My little guy is out of sorts – has been for over one week now. He had those bad weeks when we got back from California, and now this. I could be wrong, but perhaps he is teething? It could just be the reflux, I suppose, but he hasn’t been feeling 100%. He has had a pretty drippy nose, but I don’t think it is a cold (it is just clear). It could be allergies. He has been wanting to gnaw on everything, though, and he has been pretty drooly, too. He seems to be in pain/discomfort, especially at night, and tylenol seems to help. His tummy has been bothering him on and off – so who knows! I’m going to ask the doctor again on Monday when we go in for his 4 month checkup. Poor guy – I hope he starts feeling better soon! I don’t know what I’m going to do if he actually pops a tooth through!
Another story I shouldn’t share
Since I seem to be on a roll sharing embarrassing stories, I have one more in my arsenal I might as well divulge (and I do not think I’ve shared this one online yet). A few weeks back, I was home alone with Micah and Nugget. I finished nursing Micah, and placed him on his tummy on his playmat. I went to the kitchen, and all of the sudden, I was hit with horrible stomach cramping. I’ve been having issues with this ever since I got pregnant, but something about nursing (probably the oxytocin) gives me all kinds of stomach issues. The bathroom is located right next to the kitchen, so I ran in there, thinking I’d just be a minute or so. I left the door open so I could listen to Micah and talk to him.
Needless to say, the minute I entered the bathroom, Micah started to cry and fuss. I was talking to him from across the hallway, and singing to him in an attempt to calm him. No such luck . . . his fussing escalated to flat out crying. I was doing my best to settle my stomach so I could get back to him ASAP, but I was afraid of leaving the bathroom at that exact moment. Suddenly, Micah became very quiet. Naturally, like every good mother, I panicked that something horrible had happened because I failed to answer his cries with sufficient speed. All told, I was probably only in the bathroom 2-3 minutes. When he got quiet, I raced out of the bathroom (thank goodness all the windows were closed or I would have been humiliated beyond belief) and ran to make sure my baby was okay.
To my shock and amazement . . . . I found Micah on his back (he’d rolled over) with Nugget on the playmat next to him, gently nuzzling his face and body while he cooed at her. My wonderful dog decided she would take care of him! Like every good mother would do . . . I went back to the bathroom since Nugget had it all under control.
Micah in Wonderland
The good news is, things have improved on the sleep front with Micah. We discovered that Micah has just been hungry at bedtime, so we’ve been giving him some extra milk before bed, and bedtime has become a joy again. We’re not sure if my milk supply is low or if Micah is growing and just needs a little more right now, but things seem to be under control for now.
I have to say, Micah amazes me when he sleeps. He can be an incredibly restless sleeper some nights – kicking all over the place, making noises, plunging his hands into that gorgeous head of hair (who wouldn’t want to do that?) and trying to shove his fists into his mouth. Other nights, he barely moves or makes a sound. When he was younger, we had him sleeping on an incline secure sleeper – it is made of foam, it kept his head elevated to minimize the acid reflux, and it had pillows for his arms to keep him from sliding down. The only problem was, he kept sliding down, so all night long, we’d have to go in and slide him back up. He would either wake up from sliding down, or he would be irritated when we lifted him back up, prompting a round of kicks and punches that would, of course, cause him to slide back down again. As he grew larger and we stopped swaddling him, we decided to remove the incline sleeper and buy a crib wedge – basically, a triangular-shaped wedge that lays on top of his mattress to keep his head a bit elevated to reduce problems with acid reflux.
This new sleeping situation has been a major improvement! We do not need to run in and out of his room all night lifting him up and waiting for him to slide down. For the first few weeks, it was ideal. As Micah has grown stronger, however, he is moving around the crib a bit more. The past few nights, he seems to like to turn 90 degrees and lay across his crib. I’m fairly certain the crib wedge does not help reflux when the baby refuses to lay on it. The past several mornings, he wakes up crying when he has turned 180 degrees . . . yes, that is right, he uses the crib wedge to put his feet up. I’m fairly certain dangling the head downwards is NOT good for reflux. In general, we have been leaving Micah to move about the crib as he pleases, as long as he seems comfortable and sleeps. He has been sleeping so soundly that we have not needed to go in to reinsert the paci at all the past few nights.
Tonight, we went upstairs, put him in his pajamas, gave him his medicine, and I nursed him while Elliot read him a goodnight story. I thought Micah was finished eating – I seemed to be out of milk, and he seemed contented with his paci. He was smiling at me, so I decided to read him another story while we rocked together. Suddenly, he started to get fussy and restless again, so I tried nursing him some more. Just in case, I had another 2 ounces of milk in a bottle on hand. He was quite insistent on what he wanted – he would have none of the right side, and was all about the left side. I got him into position, and away he nursed. I did not think he would get enough, but after a few minutes, his eyes began to close and he sort of relaxed. I made the decision to nurse him to sleep rather than try moving him or separating him before he decided to pull off. Maybe he just needed some bonding with mommy tonight. It took another 5-10 minutes, but Micah passed out and flopped off. I popped in his paci, and moved him into the crib.
After Elliot and I did some cooking in preparation for our upcoming Passover seder on Thursday night, I checked Micah on the monitor because he was so quiet. Once again, he had turned 90 degrees and was sleeping across the crib. I give up! He is very cute . . . I guess eventually he’ll outgrow this position. I may need to give up on the crib wedge, too, although I think it at least keeps him from spitting up for the first few hours he is in the crib after eating.
Micah does such a great job sleeping and napping – I’m so lucky that he is such a good baby. I have been terrible, however, about making him nap in his crib. I have a feeling I am going to regret that one of these days. He really does not like to nap in his crib – most days, he isn’t even too thrilled with the pack n play. He does most of his naps either in the swing, his car seat, or the stroller. Does anyone have tips about napping locations?
We also bought a new stroller tonight. We had been using just the Graco stroller frame – you just snap the car seat in and go. It is easy to use, and really has been perfect for us. Elliot picked up a metrolite stroller as a backup stroller at a consignment shop about a month ago. The pattern is ugly and it is a bit bulky, but it has been good to have an extra stroller in my car or at the house sometimes. Since we will not be able to use the stroller frame once Micah outgrows his car seat (we still have a few more months on that front), we’ve been hunting for our “permanent” stroller. We decided to buy the BabyJogger CityMini stroller. We think it will be great for walking around Bethesda and DC (we plan to test it out next weekend when we take Tammy to see the Cherry Blossoms), it is easy to fold and store, and it is so easy to maneuver. I’m already excited about it, and we have not even used it yet! We may still need to get just a regular old umbrella stroller at some point, but we’ll worry about that when the time comes.
Poll results and more about us!
Well, after my mother shamed me for failing to post an update since MONDAY, I am doing my best to come up with something interesting to post. Elliot & I are sitting here, watching the end of an era on tv (the last episode of ER) while we listen to the beginning of a new era on the video monitor (Micah). Tonight, our tv is accompanied by the enjoyable sounds of The Beatles – the lullaby version. We have been playing music for Micah while he sleeps, and the sounds echo throughout the house over the monitor.
So, let me begin with the results of the poll from my last thread . . . overwhelmingly, most of you voted to cut his hair! We are still ambivalent. It is Jewish tradition to wait at least 1 year to cut a baby’s hair. Some even wait 3 years before a first hair cut. Can you imagine if we waited 3 years? Micah’s hair would probably be down to his cute little tush! We keep hoping his hair starts to curl up. If it was curly, we could definitely wait longer.
I have a hair appointment set up for me in 2 weeks. I have known my hairdresser, Willy, since I was 7 or 8 years old. Back then, Willy was training to cut hair, and she was the hair washer at the place where I got my haircut. She washed my hair for years, then eventually started cutting it. I won’t let anyone else touch my hair. The 2 times I did, it was a disaster. I’m hoping she’ll offer to give Micah his first haircut – I think she’d love to have that honor. So, we’ll see if we cut his hair in 2 weeks, or if I postpone it a bit longer.
Micah is doing really well. I think *fingers crossed* we are back on schedule with him. I believe we identified the source of the bedtime screaming issues – HUNGER. He must have been going through a growth spurt. With all the traveling, I think I must have missed the milk supply increase, so we are a bit behind the eight ball, so to speak. The past few nights, we’ve been increasing his food intake by giving him a bottle supplement of pumped breast milk before bed. This eliminated the screaming and bed time became easier. Yesterday, however, was a really rough day. I seemed to “run out” of milk mid-day. We had to give a bunch of bottle supplements, and I was worried about my supply. Luckily, the bottle supplements did the trick, and bedtime went smoothly. Today, I spent the day feeding him on schedule and pumping after each feeding session to try and increase my supply. It seems to have worked, and Micah was ready for bed by 8:00, happy as usual. I nursed him then topped him off with a bottle, and placed him in his crib. We had a few runs upstairs to pop in his paci (he gets restless and squeaks when his paci falls out before he is sound asleep), and then off to lala land he drifted.
Since I am on the subject of Micah sleeping, I will say he is pretty amazing. He moves ALL around the crib while he sleeps. About ten minutes ago, he had managed to turn 90 degrees . . . and now he is back to his vertical position. I am also amazed at how restless he gets. As Elliot says, he is more mobile asleep than awake. Sometimes he gets quite vocal and noisy, and I think he is awake. When I go running in to check on him, I realize he is sound asleep and desperately trying to gnaw his fist off. It is a good thing he doesn’t have any teeth yet. Some babies find their hands/fists comforting, but I have noticed that while Micah will suck on his hands, he never seems to be soothed by that. I carefully remove his fist and replace it with a paci, and it is magic! Micah instantly stops moving and fussing and sort of melts into a still, deep sleep. Who knew a pacifier could be such a wonderful thing!
In other news, we’ve been dealing with ants in the kitchen and our master bathroom. I HATE ants! We called an exterminator (Trey, who lived across the street from me when I was growing up) and he came today. Apparently, we have a special kind of ant (fragrant ants?) and they are living under the front porch. Ironically, these are the same ants at my parents’ house . . . coincidence? YOU decide! He sprayed all over outside, and so far, the ants seem to be gone. We may need to spray a few more times to keep them at bay, but for now, all is much improved.
I’ve been running around crazed all week – business meetings, classes with Micah, work to do, trying to find childcare, and meeting with contractors to discuss whether we should put a small addition on the house to give me an office. Micah’s Goppy (my dad) babysat Micah on his own for the first time for a few hours on Tuesday while Elliot and I were at meetings! It was quite a success, and perhaps we’ll be able to take advantage of Goppy’s babysitting services again. At one of our classes this week, we went to a pottery place (All Fired Up), and we decorated a tile with Micah’s name on it and his footprints. I will post a picture when I get it back next week. I can barely see straight this week! I wish I had our child care situation worked out – I’m still nervous about what we will be doing and how to proceed. I really need to have more time available and get more work done.
I don’t have any new pictures to post today. My “little” man is now 12 lbs! He is growing rapidly, and I’m afraid to admit that the arms and legs on his size 0-3 month clothes may be getting a bit short. I think it may be time to move him into the next size, and we are probably just another week or two away from size 2 diapers! I can’t believe how much he is growing. We have our final Baby & Me class on Monday. I am probably going to have to stop doing as many classes with him if I put him in daycare or get a nanny – which I suppose I have to do anyway since I need to get more work done during the day. In June, I hope to start swim lessons with him, and I’d like to sign up for a music class with a bunch of the other women from our Baby & Me class. We are planning to continue with a playgroup, so that should be fun.
Next week is another crazy week – Wednesday and Thursday night is the beginning of Passover, an 8 day holiday for us. The first two nights are marked by a special dinner known as a seder, and we will be hosting the 2nd seder at our house. Most of Elliot’s family will be coming to town to join us, and this is only the 2nd holiday we’ve hosted together. We are nervous about all the chaos, but also excited to spend time with the family. This will be the 2nd time Micah has met his Poppy Ira and Grandma Roberta. I’m hoping all goes smoothly and that Micah goes to bed easily even with all the commotion in the house. I think Elliot & I will be cooking for the next week. He went out tonight to pick up a turkey and some brisket so we can get started this weekend. I’ll give an update next week!
Update
I don’t exactly have much of an update right now . . . we are still having bedtime challenges. Micah seems to do better when we induce a food coma, so I’ve been nursing him until I have nothing left, and then supplementing him with a bottle of breast milk when he still seems to want more. It has left me wondering if he is really just hungry . . . perhaps he is not getting enough milk off of me during the day. He is still gaining weight at an unbelievable pace, but yet . . . I think these meltdowns are more than just “normal” baby things. Maybe he is getting enough to stave off the hunger during the day, but when bedtime comes around, the cumulative hunger hits and he melts down. I’m not exactly sure what to do . . . I guess I either have to try supplementing during the day, or working on increasing my supply so he can get another 1/2 ounce or so a feeding (I think that is all it would take).
I did check with the doctor . . . who said he is gaining weight normally and not to worry about it. And yet . . . I know my boy. He doesn’t generally cry and get fussy, and when he does, it means something is wrong. Now, if I can just figure out what.
In other news, we are more than halfway through the renovations to my condo, and we should be ready to put it on the market in about 4 weeks. I can’t believe how smoothly that is going (and we STILL haven’t finished renovations on our house . . . did I mention I still hate my contractor?)
Bedtime still sucks
For lack of a more appropriate and descriptive term, bedtime the past few nights . . . SUCKS. Tonight, Micah was being cute and playful. He started to get sleepy around 7:15, so we bathed him, lotioned him up, and got him ready for bed. He smiled, took his medicine, and eagerly awaited his bedtime “snack.” I nursed him, and he began to drift off to sleep. In fact, he was out cold before he finished nursing. I tried to wake him, but he would have none of it! So, I quietly transferred him into the crib, shut off all the lights, waited five minutes, then left the room.
Fast forward about 10 minutes. MASS HYSTERIA began again. I have no idea what woke him up, but he was hysterical. I went upstairs, nursed him some more, and put him back to sleep. I snuck back downstairs. . . . and five minutes later, he was crying. I sent Elliot upstairs to work his magic. He tried the paci, and then Micah became hysterical again. Elliot spent the next 10-15 minutes singing to Micah, and he finally crashed again. We placed him back in the crib, and so far, so good (with the exception of 2 more paci insertion trips up the stairs).
I don’t really understand it. Our entire trip to California, and ever since he was 8 weeks old, bedtime has been a joy! Since the night we returned home from California, bedtime has not been the same. It doesn’t matter that he is relaxed and tired, it still becomes a screaming session every night. Once we get beyond it, everything is fine, but the process is very draining. I wish I understood what is happening that makes Micah so hysterical at bedtime everynight now. I also wish I knew how to fix it.
Progress
Well, today Micah woke up a bit late (9:00 am), so I was afraid he’d be off all day. I worked hard to cram in all of his feedings, and he got some naps (but probably not enough). I made sure that we took him upstairs to bed at 7:45, and I nursed him. It was clear he didn’t get quite enough to eat, so we gave him another 2 ounces by bottle. He still wasn’t ready to fall asleep on his own, so we rocked him to sleep. He was out by 8:25 – the right time, even if he needed a bit more coddling to fall asleep. I’m hoping he’ll get better each night, and in a few more days we’ll be back to “normal.”
Home again, home again, jiggity jig
Finally . . . home at last! This has been a crazy week, and I’m so glad to be done with the traveling. Poor Micah has had it the roughest – I think he is all confused about the time zone. The past few nights, bedtime has been a bit of a disaster, which has been so frustrating. Since Micah was 8 weeks old, bedtime has been simple – we get ready for bed, we put Micah down, we run in once or twice to reinsert his paci, and he sleeps through the night.
Since Sunday night, however, Micah has been tired and exhausted. I’ve gotten him ready for bed while he smiles and coos, and I nurse him as he dozes off, and I go to put him to sleep . . . . at which point, he melts down. Shrieking, hollering, yelling, hysterics. For about an hour. The poor guy is just so over-tired, he can’t let himself go to sleep. Sunday night was tough, but the crying was minimal – he started to get upset, I made a “swing” out of my lap and swayed him back and forth until he fell asleep. It took close to 1 hour to get him to sleep, but it was relatively painless. Monday night, we were off to a great start. I tried putting him to sleep earlier, but once again, hysteria set in. This time, he was loud and sobbing. I tried the makeshift swing, but no joy. My mom tried rocking him, but no joy. We finally decided to try a food coma . . . I tried nursing him, but there was not much left, and it was not coming out fast enough for him, so we made him a bottle. He took about 1 ounce, and food coma finally took hold! After that, my mom was able to rock him and sing to him, and he drifted off to la-la land and slept through the night.
Tonight, my original plan was to give him his medicine on the plane, to nurse him while we waited for the bags, and then hope he fell asleep in the car on the way home and just put him straight to bed. Well . . . things did not quite work out as I had planned. We left for the airport a bit late, so I was about 1/2 hour late nursing him. That half hour proved to be critical – when we landed 10 minutes early and our bags were waiting for us as we came up to baggage claim, it was about 1/2 hour too early to nurse him again. We decided to head home and do the bedtime routine there. Elliot was picking us up . . . and it took him another 15 minutes to get to us. By the time we got home, Micah had hit over-tired again. We got him ready for bed, I nursed him . . . . and then the hysteria hit again. He screamed for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Elliot and I tag-teamed, singing, shaking, rocking. He would calm down, and then he would wake himself up and start screaming again. Around 9:30 I tried nursing him again while Elliot fixed up a bottle. By the time Elliot got upstairs with the bottle, Micah was sound asleep. Hopefully, he’ll sleep through the night, and tomorrow night will be better.