baby – Page 10 – The Merfett

Riley is 5 Months!

December 31, 2013December 29, 2013 The Merfett

Wait – I have a 5 month old? Whoa.

Weight: 17lb 8oz at his 4 month check up a few weeks ago. That’s 90%. And he’s 27 5/8″ which is off the chart for height…the chart goes to 98% so let’s say he’s 105% ;) He’s a BIG guy. He’s always been large, but it’s sort of crazy how he compares to other babies his age.

Health: Healthy! The doctor said he looks great and is growing well. We’re still dealing with teething…going on 2 months and no sign of teeth. Some days are fine – and others are fussy. I’m so thankful we’ve avoided a winter cold. He’s still congested sometimes, but the NoseFrida and humidifier take care of that.

Sleep: We had a harder time with sleep this month. He went through a growth spurt – he can GRAB things now!! So for a week or so he was waking up every 2.5 hours. We really focused on getting him into good sleep habits this month. No more pacifier, no more holding to sleep – now he can fall asleep on his own, or a few pats on his back to calm him until he drifts off. We’re not into the crying it out deal – per the Pediatrician’s advice we let him fuss for 5 min before we try to calm him. Sometimes he goes back to sleep, other times he needs our help. I always feel like fist pumping anytime I put him down in his crib and I watch him drift off to sleep. I know it’s so important to teach babies good sleep habits, and each time he can put himself to sleep calmly feels like a giant parenting victory. We’re working on getting him to two, 2 hour naps so he can be on a 4 hour schedule. Just in the past few days he’s started moving that direction. I tried the switch from 3 to 4 hours a few weeks ago and he wasn’t ready. Also – 2 hour naps?! He’s been a 45min – 1:15hr napper. Anytime he naps closer to 2 hours I feel like I’m a champion and I can get SO much done.

Nursing: Going really well – so well, that he doesn’t like to eat any other way! Oh man, we had the great bottle hold out of 2013 this week. He’s taken the bottle from Kelly before – no issues. But recently he wants nothing to do with it. We don’t give him a bottle often since I’m never away from him for very long. This past weekend we had a wedding to attend so we’ve been planning to leave him with my Mom overnight. We tried and tried to get him to take the bottle well – no dice. We did different bottles, sippy cup, normal cup, spoon even an eye dropped. He wasn’t a fan at all. After a few days of struggling we decided it wasn’t worth the battle. In a few months he’ll be able to drink from a real cup or sippy cup well. The most frustrating part was that he would take the milk in his mouth (by whatever method) but then raspberry it back out in our faces. We tried it fresh, warm, room temp – nothing was right. I will have to admit that when I was pregnant I heard so much about “nipple confusion” and “don’t introduce the bottle too early” and I was so focused on nursing that I didn’t want to try the bottle incase it would ruin all of our hard work. Looking back – I think we should have tried to do a bottle a day/every other day just so he could get used to it. But, since I was with him most of the time and Kelly was working it was just easier to nurse. In the past 5 months the bottle refusal has probably been the most frustrating thing we’ve dealt with as parents. In the big picture it’s not really and issue – but man, it made us scratch our heads. Could it be a preview of having a stubborn kid? We hope not :)

What Riley is up to: Riley is SO much fun right now! I’ve heard this time can be the “sweet spot” for having babies. They’re interactive and playful – but not mobile just yet so they won’t get into too much trouble. I do love that he can grab things now – I feel like he’s becoming such a little person when he can hold and shake things. He’s laughing now too! I love love love hearing his little baby laugh. It’s the best sound ever. This past month we took a trip to New Jersey. Riley had his first plane ride, wedding, boat ride and trip to New York City. It was so much fun to travel with our little family. Before we had Riley traveling was one of the things I was most excited about. Adventure! Memories! Riley also celebrated his first Christmas this month. I LOVE Christmas, and it was a million times more fun with Riley. I can’t wait for next year when he’ll maybe be less into putting the paper in his mouth – and more excited to open presents :)

PostPartum: I think I’ve lost almost all the baby weight, which makes me feel good. I’m not at the fitness level I’d like to be at – but I’m working on it. I got the best Christmas present ever – a SPIN BIKE!!! So excited for some early morning rides while Riley is sleeping. I need to make a trip to the store to get some new jeans – all my “not quiet back into pre-preg” jeans are too big – yay! I’m back into my normal pre-baby jeans which is nice, but I think I’ve crossed over into “mom jean” territory. Super low hip-hugger jeans are not so kind to the Mama tummy :) Emotionally, I feel good. This month was stressful at work, I was so ready for a break and some time at home. I really enjoy working in an office (and taking Riley with me) but sometimes it’s just so nice to work from home and deal with a fussy baby while checking emails.

Baby Gear: Toys are fun now! We got lots of toys from everyone for Christmas and Riley is loving grabbing and playing with them. We also got a BOB stroller for some jogging trips. And a Radio Flyer Red Wagon from Uncle Brad and Alex that Riley loves!

Thoughts: I love being a Mama to Riley. I never knew how I would feel after having kids – I wasn’t a big “kid lover” growing up. Yea, they’re cute and all – but I didn’t love babysitting and for sure didn’t have babyfever. Sometimes I look at Riley and just ponder the idea that he’s ours – we made him. How crazy is that?! Christmas Eve after I finished feeding him, he was sleepy so we rocked in the Nursery and I did my best to freeze that moment in my mind – always wanting to remember how it felt the night before his first Christmas. How last year at Christmas we were just telling our families the news that we were having a baby, and now – a year later he was here.

Family

Riley is 4 Months!

November 27, 2013November 25, 2013 The Merfett

I feel like this past month really flew by, but I’m so excited for the holiday season with the tiny human!!

Weight: So…I broke down and bought the word’s cheapest scale. Yea, like you can hardly see what the number is, and when you lean one way or the other it changes. Besides the point – I think he’s between 18 and 19lbs? We’ll get the official weight (and shots. boo.) at his 4 month check up in a few weeks.

Health: Healthy, PTL. I’m a little nervous about the number of people around us that are sick with colds, but I’m trying to be careful and keep myself healthy. I took some Emergen-C this morning and I’ll take a few more to prep for our upcoming travel. Since I’m breastfeeding all the good antibodies get passed along to Riley, so I’m doing my best to keep myself germ free in hopes that we’ll skate through flu and cold season. I know he’s going to get sick at some point, I just hope to avoid it as much as possible. We’ve entered the teething zone. No signs of them breaking through, but man are some days fussy. We’ve come to find and LOVE the Hayland’s Teething Tablets, seriously – they are magical. We’ve done some Tylenol, but I’m a much bigger fan (and so is Riley) of the tablets.

Sleep: Much more consistent this month. We’re normally up around 7:30am, but sometimes he’ll sleep until 8:30am or decide 6:30am is a good wake up time. He always wakes up happy in the morning, usually just talking to himself in his crib and wiggling around. We get ready for the day, short power nap on the ride to work. Three 45 – 1 hour naps at the office, then another power nap on the drive home. Extra awake time until bedtime at 8:30pm. I’ve been dream feeding him at 10:00pm and he’ll sleep until 3:00am or 4:00am. Since he’s waking up at different times in the middle of the night I know he’s still hungry, and not waking from habit. The past few nights he’s going until 5:00am. I think technically, he’s “sleeping through the night” since that’s 8 hours, from the time I put him down to the time he wakes himself up. I nurse him at his one nightly wake up and he goes right back to sleep until morning. The time change was rough a few weeks ago, but we’ve adjusted now. It’s also nice that he’s sleeping well, so I can stay up for a little while after he goes to bed. Gives me a little solo time to get things done or just relax.

Nursing: Finally feel like we’re really getting it. Each month I’m more confident and comfortable. I’m also getting to be proud that I can breastfeed. I was always determined, but I’m also so thankful. It was hard to get to this point, and I’m so proud that we stuck with it. Feeding out and about it getting easier too. I’ve got the hang of the crossed-leg arm cradle hold thing. Riley is MUCH more aware now, which can be hard when he gets distracted. He also likes to pop off and give me a few grins and some “goos” mid-feed. It’s adorable, but I’m always trying to coax him to get back to business ;)

What Riley is up to: Teething! Growing! Flirting! Smiling! I told Kelly the other night how as much as some of the teething days can be rough, he’s so much fun right now. I love how his personality is growing. He’s such a social baby, and loves to watch people. He’s happy to be held by anyone and chats up a storm when we’re out to dinner. He knows how to work the grin+smile+eyelashes and get goofy reactions from people. It’s so funny. He LOVES bathtime. He’s also much more comfortable with dressing and diaper changes. He hardly ever cries any more. The morning is his happiest/most chatty time of day. Last Friday we went to visit Santa. Riley is happy to be held by anyone – bearded men included. I work in an office with mostly guys…all of them have facial hair. So, we thought our chances with Santa were pretty good. If not – it’s still a funny “someday” story to tell him. So we waiting in line at our bank, since they were hosting Santa. When it was finally time for our turn Kelly handed him over – to which Santa replied “I’ve been doing this a long time – I know he’ll cry.” But Riley was Perfect!






We Met Grumpy Cat!


Rolling Over


Tummy Timing

Family Adventures

Thanksgiving

PostPartum: So I decided to postpone my Sprint Tri – I’m now doing a race in February. I knew I could fake my way through the race, but I want to finish strong – not a big mess. I’m also doing a 6 week work out program which I’m really liking. Lots of new workouts and different moves I’m not used to. We also ordered a jogging stroller, so I can get my runs in with Riley. Child care is my biggest challenge. I can do my strength workouts at home after he’s asleep, but cardio is another challenge. I’m dreaming of getting a Spin Bike…I’m also seriously considering canceling my gym membership. I feel like I can’t get to any of the classes (like spin) I want. So I’d rather save that $40 a month and maybe put it into a Spin Bike both Merfman and I could use.

Baby Gear: Lots of winter clothing! Columbia Snow Suit. The Hoot hat from Krochet Kids. Hylands Teething Tablets. Wonder Weeks App. Activity Mat. Soothie stuffed animal toys. Bumbo Chair.

Thoughts: My show is starting to wind down, but it’s been a really busy past few weeks. I find that it’s a challenge to balance work and home stuff. Keeping the house clean (and I’ve totally lowered my OCD standards) is a challenge. Between cleaning, meal prep, family stuff and workouts over the weekend I’m exhausted. I’m also noticing that I have little patience for certain things. Not with Riley or Kelly – just with stuff. My time is limited and valuable so I have little interest in wasting it. Sometimes I daydream about what it would be like to work from home – which is still a possibility for me on some days…but overall I do like to get out of the house and go into work. I’m so thankful that Riley can tag along, and he really is good. The teething stuff can be a challenge, but he’s still really happy and easy going. I think it’s this lifelong quest to find balance. Figuring out what’s priority and just living each day as much as you can. One thing that’s been on my mind a lot is time. Slowing down time. I never want to wish that we’d be onto the next thing…the next phase..the next milestone. On the hard days you wish it over – but there are so many people trying to slow time down. Cancer patients with little children, families with their spouses home from deployment, grandchildren soaking up precious time with their grandparents. Why rush? We only get this life once, might as well enjoy the ride – rocky as it may be sometimes.

Family

The Baby Whisperer

November 16, 2013November 14, 2013 The Merfett

If you haven’t heard of Tracy Hogg and you’re a parent you totally need to check out her books.

When I was pregnant I read a LOT of books and articles. Ask Merfman. I read mostly because I found baby/pregnancy/parenting stuff interesting. And I still do. I still read all the books, and I pulled out one of hers last week when I wanted to see how I could help Merfbaby sleep better. He’s been waking himself up because he wiggles and squirms at night and hits the side of his crib. She suggested to make a little barrier on either side of him (with rolled up towels (taped) or small pillows) after you swaddle him. He’s also been breaking out of his swaddle so it might be time to leave one of his arms out…anyway…. I tried the barrier for the first time on Wednesday night – and he slept until 5:00am. Win!

Of course there’s TONS of advice on how to parent, and whatever is working for you go with it. The Baby Whisperer’s ideas have worked well for us, and Merfbaby. I feel more confident as a Mama and less helpless when I re-read something she suggests, realizing that I am doing it, and it’s working. Sometimes you get all foggy and sleep deprived so you can’t see beyond the little things. But in the big picture we’re doing well, and Merfbaby is a happy, healthy, growing baby.

So I’m thankful for The Baby Whisperer and her advice. And all the wonderful other Mama’s that recommended her books :)