Well Nate will be 3 months old in two days. I am have now been back to work for a week now and it wasn't as bad as I thought. I do miss him during the day.
Our current routine is..
Up at 7-8 am (say goodbye to Mommy)
Bottle fed at 9am
Walk with Grandma
Feeds 4 ounces every three hours
Bath time 7:30
Breast Fed with me at 8pm
Asleep by 9pm
Up after 5-6 hours
Up again after 3 hours
So far so good, the good news is that Nate goes down for the night fairly easily and he has gotten used to his bedtime routine. He is still sleeping in our room so long as he needs his overnight feeding.
Nate's tummy time is getting better. He doesn't protest too much when you put him on his tummy. He used to get upset right off the bat, but now will tolerate it for a minute or so. He is also able to lift his head 90 degrees and hold it there for at least 10 seconds. It is tiring on him but he is getting progressively stronger.
He is all smiles in the morning and still loves his mobile. We have three different bouncy seats and the one he likes the most is the one that Rhonda gave us. Go figure, there is a nice new one and Nate doesn't care much for it. He likes the one that Rhonda gave us because it has toys that he can see better and reach.
Nate hasn't fully opened up his hands yet. He can grab things very tightly if you put them in his hand but he hasn't yet been able to reach and grab things on his own. He did roll over once from belly to back this week. Grandma and Grandpa saw it but I didn't.
He is also not as chunky as before because he is lengthening out some this week.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Week 10
Nate is doing the following now.
He is tracking faces and voices very easily.
Makes great eye contact.
Recognizes mom and dad.
Sleeps a lot less during the day, no longer does he have 2 hour naps twice a day. Only 2 naps for 1/2 each.
He has bath time at 8pm ish and then nurses and goes to bed around 9pm. He still needs a nursing before bed time and sleeps for 4-6 hours first then 2-3 hours until 6am.
Have started bottle feeding, Nate has no problem taking the bottle from anyone. I will not feed him myself. Don't want to get my feelings hurt. Eating every 2-3 hours, 4 ounces each time.
Nate is able to hold on to things now, but I don't think he is doing it consciously.
He still does not like tummy time, we put him on his tummy 2 or 3 times a day for 2 to 4 mintues. He can lift his head almost 90 degrees with a little blanket under his belly.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
95% Head of the Class
We took Nate to his 2 month check up and he weighted in at 14lbs and 23 inches long. Appartenly he is big baby and in the 95% for his weight. Gulp, have I been feeding him too much? Now I'm a little paranoid about feeding him too much and too often. Oh well I'm not going to get to hung up over it I'm sure if it was a problem the pediatrician would have told me so.
Hope this isn't the last 95% score Nate gets.
Hope this isn't the last 95% score Nate gets.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Week 7
Last time I mentioned that he was being fussy. But that has seemed to pass. After mom left that first weekend was very tough but now we have settled into a routine. Nate is really good a taking naps. If he doesn't he is very fussy in the evenings so I make sure he goes down. He's right now finishing up two hours of his mid day nap.
We we out last weekend with friends who also have a 7 month old. We ate at Dolce Vita an upscale pizzeria. I was kind of scared because this was the first dinner we had taken Nate out to. Of course he cried for the most part and refused to breast feed. We will have to work on that. But the good news was that it turned out to be kid friendly and all the tables around us had children. Also it was a loud patio so I'm not sure how many people heard.
Nate has really started to show some personality now. He loves getting his diaper changed, I guess I would too if it was always wet. He is doing what we call "butt explosion" which happens earlier in the morning. The good news is that usually is his one time big mess.
Nate loves his animal mobile. He loves to look up and listen and watch the animals spin around. He intently looks up at it and immediately breaks into a huge toothless smile. I love how he moves his arms and kicks his legs with excitement. He looks likes he wants to go somewhere but can't because he is on his back.
So far, Nate is growing like a weed. He's about 13 pounds according to our scale and is wearing 3-6 months sizes. Brent is amazed at the size of his belly. It is very big but very soft too. I love giving it kisses and Nate likes that too. He is also cooing and goo-gooing more. The mornings are the best time to get this out of him, he seems to be trying to say something to us - we just don't know what.
We we out last weekend with friends who also have a 7 month old. We ate at Dolce Vita an upscale pizzeria. I was kind of scared because this was the first dinner we had taken Nate out to. Of course he cried for the most part and refused to breast feed. We will have to work on that. But the good news was that it turned out to be kid friendly and all the tables around us had children. Also it was a loud patio so I'm not sure how many people heard.
Nate has really started to show some personality now. He loves getting his diaper changed, I guess I would too if it was always wet. He is doing what we call "butt explosion" which happens earlier in the morning. The good news is that usually is his one time big mess.
Nate loves his animal mobile. He loves to look up and listen and watch the animals spin around. He intently looks up at it and immediately breaks into a huge toothless smile. I love how he moves his arms and kicks his legs with excitement. He looks likes he wants to go somewhere but can't because he is on his back.
So far, Nate is growing like a weed. He's about 13 pounds according to our scale and is wearing 3-6 months sizes. Brent is amazed at the size of his belly. It is very big but very soft too. I love giving it kisses and Nate likes that too. He is also cooing and goo-gooing more. The mornings are the best time to get this out of him, he seems to be trying to say something to us - we just don't know what.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
6 week milestone
Well it's Feb 24th. Nate has hit his 6 week mark and what a difference a week makes. He was super fussy during week 5 and we were told that this "wonder week" would be tough. He would go through periods of intense crying from 7 to 10 at night and refused to be put down. The only way we could console him was to wait it out until it was late enough that he would fall asleep. What a week.
So far this week he has faired better. He practices lifting his head and when he's on his tummy he can lift his head and turn it from one side to the other. The cutest thing is that he is starting to gurgle and coo. It is almost as if he is talking to us, we'll say something and then he'll coo something back to us.
His smiles are the best, he really is responding to our facial gestures. If you smile or talk to him he will smile right back at you. It melts my heart everytime he does that. He's a great smiler.
He also has super strong legs. He really likes to push up on you when you hold him. I guess he'll need them becuase he is gaining weight very quickly. I bet he's already 12 pounds. He no longer fits the newborn clothes which is supposed to go up to 9 lbs. There were some outfits that he didn't even get to wear he grew so quickly. We like to keep him in sleep and play one piece outfits, they are the easiest to put on and off.
Nate's day to day routine is wake up - feed - stay awake for an hour or so then take a nap at 11 ish for 1 or 2 hours. Then he goes down for a early evening nap for 2 hours. We'll put him down at 11pm or earlier and he's out until 3 or 4 am. So I'm getting a little bit of sleep with this routine. I wonder how much it'll change week to week.
So far this week he has faired better. He practices lifting his head and when he's on his tummy he can lift his head and turn it from one side to the other. The cutest thing is that he is starting to gurgle and coo. It is almost as if he is talking to us, we'll say something and then he'll coo something back to us.
His smiles are the best, he really is responding to our facial gestures. If you smile or talk to him he will smile right back at you. It melts my heart everytime he does that. He's a great smiler.
He also has super strong legs. He really likes to push up on you when you hold him. I guess he'll need them becuase he is gaining weight very quickly. I bet he's already 12 pounds. He no longer fits the newborn clothes which is supposed to go up to 9 lbs. There were some outfits that he didn't even get to wear he grew so quickly. We like to keep him in sleep and play one piece outfits, they are the easiest to put on and off.
Nate's day to day routine is wake up - feed - stay awake for an hour or so then take a nap at 11 ish for 1 or 2 hours. Then he goes down for a early evening nap for 2 hours. We'll put him down at 11pm or earlier and he's out until 3 or 4 am. So I'm getting a little bit of sleep with this routine. I wonder how much it'll change week to week.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Milk Factory
Wow I thought breastfeeding would be a beautiful thing. I mean for the most part it is, don't get me wrong. I get to spend one on one time with my son. Connecting and bonding on a level that is special to one the two of us(not to mention the money we save on formula, accelerated weight loss for Mom and reaping the rewards of natural immunity for Nate). It's altogheter amazing and a cherished moment except for the hours of 12am, 3am and 6am. And all those hours in between them.
Overall, Nate has latched on and learned how to nurse very effectively. He's pretty much a 3 hour feeder but has a very good habit of nursing on one side then falling asleep. I've tried to wake him up and do the other but sometimes he's too much into a deep sleep. Barabara (the lactation consultant) says that that's okay so long that he feeds a min of 3 times during a 24 hour period. If Nate falls alseep then he'll be up in 1-2 hours hungry again.
The cries of hunger are very different from the cries of uncomfortableness from a dirty or a wet diaper. The hunger cry is short and sounds like a car engine trying to turn over. If you make Nate wait to long for food then the car engine turns into a desperate wailing like a fire truck trying to rush to get to a fire.
Nate has come a long way, and I guess I have too. In the early days of breastfeeding if Nate was already upset and crying then he'd have a heck of a time latching on and calming down to nurse. Now three weeks later he has no problem locking in and nursing even in the middle of a fit. He knows what to look for and how to get it.
The only time Nate didn't want my brest milk was during the first week he was home. I was being selfish and wanted sushi. I hadn't had it in 9 months so it was first on my list of must haves, right ahead of coffee, wine and beer. I remember that night was the worst feeding nights we ever had. Nate just hated the breast milk and got fussier and fussier everytime we tried to nurse. He would take a drink and then cry his eyes out and nothing would calm him down. It think finally he broke down and nursed but he wasn't a big fan.
Today at 23 days old, I decided to no have my morning cup of coffee. I had read that you could have one cup a day and it would have a mild effect on the baby. But lately I had been having a larger cup each day and Nate wasn't so easy to soothe. He'd fuse and cry if he was in your arms and then really wail if you tried to put him down. So I experimented and cut out the morning coffee and afernoon tea. Today was day one of the experiement and Nate was a lot easier to handle. He slept better and longer on his own and didn't mind as much being put down. We'll sse how tomorow goes. It's bitter sweet becuase I want a calm baby but I also want my coffee. Oh well, decaf here I may come again.. sigh.
Overall, Nate has latched on and learned how to nurse very effectively. He's pretty much a 3 hour feeder but has a very good habit of nursing on one side then falling asleep. I've tried to wake him up and do the other but sometimes he's too much into a deep sleep. Barabara (the lactation consultant) says that that's okay so long that he feeds a min of 3 times during a 24 hour period. If Nate falls alseep then he'll be up in 1-2 hours hungry again.
The cries of hunger are very different from the cries of uncomfortableness from a dirty or a wet diaper. The hunger cry is short and sounds like a car engine trying to turn over. If you make Nate wait to long for food then the car engine turns into a desperate wailing like a fire truck trying to rush to get to a fire.
Nate has come a long way, and I guess I have too. In the early days of breastfeeding if Nate was already upset and crying then he'd have a heck of a time latching on and calming down to nurse. Now three weeks later he has no problem locking in and nursing even in the middle of a fit. He knows what to look for and how to get it.
The only time Nate didn't want my brest milk was during the first week he was home. I was being selfish and wanted sushi. I hadn't had it in 9 months so it was first on my list of must haves, right ahead of coffee, wine and beer. I remember that night was the worst feeding nights we ever had. Nate just hated the breast milk and got fussier and fussier everytime we tried to nurse. He would take a drink and then cry his eyes out and nothing would calm him down. It think finally he broke down and nursed but he wasn't a big fan.
Today at 23 days old, I decided to no have my morning cup of coffee. I had read that you could have one cup a day and it would have a mild effect on the baby. But lately I had been having a larger cup each day and Nate wasn't so easy to soothe. He'd fuse and cry if he was in your arms and then really wail if you tried to put him down. So I experimented and cut out the morning coffee and afernoon tea. Today was day one of the experiement and Nate was a lot easier to handle. He slept better and longer on his own and didn't mind as much being put down. We'll sse how tomorow goes. It's bitter sweet becuase I want a calm baby but I also want my coffee. Oh well, decaf here I may come again.. sigh.
Skin to Skin
I tried the skin to skin or kangaroo hold with Nate today. All the readings tell me that it is very soothing for the baby and will increase our bond. So I tried it after our afternoon feeding and it did help to soothe him. Wow? I guess we'll have to try this everyday.
Am wearing Nate right now in our wrap. At first he protested. He doesn't like having his head in the sling I think it's very uncomfortable for him, each time I try to slip it into the wrap he cries, so I let him leave it out. But now I have to hold his head if I am moving.
Am wearing Nate right now in our wrap. At first he protested. He doesn't like having his head in the sling I think it's very uncomfortable for him, each time I try to slip it into the wrap he cries, so I let him leave it out. But now I have to hold his head if I am moving.
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