Monday, October 26, 2009

I Can Breathe Again

So serious!

Seven weeks have gone by so fast! I finally feel like my head is above water.

Our sweet little Micah has had some struggles over the last few weeks. He was screaming through some of his feedings, among other things, so I took him to the doctor after he went almost an entire day crying and not sleeping. Dr. Phillips diagnosed reflux, and the medicine we got finally started working after a week.

We've also had some sleep struggles. They probably won't seem like struggles to most parents of newborns, but since Micah usually doesn't wake up more than once a night, we started worrying when he was getting up more often. Naps were also hit or miss. I started to wonder if BabyWise was really working. But now that we're in our 8th week, I can really see it paying off. Micah started sleeping through the night again this weekend - last night he went from 9:30pm-5:30am then went back to sleep until 7:30am. Now it's 9am and he's napping. I'm wondering whose child this is and what they did with Micah. Of course, tomorrow can (and probably will) be totally different. I also can't underestimate the power of the swaddle wrap for calming Micah and helping him fall asleep. My friend, Melissa, introduced us to this, and it's my new favorite gift to give at baby showers. Love. It.

I'm sad that my little baby is getting so big, but as he gets older, we're also enjoying him more. He smiles now and seems a little more interested in his toys. Last week he moved from his bassinet into his "big boy" crib. We're also getting really excited about sharing the holidays with him. I even broke down and paid (almost) full price for a Christmas outfit at Gymboree. Next weekend Jamie's dad (a photographer) will be in town, so look forward to some new pictures of Micah!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

A Week of Fabulous Firsts

Micah's first beach trip - October 3, 2009

So guess what Micah did Thursday and Friday night? He slept through the night, yes he did! We are so thrilled! Granted, he eats like he's storing up for the winter during the early evening, but it's so worth it to get a 6-7 hour block of sleep. I don't know how much of it is him (remember, I prayed for a good sleeper) or how much of it is training. We feed him every 2.5-3 hours during the day, even if we have to wake him, and we make sure he has a wake time after feedings before going down for a nap. These are the basic principles of Baby Wise, and although I don't really understand how, they really do help with nighttime sleep!

Another first this week...we introduced a bottle. Micah has had three bottles now and does great. Of course, he'd prefer his beverage from the fountain versus the bottle (who wouldn't?), but we now have a lot more freedom in our schedule. For instance, last night we were able to go out to dinner with my parents, and I didn't have to plan around Micah's feeding time since I was able to take a bottle (I'm not really studdin' breast feeding in a restaurant).

We're still dealing with some evening fussiness. We've decided that we have a pretty cute demanding baby. He's not one to just sit in the swing for 30 minutes so I can fold a load of laundry. He likes to be entertained, and in the evening we have to work extra hard at this as he also has gas. Mylicon drops (medicine for babies with gas) are like putting a band-aid on an arm that's hanging off, but we know this is just a stage :-)

My 1 month stats:
9 pounds, 4 ounces
22 inches long
very cute!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

A Few Confessions...

1 month old!

In honor of Micah's 1-month birthday.

- I occasionally plan my baby's feeding schedule around my favorite shows. That way I'm guaranteed to see the first 30 mins. uninterrupted.
- Sometimes we sing lullabies, and sometimes we sing other things. On Sunday night, Micah got several verses from Baby Got Back.
- I've been known to tell people that we have a very good baby. He's then been known to scream all day.
- I love being a mom, but sometimes I miss my independence and my "free" time.
- I insisted I would never put my baby in bed with us, but at 6 a.m., I'll do anything for one more hour of sleep.
- This morning Micah peed on the changing table, creating a stream that went over his head and sprinkled all about his face and mouth. Not exactly the breakfast we had in mind for him.
- I LOVE having a baby boy.
- At this point, I feel our family is complete and don't know for sure that we'll have more children. I also haven't forgotten my labor experience yet. I had a dream nightmare this weekend that the doctors told me they were going to put Micah back inside of me and make me deliver without medicine.

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IMAGE COMING

Me holding Kendall, circa 1996.
She (and her siblings) were my favorite kids to babysit.


Kendall holding baby Micah, 10/4/09