HOW? That’s a whole trimester! Well, it covers the “missing 4th trimester” theory ;)
Weight: Bad Mama. I was planning to weigh him last week when we were at a baby store, since they have a scale. Well, I totally forgot. Mama Brain. What I do know, dude is SOLID. I’m noticing that his car seat is heavier and not as easy to haul around. We probably won’t be carrying him in it for much longer. He was 13lb 4oz at his last appointment, so I’ll guess that he’s over 15lb? He’s pushing the limits of his 6 month clothing. I bought him some winter outfits in 9 month size, hopefully that holds!
Health: Healthy! We got a NoseFrida which seems to be much less traumatic for the stuffy nose moments. He almost sort of likes it? Odd kid. I think we’re approaching the teething phase. He’s a drool monster, gnaws on his pacifier and is constantly shoving his hands in his mouth. I have some teething things ready, but from what I’ve heard he can be in this “pre-teething” phase for a long time. No fever yet – I’m watching for that since I know it’s often a sign.
Sleep: 8 HOURS on Friday night. It was ah-maz-ing! We put him down at 9:30pm and he slept until 5:30am. I felt like a champion, like I could take on the world! For the week prior he’d been waking every 3 – 4 hours to eat. Lovin’ those growth spurts, and my Wonder Weeks App, ha. Naps are pretty consistent. We’re up around 7:00am, then he gets a short nap in the car on the 30 – 40 min drive to work. We get to the office and he takes 2 – 3 naps, either 40min or 1.5 hours. If it’s two naps it’s more like 2 hours each. Then a short nap on the drive home, and we have some extra awake time before bed and he goes down between 8:00pm – 9:00pm depending on how things are going. Fussy nights = earlier bedtime. That goes for both of us!
Nursing: Still going really great. After that 8 hour stretch I was hurting a bit though ;) Being a part of “Mama Culture” now makes me want to tell the new Mama’s all the things I didn’t know about nursing. It hurts at first. Don’t freak out when you pump hardly anything. It’s HARD. I remember hearing about how you need to reach out and get help early on if you’re struggling – but I didn’t know what struggling looked like. You can’t “practice” nursing before you have the baby, so what are you supposed to to? I feel like there should be mandatory house calls for new Mama’s. Where a Mentor Mama comes and checks in with you. And the Mentor Mama’s should be new-ish to motherhood. Hopefully there’s Mom’s and Aunt’s and Grandma’s to talk to – but some things get forgotten, and it’s SO helpful to talk to a Mama that’s been where you are recently.
What Riley is up to: Lot’s of chatting! He’s also learned how to hold things. So he’ll grab his shirt or a blanket and hold on. It’s so simple but so adorable. He’s discovered his hands, and they’re pretty much the best toy ever. If he’s awake, 80% of the time his hands are either in his mouth, or he’s clasped them together staring at them. He also likes to wring them together and stare off – sort of like he’s an evil baby genius plotting world domination. Well, at least that’s what it looks like. Bathtime is his favorite thing in the world. Not to be confused with ending bathtime and starting jammie time. That’s the worst time ever. He goes from pure joy splashing in the water to absolutely horrified that we have to remove him from his wonderland and clothe him.
A rare, happy jammie time
Merfman + Merfbaby = <3
PostPartum: Still trucking along and getting ready for my Sprint Tri. It’s hard since I have limited time to train with Merfman working so much. I try to spend Sunday’s with my parent’s so they can watch Riley and I can train in the area near their house, since that’s where the race is. I’m eating cleaner, not 100% but probably 80/20. I fit into a pair of my pre-prego jeans two weeks ago, whoo! I’ve also tightened my belt loops and the waist strap on the Ergo, which is a good sign :) Emotionally I’m good – but I’ve heard about some hard stuff lately. A Mother of four with stage 4 cancer, parent’s planning memorial services for their babies. Rough stuff. It consistently helps me keep my little challenges in perspective. We all have hard stuff, some of us have harder stuff.
Baby Gear: Carter’s winter clothing. My Mom and I took a trip to one of the Carter’s stores (dangerous place, people) and I got Riley some super stinkin’ cute outfits. He’s gonna look like a little lumberjack in his winter clothes! ErgoBaby Carrier – Merfman even wore it when we walked to coffee Saturday :) Activity Mat – now that he can see more and hit the toys it’s much more fun.
Thoughts: I was able to meet up with a Mommy Friend from our Bradley class last week and it was SO great. We spent the whole time trading stories and sharing baby milestones. We could even commiserate over losing all our hair, yea – that’s fun. Neither one of us thought we’d need Mama Friends, but we both shared how great it felt to talk to someone that’s in the same “place.” We’re hoping to keep getting together regularly, and maybe even be workout buddies :) It’ll be fun to see our babies grow together. They’re only 1 day apart!
The Merfett 