I also melted one of your toys in the microwave sterilizer, oops. Sorry about that. It wasn't one of your favorites anyway.
We are taking you on your first trip across the state this weekend. I'm going to have to pack about 5 suitcases full of stuff just for you. And I'm sure I will still forget something. Anyway, it will be an adventure for sure. Can't wait!
Love, Mama
Friday, March 5, 2010
Yes, I have fed my child
Now that I'm a mom I'm developing a whole new list of pet peeves. My latest is people (yes, admittedly well-meaning people) asking my child "are you hungry?" when I'm within earshot. News flash: babies fuss and cry for various reasons, not all of which are hunger. Seriously, I am the food source, so when you say that in front of me, what I hear you passive aggressively saying is "you poor child, hasn't your mother been feeding you?" Especially when I just got done breastfeeding my barracuda less than an hour ago and my nipples are still throbbing. So here's a tip, if you're holding a newborn - or at least my newborn - and he starts to fuss, feel free to ask me (not him) how long it's been since he ate. But don't ask my baby if he's hungry. Thanks.
Also please don't put your fingers in his mouth. Blecchhh.
Also please don't put your fingers in his mouth. Blecchhh.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
One for the record books
This morning at the end of our 11am feeding, Seth let go of me and looked up into my eyes. I smiled and he smiled back, a REAL smile - so big, and my heart melted. So today is going down as the first smile in the baby book. I've had my suspicions before this but today there was no doubt about it. He smiled.
Sleep really does beget more sleep. I've noticed a definite improvement in his mood the last few days where we've spent more time sleeping and less time running around town. And we're slowly but surely inching bedtime earlier and earlier. Just last week he was not going to bed until 11pm, and last night he was asleep shortly after 8pm. YES! The earlier I can get him to bed, the more "me" time I get before I have to force myself to bed at 9pm. Because no matter what time he goes to bed, he pretty much wants to eat at 4 or 5am consistently. And after that my night is pretty much over. He never eats much at that time so I have to get up and pump or else I feel like I'm going to explode... which brings me to my next topic...
Seth's poops tell the story pretty clearly, but I've also noticed that he seems to have a love-hate relationship with my boobs. He dive bombs them like he's starving and then spits them right back out repeatedly, sometimes because he's choking and coughing, but other times for no apparent reason. Anyway, I did some reading and I'm pretty sure we are dealing with an overabundant milk supply on my part. God has blessed me with more milk than we know what to do with. My left side seems pretty normal but my right side is super enthusiastic and I can consistently pump 5 or more ounces from it if I am full. Unfortunately, Seth really only drinks 3-4 oz max at a time.... so I've realized he is often filling up on foremilk and not getting a whole lot of the yummy fat and calories. Anyway, we'll have to do some experimenting to see if we can even things out. I guess it's not that unusual and tends to work itself out naturally over time, but it sounds like too much foremilk can lead to abdominal pain and excess gas. So might as well be proactive and see if we can't make my already happy baby into an even happier one!
It's funny how you get motherhood amnesia and forget all about those first few really hard weeks. I suppose you have to or else no one would ever have more than one child.
Sleep really does beget more sleep. I've noticed a definite improvement in his mood the last few days where we've spent more time sleeping and less time running around town. And we're slowly but surely inching bedtime earlier and earlier. Just last week he was not going to bed until 11pm, and last night he was asleep shortly after 8pm. YES! The earlier I can get him to bed, the more "me" time I get before I have to force myself to bed at 9pm. Because no matter what time he goes to bed, he pretty much wants to eat at 4 or 5am consistently. And after that my night is pretty much over. He never eats much at that time so I have to get up and pump or else I feel like I'm going to explode... which brings me to my next topic...
Seth's poops tell the story pretty clearly, but I've also noticed that he seems to have a love-hate relationship with my boobs. He dive bombs them like he's starving and then spits them right back out repeatedly, sometimes because he's choking and coughing, but other times for no apparent reason. Anyway, I did some reading and I'm pretty sure we are dealing with an overabundant milk supply on my part. God has blessed me with more milk than we know what to do with. My left side seems pretty normal but my right side is super enthusiastic and I can consistently pump 5 or more ounces from it if I am full. Unfortunately, Seth really only drinks 3-4 oz max at a time.... so I've realized he is often filling up on foremilk and not getting a whole lot of the yummy fat and calories. Anyway, we'll have to do some experimenting to see if we can even things out. I guess it's not that unusual and tends to work itself out naturally over time, but it sounds like too much foremilk can lead to abdominal pain and excess gas. So might as well be proactive and see if we can't make my already happy baby into an even happier one!
It's funny how you get motherhood amnesia and forget all about those first few really hard weeks. I suppose you have to or else no one would ever have more than one child.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Seth 7 weeks old
Dear Seth,
Today you are 7 weeks old. You are getting so big I can hardly believe it. I put away all of your newborn sized clothes and you are mainly wearing the 3-6 month sizes now. You have discovered your hands and they are constantly in your mouth and you slobber all over them (and yourself). You seem to like white stuff. You pay really close attention to Max when he comes over to check you out. You are also very interested in me when I wear my white robe in the morning, but maybe that's just because I've got the goods. I've been a bad mom and let your nap schedule get all out of whack. You go down for naps pretty well, probably because you're completely exhausted. But then you wake up 20-30 minutes later. We'll figure it out soon though I'm sure, because you're so smart! Today we're going to stay home though and not run any errands, so hopefully you can get at least one reasonable afternoon nap. You're doing really well in your crib during the day, so I'm thankful for that. However, I'm not in any big hurry to move you into your room at night because it's still so much easier to just pull you into bed when you're hungry.
You're definitely smiling now, but it's tricky to catch you in the act. Today we went for a walk with you in the Moby wrap and for the first time you did not fall asleep. Instead, after a couple blocks of slobbering all over your fist and my shirt, you got really crabby. So I turned you around facing out and you calmed down and appeared to be mesmerized by the clouds and the trees. What a fascinating world it must be to you. You're such a good little boy and I love you so much.
Love, Mama
Today you are 7 weeks old. You are getting so big I can hardly believe it. I put away all of your newborn sized clothes and you are mainly wearing the 3-6 month sizes now. You have discovered your hands and they are constantly in your mouth and you slobber all over them (and yourself). You seem to like white stuff. You pay really close attention to Max when he comes over to check you out. You are also very interested in me when I wear my white robe in the morning, but maybe that's just because I've got the goods. I've been a bad mom and let your nap schedule get all out of whack. You go down for naps pretty well, probably because you're completely exhausted. But then you wake up 20-30 minutes later. We'll figure it out soon though I'm sure, because you're so smart! Today we're going to stay home though and not run any errands, so hopefully you can get at least one reasonable afternoon nap. You're doing really well in your crib during the day, so I'm thankful for that. However, I'm not in any big hurry to move you into your room at night because it's still so much easier to just pull you into bed when you're hungry.
You're definitely smiling now, but it's tricky to catch you in the act. Today we went for a walk with you in the Moby wrap and for the first time you did not fall asleep. Instead, after a couple blocks of slobbering all over your fist and my shirt, you got really crabby. So I turned you around facing out and you calmed down and appeared to be mesmerized by the clouds and the trees. What a fascinating world it must be to you. You're such a good little boy and I love you so much.
Love, Mama
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Over the river and through the woods
We are getting our passports so we can go to Canada. My grandpa is turning 95 so we are going to drive up there with my dad in April to see him for his birthday. I wanted Seth's great grandpa to have a chance to meet him at least once, and he doesn't travel anymore so this is probably a good opportunity. There was a sign in the passport office saying that babies don't actually need a passport if they are traveling by land. But I already had all the paperwork done and the pictures so I figured we might as well just get it. There's always a chance we'd want to fly somewhere with him in the next 5 years and then we'll be all set.
Seth has been such a good boy with his naps and bedtimes the last couple of days. It is so encouraging, I am hoping we have really turned a corner! He starts batting his fists at his eyes when he gets tired, so if we're lucky he starts to fall asleep wherever he happens to be at the time. This happens pretty consistently around 10am so far, assuming we get up for the day somewhere around 7 or 8. Then I can pick him up and swaddle him and put him in his crib and he will stay up there content for about an hour, not necessarily fast asleep the whole time but not fussing or crying either. The trick is the timing because I think he would have a longer morning nap if he didn't wake up hungry. But he's usually not hungry before the nap so I can't really get him to eat even if I try. Hmmm. Afternoon naps are still pretty random, especially when we're out running errands. Eventually I'll have to schedule my errands around his naps I guess but for now I'm appreciating his portability. He tends to get cranky if he's in the car seat for too long but usually settles down if he has his binky. Depending on where it lands when he spits it out I can even sometimes reach back and poke it in his mouth at stop lights.
It's finally Saturday, I'm so excited! I LOVE the weekends when Eric is home. So fun! It's amazingly wonderful to have someone to split the diaper changes with. Plus I just so enjoy his company. Adults are fun to talk to :) Not that I don't enjoy my one sided conversations with Seth - "Do you want to wear a diaper with Elmo on it or Cookie Monster? Cookie Monster? Good choice!" Anyway, the sun is out for the moment so I think when Seth wakes up from his morning nap we're going to take him up to Grandma and Grandpa Haynes' house and maybe go for a walk in the park.
Seth has been such a good boy with his naps and bedtimes the last couple of days. It is so encouraging, I am hoping we have really turned a corner! He starts batting his fists at his eyes when he gets tired, so if we're lucky he starts to fall asleep wherever he happens to be at the time. This happens pretty consistently around 10am so far, assuming we get up for the day somewhere around 7 or 8. Then I can pick him up and swaddle him and put him in his crib and he will stay up there content for about an hour, not necessarily fast asleep the whole time but not fussing or crying either. The trick is the timing because I think he would have a longer morning nap if he didn't wake up hungry. But he's usually not hungry before the nap so I can't really get him to eat even if I try. Hmmm. Afternoon naps are still pretty random, especially when we're out running errands. Eventually I'll have to schedule my errands around his naps I guess but for now I'm appreciating his portability. He tends to get cranky if he's in the car seat for too long but usually settles down if he has his binky. Depending on where it lands when he spits it out I can even sometimes reach back and poke it in his mouth at stop lights.
It's finally Saturday, I'm so excited! I LOVE the weekends when Eric is home. So fun! It's amazingly wonderful to have someone to split the diaper changes with. Plus I just so enjoy his company. Adults are fun to talk to :) Not that I don't enjoy my one sided conversations with Seth - "Do you want to wear a diaper with Elmo on it or Cookie Monster? Cookie Monster? Good choice!" Anyway, the sun is out for the moment so I think when Seth wakes up from his morning nap we're going to take him up to Grandma and Grandpa Haynes' house and maybe go for a walk in the park.
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