Our Day Adjusts

What a tough week this has been with Shaun. Near the end of last week I was struggling to get him to nurse at each feeding; he was really distracted and just didn't seem hungry. And he was refusing to go down for his third nap too. But I was finding that he couldn't last all the way to bedtime and I was putting him to bed at 7:00 or shortly after. So on Tuesday this week Craig and I started Shaun on a 4 hour schedule.
But here's the problem: Shaun still wasn't hungry when mealtime came and he still wanted to go to bed before 8:00. He was so miserable all day Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday morning we were at Donna's house and Thursday morning we went to Lisa's and stayed for lunch. I am amazed at how much Shaun relies on his schedule to function. It's like he loves how predictable his day is when he's on a routine and gets miserable and cranky when he doesn't know what's coming next. I don't know how people do it demand feeding. Even Melissa, because Bailey just catnaps all day. She must go bananas!!
So anyway, Craig and I talked and decided to do a bunch of things:

1. Start feeding Shaun less solids at each meal so he'll take more breastmilk.
2. Make the solids he does get have more fibre in them (we think he's a little constipated).
3. Go back to 3 1/2 hours but reduce his naps to 1 1/2 hours so that he'll still go down for a third nap.

Well, it's been 3 days (Friday, Saturday and today) and Shaun's back to normal. He's been getting less solids and is taking more breastmilk and is even having a third nap again. It took some experimenting but we finally found what works. His bedtime is 8:30.

Shaun's doing some really cute things now too! When he's sleeping at night he won't stay lengthwise in the crip; he always turns so his head is jammed between the siderails. He won't be able to do that much longer though because he's getting too long to fit! When we check on him before going to bed his legs are all cramped up. But it must be cozy because he does it every night. Another thing he's done a couple times now is give kisses. It's not all the time but if Shaun's in the right mood when you go in with a pucker he'll hold his mouth open and lean forward to kiss you. You'll end up getting your pucker right inside his mouth, and getting spitty too but it's so cute and Shaun loves it!

There's one more thing that Shaun's started doing in the past 3 or 4 days. I call it his "lizard tongue". Out of the blue he'll poke his tongue out of his mouth and make it all skinny and pointy. The funniest thing about it is that he holds it there! Sometimes for a whole minute, just looking around. He must know it's cute! And when we're holding his hands to help him walk, he sticks his tongue out and breathes big, spitty breaths. It sounds so funny and looks hilarious. Craig and I just laugh. What a clown!

Oh! And I almost forgot! Shaun says "ma-ma" now. He said it for the first time on Wednesday while I was changing him and now he says it all the time. It's funny: when Shaun would be upset before and cry "da-da" I didn't have a problem saying no. But now, it's so much harder to let him cry if he's saying "ma-ma". Especially if he's looking at me! He's definitely learning how to get what he wants.

Shaun loves to walk too, assisted of course! He holds onto our index fingers and just motors. On Thursday and Friday he walked all the way to the mailboxes and back - I couldn't believe it! He gets so excited and then there's that lizard tongue... I'm laughing just thinking about it!

Kitty and Pokey are getting much better with Shaun now. Kitty actually comes into his room in the morning and before bed and sits on the footstool while I'm nursing him. She'll flip her tail around and he plays with it. And Pokey teases Shaun so much! Especially when he's playing on the floor. She sits just out of his reach and taunts him by stretching and rolling or flicking her tail. What a bunch we have here!

Like Clockwork

Yesterday Shaun and I went to a free Erick Traplin concert at Country Hills Library. We picked up Stesha and Dylan and met Lisa, Sheri and the 4 kids there. I really enjoyed the show and I think Shaun did too... he was smiling and jumping on my lap for most of the show. But by the time we got home Shaun was exhausted because he'd missed his nap. So rather than eat, like he would on a normal day, I put him down around 11:45 and he slept until 2:00 and then napped again from about 4:00 until 6:00. So he only got 4 feedings yesterday... but it was fine!
And this morning the 3 of us met Lisa at Miltons for breakfast then Lisa and I went to Scholars Choice. I got a ton of craft stuff for Shaun and some wooden letters for his bedroom door.
Shaun's tried every vegetable I've made and his very favourite is roasted beets! I couldn't believe how excited he was eating them for the first time. And I bought a mango at the grocery store and he loved that too. The only thing he's not really into is green beans. He'll eat them but you can tell they're not his favourite.
He follows his scshedule like clockwork, even if we're out... it's amazing.
Shaun's started eating finger foods like puffed rice, toast crusts, and unsalted crackers. He's so cute to watch because he hasn't completely figured out how to get the food out of his fist and into his mouth without dropping it. And his pincer grasp hasn't developed yet either. So the only sure-fire way for him to get rice crisps for example into his mouth is if they stick to his wet fingers and then he sucks his fingers. But this morning I offered him some wheat puffs and he was really successful. I think it was easier to pick them up because they're bigger... more to hold in his clumsy hand.
He's so perfect. I look at him while he's sleeping and he'll be moving his little mouth, sucking away. And then when he's awake his big eyes just draw me in. It's so hard for me to get stuff done when he's awake because all I want to do is spend time with him! Being a mum is so fabulous!!!
Oh, and one more thing: a few days ago Shaun said "ba-ba-ba" while I was doing his diaper change. Thinking about what he has to do with his mouth to make that sound (compared to "da-da") I'm betting that "ma-ma-ma" isn't too far away. Within a month hopefully!!

She's Baaaaack

Well I got my first period last night. Actually it was yesterday afternoon while we were at Grandma's. When it started it was only a bit of brown but today it was heavy and red, just like before Shaun. I had been feeling sort of crampy for the last week or so but I never thought twice about it. But I understood the reason behind the cramps once my period came.
And I was feeling so pucky this morning. After putting Shaun down at 9:45AM I crawled back into bed and slept until 11:40. Then I fell asleep again from 1 to about 1:45 when Wayne and LEah arrived. They just stopped by for a short visit and Leah had Shaun laughing pretty hard.
Craig, Shaun and I went to Miltons for dinner. Shaun was so good. I don't know why I'm so surprised anymore when he's really good; because he's good all the time!

6 Month Update

So I figured I should write Shaun's 6 month update before I forget. I'm sure I'll forget some anyway.
Shaun's tried all four starter cereals: rice, wheat, barley and oatmeal. He seems to like the barley and oatmeal the best. We would give him one cereal for about 4 days before introducing the next. He's drinking water out of a sippy cup too. And on Tuesday we gave him vegetables for the first time. I say vegetables because he tried spinach and it wasn't pureed enough so then we tried peas only to run into the same problem. So on Wednesday we gave him green beans that I had pureed very smooth. I don't think he liked them. He'd close his eyes and purse his lips and then shudder. So funny! We learned we had to give him the beans before the cereal or he wouldn't eat them. Sometimes I'd trick him and give him a spoon of cereal in between. He'd be so surprised when he'd get beans in the next spoonful.
As far as his physical milestones: he's able to sit forever and not topple over; twisting, turning and reaching for toys. Sometimes he'll wobble but he's able to steady himself before toppling over. Rolling over is still inconsistent. I found him stuck on his tummy in the crib yesterday but he was hysterical this morning while laying on his back but never rolled over. It's like he forgets he can do it.
Shaun's able to hold a toy for long periods of time before dropping it. And he will transfer it from one hand to the next. If things are the size of his hand or bigger he's able to pick them up but I gave him puffed rice this morning and he wasn't able to palm any and pick them up. They got into his mouth from me or because they stuck to his wet fingers. The texture took a while for him to get used to. And if the rice didn't go in far enough, Shaun would just spit it out.
He's still on a 3 1/2 hour feeding schedule, eating first at 8AM. He gets cereal and veg at his 11:30 and 3PM feedings. But I think this weekend we'll work on moving him into a 4 hour schedule with breakfast, lunch, dinner and a bedtime snack. I'm not sure...
The reason I'm hesitating with the 4 hour routine is because I'm not sure I'm ready to drop another feeding. I know Shaun's able to go 4 hours but I enjoy nursing him so much that I don't want to do it less than 5 times a day. And... if he gets cereal and veg at 6:30 then he's definitely NOT going to be hungry for his last meal at 8:30PM. It's a tough call and I'm feeling pretty stumped.
Okay, so upon further contemplation, I've made my decision: I will stay at 3 1/2 hours but offer cereal at 8:00AM, 11:30 and 3:00PM. Shaun will only get breastmilk at 6:30 and 8:00. Hopefully this schedule will make it easier to drop the 6:30 nursing and move straight into a 4 hour day.
Hmmm, let me think of some other things Shaun's learned to do... he's a pretty good swimmer now! He'll kick and splash in the pool, it's so adorable. Well, I know there's so much more but I can't think of any of it right now. I'll have to add to this entry as I think of stuff!