This blog has basically become a blog about Noah. That's all there is really time to talk about, and frankly when you're a parent your life is taken over by that little one and you forget that you're a seperate person. I say this in a good way.
A few people have kindly wondered how things are going with me lately, considering all the things that have happened in the last year. So here are the updates on me.
First, the good:
My burcitis is completely gone. It's funny; when I was pregnant it was the most excruciating ain everytime I laid on either side. It felt like my hip bones were two spikes digging into my skin. Literally as soon as I gave birth that pain went away. I had Noah at 1:54pm, and by the time I "went to bed" that night it was almost 100% better ("went to bed" is in quotations because I couldn't sleep a wink that night. I was way too keyed up, plus I had Noah in my arms all night).
My pubic bone injury is now healed. It took awhile, actually. It felt a LOT better as soon as I gave birth; the pain was probably at 20% of what it was before I delivered. But 20% of excruciating is still painful. It probably took about 3 months for it to stop hurting when I moved in certain ways or went on a walk.
My back is fine, too. It was so bad the week before I delivered (damn chiropractor went out of town... horrible person)... between my back and my pubic bone I was completely bedridden, using crutches to walk, and even with the crutches I was in tears because the pain was so bad. My back was pretty much 100% better as soon as I delivered.
Now, the bad:
I'm still anemic. I'm still taking my PregVit and extra iron, but I still have low iron.
My colitis is the same.
I got a Live Blood Analysis done in the middle of June. They look at your blood cells live and they can see all kinds of problems. I'm not going to list all the issues I have, because that would take forever. But apparently almost all of my problems are caused by candida (yeast). The naturopath said that was the cause of my colitis. Unfortunately, I can't treat that until I'm done nursing, because the supplements aren't compatible with breastfeeding. I plan to keep breastfeeding until Noah is at least a year, so I have at least 7.5 months before I can do anything about my candida overgrowth. Which means I have a long time of dealing with my array of issues.
I'm sleeping like CRAP. Noah is sleeping really well, and I should be able to get at least 9 hours a night. But I'm lucky if I get 5 or 6. I just wake up and cannot fall back asleep.
I'm pretty sure I have developed restless leg syndrome. My legs don't hurt, but they're just uncomfortable. I'm only comfortable in a position for about 5 minutes, and then I HAVE to move because my legs are uncomfortable. 5 minutes isn't long enough to fall asleep. So I don't.
It drives me crazy. Last night I could have slept 8 hours straight before Noah even woke up to nurse. But I woke up after 5 hours and lied there awake for another 3 hours before he got up. I could have slept another 2 1/2 hours after that until he got up for the day, but I couldn't get to sleep because I couldn't get comfortable.
That's 10.5 hours that I could have slept, but I only got 5 hours. Do you know how insane an insomniac gets? I should mention that when I say I got 5 hours, that's not 5 hours straight. I wake up at least every hour during that time and have to fall back asleep. You know how they say a baby's sleep cycle is 30-40 minutes and they wake up a bit after that amount of time and need to learn how to put themselves back to sleep on their own? I FULLY wake up everytime my sleep cycle restarts and I have a hard time going back to sleep. Maybe I never learned to self soothe. And no, I can't nap. Noah only naps 30-40 minutes at a time. That's not enough time for me to even fall asleep.
I used to just look forward to night time when I could go to sleep... before I was pregnant, anyway. I didn't really like the daytime, and I just looked forward to getting in bed every night and being unconscious.
Now I don't like night time at all. I like daytime. I look forward to the morning when Noah wakes up and we get to hang out for the entire day. I really enjoy my days now that I have him. I love looking forward to a new day. I don't think I've ever looked forward to everyday like I do now that I have him in my life.
I don't know how I function in such a sleep deprived state, but I do. And I still enjoy life.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Hives
On Sunday evening Justin and I discovered that Noah's back was covered in hives. It's now Wednesday evening and the hives are still around, and have spread up his back and to his front. I think they're a bit better than yesterday (not quite as bright red), and this whole time he really hasn't seemed to be bothered by them. He's happy as a clam. But they're still really bothering me.
It looks like an allergic reaction, but I haven't changed anything. No new soaps, detergents, clothes, fabrics, pet exposure, perfumes, and no new foods in my diet. I thought they would go away after a couple of days, so when they were still bad last night I called Telehealth. After asking me a bunch of questions, the nurse concluded that it must be a viral infection that lasts 3 or 4 days. She said it's not very common for a breastfed baby, but it can happen.
I have to say, I'm a little concerned about Noah's immune system. He's exclusively breastfed, so he shouldn't really be getting sick. But he got a cold when he was 3 1/2 months old, and now a viral infection causing hives at 4 1/2 months? What happened to the antibodies he's supposed to be getting from my breastmilk?
I'm not convinced it's viral. Today he had little streaks of blood in his poop. He has had this once before, but it never happened again so I just ignored it (I don't want to be a mother who freaks out over every little weird thing that happens). It was his second poop today (the first one didn't have any blood), and his third poop since the hives appeared. This was the first time there was any blood along with the hives.
I'm not sure if they're related, but when I logically combine blood in poop with hives, I again come back with ALLERGY. I feel like it must be something I'm eating and passing on to him. But I haven't had anything new in my diet at all. It all makes no sense.
Maybe I'll call telehealth again tomorrow and find out what they say then. I don't know if the blood thing will happen again, but I don't know if I should wait for it to, because Noah only poops every 2 or 3 days lately (normal for a breastfed baby).
On another note, his sleeping has been better. Two nights ago he slept 10.5 hours straight until 6:30am and then got up to eat then and ddn't go back to sleep. Last night he slept 9 hours straight, got up to eat, and then went back down until 8:30, so he was down for 12.5 hours.
I'm not sure which one I prefer. Sleeping straight through but getting up early at 6:30, or getting up at 4 or 5 and then going back to sleep until 8:30. I guess it just depends on the night.
He's been having some longer naps again. Yesterday for his last nap of the day he slept an hour and 45 minutes straight. I didn't even have to go in and soothe him. This morning he slept for an hour and 45 minutes again, but I had to go in and soothe him once (I gave him the soother). of course, the rest of his naps are his usual cat naps. Today was worse than usual after that first nap, actually. He got all messed up because we were at the dentist, and he only ended up having two 20 minute naps after that.
He is also doing better in the bath and the car again. Far less fussing. I do have to give him toys in the car though. He's just too aware to deal with staring at nothing during our 25 minute car rides. He's fine for 10 minutes and then gets annoyed. And in the bath I have to give him something to put in his mouth or he gets cranky. He LOVES putting things in his mouth. When I wash his face he ties to eat the washcloth the entire time and gets frustrated when he can't.
It looks like an allergic reaction, but I haven't changed anything. No new soaps, detergents, clothes, fabrics, pet exposure, perfumes, and no new foods in my diet. I thought they would go away after a couple of days, so when they were still bad last night I called Telehealth. After asking me a bunch of questions, the nurse concluded that it must be a viral infection that lasts 3 or 4 days. She said it's not very common for a breastfed baby, but it can happen.
I have to say, I'm a little concerned about Noah's immune system. He's exclusively breastfed, so he shouldn't really be getting sick. But he got a cold when he was 3 1/2 months old, and now a viral infection causing hives at 4 1/2 months? What happened to the antibodies he's supposed to be getting from my breastmilk?
I'm not convinced it's viral. Today he had little streaks of blood in his poop. He has had this once before, but it never happened again so I just ignored it (I don't want to be a mother who freaks out over every little weird thing that happens). It was his second poop today (the first one didn't have any blood), and his third poop since the hives appeared. This was the first time there was any blood along with the hives.
I'm not sure if they're related, but when I logically combine blood in poop with hives, I again come back with ALLERGY. I feel like it must be something I'm eating and passing on to him. But I haven't had anything new in my diet at all. It all makes no sense.
Maybe I'll call telehealth again tomorrow and find out what they say then. I don't know if the blood thing will happen again, but I don't know if I should wait for it to, because Noah only poops every 2 or 3 days lately (normal for a breastfed baby).
On another note, his sleeping has been better. Two nights ago he slept 10.5 hours straight until 6:30am and then got up to eat then and ddn't go back to sleep. Last night he slept 9 hours straight, got up to eat, and then went back down until 8:30, so he was down for 12.5 hours.
I'm not sure which one I prefer. Sleeping straight through but getting up early at 6:30, or getting up at 4 or 5 and then going back to sleep until 8:30. I guess it just depends on the night.
He's been having some longer naps again. Yesterday for his last nap of the day he slept an hour and 45 minutes straight. I didn't even have to go in and soothe him. This morning he slept for an hour and 45 minutes again, but I had to go in and soothe him once (I gave him the soother). of course, the rest of his naps are his usual cat naps. Today was worse than usual after that first nap, actually. He got all messed up because we were at the dentist, and he only ended up having two 20 minute naps after that.
He is also doing better in the bath and the car again. Far less fussing. I do have to give him toys in the car though. He's just too aware to deal with staring at nothing during our 25 minute car rides. He's fine for 10 minutes and then gets annoyed. And in the bath I have to give him something to put in his mouth or he gets cranky. He LOVES putting things in his mouth. When I wash his face he ties to eat the washcloth the entire time and gets frustrated when he can't.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Good or Bad, Everything Changes
I get through any frustrating stage in parenting (for example, me being the only one who could pu him to sleep) by reminding myself that it's temporary. I just wish the good stuff wasn't temporary too!
Noah was such an amazing sleeper for quite awhile. He would be in bed for 12-13 hours at nighttime, just getting up to nurse once. He would sleep 8-10 hours straight every night (usually more like 9-10 hours), and would fall asleep again until 8 or 9 every morning. This was amazing for me, since it takes me HOURS to fall asleep after his nighttime feeding.
Well, that seems to be over. He is now only sleeping 11 hours, maximum. 7am is his new wake up time. Which means I've only been dozing for about half an hour before he wakes up.
Last night he decided at 2:40am that he was hungry. I tried waiting to see if he would go back to sleep, but things escalated quite a bit. By 2:55 it was clear he HAD to eat, even if it was earlier than normal.
When I put him back in bed at about 3:20 he was wide awake. He wasn't fussing, so I just left him in his crib, and eventually he put himself to sleep. Thankfully. But I didn't fall asleep again until after 6. And he got up at 7.
It is extremely frustating to lie there awake for hours and hours, wasting precious hours where I could be sleeping. I wouldn't mind Noah's new wake up time if I wasn't a retarded sleeper. I honestly have no idea how to fix it.
His daytime sleeping has also changed somewhat, although more for the better. The vast majority of his naps are still 30-40 minutes long, and a normal day consists of 4 of those. But now he actually has some naps that are longer, too. And very occasionally he will have a long nap where I don't have to soothe him back to sleep (he can't put himself back to sleep during the day). Like just today. He slept 7o minutes straight without waking up. It was amazing!
His awake periods are about an hour and 45 minutes long, now. Sometimes 2 hours, depending on what's been going on. His feedings are now more consistently 2 hours apart. He used to only go 2 hours once a day. Now he occasionally makes it 2 1/2 or 3 hours!
Right now he's jumping around in his jolly jumper, laughing at Daddy. He's hilarious how he jumps and jumps over and over again (his record is 17 jumps in a row) and then suddenly puts the brakes on. He straightens out his legs really fast to stop himself from bouncing anymore. It is so funny.
I also can't believe how much more coordinated he's become in the last week or two. He's so good at reaching for toys now. His movements are much less spastic than they used to be. If I hold a toy in front of his face, he reaches right for it without a lot of flailing around.
He then puts the toy directly in his mouth. Like he does everything.
I really love being a mom:)
Noah was such an amazing sleeper for quite awhile. He would be in bed for 12-13 hours at nighttime, just getting up to nurse once. He would sleep 8-10 hours straight every night (usually more like 9-10 hours), and would fall asleep again until 8 or 9 every morning. This was amazing for me, since it takes me HOURS to fall asleep after his nighttime feeding.
Well, that seems to be over. He is now only sleeping 11 hours, maximum. 7am is his new wake up time. Which means I've only been dozing for about half an hour before he wakes up.
Last night he decided at 2:40am that he was hungry. I tried waiting to see if he would go back to sleep, but things escalated quite a bit. By 2:55 it was clear he HAD to eat, even if it was earlier than normal.
When I put him back in bed at about 3:20 he was wide awake. He wasn't fussing, so I just left him in his crib, and eventually he put himself to sleep. Thankfully. But I didn't fall asleep again until after 6. And he got up at 7.
It is extremely frustating to lie there awake for hours and hours, wasting precious hours where I could be sleeping. I wouldn't mind Noah's new wake up time if I wasn't a retarded sleeper. I honestly have no idea how to fix it.
His daytime sleeping has also changed somewhat, although more for the better. The vast majority of his naps are still 30-40 minutes long, and a normal day consists of 4 of those. But now he actually has some naps that are longer, too. And very occasionally he will have a long nap where I don't have to soothe him back to sleep (he can't put himself back to sleep during the day). Like just today. He slept 7o minutes straight without waking up. It was amazing!
His awake periods are about an hour and 45 minutes long, now. Sometimes 2 hours, depending on what's been going on. His feedings are now more consistently 2 hours apart. He used to only go 2 hours once a day. Now he occasionally makes it 2 1/2 or 3 hours!
Right now he's jumping around in his jolly jumper, laughing at Daddy. He's hilarious how he jumps and jumps over and over again (his record is 17 jumps in a row) and then suddenly puts the brakes on. He straightens out his legs really fast to stop himself from bouncing anymore. It is so funny.
I also can't believe how much more coordinated he's become in the last week or two. He's so good at reaching for toys now. His movements are much less spastic than they used to be. If I hold a toy in front of his face, he reaches right for it without a lot of flailing around.
He then puts the toy directly in his mouth. Like he does everything.
I really love being a mom:)
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, July 25
This was a morning I'd been dreading for a few weeks. I was sheduled to be in the church nursery today, and Justin and I were also scheduled to serve coffee after church (provide the tea, coffee, and wash all the dishes). Why they would schedule us to do that with a 4 month old is beyond me.
The fact that I was in the nursery actually worked out well. I could feed Noah when he needed it so I wouldn't have to feed him during coffee time (although, 2 weeks ago I actually nursed him while I was in the church service... brave eh?). He was really happy the whole time. I'm still not comfortable putting him in there without me, though. I would need someone to be in there being his sole babysitter. I would hate for some kid to trip and fall on him or something. Or fo him to cry and them not know what to do. Plus the germs... yuck. Maybe eventually I'll have my little cousins take turns going in with him? I don't know. All I know is that at this point he eats too often and sleeps too often for me to put him in the nursery. I'm not going to drive the 20 minutes to church so that I can arrive 30 minutes early so that I can nurse him before going into the service. Having an uninterrupted church service isn't THAT important to me!
Anyway, by the time I was serving coffee he was tired and needed sleep. My mom and dad traded off carrying him around until I put my foot down and said my mom needed to put him to sleep. Luckily, a couple of days ago he got over his thing where I was the only one who could put him to sleep, so my mom got him to sleep with no fussing. Unfortunately, it was a very short nap (10 minutes?) It didn't seem to mess him up, though. He's been great today.
He has decided his new wake time is 7am again. That may not sound bad to you, but he wakes up to nurse around 4, and then I'm unable to fall asleep again for HOURS. I usually don't fall back asleep until after 6:30. So that gives me 20 more minutes of sleep before he gets up. It sucks. I liked when I was getting up at 8 or 9 and I had an hour and a half or two hours still to sleep.
I had Justin download some new children's music today. Whenever Noah is in his jolly jumper I play a Raffi CD to give him music to jump to. I love Raffi, but I am SO sick of those songs now! I'm in serious need of some variety.
Alright, off to put Noah to bed. We'll see how bathtime goes today!
The fact that I was in the nursery actually worked out well. I could feed Noah when he needed it so I wouldn't have to feed him during coffee time (although, 2 weeks ago I actually nursed him while I was in the church service... brave eh?). He was really happy the whole time. I'm still not comfortable putting him in there without me, though. I would need someone to be in there being his sole babysitter. I would hate for some kid to trip and fall on him or something. Or fo him to cry and them not know what to do. Plus the germs... yuck. Maybe eventually I'll have my little cousins take turns going in with him? I don't know. All I know is that at this point he eats too often and sleeps too often for me to put him in the nursery. I'm not going to drive the 20 minutes to church so that I can arrive 30 minutes early so that I can nurse him before going into the service. Having an uninterrupted church service isn't THAT important to me!
Anyway, by the time I was serving coffee he was tired and needed sleep. My mom and dad traded off carrying him around until I put my foot down and said my mom needed to put him to sleep. Luckily, a couple of days ago he got over his thing where I was the only one who could put him to sleep, so my mom got him to sleep with no fussing. Unfortunately, it was a very short nap (10 minutes?) It didn't seem to mess him up, though. He's been great today.
He has decided his new wake time is 7am again. That may not sound bad to you, but he wakes up to nurse around 4, and then I'm unable to fall asleep again for HOURS. I usually don't fall back asleep until after 6:30. So that gives me 20 more minutes of sleep before he gets up. It sucks. I liked when I was getting up at 8 or 9 and I had an hour and a half or two hours still to sleep.
I had Justin download some new children's music today. Whenever Noah is in his jolly jumper I play a Raffi CD to give him music to jump to. I love Raffi, but I am SO sick of those songs now! I'm in serious need of some variety.
Alright, off to put Noah to bed. We'll see how bathtime goes today!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
4 Month Changes
Noah is 4 months and 1 week
I can't believe the changes Noah makes every week. I've realized that I'm not blogging about them enough, and I need to start doing that again because I love going back to my old posts and remembering how things used to be. I can't even believe things used to be so different.
-Noah is doing such a good job in his exersaucer. He actually grabs at the toys on it now, and will try and move the monkeys around on their arch. His favourite toys seem to be the lizard that plays music and has lights and those monkeys. He loves those little monkeys for some reason. The only issue with the exersaucer is that he can't put any of the toys in his mouth. He tries though! He'll lean forward really far and try to mouth on the lizard. It's funny. It's also funny how his legs shoot out backward and it looks like he's in a take off position and is about to rocket out of the exersaucer. We have it on the second highest height aleady. I hope he doesn't grow out of it too quickly!
-A couple of weeks ago we got Noah a Baby Einstein Around the World playmat. He loves it. For awhile he only grabbed Tina the Tiger (a vibrating toy... he loves vibrating toys), but he's started to grab at other toys on the arches now too. He smiles and laughs up at the lights and songs on the globe, and kicks his feet in a fit of joy. It's HIlarious.
-Today I was shaking a bottle of iron supplements at him and he was concentrating so hard on trying to grab it. Over and over again he grabbed that bottle and then would lose his grip and it would fall. I was also moving it all around watching him track it. It was so cute! (Just for the record, obviously I would never leave my child alone with a bottle of iron supplements. It was just a useful toy at the time!)
-Yesterday Noah rolled over twice in a row again. He still rarely does that, so it's worth mentioning! I think maybe part of the lack of rolling is that most of his tummy time occurs on our bed. Maybe it's too squishy for him to roll easily?
-Lately Noah almost never pees or poops during a diaper change. He hasn't done either for at least a month. Yesterday he was on his playmat having a good time, so I decided to just go get a diaper, wipe, and washcloths (penis cover) and change his bum right there. Of course he pees. On the playmat. After not peeing during a diaper change for FOREVER.
-Everytime Noah gets in the tub for his bath, he pees. I think it's the temperature change. It makes me laugh everytime.
-I mentioned before that Noah seems to be going through a phase where he doesn't really like his bath. He ADORED it for a long time, and even if he was upset, going in the bath made him happy. For the past week or so he seems less than thrilled with it. I'm trying to wash his hair and face last instead of first (using a fresh washcloth) because those seem to be his triggers. We also try using his Fishe Price singing puppy which he LOVES) or a soother to distract him. Last night the soother worked like a charm, but you can only use it when he's OUT of the bath because he'll spit it into the water. We'll see what works tonight.
I can't believe the changes Noah makes every week. I've realized that I'm not blogging about them enough, and I need to start doing that again because I love going back to my old posts and remembering how things used to be. I can't even believe things used to be so different.
-Noah is doing such a good job in his exersaucer. He actually grabs at the toys on it now, and will try and move the monkeys around on their arch. His favourite toys seem to be the lizard that plays music and has lights and those monkeys. He loves those little monkeys for some reason. The only issue with the exersaucer is that he can't put any of the toys in his mouth. He tries though! He'll lean forward really far and try to mouth on the lizard. It's funny. It's also funny how his legs shoot out backward and it looks like he's in a take off position and is about to rocket out of the exersaucer. We have it on the second highest height aleady. I hope he doesn't grow out of it too quickly!
-A couple of weeks ago we got Noah a Baby Einstein Around the World playmat. He loves it. For awhile he only grabbed Tina the Tiger (a vibrating toy... he loves vibrating toys), but he's started to grab at other toys on the arches now too. He smiles and laughs up at the lights and songs on the globe, and kicks his feet in a fit of joy. It's HIlarious.
-Today I was shaking a bottle of iron supplements at him and he was concentrating so hard on trying to grab it. Over and over again he grabbed that bottle and then would lose his grip and it would fall. I was also moving it all around watching him track it. It was so cute! (Just for the record, obviously I would never leave my child alone with a bottle of iron supplements. It was just a useful toy at the time!)
-Yesterday Noah rolled over twice in a row again. He still rarely does that, so it's worth mentioning! I think maybe part of the lack of rolling is that most of his tummy time occurs on our bed. Maybe it's too squishy for him to roll easily?
-Lately Noah almost never pees or poops during a diaper change. He hasn't done either for at least a month. Yesterday he was on his playmat having a good time, so I decided to just go get a diaper, wipe, and washcloths (penis cover) and change his bum right there. Of course he pees. On the playmat. After not peeing during a diaper change for FOREVER.
-Everytime Noah gets in the tub for his bath, he pees. I think it's the temperature change. It makes me laugh everytime.
-I mentioned before that Noah seems to be going through a phase where he doesn't really like his bath. He ADORED it for a long time, and even if he was upset, going in the bath made him happy. For the past week or so he seems less than thrilled with it. I'm trying to wash his hair and face last instead of first (using a fresh washcloth) because those seem to be his triggers. We also try using his Fishe Price singing puppy which he LOVES) or a soother to distract him. Last night the soother worked like a charm, but you can only use it when he's OUT of the bath because he'll spit it into the water. We'll see what works tonight.
My Own Fault
I should know by now not to "put stuff out there." If Noah is doing something that's really awesome and convenient for me, I shouldn't say anything about it!
I just recently posted about how Noah sleeps 12-13 hours at night, and gets up around 8:30 (sometimes as lat as 9!). Well, the past 2 mornings he decided that's not cool, and that he should wake up at 7 instead. And he's no longer getting 12-13 hours. He's barely getting 12.
On Wednesday he had a nice long nap aftr his doctor's appointment (about an hour and a half), ad then on Thursday instead of 3 or 4 short naps he had 2 long naps. One was almost an hour and a half, the other was 2 1/2 hours. I did have to go in and soothe him back to sleep a couple of times for both naps, and for the second one I had to transfer him into the swing because I could tell he still needed sleep, but he wouldn't close his eyes wth me rocking him. But regardless, I was hoping things in the napping arena were taking a turn for the better.
Well, they weren't. Thursday night's bedtime was kind of a gong show. Bathtime started at 6:30 (because he'd been up since 4:15), nursing started at 6:50, and he should have been in bed by 7:10. But he wasn't down for good until 8:15. I think even though he'd been awake for almost 3 hours, 7:10 was just a bit too early for him to go to sleep. 7:30 probably would have been fine.
Then on Friday all 4 of his naps were only 30 minutes long. Bedtime was easier, though.
One bright spot: Justin was just able to put him to sleep for his first nap of the day! It's been about 4 weeks since anyone other than Mommy could do it. I think we got him at the perfect time, though. He was drowsy, but not at all fussy.
This is good news, because it might mean that Granny can come out and babysit for us sometime soon and give us almost 2 hours for a date. Or we can go into town and she can babysit him at her house (since she has pretty much everything I would need to raise my child there, including a nursery and baby monitors). We'll see how things continue in this area.
It really is amazing how short lived Noah's stages are. Everytime he does something, good or bad, I remind myself that it probably won't last for long. And it usually doesn't.
I just recently posted about how Noah sleeps 12-13 hours at night, and gets up around 8:30 (sometimes as lat as 9!). Well, the past 2 mornings he decided that's not cool, and that he should wake up at 7 instead. And he's no longer getting 12-13 hours. He's barely getting 12.
On Wednesday he had a nice long nap aftr his doctor's appointment (about an hour and a half), ad then on Thursday instead of 3 or 4 short naps he had 2 long naps. One was almost an hour and a half, the other was 2 1/2 hours. I did have to go in and soothe him back to sleep a couple of times for both naps, and for the second one I had to transfer him into the swing because I could tell he still needed sleep, but he wouldn't close his eyes wth me rocking him. But regardless, I was hoping things in the napping arena were taking a turn for the better.
Well, they weren't. Thursday night's bedtime was kind of a gong show. Bathtime started at 6:30 (because he'd been up since 4:15), nursing started at 6:50, and he should have been in bed by 7:10. But he wasn't down for good until 8:15. I think even though he'd been awake for almost 3 hours, 7:10 was just a bit too early for him to go to sleep. 7:30 probably would have been fine.
Then on Friday all 4 of his naps were only 30 minutes long. Bedtime was easier, though.
One bright spot: Justin was just able to put him to sleep for his first nap of the day! It's been about 4 weeks since anyone other than Mommy could do it. I think we got him at the perfect time, though. He was drowsy, but not at all fussy.
This is good news, because it might mean that Granny can come out and babysit for us sometime soon and give us almost 2 hours for a date. Or we can go into town and she can babysit him at her house (since she has pretty much everything I would need to raise my child there, including a nursery and baby monitors). We'll see how things continue in this area.
It really is amazing how short lived Noah's stages are. Everytime he does something, good or bad, I remind myself that it probably won't last for long. And it usually doesn't.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
New Sleep Record
Noah has a new sleep record! Last night, at 4 months and a few days old, he slept from 7:30pm to 7:15am. I then fed him and put him back to bed at 7:30. He woke up when I put him down, but I left the room anyway and he just drifted off to sleep. It's 8:00 and he's still snoozing. I wish I was him.
I, unfortunately, did not sleep well. My mom was visiting until past 10pm. I have this weird thing where if I stay up past a certain point, it is really hard for me to go to sleep. So I tried going to bd at 10:30, but it didn't work. I didn't fall asleep until around 11:30.
I then woke up several times, like usual, but at 3:45 when I woke up, suddenly the power went out. It really freakd me out, because we have blackout curtains on our window so I could not see a THING. It was like being blind. Luckily my cell phone was on my bedside table so I could use it as a nightlight.
I was worried about Justin not having an alarm in the morning, so I woke HIM up (he had his watch alarm set). And I opened the curtains to let a tiny bit of light in. However, the whol neighbourhood was powerless, so there were no street lights. It didn't help at all.
I never realized how noisy our house is until the power went out in the middle of the night. I require white noise in order to sleep. It was DEAD quiet, so of course I couldn't sleep. Plus I was anticipating Noah waking up anytime in the next couple of hours to nurse, and I was wondering how I was going to do that in the pitch darkness.
The power came back on at 5:12am. It still took me awhile to fall asleep (I think until about 6am). I then woke up at 6:39 and bolted out of bed because Noah had not woken up yet and I was afraid he was dead.
He wasn't. But I couldn't fall back asleep. He didn't get up until 7:15. Almost 12 hours straight! Crazy like a fox.
I, unfortunately, did not sleep well. My mom was visiting until past 10pm. I have this weird thing where if I stay up past a certain point, it is really hard for me to go to sleep. So I tried going to bd at 10:30, but it didn't work. I didn't fall asleep until around 11:30.
I then woke up several times, like usual, but at 3:45 when I woke up, suddenly the power went out. It really freakd me out, because we have blackout curtains on our window so I could not see a THING. It was like being blind. Luckily my cell phone was on my bedside table so I could use it as a nightlight.
I was worried about Justin not having an alarm in the morning, so I woke HIM up (he had his watch alarm set). And I opened the curtains to let a tiny bit of light in. However, the whol neighbourhood was powerless, so there were no street lights. It didn't help at all.
I never realized how noisy our house is until the power went out in the middle of the night. I require white noise in order to sleep. It was DEAD quiet, so of course I couldn't sleep. Plus I was anticipating Noah waking up anytime in the next couple of hours to nurse, and I was wondering how I was going to do that in the pitch darkness.
The power came back on at 5:12am. It still took me awhile to fall asleep (I think until about 6am). I then woke up at 6:39 and bolted out of bed because Noah had not woken up yet and I was afraid he was dead.
He wasn't. But I couldn't fall back asleep. He didn't get up until 7:15. Almost 12 hours straight! Crazy like a fox.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Lightning Strike
No, that is not a metaphor.
Our house got hit by lightning on Sunday.
Our friends and neighbours across the street saw it happen. So many things got fried. Our satellite and internet went out and needed technicians to come repair them. We had to pay for the satellite tech to come, but at least that's fixed. That is the ONLY thing that's fixed though. Our modem was fried and is now replaced, but apparently the ethernet jacks in our computers also got fried, so only Justin's laptop works because it has wireless. Neither of us can plug in to the internet.
Besides the satellite and internet, the following happened:
-our garage door opener got fried and won't work
-our fridge/freezer is busted
-our smoke alarm/carbon monoxide detector got fried
-our HDMI cable went all wonky for the TV and there's a veil of pink over the picture
-Justin's laptop cord got fried ($100 to replace!)
-our phone AC adaptors and one of our phones got fried
-a bunch of outlets stopped working.
-our surround sound won't work
-our blender is busted.
The insurance adjustor is coming in the morning. We're still waiting on a call from our warranty people for our fridge. They need to make an appointment to come fix it or give us a new one.
I'm hoping we are approved and some good will come out of this, like new computers or something. Because regardless, we have to pay our $500 deductible. And I was hoping to buy a new king sized bed with some of the money Justin is making through training this summer. Guessing that's not going to happen now. I'm only okay with spending so much money at a time. We need to save most of what he's making to use when my maternity leave is over in March and I don't go back to work.
I'm pretty bummed about this situation. But hey, I guess I should be thankful that our house didn't catch on fire.
Our house got hit by lightning on Sunday.
Our friends and neighbours across the street saw it happen. So many things got fried. Our satellite and internet went out and needed technicians to come repair them. We had to pay for the satellite tech to come, but at least that's fixed. That is the ONLY thing that's fixed though. Our modem was fried and is now replaced, but apparently the ethernet jacks in our computers also got fried, so only Justin's laptop works because it has wireless. Neither of us can plug in to the internet.
Besides the satellite and internet, the following happened:
-our garage door opener got fried and won't work
-our fridge/freezer is busted
-our smoke alarm/carbon monoxide detector got fried
-our HDMI cable went all wonky for the TV and there's a veil of pink over the picture
-Justin's laptop cord got fried ($100 to replace!)
-our phone AC adaptors and one of our phones got fried
-a bunch of outlets stopped working.
-our surround sound won't work
-our blender is busted.
The insurance adjustor is coming in the morning. We're still waiting on a call from our warranty people for our fridge. They need to make an appointment to come fix it or give us a new one.
I'm hoping we are approved and some good will come out of this, like new computers or something. Because regardless, we have to pay our $500 deductible. And I was hoping to buy a new king sized bed with some of the money Justin is making through training this summer. Guessing that's not going to happen now. I'm only okay with spending so much money at a time. We need to save most of what he's making to use when my maternity leave is over in March and I don't go back to work.
I'm pretty bummed about this situation. But hey, I guess I should be thankful that our house didn't catch on fire.
4 Months Old
Noah is four months old! Again, I can't believe how time has flown. At four months old, Noah:
-weighs 16lbs, which is 75th percentile
-is 27 inches long, which is 100th percentile
-is in the 10th percentile for "weight for height."
-is in 3-6 month and 6-9 month clothing. He's growing out of his 3-6 month stuff though. The only 3-6 month clothing that still really fits him well are his 6 month onesies by Carter's.
-wears size 2 Pamper's Baby Dry diapers (we officially made the switch on July 4).
-still loves diaper changes, and still bends his legs up an straightens them out at the right times.
-eats about every 2 hours during the day.
-is still exclusively breastfed and has never had a bottle.
-naps very little... 3 or 4 30-40 minute naps a day.
-has decided that only Mommy can put him to sleep for naps (and bedtime for that matter).
-needs to be rocked or bounced to sleep with a soother.
-is still swaddled to sleep, although he has the occasional nap without being swaddled. I still swaddle him for naps, even though it makes no difference to his napping time. I just have this hope that maybe one nap he'll sleep longer than half an hour, and that it won't happen if he's not swaddled. Also, it's way easier to put him down whn he's swaddled. At this point he still has a pretty furious startle reflex when he's asleep and being put down on his back unswaddled.
-sleeps 12-13 hours at night, getting up once to feed after 8-10 hours of sleep.
-has a record of sleeping 10.5 hours straight at night.
-still occasionally cries a few minutes after I put him down in his crib at night, but not very often after we realized that if we just let him cry for a couple of minutes, he will stop on his own (if we pick him up it will go on for forever).
-wakes up sooo smiley and happy.
-laughs really easily now; his laugh is so cute, and makes anyone around him laugh. He usually gives himself the hiccups when he laughs; it's cute, but sad!
-is a little schemer with his hands... he's always playing with them in front of his face as if he's trying to take over the world.
-lifts his legs up and grabs his feet often.
-intentionally reaches for objects and brings them to his mouth.
-sticks everything in his mouth.
-drools like crazy.
-seems to be teething slowly and bites on everything.
-spits up less than he used to and in way smaller amounts, but still fairly frequently.
-stays up on his elbows or hands when he's on his tummy and looks really proud of himself!
-rarely rolls over; not because he can't, but because he seems to not care to.
-loves to play and interact with anyone.
-does a lot of talking. His only consonant sounds are still l's, k's, and g's.
-adores his jolly jumper. It is his favourite activity, and he really flies around in it now! He's become a very rhythmic jumper!
-sits himself upright in his exersaucer. I no longer have to sit right there with him to make sure he doesn't lose control and bash his head on one of the toys.
-seems to be enjoying the car less than he used to.
-no longer falls asleep in the car unless he's really tired. We can drive for over an hour and he'll stay awake the whole time.
Noah's days are always different. He wakes up somewhere between 8 and 9. He can still play by himself in his crib for awhile before we need to get him out. He gives us gigantic grins when we go into his room in the morning, and still does his adorable stretch when we unswaddle him.
First comes a diaper change, then playing for a bit before he had his first meal, which is usually around 9. His awake times vary widely. Sometimes it's an hour, sometimes it's 2 hours. Sometimes he gets tired and falls asleep when I least expected it, and other times he just won't get tired for hours. It's very unpredictable. However, he's very happy when he's awake, so he's obviously doing well with the sleep he's getting.
His bedtime routine starts at about 7pm. He usually eats from one side around that time, before his bath, because after his bath he falls right to sleep just nursing on one side. Bath time has recently gotten unpredictable. He usually loves it, but lately he's started to fuss while being in there. I don't know if he's tired or hungry or cold or what, but something ticks him off.
Bedtime used to involve several attempts at soothing and trying to get Noah to stay asleep. He would wake up crying a few minutes after we put him down. We would rush in to soothe him, but it would last for a long time! Finally I decided to let him cry for 5 minutes and then go in to soothe him. After 3 minutes he was asleep again. After we did that for a couple of nights, the "sleep crying" stopped. It occasionally happens now, but we just let him cry because it only lasts for a few minutes. If we run in there it will go on for half an hour.
I am absolutely loving this stage of Noah's life. He is so happy and playful. He can do so much now and is interested in so much, so he's rarely ever fussy. We have definitely entered the "golden stage of babyhood." A happy baby who's immobile... I hope this lasts for awhile!
-weighs 16lbs, which is 75th percentile
-is 27 inches long, which is 100th percentile
-is in the 10th percentile for "weight for height."
-is in 3-6 month and 6-9 month clothing. He's growing out of his 3-6 month stuff though. The only 3-6 month clothing that still really fits him well are his 6 month onesies by Carter's.
-wears size 2 Pamper's Baby Dry diapers (we officially made the switch on July 4).
-still loves diaper changes, and still bends his legs up an straightens them out at the right times.
-eats about every 2 hours during the day.
-is still exclusively breastfed and has never had a bottle.
-naps very little... 3 or 4 30-40 minute naps a day.
-has decided that only Mommy can put him to sleep for naps (and bedtime for that matter).
-needs to be rocked or bounced to sleep with a soother.
-is still swaddled to sleep, although he has the occasional nap without being swaddled. I still swaddle him for naps, even though it makes no difference to his napping time. I just have this hope that maybe one nap he'll sleep longer than half an hour, and that it won't happen if he's not swaddled. Also, it's way easier to put him down whn he's swaddled. At this point he still has a pretty furious startle reflex when he's asleep and being put down on his back unswaddled.
-sleeps 12-13 hours at night, getting up once to feed after 8-10 hours of sleep.
-has a record of sleeping 10.5 hours straight at night.
-still occasionally cries a few minutes after I put him down in his crib at night, but not very often after we realized that if we just let him cry for a couple of minutes, he will stop on his own (if we pick him up it will go on for forever).
-wakes up sooo smiley and happy.
-laughs really easily now; his laugh is so cute, and makes anyone around him laugh. He usually gives himself the hiccups when he laughs; it's cute, but sad!
-is a little schemer with his hands... he's always playing with them in front of his face as if he's trying to take over the world.
-lifts his legs up and grabs his feet often.
-intentionally reaches for objects and brings them to his mouth.
-sticks everything in his mouth.
-drools like crazy.
-seems to be teething slowly and bites on everything.
-spits up less than he used to and in way smaller amounts, but still fairly frequently.
-stays up on his elbows or hands when he's on his tummy and looks really proud of himself!
-rarely rolls over; not because he can't, but because he seems to not care to.
-loves to play and interact with anyone.
-does a lot of talking. His only consonant sounds are still l's, k's, and g's.
-adores his jolly jumper. It is his favourite activity, and he really flies around in it now! He's become a very rhythmic jumper!
-sits himself upright in his exersaucer. I no longer have to sit right there with him to make sure he doesn't lose control and bash his head on one of the toys.
-seems to be enjoying the car less than he used to.
-no longer falls asleep in the car unless he's really tired. We can drive for over an hour and he'll stay awake the whole time.
Noah's days are always different. He wakes up somewhere between 8 and 9. He can still play by himself in his crib for awhile before we need to get him out. He gives us gigantic grins when we go into his room in the morning, and still does his adorable stretch when we unswaddle him.
First comes a diaper change, then playing for a bit before he had his first meal, which is usually around 9. His awake times vary widely. Sometimes it's an hour, sometimes it's 2 hours. Sometimes he gets tired and falls asleep when I least expected it, and other times he just won't get tired for hours. It's very unpredictable. However, he's very happy when he's awake, so he's obviously doing well with the sleep he's getting.
His bedtime routine starts at about 7pm. He usually eats from one side around that time, before his bath, because after his bath he falls right to sleep just nursing on one side. Bath time has recently gotten unpredictable. He usually loves it, but lately he's started to fuss while being in there. I don't know if he's tired or hungry or cold or what, but something ticks him off.
Bedtime used to involve several attempts at soothing and trying to get Noah to stay asleep. He would wake up crying a few minutes after we put him down. We would rush in to soothe him, but it would last for a long time! Finally I decided to let him cry for 5 minutes and then go in to soothe him. After 3 minutes he was asleep again. After we did that for a couple of nights, the "sleep crying" stopped. It occasionally happens now, but we just let him cry because it only lasts for a few minutes. If we run in there it will go on for half an hour.
I am absolutely loving this stage of Noah's life. He is so happy and playful. He can do so much now and is interested in so much, so he's rarely ever fussy. We have definitely entered the "golden stage of babyhood." A happy baby who's immobile... I hope this lasts for awhile!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
He Makes Up For It
Maybe Noah knew I was at the end of my rope yesterday. Last night was glorious. I started nursing him at 7:30, he fell asleep, nursed for about 20 minutes, and then I put him in his crib just before 8. He woke up after a few minutes, cried for a few minutes, then went back to sleep.
He didn't wake up again until 5:30. I fed him and put him back to bed. He slept until 8:30.
It was wonderful. I went to bed a little after 9, and between 9:30 and 5:30 I didn't have any periods of wakefulness. I woke up at least 5 times and went to the bathroom a couple of times (that's just how I sleep), but at least I didn't lie there awake for hours at a time, which has been normal for me 6 out of 7 nights a week since my second trimester (it used to be due to pain; now I don't know why I sleep that way, but I've come to accept it as normal). I also managed to fall asleep again after I put Noah back down at 5:50. I was awake for a little while, but I did fall asleep again. Fitfully, of course; I was "aware" that I was sleeping and dreaming. But I consider that sleeping.
He didn't wake up again until 5:30. I fed him and put him back to bed. He slept until 8:30.
It was wonderful. I went to bed a little after 9, and between 9:30 and 5:30 I didn't have any periods of wakefulness. I woke up at least 5 times and went to the bathroom a couple of times (that's just how I sleep), but at least I didn't lie there awake for hours at a time, which has been normal for me 6 out of 7 nights a week since my second trimester (it used to be due to pain; now I don't know why I sleep that way, but I've come to accept it as normal). I also managed to fall asleep again after I put Noah back down at 5:50. I was awake for a little while, but I did fall asleep again. Fitfully, of course; I was "aware" that I was sleeping and dreaming. But I consider that sleeping.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Serious Sleep Woes
I think I'm a pretty good mom. I love my kid to pieces, and for the most part I feel like I have endless patience. I usually know what it is he needs when he starts to fuss, and I provide a fun, stimulating, loving environment for him everyday. I am very proud of the happy, healthy child I am raising.
But when it comes to him napping, I feel like the worst mother in the world.
I feel like I have no idea what I am doing. I have tried everything. Nothing works. At least, not more than once. Things are actually getting worse.
There was a time when Noah would have a couple of 2 hour naps a day, and then maybe a couple of other shorter naps. A few months ago he decided not to do that anymore. He decided that napping is for babies, and that he's not one. The naps have gotten progressively shorter since then. Even my last-ditch efforts that used to work to get a longer nap out of him (like the swing) no longer work.
Now, at 4 months old, I am VERY lucky if I get him to have four 30 minute naps a day. That's it. And that's including the time that he's still in my arms while I'm rocking or bouncing him to sleep.
I'm writing this more to complain than anything else, because I'm almost 100% confident that any advice you give me will absolutely not help. I have tried everything. All that bull about putting your baby in his crib while he's drowsy but awake? Yeah, not my kid. My kid loses his ever-lovin' mind everytime I try. It doesn't matter how drowsy or how awake he is, he will FREAK. And I'm not just talking about crying. I'm talking SCREAMING. Screaming like somebody is trying to cut off his limbs with a rusty butter knife.
Picking him up to soothe him before putting him back down? Doesn't work.
Gentle, careful touch? Doesn't work.
A key phrase? Doesn't work.
Staying in the room? Doesn't work.
Going back every few minutes to reassure him? Doesn't work.
Going back every TEN minutes to reassure him? Doesn't work.
Going back every FIFTEEN minutes to reassure him? Doesn't work.
Letting him "cry it out"? Doesn't work.
I have tried letting him cry as long as 25 minutes. That was as long as I could go before going to get him.
I have tried swaddled, not swaddled; full tummy, or an hour after eating. It does not matter.
I watch him like a hawk. I've tried putting him down at the first possible sign of fatigue. I've tried waiting a bit. I've tried waiting a long time. I've tried a naptime routine, to let him know it's time to sleep.
I'm lucky if I can even GET him to sleep anymore. Today I was trying to get him to go to sleep on his own. 3 1/2 hours later he was still awake. I finally resorted to the swing, as we had found ourselves in a bit of a nap emergency.
Wanna know how long he slept? 25 minutes.
I feel like I'm going to lose my mind. It's a good thing he's really cute and generally very happy and smiley and giggly. Otherwise...
I don't even know how to finish that sentence.
But when it comes to him napping, I feel like the worst mother in the world.
I feel like I have no idea what I am doing. I have tried everything. Nothing works. At least, not more than once. Things are actually getting worse.
There was a time when Noah would have a couple of 2 hour naps a day, and then maybe a couple of other shorter naps. A few months ago he decided not to do that anymore. He decided that napping is for babies, and that he's not one. The naps have gotten progressively shorter since then. Even my last-ditch efforts that used to work to get a longer nap out of him (like the swing) no longer work.
Now, at 4 months old, I am VERY lucky if I get him to have four 30 minute naps a day. That's it. And that's including the time that he's still in my arms while I'm rocking or bouncing him to sleep.
I'm writing this more to complain than anything else, because I'm almost 100% confident that any advice you give me will absolutely not help. I have tried everything. All that bull about putting your baby in his crib while he's drowsy but awake? Yeah, not my kid. My kid loses his ever-lovin' mind everytime I try. It doesn't matter how drowsy or how awake he is, he will FREAK. And I'm not just talking about crying. I'm talking SCREAMING. Screaming like somebody is trying to cut off his limbs with a rusty butter knife.
Picking him up to soothe him before putting him back down? Doesn't work.
Gentle, careful touch? Doesn't work.
A key phrase? Doesn't work.
Staying in the room? Doesn't work.
Going back every few minutes to reassure him? Doesn't work.
Going back every TEN minutes to reassure him? Doesn't work.
Going back every FIFTEEN minutes to reassure him? Doesn't work.
Letting him "cry it out"? Doesn't work.
I have tried letting him cry as long as 25 minutes. That was as long as I could go before going to get him.
I have tried swaddled, not swaddled; full tummy, or an hour after eating. It does not matter.
I watch him like a hawk. I've tried putting him down at the first possible sign of fatigue. I've tried waiting a bit. I've tried waiting a long time. I've tried a naptime routine, to let him know it's time to sleep.
I'm lucky if I can even GET him to sleep anymore. Today I was trying to get him to go to sleep on his own. 3 1/2 hours later he was still awake. I finally resorted to the swing, as we had found ourselves in a bit of a nap emergency.
Wanna know how long he slept? 25 minutes.
I feel like I'm going to lose my mind. It's a good thing he's really cute and generally very happy and smiley and giggly. Otherwise...
I don't even know how to finish that sentence.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Cottage Time
From July 3-10, Justin, Noah, and I went up to the Muskokas for some greatly anticipated cottage time! I have been to Muskoka every summer since I was born except for last summer. Last summer we were doing a treatment cycle. It was suggested to me that we take a break that week and go up to the cottage anyway, but I was unwilling.
Mama knows best, because that was the cycle that we got pregnant with Noah! July 7 marked the anniversary of the day that he was conceived. And July 4 marked our wedding anniversary. Obviously each of those events could have their own posts, but since I was nowhere near a computer, and now we're a week later and I have many other things to talk about, I'm just going to move on.
We stayed with my parents, and my brother and sister-in-law, Nick and Hilary, and my nephew, Elijah, were up there for half the week with us. Elijah is 16 months (a year older than Noah) and was hilarious was watch, especially in the water. That kid has no fear!
It was roasting up there. Some days reached temperatures as high as 40 degrees (which is 104 degrees fahrenheit). We had no air conditioning, and it was difficult to find the time to jump in the lake since Noah is on a 2 hour schedule. But it was great to spend the week with family (a few of my aunts, uncles, and cousins go up and rent cottages in the same resort).
It's difficult to be in a rental cottage (which is never really clean) in sweltering heat with a 3 1/2 month old. They can't sit up on their own (or do anything on their own), and they can't be in the sun or the lake. It's too hot to spend much time cuddling, and a fan blowing directly on you is a necessity when you're nursing. I couldn't swaddle Noah all week long because it was way too hot.
However, we made it through. Shortly before we left I was reading someone's blog who talks about her kids being on a 3 hour schedule. They sleep, eat, and then play. I've always just done things when they seemed needed. When Noah was hungry, I fed him. When he was tired, I put him to sleep. But I decided to try out the sleep-eat-play routine while we were on vacation. Noah wasn't sleeping more than 30-40 minutes at a time for naps, so that put us on about a 2 hour schedule, and gave us about an hour of free time when he wasn't sleeping or eating. I watched the time carefully from the time he woke up until he went to sleep again. It was a bit of a pain because I was constantly asking people what the time was (it was too hot to wear a watch and there were no wall clocks), but it worked out really well for us. He never really got overtired, so we didn't have to deal with a cranky baby. He hardly cried the whole time we were there.
Unfortunately, the week before we left Noah developed a very serious preference for Mommy at sleep time. Justin could no longer put him to sleep for his naps. Nor could my mom, who has always been great at it. He would lose his mind if anyone but me tried to walk, rock, or bounce him to sleep. So because of the sleep-eat-play schedule, and the fact that he was only taking 30-40 minute naps, I really couldn't enjoy much dock or beach time because I had to be right there as soon as he was slightly tired or as soon as he woke up.
To make things even more wonderful, Justin got majorly sick on Monday through Tuesday. He felt sick to his stomach, had a horrible headache, and had a fever of 103. Even though it was 104 out on Tuesday (even hotter in the cottage, I think), and he had that high fever, he was in sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt and under the comforter!! It was crazy. That's how he gets sick though.
I would have loved to take him home, but I couldn't pack all our stuff by myself and drive us the 5 hours home when I have Noah to look after. Besides, nobody wants to be in a car for 5 hours when they feel like that.
By Tuesday night he felt much better, and we had a good rest of the vacation. Except for Justin's sunglasses going missing... and his extreme discomfort in our bed (what's up with that anyway? I am about a thousand times worse at sleeping, and I had no complaints about our tiny double bed).
Mama knows best, because that was the cycle that we got pregnant with Noah! July 7 marked the anniversary of the day that he was conceived. And July 4 marked our wedding anniversary. Obviously each of those events could have their own posts, but since I was nowhere near a computer, and now we're a week later and I have many other things to talk about, I'm just going to move on.
We stayed with my parents, and my brother and sister-in-law, Nick and Hilary, and my nephew, Elijah, were up there for half the week with us. Elijah is 16 months (a year older than Noah) and was hilarious was watch, especially in the water. That kid has no fear!
It was roasting up there. Some days reached temperatures as high as 40 degrees (which is 104 degrees fahrenheit). We had no air conditioning, and it was difficult to find the time to jump in the lake since Noah is on a 2 hour schedule. But it was great to spend the week with family (a few of my aunts, uncles, and cousins go up and rent cottages in the same resort).
It's difficult to be in a rental cottage (which is never really clean) in sweltering heat with a 3 1/2 month old. They can't sit up on their own (or do anything on their own), and they can't be in the sun or the lake. It's too hot to spend much time cuddling, and a fan blowing directly on you is a necessity when you're nursing. I couldn't swaddle Noah all week long because it was way too hot.
However, we made it through. Shortly before we left I was reading someone's blog who talks about her kids being on a 3 hour schedule. They sleep, eat, and then play. I've always just done things when they seemed needed. When Noah was hungry, I fed him. When he was tired, I put him to sleep. But I decided to try out the sleep-eat-play routine while we were on vacation. Noah wasn't sleeping more than 30-40 minutes at a time for naps, so that put us on about a 2 hour schedule, and gave us about an hour of free time when he wasn't sleeping or eating. I watched the time carefully from the time he woke up until he went to sleep again. It was a bit of a pain because I was constantly asking people what the time was (it was too hot to wear a watch and there were no wall clocks), but it worked out really well for us. He never really got overtired, so we didn't have to deal with a cranky baby. He hardly cried the whole time we were there.
Unfortunately, the week before we left Noah developed a very serious preference for Mommy at sleep time. Justin could no longer put him to sleep for his naps. Nor could my mom, who has always been great at it. He would lose his mind if anyone but me tried to walk, rock, or bounce him to sleep. So because of the sleep-eat-play schedule, and the fact that he was only taking 30-40 minute naps, I really couldn't enjoy much dock or beach time because I had to be right there as soon as he was slightly tired or as soon as he woke up.
To make things even more wonderful, Justin got majorly sick on Monday through Tuesday. He felt sick to his stomach, had a horrible headache, and had a fever of 103. Even though it was 104 out on Tuesday (even hotter in the cottage, I think), and he had that high fever, he was in sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt and under the comforter!! It was crazy. That's how he gets sick though.
I would have loved to take him home, but I couldn't pack all our stuff by myself and drive us the 5 hours home when I have Noah to look after. Besides, nobody wants to be in a car for 5 hours when they feel like that.
By Tuesday night he felt much better, and we had a good rest of the vacation. Except for Justin's sunglasses going missing... and his extreme discomfort in our bed (what's up with that anyway? I am about a thousand times worse at sleeping, and I had no complaints about our tiny double bed).
I know that I had a good time, because it's my family tradition and I'm used to it and look forward to it every year. And Noah had a good time hanging out and playing with his extended family. But I'm not sure how good a time Justin had, all things considered. He was very complainy on the ride home. I was very happy to have my positive husband back the next day!
Here are some pictures, all taken on the same day, which is why Noah is wearing the same thing in all of them. It was also the only cool one we had (by cool, I mean it was probably 85 degrees).
First family picture up at the cottage:
In his bouncy chair on the deck, where he was during every dinnertime:
Daddy and Gramper are soo funny!:
So cute:
Very excited to go out for ice cream!
He got tired a bit earlier than usual...
Saturday, July 3, 2010
WHAT IS GOING ON??
Somebody please tell me that when Noah is no longer sick, he will self correct his sleeping habits! I wasn't the one who made him sleep as well as he used to, so I don't know what to do if he doesn't!
Last night he got up over and over again. Here is what happened:
7:30 - 8:15 - Sleep
8:15 - Wake, Try to Soothe, Eat
8:30 - 11:00 - Sleep
11:00 - Wake, Try to Soothe, Eat
11:30 - 2:00 - Sleep
2:00 - Wake, Try to Soothe, Eat
2:30 - 5:00 - Sleep
5:00 - Wake, Try to Soothe, Eat
6:00 - 7:30 - Sleep
7:30 - Wake for good
Everytime he got up he ate. I was cringing like crazy because I know that tonight I am going to be massively engorged (unless he wakes up every 2 1/2 hours again, which I'm praying he doesn't). This means I'm going to sleep horribly and will have to pump in the middle of the night.
We tried and tried to soothe him without feeding him, but he refused. The crying only escalated, which is horrible when your baby has a sore throat and a raspy voice.
I think he might have been crying because his throat was dry and hurt. So I just fed him everytime. I tried using a medicine dropper filled with water for him to swallow to wet his throat, but that seriously pissed him off. It also choked him.
He seems to be doing a lot better. He's not as congested anymore, and has more happy periods, so I think we might try to leave for the cottage tomorrow.
Last night he got up over and over again. Here is what happened:
7:30 - 8:15 - Sleep
8:15 - Wake, Try to Soothe, Eat
8:30 - 11:00 - Sleep
11:00 - Wake, Try to Soothe, Eat
11:30 - 2:00 - Sleep
2:00 - Wake, Try to Soothe, Eat
2:30 - 5:00 - Sleep
5:00 - Wake, Try to Soothe, Eat
6:00 - 7:30 - Sleep
7:30 - Wake for good
Everytime he got up he ate. I was cringing like crazy because I know that tonight I am going to be massively engorged (unless he wakes up every 2 1/2 hours again, which I'm praying he doesn't). This means I'm going to sleep horribly and will have to pump in the middle of the night.
We tried and tried to soothe him without feeding him, but he refused. The crying only escalated, which is horrible when your baby has a sore throat and a raspy voice.
I think he might have been crying because his throat was dry and hurt. So I just fed him everytime. I tried using a medicine dropper filled with water for him to swallow to wet his throat, but that seriously pissed him off. It also choked him.
He seems to be doing a lot better. He's not as congested anymore, and has more happy periods, so I think we might try to leave for the cottage tomorrow.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Baby's First Cold
Noah is sick. And let me tell you, it is not fun to have a sick baby.
I'm sick as well. I'm pretty sure I gave it to him and not the other way around. I feel terrible about it, but I didn't know what I was doing! I started with a sore throat on Tuesday night (2 days ago) and as soon as that happened I started washing my hands and sanitizing like crazy, so I wouldn't pass it on. But it was too late. By Wednesday afternoon I was pretty sure Noah had it, and by the evening I was positive.
The first signs were coughing and a runny nose. He may have started with a sore throat, like me, but there's no way for me to know, obviously. He also started sneezing a lot... and blowing spit and mucus everywhere when he would sneeze!
Wednesday night was pretty brutal. Noah was up fussing already at 11pm. I didn't want to feed him to put him back to sleep because I knew he didn't need it and a) I don't want to encourage bad habits, and b) I didn't want to feed him all night long and end up majorly engorged the next night if he didn't feed that much again.
By about 12pm he was back in bed "for good," but of course I couldn't fall asleep. At 2:30 he was awake again and I decided to feed him then. When I put him down then he fussed more and needed more cuddling. I was reading baby books to try and figure out what we could do to help him. There was a suggestion to raise the head of the mattress, so we put a pillow under it. I also laid down a really soft fluffy blanket for him to lie on so it would be warmer than the cold bare crib sheet. He finally went down again, and I was just starting to fall asleep around 5am when he woke up again. Justin went to get him and found him with his head up against the rails of the crib! Poor little baby squirmed his way over there, and because the mattress was elevated at his head, gravity took over! Earlier, I thought he smelled poopy so I decided we should change his diaper. Of course that upset him quite a bit, so I nursed him again to get him back to sleep. But we put rolled up towels on either side of him so his head wouldn't end up smushed against the side of the crib again.
That diaper actually had no poop in it, but I was very glad I changed it because he ended up sleeping until 12pm after that! I didn't fall asleep until sometime after 7, and then Justin and I slept until 10:30. I use the term "slept" loosely, because I was probably awake every half hour and I kept getting up to check on Noah. Not only was I worried about him because he was sick, but I was also worried about him suffocating on something! He was swaddled, so he couldn't use his hands to protect his face, and he was on fluffy blankets, and there were towels beside him... I was a wreck! But he absolutely needed his sleep in order to get better, so I was just trying to make him as comfortable as possible.
So Noah got up around 12pm on Thursday. He had a bum change and then nursed for a long time. He was asleep, so I tried to put him back down but that woke him up. He was very listless for the first half of the afternoon. When we would put him down on our bed he would just lie there, not moving, and just groaning softly to himself. I tried to have him sleep as much as possible. I was somewhat worried about him not sleeping that night, but I sucked it up. He didn't sleep that much anyway. Still only 30-40 minutes at a time, and only a couple of them. Once it got to be 4:30 he was cranky and needed another nap, but only slept for 15 minutes, and then woke up crying - even though he was in his swing!
We ate dinner around 5, and I just tried to keep Noah happy. I tried to get him to sleep, but he wouldn't. So at around 6 I decided to just bathe him and see if he would go to bed.
He did. He was in bed before 7. I had to soothe him a couple of times in the first hour, but then he was out like a light. He slept until 4:30, when I went to go check on him (for the 3rd time?). I adjusted his blankets and I think that woke him up. He wasn't very awake, but I was pretty full from the two feedings the night before so I knew I wouldn't go back to sleep unless he ate. I nursed him, he choked and coughed several times, then he was awake, so I rocked him to get him drowsy, and put him back to bed. I fell back asleep sometime after 6:30.
It's about 8:45am now and he is still in bed. He keeps waking up and whining, so we just go in and put the soother in his mouth and he falls back asleep.
I know it may sound like I'm doing everything wrong. I had every intention of trying to sleep train Noah to put himself to sleep on his own. But I'm not doing that to a sick baby. A sick baby needs as much comfort and sleep as he can get. I don't even want him to whine; you should hear his sad little hoarse whine. It's terrible when your 3 month old has a raspy voice! Not to mention the kind of whine it is... just this soft little pitiful, "Mommy, I don't feel good," whimper.
I hope my poor baby gets better soon! We were supposed to go to the cottage on Saturday (tomorrow) for the week, but I don't want to take care of a sick baby in a cottage with no climate control, where he has to sleep in his pack and play in our room, where it's never clean no matter how much you clean, and where there are a pile of other people making noise and possibly waking you up from your much needed baby sleep. Plus I don't want to take a sick baby out of the environment he's comfortable in.
Oh, AND he created an entire load of laundry yesterday. He keeps spitting up because of his coughing. We went through every burp cloth we own (we have over 30), 6 sleepers, 4 swaddlers, and several receiving blankets. The cottage has no laundry facilities. We can't go up there and blow through all our blankets and clothes in the first two days!
On a different but related note, I wanted Noah to wear all zipper sleepers yesterday just because they're easier to undo and do up and he was sad and miserable. We ran out of 3-6 month zipper sleepers, so I pulled out some 6-9 month ones to see if they would work, and they fit him. He's 3 1/2 months old and 6-9 month clothing fits him! He is way too tall!!
I should be sad about this, but I love all his 6-9 month sleepers and am not that in love with most of his 3-6 month ones. Plus, his 3-6 month ones fit perfectly right now (no wiggle room) so I don't actually have to give them up.
I'm sick as well. I'm pretty sure I gave it to him and not the other way around. I feel terrible about it, but I didn't know what I was doing! I started with a sore throat on Tuesday night (2 days ago) and as soon as that happened I started washing my hands and sanitizing like crazy, so I wouldn't pass it on. But it was too late. By Wednesday afternoon I was pretty sure Noah had it, and by the evening I was positive.
The first signs were coughing and a runny nose. He may have started with a sore throat, like me, but there's no way for me to know, obviously. He also started sneezing a lot... and blowing spit and mucus everywhere when he would sneeze!
Wednesday night was pretty brutal. Noah was up fussing already at 11pm. I didn't want to feed him to put him back to sleep because I knew he didn't need it and a) I don't want to encourage bad habits, and b) I didn't want to feed him all night long and end up majorly engorged the next night if he didn't feed that much again.
By about 12pm he was back in bed "for good," but of course I couldn't fall asleep. At 2:30 he was awake again and I decided to feed him then. When I put him down then he fussed more and needed more cuddling. I was reading baby books to try and figure out what we could do to help him. There was a suggestion to raise the head of the mattress, so we put a pillow under it. I also laid down a really soft fluffy blanket for him to lie on so it would be warmer than the cold bare crib sheet. He finally went down again, and I was just starting to fall asleep around 5am when he woke up again. Justin went to get him and found him with his head up against the rails of the crib! Poor little baby squirmed his way over there, and because the mattress was elevated at his head, gravity took over! Earlier, I thought he smelled poopy so I decided we should change his diaper. Of course that upset him quite a bit, so I nursed him again to get him back to sleep. But we put rolled up towels on either side of him so his head wouldn't end up smushed against the side of the crib again.
That diaper actually had no poop in it, but I was very glad I changed it because he ended up sleeping until 12pm after that! I didn't fall asleep until sometime after 7, and then Justin and I slept until 10:30. I use the term "slept" loosely, because I was probably awake every half hour and I kept getting up to check on Noah. Not only was I worried about him because he was sick, but I was also worried about him suffocating on something! He was swaddled, so he couldn't use his hands to protect his face, and he was on fluffy blankets, and there were towels beside him... I was a wreck! But he absolutely needed his sleep in order to get better, so I was just trying to make him as comfortable as possible.
So Noah got up around 12pm on Thursday. He had a bum change and then nursed for a long time. He was asleep, so I tried to put him back down but that woke him up. He was very listless for the first half of the afternoon. When we would put him down on our bed he would just lie there, not moving, and just groaning softly to himself. I tried to have him sleep as much as possible. I was somewhat worried about him not sleeping that night, but I sucked it up. He didn't sleep that much anyway. Still only 30-40 minutes at a time, and only a couple of them. Once it got to be 4:30 he was cranky and needed another nap, but only slept for 15 minutes, and then woke up crying - even though he was in his swing!
We ate dinner around 5, and I just tried to keep Noah happy. I tried to get him to sleep, but he wouldn't. So at around 6 I decided to just bathe him and see if he would go to bed.
He did. He was in bed before 7. I had to soothe him a couple of times in the first hour, but then he was out like a light. He slept until 4:30, when I went to go check on him (for the 3rd time?). I adjusted his blankets and I think that woke him up. He wasn't very awake, but I was pretty full from the two feedings the night before so I knew I wouldn't go back to sleep unless he ate. I nursed him, he choked and coughed several times, then he was awake, so I rocked him to get him drowsy, and put him back to bed. I fell back asleep sometime after 6:30.
It's about 8:45am now and he is still in bed. He keeps waking up and whining, so we just go in and put the soother in his mouth and he falls back asleep.
I know it may sound like I'm doing everything wrong. I had every intention of trying to sleep train Noah to put himself to sleep on his own. But I'm not doing that to a sick baby. A sick baby needs as much comfort and sleep as he can get. I don't even want him to whine; you should hear his sad little hoarse whine. It's terrible when your 3 month old has a raspy voice! Not to mention the kind of whine it is... just this soft little pitiful, "Mommy, I don't feel good," whimper.
I hope my poor baby gets better soon! We were supposed to go to the cottage on Saturday (tomorrow) for the week, but I don't want to take care of a sick baby in a cottage with no climate control, where he has to sleep in his pack and play in our room, where it's never clean no matter how much you clean, and where there are a pile of other people making noise and possibly waking you up from your much needed baby sleep. Plus I don't want to take a sick baby out of the environment he's comfortable in.
Oh, AND he created an entire load of laundry yesterday. He keeps spitting up because of his coughing. We went through every burp cloth we own (we have over 30), 6 sleepers, 4 swaddlers, and several receiving blankets. The cottage has no laundry facilities. We can't go up there and blow through all our blankets and clothes in the first two days!
On a different but related note, I wanted Noah to wear all zipper sleepers yesterday just because they're easier to undo and do up and he was sad and miserable. We ran out of 3-6 month zipper sleepers, so I pulled out some 6-9 month ones to see if they would work, and they fit him. He's 3 1/2 months old and 6-9 month clothing fits him! He is way too tall!!
I should be sad about this, but I love all his 6-9 month sleepers and am not that in love with most of his 3-6 month ones. Plus, his 3-6 month ones fit perfectly right now (no wiggle room) so I don't actually have to give them up.
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