Twenty-Five Weeks

Today Nick is twenty-five weeks old! This week was a fun week for Nick. He is getting better and better at sitting up, and he is scooching himself around on flat surfaces - he'll probably figure crawling out within the next couple months! We keep telling him to slow down but he's not listening :)

Last Saturday we tried to give Nick his first food. Major fail! He wanted nothing to do with it! We tried avocado and banana - he made sour faces at both. That's ok though - nursing will just have to be enough for now. We'll try food again in a few weeks. Later we all watched the UM v. EMU game. Another win for Nick! Then we had a playdate with our Connection Parenting group. We baked a cake for one of the dads' birthdays, and we were rewarded with a loss for MSU! After our playdate we came back to the house and started organizing the basement. We set up Nick's new ABC/123 playmat and let him play on it for a little while - he had fun. Sunday morning we went to start cleaning out Grandma Juarez's apartment, then we went to our Bradley reunion. So fun to see all the babies! Well, three out of six. Nick was the only boy and he had eyes for a little girl named Emma. :) After the reunion we brought some of Grandma Juarez's stuff back to the house, with help from Aunt Cindi and Tom. Great-Grandma Pingle came back to the house with us too, and grammie and grandpa came over to help unload. Then we ordered pizza and everyone watched Nick play in his exersaucer.

Monday was back to school and daycare. Tuesday night dad and Nick were on their own after mom nursed Nick, while mom went to her boss's dad's visitation. Thursday night dad and Nick were on their own again for the whole evening, while mom went out to dinner during Detroit Restaurant Week, and then to see The Phantom of the Opera with her friend Lauren to belatedly celebrate their last birthdays in their 20s :)

Tonight we are not doing anything. Mom is going to catch up on sleep and dad gets to catch up on life - he was such a trooper, taking care of Nick on his own quite a bit this week.

This weekend should be fun. Tomorrow we are going to take Nick to the tailgate at Michigan Stadium to meet grammie and grandpa's friends. Sunday we are going to finish up Grandma Juarez's apartment, then hopefully get caught up on chores around the house. This week is a laid back week - Nick does have his first "school" pictures on Wednesday though! We're so excited!! We hope they turn out :) Nick turns six months old soon, so we plan on scheduling some more family pictures soon too.

We plan on setting up Nick's playroom soon. Our plan is to paint the whole back wall with chalkboard paint, and the other three walls blue - a nice sky blue, so it will be good for boys and/or girls :) I am thinking about using contact paper to put some letters and numbers up on the walls - contact paper so we can easily peel them off when the kids get bored with them :) We plan on moving his new playmat in there to cover up part of the floor, and leave the rest bare, so he can have a nice big space to play with push and riding toys when he's ready. We plan on using bins to set up his toys in the big closets that are already in that room. Eventually we'll get a little table and chairs and an easel down there. Any other ideas???

Twenty-Four Weeks

Today Nick is twenty-four weeks old! And . . .drumroll please . . . he is sitting up! He sat up Saturday for the first time with no support, but he was pretty hunched over, and every day his back has gotten straighter and straighter. It's so exciting, but scary! He's too old! We keep telling him to stop growing, but he's not listening.

Last weekend was a fun weekend. Saturday Nick had his first birthday party - we took him to Cooper Swanson's second birthday party! In the morning, Nick watched tv for the first time. We have decided that he can watch sports-related tv, but that's all. So he watched College Gameday with us :) I don't think he knows what he's watching yet, but the tv still draws him in because of the movement and colors. Then we went to the party and watched the last bit of the MSU v. CMU game and almost the whole UM game. Twice during the Michigan game, we made Nick cry with our loud cheers, poor boy! Sunday I had a baby shower to go to, so Nick and dad were on their own for a little while. When I got home, Aunt Krystyn reminded us it was grandparents' day, so we took Nick to see his grandparents. He made it through a couple of hours at their house without crying, so that's progress!

Monday dad had a doctor's appointment, so mom picked Nick up from daycare. Tuesday I picked him up again so we could go to moms' night out - a much needed evening with some great local moms! We went to a local coffee shop called Cafe O'Lait in Livonia - what a cute place! They had really comfortable leather chairs and flavored nondairy coffee cream, so I'll definitely go back. The other moms gave me some great advice about how to maintain/increase my milk supply to make sure Nick can nurse his whole first year. Wednesday I nursed Nick to sleep around 6:30 - and fell asleep myself! I didn't wake up until 8 pm. Then, Nick woke up around 10:45 and didn't go back to sleep until 11:30. However, he didn't wake up to nurse again the whole night! He didn't wake up again until 6:30 am - his usual time. Part of me would like him to sleep through the night, but part of me is very concerned about what that would do to my milk supply. He's not even six months old! I'm not ready for him to sleep through the night yet . . .

Yesterday we stopped by grammie and grandpa's again to give grammie back her brownie pan. Nick showed them he can sit up now, and grammie even saw his two teeth! Today I have some baking to do for some events we have this weekend. Baking should take up the whole night!

Tomorrow we're going to Connection Parenting. Sunday morning we are going to clean out Grandma Juarez's apartment and then we are going to our Bradley class reunion. The only exciting thing happening this week isn't until Thursday - Nick will be home with dad all night while I go to see The Phantom of the Opera with Lauren to belatedly celebrate our last birthdays in our 20s :)

Lately I've been thinking a lot about Nick's food. He is still EBF and I don't mind pumping at all - it actually gives me a break from my desk :) He is nursing almost exclusively on my right side, but I still pump both sides. I want to try to get him to nurse on my left side again, because I'm nervous my right side can't support him for another six months on its own. Some of my mom friends have suggested I take him to a chiropractor, because they think it might be physically uncomfortable for him to nurse on that side. I'll try it, but I think we've both just developed a preference for the right side. At first he nursed equally on both sides, but I suppose a physical problem could have developed after birth, around 4 weeks or 8 weeks. We do not plan on giving him "baby cereal." We do not plan on giving him pureed baby foods, either. We plan to start him on soft adult foods - banana, avocado, steamed sweet potatoes and maybe carrots. My parenting message board moms recommend a book called "Super Baby Food." I'm going to pick that up and see what it says! Jeff and I have accepted that we are not "traditional" parents. We are trying to follow our own path, and research each and every option for Nick, and try to make the best decisions for him and us. We don't want to do anything with or for Nick because "everyone does it" or because our parents did it, etc. We listen to what everyone says, do our own research, and then make what we think is the best decision - like with co-sleeping, like with nursing, and now with food. He is such a happy baby, and he's growing and healthy, so it seems like so far, we're doing a pretty good job! :)

Nick's Ticklish!

Twenty-Three Weeks

Today Nick is twenty-three weeks old! This week was also rough. This is Nick's blog though, not mine, so I will try to keep it about him.

Nick's two bottom teeth are getting taller every day! So far he is a great teether. He'll get a little fussy - not really crying, just fidgety and making irritated noises, and sticking his hands in his mouth a lot - and then we give him some Hyland's Teething Tablets (a homeopathic teething relief aid) and he's all smiles again! He is still sleeping and nursing normally, too. So far so good!

We can tell Nick really wants to sit up, and he is almost there, but not quite. He loves his Bumbo and sitting up with support from the Boppy. He is playing with toys more, and really seems to focus and pay attention to things. He still loves ceiling fans! Jeff is really good at getting him giggling - it's so fun to watch!

Last weekend was terribly sad - Grandma Juarez's funeral was Saturday. Nick got to meet lots of new people and see some old friends. He brought comfort and some smiles to lots of people, and was very patient during the service. Sunday we hung out at home with Aunt Krystyn and Uncle Zack. Melissa and Jim Madden stopped by for a little while, too. Monday we all went over to Aunt Cindi's for a Labor Day BBQ. Tuesday was the graveside service, so Nick went to daycare. Wednesday Aunt Krystyn and Uncle Zack flew home, and dad returned to work. Thursday mom returned to work and Nick did not have an easy day at daycare. Miss Amanda called mom at work around lunchtime and said Nick hadn't taken a nap yet and was being very fussy. Dad called grammie and grandpa to see if someone could take Nick his teething tablets. Grammie took them over and stayed a couple hours to help soothe Nick, and he had a great afternoon. Thursday night mom and Nick went to their La Leche League meeting. Mom thought Nick would sleep but he was actually awake the whole time! Everyone thought he was so adorable. He was the only baby out of 5 who didn't cry the whole night! He was very attentive when people were speaking, and he enjoyed looking at the other babies.

Today Nick had a great day at daycare. Tonight we were going to go out and do something 'fun,' but Nick wanted to nurse to sleep pretty early, so he went to sleep and we're just hanging out. We have a fun busy weekend ahead of us - tomorrow is Cooper Swanson's birthday party, which all three of us are going to, and Sunday is Lisa's baby shower, which I am going to while dad and Nick stay home. This week is a pretty normal week - mom is picking Nick up from daycare on Monday because dad has a doctor's appointment, and on Tuesday for moms' night out. Then next weekend is our Bradley reunion! We can hardly wait to see everyone again, and meet all the babies.

Nick has been a huge comfort to us these past couple weeks. While I am very sad he will never know my mom, I am kind of glad he's too young to realize what's going on or to experience the loss we're feeling right now. He is such a happy, laid back, active baby, we can't help but smile when we're around him and it helps right now. We just love that boy!

Twenty-Two Weeks

Today Nick is twenty-two weeks old! This week was a very sad week for all of us - Nick lost his Grandma Juarez, and mom lost her mommy. :( We are both very lucky we spent last Sunday with her. More about all of this below.

Nick is a rolling over fool - he rarely sleeps on his back now. As soon as we lay him down, he immediately flips onto his tummy! We check on him way more often now, but if that's how he's comfortable, who are we to interfere? And - drum roll please - Nick has his first two teeth!

Last weekend was a lot of fun. Saturday all three of us had lunch with Azita and Lucy at Pizza Papalis in Dearborn. Then mom and Nick went to their last scheduled Connection Parenting meeting. During the meeting, Nick kept putting mom's finger in his mouth. She was rubbing his gums and thought she felt a tooth! Another mom washed her hands and felt Nick's gums, and quickly confirmed Nicholas had cut his first tooth, just shy of five months old. Very bittersweet - he's getting older, but he's getting older :( Sunday all three of us went out to breakfast with Grandma Juarez - we took her to Original Pancake House, which she loved. It was a while before we got a table, and Grandma Juarez enjoyed interacting with Nick, making him smile, and singing him songs. After breakfast, mom and Nick hung out with Lisa and Emily, going to Target and Buy Buy Baby to buy some gifts and some things Nick needed for their trip to North Carolina.

Monday morning, dad took Nick to daycare so mom could visit Grandma Juarez in the hospital before she had some scheduled surgery. Mom took Grandma Juarez some new pictures of Nick from the past couple months. Around lunchtime, mom received a phone call advising her that Grandma Juarez did not end up having the surgery, as her doctor determined it was not warranted after further internal investigation. Monday night, Nick and mom hung out at home while dad went to a meeting. Tuesday night mom and Nick were supposed to go to moms' night out, but Nick was being a little fussy, so mom decided to stay home.

Wednesday we found out Grandma Juarez passed away. Mom and dad picked Nick up from daycare together and hugged him and held him all night. Thursday Nick was very patient all day while mom and dad drove here and there and everywhere making all of the necessary arrangements. Aunt Krystyn and Uncle Zack flew in.

Today we hung out at home, spending time with Aunt Krystyn and Uncle Zack, sharing memories and consoling each other. While mom and Aunt Krystyn were out doing some things for tomorrow, Nick's second bottom tooth popped through. Tomorrow is the funeral, and Tuesday is the graveside service.

I am completely devastated. Even though my mom was not in the best of health, and even though she just had a surgery canceled, this was a complete shock. I cannot share all of my emotions on this blog, but at this point, it is very difficult to imagine the rest of my life without my mom. Krystyn and I are so grateful she was able to share in so much of our lives - graduations, weddings, Nick's birth - but we still feel so young to be motherless. :( When we were at breakfast last Sunday, my mom said when I was a baby, I was also bald, and she would carry around a wet washcloth to wet my hair to make it more obvious and push it up. I cry every time I think about this story - I'll never be able to ask her did I do that, did I not do that, how did you do this with me? Nick will never know his Grandma Juarez - I'll just have to tell him she died when you were very young, but she loved you very much! I'm still in denial that this even happened. I feel like if I call her, she'll answer. This has been a very difficult week, and I don't think it'll get any easier any time soon :( I love and miss you mom!!!