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