I'm not sure if it was the nursery on Sunday or the doctor's office on Monday, but Micah is not feeling well. He's got a cold, is teething and may have gotten bad gas after trying yogurt for the first time yesterday.
He was a little fussy on Monday, but I chalked it up teething.
Yesterday morning he was a little more fussy, but not bad. He tried plain yogurt for the first time at breakfast. He woke up during his morning nap sounding congested so I gave him Motrin (just in case he was in pain from his teeth) and had him finish his nap in his swing.
He ate great for lunch, but had a hard time going down for his afternoon nap. He ended up sleeping in his swing again after I gave him some Tylenol. At this point his nose was noticeably running.
He was happy after nap time, but by this time his nose was gushing and of course his teeth were still bothering him (made evident by the fact that he kept sucking on his upper lip).
Bedtime was a beast! He'd only fall asleep if I was holding him and when I'd put him down he'd cry. I tried the swing again, but he slept for only an hour or so and then woke up crying.
Finally, I tried putting him in his car seat in the walk in closet in our bedroom (so he wouldn't wake up Jackson), but that didn't work. I brought the rocking chair into our room, but it was too bright and Micah just wanted to play and look around then.
So, we moved the rocking chair to the walk in closet (by this time it was 11pm and he'd already had a dose of Motrin at 8pm and a dose of Tylenol at 11pm). He pretty much cried himself to sleep in my arms in the rocking chair in the closet. I carefully transferred him to his crib, but he only slept for 2 hours.
Around 4am (after battling with him for quite some time) I noticed that every time I'd pick him up when he was crying he'd either burp or pass gas. So, I gave him some gas drops and nursed him in case he was hungry.
After that the rocking chair was getting uncomfortable for me, so I moved us to my bed (Colin had moved down to the couch LOOOOONG before this). I laid him down thinking I'd have to battle him rolling all over the bed.
I was surprised that he laid perfectly still and almost fell asleep as I was rubbing his tummy. He passed a little more gas and had a few more burps and then he was his happy self again. So, I put him back into his crib wide awake and he went to sleep and stayed asleep until 8am and had a great breakfast this morning.
His nose is still gushing so I filled the humidifier, propped his mattress up and gave him Motrin before his morning nap. He's been sleeping soundly for an 1 hour and 45 minutes so far (crossing my fingers).
They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, but I think I went insane last night trying to figure out all of the different ways that I could help my little boy sleep.
I know this too shall pass.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
9 Month Check Up
My Progress: (skip this if you don't care about the feminine stuff) I started my cycle this month.
Micah's 9 month stats:
20lbs 14oz (48%)
29" (75%)
47cm HC (95%)
Micah sits up without assistance and rolls as a means of getting to where he wants to go (hence the 48% for weight). He has yet to crawl, but definitely shows an interest in it, but gets easily frustrated when he tries to. He can also clap too and would clap for several minutes at a time in his crib after he woke up when he first learned that skill.
He also has begun to master his pincer fingers and can pick up cheerios and other finger foods and feed himself.
He's had the following foods so far: Yams, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, chicken, black beans, salmon, beef, ground turkey, avocado, applesauce, papaya, banana, blueberries, peaches, apricots, tomatoes, oatmeal, rice, cheerios, watermelon and I'm sure there's more that I just can't remember. (I plan on trying egg yokes and yogurt some time in the next few weeks too, since I've gotten the go ahead from the pediatrician).
He's just starting to sign "please," but instead of rubbing his chest he'll frantically grab at his bib or pant leg. Overall his communication is whining when he wants something ... I'm looking forward to the next couple of months when HOPEFULLY he'll learn how to sign a few words. He's jabbering consonant sounds now like: dada, baba, adah (no mama yet).
He LOVES books, but mostly the mechanics of how the pages feel, turn and taste ... we're working on not putting everything in his mouth, but he's definitely in the oral stage right now. He's got two bottom teeth and I'm expecting the top two to pop through any time now.
His favorite thing to do is go for walks in the stroller. He also loves to be with his big brother.
I will often find him mimicking Jackson at the dinner table or when they are playing together ... it's SO adorable.
Micah takes two naps during the day for about 2 hours each, but on Sundays he takes a shorter morning nap and then a longer afternoon nap because of church. I still put him in a sleep sack for naps and night time and he likes to suck on the collar (I hope that's not a bad habit that I'm letting happen there). He sleeps great at night (12 hours) even when he stayed at a different house without mom and dad for a couple of days.
While we were traveling without the boys I was able to see how much milk Micah drinks based on how much I pumped. He drinks about 10oz in the morning, then 6oz around lunch, 4oz after his afternoon nap and 4oz at bedtime for a total of 24oz a day.
His stranger anxiety has waned a little, but I think he's starting a little separation anxiety now too because he'll usually tolerate strangers as long as I'm right next to him. However, once he warms up to a person he does great. I was really glad that he got to spend some time with his Grandma Deb this weekend.
One year is just around the corner ... I'll blink and he'll be going off to college. I'm doing my best to every second!
Micah's 9 month stats:
20lbs 14oz (48%)
29" (75%)
47cm HC (95%)
Micah sits up without assistance and rolls as a means of getting to where he wants to go (hence the 48% for weight). He has yet to crawl, but definitely shows an interest in it, but gets easily frustrated when he tries to. He can also clap too and would clap for several minutes at a time in his crib after he woke up when he first learned that skill.
He also has begun to master his pincer fingers and can pick up cheerios and other finger foods and feed himself.
He's had the following foods so far: Yams, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, chicken, black beans, salmon, beef, ground turkey, avocado, applesauce, papaya, banana, blueberries, peaches, apricots, tomatoes, oatmeal, rice, cheerios, watermelon and I'm sure there's more that I just can't remember. (I plan on trying egg yokes and yogurt some time in the next few weeks too, since I've gotten the go ahead from the pediatrician).He's just starting to sign "please," but instead of rubbing his chest he'll frantically grab at his bib or pant leg. Overall his communication is whining when he wants something ... I'm looking forward to the next couple of months when HOPEFULLY he'll learn how to sign a few words. He's jabbering consonant sounds now like: dada, baba, adah (no mama yet).
He LOVES books, but mostly the mechanics of how the pages feel, turn and taste ... we're working on not putting everything in his mouth, but he's definitely in the oral stage right now. He's got two bottom teeth and I'm expecting the top two to pop through any time now.
His favorite thing to do is go for walks in the stroller. He also loves to be with his big brother.
I will often find him mimicking Jackson at the dinner table or when they are playing together ... it's SO adorable.Micah takes two naps during the day for about 2 hours each, but on Sundays he takes a shorter morning nap and then a longer afternoon nap because of church. I still put him in a sleep sack for naps and night time and he likes to suck on the collar (I hope that's not a bad habit that I'm letting happen there). He sleeps great at night (12 hours) even when he stayed at a different house without mom and dad for a couple of days.
While we were traveling without the boys I was able to see how much milk Micah drinks based on how much I pumped. He drinks about 10oz in the morning, then 6oz around lunch, 4oz after his afternoon nap and 4oz at bedtime for a total of 24oz a day.
His stranger anxiety has waned a little, but I think he's starting a little separation anxiety now too because he'll usually tolerate strangers as long as I'm right next to him. However, once he warms up to a person he does great. I was really glad that he got to spend some time with his Grandma Deb this weekend.
One year is just around the corner ... I'll blink and he'll be going off to college. I'm doing my best to every second!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Traveling and Babysitters
For those of you who don't know we are living in central coast California for a year and a half through Colin's work and the time has come for us to start thinking about where we'll be going next.
If you had asked me this time last year I would have said that we were going back to Omaha, BUT ideas and opportunities have come up in the mean time and it looks like we may be heading to Colorado.
SO, Colin had a work trip out there this week and I went with him to check out Denver neighborhoods, churches and pediatricians. We did NOT take the kids with us. I debated about that a lot before we left.
It was a no brain-er to leave Jackson because we have to pay a full price ticket for him and he's a little less dependent on me these days. Micah, on the other hand, was a little tougher decision. He was STILL not taking a bottle very well (only taking about 2 oz at a time when we'd tried).
But we bit the bullet and left him with church friends who have really been surrogate grandparents to Micah and Jackson while we've lived here. We've also known them for quite some time (they attended the church we went to in Omaha).
Anyway, I'm doing this blog so that I can remember a few things that really worked for this trip regarding traveling, exploring a new city and leaving my kids with a sitter:
1. As anal as it may seem I'm really glad that I wrote out a detailed schedule for the couple that watched Micah and Jackson (I even included when to ask Jackson to go to the bathroom and what types of food my kids like). My thought was that even if they decided to deviate from the schedule (which was totally fine by me) they'd have an idea of what the kids are used to. It made my life SOOOOO much easier when I came back home ... it's like I never left! (sigh of relief)
2. I had the boys go to the sitter's house rather than come to our house. I felt like that would make the sitter more comfortable. The boys and I spent the night all together at their house a couple of nights before we left for Colorado.
3. Micah didn't take a bottle for almost the entire time I was gone, but he was fine. I thought about working really hard at getting him to take the bottle before we left, but then I thought it'd be better to hand the babysitters a happy baby rather than a disgruntled baby when I left for my trip.
He slept through the night and for his naps and he ate solids like a champ (I decided to provide pureed avocado among some other foods (it's healthy and yet high in calories) just in case he didn't take the bottle well). I make my own baby food so I was also able to put exactly what I feed him for each feeding into individual zip loc bags and then put them all into a gallon freezer bag so that it was more convenient for the babysitter to make Micah's food. I have no idea if he was crabby the whole time, but my friend still seemed to have her wit when I came home, so he must have been pretty content.
4. We only stayed in Denver for about 4 days. I packed just a carry on that contained my purse and I also carried a breast pump, so that I could avoid checking and claiming luggage and avoid paying an extra $20 because we flew United Airlines. I didn't get heckled through security with the pump as long as I told them what it was before it went through the x-ray.
5. I had to pump and dump because I had no way of taking the milk back home (sad, I know). Next time I'll remember to bring my nursing cover just in case I can't find a bathroom off the beaten path that has an outlet close enough to a stall. I was smart though and brought along a car adapter for the pump, so I didn't have to go into a retail place to pump when I was driving all around Denver.
6. I'm really glad we had a real estate agent for this trip. She gave me some GREAT city maps and marked out all of the houses with map quest directions. The homework she gave me while I was there was to just pick a neighborhood. I think I found a really good one across the street from Clement Park about 10 minutes from where Colin would work and 10 minutes from the PCA church we'll probably go to.
There is one house up for sale now that meets most of our requirements, but it's a little out of our price range. Luckily it's a buyers market right now and we've got a little time before we need to nail down a house.
7. I checked out two different pediatric offices and my first impression is that they both seem like a place I'd be comfortable. Although I'm still going to ask other parents in the Denver area and will hopefully be able to make October and January appointments for Micah in August before we move.
8. I also visited the PCA church (Deer Creek Church) in the neighborhood. The staff was very friendly. It's a bigger church than we're used to, but I got a really good feeling about it. I think we'll listen to some sermons online before we move.
9. I drove A LOT!!! I'm pretty comfortable with the area we'll hopefully be in and could tell you, generally speaking, where to find a Super Target, a mall, the library, the nearest hospital, parks, etc.
Colorado felt like a hybrid between California and Omaha and I'm at peace if that's where the Lord would have us move next.
P.S. Next time I go to the Denver area I'll need to remember to stock up on lots of water because I did experience altitude sickness.
I know this was probably REALLY boring to most of you and if you made it this far I'd be surprised. Thanks for hanging in there and I hope it was of some value to you too.
If you had asked me this time last year I would have said that we were going back to Omaha, BUT ideas and opportunities have come up in the mean time and it looks like we may be heading to Colorado.
SO, Colin had a work trip out there this week and I went with him to check out Denver neighborhoods, churches and pediatricians. We did NOT take the kids with us. I debated about that a lot before we left.
It was a no brain-er to leave Jackson because we have to pay a full price ticket for him and he's a little less dependent on me these days. Micah, on the other hand, was a little tougher decision. He was STILL not taking a bottle very well (only taking about 2 oz at a time when we'd tried).
But we bit the bullet and left him with church friends who have really been surrogate grandparents to Micah and Jackson while we've lived here. We've also known them for quite some time (they attended the church we went to in Omaha).
Anyway, I'm doing this blog so that I can remember a few things that really worked for this trip regarding traveling, exploring a new city and leaving my kids with a sitter:
1. As anal as it may seem I'm really glad that I wrote out a detailed schedule for the couple that watched Micah and Jackson (I even included when to ask Jackson to go to the bathroom and what types of food my kids like). My thought was that even if they decided to deviate from the schedule (which was totally fine by me) they'd have an idea of what the kids are used to. It made my life SOOOOO much easier when I came back home ... it's like I never left! (sigh of relief)
2. I had the boys go to the sitter's house rather than come to our house. I felt like that would make the sitter more comfortable. The boys and I spent the night all together at their house a couple of nights before we left for Colorado.
3. Micah didn't take a bottle for almost the entire time I was gone, but he was fine. I thought about working really hard at getting him to take the bottle before we left, but then I thought it'd be better to hand the babysitters a happy baby rather than a disgruntled baby when I left for my trip.
He slept through the night and for his naps and he ate solids like a champ (I decided to provide pureed avocado among some other foods (it's healthy and yet high in calories) just in case he didn't take the bottle well). I make my own baby food so I was also able to put exactly what I feed him for each feeding into individual zip loc bags and then put them all into a gallon freezer bag so that it was more convenient for the babysitter to make Micah's food. I have no idea if he was crabby the whole time, but my friend still seemed to have her wit when I came home, so he must have been pretty content.
4. We only stayed in Denver for about 4 days. I packed just a carry on that contained my purse and I also carried a breast pump, so that I could avoid checking and claiming luggage and avoid paying an extra $20 because we flew United Airlines. I didn't get heckled through security with the pump as long as I told them what it was before it went through the x-ray.
5. I had to pump and dump because I had no way of taking the milk back home (sad, I know). Next time I'll remember to bring my nursing cover just in case I can't find a bathroom off the beaten path that has an outlet close enough to a stall. I was smart though and brought along a car adapter for the pump, so I didn't have to go into a retail place to pump when I was driving all around Denver.
6. I'm really glad we had a real estate agent for this trip. She gave me some GREAT city maps and marked out all of the houses with map quest directions. The homework she gave me while I was there was to just pick a neighborhood. I think I found a really good one across the street from Clement Park about 10 minutes from where Colin would work and 10 minutes from the PCA church we'll probably go to.
There is one house up for sale now that meets most of our requirements, but it's a little out of our price range. Luckily it's a buyers market right now and we've got a little time before we need to nail down a house.
7. I checked out two different pediatric offices and my first impression is that they both seem like a place I'd be comfortable. Although I'm still going to ask other parents in the Denver area and will hopefully be able to make October and January appointments for Micah in August before we move.
8. I also visited the PCA church (Deer Creek Church) in the neighborhood. The staff was very friendly. It's a bigger church than we're used to, but I got a really good feeling about it. I think we'll listen to some sermons online before we move.
9. I drove A LOT!!! I'm pretty comfortable with the area we'll hopefully be in and could tell you, generally speaking, where to find a Super Target, a mall, the library, the nearest hospital, parks, etc.
Colorado felt like a hybrid between California and Omaha and I'm at peace if that's where the Lord would have us move next.
P.S. Next time I go to the Denver area I'll need to remember to stock up on lots of water because I did experience altitude sickness.
I know this was probably REALLY boring to most of you and if you made it this far I'd be surprised. Thanks for hanging in there and I hope it was of some value to you too.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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