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!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
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?!
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