Here's our recent happenings:
NIGHT SLEEP: I am almost afraid to type this for fear of jinxing everything. Maddy has been sleeping in her own crib all night for almost two weeks. I do her last feeding at 9, rock the hell out of her until 10 to make sure she is good and out and then DH comes in to do his master swaddle technique (I must not do it tight enough. On the nights I do it she wakes up for a middle of the night feed). Most nights she will sleep all the way until 7 or 8 in the morning. Now I know this goes against some experts who say that they should learn to fall asleep on their own and not on your breast or in a rocker. Well, screw those experts! A baby with colic is a different story. Anything you can do to calm them and get them sleeping through the night is pure gold. We'll fix bad habits later. I need my sleep now.
COLIC: Again, I'm afraid this whole post will jinx me. It is getting better. Far from completely over, but oh my gosh, so much better. The number of inconsolable meltdowns is dwindling. The fussiness remains but seems to be easier to remedy. Some days are still bad, but it seems the number of good days are growing.
NAPS: Tricky. She still has a hard time putting herself to sleep. She was born without an off switch. She always has to fuss herself to sleep, whether she is being held or not. The fussing isn't as bad when we're holding her. Putting her in her swing is torture for her. She screams like we've strapped her into a torture chamber. Sometimes she'll knock off for a few minutes and then wake up screaming again. I am getting so tired of rocking her to sleep for her 30 minute catnaps. If I don't she won't sleep during the day and be a bear at night. I've tried swings, swaddling, you name it. She still eats every two hours during the day, so by the time she gets to sleep, hunger wakes her up. Ugh! Any advice?
PERSONALITY: Yay! My favorite part. She is making way more eye contact now. She recognizes DH and I from across the room, looks at us when we talk to her, smiles at us. She coos and squeals with delight. She's absolutely adorable and so much more fun to be around. I am finally starting to see why people love babies. :)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Two Months
Two months down. . . How many to go before the colic stops?
I do have to give her some credit. There are more good moments than bad in her days now and even though it is hard to get her down at night, once she is she sleeps for 6-8 hours. I hope by writing that I haven't jinxed myself. :) The smiles are coming more fast and furious and she almost giggles, most definitely squeals in delight. Newborns are so funny going from a smile to a frown to a smile again in the span of a few seconds. They are so immature. Poor things need more time in the womb.
We had her two month check up and first round of vaccinations yesterday. DH couldn't come with us due to a work convention, so my MIL came for moral support. It was fun for her because we are seeing the same pediatrician that her children did. She's recently retired and helps me out by coming over every Wednesday. I can get so much done around the house that I normally don't have time for. I'm grateful for the adult companionship.
Maddy looked great and we are sticking with the Zantac. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or not, but once she started the meds is when she began sleeping more at night. I think the acidic reflux kept her from getting a restful sleep. She still has colic, but at least she's sleeping more.
Here are her stats:
Weight: 10 lbs. 12 oz (46%)
Length: 22 3/4" (69%)
Head Circumference: 15" (31%)
The shots were so sad. She had been doing great the whole appt. The doc was running late and she was just hanging out and not fussing the whole exam. Once it was nearing feeding time she lost it and started screaming right before the shots. The rota virus is given by mouth and the nurse told me not to feed her for 15 more minutes or she could spit it up. She was screaming like a banshee soon after from the injections. By the time we got to the car she had gotten so hysterical she threw up. There goes that vaccine. They said they won't repeat it, but she will get another dose at four months. Maybe some stayed down.
You know what I'm tired of? People who stare at you like you are some freakish mother because your baby is crying. It's a baby. They cry. Sometimes very loudly. I get most frustrated by other mothers who do it. They of all people should recognize that. Maybe they are the lucky ones with perfect angel babies. I'm just sick of it. I have to go out in public or I'll lose my mind. Deal with it people. Sorry had to vent.
Speaking of crying, I asked the doc when she'd find her "off switch." She is tired during the day but won't put herself to sleep. She fights it and gets herself really worked up to a screaming fit. It's a little better if she's in our arms versus her swing or bouncy, but not much unless we are sushing or rocking or bouncing her to sleep. The doc said he didn't mind her getting help from an apparatus to put her out, but didn't want us to become a human pacifier. I told him she'd get so worked up if we did that, it would take her passing out before she'd sleep. The doc just looked at me and shrugged his shoulders. I confirmed he wanted me to let her cry it out at two months old. The idea kind of didn't sit well with me. He told me as long as all her needs are met (fed, fresh diaper, etc) that she would not become a juvenile delinquent if I let her cry. I still don't really buy that line of thinking until they are at least three months old, but it's good to know that if we get completely frustrated we can just let her wail herself to sleep.
She is getting so much cuter now and I didn't even think that was possible. Her facial expressions are adorable and she interacts with us so much more. I see a light at the end of our colic tunnel. We still have some miles to go, but her smiles power us along.
Happy two month b-day baby!
I do have to give her some credit. There are more good moments than bad in her days now and even though it is hard to get her down at night, once she is she sleeps for 6-8 hours. I hope by writing that I haven't jinxed myself. :) The smiles are coming more fast and furious and she almost giggles, most definitely squeals in delight. Newborns are so funny going from a smile to a frown to a smile again in the span of a few seconds. They are so immature. Poor things need more time in the womb.
We had her two month check up and first round of vaccinations yesterday. DH couldn't come with us due to a work convention, so my MIL came for moral support. It was fun for her because we are seeing the same pediatrician that her children did. She's recently retired and helps me out by coming over every Wednesday. I can get so much done around the house that I normally don't have time for. I'm grateful for the adult companionship.
Maddy looked great and we are sticking with the Zantac. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or not, but once she started the meds is when she began sleeping more at night. I think the acidic reflux kept her from getting a restful sleep. She still has colic, but at least she's sleeping more.
Here are her stats:
Weight: 10 lbs. 12 oz (46%)
Length: 22 3/4" (69%)
Head Circumference: 15" (31%)
The shots were so sad. She had been doing great the whole appt. The doc was running late and she was just hanging out and not fussing the whole exam. Once it was nearing feeding time she lost it and started screaming right before the shots. The rota virus is given by mouth and the nurse told me not to feed her for 15 more minutes or she could spit it up. She was screaming like a banshee soon after from the injections. By the time we got to the car she had gotten so hysterical she threw up. There goes that vaccine. They said they won't repeat it, but she will get another dose at four months. Maybe some stayed down.
You know what I'm tired of? People who stare at you like you are some freakish mother because your baby is crying. It's a baby. They cry. Sometimes very loudly. I get most frustrated by other mothers who do it. They of all people should recognize that. Maybe they are the lucky ones with perfect angel babies. I'm just sick of it. I have to go out in public or I'll lose my mind. Deal with it people. Sorry had to vent.
Speaking of crying, I asked the doc when she'd find her "off switch." She is tired during the day but won't put herself to sleep. She fights it and gets herself really worked up to a screaming fit. It's a little better if she's in our arms versus her swing or bouncy, but not much unless we are sushing or rocking or bouncing her to sleep. The doc said he didn't mind her getting help from an apparatus to put her out, but didn't want us to become a human pacifier. I told him she'd get so worked up if we did that, it would take her passing out before she'd sleep. The doc just looked at me and shrugged his shoulders. I confirmed he wanted me to let her cry it out at two months old. The idea kind of didn't sit well with me. He told me as long as all her needs are met (fed, fresh diaper, etc) that she would not become a juvenile delinquent if I let her cry. I still don't really buy that line of thinking until they are at least three months old, but it's good to know that if we get completely frustrated we can just let her wail herself to sleep.
She is getting so much cuter now and I didn't even think that was possible. Her facial expressions are adorable and she interacts with us so much more. I see a light at the end of our colic tunnel. We still have some miles to go, but her smiles power us along.
Happy two month b-day baby!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Hot Dog!
First of all, thank you to Melody for creating a new header for me! That was a nice surprise.
Halloween was mostly just torturing (I mean dressing up) our baby and fur baby. Our dog has always been the same thing every year (one look will tell you why), so I thought why not dress Maddy as the same thing.
And I leave you with a question. . .
Halloween was mostly just torturing (I mean dressing up) our baby and fur baby. Our dog has always been the same thing every year (one look will tell you why), so I thought why not dress Maddy as the same thing.
And I leave you with a question. . .
Maddy slept 7 1/2 hours last night after her last feeding at 10:00 pm.
Was that a trick or a treat?
I think a little of both. . .Obviously we know why it's a treat, but it's also a trick because who knows when it will happen again.
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