postpartum – The Merfett

Charly is 4 Months

December 7, 2015 The Merfett

It’s going so fast! He’s 4 months already!

Weight: 18lb (95%) and 26 1/2″ (98%) at his appointment today. Riley was similar at this age, but Charly is chunkier to me. Wearing 9mo and 12mo clothing. I pulled out a whole bunch of winter clothes from Riley and it’s cute to see Charly in the same things I remember Riley wearing around the holidays.

Health: We all got hit with a terrible head cold a few weeks ago, but Charly did the best. Yay for Breastfeeding and Antibodies. He’s started drooling a ton and chewing on his hands – so I know teething is just around the corner.

Sleep: We’re getting there – but it’s time for the 4 month sleep regression, so yay. I remember thinking all my hard work was coming undone with Riley at this age. But I know better now, and I’m just going to ride it out. He sleeps well at night, usually going down with me at 9:30/10pm and sleeping until 1 or 2 or 3am, eats once then up at 6am or so for another feeding and back to sleep. I’m much more relaxed with Charly’s sleep schedule, but I am looking forward to setting a consistent bedtime. I miss having some time to myself in the evening.

Nursing: He’s getting more distracted when he’s nursing, which was reflected in the slight percentage drop in his weight gain. I think I need to start nursing him in a quiet place, like his room, without distractions like Riley around. Sometimes he wakes up and eats well right away, other times he plays and just wants to smile and coo and I have to come back and feed him later. I’m more relaxed about nursing this time around, I rarely look at a clock to see when the last time he ate was, or how long he nursed for. He eats when he wakes up, and when he’s done I’m off to do other things.

What Charly is up to: Talking, making all kinds of sounds. Chewing on his hands. Drooling. Big smiles and giggles. Loves getting dressed and having his diaper changed. He’ll try to gnaw on his hands when you change his shirt, he love his hands. He’s really started to notice Riley and gets so excited when Riley talks to him or brings him a toy. He’s such a mellow baby, I’m so very lucky. He’s content to just hang on his blanket or in his chair between naps and feedings. We drove to AZ for Thanksgiving at my brother’s house and Charly was a champ in the car. Slept almost the whole time. He met Santa yesterday and had his picture taken.

Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 2.31.51 PM — 4 month check up

Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 2.31.59 PM — Meeting Santa

Get’s so excited when Big Brother pays attention to him

PostPartum: Clothes are starting to fit better, and I’m getting the itch to start working out again. But with the holidays and everything going on I’m just going to focus on eating well since I don’t have time for 2 kids, healthy eating, keeping the house right-side up, and Christmas stuff. Workouts can wait, I’m sure I could make time – but I’m just not into it for this season.

Baby Gear: Size 2 diapers. 9mo clothing. Nose Frida. Ergo. Bob Jogging stroller.

Thoughts: Time is flying. Some days are a blur of kids and diapers and feeding everyone. And sometimes I’m just so tired and mentally exhausted. But I’m trying so hard to enjoy it all, and take pictures and remember these days because they only happen once. I’m excited for Christmas and seeing the boys grow and interact with each other. Charly is such a sweet and happy baby, I’m so thankful for him. We’ve started calling him “Little Oso” for Little Bear :)

Family

Charly is 3 Months!

November 4, 2015November 4, 2015 The Merfett

3 whole months. 1/4 of a year. Wow.

Weight: I need to hop on our scale at home with him and see. He’s wearing 9 and 12 month clothing.

Health: All is well! He’s starting to drool and shove his hands in his mouth so teething is right around the corner. Riley started at 3 months too. I’m praying he handles it better than his older brother. It was a rough several months with set after set coming in. We were done teething was ahead of everyone else – but it was brutal for a long time.

Sleep: 45 min – 1 hour naps are the norm. And he’s sleeping well at night, often only waking once to eat somewhere between 2am – 5am. I’m bracing myself for the 4 month sleep regression though. Boo. He’s really good at falling asleep quickly and on his own. I don’t know if that’s because he’s better at it than Riley was – or if I’ve just intervened less and he’s figured it out on his own. Still using a pacifier to settle down sometimes, but it’s getting less and less so we’ll probably stop using it soon.

Nursing: He’s gotten much more “busy” in the last month so sometimes he’d rather look around than settle down and eat. That’s frustrating for me since I prefer him to eat first thing after waking up, then playing and chilling until it’s time to sleep again. I know it’s all part of the growth spurt he went through and he’s just excited to see the world. We went away for the first time since he was born and Nonny watched him. He wasn’t too excited about eating all his meals from a bottle, but he did OK. I need to remember to keep offering it to him a few times a week so he doesn’t start to completely reject it.

What Charly is up to: We’re just getting into the “sweet spot” where he’s so happy and interactive but also not mobile yet ;) He’s smiling and started to laugh back at me if I laugh at him. It’s so cute. He loved to sit up like a big boy – even though he totally can’t on his own. If you prop him on the couch he’ll immediately lean forward to look at his feet and tip over.

PostPartum: Wrapped up my Whole30 this month. Lost 11lbs and several inches. Fitting into much more of my clothing, and even got a few new fall things. I’m still a ways from my pre-pregnancy weight, but I’m not to worried about it. I’m sticking to a mostly Whole30ish diet and enjoying some bread, wine or cheese a few times a week. I’m trying to stay away from sugar as long as possible. Not a single piece of Halloween candy was consumed in our house! My attitude toward eating non-whole30 foods has been to ask myself “is this special, or really really yummy?” I’m not going to eat a bunch of french fries or donuts just because they’re sitting there. But if it’s truly yummy and delicious than sure! Balance.

Baby Gear: Swaddle Me Velcro Swaddles. 9 (NINE) + 12 month old clothing. Ergo. Britax Carseat + stroller. Activity Mat. Pampers (2).

Thoughts: This was a good month. Halloween was fun! I’m getting really excited for the holidays and our upcoming move – even though it’s months away. I can’t believe we’ll likely see Charly walk in another house, or celebrate his 1st birthday somewhere else. It’s so bittersweet.

Family

Charly is 2 Months!

October 1, 2015October 14, 2015 The Merfett

Time for a Charly update :)

Weight: We’ll find out at his appointment tomorrow – I’ll update :) Update: 15.6 lb, 24.75″. He’s wearing some 6 month clothing, and it’s tight – so 9 months it is! We just moved up to size 2 diapers.

1229964_10152226642179848_1862207805_n — Riley

Health: Got his first cold this month. Riley had the sniffles over the weekend and passed it on. Lots of baby Vics and humidifier use and he’s doing much better. So sad to see a little baby congested. The whole time he was eating and sleeping well – thank goodness.

Sleep: Slept through the night (8 hours) for the first time! I ended up having food poisoning that night so I didn’t get to enjoy it, but it was probably good timing ;) He’s a great sleeper and prefers to nap in his room during the day – all good with me! At night he does around 6 hours after we go to bed, eats and back to sleep, then is up around 7am, eats and back to sleep. Riley’s up between 6:30am and 7:00am so it works out OK. If Kelly’s home he normally gets up with Riley so I can feed Charly and get an extra hour of sleep.

Nursing: Good! I was a little nervous with his cold he would have a hard time, but he’s been eating fine. I need to start stockpiling milk for a trip we’re taking at the end of October. I’ll be gone from him about 48 hours. Our first night apart, sniff.

What Charly is up to: We’re getting into the fun stage of smiles and coos. I love hearing him “talk” and he’ll melt your heart with a cute little side grin.

PostPartum: Cleaned up my eating big time this past week. So. About a year ago I did my first Whole 30 Challenge and funny enough – got pregnant with Charly while doing it. I was eating great, and feeling awesome. Then I hit the first trimester, and ate like crap for 10 months. First 2 months postpartum I continued eating horrible. Because: tired, lazy, short on time = bad food choices. I’ve done the whole “post baby body” talk with myself before. I get that. I’m going to look different. I JUST had a 10+ pound baby. 10 months up, 10 months down. But it’s the way I’ve been feeling that’s gross. I needed a sugar intervention. Like major. So Kelly and I are on our first week of Whole 30 and it’s going well. Let’s be real though, sugar detox is no joke.

Baby Gear: Swaddle Me Velcro Swaddles. 9 (NINE) month old clothing. 4Moms Mamaroo, SollyBaby Wrap. Ergo. Britax Carseat + stroller. Humidifier. Baby Vics.

Thoughts: This month was rougher. It was a mix of hormones, emotions (we lost a family member) and toddler behavior stuff. I really had to check myself and see where my feelings were at a few times. We’re also talking a lot about moving and what we need to do to make that happen. I love Charly, and he fits into our family perfectly. I always knew that this fourth member of our family would be an exact fit, and I’m so thankful for him.