5 Month Pictures

In honor of Nathan turning 5 months old yesterday, we had a little photo shoot.  Here are the best two pictures!

Tornado Warning and "Sitting Up"

Sunday night was Brian's first night shift of the seven he has to work over the next nine days.  After he left for work, Nathan was in the bouncer and I was cooking when I heard on the radio that there was a tornado warning for our county!  It had started to storm earlier, but I hadn't paid much attention.  Wasting no time, I grabbed Nathan, the computer, and the Boppy (for some reason), called for the cats and headed downstairs.  Well, it was somewhat of a false alarm, because once I got on weather.com, I realized that the tornado was east of us, heading northeast.  But since I had Nathan and the Boppy, I decided to see if he could sit by himself with it.  And success!

Rice Cereal - Yum, Yum!

Yes, the day has finally come: Nathan has started eating solid food!

Nathan turns 5 months old today, so in honor of another month of life, Brian and I decided to start solids this past Saturday. I wanted Brian to be home for the first "meal", because, unfortunately, he misses milestones because he's working 80 hour weeks (he still hasn't seen Nathan roll over!) and also so that one of us could feed and the other record for posterity's sake!

Overall, it was a success! Nathan eagerly ate his first bowl of very runny rice cereal. He also ate some more of a second batch, which was a lot thicker (relatively). We also were able to get some good pics and some videos (though my camera work needs to be improved). Enjoy experiencing this momentous day with us!

Fun with Gran, Part 2

Nathan and Gran

(I had to get at least one good picture this visit!)

So, to pick up where I left off... 

Thursday I was able to run some more errands while Gran stayed with Nathan.  I took the cats to the vet in the morning for their rabies boosters, then around lunchtime I headed to Walmart to do some shopping.  That afternoon, we took the jogging stroller out to try a new walking path near Old Salem - and that was an adventure!  After we got a little way down the path, I was thinking how hard it was to push the stroller, and then realized that all the tires were flat!  I had a pump, but there wasn't a good way to attach it to the valve on the wheel.  So we soldiered on, taking turns pushing the stroller, getting more of an upper body workout then we had bargained for!  Most of the trail was a little too secluded, so we decided that I probably wouldn't want to walk by myself. 

Friday morning was time for Gran to pack up and head home.  We had a great visit, walked every day, I got some things accomplished, we explored some new parts of Winston-Salem and Gran and Nathan had good quality time.  A wonderful visit!!

Fun with Gran

This week its been wonderful having my mom (Gran) up from Georgia for a visit. She arrived Monday afternoon while Nathan was napping, but after he got up we wasted no time and decided to go for a walk. We got Nathan in the stroller and started down the street and realized how COLD it was with the wind, so turned around before we got to the end of our short street and quickly retreated back into the house. 

Tuesday was a busy day! After Nathan’s second nap, we went out shopping for clothes for Nathan and visited a nursery to look for plants (it was sad - all run down and over grown, the man and woman working there must have been in their eighties and just couldn't keep the whole place up anymore).  I also went out on my own - Brian had given me a gift card for a massage almost a year and a half ago, and I finally used it.  It was wonderful, so relaxing!!  Then Gran, Nathan and I went out again to run some more errands before heading back home for the night.

Nathan was happy to hang out with Gran while Mom was getting a massage!

Wednesday started wonderfully - Nathan woke up around 7 and I brought him into bed with me while I tried to wake up, but then Gran came up and took him and I got another whole hour of sleep! It was fantastic! Wednesday was supposed to have the nicest weather of the whole week, so we decided to go visit Tanglewood park after Nathan's morning nap.  Our first stop was at the gardens and arboretium.  I put Nathan in the carrier and off we were to explore the gardens and the trails. 

Ready for our walk.

Such a happy boy!!

There weren't many flowers to see, too early in the season.  But we did find a cool path through the woods that ended in a field.  When Nathan is older, maybe next summer, I can see us coming with a picnic lunch and letting him run all over the field playing with a beach ball (Gran's great idea)!  By the time we finished all our exploring, Nathan was getting sleepy again.  We packed him back into the car and he fell asleep as we drove around the rest of Tanglewood, checking out the playgrounds and all the back roads, then headed home. 

Just because he's cute...

We were super surprised that evening when Brian got home EARLY from the hospital!!  So we all ran outside so that Gran could take some family pictures.  Here are the best few!

More about the visit in a later post...

My Guys

This past Sunday, Nathan and Brian were twins in their red polo shirts.  Aren't they adorable?  God has blessed me so much to have these two wonderful men in my life!

Over the River and Through the Woods

With Brian having a week off of work, we didn't want the whole time go by without taking some kind of trip as a family. The weather had been getting warmer and more beautiful as the week went on, so on Friday we headed northwest to the mountains. The plan was to visit Linville Falls, Linville Gorge and Boone. As we got closer to the mountains, Brian and I noticed that the trees looked weird. After much discussion, we decided that there was probably a bad storm that had come through and broken lots of the trees. We were just a few miles away from the falls when our suspicions were confirmed. We were greeted by the following sight as we turned onto the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Brian, being the adventuresome driver he is, didn't want to let a little bit of debris in the road stop us. So we plowed ahead, until this sight greeted us around the next bend...

So, we turned around and inadvertently found the back parking lot for Linville Falls - hooray! But before we set out on our hike, it was time for a picnic in the back of the Pilot.

Then it was time for Nathan's lunch and a diaper change. Unfortunately, he had a diaper leak all over his onesie. Fortunately, I had brought a change of clothes. It seems that Nathan loves his changing table no matter where it may be.

Finally we set off on our first hike. Brian was such a great sport wearing Nathan in our new baby carrier.

Nathan's (almost) favorite part of the trip was chewing on the carrier straps.

We made it to the first falls view point. The upper falls are behind us...

And here was our view of the lower falls.

By the time we made it another half a mile up the trail to the next overlook, Nathan decided to take a nap. That's another great thing about this carrier - Nathan will fall asleep and take pretty good naps while we're on the go.

Here are more pictures of the falls from the other two overlooks.

As you can tell from these pictures, we had quite a bit of elevation change during our hike! At one point as we were huffing and puffing up some steep stairs, Brian commented that since he was already carrying Nathan's weight up and down the mountain, I might as well hop on his back and he could carry the whole family! I was tempted, but thought that we'd make better progress if I didn't.

After we made it back to the car, we were off to see Linville Gorge.  Here is Nathan being a wonderful sport in his carseat!

As we drove by the first three trails down to the gorge, all had signs that said they were temporarily closed. We guessed that the trails may not have been cleared after the wind storm. By this time it was 3:00 as well, and wanting to get home at a reasonable hour, we decided to head on to Boone. We tried again to take the Blue Ridge Parkway, but this time we were stopped by "Road Closed - Ice" signs, but we decided that it was just the other end of the area blocked by the falling trees.

As I directed Brian to get "off" the parkway ("Yes, Brian, this road WILL take us off the parkway!" - oops!), I accidentally took us to the other parking lot for Linville Falls. But we passed an area where we could walk down to (what I assume was) Linville River, so we stopped for a photo op.

We took a video of Nathan "playing in the stream" (getting his feet wet - the water was a little cold). As you will see, we believe in "When at first you don't succeed, try again!"

Once we made it to Boone, we visited the Mast General Store. We wanted to get some memento of the trip, and decided that jam was the perfect choice. Though we were tempted to get something unusual, like Hot Pepper Garlic Jelly, or even more appealing, Kudzu Blossom Jelly, we ended up with two tamer choices, Huckleberry and Blueberry Preserves. We also snagged some gummy candies and popcorn before we hit the road back to Winston-Salem. We had a wonderful day and made some good memories!

Construction Time!

Brian is on vacation from work this week (HOORAY!!), and has started work again on the basement.  I took Nathan downstairs last night to look at the progress, and Brian decided that it was a teachable moment.

Safety first!!

No need for toy hammers, Nathan's ready for the real thing!

A Sleep Update - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good: Nathan is taking much longer and better naps, he is waking less at night, and he is generally easier to put to sleep.

The Bad: Nathan is still waking up 2-3 times per night.

The Ugly: I'm still pretty frustrated with the night wakings, although I know in my head that it is SOOOO much better then before.

So we've been actively working to address Nathan's sleeping troubles for almost two weeks now, and as I mention above, we have made great strides.  While we used to have to rock Nathan until he fell asleep, the oh so gently place him in his crib so that he wouldn't wake up... now he will (almost always) go to sleep in his crib with patting and "shhhh-ing" from us, with the process usually taking less then 10 minutes.  He has gone from taking short naps and/or waking in the middle of the nap and having to be rocked back to sleep, to 3 pretty consistent naps (morning and noonish naps that are 1 hour 20 minutes, and an afternoon nap that is 40 minutes).  And at night he is usually waking between 2:00-2:30 (usually going back to sleep quickly after comforting from me) and again between 4:00-5:00 to eat, much better then every 1-2 hours the whole night. 

So why am not thrilled and thankful for all the progress we've made?  Because I can't get it out of my mind that almost two months ago he was waking up only once during the night to eat or some nights not waking at all!  I feel that developmentally and also from a hunger standpoint, he should now be even better equipped to make it all night long without waking up.  I guess I'm hoping that by writing this post and by putting my feelings into words that it will help me somehow...  I guess it keeps going back to the whole expectations thing.  Keep praying for us!

Here is the quote from "The Shack" that I mentioned in an earlier post:

"Paradigms power perception and perceptions power emotions. Most emotions are responses to perception – what you think is true about a given situation. If your perception is false, then your emotional response to it will be false too. So check your perceptions and beyond that check the truthfulness of your paradigms – what you believe. Just because you believe something firmly doesn’t make it true. Be willing to reexamine what you believe."

Nathan's New Carseat

As you know, we are growing a very big little boy.  So big that he was quickly outgrowing his infant carseat.  It is rated for up to 20 or 22 lbs, which Nathan is not quite there yet, but the combined weight of Nathan and the carseat was getting too much for me to handle.  I think I really started to notice it after we got the Pilot, because I was lifting the carseat up rather then setting it down to get it in the car.  So I decided that it was time to graduate to the next level: a convertable carseat that will last Nathan for the next few years.

I spent quite a bit of time last week researching to determine which carseat to purchase and bought the new carseat at the end of last week.  Over the weekend, we tested it out in the car and it was given the thumbs up by Brian (we had to make sure that it would still give Brian enough room to drive the Pilot when installed behind the driver's seat).  So we took it inside and put Nathan in to adjust the straps.  So here is a clip of Nathan and Brian discussing the pros and cons of the new seat.  Enjoy!   

Visit with Nana and Grandad

This past weekend, Brian's parents, Nana and Grandad, came for a visit! Unfortunantly Nathan was fussy Friday night and Saturday because of the shots he had at his 4 month checkup (he was running a slight temperature on Saturday), but he was feeling much better by Sunday.

We didn't do much during the weekend - no house projects like we usually tackle when they visit. Friday night Brian got home pretty late, so we actually put Nathan to bed right after he got home and ate pizza. Then I went over to Jennie's house for a party, while Brian caught up with his parents. I missed most of Jennie's party, but I did get to chat with the girls before everyone went home and then I stayed for a while longer to catch up with Jennie.

On Saturday, Carroll and I hung around the house for most of the day and David and Brian ran a few errands in the afternoon. We all took turns playing and entertaining Nathan between his frequent naps.  For dinner, Brian grilled steaks - yummy!!

Sunday morning was church, of course, and Nana came to the rescue, helping Nathan to take short naps during Sunday school and again at lunch - Sunday morning church really disrupts his napping schedule! But Nathan was back to his cheerful, non-fussy self that morning, so we were all glad about that! After we got home, David and Carroll packed up and headed back to Knoxville, while Brian, Nathan and I had wonderful Sunday afternoon naps! It was a very quick visit, but great to see them and I know they were very excited to see how Nathan is growing and maturing!

Here's a quick video of Nathan and the grandparents. I took a couple video clips, but all of them had a fussy Nathan during parts of them. This was the best one.

Nathan and his Daddy

Here are some great shots that I got today of Nathan and Brian!

This spotted stuffed cube is one of Nathan's favorite toys, as you may be able to tell from the look in his eyes.  He likes to chew/drool on it until its soaking wet!

4 Month Checkup and Changing Table Fun

This afternoon was Nathan's 4 month check-up. As expected, he's at the top of the growth charts. Here are the stats:
  Length: 25 1/2 inches (75%)
  Weight: 17 lb 3.6 oz (90%)
  Head: 17 in (75%)

The pediatrician also said that he acted more like a 6 month old than a 4 month old, which I had suspected. Our little boy is so mature!! He also got two shots and was SO MAD, but he calmed down pretty quickly after I got him dressed and was able to hold and comfort him. Then he took a LONG nap, which allowed me to clean up a little before David and Carroll arrived, as well as spend time updating the blog.

Its been a while, so here are two cute videos of Nathan with Daddy and Mommy having fun on the changing table. Enjoy! 

Breakthrough!!

So Nathan's sleeping problems aren't solved, but we experienced a major breakthrough last night.  But let me start from Wednesday night and record a play-by-play account...
 
We put Nathan to bed around 8:00 Wednesday night, going to bed ourselves around 9:30 because Brian and I were both exhausted.  Nathan woke up at 11:00 and was up and down for 2 hours before I decided to feed him and realized that he really was hungry! After that, he slept until 4:30, when he woke up again hungry.  And when he woke up in the morning around 7:30, he was hungry again!  So that made me realize that he is either going through a growth spurt and needs more to eat, or I'm just not feeding him enough before bed. 

We're also moving on to step 2 of the plan to get him to sleep better (by himself) in his crib.  I wasn't sure what step 2 was until yesterday, when I checked yet another baby sleep book out of the library.  This book suggested having a bedtime and nap ritual, then putting the baby down in the crib whether or not he was super drowsy.  If he starts crying, try to comfort him in the crib, but if that doesn't work, pick him up and comfort him just until he calms down, then put him back down in the crib (called pick up/put down method).  The point is to make sure the baby doesn't get so worked up and upset that they can't put themselves to sleep, but also not hold them long enough for them to fall asleep in your arms.  So, armed with this new technique and the realization about Nathan being hungry at night...

Thursday I made sure that he had lots of good feedings, and in the evening I fed him at 6 and 8 then dreamfed him at 10 before I went to bed (fed him without waking him up).  I put him to bed after the 8:00 feeding with the pick up/put down method, which worked fairly well (maybe took 15 minutes to get him down).  He woke briefly at 9ish, but I was able to pat him back to sleep in his crib easily.  Then, he woke up at 2:15, and I tried to "shhh" him in his crib, then I tried pick up/put down, but he was really starting to cry loudly and I was worried about keeping Brian up.  So rocked Nathan for a while, but he was wide awake.  Then I tried feeding him, just in case he was still hungry (he wasn't really hungry), so I took him back into his room and put him back in his crib.  This time he didn't cry or fuss, he just kicked his legs happily and smiled at me.  At 3:00 in the morning, I didn't feel like smiling back.  Then he made a present for me in his diaper, so we changed that, ensuring that Nathan was WIDE awake.  Since Nathan had seemed somewhat content in his crib, I put him back in there, patted him a little, then lay down on the floor (using a stuffed soccer ball as a pillow and a baby blanket over me) and just waited to see what would happen.  Nathan started talking to himself, then he fussed for a minute, but after about 5 minutes, it was quiet.  I stayed on the floor for another probably 5 minutes - not a peep!  I crept back into my room and went back to bed, but couldn't go to sleep because I couldn't believe what just happened - Nathan put himself back to sleep, alone in his crib!!  Or maybe he was dead (at 3:00 in the morning, my imagination runs away with me sometimes!).  So after a while, just to reassure myself, I crept back into his room and yes, he was sleeping so peacefully in his crib.  I was THRILLED!  He woke up again this morning around 6:10 and I fed him (he was only kind of hungry) and he went straight back to sleep in his crib around 6:30 and then got up at 7:30. 

So, another huge win for him to be able to put himself back to sleep without needing to be rocked or patted or even know that someone is there!  While I'm realistic that this won't happen all the time just yet, it does make me encouraged that we are doing something right with this sleep training!  Plus, I know that we're going to have to stop swaddling sometime soon, and who knows how that will impact his sleep.  So keep the prayers coming and there is definitely a light at the end of this long, tiring tunnel!

Sleep, That Elusive Treasure!

 

Before we get into that, here's the first family pic that we've taken in 2 months, since Christmas.  Not great of Nathan, but we only took 3 shots, and we usually need more then that to get a good one of him.  We went to the wedding reception for some friends on Saturday night and luckily had just borrowed some bigger clothes for Nathan from one of our friends, Melissa, or Nathan wouldn't have had anything to wear.  Nathan is officially 4 months old as of Monday, but he's in 6 and 9 month clothes! 

So, unfortunantly, my life is consumed with Nathan's sleep issues right now.  For the past few weeks, most nights Nathan is waking up 3-6 times a night, sometimes every hour.  Brian and I have been trying to figure out what the problem is.  At first we thought it might be early teething, then I thought it might be reflux, but now we agree that it has to do with Nathan's sleep associations. 

During the first month or two, I think we were putting Nathan down to sleep while he was drowsy but awake (the right thing to do), but somewhere between then and now we (or I) changed that and was waiting until he was all the way asleep to put him down.  I think the change happened in late December - we were having lots of trouble getting Nathan to go to sleep and then traveled with him for over a week.  Since December, for naps and bedtimes (and night wakings) I have been nursing Nathan to sleep or we were rocking him to sleep, then laying him down in his crib.  If he woke up, we picked him back up and continued soothing him until he was asleep before we laid him back down again.  Well, after lots of reading, we now believe that Nathan only knows how to go to sleep while being held, which is OK until he wakes up in the middle of the night, realize that he's along in his crib and gets upset because he doesn't know how to put himself back to sleep in that situation.  So now we need to teach him new sleep associations ie. that its ok to go to sleep by himself in the crib. 

So starting on Saturday, we/I have started modifying what we're doing.  For naps, I'm swaddling Nathan, then rocking and singing to him until I'm sure he's drowsy, then lay him down in his crib, where he wakes up slightly, and then I pat and "shhhh" him until he falls asleep.  It has been working pretty well for naps, and actually I'm already seeing an improvement in how long he will sleep for his naps.  He used to only sleep for 30-40 minutes, then he would wake up and sometimes I could rock him back to sleep (I knew he was still tired) for another 30-40 minutes.  But by the end of the day he would still be fussy and grumpy.  But this week, he's been taking much longer naps (usually 1.5 hours!), and definitely he isn't as fussy as night.

We are trying to do the same thing for nights, but with varying degrees of success.  The problem is that when we lie Nathan down, he will start kicking his legs, then forcefully turning his head back and forth and will get himself all worked up.  And during the middle of the night, I have less patience and get frustrated a lot more easily.  Over the weekend, we were down to 3 and 2 night wakings (on Saturday night and Sunday night), but then Monday night was bad again, with Nathan waking up either 4 or 5 times, and twice I was up 1 or 1.5 hours trying to get him back to sleep.  It was taking so long because I was trying to get him to fall asleep in his crib, but both times I ended up nursing him back to sleep.  Last night (Tuesday night) was better, he woke up at 10:30, 2:30 and 6:00, but he wouldn't go back to sleep after the 6:00 waking.

So this post has been long and convoluted, but basically I think we are making some headway and hope to continue to improve Nathan's sleeping habits.  Please say a prayer for us - that Nathan learns to sleep better and for patience for me!