9 Months

So I’m sorry to have missed an 8 month update but for some reason the past two months have been crazy but a whole lot has happen.  First about Alexander.

Alexander is now 9 months.  He is 29 inches long (75%) and 19.4lbs (50%).  He has 4 teeth!!!!!!  He is sitting completely on his own.  He is yet to crawl but is getting really close in doing so.  Just the other night he pulled or pushed himself up to a sitting position in his crib.  He consistently wants to be with his mommy and cries almost every time I walk away.  It was cute at first but gets old really quickly.  He still drinks formula 3 times a day but also has solids three times a day.  He recently has dropped his bedtime bottle.  He can pick some his banana puffs and feed himself.  Today we tried an actually banana and he did very well.  He is “chewing” and I can see him move the food around with his tongue.  His favorite toys are anything that spins or has a mirror.  

So I really want to talk about teething because it is very big milestone and is an adventure.  Around 3 months, people started to ask me if he was teething because he put everything in his mouth and drools a lot.  But of course he wasn’t.  Babies always put everything in their mouth and drool a lot.  It wasn’t until about 3.5 months later I could finally say yes to that question.  They say doctors won’t say there are actually teething symptoms because they are same symptoms of a cold or flu and they don’t want you to dismiss as just teething.  The first symptoms Alexander got was a decrease in appetite and this was two weeks before the first tooth broke through.  He started to drink less and wasn’t thrilled about his solids.  Then he got a runny nose.  And let me tell you that nose ran and ran and ran but I didn’t worry too much because it was all clear snot.  His drool increased times two.  Basically he opened his mouth and the drool just poured out.  So between the snot and the drool, mine and his shirt were soaked.  He did get irritable on days and he also got a small diaper rash.  Lastly he got mild fever.  It was 98.8degrees at the highest.  And then finally the tooth came!!!!!  And then another right after it.  We got a little break until the next two came.  But same thing snot, drool, mild fever, and loss of appetite.  To help him with pain, I got him a Baltic amber bracelet that he wears around his ankle.  He doesn’t pay any attention to it.  When Baltic amber is worn against the skin it absorbs into the body helps with numerous things including helping with teething pain.  I and many of other Colorado moms believe it works.  I have given Alexander Tylenol twice so far with him teething for over a month now.

So what have we been up the past two months??  A whole bunch.  Let’s go back to the start of July.  Since half of Colorado was on fire during the 4^th of July we didn’t get to see any fireworks.  But we did have a bbq at our house with some friends.  It was great to be play hostess again and I really missed having people over at the house.  One weekend we also went to see our friends, Paul and Laura Galido, in Durango.  Paul and Laura have a baby girl name Alex that born 6 days after Alexander.  We had  great time in Durango while walking by the river, going hiking, and just being with friends.  Towards the end of July my parents, Brian and Mary, came out for a visit.  I have to say huge thanks to my parents because they helped us fix our front porch and paint all the fences in the front.  We also took a day to go up to Cripple Creek and ride the train.  This was Alexander’s first train ride and he loved it!!!  We also went camping with my parents at the Sand Dunes National Park.  This was Alexander’s first camping trip and he did great.  

Along came August and my big trip back to the Midwest.  Just Alexander and I went back to visit with my family for 11 days.  Eight of those days were spent up in Hayward, WI camping and boating.  We had a great time.  Alexander had a ton of fun playing with his older cousins, Connor and Aidan, playing in the dirt and the sand and riding on Grandpa’s boat.  While we were gone Eric was busy back home working but also working on our downstairs.  He took down our popcorn ceiling in the kitchen and living room and painted both rooms.  We are planning on replacing our kitchen counter tops and sink and also update the hardware on the cabinets.  

Looking ahead we have a lot on our plate.  I have MOPS starting up on the 12^th and have been busy with the steering committee in planning the year for MOPS.  I also have joined a bible study called Entrusted with a Child’s heart.  This is my first bible study and I’m curious to see how it goes.  I’m still going strong with Stroller Strides and have gotten back to my pre-preggo weight.  Like they say, 9 months to put it on…9 months to take it off.  Eric is busy as ever with work but has been recognized for his hard and got a promotion last month.  They also hired another product manager in hopes that it will lessen the load some for Eric.  At the end of the month we make our big trip to Columbia for Eric’s friend, Dave's wedding.  We are there for four days and meet Eric’s parents in Florida for a week’s vacation. 

In end, I was so happy the past two months to spent so much time with my family.  I miss them greatly but I love living in Colorado.  Eric and I are looking forward to the ski season and both have season passes this year.  The next couple months are going to busy as always but I guess that is how I like it. 

7 Months

Alexander is 7 Months!!!

Wow is time flying by! Alexander is growing and growing.  He is in 6-9 or 9 month clothes.  He still wears size three diapers.

Solids:
 Last month he started solids and is doing well.  Like any child he loves his fruits but doesn't like his vegetables (except sweet potatoes).  So far the only trick I can use to get him to eat his vegetables is alternate every other spoonful with a fruit.  I continue to make my own baby food which I really don't think other moms understand how easy it can be otherwise I think everyone would do it.  My friend Martina and I are getting together on Monday to make our next batch of food.  Every time we make a batch it lasts us about a month and half.  Of course it depends on how much you make.  Honestly, just buy some fruit, blend it, put it in ice cube trays, let it freeze, pop it out and put it in a freezer bags and back into the freezer.  When ready take one cube out (I do about 2-3 cubes now for Alexander), microwave it for about 30 seconds, stir, and then do 10 seconds after until its warm.  Make sure its not too hot before giving it to baby.  Things that don't blend as easily (mostly vegetables) add some water and it will help puree it.  Also, you need to cook the veggies before blending.  I know I am blessed to have a friend to do this with because it cuts the cost and it allows us to socialize while being productive.  The are many books out there about making your own baby food.  I got some of our ideas from Super Baby Food.

Personality:
Alexander is really developing a personality.  He loves to smile and giggle especially with his daddy and mommy.  Eric and Alexander love interacting with each other so much that when Eric comes in the room, Alexander just starts laughing.  I do believe he threw his first fit the other day when I took away a flash card that he wanted to just put in his mouth.

Sitting:

Alexander can now sit on his own!!! Its very exciting and of course makes great pictures.  This also has opened a world to a whole bunch of new toys (which are taking over my living room).  One of his favorites is a Mickey Mouse bobble toy that he got from Aunt Laura and Uncle Lane.  The books also say that this a can be a sign of which they are ready to crawl.  But we as all know, babies will be babies, and Alexander will crawl when he wants too!

Beach Vacation:

Eric and I went on our first vacation with Alexander to the Outer Banks in North Carolina.  There is a saying I have seen that says "You know you are a mom when going to Target by yourself feels like a vacation and going on vacation feels like work."  Well this is partly true.  Luckily we had a fabulous house to stay in.  We rented a big house with three other couples where two of the those couples also had young children.  The house had a pool which I loved the most.  By the end of the week the house finally got into a routine.  Some people went to the beach early and set up "camp".  Eric and I would let Alexander take his two naps while we hanged out by the pool and then after his second nap we would meet up with the crew on the beach.  We then would help take the camp down.  It was a good time but definitely not like the vacations we took before when it was just Eric and I.  My personal opinion is that I don't know if I would take a beach vacation with a baby again.  If you think about it the baby can't do much at the beach so neither can you.  Plus there is the consent worry of too much sun and sand getting everywhere.  Ironically we have two more beach vacations planned this year.  However, both are with Eric's parents which I know I can hand Alexander off too more often and enjoy the water or sun a little more (or at least I hope). 

In the market...
We are in the market for a new umbrella stroller and car seat.  Alexander is getting very close to the height requirement (30inches) for his car seat.  And since he will soon be out of that car seat which snaps into my snap-n-go stroller I will need a new stroller.  Some people will just buy one the cheaper versions of an umbrella stroller from Walmart or Target at this point.  I would probably honestly do this but I have a problem that those strollers' handles come up to about my knees.  Okay mid-thigh.  I'm currently looking a Chicco Liteway stroller.

Things we are looking forward to....
My parents are coming mid July to visit for a week.  We will also be going to the Sand Dunes with them to do our first camping trip with Alexander.  We are also excited to go visit our friends, Paul and Laura Galido, in Durango.  Paul and Laura had a little girl named Alex just five days after we had Alexander.  We are very excited for the two babies to meet.

6 months

Alexander Update:
Alexander is a whole half a year old! Wow has time really flown!!!  Alexander is 16lbs (25%) and 26.75 (75%).  He wears size 3 diapers.  He is in the process of growing out of 6 month clothes into 9 months.  In other words, some of his 6 month clothes fit but others we are starting to have to stretch.  As you can see in the picture he no longer fits in his bouncy seat or likes to sit in it.  Alexander is happy baby boy.  He loves to smile and giggle.  He is working on sitting but can do the tripod for only a few seconds.  He is a master of rolling from his tummy to back.  His favorite toy is his jumperoo.  He is on a two up, two down schedule.  He basically is awake for two hours and then asleep for two hours.  We started solids this week.  We started with sweet potatoes which he didn't like very much.  We just tried apples second and that went over much better. I'm proud of the fact that I made my own baby food.  It was pretty easy and only took about two and half hours with my friend Martina to make a whole bunch.

Two year Anniversary:
Eric and I recently celebrated our two year wedding anniversary.  We took our first family road trip to Taos, New Mexico which is about four hours away from Colorado Springs.  There we stayed in a cute treehouse cabin on an alpaca farm.  It had a cute pond on the property with some gorgeous alpine trees.  We ate some great Mexican food and visited the Taos Peublo village.  On the way back we stop at the Sand Dune National Park.  The stream was running at the bottom the sand dunes so we got out and waded around.

Stroller Strides

My new thing lately is going to my Stroller Strides classes in the morning.  Stroller Strides is an outdoor workout class for mothers.  We jog (or walk), workout with exercise bands, and do other exercises (i.e. lunges, push-ups, and abs).  We get a full body workout in one hour each day.  It really has help me get my self-confidence back about my body and also helped me tone my muscles.  Being an ex-PE teacher and athlete it fits right up my alley.  However, I would suggest it to any kind of mom at any fitness level.  We have a variety of different type of moms with different body types and our instructor Amy does a great job of helping everyone improve.  Stroller Strides is a nation wide company so there could be a group near you.

Things we are looking forward to:
We are taking a vacation to the outer banks in North Carolina.  We got a big house with 3 of Eric's friends from high school and their wives and families.  It should be a great time.  From there we will drive up to Delaware to visit and spend time with Eric's parents and his brother, Brian, and Brian's wife, Clarissa.  Alexander will also get to meet his cousin Jack for the first time!

Five Months

                Alexander is 5 months old!!  We don’t have an appointment until 6 months so no officially stats.  However, I believe he is around 14-15lbs and 25inches. He is in size 3 diapers and size 6 month clothes. Alexander is definitely becoming a big boy.  Some milestones we reached this month are being able to roll from his tummy to back and sleeping through the night.  I blogged earlier about how we got him to sleep through the night titled “No paci = sleep”.  Alexander takes about three naps a day.  A two hour nap in the morning and afternoon and then a cat nap around 5:30 or so.  Some people say don’t let them nap after 4:30 or 5pm but Alexander needs it and goes to bed easily at 7:30 when he does.  Alexander’s favorite activity right now is his jumperoo.  He loves being it and being able to move around.  Plus it tires him out.  We just put away the swing the other day to make room for the jumperoo and exersaucer.  Yes we have both.  We don’t need both but I found the jumperoo at Once Upon a Child for a great deal and couldn’t resist.  Alexander also has great neck strength.  He is able to do tummy time easily which makes for some great pictures.  He stills put any toy you give him in his mouth and gets frustrated if it doesn’t fit in his mouth.  Alexander still loves to smile and laugh all the time. We are also pretty sure that Alexander is going to be either strawberry blonde or a full red head.

                We are looking forward to solids next month.  I recently went over to my friend Martina’s house and made baby food.  It’s very simple.  Either you peel or cook the food and then just put it in the blender.  Sometimes you add a little water just to make it blend easier.  We made 13 ice cube trays of baby food to split between the two of us.  We made bananas, mango, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, peas, corn, broccoli and probably some others I’m not remembering.  Overall, we made a good amount of food, it was super easy, and saves us money.

                Eric and I will celebrate our two year anniversary on May 29^th.  As of right now we have no plans but will probably do a stay vacation somewhere in Colorado.  I’m hoping we will get to do some camping soon.  However I do worry about Alexander staying warm enough at night since Colorado gets cool at night. 

No Paci = Sleep

Picture: Alexander napping with his paci plushy pal
Sleep Training

Around 3-6 months you will start reading about sleep training in the books.  They say around 4-6 months your baby should start sleeping through the night.  Our doctor told us when a baby is 13-15lbs.  I have also read that doctors considering sleeping through the night when babies sleep around 5-7 hour stretches, not the 8-9 hours that parents hope for.  We were struggling with getting Alexander to sleep through the night.  Around 3 months he had a growth spurt for about 5 days when he was waking up about every 3 hours to feed.  After the growth spurt, he was still waking up anywhere from 2-6 times a night.  Most of the time we were able to get up and just put the pacifier in and he would sleep a little longer.  We usually had to give him a bottle in the middle of the night which would stretch him to the morning.  I can say I was getting pretty sick of being waken up multiple times a night just to stick the pacifier in for him to sleep because it usually took me another half an hour to fall back to sleep.  I knew to get rid of the pacifier would be some work and a lot of crying.  I also had to decide if Alexander was ready to get it rid of it and if we were going to go cold turkey.  Also if we could keep using the paci during the day but not at night.  

How I decided he was ready....
One night I was giving Alexander his bottle before bedtime.  After burping him, I stuck the paci in and cuddle him in my arms to rock him to sleep.  He was looking wide awake when he pulled out his paci and stuck his fingers in mouth.  If he can find his fingers, he is ready for some sleep training.

The Method.....
I decided to use the cry it out (CIO) method also know by the Ferber method.  The Ferber method is you let the baby cry but you go in and check on them.  The first check is at 3 minutes, then 5,8,10 and then 10 after that.  The second night you start with 5 minutes.  I actually decided just to do increments of 10 minutes.  When you go in and check on them you don't pick them up but just rub their back or tummy and talk them.  You don't stay longer then a minute or two.  You also aren't waiting for them to stop crying but just reassuring them you are there.  There are a lot parents who don't do this method because they can't take the crying.  I also was going to try the pick up, put down method.  Which is you do checks but you pick them and try to calm them down.  Once they are calm, you set them back down.  However, I read this can take up to 20minutes just to calm them down.

The first night...
After the bottle and burping, I layed Alexander in the crib.  He cried for 13 minutes and fell asleep.  I didn't go in at 10minutes because I could tell he was calming down.  He woke up at 9:30 crying.  Eric went in and stuck the paci in without me knowing it.  However he slept until 7:30am.  Another sign to me that he was capable going through the night.

The second night....
Bottle, burp, lay down.  Alexander cried for about 8 minutes and fell asleep.  He woke up sometime during the night.  Cried for 10 minutes, check, cried for 8 minutes, fell asleep until morning.

The third night....
Sometimes they say that their is a regression on the third night.  He went down with no crying.  But was up at 3 or 4am.  Cried for a half an hour (I did change his diaper after ten minutes).  However, woke up a half an hour later so I gave him a bottle.  But he woke up at 5am and cried for 20 minutes.  Then woke up at 6am and was up for the day.

The 4th-6th night....
He sometimes would go down with or without crying but it was never more then 10 minutes.  He usually woke up once during the night.  I would change his diaper after 10 minutes.  I would always change his diaper in the crib without picking him.  I did try picking him up a couple times but this usually got him more mad.  He usually didn't cry for more then 20-30minutes.  I also decided after the 5th night that after I do a diaper change I wouldn't go in again unless it got to 45minutes.  I made this decision because my checks weren't really doing anything.  He wouldn't get anymore clam but would get more mad.

The 7th night.....
Once again I read that there can be regression on the 7th or 8th night.  He went down with little fuss.  but woke up at 4am crying.  Changed the diaper after 10minutes.  He cried for an hour.  :(  Then woke up at 6am and was up for the day.

The 8th night....SUCCESS
Alexander went down with a little bit of fuss but slept through the night!!!!  He woke up at 6:30am.  11 hours!!!!!!

Tonight will be the 11th night and he has slept through the night since night 8.  He wakes up at 6:30am but will be happy in his crib until 7am which is when I get him. 

So the other good news is that we were able to get rid of the paci at night but can still use it during the day.  He uses it for naps and actually naps longer when I do let him have his paci.  We also only use it mostly when we go out and for his witching hour (6-7pm). 

Breastfeeding...
I have also stopped breastfeeding.  My decision to stop was based off that my supply was not keeping up and I was still having pain in my left breast.  Around when Alexander was two months old I decide to feed him only off my right breast and pump my left.  I was having a lot of pain when Alexander latched onto my left breast.  I would still feed him off the left breast in the morning to help keep ducts cleared and such.  Pumping is very time consuming and I wasn't getting a lot.  Also when I did feed him off the right one, I usually had to give him a bottle afterwards.  So at 4 months I made the decision to stop. I feel good about this decision.  Alexander got 4 months of breastmilk and gained benefits from that. He actually got a little more then 4 months because I had some breastmilk frozen from before when I was producing too much. Now I have new sense of freedom and I don't feel guilty about stopping.  I don't know if him sleeping through the night has anything to do with being formula feed now but I'm sure it helps.

Flying with an infant

Over Easter weekend, Eric, Alexander and I flew back to Wisconsin to visit my family.  I got experience flying with Alexander with Eric and on my own (I stayed a little longer to spend time with my family and Eric had a business trip).  The flight from Denver to Minneapolis was two hours.  So it was a good flight to be our first flight. So here was our experience flying with Southwest.

Denver to Minneapolis
Eric dropped Alexander and I off to check in while he parked the car.  To check in an infant you have to have their birth certificate for proof of age.  We checked our bags since it was free.  To carry on we had the stroller (Baby Trend Snap and Go), diaper bag, and a back pack.  Attached to my backpack I had one our backpacking camping pillow (basically a small pillow).  The pillow was great to have to help hold Alexander on the flight. So checking in was no problem.  Security was a bit of hassle.  They made us put EVERYTHING through the X-ray machine, including the stroller.  Thank God Eric was there to get everything up there while I took care of Alexander.  I had premade formula bottles that I just put in a plastic zip lock bag.  All you have to do is declare it when go through security.  They will take the bottles out and test them but won't open them. So we get through security and get to the gate.  Southwest has bordering for parents between their A and B group which is nice.  We gate checked the stroller and car seat.  I carried Alexander onto the flight in the baby Bjorn.  The flight went okay.  We feed him as soon as we got on the plane and he fell asleep during take off.  We had to change his diaper twice while in our seats since the seat belt sign was on the entire time.  But once again since there was two of us, so it went okay.  When we got off our flight the stroller is right there for you.  So over all the flight went well.  Alexander seem to have no problem with his ears.


Minneapolis to Denver
My parents took me to the airport.  We parked the car and they helped me in with my bags.  This time I checked the stroller and car seat at the desk.  The desks have large plastic bags for you put them in.  Also they don't charge you extra for a car seat or stroller.  So this time going through security I had Alexander in the baby bjorn, diaper bag, and backpack.  I also wore slip on shoes and no belt so I didn't have to mess with that stuff.  I also put my sweatshirt in my backpack so I didn't  have to mess with taking that off.  I was expecting to have to take Alexander out of the bjorn but they didn't make me.  They just rub a cloth on my hands and tested it  So it was much easier going through security this time.  The flight was right at Alexander's bedtime so I gave him a bottle and he slept the entire way.  When getting off the plane, I let everyone else get off first since I needed to change his diaper and get him in the bjorn. 

Overall, our flights went well.  Our next flight is in June to the east coast.  Its a four flight, so it will be different.  I hope Alexander will be able to in an umbrella stroller by then so make things a little easier.  My suggestion for flying with an infant, is that if you are flying with someone, use a stroller and gate check it.  If you are flying by yourself, use a baby carrier or a small light weight stroller.

What I had in the diaper bag:
- 4 5oz bottles of formula (this are the bottle that your store breast milk in)
- 2 empty drop-in bottles
- extra drop in liners for the bottles
- plenty of diapers
- wipes
- two burp clothes (a large and small one)
- extra pacifiers
- an extra bib  
- change of clothes for Alexander
- one rattle and one other toy
- a small book

What I had in the back pack
- my sweatshirt
- a book and magazine
- a fleece blanket for Alexander in case the flight was cold.
- my wallet and his birth certificate
- sunglasses
- my jewelry (I never put this in my check baggage)
- ipod
- camping pillow attached to the outside

I probably could have gone without the backpack but it was huge hassle.   I put the diaper bag at my feet and the backpack above.  I choose an aisle seat both times. 

4 Months!

Alexander is 4 months old!!  At his 4 month check he was 12lbs 12ozs and 24.5 inches long.  He currently is wearing size 6 month clothes.  He can roll over to one side and back.  He continues to improve on tummy time and strengthening  his neck muscles.  He loves to seat in his bumboo seat.  He loves to smile and laugh.  He also has started to grab things and put them in his mouth.  Alexander did some traveling this past month.  He went Keystone for the week and got to visit with Grandpa and Grandma Narveson.  The adults took turns skiing and babysitting Alexander.  Around that the same time he went through his 3 month growth spurt where he was waking up every three hours to chug bottles.  This lasted about 5 or 6 days.  About a week later, Grandma Linda McLeod came to visit.  We had a great time going to for hikes and shopping.  Then Alexander took his biggest adventure going on his first plane ride to Minneapolis for Easter.  He did great on the plane.  We spent Easter in Eau Claire, Wisconsin with my family.  Alexander got to meet all his Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and his Great Grandma Elisabeth.  

Overall, Alexander continues to grow and discover the world.  I’m looking forward to him being able to sit on his own and roll over.  At 6 months he will start solids.  He doesn’t sleep through the night yet but only wakes up about once a night for a bottle.  He’s a hunger boy!!