5 months -Happy Boy!

Jack is now 5 months and things are going well!

Jack has settled into a really good day-time routine. He is taking good naps during the day, which generally last anywhere from 45 min to 2 hours each. We get out of the house at least once a day to run an errand or just walk around the mall, or Target ( both have AC which is a must in TX!). He is sleeping really well at night, going to bed around 8pm and sleeping till around 6:30a or 7:00am!! There are a few nights of waking up at 3am for a feeding and then back to sleep again!

He is all about his puppy Gracie, and loves to pet her and she gives him kisses in return! Jack thinks she is hilarious, and loves to be around her! These two are going to be best buds as he gets older! Every little boy needs a puppy!

We are slowly getting into solid foods. We started off with rice cereal, but soon realized this was causing some constipation problems. We have switched to oatmeal and prunes, and things seem to be back in order! Soon we will move onto veggies and more fruits! This means I get to break out the Beaba baby food maker soon! So excited!

We had our first evening out , without him a few weeks ago. Rob had an evening event for work that we had to attend, so Mom came over to babysit. Jack did wonderful and even went to bed really well for his Nanna! I on the other had, I made us late leaving the house because I was busy making sure he had everything he might need while we were out. I am so happy that I have Jack's Nanna to babysit, and not some stranger. I think if this were the case I would take him everywhere with us!! I don't think there will ever come a day that I am not overly protective of this tiny little guy!

Over all, Jack is a very happy little guy! He hardly ever cries, and tends to smile at everyone. I have even been told " I think your baby is flirting with me"! I could not ask for a better baby! We love you little man!!

Below are some recent pictures of this cute little guy!

A few of my favorite Things & Four Month well-check!

A few of my favorite things!

My sister recently asked me what some of my favorite baby items are. She has a good friend who just found out that she is prego with her first child, and it's a girl. So my sister wanted some ideas on good baby gifts, and to pass along some favorite baby items. So this got me thinking that for scrapbook purposes it would be good to blog about some items that I have really enjoyed using!

In no particular order -
- Dr. Brown Bottles : Jack had horrible gas to where he would scream/cry in pain. A friend of ours suggested these bottles and they have made all the difference! Love them!

- My pump: When Jack was born he weighed 9 lbs, 13 ounces (yes, I had a c-section!) and needed more than the little amount of colostrum that I was producing so we put him on formula right away. Once my milk came in I decided to continue pumping so i could be sure of how much milk he was getting. I guess it worked because by his one week well-check he was over his birth weight!

- Wipes Warmer: My mom suggested we get this for those late night first few week diaper changes. It made all the difference when Jack went from waking/ crying due to the cold wipes, to staying pretty asleep once we purchased the wipes warmer!! Still a favorite of ours!

- Baby Swing: Can I just say, whoever dreamed up a baby swing many years ago was a genius! The first time we put Jack in his swing as a new born I'm pretty sure he slept something like 6 or seven hours. It was so nice there were many times I wanted to put the swing in our bedroom at night just to get a full nights rest. Worried it would deform his back form being in the swing that long all the time I decided against the idea. He did eventually learn how to sleep through the night! :)

- Baby Lamb Chair: I actually got the idea for this off a friends blog. Its like a lazy-boy chair for a baby, and Jack loved it for his first 3 months of life. It vibrates, and plays awful music but he loved it! He now knows how to arch his back to get out of it, so we no longer use this item very often unless we can stand very close by and only put him in it for a few seconds.

- Bert's Bees diaper cream: One of my longest and best friends Leslie suggested this when jack got a horrible diaper rash and nothing else was working! Thanks Les! It's all natural, and smells like Rosemary! :)

- Yellow body bath sponge: So we all know that baby baths come with sling like things that are supposed to be used with the baby when they are new born to help hold then in the bath until they are big enough to fit into the bigger part of the bath. So for Jacks first bath we used this lovely sling thing, and it sucked! You have to get the water in the bath just the right height so that the baby is sort of laying in the water but not so far in the water that they get it close to their face ect. Well, it just does not work. So my wonderful mom found a sponge shaped like a baby's body that fits into the bath allowing for the baby to stay warm and feel snug in the bath. We love it and still use it!

Four Month Well- Check time:
We had our four month well check on Friday. After Jack's first two rounds of shots he developed a fever each time, and got lethargic for a few days. So we have decided to just do one shot at a time instead of the cluster of shots they normally do. This made a huge difference, and I could tell that he did not feel as yucky! Dr. Bell was very pleased with his perfect head control so she gave us the green light to start solids. She had Jack do tummy time, and gave him a toy to see how well he was able to hold onto things. He was given an "A-plus"!

Four month stats:
17lbs, 4 oz. 27 inches long!

Four Months!

Ouch!
About a month after I gave birth to Jack, I got an infection in my breast call mastitis. For any moms out there who have not had this---you are SO lucky! It is caused by cracked nipples which allow bacteria into your breast tissues that then cause the milk ducts in your breast to get infected and backed up . Oh the joys of breast feeding/pumping! Well, it basically feels like someone ran over your breast with an 18-wheeler. It hurts like hell and your breast gets very swollen. During this time you also have to continue feeding/pumping which also hurts like hell! Have I mentioned how much I hate both of these things!

WELL, I got it again. A few days ago I noticed there was a whole in the tube of my pump. Worried that I would not get all my milk out because of this I decided to pump extra--and then once my new tubing came in I would just go back to my normal schedule---NOT smart!! Luckily, I knew what it was this time and got on antibiotics really fast- but it still was very uncomfortable. I am very much looking forward to the day that my body is solely mine again- and not a food factory!

Sleeping through the night!!! Haaa :)
That's right, our little boy is sleeping all the way through the night now!! GO Jack! We have a wonderful night time routine, of bath around 6:30, play until 7:30, evening walk in our new BOB!! And then bottle, change and, bed by 9- 9:30 . Jack also does a great job of putting himself to sleep! We give our goodnight kisses and turn on his mobile and in about 15 minutes and he is out like a light!! I am so proud of his bed-time success! Now if I could just drop the pumping- and get to sleep through the night as well!


The BOB!
A few weeks ago we decided it was time to take the plunge and buy a BOB stroller. They are not cheap, but I knew it would be a great investment that we can use for many years to come! We have taken it on many walks and already love it! We still have our Graco stroller which will still use for the mall and inside areas.

Updates!

There has been a lot going on!

Jack has grown up so much just in the past few weeks!

* He is sleeping 6 hours straight, eating, then sleeping another 3 or so! Thank you god!!

* He likes reading books, and we typically read 2-3 a day!

* He now falls asleep in his bath--play time during the day is so exhausting! :)

* He skypes with daddy at work daily!

* He loves baby Einstein videos!!!!

* Can hold his head up perfectly. Now we just need his back to follow and will be in great shape!

* Can roll from his back to his tummy

* is "talking" all the time!

* He HATES changing clothes, he would rather just stay in his dirty ones---such a boy! to bad mommy disagrees with this :)

* LOVES going for walks in his stroller! I think this is because he is now big enough to sit like a big boy and not in his car-seat.

















Attached is the video of his roll over! So proud of our sweet boy! He is growing up so much right before our eyes!




Five great years! On July 3rd, Rob and I celebrated 5 years of marriage! We usually celebrate by going out to the Lakeway Resort for the weekend ( where we were married ). But now that we have our little guy, it just didn't workout this year. Instead we celebrated as a family and went to our favorite restaurant Bartlett's. My family is friends with the owner who ended up buying our dinner that night--Thanks Tim! It was delicious food, and wonderful service as usual! And Jack slept the WHOLE time!! Onto another 5 years!

Lifesaver! & updates!

For the past three days Rob has been out of town in California for business. As a first-time mom to a three month old who still wakes at night, and is teething, I was not to thrilled to receive this news. But in true form Rob said, if we can't get some help for you while I am gone then I won't take the trip. MOM to the rescue! My mom came over to help out the entire time Rob was gone, she was to say the least AMAZING!! There is nothing like having my own mom here to help with my first child, and to ease my mind when my teething son is crying and Tylenol and cold stuff just is not helping! I was able to hand him off to her to take naps, knowing that he was in wonderful hands!
We took turns walking with him, feeding him, changing him, ect. it was wonderful! I think this is the first time since bringing Jack home from the hospital that I actually feel rested. Thank you Mom!!

On another note here are some highlights on what are little man has been up to!

He is breaking his first two bottom teeth. This means my normally very happy, smiley baby is crying and in pain. Which means lots of Tylenol, warm baths, and walking to relaxing him.

• He is able to sit up, and hold his head up for a few seconds if i sit him on the floor and hold onto his arms to steady him!
• He has out grown his baby bath in length, and we are onto a bigger one!
• His 3-6 month clothes are starting to not fit. Remember he is just now 3 months old!
• For the first time this week he slept seven straight hours. I will update latter on if this was a one time thing, or not.
• He can eat up to 7 ounces in one feeding!

Our little Jack is such a good baby. I love walking into get him in the morning with his sweet smile looking up at me. We have party's with his "friends" (stuffed animals) daily! And after bath time we play a game where I make funny noises to him , and he makes them back and giggles.
This little boy just makes life so much sweeter!