Finn laughed for the first time on Friday, November 2nd. Ben was playing with him while I was in the bathroom and all of the sudden I heard Ben calling for me. Unfortunately, I wasn't in a position to leave the bathroom just then and then through the door I heard the sound of Finn laughing his first real baby laugh. I rushed out to see if he would do it again. Ben was fake sneezing for Finn but as soon as Finn saw me, he became very serious. I spent all day Friday pretending to sneeze for Finn, but to no avail. Then on Saturday the same exact thing happened, Finn laughed for Ben while I was in the bathroom. Now, I already get very limited bathroom breaks during the day and so I was starting to wonder if I would have to give them up completely or take Finn with me every time I went, just so I wouldn't miss another laugh...fortunately, it didn't come down to that. I was playing with Finn this morning while Ben was brushing his teeth and I was bouncing the bed up and down and making silly noises and faces at Finn, when he finally gave me a chuckle!
Tummy Time has been going a bit better these days as well. I've been super vigilant about making sure he spends lots of extra time on his tummy during the day as well as making sure he starts out every session looking left. Not only is he now choosing to look left more often while on his tummy, he is also starting to pick his head up once again. Today he even reached out and grabbed his rattle. I think it might have been an accident, but I'll take it. He still cries more during Tummy Time than any other time, but at least that's not all he's doing! I think he's also starting to try to flip over again. He gets pretty close most sessions when he starts to get mad because that's when he lifts his head highest and starts kicking his legs. It shouldn't be much longer. His doctor said that most babies who hate to be on their tummy do so until they learn to roll over. Apparently, having the ability to change their situation makes the whole thing more tolerable.
Last week I started the process of trying to get Finn transitioned from his bassinet to his crib. I started by just trying to put him down for naps in his crib. But that was so phenomenally unsuccessful and left us both so exhausted, that I decided we needed a break and a change of tactics. So, Finn and I started doing playtime and feeding in his room, but no sleeping. Then sometimes during playtime, I would lay him down in the crib and play with him in there. After a few days I tried laying him down for a nap, and I got him to stay asleep for 7 minutes. Not much, but a definite improvement over the 7 seconds I had been getting before. So we went back to just playing and nursing in his room for a few days. Today I tried again and he napped for a full 30 minutes this time. Not only that, but when I laid him down, he wasn't in deep sleep and so partially woke up and was able to soothe himself back to sleep. I laid down on the floor next to the crib while he slept. I didn't want to be too far away when he woke up so that I could soothe him right away if he cried. I'm trying to keep his crib and his room a calm, happy place for him!
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Booger Battles
Finn has developed a constant stuffy nose which is causing us both some distress but has led to some funny incidents....
He gets large mucus blockages at least once a day. Fortunately he is a very proficient sneezer and can usually work them nearly out of his nose, where I can wipe them up with a tissue (sadly I have not yet mastered the bulb suction technique).
One day he had one booger that was so low it was coming in and out of his nose with each breath, but he was breathing so hard and fast that I couldn't catch it with a tissue, then suddenly he snorted and started coughing and sputtering. The booger had disappeared. I think we all know what happened to that one.
One night at about 4 am, he was in distress over a booger that was impeding his breathing and both of our sleep. I was able to grab it with a tissue and when I pulled it out I tell you the string of snot that followed was so long I would swear it started at his toes.
Another afternoon I had noticed a booger that was way up high in his nose. It was bothering him a little bit, but was nowhere near being out of his nose yet. I figured he would be sneezing that one out for a while. Later, while I nursed him, I noticed the booger was gone. Before I could even wonder what happened to it, I looked down at his little hand resting on my shirt and saw it there on his finger. I guess those little fingers are good for something other than teething chewing after all!
He gets large mucus blockages at least once a day. Fortunately he is a very proficient sneezer and can usually work them nearly out of his nose, where I can wipe them up with a tissue (sadly I have not yet mastered the bulb suction technique).
One day he had one booger that was so low it was coming in and out of his nose with each breath, but he was breathing so hard and fast that I couldn't catch it with a tissue, then suddenly he snorted and started coughing and sputtering. The booger had disappeared. I think we all know what happened to that one.
One night at about 4 am, he was in distress over a booger that was impeding his breathing and both of our sleep. I was able to grab it with a tissue and when I pulled it out I tell you the string of snot that followed was so long I would swear it started at his toes.
Another afternoon I had noticed a booger that was way up high in his nose. It was bothering him a little bit, but was nowhere near being out of his nose yet. I figured he would be sneezing that one out for a while. Later, while I nursed him, I noticed the booger was gone. Before I could even wonder what happened to it, I looked down at his little hand resting on my shirt and saw it there on his finger. I guess those little fingers are good for something other than teething chewing after all!
Finn's doctor's visit for his neck
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that Finn would only turn his head to the right whenever his tummy was in contact with anything...the floor or my chest for example. I started to try to get him to turn his head to the left and found that I couldn't. I realized when I looked back at pictures that he hadn't been turning his head to the left for nearly a month. I think the only reason I noticed it when I did was that my own neck was stiff and I couldn't turn my head to the left while playing on the floor with him one day. So I put in a call to his Doctor and she wanted to see him the next week.
I spent that week working with him a little bit and trying to get him to turn his head to the left by changing the direction I lay him on the changing table (turns out I am terrible at changing diapers with my left hand and I was pee'd on more in one week than I have been in all the previous months of his life), carrying him on my right shoulder so that if he wanted to see anything he would have to look left (he chose to smother himself in my neck instead) and positioning him with his head left during the start of every Tummy Time (which required me to lay him on his right side and gently rotate his body underneath him while leaving his head looking left...needless to say it often didn't work and he usually just dragged his face across the floor so he could look right within a couple seconds anyway). So by the end of a week of trying to get Finn to look left and failing, I was convinced something was very wrong.
I should mention that he turns his head in all directions without preference while on his back or sitting up.
His doctor did a very thorough evaluation of his movements and reflexes and said he was just perfect. She said she could see what I saw, but that she thought it was just a case of slightly weaker muscles in the front of his neck than the back that was preventing him from rotating his head much during Tummy Time and that he seemed to prefer sucking on his right fist, which may account for his turning his head to the right.
All in all she said he really had excellent head control for his age and was very strong. She instructed me to just keep doing what I was doing and try to make things more interesting for him on his left side and to start using our Bumbo to help increase the strength of his front neck muscles. She basically told me that I don't have to be so careful with him and that its OK for us to rough house a little bit! That sounds terrifying, but I'll try....
I've already started to see improvements. He has kept his head to the left during Tummy Time for longer than 30 seconds, although he still hates Tummy Time with a fiery passion, and he has started to turn his head left when I cuddle him to my chest. He even seems to enjoy the Bumbo, though I think its hard work because even though he doesn't get fussy while in it, the back of his neck always starts to sweat like he's doing a tough workout! Hopefully the developments will continue and maybe soon playtime won't feel like such a chore for either of us!
I spent that week working with him a little bit and trying to get him to turn his head to the left by changing the direction I lay him on the changing table (turns out I am terrible at changing diapers with my left hand and I was pee'd on more in one week than I have been in all the previous months of his life), carrying him on my right shoulder so that if he wanted to see anything he would have to look left (he chose to smother himself in my neck instead) and positioning him with his head left during the start of every Tummy Time (which required me to lay him on his right side and gently rotate his body underneath him while leaving his head looking left...needless to say it often didn't work and he usually just dragged his face across the floor so he could look right within a couple seconds anyway). So by the end of a week of trying to get Finn to look left and failing, I was convinced something was very wrong.
I should mention that he turns his head in all directions without preference while on his back or sitting up.
His doctor did a very thorough evaluation of his movements and reflexes and said he was just perfect. She said she could see what I saw, but that she thought it was just a case of slightly weaker muscles in the front of his neck than the back that was preventing him from rotating his head much during Tummy Time and that he seemed to prefer sucking on his right fist, which may account for his turning his head to the right.
All in all she said he really had excellent head control for his age and was very strong. She instructed me to just keep doing what I was doing and try to make things more interesting for him on his left side and to start using our Bumbo to help increase the strength of his front neck muscles. She basically told me that I don't have to be so careful with him and that its OK for us to rough house a little bit! That sounds terrifying, but I'll try....
I've already started to see improvements. He has kept his head to the left during Tummy Time for longer than 30 seconds, although he still hates Tummy Time with a fiery passion, and he has started to turn his head left when I cuddle him to my chest. He even seems to enjoy the Bumbo, though I think its hard work because even though he doesn't get fussy while in it, the back of his neck always starts to sweat like he's doing a tough workout! Hopefully the developments will continue and maybe soon playtime won't feel like such a chore for either of us!
My Parent's October Visit
My parents came to visit for a 4 day weekend. We had lovely weather and I think they really enjoyed seeing Finn. Having them back in San Diego reminded me how much Finn has grown since they were last together. When my mom left at the end of August, Finn could still cuddle up on her shoulder in a little ball and his feet barely reached her elbows. Now he could push his feet against her lap when they cuddled!
They seemed to thoroughly enjoy taking pictures and playing with Finn and trying to get him to smile, which fortunately, he did a lot! I think Finn liked having someone to look at other than me for a change! And I have to admit that I enjoyed having other arms to hold him so that I could take a longer than 5 minute shower without feeling guilty!
We went out for dinner as a family and Finn did very well for his first dinner out. He didn't stay asleep in his car seat (which we just put on the table) for long, so I got to attempt the classic "Mom eating with one hand while holding and entertaining a baby with the other" pose. I handed Finn off to my dad so that I could eat the one thing on my plate that I needed 2 hands for and he did OK until all of the sudden he started making his sad faces and huge tears welled up in his eyes. My only guess was he was hungry (that's my only guess for Finn's distress most of the time, which may account for my son's excellent weight gain) so I also got the thrill of feeding him in a restaurant. We actually did pretty well. He's getting big enough so that he can kind of sit up on my lap under the nursing cover. Its really cute from my view because all I can see is this adorable little face looking up at me from his little nursing cave.
My parents also gave us an evening of babysitting so that Ben and I could have our first night out. We went to Red Robin, which may sound less than romantic, but it has special meaning to us in many ways, not the least of which is that that was where we went to dinner after we found out we were having a boy and that night we choose the name "Finnleif". Plus, they generally have pretty fast service, so I figured, if Finn gave my parents any trouble, we could be home quickly. I thought I would really enjoy having an evening away, since I generally do enjoy my time out of the house without baby (aka my once weekly trip to Costco). But it was really hard on me. My anxiety was really high even though I knew he was perfectly safe and my parents were perfectly capable of handling anything he threw at them. I kept tearing up thinking about him. Of course seeing the baby boy at the table across from us who looked about Finn's age didn't help. I really missed him, which is silly, since, if I had been home, he would have been asleep, so its not like we would have been hanging out anyway. It's weird....I did not expect to feel this way. I guess that means no trips without our children for a good long while.
All in all Finn did beautifully having company over and doing all sorts of extra activities and generally having his routine disrupted. I'm glad he did so well because he's going to have a lot of visitors and probably do a lot of visiting in the future!
They seemed to thoroughly enjoy taking pictures and playing with Finn and trying to get him to smile, which fortunately, he did a lot! I think Finn liked having someone to look at other than me for a change! And I have to admit that I enjoyed having other arms to hold him so that I could take a longer than 5 minute shower without feeling guilty!
We went out for dinner as a family and Finn did very well for his first dinner out. He didn't stay asleep in his car seat (which we just put on the table) for long, so I got to attempt the classic "Mom eating with one hand while holding and entertaining a baby with the other" pose. I handed Finn off to my dad so that I could eat the one thing on my plate that I needed 2 hands for and he did OK until all of the sudden he started making his sad faces and huge tears welled up in his eyes. My only guess was he was hungry (that's my only guess for Finn's distress most of the time, which may account for my son's excellent weight gain) so I also got the thrill of feeding him in a restaurant. We actually did pretty well. He's getting big enough so that he can kind of sit up on my lap under the nursing cover. Its really cute from my view because all I can see is this adorable little face looking up at me from his little nursing cave.
My parents also gave us an evening of babysitting so that Ben and I could have our first night out. We went to Red Robin, which may sound less than romantic, but it has special meaning to us in many ways, not the least of which is that that was where we went to dinner after we found out we were having a boy and that night we choose the name "Finnleif". Plus, they generally have pretty fast service, so I figured, if Finn gave my parents any trouble, we could be home quickly. I thought I would really enjoy having an evening away, since I generally do enjoy my time out of the house without baby (aka my once weekly trip to Costco). But it was really hard on me. My anxiety was really high even though I knew he was perfectly safe and my parents were perfectly capable of handling anything he threw at them. I kept tearing up thinking about him. Of course seeing the baby boy at the table across from us who looked about Finn's age didn't help. I really missed him, which is silly, since, if I had been home, he would have been asleep, so its not like we would have been hanging out anyway. It's weird....I did not expect to feel this way. I guess that means no trips without our children for a good long while.
All in all Finn did beautifully having company over and doing all sorts of extra activities and generally having his routine disrupted. I'm glad he did so well because he's going to have a lot of visitors and probably do a lot of visiting in the future!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
The 11th Week
This week marks the last week my baby boy is considered a newborn. By Saturday, he will be officially considered an infant. It makes me sad and happy all at the same time. One blog I've read describes these first 12 weeks and "The Longest Shortest Time." I couldn't agree more. While I was living it and so overwhelmed by all the stress and sleeplessness and feeling the heavy weight of the new responsibility I had undertaken, time felt endless and I wondered if I would ever make it through and now that we're here, I wonder where the time went.
This week he has really started to wake up to the world more than ever before. He's really discovering his hands and doesn't want to play with much else. He gets his thumb alone in his mouth probably 50% of the time. He's beginning to get distracted by people and things while nursing. Ben can't really sit next to us while Finn eats anymore, because once Finn sees Ben, all he wants to do is smile. And let me tell you, a smiling boy is not a nursing boy. He's actually been so distracted while eating that I'm really looking forward to taking him to Lactation Support Group this afternoon, just so that I can weigh him and make sure he has still gained weight this week.
Ben has gotten him to take a rattle in his hands several times. I think its a bit to heavy for him to shake, but he is at least gripping it well. I've seen some improvements in Tummy Time as well, though it's hit and miss. I think my timing needs to be better. It appears that Finn can't be too hungry or full or sleepy in order to have success during Tummy Time. Can anyone tell me when that would be???
He has been in the habit this week of waking up at midnight, 3am and 5am. These nights are really exhausting for me. If he only wakes up at 2 am and 5 am, I do much better. However, that being said, last night he did the 3 wake-up routine but for the first time I got him to take his pacifier without me having to hold it in his mouth for 15-20 minutes while he fell asleep. He sucked on it right away and kept it in his own mouth until he fell sound asleep. This released me from having to do the soothing him back to sleep routine of rocking him and walking with him and patting his back. The pacifier did all that for me. I felt a little guilty about it and figure I'll probably have a stubborn little boy in a couple of years who will resist giving it up, but at this point, I'll trade that for a little sleep now!
This week he has really started to wake up to the world more than ever before. He's really discovering his hands and doesn't want to play with much else. He gets his thumb alone in his mouth probably 50% of the time. He's beginning to get distracted by people and things while nursing. Ben can't really sit next to us while Finn eats anymore, because once Finn sees Ben, all he wants to do is smile. And let me tell you, a smiling boy is not a nursing boy. He's actually been so distracted while eating that I'm really looking forward to taking him to Lactation Support Group this afternoon, just so that I can weigh him and make sure he has still gained weight this week.
Ben has gotten him to take a rattle in his hands several times. I think its a bit to heavy for him to shake, but he is at least gripping it well. I've seen some improvements in Tummy Time as well, though it's hit and miss. I think my timing needs to be better. It appears that Finn can't be too hungry or full or sleepy in order to have success during Tummy Time. Can anyone tell me when that would be???
He has been in the habit this week of waking up at midnight, 3am and 5am. These nights are really exhausting for me. If he only wakes up at 2 am and 5 am, I do much better. However, that being said, last night he did the 3 wake-up routine but for the first time I got him to take his pacifier without me having to hold it in his mouth for 15-20 minutes while he fell asleep. He sucked on it right away and kept it in his own mouth until he fell sound asleep. This released me from having to do the soothing him back to sleep routine of rocking him and walking with him and patting his back. The pacifier did all that for me. I felt a little guilty about it and figure I'll probably have a stubborn little boy in a couple of years who will resist giving it up, but at this point, I'll trade that for a little sleep now!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Maple Lab Baby Shower
Ben's lab threw us a baby shower this afternoon. I wasn't sure how Finn would do seeing that the last non-family member he has had any contact with in the last 6 weeks was his doctor who gave him 4 very painful shots....but he did beautifully and was very charming. He didn't nap well in the morning, so I was a little worried he'd be really fussy, but I got him to sleep in the Moby wrap for a while. Then Duygo, the post-doc from Turkey, held him and absolutely fell in love with him....I think I have a babysitter any time I want....then one of the new graduate students, Christian, asked if he could hold him. He didn't have a lot of experience with babies but he did just fine. I coached him a little and he was able to get Finn to fall asleep, which he said had been his goal. I held Finn, while he slept a little longer and then I handed him off to Duygo again. All in all I think he got a couple hours sleep in, although it was probably a little too fragmented. After he woke up, while Duygo was holding him, he was all smiles and being very charming. We had a nice long session of everyone sitting around and looking at the baby. Margaret held him towards the end, but by that time he was starting to get a little fussy, so she handed him right back to me. I felt bad that he wouldn't sit longer with her, but there will be more opportunities. When she held him, she immediately smelled his little head and remarked how good it smelled. That started an interesting conversation that involved the guys and the girls all smelling his head. According to those that participated, only the women found that his head smelled good. None of the men said they smelled anything at all. There must be some evolutionary reason for that.
We got a lot of nice gifts. Lots of toys which will hopefully make play-time with Mommy a little more interesting. Hopefully, a few of the toys will make Tummy Time more enjoyable. We also got some very cute clothes, including some sweaters and vests perfect for the son of a Physicist.
They did a champagne toast for us. Ben noted when we got home that here Finn is only 10 weeks old and he's already been toasted by a member of the National Academy of Sciences, which is nearly like being toasted by a Nobel Prize winner.
We were there a total of 4 hours so I ended up having to feed Finn twice. But I brought my nursing pillow and cover-up, so we did just fine although it wasn't nearly as comfortable as at home for either of us. I know that nursing outside my home is good practice for me. Hopefully the more I do it the more confident I will be so that Finn and I aren't quite so home-bound as the weeks and months march on.
Finn was a huge hit with everyone and they all commented on how happy and content he seemed. I don't know whether that is Finn's natural disposition, or whether it has anything to do with our abilities as parents. I rather think it is the former and Ben and I are just very lucky parents!
We got a lot of nice gifts. Lots of toys which will hopefully make play-time with Mommy a little more interesting. Hopefully, a few of the toys will make Tummy Time more enjoyable. We also got some very cute clothes, including some sweaters and vests perfect for the son of a Physicist.
They did a champagne toast for us. Ben noted when we got home that here Finn is only 10 weeks old and he's already been toasted by a member of the National Academy of Sciences, which is nearly like being toasted by a Nobel Prize winner.
We were there a total of 4 hours so I ended up having to feed Finn twice. But I brought my nursing pillow and cover-up, so we did just fine although it wasn't nearly as comfortable as at home for either of us. I know that nursing outside my home is good practice for me. Hopefully the more I do it the more confident I will be so that Finn and I aren't quite so home-bound as the weeks and months march on.
Finn was a huge hit with everyone and they all commented on how happy and content he seemed. I don't know whether that is Finn's natural disposition, or whether it has anything to do with our abilities as parents. I rather think it is the former and Ben and I are just very lucky parents!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Catching up....
The last week in September was kind of a rough week....both parents not feeling all that great and a baby not sleeping all that great. It was a vicious cycle. But things improved this past week and we even had a few milestones that were met.
The first happened on 9/28. Finn found his thumb all by himself for the first time that I've seen and actually sucked on it for more than a few seconds...though definitely less than a minute. I thought I got a picture of it as his thumb was coming out of his mouth, but it didn't show up on the camera.
Then on 10/1 he flipped himself over from his stomach to his back for the first time. I wouldn't call it a roll yet. Ben saw this feat performed the next day and described it as Finn raising his center of gravity and then just falling over. He has used this new skill several times to rebel against Tummy Time. Although, I'm not sure why he keeps doing it because every time he does, he cries harder than he did when he was on his tummy. I think the whole process still startles him and he's not sure quite what has happened when he all of the sudden finds himself on his back!
On 10/2 I was playing with him on the floor and I noticed him tracking my face with his eyes and head movements. As I moved my face across his field of vision, he followed my every move by moving his entire head with mine. He doesn't track objects yet... just my face and we have to lock eyes first!
Ben and I gave Finn his last bath in the sink on 9/30. Thankfully, Ben was there to capture all the cuteness on camera for posterity. I got his new big boy bath tub in the mail this week and have given him a couple of baths in it, which he seems to enjoy. However, the first time I used it, I think I filled it up with too much water. I had a really hard time holding on to Finn during the bath and I realized that since he's gotten so chubby, he mostly floated. The second bath, I put in less water and used wash clothes for friction.
Finn had his 2 month Doctor visit and his first round of immunizations on 10/4. Good things first...He weighed 11 lbs, 4 oz, which put him in the 50th percentile and his length was 23 1/4 inches, 2 inches taller than last month and bumped him up above the 50th percentile for height. He's met all his developmental milestones so far. Now for the shots.....He cried during, of course, but I was able to calm him quickly by nursing him and then putting him in the Moby wrap, where he fell sound asleep. I didn't want to wake him to put him in the car, so I went and got a coffee and walked around the medical complex until he woke up on his own. It was a rough afternoon after we got home. I let him sleep on my chest pretty much all day. That part was just fine, the awful part was when he would stir or wake up a little. He cried the saddest little cries. When I would put him on the changing table for a diaper change he would try to smile..because that's what he usually does on the changing table...but then would cry a couple sobs...then he would try to smile again. It was heartbreaking! Thankfully, by the time we brought Ben home, he seemed to be back to his old self....wide eyed with lots of smiles for Mom and Dad...and no more sad little sobs.
I did have some fun last night after Finn was asleep. My Mom had been looking through my baby book and found some pictures of me that looked a lot like some of the pictures I had taken recently of Finn. So my Dad scanned them and emailed them to me. It was uncanny. I never thought my son looked much like me. I had only been able to see Ben in him before, but now I have to admit, he really does take after me quite a bit. Although, I actually think Finn is a much more beautiful baby. I wonder if all mothers think that?!
We also looked at a picture of Ben when he was 2 months old, but its hard to make the comparison at this point, because Ben was a much bigger baby at 2 months. I think that Finn will start to look more like Ben again as he gets a little bigger.
The first happened on 9/28. Finn found his thumb all by himself for the first time that I've seen and actually sucked on it for more than a few seconds...though definitely less than a minute. I thought I got a picture of it as his thumb was coming out of his mouth, but it didn't show up on the camera.
Then on 10/1 he flipped himself over from his stomach to his back for the first time. I wouldn't call it a roll yet. Ben saw this feat performed the next day and described it as Finn raising his center of gravity and then just falling over. He has used this new skill several times to rebel against Tummy Time. Although, I'm not sure why he keeps doing it because every time he does, he cries harder than he did when he was on his tummy. I think the whole process still startles him and he's not sure quite what has happened when he all of the sudden finds himself on his back!
On 10/2 I was playing with him on the floor and I noticed him tracking my face with his eyes and head movements. As I moved my face across his field of vision, he followed my every move by moving his entire head with mine. He doesn't track objects yet... just my face and we have to lock eyes first!
Ben and I gave Finn his last bath in the sink on 9/30. Thankfully, Ben was there to capture all the cuteness on camera for posterity. I got his new big boy bath tub in the mail this week and have given him a couple of baths in it, which he seems to enjoy. However, the first time I used it, I think I filled it up with too much water. I had a really hard time holding on to Finn during the bath and I realized that since he's gotten so chubby, he mostly floated. The second bath, I put in less water and used wash clothes for friction.
Finn had his 2 month Doctor visit and his first round of immunizations on 10/4. Good things first...He weighed 11 lbs, 4 oz, which put him in the 50th percentile and his length was 23 1/4 inches, 2 inches taller than last month and bumped him up above the 50th percentile for height. He's met all his developmental milestones so far. Now for the shots.....He cried during, of course, but I was able to calm him quickly by nursing him and then putting him in the Moby wrap, where he fell sound asleep. I didn't want to wake him to put him in the car, so I went and got a coffee and walked around the medical complex until he woke up on his own. It was a rough afternoon after we got home. I let him sleep on my chest pretty much all day. That part was just fine, the awful part was when he would stir or wake up a little. He cried the saddest little cries. When I would put him on the changing table for a diaper change he would try to smile..because that's what he usually does on the changing table...but then would cry a couple sobs...then he would try to smile again. It was heartbreaking! Thankfully, by the time we brought Ben home, he seemed to be back to his old self....wide eyed with lots of smiles for Mom and Dad...and no more sad little sobs.
I did have some fun last night after Finn was asleep. My Mom had been looking through my baby book and found some pictures of me that looked a lot like some of the pictures I had taken recently of Finn. So my Dad scanned them and emailed them to me. It was uncanny. I never thought my son looked much like me. I had only been able to see Ben in him before, but now I have to admit, he really does take after me quite a bit. Although, I actually think Finn is a much more beautiful baby. I wonder if all mothers think that?!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Starting to get into a routine
About 1 week ago today, I noticed Finn getting fussy all day long and no longer seemed to want to smile and play. He wasn't sleeping much at all, maybe a 1/2 hour here and there during the day, although he was still sleeping well at night. I was finding my days of no sleep and constant fussiness/crying to be overly stressful and decided we needed to make a change. I purchased the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" to see if it could offer me any insight.
At first I didn't think I liked it because it seemed too strict about sleep (since we have unique scheduling issues) and letting babies "cry it out" which I don't feel is right for infants his age. Basically the introduction made me feel so guilty about my ability to provide healthy sleep for my child and how that would affect him for the rest of his life. I wasn't sure I should continue reading it, but I soldiered on and, once I got into the specifics of the book, I understood more about what he was trying to say and recognized that Finn's recent fussiness and lack of interest in play might be due to sleep deprivation.
So, I reviewed the book "Happiest Baby on the Block" from the perspective of helping my baby sleep (which I discovered was the entire point of that book in the first place, although I had only used it as a way to stop crying). This included giving more opportunities to suck and swaddling with arms in. I was hesitant about the swaddling at first, because in the past he had seemed so resistant. So I started with just one arm in and one out, with wonderful results. Almost immediately, he was able to sleep for longer that 1/2 hour, because he wasn't startling himself awake! Then, instead of always trying to rock him to sleep (which I've only had limited success with) I started using the pacifier. He still won't take it right away and it usually requires me laying down with him to hold it in his mouth for a while until he figures out to get a good grip on it, but once he does, his eyes and body almost immediately relax.
So, with these efforts, he started sleeping.....a lot! So much that it almost seems too much. The schedule was erratic at first. I decided that every time he got fussy, I would go through my check list: Is he hungry? Is he wet? Is he uncomfortable/in pain? If the answer to all these questions was "no" then I began assuming he was tired. I started swaddling him right away when he would fuss after feeding and that calmed him quickly and with a little extra soothing, sleep soon followed most of the time.
Now the hope is to get on some sort of regular napping schedule. Today has been good, so far. He napped for 2 hours in the morning, was up for nearly 2 hours (and played with me for part of that time, which hasn't happened in nearly a week) and is now down for another nap, which as been going on for 1 1/2 hours so far. Hopefully, when he wakes up, he'll eat and want to play some more!
He's been going through an interesting (slightly heartbreaking) phase right now where he's on a Mommy-strike. He does not want to be held by me unless I am nursing him or he is extremely tired. I've had to adopt a new strategy in this case as well to keep him calm. So, after I fed him and changed his diaper mid-morning today, he immediately started to fuss when I picked him up off the changing table and held him to my body, so I put him in his bouncy chair for a bit and walked away. He calmed immediately and began to look around. After a few minutes, I sat next to him on the floor and made smiley faces and talked to him, to which he responded by smiling back. So far so good. So I tried to take it a step further and take him out of the chair for some Tummy Time (which hasn't happened with success for a week). He did pretty well on his tummy, but he still didn't want to lift his head much. I put up the toy bar Scott and Kim gave us and gave it a rattle to see if I could get his attention. It worked a little, he at least turned his head to look at it, although he did so by smooshing his face across the floor rather than picking up his head. Once he saw it (he smiled at the spinning wheel thing) he lifted his head a little but not much and got mad quickly. I then turned him onto his back and held it over him to see if he would play a little longer. He didn't pay too much attention to it at first but then he started kicking his legs and arms and he hit the ball with a bell in it. After a look of surprise, I got a big smile and several more after that every time he made contact with that bell. I took the crinkly butterfly off for him and tried to put it in his hand so he could feel it and make noise with it. He seemed less interested in that than the bell.
One thing I did notice while we played is that he seems to be preferring to turn his head to the left. At first I thought he was just preferring to look at the light coming in from the window, so I did a little experiment and turned him around so he would have to look to the right to see the light. He still kept his head to the left. I've noticed he's been sleeping with his head to the left as well. So, while we played, I tried to put the interesting things to his right and gently turn his head in that direction. He didn't fuss about it, but he would quickly turn his head back to the left again. Its something I'll have to work on, I guess. It's funny, because when he was first born, he only turned his head to the right and I was worried about the same thing. I did nothing to correct it at that time, so maybe I'll just keep an eye on it and ask his doctor at our next appointment.
At first I didn't think I liked it because it seemed too strict about sleep (since we have unique scheduling issues) and letting babies "cry it out" which I don't feel is right for infants his age. Basically the introduction made me feel so guilty about my ability to provide healthy sleep for my child and how that would affect him for the rest of his life. I wasn't sure I should continue reading it, but I soldiered on and, once I got into the specifics of the book, I understood more about what he was trying to say and recognized that Finn's recent fussiness and lack of interest in play might be due to sleep deprivation.
So, I reviewed the book "Happiest Baby on the Block" from the perspective of helping my baby sleep (which I discovered was the entire point of that book in the first place, although I had only used it as a way to stop crying). This included giving more opportunities to suck and swaddling with arms in. I was hesitant about the swaddling at first, because in the past he had seemed so resistant. So I started with just one arm in and one out, with wonderful results. Almost immediately, he was able to sleep for longer that 1/2 hour, because he wasn't startling himself awake! Then, instead of always trying to rock him to sleep (which I've only had limited success with) I started using the pacifier. He still won't take it right away and it usually requires me laying down with him to hold it in his mouth for a while until he figures out to get a good grip on it, but once he does, his eyes and body almost immediately relax.
So, with these efforts, he started sleeping.....a lot! So much that it almost seems too much. The schedule was erratic at first. I decided that every time he got fussy, I would go through my check list: Is he hungry? Is he wet? Is he uncomfortable/in pain? If the answer to all these questions was "no" then I began assuming he was tired. I started swaddling him right away when he would fuss after feeding and that calmed him quickly and with a little extra soothing, sleep soon followed most of the time.
Now the hope is to get on some sort of regular napping schedule. Today has been good, so far. He napped for 2 hours in the morning, was up for nearly 2 hours (and played with me for part of that time, which hasn't happened in nearly a week) and is now down for another nap, which as been going on for 1 1/2 hours so far. Hopefully, when he wakes up, he'll eat and want to play some more!
He's been going through an interesting (slightly heartbreaking) phase right now where he's on a Mommy-strike. He does not want to be held by me unless I am nursing him or he is extremely tired. I've had to adopt a new strategy in this case as well to keep him calm. So, after I fed him and changed his diaper mid-morning today, he immediately started to fuss when I picked him up off the changing table and held him to my body, so I put him in his bouncy chair for a bit and walked away. He calmed immediately and began to look around. After a few minutes, I sat next to him on the floor and made smiley faces and talked to him, to which he responded by smiling back. So far so good. So I tried to take it a step further and take him out of the chair for some Tummy Time (which hasn't happened with success for a week). He did pretty well on his tummy, but he still didn't want to lift his head much. I put up the toy bar Scott and Kim gave us and gave it a rattle to see if I could get his attention. It worked a little, he at least turned his head to look at it, although he did so by smooshing his face across the floor rather than picking up his head. Once he saw it (he smiled at the spinning wheel thing) he lifted his head a little but not much and got mad quickly. I then turned him onto his back and held it over him to see if he would play a little longer. He didn't pay too much attention to it at first but then he started kicking his legs and arms and he hit the ball with a bell in it. After a look of surprise, I got a big smile and several more after that every time he made contact with that bell. I took the crinkly butterfly off for him and tried to put it in his hand so he could feel it and make noise with it. He seemed less interested in that than the bell.
One thing I did notice while we played is that he seems to be preferring to turn his head to the left. At first I thought he was just preferring to look at the light coming in from the window, so I did a little experiment and turned him around so he would have to look to the right to see the light. He still kept his head to the left. I've noticed he's been sleeping with his head to the left as well. So, while we played, I tried to put the interesting things to his right and gently turn his head in that direction. He didn't fuss about it, but he would quickly turn his head back to the left again. Its something I'll have to work on, I guess. It's funny, because when he was first born, he only turned his head to the right and I was worried about the same thing. I did nothing to correct it at that time, so maybe I'll just keep an eye on it and ask his doctor at our next appointment.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Playing with a "Lovey"
Finn is currently sleeping soundly in his swing. He's sleeping so well, I may just let him stay there for this nap.
He was very playful after our morning walk and his second breakfast. We did a little tummy time where he lifted his head higher and longer than I've seen yet. It happened when I stepped away from him to grab a bottle of water. Apparently, he felt the need to look around for me. Of course, by the time I grabbed the camera and was in front of him again, he wouldn't do it anymore! These were the best shots I could get:
Getting started on another attempt
Looking around for Mom
Getting mad now....
...And Bonk....the inevitable conclusion to Tummy Time
I fed him again, and after that he seemed playful again, so I laid him out on his blanket and we played with his Dinosaur "Lovey." So far he had yet to really reach for any toys that I had put out for him, but this time he seemed to be extending his arm towards the Dino and then bringing his had to his mouth....as in "there is something over there that I want to experience by putting it in my mouth!" So I laid it close to him and tickled his had with it and after several tries he was finally able to grab it in his fist. I'm sure it was entirely accidental, but he gave the biggest grin afterward as though he were so proud of himself for getting a hold of something....finally! He also eventually was able to bring it to his mouth, which made him equally proud and smiley.
"What's That?"
"Success!"
"Look Mom, I grabbed it!"
Having fun with his Dino
So exciting!
Finally got it up to his mouth
"Wow, that was great!"
"Let's give it another taste"
Very happy little boy
Having so much fun!
He was very playful after our morning walk and his second breakfast. We did a little tummy time where he lifted his head higher and longer than I've seen yet. It happened when I stepped away from him to grab a bottle of water. Apparently, he felt the need to look around for me. Of course, by the time I grabbed the camera and was in front of him again, he wouldn't do it anymore! These were the best shots I could get:
I fed him again, and after that he seemed playful again, so I laid him out on his blanket and we played with his Dinosaur "Lovey." So far he had yet to really reach for any toys that I had put out for him, but this time he seemed to be extending his arm towards the Dino and then bringing his had to his mouth....as in "there is something over there that I want to experience by putting it in my mouth!" So I laid it close to him and tickled his had with it and after several tries he was finally able to grab it in his fist. I'm sure it was entirely accidental, but he gave the biggest grin afterward as though he were so proud of himself for getting a hold of something....finally! He also eventually was able to bring it to his mouth, which made him equally proud and smiley.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Aaahhing
I can't call it cooing, because it has no "ooh" sound, so I'll call it "aaahhing". When we're in a playful mood, if Finn looks directly at my face and I open my mouth wide and make the sound "Aahh" with either an ascending or descending scale, more often than not, he will open his mouth wide too and many time little "aahh" sounds come out. So far he only does it when he is mimicking me.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Vocalizing
Since it was Labor Day, Ben stayed home with us for a little while this morning. He picked a good one, because Finn was wide awake this morning and playful. We spent an hour with him on the bed while he smiled and grabbed at our fingers and started vocalizing a little bit. It wasn't cooing...but it was definitely different than his usual repertoire of crying, squawking and grunting, so I think cooing is right around the corner.
He has ramped up his feeding schedule even more today. He wanted to nurse just about every hour. He was very clinging and would only fall asleep and stay asleep if he was lying on my chest. He wouldn't lay for long in his bassinet (which we have never had a problem with before) and he wouldn't even consent to be wrapped up in the Moby. Needless to say, I didn't get much (anything) done today.
He has ramped up his feeding schedule even more today. He wanted to nurse just about every hour. He was very clinging and would only fall asleep and stay asleep if he was lying on my chest. He wouldn't lay for long in his bassinet (which we have never had a problem with before) and he wouldn't even consent to be wrapped up in the Moby. Needless to say, I didn't get much (anything) done today.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Finn reached the 5 week mark yesterday. He's actually woken up to the world quite a bit in the last couple of days. Ben played with him on the floor for nearly an hour yesterday and he got him to smile several times at him and I watched as Finn would follow Ben's movements with his eyes. He has been staying awake longer as well but unfortunately, he doesn't fall asleep as effortlessly as he used to either. He seems to be falling into the classic little kid routine of playing until he gets too tired and gets fussy instead of falling asleep. Fortunately, he is still very easy to soothe and so long as we can tell the difference between hungry fussiness and tired fussiness, we usually have him calm within a few minutes.
He may be going through a growth spurt in addition to all the other changes he has going on. All of the sudden he has ramped up his feedings to once every 2 hours during the day. Fortunately, he still sleeps longer at night--he even went 5 hours between feedings last night, which should have translated into more sleep for me, but I couldn't sleep. Apparently my body is still on his 3 hours feeding schedule. He hasn't been taking as long to feed either. I hope that means that he is becoming more efficient at nursing, rather than my milk supply is diminishing and he can't get enough. I look forward to lactation support group on Wednesday so that I can get some reassurance that he is still getting enough to eat and that he is still growing into a big, strong Viking!
He may be going through a growth spurt in addition to all the other changes he has going on. All of the sudden he has ramped up his feedings to once every 2 hours during the day. Fortunately, he still sleeps longer at night--he even went 5 hours between feedings last night, which should have translated into more sleep for me, but I couldn't sleep. Apparently my body is still on his 3 hours feeding schedule. He hasn't been taking as long to feed either. I hope that means that he is becoming more efficient at nursing, rather than my milk supply is diminishing and he can't get enough. I look forward to lactation support group on Wednesday so that I can get some reassurance that he is still getting enough to eat and that he is still growing into a big, strong Viking!
Friday, August 31, 2012
1 month Doctor's appointment
Finn had his 1 month doctor's appointment yesterday. He did very well. He weighed in at 8 lbs 7 oz and is in the 10-25 percentile for his weight. His height was 21.25 inches which falls in the 25-50 percentile. The doctors was impressed with his strength and head control. She remarked that he seemed like a very calm baby. She also complimented me on my calm as well. I was probably just putting on a good show.
Today, I don't feel so great. I feel worn down, like I need a really good nap, but as much as I try to "sleep when the baby sleeps," I'm still exhausted and I get frustrated because the only time I can get anything done in the house or out of it is when he is sleeping, so really the advice to "sleep when the baby sleeps" is really not all that useful, unless you have a housekeeper and a cook and a personal shopper. I'm told this exhaustion thing gets better but that it peaks around 8 weeks, so I've got 2 more weeks to go and then maybe I'll start to get a little more rest and hopefully feel less frustrated with myself.
Today, I don't feel so great. I feel worn down, like I need a really good nap, but as much as I try to "sleep when the baby sleeps," I'm still exhausted and I get frustrated because the only time I can get anything done in the house or out of it is when he is sleeping, so really the advice to "sleep when the baby sleeps" is really not all that useful, unless you have a housekeeper and a cook and a personal shopper. I'm told this exhaustion thing gets better but that it peaks around 8 weeks, so I've got 2 more weeks to go and then maybe I'll start to get a little more rest and hopefully feel less frustrated with myself.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
August 26, 2012
Since we are 1300 miles away from our immediate families, I thought I would create a blog, both to chronicle the day to day adventure that is sure to be motherhood and to help all the grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins feel like we aren't so far away.
Finn is now 4 weeks old. My main obsession (and yes, that is the right word) has been Finn's growth. He started out a small baby and only got smaller in the days after his birth due to a tongue tie that wouldn't allow him to latch onto the breast at all. For the first 2 weeks of his life my only thoughts were about feeding my baby. It took over 2 weeks and, at times, 6 hands, a nipple shield, a syringe, and feeding tube to help Finn regain his birth weight, but I am proud to say that he did and now at 4 weeks he has gained more than a pound and is able to take nearly 4 ounces off the breast per feeding. I attend a lactation support group 2 days a week so that I can monitor his weight and how well he is feeding. When I went this past Wednesday, he weighed 7 lbs, 5oz. By Friday he was up to 7lbs, 9oz. I fully expect him to be up to 8 lbs when we go in for his 1 month check-up next week.
Now that I don't have to worry about Finn's growth, we've been having more fun and play time. We've been doing Tummy Time every day. Yesterday he was able to hold his head up long enough for me to grab the camera and get a few pictures of the event. Today he held his head up to look at his Daddy for well over 30 seconds. I left Ben and Finn to continue playing while I showered this morning. When I came out of the bathroom, Ben had gotten out a blue teddy bear for Finn and Finn was staring at it with wide eyes and a big newborn smile.
Finn is now 4 weeks old. My main obsession (and yes, that is the right word) has been Finn's growth. He started out a small baby and only got smaller in the days after his birth due to a tongue tie that wouldn't allow him to latch onto the breast at all. For the first 2 weeks of his life my only thoughts were about feeding my baby. It took over 2 weeks and, at times, 6 hands, a nipple shield, a syringe, and feeding tube to help Finn regain his birth weight, but I am proud to say that he did and now at 4 weeks he has gained more than a pound and is able to take nearly 4 ounces off the breast per feeding. I attend a lactation support group 2 days a week so that I can monitor his weight and how well he is feeding. When I went this past Wednesday, he weighed 7 lbs, 5oz. By Friday he was up to 7lbs, 9oz. I fully expect him to be up to 8 lbs when we go in for his 1 month check-up next week.
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