My big boy...sleeping issues...

Patrick is now about two and a half months old!! It's hard to believe how fast time rolls by. We are having a lot of fun together, and it's true that babies change constantly. Just when I think I've got things figured out, he throws a curve ball at me. He definitely keeps me on my toes, which is a good thing. Lately we've been working on sleep patterns. I have to admit that although I've been following doctor's orders by putting Patrick into his bed content yet awake at night so that he can get himself to sleep, I've been letting him take all of his daily naps in my arms. Honestly, it's something I've loved doing, first because I love holding him, and second, because many of those naps are for both of us. I will fall asleep sitting up on the couch as I'm holding him. Not the best thing to do, I know but it's the truth. So lately I've been wondering if Patrick sleeps too much during the day, as he will often fall asleep in his car seat while we're out, and the same goes for if he's in his stroller. Last week I devoted a few days to just staying home to see what his natural rhythms were, and it seemed to go as follows: eat, be awake/play for about 45-60 minutes, sleep for 45-60 minutes, then start all over again. So, I know I've got to start planning my day around his natural schedule. I'm just not sure how. I mean, it would make sense to let him sleep at home during his natural nap time, then pack him up for errands during his awake time. Thus, he'll be getting quality sleep at home, in a quiet space, as part of a nap time routine. My fear is that if I do that, he'll sleep during his nap time, then end up falling asleep MORE when we're out, as the movement of the car and stroller seem to lull him back to sleep. I don't want him to sleep TOO much during the day, because I'm afraid it will affect how much and how well he sleeps at night. This being a mom stuff is hard!! Any advice? We're also working on transitioning nap time from mommy's arms to Patrick's bed. I'm glad we're working on it now, because after one day of it, I think it's going to be kind of difficult. He falls asleep SO much faster in my arms than in his bed during the day, which is nice, but I don't want to have a 10 month old who still needs me to hold him for his day time naps. I figure, the longer we keep going with him napping in my arms, the harder it will be to break the habit. Tomorrow and Wednesday are also going to be spent solely at home so I can continue to work on this. The last thing I'm trying to do is to skip his late afternoon/early evening nap (which happens about 6 or 7ish each day) and instead start a bed time routine with a bath, diaper change, book reading, nursing, then an earlier bed time. Otherwise, sometimes it's almost 10 pm before he gets to sleep since he's wired from his evening nap. Tonight's the first night of trying this, and he's currently (fingers crossed!) asleep. We'll see how long he stays down for before his next feeding, and if the nights go smoother this way. Wish us luck!
The pictures are all pretty recent. I love the one in his bouncy seat. I haven't used it in a while because he pretty much hated it when he was younger. He loves being outside, though, and I decided to put him in it outside so he could check out his surroundings. Instead, it was obvious that he was seeing the little hanging animals on the bouncy seat for the first time, and he just stared at them and giggled. It was wonderful!
We're working on tummy time, which neither of us like. Patrick doesn't like it because, well, it's probably just not comfortable, so he whines and fusses. I don't like it because he doesn't like it. But, we're determined to strengthen that neck and arms, so we continue to do it.
Things Patrick is doing these days:
Laughing, cooing, "talking" and squealing with delight when he's awake and happy.
Smiling
Noticing hanging toys and objects more
Many nights he'll sleep for one stretch of up to 4-5 hours, which is wonderful for mommy!
Spending more time awake
Practicing holding his head up during tummy time
That's all this sleep deprived brain can think of for now!

Two month check up

I can't believe my little guy is already two months old!! I was part dreading, part looking forward to this appointment. I was looking forward to it because I couldn't wait to see how much he'd grown, and because I knew he'd be getting immunizations, which makes me feel that much better having him out in public. (I know, I'm a germaphobe!) Of course, I was dreading it because of the immunization shots he'd have to get. :( I didn't know what to expect as far as how Patrick would be feeling or acting after the shots, and I was very glad that DH came with me!!
The appointment went well. Our little man weighs 10 pounds, 14 ounces. His birth weight was 6 pounds, 11 ounces, and the doctor seemed very happy with his progress. He hasn't grown in length a whole lot- he's now 21 and three quarter inches, up from 18 and a half. All of his measurements put him right in the 45th percentile, pretty much in the middle range, which is fine with us.
Then came the shots....there were three of them, and the nurse asked me to hold down his little arms so they wouldn't flail so much. I felt horrible having to do it, but I did.
Let me tell you, my guy has a set of lungs on him! He screamed and screamed..after the nurse was gone, getting him out the door, all the way to the car. I finally started nursing him and he calmed down a bit, with the occasional pitiful whimper while he nursed. It was a heart breaker! He slept a good bit the rest of the night and was a pill the following day, but I am so grateful for infant Tylenol. It is a life saver for my little crank!
The doctor also reminded us to try putting him down to bed (especially at night) when he's awake and letting him get himself to sleep. She said that by doing that, he'll sleep for longer periods instead of shorter periods when I let him sleep in my arms and then try to transfer him to his bed. I was a little skeptical and nervous about this, but I tried it last night. I waited until he had nursed and was showing some sleepy signs (yawns, eye rubbing) and set him in his bed. Each time I would walk away for a minute or two (by each time I mean after each feeding throughout the night) to use the restroom and come back. Most of the time when I returned, he was already asleep!! Hallelujah!! I do think he slept better last night, but we'll see if our success continues when we try the same method tonight. He did fuss one time, and I followed the doc's orders by picking him up, burping him and soothing him a little, then putting him back in his bed.
Things Patrick is doing these days:
Holding his head up a good bit
Staring at any and all lights and ceiling fans
Smiling (!!!) and cooing, especially when you talk to him in a "baby voice"
Using his lower lip to pout when he's not happy
Using his crying to communicate what he's feeling
Tracking moving objects that move past his line of vision
Batting at toys on his activity mat
Kicking the musical foot keyboard at the end of his activity mat
Squealing when he's happy on his activity mat
Grabbing mommy's hair and shirt
Things we do together:
A daily walk (okay, he sleeps, but we do it together!)
Lots of singing
Reading books
Snuggling/naps
Giving him baths (working on eliminating cradle cap!)
Dancing around to various songs
Travel all over Columbia- to the library, Target, Wal-Mart for groceries, etc.
Attend Bible study with lots of other nice moms and their kids each week
I hope to add baby story time to this list soon! I'm just not sure he's old enough yet. I'm pretty sure he'd sleep through the whole thing!!
TTFN!

Seven weeks old tomorrow!

PHEW! I can't believe that Patrick will be seven weeks old tomorrow! This motherhood thing is incredible, and incredibly hard! I can't tell you how many times a day I look at him and think about how beautiful he is, or how cute, or how grateful I am to have him. I think back to all those months of trying to get pregnant and just say a prayer of thanks. It's amazing how connected I feel to him. I will say, the first two weeks of his life were the hardest weeks of mine so far. I was exhausted, partly because of labor and partly because I couldn't sleep once we were home- every peep or grunt he made had me jumping out of bed to see if he was okay. On top of that, breastfeeding! Whoa. I had no idea how painful it would be when my first milk came in, or how much anxiety I would feel over making sure he was eating enough, making sure I was recognizing his "hunger signs" and giving him what he needed. It was a lot of pressure, and there were MANY times those first two weeks that I regretted trying breastfeeding, wanted to give up, and decided I'd never have another baby again, because I couldn't handle the stress. I cried more than I've ever cried before, several times a day, about the most silly things!
Thankfully, with the passage of time and a little help from Mr. Zoloft, things began to even out with my hormones, I started getting the hang of things, and started to actually enjoy being a mom. There are still days when I have to secure Patrick in his swing and walk down the hall for a second because he's crying, and I've tried everything I can do to make him comfortable or console him to no end. Sometimes moms just need a break, even if it's only 5 minutes. There are also some nights when I can't believe how tired I am, or how much this little guy eats. But, I'm still amazed that when he wakes up at night and cries to eat, his cry strikes a chord through me-it's almost a physical experience-and I'm up and ready to feed him.
I am also officially a "stay at home mom" as I resigned from my job last week. It was a harder decision than I realized it would be. Especially during those first two weeks after Patrick was born, I would start to day dream about getting my classroom ready, putting on decent looking clothes, having adult interaction, having a purpose other than to be the main food source and caretaker of this little guy. (These day dreams would happen usually during a crying fit, or when I'd been without adult interaction for a while!) But then came the question: who in the world can possibly take care of my son better than me? With more love? I'm sure I know plenty of capable friends and family members that would do an excellent job of taking care of him during the day while I worked, but I just couldn't imagine handing him over to someone every morning and being away from him all day. After things started to smooth out, I started to realize that I could handle being at home all day. I've lined up a few activities-weekly mall walks with a girlfriend, a Bible Study for moms, a weekly date night with my hubby. With those things, on top of the business of doing a mom and house wife's work- keeping order in our home and taking care of our little guy, I'm plenty busy! I will admit that I started an "accomplishment journal" in my daily planner. I've started listing all of the things that I accomplish each day, just so I can look back on it and feel good about my whole day, and avoid feeling like all I've done all day is sit on the couch and hold my child. It may seem silly, and I may not always need it, but as I'm just starting this new job, it's something that makes me feel good to do, so I'll continue to do it.
My friend Angela, who has a blog of her own which follows life with twin girls, has an incredible talent for photography. She was kind enough to come over and do a "photo shoot" with Patrick! Hope you like them!

He's here!!!!!

Patrick Kevin arrived on August 7, 2010, at 7:41 am. He weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and was 18 and a half inches long at birth. We are doing well, and are adjusting to this crazy, amazing, wonderful life with our little man!! Pictures and more info to come soon, as soon as I get more than a minute!!! He looks JUST like his daddy- which I love.

37 week photo

Large and in charge! Please pay no attention to the lack of make up and messy hair. I did actually shower the day this picture was taken, I just didn't get much farther than that in the primping phase.

The waiting game

As of today, I'm 37 weeks and two days along. According to everyone I've talked to, I'm officially "full term" at this point, which is cool! I'm feeling...decent. :) Over the last two weeks I've been dwelling on the fear factor associated with labor-the pain, the issues that could come up, the unknown. But now, at this point, as I'm feeling like all of baby's clothes are washed, all of his 'equipment' (bassinet, crib, glider, swing, etc.) is assembled, our bags are packed, relaxing music has been downloaded for labor, and so on, my mind is starting to change. Being pregnant is one of the coolest, most unique blessings a person can experience. But I'm getting to the point where I'm feeling more ready to meet our guy. I am SO curious about what he looks like, what his little personality will shape up to be, to see DH interacting with his son. I also wouldn't mind not feeling like I'm hauling a giant sack of rocks around my middle, or the back ache either. :)
I am really trying to cherish these last few days and weeks with my hubby, though. I don't want to wish away our final days as "just the two of us." I am a bit sad and scared that this twosome time is about to be over, because it has been absolutely incredible. We have traveled all over the world, thrown parties and get togethers for friends and family, and grown together so much. I know that the next chapter is also going to be incredible, but there is the "unknown factor" that always exists with change that can be a bit frightening. We have been spending a lot of time together the last few weeks, just talking about everything under the sun, watching movies, and just enjoying each other's company. I know my husband is a sweet man, but his sweet side has come out even more over the last few weeks. He's started just spontaneously saying these surprising, touching things to me, seemingly out of nowhere. This time together has been lovely, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
The other interesting thing I realized today-I've actually been having some BH contractions. I've noticed my belly feeling really hard now and then throughout the day, as well as some, ahem, pressure (down there!). I thought the belly hardness was just baby's body pushing out because he's running out of room. But as I looked back through my childbirth class notes and talked to my sister, I think these are actually BH contractions. WHOA! The other bit of news- (I think I've shared that I'm a "high risk" pregnancy because of a heart condition I have. Pregnancy has been fine and my heart has done absolutely beautifully so far, thank God!) But this week I've noticed a few short (10 sec) fast heart beats, being a little bit more out of breath than normal, etc. Doc asked that I let them know if this starts happening, because it may mean it's time to pick an induction date. I go to see the doc tomorrow, so we'll update him then. I have been praying to avoid an induction, because I think it's usually best when baby and your body kick in to labor naturally. At the very least, if he wants me to pick an induction date soon, I hope he'll let us wait until early next week when my sister will be here, and my mom will be back from out of town. Anyways, that's the latest! Going to try to post a 37 week picture soon, if I can. :)

35 week check up

According to the doc, Baby's head is "very low" and I'm about 1 cm dilated, 90% effaced (ACK!) and plus 1 station. WHOA!!!! I'm only 35 weeks and I'm at plus 1?! 90%?!
I'm feeling nervous now and have decided to put myself on partial bed rest...I just want him to stay put for at least 2-3 more weeks, so that he can have more time to grow and develop. I really, really, am praying that he's not premature and doesn't have to spend time in the NICU.
PRAYERS, please!!!!