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


Check out the changes:

          

Moby Baby

Registering for gifts was probably the most fun part of preparing for baby Logan and I spent MANY hours online looking through products that I needed and adding them to my registry. It made me really excited and helped to pass the time as I waited through the summer. I read reviews from other moms and agonized over which lotion and diaper cream to buy. All of this time I would find out later was probably wasted for the most part because each baby is different and while I thought for sure Mustella was the best lotion/wash product out there....Logan would break out in a terrible rash from it and it didn't seem to make a difference weather I used Desitin or A&D on his cute little tushy! Oh well! While I thought for sure I had everything I needed for my little babe, the one product that has been my absolute most favorite thing (move over Oprah and your plasma tvs!) I didn't purchase until after Logan was born and from the advice of a friend (thanks Katie!).

My Moby wrap isn't cutesy (try tan and stained most of the time) and it didn't cost anywhere near as much as the swing (which he doesn't like) but I use it more than any other items that I purchased. Yes, it is just one long piece of fabric for $30 but I would buy it 100 times over! It was a bit intimidating the first time I used it because you have to wrap it in just the right way, but when he fell asleep within seconds of hitting the fabic I knew that I had found something great! Logan isn't a great napper so I put him in the Moby at least once per day and he sleeps for at least a few hours. Also, I can actually clean up the house while he is sleeping because I have both of my hands available. What a miracle!

I put Logan in the Moby in the airport for our flights to and from Arizona and he slept like a champ! Love it! Thanks Moby!

LoganBerry: Two Months

Look at my little man growing:

1 week                                    1 month                                    2 months

Logan had his 2 month check-up today and here are his stats:

10 pounds 5.5 ounces  (20th percentile)

22 3/4 inches long   (50th percentile)

He is a healthy and happy little boy!

He also had an immunization (we are following Dr. Sears' alternative vaccine schedule, so he only had one shot today).  I was so nervous about him getting the shot, but he didn't even flinch!  I couldn't believe it! He was totally unphased by the whole thing and we left with a smiley baby.  Phew!  :) 

Deal or No Deal??

Every other Wednesday is Mom's night out to go fellowship with the women at Midweek.  Dad's in charge of Logan and they get some good bonding time in.  

Just to preface this story, when Logan was first born,  Ronnie would always talk to him and tell him that they had a deal that all of the poopy diapers would be saved for Mom.  The deal actually seemed to be working as I changed every single poopy diaper week after week.  Every time I had to change a poopy diaper Ronnie would give Logan a huge kiss and tell him "Good Job!"

Ok, back to Midweek last Wednesday:  I get home from Midweek and Ronnie puts his phone/camera right in my face:

  
Logan's first blow-out!!!  I laughed so hard as Ronnie shows me the pile of 100 baby wipes and the onsie that he had to cut off because he didn't want to get poop on Logan's head!  Logan didn't keep his end of the deal....he was just saving the best one for Dad!

First (non gassy) Smile

During his 7th week of life Logan gave me his first real smile!  I can't even explain how much joy that little smile put into my heart....I almost cried!!  I was talking to him and he let out several smiles that were so cute.  Ronnie was home and was able to capture the moment:

Since that day he has given me more and more smiles every day and it makes me so happy.   He smiles when I talk to him and sing the goofy Gymboree songs to him and he often smiles just when I look at him.  How nice it would be to be able to be so happy at simple things like this...we can learn a lot from our infants!

Keep on Rolling!

"OMG-Logan rolled over!!" I scream as I am sitting on the floor watching my son roll from his tummy to his back. 'I am by myself and Ronnie is on his way home....no one will believe me when I tell them that he rolled over' . I put him back onto his tummy and he does it again! 'Oh wow...ok, Ronnie's going to be home soon.....maybe he'll do it again." Ronnie walks through the door and I tell him to come over quickly because Logan rolled over. I put Logan on his tummy and he rolls over again! Yes!! We grab the camcorder and try to capture it on video but Logan is frustrated and done with tricks. Later that night, however we were able to capture it on video:

Logan rolls over almost every tummy time now and it is quite amazing. In Gymboree they do tummy time while we talk about the latest happenings with our tots. My turn and I say that Logan rolled over....and he's 6 weeks. I see the 'yeah right' looks on faces and as if on cue Logan rolls over and everyone sees. They are all so amazed and tell me that he's going to be an early mover. Oh great...I am not ready for this!! :(

Flexibility and Family

Logan LOVES his cousins Kelsey and Cole!!  The Montoya family (Ronnie's older sister Amanda, her husband Chad, and their two kiddos: Kelsey 4 and Cole 2) came to visit at the beginning of October and we had such a great time.  Kelsey and Cole are the cutest and they are at the age where they like to be moving and going all of the time.  I vowed when I had Logan to be as flexible as possible and to not be afraid to take him places, so this was going to be the true test.  I had been out for the babies class at Evergreen and to church and bible talk, but this week we had lots of plans for places to go every day.  We went to downtown Seattle twice (Pikes Place and the Aquarium), Pacific Science Center, Pumpkin Patch, Ballard Locks, and Gig Harbor (first overnight away from home).  Logan is on somewhat of a schedule (feed, wake for an hour, and sleep) so I think that he did really well.  As long as I had somewhere to feed him we were good to go!   I think that I did a pretty good job of being flexible (except for the day at the park when I wasn't feeling good and I was quite grumpy (sorry Amanda and Chad...and my husband!).   This week also gave me a lot of confidence that I could indeed take my son out places and have a life.  Next scary step is going to be taking him on an airplane to Phoenix for Thanksgiving....scary!

We had so much fun with the family.  Highlight:  Cole sat next to Logan in the car everywhere we went and while Logan sleeps he grunts a lot.  Every time Logan would grunt, Cole would put his pointer finger in Logan's face and say "SHHHH".   He was not trying to get him to be quiet, he was doing what he saw us do to calm the baby down (you know, that "shhhh" white noise sound).  It was so cute!!

Here are some pics from the awesome week: 



Cousin Kelsey loves to hold Logan



This is Cole soothing Logan

Aunt Amanda

Three Pumpkins!

Logan looking at his beautiful aunt

Uncle Chad and Logan

Weighing In

Breastfeeding is harder than I thought! I think I have spent hundreds of dollars on breastfeeding acessories, hours in the lactation consultant's office, hours at home pumping and cleaning pump acessories, and countless weary hours sending up prayers over the last few weeks in desperate attempts to increase my milk supply. I can say that it all seems to be paying off because my supply is increasing slowly and Logan is gaining weight!

At his 1 week appointment Logan had only gained 2 ounces since leaving the hospital (he was 6lbs 7 ounces from 6lbs 5 ounces at the hospital) and this was considered low gain. The lactation consultant put us on a feeding plan (breastfeed, pump, supplement with pumped milk and formula) to try to increase my supply and help Logan gain weight.

We went in for our weight-check appointment today and Logan was 7 lbs 3 ounces!!! He has gained almost a pound in a week!! I was so relieved and now I can focus on getting him eating enough without the supplemental formula.

It is amazing all that I will do to make sure my little LoganBerry can get the healthiest food possible. Luckily for us he is seeming to start to be on a schedule (eat, wake, sleep during the day and eat, sleep 5ish hours, eat, sleep 5ish hours during the night) which really helps me get all of the pumping and stuff done and still have a little bit of time to not have my breasts exposed! Wahoo!

Logan at 1 week (on the left) and Logan today on the way to his weigh-in (2 weeks and 3 days). Can you tell a difference?

I'm too sexy for my diaper

LoganBerry is my little model, but we need to work on his 'tude' so that it doesn't go to his head!  We were scheduled to have newborn photos taken at The Picture People on Satuday at 2pm.  Trying to be the good mama, I planned when I was going to feed him so that he would be sleepy and content for the appointment.  Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans....Logan was so fussy and hungry and in all of my planning for this first outing I did not bring my shield to feed him.  He was not having any of it and as soon as we would get him to calm down for a second you would think that the lady would be ready to snap a picture, but instead she would come over and move his hand or tell me to move him.  I understand that she was just trying to get the best picture, but I would have settled for any picture at that point.  I got pretty overwhelmed with his screams and so we just decided that we would reschedule to later that night. 

We went back at 8pm and I brought every baby item I could think of that might possibly comfort my little man.  Things went much smoother and they were very patient with us as we tried to settle him between poses.  Take a look at the end results....here is the beginning of my little model's portfolio:

*The rest of these were taken the morning we left the hospital*

"When Are You Due?"

So I have to share a funny story with you....(It is at my husband's expense, but I asked him if I could share).   As a preface to the story I need to explain that Ronnie has a phobia of that awkward situation where you ask someone when they are due and they reply that they are not pregnant.  I am not sure where this phobia stems from, but he has created a rule for himself to not ask, even if the woman is obviously pregnant.  I know about this rule and find it kind of cute, because he really fears hurting someone's feelings. 

Ok, so on Wednesday we were at our "2-day" checkup at the postpardem care center at the hospital and we are sitting in the waiting room waiting for our appointment.  A very nice woman with a quite large belly asks me where I got our diaper bag because she has been looking for one.  We chat for a few minutes and Ronnie chimes in with the words that I never thought I would hear leave his lips:  "when are you due?" 

"Oh, I've actually already had my baby" she politely responds.  I don't think I've ever seen Ronnie's face turn more red!    "Yeah," I say "she has a baby in the NICU".   (I had overheard her talking to the lady at the counter).  To be fair, the lady did still have a significant-sized baby belly and she did not have her baby with her. 

As soon as she left Ronnie turns to me and gives me this 'how could you just let me say that?' look and I burst into hysterical laughs.  He can laugh at it now, but you can bet that he will stick to his rule even tighter from here on. 

"Doh!"