Dear Riley,
You are now 10 months and quite the independant kid, you also are very stubborn and know what you want. I wonder who you get those qualities from? ;P
This last month you have started standing on your own, I am told this is the precurser to walking. I must admit I am not sure I am ready for that, and I know the house nor the girls (gemma and bella) are.
You absolutly love our cats. Gemma will let you pet her and even give her kisses, till you try and pull her wiskers, then she is out of there. Recently she started telling you "no" by smacking your hand with her paw. At first she does it lightly with her claws in, then she works her way to claws out and hard. It has yet to make you cry, but you get her point. I am happy to see you two work things out on your own. Issabella, on the other hand prefers the run away and hide or climb to where you cant get her approch. You have tried to grab her wiskers one to many times and thus even if you are sitting on my lap she will not approch you. So far I think this is funny but i do hope you two work things out.
You have decided that everything you can reach is yours and do not like giving anything to me or daddy. Any paper on the floor, or item from my bag if left in reach goes into your mouth. I often tell others that you will willingly put anything in your mouth as long as it isn't food. This isn't entirely correct because you will put old food in your mouth, such as two day old noodle you found under the fridge. YUCK!
Right now you love older kids. Julian has come over a few times to play with you and you just laugh and laugh and laugh at everything he does. Even when we have play dates you will sit there watching the other kids and just laugh. When you interact you tend to be a little rough. I am trying to work on this with you because of your friends you are both the youngest and the biggest. The park or mall is my favorite outing because you can people watch with me. You have also started to like the swings! I am so excited about this! There is no longer any doubt that you are my kid! You also like the slide but are still hesitant about going down by yourself. Playing with the leaves is also a fun past time you enjoy, I try my best to keep them out of your mouth, but fail misrably.
Tooth #3 broke through this month. OMG that was hell. You kid are one hard child to please when you are teething!
Speaking of being hard to please, I am wishing I had stuck with baby sign more because you have a hard time getting me to give you what you want without whinning at me. The whining makes me want to stick something in my ears till they bleed. I really really hate it.
When you are happy you do babble a lot, and this is much prefered to the whinning. You make the sounds la-da-ma-ba- and ie quite often. The other day we thought we heard the ki in kitty but you haven't done it since. You do however say ma-ma in context and out of a lot. You say it the most when you are upset and want me.
Although you and I spend the most time together, you prefer daddy to feed you, you eat so much better for him. However you like to climb on me, pull my hair and mooterboat. You have a serious foot/toe fetish. You love to bite my toes! It is so funny but painful too. I think it is all those games of kissy feet we played.
This month has been packed with so much fun and joy for our family. Daddy and I love you so much. We have such a great time watching you grow and change each day. You are the best little boy we could have ever wished for and we wouldn't change you or trade you for the world.
Love,
Your Mommy
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sleep Traning
R and I bit the bullet and started sleep training last week. We had tried the No Cry Sleep Solution, which after night two I was calling the No Sleep Everyone Cries Solution, it lasted till the middle of night 4 when I gave in BF him till he was asleep and then went to sleep myself. I just could not do it and the fact that the book tells you it could take weeks and even months to work made me okay with stopping.
Bitting the bullet and Ferbering was HARD but in the end it was the best thing for us and Riley. Why did I finally decide to Ferber (method of sleep training)?
1) I have done it before, and while I know it sucks. It also WORKS!
2) Riley's sleep was getting worse again. And by worse I mean that 6-8 times a night he would get up for any where from 15minutes to an hour and half.
3) He slept longer than 2 hours one night and I dreamed I was being arrested for shaking my son to death. I then ran into his room and cried over him for a good 20 minutes till R came in and got me back into bed.
4) Lack of sleep was now effecting not just me and Riley but also R's job.
5) Timing. Riley is 8 almost 9 months letting him cry isn't as big of a deal as when he was 5 or 6 months. I was/am also ready to night wean. I also knew if we waited much longer it would be even harder because he would be learning new skills.
I can honestly say that when we started Ferber I was ready, I was scared as hell but I also knew something had to change. People kept telling me that it would get better but Riley showed no signs of that happening and like I said things were getting worse. I know that while I was still doing a lot of second guessing the first day by night fall I had decided we had to at least give this a try. R and I committed to a week and no more than 3 hours of Riley crying in a row. Traditional Ferber would have you let them cry all night as long as you keep going in, both of us were not okay with that.
I kept a log of our nights here is how they went:
Night 1:
It all went very well given how hard I thought it was going to be. He showed sleepy signs a little early yesterday so we put him down at 6:40 he didn't cry hard at first but about 10 minutes in he screamed like holy hell. I found it easier to go in with R than not to because then I could see that he was okay. We spent the time he cried watching TV so that we could not hear him all that much. It took him 50 minutes to go to sleep.
He then woke twice last night. Once at 11pm and once at 3am. Again we went into the living room and watched TV because our bedroom is next to his and no matter what we could hear him crying in there. It took him 40 minutes the first time and 30 the second for him to fall asleep.. For these only R went in. We figured this was best since we were trying to night wean as well. Riley woke this am at 5:50 only 10 minutes before his "normal" wake up. We decided to let it slide and just bring him into bed for his am feeding. I couldn't believe how much he was slurping down! He still only took one side, but that side was FULL since I hadn't feed all night.
I realize things are likely to get worse tonight or tomorrow before they get a lot better but I now know at least a little of what to expect. I feel really good about it. I didn't cry at all over him crying. I let R handle going in and stayed out of the way, big step for me. I only wanted to cave once and it was brief, he had just gotten to what we thought was asleep when he let out this pitiful yell and then was quite. I feel ready to do it again tonight, knowing that we really have made the best choice for Riley.
Question: When you go in... what do you do? Do you just check on him and leave, does he see you?
We debated a lot about what to do when we go in. For us we pick up ONLY if he is standing. We do this because a) if he is standing then he is still very much awake and b) he still has trouble getting down some times. We always say "We love you" and then that we know he is frustrated and tired, that we know this is hard for him but he needs to learn how to go to sleep. Then "It is time for sleep. We love you, good night" and we leave. He tends to scream a little more right when we leave but he calms down. Since we are also night weaning I only went in when we put him down the first time. For the rest DH went in. I could tell this was hard on him but he did GREAT and I made sure to tell him so a lot. If he is laying down or sitting down then we stroke his head or pat his bottom, both things I do when I nursed to sleep. I figured the soothed him before so they should be soothing now too, at least I hope so. As for when we go in tonight we did 3 minutes then 7 then 12, going in every 12 till he is asleep.
Night 2:
Tonight we went in at 4 then 8 then 12 this will be what we do from here on out.
As I thought night 2 was harder, not really from a physical standpoint but from an emotional one. First it took me till 10:30 last night to get to sleep, which is only late compared to the time I had been going to bed (8pm).
It took Riley only 15 minutes to go to bed last night! He did still cry but not as hard. He still got up at 11 and then once again it took him a very short period of time to get to sleep about 20 minutes. At 2 he woke again but this time it was a 1/2 hour to get back to sleep and he cried harder than the other two times. This was by far hardest on me. My breasts are full and I just wanted to make sure he was okay but I knew if I did it would make things worse. Plus while R was amazing the first night, last night I could tell he resented having to be the one to go in. I hate that he feels that way. However I don't think he realizes how much I let him sleep when I was BFing and up 7, 8 or even 9 times a night. I don't know what to do about him feeling this way. I am not going to be able to go in to soothe for at least the next week.
Night 3
It took him 15 minutes to go to sleep, he didn't cry all the time but did off and on. I must admit to thinking this would be the worst night. I figured the shoe would drop any second. When he woke at 8:25 after going down at 7 I figured "here we go" but when R went in he saw that he was asleep and crying from trying to roll over and hitting his head on the crib. He moved him from the corner to the middle of the crib and in less than a minute Riley was once again asleep. Riley woke up once more that night and cried for under 30 minutes before he went back to sleep.
Like the night before R was the only one to go in and he kept the same intervals as night two 4, 8, and 12.
Night 4:
Had two wake ups and each time cried for about 20 minutes.
Night 5:
STTN! Yep you read that right he fucking slept from 7pm till 5:50 am.
Night 6-10:
These nights we had only one wake up and it between 4-5am. It sucks that he still cries for a long time (20-50) but each night he cries less, and when I put him down at night he goes right to sleep no tears at all.
Has it been worth it? Yes. If he had only been getting up twice a night then I would say no but I was getting so little sleep some nights it was as if I hadn't slept at all. It still hurts like hell to listen to him cry but where I was before we ferbered was at the end of a rope about to hang myself. For our family this was the right choice no matter how much I hated the idea of it.
Long Term Effects: I am still worried about this. Riley's temper has gotten worse. When he wants the boob he means NOW! It breaks my heart that he thinks I won't give it to him but after all isn't that what we are doing at night? It still hurts though and I am sure to have a bunch of mommy guilt over this for years and years to come.
If you have Q's about something I didn't cover leave it in a comment I will be happy to clarify.
Bitting the bullet and Ferbering was HARD but in the end it was the best thing for us and Riley. Why did I finally decide to Ferber (method of sleep training)?
1) I have done it before, and while I know it sucks. It also WORKS!
2) Riley's sleep was getting worse again. And by worse I mean that 6-8 times a night he would get up for any where from 15minutes to an hour and half.
3) He slept longer than 2 hours one night and I dreamed I was being arrested for shaking my son to death. I then ran into his room and cried over him for a good 20 minutes till R came in and got me back into bed.
4) Lack of sleep was now effecting not just me and Riley but also R's job.
5) Timing. Riley is 8 almost 9 months letting him cry isn't as big of a deal as when he was 5 or 6 months. I was/am also ready to night wean. I also knew if we waited much longer it would be even harder because he would be learning new skills.
I can honestly say that when we started Ferber I was ready, I was scared as hell but I also knew something had to change. People kept telling me that it would get better but Riley showed no signs of that happening and like I said things were getting worse. I know that while I was still doing a lot of second guessing the first day by night fall I had decided we had to at least give this a try. R and I committed to a week and no more than 3 hours of Riley crying in a row. Traditional Ferber would have you let them cry all night as long as you keep going in, both of us were not okay with that.
I kept a log of our nights here is how they went:
Night 1:
It all went very well given how hard I thought it was going to be. He showed sleepy signs a little early yesterday so we put him down at 6:40 he didn't cry hard at first but about 10 minutes in he screamed like holy hell. I found it easier to go in with R than not to because then I could see that he was okay. We spent the time he cried watching TV so that we could not hear him all that much. It took him 50 minutes to go to sleep.
He then woke twice last night. Once at 11pm and once at 3am. Again we went into the living room and watched TV because our bedroom is next to his and no matter what we could hear him crying in there. It took him 40 minutes the first time and 30 the second for him to fall asleep.. For these only R went in. We figured this was best since we were trying to night wean as well. Riley woke this am at 5:50 only 10 minutes before his "normal" wake up. We decided to let it slide and just bring him into bed for his am feeding. I couldn't believe how much he was slurping down! He still only took one side, but that side was FULL since I hadn't feed all night.
I realize things are likely to get worse tonight or tomorrow before they get a lot better but I now know at least a little of what to expect. I feel really good about it. I didn't cry at all over him crying. I let R handle going in and stayed out of the way, big step for me. I only wanted to cave once and it was brief, he had just gotten to what we thought was asleep when he let out this pitiful yell and then was quite. I feel ready to do it again tonight, knowing that we really have made the best choice for Riley.
Question: When you go in... what do you do? Do you just check on him and leave, does he see you?
We debated a lot about what to do when we go in. For us we pick up ONLY if he is standing. We do this because a) if he is standing then he is still very much awake and b) he still has trouble getting down some times. We always say "We love you" and then that we know he is frustrated and tired, that we know this is hard for him but he needs to learn how to go to sleep. Then "It is time for sleep. We love you, good night" and we leave. He tends to scream a little more right when we leave but he calms down. Since we are also night weaning I only went in when we put him down the first time. For the rest DH went in. I could tell this was hard on him but he did GREAT and I made sure to tell him so a lot. If he is laying down or sitting down then we stroke his head or pat his bottom, both things I do when I nursed to sleep. I figured the soothed him before so they should be soothing now too, at least I hope so. As for when we go in tonight we did 3 minutes then 7 then 12, going in every 12 till he is asleep.
Night 2:
Tonight we went in at 4 then 8 then 12 this will be what we do from here on out.
As I thought night 2 was harder, not really from a physical standpoint but from an emotional one. First it took me till 10:30 last night to get to sleep, which is only late compared to the time I had been going to bed (8pm).
It took Riley only 15 minutes to go to bed last night! He did still cry but not as hard. He still got up at 11 and then once again it took him a very short period of time to get to sleep about 20 minutes. At 2 he woke again but this time it was a 1/2 hour to get back to sleep and he cried harder than the other two times. This was by far hardest on me. My breasts are full and I just wanted to make sure he was okay but I knew if I did it would make things worse. Plus while R was amazing the first night, last night I could tell he resented having to be the one to go in. I hate that he feels that way. However I don't think he realizes how much I let him sleep when I was BFing and up 7, 8 or even 9 times a night. I don't know what to do about him feeling this way. I am not going to be able to go in to soothe for at least the next week.
Night 3
It took him 15 minutes to go to sleep, he didn't cry all the time but did off and on. I must admit to thinking this would be the worst night. I figured the shoe would drop any second. When he woke at 8:25 after going down at 7 I figured "here we go" but when R went in he saw that he was asleep and crying from trying to roll over and hitting his head on the crib. He moved him from the corner to the middle of the crib and in less than a minute Riley was once again asleep. Riley woke up once more that night and cried for under 30 minutes before he went back to sleep.
Like the night before R was the only one to go in and he kept the same intervals as night two 4, 8, and 12.
Night 4:
Had two wake ups and each time cried for about 20 minutes.
Night 5:
STTN! Yep you read that right he fucking slept from 7pm till 5:50 am.
Night 6-10:
These nights we had only one wake up and it between 4-5am. It sucks that he still cries for a long time (20-50) but each night he cries less, and when I put him down at night he goes right to sleep no tears at all.
Has it been worth it? Yes. If he had only been getting up twice a night then I would say no but I was getting so little sleep some nights it was as if I hadn't slept at all. It still hurts like hell to listen to him cry but where I was before we ferbered was at the end of a rope about to hang myself. For our family this was the right choice no matter how much I hated the idea of it.
Long Term Effects: I am still worried about this. Riley's temper has gotten worse. When he wants the boob he means NOW! It breaks my heart that he thinks I won't give it to him but after all isn't that what we are doing at night? It still hurts though and I am sure to have a bunch of mommy guilt over this for years and years to come.
If you have Q's about something I didn't cover leave it in a comment I will be happy to clarify.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Solid Foods
I request was made for me to talk about solid foods, but I am not exactly sure what to say about it.
Let me start by saying I had every intention of making all organic, all local grown baby food. Pusha! That quickly went down the drain, let me tell you baby food can be difficult! I did carrots four times before I got them to work, and even once they were smooth they didn't taste very good. Plus it was a HUGE time commitment for me. So now I make about 1/3 of his food. I mostly make the fruits because they are easy and quick and yummy. I leave the meats and most of the veggies to those who know what they are doing. I still try to buy all organic, but he has had a few non organic ones. Like mangoes which he loves!
As for the order in which we went I started with oatmeal. Rice cereal has gluten and is known to cause constipation, Riley was already a reluctant pooper we didn't need him even more backed up. Then we did avocado (homemade= h-m)! Oh how he loved this! Now not so much and I can't figure out why. Followed clossly by sweet potatoes and then applesauce. We then did carrots, blueberries, peas, squash, and pears. Rather than introduce all veggies and then the fruits I mixed them up. But we also started at 6 months not 4 like so many people do now. I will get to why 6months and not 4 in a second. Then we did meats, given the sleep issues I chose to start with turkey. He has also had chicken but not any beef or other meats. At 8 months (on the day) we started yogurt. I feel strongly that Riley needs to at least partly wean by a year. After all at the time he was up at night eating 5-9 times, you would want to partly wean to if you were me!
When to start: R has massive, food issues and in-tolerances. We have kept Riley away from all things R can't have in the hopes that he won't develop the same issues. I also don't feel babies need or are ready for "real" food till after 6 months. That said we introduced 'early' because 2 different drs promised it would help the reflux. (cough) BULLSHIT (cough. However Riley had tongue thrust issues that made getting food into his tummy a challenge and so we quickly stopped and re-introduced foods at 6 months. Things went much smoother from then on. I will be honest that while I feel strongly that waiting till 6 months was right for us, I have no idea if it is right for you or anyone else. And quite frankly that goes with just about all my parenting choices, except maybe circumcision, that I can get a little judgy about.
If this doesn't cover what you wanted to know let me know.
Let me start by saying I had every intention of making all organic, all local grown baby food. Pusha! That quickly went down the drain, let me tell you baby food can be difficult! I did carrots four times before I got them to work, and even once they were smooth they didn't taste very good. Plus it was a HUGE time commitment for me. So now I make about 1/3 of his food. I mostly make the fruits because they are easy and quick and yummy. I leave the meats and most of the veggies to those who know what they are doing. I still try to buy all organic, but he has had a few non organic ones. Like mangoes which he loves!
As for the order in which we went I started with oatmeal. Rice cereal has gluten and is known to cause constipation, Riley was already a reluctant pooper we didn't need him even more backed up. Then we did avocado (homemade= h-m)! Oh how he loved this! Now not so much and I can't figure out why. Followed clossly by sweet potatoes and then applesauce. We then did carrots, blueberries, peas, squash, and pears. Rather than introduce all veggies and then the fruits I mixed them up. But we also started at 6 months not 4 like so many people do now. I will get to why 6months and not 4 in a second. Then we did meats, given the sleep issues I chose to start with turkey. He has also had chicken but not any beef or other meats. At 8 months (on the day) we started yogurt. I feel strongly that Riley needs to at least partly wean by a year. After all at the time he was up at night eating 5-9 times, you would want to partly wean to if you were me!
When to start: R has massive, food issues and in-tolerances. We have kept Riley away from all things R can't have in the hopes that he won't develop the same issues. I also don't feel babies need or are ready for "real" food till after 6 months. That said we introduced 'early' because 2 different drs promised it would help the reflux. (cough) BULLSHIT (cough. However Riley had tongue thrust issues that made getting food into his tummy a challenge and so we quickly stopped and re-introduced foods at 6 months. Things went much smoother from then on. I will be honest that while I feel strongly that waiting till 6 months was right for us, I have no idea if it is right for you or anyone else. And quite frankly that goes with just about all my parenting choices, except maybe circumcision, that I can get a little judgy about.
If this doesn't cover what you wanted to know let me know.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Ugg, here we go again
We started night weaning this week, as well as sleep training but that is the next post, and the timing really could not have been worse. I had just gotten over my period and so my supply was already low. I also had just gone back to school. School means I miss his lunch feeding, and since I can't pump at school my body thinks that 2 days a week Riley doesn't need that feeding. My regular pump has lost 1/2 its suction as well, so while it works great for overnights when my breasts feel like they might exsplode it does crap shit nothing to help increase/maintain a supply. Add to all this that Riley's day intake has gone through the roof, because he isn't taking in anything in at night, and you have a massive supply issue. So, I called up my local breast pump center and rented one for a week. Thus, "Ugg, here we go again"
baby proofing
Riley is CRAWLING! It is very exciting and scary at the same time. R is NOT good about picking up after himself and despite that I have been baby proofing for a few weeks now, not all of it is done. But at least after years of nanning I have a handle on how to go about baby proofing. In the hopes that others might learn from what I have seen here is my advice:
1) Start early! Start before they crawl, and can get everywhere. I promise in the long run you will be thankful.
2) Biggest dangers are poison, outlets and if you have them stairs. Start there! Do under the bathroom sink and the kitchen first, that is were most people store chemicals. Do the outlets in the "play room" first and then work your way through the rooms from most used to least, and don't forget the hall ways!
3) Secure things to the walls!!! We have a LARGE book case in the living area. You can be darn sure that thing is bolted to the wall!
4) Get onto the floor and look around. Seeing things from a baby view will help you baby proof.
5) When you think you are done invite a friend with a toddler over. I am sure they will help you find all the things you have missed. Stick out tongue
1) Start early! Start before they crawl, and can get everywhere. I promise in the long run you will be thankful.
2) Biggest dangers are poison, outlets and if you have them stairs. Start there! Do under the bathroom sink and the kitchen first, that is were most people store chemicals. Do the outlets in the "play room" first and then work your way through the rooms from most used to least, and don't forget the hall ways!
3) Secure things to the walls!!! We have a LARGE book case in the living area. You can be darn sure that thing is bolted to the wall!
4) Get onto the floor and look around. Seeing things from a baby view will help you baby proof.
5) When you think you are done invite a friend with a toddler over. I am sure they will help you find all the things you have missed. Stick out tongue
Monday, August 24, 2009
Me Me ME!
I might write this blog but sometimes very little of it is actually about me. I feel as if motherhood has swallowed me up in some regards, breastfeeding and a baby that doesn't sleep do not help the issue.
So last week in the hopes of doing something NOT baby related where my primary role was not that of mother, I went back to school. I got a few strange looks when I announced this to other moms, but for the most part it was well received. i still felt like it was a selfish choice in some ways but then was reminded be friends of all the benefits to Riley:
1) Time in someone else's care really is good for him because one day he will be in day care and it will be good if that isn't too much of a shock for him.
2) Well educated parents are an indicator of success in the educational setting. (This is why pre-school forms ask for amount of parental education on enrollment forms.)
3) A happier mommy! And a happier mommy is a more interactive mommy.
It isn't even like I am gone that long, it is one measly class that I will at some point need for grad school, but 2.5 hours away twice a week is heavenly! I am loving it for so many reasons:
1) I love school, even if my class is economics.
2) It makes me get out of the house.
3) Adult conversation is wonderful! Especially when it isn't on the topic of poop!
4) It is clearing cobwebs from my brain.
5) There is a ton of analysis in economics! Yes I am one of those people who thrives on analysis. I find it fun!
So far Riley is loving his time with grandma and I am loving my time too. It is amazing how quickly you can forget who you are when the title of MOM comes along. For now this is how I am keeping that title from taking over my life. It isn't much but it is a small step.
So last week in the hopes of doing something NOT baby related where my primary role was not that of mother, I went back to school. I got a few strange looks when I announced this to other moms, but for the most part it was well received. i still felt like it was a selfish choice in some ways but then was reminded be friends of all the benefits to Riley:
1) Time in someone else's care really is good for him because one day he will be in day care and it will be good if that isn't too much of a shock for him.
2) Well educated parents are an indicator of success in the educational setting. (This is why pre-school forms ask for amount of parental education on enrollment forms.)
3) A happier mommy! And a happier mommy is a more interactive mommy.
It isn't even like I am gone that long, it is one measly class that I will at some point need for grad school, but 2.5 hours away twice a week is heavenly! I am loving it for so many reasons:
1) I love school, even if my class is economics.
2) It makes me get out of the house.
3) Adult conversation is wonderful! Especially when it isn't on the topic of poop!
4) It is clearing cobwebs from my brain.
5) There is a ton of analysis in economics! Yes I am one of those people who thrives on analysis. I find it fun!
So far Riley is loving his time with grandma and I am loving my time too. It is amazing how quickly you can forget who you are when the title of MOM comes along. For now this is how I am keeping that title from taking over my life. It isn't much but it is a small step.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Letting Go
Sorry for not being here in a while. I have a few things on my mind so there are going to be a bunch of short posts in the next few days.
Letting Go
I am good about not freaking on developmental milestones, except one, crawling! Riley is not crawling and it is making me worry. It isn't about his age, 8 months, but the fact that he was a c-section baby. One of the BIG benefits of coming out the "right way" is that getting squeezed increases the connection of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Crawling is a skill that further increases that connection. My mommy guilt needs him to crawl soon, I still hate my c-section, still feel jiped out of one of the most amazing things on earth, and I still have LOTS of guilt that if I had done a b or c differently the c-section could have been avoided. Told you I had a lot of mommy guilt on the subject. I have wanted him to crawl so that those two parts of the brain are well connected, and to lessen my own guilt.
But today I am letting it go. I know I will be really excited and thrilled when it happens but I am starting to feel like I am waiting for Mr. Right to come along. You know how when you are single and looking for mr. right everyone says he will come along when you least expect it. Well that was most defiantly the case for me, and I am hoping by letting go my obsession with crawling he masters it soon.
Letting Go
I am good about not freaking on developmental milestones, except one, crawling! Riley is not crawling and it is making me worry. It isn't about his age, 8 months, but the fact that he was a c-section baby. One of the BIG benefits of coming out the "right way" is that getting squeezed increases the connection of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Crawling is a skill that further increases that connection. My mommy guilt needs him to crawl soon, I still hate my c-section, still feel jiped out of one of the most amazing things on earth, and I still have LOTS of guilt that if I had done a b or c differently the c-section could have been avoided. Told you I had a lot of mommy guilt on the subject. I have wanted him to crawl so that those two parts of the brain are well connected, and to lessen my own guilt.
But today I am letting it go. I know I will be really excited and thrilled when it happens but I am starting to feel like I am waiting for Mr. Right to come along. You know how when you are single and looking for mr. right everyone says he will come along when you least expect it. Well that was most defiantly the case for me, and I am hoping by letting go my obsession with crawling he masters it soon.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Dear Riley,
Dear Riley,
You are now 8 months old and daily I find myself wondering where my little 6 pound baby went. There is no longer any sign of him, which makes me both sad and excited. You are learning so much these days. This month you got to the seated position on your own, pulled up to standing, and are now hands and knees rocking although you have yet to crawl. I am certain that next month will bring me a crawling little boy. I think you will be happier when you crawl too, although I might start losing my hair, because right now you are frustrated a lot when things are just out of reach.
You look like a little boy now too. Gone are the baby features I loved. Your hair is still soft your checks still rosie but they resemble those of a toddler now more than an infant. I am excited for what the futre holds for those looks of yours. You are a handsome little guy and people stop us every day to tell us how cute and beautiful you are.
In the last week you have gone from babilling a little to babbiling a LOT. You hold conversations with strangers, with us and even by yourself. It is adorable! You also have a little bit of stranger anxiety coming out. Your motto was once a smile for a smile but now you are more stingy with people you don't know. You still seem to have plenty of smiles for family, including grandparents and mom and dad.
You are officially to big for the infant car seat, which makes naps more difficult if you fall asleep in the car. You just don't transition well. You still aren't sleeping well. We had swine flu this month and it wasn't as bad as the hype. It did however bring a week straight of you getting up every 45 minutes all night long. To say we are exausted is an understatement. I can no longer tolerate anyone who tells me how tired they are because their child was up 2-3 times at night. Despite the lack of sleep we wouldn't trade you for any other baby in the world, but we do hope you sleep better this month. I threaten you weekly that I will buy the Ferber book. You just smile at me, I think you know I don't have the heart.
Your first tooth broke through the gums, giving us more challenges when it comes to breast feeding. I am still hanging in there though. You however need to learn 1) not to bite and 2) that you can't rub the tooth along my nipple. THAT HURTS KID! I am holding onto hope that we will get to breast feed till 18 months, even if it is just am and bed time.
My favorite memory from this month is when you stood for the first time. You were so proud of your self! You just beamed with delight! It was adorable and it warmed my heart.
I am looking forward to what this next month brings. I am sure it will be a ton of fun just as the last 8 months have been.
Love Your Mommy,
Ariel
You are now 8 months old and daily I find myself wondering where my little 6 pound baby went. There is no longer any sign of him, which makes me both sad and excited. You are learning so much these days. This month you got to the seated position on your own, pulled up to standing, and are now hands and knees rocking although you have yet to crawl. I am certain that next month will bring me a crawling little boy. I think you will be happier when you crawl too, although I might start losing my hair, because right now you are frustrated a lot when things are just out of reach.
You look like a little boy now too. Gone are the baby features I loved. Your hair is still soft your checks still rosie but they resemble those of a toddler now more than an infant. I am excited for what the futre holds for those looks of yours. You are a handsome little guy and people stop us every day to tell us how cute and beautiful you are.
In the last week you have gone from babilling a little to babbiling a LOT. You hold conversations with strangers, with us and even by yourself. It is adorable! You also have a little bit of stranger anxiety coming out. Your motto was once a smile for a smile but now you are more stingy with people you don't know. You still seem to have plenty of smiles for family, including grandparents and mom and dad.
You are officially to big for the infant car seat, which makes naps more difficult if you fall asleep in the car. You just don't transition well. You still aren't sleeping well. We had swine flu this month and it wasn't as bad as the hype. It did however bring a week straight of you getting up every 45 minutes all night long. To say we are exausted is an understatement. I can no longer tolerate anyone who tells me how tired they are because their child was up 2-3 times at night. Despite the lack of sleep we wouldn't trade you for any other baby in the world, but we do hope you sleep better this month. I threaten you weekly that I will buy the Ferber book. You just smile at me, I think you know I don't have the heart.
Your first tooth broke through the gums, giving us more challenges when it comes to breast feeding. I am still hanging in there though. You however need to learn 1) not to bite and 2) that you can't rub the tooth along my nipple. THAT HURTS KID! I am holding onto hope that we will get to breast feed till 18 months, even if it is just am and bed time.
My favorite memory from this month is when you stood for the first time. You were so proud of your self! You just beamed with delight! It was adorable and it warmed my heart.
I am looking forward to what this next month brings. I am sure it will be a ton of fun just as the last 8 months have been.
Love Your Mommy,
Ariel
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Sleep Deprivation
Just because I stooped posting about it doesn't mean it isn't continuing to happen. Sleep is still an issue for us, a normal night includes him waking up about 5-7 times each for about 20-30minutes. Last week he started moving up the wake up time. UGG! We tried everything, car rides, ignoring him till he was crying, moving up bedtime but nothing worked. Then this AM he slept till 6 am. It was bliss!
We are currently working on unswaddling, and last night I am proud to say he slept unswaddled all night long. This is a huge accomplishment for us. He also only woke up 3 times, obviously I would love for this trend to continue but we will see. We have introduced a lovie for him at night and he seems to find comfort in them, he won't put himself back to sleep but at least they help.
I have found that if you really want to stress out a relationship, don't let the people sleep. I have been awful to R the last few weeks and just sick and tired of everything he does, not because it is all that annoying but because when you are sleep deprived for long periods of time you are bound to get wound a little tight.
But all that did lead to us having some good talks about household jobs and Riley's care. And now things are a little more even in the chores department. And he is getting better about giving me time to myself. Which now includes sleeping in at least once if not twice a week! It is just an extra 2 hours but those 2 hours are heaven!
I have no idea when the sleep deprivation will stop, but for now we are managing. I would love it if 3 times a night became the new norm, I know that sounds crazy since lots of 7 month old STTN but at this point 3 times a night sounds like heaven.
We are currently working on unswaddling, and last night I am proud to say he slept unswaddled all night long. This is a huge accomplishment for us. He also only woke up 3 times, obviously I would love for this trend to continue but we will see. We have introduced a lovie for him at night and he seems to find comfort in them, he won't put himself back to sleep but at least they help.
I have found that if you really want to stress out a relationship, don't let the people sleep. I have been awful to R the last few weeks and just sick and tired of everything he does, not because it is all that annoying but because when you are sleep deprived for long periods of time you are bound to get wound a little tight.
But all that did lead to us having some good talks about household jobs and Riley's care. And now things are a little more even in the chores department. And he is getting better about giving me time to myself. Which now includes sleeping in at least once if not twice a week! It is just an extra 2 hours but those 2 hours are heaven!
I have no idea when the sleep deprivation will stop, but for now we are managing. I would love it if 3 times a night became the new norm, I know that sounds crazy since lots of 7 month old STTN but at this point 3 times a night sounds like heaven.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Suplementation ?
Every month for 7 months now my supply drops and then BOOM me period shows. This month it was a double wammy because she was late and I had gotten my hopes up that I was pg. Stupid me!
Every time she shows it is a battle of will to keep my supply going, I eat oatmeal and eggs for breakfast, double my protien intake and drink enough water to fill a swimming pool. Sometimes we even rent a hospital grade pump because while my PIS is great it is not any where close to a hospital grade pump. This month when she came R and I had a talk, I don't want to rent a pump again I told him. I just want to see what happens with my supply.
And so that is what we are doing. A few outcomes are possable:
a) my supply bounces back just fine
b) my supply takes a hit and we do some suplementing but overtime it comes back and we just supplement when my period shows up
c) we supplement all the time because my suply doesn't come back
d) We supplement now and then wean (not what I want to do)
I feel okay about a and b but not c and d makes me very sad, but at the same time I know I can't continue to be tied to my pump. I feel like I have no life when I am pumping after every meal and that is what it takes for me to regain my supply sometimes. I just don't want to keep doing that. Ofcourse if it looks likd d is going to happen then I will be renting that hospital pump. As ready as I am to not be tied to nursing, I am not ready to give up the benifits for my son.
Every time she shows it is a battle of will to keep my supply going, I eat oatmeal and eggs for breakfast, double my protien intake and drink enough water to fill a swimming pool. Sometimes we even rent a hospital grade pump because while my PIS is great it is not any where close to a hospital grade pump. This month when she came R and I had a talk, I don't want to rent a pump again I told him. I just want to see what happens with my supply.
And so that is what we are doing. A few outcomes are possable:
a) my supply bounces back just fine
b) my supply takes a hit and we do some suplementing but overtime it comes back and we just supplement when my period shows up
c) we supplement all the time because my suply doesn't come back
d) We supplement now and then wean (not what I want to do)
I feel okay about a and b but not c and d makes me very sad, but at the same time I know I can't continue to be tied to my pump. I feel like I have no life when I am pumping after every meal and that is what it takes for me to regain my supply sometimes. I just don't want to keep doing that. Ofcourse if it looks likd d is going to happen then I will be renting that hospital pump. As ready as I am to not be tied to nursing, I am not ready to give up the benifits for my son.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Funny Things this Week
It has been a bad day. Just a bad day in general so I want to take a momment to remember the funny or just feel good momments of this week.
Tuesday: Leaving in the morning to visit Auntie Shannon, R asked me "you got everything you need" I responded with "no" and he asked me what I forgot and I told him "I won't know that till I need it"
Today: Walking into Day One "Long time," says the worker there "what can I help you with" and when I tell her I am there for the class she says "no you aren't" I tell her I pre-paid and she says "you aren't on my list." Then I tell her " Your list has last weeks date on it, I want to go to the class for today."
Just now: This is my conversation wth DH.
Him: "What is for dinner?" Me: "In and out" Him: ......okay..... (realizing this means he needs to pick it up because he works right by the closest one, and if he is smart wondering if I am pg)
PS NOT pg
Tuesday: Leaving in the morning to visit Auntie Shannon, R asked me "you got everything you need" I responded with "no" and he asked me what I forgot and I told him "I won't know that till I need it"
Today: Walking into Day One "Long time," says the worker there "what can I help you with" and when I tell her I am there for the class she says "no you aren't" I tell her I pre-paid and she says "you aren't on my list." Then I tell her " Your list has last weeks date on it, I want to go to the class for today."
Just now: This is my conversation wth DH.
Him: "What is for dinner?" Me: "In and out" Him: ......okay..... (realizing this means he needs to pick it up because he works right by the closest one, and if he is smart wondering if I am pg)
PS NOT pg
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Foodie
You would never know it by looking at my kid but he really hates to eat. What other kid reverse cycle eats (ie takes most of he feeds at night) and won't open up his mouth to eat. Yet Riley is still in the 75th % for weight, that is some darn good boobie juice! A week ago Sunday we had a break through, he opened his mouth for the avacado, then the sweet potatoes and then a few day later for the rice cereal. However get the applesauce anywhere near him and "Oh hell no" he seems to say shaking his head. He eats better when he isn't in his high chair or if we are out of the house, but no matter where we are the applesause is a no, do not pass go, do not collect 100 dollars. I am told that this phase will pass, even though no one can tell me when, and that it is the plight of many reflux mommies and daddies. For lunch I some times try to sweeten him up with showtunes, after all he is my kid and in the worst of moods singing seems to be the only thing to calm him down and brigten his day. So as I belted out "food gourious food" and I came to this realization: He might have R's looks but this is SO my kid! He has my personality all the way. When he wants something he wants it now and he wants thigs done his way. He likes to have all the control and do nust about everything himself. It is likely his first words will be "No, I do it!". We have in the last week had not one but TWO new feeding firsts. It can't be described so I will just share a pic:
And then he learned to feed himself! I would share the video but I can't figure out how to get it to upload. Can someone help me?
And then he learned to feed himself! I would share the video but I can't figure out how to get it to upload. Can someone help me?
Monday, July 13, 2009
Grandma G's Visit
R's mom visited us last week and we all had a good time. She is just smitten with Riley, and he loved her too. When he first saw her he did cry a little he must have been wondering who the smiling blond was because up until this point in his life all the blondes he knows (is R's step mother) have perpetual scouwls. But he quickly adjusted to her and by the end of the week he was bouncing on her leg like he had know her for years.
R took 4 days off while she was here, one was a vacation day for the company and the other three he used were just regular vacation days. It was so nice having him home for that long, even if things did fall apart at his work. Riley really loved all the attention too. I don't think he was left along for longer than 5 seconds the whole visit.
On the 4th R's mom's side of the family had a big GTG which was fun, unless you were R who hated the whole thing. He doesn't get along with her family. Riley liked all the attention and was his normal smilie self. Everyone wanted to hold him but R and I had agreed before hand that no one but us would be holding him. Mean? Sure but only R and I are the ones who would have had to deal with an over stimulated baby if we had let him be passed around. Thankfully most people understood.
For the rest of the visit we mostly just hung out at home or did lunch out. We all had a good time and it was sweet to watch Riley interact with his other Grandma.
R took 4 days off while she was here, one was a vacation day for the company and the other three he used were just regular vacation days. It was so nice having him home for that long, even if things did fall apart at his work. Riley really loved all the attention too. I don't think he was left along for longer than 5 seconds the whole visit.
On the 4th R's mom's side of the family had a big GTG which was fun, unless you were R who hated the whole thing. He doesn't get along with her family. Riley liked all the attention and was his normal smilie self. Everyone wanted to hold him but R and I had agreed before hand that no one but us would be holding him. Mean? Sure but only R and I are the ones who would have had to deal with an over stimulated baby if we had let him be passed around. Thankfully most people understood.
For the rest of the visit we mostly just hung out at home or did lunch out. We all had a good time and it was sweet to watch Riley interact with his other Grandma.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
A Thank You Note
Dear Shannon and Holly,
I don't know that I could ever find the words to properly thank you for all that you do for my family. I know that I am a better mother thanks to having you as friends. I have never been one to be able to function on such little sleep, but thanks to you guys I can make it through knowing there is a light at the end of my sleepless tunnel, and that you guys will take him for a night when things get too hard. I have often had parents tell me that they couldn't have raised such wonderful kids without me as the nanny. I always thought they were exadurating but now I see how far a helping hand can go.
I know there are people who can and do raise children on thier own, but I am so thankful to not have to be one of them. You bring so much more to Riley's life than just more sleep for his parents. You also bring a new love, a new smiling face and people he can count on when he needs someone other than a mommy or daddy. I look forward to him growing up and having you two to turn to. I know you will always do what is best for him and that puts my mind at ease.
Thank you for everything that you do for us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I don't know that I will ever be able to repay you for the things you have done for us but I will try.
Love Always,
Ariel
I don't know that I could ever find the words to properly thank you for all that you do for my family. I know that I am a better mother thanks to having you as friends. I have never been one to be able to function on such little sleep, but thanks to you guys I can make it through knowing there is a light at the end of my sleepless tunnel, and that you guys will take him for a night when things get too hard. I have often had parents tell me that they couldn't have raised such wonderful kids without me as the nanny. I always thought they were exadurating but now I see how far a helping hand can go.
I know there are people who can and do raise children on thier own, but I am so thankful to not have to be one of them. You bring so much more to Riley's life than just more sleep for his parents. You also bring a new love, a new smiling face and people he can count on when he needs someone other than a mommy or daddy. I look forward to him growing up and having you two to turn to. I know you will always do what is best for him and that puts my mind at ease.
Thank you for everything that you do for us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I don't know that I will ever be able to repay you for the things you have done for us but I will try.
Love Always,
Ariel
Angelina Jolie makes it look too easy
R comented to me the other night that I give him mixed signals about BFing. That one minute I am talking about how beautiful it is and the next threatining not to nurse number 2. And he is right I do have a very love hate relationship with breastfeeding but given our situation I think that is normal.
When Riley was first born I LOVED to bf him. It was a highlight of my day and I waxed poeticly to anyone who would listen that every woman should at least try it and after trying it they would have no choice but to stick with it because it is suck a beautiful thing. Then as we all know Riley's refulx got worse, he then hit a reverse cycle eating pattern and nothing has been the same sense. That said there are moments I still love it, moments where he caresses my breast or latches on himself and is a good feeder that I remember why I love it so much.
The part I still hate about bfing is that Riley won't take a bottle, or at least he won't take it from anyone other than his Aunts. We recently gave up the bottle in hopes of using a sippy cup. It for the most part works but I still find my self mostly attached to the little guy. R has yet to be able to give him a full feeding, even though my mom was able to. This means any time I get free so does R, which would be fine if it weren't that he also gets other free time too. The scale definatly tips in his favor even if he fails to see it that way.
I am sure my love hate relationship is bound to continue for a while longer. After all I have made it this far and it would suck to give formula now. I am still playing with the idea of exstended breastfeeding but I think Riley will be fully weaned by 18 months, that takes us through flu season and will allow us to time it right with a developmental age where self weaning or child lead weaning is more common.
When Riley was first born I LOVED to bf him. It was a highlight of my day and I waxed poeticly to anyone who would listen that every woman should at least try it and after trying it they would have no choice but to stick with it because it is suck a beautiful thing. Then as we all know Riley's refulx got worse, he then hit a reverse cycle eating pattern and nothing has been the same sense. That said there are moments I still love it, moments where he caresses my breast or latches on himself and is a good feeder that I remember why I love it so much.
The part I still hate about bfing is that Riley won't take a bottle, or at least he won't take it from anyone other than his Aunts. We recently gave up the bottle in hopes of using a sippy cup. It for the most part works but I still find my self mostly attached to the little guy. R has yet to be able to give him a full feeding, even though my mom was able to. This means any time I get free so does R, which would be fine if it weren't that he also gets other free time too. The scale definatly tips in his favor even if he fails to see it that way.
I am sure my love hate relationship is bound to continue for a while longer. After all I have made it this far and it would suck to give formula now. I am still playing with the idea of exstended breastfeeding but I think Riley will be fully weaned by 18 months, that takes us through flu season and will allow us to time it right with a developmental age where self weaning or child lead weaning is more common.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Bad Mommy/ Dear Riley
In all the excitement of this week I forgot to write my 7 month letter on the 7th. So here it is a few days late.
Dear Riley,
Every day I love you more and more, you learn a new task and my heart expands even more. I am not sure how much bigger it can get but I am sure it will continue to expand.
You are growing into such a sweet smiling social little boy. You smile at strangers and are happy letting them cue over you, until one of them touches you and then, watch out stranger cause you scream. You must sense me tensing up because I do hate it when strangers touch you. When I introduce you to new people it only takes a few moments for you to warm up. This is nice and it makes social events easier for me.
Daddy and I still take you everywhere with us. Thankfully you are a good little boy and are happy in my arms no matter where we are, baby wearing also makes this so much easier.
These days we are spending lots of time on the floor. Your favorite toys are the stacking blocks, roar and woof (your lovies) and your three elephants; rino, greenie, and plush. We even have a song for Greenie the green elephant, about her driving her prius and composting too. I think daddy and I like the song more than you do.
Oh my do you love to be sang to. Your favorites at them moment are You are my Sunshine and Row Row Row Your Boat, but you also love U2, you must have my musical tastes.
We have settled into somewhat of a routine again at least during the day but your night sleep is still wacky. I wish i could say it was getting better. Dr Wonderful seems to think CIO is the answer or that at least I should stop feeding you at night but I can't stand to listen to you cry. I am just hoping they peater down on their own again. We have had a few nights of only 2 wakings recently, I love those nights! I have confidence you will STTN on your own when you are ready.
You have finally meet all your cousins and Aunts. You loved seeing them and they all loved you so much. Aunt Tracy and cousin Melody fought over holding you the whole time they were with you. Aunt Sheila loved getting on the floor and playing with you too while Uncle Peter watched. It is obvious you are loved by everyone, and why wouldn't they love you? you are the best baby in the world after all!
I am enjoying our play time so much these days, you interaction level is great and you have some obvious likes and dislikes. You whine when you don't get your way or don't like something. I know this is a normal 7 month thing but I really hate it. I look forward to you outgrowing that! But play time really has been fun. you sit on your own and hand me toys. You love it when we play with the sit and spin toy Grandma D got you. We just have a blast together.
Grandma G recently spent a week with us. You loved having her here and it made me wish she lived closer. You loved that she let you untie her shoe laces over and over again, something mommy and daddy don't let you do. And you also loved bouncing on her knee and standing up in her arms. She thought you were the best baby ever and loved making you laugh and smile.
This month you learned:
to roll!
to get onto your tummy from a sitting position
to feed yourself!
I am looking forward to what the next month brings. Will you crawl? You have been trying to army crawl. Will you finally get a tooth, after all you have been teething since you were 4 months old? Or will it be something I haven't seen coming? I look forward to finding out.
Dear Riley,
Every day I love you more and more, you learn a new task and my heart expands even more. I am not sure how much bigger it can get but I am sure it will continue to expand.
You are growing into such a sweet smiling social little boy. You smile at strangers and are happy letting them cue over you, until one of them touches you and then, watch out stranger cause you scream. You must sense me tensing up because I do hate it when strangers touch you. When I introduce you to new people it only takes a few moments for you to warm up. This is nice and it makes social events easier for me.
Daddy and I still take you everywhere with us. Thankfully you are a good little boy and are happy in my arms no matter where we are, baby wearing also makes this so much easier.
These days we are spending lots of time on the floor. Your favorite toys are the stacking blocks, roar and woof (your lovies) and your three elephants; rino, greenie, and plush. We even have a song for Greenie the green elephant, about her driving her prius and composting too. I think daddy and I like the song more than you do.
Oh my do you love to be sang to. Your favorites at them moment are You are my Sunshine and Row Row Row Your Boat, but you also love U2, you must have my musical tastes.
We have settled into somewhat of a routine again at least during the day but your night sleep is still wacky. I wish i could say it was getting better. Dr Wonderful seems to think CIO is the answer or that at least I should stop feeding you at night but I can't stand to listen to you cry. I am just hoping they peater down on their own again. We have had a few nights of only 2 wakings recently, I love those nights! I have confidence you will STTN on your own when you are ready.
You have finally meet all your cousins and Aunts. You loved seeing them and they all loved you so much. Aunt Tracy and cousin Melody fought over holding you the whole time they were with you. Aunt Sheila loved getting on the floor and playing with you too while Uncle Peter watched. It is obvious you are loved by everyone, and why wouldn't they love you? you are the best baby in the world after all!
I am enjoying our play time so much these days, you interaction level is great and you have some obvious likes and dislikes. You whine when you don't get your way or don't like something. I know this is a normal 7 month thing but I really hate it. I look forward to you outgrowing that! But play time really has been fun. you sit on your own and hand me toys. You love it when we play with the sit and spin toy Grandma D got you. We just have a blast together.
Grandma G recently spent a week with us. You loved having her here and it made me wish she lived closer. You loved that she let you untie her shoe laces over and over again, something mommy and daddy don't let you do. And you also loved bouncing on her knee and standing up in her arms. She thought you were the best baby ever and loved making you laugh and smile.
This month you learned:
to roll!
to get onto your tummy from a sitting position
to feed yourself!
I am looking forward to what the next month brings. Will you crawl? You have been trying to army crawl. Will you finally get a tooth, after all you have been teething since you were 4 months old? Or will it be something I haven't seen coming? I look forward to finding out.
Friday, June 19, 2009
He eats!
For some this might seem like a silly thing to be all excited about but for a reflux mommy this is nothig short of a miracle. Most parents love to go on and on about what kind of exotic foods thier kids eat, us reflux parents are just excited when they willingly eat anything! When we started solids I had high hopes after all R and I both love food and did as a child too. But soon I realized that while most of the time Riley's reflux no longer rears its ugly head, it had left some lasting impreasons on my child.
We had started with oatmeal almost a month ago now and while the first day or two I was thrilled with just a spoonful or two I soon realized he was clamping down his mouth much more than I remember other kids doing at his age. We did oatmeal for two weeks before we moved on to sweet potaoes. We hadn't had much luck with oatmeal but I was sure it was just the taste. When he refused sweet potatoes a little alarm went off in my gut.
Could all those nasty meds have left my son not wanting anything in his mouth? Or could it be that for Riley food= pain still? Which ever it was, it was not a good thing. I spoke with a few other reflux moms and we all had the same story, a child who took the breast fine, and ocasionally took the bottle BUT would NOT touch food.
I brought up my concerns to his pedi at our well visit and he said "then stop feeding him, if meal time isn't fun then stop for a while" I was shocked as was R but we backed off and then yesterday as I ate my lunch Riley lunged for my plate. I smilled and said "would you like some" and then I got him out some of his food.
He procceded to eat two tablespoons of oatmeal and a table spoon of sweet potatoes! I nearly jumped for joy. My son is eating!
Like I said, no big deal to most moms, but it means the world to us Reflux moms.
We had started with oatmeal almost a month ago now and while the first day or two I was thrilled with just a spoonful or two I soon realized he was clamping down his mouth much more than I remember other kids doing at his age. We did oatmeal for two weeks before we moved on to sweet potaoes. We hadn't had much luck with oatmeal but I was sure it was just the taste. When he refused sweet potatoes a little alarm went off in my gut.
Could all those nasty meds have left my son not wanting anything in his mouth? Or could it be that for Riley food= pain still? Which ever it was, it was not a good thing. I spoke with a few other reflux moms and we all had the same story, a child who took the breast fine, and ocasionally took the bottle BUT would NOT touch food.
I brought up my concerns to his pedi at our well visit and he said "then stop feeding him, if meal time isn't fun then stop for a while" I was shocked as was R but we backed off and then yesterday as I ate my lunch Riley lunged for my plate. I smilled and said "would you like some" and then I got him out some of his food.
He procceded to eat two tablespoons of oatmeal and a table spoon of sweet potatoes! I nearly jumped for joy. My son is eating!
Like I said, no big deal to most moms, but it means the world to us Reflux moms.
No, wait I am not ready!
We are on the verge of a new developmental milestone, and while everyone else seems to be excited about it, I am not so sure. On one hand this new milestone is a good thing, it means he is developing well, and that his motor development is normal something that has been laging behind since about 3 months. It also will make me feel better about the c-section, which I still look back on regretfully. However and this is a big however. It also means my little Riley is growing up. It means he is no longer a little infant and soon, gulp, will be a mobile toddler.
My mom was over today and she was commenting about how he was just about to do this new developmental task. At first I was giddy with laughter and then the laughing turned to tears, because I am NOT ready. Nope I am not ready at all and neither is my house. So I picked him up and proclamed: No more tummy time for you! At which Riley giggled, grnned and then gave me a kiss. If I could read his mind it would have said "haha mom, to late now!"
Can you guess what milestone Riley is about to do?
My mom was over today and she was commenting about how he was just about to do this new developmental task. At first I was giddy with laughter and then the laughing turned to tears, because I am NOT ready. Nope I am not ready at all and neither is my house. So I picked him up and proclamed: No more tummy time for you! At which Riley giggled, grnned and then gave me a kiss. If I could read his mind it would have said "haha mom, to late now!"
Can you guess what milestone Riley is about to do?
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Who is this baby?
I drempt a lot about what my child would look like when we were trying and even before DH and I met. I always pictured this chubby brown curly haired kid with big dark brown eyes, after all that is what I looked like as a baby. And when I married R that dream changed to a chubby baby with a double chin with lots of dark hair and maybe blue eyes but most likely brown. NEVER in a million years did I picture a blond/red haired almost bald baby with bright blue eyes, never not once in all those years together and all those months trying. And yet that is exactly what I got, and everyday he just gets cuter and more beautiful, and I fall deeper and deeper in love with him!
We must have paied for cloning services rather than fertility services.
We must have paied for cloning services rather than fertility services.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Magnifacint Sleep
If you have been reading at all lately you know we have sleep issues, as in we aren't getting much and what we do get is broken into small chunks.
I have wondered for a while now if letting him side/belly sleep like he does on the boppy sometimes would work. So at his 6 month well visit I asked he he could tummy sleep. I fully exspected a resounding NO and a lecture about the risks of SIDS. I was amazed to hear that my Dr actually thought it would help him and said that it was okay now that he is 6 months old.
So tonight he is sleeping with one arm out of the swaddle me AND on his side/belly. I am trying not to be to hopeful and yet I pray this works. R needs more sleep and so do I, it is effecting not only us as a couple but also our parenting. I am just not being quite the parent I want to be. Example: Riley needs more outdoor time and more walks in his carrier but I don't have that kind of energy, most days.
Day Three of sleep training:
I am happy to anounce that for the last three nights Riley has gotten up at most three times and last night only twice! YES, it is working. When he does wake up I pat his butt for two minutes to see if he will go back to sleep without the boob. If he keeps crying then he gets picked up and rocked for a minute more, if that doesn't work then out comes boobie!
It has been exciting to watch him get longer and longer stretches. Last night his first stretch was from 7:45 till 1:30 and it was very exciting. I don't really mind the 1:30 feed now but I am hoping he will soon drop the 3:30/4am one. It really isn't much fun given our day starts at 6 am. However this is much better than what was going on, so for now I am happy.
The next thing we need to work on is longer naps. He is averaging about an hour BUT he wakes up and is still fussy. I wouldn't mind the short naps if he woke up happy BUT he doesn't. So we will be working on that.
I will be sure to update again soon.
I have wondered for a while now if letting him side/belly sleep like he does on the boppy sometimes would work. So at his 6 month well visit I asked he he could tummy sleep. I fully exspected a resounding NO and a lecture about the risks of SIDS. I was amazed to hear that my Dr actually thought it would help him and said that it was okay now that he is 6 months old.
So tonight he is sleeping with one arm out of the swaddle me AND on his side/belly. I am trying not to be to hopeful and yet I pray this works. R needs more sleep and so do I, it is effecting not only us as a couple but also our parenting. I am just not being quite the parent I want to be. Example: Riley needs more outdoor time and more walks in his carrier but I don't have that kind of energy, most days.
Day Three of sleep training:
I am happy to anounce that for the last three nights Riley has gotten up at most three times and last night only twice! YES, it is working. When he does wake up I pat his butt for two minutes to see if he will go back to sleep without the boob. If he keeps crying then he gets picked up and rocked for a minute more, if that doesn't work then out comes boobie!
It has been exciting to watch him get longer and longer stretches. Last night his first stretch was from 7:45 till 1:30 and it was very exciting. I don't really mind the 1:30 feed now but I am hoping he will soon drop the 3:30/4am one. It really isn't much fun given our day starts at 6 am. However this is much better than what was going on, so for now I am happy.
The next thing we need to work on is longer naps. He is averaging about an hour BUT he wakes up and is still fussy. I wouldn't mind the short naps if he woke up happy BUT he doesn't. So we will be working on that.
I will be sure to update again soon.
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