Yes, I'm behind. I'm sorry. Somebody in this house is a VERY busy boy that doesn't give mama much time to sit and blog!
I can't remember exactly when he started doing things now so I'll just give you the list of what he's doing how at just about 8 1/2 months :)
-climbing anything he can
-crawling everywhere
-pulling up and cruising on anything he can
-saying 'mama', 'dada', 'baba', 'lala', 'gaga' and I'm sure a few more combinations I'm forgetting
-starting to sign "more"
-starting to mimic
-waving 'bye bye'
-getting very close to clapping but is more slapping one hand of the back of the other
-still taking 2 solid naps and sleeping 11-12 hours a night. He did recently go through a period of thinking 5:30am was wake up and play time but fortunately h'e back to his usual wake up.
-Still breastfeeding or taking a bottle of breastmilk 4 times a day (but still hates the bottle), eating three meals and one snack. We've recently starting letting him try all sorts of table foods and he's loving that.
-Self feeding himself bread, cheese, pieces of fruit, pasta and beans.
-Has the beginnings of 4 teeth but they still haven't decided to make a great appearance yet.
-plays, plays, plays! The boy does NOT like to sit still!
I think that's all the big things. He's growing like a weed! I can't wait until his 9 month well baby check to see where he is height and weight wise, last we weighed him he was close to 19 lbs but we haven't measured him. He is just so much fun right now I can't stand it. So curious and smart and busy. Exhaustingly busy!
I'm still working 2-3 days a week and Anderson loves his daycare. Big news for me and work is that I've officially decided to start my doctorate at the University of Utah! I may be crazy but when we really talked about it and looked into the program it really is the best time to do it. It's all online and will take about 2 years to finish. I'm excited and nervous all in one! I'll start my first 2 classes in August.
Todd leaves for Red Flag in Vegas on Friday for 2 weeks of training. He recently completed his Multi Ship Mission Lead (MML) where he basically can now be the mission lead for a 2 jet mission. While at Red Flag he's going to get his Mission Commander upgrade where he will be the mission lead for not just B1s but all aircraft in the mission usually including F15s, A10s, AWACs and KC135s. He's very excited about his new roles and abilities in the B1.
My sister was here the entire month of June and it was WONDERFUL spending so much time with her and having the extra set of hands with the little man! We miss her tons!
While she was here we made our big summer vacation to Salt Lake City for a wedding, for me to visit UofU and see some new places. It was a lot of fun but very tiring with an 8 month old!
No big plans for August then hoping to head to Texas in September and catch a football game!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Half Birthday!
Yesterday Anderson turned 6 months old! I can't believe he's already half way to his first birthday! He's a very busy boy! He's crawling, bear crawling, trying to pull up, playing and putting EVERYTHING in his mouth. He's full of energy and always looking to do the next thing! I fear he is going to be an exhausting toddler!
At his 6 month appointment he weighed in at 16lbs and almost 27" long. His doctor was pleased with his growth and everything he is doing. Next check up won't be until 9months.
He's now taking 2 naps a day both ranging from 1.5-2hrs on a good day and going to bed between 7/7:30 and waking up sometime between 6:30/7 usually. We certainly have our "off" days but overall I'm really happy with our current schedule.
He's still breastfeeding 4 times a day and eating solid foods 3 times a day. It's still a little hit or miss on the solids. Some days he can't get enough and other days he's not too interested. His favorites are definitely apples, avocados,carrots and yogurt. We tried a few "puffs" and a "mum mum" yesterday and he was a big fan of feeding himself.
We switched his car seat from the infant carrier to the convertible this past weekend and he loves it so much better. He loves sitting up more and looking out the window. And its nice to not have to lug around the super heavy carrier when we run errands! Now he sits in the basket when we go to Target or the grocery store and he loves it.
His favorite things to do right now are sit and play with toys, crawl and try to pull up on things and blow LOTS of raspberries. He is just so fun right now:)
As for me...only working 1-2 days a week right now because my day care lady is still on maternity leave but thats ok. Todd is busy busy busy at work. So busy that we decided to delay our trip out to Glacier until later this fall. Bummer.
Gosh, I know I'm leaving things out but someone is waking from his nap....
At his 6 month appointment he weighed in at 16lbs and almost 27" long. His doctor was pleased with his growth and everything he is doing. Next check up won't be until 9months.
He's now taking 2 naps a day both ranging from 1.5-2hrs on a good day and going to bed between 7/7:30 and waking up sometime between 6:30/7 usually. We certainly have our "off" days but overall I'm really happy with our current schedule.
He's still breastfeeding 4 times a day and eating solid foods 3 times a day. It's still a little hit or miss on the solids. Some days he can't get enough and other days he's not too interested. His favorites are definitely apples, avocados,carrots and yogurt. We tried a few "puffs" and a "mum mum" yesterday and he was a big fan of feeding himself.
We switched his car seat from the infant carrier to the convertible this past weekend and he loves it so much better. He loves sitting up more and looking out the window. And its nice to not have to lug around the super heavy carrier when we run errands! Now he sits in the basket when we go to Target or the grocery store and he loves it.
His favorite things to do right now are sit and play with toys, crawl and try to pull up on things and blow LOTS of raspberries. He is just so fun right now:)
As for me...only working 1-2 days a week right now because my day care lady is still on maternity leave but thats ok. Todd is busy busy busy at work. So busy that we decided to delay our trip out to Glacier until later this fall. Bummer.
Gosh, I know I'm leaving things out but someone is waking from his nap....
Monday, April 9, 2012
5 Months!
Last week Anderson turned 5 months and he's doing more and more everyday! We didn't have a well baby visit this month but he did have his first ear infection at the end of March and he weighed in right at 16lbs and was around 27inches long. He is completely in 6-9month clothes now.
We started solids right around 4 months because the boy is also SO HUNGRY! Although he seemed so ready to start he didn't pick up on it and seem as interested as I thought he would but man once he finally decided that food was good and filled up his tummy more he has been LOVING it! So far we've introduced sweet potatoes, Japanese sweet potatoes, peas, pears, apples, carrots, papaya, butternut squash and banana. Carrots are by far his favorite but he eats everything pretty well. He also loves drinking juice (1oz of pear juice with 2oz of water) from his straw cup and he's starting to drink more breast milk from the straw cup instead of the bottle to so we'll see if we decide to get rid of bottles soon. He's breastfeeding 5 times a day and getting 2 meals of solids and 1 "snack" a day. I've found giving him the mid day "snack" helps with his reflux a little more. He likes to hold the spoon and put it in his mouth when he eats-such a Mr. Independent.
We finally made the transition between 4 and 5 months to 2 long naps and 1 evening cat nap a day and he's still consistently sleeping 11-11.5 hrs a night! Every once in a while when he stirs around 5am he decides he's hungry and will nurse and go back to sleep until 7 but I'm hoping adding the solids will eliminate this random waking to eat.
Developmentally he is going crazy! He is officially sitting independently for extended periods of time. He loves to sit and play now! He is also currently obsessed with his feet. If he's on his back or on the changing table chances are his feet are in his hands or in his mouth. He rolls back to tummy and tummy to back both ways, does a little army crawling backwards and is soooo close to crawling that he can't stand it. He does this half roll inch worm that is just hilarious :) I give him another week or two then I fear it will be time to start baby proofing! He is a talking/babbling/screeching/squealing machine lately too! I never knew so much noise could come out of something so little! I love listening to him find all the ranges of his voice and am thankful that at least for now, he's not a screamer. He loves any toy that lights up/makes sound and anything that he can put into his mouth.
I think that's all the exciting Anderson updates. Work is still good for me but I won't be working as much during April and May since my daycare lady is on maternity leave. She had her baby boy on April 7. Todd is taking a few days off here and there so I can work and a friend of mine who used to nanny is going to watch him in May a few days a week. Todd is still super busy at work. We had a lovely Easter just the three of us.
We started solids right around 4 months because the boy is also SO HUNGRY! Although he seemed so ready to start he didn't pick up on it and seem as interested as I thought he would but man once he finally decided that food was good and filled up his tummy more he has been LOVING it! So far we've introduced sweet potatoes, Japanese sweet potatoes, peas, pears, apples, carrots, papaya, butternut squash and banana. Carrots are by far his favorite but he eats everything pretty well. He also loves drinking juice (1oz of pear juice with 2oz of water) from his straw cup and he's starting to drink more breast milk from the straw cup instead of the bottle to so we'll see if we decide to get rid of bottles soon. He's breastfeeding 5 times a day and getting 2 meals of solids and 1 "snack" a day. I've found giving him the mid day "snack" helps with his reflux a little more. He likes to hold the spoon and put it in his mouth when he eats-such a Mr. Independent.
We finally made the transition between 4 and 5 months to 2 long naps and 1 evening cat nap a day and he's still consistently sleeping 11-11.5 hrs a night! Every once in a while when he stirs around 5am he decides he's hungry and will nurse and go back to sleep until 7 but I'm hoping adding the solids will eliminate this random waking to eat.
Developmentally he is going crazy! He is officially sitting independently for extended periods of time. He loves to sit and play now! He is also currently obsessed with his feet. If he's on his back or on the changing table chances are his feet are in his hands or in his mouth. He rolls back to tummy and tummy to back both ways, does a little army crawling backwards and is soooo close to crawling that he can't stand it. He does this half roll inch worm that is just hilarious :) I give him another week or two then I fear it will be time to start baby proofing! He is a talking/babbling/screeching/squealing machine lately too! I never knew so much noise could come out of something so little! I love listening to him find all the ranges of his voice and am thankful that at least for now, he's not a screamer. He loves any toy that lights up/makes sound and anything that he can put into his mouth.
I think that's all the exciting Anderson updates. Work is still good for me but I won't be working as much during April and May since my daycare lady is on maternity leave. She had her baby boy on April 7. Todd is taking a few days off here and there so I can work and a friend of mine who used to nanny is going to watch him in May a few days a week. Todd is still super busy at work. We had a lovely Easter just the three of us.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
4 Months!
I sat around all day today wondering if I ever blogged a 4 month post...apparently I did not! It's been a little busy around here to say the least. We got back from our whirlwind 3 week trip on February 21, I started back to work on February 28, Anderson turned 4 months on March 2,Todd got home on March 4 which also happened to be my 28th birthday.
Of course everyone wants Anderson updates first! At his 4month well baby appointment he was right about 15lbs and 26inches long and perfectly healthy as can be :) Dr. Mueller gave us the go ahead to start introducing solids since he is an ever hungry boy! We tried rice cereal, rice cereal with pear juice and oatmeal and none of which he seemed to be too interested in so I decided to just go straight to purees and he loved sweet potatoes! He's not consistently eating a whole lot yet but we're working on it. Right after he turned 3 months he decided that he wanted to have nothing to do with the bottle which was not good for this wanting to go back to work/have a social like breastfeeding mamma! We've literally tried everything and finally found that the only way he will take on is if you sit him in the Bumbo but even then he'll really only take enough to "take the edge off" and will hold out for the boob. I fear weaning is going to be a challenge! At the lactation consultants recommendation we have been working on drinking from a cup. He's actually quite good with the sippy cup and will finish maybe an once of pear/water juice over the course of the day. Of course the OT in me doesn't want him to use a sippy cup so I still work with him with the straw cup as well :) He started daycare 2 days a week so I could go to work and its been going really well with the exception of the bottle. He is always happy with Nicole and naps and plays really well and apparently really likes studying what 15month old Lincoln is up to. He's still sleeping about 10-11 hours at night with random early morning wake ups to eat and still taking 4 naps-2 long and 2 short. He decided he was done with nap time swaddling and the pacifier on the same day but is still sometimes working on the self soothing. He's rolling tummy to back all the time, pushing up on extended arms, playing with toys on his tummy, standing in his activity center and playing with toys, putting everything in his mouth but mostly still his hands, has rolled back to tummy once in his crib and is trying REALLY hard to sit independently which he is doing for about 20seconds or so at a time and LOVES to stand up holding on to anything. He talks all the time and it cracks me up, especially when I'm changing his diaper. He sure has a lot to say for saying absolutely nothing! So far 4 months is as fun as everyone says it is :) It is so fun to watch him grow and develop and become this little person with a funny personality. I just love this little boy to pieces :)
As for me, I started back to work 2 days a week and while it is so hard to leave Anderson all day it definitely makes me feel like I still have a purpose. I enjoy the adult interaction and using my very expensive education :) Two days is definitely the perfect balance of work and being at home. As he gets older I'm sure I'll want to work more though. I will always love my job.
Todd got back from SOS and got thrown right back into the daily grind here flying a lot. Not much going on for him work wise until July thankfully.
As for us as a family, we're planning to make our first family vacation up to Glacier National Park in May, stay tuned for details!
Of course everyone wants Anderson updates first! At his 4month well baby appointment he was right about 15lbs and 26inches long and perfectly healthy as can be :) Dr. Mueller gave us the go ahead to start introducing solids since he is an ever hungry boy! We tried rice cereal, rice cereal with pear juice and oatmeal and none of which he seemed to be too interested in so I decided to just go straight to purees and he loved sweet potatoes! He's not consistently eating a whole lot yet but we're working on it. Right after he turned 3 months he decided that he wanted to have nothing to do with the bottle which was not good for this wanting to go back to work/have a social like breastfeeding mamma! We've literally tried everything and finally found that the only way he will take on is if you sit him in the Bumbo but even then he'll really only take enough to "take the edge off" and will hold out for the boob. I fear weaning is going to be a challenge! At the lactation consultants recommendation we have been working on drinking from a cup. He's actually quite good with the sippy cup and will finish maybe an once of pear/water juice over the course of the day. Of course the OT in me doesn't want him to use a sippy cup so I still work with him with the straw cup as well :) He started daycare 2 days a week so I could go to work and its been going really well with the exception of the bottle. He is always happy with Nicole and naps and plays really well and apparently really likes studying what 15month old Lincoln is up to. He's still sleeping about 10-11 hours at night with random early morning wake ups to eat and still taking 4 naps-2 long and 2 short. He decided he was done with nap time swaddling and the pacifier on the same day but is still sometimes working on the self soothing. He's rolling tummy to back all the time, pushing up on extended arms, playing with toys on his tummy, standing in his activity center and playing with toys, putting everything in his mouth but mostly still his hands, has rolled back to tummy once in his crib and is trying REALLY hard to sit independently which he is doing for about 20seconds or so at a time and LOVES to stand up holding on to anything. He talks all the time and it cracks me up, especially when I'm changing his diaper. He sure has a lot to say for saying absolutely nothing! So far 4 months is as fun as everyone says it is :) It is so fun to watch him grow and develop and become this little person with a funny personality. I just love this little boy to pieces :)
As for me, I started back to work 2 days a week and while it is so hard to leave Anderson all day it definitely makes me feel like I still have a purpose. I enjoy the adult interaction and using my very expensive education :) Two days is definitely the perfect balance of work and being at home. As he gets older I'm sure I'll want to work more though. I will always love my job.
Todd got back from SOS and got thrown right back into the daily grind here flying a lot. Not much going on for him work wise until July thankfully.
As for us as a family, we're planning to make our first family vacation up to Glacier National Park in May, stay tuned for details!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Blogging from Bama
I have done good up to this point blogging at least monthly about our Anderson's happenings but the 3 month mark was just at the begining of the whirl wind trip that we're on right now! On February 1 we traveled from Rapid City to Dallas, Anderson's first airplane trip! He did AMAZING! With the exception of one day of travel he has done so awesome with all the hussle and bustle and sleeping in different pack n plays and in different houses or having to sleep on my lap in a plane. He's also done exceptional at not getting too overwhelmed with meeting all the new people that he has met lately. I never knew you could be so proud of a 3 month old :)
While in Dallas we saw Aunt Karen, of course, Randi Rose and a a few of Karen's other friends. We went to Randi Rose and Joshua's beautiful wedding and then headed to Austin for a few days to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Anderson and meet great grandmother Mimi and great Aunt Susan and Uncle Mark. We also got to hang out with my dear friend Stephanie that I have not seen in over 3 years while in Austin!! Successful Texas leg of the trip!
Now we're in Montgomery, Alabama with daddy! We're crammed into a one bedroom hotel room with a kitchenette. Definitely not ideal but we're making due and at least we're all together for a few weeks. Todd has class everyday while we're here but we'll be traveling to Pensacola to see old friends this weekend-just Saturday/Sunday and then next weekend we're meeting up with Todd's brother Trevor, sister in law Tracie and 2 of our nephews in Panama City for the long holiday weekend. I'm also hoping to meet up with Elise in Atlanta or somewhere else to meet her sweet baby Vincent. Hopefully we'll work something out!
Between the 2 and 3 month mark Anderson got diagnosed with reflux and started perscription zantac for it. He's always had some reflux issues since he was born and they gradually got worse and worse to the point that he was screaming when he ate and spitting up all.the.time. He's been on the medicine about 3 weeks and some days I feel like its improving and some days I'm not so sure. When we get back to South Dakota he'll have his 4 month well baby check and I'm sure I'll have a lengthy discussion with Dr Mueller about it :)
Last he was weighed he was about 13.5# and about 25in long! He started wearing 3-6 month clothes about 2 weeks before he turned 3 months and fits them a little too well! He has perfect head control now and *loves* sitting up. He hasn't had his bumbo this whole trip and I don't think he's liking being propped up on pillows or being held so much. You can tell he's trying so hard to sit on his own! He stopped rolling as much lately to work on pulling forward on the floor on his belly- I think we're going to have an early crawler! He definitely wants to GO! He's reaching and grabbing EVERYTING now! He's even starting to reach for food on my plate when I hold him while eating-I think he's definitely going to be ready for solids soon! He's so aware of the world around him now and likes to observe everything and everyone. He's very interested in his feet these days but is still trying to figure out if they belong to his body or not. He's sleeping wonderfully now- averageing about 10 hours a night! and still taking 4 solid naps a day. Fortunately since he eats A LOT faster now we have more awake/play time! His newest thing is scratching the surface of objects and hearing the noise-the seat belt, the bathtub, anything. It's pretty funny. He also started screaching and squealing and I think he surprises himself when he makes such loud noises. He smiles and laughs all the time and is quite the flirt with girls :) Its so amazing to watch him grow and learn and figure out how to do new things. Its also so amazing how much more I love him each day.
We get back to Rapid City on February 21 and one week later I'll start back to work 2 days a week. I'm excited to have something for me but so anxious to leave him. Then we'll have his 4 month well baby check and will hopefully start trying to introduce solid foods shortly after. Todd gets home around March 12 and all will be well again :)
While in Dallas we saw Aunt Karen, of course, Randi Rose and a a few of Karen's other friends. We went to Randi Rose and Joshua's beautiful wedding and then headed to Austin for a few days to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Anderson and meet great grandmother Mimi and great Aunt Susan and Uncle Mark. We also got to hang out with my dear friend Stephanie that I have not seen in over 3 years while in Austin!! Successful Texas leg of the trip!
Now we're in Montgomery, Alabama with daddy! We're crammed into a one bedroom hotel room with a kitchenette. Definitely not ideal but we're making due and at least we're all together for a few weeks. Todd has class everyday while we're here but we'll be traveling to Pensacola to see old friends this weekend-just Saturday/Sunday and then next weekend we're meeting up with Todd's brother Trevor, sister in law Tracie and 2 of our nephews in Panama City for the long holiday weekend. I'm also hoping to meet up with Elise in Atlanta or somewhere else to meet her sweet baby Vincent. Hopefully we'll work something out!
Between the 2 and 3 month mark Anderson got diagnosed with reflux and started perscription zantac for it. He's always had some reflux issues since he was born and they gradually got worse and worse to the point that he was screaming when he ate and spitting up all.the.time. He's been on the medicine about 3 weeks and some days I feel like its improving and some days I'm not so sure. When we get back to South Dakota he'll have his 4 month well baby check and I'm sure I'll have a lengthy discussion with Dr Mueller about it :)
Last he was weighed he was about 13.5# and about 25in long! He started wearing 3-6 month clothes about 2 weeks before he turned 3 months and fits them a little too well! He has perfect head control now and *loves* sitting up. He hasn't had his bumbo this whole trip and I don't think he's liking being propped up on pillows or being held so much. You can tell he's trying so hard to sit on his own! He stopped rolling as much lately to work on pulling forward on the floor on his belly- I think we're going to have an early crawler! He definitely wants to GO! He's reaching and grabbing EVERYTING now! He's even starting to reach for food on my plate when I hold him while eating-I think he's definitely going to be ready for solids soon! He's so aware of the world around him now and likes to observe everything and everyone. He's very interested in his feet these days but is still trying to figure out if they belong to his body or not. He's sleeping wonderfully now- averageing about 10 hours a night! and still taking 4 solid naps a day. Fortunately since he eats A LOT faster now we have more awake/play time! His newest thing is scratching the surface of objects and hearing the noise-the seat belt, the bathtub, anything. It's pretty funny. He also started screaching and squealing and I think he surprises himself when he makes such loud noises. He smiles and laughs all the time and is quite the flirt with girls :) Its so amazing to watch him grow and learn and figure out how to do new things. Its also so amazing how much more I love him each day.
We get back to Rapid City on February 21 and one week later I'll start back to work 2 days a week. I'm excited to have something for me but so anxious to leave him. Then we'll have his 4 month well baby check and will hopefully start trying to introduce solid foods shortly after. Todd gets home around March 12 and all will be well again :)
Saturday, January 7, 2012
2 Months...a few days late
Anderson turned 2 months on Monday! I'll just go ahead and submit to the saying that time really does fly! I already find myself forgetting the not so pleasant parts of the first weeks-the up all night, sleep deprived, evening fussiness, no routine days. I finally feel like maybe I actually know what I'm doing...most days...
Anderson had his 2 month well baby check up on Monday too. He weighed in at 11lbs 12oz and 23 3/4 inches long! He's about the 50th percentile for weight and 80th for height! Long and lean, just like I keep saying :) His little peanut head is in the 40th percentile. I absolutely love our pediatrician. He talked with us for almost an hour and answered my lengthy list of questions without making me feel rushed or stupid. He gives Anderson such good care. His nurse is equally wonderful, every time I call about something random that is going on as well as in the office. Poor little guy had to get his shots though :( HEARTBREAKING! I've never heard Anderson cry so loud! (and trust me, I've heard that boy cry!) Big, flowing tears and the saddest cry you've ever heard. Fortunately, that lasted about 15 minutes then he fussed a little bit more before falling asleep but overall I'd say he handled the shots wonderfully! I gave him 2 doses of baby Tylenol that afternoon/evening and he slept well and never spiked a fever. As granola as I am about so many things pertaining to Anderson shots are the one thing that I won't not give him. Working in health care I truly value the importance of immunizations and would much rather he be protected from deadly diseases.
After another dreaded growth spurt just before New Years we've found ourselves getting into a decent little routine. Anderson is consistently sleeping 7-8 hours a night (last night he slept 9.5 though!). He wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30 most mornings and after all the reading of all the different baby routines out there I've decided that what works best for us is a feeding schedule. A typical day he eats at 7, 10, 1, 4,7 and 10. Granted this is more of a guideline than a schedule. Depending on when he wakes up determines that first feeding and then some days he's hungrier a little early and sometimes a little later so it's a give or take of about a half an hour. Basically it comes down to eating every 3 hours during the day which I'll keep until he's getting close to 4 months and I'll try to stretch him out to 4 hour feedings. After he eats we play until he gets tired. He still loves tummy time but is also loving batting at objects on his back or sitting in his bumbo and playing with rattles or ring o' links. Once he starts showing me he's tired I swaddle him up, read him a book and he takes a nap. Naps are where I differ from the many parenting books, I let Anderson dictate his naps. Sometimes he only likes to nap for 45 min, sometimes for 2 hours so I follow his lead on that one. We've started a nighttime routine for bath time which he now loves and then I let him stay up/catnap until he's ready for his last feeding and bed. I always second guess if what I'm doing is the best but it's working for us and gives our (my) day some structure and he's sleeping well at night so here's hoping it keeps working.
Highlights at the 2 month mark:
-Sleeping 7-8 hours at night
-Cooing/"talking", so adorable!
-A drooling machine!
-Eating his hands/starting to put toys in his mouth
-Holds and shakes a rattle
-Batting toys hanging from his activity mat
-Still loving tummy time but gets pretty mad when he can't roll over, which he does about once a day
-Loves bath time and kicks and splashes
-Smiles/laughs all the time, also so adorable!
-Has amazing head control (thanks to his small head) so likes to sit up more
Overall, Anderson is a healthy and happy baby. We have significantly less fussy times and when we do it's a lot easier to know why he's fussy so we can get it under control before it gets out of hand. I'm excited for the next few months as he'll start being awake more and playing/doing more.
Todd left for SOS yesterday so it's just me and the little man until my mom comes up on the 19th and then we'll travel to Texas and Alabama for 3 weeks in February to see Todd, family and friends before I start back to work at the end of February/early March.
And that is all the exciting happenings in the Saksa house :)
Anderson had his 2 month well baby check up on Monday too. He weighed in at 11lbs 12oz and 23 3/4 inches long! He's about the 50th percentile for weight and 80th for height! Long and lean, just like I keep saying :) His little peanut head is in the 40th percentile. I absolutely love our pediatrician. He talked with us for almost an hour and answered my lengthy list of questions without making me feel rushed or stupid. He gives Anderson such good care. His nurse is equally wonderful, every time I call about something random that is going on as well as in the office. Poor little guy had to get his shots though :( HEARTBREAKING! I've never heard Anderson cry so loud! (and trust me, I've heard that boy cry!) Big, flowing tears and the saddest cry you've ever heard. Fortunately, that lasted about 15 minutes then he fussed a little bit more before falling asleep but overall I'd say he handled the shots wonderfully! I gave him 2 doses of baby Tylenol that afternoon/evening and he slept well and never spiked a fever. As granola as I am about so many things pertaining to Anderson shots are the one thing that I won't not give him. Working in health care I truly value the importance of immunizations and would much rather he be protected from deadly diseases.
After another dreaded growth spurt just before New Years we've found ourselves getting into a decent little routine. Anderson is consistently sleeping 7-8 hours a night (last night he slept 9.5 though!). He wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30 most mornings and after all the reading of all the different baby routines out there I've decided that what works best for us is a feeding schedule. A typical day he eats at 7, 10, 1, 4,7 and 10. Granted this is more of a guideline than a schedule. Depending on when he wakes up determines that first feeding and then some days he's hungrier a little early and sometimes a little later so it's a give or take of about a half an hour. Basically it comes down to eating every 3 hours during the day which I'll keep until he's getting close to 4 months and I'll try to stretch him out to 4 hour feedings. After he eats we play until he gets tired. He still loves tummy time but is also loving batting at objects on his back or sitting in his bumbo and playing with rattles or ring o' links. Once he starts showing me he's tired I swaddle him up, read him a book and he takes a nap. Naps are where I differ from the many parenting books, I let Anderson dictate his naps. Sometimes he only likes to nap for 45 min, sometimes for 2 hours so I follow his lead on that one. We've started a nighttime routine for bath time which he now loves and then I let him stay up/catnap until he's ready for his last feeding and bed. I always second guess if what I'm doing is the best but it's working for us and gives our (my) day some structure and he's sleeping well at night so here's hoping it keeps working.
Highlights at the 2 month mark:
-Sleeping 7-8 hours at night
-Cooing/"talking", so adorable!
-A drooling machine!
-Eating his hands/starting to put toys in his mouth
-Holds and shakes a rattle
-Batting toys hanging from his activity mat
-Still loving tummy time but gets pretty mad when he can't roll over, which he does about once a day
-Loves bath time and kicks and splashes
-Smiles/laughs all the time, also so adorable!
-Has amazing head control (thanks to his small head) so likes to sit up more
Overall, Anderson is a healthy and happy baby. We have significantly less fussy times and when we do it's a lot easier to know why he's fussy so we can get it under control before it gets out of hand. I'm excited for the next few months as he'll start being awake more and playing/doing more.
Todd left for SOS yesterday so it's just me and the little man until my mom comes up on the 19th and then we'll travel to Texas and Alabama for 3 weeks in February to see Todd, family and friends before I start back to work at the end of February/early March.
And that is all the exciting happenings in the Saksa house :)
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Anderson's Birth Story
** Somehow I deleted this post but was able to get it back so it's being re-entered**
Once we get home I promise to upload pictures of our new baby boy but before the (hopefully) pregnancy amnesia sets in I wanted to get his birth story written down.
I'd say it all started on Tuesday November 1. I woke up just "not feeling right". Nothing I could really pinpoint just that I was a little crampier than usual, had a little nausea but really nothing horrible. I went about my day, ran errands, etc. The point I really knew something was different was when I ran- it really felt uncomfortable. A lot of pelvic pressure/pain and it was extremely difficult to make it 3 miles. By the way, I'm extremely happy that I ran until the day before I went into labor :)
Fast forward to Wednesday November 2. I woke up about 4am for my usual bathroom break and laid awake in bed having a few mild contractions. Not really thinking much of it I went back to sleep until about 8am. I felt like I was having regular contractions so I started timing them about 9am. Sure enough they were regular and consistent averaging about 10min apart for 30 sec and felt like "text book" contractions. I was still not convinced that I was in labor but Todd stayed home from work "just in case". We spent the morning doing usual activities- walking the dogs, having breakfast and making sure we had everything ready to go. Contractions stayed consistent and got to 5min apart for about a minute pretty quickly but they still weren't strong enough that I felt we needed to rush to the hospital. I walked, sat on the exercise ball and laid down in the Bradley Method relaxation position until about 6:30pm when contractions were starting to get very uncomfortable, were less than 4 min apart and lasting at least one minute of more- we decided it was time to head to the hospital.
After what seemed like a horrible 15min drive (they say labor slows on the car ride, it definitely did not) and waiting for about 10 minutes in the Emergency Department before being taken to Labor and Delivery triage I was finally being hooked up to monitors and being assessed to see if I was "truly in active labor". Fortunately, I was having strong, regular contractions, Anderson looked good and I was 4cm dilated and 80% effaced so Dr. Diehl admitted me but everyone was convinced we still had a long night ahead of us. I told my nurse my plan was no epidural but that I was wavering at this point in the game. She admitted us into the one L&D room that had a tub and suggested that I sit in the tub and try some natural pain relief for a while before I decided. I'm SO thankful now that my nurses listened to my wishes and encouraged me to follow through with them. We got settled in our L&D room and they said they'd leave me off the monitors for 30min since everything was fine so I got in a nice warm tub for about 30-45min and labored. Contractions were getting pretty strong at this point so I laid down, again in the Bradley Method relaxation position were I labored to the point that I told Todd that I couldn't see getting through several more hours without the epidural- the contractions were getting way too intense. About that time my nurse came in and we talked about the epidural and other pain relief. Since she knew I didn't want the epidural she suggested checking my progress and deciding from there. After only 2 hours we were all amazed that I was 8-9cm dilated and fully effaced! She and Dr Diehl (and Todd and I) were all in shock! So my wonderful nurse and Todd encouraged me to not get the epidural and to try a Fenatyl (sp?) shot to "take the edge off' while I worked through transition (it conveniently wore off just as I got to pushing). Transition was definitely the hardest part of the laboring but the pain meds helped just enough to get me to 10cm in less than an hour. My water broke somewhere between 8 and 9cm and things went kind of fast from there. They started getting things set up as I was feeling the urge to push all while my whole body was shaking and I was going from hot to cold quickly, it was a very out of body experience. I tried a few pushes on my own but clearly needed direction so my nurse coached me through about 3 and then they paged Dr Diehl.
Pushing was a whole other ball game that I was not prepared for! About 3 pushes in they realized I had a second bag of water (didn't even know that was possible) so they were all standing guard for it to explode everywhere which was actually kind of funny. Fortunately, it did not and Dr Diehl broke it as soon as he came in. I pushed for a total of about 45 min, which seemed like eternity! Pushing was extremely difficult but it was so odd that in between contractions I was able to rest, catch my breath, collect my thoughts and get ready for the next one while Dr Diehl joked with the nurses and myself. Everyone was so positive and encouragin. I do honestly feel like not having the epidural helped because feeling everything going on helped me push harder with each contraction. I definitely felt the "ring of fire" as he crowned and the amazing relief when he was all the way out. He came out instantly crying and was placed on my chest right away. Todd got to cut the umbilical cord and I think I stayed in a state of utter shock for the next 2 hours of what had just happened. I did suffer a 2nd degree tear that took Dr. Diehl about 30 min to repair and Todd got to go with Anderson to his first bath and nursery assessments while I did all my post partum checks. About 2 hours after delivery I was able to shower and we headed to our post partum room.
So far I'm feeling pretty good. Very tired from lack of sleep and all the work that labor is and very sore from pushing/tearing. Anderson has passed all his tests with flying colors and has been sleeping peacefully with very little crying. Breast feeding has been the biggest challege but we're getting there with the help of the amazing lactation consultants. Since I delievered so late we won't get to go home until tomorrow, but thats ok.
All in all labor was scary and painful and exciting all wrapped up in one :) I'm so very thankful for the amazing nurses we had that encouraged me and cheered me on and I'm especially thankful for my amazing husband that was an amazing labor coach. And of course I'm so thankful that Dr. Diehl delivered our beautifuly perfect son, I could not have imagined having it any other way.
So there it is, my roughly 15 hour labor and delivery of Anderson Phillip Saksa, born Wednesday November 2, 2011 a 11:41pm weighing 7lbs, 10oz and measuring 21inches long. We are so in love with this miracle and feel so very blessed.
Once we get home I promise to upload pictures of our new baby boy but before the (hopefully) pregnancy amnesia sets in I wanted to get his birth story written down.
I'd say it all started on Tuesday November 1. I woke up just "not feeling right". Nothing I could really pinpoint just that I was a little crampier than usual, had a little nausea but really nothing horrible. I went about my day, ran errands, etc. The point I really knew something was different was when I ran- it really felt uncomfortable. A lot of pelvic pressure/pain and it was extremely difficult to make it 3 miles. By the way, I'm extremely happy that I ran until the day before I went into labor :)
Fast forward to Wednesday November 2. I woke up about 4am for my usual bathroom break and laid awake in bed having a few mild contractions. Not really thinking much of it I went back to sleep until about 8am. I felt like I was having regular contractions so I started timing them about 9am. Sure enough they were regular and consistent averaging about 10min apart for 30 sec and felt like "text book" contractions. I was still not convinced that I was in labor but Todd stayed home from work "just in case". We spent the morning doing usual activities- walking the dogs, having breakfast and making sure we had everything ready to go. Contractions stayed consistent and got to 5min apart for about a minute pretty quickly but they still weren't strong enough that I felt we needed to rush to the hospital. I walked, sat on the exercise ball and laid down in the Bradley Method relaxation position until about 6:30pm when contractions were starting to get very uncomfortable, were less than 4 min apart and lasting at least one minute of more- we decided it was time to head to the hospital.
After what seemed like a horrible 15min drive (they say labor slows on the car ride, it definitely did not) and waiting for about 10 minutes in the Emergency Department before being taken to Labor and Delivery triage I was finally being hooked up to monitors and being assessed to see if I was "truly in active labor". Fortunately, I was having strong, regular contractions, Anderson looked good and I was 4cm dilated and 80% effaced so Dr. Diehl admitted me but everyone was convinced we still had a long night ahead of us. I told my nurse my plan was no epidural but that I was wavering at this point in the game. She admitted us into the one L&D room that had a tub and suggested that I sit in the tub and try some natural pain relief for a while before I decided. I'm SO thankful now that my nurses listened to my wishes and encouraged me to follow through with them. We got settled in our L&D room and they said they'd leave me off the monitors for 30min since everything was fine so I got in a nice warm tub for about 30-45min and labored. Contractions were getting pretty strong at this point so I laid down, again in the Bradley Method relaxation position were I labored to the point that I told Todd that I couldn't see getting through several more hours without the epidural- the contractions were getting way too intense. About that time my nurse came in and we talked about the epidural and other pain relief. Since she knew I didn't want the epidural she suggested checking my progress and deciding from there. After only 2 hours we were all amazed that I was 8-9cm dilated and fully effaced! She and Dr Diehl (and Todd and I) were all in shock! So my wonderful nurse and Todd encouraged me to not get the epidural and to try a Fenatyl (sp?) shot to "take the edge off' while I worked through transition (it conveniently wore off just as I got to pushing). Transition was definitely the hardest part of the laboring but the pain meds helped just enough to get me to 10cm in less than an hour. My water broke somewhere between 8 and 9cm and things went kind of fast from there. They started getting things set up as I was feeling the urge to push all while my whole body was shaking and I was going from hot to cold quickly, it was a very out of body experience. I tried a few pushes on my own but clearly needed direction so my nurse coached me through about 3 and then they paged Dr Diehl.
Pushing was a whole other ball game that I was not prepared for! About 3 pushes in they realized I had a second bag of water (didn't even know that was possible) so they were all standing guard for it to explode everywhere which was actually kind of funny. Fortunately, it did not and Dr Diehl broke it as soon as he came in. I pushed for a total of about 45 min, which seemed like eternity! Pushing was extremely difficult but it was so odd that in between contractions I was able to rest, catch my breath, collect my thoughts and get ready for the next one while Dr Diehl joked with the nurses and myself. Everyone was so positive and encouragin. I do honestly feel like not having the epidural helped because feeling everything going on helped me push harder with each contraction. I definitely felt the "ring of fire" as he crowned and the amazing relief when he was all the way out. He came out instantly crying and was placed on my chest right away. Todd got to cut the umbilical cord and I think I stayed in a state of utter shock for the next 2 hours of what had just happened. I did suffer a 2nd degree tear that took Dr. Diehl about 30 min to repair and Todd got to go with Anderson to his first bath and nursery assessments while I did all my post partum checks. About 2 hours after delivery I was able to shower and we headed to our post partum room.
So far I'm feeling pretty good. Very tired from lack of sleep and all the work that labor is and very sore from pushing/tearing. Anderson has passed all his tests with flying colors and has been sleeping peacefully with very little crying. Breast feeding has been the biggest challege but we're getting there with the help of the amazing lactation consultants. Since I delievered so late we won't get to go home until tomorrow, but thats ok.
All in all labor was scary and painful and exciting all wrapped up in one :) I'm so very thankful for the amazing nurses we had that encouraged me and cheered me on and I'm especially thankful for my amazing husband that was an amazing labor coach. And of course I'm so thankful that Dr. Diehl delivered our beautifuly perfect son, I could not have imagined having it any other way.
So there it is, my roughly 15 hour labor and delivery of Anderson Phillip Saksa, born Wednesday November 2, 2011 a 11:41pm weighing 7lbs, 10oz and measuring 21inches long. We are so in love with this miracle and feel so very blessed.
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