Five Months Old

Our little baby is a big boy of five months today!

His newest trick is rolling over from his back (where we always put him to sleep) to his tummy in the crib at night. It kind of freaks me out, but I guess he's robust enough now that nothing bad is likely to come of it. Last night he ended up on his tummy with his legs hanging out between the crib slats. Still haven't gotten around to putting the crib bumper back on.

Yesterday -- one day before his five-month birthday -- we tried rice cereal for the first time...and he liked it!



I'm still going to keep him on breast milk, mostly, for now. We didn't manage to find time for cereal tonight, since we had to stop at the grocery store after I picked him up from daycare. Breastfeeding is, in many ways, so convenient! Thanks, Mother Nature. Anyway, this weekend we may try giving the Roo some sweet potatoes or avocado, just to see how he does. I have a feeling he's going to be like Mom and Dad: We like our food!

21 Weeks

Going to bed soon, but an update -

The tooth still hasn't broken through, but Roo is sleeping better. He was only up twice last night (midnight and 3:30 a.m.) After the second feeding, I went back to bed and turned my alarm off, and we "slept in" until 6:45.

Got a letter from the nurse at daycare saying Andrew isn't up to date on his shots, so I had to explain to the director that he's on an alternative schedule, but that he will end up with all of the shots in time for the CT guidelines nonetheless. Still, it was annoying.

I'm going to ditch the Avent bottles due to the brouhaha about BPA. It's probably nothing, but what the heck. Why not shuck out some more $$$ for the baby industry? I was kind of annoyed that daycare won't accept glass bottles, since those are probably safest and best for the environment, but I can understand their concerns about potential shards of glass, etc. Sigh.

Had a very irritating day at work. Weirdos are coming out of the woodwork -- it happens every spring. And right at the end of the day, an older lady fell on the front steps and cut her head open, so I had to call 911, etc. I'm glad she's OK -- but man, there was a LOT of blood. Darn head wounds.

Went to the Parent Advisory Council meeting at daycare tonight (all parents are by default on the council). We are planning Spring Fling in May as well as some other events. Because, you know, I have all this spare free time lying around. Perhaps I will just bring in brownies.

Checked out The Wonder Weeks and SuperFoods for Babies and Children today.

OK, now I'm going to bed. I miss my Roo-Bear; I didn't get to see him much because of the meeting tonight. Then again, we'll meet again soon, probably around midnight and 3:30 a.m...should he still be getting up more than once to eat in the middle of the night???

Andrew at 20 Weeks plus 2 Days

Last night -- Thursday, April 17, 2008 -- was the first night I can honestly say that Andrew slept through the night.

I put him down, as usual at about 7:30 p.m. I woke at his usual middle-of-the-night feeding time of 2 a.m., but he was sound asleep when I checked on him. I went back to bed, thinking he'd wake any minute to eat, but the next thing I knew it was 4:20 a.m. and he was doing his morning songbird warbling routine over the baby monitor! I let him warble for a while, hoping he'd maybe even go back to sleep until my alarm was set to go off at 5:30 a.m. He didn't, but he also didn't cry to be fed until almost 5:00! This means he went almost a whole 10 hours between feedings. And it also means that I got several hours of uninterrupted sleep last night -- although I have to say that my boobs were very uncomfortable by morning. I thought about waking him up at 2 a.m., but then I thought, "Why?"

Oh, and he also took 2 2.5-hour naps at daycare today. His hair is growing fast now, and he's learning lots of new skills -- see below.

The bottom left incisor still hasn't broken through, but it's definitely coming. There's a bump on his gum that's lighter than the rest of the gum tissue.

Skills: He's getting very good at reaching for and grasping toys, burp cloths, my hair, daddy's chest hair or neck skin, etc (ouch!). This is good news because this skill coincides with teething, when it will benefit him to be able to shove something in his mouth.

He's been using the hard "g" sound more lately.

We went for a walk in the "big boy" stroller yesterday. It arrived a couple of days ago; we had to mail-order it to get the style/pattern we wanted. He's still getting used to the "sitting upright" thing (in the stroller or the high chair), but in just the last week or so his muscles have developed significantly, so that he can sit for several seconds unassisted on the floor.

And what a sweet, sweet child: Even this morning, after having fasted for 10 hours, he greeted me with a smile when I appeared over the side of his crib...even though one of his legs was stuck through the slats. Should I put the bumper back on? Word has it that those things will kill your child instantly ;-)

We think he's going to keep his baby blue eyes. They are shaped like Daddy's, but with Mommy's coloring. How sweet!

I may be imagining it, but he does seem genuinely interested in my grown-up food these days. Two nights in a row, I've wolfed down dinner while sitting on the floor next to Roo while he plays in the Exersaucer (I know, my foodie standards have suffered greatly since he was born, but he's worth it). Anyway, last night I held up my crispy chicken BBQ snack wrap from McDonald's, and he totally went for it. As in, he got BBQ sauce all over his mouth, etc. I freaked when a little piece of lettuce almost went into his mouth (choking hazard!!!) -- I had no idea he would lunge for it! But after last night -- after 10 hours on just breast milk -- I'm not inclined to mess with his diet by starting cereal just yet.

Roo still loves his "Daisy Duck" bathtime book, complete with squeaker. He loves anything that squeaks. He's also very interested in the dogs and cats lately; sometimes he'll even give them a big grin. And he still loves lamps of any kind.

His new trick, which is utterly and completely adorable, is this: While nursing, he'll suddenly un-latch, turn his head up and make eye contact with me, give me a huge smile, and then go back to nursing. Oh. My. God. It's amazing how evolution made it so we just fall in love with our babies.

Ouch

We have a teether on our hands.

Each day, babies at Roo's daycare have an "Infant Daily Contact Sheet" sent home with them. It lists when they ate, what they ate and how much, when their diaper changes were and what was in them, when and how long their naps were, and some comments on what they did during the day. Today, unfortunately, Roo had a "rough" day. I'm glad I dropped off some Baby Orajel and teething rings this morning; apparently he was chewing on his hand all day, couldn't nap well, and was generally miserable. There is a big whitish bump on his lower left gum. My poor little lad. When I got him home, I dosed him up with Infant Tylenol and gave him extra cuddles. His eyes had that droopy red-rimmedness that can only mean he was completely, totally worn out. Despite it all, though, he was relatively good-natured and even let me give him his bath (he missed it last night due to crabbiness). He is such a brave, sweet little boy.

I can't imagine what he's going to look like with a tooth! I also have no idea how long it's going to take to erupt. Most babies don't get their first tooth until, on average, 7 months. Wow, I hope it doesn't take a couple of months to pop through.

Speaking of ouch -- my upper back has been killing me for more than a week now. I've stopped carrying the infant car seat into and out of daycare, as of this morning. But I still have to carry it out to the car in the morning, and back into the house in the evening -- that is, unless I can find a more convenient place to park Andrew while I'm finishing getting ready or unpacking...he seems to enjoy watching me do both. Perhaps his bouncy seat? Although that lives upstairs, for when I shower and get ready for work; bringing it downstairs each morning and up each evening is just another chore to remember. What to do??? Such are the great quandaries of my life these days.

Oh, and there are yet more scary articles about Bisphenol A in the news of late. I'm going to just suck it up and buy some glass bottles this weekend and be done with the worrying.

Still on the fence about starting with cereal. He's doing perfectly well with breast milk. It's not like he's waking up to eat every 2 hours in the night, and half the time at daycare he sleeps through one of his 3 scheduled feedings, so I know he's getting enough calories. Then again, in some cultures the appearance of the first tooth is a signal that it's time to start "solid" foods. On the other other hand, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until at least 6 months of age before starting "solids," to reduce the potential risk of food allergies, although my pediatrician told me last week that the AAP is now backing off that statement slightly. I think I'll just follow my instincts on this one, and my instincts say that he's not quite ready. After all, "solids" reduce the amount of breast milk he takes in, and he's still only a wee 4 months old, so I'm sure he could still benefit from a Boob-Juice-Only diet. And maybe if he starts seeming ravenous to the point that I can't satisfy him with nursing alone, then I'll be ready, with soft-bite spoon and organic-whole-grain-brown-rice-baby-cereal in hand!

First Night

Andrew's first night in his own room went just fine. Here's the breakdown:

I last checked on him at about 10 p.m. This was about the fifth or sixth time I checked on him between 7:30 and 10 p.m. He was fine.

I heard some stirrings and vocalizations here and there on the monitor, but nothing major before about 2:15 a.m., when he woke in earnest because of hunger. I nursed him and put him back down by 2:45.

At 3:00 a.m. I jumped out of bed and angrily stomped down the stairs and let out my male cat, who had heretofore been scratching at my bedroom door and meowing loudly and annoyingly. Goddammit.

At 3:45, Andrew woke (I think) and started "talking." This is his new trick. He "talks" by screeching and warbling at the top of his lungs. It was very amusing at 3:45 a.m. Or, at least, more amusing than the cat's yowling. He eventually went back to sleep. I'm not sure he was even awake during the whole episode; sometimes when babies are learning new skills (like rolling over, etc.) they'll "practice" them in their sleep.

Anyway, he slept until 5 minutes before my alarm was set to go off (6 a.m.), so all in all it wasn't such a bad night. We'll see how it goes tonight -- he took a 3-hour nap this morning at daycare (they had to wake him to eat!), and then more naps later in the day. I'm wondering if his sleep wasn't so good last night after all, and whether or not changing rooms affected him more than I thought it would.

I even got to make myself dinner tonight! Granted, at just the moment it was done, Roo decided to get cranky and need to be put to bed, so I had to cover my plate with foil and then proceed to drool and listen to my stomach growl while I nursed a sleepy, lazy baby. But I'm eating now, as I type: Soy-Ginger salmon fillets from BJ's (which has a fantastic frozen seafood selection, as it turns out, as I frequently jones for fish on work nights but have neither the time nor the inclination to purchase and prepare fresh seafood), Uncle Ben's long grain and wild rice (Sodium City, I know, but hey, it's comfort food), and a Dr. Praeger's sweet-potato pancake from my sojourn to the natural foods store last week. Oh, and a big tall glass of orange juice. Mmm, nutrition! And sodium.

I'd like to find a good slow-cooker split-pea and barley soup recipe. I'd ideally be able to cut up the veggies, etc. the night before, throw the ingredients in the slow-cooker in the morning, and have soup ready when I get home from work. Mmm, pea soup with some nice crusty bread and butter...god, I love food. I may even get back to being able to prepare it -- Roo's getting better at letting me put him in the high chair in the kitchen while I do chores in the evening. Don't worry -- I spend LOTS of time playing with him after work, too. Just ask Daddy about our ever-lengthening video chat sessions!

Big, Big Milestone

Andrew's sleeping in his own crib, in his own room, tonight.

I have mixed feelings about this.

I mean, he's four and a half months old, and he's going to have to move out of the bassinet sometime. After all, once he's able to pull himself up to a sitting or standing position, the bassinet will become hideously dangerous, since the sides are only about 12 inches high. And he's fast approaching the age when babies start getting separation anxiety, so it's better that he gets used to being on his own before that phase actually starts.

Right?

I confess to a degree of ambivalence, during my pregnancy and in the immediate postpartum period, about some of the things that are really bothering me now. The thought of weaning him, for instance, already fills me with wistful sadness and longing. I was of the opinion, while gestating at least, that babies should be switched to cow's milk as soon as they're physiologically ready for it, or even before -- if they've started using you as a human teething ring. I thought I was going to be one of those moms whose mantra is "if Mommy thrives, then baby thrives," and that I'd find ways to carry on my pre-baby professional and social life as if nothing had ever changed. The thing is, I haven't done that -- not anywhere near that -- and I don't mind in the slightest (although I would appreciate it if Roo would sit nicely and amuse himself in his high chair while we eat meals, instead of gritching -- how is it that a child who is happy and smiling the rest of the day can immediately detect and protest when we want to turn our attention away from him and towards our blueberry pancakes???)

Here are my fears (and most of them are not founded, I know):
1. I read too much, and so of course I came across some article about how babies who don't sleep in the same room as their mother are more likely to die of SIDS. SIDS terrifies me.
2. What if someone breaks into the house and is able to sneak past my room into Roo's, and abducts him? At least when he was in the bassinet, I was between him and the bedroom door.
3. What if the baby monitor receiver in my room runs out of battery juice, and I don't hear Andrew's cries, through 2 doors and down the hall? What if there's something horribly wrong with him, or he's just sad and lonely, and I don't hear him, and he's permanently scarred, or worse?

Of course, Dad put this in perspective tonight by saying things like "Gee, I hope the wall doesn't fall off the house and the crib end up in the front yard," etc. The thing is, I know I'm being irrational. But honestly, I'm frankly just going to miss having my baby next to me at night. I'm going to miss just being able to reach over and caress his cheek if he wakes up and needs to be soothed back to sleep. I'll miss being able to put my hand on his chest to check his breathing (yes, I know, irrational, but what mother hasn't done this?).

And finally, part of me is wistful that my little baby is growing up. So fast. Daddy and I went through Roo's dresser today and took out tons of stuff that he's outgrown and will never be able to wear again. We went diaper shopping today at BJ's, and we bought Size 3. SIZE THREE. Including "Newborn," that's the fourth diaper size he's been in! He can almost sit up by himself now. He can hold a toy and put it into his mouth, and we're pretty sure those bumps on his bottom gums are teeth, soon to break through the surface. He "talks" and smiles and flirts and can amuse himself, and he's fascinated by the dogs and cats. He'll be trying solid food soon.

If anyone is reading this who's about to have her first baby, or who's thinking of having a first baby, please take my word for it: No matter how hard and frustrating and exhausting the first few weeks and months of motherhood are, there's nothing like them -- you are your baby's whole entire world, so enjoy it while it lasts. Too soon, he or she will be leaving your arms one way or another, and oh, it hurts. Those of you who are mothers already: You know this.

So tonight, I'm going to try to comfort myself by tidying up my bedroom a bit before sleep. I haven't tidied my bedroom much in the past few months. After all, there was a bassinet and a rocking chair and footrest and a pile of receiving blankets and baby afghans and board books taking up space. Tonight I'll once again be able to turn on the bedside lamp and read a book without waking my son. I can cough, sneeze, and blow my nose the way God intended: loudly and satisfyingly, rather than quietly and meekly, under the covers. I can bring my laptop up to bed with me and keep it at full brightness if I want.

Why is it just not the same?

7:35 p.m.: It's been 10 hours sans puking. Let's hope we're over the worst.

12:35 p.m.: Nurse baby, cuddle, sing.

1:00 p.m.: Baby wants some action! Play (quietly) with baby on floor. Check Vicks stick-on thermometer: 98.8 degrees.

1:30 p.m.: Move baby to bouncy seat.

1:45 p.m.: Baby falls asleep. 4 hours and 15 minutes puke-free (except for some "more-than-just-spitup, less-than-a-full-puke" after nursing)...

At some point today, I have to pick up a bottle of breastmilk that's stranded at daycare (I called; they're willing to bring it out to the car, since I don't want to bring Mr. Tummy Bug Vector into the center). I'm nervous about putting him in the car seat, though. I just know that as soon as I do, he will erupt. Murphy's Law.

My poor baby. He doesn't seem too upset, but I've cried several times today already. I hate seeing him sick. It shakes me to the core.

What Mommy does on a sick day...

2:30 a.m.: Wake up (rock-hard boobies), rouse listless baby, worry all through nursing session because he doesn't seem very interested in eating (which is VERY unlike him).

3:00 a.m.: Prop baby on my bed so I can give him gas drops, in case that's what's wrong with him.

3:05 a.m.: Baby pukes all over bed. Guess it wasn't gas.

3:10 a.m.: Change baby's diaper and jammies.

3:10:30 a.m.: Baby pukes all over himself on changing table.

3:11 a.m.: Change baby's jammies again. And the diaper, which has served as a puke sponge.

3:20 a.m.: Put baby back to bed. Sleep fitfully, listening for breathing/gagging/choking.

5:15 a.m.: Baby wakes up and eats again.

6:00 a.m.: Baby pukes again. Leave voice mail that I won't be coming in to work.

6:15 a.m.: Baby goes back to sleep (also very unlike him). Mommy goes back to sleep, too.

8:00 a.m.: Baby wakes up and actually smiles at mama! Baby is no longer pale and sweaty. Nurse baby, then call pediatrician's office.

8:30-9:30 a.m.: Mommy takes a shower. Baby sits in bouncy seat. Everything seems OK.

9:30 a.m.: Change/dress baby.

9:35 a.m.: Take baby downstairs. Baby pukes on carpet. Mommy tries to keep dog from eating puke. Baby still smiling (!!!)

10:00 a.m.: Nurse baby again. He seems more interested in eating this time. Still smiling.

10:45 a.m: Pediatrician's office calls back: It's probably a tummy bug, not a reaction to vaccines. Baby's axillary temp is 98.8 degrees (digital rectal thermometer seems to be malfunctioning, so Mommy used a Vicks stick-on disposable thermometer).

11:00 a.m.: Baby doesn't want to be cuddled by Mommy anymore. Put baby on quilt on floor. Put in a load of puke laundry. Work on cat-pee stain on living room carpet (trying natural, vinegar/water method).

11:15 a.m.: Baby doesn't want to be on the quilt anymore. Put baby in exersaucer. Baby happy.

11:30 a.m.: Baby tired. Put baby down for nap. No puke (yet). Go through the mail.

12:15 p.m.: Put in second load of (regular, non-puke) laundry.

Well, that's the glamorous day so far!

Sick Day

We are home today. Roo seems to be having a reaction to his vaccinations. The reaction involves lots of vomit.

No one here is too happy right now.

4-Month Checkup

16 lbs, 14 oz
26 inches
(75th percentile for height and weight)

His pediatrician was very nice and accommodating about delaying some of his vaccinations until he's 5 months old, since he'll still get them within the required time frame, and since he'll still be getting all his shots. He had no fever or fussiness or sleep disturbances last night after his vaccinations, either. In fact, he slept from 7:30 until 11-something, at which point he woke up briefly; I comforted him from my bed, and he fell back asleep until 3:30 -- a full 8 hours between feedings!

Roo's pediatrician also said we're free to start solids whenever we want! We may try some cereal this weekend.

She also said Andy-Roo has very nice skin (she was examining his chubby-lubby thighs at that particular moment...)

I was so proud of my little man -- he barely even whimpered when the nurse stuck him with the needle! And he showed off his hand-eye coordination skills to his pediatrician by grabbing a toy and putting it in his mouth. Oh, and he was all smiley and flirty ;-)

I'm also proud as a peacock since Sean, his compatriot at daycare (born the same day as Roo) only weighs 15 lbs, 10 oz -- and he's formula-fed and has been on solids since he was 3 months old. I don't mean to be smug, but I feel like we have bragging rights to some extent, since the breastfeeding has been such a hard-fought battle.

Today I checked out Super Baby Food from the library.

One Cool Dude!

Banana Poop?

I called Andrew's pediatrician tonight, after finding what looked like little reddish-brown stringy "worms" in his poopy diaper.

Granted, Daddy gave him the tiniest bit of banana this morning, and apparently bananas do come out looking stringy...but better safe than sorry, eh?

Anyway, the pediatrician said to call as soon as office hours start tomorrow morning at 8:00. MDad and I didn't figure out the banana thing, however, until after I'd already called the ped (thanks, Google). Should we still go in tomorrow? Are doctors and nurses going to laugh at me if it's just banana poop??? Dad says he only had about 1/8 teaspoon or so -- so how could it produce that many strings?

Roo is crying now. Again. He's not sleeping well these past 2 nights. I knew we would pay for the 7- or 8-hour stretches we were getting a few days ago. Oh, wait -- he seems to have fallen back asleep...

Milestone: Roo figured out how to blow raspberries on Saturday, April 5 (age 4 months and one week). He is now very much enjoying practicing the letter "B!" He also occasionally mutters the letter "M."

Daddy put Roo on the digital bathroom scale this morning: He's roughly 16.5 lbs. Oh, my! He was very interested in my and Aunt K's chocolate macaroons we bought at the Godiva store at the mall yesterday (no worries; we only let him smell them), and of course he enjoyed the aforementioned bite of banana this morning.

Annoyed, Part 2

I called the director of Andrew's daycare at lunch and explained my concerns. She said that she would follow up with his teachers and then meet with me when I came to pick him up this afternoon -- which she did. She was very understanding and supportive, and explained that Andrew's teachers were just concerned about his occasional crabby spells, but that they could have communicated their concerns to me better. In the heat of the moment, I forgot all about Miss S's comment about Andrew "not liking to be picked up too fast," but I'll be sure to mention it to the director tomorrow when I see her.

In the meantime, I'm trying Size 2 Avent nipples, and I'm dropping off some Mylicon gas drops. So we'll see how he does with these changes.

Does this look like an unhappy, malnourished baby to you???

I Am Annoyed

You know those stories about men who are the consummate family man, raise wonderful children over the course of decades, and are devoted husbands, etc., and then come to find out they have another, secret family in Iowa or some such?

I have this same feeling right now, only about my baby boy.

Turns out Andrew has been having "crying spells" at daycare, and no one there is sure what to do. This is VERY unlike my little boy, so I'm more than a little concerned.

My first inkling that there was a problem was the daily contact sheets from his teacher, wherein she would write that "Andy-Roo had an okay day..." Always just "okay." Never "great" (occasionally "pretty good"). But, I thought, he's still pretty young, so maybe he's just adjusting to the world, etc.

Then yesterday afternoon when I picked him up, one of his teachers asked, "Since when are you cutting back on Andy-Roo's milk?" I answered that I hadn't -- that he's always gotten about 4.5 oz, every 3 hours. They said he seems to be getting hungry more often and that he gets upset about it very suddenly. I answered that I'm going to ask his pediatrician about starting solid foods at his 4-month visit next week (I'd frankly rather start giving him rice cereal or fruits now than supplement with formula, seeing as how formula made him puke last time I gave it to him). They told me that although Sean's mom is giving him solids now, they didn't think it was necessary, and that they only think she's doing it because she wants him to sleep better (which he doesn't actually). Anyway, I was a little concerned about what they said, but since Roo is growing fine and is quite chubby and rosy-cheeked, I didn't let it bother me too much.

This morning, though, his teacher Miss S. brought up "food" again, and even suggested I "think about formula." The gall! My son is not malnourished! I suggested other alternatives -- maybe smaller bottles more closely spaced, for instance. She said that he sometimes cries "inconsolably" (my heart broke at that news), sometimes just an hour after his bottle. To me, that's a clue that he's not starving, but that something else may be wrong: Maybe he's got gas, for instance. Or maybe he's sensitive to dairy in my diet. I told her I'd drop off some Mylicon gas drops tomorrow. I'll also try the next size up for bottle nipples, since he's currently on the Newborn (size 1) Avent nipples, which are suggested for breastfed babies of all ages, since the flow more closely matches that of the breast. However, if he's sucking really hard, he may be swallowing quite a bit of air and, thus, getting gas.

I did tell Miss S. that he doesn't have inconsolable crying spells at home at night or on the weekends. My coworker D. suggests that I speak with the director of the daycare center about S's eagerness to just shove a bottle of formula in my baby's mouth rather than get at the root of the issue.

Another thing: Miss S. seems to think that Roo is "sensitive": She mentioned that she knows he "doesn't like to be picked up too fast," for instance. How fast does she pick up the other kids? Roo never cries when WE pick him up! Incidentally, Miss S. is the only of Roo's teachers who does not have children of her own. I'm hesitant to talk to the director, though, since if it gets back to Miss S. I'm worried that she'll be indifferent or, worse, mean to my little Roo.

I just don't understand. Everyone else I talk to there mentions how smiley and coo-ey he is. Miss K. the receptionist told me just yesterday as we were leaving that "Every time I go into his classroom he's smiling or laughing."

Where's the disconnect, then?

Scary dream(s)

I keep dreaming I'm pregnant again -- as in, a second time. Lemme tell you, THAT is a scary dream! And it's so real -- I can "feel" the baby poking an elbow or knee or foot out here or there. What does this mean?

The other type of dream I keep having involves having a screaming argument with my mother. Not a restful dream!

However, my beautiful, precious, wonderful child slept 7 hours straight last night, from 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., then he nursed and went back to sleep from about 3:15 to 5:30 a.m., when my alarm went off. That was reeeeeeally cool. Please do that again, baby boy. I took him for a walk around the block this evening before his bath, and he pretty much zonked while doing his final evening nursies. I'm going to bed this instant.