Apparently my cheek tastes and feels a lot like another part of my body. Dad took a little longer to get a bottle than Cayden would have liked. I tried to calm him by talking soothingly in his ear, and this is what happened.
Happy birthday, Bob!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
I got a hickie at Bobby's 40th birthday party
Apparently my cheek tastes and feels a lot like another part of my body. Dad took a little longer to get a bottle than Cayden would have liked. I tried to calm him by talking soothingly in his ear, and this is what happened.
Happy birthday, Bob!
What the 97th weight percentile looks like
Both the onesie and the jeans are sized for six months, and neither has been worn. The cloth diaper doesn't help the jeans situation, but that doesn't have anything to do with the belly spilling over the top.
Perhaps needless to say, this outfit was a no-go for yesterday.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Bodily Fluids
1.) HUGE ups to Aunt Lauren, who changed a surprise blow-out dipey last night by herself -- without even letting us know what she had discovered -- except to politely ask Brian where to put the pile of dirty baby wipes when he came up to check on dinner. I give up on trying to predict poops.
2.) Cayden peed all over his own face and in his ear two mornings ago, when Dad forgot to put the washcloth over his winkie to catch any surprises. So he got a morning-time bath shortly after he showered himself.
3.) And then of course, there was the puke-all-over-the-face from this morning.
2.) Cayden peed all over his own face and in his ear two mornings ago, when Dad forgot to put the washcloth over his winkie to catch any surprises. So he got a morning-time bath shortly after he showered himself.
3.) And then of course, there was the puke-all-over-the-face from this morning.
The Sleep Conundrum
We're not out of the woods, yet.
After four separate nights of 6-hour sleep, 2-hour sleep, 2-hour sleep, the past two nights were back to the old lack-of-pattern, pattern.
Cayden went down at 9:25 p.m., then was up at 1 a.m. (3.5 hours), 3:15 a.m. (1.75 hours), 4:55 a.m. (1 hour) and 6:30 a.m. (1 hour). And the last three stretches (if you can call them that) are fidgety and grunty. From 5:30 a.m. until 8 a.m. -- when Cayden spit up all over our bed then rolled in it to get it all over himself; I'm talking milk curds in his eyelashes -- I went from glider to couch, and from couch to bed.
Each time he wakes, he latches on and sucks furiously, as if he hasn't eaten in hours.
And except for those two nights he slept peacefully sans swaddle, he's needed the swaddle since. He sleeps soundly for the first cycle of the night, but for each of the following cycles he rutches around and works his arms out of the Miracle Blanket. I tried the Snuggle Nest this morning at 5:30 a.m., but that was a big fat fail.
I return to work in a week, and I'm really not sure how I'll function if this sleep pattern remains for long.
And Mary the lactation consultant said to expect a whole new set of challenges when the clocks are set back at the beginning of November. All of a sudden 9 p.m. becomes 8 p.m., so he may want to go to bed even earlier, thereby starting the one- to two-hour crap even earlier.
Maybe this is a growth spurt. Maybe we should try the swing in the early morning hours. Maybe I should just bring him to bed with me after he wakes up the first time, so we can nurse and sleep together for the next few hours. Maybe a sleep sack might work.
Maybe I'm desperate for answers that just don't exist.
Really, I'll take any tips anyone has. I have one week left to try to figure this out.
After four separate nights of 6-hour sleep, 2-hour sleep, 2-hour sleep, the past two nights were back to the old lack-of-pattern, pattern.
Cayden went down at 9:25 p.m., then was up at 1 a.m. (3.5 hours), 3:15 a.m. (1.75 hours), 4:55 a.m. (1 hour) and 6:30 a.m. (1 hour). And the last three stretches (if you can call them that) are fidgety and grunty. From 5:30 a.m. until 8 a.m. -- when Cayden spit up all over our bed then rolled in it to get it all over himself; I'm talking milk curds in his eyelashes -- I went from glider to couch, and from couch to bed.
Each time he wakes, he latches on and sucks furiously, as if he hasn't eaten in hours.
And except for those two nights he slept peacefully sans swaddle, he's needed the swaddle since. He sleeps soundly for the first cycle of the night, but for each of the following cycles he rutches around and works his arms out of the Miracle Blanket. I tried the Snuggle Nest this morning at 5:30 a.m., but that was a big fat fail.
I return to work in a week, and I'm really not sure how I'll function if this sleep pattern remains for long.
And Mary the lactation consultant said to expect a whole new set of challenges when the clocks are set back at the beginning of November. All of a sudden 9 p.m. becomes 8 p.m., so he may want to go to bed even earlier, thereby starting the one- to two-hour crap even earlier.
Maybe this is a growth spurt. Maybe we should try the swing in the early morning hours. Maybe I should just bring him to bed with me after he wakes up the first time, so we can nurse and sleep together for the next few hours. Maybe a sleep sack might work.
Maybe I'm desperate for answers that just don't exist.
Really, I'll take any tips anyone has. I have one week left to try to figure this out.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
We're back!! Brief highlights of weeks 9 and 10
The poop situation: he didn't go yesterday morning as expected, but he did go this morning, five days after the last poop. So we've gone four days, eight days, four days, three days, four days and five days.
I've been eating like a horse. I just can't seem to get full in the afternoon, so I end up having lunch, then snacking right through to dinner. But heck, I'm burning 600 calories a day sitting down (making milk, that is), and Barb said she thought I looked thinner in the face when we got home.
Light sleep smiles. Sometime in the last two weeks Cayden started smiling in his light sleep cycles, and it's adorable.
First real laugh. At 10 weeks, three days, Cayden chuckled. Not just giggled, but actually chuckled when dad made gorilla noises at him. We haven't heard it since, but it was beyond cute.
Grabbing stuff. He's starting to grab at and shake the toys on his play mat, and yesterday (11 weeks, 1 day) he grabbed hold of his foot while Grandude held him.
Hair loss. Both mine and his, although mine is more dramatic. All the hair I hadn't been shedding during pregnancy is now coming out like crazy. Normal, but surprising in the amount of hair I'm losing in the shower and each time I run my hands through my hair. And Cayden's hair had been thinning for some time, but now he has a little bald spot on the back of his head, from laying on his back so much.
And the biggest development of all: The first sleep cycle of five to six-plus hours seems to be a pattern that is staying!!!! First six-hour stretch was at 10 weeks, 4 days; he slept 6.5 hours two days later, and last night he did 5.75 hours in the first stretch.
I threw the two-dozen pics from our trip up on Cayden's Corner, but here are a few of the best ones.
Riding with Spike. The trip took just a little longer than it normally does. We didn't have to stop any additional times, we just stopped for a little longer, so Cayden could look around, get a new dipey, stretch out and get a little activity.
Ready to walk to the rented shore with Mama, wearing the hat Grammy and Grandude got for him in Yellowstone.
Awaiting turkey dinner, which he got second-hand, a few hours after mom had it.
And with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jeff.
All-in-all it was a great trip despite the bad couple of days and despite less-than-favorable weather. We truly enjoyed seeing all the Canadian kiddos and visiting with friends we don't get to see nearly often enough.
I've been eating like a horse. I just can't seem to get full in the afternoon, so I end up having lunch, then snacking right through to dinner. But heck, I'm burning 600 calories a day sitting down (making milk, that is), and Barb said she thought I looked thinner in the face when we got home.
Light sleep smiles. Sometime in the last two weeks Cayden started smiling in his light sleep cycles, and it's adorable.
First real laugh. At 10 weeks, three days, Cayden chuckled. Not just giggled, but actually chuckled when dad made gorilla noises at him. We haven't heard it since, but it was beyond cute.
Grabbing stuff. He's starting to grab at and shake the toys on his play mat, and yesterday (11 weeks, 1 day) he grabbed hold of his foot while Grandude held him.
Hair loss. Both mine and his, although mine is more dramatic. All the hair I hadn't been shedding during pregnancy is now coming out like crazy. Normal, but surprising in the amount of hair I'm losing in the shower and each time I run my hands through my hair. And Cayden's hair had been thinning for some time, but now he has a little bald spot on the back of his head, from laying on his back so much.
And the biggest development of all: The first sleep cycle of five to six-plus hours seems to be a pattern that is staying!!!! First six-hour stretch was at 10 weeks, 4 days; he slept 6.5 hours two days later, and last night he did 5.75 hours in the first stretch.
I threw the two-dozen pics from our trip up on Cayden's Corner, but here are a few of the best ones.
Riding with Spike. The trip took just a little longer than it normally does. We didn't have to stop any additional times, we just stopped for a little longer, so Cayden could look around, get a new dipey, stretch out and get a little activity.
Ready to walk to the rented shore with Mama, wearing the hat Grammy and Grandude got for him in Yellowstone.
Awaiting turkey dinner, which he got second-hand, a few hours after mom had it.
And with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jeff.
All-in-all it was a great trip despite the bad couple of days and despite less-than-favorable weather. We truly enjoyed seeing all the Canadian kiddos and visiting with friends we don't get to see nearly often enough.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Random thoughts from the Lake
After a really rough couple of days (completely sleep-deprived on Monday, we were starting to consider cutting our trip short and coming home earlier this week), Chicken Wing has seemed to settle into a routine: two shorter naps in the swing in the morning (20 - 35 minutes each), then a good 2-hour nap from about 1:30 to 3:30, then another short nap or two in the late afternoon/early evening. Then we try to start the bedtime routine shortly after 8 p.m. (bath, dipey, jammies, nursing, rocking) and we aim for peepers closed at 9 p.m. We've hit 9:05, 9:40, 9:15 and 9:30 the past few nights. And the best part -- Cayden does a solid four to 4.5 hours in his first sleep cycle. Then he's up 2 hours later (around 4 a.m.) and 1.5 hours after that (5:30 to 6 a.m.), but at least we get one good stretch!
Other than that, just a few notes on the different way of life on the lake. I had gone without plucking my eyebrows for eight straight days until I looked in the mirror and realized I really had to get back into the habit. I'm down to showering every other day, and I'm completely fine with it. And I'm surprised my hair isn't permanently kinked because of the top-of-the-head pony-knot I've been sporting day and night for 10 days. Cayden now pulls hair, and IT HURTS. I'm thinking of getting my hair chopped off a la freshman year in college (when Brian called me Timmy for a year), to avoid the hair pulls and discomfort of sleeping with a pony.
And I'm really glad for the time up here. Cayden is becoming easier to manage, and it's good for me to have time to do nothing but watch him and learn from him. No cleaning, no laundry, no household chores. Heck the weather hasn't even been nice enough for me to take a canoe ride, so I've spent nearly every moment here watching him.
But now Mama and Dad are in town for dinner and an afternoon out while Grammy and Grandude watch the little guy, so we're off to enjoy ourselves sans-baby.
Other than that, just a few notes on the different way of life on the lake. I had gone without plucking my eyebrows for eight straight days until I looked in the mirror and realized I really had to get back into the habit. I'm down to showering every other day, and I'm completely fine with it. And I'm surprised my hair isn't permanently kinked because of the top-of-the-head pony-knot I've been sporting day and night for 10 days. Cayden now pulls hair, and IT HURTS. I'm thinking of getting my hair chopped off a la freshman year in college (when Brian called me Timmy for a year), to avoid the hair pulls and discomfort of sleeping with a pony.
And I'm really glad for the time up here. Cayden is becoming easier to manage, and it's good for me to have time to do nothing but watch him and learn from him. No cleaning, no laundry, no household chores. Heck the weather hasn't even been nice enough for me to take a canoe ride, so I've spent nearly every moment here watching him.
But now Mama and Dad are in town for dinner and an afternoon out while Grammy and Grandude watch the little guy, so we're off to enjoy ourselves sans-baby.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Brief greetings from Canada!!!
The car ride up went well, with a minimum of crying and absolutely NO cat pee. First night was a little rough, but that's to be expected when a 2 month old spends 7.5 hours in a car seat. Cayden has been an angel ever since, and we've moved to a minimum of 5 ounces of milk per bottle for junior.
Hoping to get the boat in today, after we get back from town. The weather has been frigid to say the least (the high was 48 degrees yesterday), but now it's starting to warm up.
Perth library is very convenient, but keeping a baby quiet while Dad sets his fantasy football lineup is a major challenge. Not to mention that baby farts tend to disturb the other patrons. Hope to have more later this week.
Hoping to get the boat in today, after we get back from town. The weather has been frigid to say the least (the high was 48 degrees yesterday), but now it's starting to warm up.
Perth library is very convenient, but keeping a baby quiet while Dad sets his fantasy football lineup is a major challenge. Not to mention that baby farts tend to disturb the other patrons. Hope to have more later this week.
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