1 Year Old (Jan. 10th)
The last entry. We celebrated Connor’s birthday on December 30th with Grandma and Grandpa Cushman at Chick Fil A. Then we had his birthday party on January 7th at a park. He is 1!
Recap
He’s completely off of formula. He drinks milk just fine, although he drinks a lot less than most kids his age. He’s up to the 10% for weight—woohoo! He’s 88% for height. He is a big boy! Over the last month or so his mobility just exploded. He pulls himself up on everything, sits down, cruises, pretty much everything besides walking. That will come when he’s ready. He eats pretty much whatever we eat. He loves fruit more than anything and gets SO excited when we bring it out at the end of his meal. He had his first haircut and cried the entire time. But he looks like such a big boy now. I got a video monitor and I LOVE it. He sure does toss and turn before falling asleep. It is so fun watching him. He definitely says “Da” for daddy. He says other words too but none as consistently as “Da”. He naps are fine. He’s sleeping about 11-12 hours at night and takes 2 1.5 hour naps during the day (on average). I’ve just introduced “blanket time” and so far it’s really going well. He is very good at listening and obeying. When we change his diaper he waits for us to say “You’re free to go” and then he is off! I still do IP with him and it’s also going well. He has cried in the nursery for the past couple of Sundays so it seems like a little separation anxiety might be returning. At least I know that it won’t last forever. He got his two top teeth! I forget if I mentioned that. He really is becoming quite the little boy and not a baby anymore. I look forward to all the stages that await us!
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| At his first birthday party! |
50 Weeks (Dec. 22nd)
My due date was a year ago yesterday. What a year it has been!
Mobility
Changes, changes, changes. This week he sure did change a lot! First of all, he pulls himself up all day long. Whether it’s his crib, the table, my legs, the couch—he is climbing up everything. He wants to stand and walk. And he does stay put anymore. If he’s sitting down, he’ll move himself to the floor to crawl. He didn’t do that consistently before this week. It’s like he’s a new kid!
Food
Tonight Connor will get his last formula. It will be a lot easier to just give him milk rather than have to mix it. He has had mostly the same dinner that we’ve had this week. He went through a couple days where he didn’t eat much, but he bounced back. I guess that’s normal for this age. I need to figure out how to include Connor’s meals in my meal planning. He also eats dinner the same time as us, which is nice. He has a snack when he gets up from his nap at around 4pm, then we eat dinner together at around 6:30. It’s working well.
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| Loving his new skills! |
49 Weeks (Dec. 15th)
I skipped another week. I’m really glad there’s only two weeks to go because I’m ready to be done with these summaries! I know it will be very helpful next time around (which will be in about 7 months), but I’m way too sick and nauseous to spend time recapping. J
Teeth
Connor got his second bottom tooth at 11 months. I thought that would be it for a while, seeing as how it took him so long to get the first two. Then a few days ago I did the random mouth swap, and there they were, his two top front teeth! I was shocked! The day before I thought it was very strange that he woke up from his nap crying. He must have been hurting. Other than that, there was nothing to indicate two new teeth.
Food
Yesterday Connor had his first happy meal and m&m’s with Mrs. Ross. I think he like it. I’m trying to give him lots of regular food, so we’re mostly done with purees. He eats great, but he is spitting things out of his mouth now (caused my first vomit experience of this pregnancy). He had the last of his powdered cereal this morning and I’m not buying more because he’s too old for it, so I need to come up with more breakfast ideas. I’m also starting to cut out formula. There’s only a couple days’ worth left and I don’t want to buy another can of it so I’m giving him milk. He’s growing up!
Mobility
He has mastered the army crawl, but he seems to get frustrated that he can’t pull himself up. So a couple days ago I let him crawl up the steps as a way to practice this pulling up and crawling skills. He was a little rocky at first, but now it’s his new favorite thing to do and I’m a little bummed because it requires me to get off the couch or the floor (which is where I am most of the time because I’m so nauseous). He gets so excited and smiles the whole way up the stairs.
Smarty Pants
I think he started saying “Elmo” and “Amen” this week…or variations of these words. He’s very smart. He now knows what the clock is, he knows his horses (mobile), he is very good at obeying when we say no. I taught him how to clap this week. It just didn’t occur to me to teach him until now, and he picked it up right away—well, sort of. He likes to make my hands clap.
No More Catnap
It’s officially gone. It seems like it was on its way out for a few months—that took way longer than I thought. Even if he takes a bad nap or two and has a long stretch to bedtime, he still won’t take a catnap. It’s better to just put him to bed early. He is a two nap a day baby now. He sleeps for maybe 3 hours a day. But since he’s still sleeping 12 hours per night, I have nothing to complain about.
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| The picture for our FB announcement. Connor's going to be a big brother! |
47 Weeks (Nov. 30th)
November has been a busy month and I skipped two week’s worth of summaries. Oh well. Here is one big summary for the last few weeks. Our little boy is 11 months today!
Vacation
Connor got the memo that we were on vacation. He was a breeze! He took great naps, played really well, was great in our all day car rides, and was just a very pleasant baby. It was wonderful. We were busy with lots of visits and staying in different places, but he didn’t seem to mind at all. He slept great at night, too.
Naps
The wonder week ended, and that must have been the cause for the bad naps because the 45 minute intruder is gone. He pretty much takes a 1 ½ hour nap in the morning and the afternoon. There were a couple days when he needed a little cat nap, but that’s mostly over. I’m starting to extend his schedule a bit. Ideally he wakes up between 7:30 and 8am, takes a nap at about 10am, then again at about 2:30pm, and bedtime is between 7:30 and 8pm. It seems to be working well.
Weaned
I still nurse him in the morning, but I think it’s a matter of days before that is over, too. He is weaned. He basically did it himself. The transition from breast to bottle didn’t happen because he won’t drink from a bottle. He just went straight to a sippy cup. Easy, right? It would be if he drank from a sippy cup. He does, just not as much as he should. His doctor said he should get 18-20 ounces minimum of formula per day. I stopped counting because it’s too stressful, but I’m pretty sure he gets about 15 or so. I have tried EVERYTHING to get him to drink more and it’s impossible. He is happy and growing, so I have to believe that he is getting exactly what he needs.
Talking and Communication
He says “neigh neigh neigh” a lot. It’s his tired and unhappy whine. He also said “Da” yesterday and I think he meant Daddy. He also learned how to give a high five. He loves to look at pictures of Daddy, Mama, and Baby Connor. He looks for them on the wall when we ask him where they are. He signs “all done” but it means both “more” and “all done” so that’s a little confusing. He fake coughs when he’s hungry or thirsty. He waves hi and bye. He knows many of his toys by name. He know what “no” means and actually listens most of the time.
What People Are Saying
We still get comments almost every time we go anywhere. I guess that’s normal with a baby. When we were on vacation, we went out to dinner and the waiter said that he had never seen a more well-behaved baby. Yay! Most people say he looks like me. And everyone still comments on how alert and observant he is.
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| Family Vacation to Lake Tahoe-Nov. 2011 |
44 Weeks (Nov. 10th)
I think we’re in that wonderful “wonder week” that happens at around 46 weeks. Or it could be teething, or his first real cold, or weaning. It’s a good thing he’s so cute!
Naps
They’re just terrible. This afternoon he took a nap over 1 hour (right after his flu shot). I was shocked. That just doesn’t happen anymore. It’s like the newborn days with that dreaded 45-minute intruder. He’s like clockwork. Sometimes he falls back asleep but most of the time he doesn’t. Our schedule has been all over the place to accommodate his lack of sleep.
Weaning
Last Friday night he bit me for the first time (with teeth) and he refused to nurse. Thus began the weaning process. Of course, my hopes for making it to a year were getting less and less over the past several weeks. It wasn’t just the biting, although it really hurt! That second day I literally danced around the kitchen singing the DC Talk version of “Free At Last”. But then I learned that ignorance is bliss when it comes to knowing exactly how much milk your 10 month old drinks. It has been VERY up and down this past week. I let him nurse if he wants to each feeding, and sometimes he does. One day he only had one side the whole day (he had some formula, too). And I haven’t been pumping. It’s not going to be too much longer of this. I would happily drop it all together if he would just drink formula. I’ve resorted to letting him drink it from a cup like a grown-up. It’s the only way he’ll do it! I have never heard of a baby that doesn’t drink milk from a sippy cup or a bottle! He gets about 12-16 ish ounces per day. That is not even close to what he should be drinking. I’m going to call his doctor tomorrow and find out what I should do.
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| Enjoying the dinosaur exhibit at the Discovery Science Center |
43 Weeks (Nov. 3rd)
Very uneventful week, except that naps have been pretty terrible, he turned 10 months old, he enjoyed his first Halloween as a dinosaur (along with his friend Logan), and he is ALL OVER THE PLACE and into EVERYTHING!
42 Weeks (Oct. 27th) Connor turns 10 months old in a couple days. I guess he wanted to squeeze in a couple milestones before that. This was an exciting week!
Welcome to Mobility
Connor is mobile! All that practicing last week must have worked. On Sunday he started scooting around army-style. Now he army crawls all over the house. He must be really excited about his new abilities because he seems quite frantic when he scoots. And of course he goes straight for the things he’s not supposed to get, like cords, papers, and outlets. I guess it’s time to start training him.
The Tooth
Our boy isn’t toothless anymore. I noticed his tooth yesterday. It’s the bottom front right. I’m guessing he might have cut it on Tuesday night. He was extremely cranky at dinnertime. He would start screaming if I took one step away from his high chair. I just thought he was tired and having a meltdown. Poor kid was probably in pain! After about 6 months of thinking he’s teething, he finally really was.
Schedule
For the most part we’re on a new schedule. We’ve moved dinner to dinner time, eliminated the cat nap, and added a snack after the afternoon nap. I like this schedule a lot. Here is what it looks like, give or take.
7:30am Wake, nurse, breakfast
9:30am Nap (usually 1.5 hours)
11:30am Nurse, lunch
1:30-2pm Nap (usually 1-1.5 hours)
3:30pm Nurse, snack
5:30pm Dinner
7:30pm Nurse, bed
I added the snack because my motherly instincts were telling me that milk wasn’t enough to last him until dinner. Now I love snack time. He sits in his high chair (I move it in the middle of the kitchen floor so it feels different than meal time) and eats/plays with his finger food and sippy cup.
Nursing
Nursing is still going well for the most part. He has four feedings a day and so far my supply seems fine. The only challenging thing is that I pretty much have to nurse him in his room sitting in the glider. For whatever reason, he is just too distracted anywhere else. That means I can’t really nurse him when we’re out. Oh well. Just two more months.
Fun Times
This was a fun week. On Friday we went with some friends to a pumpkin patch and got some cute pictures. On Saturday the three of us went down to Laguna Beach and hung out there. It was really cold, but we all had a fun time. Then we went to my mom’s and watched the game. She fed him dinner and watched him when we went out and got food. Even the little breaks are great! On Sunday after church we spent the day at Sue’s for a birthday party. Connor got to meet Auntie Cousin Hanna for the first time. For these three days his naps were sort of all over the place, but he slept when he needed it and got some short naps and was fine!
Nursing
Nursing is still going well for the most part. He has four feedings a day and so far my supply seems fine. The only challenging thing is that I pretty much have to nurse him in his room sitting in the glider. For whatever reason, he is just too distracted anywhere else. That means I can’t really nurse him when we’re out. Oh well. Just two more months.
New Things
This week he tried some new foods: whole peas, grilled cheese, toast with cream cheese, and homemade hummus. He seemed to love it all, especially the grilled cheese. I think I need to start giving him more non-baby food. And for new words, he says “dadada” now, although I don’t know if he makes the “daddy” connection. It’s still cute, though! He loves to play “Where’s Connor?” He’ll cover his face with a blanket, clothes, etc. and then pull it away quickly when we say, “Where’s Connor?”
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| With his BFF Noemi. He loves her ear, and she's just resting her hand on his knee. So cute! |
41 Weeks (Oct. 20th)Naps weren’t so good this week. Maybe he needed less sleep after his growth spurt last week.
Dreamfeed
I think it’s finally over. I’ll always cherish those nights of nursing him when he was sound asleep. I knew it had to stop eventually, and this week I just decided that it was time. Hopefully he’ll drink more milk for his other four feedings, but at this point I’m not really worried. He is eating solids like a teenager (at least it feels like it to me), and he continues to grow. I’m also not pumping for it (I haven’t pumped in a month and it is WONDERFUL!). I hope my supply stays adequate!
Mobility Boot Camp
If Connor had his way, he would happily sit and take toys out of his bucket one by one all day long. While that’s a nice activity, especially when I need to get stuff done, it isn't really promoting mobility. So now any spare moment we have, Connor is on his tummy. He’s actually making a lot of progress already. He’s scooting backwards, and he’s lifting his hips off the ground a little. We’re also making him work at pulling himself up. All these things are so that he has every opportunity to be mobile if he’s ready, and he will be ready at some point.
Teething
I think I can say “any day now.” You can actually see the tooth just under the gums. This might be why naps have been so bad, but overnight has still been uninterrupted. (Might also be why I was paged at the gym because he wouldn’t stop crying L He eventually settled down and I got to finish my workout thankfully).
Sponge
He understands so much now. These are the words/phrases I know he knows: hi, bye, his letters (CONNOR), Tigger, Where's ____?, give kisses, pray, book (and he recognizes several titles like Mike Mulligan and Corduroy-his favorites), mama, daddy, bye-bye, push the button, water, all done, toy, cheerios, amen, etc. Of these, he says “mama” but I think it means many things—including me!
J
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| Family teething? |
40 Weeks (Oct. 13th)I’m actually starting to lose track of what week we’re in. I guess it was bound to happen eventually.
No More Nap
He naps great for his morning and afternoon nap most of the time, and this week I think he only took a catnap once. Maybe we’re done with it for good. I think I’ll really like this schedule.
Dinner
I also moved his dinner to dinner time. He eats somewhere between 5-6pm. It’s working out really well. He gets a “snack” of nursing when he wakes up from his afternoon nap and then he nurses again before bed. I thought he might not want it because he eats dinner not long before, but it hasn’t been a problem at all. In fact, nursing went really well this week. I haven’t pumped since being in Chicago, which I love!
Random Things
It has been very strange. For three days in a row this week, Connor has fallen asleep during his morning independent play. Maybe he’s going through a growth spurt. Who knows. He still takes a great morning nap, so it isn’t a problem. And he loves to stand now. He doesn’t pull himself up, but once he’s up, he can hold on to things very well. Oh, this week we put the step ‘n’ play in the garage, and he is no longer stable sitting in the bumbo during dinner. That saga has ended, and another one will take its place. So far we’ve just put him in his high chair with a toy. Unfortunately he doesn’t last very long. We’ll work on that. And his little tongue is always out now! J
New Foods
This week he had pineapple, chicken (real, not jarred), and cous cous. I also don’t puree bananas or avocados anymore. Feeding him is getting simpler!
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| We spent Sunday in Palm Springs visiting some of Derek's extended family. Here is Connor with his Great Uncle Dan, Great Aunt Jess and Cousin Erin |
39 Weeks (Oct. 6th)This was a good week. Connor turned 9 months old. I can’t believe I have a 9 month old!
9 Month Check-up
I would say that I was the least anxious about this appointment out of all his appointments so far. I know I’ve done everything possible to get him to gain weight, and I know that he’s perfectly healthy. So I was hoping for 17 pounds, and he’s 16 lbs. 11 oz. and 28 ¾ inches. Close enough. J
He didn’t get any vaccines this time, but he did get a flu shot. Other than that, we just talked about his eating and lack of mobility. The doctor said I can start weaning him because Connor isn’t that interested in drinking a lot of the time anyway. The goal is to get him to three meals and three snacks a day (I’m not quite sure how that would work—he said the snacks are me breastfeeding him). He said I can start dropping one milk feeding at a time and take a while doing it. I do hope to nurse him up to a year, though. He said that since Connor doesn’t seem to want milk as much as other babies his age, we can go ahead and give him all the solids he’ll eat. It’s a relief not to worry about how many ounces he gets in a day.
And as far as mobility, I guess 10% of babies never crawl, and maybe Connor will be one of them. He said if he isn’t interested in it, there isn’t much we can do. But if he does skip crawling, then it’s important that he’s walking by 1. It will be fun to see what happens!
New Foods
It’s getting to the point where Connor gets a little of everything. This week I gave him whole wheat egg noodles, turkey, and broccoli. He loves anything he can hold and put in his mouth. Right now his favorites are cottage cheese and yogurt. He definitely has his likes and dislikes. But I’ve learned that if I constantly switch up whatever goes in his mouth, he’ll eat even the stuff he doesn’t love. One of these days I’m going to have to give him the spoon. I think the mess is terrible now—I don’t know how I’m going to handle him self-feeding. J
Nap Changes
I think we actually are phasing out this nap finally. We’ve kept it up because Derek gets home so late and it’s a long stretch until bedtime after the afternoon nap, but he can be awake for longer now and it doesn’t affect him that much. It’s so nice have more freedom. He’s napping for 1 ½ hours for both the morning and afternoon nap (almost to the minute!). He still wakes up at the 45 minute transition, but most of the time he just falls back to sleep. Oh, and the doctor said he can sleep with a blanket now. What’s next is moving “dinner” to dinner time.
Our schedule looks something like this:
7:30 wake, nurse, solids
9:30 nap
11:00 wake
11:30 Nurse, solids
2:00 nap
3:30 wake, nurse, solids
7:30 bedtime
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Celebrating Nana's 60th birthday at Red Lobster
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38 Weeks (Sept. 29th)We spent this week in Chicago visiting his grandparents. The last time we visited, he was only 11 weeks. Now he’s almost 9 months old!
Plane Rides
I didn’t really have expectations for how he would do. I went into it hoping for the best, and it ended up being fine. It was hard to get him to nap on the way there. He got about an hour of sleep the whole day. Surprisingly, it didn’t seem to affect him that much. He can bounce back easily. The way back was even better. He “talked” and looked at books until bedtime and Derek rocked him to sleep. That boy definitely loves his bed! It’s a challenge to get him to sleep while holding him, but we managed.
Still Not Crawling
Babies usually crawl by 9 months, but not Connor. We all “practiced” with him this week, and I think we actually did make progress. He’ll now rock a little on his hands and knees. As much as I’d like him to hit this milestone, I know that he will when he’s ready. He tends to have his own timetable for things. J
Social Butterfly
A month ago, I would not have believed that I would describe Connor this way, but he is! Good-bye separation anxiety, hello everyone! I dropped him off at their church nursery (where he has never been before), and he was happy the whole time. No tears. He loves to look at people, talk to them, smile at them. It’s fun to watch.
Sleep Uninterrupted
I think Connor is a super baby when it comes to sleep. I know I should knock on wood or something, but nothing seems to affect his sleep. I still haven’t been up with him in the night since he was 10 weeks old. He naps great, too. I need to remind myself that if we have more babies, it’s unlikely that this will be our experience. His grandparents noticed something else about his sleep habits that I hadn’t really paid attention to or appreciated. He doesn’t cry when he wakes up from bedtime or naptime. He’s content to hang out in his crib talking to himself or whatever until we get him up. For this reason, I wish we had a video monitor because we never know when he wakes up!
Nursing
We’re still doing it, but who knows for how long. He refused a couple times this week, but we seem to be back on track now. I’m not really worrying about it anymore.
Communicating
Connor makes all kinds of noises. The newest form of communication is screaming. He does it when he’s excited (for now anyways
J). He still says mama, and we’re still not sure if he connects me with mama. He also signs “all done” now at meal time. That was exciting! He also waves hi and bye. He’s really starting to understand a lot.
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| At the Chick Fil A that just opened near there house, celebrating Grandpa's birthday |
37 Weeks (Sept. 21st)Tomorrow we’ll be heading to Chicago for a week, so here is the summary one day early.
Nursing Countdown
Ideally, I would continue to nurse Connor until his first birthday. He, however, might just have other plans. There were several times this week when he wasn’t interested in nursing at all. I read that there isn’t much you can do if your child starts self-weaning. That’s fine, but I think most children who self-wean drink from a bottle. Connor isn’t interested in that, either. We did introduce formula this week, though. I was ecstatic when he drank three ounces. But that’s about all he drank. It’s so weird. He just doesn’t want milk! Maybe it’s just a phase. Maybe he’s weaning himself. I really have no idea. He’s still gaining weight and sleeping great, so we’ll just see what happens.
The Nursery
A milestone occurred this week. After MONTHS of separation anxiety, I think we have turned a corner. This was the third week in a row that I wasn’t paged. Not only was I not paged, but he wasn’t even crying when I picked him up. And…I can hardly believe it…the nice lady who was holding him said to me, “He is such a sweet boy!” Of course, I know he’s a sweet boy. But I didn’t think they did! He has been so fussy and inconsolable for so many weeks. I guess all those mothers were right when they told me that it’s just a phase. It might not be over for good, but this is progress and I couldn’t be happier.
Adventures
This was a pretty fun week. We went to the fair on Thursday night, and it was a lot of fun except that Connor decided he didn’t want to be in his stroller. I think he was tired. Derek and I practically fought over who got to hold him. J The next day we met Shawna for lunch and shopped all afternoon. Connor napped in his stroller, which he liked again I guess. On Sunday we went to a retirement party for one of Derek’s co-workers, and Connor was quite a hit. He was happy the entire time and let complete strangers hold him and play with him. Derek and I were shocked. He was up a little later than normal, and on the drive home he fell asleep before we even made it out of their neighborhood.
Baby-sitters
Connor had two baby-sitters this week. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but I feel very blessed and fortunate to have people willing to watch him. Derek and I have had lots of date nights, and I get to go out by myself sometimes, too. And so far so good with the separation anxiety thing. He seems to do fine when we're not here!
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| What a fun week with a happy boy! |
36 Weeks (Sept. 15th)After a bumpy start, this week was pretty enjoyable.
Wonder Week 37
I think I said the same thing at “WW19” and “WW26”. The theory has to be correct. Last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday was not fun at all. Connor morphed into a crabby, cranky, clingy baby. I was dreading church on Sunday morning, but to my great surprise, he actually did fine and I wasn’t paged for the second week in a row. Since then he has been his normal adorable self.
Fattening Him Up
It’s working! I don’t know if it’s the buttered bread, the dream feed (which hasn’t disrupted his sleep at all thankfully), or the increased amount of solids, but he gained a whole pound over the last two weeks. That’s a lot, considering he gained less than half a pound the previous month.
For the sake of having something to refer to if/when we have more kids, this is a typical day’s food for Connor at 8.5 months:
Breakfast: Either oatmeal w/2oz. breastmilk and a stage 2 fruit mix OR yogurt and a hard-boiled egg yolk, along with cheerios and banana chunks
Lunch: 3 cubes of sweet potatoes, 3 cubes of pears, half a string cheese, tofu chunks
Dinner: Some high calorie meat jar (couldn’t do pureed meat), a green or yellow veggie (stage 2 or 3 cubes), one piece of whole wheat toast (minus the crust) with butter, possibly cottage cheese or some fruit chunks
Nursing Strike?
Yesterday was the first time ever that Connor absolutely refused to nurse at lunch time. We were at Chick-Fil-a with a bunch of people, and he was way too distracted. I finally just gave him solids, which he ate with no problem. Then we went to another Chick-Fil-A right after that (yes, we spent our afternoon CFA hopping). He nursed for a couple minutes, but that was it.
It’s getting harder and harder to get him to stay on more than a couple minutes. He must be getting enough because he has wet diapers and he’s gaining weight, but I don’t know how he can possibly be getting much when he’s done after a couple minutes. Oh well. I’ll ask his doctor about it at his 9 month appointment, but until then I’m going to try not to worry about it.
No More Milk Reserves
For whatever reason, my pumped milk does not stay fresh after it has been frozen. I thawed out two bags of it. Both were bad. I have no idea why. That greatly limits the time I can be away from Connor. We’re going to try to get him to take formula for the times when I’m not here. I really hope it works.
Other Things
Connor will put absolutely any food into his mouth. He doesn’t appear to be picky at all. I tried giving him egg yolk and cottage cheese again recently, and he gobbled it up. When I first gave it to him, he was not a fan. Persistence! Oh, laptime started this week. I don’t know who enjoys it more—me or Connor. I think I do. After the summer off, it was fun seeing all the babies a few months older. They all had much more hair.
J Yesterday someone asked me what kind of personality Connor has, and my answer was “intense.” For example, he has a new favorite book. He literally trembles with excitement and anticipation when we start reading it. I think he could spend his entire day turning the pages of that book. When he likes (or dislikes) something, he lets you know!
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| He loves to stand! |
35 Weeks (Sept. 8th)The calm before the storm. J I write this 2 days into “Wonder Week 37”. I hope it passes quickly.
Highlights
We got the news that all Connor’s tests came back normal. He is a healthy, skinny boy. What a relief to know that it’s just how he is, rather than something causing him to not gain weight. I still wake him up for a dream feed, and he eats a ton of solids (this week I added yogurt and he loves it). I think he actually gained almost half a pound this week. We also lowered his crib this week. He wasn’t standing or pulling up yet, but we just thought we might as well do it. And thankfully, I did not get paged at church on Sunday. That was huge for me. Other than that, not much happened this week that’s worth mentioning.
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Play Date
(Noemi 10 months, Connor 8 months, Logan 5 months) |
34 Weeks (September 1st)Connor turned eight months old this week. Time is flying.
The Weight Check
I decided to make an appointment to get Connor’s height and weight checked. He just doesn’t seem to be gaining much weight, and it concerns me. He weighed in at 15 lbs 8.5 oz and was 28” long. That’s the 3% for weight and 75% for height. His doctor still isn’t concerned but he said at this point we might want to run some tests to rule out things that could be the cause of his slow weight gain. We decided to go ahead and do the tests—a blood and urine test and a chest x-ray. We’re hoping that the tests reveal nothing and that it turns out to be genetic.
New Foods
This week Connor had cheerios, cheese, and bread with butter. Yes, butter. My goal is weight gain, and that means butter. He loves all these new foods.
The Return of the Dream Feed
At 8 months! I didn’t expect this to happen. Like I said, my goal is weight gain. Surprisingly, Connor eats wonderfully when he’s fast asleep. He is so distracted when he nurses during the day, and I really think this is a big part of why he isn’t gaining weight. He must consume just enough to keep growing in height, but I really want him to eat a little extra. I hope this doesn’t mess with his amazing sleeping habits, but at this point I’m willing to risk it.
Comments
Now we pretty much get two comments from strangers when we’re out. 1) How cute he is and 2) how tiny he is. As a mother, I really don’t want to hear how tiny my child is. People must not realize that they’re feeding my worry when they say how “small” or “petite” he is. I feel like I need to follow up with “But I really do feed him.” That’s no fun. Maybe I’ll just start focusing on the cute part. He is extremely cute.
No More Bottle
Connor would not take a bottle for Nana on Saturday. He ate his solids just fine, but didn’t want the bottle or the sippy cup of milk. I nursed him when we got back from the movies. I think that makes it official. Connor won’t take a bottle. I really hope I can nurse him until he’s 1, but I am SO looking forward to another source of milk nourishing him.
The Beginnings of Scooting
It appears that Connor is in no hurry to become mobile with crawling, which is fine with me. But this week he did start rolling and “scooting” a lot more. Now when he sees something he wants, he’ll actually move to get it instead of just staying put. It’s fun to watch.
The Small Things
This really is a small detail but it’s adorable. I can see Connor in my rear view mirror when I drive because there’s a mirror we attached to the seat in front of him. I’ve noticed the last few days when we’re out and come back home that when we turn onto our street and Connor sees the garages, he gets a huge smile on his face. He knows we’re almost home and he gets excited. He must love home. :)
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| Out to lunch and enjoying it! |
33 Weeks (August 25th)After a few uneventful weeks, this week was actually quite a full week. I sort of feel like Connor became a toddler this week.
Pincer Grasp
It was seriously an overnight change. Monday morning I put him in his high chair, gave him some puffs with his breakfast, and he just picked those things right up and ate all of them. His little index finger and thumb do all the work. My boy is growing up!
Third Nap
After almost a week straight of no third nap, he woke up from his second nap a little early a few days ago and ended up taking a third nap (I actually had to wake him up from it). It has happened every day since then, too. The transition continues. I’m in no hurry to rush it. If he needs it, he needs it. And it really is perfect timing for me to get dinner ready.
The Bottle
Our battle since the beginning. Unlike so many other babies, Connor does not like the bottle. I was gone Saturday night, and he wouldn’t drink more than a couple ounces from it. I tried giving him a bottle instead of nursing him one day this week, and he refused. He’s so skinny that we don’t want to just not feed him until he’s hungry enough to take a bottle. So what I’ve started to do is give him milk in his sippy cup. He loves that thing and drinks very excitedly. The other thing we’re questioning is whether or not my pumped breast milk stays good after being frozen. I’m thinking that for whatever reason, it doesn’t stay fresh and that’s why he won’t drink it. (The milk I offer in a sippy cup is fresh). FOUR MORE MONTHS.
Rash
On Sunday night while I was nursing him, I noticed red marks on his temples with what looked like bug bites in the middle of them. They went away after about 20 minutes, but a couple more appeared in other places. After several days of more marks, washing bedding, calls to nurses, google searches, etc. we’re thinking it’s an allergy of some sort and we’re watching it. It’s a lot milder now, but a few marks still show up after his naps.
New Foods
Connor had three new foods this week: hard-boiled egg yolks, chicken, and peas. He did not like the egg yolk at all, but if I mixed it in with his fruit, he didn’t seem to protest as much. The chicken was in the form of Earth’s Best jars of chicken dinners. It’s disgusting, but at his 6 month appt. his doctor did say to start giving him meat, and this is much more tolerable than pureed meat. He has been pretty good about eating it. And surprisingly, he actually seems to like peas (WAY more than green beans).
Independent Play Success
After months of crying, dreading, and battling with independent play time in the pack n play, this week it actually improved. I did not think this would EVER happen! He doesn’t cry anymore! He talks to himself, plays with toys, and happily waits for me to return. Maybe it’s just a phase, but whatever it is, I’ll take it. He was a tiny bit better in the nursery on Sunday. Maybe he’s outgrowing his separation anxiety?
My Favorite Milestone So Far
On Friday, August 19th, Connor said “Mama” for the first time. Well, it’s more like “Mmmummmum.” He says it over and over again. I’m not sure if he makes the connection to me and what he’s saying, but Derek thinks he does. He says it a lot when I’m not with him, like when Derek is changing his diaper or feeding him. I’m just going to officially say that Mama is his first word. All my work has paid off. J
Big Boy Car Seat
This week we made the big car seat change. No more infant seat for Connor. He’s a big boy now. The reason we switched is his length. He isn’t too tall for the infant seat, but he was getting close to the limit and we thought we might as well. He definitely has more room now. We weren’t transporting him in the infant seat anymore and he doesn’t really “nap” like he used to with a cover over it. So many infant items are getting packed up and stored!
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| Taking the new car seat for a test drive in the living room |
32 Weeks (August 18th)Another pretty uneventful week except for the monster known as SEPARATION ANXIETY. It is taking over!
Separation Anxiety
I really didn’t think it would hit us so hard. I remember baby-sitting a screaming child when I was a teenager. She pretty much cried the entire time her mother was away. It was miserable for her and for me. It made such an impression on me—thoughts like “How could she let her baby get so dependent on her?” and “This can’t be healthy for her” and of course “My baby won’t do this.” Now that mother is me and Connor is just as bad as her daughter was—or at least very close to it.
I was in the nursery on Sunday for the first time. I thought he’d do better, but he basically still cried the whole time unless I was holding him. Then at night we went back for The Lord’s Supper, and I was paged after 5 minutes. He was screaming. He cried even with me standing in the hallway in front of the nursery with him. Oh my.
We’re going to have to keep getting back on the horse. We go to church. That means Connor goes to the nursery. That’s just what we do. Everyone tells me that it’s just a phase. He’ll grow out of it. And he was probably ok in the gym daycare because he didn’t quite make the connection that I leave when we get there. I’m sure it won’t be long until he gets it. He is very clear on that in the church nursery and lets us know it. So separation anxiety started for us at 5 months. It’s still in full force at 7.5 months. I hope it ends soon, but I need to work on not letting if affect me so much. He probably picks up on how stressed out I get because of it.
Finger Foods
In addition to tofu, Connor had cottage cheese this week, which he did not like at all (he gagged). But I’m starting to offer him chunks of food on his tray—puffs, bananas, tofu, cottage cheese. It’s messy! I think it’s good for him to start working on his pincer grasp. I’m feeling very bold when it comes to finger foods after just one week. I’m eager to give him carbs and more protein. Next up is hardboiled egg yolks.
Schedule
He didn’t take the third nap more days than he did take it this week. The transition to two naps continues. Overall his schedule and naps are really good.
Nursing
I feel like things are going better than ever. Maybe it will be smooth sailing until 1 year. Wouldn’t that be nice? The struggle is keeping him latched on because he is SO distracted. He nurses very quickly now, maybe 5 minutes per side. It’s easy to worry if he’s getting enough, but if he wasn’t, I’m sure he’d let me know. I still offer a bottle afterwards occasionally. He plays with it but almost never drinks from it. He must be very efficient, which is fine with me!
Swim Lesson
Connor had his first swim lesson this week! It was at Jaylene’s pool. It was Connor, Noemi, Danielle, and the swim instructor’s 10 month old. Connor was ok but it does take him a while to get used to everything. He cried both times I left him with another mom to go to the bathroom. That kid! He also cried when the instructor took him for a breathing exercise. So we didn’t have him go under the water, but he was ok with his chin in the water.
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| A crazier than normal hair day |
31 Weeks (August 11th)
This week was really good and really bad. The bad part came first and was due to a fever. Things are great now that he’s better.
The Fever
Connor had a fever from Wednesday night to Sunday morning. It didn’t get that high—just below 102 degrees—but it seemed to last forever. The nurse said that unless it’s 103 degrees, they don’t have them come in because 99.9% of the time it’s viral and there’s nothing they can do. We just gave him Tylenol and watched that his fever didn’t get any higher.
He didn’t have any other symptoms of being sick other than being extremely sleepy and whiney. He slept so much! He was taking 3 hour naps and we had to wake him up. His little body was busy fighting off whatever it was. He still slept through the night (I know it’s inevitable that I will at some point be up with him in the night, but it just keeps on not happening!). By Sunday he was pretty much back to normal. We didn’t go to church because I was supposed to be in the nursery and I didn’t want to spread germs just in case.
Our Little Man
I feel like Connor got the memo that he’s 7 months old now and 7-month-olds are big boys. After his fever went away, he was like a new kid! He just seems to be looking at the world differently. All of a sudden he is wiggly, squirmy, wants to stand up, grabs at EVERYTHING, seems to understand a lot more than just a week ago, and doesn’t lie on his back much anymore. That’s actually something that occurred to me this week—why do I keep putting him on his back when he knows how to sit up? I think it was habit. He’s so content to just lie there. But now he sits up almost all of the time he’s awake.
I also found that he likes to take toys out of a basket or bucket and play with them (instead of me just giving him toys to play with). So we have some buckets at various places throughout the house. Oh, and this week he started turning the pages of books when we read stories. I say, “Connor, turn the page,” and he does. We also stopped using the changing pad this week. He was getting way too squirmy and it didn’t seem that safe. Now I change him on his bedroom floor.
Oh, and he also is mastering the art of “giving kisses.” I say, “Give mama kisses,” and he puts his open mouth against my cheek! We have a picture of a flower in the downstairs bathroom that he likes to look at. Just to see if he really does understand, I asked him to give the flower kisses when we were standing next to it. He leaned forward and “face-kissed” the picture. So cute!
Third Nap
He is fighting this nap some days. I think it’s going to turn out to be a long transition. That’s fine. I don’t want to stop it cold turkey because some days he really does need it, and I don’t see the point of having an overtired baby just for the sake of sticking to a new schedule. We’ll just go with it for now and see what happens.
New Foods
This week he had tofu! I’ve never eaten tofu in my life and have no plans to change that. Connor, on the other hand, is quite a fan. It’s a lot chunkier than his normal pureed food. I think it’s a good segue into finger foods and regular foods. I’ve been mixing it with his fruits and veggies, and he seems to really like it. I was not expecting this at all!
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| Fun times on mommy and daddy's bed |
30 Weeks (August 4th)
This was a pretty good week, with just a couple bumps in the road. Derek and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary this week. Married two years and parents to a 7 month old. I love it!
Separation Anxiety
The bump in the road is this. Connor has discovered that he likes his mama and other people are not his mama. This is the second week in a row that he just cried and cried when we drop him off at the church nursery. This week I stayed a couple minutes until he calmed down and then left to go to the service. He cried off and on the whole time. That night we dropped him off at my mom’s so we could go out to dinner, and he cried the second we walked inside her place. It took him a little while to get comfortable but then he was happy for the rest of the night.
I started to feel trapped and paranoid about leaving him with anyone for fear him having a meltdown, so I decided to leave him at the gym daycare for the first time (go big or go home). He surprised me by doing really well. Halfway through my workout I almost wished they would page me to come get him because my workout was torturous, but he did fine. He only cried a little. Unfortunately I think we’re just entering this “phase” of separation anxiety, but it isn’t the worst thing in the world to have a precious little baby think you’re the best person in the whole world.
I Keep Forgetting
Random things I keep forgetting to write about…the bald spot on the back of his head isn’t really a bald spot anymore. He started to grow hair there about a month ago. We don’t use the snap n go at all anymore. That phase is over. He loves the city mini. There’s more but I can’t remember at the moment…
Amazing Naps
This week was probably the best nap week we’ve had yet. What made it so good? He goes down without any problem. He doesn’t wake up after 45 minutes anymore. He’s sleeping pretty much until his next feeding times, which means a 2-2 ½ hour morning nap and a 2 hour afternoon nap. He’s still taking a catnap (which I have to wake him up from after 30 minutes or so) with no problem. He’s going to bed fine at night (even though with his catnap he hasn’t been up for that long). He’s sleeping until I wake him up in the morning. It does not get better than this. I don’t know if it’s a fluke or if it’s the 4 hr. schedule or what, but I’m in nap heaven. He might be growing and that’s why he’s sleeping so much. Who knows? But I’m enjoying it while it lasts.
What’s New?
Connor sits in the cart now when we go shopping. It’s wonderful! Now we just have to make sure he’s not within arm’s reach of stuff on shelves. As for new foods, he had green beans and applesauce this week. His expression looked like I was trying to give him vinegar. He does not like new foods or textures. It took him a few days before he could tolerate green beans (although I don’t think he’s a big fan yet) and we’re still working on the applesauce. And we did give him rice puffs. He loves them. Watching him “chew” is the cutest thing in the world. This week we started to work on animal sounds. His favorite seems to be “The cow says mooo”. I’m really hoping his first word is “mama” but we will see. We’re also working on waving bye-bye, clapping, more/all done in sign language, and folding hands to pray before meals.
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| Happy 2 year anniversary to us! |
29 Weeks (July 28th)
This was a pretty uneventful week, which is very nice every once in a while.
Solids
These are the foods Connor eats: sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados, pears, carrots, squash, oatmeal, multi-grain cereal, mangoes, nectarines, prunes, and super porridge (homemade brown rice cereal). I really want to start giving him finger foods but I’m afraid of him choking so I want to wait until the weekend when Derek is here. I let him suck on a piece of watermelon at our church picnic on Sunday and he bit a huge piece off within seconds. I freaked out and used my finger to scoop it out. I think he’s ready!
Up next: finger foods, applesauce, green beans, and tofu. Yum!
He’s Getting Chubby!
I don’t know how much he weighs (more than 15 lbs for sure), but I can tell by the chubs on his legs and arms. He’s gaining weight! I think the 4 hour schedule is just what he needed. In hindsight, I probably should have done the 4 hour schedule sooner, like maybe 5 or 5.5 months. Definitely by 6 months. I’m also giving him 4 tablespoons of avocado every day (I’ve started to do every other day), and I think this is also helping him to pack on the pounds. I love squeezing his plump little legs!
In to EVERYTHING
Connor isn’t quite mobile yet, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting to touch and eat EVERYTHING he can get his hands on. The second we put him in his bumbo seat, he is reaching for the salt/pepper shakers, my water bottle, etc. When I’m nursing him, his free hand does not rest. He’s touching my mouth, my clothes, my phone, my book. I can’t even have the laptop screen up because he will come off every two seconds to see what I’m looking at. He’s fascinated by the slideshow of pictures of himself on the laptop. He smiles as he watches it.
The End of Tummy Time
Connor is a pro at rolling over. No more tummy time for him. If we try to put him on his tummy, he immediately rolls over. How do babies start to crawl? I hope it isn’t by being on their tummies. Just this morning I started put him on his tummy on my legs so that he has to support himself with his arms. I’m not worried about him learning to crawl, though. I’ve learned that he will do things when he’s ready, and that seems to be later than average. But that’s perfectly fine.
The Schedule
We’re getting into a groove with this 4 hour schedule. This is what it looks like:
7:30 Wake, nurse, solids
9:00 Nap (he usually wakes up before 11:30 and we just play)
11:30 Nurse, solids
1/1:30 Nap (two hours from when he woke up basically)
3:30 Nurse, solids (if he wakes up before 3:30, he’ll take a catnap; if he sleeps till 3:30, he’ll make it all the way to an early bedtime)
5ish Possible cat nap (wake by 5:45)
7:15 Nurse, bed
He’s eating well at all four feedings. I sometimes offer a bottle after he’s done nursing but he usually doesn’t want it. I think what’s next is completely dropping the 3rd nap, but that might be a slow process. He has done really well with going down for naps and bedtime with no crying, so if he needs that 3rd nap, it’s nice to know that he’ll go down for it.
Adventures
This week was pretty uneventful, like I said. On Saturday he had a big day, though. Derek had a work barbeque at a park. Connor slept for about an hour in the morning, then was up for probably 4 hours and he did really well. I finally put him in the city mini and walked him around until he fell asleep after about 15 minutes. It was one of those days when “our schedule served us”, not the other way around. He was crankier than normal the next day at our church barbeque, but overall he did great.
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| One of his 6 month photos |
28 Weeks (July 21st)
What a crazy week this ended up being. Last Friday Derek and I decided to start Connor on a 4 hour schedule. It has been interesting!
The 4 Hour Schedule
I feel like this is such a big event. (I think I’ve felt that way about most things over the past 6.5 months). Last week I started getting really concerned about Connor’s weight again—I know, I say I’m not going to be anxious and then I weigh him. Terrible! He really hasn’t been gaining that much weight over the past month. I think he has just been snacking with the last three feedings of the day so close together. He’d only nurse for 5 minutes or so right before bed.
So even though his naps weren’t great, we decided to just go for the 4 hour schedule. Regardless of his naps, he eats at 7:30, 11:30, 3:30, and 7:30ish. He has solids after the first three feedings. That sounds all very nice and easy, but it has been a bumpy week of figuring out what this “ideal” schedule looks like. I noticed right away that he seems to be taking in more at each feeding, both in milk and solids.
Wake Time Changes
I guess it was inevitable that his naps would change with the 4 hour schedule. The biggest thing is that his morning wake time is 90 minutes. I kept thinking in the back of my mind that he wasn’t tired enough when I put him down for that first nap and that’s why he has been waking 45 minutes into it the past few weeks. But I was so afraid of him getting over tired. I was just going by his cues, and he would yawn or rub his eyes after an hour. I decided I had nothing to lose and my hunch was accurate. He really does need to be up later in the morning. So now his first wake time is 90 minutes, then 2 hours, and then another 2 hours until the catnap.
The 3rd Nap
The last part of the “crazy” week. Why not just do everything at once? Since we’re changing to a 4 hr. schedule and extending wake times, it makes sense to try to drop the 3rd nap. Yesterday we did it successfully. He woke up from his second nap at 3:30 and made it until bedtime at 7:15. It was a long stretch, but he did it. The day before, he had a cat nap from 5:15-5:50, and the next morning he woke up at 6am wide awake. I think that’s another indication that it’s time to drop that 3rd nap. Now it will be dependent on how his first two naps are. If either aren’t good, he’ll probably need a 3rd nap, but once they start extending with the 4 hr. schedule, it should drop completely. Yesterday was the first day ever of him only having two naps and it was OK.
Highchair and More
Connor sat in a high chair at Chick Fil A this week and it was so nice! I nursed him, then fed him, and he played with toys until we were ready to leave. He is also very good at sitting up by himself now. This happened pretty quickly. Just last week I couldn’t get him to go very long without falling over. Now he’s very sturdy. He had his 6 month pictures taken this week. He really might have modeling in his future! It’s crazy—once that camera starts flashing, he just laughs and laughs. I had to get him from the nursery on Sunday. I knew it would happen eventually. I stayed in there for a few minutes, then left and he was fine for the rest of the time. Oh, and we went to the park this week with some friends. After last week’s carrot explosion, I thought I’d try putting him in the portable high chair. I sat it on a bench and fed him that way. It was so nice! I will use that thing more often now. Connor had two baby-sitters this week (Yay for mommy and daddy!!!) He did great with both of them. What a relief to know that he’s fine when we’re not around.
Short Growth Spurt
I’m pretty sure he had a growth spurt this week. He seemed very hungry for a couple days, and took in more ounces than normal (offered him a bottle after feeding). For some reason I have it in my head that growth spurts are several days long, but I think they might actually be just a day or two—which makes sense since they’re called spurts.
Rolling and Sleeping
I think Connor has learned how to get back onto his back if he wants to, but most of the time I find him on his side/stomach. He kind of sleeps with his arm under him and the rest of him is on his tummy. It looks terribly uncomfortable, but usually after he sees me he wakes up and moves onto his back, so I know he can move if he wants to. He must just be comfortable like that.
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| Mastering his new skill |
27 Weeks (July 14th)
I guess it was a “wonder week” after all. Thankfully it ended and this week was really good.
So Many Noises
Connor makes all kinds of noises now. He’s constantly sucking on his bottom lip, and his new thing is spitting. It’s a little like blowing raspberries, but really it just ends up being a lot of drool. He says lots of one syllable “words” but nothing that actually is a word. I think he’s starting to understand a lot more of what we say. For example, when he’s nursing and comes off (he is VERY easily distracted) I say “more milk” in a somewhat firm voice and he goes right back on. And when I finish changing his diaper and ask him which book he wants to read, he looks over to his bookshelf with a big smile on his face.
Schedule
Last week was a really terrible nap week. This week was much better. The morning nap is starting to get a little longer again. He’s still on the same schedule (since about 3 ½ months, with a little longer morning stretch)—no 4 hour schedule yet. I’m not in a hurry. My main concern is that he eats as many times as he needs, and for now that seems to be nursing 5x/day. I might still try it cold turkey one of these days, but until his second nap gets longer, it just seems like it would be miserable to try to extend it. His wake times are increasing, though. In the morning I think optimal is about 1 hr. 20 minutes. The next two he can go 2 hours if needed and before bed he can go about 3 or 3 ½ hours.
New Foods
He eats like I do. FAST. The second he swallows, his mouth is wide open for another bite. If I’m slow (like more than 2 seconds), he gets fussy. We have to work on patience! I gave him nectarines yesterday and it was not a hit. Maybe it was just the initial newness of it. He’s starting to eat bigger portions, too. I’m starting to think about giving him finger foods. Oh, and the new spitting thing he’s doing is cute, except when he’s eating something like carrots. Yesterday at the park it was like carrot fireworks all over him, me, and the stroller he was sitting in.
Growth Spurt?
I think babies typically have a growth spurt around 6 months. Maybe that’s why Connor drank 11 ounces for his last feeding on Saturday when I was gone and Derek gave him a bottle. I couldn’t believe it—11 ounces! And that was his 5th feeding of the day, so it’s not like he hadn’t just eaten two and four hours before. I’m sure that added to the “wonder” of “wonder week”.
Rolling and Sitting
Surprisingly, I haven’t had to get up in the middle of the night due to his rolling. Either he’s learning to roll over the other way or he’s getting used to sleeping on his tummy. I often find him on his tummy when getting him up from his nap. If he’s on his tummy when I check him before I go to bed, I’ll roll him over and he stays asleep. Overall, it hasn’t been a huge sleep disruption, at least so far.
He can sit up by himself now. He’s still a little shaky, but he can last for a couple minutes if we’re reading a book or playing with a toy. Mobility is just around the corner!
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| Swinging at the park |
26 Weeks (July 7th)
Connor turned 6 months old this week! He’ll be 1 in another 6 months. Even during the more difficult weeks (like this one), I love this baby stage and don’t want it to go by quickly.
Another Busy Week
We had a full week with Derek still off work. We went to the beach again with some friends (more on that below), went in the pool at my mom’s house and he loved it, Nana watched him so Derek and I could go out to dinner and he was fine for her (I was a little nervous), we had a barbeque at our house on Sunday for 4th of July, we went with some friends to the high school for a 4th of July celebration (but left before the fireworks), and Connor and I spent the day in Riverside visiting Auntie Shawna (where he did not nap well at all sadly).
Bottle Woes Solved
I feel so guilty about what happened! Derek tried to give him a bottle last week, and he majorly protested. We waited a few days and tried again. He was just NOT having it. I tried three different bottle types and a sippy cup. He refused it. We thought it was just him being difficult, and it was getting really frustrating (reverting back to our 8 week old who refused to drink from a bottle). Then I smelled the milk. It had a funny odor. By funny I mean gross. I got out milk I had just pumped that morning and smelled it to compare. Oh my goodness. We were trying to force Connor to drink very sour milk. I felt so terrible! I gave him some of the fresh milk in a bottle and he drank it without any problem.
The day ended with Derek going to Home Depot at 9pm to buy a deep freeze. Our freezer was too full, and all of the pumped milk from the last couple months hadn’t been getting cold enough and needed to be thrown out. Now we have plenty of freezer space, which is wonderful and freeing, and I am back to pumping like crazy to build up reserves.
Beach Visit
Connor can remain a member of our family J. We went to the beach on Saturday and he did really well. He even enjoyed standing in the wet sand. He must have gotten sunscreen in his eye because it turned all red and blotchy, but after about an hour it went away.
Milestone Reached: Rolling Over
I guess Connor didn’t appreciate being called “lazy” by his doctor. We found him on his tummy one morning when we went to get him up, and since then he rolls often. It has unfortunately disrupted a few naps. He rolls onto his tummy but can’t roll back and he gets frustrated. I think he’s learning to just be content sleeping on his tummy. We’ll see how it goes. It can’t be that long before he’s rolling both ways. Lesson learned: Connor will do things when he is ready.
Wonder Week 26
I’m pretty sure we’re going through this. It is not fun. All of a sudden he’s crying at naptime and bedtime, he’s taking bad naps, he only wants to be held or at least have me right there with him, he cries for his entire afternoon pack n play IP time, and he is WHINEY. It could be so many things—WW26, teething, recovering from the busy week, needing a new schedule, growth spurt, etc. etc. etc. I’m going to guess WW26 because this is how he was right around WW19. I think I’ll just wait it out before trying to extend his schedule to a 4-hour schedule.
New Things
He loves to stand (with support, of course). We’re sort of transitioning out of the infant seat/snap n go and using the city mini more and more. He loves to go on walks in it. It’s getting a little harder to read books to him. After about 5 seconds, he spends the rest of the time trying to grab it and put it in his mouth. He can almost sit without support. Derek gave him pineapple and he couldn’t get enough of it. I gave him squash, too. So far he doesn’t seem to be a picky eater. He’s getting way more interested in what we’re eating and drinking. It will be fun to give him finger foods.
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| 6 months old |
25 Weeks (June 30th)
This week was the start of our “stay-cation”. Actually, we ended up going to San Diego, so I guess it was an actual vacation. It was a really fun week.
6 Month Appointment
The long-awaited appointment finally arrived. Connor didn’t quite double his birth weight—he was 14 lbs, 6 oz. In fact, he dropped down to 5-10 percentile for weight. He’s still way up there with height. The doctor isn’t worried, and this week I decided that I should really stop worrying, too. Connor will grow at his own pace.
As for not rolling over, the doctor checked to make sure all was as it should be with his muscle/strength/ability. He’s just fine, and the doctor concluded that Connor is just “lazy.” He’s perfectly capable of rolling over (and he does it every once in a while), but he just isn’t interested in it.
Everything else was good. He gave the green light to move to a four hour schedule. That’s exciting. And he said if we want to try fattening Connor up, we can either add butter to his food (no thanks), or we can give him pureed meat. Mmmm. Both options sound just delicious.
More Firsts
We were busy! We went to a baseball game, went in the pool at our hotel, met family for dinner, and went to the beach. Connor is definitely a people person. He would NOT sleep at the baseball game. I guess there was just too much to see. He didn’t get very good naps in for a couple days, but it didn’t seem to affect him that much. We took him to a restaurant for dinner in San Diego. We haven’t really done that yet, and I was a little nervous. We ended up being there for about two hours, and there were fussy moments, but overall he was good. He was very entertained by our glasses of water. He actually drank from it. Staying overnight in a hotel was another thing I was a little nervous about. We put him in his infant seat in the bathroom at bedtime and moved him to the pack n play when we were ready for bed. It worked out just fine. Derek managed to get the pack n play to fit in the bathroom for naps, so that was good. Connor didn’t seem to be a huge fan of the beach. We’re hoping he grows to like it—we are beach people!
Vacation Schedule
The schedule this week was basically “Try to get in a good morning nap, then try for two more throughout the day sometime”. It was actually a little nice to be so flexible. We did a day or two of a 4 hour schedule. I guess it will be a transition instead of cold turkey. Either way is fine with me.
Talkative
Connor started making lots of new sounds this week. It’s so fun to watch him develop that way. I can’t really type the sounds that came from him, but they’re different than what he has “said” so far.
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| Daddy and Connor at Petco Park |
This was a really fun week. Connor is such a cute little guy and so entertaining. It was such a good week that I almost thought WW26 just passed us by, but now I’m reconsidering.
The Happiest Place on Earth
Connor went to Disneyland for the first time! We went with Lisa, Lyndsey, Logan, Tynisia, and Noemi. Tynisia and I were both a little concerned with how our little ones would do with napping and crying and all that. All the kids did great! We met at 11:15am, so Connor was able to get his morning nap in. Then he napped for about 45 minutes when we were there, and we were there for 5 hours. He slept on the way home and had a 4th catnap. Again this was true—if he’s tired, he’ll sleep. He did ok on the rides, but he did get a little scared on one of them. It was still such a fun experience.
Grunting
Have I mentioned that Connor’s method of communication is grunting? He grunts ALL THE TIME. I’m trying so hard to figure out what it means. I’m pretty sure when he’s eating it means he’s done. When he’s playing it means he’s bored. Then there’s the grunting in the car, and that usually means he’s pooping. We’re starting to encourage him to “use his words”, except he doesn’t have any words yet.
New Foods
This week I introduced carrots (from a jar because they’re not supposed to have cooked carrots until 7 months) and a “mixed grain” cereal. I also tried bananas again and he seemed to like them! Up next: squash.
Outings
We tried out the Diamond Bar Library story time this week. It’s much smaller than the Yorba Linda one, but also less pressure to keep him quiet during it. It’s very informal. He did very well. On Friday night Auntie Shawna came for a visit and Connor just loved it. She was very impressed with how he folds his hands to pray after his bedtime story (we didn’t realize he did it but he does). We also went to Chick-Fil-A with the girls. He does really well now, and I’m looking forward to when he can sit in the highchair without falling over.
WW26?
For most of this week, naps were amazing. There were a few days that I had to wake him up from every nap. Then yesterday he was up crying 45 minutes into every nap. He hasn’t cried mid-nap like that for weeks. Of course there’s the possibility that he’s teething so I gave him Tylenol, but who knows if that’s what it was. Maybe it’s wonder week 26. As I write this, he’s grunting in his crib, which is quickly turning into a cry. Bad morning nap=potentially bad day unfortunately. L
New Things
Even without the teeth and the rolling, Connor is starting to do a lot more these days. It’s fun to watch him develop. He is very entertained by toys now. I always pack a few favorites when we have lunch out and it really helps. He especially likes anything with rings, and he still loves books. He is a very “busy” nurser. His hands are everywhere (in my mouth mostly), and he’s constantly coming off to arch his back and look all around upside down. He’s starting to nurse much more quickly—about 15 minutes now. As he recently discovered the fun of splashing, I have moved his bath tub to the shower. No more counter top baths. It’s kneeling for me from now on. He sits in his bumbo on the kitchen table every night when Derek and I have dinner. He LOVES to watch me eat (I’m way more exciting to watch than Derek for some reason), and he is utterly beside himself with excitement when he gets to “drink” (slobber) from our glass. Ever since Madera, he has done wonderfully for car rides. He’s slowly losing interest in his step-in-play, but it was SO nice while it lasted. Yesterday I put him in the City Mini by itself-no infant seat-and he seemed to do ok. He was a little unsure at first, but he didn’t protest. He folds his hands when we pray with him at night. I love being his mom!
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On a ride at Disneyland...he really did like it, contrary to his expression
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This week was pretty good. There were a few bumps in the road, but overall it was pretty uneventful.
On Friday we went to “Nana’s” for the morning/afternoon. He took a really short nap in the car, and then was up for almost 3 hours. We tried to put him down for a nap in a pack ‘n’ play, but he was not having it. The plan was that once he was napping, I was going to go to Starbucks and read (a simple pleasure that doesn’t happen much these days). It just didn’t work out that well. After I left, he woke up crying again and Nana rocked him back to sleep. That worked for another 30 minutes. He was just overtired. He fell asleep on the way home and slept for two hours, so that was nice—if he’s tired enough, he will sleep.
The next day he woke up early from all his naps, and of course that was the day I had planned to celebrate Sara’s birthday with the girls. Daddy didn’t have that much fun with the fussy boy. I ended up putting him down for a 4th nap and the rest of the night he was fine (for our family Grocery Shopping night J ). The encouraging thing is that these bad naps/afternoons don’t ruin the rest of the day like they used to.
This nap has been consistently good for weeks and weeks now (probably since week 12). I’m not sure why, but he is starting to wake up from it earlier now. It used to be about 2-2 ½ hours long. Now It’s about 1 ½. Maybe he’s just needing less daytime sleep. I’m not sure yet. I’m trying shortening his morning wake time. But I don’t think that’s it. We’ll see what happens. His schedule is still pretty much:
This week I introduced prunes. He is a fan! I’m having trouble finding good organic produce at Sprout’s, so I ended up buying Earth’s Best sweet potatoes and carrots (to be introduced next week). I did find pears this week so I’ll try making them. He’s starting to nurse quicker and eat more solid food. I hope that’s normal and ok for this age. I still want him to get the bulk of his nutrients and calories from breast milk.
I guess I should add that Connor is still not consistently rolling over. And we’re still waiting on teeth. Both of these things we thought for sure would have happened a month or more ago. But Connor has other plans. He can roll over both ways. We’ve seen it. But he just doesn’t do it for some reason. And the teeth—you can see a tooth just under the surface on top. Maybe he’s just a slow teether. So nothing new to report other than we’re still waiting, and that’s ok. J
