Sleeping, Tummy Time and Bottles

Sleep on the Back

So after trying to have Alexander sleep on his back in his crib for little over a week we have decided to put him back in his car seat.  The breaking factor was on Friday night he woke up at 3:30am and then woke up every single hour after that until 6:30am.  He wasn't hunger because we would get up and comfort him and he would go right back to sleep.  So last night, he was back to sleeping in his car seat.  He slept from 9:30pm-4:30am.  I changed his diaper and back to sleep he went for another two hours.  Then I put his pacifier back in his mouth and he was asleep for another hour.  As much as I would like for him to sleep in his crib on his back, I'm going to do whatever gets him and I the most amount of sleep.  Babies will be babies and this baby likes to sleep inclined.

Tummy Time

Your pediatrician will tell you around 4 weeks that you should start doing tummy time with your baby so that their neck muscles get strong.  They tell you that the baby should get about 10 minutes of tummy time a day.  Not all at once but in segments.  They say the baby may be at a little fussy when you do tummy time.  Well I'm here to tell you that not only will your baby be a little fussy but also get really frustrated which gets them usually really upset.  For about every 30 seconds of tummy time you first do, you will spend about 2-5 minutes calming your baby down afterwards.  But you do need to do it.  It wasn't until this week (Alexander is now 10 weeks old) that he doesn't fuss when we do tummy time.  He actually seems to like it some.  So to all the new or soon to be new parents with babies, hang in there with tummy time during that second month.  One day your baby will just figure out how to lift their head and realize that its not all that bad.  I wish someone would have told me this.  Babies will be babies and will love tummy time when they figure out how to look around.

Bottles

I don't post a lot about breastfeeding because I don't want to impose my opinion about it because everyone has a different experiences with breastfeeding.  Lets just say I have a love hate relationship with it.  I love it because it does great things for Alexander.  I hate everything else about it.  Anyways, recently we have been doing every other feeding with a bottle of breastmilk that I have pumped.  Last week this backfired with Alexander getting frustrated with the breast. Bottles are easier for babies to feed from because they don't have to suck as hard.  Therefore when they go back to the breast they can become upset when they have to work harder.  However, I found out this week that they make bottles and nipples for bottles specifically made for babies who go back and forth from breast to bottle.  It makes a huge difference and we haven't had trouble since we switch the nipple in the bottle.  The nipple is more like breast where the baby has to latch onto it and suck.  I just wanted to share this information because I know the majority of mothers at some point with being a bottle and the breast. 

Updates.....
Nap Training - Yeah not really working at all.  Alexander only really naps when he is being held.  I'm actually typing this as he is laying on my lap and one arm sleeping.  I have gotten him to nap in swing in the morning while I work out.

P90X - Is going well.  After three weeks I haven't lost a whole ton of weight but I am getting slimmer and stronger.  I now can fit into two more pair of my jeans so that makes me happy.

Coming home to a smile

Eric and I celebrated Valentine’s Day on Monday with a date night.  Two of my young teacher friends came over and babysat for Alexander.  Eric and I went to Wines of Colorado restaurant and had an amazing dinner.  It made me realize how important date night is.  Like most new parents, Eric and I have been tired, exhausted and getting at each other throats.  This date night allowed us to let go, get out of the house, and have some laughs (plus a bottle of wine).  When we got home the girls were just putting Alexander to bed.  Eric went upstairs to rock Alexander to sleep while I said goodbye to my friends.  When I came upstairs and into the room, I maybe got out two words when Alexander heard my voice and just gave me the biggest smile ever.  It seriously melted my heart.  He was so happy to see me.  Just at 10 weeks he can recognize my voice and watch me as I move around the room.  He consistently smiles at me and holds “conversations” with me.  We are working on rolling over and holding his head up.  I think he will be able to hold his head up by the end of the month.  The biggest update is that Alexander has been sleeping in his crib and on his back for a week now.  He still sleeps through the night with only waking up once a night for a diaper change.  He goes to bed about 10 and wakes up around 7:30am.  However we are working on getting him to bed earlier since he gets really cranky around 8pm.  However, I must remind myself babies will be babies.  He will go to sleep when his tired and wake up when he wants to.  With that said, I’m getting my butt to bed incase he wakes up early.

What works......

What works one hour, one day, one week, one month....might not work the next time.

First I have to apologize because I meant to write this about a week ago.  A piece of advice that I got once was what may work one week may not work the next.  I have experienced this from week to week, day to day, and hour to hour.  I think this is mostly talking about calming a baby.  For example, the week Eric's parents, Linda and Norm, came to visit they taught us how to calm Alexander by doing the "dance".  The dance is walking, swinging, bouncing, and talking to Alexander all at the same time.  The week after they left I used the dance but also the swing to calm Alexander.  The week after that it seemed like nothing was working.  So I put him in his bouncy seat turned the vibrator on and bounced him.  Within 30 seconds he was calm!!  Its been working ever since.  He loves his bouncy seat!  He will seat in it while I workout, cook, clean, take a shower, etc.  If there one piece of "equipment" I would suggest to new parents, it would be a bouncy seat.  Its small and convenient and most babies love it.  I have a friend who's daughter sleeps in her bouncy seat all night.  Alexander use to sleep in it when he was a newborn and now he naps in it.

Two Months!

Alexander is two months today!!!!  He has grown and changed in such a short time!  He is currently 11lbs 4oz and 22.5 inches long.  It's funny to think that I was 22 inches long when I was born.  However my Aunt Lisa informs me today that my cousin Jens (who is 6'5 or maybe taller) was about that when he was 2 months old.  So there is still hope for my post player for basketball.  I wonder what position he would play in soccer.  Maybe goalie.  Anyways, Alexander smiles all the time.  He loves to be talked and sung to.  He absolutely loves his bouncy seat.  We have been working on tummy time but he get fussy and frustrated every time we do it.  However, we have to get those neck muscles strong.  He sleeps 8-9 hours a night mostly straight through. Sometimes he wakes up but nothing a new diaper and a pacifier can't fix.  He goes to bed around 10pm and wakes up around 8am (which is mine schedule).  We have made a routine for every night.  He gets a nice warm bath (which he loves!), a massage with lotion, and then feed.  I put him down no later then 10:30pm unless he is still feeding.  He sleeps in his car seat in the crib.  Some people view this as bad thing...I view it as getting sleep through the night.  I plan on getting him to sleep in his crib on his back sometime in the next two months.  He naps randomly through the day but the doctor gave me advice on how to nap train him.  Today is the first day of nap training, hence I'm getting time to write this blog.  Our doctor basically said that he wakes up for the day, feds, then should be up until the next feeding.  Then after the second feeding he should be awake for about 15 minutes and then put him down for his nap.  He should nap in the same place he sleeps so he understands its sleeping time.  He should sleep until the next feeding (about 2.5 hours) and then be up.  So far so good.  He is also a healthy eater.  He eats about every 3 hours.  We are giving him a bottle every other feeding but he is still getting nothing but breast milk.  He eats about 3-4oz which is healthy amount for his age.  He definitely growing.  He is in size 2 diapers.  He is stretching out his 3 month footsies but still fits in the 3 month onesies so he obviously has some long legs.  Overall things are going well still.  Eric and I enjoy being parents and love our little boy to death!