To Swaddle or Not to Swaddle.....that is the question!



My Sleeping Burrito!

 Who knew that my Son's desire to have his arms pinned tightly to his side while he sleeps would lead to our first parental "what should we do" struggle?  We spent every night up until about 2 months swaddling him extra tight with blankets.  Ronnie actually got really good at it and I would say he is a swaddling pro.  After about 2 months he started to get really good at getting out and this would lead him to wake up.   We found another must have baby product: (so far my list is Moby and....) Halo 2-in-1 sleep sacks!  This genious product is a warm cozy wearable blanket with "bat wings" that can do the arm pinning for you!   We used our size small sleepsacks until Logan was 5 months and his feet were starting to stretch out the bottom.  Finding the next size up was challenging.  Maybe kids aren't supposed to be swaddled this long thoughts started nagging me.  We decided to try leaving him unswaddled for a night to see what would happen.  He fell asleep fine, but woke up at about 10pm because he punched himself with his free hands.  Being back at work and not strong enough to miss any precious sleep we immediately swaddled him and he slept through the night.  About a month later I had a three day weekend so I decided that it was time to just bite the bullet and go cold-turkey with the swaddle.  I resigned myself to losing some sleep.  The first night he woke up again at 10pm (oh dear, are we going to go back to waking every 3 hours again???) but after about 10 minutes of watching him squirm in the monitor he FELL BACK ASLEEP for the rest of the night!  The next night he slept through the night!  Success....the first weaning experience was over!  We packed up the well-loved swaddle sacks with a feeling of pride.  I have now come to realize that while we stress over many different decisions  (pacifer, thumb, bottles, food, etc.) we are going to have to wean our children off of a few habits over their lifetime no matter how thoughtfully we make these choices. 

MMMMM......Yummy in my tummy!

I never knew that feeding Loganberry his first meal would be so much fun!  I agonized over the decision of what to make and decided that apples would be a great start.   He had been watching me eat apples for a few weeks and always reached out for them when he could.  I let him have one to suck on and he kept putting it back in his mouth. 

I purchased a steamer and blender appliance from BabiesRUs (gotta love the 20% off coupons!) and got to work making his first supper.  I peeled and chopped two apples and put them in the steamer.  15 minutes later I had apple goo!   I tasted it and it honestly tasted better than the applesauce I have always bought with all of the added sugar and stuff.  Amazing....why haven't I tried this before?

We have been putting Mister in his highchair for a few days to let him get used to it, so he is ready to go!  He looks like such a big boy sitting up in his high chair!  (sniff sniff ) 

First bite........

He had a sour face at first, but his little legs were kicking and he kept opening his mouth for more.  For some reason I felt a tinge of pride that I could provide healthy food for my baby boy and it makes me want to develop healthy habits for our family. 

My son is an eater!

T-I-Double Guh-rrr-"Bouncing is what Tiggers (and Logans) do best!"



See him holding the yellow monkey ^                                                       

 My little LoganBerry is working on his vertical leap.....Ronnie told him that he has to have a 50inch vertical, so he practices every night.  He LOVES the jumper and goes crazy every time we put him in it.  The jumper is from Logan's pal Judah and it wasn't something that was even on our radar to purchase (surprisingly, since I feel like we have every baby product made!) but it has turned into one of those favorite items.  There is a little yellow monkey toy (along with 2 other animals) attached and he loves to stare at it.   Anyway, the jumper is a must have baby item! 

Look Mom...Both Hands!

So Logan has been formula fed since about 3 months (not by choice from me ) and so he is becoming quite the expert bottle drinker.  His fine motor skills are starting to improve and so now he is able to hold his bottle all by himself.  It slips occasionally when he moves his fingers, but for the most part he is able to hold it through the whole feeding.  It is really tempting to use my newly freed hands to check facebook on my phone,  but we are really trying to fast from all electronics (tv, phone, laptop) while Logan is awake so that we make sure we are giving him our full attention, so I just get to rub his head and feet instead!  What a big boy I have! 

You So Funny!

Laughing baby....enough said!  

 

 

Ticklish Spots:

-bottoms of feet

-thighs

-neck

-side of tummy

The Ladies Love the Speedo

Ok, so grown men in Speedos are gross, but cute babies in Speedos are SUPER CUTE!  I am of course a little partial, but Logan looked adorable in his baby swim diaper.  We feel so blessed to have such amazing friends in our lives and having Katie and Mallory to try new, fun things with is so great.  Our latest new outing was to the indoor swiming pool in Bellevue.  They keep the pool really warm specifically for baby swimmers.  We walked into the pool area and Katie and I were both struck with the wave of humidity that washed over us.  It was so warm that we were having a hard time breathing in the hot air.  We got the babes in their swimming suits and waded in.  They loved it!  Mallory was a lot more vocal and expressive and Logan was just chillin.  They didn't even fuss when we put them all the way under water....what troopers!  It was so much fun and we are going to make swimming a regular activity!

Copy Cat

Logan loves to study our mouths while we talk, stick out our tongues, and blow raspberries.  He stares for a while and then attempts the acts himself.  Most of the time he can't quite get it and he gets very frustrated.  Here is a video of him trying to make raspberries....so cute!

All I Want for Christmas Is You!

I have to say that I used to LOVE Christmas because it meant that I got lots of presents.  I would wake up super early to race upstairs and rip into the gifts.  Don't get me wrong, I still like getting gifts...but Christmas was seen from a different perspective for me this year.  We have been trying to come up with family traditions and routines that will eventually mean something to Logan and that will teach him about the important things in life.  As I thought about Christmas and what it really means I couldn't help but hope that one day my Son knows Jesus and comes to have a fulfilling life because of his eternal focus.   You can't take Christmas presents with you when you go...but the love you show to family and friends and the people who's lives you affect will live on forever.    Ok....so Christmas with my new family was wonderful and we of course opened Logan's rediculous amount of presents, but it was great to be with the people we love creating memories. 

"I'm Logan and I Have a Combover"

Beautiful locks don't run in the family so I don't expect Logan to have perfect, bouncy, curls or shiny, lucious strands, but bald spots and thick patches???  COME ON!   Logan was born with really thick hair and as he is getting older it is falling out in patches.   He also is cursed with his father's cowlicks which cause his hair to stick straight out in certain parts.  Good thing this is just temporary!

Choose Your Attitude

My favorite time of day is when my baby boy wakes up!  He is a really good sleeper (Thank You God!) and so he wakes up with a smile on his face every morning when he hears our voices.  It warms my heart and serves as a reminder that we get to choose our attitude every day.  Although Logan is a very happy baby all of the time and he can't help but wake up in a good mood...I am not the same way by nature.   It is easy to get caught up in complaining and being tired, but if I can immitate my Loganberry and just smile in the morning my day will be much more positive.  Thank-You my prince for teaching Mommy what true happiness is!

1/3 Years Old

I am back at work full time and one of the hardest moments so far has been missing my Son's well-baby appointment for the first time.  I didn't think it would be that hard because Ronnie and my Mom were going to take him, but I thought about it all day long!  I literally couldn't concentrate and as soon as 1:45pm hit I was picturing them all in the doctor's office.  I wished so badly to be there and I hoped that Daddy could comfort him like I would have after his shots.  (He did...of course!).    I had made a list of questions for Ronnie to ask the doctor and told him to pay close attention because I would want to know every detail and every word that the docor said.   Anyway....Logan apparently only let out a little whimper when he got his shots and he was a happy and smiley baby for the rest of the appointment.  The doctor said he was really strong and developing right on track.  He has a bit of craddle cap and some mild exema (you're welcome Son!) but is 100% healthy besides that.  The doctor said that we could start feeding him rice cereal any time now...but I think we are going to wait a bit longer.  I am so grateful to have a healthy LoganBerry!

4 Month Stats:

Length:  24 3/4 inches-35th percentile
Weight:  13lbs 4 ounces-20th percentile
Head Circumference:   16 3/8 inches-50th percentile


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