Success on the Road

So Christmas is behind us, and so is the two 6 hour trips with a six month old that we have been dreading.  It was actually much easier than I had expected.  We started the trip to and from at around 3:30 in the morning.  We of course had to wake Dominic up, but once we hit the road he fell right back to sleep.  We were probably 2/3 of the way through the trip before he woke up.  I would call it a fluke, but it worked 4 different times!  We were thrilled!


Dominic was spoiled rotten this year, just as we expected he would be.  He had three holiday celebrations and made out like a bandit at each one.  Here are a couple of pictures to show you just what I mean.

He is going to start crawling any day now.  He has pretty much mastered the backward crawl, and I am confident that the forward motion will be coming along soon.  We have been researching baby gates and will have them up all over the house by the end of the week.  


He is still sleeping through the night, which is making Mommy a really happy camper.  I have loosened up a bit on the schedule, but I try to keep it as consistent as I can.  As long as he takes at least 2 long naps during the day and eats at his scheduled feeding times I am happy.  I have noticed that he really needs his morning nap, which starts roughly 1 1/2 after he wakes up.  He usually takes two more naps, one long and one shorter one.  


We have officially decided to start a 529 college savings plan.  It is time to starting thinking about this little man heading off to college.  I did a little research and it is estimated that by the time Dominic goes to college it will cost roughly $250,000.  YIKES!!

6 Months

Dominic has finally hit the magic six month mark.  It is like they instantly go from being a tiny infant to a kid over night.  We have already started him on baby food, but have been very cautious about what we give him.  At his six month doctor's appointment the doctor told us that we could pretty much give him whatever baby food we wanted and even start him on teething foods like unsalted saltines and plain graham crackers.  We can also start him on water and some juice.  I think we will skip the juice for now, he can't miss what he has never had, and he certainly doesn't need all of that sugar right now.


At his appointment he was a wapping 28" long....in the 90th percentile and in the 50th percentile in weight at 17.6 lbs.  This is all right on track....he is a healthy, happy little man.


We recently let him try the water and he is a big fan!  He is taking it from a sippy cup like a champ.  Here is a picture of him trying it.

It is getting so close to Christmas and we are so anxious to start our own Christmas traditions.  Because we will be traveling for the holidays we had a small Christmas celebration early to celebrate with my husbands family.  Here is Dominic after opening his first Christmas gift.

We went to visit my family this past weekend to see my little brother graduate from college.  While we were there we took Dominic to have his picture taken.  Here are some of my favorites.

Our New Plan

So, after a good month and a half of inconsistent sleeping at night I finally decided that something had to change.  Several people, including some well respected family members, recommended the book On Becoming Baby Wise. 


I decided to give it a try.  I ordered the book on my kindle and read the whole thing in one night.  Needless to say, I bought into the philosophy 100%.  I read the book with an open mind as I have heard that the message is somewhat controversial.  After reading it, I can see why it may not be the right philosophy for all mothers, but it sounded good to me.


I was anxious to get started.  We started the process last Sunday, so we are just about 1 week in to our trial period.  Within a day or so Dominic had fallen into a nice routine that wasn't far off from the path we were on before starting the Baby Wise way of life.  I think this is why I was so comfortable with the philosophy.  


The book stresses the importance of setting the schedule for your baby rather than letting them be the one making all the decisions.  It suggests starting the process just one week after birth, but I am not sure I agree with that.  I do wish I had started sooner than 6 months though.  I think it would have been best to begin around the 2 month mark.  


Long story short, we have designed a schedule that works for our family.  Dominic eats, plays and naps at roughly the same time every day and has been sleeping for 9 to 11 hours since the first night on the program.  We are thrilled!


In other news, we went to pick out our Christmas tree today and had a blast!  Here are a few pictures of Dominic at Cox Farms. (I guess I forgot to take any of the trees ) :)

Sleep...what is sleep?

That's right.....my months of bragging about my perfect baby and his perfect sleep schedule are starting to bite me in the ass.  He has been a bit of a monster lately.  The real issue is that he is very inconsistent.  For awhile he was going down about 8:30 p.m. and sleeping until 4 a.m.  This was working great because I would feed him at 4 and then he would go back down immediately.  Then I could catch another hour or so of sleep before getting up for the day.  He would waking up again around 6:30 a.m., just in time for me to feed him once more before I had to go to work.  Sounds nice right?


Well it didn't last.  All of the sudden he started waking up at 12:30ish and then again at 3:30 or 4 and then he wouldn't want to go back down again.  I have a couple of theories on the situation.  First, I have noticed that this happens after I have disrupted his normal schedule in some way.  Either missing a rice cereal feeding, staying up too late, having friends over or just general over stimulation.  Another theory is that he is in the middle of a growth spurt.  I have read that the six month mark is a normal time for this to happen and he will be 6 months in 2 weeks.  My third and final theory is that he is ready for solid foods.  He wakes up super hungry in the middle of the night, so I am thinking that the solids might make him stay full longer.  Stay tuned for that fun.....I am sure there will be a hilarious video for that.


Regardless of the reasons behind the disrupted sleep schedule, I am trying to remind myself that this is temporary and that it will get easier with time.  Sounds so mature huh?  It is much easier to say now as I type than when I am pulling my hair out at 4 a.m.  Wish me luck :)


In lighter, more festive news, Dominic and I had an amazing Christmas photo shoot last weekend to get ready for Christmas card making.  He was a great sport and was sweet and smiley for at least an hour. Here are a couple of the best picture for you to enjoy.

Continuing Solids

Dominic is doing great with the rice cereal, but I will be honest and confess that it was not all sunshine and roses in the beginning.  I actually HATED it for awhile.  He was spitting it everywhere and Now that he is getting the hang of it I am anxious to start him on baby food.  We are going to wait until he is 6 months to start, but it should be fun. :)  It is so hard to believe that 6 months is in only 33 days.  Here are a few pictures of my little man eating like a big boy.

And now we are MAC people!

The husband and I went to the mall tonight and bought our first apple computer.  We have been experimenting with it all night and have been having a blast playing with the PhotoBooth app.  Here is a video for you to see for yourself...





Dominic was a great sport at the mall, even though I forgot EVERYTHING baby related.  We were walking into the mall before I realized that I forgot his diaper bag.  We thought we would be in and out and just look around for a few minutes.  We ended up asking a million questions and then purchased the computer right there on the spot.  The Apple salesman broke the computer out right there in the store and got it running to make sure it worked properly.  Sounds great...until a 4 month old starts screaming!  We got the abbreviated version of the user instructions and got out of there as fast as possible.  


On another note, it is HALLOWEEN TIME!  It is my favorite holiday and I have been looking forward to getting Dominic all dressed up.  I went with some friends to a Halloween parade and it was a blast.  Dominic was such a good boy!!  Here are some picture of my little man dressed up as a dragon.

Baby Proofing!

It is official, we have started the "baby proofing" of our house.  I know it is a little early because Dominic is not even crawling yet, but the OCD in me was screaming to get these things taken care of.  Here are a few of the changes that have happened so far.  We of course started with the outlet covers....and then moved on to door handle covers (because Dominic is sure to start trying to open doors any day now) :)

Our next change was a much needed baby gate blocking the stairs that lead to my basement.  This was a PROCESS!!  It was so much harder to install than we thought.   But it is nice and sturdy and blends pretty well with the walls.

Finally, I have started to reduce the number of breakable objects that are within the reach of tiny little hands.  I used to have picture frames, candles and knickknacks on these shelves, but as you can see, they have been replaced with fabric bins.  This is much safer....and provides some much needed storage for obnoxious baby nonsense.

Mommy LOVES Halloween

We started preparing for Halloween this weekend.  My husband and I agree that it is our favorite holiday!  We always enjoy the decorating and pumpkin carving.  I found an adorable picture of a baby in a pumpkin online and just couldn't resist trying to duplicate it. I think it turned out great!

Dominic was a pretty good sport about the whole thing :)

As our little "pumpkin" grows we have to adapt to his new needs.  We are now faced with the  fear of unswaddling him.  He sleeps so great in the swaddle, but now that he is working on rolling over it just isn't safe.  We have already transitioned into the one arm swaddle, but I am too chicken to take the other arm out.  I read that we should use a sleep sack, which will keep him contained, but not so snugly.  We are planning to try this out tonight.....Mommy is nervous!

Another exciting development....Dominic started enjoying his bouncy chair!  It is so cute to watch him jump around in it.  I honestly never thought the day would come that he would be big enough to fit in it.  Here is a video of his first try.  As you can see, he LOVES IT!

4 Months....and it's FALL

This past weekend was busy busy busy.  We started with a trip to the Cox Farms Fall Festival.  We joined some friends and spent the morning riding on a hay ride and enjoying a huge pumpkin patch.  It was so much fun to take the babies.

Monday was our 4 month check up and it went really well.  Dominic is 15 1/2 pounds now!  Such a big boy!  He is in the 50th percentile in both weight and head circumference and in the 90th percentile in length.  I think we have a tall little man on our hands.  He is trying HARD to sit up on his own, but he hasn't quite mastered it.  He leans way to far forward and starts to fall on his face :)  The doctor mentioned that she doesn't usually see this until around 6 months so he is ahead of schedule as of now.  We have started to use the Bumbo seat to help him out, but he isn't really a fan. 

The doctor recommended that we start him on rice cereal to get him used to eating off of a spoon.  He REALLY hates it!  Monday night was a total disaster but Tuesday was a little better.  We got a few spoonfuls down, but he makes the most awful faces. Here is the video of our first attempt at spoon feeding.  It is only mildly successful, but we have tried each night and he is getting better each night.  Next week we will move to two cereal feedings a day.




 

I feel like he has gone from an infant to a real live baby just over this past week.  He is grabbing things now and chewing on EVERYTHING!  The doctor thinks he should sprout some teeth any time now.  I am crossing my fingers he doesn't get too grouchy.  He is growing up so fast!!  Here are a few more of his 4 month pictures.

More pictures

Not too much to report this week, expect that our little man is starting to roll over.  I have seen him go from his belly to his back several times and hear reports for Oma that his has gone from back to front a handful of times.  This means we are starting to reconsider the swaddling.  I am terrified....and convinced this will disrupt his almost perfect sleep schedule, but it is what it is I guess.  We are going to start working our way out one arm at a time starting this weekend.  (God bless a long weekend)

We go back to the doctor for his 4 month check up on Monday and Mommy is very anxious to see how much he has grown.  I know it will be leaps and bounds above the last visit, but I think he may still be on the small side.  He is still fitting comfortably in his 3 month clothes and he is swimming in the 6 month stuff.  I will be sure to report back after the visit.  Here are some new pictures of the little man.

If I only knew then what I know now...

When shopping for baby items there is no shortage of gear to choose from. I researched just about every baby item I could before we purchased or registered for anything. However, as I looked around Dominic's room I realized there is a plethora of baby things we have hardly used and a few we could not live without. This post isn't about all the things we never use, but rather about the things that make our lives a little easier.

Swaddle Me - I don't think Dominic would sleep on his back for longer than 5 minutes without this brillant alternative to the traditional blanket swaddle (that no normal person could EVER master).



Noise Machine - I forgot to turn this on ONCE....never happened again. I truly believe this is what keeps him sleeping for 10 hours



Footed, Snap-up Pajamas - He loves to sleep in these, but the snaps are so much easier than the zippers



Singing Frog Car Seat Toy - He LOVES this!  It makes him stop crying every time




Aden and Anais Burp Cloths - These amazing creations are designed to stay on your shoulder and contour around your neck.  They are also very soft and absorbent.



Playtex VentAire Bottles - The curve at the bottom make gas virtually nonexistent


Fisher Price Rock 'n Play Sleeper - Dominic loves to lay in this thing.  He plays in it, naps in it....just loves it.



So there it is.....my list of baby must haves.  I am sure there are many more, but as for the 3 month mark I can not live without any of these products.

30 Things that Change When You Have a Baby

I read this list on one of my favorite baby websites.  It is all soooo true.......

1. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.

2. Where you were once afraid, you're now fearless. (When it comes to protecting your child)

3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.

4. You respect your body ... finally.

5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.

6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.

7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.

8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.

9. Your heart breaks much more easily.

10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.

11. Every day is a surprise.

12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)

13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.

14. You become a morning person.

15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

16. You finally realize that true joy doesn't come from material wealth.

17. You'd rather buy a plastic toy or a cute baby outfit than those shoes that you've been dying for.

18. You realize that although sticky, lollipops have magical powers.

19. You don't mind going to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday night

20. You realize that the 5-10 pounds you can't seem to get rid of are totally worth having.

21. You discover an inner strength you never thought you had.

22. You no longer rely on a clock — your baby now sets your schedule.

23. You give parents with a screaming child an 'I-know-the-feeling' look instead of a 'Can't-they-shut-him-up?' one.

24. You take the time for one more hug and kiss even if it means you'll be late.

25. You learn that taking a shower and brushing your teeth are luxuries.

26. You have to quit watching the news because you see every story from a mother's perspective and it breaks your heart.

27. The support you get from other people surprises you, because the people giving it are not always the ones you'd expect.

28. You want to take better care of yourself for your child.

29. You can have the most wonderful conversation using only vowel sounds like "ahhh" and "oooo."

30. You love your husband so much more because you know he is the only other person who loves this little person just a much as you do.

Life....at full speed

So we are officially into the swing of things around here and life is picking up speed.  I have been back to work for a full three weeks and I think I am adjusting well.  It makes the transition so much easier to know that my mother in law is here to take care of Dominic and that I don't need to be worried about him.

Mother Nature threw us another punch late last week with heavy rain that flooded our basement.  It was a big mess all weekend and made the house smell horrible.  Luckily, my amazing husband ripped all of the carpet out yesterday.  We are not looking forward to the price tag that comes with replacing the flooring but......when life throws you lemons - right? :)

I started teaching an additional class yesterday, which is great because of the 20% pay increase for the year, but exhausting because it is a new prep for a class I have never taught.  I was beyond busy yesterday preparing for it.  Last night was also my school's Back to School night - which means a 16 hour day for me.  As you can imagine, I was very tired when I got home at almost 10pm.  The bright spot was that my husband was on baby duty the whole night.  We did a dry run of  the bath time and bed time routine the night before and Dominic surprised us by pooping in the bath tub.  It was a first....but not the last time it would happen.  He repeated the offense last night while Daddy was flying solo.  I wish I could have been a fly on the wall to see Daddy handle that one alone :).  The report was that the rest of the night was a breeze and Dominic went down right on schedule.  However, he must have missed his Mommy terribly, because (after almost 2 months of sleeping 10 hour stretches through the night) he woke up at 3:30.  What a great way to cap off the LONGEST DAY OF MY LIFE!  In all seriousness, I was happy to get up with him and see that smiling face after such a long day.

He is getting so big!  I can't wait to go to his 4 month check up in October and see how much he has grown.  He smiles all the time now and we have even caught a couple of giggles, which might be the sweetest sound I have ever heard.  He can hold him head up for the most part, but we are not quite ready for the Bumbo seat just yet.  I would say that is right around the corner though.  He also made the jump from slow to medium flow nipples which cuts feeding time in half.  I am happy about that for sure! 

Here are some of the most recent pictures of our precious little man.

Mother Nature has a funny sense of humor

We survived both the earthquake and Hurricane Irene this past week.  Only minimal damage to the house (thanks to the earthquake).  Neither Phil or I felt the earthquake and we were mildly disappointed.  Everyone we have talked to says it is a feeling they hope they never feel again, but we feel slightly cheated that we didn't get to experience it.  I was at the gym on the elliptical machine and he was driving.  Oma did a great job of getting Dominic to a safe place, something we are overwhelmingly thankful for.  She even straightened up the pictures in the house.

The hurricane brought back fond childhood memories of growing up at the beach, but now that we have a little one to care for, I was thankful we only got rain and a few wind gusts.

In other news, the little man is growing so fast!!  Here is a collage I put together of him at roughly 11 weeks. 

2 Month Check Up

It is official...Dominic is 2 months old!! 

We went for his 2 month check up on Wednesday and he is right on track with his growth and development.  We saw a new doctor this time around.  He was one of the doctors that came to see Dominic in the hospital and I thought I was really going to like him.  When he came into the room I was even more convinced when I saw his flamingo socks.  However, I was disappointed with his "baby-side" manor and don't think I will be making any appointments with him in the future.  He was nice enough and was gentle with Dominic, but he didn't ask me if I had questions and when I asked them anyway he made me feel like they were dumb questions.  The appointment really made me morn the loss of the amazing doctor who we saw in the beginning.  Long story short, I am happy there are 11 doctors in the practice and we will keep hunting for the best one.  We have seen one other doctor, but she just had a baby herself and has been out on maternity leave.  I like her, but my husband raised a good point that as Dominic gets older he may not be completely comfortable with a female doctor, so we might try one more male doctor before we settle on her.

Back to his appointment - he is now 11lbs 11 oz and 24 inches long.  He is holding his head up pretty well and starting to put weight on his legs.  Smiling is his new favorite past time, and I melt every time he does it. Here are some great pictures of his adorable grin.

Another big milestone for Dominic is that he is sleeping through the night.  For a couple of weeks now he has been going down between 9 and 10pm and sleeping until 6 or 6:30am.  This is fantastic news for Mom because I start going back to work next week.  It is so nice to feel rested in the morning.

Speaking of work, I am anxious to get back.  I have talked to my co-workers and there is so much to look forward to this year.  I am so excited to get back and start a new year.....as a teacher and mom.  The last three months have given me a whole new respect for stay at home moms.  That job is just not for me.  I love my little man, but can't wait to have a few minutes to feel human again....and not hear a fussy baby or smell a poopy diaper. 

Here's to getting back to real life - and praying we survive the transition.