Thursday, September 23, 2004

Back to the Grind for all of us!

We had a wonderful visit with Grandad and Nan this last week :) Kian did so wonderfully too considering that he is teething (I can see two little teeth trying to make their way out). We are looking forward to maybe seeing them again at the end of December :) We were so thankful they were able to come out and see Kian – especially because he’s so more interactive right now. Kian sure endured the visit with a lot of activity well!

Solids Update

After doing some research on starting solids, I have decided to delay starting Kian. I have read that starting it too early can cause allergies or digestive problems. Not to mention, I feel like Kian is watching my food just because he’s very curious about things now. He’s not mimicking me as I eat or wanting to put my food him his mouth. He’s more interested in colors and putting anything he can in his mouth :)

I am going to be watching how often he is eating though and seeing if he's hungry more often. I have read and heard that is one key sign that your baby is ready for solids. I surely don't want our little man to starve! Since all babies are different there is no reason for my to go by the amount of months he is (which it's suggested to wait until after 6 months) but to go by if I feel he's ready. Who knows, next week could be very different....we will just have to wait and see.

Teething!

Kian is cutting some teeth! You can see two little indentations in the center of his bottom gums. Dr. Bravo told us that he was teething – I noticed those bumps in his gums a few days before his appointment and Dr. Bravo just confirmed it. Kian is doing pretty well but it sure is hard to bear hearing him suddenly cry out in pain from being in a content state.

Paw Print :)

I picked up mine and Kian’s Paw Print yesterday! It is so cute! I will post a photo of it as soon as I can get one uploaded. It’s so precious! The print is my hand with Kian’s hand inside it and it says: Aug 2004 – Mommy and Kian. I can’t wait to show it off to those who come to visit!

I also got to see a Kathy again (our doula). She always comments on how much Kian looks like Jamie. It was so good to see her again. She is such an encouragement :)

This week

Well, we are back to our regular schedule this week. Mom’s group was on Monday, Tuesday Gina and I walked with our babies in the front carriers along the beach (that was wonderful!) and then sat on the beach and talked and played with our little ones, Thursday was Bible study (which Kian did wonderfully at! Luckily we met in the sanctuary where the cry room is so I got to go in there when he became a vocal and didn’t have to miss any of the message. Talk about a busy week! I am so blessed to be a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom), I would have it no other way. And I am so glad that there are a lot of things that I can do throughout the week with Kian to socialize him and keep me active as well.

Well, Kian is on one of his power naps after Bible study – so I think I might join him in a little R&R that us Mom’s get so little of :)

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Grandad and Nan Have Arrived :)

Jamie's Dad (Rod) and Step-Mom (Nancy) arrived on Sunday, September 12th in the afternoon from Lexington, KY. We went to McLintock's for steaks soon after they got here. Kian did wonderfully especially because we were out about an hour or two past his bed time! He had several night wakings that night but I figured that was to be expected with a visit from people he is meeting for the first time and being out so late.

Monday, September 13th

Kian had a Dr.'s appointment with Dr. Bravo. Dr. Bravo said that Kian is doing very well! His weight was 11lbs. 12 oz. (although the nurse wrote that down wrong on the sheet we bring home with us - she wrote that he was 11lbs. 2oz.). I have calculated that the weight that he really is lies in the 10th percentile (the nurse marked the wrong one as being in the 5%). Dr. Bravo told us that he was not concerned at all because I am a short person and Kian just might be short as well. I sure hope he's not too short! Nancy works is a dietitian and works in the NICU at a hospital in Lexington said that he is definitely growing well according to her calculations as for weight he gains per day - and she used the 11lbs. 2oz. number. Having another person confirm it was encouraging :) Kian has chub on his legs and he's certainly not skin and bones so I feel confident in what the Dr. thinks as well - he called the weight to my attention so that I would not be alarmed. I might even give a call over to the office to have Kian reweighed to make sure that it's all correct in his charts.

We were given the green light to start solids if we think he's ready. I have really been watching for signs that he is interested in my food. He usually will look at it as I always bounce him on my knee as I eat (in public as least). I'm not too sure if he's very interested in it yet, but today he kind of made me feel like he really might be ready after he grabbed the container my hamburger was in and tried to put it in his mouth! I figure it doesn't hurt to try it out :)

After Kian's appointment we met up with Grandad and Nan and went to Splash Cafe for some clam chowder (they had chowder and I had a fish taco as I thought that the chowder might be too much dairy for Kian right now). Then we took a walk on the pier. Jamie had Kian in the frontcarrier for the first time. And Kian really liked it! He was facing out as Jamie walked. He really liked looking around :) It also gave my back a break until he was ready for a little nap...he will usually take a nap in it front facing me with a blanket over his head to keep out stimulus.

After our walk on Pismo Pier and around at the shops in town, we decided to go to Morro Bay and look around a bit. Boy was it cold there! The marine layer had come in! I was so glad that I had a sweatshirt and pants in Kian's diaper bag for him. Mommy had to buy a sweatshirt to keep warm! Kian did great as Grandad held him as we walked from place to place :) I was so glad that Kian did so well with someone else holding him. He gets better and better all the time!

There is an Aquarium in Morro Bay that has rescued sea lions and otters from the area. You pay $2 to go in and .50 for a bag of fish to throw to the animals. They were so cute! Kian got scared at the noise and splashing though :( I had to take him from Grandad to calm him down - I just brought him into the next room. Those sea lions and otters were so cute though :) Jamie and Nan finished feeding them and they did tricks for them! After that we had dinner in Morro Bay - we all had fish and chips and the fish was fresh fish that was probably caught and brought right into Morro Bay. Boy was that good!

Kian feel asleep on the way back home and woke up soon after I laid him in his crib. So I got him ready for bed (quickly as he was crying from how tired he was). He was out from about 8ish until 4AM! I was amazed that he slept that long without needing me to go in there to do anything for him! That was 8 hours! At 4 I brought him to bed with me to feed him and we both fell asleep. He slept so soundly he even missed his normal 8AM waking! Jamie and I got up to get ready for the day and Kian just slept a bit more.

Tuesday, Septeember 14th

We went to Hearst Castle today! That place is so amazing! We ended up spending the whole day there. We ate lunch when we arrived - a hamburger made of Hearst beef that is raised right there on the grounds - yum :) The tour was about 2 hours long! Kian did great! He took a little nap and at one point I had to get out a bottle that I had pumped for him to tide him over until we could get somewhere to feed him. He did so well and people commented on how he was a "good" baby :) It was nice to hear that for a change from people staring and telling me what was wrong with him.

Kian did have a melt down in the car as we were going to stop in a little town called Cambria for some dinner and shopping. We all thought it would be best to go back to our place and just order pizzas. So that's what we did :) We had Woodstock's Pizza and salad - yum :) Thankfully Kian took a short cat nap which was just long enough for me to be able to eat without him bouncing on my knee :)

Kian is doing so WELL with all the new stuff that is going on this week. I am so proud of him :) He sure does love spending time with Grandad and Nan :)

Kian has done very well these last few days. Grandad has held him a lot of the time and he has responded really well to that :) He actually slept for and 8 hour stretch last night and only woke up to eat and was completely out until about 9ish (when he is usually up at 8). He was wiped out from I think the shots and from all the different stuff we were doing yesterday. We went to Pismo to Splash Cafe and then went to Morro Bay to do some shopping and had some fresh fish :) Right now Jamie is giving them a tour of Oddworld and Kian is sleeping so I have a few moments to myself....wow is it nice :)

Friday, September 10, 2004

Kian's First Beach, First Actual Nap and First Poop on Tape hehe

Kian's First Time on the Beach

This week was SO hot! Tuesday was the hottest day of all and thank God me and Gina decided not to walk but to still get together and hang out at the beach. In San Luis Obispo the temp was record breaking at 104! Boy, I am glad we weren't home because we don't have air conditioning and we would have roasted! Anyway, me and Gina met up at Avila Beach, had some lunch and sat on a blanket on the beach for a few hours. It was probalby aobut 20 degrees cooler sitting on the beach! Kian was kind of cranky but almost as soon as we hit the beach he calmed down. We sat in the shade underneath the pier.

It’s amazing what being on the beach will do to you. The air smells so good and the sound of the waves breaking is amazing. I can’t wait until we can take Kian out next year and he can play in the sand :)

Here is a photo of Kian with a smile behind that binky :)


Here's Danielle sitting up (she's really sitting in a hole her mom dug in the sand to help her out. Isn't she cute! (thanks Gina, I sole the one of Danielle from your blog - I hope you don't mind! :)



Longer naps!

Well, yesterday I went to Bible study for hte first time - it starts at 9:15ish which is early for us. He did well during the worship, speaker and announcement times but when we went to our small groups he had a fit! (He's been having problems nursing in public which I don't know if it's me maybe feeling uncomfortable or if it's him feeling distracted...) Then after group ended (which I missed the entire group time) we all left for the day and of course he was smiley guy then lol So I called Jamie to see if he wanted to have lunch with us since our church is downtown and close to where he works. So I go to meet Jamie and we pick a place to eat. Kian started to fuss so I go him out of his stroller and as I was sitting down I bumped his leg on the table and he started crying. He wasn't hurt, I think it scared him. Anyway, we had to leave because he was so disturbing to everyone...immediately when the stroller started moving he was fine. So we sat on a bench and I ate part of my wrap as Jamie entertained Kian. Then I saw a melt down was on the way so I thought I better get moving again. (poor Jamie - I'm not sure if he will meet us for lunch again! lol) The whole way back to the car Kian wailed and the whole way home too. When I got home I was FINALLY able to get him to latch on and eat! After he ate he went down for a nap - a 3 HOUR nap! He is a 20 minute napper! I actually had to check on him to make sure that he was still alive! LOL I go SO much done when he went down (which is good because I had some cleaning to do before Jamie’s dad and step-mom arrive on Sunday :)

I wasn't sure if he was napping longer because I had taken him to a forgein place in the morning for a few hours (which he didn't respond to well). But this afternoon he napped for an hour (and only an hour thanks to a big dump truck across the street doing some work - I wonder if he would have slept longer if it weren't for that blasted truck! Anyway, I am amazed! Especially because it was very sudden!

First Poop Caught on Tape

Today Kian and I were having a good time laughing with one another. He was so giggly today! He was practically laughing at whatever I said! One thing that I reazlied that he laughs a lot at is if I try to call Allie by saying in a high pitched voice, “Kitty, Kitty, Kitty.” He giggles every time I say it! hehe

Anyway, I thought that it would be a good time to get some footage of him with our video camera. I had him sitting in his car seat as I made silly sounds and he giggled behind all the hiccups he was having :) Then all of a sudden his face seemed really concentrated and I said out loud, “Are you pooping?” (like he could answer me hehe) So I turned off the camera and check and sure enough he had! He’s usually a once a week pooper (yeah, that’s a HUGE diaper to change) and he had pooped just two days before! So I took him to his room and changed him and he just started giggling at me again! lol So I got the camera again and said how I had caught the poop in process on tape LOL I thought that was pretty funny :)

Friday, September 03, 2004

A Walk does a Crank Good :)

Kian was a bear today - he was so fussy...he was fed, changed, not cold or hot, he just woke up from a nap....I didn't know what else to do with him! So, I took him outside on our balcony and he was quietly looking at the trees outside. Then I had a great idea....I know that when I have a hard day with Kian I like to go for a walk and I feel much better. So, I walked up to Staples to do a few things for the warranty company and then got lunch at a place nearby to bring home. I had THREE people tell me how cute he was, how good natured he is and he had smiles for all of them :) There were two ladies at the restaurant that could not stop talking about how long his eyelashes are, how cute he was...and of course he was all smiles :) He is getting so much better :) We have been home for a short period of time now and he's enjoying his Leap Frog Gym as I type this....it's nice to have my arms free :)

Wednesday, September 01, 2004

Little Laughs and Parenting Style

Rolling Over Again
Kian rolled over again yesterday. TWICE! The first time he ever rolled it was to his right and yesterday both rolls were to his left! He looks like he might start rolling front to back as well! I guess we will have to wait and see...for now I am being so careful when I put him down - if I need to walk away I put him somewhere he won't hurt himself.

Little Laughter
Kian has been laughing a lot lately! It actually sends me into laughter to hear him laugh. He will laugh so much sometimes that he gets the hiccups! He is so cute :)

Kian Gets Better and Better All the Time...
I am amazed at the progress that Kian has been making over the last few months. I was thinking back today about how much he used to cry and how much he cries now. He still is pretty particular about things and scares easy but he doesn't cry nearly as much. He also has so many more happy periods. People are actually telling me now how cute he is! :) Before people would either make comments or not say anything at all besides ask his age...he's just a happy little man. He does have his moments but not near as much anymore. I feel like part of it is me taking him into different environments and helping him cope as well as being responsive to his cries.

Parenting Style
I actually discovered (kind of by accident) that some of the things I have been doing fall under a category of parenting call Attachment Parenting. Here is a description of AP I took from a website: "The term, "attachment parenting", was conceived by pediatrician William Sears and his wife Martha, to describe a highly responsive, attentive style of caring for a child. Attachment parenting promotes physical and emotional closeness between parent and child through what the Sears refer to as the "Baby B's." The Baby B's are bonding, breastfeeding, babywearing, bedsharing and boundary building."

"Attachment parenting advocates encourage parents to hold their baby often in the early sensitive weeks of life to foster bonding. Breastfeeding is promoted because it enhances the mother's natural instincts to respond to her baby through physical closeness, hormonal influences and promotion of attentiveness. Both babywearing, the practice of carrying the baby on the parents' body with an infant carrier or sling, and bedsharing, parents and babies sleeping in the same bed, provide additional opportunities for closeness. Boundary building is a discipline philosophy that entails responding to the genuine, age appropriate needs of the child and using gentle guidance. All of the Baby B's are aimed at promoting a trusting, intuitive relationship between parents and baby through the physical and emotional closeness that makes it easier to know and appropriately respond to the baby's needs. While some people might see the Baby B's as a set of rules they must follow, they are just recommended tools that can and should be individualized for each family and parenting situation."

If you would like to read more here is a link to that article: http://www.parentsplace.com/babies/behavior/articles/0,10335,166650_115486,00.html?arrivalSA=1&cobrandRef=0&arrival_freqCap=1&pba=adid=10506657

The great thing about AP is that there are no rules...bascially just going on your motherly instinct to care for your baby. We do all of the B's to a certain extent but only what we feel suits our family. I had actually been doing a lot of the things suggested already but had no idea there was a term for it. I actually feel like going on my instincts and doing AP has really helped Kian flourish.

Along with AP we have decided to not make Kian "cry it out" to go to sleep and have been doing things suggested in the book No-Cry Sleep Solution. It has been working! Tonight Kian went down without any crying and virutally no rocking! I am amazed at how quickly he is learning that he can sleep without me :) It actually worked so well that Kian only woke up once in the night on Monday! He slept for two stints of 5 hours each! I was so excited to hear him cooing Monday morning at 8AM - not waking up crying or anything but as happy as a lark :)