4 Months Old

Every month I think to myself... how is this possible?!? It is amazing how fast time flies by when you want to cherish every single moment. I look at Kael every morning and wonder to myself, "is it possible that I love him even more than yesterday?" I feel like with every day that passes, my heart just grows a little bit more. I miss having a newborn, but getting to look at a smile like this one...
Makes everything that much more exciting. It makes me excited to watch his personality continue to grow, each milestone, his first steps, his first words... there is just so much to look forwards to! Although I can already tell I am going to have my hands full! He is not "easy going"- but rather a busy body. He gets bored quickly, and wants to go, go, go!

At about 3 months, 3 weeks Kael found his toes... and has become obsessed! Anytime he lays on his back, he immediately grabs his toes. He is slowly starting to figure out how to put them in his mouth as well. I can't put him in his bumbo seat anymore either, since all he does is bend over and grab at his feet and try to pull them to his mouth- it pretty much defeats the purpose of the chair!

At 3 months, 2 weeks Kael rolled over from back to belly... and hasn't stopped! He doesn't stay on his back for very long before he flips himself over. After 2 weeks of rolling like this, he learned how to roll back and forth between back and belly. I will walk out of the kitchen into the living room, and he will be half way to the kitchen, leaving his blanket far behind! Once he got the hang of rolling down, he began pivoting. Once he gets himself onto his belly, he pivots himself around in a circle until he can see what it is he is looking for, or grab the toy he wants. Needless to say... I don't think we have much longer before he begins scooting and crawling (which is scary to think about!).
This is the 8th week that he has been in daycare (and I have been back to work!) Seriously?! How did that happen?!? As much as I dreaded having to put him in daycare, I am actually really glad that he is there. It's amazing to watch him already interacting with the other babies. He loves to watch the older babies crawl past him (he tries to grab their hair!) or jump up and down in the exersaucer next to him. He smiles at them, and even reaches out to touch their hands or feet. There are two other babies that are just days apart from him (and another one about to start soon), so half the class is 4 month olds! It's interesting to see where each of them are at developmentally, and to see how they each grow and learn at their own rate.
We have also started rice cereal. I am using Earth's Best Organic Whole Grain cereal, and he LOVES it. He is eating about 2-3 tablespoons with an ounce of breast milk for breakfast and dinner. He devours it! He has come a long way with the spoon, and has no problems with it anymore. I am still debating when we will start fruits and vegetables. I know it is a sore topic with most parents, as far as when you should start, but his doctor told us that as soon as he is comfortable with the spoon and cereal, to go ahead and start slowly adding in the rest. I plan on making my own, and will probably start him off with avocado and green beans. I'd like to wait until he is 5 months, but with the rate he is going, I wouldn't be surprised if I started earlier.

This past Friday, he had his 4 month well child check. He is 26 1/4 inches long (90th percentile) and 15 pounds 13 ounces (50-75th percentile). They are still concerned about the flat spot on the one side of his head, and continue to gripe at me to keep him off the back of his head. I don't know how to do that anymore! He rarely does lay on his back other than when he is sleeping, and I switch which direction he is lying each night. My biggest fear is that they will eventually tell us that he will need a helmet to reshape his head, although I really doubt his flat spot is that bad.

He is still doing good with his sleep, going from 8pm-5am pretty much every night. He eats at 5, then goes back to sleep until 7:30am. He is starting to stretch his feedings out to 2.5-3 hours during the day. He typically takes 3-4 naps, each lasting about an hour. He is becoming very predictable, in the sense that he is eating and napping at almost the exact same times each day.

We have moved up to size 3 diapers, and he is now wearing 6-9 month clothes.

He is vocal, and loves chatting away with anyone who will listen. He is starting to say "ba" and use consonant sounds. He has the sweetest laugh, and singing, tickling, big/dramatic bounces on your knee, and kissing his neck will make him giggle.

He is losing the hair on the right side of his head :( He looks like he has a real old-man comb over now! It breaks my heart, but I know it will grow back. We still aren't completely sure what color hair he is going to have. Some days it looks very light and golden brown, but other days it looks much darker with a red tinge. I guess only time will tell! We have also agreed that we will cut his hair at 6 months. I'm ready to cut it now! His mullet is BAD, and the top is so long I can't even try to spike it up anymore, but Kevin is the one putting his foot down on this matter.

My heart is happy... I love my son more than words can express, and every night before I go to bed I can't help but thank God for giving me everything that I have ever wanted. :)

What's New

I realize that this blog has become consumed with Kael. Mostly my pregnancy with him, and his monthly updates. I feel guilty at times, but then I take a step back. He is my world now. Nothing else seems to matter. I have a smile on my face all day long each time he accomplishes something new. I can't wait to brag, and what better way, than on my very own, personal blog!

But as much as I am consumed with Kael, I am learning that I need to take time for myself. I love the child to pieces, but for my own sanity I have to get away every once in a while.

After I had Kael, I knew I needed to do something drastic to get into shape. I want to be able to keep up with him. I can already envision him crawling and walking and running around this house. I want him to run and play outside, and I want to be able to chase him and not feel out of breath. I want to take pictures of our family, and love them to pieces, instead of glaring at my double chin and wanting to crop myself out.

Kevin and I began weight watchers when Kael was about 9 weeks old. We have both fallen in love with the program and have been seeing great results. Kevin found his niche with Crossfit. It's a form or working out that is mainly weighs, and using your body (pull-ups, push-ups, etc). I on the other hand, wasn't really sure where to turn, in terms of exercise. I have always been involved in sports and considered myself athletic, but after high school I just let it all slip away. I found a program called couch to 5k. It seemed easy enough. A 9 week program, which starts you extremely slow, and helps you build up to 3 miles in a work out. I figured this was perfect for me since I needed something that would start me off slow since I was just getting back into the swing of things. I was also deathly afraid of working out after giving birth, due to my 4th degree tear.

After my first week, I was hooked. I have come to love running... and find myself wanting more. I am only supposed to run 3 days a week, but I am itching to hit that treadmill. I don't know what it is. Why I feel this draw to running. Maybe because it allows me to have some "me" time. It gives me a chance to empty my mind, and just go. I find myself wondering, "Why am I running?". One reason is to thank God for allowing me to have this body. That I was able to carry a child to full term and give birth to a beautiful baby boy. I want to take care of this body from now on, in hopes that I will be lucky enough to provide Kael with siblings. Another reason is to reward myself. I deserve that time to myself. It also helps relieve any stress or frustration I might be feeling, and actually helps give me the extra energy I need due to the lack of sleep I am now experiencing.

Once I realized that this was something that I really enjoyed, I went to Kevin. I wanted to find a way to push myself. Not to settle for running a 5k and then quitting the program. So I have decided to train for a half marathon! I am actually really excited, and find myself pushing a little harder with each work out. And what better way to push myself, than to sign up for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon! We will be going to Disney January 5-10, and the race is on the 7th. I am so excited, I can barely stand it! We booked our trip today, and I can't stop grinning. We wanted to go to Disney for our honeymoon, but just didn't have the money to do it back then. This will be the first vacation Kevin and I have taken together since we have been married, and I couldn't be happier that Kael gets to join in the fun this time around. I know he wont remember anything, but I will never forget! :)

3 Months

It seems unreal that Kael is already 3 months old! 1/4 of the way to the big O.N.E.

A lot has changed over the past few weeks, the biggest thing being the fact that we don't get to stay at home and play with each other all day long anymore. I went back to work on June 20th, and although he is in the same room as me, it just isn't the same. I have 7 other babies that I am taking care of, and we rarely have a moment to sit and play or talk. I am lucky in the fact that I usually get to breastfeed him once or twice while I am there. He still gets a bottle around lunch time, but it is so nice to take 10 minutes to sit and feed him and "reconnect". I also went to part-time, so I get off at 2pm instead of 5pm now. It is kind of like the best of both worlds. I am still able to help financially, I get to have a few hours which include adult interaction, and Kael gets to learn social skills and play with new toys. But then we get to come home early enough that we still get plenty of time to spend with each other before he has to go to bed. It also gives me more time to get things done around the house, and not feel like I am going non-stop from sun up to sun down (although the sun isn't really going down at this point...)

We have had a few issues with Kael recently. We are still dealing with the reflux, which causes him to spit up massive amounts at a time. He literally goes through about 6 outfits a day (and that is with him wearing a bib as well!). He has also developed a rash on his face. We have taken him in on two different occasions to have it looked at, and I think we finally have it under control. The first appointment ended with the doctor telling us that he thought he was allergic to something I was eating, and had me cut out dairy for two weeks. If that made it go away, we knew the problem. Well... it didn't go away. So we went back on Friday, and the doctor we saw at this appointment (he was an Aggie!!) thought it is just an extreme case of eczema. He told us to put hydrocortizone cream on his face twice a day, and to put vasoline on it, at every diaper change. I thought he was full of it... but after only 2 days, the rash has gone away! His face looks like a big ol' grease ball with that vasoline on it, but if it keeps the rash away, we will deal with that (although I miss giving him kisses on the cheeks!).

Since we were just at the doctor, I know what his weight is as well. He is now up to 14 pounds 8 ounces! His weight gain is slowing, and he actually doesn't seem as chunky as he used to, but he is still such a big boy!

Speaking of being a big boy, here are some of Kael's "talents" at 3 months old:

1.) He is learning to actually enjoy tummy time. He does great holding his head/chest up, and is starting to kick his legs around as well. He is also starting to rock, and has come close to rolling over, but hasn't gotten there yet.
2.) He loves his bumbo! He enjoys watching the dogs run by him, or following my voice around the room. He has even started to watch TV (not sure that is a good thing...) He typically only looks at it when he hears music (his new favorite show is Glee!)


3.) He is doing LOTS with his hands. He folds them together on his chest, he loves holding rattles (except when he hits himself in the face with it), he will pull his pacifier out (and then get really mad), and he pulled my glasses off my face yesterday!

4.) He is a huge fan of his jump-a-roo. The swing has been put away for good, and has been replaced with something that he enjoys 10x more. He is so entertained while he is in the jump-a-roo. He does great putting pressure on his legs, and sometimes gets to excited he looks like "Happy Feet".

5.) We are still having some issues with his sleep. It has gotten much better, but it is just much more unpredictable. For the most part, he will go to bed at 8pm, and wake up around 5:30am to eat, then goes back to sleep until 7:30am, which is when I wake him up to get ready to go to work/daycare. I'm not sure why he is getting up for that feeding at 5:30am, but I'm hoping he will drop it again pretty soon.

6.) He still loves his bath time. It almost seems as though it is his favorite part of the day. I know it is mine! I love giving him his bath (or watching Kevin give it to him), and wrapping him in his towel and putting him into his pajamas. He looks so cute when he is all clean and ready for bed! :)

7.) When Kael was 7 weeks old, we made a trip to Texas. I didn't get to write about it in his 2 month update since Kevin's family in town, but he did great on the plane, and with all of the driving and traveling in general. The whole reason for our trip down there was to surprise my little sister since she was graduating from high school. So here is a 3 month picture... just for my baby sister, Lauren!

8.) We are excited to be celebrating Kael's first 4th of July tomorrow. Thankfully Kevin will be off work, so we will get to enjoy the day as a family (which doesn't happen very often). And what better way to celebrate, than with an Alaskan fish fry!

9.) Kael is beginning to smile all the time. First thing in the morning (after he eats), he is all smiles. It is hard for me to get anything done since I want to enjoy every single smile.

10.) He is also becoming a chatter box. He will carry on little conversations with me, taking turns listening and talking back and forth.

11.) And the most exciting so far is hearing his little laugh! It brought tears to my eyes, it was so cute! I am determined to get a video of it!

But as much as we make Kael laugh, he makes us laugh just as much! Exhibit 1...

(what can I say... he gets REALLY excited after he eats!)

Change

I am a person of habit. I need structure and to be honest... I need to be in control. Having a baby pretty much throws all of these things out the window. I have learned that I am no longer in control AT ALL! But that is okay... I have no problem letting Kael take the lead.

Where my problem lays is in change. When he decides to change his routine or schedule. I know babies are meant to throw us through a loop every now and again, but I guess I am spoiled. Kael has always been such a happy and easy baby. For about a week now, he has been waking through the night again, and has been extra cranky. I am assuming he is going through his 3 month go growth spurt, since things are beginning to go back to normal, but let me tell you! I was losing my mind!! Not to mention, he decided to start this nonsense the weekend before I had to go back to work!

And that is the biggest change of all. I was excited about going back to work. It was ideal... working in the infant room, having Kael right there with me all day long. WRONG! My first day back I was told that a parent had already expressed concern about me being in the same room as my child. Because of that, I feel like I can't pick him up, hold him, talk to him, etc. because my every move is being watched. I feel like I am ignoring him and it is killing me! I have come home every day and just held him and cried because I feel like such a horrible mother. I keep thinking it will get easier, but each day it seems to get harder. I feel like I am missing out. I know he wont stay this little for very long, and I just want to cherish every moment of it. By the time we get home from work, I only have 3 hours with him before he is out for the night, and an hour of that is his evening nap (he is still napping every 2-3 hours!).

His night time routine is pure bliss for me. I love giving him his bath and snuggling up and feeding him. I miss getting to breastfeed him. I hate pumping. I feel like every free moment I have, I am pumping to keep up my supply and so that he can have it in a bottle. But it just isn't the same... I love breastfeeding him. That is such a special time between the two of us, and now I am only getting to feed him 2-3 times a day, and it breaks my heart.

I knew being a mom wouldn't be easy... but I didn't know it would be because I love him too much!

2 Months!

Kael ceases to amaze me each and every day. He has grown and changed so much, and has already developed his own little personality. Two months sounds like such a short amount of time, but the changes, development, and bonds that have been formed make it feel as though Kael has been a part of our life for much longer.

Since I have family in town, Kevin getting ready for work, and a baby who is wide awake, I'm going to just cut to the chase.

Kael had his 2 month appointment on June 10th. He weighed in at a whopping 13lbs 10ozs and 24.5 inches long! He is in the 75th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height! I can't believe what a "tall" baby we have, considering neither Kevin or myself are very tall. He is right on track with his development, and personally I feel like he is slightly advanced (although that is coming from a very proud mother). He got his immunizations at this appointment, which included 3 shots and 1 oral vaccine. It broke me heart to watch his face go from content and clueless to full of pain. His cry and scream made my heart sink into my stomach and all I wanted to do was make everything better.

Now... all about Kael at 2 months:
1.) He is sleeping through the night...every night! Typically he eats at 8pm, is asleep by 8:30pm and wakes up around 6am. This makes for one happy mamma! :)
2.) He has mastered the art of sucking his thumb (and prefers his left one)
3.) He recognizes my voice and will look around the room until he finds me. Once he spots me, he gives me the biggest gummy grin that melts my heart every time!
4.) He is holding his head/neck up during tummy time and is able to push up with his arms to get his chest off the ground as well.
5.) He loves his bumbo chair! He is very content sitting in it and just looking around the room. It is shocking how alert he has become.
6.) He is now grabbing toys that are hanging in front of him, and holding onto them
7.) We are up to size 2 diapers
8.) In Carter's brand clothes, he is wearing 6 months. He can also fit into Circo (Target brand) 9 month onesies!
9.) He is beginning to push with his legs, and I have a feeling we will be pulling out the jump-a-roo/exersaucer in about 2 weeks.
10.) He will start going to work with me on Monday, June 20th! I still can't believe its already time to re-enter the "real" world!

Holy Cow!!

First of all... I just noticed that my "one month old" post for Kael has seemed to have disappeared... or I just never actually posted it. hmmm.... the brain of a new mom! I guess I will go back and see if I can find it somewhere!

But the real reason I'm posting is because I am so proud of my little (ish) man! Today he is 7 weeks old, and I'm proud to say that he has slept through the night for the past 3 nights in a row!! I can't believe it!

Night 1: 9:45-6:45 (9 hours)
Night 2: 9:15-4:15 (7 hours) ate and went right back to sleep 4:30-8:30 (4 hours) total= 11 hrs.
Night 3: 9:30-7:30 (10 hours)

I am in total shock! Mainly because it felt like it came out of nowhere. It wasn't a gradual increase like what I was expecting. He jumped from sleeping 4 hours at a time with the occasional 5 hours stretch, to all night long!

I know that he went through a growth spurt last week, so I'm sure that had something to do with it. I've also read that once they reach 11 pounds their metabolism starts working more effectively and they are able to hold off longer between feedings. 14 pounds seems to be another magic number I have heard, and he is right between the two. Not to mention, he has totally mastered the art of sucking his thumb! I can hear him trying to find it in the middle of the night... sucking on his hand and arm until he finally gets the thumb. I was really hoping he wouldn't be a thumb sucker, but I guess there isn't much I can do about it now (and thankfully he only seems to do it to help himself fall asleep).

Well, Kael and I have a big day tomorrow and I have a lot to take care of so I better stop procrastinating and get to work while he is napping!

Six Weeks

Where is the time going?? It still blows my mind that it has already been six weeks since I met my little man for the first time. I remember thinking that I would never want more children after how horrible my labor/delivery was, but it is surprising how quickly I have forgotten how bad it really was. And I must say... when Kael looks me straight in the eye and gives me a huge smile, it makes any memory of that horrible pain vanish. I mean, just look at him... how could it have not been worth every ounce of pain??
Well, onto our six week updates!

Kael had an appointment to get his shots at 6 weeks, which apparently was a miscommunication of some sort. The nurse practitioner told me to bring him in at 6 weeks, but when we showed up for our appointment, the doctor told us it was too soon, and to come back at 2 months. But to be honest, I don't mind taking him in so often because I love seeing how much he grows! The nurse we had was my least favorite, and didn't tell us any of his length/head measurements, but I was able to see his weight and he is up to 12 pounds 8 ounces!! I can't believe how much he keeps growing, and it slightly breaks my heart each time I see his weight increase another pound. I love his little changes and the personality he is developing, but I miss his tiny body that would curl into a tiny little rolly polly ball while being held.

And shockingly, Kael is going through a growth spurt as we speak! He was doing awesome with his schedule of eat, play, sleep every 2.5-3 hours and sleeping 4.5-5 hours at night. I was thinking we had it pretty easy, and then BAM! He is starving and wants to eat every 1.5 hours, will only take a 20 minute nap, and is getting up every 2-3 hours at night. I have been so worried that he will not get back on his schedule, but we will just have to wait and see!

As for me, I had my 6 week postnatal appointment today. I LOVE my doctor! We talked about how rough the delivery was and how bad my tear was. She really toned it down in the hospital and is actually referring me to a physical therapist for postnatal care! I am completely healed, but because of the extent of the "repair" she thinks I am the perfect candidate for some physical therapy. She made it sound like it would be similar to a personal trainer helping me get back into shape, and showing me that ideal workouts to get my body back to the way it was. I'm actually REALLY excited! I have wanted to start working out again, but just haven't had the energy, or the know how. My body feels like a stranger to me, and I have been rather nervous about just jumping right back into things. This seems like the perfect answer for me! It will make me accountable since I will be meeting with a professional, and I will be learning the best possible work outs for my post baby body! :)

I also had to face the dreaded scale! I am actually only 8 pounds from my prepregnancy weight, and I'm hoping I can get the rest of that off by the time I go back to work. Kevin and I have actually started doing Weight Watchers online program, and both really like it. They have a program for men and for nursing moms, so it meets both of our needs and helps us to support one another. We are both considered "obese" based on our BMI, so we are really trying to get into that "normal" range. Kevin has about 43 pounds to his goal weight, and I have :cough48cough: It is scary to see that large of a number, but I'm actually really excited about finally committing to losing weight. I want to be healthy for Kael, and I want to feel good about myself. I have fought with my weight for some time, and I would LOVE to finally get it under control! On top of weight watchers, I will be starting a program called "couch to 5k". It is a 9 week running program that starts you off very slowly, and builds you up to run 3 miles in a workout.

I guess is has something to do with Alaska, but I feel like my life is finally falling into place. I am proud to say I am officially a Texas A&M graduate, I have a loving husband and perfect son, a good job that I don't hate, and the motivation to take charge of my health. I couldn't ask for more (except to find a church we like)!

And just because I love this little guy, another "6 week" picture of Kael!