Cousin Fun

The past few days my sister has been in town with her husband and two boys. Obviously David is still a little small to really play with his cousins yet but it was still fun to see my sister and her little family. At first Mathew was pretty excited to meet David and exclaimed "Baby! Baby!" as soon as he saw him. He got a little nervous though when he saw Grandma holding David, and he REALLY didn't like seeing his mom with another baby in her arms.

My mom wanted an updated family photo with David in it so we put the boys in their Easter sweaters and headed to the portrait studio. Getting all 3 boys to cooperate was no easy feat! David was relatively good-natured having just napped and been fed, but getting a toddler and a preschooler to want to sit still and smile isn't easy. Brian soon tired of holding David and tried shoving him off his lap (luckily I was there to intervene) and Michelle had to hold Matthew's legs down to keep him from bolting. In the end we got some nice pictures though.

Happy Easter

I hope everyone had a great Easter. David must have been really excited for the Easter Bunny to come considering that he was up every couple hours in anticipation. What actually happened was that I went to the store for some last-minute shopping and when I got home it was around bedtime so we fed him and put him to bed. I hadn't realized he'd been napping most of the time I'd been gone (I usually make sure he's been awake at least a couple hours before bedtime).
Anyway, between his two grandmas and the Easter Bunny David managed to clean up this Easter. He loves all the toys he got but his favorite is probably the jumperoo we found off of craigslist. He thinks he's pretty hot stuff bouncing around and making the lights and music play. Sorry that the pictures are kind of poor quality. I was all set to get some really cute photos of David in his cute little sweater I got him but of course he started screaming as soon as I pulled out the camera and then spit up all over everything before I could get pictures.

We've Got a 4 Month Cutie!

Four Months

Three Months

Two Months

David's 4 month check-up yesterday went well. I was told his height is above the hundreth percentile but since that's not really possible we'll say 99.9th and his weight is in the 90th. That's not surprising considering how fast he's outgrowing his clothes (he's already wearing 9 month sizes). Developmentally he's doing great as well. He still loves to coo and gurgle and this month he's figured out how to laugh and make different sounds. Ocasionally he'll try to imitate sounds that we make. His reaching and grabbing are better too and he's much more alert and interested in the world around him. Because he's growing so fast the doctor recommended we start solids every night to supplement what he gets from nursing. The picture below is his first experience with rice cereal (Sorry about the not so flattering view of me. I really am losing weight but this photo doesn't exactly show that). It was messy but he did well and ate more than I expected for his first time.

Books Schmooks

(playing in front of the mirror is one of David's favorite activities now)

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I don't really have a good excuse other than I've been somewhat of a slacker lately. I'm now a mostly stay-at-home mom because the ladies in my office had a harder time with David than they anticipated. I guess they've been able to make it work with some babies in the past but David seems to demand more attention than a lot of babies (I could have told them that). He wants to be held CONSTANTLY, and just holding him's not enough. If he doesn't have my undivided attention he lets me know who's boss (as if that were in question). He even insists I hold him during naptime and if I try to put him down he'll wake right up. Or if I do happen to get him to fall asleep on his own he's awake within 20 minutes or so.

When I was pregnant I started boning up on parenting books and sleep guides so that I would be prepared. I even recommended Dr Ferber's book to a mom who had difficulties getting her son to nap. HaHa!!! Following his methods I get David to sleep after about 20 minutes of screaming. He'll sleep for about 15 minutes and then resume screaming for the duration of the nap. Has anyone else had this problem?

3 Months and Counting

3 months

2 months

It's hard to believe that David's already 1/4 of the way through his first year, but he really is 3 months old. Last month he had figured out how to make the pull-toy on his chair play music if we helped him grasp it. This month he's learned how to grab it on his own (although it usually takes him a few tries). He reaches for other toys and objects as well and enjoys trying to sit and stand while we hold his hands for steadying. He smiles, gurgles, and coos more than ever and his most recent achievement includes rolling from his tummy to his back. He's more fun every day and we are so excited to see his little personality unfold.

Au Natural

For those of my readers who feel eating whole grains is "radicalist" behavior this post will come as quite a shock. Some of you however are environmentally and/or health conscious so I thought I would share a little about the book I've been reading lately. It's called Healthy Child, Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home. While it is geared toward parents, it's a good resource for anyone wanting information about the potentially harmful chemicals in our homes and how to avoid them. I don't suscribe to alarmism or the idea that all chemicals are bad. Many medications for example save lives when used correctly. I do believe in exercising caution though, especially when it comes to synthetic chemicals our bodies were never designed to handle.

Many topics the book addresses I was already at least somewhat familiar with. However there were a few things I had never even considered, such as the harmful repercussions of household cleaners. Cleaning solutions are probably among the harshest and toxic chemicals in your home. If a child were to drink a bottle of Lysol or Bleach you would call poison control and have them rushed to the ER. Cleaning products have been linked to asthma, allergies, and possibly cancer. When washed down the drain they contaminate our water supply and eventually leach into the soil affecting our food supply.

I'm as germ-conscious as the next person and would not consider a solution that put my family at risk for disease, but fortunately there are some good and more natural alternatives you can buy or make. Considering that I would use these cleaners for the surfaces that David will eat off of, play with, bathe in, and crawl over I think it's worth a little extra caution.

Back to the Grindstone

Last week David and I flew out to Washington state to visit my sister and her family for a bit of fun before my maternity leave is up and I'm back to work. Between our 3 kids and everyone managing to get sick in some form or another we didn't manage to do much, but I'm still glad we went. I haven't been out to see her since they bought their condo and this is the first time she and David got to meet. Michelle's my lifeline when I need some advice or a friendly ear as a new mom. She's probably saved my pediatrician dozens of panicked phone calls and I'm lucky to have her for a sister. She also took a few pictures of me with David which I appreciate because I don't have many pictures of me with him, and none that I would consider flattering.

This week I'm back to work. I'm only returning part-time and my office coworkers have agreed to watch him for me while I'm out doing visits. It's a great arrangement and I know a lot of moms would love to be able to have that kind of convenience and flexiblity. But I'm still so sad to see my days with just me and my little buddy coming to an end. Even though I did feel isolated and housebound and even though I do miss my patients part of me wishes I could just stay with him and not miss a single part of his babyhood.

Although I was technically supposed to start on Monday, between David still being sick (he just has a very minor cold) and other office happenings all I've really done so far is to attend a meeting. Tonight I do have a visit scheduled though and will be taking call so hopefully all goes well.