Feeding Frustrations

Boy do I miss the easy days of feeding Kyle jarred food...he would eat any and every flavor that we gave him and was very quick and tidy about it. Feeding him now is one big frustrating, long and drawn out challenge/game! If I don't sit right there with him, everything on his tray ends up on the floor (even if I just turn my back for a minute to wash my hands), and when I do sit there with him, he "threatens" me with every bite, as you'll see in the video...

Fun, Busy Weekend!

Saturday night, we had a great visit with the Stango family. We finally got to meet adorable little Andrew and see their GORGEOUS house! As you'll see from the following sequence of photos, Andrew gave Kyle one of his goldfish. Kyle had never had goldfish before but apparently really liked it because he snuck another when Andrew wasn't looking! Then they just hung out, snacking on goldfish and drinking some beers :) Andrew was so good at sharing (and he's only 19 months!). In addition to the goldfish, he also shared all his toys and kept bringing Kyle cars to play with, even "flower power"! Very cute and sweet little fellow, that Andrew.


Then Sunday, after spending most of the day finishing my various Shutterfly projects, we got our Christmas tree. We went to the same farm as last year and continue to be very impressed with their operation, as well as their tree selection. We took a tractor ride up to the highest field (gorgeous view of the sunset up there!) and had lots of great trees to choose from. And it was perfect timing..right after we (Jared) cut the tree down, the tractor circled back and brought us and our tree down the "mountain", where they put the tree on a mechanical "shaker" to get rid of any dead needles/leaves and then put it in netting. Kyle seemed to enjoy the whole experience, especially the tractor ride!

But then it was a very tense 20 minute ride home. I drove while Jared nervously watched our tree through the moonroof the entire time, afraid that he hadn't tied it well and worried it would blow off (like it did on the I-84 overpass a few years ago!). But his knots held and we put it up after Kyle went to bed, and decorated it when Jared got home from work today. Kyle likes looking at it but so far hasn't tried to grab the branches/ornaments...hopefully that continues (for both Kyle and Benson)!

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving! Grammy put on a wonderful spread for us and Nonnie, complete with a delicious turkey from the Jordan Farm! Kyle enjoyed visiting with his grandmothers but wasn't overly interested in the turkey dinner (kind of like his mommy!). He was a very good little boy as usual though, and even took a nap during the meal so we were able to eat (and check out the progress on our new house) uninterrupted.

Then before heading home, we stopped at Jared's cousin's house in Sudbury, so that Kyle could meet some of the extended Berube family. Despite the crowd of new faces, Kyle just happily went about his business, with no signs of "stranger anxiety" (although he did crawl over to Mommy for frequent, but very brief, reassuring hugs).

As usual, Kyle fussed/cried/whined for most of the car rides, although we discovered that if Jared says "Woof Woof" in a loud, deep voice, Kyle totally snaps out of his funk and thinks it's absolutely hysterical! But that only buys us a few seconds of peace, and listening to Jared's "woof woof" isn't much better than listening to Kyle's fussing!

Being parents just gives a whole new meaning to Thanksgiving...we are just so incredibly thankful for our happy, healthy little boy, as well as our wonderful family, friends and life in general. We are truly blessed and are reminded of that every day (not just on Thanksgiving!).

14 Months!

Okay, I've been staring at the screen for a few minutes now and don't have anything exciting to report on the Kyle front, other than that he's the easiest, happiest, BEST little guy in the world and we love him so incredibly much. I think I'll leave it at that and get back to watching the Pats game...

Surprise!

Jared and I had a GREAT day yesterday, all made possible because of a phone call I received while Jared was outside doing yardwork on Saturday. His softball buddy (a season ticket holder) called to offer us two tickets! At first, I told him I'd call him right back, after I went outside to check with Jared. Then the wheels started turning and I thought it would be a great surprise for Jared. First, I called Grammy (who was hiking Mount Wachusett at the time) and confirmed her availability to watch Kyle. Then, I arranged to pick up the tickets, while I was out running errands Saturday night. And finally, I planned out my various "lies" to make it all work!

Jared thought we were heading up to MA to pick out bathroom fixtures for our new house. We dropped Kyle off at Grammy's house and headed out. I had put the tickets in an envelope and wedged it into the map on the passenger side door pocket (I was driving). About 20 minutes into the drive, I asked Jared to look at the map and see how far down our exit was on 495. He pulled out the map and saw the envelope, which had his name spelled wrong (Jarrod) in disguised handwriting so he wouldn't suspect anything. When he opened it, his reaction of confusion/disbelief/excitement was priceless! Totally made my day!! Surprises are so fun when they work, for both the surprisee and especially for the surpriser!!

And of course the game was awesome! It was a great win and AMAZING weather...felt like we were in Miami, not Foxboro!!

Halloween Fun on Lowell Ave!

We had a fun Halloween in Holden yesterday with Nonnie, Grammy, the Carpenters, the Pelletiers, Nance, and Marti! Our first stop of the day was Ottoson Way, to show Nonnie our lot (and now foundation!)...things are really moving along! After a yummy meal at Grammy's, Kyle proudly became the 3rd generation Lowell Ave purple dragon costume trick-or-treater (thanks Evan!). It was a very fitting costume for Kyle, as he's been practicing his scary dragon sounds since he was about 3 months old! The weather was perfect (except for the 10 second sprinkle), and Kyle enjoyed having Nonnie pull him around in the wagon...a dragon in a wagon! We were so happy that Nonnie was able to share in the fun (and chaos) of the day! And amazingly, Kyle slept the entire car ride home...first time that's happened since he was an infant!!

13 Months and Excavation Complete!

Now that Kyle's 13 months old, he thought it was finally appropriate to sprout his other bottom front tooth (4 months after its partner!). You can barely see it, but I felt it with my finger and it's there. So that's his big 13 month news. He's also not the great eater that he once was. He will still eat anything but loses interest very quickly and becomes fidgety and looks around like he wants out of his highchair. That's usually about the same time that he starts throwing his food on the floor. So feeding him has definitely become more challenging, as we knew it would. But I'm sure that he's somehow still getting enough. We've added meatballs and chicken nuggets to his "protein" rotation (along with eggs, and a yogurt everyday). And we even tried giving him black beans, which he liked, but let's just say that his diaper the next morning was like nothing I've ever seen before...

And as you can see in this picture, our lot has been cleared and excavated! The footings should be in by the end of the week and the foundation shortly after that. We can't believe how quickly things are moving...so exciting!!

And what a GORGEOUS day it was today!! Jared, Kyle and I took a walk tonight after dinner...it was almost dark but still so warm. If only every day could be low 70s and sunny...

Yesterday's Highs and Lows

Yesterday was filled with highs and lows.

First the highs...

• Kyle slept until 7:45am!!
• We went apple/pumpkin picking, and they still had Macouns
• We got lobsters for the games, 3 each...yummy and full of meat!!
• It was a beautiful day (which helped make one of the lows a little easier...)
  

And now for the lows...

• The Red Sox morphed into the Sox of old. Maybe next year...
• The Patriots let one get away
• And the low of all lows...I was locked out of the house for over an hour yesterday afternoon! We had just put Kyle down for a nap and Jared left to get the lobsters. I planned on working until the Pats game (while watching the end of the Sox game)...this was one of those days where I basically had every minute accounted for, so it was not a good day to lose an hour. During the commercials before the 9th inning, I decided to put our pumpkin out on the front steps. As I was positioning it, the wind blew the front door shut (locked). I wasn't overly worried because I knew we had a spare key under the deck. So for basically the next hour, I rummaged around under the deck looking for that darn key but to no avail. And the worst part of this ordeal was that I could hear Kyle crying hysterically in his crib...of all naps for him not to play and fall asleep...very sad/helpless/frustrating feeling :( Eventually he fell asleep, Jared returned, and all was well (except for the shock that Papelbon blew the 2 run lead!!). And of course Jared looked under the deck and found the spare key in about 10 seconds...
  

Apple Picking

We went apple picking today at a nearby orchard and were very pleasantly surprised by the abundance of Macouns still on the trees! I absolutely LOVE Macouns and thought we had missed the brief window that they are available. But I guess it was a real bumper crop this year, as we picked 10 lbs in about 5 minutes! Kyle had fun gnawing on an apple (although he wasn't able to break the skin) and he also enjoyed probing apples on the trees with his index finger :) Our neighbor and his 3 yr old son Jack joined us too, which was fun. Maybe we'll go back to this orchard next weekend to pick out our pumpkin (and to stock up on even more Macouns if they're still available!). And what a GORGEOUS day it was today!! It makes me sad to think that days like this are numbered...

And Kyle was great during the Pats game today...played independently for the 1st half and napped for the 2nd half, so we got to watch the game (great win!) with little interruption. The only negative of the day was that Kyle's head cold seemed to peak today, which made nursing near impossible because his nose was 100% blocked. This is his first cold in a while and I had forgotten how sad/frustrating it is when he tries to nurse and can't, and then becomes hysterical with real tears :( He wouldn't drink milk from a sippy cup either, so he basically went the entire day without liquid. But his bath tonight cleared him up a little though and afterward he nursed for a while, which was a relief because we were worried he was dehydrated. My cold peaked yesterday and I feel a lot better today (except for a bad cough). And amazingly Jared still hasn't caught it, knock on wood...

Kyle's 1st Birthday Party!

Kyle thoroughly enjoyed his first birthday party! Ironically enough, his least favorite part was the birthday cake. He did NOT like having frosting all over his hands (as is evident in the photos!). And he didn't particularly like the cake itself...too sweet maybe? The smiling cake pictures are a little misleading...the smiles were the result of me playing peek-a-boo with him (not from eating the cake).

Kyle was not the only one who had cake issues yesterday. I had ordered a Winnie the Pooh cake (that was actually shaped like Pooh) earlier in the week from a local bakery that my co-worker highly recommended. So I was really excited about it until the bakery called at 8:30am yesterday morning to tell me that their oven was broken. She said she tried baking it three different "ways" (whatever that means), but it kept burning. Not wanting to chance it by waiting for her repair guy to show up, we just got a boring cake from Big Y (although I'm glad they came through for us, because they said they usually require 24 hr notice). So the cake wasn't anyone's favorite part of the day!

But aside from the cake, Kyle had fun amidst all the activity and got lots of new toys to play with. The "family only" size party was perfect for this stage...Kyle wasn't at all overwhelmed and just went about his business, with brief pauses here and there to interact with his guests :)

And Kyle had his 1 year check-up on Thursday and, as usual, checked out great! He's 24 lbs 6 oz (75th percentile) and 31.25" (90th percentile...do you think he'll be tall??). And I'm pleased to report that he is now sitting down by himself more often than not, including once in the crib!

One Year Old!!

It's so fun remembering this time last year...the anticipation and then the indescribable joy when Kyle was (finally) born. Definitely the most life-altering moment of our lives, and it DEFINITELY altered our lives for the better! I can't imagine life without our little "sonshine". So here's Kyle's one year rundown:

• Weighs 24 lbs 1 oz (not sure what that translates to in percentile because the online calculator that I had bookmarked is no longer functional...another site has it around 65th percentile)
• Stands and "cruises" holding on to furniture but not walking yet (and unfortunately for Mommy still not able to go from standing to sitting in his crib!)
• Knows a lot of his toys by name and will get them when we ask "where's your giraffe" (or coin, or car, or Mickey, etc)
• Makes sounds on command, when we say "do motorboat" or "say dada", etc
• HATES going for car rides...very miserable little passenger after about 45 minutes :(
• Likes his daily walks (morning with me and evening with Jared)
• Still (sort of) takes two naps a day, although sometimes one of them is very short or non-existent (just plays happily in his crib, which is just as good!)
• Goes to bed at 7pm every night and wakes up around 6:30ish (although it's been 5:30ish the last couple mornings...ugggghhh!!)
• Since we let him "cry it out" right around 6 months, he has NEVER woken up in the night!! Sleep is a WONDERFUL thing :)
• Eats anything/everything that we give him (all healthy stuff!)
• Still nursing but we plan to introduce cow's milk soon (and partially wean him). He hasn't taken to the sippy cup yet, although we've only given him water in it, so maybe milk will be more appealing.
• Has 3 teeth (two on top and one on the bottom)
• Watches no TV/videos (and never has). We're not opposed to it now like we were when he was a newborn but just haven't felt the need for it...he's pretty easy to keep amused!
• His favorite game in the whole world is just throwing/chasing his plastic coins around (preferably on the hardwood/tile, where they make a louder noise).

Can't think of anything else other than that we love him more than anything in the universe!!

Scary Grass

Apparently, grass can be very frightening to babies who aren't used to it! We took Kyle outside tonight to see if he wanted to crawl around in the grass, something he hasn't really done possibly due to my overparanoid fears of lawn chemicals (which we haven't used in over a year!) and deer ticks. He has sat on grass a few times before (without much reaction), but for some reason when Jared plunked him down tonight, he was TERRIFIED...shaking and crying with real tears...poor little guy :( We were quickly able to calm him down by talking about Benson and making our "bow wow wow" doggie sounds, and he eventually came around and was enjoying himself (although he was content staying put, not wanting to crawl around). We'll have to do this more often, so that he gets used to the apparently strange sensation that is grass!

And over the last few days, Kyle has finally figured out how to feed himself finger foods that won't stick to his index finger. He now picks up his finger foods the "right" way and shovels them in his mouth (most of them make it into his mouth, but some still end up on the floor or depths of his high chair). He seems to eat anything and everything we give him...did peas and plain whole wheat pasta yesterday and he LOVED it. And he eats whole bananas in one sitting. Very good little eater he is. Can't wait to try cow's milk this week!

One other random Kyle tidbit is that he now pulls himself up all the time (and cruises a little bit), but he hasn't mastered how to go from standing to sitting. Sometimes he just plops down. But other times he gets really upset and reaches down toward the floor but is too scared to try to sit. Like tonight, we had to go up to his crib twice because he was standing and became hysterical (second time he had a poop, which we changed). Hopefully he masters this taken-for-granted skill soon!

Mango and Edamame

We finally introduced Kyle to some finger foods other than puffs today...mango and edamame! Very different tastes/textures, but he loved them both and got antsy if too much time passed in between bites. He tried to pick them up using his index finger method but realized that wasn't going to work. So he instead grunted, which was his way of telling us that he wanted us to feed them to him (which we did while also getting his hand in on the action). And I'll cut him some slack on the mango...VERY slippery (even Jared and I had trouble picking it up), but the edamame is a perfect/easy little finger food for him right now...he just needs to use his thumb along with his prized index finger and he'd be good to go!

As a side note, edamame does not need to be salted and covered in chocolate to taste good...it is delicious raw! We bought a bag of it frozen (for Kyle) and sampled some. It is really yummy and very high in protein. Definitely will be stocking up, as I see it quickly becoming a healthy/easy dinnertime staple for us (as well as Kyle).

Speaking of yummy, Jared should be home any minute with lobsters, as a last hurrah for the long weekend!

Pool Time!

Jared wanted to get in one last swim before the Carpenter pool is closed for the year (I can't believe summer is really over!!). So we went up for a visit yesterday afternoon (after waiting over 2 hrs for Kyle to fall asleep for his nap, which never happened...only happy playing in his crib). As usual, Jared commenced his swim with a dramatic cannonball entry into the pool. The loud noise and splashing upset Kyle, but he recovered quickly and allowed Daddy to hold him in the shallow end.

Jared did a great job of very slowly getting Kyle wet, so it didn't shock his system all at once (because the water was pretty cold, with all the cool nights). Eventually, he was in up to his neck and for the most part was enjoying it. This was his first real "swim" (we had only dipped his feet before this). We probably let him stay in too long though, because he was shivering by the time we got him out. But he seemed to warm up quickly and had fun playing with his cousins' toys (but NOT Alex's school bus!!).

And Jon made us the most FABULOUS dinner...wonderfully seasoned grilled steak, homemade lobster rolls, corn on the cob, and a delicious salad. I completely pigged out, and enjoyed every bite! I'm not usually a big meat-eater, but boy was this steak yummy...I think I ate more beef last night than I had all month!! Thanks Carps for a fun/yummy visit :)

Kyle Meets Zach!

Kyle had a blast the last couple days playing with his new buddy Zachary! Ryan, Lisa and Zach drove down from Maine for a visit this weekend. Zach is just 17 days older than Kyle, so it was really fun to watch them play together. Babies at this age pretty much play in parallel, but they did seem to interact quite a bit too! Kyle loved when Zach pushed him around in his wagon (but quickly became devastated each time the ride ended).

Zach is such a mobile little fellow...cruising on everything, including going up and down the stairs like a pro. And boy can he work the camera!! When we put the boys on the chair for a photo together, a very smiley Zach proceeded to inch closer and closer to Kyle, and even reached out to hug him at the end...ADORABLE!

Thank you so much Ryan and Lisa for making the trek down...we know how much effort is involved in packing up a little guy! It was great to see all of you, especially Zach...he is such an adorable, sweet little boy :)

Index Finger Food

Here's a video from a few days ago, right after Kyle discovered that he can feed himself! His index finger method probably won't work very well with mushier foods, like bananas. So we definitely need to introduce some more textures soon, before he gets too set in his index finger ways!

Happy 11 Months!

Happy (one day belated) 11 month birthday Kyle!! This happy photo was taken just minutes before our day took a major turn for the worse...the hard drive on our computer crapped out. Fortunately, I had backed up about 3 weeks ago and am THRILLED that we didn't lose any photo files (those taken since I backed up were still on my xD card...phew!). We did lose some stuff and I'm not looking forward to the whole process of getting a new computer up to snuff. But it could have been a LOT worse. Note to all of you reading this...BACK-UP YOUR HARD DRIVE FREQUENTLY!!

Now getting back to Kyle...11 months has brought about a few milestones for him. His top two front teeth have poked through (and once again, he fortunately seemed unfazed by this event). He has also (finally) started putting his puffs in his mouth like a big boy! His preferred method of self-feeding is to get the puff to stick on the tip of his index finger and then place it on his tongue. Very good fine motor control that little guy has! He's up to about 23 lbs 10 oz, which is still right around 70th percentile. Can't believe he's almost one!!!

47 Weeks!

In case you've lost track, today is Kyle's 47 week birthday!! The only reason I know this is because we still do the weekly photos, which forces me to track his age in weeks. But I think this little Monday photo ritual will come to an end in 5 more weeks, when he hits the big "1".

Not much is new on the Kyle front...he is just a very happy/easy little fellow! But I fear he's on the cusp on transitioning to one nap a day. Some days he takes a 2+ hour "non-nap", where he just plays happily in his crib but doesn't actually sleep. I feel pretty certain that one mid-day nap would be plenty for him at this point, but I'm not ready to give up one of those two windows of "downtime" during my day. Heck, he's only been on a regular 9 and 1 nap schedule for about a month...I should get to enjoy it for a little longer, right?!

Alex Benes!!

Seeing videos of Evan the future American Idol inspired me to dig out this video of Alex, doing his best Elaine Benes imitation :)

Swinging!

I forgot to post about our fun afternoon at the Carpenters on Wednesday! Jared loved swimming in the pool (in between rain showers). He executed several cannonballs flawlessly but couldn't quite nail the flip (all his attempts resulted in painful-looking backflops!).

And Kyle had his first outdoor swinging experience and loved it! He was very impressed with cousin Rachel swinging/pumping all by herself beside him. He started wiggling his little piggies all around, like he was trying to imitate her (or it could just be his usual piggy wiggling).

Very fun afternoon capped off with pizza and yummy dessert treats...thanks Carps!

Fun with Nonnie!

Kyle had a fun visit with Nonnie the last couple days. He liked showing off his "big boy" crawling (no more army crawling) and reading stories with her. And we all enjoyed a post-dinner walk around the neighborhood last night. And then he seemed surprised and happy to see Nonnie was still here when he woke up this morning! Kyle's so lucky to have two wonderful grandmothers :)

10 Months!

In honor of Kyle's 10 month birthday, we had some professional photos taken (the one above was our favorite). And we got lots of copies to give out to anyone who wants one!

Here's a quick rundown of Kyle at 10 months:

• Just within the last couple days, has graduated from "army crawl" to real crawling (reverts to army crawl when he excitedly chases after Benson...must think it's faster). And sorry Ca for the delay in communicating these milestones :)
  
• Weighs 23 lbs 2 oz (72nd percentile)
• Sleeps from 7pm to 5:30ish every night (wish that was more like 6:30ish...).
  
• Eats three "meals" a day...a jar of Stage 2, a yogurt, and a bowl of multigrain oatmeal (still nurses about 4 times/day too)
  
• Favorite game is "fetch"...he throws a toy and then fetches it, like a puppy dog! Especially likes playing fetch on hardwood/tile, because it's louder.
• Still just the one tooth (and it hasn't made much progress in the last couple weeks)

And that sums up little Kyle Smiles at 10 months :)

A Long-Overdue First

So as of a couple days ago, Kyle had never set foot (or stroller) in a restaurant. As a newborn, he wasn't the kind of baby who would sleep obliviously in his carseat while being carted around, so we didn't attempt it those first few months. And as he's gotten older, he clearly likes to be "on the go", so we couldn't really envision how we'd keep him content (stationary) and enjoy our food simultaneously.

But yesterday, we gave it the old college try. We met Grammy at Vivian's, a VERY casual cafeteria-style restaurant (ideal atmosphere for our first attempt). And it went about as we envisioned...Kyle was fidgety/fussy, but not hysterical. He liked looking around when we first got there, enjoyed the jar of food that we brought, and was amused by the red balloon that Vivian gave him. But other that that, he was pretty restless. Oh, he also perked up when Marti popped in after her workout...he hadn't seen her for a few months, so he was excited.

It was a fun "first" and yummy meal (thanks Grammy!), but it confirmed what we already knew...dining out with Kyle is just not very enjoyable at this stage. So we'll stick with takeout and occasional date nights for now.

Fun with the Fairbanks!

We had a fun visit with Jon, Kristen and Conor yesterday. After a rainy start to the day, the afternoon was gorgeous! So we BBQ'd and sat out on the deck and visited. Kyle enjoyed throwing Conor's cars around (and Conor was a very good sport to allow it!). Once the bugs started getting bad, we went inside and the boys had fun playing with their daddies.
After a few happy photos, we got a little greedy and tried to get a group shot. As you can see, Kyle and Conor REALLY enjoyed this photo shoot...

This Past Week...

We've had a busy and fun first week of Jared's vacation. Last weekend, we kicked things off with a visit from the Hardy family. It was the first time that all seven of us hung out together! And the three little people (a.k.a. Kaelyn, Madelyn and Kyle) were very well-behaved and allowed us adults to catch-up. The best line of the afternoon was when Kaelyn said that she wants to be a mommy when she grows up :) And judging by the skilled way that she fed Kyle his puffs, I think she'll be a really good one!
Then Wednesday night, Jared and I had our first night out together since before Kyle was born! We went to Mohegan Sun and had a fabulous Mexican dinner follwed by some blackjack. After being down over $100, we ended up "in the black", which is always a great feeling. It was a really fun night...thanks Grammy!

Yesterday, we had a fun visit at the Toscanos. As usual, we were spoiled with a delicious dinner, followed by a yummy birthday cake for Jared!

And today, we trekked up to southern NH to visit Nonnie and her friends. Bob prepared a fabulous meal for us and we had a fun visit. Kyle dunked his little feet in a pool for the first time and seemed to like it (as much as he could like anything at that point in his sleep-deprived state). As usual, Kye didn't nap on the drive up, so he went over 8 hrs without sleeping...yikes! He slept for the first half hour on the way home, and then just screamed for the rest of the ride (not fun when you're stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Pike!). As you can see, Kyle liked grabbing Nonnie's hat...
Whew, I think that about covers it! Looking forward to a "down day" tomorrow, with lots of naps (for Kyle and maybe us!).

Surprise!

Kyle and I surprised Jared today with a visit at work during his lunch break! Kyle got to meet lots of his coworkers, and they all really liked him (one even offered him a job!). Unfortunately, the only time he cried was when the owner of the company held him (c'mon Kyle, don't you know that you're supposed to kiss up to the head honchos?!). I had never been to his office before, so I like that I can now put a face to all the names. And the best part about today is that Jared doesn't go back to work until August 3rd (combination of vacation and company shutdown)...YIPEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

If you look closely...

...you can see Kyle's tooth! This was his 40 week picture yesterday...another 10 days and he will have been alive for as long as I was pregnant! A part of me can't believe that he's already 9 months old, yet another part of me thinks that our pre-Kyle days seem like sooo long ago. And I can honestly say that there is absolutely nothing I miss about the pre-Kyle days.

Nine Months Old!

Kyle celebrated his 9 month birthday by attempting his very first finger food..."puffs". This photo pretty much sums it up. Instead of trying to put them in his mouth, he prefers to move them around with his index finger, and sometimes flicks them like he's playing tiddlywinks. He is now getting the hang of gumming them when we put them in his mouth. But he actually gagged on the first few (even though they were no where near his throat). The puff would just sit on his tongue and he didn't know what to do with it. So for now, puffs are more of an "activity" than a source of nourishment (especially since a serving size of 75 puffs equals a measly 25 calories, and he's currently only eating about 5 puffs per sitting). But hopefully this will lead to bigger and better things! And just today, we gave him his first yogurt and he loved it. So in addition to nursing, he's up to 3 meals a day...a Stage 2 jar, a bowl of oat/barley cereal, and now a yogurt. He's such a good little eater...he eats everything that we give him and is very tidy (doesn't try to grab the spoon or spit anything out). Sometimes I don't even put a bib on him.

He had a great 9 month checkup on Tuesday. He weighed just over 22 lbs and measured a little over 29 inches. So he's right around the 70th percentile for both height and weight. It was cute, when we were sitting in the waiting room, a friendly little toddler named Benjamin asked Kyle if he wanted to play with him (and he directed the question at Kyle, not me). I explained that Kyle was too little and can't talk but was enjoying watching the "big boy" play.

Just within the last couple days, Kyle has started making "mama" sounds...yay!! And he's also had some slithering forward motion (when he desperately wants something that is out of his reach...where there's a will, there's a way!). Each new little thing he does is just so fun and exciting...being a parent is the best!

Happy First Father's Day Daddy!!

Jared enjoyed his first Father's Day today. Kyle and I were extra quiet when we got up at 5:45am this morning (too early Kyle!!), so that Daddy could sleep late. Then, I made a spinach/mushroom/ tomato/cheddar omelette (I give up...I've tried about 8 different spellings of "omelette" and it keeps underlining it, soI guess I have no idea how to spell it). The omelette turned out really good and was probably the first normal looking one that I have ever made (I usually have issues with the flip/fold). Then, for our "main meal", I made spaghetti and meatballs (first time I have ever made meatballs!) with brocolli and breadsticks, and "blueberry funny cake" for dessert. So we ate well and enjoyed a relaxing day at home. Kyle and I feel very blessed to have Jared as our daddy/husband :)

Index Finger and Teeth

Okay, I'll start with the latter...teeth (or really just "tooth"). Yes, Kyle has finally popped his very first tooth! You can barely see it, because it's just starting to poke through (front lower left). But I felt it with my finger and it's definitely there. So far (knock on wood), he appears to be one of those babies who is unfazed by teething...he's sleeping fine with no real change in mood (maybe making more dragon sounds than usual). I must say that I'm a little sad that the "gummy grin" days are now numbered...

Moving on to the other completed unrelated topic...Kyle has become quite fascinated with using his index fingers lately. He loves touching, spinning, flipping and pushing things (including Jared's ear) with his index fingers. It's cute and just seems so deliberate (unlike many of his other flailing, spastic motions). I guess he's starting to work on his fine motor control!

New Look

Yes, I think I've nailed the whole "being a mommy" thing, so it was time for a name change. And I'd like to spruce up the look of the blog too, but I'm realizing that I am quite blog-design illiterate. Perhaps I'll consult with the Grammy's Gazette designer...

Kyle Goes to School

Kyle and I took a road trip up to Maine today to visit Nonnie at her school. Kyle was excited to see Nonnie and enjoyed meeting all of her nice teacher friends. We went from one end of the school to the other, making stops in lots of classrooms, the library, the cafeteria and even the principal's office! It was a very fun visit. And Kyle was a very well-behaved little fellow...no fussing or crying while we were in the school.

The car ride? Well that was another story. Kyle spent most of the ride "reminding" me that he does not like being trapped in a car seat. He did sleep for a half hour on both the drive up and back...unfortunatley that still left almost 5 waking hours! Funny how the car used to be the one thing that would stop his crying (as a newborn). Now, an hour seems to be about his "happy limit" for car rides, but I'm sure that could all change tomorrow!

It was a very fun and memorable day, and Kyle and I are so glad that we went. I think we'll both sleep like rocks tonight!

Visit with Aunt Ca!

Kyle and I were treated to a visit from Aunt Ca yesterday afternoon! She came bearing yummy Mexican food and a crib aquarium...what more could we ask for?! What a thoughtful sister/aunt :)

New and Improved Oat Mush

Basically since day 1, "oat mush" has been Kyle's favorite food. And up until about a week ago, I was pumping every night to get milk to mix with the oat powder, to create this wonderful concoction. This nightly ritual was REALLY becoming a drag, because the whole pumping process takes about 30 minutes, plus washing all the little components...it just felt like a lot of work for not much benefit. So we decided to try mixing the oat powder with warm water instead, but Kyle hated that! So we then tried mixing it with formula, which had been sitting in our cabinet "just in case" for a while now. And he loves it, almost as much as the "old recipe". So I feel very liberated now to only have to pump when I'm away from him for about 6 hrs or more (which is only about once every other week when I go to work suppliers that are far from home). I'm curious if he'd take formula "straight up" in a bottle...we'll have to try that soon, because that would be also be liberating, to not have to worry about maintaining a milk supply in the freezer for when I'm out.

Kyle has had a runny nose for well over a week now. It definitely started as a cold, but I'm wondering now if it could be related to teeth. Nothing has poked through yet, but he seems to be chewing on things even more than usual, and not napping well at all. But he's still sleeping well at night, which hopefully doesn't change when these teeth finally make their grand entrance. I'm not surprised that he's late in getting his teeth though, seeing how I had 3 baby teeth pulled after they hadn't fallen out by the end of 7th grade!!

This is over a week late, but Kyle had a fun visit up in NH with his Grandpa and especially his Aunt Jayne. He only napped about 30 minutes that entire day (because he refused to sleep during the 2+ hr car ride both there and back!), but he held up surprisingly well. A little fussy, but very manageable. Those days of him falling asleep instantly (or even at all!!) in the car are long gone now. Things change so quickly with babies, but it's all good.

Playmat

This is how Kyle's playmat sessions have been ending recently. He thinks it's funny when it "collapses" on him and there's no real safety hazard. So I guess we'll let him continue, even though he has clearly outgrown the intended use of this wonderful contraption. Playmat lives!!

Happy 8 Months!!

As sweet as Kyle's breath smells, I thought it was time for a new post. And what better time than on his 8 month birthday! Kyle celebrated his big day with a fun playdate at Adam and Remy's. Alex and Rachel also joined in the fun and were impressed with all of Adam's toys. Here's the lowdown on Kyle's 8 month "status:

• Weighs about 21.5 lbs (don't know how long...we'll find out at his 9 month checkup)
• Very close to crawling...can inch backwards and pivot 360 but hasn't figured out how to go forward yet (gets up on his knees though, lifting his tummy)
  
• Loves saying da (and sometimes dada) and the b sound, and a sweet little utterance that sounds like "hi"
• Sleeping great at night...usually about 11 hrs straight!! Those middle of the night feedings are (fortunately) just a distant memory now...
• LOVES spinning things, and is REALLY good at it...not sure what useful life skill this will translate into...maybe an appearance on Wheel of Fortune?
• LOVES watching and "petting" (i.e. grabbing a big handful of fur and flesh) Benson
• Eats any and all flavors of his jar food (including "vegetable turkey dinner", which I sampled and tasted neither like vegetable nor turkey)
• Graduated to the convertible carseat...no more lugging that heavy, clunky carrier around
  
• Eye color is still grayish and TBD...probably going to be greenish like Daddy's

That pretty much sums things up...he's just the best little guy and we love him so much :)

Baby's Breath

It occurred to me today why there is a flower named Baby's Breath. Kyle (and I'm sure all babies) has the sweetest smelling breath! How appropriate to name a flower after this pleasant aroma.

For the last couple days, one sound keeps coming out of that sweet-smelling mouth...DA! He loves making that sound and repeats it throughout the day (and in his crib before/after he sleeps). Sometimes he strings a couple together for DaDa. But I don't think he associates this sound with "Daddy" yet, because he says it the most when he sees Benson!

Final random tidbit...Kyle fell asleep last night on his back for literally the first time since Presidents Day (mid-February). We always lay him on his back when we put him in his crib, but ever since he discovered "tummy sleep" 2.5 months ago, he always rolls onto his tummy to fall asleep. It was so weird seeing him (on the monitor) asleep on his back, spread-eagle. We even went in to check on him a couple times, to make sure he was okay (which of course he was). He must just have been really tired!

Happy 7 Months Kyle (a few days late)

Okay, here's a 7 month Kyle update. As you can see, he LOVES grabbing his feet (he hasn't figured out how to get them in his mouth yet, but he's trying!). He also loves watching and patting Benson. He gets this excited/amazed look on his face when his hand touches Benson's fur, and that's the only time we ever see that exact expression. Actually, we also see it when he touches the fake animal fur in those "touch and see" books. He is a very good eater...he eats oat mush, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, and banana. He likes all of those but LOVES his oat mush and bananas (even though the jarred bananas look a little weird, kind of flesh-colored).

Let's see, what else. He can sit up unassisted for short stretches, but then usually "capsizes". And he definitely gets bored more easily these days...we have to rotate from activity to activity much more frequently. And just today, we added a new activity to the rotation...his "jumperoo" (compliments of Nonnie). It took him a few minutes to figure out that he can jump in it, and he seems to like it although he has a somewhat serious expression on his face when he's jumping, like he's really concentrating. I'm sure he'll "lighten up" in it soon, once he gets used to it.

Probably the biggest news of this update (at least from my standpoint) is that he is FINALLY sleeping through the night! He'll now sleep for about 10 hrs straight (sometimes waking up once or twice and rumbling for a few minutes). Needless to say, I am absolutely THRILLED by this development. Teething is right around the corner though...hopefully this isn't shortlived.

I must say, with this summer-like weather today, we weren't sure what to dress him in for bed. His room is 77F, so we opted for just a short-sleeve onesie and thin cotton sleep sack...hopefully he doesn't get too cold in the night.

Oh, and to update my previous post, we have since bathed Kyle sitting in that tub (instead of lying on that hammock). I now understand why people put those little tubs in the big tub, because he LOVES splashing (quite violently) and our kitchen floor was flooded from it, since we had the tub on the counter. We called it Kyle's "Water Country".

Bath Time

Somehow, almost 7 months have passed, yet we are still bathing Kyle in the newborn hammock!! Is that even safe? Hopefully the weight capacity is at least 21 lbs. We've just gotten into a routine, but clearly we need to establish a new routine. Up until now, we've been all about efficiency, although Kyle still enjoys his hammock bath. But he will probably REALLY enjoy actually sitting in warm water.

Over the last week, we've started letting Kyle "cry it out" a little bit at night. He never got too hysterical, so it wasn't too difficult. And it has definitely been lengthening his stretches of sleep at night. And I THINK he slept through the night last night, from about 9pm to 6:30am! I always say "I think" because the nights are just complete blurs in my sleep-deprived state. But I definitely didn't get up to feed him, and neither Jared nor I remember him crying in the night. YIPPEEEEEEE!!! Let's see what tonight brings...

6 Month Check-up

Kyle had his 6 month check-up today and he checked out great! He's up to 19 lbs 11 oz and 27.5". All 3 of his percentiles (weight, length and head circumference) were within 1% of each other, around 78th%. So he is very proportionate! He had another round of shots and handled them well...I was doing "car wash" (hanging my hair over his face) and he was smiling/laughing until the needles went in, and then his little lower lip went out and he made the most devastated-sounding cry. But he only cried for about 5 seconds and then resumed his amusement with car wash.

As you can see from the above photo, Kyle loves eating "solids"...the messier the better! We have figured out how to keep things tidier since this photo was taken though. When we first started, he'd whine/fuss a little bit in between bites, like he thought we were taking it away. But he now seems to understand that, unlike Mommy or a bottle, the spoon isn't bottomless and it needs to come out of his mouth frequently to "fill up". It's cute though, instead of fussing, he now anxiously kicks his little feet around when he's waiting for his next bite :) So after a week of enjoying rice "mush", we started him on oatmeal mush yesterday (and the quiet old lady who was whispering hush). He seems to like it just as well. And the pediatrician said we can start the Stage 1 fruits and veggies after a couple days of oatmeal. Since Kyle loves this "wallpaper paste", I bet he's REALLY going to love fruits and veggies, since they'll actually have a taste to them!

And much to my disappointment, the solids haven't helped his sleep at night. He's still waking about every 3 hrs to eat :( The pediatrician asked about his sleep and his response was "well, you could let him cry for a minute or two and see if he'll fall back asleep"...a minute or two?? I let him cry for 5-10 minutes without thinking twice about it! Needless to say, I didn't tell him that we're considering trying one of those "cry it out" methods.

6 MONTHS!!

I have definitely been slacking in the blogging department recently. And I would have felt very guilty if I let Kyle's 6 month birthday pass without a post. So here it is, along with a slideshow of some recent photos. Yes, Kyle turned 6 months today. And to celebrate, we gave him his first taste of solids (instead of a birthday cake). We strapped him into his high chair and spoon-fed him some rice cereal. He seemed to like it, although it was pretty messy and I'm not sure how much he actually ate. But it's a start (and will hopefully be the start of him sleeping through the night!).

He's up to about 19 lbs (on nothing but Mommy's milk). So this means he doubled his birth weight about a week ago (at 18 lbs 10 oz). And sometime in the last couple weeks, he surpassed Benson in the weight department!

Kyle caught his first cold a couple weeks ago and had a stuffy nose for over two weeks. It was a long couple weeks because he had so much trouble nursing (and would get very frustrated), but fortunately his stuffy nose didn't turn into anything worse. I seemed to have dodged the cold but had my first experience as a "sick mommy" last Saturday. And the timing couldn't have been worse...Jared was gone for over 12 hrs at his fantasy baseball draft. I had a fever of almost 102, along with a slightly sore throat. Kyle didn't nap much for me but was a good little boy and entertained himself with his various activities while I laid around moaning/groaning on the couch. My fever was almost gone the next day and might have been caused by a VERY painful clogged milk duct (too much information?). My sore throat has somewhat lingered, especially at night but I'm basically all better.

Kyle has started doing much more babbling this last week and less "dragon sounds". He likes rolling all over the place and props himself up into the crawling position and kicks his legs like he's trying to figure out how to move. He is also very into grabbing his feet, scratching the furniture (just like Benson), and pulling my hair. I think that pretty much sums up the last couple weeks!

Fun Visit!

Kyle was treated to a visit with both his grandmas yesterday...Grammy and Nonnie. Grammy made a delicious soup, and we all had fun playing with Kyle. He still has a stuffy nose (it's been 10 days now!), but it hasn't affected his mood. And he was in the BEST mood today for some reason...extra smiley and giggly. Maybe it was because Daddy assembled his jogging stroller and he's looking forward to cruising around the neighborhood in style!

Bye Bye Mobile

Kyle's rotation of activities has lost one of its original members...his mobile. A couple weeks ago, he figured out that he could lie on his side (to extend his reach) and grab onto the animals. At first, he would only do this every couple days. But it's now at the point where he does it every time! And once he grabs on, he has a death grip and pulls and shakes it as hard as he can (this has caused the mobile to droop). Needless to say, this didn't seem very safe, so we took it down tonight. I am particularly sad about this because the mobile was my friend in the morning...once Kyle would wake up for the day, I would go in and hold him for a couple minutes, and then put him under his mobile. He'd watch it happily for at least a half hour (sometimes 45 minutes!), during which time I'd lie in bed, watch the news and ease into my day. Oh well, on the bright side, he must have really good hand-eye coordination to grab a moving, dangling object that is almost out of his reach!

The above picture was taken after his afternoon nap...after both naps today, he shimmied his way down to the mobile end of the crib and grabbed onto it (in the dark) even though it was turned off. Too bad "grab the mobile" isn't safe...I think it would be Kyle's favorite activity! And he now rolls both ways in his crib...back to tummy to fall asleep, and then tummy to back when he wakes up.

He's now had his cold for 5 days. It seems to be a little better today and I'm happy that it never progressed beyond a stuffy nose (no fever, ear infection, etc...knock on wood!). But that stuffy nose has made nursing VERY difficult! Think about it...when our nose is blocked, we can chew and breath through our mouth. But he must be "suctioned on" to eat so obviously can't breath through his mouth. I tried a bottle to see if that was any easier, but it was about the same. I'm learning that with kids, it's always going to be "something". Amazingly, I didn't catch Jared and Kyle's cold! Must be all that quality sleep I'm getting at night...

Thank You Carpenter Clan!

I had an important meeting for work this morning with some UTC "higher-ups" (including my boss who's retiring tomorrow). And since it was a Thursday, Grammy was not available to watch Kyle because she had class. But the Carpenter Clan came to the rescue!! The whole family (minus Abbydoodle) arrived a little before 9am ready to babysit. And babysit they did, for the final 10 minutes before I got home :) Yep, Kyle slept almost the entire time I was gone...from about 8:45am until 12:15! I was very happy to hear this, because I would have felt awful if he were fussy for them. Ca had me slightly fooled though when I called on my drive home and she told me how much easier it is to be an accountant than a babysitter...what a jokester that Ca is :)

I picked up a couple Pepe's pizzas on my way home, so we ate/visited until it was car nap time for Alex and Rachel. And Alex and Rachel were so cute and well-behaved...they amused themselves by building bridges out of magazines, "playing" with Benson, reading "Is Your Mama a Llama", and watching Thomas. They also told Kyle they loved him, which was very sweet and precious. Thank you, thank you, thank you Carps for helping me out today! During the peak of tax season nonetheless!

Daddy Day!!

Kyle and Jared had a special day on Monday...they spent 10 hrs alone together without Mommy!! I went to a supplier in NH, so left the house at 9am and didn't get home until 7pm. According to Daddy, they had a great day together...lots of playing and fun! The above picture was taken before I left, and they had just as big smiles on their faces when I returned. Aside from me not being there, the other variable in the day was Kyle drinking frozen milk for the first time (thawed of course). He took the bottles fine but for some reason left a little bit at the end of each one. Maybe he was saving room for the "real thing" when Mommy got home! Kyle is so lucky to have such a great daddy :)

My day away went fine. Of the 10 hrs I was gone, 5 were spent driving (listening to my iPod, so it was pretty relaxing/enjoyable), 4 auditing my supplier, and 1 hr pumping (2 sessions in my car). So it was a long day, but I got done what I needed to, and Kyle and Jared had some good father/son bonding.

The other news of the last few days is that Kyle is rolling onto his tummy basically every time he's in his crib. He usually gets hysterical and can't figure out how to roll back, so we roll him onto his back. But a couple times, he's actually fallen asleep on his tummy (and we've still rolled him back). Today, after several attempts to keep him on his back, I finally let him nap on his tummy. And he slept GREAT!! He napped for almost 4 hrs this afternoon! I checked on him twice (to make sure he was breathing!), and he woke up the 2nd time I was in there. So he might have even slept longer if I hadn't been such a paranoid mommy! This could be the start of something great...

Some Firsts...

Before I get to the "firsts", I am happy to report that Kyle slept for 4 hrs and then 6 hrs straight last night (I think). The reason I say "I think" is because the nights have become such blurs, but I'm pretty sure he slept from 1am until 7am...YIPEE!! That means I probably slept for a 5 hour chunk, which is probably my longest stretch in a couple months. I can't say I feel all that rested, but it helps psychologically knowing that I had that continuous sleep.

Onto the firsts...I woke up yesterday morning to find Kyle asleep on his tummy. This is the first time he's rolled over in the crib, so it was a little scary seeing him in that position. I had to get him up anyway, so I didn't have to decide whether to roll him onto his back. Obviously, once this becomes a regular occurrence, I'm not going to worry about it. And I'm hoping that maybe it will help him sleep longer/better!

The other first yesterday was leaving Kyle with Grammy (his first time without Jared or me), while I made my first supplier visit since last August. And I conveniently chose a supplier about five minutes from Grammy's house! So I didn't have to pump or bring milk, because I was close enough to just come home when he needed to eat. I was gone about 3.5 hrs and it went well for the first time. It was unfortunate that he hadn't pooped for a couple days, so was uncomfortable and fussier than usual. And I must say that I have a whole new appreciation for moms who do this every day. I had enough trouble getting out of the house by 9:45am, and that was having packed up the car and prepared everything the night before!! I'm sure I'd get used to it if I had to do it every day, but I am VERY thankful to be home with him.

20 Weeks!!

It's hard to believe that Kyle has only been alive for less than half the length of my pregnancy. It feels like he's been around forever and our "pre-Kyle" life seems so distant now. And looking back, it's just so amazing how easy things have gotten in such a short time. Just a few months ago, we had to exert sooo much energy just to keep him reasonably content (e.g. singing and dancing around like a lunatic). And that didn't always work! Plus, his nursing challenges and refusal to nap just made everything that much harder.

But now, he's so easy to keep amused. We just rotate from activity to activity and he rarely cries or fusses (unless we let him get overtired). And he now naps regularly and nurses well. And he's just the most smiley little guy :) He does continue to make his scary dragon sound a lot...still not sure what to make of that! The only difficult thing these days is his waking every few hours at night to nurse. But that's just how it is right now and I know he'll outgrow it one of these days.

And even though I'm not obsessing/concerned about his weight gain anymore, we still weigh him every Monday on his weekly birthday...he's up to 16 lbs 14 oz now...closing in on 17!

Happy 19 Week Birthday Kyle!

As with his 2 month shots, Kyle didn't seem to have any sort of bad reaction to his 4 month shots. He was a little sleepier than usual for about a day (giving me that one good night!), but he's back to his waking every 3 hrs at night. I'm used to it now though and am just so thankful that he's healthy and happy...that's really all that matters.

I had a conference call for work today at 1pm and I was hoping he'd be napping during it. No such luck...he woke from his morning nap around 12:30. But he was such a good boy and stayed content for over an hour during my call, with me only giving him my partial attention. I had the phone on mute (except when I had to talk) and Kyle played on his playmat, hung out in his swing and even nursed during the call without any fussing. So far so good on this working from home. I feel like I'm getting a lot done, without feeling at all stressed or overwhelmed.

Time to go put away the 3 loads of laundry that are piled up on our bed!

No Such Luck...

Kyle was back to waking every 3 hrs last night :( So much for the shots resetting his sleep schedule!

4 Month Check-up

According to Kyle's pediatrician, he "looks great and is healthy as a horse"! He weighed 16 lbs 8 oz and is 2' 2" (I put his length in that format just for you Ca!). So I think I'm finally done obsessing over his weight...I feel good about his "specs".

The only negative yesterday was the fact that I was there with him for 1 hr and 45 minutes! I only had to wait about 5 minutes to see the doctor and then had about 45 minutes with him (I really like this doctor because I never feel rushed). Then he left and said he'd send the nurse right in to do Kyle's shots (so he said just leave him in his onesie). Well, 45 minutes later (after hearing lots of laughing and small talk out in the hall) a nurse knocks on the door and seemed surprised that we were in there. Apparently, the doctor forgot to tell her that we were waiting! Ordinarily, I would have poked my head out much sooner, to see what was going on. But after dancing around with Kyle for about 20 minutes, trying to keep him calm (and warm!), he fell asleep on me (it was past nap time at this point). So I sat down and didn't want to move, in case there really was some huge delay and then I'd be stuck with a crying Kyle again. The shots literally took 30 seconds...she did them with him still lying on my chest. I didn't cry this time (probably because I was so irritated!). Kyle cried each time for about 3 seconds and that was it. He was smiling a minute later when I put him in his car seat. I never felt like the nurse gave me a sincere apology, which really bugged me.

Yesterday brought back annoying memories of my OBGYN visits the last couple months of my pregnancy. I was always brought to the exam room right away, but then would wait FOREVER for the doctor to come in. Keep in mind, the whole time I waited, I was sitting on that table with my paper skirt and a HUGE belly with no backrest...VERY uncomfortable!! Again, I'd hear all this laughter and chatter out in the hall (including my doctors). And then no apology when they'd come in 20 minutes later. Aunt Marion, is this normal??

Enough venting. As I had hoped, the shots appear to have made Kyle sleepy again. He slept for 6.5 and 5 hrs stretches last night...YIPPEE!! I'm sooooo hoping that this resets his sleep clock and he'll go back to sleeping through the night. Time will tell...

Happy 18 Week Birthday Kyle!

Gosh, it's getting hard to keep track of how many weeks old Kyle is these days. Good thing I have this blog to refer to! Kyle weighed in at 16 lbs 1 oz before his bath tonight. So his good weight gain continues (along with his poor sleeping at night). Operation Unswaddle went amazingly well! He just flails around for a while before falling asleep, but then sleeps pretty much the same as before (although that brief stretch of 4 hr naps appears to be a thing of the past). He likes to rotate himself 90 degrees, so that he sleeps the short length of the crib...maybe it makes him feel more "contained", now that he's not swaddled? Over the last month, he's really become an easy, predictable baby and we just love him so much :)

I've started back working (from home) this past week, during Kyle's naps and evenings. It's actually been nice to shift out of "mommy mode" for a few hours each day! I really enjoy my job and feel very fortunate to have this flexible arrangement. I'm taking it day by day, but for now, it's working out very well. On that note, I'll think I'll go do a little work before bed...

4 Months!

Now that Kyle's 4 months old, I'm hoping he'll decide it's time to start sleeping through the night (heck, I'd even take a 4 hr stretch!)...this lack of sleep is really getting to me! But he has been taking a VERY long nap each day...about 4 hrs! So that is great and hopefully continues. As you can see, he's up to 15 lbs 12 oz, which puts him in the 55th percentile. So he's definitely headed in the right direction.

I felt better after reading that spitting up peaks around 4 months, because he's been spitting up like CRAZY lately! He's also started making this new sound...he's graduated from squeaking and is on to roaring (like a dragon!). It's a very funny, strange sound and we haven't quite figured out its meaning. Like the squeak, it also appears to be multi-functional, appropriate for all occasions.

We're also attempting to wean him of the swaddle. Actually, wean is probably the wrong word...we're going cold turkey. He kicks his legs out of it all the time now and that seems to annoy him and wakes him up. So then we go in and fix it, and he just does it again. It's becoming a very annoying cycle, so we think it's time. He took his evening nap without it and did okay (once we moved him out of a pool of spit-up). And we figure he can't sleep any worse at night than he already is, so this seemed like a good time to break the habit. We'll see how tonight goes.

And for those wondering, Kyle is DEFINITELY not constipated anymore! He had 5 rather large "movements" today. Maybe he'll sleep better tonight, now that he's all cleaned out. Wishful thinking I'm sure...

Happy 17 Week Birthday Kyle!

The older Kyle gets, the more he sleeps during the day, but the less he sleeps at night. Obviously, this isn't a good trend! It's been a month and a half now of him getting up every few hours at night. I've literally come to dread the nights (and I used to LOVE crawling into bed at night). But during the day, I feel okay and function surprisingly well. So my body must be used to the lack of sleep. On the bright side, he took a 4.5 hr nap today! This is by far his longest ever. I think he's closing in on Alex's record :)

And of course the other bright side in all of this is his weight gain. He's up to 15 lbs 10 oz, so he gained 10 oz this week. Hopefully one of these days his body will feel "caught up" and he'll start sleeping through the night again!

As I type this, I realize how boring my blog is...it's all about sleep and weight gain. So here's a new topic...constipation! Kyle went over 48 hrs without pooping, which is VERY unusual for him (he usually goes about 4 times/day). The poor little guy would lie on his back and grunt and groan and push to no avail...very sad :( He finally went around midnight last night but hasn't gone since. Perhaps this was "TMI" (too much information)...maybe I should stick to sleep and weight gain...

Liberated!

I feel very liberated...a couple days ago, I made the executive decision not to rock Kyle to sleep anymore before his naps. From what I read, he's at the age where he needs to learn to fall asleep on his own. So now, I just swaddle him, sing a song, and deposit him in his crib wide awake. I was expecting the worst, that he'd cry for a long time. But he's only been crying (not hysterically) for about 5-10 minutes and then falls asleep. This is liberating because he would SCREAM for >10 minutes when rocking him to sleep...he would be hysterical, get all sweaty and hoarse, and then eventually fall asleep. Then I'd keep rocking him for another 10 minutes, so that he'd get into a deep sleep and survive the transfer into the crib. The whole process took about a half hour and was very unpleasant for both of us! I used to dread his naps because of this routine...now I look forward to every minute of them! The next task will be "operation unswaddle", which may commence this weekend.

And as you can see, Kyle's ready for spring training!

Happy 16 Week Birthday Kyle!

I've definitely been slacking in the blogging department recently! I'm going to blame it on lack of sleep. Kyle continues to wake every couple hours in the night to nurse. And I truly believe that he is hungry, because Jared has tried a bunch of times to rock him back to sleep without me feeding him, but he wakes up right away screaming. He gained 10 oz this week though and is up to 15 lbs even. So that's the silver lining in all of this.

We enjoyed Jared's final week home. Last Tuesday, Kyle met his great grandparents and great uncle for the first time. It was his longest car ride yet (about 1:45). He did pretty well until the end, when he started getting fussy. So on the way home, we broke up the drive by stopping at Pirate Grammy's (she had cataract surgery that morning so was wearing a patch over her eye). We got to pick up the beautiful quilt that she made Kyle too (I'll have to post a picture of it soon).

Then Friday night, with his pants hiked up nice and high, Kyle made his first visit to Westborough. He seemed to enjoy watching his cousins play, and even took an 1.5 hr nap in Rachel's crib. And I very much enjoyed watching Alex's Elaine Benes dance impersonation...I'll post the video once I get it off my camera (I wish the Flip had Eye-Fi technology).

And those were Kyle's outings this week. In addition to laughing, he's also started squeaking a lot...he squeaks when he's happy, he squeaks when he's hungry, he squeaks when he's about to spit up, etc...it's a very all-purpose sound. He's also started attempting to roll over every time we change his diaper, swaddle him, dress him...very annoying! Jared calls his new maneuver "the twist". And he's finally growing some hair on his head...he's gaining on his daddy!

Hopefully I'll get back on track and post again before next Monday!