So I am seriously considering starting a second blog. I know that I haven't been posting as often on this one and part of that is due to sleep training with Jack (more on that in a little...) and Zach starting school. Since Zach has started classes up again, he's been using the computer more... and who can blame him?! They're all online! :) Anyway, this blog I'm considering would be about breastfeeding. Yes, I know. There are probably thousands of other blogs out there about breastfeeding, but I just really want to do it!
I came up with the idea after friends of mine (who recently had babies) came to me for advice on breastfeeding. I started thinking about how when Jack and I first started down that path, I had VERY little guidance! No one told me how difficult it was going to be! And don't get me wrong, I love breastfeeding and am a huge advocate of it. I think it's one of the best gifts you can give your child. But I had no idea just how frustrating it can be. The other thing I didn't know is that what I went through was TOTALLY NORMAL! So pretty much what I want to do is reassure other new moms out there that they are not alone when it comes to the frustrating parts of breastfeeding.
So there's my thought on that... on to the next topic! Jack is sleeping in his crib again tonight. I believe we're on night 6 now! I spent the first 4 nights in there with him in a sleeping bag on the floor, and I'm glad I did. He woke up several times the first and second nights and not quite so much the third and fourth. But it felt nice to be right there to reassure him when he woke up! Then last night I moved back into our room and only had to go into his room ONCE! He was asleep by about 7PM and woke up once around 8 wanting me to put his paci back in for him and then after that, he stirred a few times but went right back to sleep! I'm so proud of him! He woke up twice after I laid him down tonight, but I expected him to do that since he's been pretty gassy today. But still, twice so far is good! :)
Today was also day 6 of me being on medication for postpartum depression and I feel SO much better! I know you're supposed to allow 2 weeks for the medication to work properly, but I'm so glad I'm seeing results now. I wake up happy (at 7:30AM... unheard of for me! Haha) and things that would have frustrated me before now bounce right off of me. I'm also able to sleep at night now! Although I do need to start going to bed earlier... haha. At least midnight isn't as bad as 4 or 5 or 6AM!
Anyway, that's all in the news department of my life for now! Time to get some sleep... My day starts bright and early at 7:30 with the cutest little boy in the world. :) Goodnight...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
a few new things...
Tonight is Jack's first night sleeping in his crib and not in our room... I must admit, I'm going to really miss having him right there where I can reach out and touch him! I'm hoping that tonight is a peaceful one. He's woken up a few times and cried a little bit, but mostly just because he wanted his paci. I'm going to spend tonight in his room to help ease my mind. I'm hoping that I'll be okay with him being in there alone soon. I think that if tonight goes well, I'll be back in our room tomorrow.
Other than that, I finally went to my doctor to talk about how much trouble I've had sleeping at night (totally unrelated to Jack waking up...) and falling asleep/staying asleep. She diagnosed me with postpartum depression and gave me a prescription. Today was my first day on it and even though I know it takes 2 weeks for the medicine to really start working, I feel so much better just knowing that I'm getting help for everything!
In fact, I'm going to have to make this a very short post because I'm actually feeling VERY sleepy! This is a good sign!!! Time for me to get into bed (or rather my sleeping bag on Jack's floor) and catch some z's! Wish me luck! Good night! :)
Other than that, I finally went to my doctor to talk about how much trouble I've had sleeping at night (totally unrelated to Jack waking up...) and falling asleep/staying asleep. She diagnosed me with postpartum depression and gave me a prescription. Today was my first day on it and even though I know it takes 2 weeks for the medicine to really start working, I feel so much better just knowing that I'm getting help for everything!
In fact, I'm going to have to make this a very short post because I'm actually feeling VERY sleepy! This is a good sign!!! Time for me to get into bed (or rather my sleeping bag on Jack's floor) and catch some z's! Wish me luck! Good night! :)
Sunday, January 16, 2011
starting solids...
Jack started solids just a few days before he turned 5 months old. I really wanted to try and hold out until 6 months, but he had been giving us signs for awhile and his doctor gave us the go ahead! First thing he tried was rice cereal... he wasn't too sure about the taste, but he loved that he was eating like we do! I have pictures that I need to download from Zach's phone of the first time, but I have a few on mine from the 2nd time that I'll put up. He now LOVES food and has broadened his tastes from rice cereal to oatmeal and even likes pears and apples! On to bananas next! :)
He is such a little piggy too! At about 6:00 PM he nurses, then he eats cereal and fruit around 6:30 or 7:00, and then nurses again before he goes to sleep! I started adding a "dream feed" at about 10:30 PM too because he wasn't doing too well with sleeping through the night. Sleep training has started to improve too! The first couple of nights he did okay. He woke up about 3 times after I laid him down at 8:00 and was finally asleep by 9:00. He woke up again around midnight, 1:00 AM, 3:00 AM, and then 6:00 AM. He then nursed again and went back to sleep until about 8:30.
Things started to get worse a few nights ago though. I'm not too sure, but I think teething is the culprit. I laid him down at about 8:00, and he woke up every 10-30 minutes until about 11:00. He then woke up at about 3:00 AM, and then again at 6:00. He nursed and went back to sleep. However, the past 2 nights have been better! He has been asleep by 7:30, woken up once or twice after, and then slept until about 3:00 AM! Only negative thing is I can't seem to fall asleep until about 3:00 AM... Now I need to sleep train myself and figure out how to get him to stop waking up at 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM!
Anyway, sorry this post is so short, but I have to attempt to get some sleep! Hopefully it will happen before 3:00 AM... :) Wish me luck!
Here are a few pictures of Jack while he was eating and after he finished! Enjoy! :)
As you can see... he made a HUGE mess of himself! AND the highchair! :)
He is such a little piggy too! At about 6:00 PM he nurses, then he eats cereal and fruit around 6:30 or 7:00, and then nurses again before he goes to sleep! I started adding a "dream feed" at about 10:30 PM too because he wasn't doing too well with sleeping through the night. Sleep training has started to improve too! The first couple of nights he did okay. He woke up about 3 times after I laid him down at 8:00 and was finally asleep by 9:00. He woke up again around midnight, 1:00 AM, 3:00 AM, and then 6:00 AM. He then nursed again and went back to sleep until about 8:30.
Things started to get worse a few nights ago though. I'm not too sure, but I think teething is the culprit. I laid him down at about 8:00, and he woke up every 10-30 minutes until about 11:00. He then woke up at about 3:00 AM, and then again at 6:00. He nursed and went back to sleep. However, the past 2 nights have been better! He has been asleep by 7:30, woken up once or twice after, and then slept until about 3:00 AM! Only negative thing is I can't seem to fall asleep until about 3:00 AM... Now I need to sleep train myself and figure out how to get him to stop waking up at 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM!
Anyway, sorry this post is so short, but I have to attempt to get some sleep! Hopefully it will happen before 3:00 AM... :) Wish me luck!
Here are a few pictures of Jack while he was eating and after he finished! Enjoy! :)
As you can see... he made a HUGE mess of himself! AND the highchair! :)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
resolutions, resolutions...
This year, as I've done for many years, I made several New Years Resolutions. The first one being to not eat any sugar... success so far? Well, I had cookies left in the house when we got back from our trip, so the first thing I did was try to finish them all before it became 2011. It worked! Not too hard for a cookie monster like me to kill a box of cookies, especially with a giant glass of milk. Mmm! But since the year started, I have definitely broken down on more than one occasion... whoops! Let's just say I have failed. Because I can't seem to live with out the occasional cookie, I have modified that resolution: LIMIT my sugar intake. This means that if I am craving cookies, I will have 3 instead of 7 or 10. :)
Resolution number two is to go to the gym AT LEAST 3 days a week. I plan on aiming for 5 but making my minimum 3 because all sorts of stuff comes up once you have a baby! I was going to the gym about 3 times a week before the holidays but once November hit, well... you know. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce... all that good stuff. Then December rolled around. Candy canes, placek (for those of you who don't know what that is, it's a traditional Polish sweet bread... and it is AMAZING), prime rib, mashed potatoes, and I think you get the idea! :) Not to mention, we were out of town for 2 weeks in December and I definitely wasn't able to go then! So resolution number 2: HIT THE GYM! :)
My third resolution actually came to me AFTER new years and it is to teach Jack how to fall asleep on his own. I already wrote about my feelings on "Feberizing" (also known as the "Cry It Out" method) in an earlier post, but I will once again state what I think about it: NOT A FAN! So, I did some research via other mommies on a website I frequent and I think I have found a solution! It involves combining techniques from two books... a lot to type out, so I'll save the details for another post! :) But so far, they seem to be doing the job (knock on wood!). One other thing I am hoping this will do is eliminate Jack's night feedings. He recently started solids, so he should be able to go all night without waking up to eat. And so far, these techniques seem to be helping! Although it sucks at the same time because I end up engorged by morning. Oh well! It's a system of supply and demand! My body will figure it out!
And the very last of my resolutions: to take better care of myself (not just by going to the gym and eating fewer cookies), to spend less time addicted to my cell phone (oh Facebook app! I will mis you dearly!), too do a better job of keeping up with this blog, and to read more! I hope I'm successful in achieving my goals this year and that all of you are successful with yours as well! Anyway, it's pretty late here and I've gotta be up bright and early! :) I'll post again soon!!!
Resolution number two is to go to the gym AT LEAST 3 days a week. I plan on aiming for 5 but making my minimum 3 because all sorts of stuff comes up once you have a baby! I was going to the gym about 3 times a week before the holidays but once November hit, well... you know. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce... all that good stuff. Then December rolled around. Candy canes, placek (for those of you who don't know what that is, it's a traditional Polish sweet bread... and it is AMAZING), prime rib, mashed potatoes, and I think you get the idea! :) Not to mention, we were out of town for 2 weeks in December and I definitely wasn't able to go then! So resolution number 2: HIT THE GYM! :)
My third resolution actually came to me AFTER new years and it is to teach Jack how to fall asleep on his own. I already wrote about my feelings on "Feberizing" (also known as the "Cry It Out" method) in an earlier post, but I will once again state what I think about it: NOT A FAN! So, I did some research via other mommies on a website I frequent and I think I have found a solution! It involves combining techniques from two books... a lot to type out, so I'll save the details for another post! :) But so far, they seem to be doing the job (knock on wood!). One other thing I am hoping this will do is eliminate Jack's night feedings. He recently started solids, so he should be able to go all night without waking up to eat. And so far, these techniques seem to be helping! Although it sucks at the same time because I end up engorged by morning. Oh well! It's a system of supply and demand! My body will figure it out!
And the very last of my resolutions: to take better care of myself (not just by going to the gym and eating fewer cookies), to spend less time addicted to my cell phone (oh Facebook app! I will mis you dearly!), too do a better job of keeping up with this blog, and to read more! I hope I'm successful in achieving my goals this year and that all of you are successful with yours as well! Anyway, it's pretty late here and I've gotta be up bright and early! :) I'll post again soon!!!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
oh Jack!
Jack was hilarious and annoying all at the same time today. He decided to communicate with us via "screaming." Not because he was upset or anything, just because he thought it was a cool noise and fun to do! So this morning Jack and I get up and I'm still tired. I kept popping the pacifier back in his mouth with the hope he would start sucking on it and fall back asleep but noooo... he'd suck for a little bit, spit it out, and start screeching and squealing at the top of his lungs. Out to the living room we went! I laid him on his play gym to play for a little bit and plopped myself down on the couch to catch a short nap. Turns out it's impossible to nap while your baby is sitting there going "AHHH AHHHH AHHHHH EHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHH!!!" constantly.
After about 10 minutes, I noticed that he was starting to wear himself out (thank goodness!) and picked him up and stuck him in his swing with his paci, turned it on, and went back to the couch and laid there watching him. This was at 11:30. By about noon, he decided he was too tired to keep screeching like that and started sucking on his hands and passed out. I guess I fell asleep too because next thing I knew, I woke up and it was 1:00 and he was fast asleep still! What do you do when you wake up and the baby is still sleeping? GO BACK TO SLEEP! And that's exactly what I did. :)
We both woke up at about 2:30 from a very long nap that we both needed and then Jack started right back up... "Ahhhh... AH! EH! AHHHHHH AHHH AHHHHHHHH!" It lasted ALL DAY. We went to Wal-Mart to go shopping and I had him strapped to me in my sling and as we're walking around, people are looking at me like I have some kind of crazy child because he screamed the whole time we were there! I was cracking up! As I said before, he wasn't mad or anything, just discovered a brand new sound and REALLY liked it!
During dinner, Jack sat there happily squawking and squealing away. We watched a TV show while we ate and had to turn the volume up to 60 in order for us to hear! To give you an idea of how extreme that is, we normally have the volume at about 25. So yeah... he got pretty loud! I've decided to call it "psycho-babble". Lame joke? Yeap. I know it is. But it's the truth!
As annoying as it was, it was also the funniest freaking thing ever! I've heard him make lots of noise before, but never like that! Zach and I couldn't stop laughing about it. I'm sure poor Charlie was pretty fed up with it and I know the cat was too. I have to say, it was pretty nice when he finally went to bed tonight. :) If he keeps this up over the next few days, heaven help us! I might have to buy ear plugs!
Anyway, that was all of the excitement for the day! Since he seemed so happy during the day, I decided to not call the doctor. However, he started whimpering while he was falling asleep and acting like he was back to not feeling so great. Guess I'll be calling them in the morning! Hopefully it's nothing at all!
Well, it's off to bed for me! I have spent way too much time staying up late on the computer... I need to get some kind of sensible routine down so I'm not a "zombie mom" during the day. Wish me luck! Goodnight! :)
Monday, January 3, 2011
i'm back!
So sorry I haven't been on in forever to post anything! December was a very hectic month for us! The first few days included going out of town for a Christmas party, Jack's 4 month check up and shots, dinner at my parent's house, and our first family photos! Then we left good old NC for the west coast to visit Zach's family in Oregon, since only his parents had met Jack before then. Jack finally got to meet his Uncle Shaun and Aunt Taylor, Great Grandma, Great Uncles Joe and Jim, Great Aunts Jane and Judy, as well as some of the cousins, Jody and Kyle, Jamie and Tylor, Jacob and Sasha, and Jessica! We got some really good pictures while we were there, now I just have to find the time to upload them!
We flew out there and back and I swear it was something I never want to experience again! Being stuck in a tiny seat for several hours sucks enough when you're flying alone... sharing that itty-bitty space with a crying baby makes it even worse. Jack actually did just fine with take-off, landing, and the shorter legs of our trip, it was just the really long flights (about 4 hours) that were the killers! He was gassy, tired, bored, and just not happy! Oh yeah! Apparently smaller planes don't have diaper changing areas, so you have to change them on your lap and just ignore the stares of "I-can't-believe-you're-doing-that!" you get. Anddd breastfeeding a kicking 4 month old in a tiny space is not an easy task either! Especially when dealing with one that doesn't like being confined to small areas.
Getting through security was pretty easy though. Everyone was very helpful and patient with all the stuff we were lugging around (carry-on bag, diaper bag, stroller, baby, etc.). Only once did we have to sit next to someone who was not the best seat-mate, but oh well. You can't always have it easy! Needless to say, I will not ever be flying with an infant again! I'd much rather take the time to drive across country or take the train! Haha!
Once we got there though, things went pretty well! We got to spend a lot of time with family and we're SO glad that we did! Zach's grandma has a brain tumor and hasn't been doing too well (please keep her in your prayers!) so we were VERY thankful to get to see her and spend Christmas with her! We had a BLAST getting to play hand and foot, mexican train, imagineiff, and all sorts of other games with the cousins and Jody and I went on our "traditional" late-night Dutch Bros. run! What a crazy bunch! I love them all!
We got home a few days after Christmas and as much as I love going out there, man did it feel good to be home! I missed my Charlie dog and of course Princess Gary! But most of all, I was looking forward to getting Jack back on his normal schedule. He's back on his day time schedule, but not as much luck with nighttime yet! I'm kind of getting the feeling that he might be sick, though nothing major. He's been a little feverish off and on the past few days, though it hasn't gotten very high. More than anything, it's just a gut feeling I have. But hey! You can't ignore those when you have a baby! So I'll be calling his doctor in the morning to see if I can get him in to be seen. I'd rather find out it's nothing now than find out it's something bad later.
Anyway, I know the last time I got on here I wrote about how close to sitting up he was and how I thought he would have it down by the end of December. Well, lo and behold, I was right! But I didn't think he'd be doing it one week later!!! Sure enough, on December 18th, I put Jack in the sitting position and he stayed there! Well, until he realized Mommy wasn't holding him, got excited, and kicked until he fell over. Haha! It was so adorable!
I also taught him a new sound... yay! Since he was about a month old, I'd blow raspberries at him from time to time. Well, about a week ago, I was doing it one morning and he seemed pretty interested so I kept doing it over and over again. Then he finally looked at me and did it right back at me! Since then, we haven't been able to get him to stop doing it. He uses it for every situation. Excited? Squeal, then blow a raspberry. Unhappy? Cry, pause to blow a raspberry. Need to fart? Blow a raspberry while grunting! I have to admit, it's pretty hilarious! Although Zach thinks I have created a monster because he won't stop. Jack does it practically all day, every day. I love it. :)
The other new thing he's doing? Pretending to drink out of my cups! He watches me drink and when I do, I go "Mmmmm!" while I drink and then hold the cup out to him and say "Want some?!" He'll reach out for the cup, pull it to him, and open his mouth while I tilt the cup up for him (only thing we actually let him taste was water... he didn't like it!). I was doing it today and I could swear I heard him go "Mmmmm!" while the cup was at his mouth! He cracks me up!
I have to say, I absolutely LOVE that he watches me and learns such cool things like "drinking" from a cup and blowing raspberries, but it's pretty scary at the same time! Now I KNOW he's watching and learning... I better be on my best behavior! ;)
Other than that, not a whole lot is new around here! Hopefully I'll have those pictures uploaded the next time I post on here... As for now, I'm going to get some sleep! Goodnight!
We flew out there and back and I swear it was something I never want to experience again! Being stuck in a tiny seat for several hours sucks enough when you're flying alone... sharing that itty-bitty space with a crying baby makes it even worse. Jack actually did just fine with take-off, landing, and the shorter legs of our trip, it was just the really long flights (about 4 hours) that were the killers! He was gassy, tired, bored, and just not happy! Oh yeah! Apparently smaller planes don't have diaper changing areas, so you have to change them on your lap and just ignore the stares of "I-can't-believe-you're-doing-that!" you get. Anddd breastfeeding a kicking 4 month old in a tiny space is not an easy task either! Especially when dealing with one that doesn't like being confined to small areas.
Getting through security was pretty easy though. Everyone was very helpful and patient with all the stuff we were lugging around (carry-on bag, diaper bag, stroller, baby, etc.). Only once did we have to sit next to someone who was not the best seat-mate, but oh well. You can't always have it easy! Needless to say, I will not ever be flying with an infant again! I'd much rather take the time to drive across country or take the train! Haha!
Once we got there though, things went pretty well! We got to spend a lot of time with family and we're SO glad that we did! Zach's grandma has a brain tumor and hasn't been doing too well (please keep her in your prayers!) so we were VERY thankful to get to see her and spend Christmas with her! We had a BLAST getting to play hand and foot, mexican train, imagineiff, and all sorts of other games with the cousins and Jody and I went on our "traditional" late-night Dutch Bros. run! What a crazy bunch! I love them all!
We got home a few days after Christmas and as much as I love going out there, man did it feel good to be home! I missed my Charlie dog and of course Princess Gary! But most of all, I was looking forward to getting Jack back on his normal schedule. He's back on his day time schedule, but not as much luck with nighttime yet! I'm kind of getting the feeling that he might be sick, though nothing major. He's been a little feverish off and on the past few days, though it hasn't gotten very high. More than anything, it's just a gut feeling I have. But hey! You can't ignore those when you have a baby! So I'll be calling his doctor in the morning to see if I can get him in to be seen. I'd rather find out it's nothing now than find out it's something bad later.
Anyway, I know the last time I got on here I wrote about how close to sitting up he was and how I thought he would have it down by the end of December. Well, lo and behold, I was right! But I didn't think he'd be doing it one week later!!! Sure enough, on December 18th, I put Jack in the sitting position and he stayed there! Well, until he realized Mommy wasn't holding him, got excited, and kicked until he fell over. Haha! It was so adorable!
I also taught him a new sound... yay! Since he was about a month old, I'd blow raspberries at him from time to time. Well, about a week ago, I was doing it one morning and he seemed pretty interested so I kept doing it over and over again. Then he finally looked at me and did it right back at me! Since then, we haven't been able to get him to stop doing it. He uses it for every situation. Excited? Squeal, then blow a raspberry. Unhappy? Cry, pause to blow a raspberry. Need to fart? Blow a raspberry while grunting! I have to admit, it's pretty hilarious! Although Zach thinks I have created a monster because he won't stop. Jack does it practically all day, every day. I love it. :)
The other new thing he's doing? Pretending to drink out of my cups! He watches me drink and when I do, I go "Mmmmm!" while I drink and then hold the cup out to him and say "Want some?!" He'll reach out for the cup, pull it to him, and open his mouth while I tilt the cup up for him (only thing we actually let him taste was water... he didn't like it!). I was doing it today and I could swear I heard him go "Mmmmm!" while the cup was at his mouth! He cracks me up!
I have to say, I absolutely LOVE that he watches me and learns such cool things like "drinking" from a cup and blowing raspberries, but it's pretty scary at the same time! Now I KNOW he's watching and learning... I better be on my best behavior! ;)
Other than that, not a whole lot is new around here! Hopefully I'll have those pictures uploaded the next time I post on here... As for now, I'm going to get some sleep! Goodnight!
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