The Year of Kyle

Hard to believe that today is the last day of 2008! This was definitely the year of Kyle and thus the best year of our lives! I still remember how incredibly excited we were when we saw the little "+" sign on the EPT test...it was the first Saturday in January so literally, the entire year has been about Kyle (although we didn't actually know him for majority of it). He is just such a little joy, except for his new sleep habits...

For the last 2.5 weeks, Kyle has been waking up every two hours in the night to nurse. Like clockwork...no exceptions! Needless to say, I'm a complete zombie and feel like I felt when he was a newborn (but even then, he'd occasionally sleep for a 3 or 4 hour stretch). At 3+ months, I know he should be able to sleep about 6 hrs at night without eating. But I feel like his body is realizing that it is supposed to be bigger, so he's playing catch-up. And he has gained very well during this stretch...he's a little over 14 lbs now and gained 9 oz last week! I feel great about this during the day and realize that his night feedings seem to be benefiting him, but I'm a little more negative when I wake up at night. I think I usually say the same thing each time I get up to feed him (it contains expletives)..."this just really ____ ____"...I'll let you use your imagination. But like everything else, I know this is just a phase. I just hope it phases out soon! It's hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, we woke him up after he'd been asleep for over 9 hours! What a difference a couple weeks make.

Completely unrelated, we had heating oil delivered yesterday for $1.79/gallon...this is literally half what we paid just a few months ago! Our electric bill, however, hasn't fared as well. We had our highest bill ever this month ($265). And no, we don't have electric heat. Somehow, we used 50% more kW than last December, and this December was actually warmer. I guess my being home during the day has quite an impact on our energy consumption.

Should be a quiet New Years Eve tonight. We have no hope/desire to make it to midnight. We were excited to get lobsters for dinner though but just called Big Y to place our order and they're all sold out :( We'll have to figure out a Plan B.

More Christmas Fun

We had our 2nd Christmas celebration at Grammy's yesterday with Nonnie, Aunt Jayne and the Foleys. Kyle enjoyed seeing all his relatives again, although he was a bit fussy. Jon put on a delicious meal, and it was fun to visit and exchange gifts with everyone. So the Christmas festivities are now officially over, although we are still enjoying our Christmas tree and will probably keep it up through New Years.

I was reminded last night why we are so paranoid about germs with Kyle. When we got home from MA, we discovered he had a "boogie" way up in his nose that was affecting his breathing (and a smaller one in the other nostril). I tried suctioning it out but couldn't get it. And when I tried to feed him, because he couldn't breath very well through his nose, he kept gulping air every time he swallowed. His poor little tummy blew up like a balloon with air and he was just screaming in pain. And he wouldn't burp (I think it needed to pass through the other end). This continued through the night, with each feeding. I felt soooo bad for him and I myself cried every time I fed him :( This morning, we could still hear it up there, so we turned on the shower and shut the door, hoping the steam would loosen it. After doing this, he finally sneezed it out a little while later and I was soooo happy for him. It was HUGE and seeing it come out was very satisfying (sorry if that grosses people out...I don't find baby boogies gross though). So I really can't imagine what it would be like if he had an actual head cold, where he has air gulping issues to begin with. He's fed much better since then, and napped for some of the Pats game, which was great. Now we just need a Jets victory...J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets!!

Kyle's First Christmas

We all had a great Christmas yesterday, including Kyle! Kyle didn't quite "get" Christmas though. You know how you're supposed to get up extra early to see if Santa came? Well Kyle slept the latest he's EVER slept...he didn't wake up until 11:30! So we got a late start but still made it to Grammy's for 1pm. As usual, we all spoiled each other. The highlights for Kyle were a BOB jogging stroller from Grammy and a nice toybox from Aunt Ca. And Kyle was just the easiest baby yesterday (maybe because he slept so much the night before)! He was very content just taking it all in, and even slept for over an hour on Jared.

After a fun afternoon at Grammy's, we headed up the street to Kim's house for more fun and festivities. Kyle started getting fussy after about an hour though, so we headed home. It was a great day, and was interesting to finally see all the ice damage up there (although I hear it looked NOTHING like when it happened!).

And today, we've just been hanging out, recovering from all the excitement. I'm still a little kid in that I LOVE looking through all our gifts before putting them away. And the Christmas fun continues tomorrow...back to Grammy's for a meal and a visit with Nonnie, Aunt Jayne and the Foleys.

Happy 3 Month/13 Week Birthday Kyle!

Yes, today is both Kyle's 3 month and 13 week birthday! I'm thinking (hoping!) he's having his 3 month growth spurt because he has been waking up every couple hours at night to eat this week, after he had been sleeping through the night pretty consistently. Who knows though...it could just be a phase. But I must say, it's tough getting up every couple hours, after getting used to sleeping for at least 6 hrs!

He's now up to 13 lbs 7 oz, meaning he gained an average of 6 oz per week over the last month, which is good. We were seriously considering supplementing him with formula, but after "running the numbers", we feel comfortable with his recent gain, so we'll keep plodding along. We'll continue to keep an eye on it though, although I've read their gain usually slows from 5-8 oz to 2.5-4.5 oz/wk after 3 months. Hopefully he'll continue on the 6 oz/wk pace though, to catch up!

Not much else to report. Kyle took a couple good naps today, so Jared and I had some downtime, which was nice. It is so rare that we're both relaxing at the same time! Usually one of us is either with Kyle or doing chores around the house. But today, we played cards while listening to Christmas music and enjoying the tree. Jared should be home from basketball shortly and then it's time for bed. Kyle's already sleeping (probably only for another hour though). And tomorrow, I must finish my Christmas shopping...after getting about 95% of it done online, I actually need to set foot in a couple store...not looking forward to that!

Better Late Than Never...

I just realized that I never posted about getting our Christmas tree. So here it is, a week later! Last Friday, Kyle and I met Jared (after work) at a tree farm near Jared's company. We went Friday night instead of Sat/Sun because it was in the mid 40s but was supposed to be much colder over the weekend. We only had a brief window though, because it was getting dark, but that was all we needed. This was a much larger tree farm than we've gone to the last few years, so there was much better selection. With Kyle somewhat content in his Baby Bjorn (and in cousin Alex's snowsuit that was way too big for him!), we looked around a little and found a nice Douglas Fir. Kyle and I headed home once Jared started cutting it down though, because it was very windy and Kyle was getting cold. Even though it was sort of a big production bringing Kyle, it was fun having him along for his first tree cutting and was worth the effort. And we love our tree! Somehow, we've ended up with Charlie Brown trees the last couple years (probably because we waited to long to get it and just went to a small tree farm down the road). But this is a very full, nicely shaped tree and we are very much enjoying it. Maybe this year we won't promptly take it down the day after Christmas!

Bumbo Boy

The Bumbo seat has now entered Kyle's rotation of "activities". He seems to like it for short stretches, but I think it tires him out holding his head up like that. But it's something different, which is always good. The attached photo is not the most flattering, but that's how Kyle looks when he's in it...like he's trying to figure things out!

Happy 12 Week Birthday Kyle!

Hard to believe Kyle is closing in on 3 months. He had a good 12 week birthday today. He took a 3 hour nap this afternoon, which was nice. And he's up to 13 lbs 1 oz. So he's gaining slowly but surely. Can you tell that his room was dark when I grabbed his clothes this morning??

Inspector Gadget Neck

Just within the last couple days, Kyle has developed a fascination with the TV. Before, we could have it on, and he'd glance at it briefly and look away. But now, he is absolutely obsessed with it! And his neck can literally swivel almost 180 degrees, so even if his back is to the TV, he can crane his neck around to see it. This picture doesn't do it justice, but it gives you an idea. And now, when I'm nursing him and watching TV, he stops nursing periodically to try to twist his neck around to see the TV behind him. And he's the same way with the laptop screen. His new "hobby" made it very difficult for us to watch the Pats game today (although he did nap for over an hour during the game, which was nice). I was hoping he'd have that same enthusiasm for looking at the Christmas tree lights, but it's no contest. He does look at the lights, but not with nearly the same vigor.

Great (and slightly bad) News!

Jared learned yesterday that his company is shutting down for 3 weeks over the holidays...YIPEEEEEEEE!!! It will be so great to have him home for such a long stretch. This is also slightly bad news because this unplanned shutdown is because business is so slow (and it's unpaid). But from our perspective, it's all good.

We woke Kyle up after he'd been asleep for over 9 hrs last night (we thought he should eat!). That blew away his previous record of a little over 8 hrs. And he's napping now. He certainly is a good little sleeper...he must take after his cousins.

Fortunately, we completely missed that awful ice storm...we just got heavy rain down here. But a lot of our friends, and Grammy and Nonnie, weren't so lucky and are without power. We hope everyone gets power restored quickly!

It was only a matter of time...

...before Benson discovered the Pack n Play. At least now Kyle only goes in it after we change his diaper and need to wash our hands. I'll have to make sure Benson isn't exceeding its weight capacity though...he's very big boned :)

Observation

I have noticed that when I burp Kyle, he doesn't always burp but I do! And I'm not a particularly burpy person. In fact, that's probably just about the only time that I burp. Sympathy burping perhaps?

Nothing new in the world of Kyle. He continues to sleep well at night, which is wonderful. And he took a couple 1+ hr naps today. He's "playing" in his crib right now, watching his mobile and grabbing some toys. Almost time for another nap, as he's been awake almost 2 hrs now.

Naps

I just love that Kyle takes real naps now! He's really falling into the morning, afternoon, and dinnertime nap schedule. And his naps are getting longer. Like this morning, he slept for 1.5 hrs, after sleeping 10 hrs last night (waking up after 7 hrs to eat). The book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" made me realize that Kyle should be awake for no more than 2 hr stretches. All babies "want" to nap throughout the day, some (like Kyle) just need more coaxing than others! So I'm living by the two hour rule right now and it works. If it weren't for his nursing troubles, life would be easy right now!

Despite his nursing issues, he gained 8 oz in the last 6 days (measured on the infant scale that I bought). That made me VERY happy, as 5-7 oz per week is normal!

One new thing Kyle is doing is when I try to sit him on my lap, he wants to stand and keeps his legs locked. This can be annoying (like when I'm trying to burp him), but I guess is just part of his development.

Unfortunately, we won't have our Wednesday Grammy visit tomorrow (and probably won't for a while), as Grammy broke a bone in her arm after missing a step and taking a spill. Poor Grammy! We'll miss her tomorrow, but we're glad that she's doing okay and isn't in much pain.

Overnight Excitement

We were awakened last night around 1am, and Kyle was not to blame! Jared's dad and sister Jayne were staying with us this weekend. And a little before 1am, Jayne (who was sleeping on the couch downstairs) knocked on our bedroom door to tell us someone was at the front door! We all got scared, considering how late it was. The person kept ringing the doorbell and banging on the door. Jared looked down the stairs and could see that the person had a hood over his head. After about 5 minutes of ringing/banging, Jared called 911 and then we anxiously awaited the police's arrival (hoping the person would stay at the door until they arrived, so they weren't "at large" in our neighborhood). And they did keep ringing/banging for the 4 minutes it took the police to get here. Once the police car pulled up, we saw the person walk away from the front door. The policeman talked to him for a minute and then cuffed him and put him in the cruiser (two other cruisers had arrived on the scene by this point).

To make a long story short, it was a drunk 15 year old from a neighboring town. His drunk friends had dropped him off in our neighborhood to find friends whom he apparently thought were at our house. The police called his parents to come pick him up. While they were waiting, they took his handcuffs off and had him stand outside with them. So we opened our bedroom window, and Jared, Jayne, Benson and I all crouched down and listened to their conversation. The officer who was questioning him was very rough (and apparently the kid wasn't being very cooperative)...some quotes we heard: "Tell me something that isn't a lie", "If I don't see your ugly mug on that surveillance tape as you claim...", "Are you retarded? Like are you in regular classes at school or special ones?". It was like watching "Cops" on TV...I didn't know cops in the 'burbs could be so verbally abusive!

Finally the kid's dad arrived and the officer let him sit in the car with him for a minute to try to get him to give the cops the info they wanted. But he apparently didn't budge (or was too wasted to put together coherent thoughts). So it sounded like "drunk and disorderly" will be on his record, because we heard they officer say that he'd have to put this on his application when applying to UCONN.

So that was our overnight excitement! And the ironic thing is that this was probably the first night since we've lived in the house that we didn't have our security system armed (because Jayne was sleeping downstairs and would have tripped the motion detector). Once Jayne came upstairs though, we turned it on. And Kyle and Jared's dad are both very sound sleepers, as they slept through all the excitement at the other end of the hall.

After it was over, we discussed what is the time threshold at night where we'd no longer answer the door. We seemed to agree on 10pm (although as you know, I prefer never to answer the door!!).

Last Few Days

Kyle has had a busy couple days. Tuesday, Aunt Ca came to visit (bearing yummy Mexican food!). Kyle loves hanging with his aunt, and even wore his special "if you think I'm cute you should see my aunt" onesie for the occasion:) And then Grammy came over yesterday, which was fun and allowed me to get some stuff done around the house.

Kyle had his worst sleep last night in a while. It took over two hours to get him to fall asleep, and then he woke up a couple hours later at 2am to eat. He didn't sleep very much after that, so I didn't get much sleep either. But I have my every-other-Thursday dinner date with Julie tonight (can't wait!), so that should give me a second wind.

And this morning, I tried on the cute Christmas outfit that Grammy got Kyle and it fits great! He's wearing part of the outfit in the above photo.

Facebook Frenzy

I've been slacking in the blogging department lately because I've been very into Facebook. Jared and I both signed up over the weekend. I'm not sure why I've resisted it until now, because it really is a neat way to catch up with "blasts from the past". I find the site a bit "busy" though...too much information everywhere! I'm sure I'll get used to it.

As for Kyle...he celebrated his 10 week birthday today with a visit from the lactation consultant. She was helpful and knowledgeable but didn't have any easy solutions. His biggest problem is wanting to lean his head forward instead of back while nursing, so he swallows a lot of air and then gets squirmy/gassy. So we'll work on that. He slept for his longest stretch ever last night...almost 8.5 hrs! And then another 3.5 hrs after that. So that was nice! We also cut his fingernails for the first time yesterday and it was surprisingly easy. I had just been filing them until now, but they were sharp little daggers and really needed to be cut. And we discovered his toenails don't seem to be growing very fast, so hopefully we don't have to worry about those for a while. Fascinating post, isn't this? Clearly it's time to end this, now that I'm talking about toenails...