Holding Hands

All the boys fell asleep in the car and Jaxon was holding Ollie's hand.  It was precious!

One in a Million

This little cutie is an amazing sleeper.  He usually sleeps from 9 pm to 7 am.  (Sometimes he'll eat around 5 am then go back to sleep.)  I think it's pretty rare for a 2 month old to do that.  My other boys didn't do that until they were close to a year.  His long nights worried me at first, but he eats tons during the day and is growing normally, so I think he's just fine.  I almost don't want to say it out loud or tell people he's such a good sleeper because I'm afraid I'll jinx it!

I LOVE THIS LITTLE GUY!

He is almost done with the antibiotics for his pneumonia and is doing much better!  Seeing him sick was the saddest thing.  He didn't smile for 3 days.  Poor little guy was probably so miserable.  I'm thankful for prayer and medicine!

PS  Henry hasn't been waking at night anymore either!  He has a few fits during the day, like a normal 2 year old, but his night fits seem to be few and far between now.  Hallelujah!

A Little Too Much

Oliver gets so much love from his brothers it scares him sometimes.

Oliver loves Oma

As you can see, Henry is still in the habit of falling asleep while eating.

6 Weeks

Oliver was 6 weeks yesterday!  And how did he celebrate?  By sleeping 8 hours through the night, of course!  I am one lucky (and thankful!) mama!

I can't believe it!  It seems like yesterday we were in the hospital celebrating his arrival.  But, on the other hand, it also feels like we've known Oliver forever and he has always been a part of our family.  He's a wonderful blessing!

2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back

Henry had 6 fit-free nights in a row!  Then, he had a fit last night.  At least he's improving.

And I have to face it:  I have quite a bit less free time now that Oliver is here.  Time I spent blogging or cleaning or on projects is now spent nursing or changing or holding him.  I am definitely not complaining.  I just need to realize that while he is this little, I won't be getting as much done in a day.

I am thankful to be a mommy:)

Night Sweats

I have never really had sleeping problems.  (a blessing!)  But, ever since Oliver was born, I have been getting SO sweaty at night!  We keep our house at 70 degrees right now and it's still a bit chilly for me.  I have no idea why I have been getting so hot at night.  It stinks because I get hot, sweat, and then get freezing because I'm damp and it's cold inside!

I figured it was just caused by my hormones getting back to their usual levels.  I had my 2 week postpartum check up today and asked the doc about it.  She said I was right--it was most likely my hormones since I had no other symptoms of sickness or anything else concerning.

Then I read this:

From the moment your baby is born, hormonal changes cause your midsection to deflate, shrinking it back to something closer to its pre-pregnancy state. It takes about four weeks for your uterus to contract to its normal size. All the cells in your body that swelled during pregnancy will begin releasing their fluids in the form of urine, vaginal secretions, and sweat. And the extra fat you put on to nourish the baby will start burning off (especially if you're nursing and exercising). But it takes at least a few weeks to see noticeable results.


I guess that's what my body is doing.  It's trying to release extra fluids and get thin again.  I'm okay with that.

Mommy Advise Please

We moved Henry to Jaxon's room so the nursery would be ready for the baby.  The day came last week when he climbed out of the crib on his own.  After that, I don't dare put him in it since he could fall on his head or something.  So, he was pretty cooperative the first night and will still go to bed good, but the problem is he wakes up in the night and cries for water or for us to fix his blanket.  Then, he's up for about an hour complaining about anything he can think of...his pajama shirt is broken, his blanket isn't quite right, he needs more water, etc.  It is driving Devin and me crazy!  What should we do???!!!    

I was thinking of setting a cup out and telling him that if he wants water he needs to get it himself.  Then, after getting up with him once, shutting our bedroom door so he knows we aren't going to stay up with him and his shenanigans.  I don't want him to feel like we'll never help him, but he mostly cries for water and he can do that himself and the rest of the excuses he comes up with are all fake anyway.  I'm willing to get up if he really needs something, but I feel like he needs to know we aren't going to be up every night (usually twice) for an hour at a time.  Advise please???!!!

Being up during the night means he falls asleep while playing.  His feel are dangling!

Oh, and the pains I was having have gone away so I don't think they were just from my uterus being "worn out."  I think they were related to having the flu.  I am really glad I am feeling good again and it doesn't hurt to move anymore.  I'm just extremely tired!  

3 women I know have had their babies in the past week and I'm so close, but still so far away!  I can't wait!

36 weeks

And I still have to check my sugars 4 times a day.  They are alway where they are supposed to be so I don't know what we are checking for anymore.  Devin says I should just forget about it.  The hardest part is waiting 2 hours after eating to test.  I get so hungry!  My stomach doesn't have much room to fill up so my meals are small and don't fill me up for long.  Most times, by the time it has been 2 hours I feel weak and shaky.  At least the baby is doing good and I'm almost done being pregnant.

4 AM

I don't know what's going on, but every morning at 4:00 am anything in our house that breathes thinks it's time to start making noise to wake me up.  This means the dogs and Jaxon and Henry.  It's driving me crazy!  I have to get up at 5:30 and when our dumb dogs come running into our room at 4, I can not get back to sleep!  Then Jaxon usually needs a bathroom break and for some reason has to come let me know he went in the toilet and not his bed.  Then Henry cries for "water" or the "other one," meaning his other binki since he sleeps with two and if he can't find one, he cries for me to come help.  Devin tries to help, but it only makes Henry scream louder.  So I'm basically wide awake after all that.  I NEED my sleep!  No wonder I can't hold my eyes open after 9:00 pm!

Oh a happier, less complain-y note...I made bread (it was vegan, if you are my crazy vegan family and wondering, but only because we didn't have any eggs) yesterday and it makes the most delicious toast!  Homemade toast + UT peaches = heaven!

Books & Pestering

When I put Henry to sleep for a nap he usually reads to himself a little before falling asleep.  Here's the adorable proof:

One of Henry's favorite things to do is pester Jaxon.  When Jaxon is already upset about something, Henry will just say, "Jaxie, Jaxie, Jaxie" over and over again.  Jaxon will yell at him to stop because he's already angry, but it doesn't even phase Henry.  He just keeps doing it.  It's so funny to watch and really hard not to laugh!

Having one child is so wonderful, but when you add a second to the mix, there are so many more joys that come because of how they interact with each other.

Heating Pad

Every night when I brush my teeth I put my heating pad under the covers at the foot of my bed and turn it on.  Then, when I'm done brushing my teeth and get in bed it's nice and toasty on my cold footsies.  I'm glad I came up with this great idea because my feet are always cold when I get in bed.  Then I try to warm them up on Devin and though he lets me, I feel kinda bad doing it because I don't like it when he puts his cold feet on me.  But he is so sweet for insisting that he doesn't mind.

Oh, but I have to turn it off when I start dozing off or else I wake up all sweaty.  Ew.

Sleep?

On January 12, this is how I found Jaxon...

Then, on January 13, this is how I found Henry...

Are they trying to tell me something??

Baby Wise Confused Me

Okay, so I am confused...I read the book Baby Wise and I tried getting Henry on their suggested schedule of eat, play, sleep.  I know it's better for kids not to fall asleep eating so I don't let him do that, but he is always hungry before going to sleep.  I don't think I should let him cry when he's hungry just so he'll fall asleep so he can eat when he wakes up.  I really tried doing it for a few days but it made him take like a 30 minute nap and then he would wake up because he was HUNGRY.  I don't know what to do.  The book makes it sound like when the baby is on this schedule everyones lives are easier.  I'll tell ya, I don't know anyone's life who became easier while trying to do this.  It also makes it sound like if we don't have our babies on this schedule, they will grow to have sleeping disorders that will effect them the rest of their lives.  And, it says they put tons of babies on this schedule and they were all sleeping through the night by like 12 weeks.  I've always heard (and believed) that all babies are different with different needs, but this book makes it sound like this schedule is for ALL babies.

I have heard a lot of people doing this method, but I just can't see it working for Henry.  If any one has experience of their own with this, please share it. 

At his age of 3 months, the books says he should eat 4 to 5 times a day and none of those feedings should be at night and his naps should be 1 1/2 to 2 hours long.   

So, lets see here...If he ate 5 times a day, from 7 am to 10 pm, that's 15 hours that's every 3 hours (day time feedings only).  There is supposed to be about a 2 hour nap then he's only awake for about an hour at a time and he takes 5 naps a day...Not Henry.  It's different every time.  It's partly my fault because I don't think he eats a full feeding every time.  Sometimes I have to stop him before he is really done because I have another kid to deal with.  So, he only gets a snack.  That's reality!  And, he's not ready to go to sleep after being awake for an hour.  He eats more and sleeps less than the book says a baby his age should.

I dumped the book for a few days and they have been way happier days!  I feed him when he's hungry and it is somewhat of a schedule.  But, I guess he eats more often than the book says and he naps less.  His pattern is eat, play, eat, nap, with 3 naps a day--morning, early afternoon, and a short one in the late afternoon to get him through the evening.  Then, 2 or 3 feedings at night. It's about 6 to 8 times a day and 2 or 3 at night.  I asked a few other moms with babies Henry's age and a little older and they say their babies are still eating like 2 hours apart and some 1 1/2. 

I think Henry's problem is he doesn't get a full meal when he wakes up so he can't make it until the next time he wakes up.  But now, he is used to these short(er) meals, only like 10 minutes, when it should be more like 20 or 30, though the book does say a baby can drain a breast in 7 minutes, so maybe he just eats fast, but I have been trying to make him eat longer and he is uninterested and gets mad about it.

Anyway, people probably don't even care about this and probably won't even finish reading it...but I'm wondering:  Is this scheduling plan really possible, or am I just a totally unorganized mother who can't successfully deal with 2 kids to put her little baby on a schedule causing everyone's life suffers because of it?!