Thursday, January 31, 2013
What happened to my sweet quiet baby??
He's still sweet...I'm just kidding about that part. But, something happened last night and he is like a different baby. He found his yelling voice. I used to be able to leave him to play on his own for a few minutes at a time--on the playmat, in the jumper, etc. Now, as soon as I walk away this is what I get.
I know that he is totally "playing me", and trying to get my attention. Along with the yelling comes an intense arching of his back. So much so, that he almost threw himself out of his swing yesterday. He is seriously strong. There doesn't seem to be any connection to hunger, sleepiness, or any other need that's not being met. As soon as I pick him up, he starts smiling. So, is this just something he'll get tired of doing? Help me out mamas!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Must Haves for Months 2-3
I received a great response from all of you on my "Must Haves for Month 1" post. Thank you! As all of you mamas out there know--what works with your baby one day might not be a favorite the very next day. Although we still use many of the items I mentioned during the first month, we have lots of new favorites now. Click on the names of the items to see the direct links.
Toys
This was a LIFESAVER for sleep and playing. Max has reflux, and the upright position of this seat is really comfortable for him. In fact, he slept in it for almost 2 months. What I really liked about this is that it is almost the same height as our bed. So, I could literally reach over and rock him without having to get out of bed. Now that he's bigger and stronger too, he rocks it himself for fun. **I know that this recently was recalled for "mold behind the fabric". People--you need to wash these things. Obviously, they will get wet with spitup and other infant bodily fluids. If you don't clean it, it will get moldy. Easy fix.
Such a simple toy--yet they provide hours of fun. This was one of the first toys that Max actually paid attention to when I put it next to him. He likes to grab the rings, move them from one hand to another, and shove them in his mouth. They are easy to throw in the diaper bag or to give him in a restaurant to keep him busy.
I can't find an exact link to the one that we have. The one in the picture is a bear, but we have the bunny version. We call him Buster, and he goes everywhere with us. He stays in the carseat, and Max loves to hold Buster up to his face when he is tired. It helps him to fall right asleep. I've been looking everywhere for another one, because I feel like we should have a backup Buster---just in case something happens to the original.
I found out that Max liked this ball when he was playing with a friend's at a playdate. It's easy to hold on to and easy to put in his mouth. (This is the criteria for what makes a good toy these days.). So, when I got home from our playdate, I decided I would go on Amazon to order one for him, since he liked it so much. Luckily, before I did, I went to look in our toy box. Because, we already had one--still sitting there in the box. So, if you gave it to us--thank you. He loves it.
Apparel
I LOVE these sleepers. They are SO cute and cozy. Since we received this sleeper as a gift, I've gone to the Children's Place and bought at least 4 more. They are just so soft and have the cutest patterns.
First, let me say that we received these as a gift. I would never buy them myself, because they are a pretty penny-in fact I just got my own first pair of Uggs for Christmas. They are just presh.
We have a wiggler. From the time he was in the womb, he has been a mover and a shaker. When he was a newborn, we were able to swaddle him tightly in blankets to calm him or put him to sleep. He's just too strong for that now. But, these SwaddleMe blankets have super strong velcro that hold him in like a little burrito.
Our chunkster is outgrowing clothes faster than I can put them on. So, even though people bought us 6 month clothing thinking he'd be wearing them in early spring, he's ready to wear them now. Since a lot of them are short sleeved, I just put a long sleeved white onesie underneath. He pulls off the college layered look very well. They're also good to put under sleepers when it is really cold. And, they look really cute with a pair of leg warmers when we're just hanging out at home with nowhere to go.
Essentials
Regular soap works just fine, but I like the idea of using a "green" product when cleaning things that he puts in his mouth all of the time (bottles, pacifiers, teethers).
These are key when you're out in public. Because your baby IS going to drop (or throw in our case) his binky on the ground on that dirty floor (231,323 times). These come in different flavors too--I think we have grape and strawberry. Obviously, soap and water is best, but if you're out and about, these work really well in a pinch.
I got tired of loading up my diaper bag with extra outfits for Max and myself. I also had "extras" rolling around in my car like paper towels, another box of wipes, more diapers, etc. So, I ordered one of these utility totes from 31 gifts. This was my first 31 gifts purchase, and I think I'll be making more. I really like it! Now, I have all of those extras in the tote, and it stays in the trunk of the car. This way, if I run out of wipes in my diaper bag or need an emergency change of clothes, it's all there ready to go.
I had a hard time choosing a diaper bag, because I didn't want a cheesy pastic-y one. This has lots of different pockets for all of the "stuff" that a baby needs, and it came with a matching changing pad. I've washed the changing pad a whole bunch of times, and it has held up very well.
Already in Month 4, we have some new favorites--so stay tuned for those things soon. What are your go to things for months 2 and 3?
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Flo Rida, Rihanna,and Baby Max
You are probably sitting there genuinely confused right now. But, I'm going to let you mamas in on a secret. After a very rough transition back to the crib and sleeping through the night following a trip we took last week, I've found the key to good nighttime sleep. That's right--forget about all of the sleep training books out there. I figured it out on my own.
Crank up the Pandora on the "Today's Hits Radio" station, and let the magic happen. That's right, Max finally fell asleep back in his crib after a 6 night sleep strike. All because of Flo Rida and Rihanna. Hey-don't judge. My baby will be ready for the club by 5 months.
And, just so this song is now stuck in your head, too. "Ohhhhhh....Sometimes...I get a good feeling!"
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Four Months Old: January 19, 2013
Four Months Old
January 19, 2013
Your Monthly Stats
Height: 26 1/2 inches long (93%ile)
Weight: 16 pounds, 15 oz. (77%ile)
Head Circumference: 43 cm (85%ile)
Hair: Your hair is getting blonder and you've got much more of it. Your bald spot on the back of your head also seems to be going away since you started sleeping in your crib.
Eyes: People comment on your big blue eyes everywhere we go. You smile with your eyes before we even see the smile on your lips.
Diaper Size: Still wearing Size 2's
Clothes:
I've started to put away all of your 3 month clothes. {Sad Face} There are a few 3-6 month clothes that you still squeeze into. But, for the most part, you are wearing 6 month clothes and 6-9 month sleepers. When you go to bed, we put you in a sleeper with a fleece sleepsack on top to keep you warm at night. We've also started to put baby mittens back on your hands at night, because your little hands get so chilly at nighttime. Eating:
You're still a good eater. You eat every 2-3 hours during the day, and we are still exclusively breastfeeding. I'd love to keep this up until you're a year old. It is so good for you! You will take a bottle of breastmilk from Daddy every once in a while. The pediatrician told us we could start feeding you solid foods, starting with oatmeal, anytime between now and 6 months. But they recommended waiting as long as we can. You seem to be happy now with just breastmilk, so we'll probably hold off on the food until about 6 months. You are a BIG drooler. We change your bibs and shirts at least 4x everyday, because they're soaking wet. No teeth in there yet, but you sure do love to eat your hands!
*your Graco jumper. Santa brought this for you for Christmas, and you LOVE it. You love to jump and swing in the doorway while I make dinner. You especially love the playmat underneath the jumper that makes sounds as you hop.
*other kids and babies. You've started to pay attention to other people so much more. You're especially interested in watching other babies when they're babbling or crying.
*your exersaucer. You're slowly getting used to this, and now you're finally starting to touch the toys on the exersaucer. For a long time, you just looked at everything. The song on the exersaucer gets stuck in Mommy's head for hours--"Red, Yellow, and Bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuue".
*hanging in the stroller. You're happy as can be when we go on walks or we're out and about. You can shop for hours without getting fussy in the stroller--you must like the view from in there!
*Buster the bunny and your smurf. These are your favorite stuffed animals. Buster always stays in the carseat with you anytime we go anywhere. You love to snuggle him up to your face when you are sleepy. You like to play with the smurf while I take a shower every morning.
*being tickled and giggling. You love to coo and giggle. When you're in a silly mood, you like to chat it up with anyone. Sometimes in your swing, it sounds like you are having a two-sided conversation with yourself. You have a lot to say!
*sitting still. You're a wiggler, and like to be moving, bouncing, jumping, kicking as much as possible. You're fine being held by someone as long as they are moving or bouncing you.
*being tired. You fight it ALL. OF. THE. TIME. Why?? If I'm tired, I would love to just give in and take a nap. You don't want to miss anything.
*being ignored. You want to get all of the attention.
*getting your picture taken. You're all smiles until you see the big black thing in front of mommy's face clicking away. See below.
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| "I said, NO MORE!" |
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| Mean Mommy! |
We've continued to go to our Babysteps class most Thursdays. Here we get to hang out with other babies and their mommies. We've had a few playdates with our new friends from Babysteps too. I've been researching other classes we can take together too, and I think we'll start music class, swimming lessons, or baby sign language soon.
Sleep:
Right around 3 months, we moved you into your room, and you started sleeping in your crib. From the first night, you slept great in there--almost 9 hours! We put you down to sleep around 8:30/9:00 pm, and you usually wake up around 5:30. You were sleeping through the night for almost a whole month. AND THEN, we took our trip to Raleigh. Since we've been back home, you decided that you don't want to sleep in your crib anymore. I'm able to get you to fall asleep without a problem, but as soon as your head hits the mattress, your eyes are WIDE open and you're unhappy. What's wrong?? We keep trying every night, and we're hoping you decide you like it again soon. Until then, you're back in the Rock and Play next to our bed.
You are constantly doing crunches, and you should have abs like David Beckham by now. You like to spin yourself around on the play mat and in your crib. Our pediatrician said that she wouldn't be surprised if you were an early crawler because of your excellent head/neck control and core strength. Uh-oh...stay little, baby. Don't rush it!
Dear Chunky Monkey
How is it even possible to love someone so much? Well--we do. Every morning when you wake up and give me that sideways smile and those twinkly eyes, I just melt. You open your eyes in the morning, and are just happy to see me. In that instant, I forget about the fact that you fought going to sleep for 3 hours or how you spit out your binky 392,406 times during the night. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you are a happy, healthy baby and we love you so much.
I can't believe that another month has gone by already, and I'm writing yet another monthly post. Just like last month, you have changed and grown so much. You're becoming much more independent and like playing on your own and observing others. When we took our trip to Raleigh, you loved looking around at all of the action and people in the airport. People kept commenting on your easygoing, observant behavior. A lady on the plane said that she didn't even realize a baby was on our plane. Our first trip was a success. You'll be a world traveler in no time!
This has been a busy month for you. Here are a few of the big events that happened: your first Christmas, a visit from Grandma and Bup, your first New Year's party, your first trip to Raleigh, NC on an airplane, lots of playdates with your friends, bridal shows and dress shopping for Auntie Andrea's wedding, and lots more! Every day is a new adventure with you, Mr. Max. And we can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring. XOXO
Love, Mommy
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| Too much partying in the exersaucer! This is him fighting sleep. |
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