Friday, May 30, 2008
Google Reader
I have 26 subscribers on Google Reader. That's way more than I ever expected! Who are you? Come out of hiding and leave a comment just to say hi. :-)
He loves the paper at the doctor's office
Carter's sick. Again. Poor kid has a pretty bad cough and lots of schnarfiness. Listening to him try to breathe while nursing is heartbreaking. But he's in good spirits and has been a good boy today.
He loves going to the doctor because he gets to play on the paper. The nurse called him Mr. Happyfeet as soon as she saw us in the waiting room. His reputation precedes him. :-)
He loves going to the doctor because he gets to play on the paper. The nurse called him Mr. Happyfeet as soon as she saw us in the waiting room. His reputation precedes him. :-)
Thursday, May 29, 2008
So proud
I'm so proud of my boy. In just a few days he went from sitting for just a second or two, to sitting for a few minutes.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Blessed Breast Pump
I've never been happier to see my pump.
You see, typically I leave the pump at my office on the days I work since I really don't use it at home anyway. Well, last night Carter slept until 6 a.m. (I know...woot!) and when he nursed, he was only interested in Ms. Lefty. She filled him up.
By the time I got to work, it had been 13 hours (!!) since Ms. Righty was used. Oh man, did that hurt. I pretty much ran into my office, shut the door, and proceeded to almost cry with relief the second that sucker started up. Oh, look. See what I did there? Sucker? Moving on.
I guess I should start bringing it home every day but it's such a pain. It's just one more thing for me to worry about in the morning. I have enough trouble remembering Carter's nipples for his bottles, and food for myself. If I forgot my pump, all hell would break loose. One day I forgot that piece that's like a horn. You know, the most important part? I had to drive all the way home to get it and back again. I need a checklist:
Carter's breakfast and lunch
3 bottles
3 nipples
2 spoons
bibs
binky
You'd be amazed at how many times I forget something. It's easy to forget his binky because he doesn't use it at night. Weird, right? He's the only kid I know that only uses his binky during the day when he's wide awake. And during the day he mostly just plays with it. It makes a nice squeaking sound when he rubs it on his gums. He likes that. It's good though, because from what I hear it's the hardest habit to break (binky at bedtime). All I know is that my life has gotten a lot better since I stopped having to reinsert the damn thing every 10 minutes when he was trying to go to sleep.
Speaking of his binky, he's REALLY good at getting it right in his mouth the correct way. He knows when he does it backwards and flips it around and pops it right in. He's so smart. I'd heard rumors that at around 6 months they start to use their binkies by themselves. I didn't believe it. The other day I tried to put it in his mouth and he yelled at me and pulled his head away. A second later he was putting it in his mouth himself. Independent little turkey.
Wow, that post ended nowhere near where it started.
You see, typically I leave the pump at my office on the days I work since I really don't use it at home anyway. Well, last night Carter slept until 6 a.m. (I know...woot!) and when he nursed, he was only interested in Ms. Lefty. She filled him up.
By the time I got to work, it had been 13 hours (!!) since Ms. Righty was used. Oh man, did that hurt. I pretty much ran into my office, shut the door, and proceeded to almost cry with relief the second that sucker started up. Oh, look. See what I did there? Sucker? Moving on.
I guess I should start bringing it home every day but it's such a pain. It's just one more thing for me to worry about in the morning. I have enough trouble remembering Carter's nipples for his bottles, and food for myself. If I forgot my pump, all hell would break loose. One day I forgot that piece that's like a horn. You know, the most important part? I had to drive all the way home to get it and back again. I need a checklist:
Carter's breakfast and lunch
3 bottles
3 nipples
2 spoons
bibs
binky
You'd be amazed at how many times I forget something. It's easy to forget his binky because he doesn't use it at night. Weird, right? He's the only kid I know that only uses his binky during the day when he's wide awake. And during the day he mostly just plays with it. It makes a nice squeaking sound when he rubs it on his gums. He likes that. It's good though, because from what I hear it's the hardest habit to break (binky at bedtime). All I know is that my life has gotten a lot better since I stopped having to reinsert the damn thing every 10 minutes when he was trying to go to sleep.
Speaking of his binky, he's REALLY good at getting it right in his mouth the correct way. He knows when he does it backwards and flips it around and pops it right in. He's so smart. I'd heard rumors that at around 6 months they start to use their binkies by themselves. I didn't believe it. The other day I tried to put it in his mouth and he yelled at me and pulled his head away. A second later he was putting it in his mouth himself. Independent little turkey.
Wow, that post ended nowhere near where it started.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
6 month well baby visit
Carter's doctor's appointment went well today. He's still uber-skinny but he's growing so that's okay. He's 14 lb 14 oz, which is in the 9th percentile. I bet if I'd have nursed him beforehand, he'd have made it to the 10th. :-)
He's 26 inches long (43rd percentile) and his head is in the 30th percentile at 43 cm.
His fever is unexplained. Doc said it may have been a virus, but it seems to be gone now so we went ahead with his vaccinations. My boy sure loves his rotavirus vaccination. He laps it up like candy! The shots were horrible and he screamed but he recovered quickly and is no worse for wear now.
In other news, my grandfather had surgery today to open a blockage in his carotid artery. Like a superstar, he made it through with flying colors. He's awesome.
He's 26 inches long (43rd percentile) and his head is in the 30th percentile at 43 cm.
His fever is unexplained. Doc said it may have been a virus, but it seems to be gone now so we went ahead with his vaccinations. My boy sure loves his rotavirus vaccination. He laps it up like candy! The shots were horrible and he screamed but he recovered quickly and is no worse for wear now.
In other news, my grandfather had surgery today to open a blockage in his carotid artery. Like a superstar, he made it through with flying colors. He's awesome.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Vote for my friends!
Vote for my girl Canape: http://www.thebestofblogs.com/2008/05/12/best-music-blogvote-here/
And my girl Girl (Memoirs of a Mommy): http://www.thebestofblogs.com/2008/05/12/best-how-todiy-blogvote-here
And my girl Girl (Memoirs of a Mommy): http://www.thebestofblogs.com/2008/05/12/best-how-todiy-blogvote-here
Fever
Carter scared the crap out of me yesterday.
His sitter called me at 4:30 and said he felt very hot and she though he had a fever. I left work about 20 minutes later and got him and as soon as I saw him, I knew something was very wrong. His cheeks were bright red and his eyes looked a little glassy. He just looked "off." And he definitely felt warm.
I put him in the carseat and noticed that he was just lethargic. Had his head to the side just staring off into space. I called Chris to let him know and then frantically texted Girl at each stop light to see what I needed to do. My mothering guru, that one.
Took Carter to CVS to get some Infant Motrin (we only have Tylenol at the house) and I picked up an ear thermometer while I was there. The lady at the checkout was joking around with a coworker while ringing up the woman in front of me and it was taking forever. I'm holding Carter and he's grunting and moaning and his eyes were all red and watery and he was hot as hell, so I channeled my inner rudeness and said, "Come on!" a little louder than...um...normal voice. That caused the worker, the woman in front of me, and the woman behind me to look at me, and once they saw my sick little baby I got a lot of sympathy and kindness. And quickness. That's all I wanted, people...make it snappy! I tried to have the worker open the thermometer right there so I could determine if I needed to head home or to the hospital, but her scissors were crap and they weren't working. Dammit.
Got home and as I was walking into his room to strip him, he vomited EVERYWHERE. I was soaked, he was crying, I started crying and shaking. It was scary. I stripped him down and changed his diaper and tried to nurse him, but he just wanted to scream. I called the doctor's office (in between talking to Holly, Chris, and my mom) and left a message on their urgent line because I had just taken his temperature and it was 103.5 in one ear and 102.9 in the other. Needless to say, I was terrified. I was holding him tight and shushing him and trying so hard to comfort him and make him feel better. I was so scared that he'd start having a seizure at any second. Whatever, I'm a scared First Time Mom...sue me.
I finally got him calmed down enough to where I gave him a dose of Tylenol and he started to drift off to sleep, but he woke up about 10 or 15 minutes later and was groaning and grunting and sort of heaving. He would throw up little bits, but nothing like that first one. By the time Chris got home an hour later, his fever felt like it was down (and it was...to about 102) and he was smiling at his Daddy. He had bouts of screaming that would last a few minutes, then he'd calm down for a few minutes, then screaming again.
We put him in his crib at 8:30 and he didn't go to sleep until after 9:00, which is very unlike him. I wanted to sleep with him so bad but he wasn't falling asleep in our bed so I had to take him to his so he could get some rest. By this point his fever seemed to be closer to normal.
At 9:30, our phone rang. It was the doctor's office...3 1/2 hours after I left them the message. She was very nice and apologetic and said their paging system was down because the electricity was out and all the pages were just now coming in. Since we seemed to have things relatively under control at that point there wasn't much she could advise us to do. She said if his temp spiked during the night to over 104 to call her and then head to the hospital. If it stayed under 104 then she wanted us to come in in the morning to have him checked out.
(Side note: If they think I'm paying the $15 they charge for after-hours consults, they're crazy. Not after waiting 3 1/2 hours for the call.)
At 1:30 I woke up and went in to check on him and he felt completely normal. His cheeks were cool and he was sleeping soundly. Thank GOD. He woke up to nurse at 3:30 and 6:30, pretty much like he normally does, and this morning he was fine. More fussy than usual, but no fever. And that fussiness could be because he had a little less sleep than he normally does.
So, he's at daycare today and every time the phone rings I'm scared it's his sitter calling me to come get him.
His sitter called me at 4:30 and said he felt very hot and she though he had a fever. I left work about 20 minutes later and got him and as soon as I saw him, I knew something was very wrong. His cheeks were bright red and his eyes looked a little glassy. He just looked "off." And he definitely felt warm.
I put him in the carseat and noticed that he was just lethargic. Had his head to the side just staring off into space. I called Chris to let him know and then frantically texted Girl at each stop light to see what I needed to do. My mothering guru, that one.
Took Carter to CVS to get some Infant Motrin (we only have Tylenol at the house) and I picked up an ear thermometer while I was there. The lady at the checkout was joking around with a coworker while ringing up the woman in front of me and it was taking forever. I'm holding Carter and he's grunting and moaning and his eyes were all red and watery and he was hot as hell, so I channeled my inner rudeness and said, "Come on!" a little louder than...um...normal voice. That caused the worker, the woman in front of me, and the woman behind me to look at me, and once they saw my sick little baby I got a lot of sympathy and kindness. And quickness. That's all I wanted, people...make it snappy! I tried to have the worker open the thermometer right there so I could determine if I needed to head home or to the hospital, but her scissors were crap and they weren't working. Dammit.
Got home and as I was walking into his room to strip him, he vomited EVERYWHERE. I was soaked, he was crying, I started crying and shaking. It was scary. I stripped him down and changed his diaper and tried to nurse him, but he just wanted to scream. I called the doctor's office (in between talking to Holly, Chris, and my mom) and left a message on their urgent line because I had just taken his temperature and it was 103.5 in one ear and 102.9 in the other. Needless to say, I was terrified. I was holding him tight and shushing him and trying so hard to comfort him and make him feel better. I was so scared that he'd start having a seizure at any second. Whatever, I'm a scared First Time Mom...sue me.
I finally got him calmed down enough to where I gave him a dose of Tylenol and he started to drift off to sleep, but he woke up about 10 or 15 minutes later and was groaning and grunting and sort of heaving. He would throw up little bits, but nothing like that first one. By the time Chris got home an hour later, his fever felt like it was down (and it was...to about 102) and he was smiling at his Daddy. He had bouts of screaming that would last a few minutes, then he'd calm down for a few minutes, then screaming again.
We put him in his crib at 8:30 and he didn't go to sleep until after 9:00, which is very unlike him. I wanted to sleep with him so bad but he wasn't falling asleep in our bed so I had to take him to his so he could get some rest. By this point his fever seemed to be closer to normal.
At 9:30, our phone rang. It was the doctor's office...3 1/2 hours after I left them the message. She was very nice and apologetic and said their paging system was down because the electricity was out and all the pages were just now coming in. Since we seemed to have things relatively under control at that point there wasn't much she could advise us to do. She said if his temp spiked during the night to over 104 to call her and then head to the hospital. If it stayed under 104 then she wanted us to come in in the morning to have him checked out.
(Side note: If they think I'm paying the $15 they charge for after-hours consults, they're crazy. Not after waiting 3 1/2 hours for the call.)
At 1:30 I woke up and went in to check on him and he felt completely normal. His cheeks were cool and he was sleeping soundly. Thank GOD. He woke up to nurse at 3:30 and 6:30, pretty much like he normally does, and this morning he was fine. More fussy than usual, but no fever. And that fussiness could be because he had a little less sleep than he normally does.
So, he's at daycare today and every time the phone rings I'm scared it's his sitter calling me to come get him.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Birthday Celebration
Thank you, Carter, for giving us an excuse to get a cookie cake. You're the greatest kid ever.Yes, we sang to him. And no, he wasn't allowed to eat any.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Six Months
It's been six months since Carter was born. I can't believe it. Half a year already. He's changed so much. It's amazing to look at the pictures of him when he was a newborn and see how different he looks. He still looks a lot like Chris, but he's beginning to show signs that I had a part in his creation. Finally.
He's such an amazing kid. He makes me laugh all the time. He's trying so hard to grow up too quickly for me. Look at that picture to the right. He shouldn't be able to do that! He's more happy standing than practicing sitting, although he loves to sit forward in his carseat before I strap him in. He kicks his legs and gets a grin on his face when someone he loves comes into the room. Daddy is his best friend and entertainer. He will contort his body to be able to keep an eye on his Daddy. He loves to grab his toes and show them off. And the hair. Oh, the hair. People stop us on the street to talk about his hair. Seriously, they do. He has this one little hair on the very tip top of his head that's a good 2 inches longer than the rest. He's like Daisy Head Maisy. I don't want that hair to ever fall out.
I love you, Carter Dale. Happy half birthday!
He's such an amazing kid. He makes me laugh all the time. He's trying so hard to grow up too quickly for me. Look at that picture to the right. He shouldn't be able to do that! He's more happy standing than practicing sitting, although he loves to sit forward in his carseat before I strap him in. He kicks his legs and gets a grin on his face when someone he loves comes into the room. Daddy is his best friend and entertainer. He will contort his body to be able to keep an eye on his Daddy. He loves to grab his toes and show them off. And the hair. Oh, the hair. People stop us on the street to talk about his hair. Seriously, they do. He has this one little hair on the very tip top of his head that's a good 2 inches longer than the rest. He's like Daisy Head Maisy. I don't want that hair to ever fall out.
I love you, Carter Dale. Happy half birthday!
Back to basics
Yep, I think it's definitely a latch issue. I went back to the basics last night and pulled and tweaked and made sure that boy got latched on much the same way I had to do in the early days. It worked. It was sore but not painful. Woot!
Oh, and he slept 9 hours last night. Straight.
Oh, and he slept 9 hours last night. Straight.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Breastfeeding issues
I'm in such pain every time I nurse Carter. Like, toe-curling, jump-out-of-your-seat, grit your teeth and grunt, pain. Bad stuff. Takes me back to the early days when Carter was first born. I couldn't speak for the first minute of nursing him, it hurt so bad.
I thought it was yeast, since I was on antibiotics for so long. Went to the doctor and she prescribed Nystatin. Tried it for a few days...no change.
I just talked to one of my La Leche leaders and she said sometimes when babies are teething, their latch changes because they're uncomfortable. She suggested giving him a frozen washcloth to gnaw on before nursing to numb his gums a little. Man, I hope that helps because I can't take much more.
I thought it was yeast, since I was on antibiotics for so long. Went to the doctor and she prescribed Nystatin. Tried it for a few days...no change.
I just talked to one of my La Leche leaders and she said sometimes when babies are teething, their latch changes because they're uncomfortable. She suggested giving him a frozen washcloth to gnaw on before nursing to numb his gums a little. Man, I hope that helps because I can't take much more.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Poop
I did it. I finally changed a poopy cloth diaper. And it wasn't that bad. Granted, it was a nice firm poop so it just sort of plopped out and left few remnants behind. I was afraid it would deter me from continuing with the cloth...but nope!
Sleep Training
I've had every intention of sleep training Carter but there's always been a reason not to that particular weekend. He's sick, I'm sick, he just got out of his swaddle so let him get used to that, we're out of town, etc.
The past couple days I've let him cry it out when he wakes up in the middle of the night. Well, not really CIO because he's more fussing than anything. I've noticed that it usually takes less than 10 minutes, and he goes back to sleep. Imagine that! Here I was "rescuing" him every night, when all he wanted to do was get back to sleep and be left alone.
The past two nights? I've gotten up at 4:30 and 5:00, respectively. Yes, he's woken up a few times before thenbut hasn't cried hard enough for me to get him. My boobs have, but he hasn't. :-)
I hope that by posting this I haven't jinxed it...
The past couple days I've let him cry it out when he wakes up in the middle of the night. Well, not really CIO because he's more fussing than anything. I've noticed that it usually takes less than 10 minutes, and he goes back to sleep. Imagine that! Here I was "rescuing" him every night, when all he wanted to do was get back to sleep and be left alone.
The past two nights? I've gotten up at 4:30 and 5:00, respectively. Yes, he's woken up a few times before thenbut hasn't cried hard enough for me to get him. My boobs have, but he hasn't. :-)
I hope that by posting this I haven't jinxed it...
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The Greatest Gift
Carter just gave me the greatest Mother's Day gift...he laughed for the first time. It was awesome. Just...awesome.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Food
We started with rice cereal and he did really well with it, as long as it was the right consistency. If it was too watery, he spit it out and let it dribble down his chin. From there we moved on to peas, which I was prepared for him to hate. Lo and behold, he loved it! My sitter thinks he's just so darn hungry that he'd eat anything. Whatever.
From peas we moved on to green beans (again, a success) and then pears, butternut squash, carrots, and he started bananas yesterday. I won't be buying the jarred bananas anymore. It grosses me out. It's all slimy and sticky and has additives in it (granted, it's just citric acid, but still). I'd rather mash it up myself for him and let him have a fresh one.
He just loves to eat and he's so cute with it. The second he sees the spoon come out of the drawer, he's got his tongue working and his mouth wide open like a little bird. He's a smart one, that kid.
But now that he's had a taste of the yummies, he's not so into the cereal anymore. Guess I'll have to start mixing puree into it. I'm gonna try oatmeal with him tomorrow...maybe he'll like that more.
He also loves when I give him some water from the end of my straw. He gets so excited!
We're giving him a sippy cup every once in a while to get him used to it, and he totally gets what it does. Right from the get-go, he knew to open his mouth for it. He can hold it himself, but has some trouble getting the spout into his mouth. He also likes to put it upside-down on his lap while we're in the car so he's all wet when I take him out. :-)
From peas we moved on to green beans (again, a success) and then pears, butternut squash, carrots, and he started bananas yesterday. I won't be buying the jarred bananas anymore. It grosses me out. It's all slimy and sticky and has additives in it (granted, it's just citric acid, but still). I'd rather mash it up myself for him and let him have a fresh one.
He just loves to eat and he's so cute with it. The second he sees the spoon come out of the drawer, he's got his tongue working and his mouth wide open like a little bird. He's a smart one, that kid.
But now that he's had a taste of the yummies, he's not so into the cereal anymore. Guess I'll have to start mixing puree into it. I'm gonna try oatmeal with him tomorrow...maybe he'll like that more.
He also loves when I give him some water from the end of my straw. He gets so excited!
We're giving him a sippy cup every once in a while to get him used to it, and he totally gets what it does. Right from the get-go, he knew to open his mouth for it. He can hold it himself, but has some trouble getting the spout into his mouth. He also likes to put it upside-down on his lap while we're in the car so he's all wet when I take him out. :-)
Monday, May 05, 2008
Nature Boy
Chris wanted to take his bike out on the trails at Lake Accotink yesterday so I asked if Carter and I could tag along and walk around, since it was so beautiful out. It's so cool that this is only 20 minutes from our house.
There's a very small beach, a merry-go-round, cantina, and boat rentals. I want to go back one day and go paddle boating.
There's a very small beach, a merry-go-round, cantina, and boat rentals. I want to go back one day and go paddle boating.
Here's Daddy coming to meet us!
The lake has a beautiful view of Chris' train that he takes to and from work.
This warning sign just made me laugh.
Today, I wanted to check out Hidden Pond since it's so close to home (about 10 minutes). We walked around the pond and checked out the turtles and trees, but didn't explore the whole park because there weren't enough people there and I felt too secluded and nervous. I want to go back on a busy weekend and check it out again though.
This the trail I wanted to take but was too nervous.
A family of turtles right before we scared them back into the water.
He's done it!
He's finally done it! Carter has given up the swaddle. He napped a few days last week at daycare without it, which I was shocked to hear and, frankly, didn't really believe her. So we tried it at home and he's been swaddle-free since Thursday! He seems to prefer sleeping on his belly, which of course means I'm constantly going in there to make sure his nose isn't pressed to the mattress. I'm so proud of him!
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