9 Months

Our little monkey man is 9 months today! It's crazy to think that he has been in our lives as long as I was pregnant! In either situation, time flies. Jack had his check up yesterday and his stats were: 16 lbs 2 oz (3%-yes, he is a SHRIMP but the doctor was not worried at all…small but might!), height-27 1/4 in (25%), and head-17 in (50%).

What he lacks in size, he more than makes up in gross motor skills. He has been pulling himself up and walking around objects or with a walker since 6 1/2 months and in the past few weeks he is beginning to let go of whatever is holding him up so that he can stand completely on his own. Granted it only its only for 5 or so seconds nonetheless exciting! He is also learning to maneuver between objects, say the coffee table and couch. And much to my surprise, Jack has mastered going up AND down the stairs! To say that the little man NEVER stops moving (unless he is sleeping) would be an understatement.



Speaking of sleeping, things are going great in this department. He is teetering somewhere between one and two naps a day. Bedtime is after dinner sometime between 6 and 7 and then (for the most part) he has been up at 5 am to nurse and then back to sleep until around 7 am. In the Voigts house, I totally qualify this "sleeping through the night." Considering what his first 4-5 months of nighttime habits were like, this I can handle!



His little personality is really starting to shine too. He LOVES other babies and kids! He is very social and we are still trying to figure out where this trait came from because neither J nor I are particularly outgoing. Jack is very good at what I call "independent play". I have different stations of toys set up around the family room and kitchen and he is perfectly content moving around and playing by himself. His favorite activity lately has been his walker. He has learned that when he runs out of space he can simply walk around to the other side of the walker and go back the way he came….it's so funny to watch him do laps back and forth across the kitchen :)



Jack loves Stella. Maybe because she is more his size but he loves to crawl over and lay on her or be near her. We are currently working on "gentle", sometimes he gets a little too excited! He has also started to do some sign language. I have been working with him daily for about 2 months on basic signs (like more, eat, drink, stop, fan, gentle) and he has finally signed eat, more, drink and fan back to me and J…very cool to see!!!



He is also proving to be a good listener…so far ;). When he gets into something he shouldn't be playing with, I do the firm mommy voice and say/sign Stop! He will turn to look at me, give an adorable little smile and laugh (it's so hard not to laugh back with him!) and after a few "stops" he will crawl away and move on to a new activity. Amazing! But I don't anticipate this lasting forever :(.

On a note so happy note, Jack now has 4 teeth which has been a not so pleasant experience for mama…ouch!

Overall, he is just the light of our lives and I couldn't be any more pleased with what a sweet, independent little boy he is becoming. I love you Jack-a-doodle, monkey man, senor stinky pants or…just Jack!

Happy Thanksgiving

Today was our first Thanksgiving as a family of three and it was fantastic! We spent the holiday at our home and my in laws joined us. It was a very low key day with a few funny moments that made it a memorable day.

Jack had turkey (or meat in general) for the first time today and he seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. Now that his top two teeth have come through and his cold/flu are behind us, his eating habit have remarkably improved. Getting him to eat is no longer a battle and he is finally wanting to eat three meals a day in addition to snacks. So we are very thankful for this!!!

Justin and I are constantly reminding each other that we have SO much good fortune and so many things to be thankful for and today is a good day to stop and bring our gratitude to the forefront. We are very much "instant gratification" people…we want it all and we want it now! But we also have to remind each other that in this moment we have everything we could ever ask for. For me, this year, there is one thing that I am above and beyond thankful for….my HEALTHY baby boy.




From my family to yours, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Lindsey

I have been a bad mommy blogger over the past few months :(. So here's a quick catch up of life in the Voigts' home.

The developmental changes in a child during this first year of life continue to amaze me. For my record keeping purposes here is a list of Jack's accomplishments over the past few months:

* At 5 1/2 months Jack started to crawl (army crawl).
* 6 months- he crawled over to me and pulled himself up to a standing position, much to my surprise.
* October 4- discovered Jack was cutting his first teeth. A week later the bottom 2 teeth had popped up. The top 2 are a day away from coming through also.
* October 5- learned how to crawl on hands and knees.
* 7 months- can go from a crawling position to a sitting position without assistance, likes to kneel while playing, and pulled himself into a standing position in crib. Also, we have started to have 3 meals a day and just started to try out finger food (cereal).
*November 1 (a week shy of 8 months) with the assistance of the walker, Jack took off on his feet! I think he really might be on track to walk before Christmas!!!



We went on vacation to Florida during the second week of October and Jack experienced so many firsts…sunset, swimming, sand! He was an EXCELLENT traveler and with the exception of one night he was a great sleeper too. We took walks on the beach every morning and evening while J carried Jack in the carrier. We also learned that we need to change our expectations of vacations now that we are a family. It was wonderful to watch Jack take in all of these new experiences but vacationing with a baby isn't necessarily as relaxing as a vacation without your child ;). That being said, I look forward to many (many) more family vacations!








We have been trying to keep busy as the weather get cooler by taking classes and having play dates. Jack and I are participating in our second Kindermusik class and also Signing Smart (sign language). I absolutely LOVE watching his interact with the other children and parents. I like to say that Jack has never met a stranger because he will just crawl over and hop in another mother's lap.

Here is the end of summer & fall in photographs…



We spent Labor Day in Vail.



Opa came to visit.


Jack got his first cold ;(



Mommy's little helper!


Grandma Harris came to visit.


Happy Halloween!


Stella joined the family.


Gigi visited.


Jack just being awesome ;)



Family.

Lindsey

25 Things You Didn't Know...

….About Me!


1. I find the Weather Channel very soothing and I NEED to know what the weather is going to be everyday.
2. I still cut the crust off of my sandwiches.
3. I love a good book, I obsess about it until I am done and when I finish the last page I feel a bit sad like I've just ended a relationship….it takes me a while until I am ready for a new "relationship".
4. If my house was on fire and I could only save one thing (besides my family and pets), it would be my photographs.
5. I always wished I had a sibling.
6. I'm kind of obsessive with Chapstick and hand sanitizer.
7. I have two amazing parents, a wonderful husband, and a spectacular son…everyday I am thankful for my life.
8. I've always wondered what I would look like without freckles.
9. Music by Dave Matthews will always hold a special place in my heart for so many reasons.
10. I hate the feeling I get after I drop someone off at the airport.
11. I recently discovered that I really enjoy cooking, much to my surprise!
12. I love HBO.
13. I have been doing my own laundry since I was 8 and I have hated every minute of it.
14. I love airports and traveling but I absolutely hate flying.
15. I have a severe and uncontrollable fear of needles.
16. I am left handed.
17. I don't mind or feel weird about going to the movies alone.
18. Becoming a mother has changed me in more ways than I ever thought possible.
19. I have learned to keep my opinions to myself during conversations about politics, religion, and childrearing.
20. The one thing I miss the most about living in IL is the thunderstorms.
21. My 7th grade basketball coach introduced me to my husband…the coach is now my father in law.
22. I got my first grey hair when I was 17.
23. I cannot leave the house without my sunglasses.
24. I hate black licorice more than anything.
25. I was born 28 years ago today. Monday, October 3, 1983 at 8:14 am, weighing it in 7 lbs 13 oz.

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

When Jack was only weeks old, we discovered by some random chance that "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot was like a sedative to him. Turn it on and he would almost immediately stop crying and start listening intently. Like most things, it's effectiveness faded over time but it seems………..GORDON IS BACK!!!

Justin gave Mr. Lightfoot another chance a few night back and it's been working like a charm. Tonight I was on my own for bedtime and as usually as soon as you put Jack down in his crib he is not happy and will cry until you go up to sooth him down for the night. After about 15 minutes of crying I pulled up Gordon on the iPad, crawled into Jack's room (yes, I said crawl), and started playing "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". BANG! Silence. Didn't make another peep. 3 minutes into the song he was out. I played it again just to be safe and baby boy has been out like a light. Bless you Gordon.


Here's Jack and Gordon a few month ago...

For those of you who don't know who or what I am talking about….here he is for your listening pleasure. Happy Saturday Night!



Lindsey

Pizza, Pickle, Pumpernickel

We learned this little ditty in Kindermusik…

Right Here, Right Now

Never in my life have I been so in the moment. There is nowhere I would rather be and nothing I would rather be doing….and that's a first. I occasionally reminisce about days gone by but I am no longer itching for tomorrow. I am so aware that I will NEVER be able to get these days back so I literally want to soak up every moment. It's a strange but great feeling to be so fulfilled with life…right here, right now.



Jack hit 5 months yesterday and the changes in his personality and motor skills amaze me every day. It's crazy to see how much they develop in the first months of life. He breaks out in fits of laughter (which brings tears to my eyes) and he is grabbing EVERYTHING! He is showing early signs of wanting to crawl by getting his legs tucked up under his body and scooting towards toys out of his reach (god help me!) and he is sitting up while assisted.



Also in his 5th month of life, it has become apparent that Jack is "all boy". I have had several friends say to me "You're going to have your hand full with him!"….the same thought has crossed my mind a few times. He is constantly on the move! He wants to touch everything and he likes to have his freedom to move and discover. I wouldn't classify Jack as a snuggler (which makes me just a bit sad) but I love that he is the most active out of his "friends". Our little boy is going to keep me on my toes and running for years to come and I am totally up for the challenge!





We have discovered that Jack LOVES music. By the end of the day he is starting to get fussy so we have been strapping him into the Beco (our baby carrier) and turning on the tunes and….POOF, calm baby! We also started Kindermusik last Friday (basically it's a Mommy and Me class where we dance and sing) and he seemed to really enjoy it. I don't have a lick of musical talent and my voice is horrendous but I do enjoy having an excuse to turn on some Dave to end our day.



He totally recognizes Mama and Dada and when Daddy walks in at the end of the day he gets so excited. I have enjoyed watching J grow into his new title, Dad. I think the first few months of a child's life are for the mother and once they become a little less dependent on Mom and their little personalities starts to emerge that is when the bonding with Dad really begins. It's a bummer that J's weekday time with Jack is pretty limited but I love that they have their time together during bath, books, and bed. And during the weekends we have gotten good at tag teaming so each of us can get a nap in during the day! I don't say it enough but, J, I think that you are an amazing dad…Jack's face lights up every time you walk into the room and being an outside observer to the bond you two have makes me love and respect you more than I ever thought possible.



Lindsey

77 Days

It's been 77 days since I started a sleep journal for Jack. The journal is nothing fancy, just nightly notes I keep on the iPad which track when Jack goes to bed, when he gets up to eat and for how long. At 3 am I can hardly remember my name let alone how many times he's been up.

Day 1 was May 12, the day that Jack was officially booted from our room. At his 2 month appointment the pediatrician suggested we move to Jack his own room and maybe he would start sleeping for longer periods. The thinking being if he couldn't hear us or smell me he would just go back to sleep, ahhhh if it were only that easy. On this particular night, he was up every 30 minutes or so and I had had enough. So we pushed his Pack n Play out in the hall outside of our bedroom and closed the door….just so we could breath and recompose our sanity. The next night he was permanently relocated to his own room and crib.

So here we are, 77 days later. After MANY frustrating nights of up every hour, trying and tweaking new routines, and burying my head under a pillow while he cries, last night Jack slept for………………………9 straight hours! 9 HOURS!!!! I never thought I would see the day. He was in bed at 7 pm, up at 4 am for a 10 minute feeding, and when J got up at 7 am he looked at the monitor and Jack was just hanging out in his bed, playing with his feet and talking to himself.



It's funny to look back over some of my notes from the past 77 days. I don't know how we survived some nights. So today is a very proud day for this Mama!

Lindsey

Giggles

NOTHING is more amazing than hearing the sound of you child learn to laugh….ok hearing his heartbeat for the first time is right up there too. Hope this makes you smile….




Lindsey

Just Because...

So much of my blogging lately has been about learning about nighttime parenting (btw it's going great!) that I had to share these photos of our little man sleeping. Why you may ask….because ever since Jack learned to roll, he also learned that he prefers to sleep on his stomach…well not really on his "stomach", he prefers to sleep like this….. =)





I'll let you in on a little secret…sometimes his Daddy sleeps like this too. Genes are a powerful thing ;)

Lindsey

Yummy

Jack had his 4 month check up last Friday and he is doing great! He is now 13 lbs 8 oz (6 lbs 9 oz at birth) and 24 3/4 inches (19 3/4 at birth) which puts him in 30-40% so basically he's a little peanut.

We talked to the doctor about starting Jack on solids and he said we could start him anytime between 4 and 6 months. He said it MIGHT help him sleep a little better so we decided to give it a shot.

Last night we started him on 'solids' or otherwise known as breast milk with some rice cereal in it. As you will see, he was very receptive. Last night was the BEST night we have had so far! J put him down awake and he went to sleep without a peep (a first) and then he went 6 hours until needing to eat again (another first). We are still holding our breath, thinking last night may have been a fluke. We will see how the rest of the week goes….here's hoping for success!!! Either way, I keep reminding J that we have come a LOOOONG way since weeks 3-9.

The Battle Rages On

I've said it before and I'll say it again…Parenting is full of little victories which can seem like you have just climbed Mt Kilimanjaro. It is no secret that we have had issues with Jack and nighttime. First it was colic which went away on it's own. Then it was his flailing which was solved with swaddling. Unfortunately the swaddling didn't last long because within a few weeks Jack was well on his way to mastering rolling every which way and shortly thereafter he discovered (on his own) that he best enjoys sleeping on his stomach (this freaked me out for the first few nights but I knew there really wasn't anything I could do to stop him).

And now we have moved into a whole new nighttime issue…Teaching Jack to put himself to sleep.

For the LONGEST time, actually about 16 weeks to be exact, Jack has woken up several times during the night. Whether it's to eat or that his sleep cycle has ended and he can't fall back asleep without some assitance from me or J, he's up ALOT. In fact he has gone four hours of nonstop sleep exactly once. I like to think that if there is some kind of higher power out there, he or she decided to give me Jack, our 'high needs baby', because he or she thought I could handle the challenge ;). Whatever the reasons, I wouldn't trade Jack for anything.

So I have been reading and reading and we have been trying to figure out what tactic works for US. We started our nighttime routine before Jack was 2 months old and it included a nightly bath and then I would nurse him to sleep. After that I would let him take the lead and he would determine when he ate which was usually frequent and not very long. First I learned that Jack does not need to eat every time he wakes up. Yes, he would totally take the boob every time and eat for a few minutes but he doesn't NEED it. Several people suggested I start him on rice cereal early but I really wanted to hold off until he was at least 4 months and I do believe he is getting enough through my breast milk.

There was a very long period that I was the only one getting up with Jack at night and the easiest thing for me to do calm him is pop a boob in his mouth but I soon realized that was not a good long term solution and if I was ever going to sleep again, it was time for Daddy to get involved. So I imposed our first nighttime rule, I would only go into feed him every 3 hours, every other waking or time he needed soothing it was up to Daddy. This was working great while we were still able to swaddle him but when we had to take away the baby burrito things got a little hairy again.

We start bedtime between 7 and 7:30. It was bath, book from daddy, and then boob. Great, he would fall right to sleep! And then he was up every 5 minutes screaming. J would be up and down the stairs at least 6 or 7 times in an hour and spend anywhere from 2 to 15 minutes trying to get Jack back down. Needless to say it was frustrating for both of us.

In my reading, I learned that at 4 months babies start to become more aware of their surrounding and they are capable of taking that first step towards independence…or self soothing. I had known for awhile that I was giving Jack until 4 months to be a newborn and he was in charge of calling the shots but after that it was time for us to start working together. Well he is one week shy of 4 months and we are taking the first steps into self soothing.

I have never been a fan of the 'cry it out' method and I know that this would be an absoulte last resort for us. But I do beleive he is at the point where he can and needs to learn to put himself to sleep. So we changed up the bedtime routine several days ago to boob, bath, book, bed. By eating first, I know that he is not hungry when he goes down and therefore he not relying on me to fall asleep. We do bath time together and then Daddy does book and bed. Jack is then put in bed awake. The first night it took J almost an hour of screaming before he finally fell asleep. He lets Jack cry or wine for a few mintues but if he gets overly worked up J will pick him up and try to calm him. However the last two nights we have put Jack down awake, he has cried for 4 minutes and then went to sleep. For his late night wakings we have been giving him 5 minutes to try and put himself back to sleep and we have a had great progress. It is a hard 5 minutes for Mommy and Daddy but we know that he is safe and not hungry…he just needs to know that when he wakes up every thing is ok and that he can fall back asleep alone.

I time it out and if wakes up and it's been 3 hours since his last feeding I will go in and nurse him (that will be then next issue to address). Last night I went in at 4:40. He nursed for about 5 minutes, broke his latch to change him (which he did without screaming!), tried to feed him some more but he had no interest and laid him back in his crib wide awake and smiling. As I walked back to our room I was anticpating a fight from him. I watched him on our video montior and within 10 minutes of rolling around and talking to himself he was asleep!!! He didn't wake up again until 7:15!!!


Daddy and Jack napping

This precarious nighttime dance we have going on in the Voigts' home may sound like a nightmare to many but I consider last night a HUGE victory! He put himself back down 3 times….amazing! I have no expectations of Jack sleeping 10 hours straight, or even 6 hours, anytime soon and I am totally ok with that. We just don't want to have to have him waking every 5 minutes and needing our help to go back to sleep. Baby steps. I know it will all work itself out someday….I'm just hopeful that the next baby is a bit easier in this department ;).

With all that said….WOW Jack is almost 4 months old!!!



Lindsey

Crazy Eyes!

We discovered Jack's "Crazy Eyes" a few months ago when we would walk into a dark room. Thankful he still does it from time to time and we were able to get it on video. If anything it will give you a good laugh and embarrass the hell out of him in about 15 years ;)




I also captured it on film…He makes me smile!



Lindsey

This post is long overdue….

We got a new video camera a few weeks ago and I still trying to figure out how to edit in iMovie, so pardon the length in video until I get that mastered!

When we were back in IL over Memorial Day, Jack started rolling from his belly to his back. Justin came into the kitchen and asked me when Jack started to roll and I said he wasn't yet. Well, he made a liar out of me that day! About a week later he started to roll from his back to his belly also. I was able to catch the first time he made a full circle on video. Enjoy!




Lindsey

Hitting Pause

As I rocked my little boy to sleep tonight, I got a little teary eyed. Jack is 3 months today and as challenging as these 3 months have been I realized tonight that I can never get them back and someday (all too soon I fear) I will miss these innocent nights rocking my boy to sleep. As much as I dread getting up at 3 am, I know I will look back at this time and remember our nights together sitting in his dimly lit nursery listening to the waves crash.

I wanted to rush through pregnancy with lighting speed but now that Jack is here I just want to hit pause and enjoy these days a little longer, make the hours go a little slower.

Happy 3 months Jack! I love you more than you will ever know and I feel so lucky to have a front row seat in your journey through life.

WE SURVIVED :)

Greetings from Illinois. We have had a very busy week so far but I will talk more about our trip next time.



I wanted to be sure and write today because Jack hit 12 weeks old and this seems like a pretty big milestone for me. I remember at 4 weeks, Jack was hitting the early stage of his colic and I was beyond hormonal and extremely sleep deprived. In the reading I did, everything said that babies usually grow out of colic by 12 weeks and I remeber having a break down because I swore there was no way I would survive the next 8 weeks. I KNEW he would grow out of it at some point but every ounce of my sanity was being tested and I didn't know how I was going get through this very difficult time. But as I have learned in my 12 weeks of motherhood....you just get through the tough times and find strength and patience you never knew you had.




So Jack is 12 weeks and WE SURVIVED!

Life with our little man has changed so much and he is an absoulte joy. He is smiling like crazy. He seems to have really found his voice over the last 3 days as he will have random bouts of screeching and squealing. It makes me laugh to hear his newfound talents. He has pretty much mastered head and neck control and he LOVES to "stand"...he's a strong little nugget. Jack really enjoys laying on his play mat and he is getting really good at reaching up and grabbing toys hanging above his head. I can't believe how much he has change over the last 3 weeks.




Jack is on a 2-3 hour cycle during the day of sleep-eat-play and at night he is getting 3-4 hours at a time. The nighttime routine has been key over the last week of being away from home. Between 8 and 9, I keep an eye out for sleepy signals then it's time for bath, swaddle, nurse if he's hungry and if he's not I still put him down. He has done so well at "putting himself to sleep". If he's not interested in nursing before bed, I can put him to bed awake and without any fuss he will lay in bed until he falls asleep.




It amazes me to realize how far we have come. As I said, there was a time when I never imaged I would make it to 12 weeks post partum but we are here and life is great. I also realized the other day that this would be the time I would return to work and Jack would head to daycare. I am SO thankful that I am luckiy enough to be able to stay home with him and any other children we may have. Thank you J for giving me this opportunity.

No we are NOT gun fanatics, inside joke ;)

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I couldn't be any more proud of the family we are becoming...

Lindsey

SWADDLE!!!

(This was written a week ago and I forgot to publish it...this seems to be happening a lot these days :)).

Ok I think we MAY have found the answer to Jack's nighttime sleep issue….reintroducing the full body swaddle! A friend of mine suggested this to me and I have been willing to try just about anything. The first night we was not happy having his arms pinned down in straight jacket style, night 2 I put him down at 9 pm and he managed to fall asleep on his own and only woke up 3 times (seems like a lot to some people, this was amazing for us!), and night 3 he went to be at 8:15 pm and didn't wake up until 12:45 am!!! Again some people may not be impressed with this but I was ECSTATIC :)



I think Jack is a light sleeper like his Mama and without the swaddle his arms were free to flail around and wake him up. Bringing back the "baby burrito" may be the solution to my nighttime aggravation. Fingers crossed….

Tomorrow morning Jack and I are taking a big step in our relationship…we are getting on an airplane for our first trip together. We are heading back to IL to visit family and Justin will be flying in a few days later. Deep down, I am freaking out. I absolutely hate flying and the addition stress of flying with Jack by myself just might send me over the edge…thank god for Xanax! Wish us luck!

Breaking in the Nursery

Last night was night #2 of Jack sleeping in his own room, night #1 in his "big boy bed". All in all it went well. He had no issues with the new bed (he has been sleeping in a small pack n' play in our room) and didn't seem to notice that he was in a new room. Mommy on the other hand had some issues that first night. I confess, I cried. The thought of having my little boy so far away broke my heart a little but deep down I know it's time because I couldn't go on with the old situation.

Basically for the past 10 weeks Jack has been up every hour or two at night to eat. There has been 1 time when he slept for 4 hours between feeding and a handful of times when he has gone 3 hours. Every night, Jack and I have been doing the same dance and by 3 am I am ready to pull my hair out. I have gotten much better at handling the sleep deprivation during the daytime but I can't go on like this forever so it was time to try something new.

Our pediatrician told us at his 2 month appointment that Jack should be going 3 or 4 hours (or even more) between feedings, when I told him he wasn't even close to that he suggested moving Jack into his own room. In his own room he isn't woken up by us and he can't smell me. So I finally decided it was time.

First night I got up with him alone which was every hour or two and he fed every time…by 5 am he was in our bed so I didn't have to make the long walk to his room anymore.

Day 2, I did some research and learned about nighttime weaning. Which makes perfect sense to me because at half of his nighttime feedings he's only on for a few minutes before he's asleep again. So last night Justin joined the ranks and we made it a group effort. From bedtime (@9:30) to his first feeding he went 3 hours! But then from midnight to 6 am he was up 5 times. I got up with him every other time so that he was only eating every 2.5-3 hours and J got up with him the other times to put him back to sleep.

Ok so granted he was still "awake" every 1 or 2 hours but not having to get up and feed him every time makes me feel like there is hope. I do feel a little bad having J get up but I'm afraid if Jack smells me he will want to feed every time….and let's face it, parenting is all about teamwork ;). Luckily, it seems like J only has to be up with him a few minutes before Jack is out again.

Overall, I feel good about this move. It has to get better….right?!



Lindsey

Settling In

Jack turned 2 months on May 8th. It's funny because I am amazed that our little boy is already 2 months old but at the same time those 2 months have been the longest in my life. I am so wrapped up in what is happening in this minute that it has been hard for me to reminisce about the days gone by or have any anticipation for the future. Motherhood has become easier and more natural but my motto remains "One day at a time…"



With each passing day, Jack's personality is beginning to emerge and he is developing and sharpening new skills. We had his 2 month check up last Monday and he is up to 10 lbs 15 oz (birth weight was 6 lbs 9 oz), 22.5 inches (19.75 at birth) and his head circumfrance was 15.5 cm (14 cm at birth). After careful consideration, research and discussion we decided to have Jack vaccinated on an alternative schedule and opted to omit a few vaccinations all together. This would be another major parenting decision that we can only hope we are choosing right for our son.


Unfortunately, Jack has not learned how to sleep through the "night" which at this age is considered sleeping 5 consecutive hours. We have had a handful of night where he has gone 3 hours between 1 feeding. My nights with Jack consist of a feeding every 1-2 hours. 2 hours of consecutive sleep I can handle, it's the every hour that is killing me. I have my fingers crossed that we will have this little kink worked out by July!



On a more positive note, his evening fussiness has gotten remarkably better (hopefully I'm not jinxing myself!). Don't get me wrong, we still have an occasional hour of nonstop howling and time when he wants to be held BUT he will not allow you sit while holding him….so annoying! Mommy and Daddy are beyond thankful that the colic, gassy, fussy phase is coming to an end.



These days Jack is smiling like crazy…a sight I absolutely LOVE! It melts my heart every time he smiles and giggles at me. It has taken sometime for life to settle down and for me to be able to truly understand the wonderful privledge it is to be Jack's mother but these days I can't image my life without him. It's impossible to put into words how in love I am…



Lindsey