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.

Feeling the Love

Valentines Day has never been a favorite holiday. Couples are pressured to spend money on the commercial aspects and singles have it even worse. I had previously sworn never to brave restaurant crowds on Valentines, but this year I decided to take Grandma up on her offer to babysit David so Derek and I could enjoy a couple hours on our own. Even though we got to the cheesecake factory just after 4 pm the place had a line practically out the door just to get your name on the list and a 4 hr wait for a table! So instead we headed for the take-out line and got a couple slices of cheesecake to go (even that took almost an hour) and wound up eating Wendy's hamburgers at my mom's. I think I'll renew my resolve about eating out on Valentines. The holiday wasn't a total wash though. I had oh-so-subtly hinted that I wanted some scrumptious chocolate covered strawberries rather than flowers this year but Derek surprised me with both the confection and flowers. Hopefully we can plan a somewhat more successful date sometime soon, but between the start of the tax season and David's sleep/feeding schedule it won't be easy.

The pictures of David with the bear are an idea I copied from my sister Michelle where each month a new photo is taken of the baby alongside the bear to track growth and compare. I wasn't on the ball enough to get a picture at 1 month so I will have to start at 2 months. At 2 months he's still a solid little guy measuring at the 97th percentile for both height and weight. He's mastered smiling and cooing and is beginning to reach for the toys on his toybar. Every day he's a little more interactive and we have lots of fun.

Smile!

Whew! I've been meaning to write a new post for awhile but our internet connection is really unreliable these days and every time I get a few free minutes I can't get online. David's been smiling deliberately for a few weeks now, but it's hard to catch him at it on camera. The other day though all the planets aligned so I could manage it. The other picture shows his recent favorite activity which is pulling the little toy on his chair to play music. I have to help him grab onto it still and he hasn't figured out that after he's pulled it he needs to give it some slack for the cord to retract before it can play again, but he sure thinks he's hot stuff when he gets it to work.
Since I last posted Derek's mom came out to visit and meet David. We had arranged to have David blessed in church while she was here, but that fell through last minute so we wound up having him blessed here at home instead. I was a little worried about cramming even the small group of family we'd invited into our living room, but we managed it with only minimal rearranging of the furniture and it all went nicely. Here's a picture of David with Derek and his mom.

To Sleep Perchance To Dream

I guess I would be remiss as a new parent if I didn't mention sleep deprivation. To think that up until recently I was fretting that David slept longer than all the books said that he should. A few times he went 7-8 hrs between feedings even. Contrary to what every veteran mom advised I even woke him up a few times to feed him worrying that he would be malnourished. Now my "malnourished" 6 week old is wearing his 6 month clothing already and is eating so frequently that I rarely can catch more than 2-3 hours of sleep at once. Why did I ever wake him up?

He also has some stomach reflux which means that he CONSTANTLY wants to be held and when I finally can put him down more often than not he winds up spitting up all over everything which of course wakes him right back up. I've tried letting him sleep in his carseat and everything else I can think of but nothing seems to make much of a difference. I try to keep in mind that in a few short months he'll want to be free to roam on his own and I'll wish I could hold him and rock him, but when it's 3:00 in the afternoon and I still haven't had a chance to eat or get dressed it's not always easy to keep perspective.

Bring on 2009

Sorry it's been a little longer between posts than I planned. Even though I've been fairly busy the past couple weeks I haven't been able to accomplish much. David seems to be under the impression that all of my waking hours should be spent with him so everything else (like eating, showering, updating my blog) has been put on hold for now. The good news is that I've found something that will keep him entertained at least long enough to scarf down a quick bowl of cereal. He LOVES the little playmat his Aunt Erica gave him! He's not coordinated enough to play with all the toys, but he'll stare mesmerized at the mirror and the lights and all the colorful shapes. And since my parents are graciously taking care of him for a few minutes I have an opportunity to do a quick post.
Hopefully everyone had a good New Year. We had a pretty low-key celebration at home and I made some resolutions this year. Mostly I make (and break) standard resolutions like losing weight and being more organized, but I actually do have an interesting one this year. I want to buy and sell more used items from sites like craigslist and KSL.com. This not only saves money, it saves our landfills from overflowing and helps out our neighbors by allowing them to make a little extra cash. I've found that baby items especially can be found that are like new for a fraction of the cost and I don't have to worry that most of the money I spend goes overseas or into the wallets of overpaid CEOs. Anyone else have an interesting resolution this year? I'd love to hear about it.