Back From Iowa

Chillaxin'

Charity getting some Adam time

Charity and I enjoying a beautiful day by the Lift Bridge

Florence

  Thoroughly enjoyed the visit with my sister.  Very fun and enlightening.  We have much in common, but have had very different experiences in life.  She can give me a kick in the butt when I need it and is honest to me always.  I love she is diplomatic, but reasonable.  She came to visit me when no one else has.  I am so glad.  I want both of us to be happy.  I wanted to be neighbors with her when I grew up.  That would be fun grilling, hanging out at the lake, etc.  That ship has sailed, but that is life.

  Great trip to Iowa.  Adam and I only got to be at Florence's 100th birthday party for a sum total of 20 minutes.  He was inconsolable and crying himself to sleep.  Then when waking he cried some more.  Then Tony got some Tylenol for him and Adam slept for 6 hours.  He woke the next day refreshed and better.   He was still upset and over stimulated from all the people trying to hold him.  He did much better for breakfast the next day that Florence attended.  I did not get to say my goodbye and hug her, but she knows we were there and came all that way just for her.

  The trip did teach Adam to fall asleep in his car seat.  He soothed himself and played for hours.  He has grown up so much.  His face is changing and he is looking like a big boy.  He did learn that not all trips in the car seat are that long and that he can calm himself.  It also taught me the same thing.  He is much easier to pack up in a hurry now.

Love It

  I love hanging with my sister and we got to have dinner with my dad all by ourselves without any interruptions last night.  What a great time.  Adam did great for the ride down, but is exhausted from all the over-stimulation today.  He's sleeping and just ate.  We missed out on seeing Florence come into the restaurant.  Sad, but necessary.  We need a happy baby or there is not a good time had by anyone.  Especially mommy and the baby.  He needs to sleep until he wakes on his own because he got woken up before in time for 8 new and strange family members wanting to hold him and passing him around.  Too much for him.  He is such a sweet boy and he already gave a different impression to people.  Poor thing.  He'll sleep plenty tomorrow.  I hope.  We are staying for breakfast for sure, then taking off to go home.  Tony has to work and we'll be back in the summer.  He'll be bigger then and hopefully will be better traveling too.  I hope he wakes in an hour before Florence goes home!  We'll see.  Can't wait to see everybody.  Great hotel room too.  Very roomy for all the baby gear.  I have to remember this for next time.

Made It

  Made it to Iowa with only one almost melt down.  Adam is stuffy and sinuses are bad I think.  Poor thing.  He did great on the trip.  Slept a lot.  Not sure if he will sleep tonight now.  Time to find out though.  He did great, what a trooper.  Who knows if he will do the same on the way back home.  Look forward to some sleep if possible. Good hanging with my sister :)

Valentines Day Report

  Well, he slept from 1 AM - 8 AM this morning.  He woke up happy and smiling.  What a great present for Valentines day!  What a sweet boy!  Lots to do today to get ready for our trip.  I hope he's ready for a big travel day.  We figured out that the car seat cover was rubbing on his cheeks and causing rash/irritation on his whole face.  I have now covered any areas that would come in contact with his face with a cotton flannel fabric and laundered it in Dreft.  Today will be the test to see if he does well and goes rash free when traveling.  Poor thing had red cheeks for 2 days after his last contact with the car seat cover.  Hoping this will solve the problem for his travel and sensitive skin.  Yay.

Happy Valentines Day!

Thinking in his dreams

Loves his rings

Tummy time in his cloth diaper

7.5 Hours

Adam has slept 7.5 hours each night the last 2 days, then he slept all day today.  That makes me not confident that he will sleep tonight.  Not sure what that means going into a big trip in 3 days.  I am in complete denial that we are leaving to be in a car for 12-16 hours in one day.  Not really ready.  I could use  someone to pack for me.  I need to hit the grocery store and to make the snacks.  Laundry to do and clean the house.  Sweet business to see everyone.  Can't wait to lose the baby weight.  Slow as it goes, but I know it will come off.  Hoping to get lots done tomorrow.  Fingers crossed.  G'night

Good Night Overall

  Last night Adam slept about 7.5 hours!  Quite a feet.  I woke once when I thought he was getting up, but otherwise I slept too.  So great.  The difficult part was that he was inconsolable tired before falling asleep.  Despite everything I did he cried for almost 30 minutes before finally calming down and falling right to sleep in the swing.  I tried everything in my arsenal of calming techniques with no avail.  He basically cried himself out until he slept which was sad.  To sleep so long after was surprising, but welcome.  He just fell asleep right now, but if he's on his day schedule of eating every 2 hours he'll wake in a minute and want to eat.  If he's in bed for the night, he'll just keep sleeping and therefore I could have gone to bed when he did.  Too bad there is no way to know that ahead of time.  Anyways, I'm off to get ready for bed as he swings happily sleeping.

  He's so sweet and I'm so happy to have him.  I cannot get over how big he is already.  One of my favorite outfits I went to put on him today because it has always been roomy when other clothes have been tight, does not fit anymore.  Sad.  I didn't think he was growing that much, but it fit comfortably only 2 weeks ago.  Keeping in perspective is hard until I see someone else holding him.  Then he's still small.  I love that.  Oh, he is stirring. Time to eat after all.  Not bed time yet.  Gotta go.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly 3 Months Old

 Adam has had one of his worst and his best nights since he was born in the last week.  One night up every 2 hours after nursing for 30 minutes and one night sleeping almost 6.5 hours then 3 hours back to back.  He sometimes screams from being overly tired (like we purposely kept him up or something) and then he was quiet, went to sleep easily after being rocked and transferred to bed without waking no problem.  He would wake screaming one night then wake happily sucking on his fingers and talking happily the other.  He would scream and only be soothed by the swing or happily just be rocked and in bed within 10 minutes.  No figuring this guy out yet, but I love the sleep I got yesterday for sure. Yet, he always wakes up in a good mood smiling, talking, laughing, kicking, punching, playing with me.  So sweet.

I was able to exercise yesterday for the first time since he was born.  Yay!  I was so excited.  It was interrupted with feeding him, but something is better than nothing.  As cleaning goes, we hope to have friends over tomorrow so today is filing and cleaning day.  I love the light out, but not the 10 degrees with -3 wind chill.  I was hoping to go into State Wide to visit today, but I will go on Monday instead.  I love a clean house.  It is a rare commodity and will get rarer still once Adam is bigger.  Que serra.

We have been stuffed up lately and trying to stay where the humidifier is.  He has been giving good sinus drainage with the bulb. I wonder what parents did before the bulb?  It is such a wonderful tool.  I also wonder what they did before swings.  Good grief they must have held their baby all the time or let them cry.  Either way, the swing is such a great alternative.  Good for all involved.  He's so big his feet hang over the edge of the swing now.  The instructions say the swing will hold up to 25 pounds, he is about 17 pounds and already rocks the foundation of the swing when he is kicking and moving around.  I cannot imagine 25 pounds of Adam in the swing almost knocking it over.

I am excited and leery about our impending trip to Iowa.  He does not like being in his car seat for long periods of time.  I hope he sleeps a lot and we can stop to let him have some kick punch time.  He does tend to fall asleep in the seat, but all day I think will be a bit much for him.  Any way you slice it, we are going.  The forecast looks good, as in clear warm weather for travel.  I hope it stays that way.  I also hope Charity gets to hold him and play with him on the trip also.  That will be fun.

Packing for a trip like this with an infant, I am glad we have a Suburban.  I am thinking of  portable rocking chair or just bringing the swing.  Very bulky, but proven effective.  I plan to call the hotel today and see if they have a rocking chair we can borrow.  That would make life easier.  We will see.  This trip will be the only time we get to see my dad until the day we visit him in Arizona.  I will get to see him a total of 3 days this year.  It seems like time is passing fast and I do not get to see him.  If he did not have that horrific girlfriend, I feel he would visit us.  He uses the excuse that she cannot come because she is working so he will not visit us.  Anyways, enough lamenting the lack of visitation of my family.

I feel good about our smiling, playful, snugly and smart son.  I do not look forward to his next doctor's visit.  I do want to find out what he weighs "officially," but I want another nurse and different gauge of needle for his shots this time.  I look forward to his crawling and talking.  He is so verbal.  He has starting taking a header when sitting now so he ends up on his face.  He then moves his arms and legs to position his head in a comfortable position.  He stays there for a while, then either gets happy to just lay there or he fights and wants to get back up and do it all over again.  Love that he is trying.  He does baby crunches all the time now and needs to be strapped in to any chair or swing he is in now.  He just is moving right along.  Now if he can only outgrow those daily hiccups.  Ugh, I do not like the hiccups.  He always spits up right before he has the hiccups.  The most he has had them is 5 times in one day.  Poor thing.

Three months old 2 days ago!!

So inquisitive! "Hmm?"

Such a silly Sarazin

Sleepy smiles at 3 months old

Awe

He is so sweet

He is so fun