42 Weeks

Baby is 42 Weeks! 

We have had quite the week! Jack continues to learn and it's getting a bit tricky keeping up with him! He can now open cupboards (and, of course, completely empty said cupboards), he consistently waves hi and bye-bye, he has been working on saying hi and bye-bye to accompany his wave, he gives kisses when you say "kiss" or pucker, he says "na na na" when he doesn't want something and shakes his head, and he has learned that if he is crawling and wants to hold something he can put it in his mouth- extra limb! Busy busy baby boy! 

Momma had a consultation for removing her wisdom teeth. I started giving Jack a bottle every so often to get him used to drinking from it for when Momma has the surgery. I'll pump and dump right after the surgery and I am hoping to only take Motrin afterwards as a pain reliever so I can begin nursing again sooner rather than later. Jack isn't nursing as often, but still around 4 times a day. I gave him juice in a bottle to get him used to drinking again. He isn't a fan of milk in a bottle so we're taking it slowly.

Momma made cookies this week (and had to toss them because the bottoms were burnt) and Jack helped! He was very interested in the whole process. When I mixed together the ingredients some of the batter flew onto Jack or his tray and he thought it was so funny. I wanted to give him some of the batter to play with (sensory) but I knew he would try to eat it. Not quite ready for him to start eating uncooked egg in batter though.

This week we began sleep training. The pediatrician said I needed to start cutting out night feedings and Jack needed to sleep through the night. My plan was to have Jack sleep the entire night in his crib (even if he woke up throughout the night) the first week, then cut out feedings the second week, then sleep through the night in his crib the third week. Of course, baby's time table is not always (rarely) the same as Momma's. 

That first night I tried a semi-cry-it-out method. I let him cry for 5 minute intervals before going in and rocking him back to sleep. He was NOT pleased with this setup. Not at all. Whenever he cries (which is not often, he only cries when something is wrong) he goes from 0-100 in .03 seconds. Literally. It is either happy smiles or screaming, red, puffy eyes! So it was not fun leaving him downstairs alone for 5 minutes. He woke up every hour that first night and I let him cry for 5 minutes and then snuggled him back to sleep. Around 4 am I was so tired I just let him finish the night with me.This picture is the next morning. His eyes were still puffy and his right eyebrow had a bump.

Thankfully, he didn't seem to resent me any. He was just so happy whenever I held him. He would stop crying immediately but it took him awhile to calm down completely and fall back asleep. He would have staggered breathing and I would have to wipe his nose before he was able to sleep again. 

The next night we did the same thing. The third night I didn't let him cry for long. I would go in to him when he would wake up and cry and get him back to sleep right away. Most nights around 4 am I would let him finish the night with me. This was not on purpose the second half of the week. I was so tired that I would wake up and he would be sleeping with me! I didn't even remember getting him from his crib. 

I tried giving him different stuffed animals or blankies to see if any of those helped him sleep better. He doesn't seem to like any of those and he refuses a paci- which I'm actually grateful for. He does seem to do better with a pillow though. I was nervous about putting a pillow in his crib, but he can wiggle around now so I don't really worry about him suffocating himself. It does help him sleep better for his chest and head to be raised. 

I have found him in several different positions while he sleeps now. He turns himself or flips over or gets his limbs stuck through the bars. The good news- this no longer wakes him up. Though he still is not sleeping in long stretches (he actually wakes up more often now than he used to) he can move around and calm himself back to sleep. So this is progress, even if if feels like he and I are more tired. 

Our bedtime routine is: bath- clean and then play for as long as he likes, Bible story, pray, regular story, snuggles and nurse, sleep in crib. I began this routine at 9 pm at the start of the week and then moved it up to 8 pm by the end of the week. I think I may try to get bath time up to 7:30 pm, but I wouldn't want him getting ready for bed too much sooner than that. I like having flexibility with going out and having him stay up a little later. 

I ordered "The No Cry Sleep Solution" today. I researched different sleep strategies and this sounds like it may work the best for Jack and I. I decided I am not a fan of the CIO methods. It just didn't seem to work well for us and I don't want Jack thinking I have abandoned him. One of my friends mentioned that night time feedings may not be a bad idea to keep during the winter/flu season. That is an excellent point. 

This week we went over to Momma's friend's (Ben and Lindsay) house for dinner. Their son, Henry, is 2 years old and is going to be a big brother later this year. It was a great time for both boys to play with others. Henry was great at sharing his  toys with Jack. This ball toy, ohmyword, so much fun! I may have to buy one for Jack!

I mean really, have you ever seen two cuter boys? Yup, we did good! 

While we were at Henry's house Jack met a bouncy Tigger toy. I was in the kitchen with Lindsay and heard a squeal that sounded like my child. I peeked in the other room and sure enough, there was my baby with red, puffy eyes (literally, it just takes 1 second!) and he was staring at that Tigger! I held him and held the Tigger. He was holding onto me very tightly and when I reached out his hand to touch the Tigger he started shaking. Later when we were saying goodbye he kept looking over my shoulder and wouldn't look at Ben, Lindsay, and Henry. We looked over to what he was staring at... the Tigger on the steps! Well, Jack's first fear- Tigger! Of all things! 

Yesterday and today Momma and Jack had a jammies-on-the-couch day. Momma isn't feeling super well so we're taking it easy. Thankfully, Jack doesn't seem to be getting any of Momma's symptoms yet. Hopefully he doesn't. It's just a little cold, hoping it doesn't turn into the flu.

 Even though this pic is blurry, I had to post it. He thought he was SO silly biting on this teether!

With teeth comes... biting. Jack has not been maliciously biting yet, but he sure likes to nibble on things... and Momma! 

Jack loves music and LOVES the piano. He plays on it pretty well. He is so curious about the keys. Sometimes he bangs on the keys, but others he pushes individual keys and stares at them trying to figure out where the noise is coming from. 

Jack's favorite show seems to be Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Just like his cousin, Waverly. He quickly loses interest in other shows I let him test out. He watches most of an episode of Mickey Mouse though. He still doesn't watch a whole episode, but I am thankful for this. He is much more interested in his toys. 

His face when he watches TV is so funny though. He is totally enthralled with it for the few minutes he's interested. 

Only five more weeks until we see DaDa! We may be able to move with DaDa shortly after that! We're still waiting on further word on that.