Three month old J

March 16 2013

Little mister is a little over three months old today. He has also decided to throw revolutions at nap times. Fantastico!


I'm not sure how other moms of two young kids handle it, but for me...it involves some near hair-pulling out, some internal tantrums (adult style, you know, the kind with swearing), some MAJOR prayers, and a whole lot of "I cannot wait for this stage to be over" thoughts.

I've got G begging to be played with -- and oh I want to honey -- and J screaming because he's fed, changed, tired, and laying in his nice bed -- which is clearly not enough for a three month old but is more than plenty for this momma.

I have to find a balance between letting him cry so I can give G attention, and attending to him because he is, after all, only a three month old.

Today has been the hardest day to find that balance.

It's been a tough several days, with regards to J and his naps... He has hit that phase of reaching major physical and mental milestones that results in poor sleep. I'm super thankful he is on track with all of these milestones, just very worn out and unsure how to handle the combination of needs among my kids. Sometimes, no one wins and all three of us have tears. That's just real life, folks.

Parents with more than two kids, I tip my hat to you. I'd imagine there's a ton of screaming in your house, or you are smart/rich, and hire a nanny or day care.

So, back to the baby.

March 15 2013

He's in 6 month clothes! He must weigh nearly 14 lbs, but I'll know for sure next week at his second NICU follow-up. I can't really guess at his height, so I'll report back on that too.
He nurses 5-6 times during the day and 2-4 times at night.
His bed time is roughly 7:45 pm, but lately he's not been going to sleep easily. He will usually sleep about 6 hours, then eat, then sleep another 2-4, eat, then sleep another 1-2.
He doesn't really have a nap schedule, though I've tried to pencil-in one based on when he gets up for the day... it's truly a crap shoot. I'm well versed in the sleep training methods and procedures, as I went through the ringer with G, but none of my best stuff is working for the kid.

And that brings me to the milestones that are inducing this sleep crazy mess.
J rolled over! Okay, he technically kind-of rolled over (tummy to back) as a two month old, but he'd never really get flat onto his back, so I never counted it. We are officially counting tummy-to-back roll over on 3/16, exactly 3 months old. He's SO extremely close to rolling over from back to tummy. I've started several recordings, only to delete them when nothing pans out.... but it's very imminent. This is very exciting for us, because he's never been as strong as G was--she held her own head up pretty much from day 1. J didn't really hold his head very well until 2/26. J has great kicking motion, so I assume crawling won't be delayed.
When we found out about his condition, of course things ran through my mind about possible physical or mental delays...but for now...knock on wood...he's pretty much typical.
His breathing is okay. It took him about 2 weeks to get over a minor cold, but he's back to normal (for him) now, so that's nice.
He loves to laugh at G, or us if we say/do the right thing, and smile at anyone that gives him even the smallest reason to. He's truly a loveable boy, just going through some grouchies lately.
He loves to read books and look at toys. He recently started trying to bat at them and successfully does some of the time. His favorite seems to be a white Easter bunny that has pink teether paws and a little rattle inside.
He drools a ton, but I don't see any indication of teething. He had an umbilical hernia, but it seems to be almost gone. His hair is still about the same length, but his massive head keeps growing, so the hair is thinning out across the scalp, which makes for a comical hair-do.
He loves watching all the action, especially his big sister.
He went to mass for the first time this weekend and was AWAKE THE WHOLE TIME. There was only one instance where he almost got fussy, but reigned it in. He was pretty much an angel. It was lovely. It was our first mass as a full family of four, and it went great. It was on the six year anniversary of me meeting my husband. So that made it extra special.

march 8 2013 - (band-aid from blood draw)