4 Months - Drake

My oh my, where has another month gone?  I think we have officially left the newborn stage and have entered into the baby stage. You are so fun right now.  The endless fussy periods have been replaced with lots and lots of smiles, and even a couple giggles.  You are more content just sitting and taking in your surroundings, mainly watching your daddy and I, or your sister. Since you can entertain yourself a bit more now, it's easier to get things done around the house, but as soon as you are over being on your own, you are over it right then and want to be picked up immediately!  We are enjoying starting to see you and your sister interact with one another and can't wait to watch the relationship between you two blossom.  It's amazing how quickly we can forget each milestone and how wonderful the first smiles and giggles are, but one thing that I want to remember forever is how excited you get to see us.  After I've been gone all day, I can't wait to come home and get into your line of sight and watch your face light up and you kick and squirm just waiting for me to pick you up.  You sure have brought a whole lot of joy to our family and there's nothing I enjoy more than just a typical day at home, with my three favorite people. 

Sleep: I’d like to say sleep is a little better this month, at least now that we are at the end of the month.  Now that I’m back to work though, I’m really feeling every time you wake up to eat.  There were nights that you were waking up four times!  And I was feeding you all four times!  I quickly realized we wouldn’t have fed Chloe every time she woke up; instead we would pop the pacifier.  Why I thought you were hungry each time I have no idea.  So right now you go to sleep around 8:30 and your first wake up happens around 1:00.   I feed you, and then you usually wake up again a couple hours later.  I don’t feed you anymore at that time, but pop the pacifier and you go right back down.  You’ll wake up again once more before I leave for work (anytime between 4:00 and 6:00) and I’ll feed you one last time.  You are still in our room, but again it’s only a matter of time before we move you.  I kind of want to get you used to taking the pacifier some and not thinking you will be eating every time you wake up. 

Daily Routine: The time you start your day varies.  If you are home with daddy, usually you wake up earlier.  If I am home, I can usually feed you one more time and get you to sleep another couple of hours before getting up for the day.  With me at least, if you don’t go back down in bed, I’ll get up with you, play for about an hour or so, then you go down for your first nap which is always the longest one of the day.  This is usually in the swing because everyone else is still sleeping.  You wake up, play for another couple hours, then go down for your second nap.  This nap we try to put you down in your bed (co-sleeper).  Your third nap usually coincides with Chloe’s nap a bit which is a nice break to have you both down at the same time.  Your third nap typically ends by 5:00 and then you are down for the night around 8:30.  When you aren't sleeping, you are rotating between the swing, play mat, bouncy, being held by us, looking at yourself in the mirror, eating, being changed, watching your sister, smiling and entertaining us, and entertaining yourself.

Feed: Still going strong with breastfeeding exclusively.  You are a champ at taking bottles for daddy now while I’m at work, thank goodness!  You take 3-4 bottles during the day when I'm gone of about 4 ounces.  Then when I get home from work I’ll nurse once then and again before bed, plus the two times during the night.  So on average you eat about eight times a day.  Sometimes when I have pumped extra, like over the weekend, I get home thinking surely there will be milk left, but nope!  You’ve gone through it all!  I do like being able to measure at least some of your milk intake when you take bottles. 

Weight: will update after doctor’s appointment

Length: will update after doctor’s appointment

Diaper Size: Size 1 diaper

Clothes Size: Most of your clothes are 0-3 months or 3 months.  There are still a few onesies that are size M or L so I don’t know what that equals, and a few times you’ve worn shirts or jammies that are 3-6 months.  I was looking for a white onesie the other day and have all of them stacked together.  The one on top was a NB and I draped it over my chest totally in awe that just a few short months ago you fit into it. 

Hair Color:
At birth: reddish-blonde
16 weeks: it’s filling in as a….blonde! It’s pretty cute because right now the top of your head is blonde, then the crown of your head and the base of your neck is still red, and then in the middle on the back of your head you’ve rubbed a bald spot.  So we’ve got all sorts of things going on right now in the hair department!

Eye color:
At birth: blue/gray
16 weeks: blue

Funniest moment:

Your screeching!  Thankfully you have traded in your fussy, crying moments with loud, happy screeches.  Most mornings you wake up “talking” away in bed, and get louder as more time passes.  On the play mat, or in your swing or bouncy, you’ll get going and just screech your little head off.  What makes it funny is how high-pitched the noises are.  You sound like a little girl, or better yet, a cat.  Sometimes you try to get so high that you hardly eek a noise out.  The faces you make are pretty cute too, and you get very proud of yourself when we have conversations with each other and you can contribute…in your own, screechy sort of way.

Milestone: Giggles!  I got a giggle out of you a few weeks ago.  You were laying on my lap and I was trying to clean your neck, after peeling rolls and rolls of double chin back.  Man, baby necks are SO hard to clean!!  Anyway, apparently you are very ticklish and I caught your first giggles on video.  Since then, we’ve realized you are ticklish not only on your neck, but under your arms, and on your sides.  Usually you just scream and twist but sometimes we’ll get a few more giggles out of you.  You are getting strong too.  One day I came home from work and you were in your swing.  I went up to the bedroom to talk to your daddy and you started fussing.  Thank goodness I came and got you when I did, because you were about to fall out of your swing!  A few days later I was sitting on the couch and you were in the swing again.  I saw you start to kick your way down and out of the swing again, so I went and sat next to you and let you continue.  I wanted to see just how far you could get.  My hands were there ready to catch you, and you literally kicked and scooted until your entire body fell out of the swing (and into my arms).  So now you have to be strapped into your swing and bouncy.  We never had to do that with your sister, so that’s new to us.  You also are moving around on the floor.  I’ll set you down in one position, and before I know it, you are turned a different direction or are a foot or two away from where you started.  You love kicking your feet straight up in the air and rolling onto your side, but you haven’t completely rolled over just yet.  You are grabbing, holding onto, and bringing toys to your mouth now.  You can track us from across the room and turn towards noise when you hear it.

Your favorite toy: You’ve started to notice the toys hanging from your play mat and will grab and kick at them.  You also love the mirror.  Numerous times a day we will put you in front of the mirror and you get the biggest grin, and will usually talk to the baby looking back at you.  We’ve given you more little toys like a rattle, teethers, and crinkle books just to expose you to them.  You’ll hold on for a minute or so and then drop them.

Firsts:
First real giggles
First time wearing shoes
First time in the Ergo

This is a good shot of his hair color(s) right now.  Blonde on top, red on top/back and bottom/back, and bald in the middle back. :)

Second Best

I’ve debated on writing about this for multiple reasons.  1) It sounds a bit silly.  2)  I’m actually admitting what I’ve been feeling and putting it in writing. 3)  If I ever get on the ball and actually turn my blog into a book, I’m not sure I want to look back on this, but I’m all about “keeping it real” and this is where I am right now.

I don’t think my daughter likes me.  Sure, she loves me.  Sure I’m someone who she feels safe with.  But when I walk in the room and the first thing I hear is her yelling “stop!” or “no!” followed by her crying, that sure doesn’t make me feel very good.  When JJ gets home from being gone, she’ll either run to the door if she sees him pull up and yell “daddy!” and get all excited, or at least run to him once he’s come inside.  Me?  Not so much.  If I ask for a hug and kiss, I’ll get one, but only after requesting it.  She calls for him by name…well, daddy.  The only time she’ll say “hi mama” is if I say, “can you say hi mommy?”  I thought the favorite parent was supposed to be the one that has limited time with the kid?  But before Drake was born, he was with her all day, every day and I would only get evenings and weekends. 

I have to believe that part of it is me being the rule enforcer.  I’m the one who sticks to more of a routine.  I’m the one who says no to one more snack before dinner time.  I’m the one who says don’t jump on the couch.  I’m the one who says no tv in your bedroom.  Yes, I know all of these things need to be addressed between JJ and I, but at this point he is just in survival mode being home alone with both kids all day.  Hell, I’d probably do it too. 

And of course we have great times together too.  We’ll go to the store and have a good time.  Or we’ll both have a dance party in the car.  She gives hugs throughout the day unsolicited, and even been known to give out a kiss or two without being asked.  We laugh, we tickle, we eat together.  So what makes her do the 180 when just minutes ago we were having fun, and the next minute I’m walking back in the room and she wants nothing to do with me? 

Some sweet blog ladies tried to convince me I’m the one that she feels comfortable with and won’t reject her “big feelings”, that’s why she acts that way towards me.  Or that if they run to JJ instead of me, they are actually showing good attachment to me.  I don’t know, it seems backwards? 

I also try to think she doesn’t really know what she’s doing, or that it hurts my feelings.  When JJ and I are putting her to bed at night and I ask for a kiss first (because I usually leave the room and let JJ actually finish putting her to bed and walk out by himself) she throws herself onto her bed and covers her face.  Yeah, not how I like ending my day.  Then JJ says, “give mommy a kiss” and sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn’t. 

This isn’t an everyday thing, and actually has gotten a little better in the last week or so.  But I guess what it boils down to is I’m jealous of the relationship JJ has with Chloe and I’m holding on so tight to the bond I’ve formed with Drake, mainly due to nursing him, and hoping I can at least have that kind of relationship with him.  I’m sure one day I will be Chloe’s “favorite” and it will probably change numerous times between JJ and I over the years.  This is another one of those “it’s just a phase” periods. 

She loves me, right?  (Please ignore the big, pregnant belly)

Seeing Double

I've realized I'll come across an opportunity to take a picture of Drake that's similar to something we did with Chloe when she was a baby.  The first one that sticks out in my mind is the shot of both kids on my lap with a pacifier in their mouth.  Then one day JJ put Drake up on his shoulders and I knew I wanted to get a picture so we could compare with one we took of Chloe.  Who knows how many pictures we will actually take to compare, but it is fun to do.  I don't necessarily look at Drake and think he looks like Chloe, but when I see these pictures next to each other, WOW do they look alike! 

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Wordless Wednesday

Working part time now means more mornings spent with this smiling face. We have the best conversations first thing after getting up.

The Monday Snapshot - A First Edition

Right now Drake is taking is first nap in his own room, in his own crib.  I keep throwing around the idea that maybe it's about time we move him into his room at night but I haven't bit the bullet yet.  Typically Drake naps in the swing out in the living room or the co-sleeper in our room, but inevitably there is noise around him or we need in our room for something.  I decided to put him down in his room today and so far so good.  I think maybe we'll start with naps in his room and then if that goes well, we'll try over night soon too.  I'm not ready for my last baby to be out of my room already though.  They grow so fast. :( 

I could watch both of my kids sleep for hours. 

This is part of a weekly feature over at PAIL called The Monday Snapshot

Just A Glimpse

I love this video for so many reasons.

- I love that JJ is making Drake dance, and Drake is like "WTF?"
- I love how Chloe is dancing along with her brother
- I love how when she spies me with the camera she says "cheese!"
- I love that my family thinks the fart noise is hilarious - cheap entertainment for sure
- I love that my three favorite people are the stars
- I love that we can watch this over and over and laugh every single time
- I love that every time we watch it, Chloe dances and says "cheese" just like in the video
- I love the face that Chloe is making when the video stops

I love that this is my life.  Days filled with these three and never a dull moment. 

Farewell Turtle

The time has come to say goodbye to our turtle.  I don't think Chloe fully recovered from getting bit by the turtle a few months ago.  Even though she seemed OK afterwards, she didn't get as excited to see him and hold him as much as she used to.  Then the turtle seemed to be more hungry than before and JJ got into a habit of feeding him by hand.  I think JJ liked having the turtle around just as much as Chloe because he said numerous times of all the turtles he's caught over the years, he's never had one tame enough to eat out of his hands.  The turtle got so used to being fed, if he would see someone in the room with him, he'd make a beeline towards that person and start biting the air.  I know I can move faster than a turtle, but if you weren't paying attention, that turtle could sneak up on you pretty fast ready to eat.  As Drake gets older, we are putting him on the floor more for tummy time and to lay on his play mat and I didn't want to be like that ferret family.  Did you all hear that story?  Probably not, but a local KC family had a pet ferret who got loose in the baby's crib one night and chewed off its fingers.  Seriously.  It was awful.  And we were not going to have that in this house.  So...the turtle had to go.

We went to the arbo.retum on Monday and decided that was a good place to let the turtle go.  We snuck him in in the diaper bag, and anytime people walked by, and after she showed off her brother, Chloe kept saying "turtle" and trying to get him out of the bag.  So much for being sneaky! :)

We found a good spot and we all had a little moment with the turtle.  Well, mainly just JJ and Chloe, ha!  He set him down off the side of the path, and no joke the turtle walked right back up to us.  JJ decided he needed to walk him a little further into the woods because he thought since he was so used to people now he would keep coming back up on the path.  That seemed to help and we were able to leave the park one turtle lighter than we came.  I have to say I'm relieved we don't have him anymore.  We figured out we'd had him just over a year, and while it was cool in the beginning and Chloe seemed to really like him, the last few weeks it was more of a pain than anything with how aggressive he had become.  And by aggressive I just mean hungry all the time.  On the way home, JJ said he's already on the hunt for a smaller turtle.  Sigh, JJ and his little critters - it never ends.  :)

First glimpse of the turtle after getting him out of the bag

 JJ wrote Chloe's name on the turtle - wonder if we'll ever come across him again at the park?

 This is why we got rid of him

 One last goodbye pet - bye turtle!

 "Where are you going?"

 And this little guy was waiting patiently, blowing bubbles

 And smiling :)

The Monday Snapshot - Slumber Party Edition

Over time, Chloe has acquired quite the selection of stuffed animals and most of them reside in her crib.  We try and take a few out occasionally to give her more room to sleep, but she always wants them back in.  She's been going through this phase for a while now where she fights going to bed a little bit.  She makes her bed time routine longer and longer so we try and think of different ways to get her to go to bed quicker...and quietly.  Last night the idea we came up with was to put Izzy in her bed.  At first glance she might look like a stuffed animal (I was picturing the pile of animals and ET last night) but that is our little dog spooning with Izzy.  As soon as we put her in the crib, Chloe laid down, put her arm around her and was happy.  Now if only we could trust that Chloe wouldn't be mean to Izzy at some point during the night we might actually consider leaving her in there, but realistically that won't happen until Chloe is in her big girl bed and Izzy can get down/out if needed.  The moment made for a cute picture though.

This is part of a weekly feature over at PAIL called The Monday Snapshot