Boyd update

Lots of progress for Boyd these past couple of weeks! He can sit up, unassisted, in the Bumbo seat. Not sure how much longer he'll be able to fit in it because of his chubby baby legs! He's such a chunky monkey, our boy. I'm glad I found the Bumbo for cheap on Craigslist - would have kicked myself for paying full price when he'll only fit it for a short time.

I've said it before, but it's pretty amazing to see the changes in his abilities from week to week. Just in the last few days he's been blowing raspberries with his mouth. It cracks me up to hear him doing this! I try to imitate him and blow along with him so he keeps doing it. I read that this is an important milestone - it means he's on track for speaking and communication skills. He's ahead of schedule for rolling over on to his stomach from his back - he's supposed to do this after rolling the other way (front to back). And he's much stronger at pushing up on his arms/lifting head high during tummy time. He doesn't hate it so much anymore.

Last night he slept for a 3.5 hour stretch and again for 4 hours. Not totally ideal but better than it has been! I hope the sleep regression is waning a bit. Teething seems to bother him a little too. Still loves to laugh and giggle when we play around.

We have his 4-month appointment on Monday - immunizations, track progress, height/weight/head circumference, eating & sleeping habits, etc. I'm pretty curious to see what his official weight will be. Our pediatrician enters all of the info into the computer during the appointment so we can see where his measurements fall on a nifty progress graph.

Yum, monkeys for dinner.

Mischievous look

Tough boy.

I swear he has bottoms on - the Bumbo covers his onesie! Look at those fat legs! I have to pry him out of the seat.

Boyd - 4 months

The munchkin turned 4 months old on June 14 - I can't believe it! He has definitely found his hands - he's been grabbing everything within his field of vision and then putting those things in his mouth. Everything has baby drool on it! Just a side effect of the teething process, I guess. He loves playing around with his activity mat and interacting with people. I love that Boyd is such a smiley, happy baby most of the time. He is really friendly to everyone and likes being held - I hope this continues!

We have him on a 4-hour eating schedule and while that has worked out fine, the nap/sleep schedule is turning out to be more difficult to nail down. And sleep issues have reared their ugly head again. Beginning a couple weeks ago Boyd would wake up multiple times in the night, refuse to go down easily and generally drive us crazy with sleep deprivation. I think it's a combination of 4-month sleep regression and him trying to roll over in his sleep, with a helping of teething thrown in for good measure. Lately all he wants to do is sleep on his side - he gets so mad if he ends up on his back.

Last night he went down at 10:45 pm and then woke at 1 am for a feeding, after which he was up for 2.5 hours. I was exhausted. Finally I remembered that D had swaddled Boyd for a nap to get him to sleep - I tried it along with the pacifier and little B was out like a light in under a minute. At 7 am I found him grunting and fussing after he had rolled over on his tummy by himself. It's the first time I had seen that!

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to my sweet mother-in-law, Mim! She and Don are currently waylaid in Canada but we hope to see them sometime soon.

When they and my mom finally arrive in town, I'm thinking we should do a big combined Mother's Day/Father's Day/birthday celebration.

Baby sign language

We've are hoping to teach Boyd some basic sign language so he can communicate with us before he learns to talk. Most of my friends have done this with their kids and it's amazing to see them ask for milk or signal that they're all done with lunch or want more water, all without saying a word!

I received some books and cd's as gifts that help teach baby sign language, but this cute little illustration is a great visual tutorial of the most basic signs. 

Sleepy time

As you can imagine sleep is a big issue in our household. Over time, Boyd has improved his sleep habits. We used to have to swaddle and rock him to sleep for every nap and at nighttime, and then sneak out quietly. Now we get him good and tired before laying him down sleepy but awake.

The first nap of the day is usually the easiest - once he went down within a minute! In the evening he still gets a little fussy (no colic anymore, thank goodness!) so I feed him before bed. Last night it took a few hours before he fell into a deep sleep at 11:45 pm. He woke up around 4:30 am to nurse for 1/2 hour and then back to bed until 8:15 am. I try to be up by 7:15 but was so tired this morning and slept until 8. Hope to catch up on sleep this weekend!

Boyd - 3 1/2 months

Our little man is showing signs of wanting to roll over. Lots of movement and drawing his legs up to his chest. His neck is much stronger and now he has been pulling his upper body forward when sitting up. He can sit in the Bumbo now for short periods of time by himself. His legs are powerful too - he kicked my tummy the other day, ouch!

Hee hee, I think he looks like Uncle Fester from the Addams Family in this outfit!

I looked on Craigslist and bought Boyd some warm Patagonia and Columbia outerwear/bunting for use this summer and into the fall/winter season. Baby outdoor gear is expensive! He'll only wear the bunting for one season so I don't mind going used and cheap(er). I splurged on his polyester base layers from REI since cotton is horrible for wicking away moisture and practically all baby clothes are made with cotton.

He's still growing like crazy - unofficial measurement is 26 inches long and at least 17 or 18 pounds. The next pediatrician appointment is at the end of June. He was in the 85th percentile for height, weight and head circumference and I expect that will continue.

Two nights ago Boyd slept for almost 8 hours straight! Thank you baby Jesus, I needed the sleep. Last night he slept for 2 four-hour stretches. I think he would have slept straight through but he seemed quite gassy and it was obviously bothering him. If I can get at least 4 hours at a time it helps me function a little better at work - these 2-3 hour wake-ups are ridiculous! Still on the colic diet - am trying to keep it going until he turns 4 months and can theoretically handle gassy foods better. I have no evidence that my diet is even the cause of his gassiness but it's helped me shed the pounds!

Boyd is the happiest, sweetest baby! Sometimes we have daytime fussiness which is usually due to being overtired or hungry (or having a huge diaper blowout!), but normally he has a lovely disposition. We've heard A LOT of giggling and full out laughter from him lately - it's hilarious to make him laugh and see his face light up. It's great to see his personality emerge little by little.

Back to work

The end of my maternity leave has finally come and I'm back at work full-time now. I plan on submitting a proposal outlining a reduced workweek for myself - first choice is Mondays off (4-day workweek) and second choice is 6-hour days (5-day workweek). My boss already has Fridays off, which would have been my first choice.

Please send positive thoughts my way! I really miss Boyd and it has been difficult to leave him in the mornings before work. I wake him at 8 am, get him changed, nurse for 30-40 minutes and then leave so I can be at the office by 9 am. I feel like having Mondays at home will make me a better mom and employee - I can totally focus on Boyd for 3 days and then still be fulfilled professionally 4 days a week.

While I was out on leave, my office was moved to a smaller space down the hall with no personal bathroom (bummer!). But I have a much bigger window now that I can look out of - my other one was behind me so I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I'm still in the process of organizing everything and need some work done on the walls but so far I'm ok with the move.

In positive news - I put ALL of my maternity clothes away last week! I've been wearing my old clothes for a few weeks now and it feels so good to have lost the majority of the baby weight. My goal is to lose 5-7 more pounds to weigh less than I did pre-pregnancy. And of course my belly is still a bit poochy, but I'm making progress!

Boyd - cool guy

Somebody got new shades from Uncle Gabe and a snazzy handmade owl hat from my coworker Charlyn!

Bath & tummy time

Boyd - 12 weeks

3 months! Boyd is eating like a champ. We've moved to a 3-hour schedule where he nurses on both sides. Before he was nursing every 2 hours on one side. This has freed up my day a little.

Usually he is up by 8 am or so and ready to start the day. He's been going to bed between 10 and 11 pm with 1-2 wake-ups before morning. Gas is a big problem for him so I'm continuing my colic diet and we give him baby gas drops at mealtimes.

As evidenced by the photos, Boyd loves putting stuff in his mouth! He is still getting the hang of his hands but every week we see improvement.

Boyd - 11 weeks

It has been a rough few weeks. Single parenting is HARD! I see now why sleep deprivation is used as a torture device.

On the bright side - last night Boyd slept for more than 6 hours! All in a row, and not in one or 2 hour stretches like usual. :-) He may not sleep that long every night, but each week gets a little better in terms of length. He did scream and cry for almost an hour, and it took me 2 hours to put him down. Why do babies fight sleep so hard?

Oh and I successfully got him to sleep in the crib! I thought it would be a struggle but he's been in there for the last 3 nights with no problems. The bassinet was just getting too cramped for his growing body. What's funny is I usually swaddle him for nighttime sleep (the photo below of him in the crib is from nap time) and he always ends up either 90 or 180 degrees rotated from where I put him down. How does he move like that when swaddled? He's like a wiggly little worm!

It's amazing the changes that take place from week to week in Boyd's behavior and development. It seems like he is right on track. He does hate tummy time though! I have to trick him into doing it by placing him face down on my belly and interacting with him that way.

We've been going for stroller walks every week with friends and alone. That and the strict diet is helping me shed my pregnancy pounds.

Boyd - 10 weeks

Boyd is smiling, laughing and giggling up a storm! He smiles at me when I go into his room in the morning - it just warms my heart. He loves looking at his mobile and toys, especially over the changing table.

He's drooling like crazy too. Apparently babies do in preparation for putting things in their mouths. The drool acts like a protective barrier against germs.

At the pediatrician's office last week, Boyd weighed a healthy 14 pounds. The nursing is going fine but I've had to cut out a lot of gassy foods (all dairy, eggs, chocolate, broccoli, cabbage, onions, garlic, nuts, beans, caffeine, etc.) from my diet because of his colic issues. He cries and fusses every evening, which is very difficult for me since D is gone Mon-Fri all week on a job 2 hours away. We're making it work - its just challenging right now.

Boyd - 8 weeks

He's growing so fast!

Photo Book

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First bath

Boyd's first bath went so well! His umbilical cord fell off around the 2 week mark so at 3 weeks it was time for our baby to get more than just a sponge bath.

A friend of ours has let us borrow a couple baby tubs - this one has an infant insert so Boyd just floats in the warm water.

Clean, happy baby!