2 Week Well Baby Visit

Norah was back up to 8 pounds 3 ounces at her 2 week well baby visit!

She was 7 pounds 15.6 ounces at birth, 7 pounds 7 ounces when we left the hospital, and 7 pounds 12.5 ounces at her 1 week well baby visit! She is packing on the pounds nicely! :-)

We did have to start Norah on Zantac, she seems to have the same reflux problems as her big brother - poor girl. It seems to be helping for now, so we are keeping our fingers crossed! Jack had to go on Prevacid which is an acid blocker - while Zantac just nuetralizes the acid so that it doesn't hurt when she refluxes. I'd prefer Norah to stay on Zantac, but we will do whatever she needs to be comfortable. Reflux is particuarly bad for infants the first 6 months or so of life because they are constantly laying down! :-(

She is still pretty unpredictable with her sleeping. She likes to have her fussy time anywhere from 6pm to 2 or 3am - she will usually pass out after 3am on most nights and then sleep until 10 or 11 am (eating every 3-4 hours, but going right back to sleep). She is definitely a night owl at this point! Yikes!

xoxo

healthy?

Jack is just about 19.5 months now and I hate to say that so far this fall/winter he has been sick constantly! He is still having the respiratory issues and for some reason his doctor(s) haven't been able to kick it! He gets really congested and then the couging starts, then the gagging and throwing up from the coughing starts, and then we go to the doctor and he gets an antibiotic and within days he is BETTER - but it never lasts long.

Jack will be healthy as long as he is on his antibiotic and then for the first 2-3 weeks after he finishes his antibiotic and then the entire cycle starts over again!? Ugh, frustrating! We still do his breathing treatment(s) daily and he still takes his Singulair every night - I'm almost at a loss.

I have been told that it could be allergies (duh, the Singulair), but that it could maybe be a food allergy too. A few friends of mine have taken their toddlers to an allergist here in town that works with children/toddlers - so this week I'll be discussing that with Jack's doctor because you guessed it - it's time to go see her again!

Other than the sick issue, Jack is right on track developmentally! He is running, climbing and jumping! He has a new found love of books and wants to read at least 5-10 every evening! He also loves to color - on everything!?!? He is talking more and more and has started putting a few 2-3 word phrases together! Here are a few of the words/phrases I hear over and over - everyday, but I still find it just too cute!

• Where's Chahi? or Where'd Chahi go? (Where's Charlie? Where'd Charlie go?)
• Where's Daddy?
• Where'd (insert he/she/they/dog/kitty) go?
• Peedaboo (peek-a-boo)!
• Moooore!
• Chahi! Chahi! Chahi!
• Dawg! Dawg! Dawg! Arf, Arf, Arf!
• Kitty-Kitty! Moow! Here kitty kitty! (the cat call goes for an animal, not just cats)
• Birrrrr (Bird)
• Big Boy!
• Big Dawg!
• Baaal! (Ball)
• Nine! Nine! Nine! (this was the first button he found on his number book)
• Baaabeee! (Baby)
• Caaaaar. (Car)
• Deeeeer. (Deer)
• Baaath (Bath)

He says more words, but these are the most commonly heard and as you can see he LOVES to carry his "a's" out! Haha! It's cute! He also understands everything you ask him. He has started taking directions and following through. Ex: he puts his shoes away, he throws things in the trash, he helps put the laundry away, he knows his bedroom versus Momma and Dada's bedroom, he knows what all of his toys are and will bring you back the correct one when you ask, he knows when he is in trouble and needs to go sit down and chill out - things like this!

I couldn't be more proud of how he is growing and learning, although I could do without some of the "boy" characteristics - kicking and wrestling and climping/jumping up/off things! Yikes! He is going to make me have a heart attack!

At his 18 month appointment he weighed 24 pounds and was 31.5 inches tall (I think). He has about 11-12 teeth now too! And he is no longer my perfect little sleeper and is sleeping in our bed at least half the night, but I figure until I have a reason to kick him out...I'd rather sleep!

growing up

Jack is getting to be such a big boy these days and with that comes his independence, which is good and in some cases not good! When he doesn't get his way he now throws full out tantrums! He throws himself down on the floor and screams! Jack loves playing outside and making him come inside will guarantee a meltdown! I've started letting him come in on his own terms and then having him shut the door - this usually helps until he realizes that I'm not going to reopen the door for him to go back out!

Jack has also started insisting on holding a fork during meals. He uses it sometimes and he gets so excited when he successfully pokes his food and actually gets it in his mouth! It's cute!

Jack is now running around the house and loves it when people knock on the door! He gets so excited to see who it is! He is back in his own crib, but still plays for quite awhile before actually falling asleep!

We went to the doctor last week for Jack's flu shot and he weighed just over 23 pounds and was 30.5 inches long (yes he is getting taller)!

The cutest thing happened this morning when I dropped him off at Tonya's! Usually I sneak out when he isn't looking or I say a quick bye and Tonya takes him the other way. He never really cries too much and I can always hear him stop before I even get off the porch, but this morning was different. As soon as we walked in Jack wanted to play, I sat and talked to Tonya for a minute and then it was time to leave. I told Jack I was leaving and he made a bee-line for me, I thought oh he is going to cry! He walked over arms out (I thought b/c he wanted picked up), but I just squated down and said "Ok, give me hug and kiss," he hugged me and I kissed him on the cheek and he promptly turned around and went back to playing! What a big boy! That was the first time HE ever gave ME a goodbye hug and kiss!

xoxo

dear jack

I am so proud of you for learning to crawl and move around at your free will (finally), and I know you are loving your new found freedom, but we have a problem! Could you please find it in your heart to go to sleep at your bedtime like you always have since you were 4 months old (7pm)? I know you think it's super cute to crawl all over your crib, turn your mobile on and off 100 times, sit up, shake your crib rails, clap your hands, scream with joy, and laugh - and believe me inside I think it's cute too, but you need your sleep and I need my "jack free" time in the evening to get chores done, a shower taken, and mentally prepare for the next day! I'd also like to be able to give you your evening breathing treatment before 10pm!

mommy loves you!! xoxo

11 Month Birthday!

Today Jack turned 11 months old! I can't believe we will be celebrating his 1 year birthday in just another 4 short weeks! Time has flown by...I remember like it was yesterday sitting at the house on maternity leave thinking, "OMG - what have I done?" Haha. It definitely took some time for me to adjust to being a mom, but now I wouldn't change a thing!

Here's an update of some of Jack's developments:

• Jack is pointing.
• Jack is clapping.
• Jack is waving.
• Jack gives kisses when asked and sometimes when he isn't asked.
• Jack says Mama, Dada, No, and Huh-uh reguarly and I'm convinced he knows who Mama and Dada are when he says them...well Mama for sure.
• Jack doesn't like when he see Mom walk by and not come to see him - he screams until I come back to get him!
• Jack still loves daycare.
• Jack loves to give you a pat on the back for picking him up!
• Jack is starting to observe the world around him more and more everyday.
• Jack has mastered his "split scoot" and I'm not sure he will ever crawl.
• Jack is starting to try and discover how to pull up to things and if I give him my hands to hold he will stand up by himself, but I haven't found him standing next to any furniture yet.
• Jack drinks 3-4 bottles a day and is now back to eating his baby food as well as table food!
• Jack has ZERO teeth.
• Jack loves to flirt.
• Jack has a mean bone in his little monster body.
• Jack is starting to use toys in the manner they are meant (drives trucks around on the floor, etc.)
• Jack throws fits.
• Jack is starting to semi-sleep better (I'll regret that).
• Jack loves to throw things.
• Jack goes from sitting to knees and back to sitting.
• Jack will stand when placed as long as there is someone to entertain him.
• Jack can sometimes sit up on his own, but this isn't consistent and mainly only happens in his crib or pack n play.
• Jack weighs just under 21 pounds - I'm not sure on his length as Chris didn't pay attention at the dr. this week.

This is all I can really think of. All in all Jack is doing great (minus the whole pneumonia thing)!

xoxo

i'm probably going to regret this...

But Jack slept through the night for the first time in A LONG TIME last night! I'm not sure what we did differently, but let's hope this trend continues...

I'm sure announcing it to the world will ensure I'm up at least once, if not twice tonight! But I was so excited and proud of him!

xoxo

Great Debate Update

I thought an update or more info was necessary after some of the comments I have received on the whole teething debate. Everyone thinks it sounds like teething to them, which is good and bad in my case.

I have tried Tylenol alternating with Motrin - doesn't seem to help much. We've tried the Teething Tablets - didn't see anything come of that at all. I haven't tried Baby Orajel, but I'm going to get some (hence we I haven't tried it), but I looked last night and I seriously DO NOT SEE ANYTHING in his mouth! No swollen gums, no white spots, no nada!?

I mean I totally wish/hope that he is teething because I'm dying to let him try more table food and I'm starting to wonder if he even has teeth anywhere under those gums - I mean he is 9.5 months old for goodness sake!

But I did start him back on his reflux meds this morning because the more I watched him the more I thought he was showing some signs of reflux - rearing his head back, not wanting to lay down on his back, the non-stop hiccups, it's always worse at night after he has ate all day long (Tonya says he is fine all day at daycare, but around 5:30 or so he gets super duper cranky!), wanting bottles over food - this soothes the pain in his throat, the wet burps have begun again as well and waking at 2am screaming.

Either way - his reflux meds won't hurt him and we can try weaning again in another few months and if it's teeth then teething TOTALLY sucks! We'll see hopefully here in the next week or so if we pop a tooth through or if his meds take his symptoms away (it takes about 5-7 days for the medicine to start working again - grr...).

xoxo

Great Debate

With myself that is...I can't decide if it's teething or reflux?

Jack has been a bit of Mr. Cranky Pants here lately and I can't tell if it's that he is teething or if it's his reflux? We took him off his reflux medicine on the 3rd of March to see if he didn't need it any longer because who wants their baby on medicine if it's not necessary?

I had actually forgot about the fact that we stopped his medicine until this weekend. He is either teething or having reflux pain and I just can't decide which one? He is chomping like an alligator, not wanting to eat his baby food, cries sporadically (screams in pain), is cuddlier than normal, drools, hiccuping more often, chews on his fingers, only wants cheerios and puffs or other finger foods, taking bottles well, he isn't spitting up (but he never really did with his reflux - it was "silent" - yes that is a medical term), no fever, he has been waking up earlier in the mornings screaming, screams when he wakes up from a nap (which is unusual - he is usually in a great mood upon waking), so all in all I don't know what the culprit is?

I'm going to check his mouth good tonight and if I don't see anything then I'm going to start his reflux meds again in the morning I guess...He still doesn't have any teeth so I have nothing to compare to in the teething behavior department.

Wish me luck...

xoxo

7 Months Old...Already!!

So my little boy turned 7 months old on Monday! Time is flying by! Here is a quick update on his development and new skills!

• Jack is sitting completely unassited and without any pillows or people for support/security! I can leave him on the floor and he is perfectly fine. He lifts both hands off the floor to play with toys, he turns from side to side and leans over to grab toys and then sits back up. He hasn't figured out how to sit from laying down though - I think it has to do with him not liking to roll?
• Jack is still sleeping from 7pm until anywhere between 5:30-7:30am. If he wakes early he gets a bottle and goes back to bed - sometimes until 9:00am! What a good boy!
• Jack has started eating baby food. We skipped over cereal for now and he has had Pears and Squash with no tummy troubles! I think every weekend we will be adding a new food and see how it goes!
• Jack still doesn't have any teeth, but has been teething hard lately so hopefully soon!
• Jack is a jabber box! Dadadadadadadadada is all I hear!
• Jack is also a major screamer! He screams when he is excited mostly and flaps his arms up and down to add to the excitement! Tonya says he screams at all the kids all day long at daycare! I'm sure she loves that! But its how he communicates so I'm fine with it!
• Jack is starting to show some seperation anxiety tendencies - mostly when Momma leaves, but he loves daycare so we never have the problem there! It's mainly when cranky, tired, or hungry!
• Just last night Jack started getting his knees under him while on his tummy and pushing backwards! He's been wiggling around on his belly spinning circles for a few weeks now though. Hopefully crawling is in the future in the next couple months! Although he still has no desire to stand, at least not for too long.

xoxo

Happy 5 Month Birthday!

Today is Jack's 5 month birthday! It really doesn't seem like it's been 5 months, but it has! Really there isn't much new this month in the way of milestones, but here is a list of some new things and changed things!

• Jack now blows Raspberries like nobody's business. I'll wake up in the middle of the night and he is blowing and blowing and blowing, and in the morning when he wakes up he is automatically back to blowing. It started out really cute, but then he started getting a little more spit behind them and now if you are within a foot of him you are most likely to get sprayed! Ha! It's still cute, even though Chris cannot stand spitty/drooly babies. He thinks they look dirty or something.
• Jack is talking more and more and is starting to make some sounds like ba and da every once in awhile. He is still more in the just babbling weird noises stage, but every so often we here a syllable or two.
• Jack made the transition off his Nutramigen formula and has been on Parent's Choice for about a month. It all went pretty well although he now has to get about 1 oz of apple juice with 3 oz of water every day to keep his system going or else he gets a bit stopped up...ugh!
• Jack is sitting up better with every day that goes by - I'm really hoping that by the time we get his 6 month pictures he will be really good at it! We'll see.
• Jack still isn't rolling over, but he is getting closer - I just don't think he has any interest in it?
• We've had a bit of a sleep regression or well, maybe a change is a better word. He still goes to bed at 7pm. He used to get up anywhere between 1 and 2 or would sometimes sleep all the way through - it was totally unpredictable. The last week or so he has started sleeping until almost 4am, he eats then goes back to sleep until I wake him up to get ready for daycare - usually about 6:45am. I actually kind of like this schedule better b/c it allows me to get ready for the day before he is awake and screaming for me to pay attention and play with him! I'm just hoping that gradually 4am will turn to 5am, then 6am, then 7am! That would be nice!
• Jack does not NAP on the weekends! He takes a morning nap of about an hour and an afternoon nap of 2-3 hours everyday at Tonya's, but when he is home on the weekends - I'm lucky to get 30-45mins a couple times a day! What the heck!?
• Jack has also began to show his displeasure with a situation - it's like on command. Here are a couple examples: he will be sitting contently and will then follow you as you leave the room and he will turn his neck, look over his shoulder, until at last he cannot see you and then immediately SCREAM! Ha! Another example, he was happy as a clam swinging the other day for like 15-20 minutes by himself in the living room while Chris and I were cleaning up around the house, but as soon as I made the mistake of walking through the living room in his direct line of sight and then back out he was SCREAMING again! We haven't experienced any "stranger anxiety" or anything like that - he will still pretty much flash smiles at anyone and everyone so that's good!
• Jack is getting bigger and bigger! Another last note is that we went the whole month without going to the dr. for some random reason! This is a first - before this past month I don't think we went more then 2 weeks without some reason to go to the dr.! I think my new momness is starting to wear off and I'm not totally freaking out about everything!

I think that's pretty much it for month 5 in Jack's world! xoxo

4 Month Sleep Regression...We gots it!

So I read a few different forums for Jack's birth month - it's a bunch of mom's with babies all born in May, you can ask questions and give advice and most of it is all relevant since the babies are so close in age. Anyway since Jack is towards the end of the month - the 28th! I have kept seeing posts about a 4 month sleep regression and all these mothers talking about how their babies that had previously been sleeping through the night were now waking 1,2, and even 3 times a night to feed or just be awake and I kept thinking to myself these women are crazy - what would cause a baby to do this other then maybe a growth spurt? So I basically ignored the posts and moved on - well now that we are getting ever so close to Jack's 4 month mark he has started waking again at 3:30am like clockwork every night! EVERY NIGHT! I'm dying here! Ha! He doesn't necessarily seem hungry, just awake and cranky b/c I know he is still tired but awake for some reason. I'm at a loss as to what to do?! I usually don't move a muscle once he starts stirring for fear I will wake him up more, I just lay there and pray that he will go back to sleep, but nope he stirs, stirs more, starts babbling, babbles louder, then the crying starts. I then try to give his button to him, which doesn't help anything. So I will pick him up change his diaper (at which time he is all smiles and wide-eyed) and then I try to get him back to sleep by rocking (I know - rocking, grr....but I have no other option then to let him cry and I'm not doing that - yet!), and if that won't calm him I will resort to feeding him, but only like 3-4 ounces, he eats and then goes back to sleep until 6 - 6:30am.

I'm so tired of him suddenly waking up again - it started last weekend and I'm at a loss as to what to do to stop it. I haven't read/researched the whole sleep regression theory much, but no one has mentioned a way to stop it or help it return to normal...

And I have to mention after barely eating 2/3 of his normal intake last week for about 5 or 6 days (only 20 ounces on some days - usual was 30-32 oucnes), he has now been downing 35-40 ounces a day since this past Sunday!

We have also started the process of weaning off the Nutramigen or as I call it "I'm totally broke thanks to my kid's gas" formula to Parent's Choice Gentle formula. I figure if I go with the cheap stuff now then maybe these first 4 months of $40+/week to feed him will even out by the time he is 1 year old! We'll see how it goes... Oh and next week we get to look forward to our 4 month shots and in addition to just the shots and general crankiness they can cause, vaccinations (the Rotavirus vaccine in particular) causes Reflux Flares! GREAT!!!!

xoxo

1/2 Swaddle + No Boppy Lounger!

That's right! We are down to only swaddling Jack's lower half! He was starting to just get too hot in his Miracle Blanket since it's cooler at night and the air isn't kicking on as often and he was starting to wake up like at 3:30am b/c he was hot and sweaty! After a few nights of these HOT FITS I decided to bite the bullet and try leaving his arms out of his swaddle...and he did great! He slept just as good as a full swaddle, except he looks much cuter now while sleeping!

Another big weekend milestone - he is OFF THE BOPPY LOUNGER! That's right (again!) he is now sleeping just on his pack n play bassinet mattress and crib wedge (for reflux) even though now that he has the ability to move from not being on the lounger and his arms being out he MOVES alot during the night! He starts out on his wedge feet facing EAST, then he will be turned feet facing NORTHEAST, then he will turn even more feet facing NORTH...he hasn't made a complete 180 yet, but I think it will come! One night he turned one way and the next the other way - it's so cute! Although now that he isn't necessarily sleeping on an incline since he is moving so much I thought his reflux might act up, but it hasn't seemed to bother him one bit! Yea!

So this week I'm going to do 1/2 swaddle then this weekend I'm going to try nothing and just a footed sleeper - Tonya and I were talking and he definitely has an issue with his feet being uncovered, but I'm hoping that if his sleepers have the footies he will be OK?!?! We shall see.

xoxo

Quick Update

Jack seems to finally be feeling better! Yea! We went back to the Dr. on Friday afternoon because I did not want to go a 3 day weekend with him not being seen and wondering if/when he was going to get better!? It would have drove me nuts!

I'm feeling better too, still a tiny bit of a sore throat, but that's it.

Chris is gone for work again this week and won't be back until late Thursday night so Jack and I are on our own again!

Jack's sleeping has been a day-to-day thing. Some nights he sleeps just fine through the night, and others not so much, but I've decided we are not doing "planned" middle of the night feedings anymore. He is drinking 30-32 ounces during the day and that's all he needs based on his weight and he has demonstrated the ability to not need a middle of the night feeding! That said, I have had to feed him in the middle of the night probably 3 times since we started letting him sleep and they are smaller feedings. It's just so hard because his Prevacid has to be given on an empty stomach at least 30 minutes before a meal...yeah, crap! So if he wakes at 4am I have to feed me, but then how do I work the empty stomach and 30 minutes only a couple hours later before we have to go to daycare and work? It's a struggle some mornings and I've been findiing myself getting up anytime after 5am to give him his meds just in case he wakes early, if all goes as planned I get up at 6am, give him his meds and let him sleep while I get ready and then feed him around 6:30am - but that doesn't always happen! Oh well...we'll get there or maybe he will just outgrow this REFLUX -

Dear Jack, Please stop refluxing and just grow out of it will ya? Ha! They say anywhere from 6 months to a year and a half - let's hope it's closer to 6 months!

That's all I got for now - 30 more minutes and I get to go pick up Baby J!

xoxo

Bad Week

The week started out SO good - Jack slept through the night two nights in a row, and thing everything went downhill! He has a sinus infection and is on Amoxicilin and has to take it for 14 days! So needless to say he can't breathe that well while sleeping and also coughs due to the drainage - so naps and night-time sleep has become less and less as everyday passes. He only slept a total of 2 hours at Tonya's yesterday! He also spit up a ton of mucus and vomitted up his lunch - the medicine can make them nauseous and vomit. He went to bed a little after 7 I assumed because he didn't nap well, and thought it really shouldn't wouldn't make a difference in his night sleep since he usually goes down anywhere between 7:30 and 8:30 - he slept until 10:00 and Chris fed him again, then headed to the bedroom. He didn't sleep soundly the entire night and then started crying at 2:45 so I thought - weird he never wants to eat this early, but went ahead and gave him a bottle, he settled down afterwards but as soon as I went to put him back on his lounger he was wide awake and thought it was play time. He played for an hour before I woke up Chris and said I had to get some sleep (I'm on antibiotics too for an upper respiratory infection) because I wasn't feeling well so I went to the living room, well 45 mintues later Jack was having a meltdown so I went back to the bedroom, got him calm and he fell asleep for 30 minutes and then was awake again crying! I gave him his prevacid pill b/c it has to be given at least 30 minutes before a meal, changed him, and then swaddled him and swayed, shooshed, gave him his button, layed him on his side in my arms and the gradually drifted off to sleep (The Happiest Baby on the Block method - works like a charm almost EVERY time I really recommend the book or DVD to all new parents!). I dream fed him at 6:15 and then he went right down on his lounger and he was OUT! I went ahead and washed bottles, got myself ready for the day, then took a quick 15 cat nap before getting Jack dressed and we were out the door!

I'm hoping all of this behavior is because he is sick and not some really bad night-time issues beginning to rear it's ugly head! I also think he might be in the middle of his 3 month growth spurt b/c he is wanting to eat an ungodly amount of formula the past couple days!

We'll see what the next few days bring - assuming I'll survive on no sleep and antibiotics and a head that feels like it might just EXPLODE!

xoxo

He did it!

I finally got brave enough and took another big step with Jack this weekend - he slept from 10:30pm until 6:30am last night (Sunday night-Monday morning)! He has on his own increased the amount of formula he was wanting at each feeding, so he kind of set himself up to not have to eat in the middle of the night by eating more throughout the day! Let's hope last night wasn't just a fluke, and we'll see how tonight goes!

Of course I kept waking up every hour or so to see if he was still asleep and breathing, which he was so I didn't get the best of sleep, but I'll get used to it! He did wake up a few times with gas, but would just grunt a bit and relieve himself and back to sleep! He did so good!

Also, Sunday morning he actually reached for, grabbed, and help his first toy! I knew it was coming soon so I actually have it on film and will post the pictures ASAP.

xoxo

Down To 1 Night Feeding!

This weekend Chris and I decided to get brave and see if Jack would/could skip one of his night-time feedings. See, even though he is almost 3 months old he was still eating every 3 hours (even throughout the night) mainly due to the fact that his tummy would get so gassy if we gave him larger amounts. But he has been doing much better - he is still SUPER gassy, but he can at least relieve himself now either by burping or pooting (he still needs a little leg work every once in awhile to help out, but not very often). So a couple week ago we upped him to 3.5 ounces every 3 hours because he seemed to be hungry and for his weight he technically should have been getting more formula per day. So Friday night we pushed his 9:30pm feeding to 10:00pm and gave him 4 ounces (which he took great)! He slept until about 2:15am!!! He was starting to wake up so I went ahead and got up and got his bottle ready and fed him - I hate hearing a baby scream b/c they are hungry so I try to avoid getting to that point if at all possible! We then got up again at 6:30am and he ate again! What a difference in the quality of sleep! A longer stretch was nice!

We were again successful Saturday night although he was super hungry Sunday and wanted to eat every 2.5 hours b/c we were only giving him extra at his night feedings so we decided to just go with 4 ounces every 3 hours all the time, he did good yesterday so hopefully the pattern will continue! Wish us luck!

Another quick note - I believe I now have a NAP-FIGHTING baby - hates when I try to put him down for a nap even though he will yawn at me for 15 minutes before I do! Grr...

Thank You

Thank You Baby Jack for not having playtime last night between the hours of 1am and 230am! Your exhausted parents greatly appreciated it!

xoxo

swaddling...

My post this morning got me thinking about another "sleep" issue. Jack has been swaddled from day one and he loves it. Even when he is fussy sometimes just swaddling him and letting him lay by himself is the only thing that works. I like to sit by him and rub his belly and that calms him down and/or puts him to sleep sometimes and that way he still knows I'm close by and I feel I'm comforting him without actually holding him.

I have to admit we don't hold him that often or for extended periods of time - I know there is major debate and different opinions on the whole holding a baby too much theory, but I do it more because I want him to be independent (as much as an 11 week old baby can be), but in the same breathe I do not want to be misunderstood as a parent that does not respond to their baby. I totally don't let him cry it out alone, I hate hearing him cry - any cry, for any reason! I immediately go get him and pick him up or put his mute button (pacifier) back in his mouth if it falls out, etc. etc. etc. I never let him cry and try everything within my power to soothe and comfort him as quickly as possible.

Anywho, got off topic. OK - Jack loves being swaddled, but he is getting to the point where he can sometimes get 1 arm or even 2 arms out, but he will continue to sleep or he goes back to sleep - assuming he woke up and wiggled his way free...so I guess we don't really have a problem per se yet, but when should we transition from swaddle to swaddle-free sleeping? I mean is it bad, weird, odd, restricting to have a 6 month old that is still swaddled? Right now he is sleeping on his Bobby Lounger in our bed right next to my pillow (I know I said I would never do it, but I did and I'm not going to make an excuse for it). Up until about 6 weeks old he had slept every night in his pack n play bassinet, but this is when the reflux started and it scared me that he would wheeze and cough and spit up - even though he was only 2 feet away from me, so I moved him into the bed. I am planning to start putting him back in his pack n play TONIGHT, but he will still be in our room - I don't want him in his own room...yet...I would miss him I think.

So opinions on swaddling? When is enough enough? I don't mind swaddling him and he likes it, but I also don't want a 5 year old in a giant burrito!!! See picture...




xoxo

it's 1:00am - do you know what your child is doing? mine wants to play...

So Jack has a new habit forming that I really don't appreciate! I've been telling everyone how good he does at night time. For the past month or more he would fall asleep anywhere from 7:30pm - 8:30pm; we still wake him to feed every 3 hours or so, but he would always go right back to sleep (heck, most of the time he was basically eating in his sleep - eyes closed and all)!

Well the past 2-3 nights after Chris feeds him at 12:30am he is like wide-eyed and ready to play! It's horrible! He isn't fussy, he is actually really, overly happy. He just smiles at you and talks and almost giggles. It's so hard b/c its so cute, but I try not to even look at his face b/c I don't want to encourage this behavior - at least not at 1:00am! He will usually stay awake until somewhere between 2:00am - 2:30am...grr...

So last night I broke down and said, "I'm going to rock him!" See we don't rock him or hold him until he falls asleep - never have, never wanted to, still don't want to. He has put himself to sleep (with the few occassions of maybe not feeling well or something) since he was probably a month old. We just wrap him up, give him his pacifier (which may need to be replaced every once in awhile) and he hangs out content until he falls asleep. But I'm affraid that I may have to start rocking him if he continues on this path of late night playtime! Any thoughts? Should I rock or not rock? I rocked him last night and within 5 minutes he was asleep and I could put him to bed, which was fine. I'm just concerned that even consistently rocking him at this one time of night could totally throw all our work out the window and he will start to refuse to go to sleep on his own all the time...

I'm thinking of maybe trying to keep him awake longer after we get home from daycare and then after his 6:30pm feeding - hoping that he will be more tired and not wake up so much at his 12:30am feeding.

Oh...Baby Jack why can't your little digestive system catch up so you can eat more (volume) at once and start sleeping longer stretches in the night?....Maybe by 3-4 months we will get you all figured out!

On a happier note, we have successfully (so far) increased his formula intake to 3.5 ounces every 3 hours, so I'm hoping in the next 4 weeks or so we can slowly increase him to 4 ounces every 3 hours and then hopefully eliminate at least one night time feeding!

A quick note about the Reflux situation: I think I mentioned this, but we started out trying Zantac - didn't work, took the edge off of his pain but just wasn't strong enough; then we tried Prilosec - seemed to work great for about 7 days, then slowly started wearing off and his symptoms were starting to return; now we are on Prevacid - so far so good, but it's only been 7 days and the doctor said 1 to 2 weeks for full impact - but he has been doing pretty good. I could tell he was having some issues late in the week last week and over the weekend, but yesterday was really good. He is still refluxing, but it doesn't seem to be causing him pain, which is my main concern!

Whoa - this got long! Sorry!

xoxo