This past month has been super busy. We have hit some milestones, as well as had some scary things happen. This past month, you had experienced your first fall. I only want to tell this story not because I want to remember it, but because it scared the sh*t out of me, and I feel that things could have gone differently. We were sitting on your tummy on the futon with your big brother, and by golly, you sure do know how to scoot around if you really want to now. Well, you scooted yourself all the way to the edge of the bed (I was closeby, but not quick enough), and I was watching you very closely, to make sure that you didn't move any more. Well, you didn't have to. The sheets on the futon decided to take you the rest of the way down. You fell about 2 feet to the ground, hitting your forehead first, hyperextending your neck, and then falling to your tummy. I got to you just as your tummy hit the ground. You cried, as expected. I was able to calm you down after a few minutes though. I nursed you, put the boo-boo pack on your head, and gave you some Tylenol (although I later learned that this is a big no-no after head injuries). I decided to go ahead and call the doctor's office to figure out if there is anything I need to be watching out for. Luckily, you fell asleep for a couple hours afterwards, which I guess was okay. I monitored you so closely for the next 48 hours, watching for any signs of a bleed (vomiting, excess fussiness, lethargy, decreased movement of body, etc.). Lucky for me (and you), you ended up just fine. No problems at all. I was just grateful that you were okay.
You and your big brother have been getting closer. It amazes me the way you look at him. You see him as if he is God. You can't help but smile and laugh at the things Aidan does in front of you. It makes my heart melt. I can't wait to see what kind of relationship you two form as you get older.
Feeding: you are still eating every 3 hours, pretty much like clockwork. while mommy is at work, you eat a 4 ounce bottle. when mommy is home, you eat all the time. I don't think you have any trouble in this department. We started trying out cereal (oatmeal) just before your 5 month birthday. You have been super interested in everything we have to eat and drink, and are doing rather well at sitting supported and head control.
Sleep: I swear your mantra is "sleep is for the weak". I say this because you don't seem to let anyone sleep at night very well. Mommy and Daddy are both tired of you being in bed with us, and I have been reading up on how to do sleep training (like we did with Aidan), so we can start you on that real soon. You fall asleep at night around 7:30-8pm, wake up for a feeding about 9:30-10pm, then usually fall back asleep. You then sleep until about 1 or 2 am, wake up for another feeding, and sleep again until about 5:30-6am. I will usually feed you, and if I am working that day, I will take you to Grandma to take care of you. She tells me that you will fall back asleep (most days) and sleep until about 7:30-8am. If I am not working, you will typically be up for the day (how did I get so lucky??). You take several naps throughout the day, but they usually fall to average about 3 naps daily. If you got up early for me and I'm not working, a nap will usually occur around 8-9am. This nap is usually about an hour long, perhaps. The noon nap will typically be the longer one, lasting about 2 hours. And then another evening nap for 30-45 minutes. There may be short intervals of 15-20 minute naps in between. Hopefully sleep training will get you more on a schedule with not only nap time, but nighttime too.
Weight: 14 pounds 10 ounces (measured 5/12/14)
Height: not measured
Clothing/Diapers: this area is getting a little gray. you can still fit into size 1 diapers. clothing however, varies. I can still get you into some (very few) 3 month size pants, but most of the time, you are wearing size 3-6 months in pants/shorts. You are fitting into most Carter's onesies, size 6 months, however, Gerber brand is starting to stretch at the 3-6 month sizes. You don't wear too many shoes, but I believe I can still fit you into the size 3 shoes (nike tennis shoes and a pair of flip flop sandals). footed sleepers are just horrible. you have such long feet that it seems like you outgrow them way to fast. I still put you into the 3-6 month sizes, and you fit into them okay, but I can tell your feet are at the end of the allotted fabric the sleeper allows.
Likes: you are getting better about car rides and being in the carseat now. I can usually get you strapped in no problems, but if you are already cranky to begin with, then it's a bit of a challenge. You love your Baby Einstein jumper. You are enjoying the toys more on it. You don't mind being on the floor on the activity mat either. You also love chewing on EVERYTHING. I swear you have been teething for 2 months now, although no teeth are popping up yet. You love to be held A LOT. You love to suck on your hands and feet. You are ticklish around your neck and sides. Oh, and you love to play with your binky.
Dislikes: sleeping by yourself in any situation (your bed, my bed, swing, etc). Yep, just sleeping on your own seems to be about it.
Milestones: Rolled over from back to tummy 4/30/14 (does this consistently now all the time), found feet, first cereal, first fall 5/7/14, lots of babbling, lots of giggles (your laugh is precious), passing items from hand to hand. sitting upright for short amount of time unassisted (maybe 10 seconds), sitting supported, first time in high chair/grocery cart
*sorry for lack of pictures this time around. I recently moved and can't find the battery charger for my camera. so my phone pictures are going to have to do for now*
4 months. Wow, where has the time gone?! Noah, you have been my biggest joy lately. I really enjoy watching you grow and develop into a little infant lately. Your interaction between us has really increased. You are definitely more awake during the day. Although you should be napping about 3 times a day, you sometimes only get in 1-2 good naps. We haven't really had anything really exciting happen over the last month. Just enjoying the beautiful weather lately. I noticed you don't really like the sun too much, but do enjoy being outside at times. I am going to try to get you outside more often this year. The biggest change this past month, is the fact that you have started the teething process. Nothing has popped through yet, but you have been drooling in excess lately (so much that you soak your onesies). You have also had some irritability over the course of the night, and you chew on everything. Your little gums on the bottom are a little red and inflamed. And you get cranky for no apparent reason at times too. *TMI alert* I've also noticed that over the past few weeks, you have gone from having a stool every 3-4 days, to 1-3 times per day.
Feeding: You have stopped eating at night mostly. Sometimes you do get to nurse overnight, but only for comfort back to sleep. When you do eat at night, it's mainly 1-2 times for a short 5-10 minute session. Otherwise, you last feeding at night is around 9pm. During the day while I work, you eat a 4 ounce bottle every 3 hours (for a total of 4 bottles). I feed you before I leave for work, and again when I get home. On my days off, you eat about every 2-4 hours, depending on the day.
Sleep: Yes, you still sleep with mommy and daddy. We I have unfortunately gotten you in the habit of sleeping next to me. It was a habit I was hoping to avoid this time around, but it's so much easier this way. I know your daddy doesn't care for it too much though. But I love your cuddles, and it's a hard habit to break. I have decided that when you turn 6 months, we are going to start sleep training you to sleep in your crib and fall asleep on your own. I have a feeling a lot of tears are going to be shed during that time. But when we did it with your brother, it worked wonders. He was older though when we started (I think around 15 months), but it worked. So I am hoping for good results with you too. I have tried to keep up with a bedtime routine for you (bath, lotion, nurse, sleep), but it's hard to keep it consistent with my work schedule. I guess I can get your grandma to do it when I'm not home. You typically go to bed around 8pm, and wake up in the morning anywhere between 5 and 7am.
Weight: 13 lbs 13 ounces (taken 4/10/14) - 18th percentile
Height: 25 inches (taken 4/10/14) - 47th percentile
Doctor's Appointment: We met with Dr Baysa this time, and I must say I love her. She is excellent and thorough, and for now, we will stick with her. She said you are growing just perfectly, and are on the right track still for developmental milestones. She told me to start you on cereal about 5 1/2 months, and watch out for allergies. She isn't concerned about your weight, as long as you grow on your own little curve. She was very reassuring that we were doing everything right. And she also agrees that you are teething too. You really liked her, cause you couldn't take your eyes off of her, and you were just all giggles when she was working with you. You did have your 4 month shots at this visit, and so you weren't too happy about that. You fell asleep quickly once I put you in your carseat, and slept for the majority of the day.
Clothing: So you are in all sorts of sizes right now. I guess it's sort of the awkward stage. You can still wear most 0-3 month pants, but are slowly switching over to some 3-6 month sizes as well. You are completely out of the 0-3 month onesies, and strictly into the 3-6 month size (although you could probably get away with some 6-9 month Gerber brand onesies). I recently noticed that you fit into your big brother's sandals, which are a size 3. The footed sleepers in 3-6 months are still fitting, but your feet are big, so I don't know how much longer that will work out.
Likes: tummy time, hanging out in your bumbo watching mommy, watching your brother do all sorts of goofy things, you are starting to enjoy bathtime more, you enjoy playing with your toys
Dislikes: definitely the carseat (you cry/fuss most every time you get in it), sleeping in your own bed/crib
Milestones: not many this month. Just lots more giggles, laughs, smiles, and coos. You started teething, but none popping up just yet.
This month marked a special milestone...Mommy returned back to work. My first day back was Monday, March 3rd, and Grandma is your fulltime sitter while I'm gone. I must say, it wasn't as hard as I expected it to be. I mean, of course I missed my little guy, but no tears were shed, an no worries were had. I felt comfortable leaving you in the hands of your grandma, and I knew you would be just fine. Everyone at work kept asking me how I was holding up, and honestly, I told them I was just fine. I manage to call at least once during my shift to check in. I guess with Noah being the second child and all, it wasn't as hard as it was with my first.
February/March has been pretty much a rollercoaster in regards to the weather. I've tried to get you outside as much as I can, but it's hard with us moving the first of March. I've been busy trying to pack up the house, and then when we moved, attempting to unpack the house. It's been a challenge, that's for sure. But now that the weather is warming up, we are able to do more outdoor activities.
Noah is starting to get into a routine, but it can be sporadic at times. He wakes up for the day anywhere between 5:30 and 7:30am, eats, and then plays for a couple hours. A morning nap usually occurs after that, and he will sleep anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours (depending on where he is at). Again, he will be awake for another 1-2 hours, and then take his long afternoon nap that lasts about 2 hours. In the mid-late afternoon, he will be awake for the longest of the day, lasting anywhere from 2-5 hours. He is typically down for the night between 7:30-8:30pm.
Feeding: Since going back to work, we have had to figure out how much milk to give per bottle/feeding. I was basically guessing based on how often he eats and with what he should be eating per day (average of 25 ounces), and went with 3-3.5 ounces per bottle. This worked out the first week, and when we got to the weekend, I decided to go with 3.5-4 ounces per bottle. He still eats every 3 hours while awake during the day, sometimes more frequently when we are home. He seemed to be somewhat satisfied with what I was giving him, but when we went to the breastfeeding group, I found out that he was eating 5.4 ounces. I'm hoping that this was just Noah being an overachiever, and that I wasn't really starving him. I talked to the lactation consultant about it, and she said not to worry, and probably start giving him about 4 ounces per bottle every 3 hours. He never seems like he is hungry all the time, and he is pretty much a happy camper in between feedings, so I went with it. Currently, we are giving him 4 ounces per bottle every 3 hours when I'm at work. He seems to take to the bottles rather well, and gets them down in 10 minutes or less.
Sleep: During the day, naptime will typically happen when he is either being held or in the swing. We have been trying to get him to sleep in his own bed (starting with the pack and play) at night, but he isn't having it. He will still sleep in bed with me at night since it is more convenient for feedings. I swore I wasn't going to let this happen with the second child, but sure enough, sleep will get the best of you. I'm going to keep at it, and try to get him to sleep in the pack and play at night. However, he is favoring sleeping on his tummy or side, and I am well aware that he shouldn't be. He wakes up about 2-3 times per night (still averaging out every 3 hours) to eat, but goes back to sleep pretty easily. It seems that he mainly nurses at night for comfort rather than for a full feeding. He gets pretty restless after 3-4 am, which makes it very hard for mommy and daddy to get any sleep from that point on.
Weight: 12 pounds 7.6 ounces
Height: not measured
Clothing: We are still in size 1 diapers, 0-3 month pants, and 3-6 month onesies. He upgraded to the size 3-6 month footed sleepers this month (mainly because his feet are so long and have a hard time fitting into anything smaller). We aren't wearing any shoes yet. He is beginning to slowly outgrow his 0-3 month outfits that we have.
Likes: tummy time, activity mat, bumbo, colors on the television, being outside, swinging, cooing, taking a bath, looking at his reflection in a mirror
Dislikes: sleeping in his own bed, sleeping on his back, being swaddled, being in his carseat
Milestones this month: slept through the night (2/10/14), rolled over from back to tummy (2/18/14), grasping toys, interacting with his activity mat toys, laughing, cooing/talking
