So any time I start to think I've got this parenting thing down, some new challenge presents itself to prove me wrong. That's ok, I need that to happen! I need to learn my way through this. Apparently I am just not smart at all when it comes to this kid. In the beginning, I was up quite a bit with him during the night so any time he was asleep I would try to sleep as well. It slowly got into this schedule where he would go to sleep between 9pm and 11pm, wake up between 5am and 7am, then he would go right back to sleep (as would I) and we would sleep for another 1 to 3 hours. I was unable to get him to really take a nap during the day for longer than 10 minutes, and it would usually only be when I held him. I had to remedy this quickly or else we would be in a seriously bad habit and I would not get anything done during the day.
The other night I had a revelation: What if our morning "back to bed nap" was causing this problem!? EUREKA! That's got to be it! I am convinced. So, yesterday I did not put him back to bed after he woke up. He ended up falling asleep on his own so I stuck him in his crib and what happened? He actually napped in there! First time ever. I was so proud. He slept for an hour! We ended up going to my parents for lunch so I wasn't able to do the afternoon nap the same way, he just slept in the car.
This morning I did the same thing. It was a little different today though. He ended up getting up around 3 30am to nurse last night, so we were back in bed by 4 30, and he slept till nearly 8am. However, I did not put him back to bed after 8 this morning. He was happy and content in his bouncer and dozed off around 9 45. I stuck him in his crib and turned on the mobile, but he just laid there wide awake. Around 10 I swaddled him and he went right to sleep. I'm not going to make him stay in there for an hour, if he wakes up before then that's cool. My goal is really just to get him used to his crib since he sleeps in the bassinet beside our bed. Hopefully within a few weeks he will be in his crib full time. However, this transition may be harder on me than him! I am very anxious about him being in another room at the other end of the house. I'll be glued to the monitor for weeks I'm sure.
*As I was finishing this post, I heard him in his room...low and behold he was awake after only 30 minutes. He didn't cry though, just laid there laughing at his mobile! Sweet boy.
**After I came back to the computer to finish this post, he had fallen asleep again on his own! I am so proud.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
No One Mentioned THAT In Their Description Of "Motherhood"...
Before Gunner was born, we got a TON of advice and information from people about being parents. However, since he was born I have quickly discovered a few things that no one told me about...
No one told me that after the delivery I would feel like I had just completed the Ironman without properly training while simultaneously being run over by an eighteen wheeler....
No one said I would lose sleep because I would worry that the baby stopped breathing. They only mentioned losing sleep over non stop crying.
No one explained how amazing it would be to see your kid smile for the first time. It was like Gunner discovered a cure for all diseases or something. So very exciting.
No one told me what to do when your child starts crying in the car when it's just you and him. Talk about distracted driving.
No one said I would get over my fear of other people's feet and actually pick the gunk out from between this kid's toes.....somebody's gotta do it I guess.
No one told me what to do when I get sick. That's where I am today. I am not running a fever, but I feel horrible. Sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, all the while taking care of a baby who is going through the six week growth spurt/fussies. So he's not himself either. It's a sad situation here in the Babb home. He has also been having some bad reflux issues the past few days. Earlier he spit up so much I actually took off my tshirt to use it as a burp cloth...it was already 40% saturated in spit up anyway...glad I was home when it happened and not at Wal Mart. lol
No one told me that after the delivery I would feel like I had just completed the Ironman without properly training while simultaneously being run over by an eighteen wheeler....
No one said I would lose sleep because I would worry that the baby stopped breathing. They only mentioned losing sleep over non stop crying.
No one explained how amazing it would be to see your kid smile for the first time. It was like Gunner discovered a cure for all diseases or something. So very exciting.
No one told me what to do when your child starts crying in the car when it's just you and him. Talk about distracted driving.
No one said I would get over my fear of other people's feet and actually pick the gunk out from between this kid's toes.....somebody's gotta do it I guess.
No one told me what to do when I get sick. That's where I am today. I am not running a fever, but I feel horrible. Sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, all the while taking care of a baby who is going through the six week growth spurt/fussies. So he's not himself either. It's a sad situation here in the Babb home. He has also been having some bad reflux issues the past few days. Earlier he spit up so much I actually took off my tshirt to use it as a burp cloth...it was already 40% saturated in spit up anyway...glad I was home when it happened and not at Wal Mart. lol
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Cloth Diapers: Day One
The first day of cloth diapers was interesting, to say the least. I was pretty tired and hadn't been getting much sleep the last couple of nights, so that didn't help. We ended up getting things pretty much figured out though so I feel better about it today. Here's a quick rundown of how the day went:
We woke up around 8am and put on the first diaper! I had never put a cloth diaper on any baby so I was kind of just winging it. The first was a prefold insert with a cute little cow print newborn cover. I was used to mostly changing his diapers before he ate, every three to four hours, but I quickly found out that might not be often enough. He fell asleep on me and when he woke up, pee had leaked out of every possible place and was all over both of us! I was distraught..but quickly decided I probably just put it on wrong. On the next two covers (I went through a total of 4 covers in one day...) I used the same type of prefold and still had leak problems, but once I changed to a different insert I decided I just hadn't washed the others enough. They're currently being washed and dried a couple more times. Hopefully that's the problem and it can be corrected with additional washes. By the time I had it figured out, it was bedtime! We used an overnight diaper last night with no problems! He actually slept for 8.5 hours last night (PRAISE THE LORD) so I call that a success.
I feel better about it after trying a few different inserts. I watched a couple of videos online of different ways to fold them too, so I might try some of them at some point. Currently, I am concerned with how bulky they look on him. It's almost comical! He's so small so I have to fold them over in the front, so they go down to his knees! The good thing about this is all his pants fit better now! Ha!
Here are some pictures of him in the diapers. These are just the first two of the four he wore yesterday.
We woke up around 8am and put on the first diaper! I had never put a cloth diaper on any baby so I was kind of just winging it. The first was a prefold insert with a cute little cow print newborn cover. I was used to mostly changing his diapers before he ate, every three to four hours, but I quickly found out that might not be often enough. He fell asleep on me and when he woke up, pee had leaked out of every possible place and was all over both of us! I was distraught..but quickly decided I probably just put it on wrong. On the next two covers (I went through a total of 4 covers in one day...) I used the same type of prefold and still had leak problems, but once I changed to a different insert I decided I just hadn't washed the others enough. They're currently being washed and dried a couple more times. Hopefully that's the problem and it can be corrected with additional washes. By the time I had it figured out, it was bedtime! We used an overnight diaper last night with no problems! He actually slept for 8.5 hours last night (PRAISE THE LORD) so I call that a success.
I feel better about it after trying a few different inserts. I watched a couple of videos online of different ways to fold them too, so I might try some of them at some point. Currently, I am concerned with how bulky they look on him. It's almost comical! He's so small so I have to fold them over in the front, so they go down to his knees! The good thing about this is all his pants fit better now! Ha!
Here are some pictures of him in the diapers. These are just the first two of the four he wore yesterday.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
One Month Old!
My little man is one month old today! I cannot believe it's already been a month. The first week seemed like one HUGE day, it went by so slowly I thought we'd never get to one month. Then, all of a sudden BAM! He's one month old!
He's doing great. It looks like he has acid reflux, and that's been a challenge but really he is doing quite well. I have taken him with me on errands a few times now and I finally feel comfortable driving with him and getting him in and out of the car seat. He really enjoys riding in the car. When we stop at a light, he gets mad! But once we start moving again, he's asleep. He likes the motion and noise of the car.
Tomorrow we are off to my in laws for Thanksgiving! I'm sure the trip will be interesting, but I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone and to getting out of the house for a few days! =)
Monday I start cloth diapers!!!! WOO! I am actually pretty excited. They're so dang cute! Daniel got the diaper sprayer hooked up to the toilet so we're ready to go. Although, I may not need the sprayer until his poops are more solid. Either way, it's ready! I'll do a post on how it goes!
Baby Milestone:
Since he has had reflux, he has been spitting up a lot, and not just right after eating. Once I figured out what the problem was though, I have taken measures to help him out by keeping him more upright as much as I can and it's really helped. We've even raised the head of his bassinet a few inches. Also, I gave him a bath the other day and he hardly cried! I took a little too long and he got irritated and cold, but he did very well! He's crying less and less when I change his diapers too. He mostly cries when he's hungry.
Mommy Milestone:
Traveling alone. I am totally confident now! It's pretty easy. I can get him in and out of the car seat with ease and carry him wherever we need to go. I've yet to go to Wal Mart strictly because of all the sick people we might encounter, but that will be another milestone I will post about soon, I'm sure.
This is a picture of him in his car seat before we went to the chiropractor! One month old! 11/23/10
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Breastfeeding Ain't For Quitters
Well, Gunner is three and a half weeks old, and I feel like I'm a pro at breastfeeding now. It seems like he is several months old though...it's been a long few weeks. Not that it hasn't been good, it's just been so busy and I've been awake for most of those hours that it seems like it's been way longer. He and I had a rough start, but we've both learned how this works and it's so much easier now. I will say that everyone was right: The first few weeks are the toughest. Not that I didn't believe them, I'm just saying they were correct. The first few days were by far the hardest though. I have watched my fair share of "A Baby Story" episodes on TLC, and I have been sickened at the moms who give up after a couple of days, or one day, or as I saw in one episode, the first three hours after being home! Seriously? That's all the trying you're going to do before throwing in the towel? The important things in life are worth working hard for. I went into this with a very specific attitude, one that didn't even leave me the option to switch to formula. I was going to make this work, I had to, and I think that helped me push through.
I had a lot of good advice from family and friends, and had done a whole lot of reading up on breastfeeding and got so much good information. However, I think after I got to the point of feeling comfortable with it, I decided I had strong opinions on all this info. After reading the info from some certain websites, I was feeling like there was only one way it could be done so when it didn't go EXACTLY like they described it should go, I stressed out. I think that now I am kind of irritated at this, because although my experience hasn't been by the book in every way, it works, and I feel like it's not fair for moms to feel like there is only one way it should be and if their experience didn't go that way, it was wrong and they need to remedy it. Not cool. It's probably all in the wording. They should explain it in a way that helps moms find what works instead of listing every problem you might encounter, and stating that you need to get that corrected to be doing this the right way. If you would like to know the specifics on what I am talking about, just let me know and I will be happy to explain.
After three and a half weeks though, I feel like things are going great and I am happy with it all. Gunner is obviously growing and getting fatter, pooping and peeing a ton, so I know he's getting the nutrients and nourishment he needs, and that's the most important thing.
Things have started to feel more normal now which is nice! I was able to go visit everyone at my old job and bring Gunner along, and afterward I even stopped at Sonic! It's the little things in life that make me happy. He did great though. He ended up getting pretty gassy toward the end of the visit and got really angry, and by the time we got home he was very poopy and hungry. I've started decorating our house for Christmas this week too. It usually only takes an afternoon, but I've been working on it for three days and still haven't finished the tree, and that's the first thing I started! Ugh. At this pace, it might take me till Christmas to get it done! It's still nice to be able to do normal things.
This Saturday is my family's Thanksgiving dinner. Half of the family will be with their in laws this year, so we're doing our dinner early so we can spend time together. Next week we will travel to Fairfield Bay for the Babb Thanksgiving! I am so very excited and anxious about it. It normally takes us 3.5 hours to get there. Gunner eats every 3-4 hours, so we will for sure have to stop and change/feed him once. It might take us 4.5 hours or more to get there.... I am also anxious about being away from home with him for a few days. I have everything I need here to take care of him, and I'm worried I'll forget something. I started on his packing list a week ago, and it's already longer than my packing list usually is! Kids sure do make life interesting. =)
Baby Milestone:
Gunner's cord fell off this week! He has a cute little belly button now, and I even gave him a real bath. He hated it of course and screamed the whole time. Maybe it will get easier.
Mommy Milestone:
Like I said earlier, breastfeeding has gotten way easier and I could probably manage to feed him if we were out and about. I have also been able to figure out a good routine for taking a shower each morning and getting ready for the day.
I had a lot of good advice from family and friends, and had done a whole lot of reading up on breastfeeding and got so much good information. However, I think after I got to the point of feeling comfortable with it, I decided I had strong opinions on all this info. After reading the info from some certain websites, I was feeling like there was only one way it could be done so when it didn't go EXACTLY like they described it should go, I stressed out. I think that now I am kind of irritated at this, because although my experience hasn't been by the book in every way, it works, and I feel like it's not fair for moms to feel like there is only one way it should be and if their experience didn't go that way, it was wrong and they need to remedy it. Not cool. It's probably all in the wording. They should explain it in a way that helps moms find what works instead of listing every problem you might encounter, and stating that you need to get that corrected to be doing this the right way. If you would like to know the specifics on what I am talking about, just let me know and I will be happy to explain.
After three and a half weeks though, I feel like things are going great and I am happy with it all. Gunner is obviously growing and getting fatter, pooping and peeing a ton, so I know he's getting the nutrients and nourishment he needs, and that's the most important thing.
Things have started to feel more normal now which is nice! I was able to go visit everyone at my old job and bring Gunner along, and afterward I even stopped at Sonic! It's the little things in life that make me happy. He did great though. He ended up getting pretty gassy toward the end of the visit and got really angry, and by the time we got home he was very poopy and hungry. I've started decorating our house for Christmas this week too. It usually only takes an afternoon, but I've been working on it for three days and still haven't finished the tree, and that's the first thing I started! Ugh. At this pace, it might take me till Christmas to get it done! It's still nice to be able to do normal things.
This Saturday is my family's Thanksgiving dinner. Half of the family will be with their in laws this year, so we're doing our dinner early so we can spend time together. Next week we will travel to Fairfield Bay for the Babb Thanksgiving! I am so very excited and anxious about it. It normally takes us 3.5 hours to get there. Gunner eats every 3-4 hours, so we will for sure have to stop and change/feed him once. It might take us 4.5 hours or more to get there.... I am also anxious about being away from home with him for a few days. I have everything I need here to take care of him, and I'm worried I'll forget something. I started on his packing list a week ago, and it's already longer than my packing list usually is! Kids sure do make life interesting. =)
Baby Milestone:
Gunner's cord fell off this week! He has a cute little belly button now, and I even gave him a real bath. He hated it of course and screamed the whole time. Maybe it will get easier.
Mommy Milestone:
Like I said earlier, breastfeeding has gotten way easier and I could probably manage to feed him if we were out and about. I have also been able to figure out a good routine for taking a shower each morning and getting ready for the day.
Monday, November 8, 2010
I'm a Stay At Home Mom Now
Well this is my first week of being totally on my own with Gunner. My mom and Daniel were here most of the first week, and my mom moved in with us the second week, but today marks my first day "on the job". As most of you know, we decided it would be best if I could stay home with our kids for their first few years, so I left Arvest Bank a few days before Gunner was born. My first day off was a Thursday, and the following day I went into labor, so we were cutting it close! It was hard to leave, I had been there for six years! But ultimately it was the best decision for us to make for our family.
So this is it! This is my new life. It's very exciting and I love it so far! It's way hard, but I am learning. I spend most of my time taking care of the little guy, so I'm going to have to figure out how to properly manage my time where I can get household chores done during the day. Over the last day or two, he has seemed to be "cluster feeding", so I feel like I am CONSTANTLY feeding him. He hasn't slept much during the day but the last few nights he's had six hour stretches which has been so nice. But I haven't had a lot of time in between feedings during the day to get much done. Luckily, Mom helped me get totally caught up on chores before she left so there's not a ton to do....yet.
Baby Milestone:
Gunner is enjoying a little more "play time" where he is content to lay in his bed or sit in the swing while he's awake, and not fuss! Big step.
Mommy Milestone:
I managed to get a shower with no one here to watch Gunner! He was asleep in his bassinet, and I rolled it in my bathroom so I could check on him...lol I'm still having a hard time letting him be out of my sight. I haven't dried my hair yet...maybe I can master that another day. Baby steps!
So this is it! This is my new life. It's very exciting and I love it so far! It's way hard, but I am learning. I spend most of my time taking care of the little guy, so I'm going to have to figure out how to properly manage my time where I can get household chores done during the day. Over the last day or two, he has seemed to be "cluster feeding", so I feel like I am CONSTANTLY feeding him. He hasn't slept much during the day but the last few nights he's had six hour stretches which has been so nice. But I haven't had a lot of time in between feedings during the day to get much done. Luckily, Mom helped me get totally caught up on chores before she left so there's not a ton to do....yet.
Baby Milestone:
Gunner is enjoying a little more "play time" where he is content to lay in his bed or sit in the swing while he's awake, and not fuss! Big step.
Mommy Milestone:
I managed to get a shower with no one here to watch Gunner! He was asleep in his bassinet, and I rolled it in my bathroom so I could check on him...lol I'm still having a hard time letting him be out of my sight. I haven't dried my hair yet...maybe I can master that another day. Baby steps!
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