Kyle enjoyed his first Thanksgiving yesterday. Over the river and through the woods, to Grammy's house we went! Kyle was happy to see his Nonnie again, and enjoyed meeting his Vermont relatives. And everyone except Kyle pigged out on the yummy feast that Grammy cooked up!
There were a couple negatives though. First, Kyle went through the only two outfits he had yesterday (in less than an hour nonetheless!)...he peed through his "real" outfit and then pooped through the back-up outfit (a sleeper) I had in his diaper bag. I thought pee was better than poop, so I rinsed out the pee outfit and put it in the dryer for a few minutes and Kyle wore that the rest of the day. Needless to say, I learned that I need to keep a couple backup outfits in the diaper bag!
The other negative occurred on the drive home. We went the back roads (395 to 44) to avoid a potential backup at the Mass Pike/I-84 interchange. Other than the fact that sitting in traffic is frustrating, we did this mostly because Kyle starts crying as soon as the car stops moving (or even slows down). It was smooth sailing, and Kyle was asleep, until we got off 395 and had to stop for a police checkpoint in Putnam. I guess they were checking for registration, seatbelts and drunk driving. Of course this was enough to wake up Kyle and he proceeded to SCREAM the rest of the ride home (which was about 40 minutes). So our plan backfired on us!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sleepyhead
Kyle has been a big sleepyhead since his shots. I had heard that it may have that affect on him, and boy did it ever! He slept on me for hours today (and last night), and I loved every minute of it! He hasn't slept that long on me (or really at all!) since those first few days home from the hospital. So I guess the bright side of him getting shots is that he gets really sleepy and cuddly. He doesn't seem to have a fever or be in any pain...just very groggy. Hopefully he'll stay sleepy through the night!
Monday, November 24, 2008
2 Month Checkup
Kyle had his 2 month checkup today, which included his first round of shots. Obviously, I wasn't looking forward to this, but I wasn't dreading it either. It definitely hit me harder than I was expecting though. I actually cried (not hysterically, just tears in my eyes) when the needles went in and he let out this sad, weird cry that I've never heard before :( It was the same feeling (only a billion times stronger) I get when bringing our cat to the vet...he's shaking and terrified and I can't explain to him why he's there. Poor little guy! He's asleep on Jared right now and seems to be recovering okay.
He now weighs 11 lbs 15 oz and is a little over 24 inches. I was disappointed with the weight, as it's on the low end of "normal" gain since his last appointment. But I was also expecting it, since he gets so squirmy/gassy while nursing that I don't think he eats as much as he'd like. I think I'll have a lactation consultant come to the house, to see if there's anything I can do to improve his nursing. The doctor is comfortable with his weight though and told me not to worry about it, and not to supplement with formula or wake him up in the night to eat. He doesn't need to see him back until 4 months but said I could bring him in before then to get him weighed if I wanted. It's funny how it always seems like everyone's babies are in the 99th percentile, so I just assumed ours would be too (especially since Jared and I are both "top percentile" folks ourselves). And here Kyle's only in the 37th percentile for weight (76th for length). Oh well, the doctor says he's healthy and doing well, so I know I shouldn't worry. I just wish nursing was an easier, more comfortable experience for him!
He now weighs 11 lbs 15 oz and is a little over 24 inches. I was disappointed with the weight, as it's on the low end of "normal" gain since his last appointment. But I was also expecting it, since he gets so squirmy/gassy while nursing that I don't think he eats as much as he'd like. I think I'll have a lactation consultant come to the house, to see if there's anything I can do to improve his nursing. The doctor is comfortable with his weight though and told me not to worry about it, and not to supplement with formula or wake him up in the night to eat. He doesn't need to see him back until 4 months but said I could bring him in before then to get him weighed if I wanted. It's funny how it always seems like everyone's babies are in the 99th percentile, so I just assumed ours would be too (especially since Jared and I are both "top percentile" folks ourselves). And here Kyle's only in the 37th percentile for weight (76th for length). Oh well, the doctor says he's healthy and doing well, so I know I shouldn't worry. I just wish nursing was an easier, more comfortable experience for him!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
The Napster
Kyle, a.k.a. "The Napster", took his longest nap ever today...almost 3 hrs! And the best part was his timing...he fell asleep right at 1pm (kickoff) and slept until almost 4pm (halfway through the 4th quarter). What a thoughtful little fellow he is, allowing us to watch the Pats game in peace.
It's the weirdest thing...the last 3 mornings, after he wakes up and is "talking", Kyle rotates himself 180 degrees in the crib, meaning he starts with his head at one end and ends up with it at the other. And he does this while fully swaddled in the Miracle Blanket! I've seen him in action...he uses his butt as the pivot point and rocks/wiggles his way around. It's a tight fit around 90 degrees (the short length of the crib), but he makes it through. And fortunately he rotates clockwise, which keeps his swaddle in tact (if he went the other way he would pull it apart). As Grammy said, he could rotate a full 360 degrees in the night and we'd never know!
It's the weirdest thing...the last 3 mornings, after he wakes up and is "talking", Kyle rotates himself 180 degrees in the crib, meaning he starts with his head at one end and ends up with it at the other. And he does this while fully swaddled in the Miracle Blanket! I've seen him in action...he uses his butt as the pivot point and rocks/wiggles his way around. It's a tight fit around 90 degrees (the short length of the crib), but he makes it through. And fortunately he rotates clockwise, which keeps his swaddle in tact (if he went the other way he would pull it apart). As Grammy said, he could rotate a full 360 degrees in the night and we'd never know!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Kyle's First Bottle
Kyle (on his 2 month birthday) had his first bottle today and enjoyed every last drop! I pumped this morning for the first time and got a little over 3 ounces...not a full meal for him but this was just a test to see if he'd take a bottle. Jared gave it to him and he took to it right away. When he finished, he looked at Jared and cried, as if to say "where's the other one"?! So I'll have to start building up a supply, so that I can leave the house for more than a couple hours...what a liberating feeling that will be! And it's definitely nice bonding for Daddy and Kyle.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Sound Sleeper
So I "reprimanded" Jared this morning when he thundered down the stairs around 5:30 to eat breakfast, because Kyle had just fallen back asleep after his feeding and Jared's "thud thud, thud thud" woke him up (although fortunately he fell back asleep). So why is the title of this post "Sound Sleeper" you ask? Well, I tried to fall back asleep after this but couldn't. So I decided to get up and have some quiet time before Kyle woke up. Practicing what I preach, I very quietly descended the stairs, when all of the sudden "WOO WOO WOO WOO"...I had forgotten to turn off our security system and tripped the motion detector and it is the LOUDEST sound you can imagine!
The few times I've accidentally set off the alarm, it literally has me shaking and my heart racing for about 15 minutes after I shut it off. It is just truly the loudest, most piercing sound you can imagine. So as I'm racing to the keypad to shut it off, I'm not even thinking "oh shoot, I woke Kyle up" (that's a given), but instead I'm thinking "oh my gosh, I've permanently damaged Kyle's hearing!". So I shut it off, the security company called and I gave them the password and told them I was fine. And then I looked at the baby monitor and Kyle was still sound asleep! I was absolutely shocked and sat there watching him on the monitor for about ten minutes until I saw a little movement (so I knew he was alive because I couldn't imagine sleeping through that noise!). I think Kyle is turning a corner in the sleep department...yesterday's hour nap turned into a 2+ hr nap and now he slept through a 70,000 decibel sound! And he's still asleep now. Go figure!
The few times I've accidentally set off the alarm, it literally has me shaking and my heart racing for about 15 minutes after I shut it off. It is just truly the loudest, most piercing sound you can imagine. So as I'm racing to the keypad to shut it off, I'm not even thinking "oh shoot, I woke Kyle up" (that's a given), but instead I'm thinking "oh my gosh, I've permanently damaged Kyle's hearing!". So I shut it off, the security company called and I gave them the password and told them I was fine. And then I looked at the baby monitor and Kyle was still sound asleep! I was absolutely shocked and sat there watching him on the monitor for about ten minutes until I saw a little movement (so I knew he was alive because I couldn't imagine sleeping through that noise!). I think Kyle is turning a corner in the sleep department...yesterday's hour nap turned into a 2+ hr nap and now he slept through a 70,000 decibel sound! And he's still asleep now. Go figure!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
It Finally Happened...
Kyle has been napping in his crib for over an hour!!! As usual, the nap started out with me rocking him to sleep in the glider and then I put him in his crib around 1:45. He woke up minutes later, but I decided to take a shower anyway and just let him cry. When I got out around 2pm, he was asleep, and has been asleep ever since (it is now 3:15). HOORAY!!!! It is truly amazing how long an hour feels! And I'm going out to dinner tonight with Julie, which I am very much looking forward to (my first time dining out since Kyle was born). And tomorrow is Friday. And next week is a short workweek for Jared. Definitely a good day today!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Kyle's Rules
Kyle has very definite "rules" on how to handle him:
Rule #1 - Must hold me at all times (except for brief 15 minute "play sessions" on my playmat, bouncy seat, swing, crib mobile).
Rule #2 - Must sing and dance while holding me. Sound and movement must be continuous...no stopping to catch your breath. And sometimes singing doesn't do it for me and you have to make other creative sounds, like "WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE".
Rule #3 - Under no circumstances are you allowed to sit. Even if you keep singing/rocking me, this is still unacceptable.
Rule #4 - Don't try to get me to nap during the day. Occasionally though, if I'm feeling generous, I'll reward your efforts with a nap half as long as it took you to get me to sleep (e.g. rock me to sleep for 30 minutes and I'll sleep for 15).
If you follow these 4 simple rules, Kyle is a really easy baby! Grammy did a good job obeying his rules today and gave me a very much needed break...thanks Grammy.
Rule #1 - Must hold me at all times (except for brief 15 minute "play sessions" on my playmat, bouncy seat, swing, crib mobile).
Rule #2 - Must sing and dance while holding me. Sound and movement must be continuous...no stopping to catch your breath. And sometimes singing doesn't do it for me and you have to make other creative sounds, like "WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE".
Rule #3 - Under no circumstances are you allowed to sit. Even if you keep singing/rocking me, this is still unacceptable.
Rule #4 - Don't try to get me to nap during the day. Occasionally though, if I'm feeling generous, I'll reward your efforts with a nap half as long as it took you to get me to sleep (e.g. rock me to sleep for 30 minutes and I'll sleep for 15).
If you follow these 4 simple rules, Kyle is a really easy baby! Grammy did a good job obeying his rules today and gave me a very much needed break...thanks Grammy.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Where does time go?
Looking back, what the heck did we do with all our time before Kyle was born? I always felt like we were busy, but I can't tell you exactly what used to fill our evenings and weekends. Now time just seems to fly by, and I never get done what I want to get done (except for hanging out with Kyle of course).
Even though I feel like I didn't stop all weekend, this is all that I have to show for it: cut Jared's hair, made a batch of chili, opened a 529 account for Kyle, sold my old cell phone on eBay, and did 3 loads of laundry. Doesn't sound like much, but somehow that (and caring for Kyle of course, although Jared pretty much takes over on the weekends, except for the nursing) took up the whole weekend!
Oh, one other thing I did this weekend was order Size 2 diapers from diapers.com. I don't have a good handle on diaper prices, but there was a coupon code in Parents magazine for $10 off an order of $50, with free shipping (code = "PARENTS11" if anyone's interested). So I ordered the largest case of Size 2 Swaddlers (184 ct) and "trivisol" drops (a Vitamin D supplement that all breastfed babies are supposed to take in the winter). As luck would have it, it came to almost exactly $50 before the $10 off. Seemed like a good deal. Unfortunately, Kyle's Size 1 diapers are really getting tight on him. This is unfortunate because we way overbought this size and have about 175 diapers left (3 unopened packages that were part of a case so can't be returned). Live and learn...
And for those interested in Kyle's sleep last night (namely, Grammy), he slept from 10-4, and then off and on for brief periods ever since. So I've been awake since 4am, and Jared has basketball tonight, so it's going to be a VERY long day!
Even though I feel like I didn't stop all weekend, this is all that I have to show for it: cut Jared's hair, made a batch of chili, opened a 529 account for Kyle, sold my old cell phone on eBay, and did 3 loads of laundry. Doesn't sound like much, but somehow that (and caring for Kyle of course, although Jared pretty much takes over on the weekends, except for the nursing) took up the whole weekend!
Oh, one other thing I did this weekend was order Size 2 diapers from diapers.com. I don't have a good handle on diaper prices, but there was a coupon code in Parents magazine for $10 off an order of $50, with free shipping (code = "PARENTS11" if anyone's interested). So I ordered the largest case of Size 2 Swaddlers (184 ct) and "trivisol" drops (a Vitamin D supplement that all breastfed babies are supposed to take in the winter). As luck would have it, it came to almost exactly $50 before the $10 off. Seemed like a good deal. Unfortunately, Kyle's Size 1 diapers are really getting tight on him. This is unfortunate because we way overbought this size and have about 175 diapers left (3 unopened packages that were part of a case so can't be returned). Live and learn...
And for those interested in Kyle's sleep last night (namely, Grammy), he slept from 10-4, and then off and on for brief periods ever since. So I've been awake since 4am, and Jared has basketball tonight, so it's going to be a VERY long day!
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