Happy Halloween

Milo's first Halloween was great. I made his WVU Mountaineer costume, and I was so pleased with how it turned out. Milo trick or treated at our friend Marcia's house and Anya's house. I thought that was enough for a 4 1/2 month old. :) Earlier in the day we headed up north to a couple lakes. It was nice just to leave town for a nice drive. And we stopped at a town nearby for a pit stop at a place called Cops and Doughnuts. It was a cute little bakery started by a former cop... and we all shared a doughnut with bacon on top. Yum.

We are really enjoying a visit from my parents. And even through Milo's bit of crankiness thanks to teething... he has been enjoying play time with his grandparents. My mom and dad found an old horsey riding toy... and so Milo's been getting horsey rides from grandma up and down the hallway. Fun stuff.

And Milo has now gone from sitting for a couple seconds... to sitting unsupported for many, many seconds. And he's starting to figure out the balancing act... he'll start to lean one way... I'll start to catch him then he sits back up. And he's really getting close to crawling. Its crazy!

And tomorrow I'm having a little play date with some friends... we're having a play date AND cookie swap. Should be lots of fun.

What's New

Blogging seems like such a major task these days... so please forgive me.

Did I tell you Milo's sitting now? His balance is not perfect and he hasn't figured out how to keep from falling over. But... he can for several seconds at a time sit straight up on his own. The problem is... that's pretty much how he wants to be all the time now. When he was happy to be laying on the floor either on his back or tummy... I could get a couple things done during the day. But... that's Ok. I'm happy to give up a couple chores to help my baby boy sit.

He has found his voice in a big way. He'll start out at a ear piercing scream... then all in one breathe go down to a gentle "ooooh" sound. Its so funny. We are enjoying seeing Milo's personality developing.

We gave Milo his first sitting up bath in the sink this evening. I still take him in the shower with me, but that's more of a rinse. Its hard to really get him clean like that now that he's bigger. And occasionally I'll get in the bathtub with him for a swim-bath. So I think the kitchen sink will be the bathtub for a while. I hated the baby bath tub and baby sling seat I tried. Both made it impossible to keep him warm. It just wasn't conducive to a nice, relaxing bath.

Milo is given up the infant car seat. Still rear facing of course, but he is now in a convertible car seat I had been using with Anya. It sits him much more up right. And he can actually look out the windows. Its actually quite adorable. He looks like such a big boy in his car seat now. And he hasn't cried in it once yet (with the exception of the first evening we took him out in it... he was tired and was just generally fussy.) We had to move him from the back middle, to the back side seat because his seat and Anya's new seat just wouldn't sit side by side. I don't love having him that close to the side of the car, but its OK. We'll move him to the middle for any out of town trips.

I finished his Halloween costume. I just hope it holds up through our newborn party and for Halloween day. I'll be sure to post pictures.

Sleeping is still OK. I haven't been exhausted the last few nights, so I think that's progress.

What else has been going on in our lives?? Hmmm... I guess that's about all I can think of at the moment. Baby food making is still going very well. I made prunes yesterday. And I'm still working on the yogurt making. The first batch didn't turn out... it just tasted and looked like warm milk?! But... I'll try again.

Mom and Dad are coming up on Thursday. I cannot wait for them to see Milo and his amazing little personality. And they are bringing a Chicco high chair I found on Craigslist in BG. Its about 4 years old and was listed for $40... we got it for $20. Not bad, huh?!

Wow. I managed to get a full blog post written without Milo waking up. Go us! :)

Happy Face

First of all, we had a great, but too short, visit from Nathan's parents this weekend. Milo was sleepy when they got here, so he threw that lower lip out a few times at first, but after some rest, he warmed up to his Grandma and Grandpap Morgan. By the end of the weekend Milo was giving Grandma kisses (aka open mouth slobbers) on command. I think Fred and Linda got what they came here for. :)

Milo has had a few good nights where slept for 4- 5 1/2 hour stretches. And we had quite a break through last night. Milo spent about half of the night in the crib ON HIS TUMMY! I have been waiting and waiting for Milo to figure out that he could roll over and sleep on his tummy. I think that will give him the security he needs during the night. Last night he rolled over all on his own. AND he was actually kind of all of the crib which is new. Usually he stays right where I put him. I think the fact that he's moving more is a good thing. I have high hopes!!

Today after Fred and Linda left, I had a lunch date with my friend Linda, Anya's mom. We never get to chit chat anymore. So it was great to sit down, without the kids, and just talk. Aside from the wonderful conversation, I ate a wonderful lunch. We went to Cafe Zinc which is a fancy little cafe in the new hotel down town. I had only had breakfast on the porch once. Nathan and I had been dying to try it, but just never made it happen. This was the perfect occasion. I had Pear Tartine. And boy was it good. I cannot even begin to describe how delicious it was.... artisan bread, some kind of delicious soft cheese, bacon, and pear drizzled with lemon juice and dusted with cracked pepper. It was just delicious.

That's about all I've got for now. Oh and we are doing weight watchers and I've lost about 7 lbs now... Nathan's lost a couple more than that. *Big SMILE*

Nathan and I are still struggling to figure out what Milo needs to sleep well... aside from being latched on to me for the entire night. Right now... the single bed is now up against the crib in the nursery, similar to how we had it before in our bedroom. It got me a few 2-3 hours stretches... which is all I can hope for at this point.

On a brighter note... homemade baby food is going really well. Its SOO easy. I'll take a few minutes twice a week and make something new to freeze. Last night I made sweet potatoes for dinner. I gave Milo a serving last night, then froze the rest into cubes. And Milo can now add yogurt to his list of new foods. He had the organic Yobaby peach yogurt and LOVED it! I gave him just a couple bites at first. Then today, he and I split a container. I was hesitant to offer that kind because of the sugar content, but I am currently making homemade yogurt. I'll add fruit to sweeten it up a bit. It'll be much healthier that way!

Baby's up. Got to go.

Stupidity

***If you have been previously offended by my blog, I encourage to stop reading now.***

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Milo has been eating solids for about four weeks now. And he has had everything from prunes to mango, spinach to rutabaga... and we've started some chicken. Many of these were offered as combinations. {Side note... pears and squash pair well together.} And no. I did not wait 3-5 between new foods. What????? But what about food allergies? One. We we have no history of allergies in our families. Two. If a severe reaction is going to happen... I have a feeling it will happen within 24 hours. Three. I'm going to be cautious and aware, but ultimately our bodies were made to consume these foods. You'd be amazed at how bent out of shape people can get if you break the 3-5 day rule. If you read online... you'd think you child is going to die if you don't wait 3-5 days between offering sweet potatoes and pears. And my intention is not to make light of food allergies. I understand they can be very serious.

My point is this. The ingredients listed above are all of the ingredients of the vaccines recommended to be given at 4 months of age... at the same time mind you. (Of course that varies depending on the brand of vaccine administered.) I just find it so ridiculous that in our country... it is acceptable to inject your 4 month old with that but by no means should you break the 3-5 day food rule.

Does anyone else see the stupidity in that?

4 Month Check Up

I'm happy to report Milo is still a healthy boy. His weight and length have seemed to slow down a bit, although the nurse took the measurements really fast so I'm not sure how accurate they are. He weighed 9#16 and was 25 something inches long. Everything else checked out just fine. And Milo was so on his game. He was chatty and smiley for Dr. G. And was eating the paper, then grabbing her stethoscope, etc. She definitely got a good picture of Milo these days. He even sat up on his own for her. So it really was a good check up.

And I was afraid I would be scolded for starting solids earlier than 4 months, but when I told her that his tongue thrust reflex was completely gone when we first started... she said, "Oh he was ready then!" She also said we could go ahead and start pureeing most of the things we're eating for dinner for him which surprised me. Then at 6 months we'll talk about giving him things less pureed and more soft and mashed... and about self feeding.

I have just been so happy with our pediatrician. She is wonderfully laid back, but still attentive and proactive. Laid back, attentive, and proactive... those are three important qualities in the right pediatrician for us. Dr. G will be a hard loss someday when we leave Michigan.

I blogged!

I've sat down to blog on several occassions but I always ended up unable to finish the post. They'd save as a draft then I'd forget to go back and finish. So I went ahead and published the two drafts I had waiting to be published.

Milo did sleep through the night, which is classified as at least 6 hours of consecutive sleep, a few nights ago. Boy did that feel good! Since then he's still been more like every 2-3 hours. Since our nephew Mason has been here... I've been sleeping in the nursery. And I noticed he is putting himself back to sleep much easier now. And he doesn't really wake up crying... more just fussing or talking. I know there are many different schools of thought on baby sleeping. But I am glad we chose the school of thought we did. We chose to use a more gentle, patient method. I really just tried to focus on making his crib a place he is comfortable in. And I'm definitely seeing the patience pay off.

Mason, who is 19, has been here since Saturday afternoon. Its been great having him up for a visit. I think he and Milo are definitely hitting it off. I wish we had the time and money to show Mason more of Michigan, but we've enjoyed watching some movies and just hanging out. Mason is a really good kid. Milo is very lucky to have six, amazing cousins... although we've been calling Mason "Uncle Masey."

Today is Milo's 4 month well baby visit. Its always so much fun to see how much he has grown. I'm guessing he weighs about 17 1/2 lbs... maybe more. We'll see! I have my list of questions for our doctor ready. I'm a little nervous though. Not only did we get a second opinion and have his tongue clipped, but we've also already started solids. There's one doctor in the practice who has been known to yell at parents for not doing things his way. But our doctor is very relaxed and laid back. I'm hoping I don't get scolded. But when it comes down to it... I'm Milo's expert. Her job is to guide us... but ultimately we're his parents.

OH and Milo is totally sitting unsupported!! He still leans forward a bit... but we can set him down and he can sit without falling over. I imagine we'll see him sitting him straight in a matter of days as those muscles continue to strengthen. And I'd say he's just a few weeks from crawling. This kid amazing me every single day.

Here are some of Milo's favorites:

Food: Prunes and banana {I can tell because I cannot feed those things to him fast enough!!}
Song: Head Shoulders Knees and Toes {He does enjoy the Jump Shake Your Booty song thing that we used to do in high school}
Toy: Ollie the Giraffe {Its actually named Sophie, but we chose to make it a boy.} He also likes Chewy (which is a teether) and Gertie the fish. Really... he loves all toys or anything else he can get his hands on... like spoons. He LOVES spoons.

Oh Milo has also started to cry when he wants something. Example. We took Mason to get some Indian food (Mason's first Indian food experience.) As I was eating Naan in front of him, he'd open his mouth and trie to grab it from me. When I wouldn't give it to him, he'd start fussing. He has done that a few times now. Its just so neat watching him learn to communicate. I know it won't be so neat when he's on the floor screaming and throwing tantrums. But for now... its neat.

I think that's it for now. I'll try VERY hard to blog today after his appointment with the newest growth stats. Enjoy your Monday!

Blog Draft 2

I guess its been a little while since I last blogged. We are definitely seeing slow and steady improvements in Milo's sleeping. He is now spending most of the night in his crib. He wakes up crying much less and his cry is no longer panicky. He's waking every 2- 2 1/2 hours which I can totally handle. I truly think our patience is paying off. When he does wake up... there are two things that work to get him back to sleep... 1. giving him his pacifier, blankie, and rolling him on his side... if that doesn't work 2. nurse him. There really isn't anything in between those two things that will do the trick. He either needs a little help or nursing help. But we'll continue being patient.

Baby food making/freezing is going well. I have all kinds of yumminess in the freezer... today I'm working on parsnips and green beans, then hopefully tomorrow I'll get some sweet potatoes done.

Our nephew Mason is coming up this weekend, which we are really looking forward to. Then the following weekend, I believe, Nathan's parents are coming up... then the weekend after that, my parents are coming up! So we're looking forward to the next few weekends having our family in town.

Milo is super funny these days. He's all about feeling things. He cannot get enough of Nathan's scruffy face... and desperately graps for all kinds of new things.

Blog Draft 1

I don't want to speak too soon, but I feel like our nights are improving... slowly. Milo is sleeping in his crib about 80% of the night. Although... after two nights... I bring him in bed with me so I can get a better night's sleep. So we're doing two nights in the crib as much as possible, then one night with me for sleeps sake. His crying is much less panicky when he does wake up. And he is starting to fall back asleep on his own when he startles during the night. We still have a ways to go, but we are staying patient.

Milo is quite the talker these days. He has really found his voice... and isn't afraid to use it! He is also starting to move around on the floor more. You can set him down on a blanket one way... and ten seconds later he's turned around and off the blanket. He's also getting up his knees... we're definitely seeing the very early stages of crawling.

Sleep... What's that??

Last night was yet another long night. I decided to call Milo's pediatrician this morning. I know every new parent deals with sleep issues at some point, but I wanted to see if they had any other advice or thoughts about what's going on with Milo. First of all... here's what's going on.

*He's waking up every 45 min-1 1/2 hour.
*He goes to sleep easily and seems comfortable in his crib.
*When he does wake up... its instant screaming with his arms flailing.
*He's fine during the day and naps well.
*We've tried several different sleeping arrangements including back to cosleeping and Milo on his tummy (And yes he is a wonderful roller these days... so tummy sleeping is fine.)
*When he does wake up... sometimes I can put his pacifier in and he'll fall back asleep... sometimes I can reposition him and he'll fall back asleep... when I do pick him up, he instantly falls right back asleep. Nathan tried to get him back to sleep early last night and he just stayed so upset... the minute I held him he went right back to sleep.
*No fever, no abnormal congestion, no tugging on the ears, nothing to indicate sickness or teething.

I did not know night mares or night terrors started this young, but our pediatrician said this is actually about the time they can start. They told me just to go in and comfort him (ideally without picking him up) until he falls back asleep. {I have been doing just that for the past week or so... I've lost track of how long he's been doing this.} Then if after a couple more nights he's still doing this... I'm supposed to call them back.

I almost cried when they said he possibly could be having bad dreams. What is my sweet, happy, loving baby having bad dreams about? Having his nose suctioned? Being put in his car seat? Milo's life has been pretty awesome. Those are the only things we do that upset him. If hasn't experienced anything else in his life that is scary... how would his mind dream that? Do you know what I'm saying?

Its definitely wearing on me. I'm really tired. Nathan came home for lunch and made me feel better. Its hard for him, too because there's little he can do except let me nap on the weekends. I know all of you parents out there already know this too well... but its so hard when there's a problem and you don't know how to fix it. You feel helpless. Although... I need to remember this problem is very very tiny. There are other parents with bigger, much scarier problems that they don't know how to fix. I'm grateful that this is the extent of our 'problems.' But when you're sleep deprived... it just seems like it'll never end.

And on top of already being tired... the PT today made a comment in passing that Milo's feeding issues "might just be who he is." Not good enough. I don't think she was giving up. We're going to see her one more time because we go to the next plan... I'm not sure what the next plan is but we'll find out Friday. But... I'm not ready to give up yet. As I've said before though... we'll be fine as long as he teeth don't come in yet. I'm praying Milo is a late teether. That's really what's going to dictate how much longer we can nurse.

When I grow up

This week is full of play dates. Today our friend Valerie and her baby girl Frances came over. Frances is about two weeks younger than Milo. Valerie and I met in our newborn group and have a lot in common. I definitely enjoyed today's visit. And she brought homemade pesto for us... YUM!! Tomorrow we're planning on getting together with my friend Kendra and her baby girl Sadie. Wednesday we're hopefully going to see our friends that are family friends from WV. Then Thursday some moms from our newborn group are going to meet at an orchard. So its sure to be a great week.

I've been trying to do some more reading about the night waking and I'm finding that its 'normal.' Babies will go through stages. Milo's current issues are new... and I have a feeling if we stay patient... they'll pass. You just never know what is going on in their little bodies... teething, growth spurt, insecurity, etc.

Ok... on to something new. What do I want to be when I grow up? Before, my answer was always "a mom." And now that I am, it is truly more amazing than I thought it would be. And while I'll be a mom forever... there will come a day when I will be working again. So when that time comes... what do I want to do?

I've thought about going back to school... but I have yet to find a program that I feel drawn to. And I have some stipulations. I want a career that will allow me to work from home with some flexibility. When Milo and any future child/children are/is in school... I still want to be home when he gets home... to be available to volunteer at the school and be present at classroom parties. If my kids are sick or forget their lunch... I want to be there. And at the same time, I want to do something I am passionate about. Yes, I want to also make some money. I want to find the balance between family, work, money, and a passion.

Well folks... I think I found it. I finally have an answer for What do you want to be when you grow (post Mom)... A Lactation Consultant. After going through our breast feeding troubles... I learned how valuable breast feeding support is. And sadly, there are lot of communities that are lacking that level of support. Sometimes... I needed hard core 'technical' support... and other times I just needed to hear... it will get better. It would be an honor to someday pass that support on to other women.

I've been doing some preliminary research into becoming board certified. And the great part is... there are things I can be doing now to start preparing. Just doing some shadowing/volunteering will help expand my knowledge and verify this is what I want to pursue. Then... once Milo is a bit older I can start really getting serious about taking the classes and workshops, etc. And after I become a LC... then I can also pursue other certifications like childbirth education, etc. if I want.

It feels good to finally have an idea of what I want to "do" when I get back to my working years. :)

Sleep

Our current parenthood battle is sleep. The last few nights have been rough... there were tears... from me. But today I have regained confidence and perspective on the subject. We tried the "controlled crying" method. It worked quickly the first two times he woke during the night. I hated it. I was seriously on the floor crying. But he wakes so frequently during the night (after the end of each sleep cycle which is like every 45 min- hour) that if I let him cry himself back to sleep... he'd end up crying all night.

I truly want Milo to have healthy sleep habits and be an independent sleeper. I think that is very important. But... I think mothers are also led to believe that your baby should be sleeping through the night ASAP. That's an unrealistic and sometimes unhealthy expectation. Every baby is different. For some families the "controlled crying" method works. And that's fine. But Milo is a snuggly baby. He is a lover. He needs reassurance when he wakes up. And he is a bigger baby with a higher caloric need. He may not be able to go 7-8 hours between feedings during the night.

After giving it a lot of thought and consideration... We are going to go back to the more nurturing route. When he wakes up crying, we will go in and settled him back to sleep... with the goal of not having to pick him up to do so. I couldn't do it when he was a week old, and I can't do it now... When Milo needs something emotional or physical... I want him to know that he can count on his mom and dad to meet those needs. And that's not to say that if you use the controlled crying method you aren't meeting your child's needs. I just know that Milo has more of a need for nurturing than other babies.

A friend of mine whose oldest son is now 16, reminded me that there will be a day... that will come too soon... when you can't hold them in your arms and rock them anymore.

On a more positive note... Milo enjoyed the peas I made for him... and LOVED the pumpkin he had today.

Oh and we did move the crib into his bedroom finally. All I can say is thank goodness for video monitors!!!

First of all, I haven't really slacked off on the feeding. I was eating yogurt and Milo got excited when he saw the spoon. And his bm's are actually super easy to clean and manage with cloth diapers. LOL I know... I'm just a mom not ready for her baby boy to grow up.

Milo had his second PT appointment today. After talking to a lactation consultant and a speech therapist, the conclusion is that his clamping is because of his hyperactive gag reflex. We knew he had a sensitive reflex... he's always gagged really easily... sometimes while nursing or while sucking his fingers. But that makes sense. The nipple is supposed to go fairly far into the baby's mouth. Milo doesn't like that so he pushes it out and uses his gums. Our PT is going to try some cranial stretching stuff... but if that doesn't work after one more visit, she's going to bring in someone else. I feel like we've taken a giant step in the right direction.

I've tried to do some reading about the subject online and have found very little. I think its fair to say most women would not have made it this far going through our nursing troubles. But I wonder how often this occurs but goes unrecognized. I've really had to keep pushing for answers and solutions. Breastfeeding is very important to me, personally. And now, we'll keep pushing into we figure out how to fix the problem. That's also probably why Milo still feels so-so about the pacifier... and why it took so long to take to it as little as he does. I am, however, surprised we haven't seen an effects of this in starting solids.

We got the diaper rash to clear up with using plain water to clean his bottom, lots of airing out time, and extra frequent diaper changes. Now... we're just having sleeping issues. But I'm going to continue to be patient. I don't think its crib vs. bed related. He woke up just as frequently while in bed with me. I don't know if he needs reassurance or what. I'm just glad its the weekend... Nathan sometimes lets me nap on the weekends!! :)