8 months of Theo

Hard to believe that the little guy has been around for 8 months (more now that I actually write this.)
Theo is rapidly becoming "not so little" each and every day.

His helmet is really helping round out his head - at his last check up, he's around 95% (he started at 102% and the goal is 92%). Hoping we'll be at our mark around the new year. Recent growth spurts have really helped the cause.

He and Sophia have been interacting even more. It's generally around him go after some of her toys on the floor, which displeases her greatly, but we're working on the sharing thing.
In terms of his mobility, he is fully locked crawling in reverse. He can pitch himself forward from a sitting position to all fours, but isn't quite sure what to do from that point. He also quite enjoys sitting and pulling up on things, so we'll see.

Food wise, he's eating like a champ. Still doing 5 feedings, plus 3 solid meals a day. We do a mix of purees (I gave up the notion of making all his food. He gets much better variety and tastier stuff thanks to my new best friends at Plum Organics!) He also love eating cooked egg yolks, advocado, yogurt and eyeballs anything and everything we're eating. Pieces of bread and cheese are making their way on his list. Not quite there with the pincer grasp yet.

Sleep is still going well. He's such an all around happy baby - nap times (2 naps each day usually) are easy and bed time is a solid routine, which includes a bath every night because of the helmet. I couldn't ask for anything more in that department. Well, maybe if he slept in until 6 more regularly. The 5:30/5:45 is rough some days.

I'm so lucky to have this wonderful, amazing son. His personality is really starting to show - he's thoughtful, smiley when you give him just a little attention, but completely content in his own land. He adores his sister and thumps happily when I walk into his room to get him up from sleeping or when I come home from work. The joy on his face is priceless and unconditional love. He's my happy little man.

Next check up is in December with the pediatrician, but he is clearly a happy, healthy, growing little boy!

Theo Time - 4 months

Theo turns 4 months old this week - it is hard to imagine! He has gotten so big - we don't have his 4 month checkup until mid-July, but he is out of all his 3 month clothes and feels heftier every morning when I get him. Luckily, he hasn't lost a follicle of hair. 

See pictures below:

                                     Just Hanging Out                            Bathtime Fun (Yes, those are curls!)

                                   

He is still being very kind and rocking an awesome sleep schedule, so I really can't complain.

He is smiling a lot and loves hanging out under his jungle gym - sometimes with company:

 We've also figured out he takes great naps in the Bob stroller, but sometimes he's just awake and happy to be noticed!
(They call him the newscaster at work because of his hair!!)

Sitting up has become all the rage - Love our Bumbo!!

He had his first solo playdate - Abigail, who is 2 months old, came to play with her mom Lauren for my birthday! Here is a shot of the first friends:

Finally, Theo and I did a day trip to visit my grams a few weeks ago. She's recovering from a rough go, but Theo totally cheered her up and wouldn't let go of her hand. An amazing woman who now counts 2 children, 2 children-in-law, 3 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Pretty amazing!!

Growing up fast

The past 7 weeks since having Theo have flown by. Being back to work, I think, makes the time go by even faster. Though I get spend 5 out of 7 days a week with Theo, he still grows and changes so much that it's tough to keep up. I have to say that he is sleeping like a champ. We're still just rolling with day time naps, but (for fear of jinxing it) his nighttime schedule (for now) is he gets nursed to sleep between 8p & 9p and I don't hear from him again until around 4am. Sometimes he goes back down around 5, allowing me an additional hour of sleep. Other times, he'll just kind of hang out and I can at least catch 45 minutes before it's into the shower and ready for work.

Then there is Sophia who constantly seems like a 10 year old in comparison. She is running up a storm and loves telling you exactly what she's thinking - colors, how many things are in front of her (3 kitties, 2 bicycles, etc) and is actually getting really good at telling left and right. I credit Dave for this, which is funny, as often he'll take a left while driving after I've told him to go right! :)

Three big things that happened this week with the kids this week. The first is that Theo started to smile on a regular basis. Here's a shot of my happy little guy:
 

Second, with Theo, is that we moved his bassinet into his room this week. It actually happened on Tuesday (a really hot day). Our room was very sunny and hot, so Lidiana moved him into his room to be cooler. We decided it made sense to just leave him there. And it did. He slept the same as did I and I was still able to hear him. It was a win-win for all. 

The other is that Sophia climbed out of her pack and play. When I went in to get her this morning (we're down in Newport) there she was. Standing. By the rocking chair. Now we knew she had been getting too big for it and even at home, had talked about transitioning her to a big girl bed in the next few weeks to free up the crib for Theo. But clearly, as we spend more time in Newport (necessitating the Pack n Play or other travel bed set up) this transition needs to happen. So the big girl bed will get ordered this weekend and we'll tackle the transition over the next week or two. I guarantee that will provide some excellent blog fodder!

Theo will be 2 months old next week. I'll make sure to post after his check up, but I can tell you that both kids are happy, healthy and (most of the time! :) truly a joy to be around.

Checking In..

We had Theo's 1 month appointment this past week and I'm happy to report he is growing long and strong. He gained 2 pounds since his first weight check a few days after birth. This was amazingly comforting as with Sophia, it took her about a month to get back up to birth weight, mostly because we were both falling asleep while eating at night and the whole breastfeeding thing was just foreign. Once we got it figured out, she definitely gained weight.
I think the other contributing factor to Theo's weight gain is the 2 days of bottle feeding he gets while I'm at work. He's getting 3-3.5oz bottles while I'm gone, so he is clearly consuming a set amount of goodness.

He is sleeping like a champ as well. We've settled into a decent routine too - he's down between 8:30 & 9pm (after an hour-plus feeding prior). He settles himself down fairly easily, but I think the key this time around is that we let him settle himself - just out of necessity. Trying to juggle getting both kids down to sleep somewhat simultaneously lends itself to that I suppose.

It doesn't help that Sophia is in a "Stay up and talk" mode lately - sometimes for close to an hour after we leave her. Hoping this one rectifies itself soon...In the meantime, she's been a trooper while traveling through nap and catching some zz's where she can...


He's been the perfect companion at work - I've got a lovely set up where he comes in with me on Wednesdays. I have a swing and changing pad set up in my office and have scheduled my meetings accordingly. He has cooperated (if you will) with the schedule and takes good naps and eats well. Everyone enjoys seeing him - it really lightens the mood. I most enjoy being able to spend the day with him. I will often just wear him in the Bjorn and snuggle with him while I work. It really brings down the street level. Sophia gets a kick out of the two of us leaving in the morning - "Baby Theo going to work!"

Here's shot of my work buddy!

Neck control is really strong and he is still rocking the hair - it is definitely his signature trait. In fact, after his bath when it is freshly cleaned, it has some serious wave/curl to it. It's so soft and luxiorous. Yep, my son has McDreamy hair. He's also started to smile - this cute, lopsided grin, which makes everything just so much fun and a bit more rewarding - no matter how tired I am.

We're off to an Easter egg hunt tomorrow - pictures to follow!

Mommy Musings - the Half Marathon

Running was a big part of my life before I had Sophia. While I was pregnant, I ran (or some form of it) until I was about 7 months and it just hurt too much (For the uninitiated, relaxing is released in your body so all your joints and ligaments stretch to accommodate the birth of the baby. This makes for a very unhappy pubic bone and hips while you're trying to run. But it's great for yoga!)

I started running right around 8 weeks after Sophia was born. I felt ok, but didn't really comprehend how much fitness I had lost and how tired I really was until I ran my normal 3.5 mile loop and was completely sucking wind. As always, it humbled and motivated me simultaneously.

I knew that I needed a goal to get me running consistently again. I wanted to complete a distance race before Sophia turned one. During the springtime, my former roommate suggested we run The Applefest half marathon in the fall. She had run it twice before and the timing was perfect, end of September. That gave me all summer to work up my mileage and figure out training with a baby (sleep - naps for all were my savior. Milk production - yup, definitely affected by running - and boob chafe. Thank god for glide and cw-x bras). The added fun was that Dave was going to train and run it as well.

Sophia & I did lots of training runs together - many with our friend Alison & her son Will. Running with a stroller was a shift - I had someone else to worry about on my run, where in the past, runs were all about me. Was she warm? Happy? Sleepy? It also changed my stride - much more of a "treadmill stride" with a shorter, clipped pace. Running with Alison, though, made it great. We were able to motivate each other and also share our roles of running mommies, scooting forward to make faces at the other's baby.

On weekends, I was able to get out for my long runs alone. Dave would run Saturdays and I would run Sundays. Without fail, Sunday turned out to be the crappier day to run, whether Sophia decided to teeth or fuss on Saturday night or it was torrential rain out. Either way, it provided me with a great challenge and only made my training more motivating.

Finally, race day came. Everything was lined up for success. My neighbors and mother-in-law were taking care of Sophia. We had our bag packed and the route mapped. The only problem: it was hot. Really hot. At the end of September, in New Hampshire, you expect cool. Fall. 50s, maybe 60 degrees. Nope - 85 degrees at 10am and humid. Oh, and some freshly paved blacktop and a course with hills that had some percentage grades similar to Mt. Washington in parts. But I was ready.

My goal was to finish under 2 hours, and mentally was prepared to not meet it because of the weather. I don't enjoy the heat, and, having run a 1/2 in Virginia Beach in the past, had not had particular success. In the end, though, all the training through lack of sleep, rain and Newport heat did me well. I passed Dave around mile 11 and just kept trucking. I finished just under 2 hours and felt good. I finished a half marathon and Sophia was just shy of 11 months. Hooray!

While I'm not the speedy runner I used to be, I like to think I'm a new, hybrid runner. A little slower, but mentally tougher. And definitely enjoying the scenery.

My next race: Tufts 10k - an all-Women's 10k race in Boston, which happens Columbus Day - Monday, Oct 11th.

And Sophia's first race (well, second, because she did the Feaster Five last year at 2 weeks old) will be Paddy's Road Race, being pushed by dad, next Sunday.

Sleep -

The title says it all. Sleep. We all want more of it. For ourselves. For our babies.
It is one of my top 3 topics discussed with other moms (the other two being food and poop. Yup, bodily functions haven't had this much air time since a 10th grade boys locker room.)

With Sophia, we've been really lucky, on the sleep front. She's a good overall sleeper. She has her moments, as do all babies, but all in all, we've been able to count on a good overnight sleep from her from fairly early on. We have our hiccups, for sure, like anyone else. We just try to roll through them. I find they definitely affect me more if I'm overtired.

I often felt guilty admitting this to people. It's definitely something I don't offer up unless I'm asked about it.
Because, you see, misery tends to love company. I was in Target once when Sophia was about 4 months old. Another mom came over to me and struck up a conversation (she was holding a child who was similar in age to Sophia). Her first question was about how Sophia was sleeping. I responded with my usual - "She's a really good sleeper. We're very lucky. We know it can change at any point, but we'll take it." Her response "Oh. I can't stand people like you. Must be nice."

Um hello? You asked the question!

I remember attending sleep discussions and reading about them nauseum in the beginning. I wanted to "learn the trick" to creating a good sleeper. I kept getting frustrated as everything I read or everyone I talked to would caveat it with "Every child is different." I know that. In my sane, rational self, I knew there was no blanket answer. But I wanted one. So I decided to create my own. That works. For my daughter.
I think moms can have the most success supporting each other, not dragging each other down into their own hell. So give it a shot. Add your own. The more info the merrier.

Here are some of the best tips and tricks I learned. Some may work for others. Some may not. Give it a shot. And some of these may work better at different ages. For the first 3 months just go with whatever works the best and gets everyone the most sleep.

1) Consistency. There is really something to be said for this. Babies do really enjoy a routine. It makes life easier for them when they have a general idea of what's coming. Try and stick to a schedule give or take 30 minutes.

1a) Be flexible. Seems contradictory to #1, but it's true. Not every day is going to be exactly the same as before (at least, not without going crazy). Maybe you get stuck in traffic. Maybe your friend is in town and you want lunch together. Don't worry, you'll figure it out. And one day here and there isn't going to blow the whole thing up.

2) Offer sleep every 1.5 to 2 hours. This one was a lifesaver for us through the first 6 months of Sophia's life. Studies have shown that babies can't really comfortably stay awake for much longer than that. I was a slave to the clock, but I also learned to read her signs. Eye rubbing, yawning and general crankiness were sure fire signs.

2.5) The Ab Ball. I don't think Sophia would have napped or slept without us bouncing her on this in the beginning. Actually, for probably close to the first 4 months. About 10 minutes before I suspected it was time for nap or sleep, we would go to the ball and bounce our little hearts out. Dave was the master at it and my mom even got into it. It bounces and soothes at such a motion that is next to impossible to gain while standing. Just make sure it's pumped up well or your lower back will start to hurt.

3) Swaddle. The swaddle worked like a charm for the first 5.5 months. We used a Kiddopotamus version (velcro included). Sophia would constantly whap herself in the face otherwise. It made everyone much happier at night.

3a) Consider co-sleeping. This worked really well for us in the beginning. Again, not for everyone and not the answer to everyone's problems. The AAP recommends against it, mostly in the case if you have a substance abuse problem that would lead you to possibly roll over your child at night. Assuming that you're not a heavy sleeper (or your partner) it can work. Just make your bed a safe bed (watch blankets, walls, etc.) We had Sophia in bed with us for the first 6 weeks before transitioning her to her crib.

3b) The swing is your friend. Sophia lived in the swing for naps throughout the day until about 5 months. It was a lifesaver for us. We could leave her in the middle of the living room happily swinging away for long periods of time.

4) White noise. We still use this. We might not even need it now, but it's become part of the routine. I downloaded a track from iTunes and hooked it into a iHome that plays on repeat throughout the night. It definitely blocks out loud noises from the city street and most in-house hullabaloo. (In the beginning, we ran the hairdryer to get her to fall asleep if she was really fussing!)

5) Bedtime routine. We have a fairly consistent routine for bed: (at almost 9 months). Eat "dinner" solids around 6, followed by a bath, a bottle and some books. Then it's into the sleeping bag, followed by a quick rock in the chair and into the crib. Sophia still whines a little when we're putting her down at night, but after 5-10 minutes, she generally settles right down.
(See earlier posts on sleep training. Everyone has their opinion, method or thoughts on this. Ferber worked for us. It's not for everyone. Go with your gut).

6) Naps promote good nighttime sleep. When Sophia has good naps during the day, she sleeps better at night. We do a mini-bedtime routine for naps. Morning nap is always the first to develop and afternoon comes later. We just recently reduced Sophia from 3 naps/day to 2.

7) 2-3-4 rule. I got this from one of my friend's sister. It seems to generally apply to babies 7+ months. We started this with Sophia in the past week or so. First nap happens 2 hours after wake up. Second nap is three hours after wake up from first nap. Bedtime happens 4 hours after second nap wake up. Some days it works. Others it doesn't. We'll keep plugging at it.

8) When in doubt - go for a walk. Fresh air, stroller movement, Bjorn (especially when they're little) is a lifesaver for creating naps. And you get the added benefit of fresh air and human interaction.

9) Or go for a ride in the car. I tried to time my longer trips around Sophia's nap schedule so that she'd conk out for most of the ride.

10) Be patient. Just when you think you've got it down, teething or growth spurt or just neural development happens. And it can throw you and your baby for a loop. I remember Sophia waking up at 2am a few nights in a row right around her 6 month birthday. She wasn't crying, just whining. When we came in - she was completely rotated in her crib and was so excited to show us her new "tricks!" You can literally hear the neurons connecting in her brain!!

Moms? Any other sleepy tips or tricks that work?

Sleep Training...continued

After our little adventure the other evening, I figured it was time to really start the sleep training. I had been debating between using "The Sleep Lady" method and "The Ferber" method. I had both books and read them diligently. I also talked to lots of other moms who each had a case for the method they chose. Because Sophia is inherently a good sleeper and just needed help learning how to soothe herself to sleep, I figured that the Ferber method, which involves letting the baby "cry it out" but checking in and reassuring them at determined intervals, was going to be the way to go.

We had also been swaddling Sophia since the first month and I felt that she needed access to her hands in order to soothe herself (she's a big fan of her hands and fingers these days, as well as her squeaky Giraffe, who we've named Raffi).

So, with Dave at work (late appointments) I commenced the putting her to bed process, purposely keeping her outdoors lots all day and putting her down about 20 minutes later than her normal fall asleep time. (all per the book recommendations). I made sure she had a nice big bottle (she's up to about 6.5 oz before bed) and was snuggled in her new sleep sack, which gives access to her arms and hands, but ads a little bit of warmth.

I kissed her as I put her into the crib and she just looked at me. And started to cry. But because I knew this was the best thing for both of us, I was fine telling her how much I loved her and shut the door.

She cried on and off for about 30 minutes. I went in to check at 3, 5, 7 and 10 minute intervals. Sometime during the 10 minute interval, she was quiet and asleep. It was amazing. It was before 9pm and all was well. I got lots of my little tasks done (laundry, diapers, etc) and knew that the sweet one was sound asleep.

We heard a little stirring from her around 11, but after 2 quick check ins, she was sound asleep till 7am. Dave and I both peaked our heads into her room and she was happily talking to herself in her crib and playing with Raffi. We scooped her up and started the day. It was great.
But we still had to conquer naps...

How Sophia Earned Sleep Training

We have been very lucky with Sophia - she is an extremely happy baby and has been a good sleeper from the beginning.
In the past few weeks, though, she had started to develop this habit of waking up 45 minutes after we put her down for the evening. (It actually started on a night that Dave & I went out to dinner at a friend's house, utilizing the "listening" services of our awesome downstairs neighbors John & Becky. After about an hour of trying to get Sophia to fall back asleep, John called us sheepishly and we returned home. We felt really, really badly!!)

Usually, it wouldn't take much to get Sophia to fall back asleep after this brief wake up. A little rocking, some pinky sucking or nursing and she'd be good to go. And that worked for the first wake up on Monday night. But not the mysterious second wake up at 11:15pm.

I had just settled into bed when I hear Sophia start crying. Screaming, was more like it. We had just started her on rice cereal a few days prior, so I didn't know if she was having tummy issues or what was causing it, as she had never really woken up at this point. I went in and unswaddled her and tried burping her and stretching her legs. She stopped crying but was still very fussy. I tried rocking her, nursing her - I even went back to the old faithful of bouncing her on the ball. She would calm down and just look at me with these big, blue eyes. But she was still pretty fussy. By this point, it's been about 40 minutes. Dave had just gotten home from his soccer game and poked his head in her room (it's always disheartening when you come home to see her door open and hear the white noise machine.) to see how everything was going. He was still kind of in the hallway, so as not to disturb any progress I was possibly making. But because no progress was being made, he came in.

Well, the minute she saw her father, Sophia broke out into the biggest, shit-eating grin (as a side note - why do they call it a "shit-eating grin" - I don't think I'd be grinning if my mouth were full of it!) at the gloriousness of both her mom and dad being around to play with her late night. With that, I promptly kissed her, told her we loved her very much and that she was now going to bed. I placed her in the crib and after a few short minutes of crying, she fell back asleep till the morning.

Dave and I just sat out on the couch for about 30 minutes talking and marveling (without any background noise) about how we had been "had" :) by our almost-6 month old daughter.

The real sleep training, though, would begin the next night. Stay tuned...