Max loves playing in his new jumperoo! The music and lights turn on when he jumps. His feet don't quite reach the floor so we stacked a few books underneath so he can push off. If you are wondering, the blue thing is a rubber exercise band that we tried putting between the books so it would not slide around so much.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Videos: Jumping and Laughing!
Here are the beginnings of Max's first laugh! It's so sweet!
Max loves playing in his new jumperoo! The music and lights turn on when he jumps. His feet don't quite reach the floor so we stacked a few books underneath so he can push off. If you are wondering, the blue thing is a rubber exercise band that we tried putting between the books so it would not slide around so much.
Max loves playing in his new jumperoo! The music and lights turn on when he jumps. His feet don't quite reach the floor so we stacked a few books underneath so he can push off. If you are wondering, the blue thing is a rubber exercise band that we tried putting between the books so it would not slide around so much.
Scenes from the Weekly Photo Shoot
Our weekly photo shoots are getting a bit more interesting now that Max is becoming more aware of the world around him! For example...
Somebody discovered he has had a ruler laying next to him for the past 19 weeks! (don't worry....I snapped the photo and grabbed the ruler before it went in his mouth- haha)
Somebody discovered he has had a ruler laying next to him for the past 19 weeks! (don't worry....I snapped the photo and grabbed the ruler before it went in his mouth- haha)
At our 20 week photo shoot, Mr. Busybody got to checking out his backdrop!
I have a feeling the days of having a sweet baby lay relatively still on his back are numbered! :-)
If you haven't visited the weekly photo page recently, click here to see the updated photos! He's growing quickly!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Sleep 'n Spin
Max has really been taking advantage of all the new space he has in his big boy crib. Often we will go get him in the morning and find that he has scooted his way down to the opposite end. His latest trick, however, is turning in circles while he sleeps.
Check out these sneak peeks from the baby monitor:
10:31pm- Head toward the top of the crib and feet toward the bottom
2:53am- Feet toward the left side rail and head toward the right side rail (sorry it was so blurry... at 3:00 in the morning I'm not the best photographer... haha!)
6:18am- Head toward lower left corner and feet toward upper right corner
Talented, huh? ;-)
Check out these sneak peeks from the baby monitor:
10:31pm- Head toward the top of the crib and feet toward the bottom
2:53am- Feet toward the left side rail and head toward the right side rail (sorry it was so blurry... at 3:00 in the morning I'm not the best photographer... haha!)
6:18am- Head toward lower left corner and feet toward upper right corner
Talented, huh? ;-)
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Dear Max: Four Months Old
Dear Max,
This month has been one transition right after the other for you! Each day you take a little step further and further away from being a newborn baby. Dad and I even got a little sad to note that we no longer look up information about 0-3 month old babies anymore! Such a big boy.
The week before you started going to daycare last December we learned that they cannot put you in a crib with a swaddle blanket on due to State regulations. With that, we had to start weaning you from the swaddle right away. Our first attempt was to go "cold turkey" and that was a disaster, to be frank, because your startle reflex was so strong. After doing a little research we started swaddling you with one arm out and only did a full swaddle in "emergency" situations. Over the course of a few weeks we stopped doing the full swaddle altogether and just did a one armed swaddle during those "emergency" situations when your startle reflex kept you from sleep. I'm not exactly sure when we stopped any form of swaddling, but now you sleep like a champ all loose and free.
The pacifier was the next thing to go. Based on what we were reading it sounds like the pacifier is one of those things that is not a problem until it becomes a problem. We had reached that point because anytime the pacifier would fall out of your mouth (particularly if you were asleep) you'd cry pretty hard. There isn't really a way to transition off the pacifier, so we just stopped giving it to you about a week before your four month birthday. So far it seems to be okay, but there have definitely been times where I feel like you would have gone to sleep or calmed down more quickly if you'd been able to suck. We're not turning back, so hopefully you'll continue to learn to soothe yourself without a pacifier.
Usually when we go for a walk, we put you in your car seat and your car seat clips on to the stroller. Even though you can't sit up on your own just yet, you are big enough to sit right down in the regular part of the stroller now! It has a five point harness which holds you in place pretty well. If you fall asleep we can recline the stroller so you are laying all the way back. We've had some unseasonably warm weather recently and have taken you on two test drives. You seem to like having this forward facing view instead of looking back at us or up at the sky as you did in your car seat days.
The final, and probably biggest, transition is moving you out of our room and in to your crib in your nursery for nighttime sleep. It actually sort of happened out of necessity! I came down with some sort of 24 hour stomach bug, and then the next day (when I was feeling better) your Dad came down with some sort of mystery illness. In an effort to keep you from catching germs, we put you upstairs in your crib and I slept down the hall on the loveseat in your Dad's office. By the time your Dad was feeling better, I was starting to feel more comfortable with you sleeping down the hall versus right next to my side in the pack and play at night. It was a little weird to just have the monitor and no baby in our room, but I think the transition has been good for all of us. We left the pack and play up for an extra night or two just in case I changed my mind about being "ready", but on your four month birthday it came down! We've had all your stuff in our room since mid-August when we were anticipating your arrival, so it feels freeing in some respects to have our bedroom back to being just me and Dad. Also, it's been kind of nice to not tiptoe around and whisper when we're getting ready for bed since we don't have to worry about waking you up!
During the day you are such a fun, sweet, and smiley baby. We've had lots of people comment about how happy you are, and we get a kick out of seeing you just sit around and smile. Nighttime, however, you turn in to a completely different baby. It can take anywhere from one to four hours for us to get you to sleep at night, and nothing we seem to do makes a difference. You cry and cry and cry and we just keep taking turns trying to calm you down. We try every sort of soothing known to mankind, have tried early and late bedtimes, consistent routines, and have read every single suggestion the internet has to offer. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and most of the time you just end up wearing yourself out. Hopefully something will "click" soon and you will grow out of this phase. It's really not fun for any of us!
(This kind of sleeping is bliss!)
We talked to the pediatrician and she had one or two suggestions we haven't tried (starting rice cereal and occasional Tylenol), but for the most part it sounds like we just have to wait for you to grow out of this fussy period. The good part is that you don't really wake-up once you're asleep for the night. If you do wake-up, it's usually just for five or ten minutes and most of the time you can put yourself back to sleep. On occasion, you do need a bit of assistance, but a hand on your belly and stroking your hair seems to do the trick. I'd say you stay asleep nine to ten hours a night on average (according to the pediatrician, the goal is to get you to sleep for twelve straight hours at night).
On a more fun note, you're big and sturdy enough now that I can easily walk around carrying you on my hip with one arm. I love how carrying a baby around the house while doing other things feels like my new normal (because it is, I suppose!). I know it's silly, but this one little thing really makes me feel like a mom. You've started to hang on to my arm while we are walking and you really pay attention to what I am doing which is also fun.
Speaking of hanging on, it's pretty much your new favorite thing to do and it makes your Dad and I laugh every time. If we put you in anything with sides you'll reach out and hang on to the edges. Car seat, bouncy seat, stroller, swing, changing pad, you name it and your little hands are gripped tight. I'm pretty cautious (your Dad teases me about holding the railing when I walk down stairs, for example) so we've joked that you inherited my cautious nature.
You continue to have one heck of an appetite and nursing is still going strong. You drink nine bottles a week at daycare plus an occasional one at home if I am out and Dad needs to feed you, but the rest of the time you nurse. Sometimes you'll take a quick break and look up at me with a huge smile on your face as though you're saying, "Wow! Thanks, Mom! This is delicious!" It makes me laugh every time and feels like it's our own little joke. Also, if your Dad and I are talking while you are nursing, sometimes you will look up and try and see where your Dad is and look at me as though you want to contribute to the conversation. One time you looked at me with a curious face when you couldn't figure out where Dad's voice was coming from and I said something like, "Mind your own business and keep eating, buddy!" and you gave me a big grin with a sparkle in your eye and went back to eating. We get such a kick out of it. You really are starting to develop your own personality!
For the past several weeks we've thought you have been about to laugh and about to roll over at any given moment, but it seems you are taking your time with both of these milestones. You gave us a little laugh the night before your four month birthday, but we haven't been able to get you to do it again since. With rolling back to front, you'll sometimes fling your legs to the side and get all the way up to your shoulders but just can't get over the edge. If you are laying on your belly you will often push yourself really close to your side, but again, you can't seem to tip the rest of the way. We've tried putting toys out to the side hoping you will roll over as you reach for the toy. So far, though, it's just resulted in you turning circles on your belly. That in itself if pretty cute, I must say. At your four month pediatrician appointment, the doctor was asking about various milestones. Rolling is the only four month milestone you haven't met. I guess you are just taking your time!
(Now you are really playing with toys!)
You have turned in to a super drool-y baby and you almost always have a hand or toy in your mouth. We're constantly grabbing a burp cloth to dry off your face and hands, and often have to dry ourselves off after we get "slimed" by your little fist. Sometimes you just suck on your hand or thumb, but other times you hold and rub your tongue. It's gross, but cute at the same time.
Here are some facts about you as a four month old boy:
New Nicknames: Pumpkin, Little Guy, Sweet Boy
Loves: "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", hanging on to whoever is holding you or the edge of whatever you are sitting on, smiling, playing with water during baths, toy keys, putting everything in your mouth
Dislikes: Going to sleep, getting drool wiped off your face (sometimes you're fine with this, though)
Height: 25 inches (51st percentile)
Weight: 14 lb. 8 oz. (47th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16.5 inches (39th percentile)
Clothing Size: 3 month, 3-6 month, Size 2 diapers
As you can see from your "stats" you are pretty average as far as size goes. Of course, we think you're above average in every other way. :-) You get more and more fun every day, and we can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the coming weeks!
Love,
Mom
This month has been one transition right after the other for you! Each day you take a little step further and further away from being a newborn baby. Dad and I even got a little sad to note that we no longer look up information about 0-3 month old babies anymore! Such a big boy.
The week before you started going to daycare last December we learned that they cannot put you in a crib with a swaddle blanket on due to State regulations. With that, we had to start weaning you from the swaddle right away. Our first attempt was to go "cold turkey" and that was a disaster, to be frank, because your startle reflex was so strong. After doing a little research we started swaddling you with one arm out and only did a full swaddle in "emergency" situations. Over the course of a few weeks we stopped doing the full swaddle altogether and just did a one armed swaddle during those "emergency" situations when your startle reflex kept you from sleep. I'm not exactly sure when we stopped any form of swaddling, but now you sleep like a champ all loose and free.
The pacifier was the next thing to go. Based on what we were reading it sounds like the pacifier is one of those things that is not a problem until it becomes a problem. We had reached that point because anytime the pacifier would fall out of your mouth (particularly if you were asleep) you'd cry pretty hard. There isn't really a way to transition off the pacifier, so we just stopped giving it to you about a week before your four month birthday. So far it seems to be okay, but there have definitely been times where I feel like you would have gone to sleep or calmed down more quickly if you'd been able to suck. We're not turning back, so hopefully you'll continue to learn to soothe yourself without a pacifier.
Usually when we go for a walk, we put you in your car seat and your car seat clips on to the stroller. Even though you can't sit up on your own just yet, you are big enough to sit right down in the regular part of the stroller now! It has a five point harness which holds you in place pretty well. If you fall asleep we can recline the stroller so you are laying all the way back. We've had some unseasonably warm weather recently and have taken you on two test drives. You seem to like having this forward facing view instead of looking back at us or up at the sky as you did in your car seat days.
The final, and probably biggest, transition is moving you out of our room and in to your crib in your nursery for nighttime sleep. It actually sort of happened out of necessity! I came down with some sort of 24 hour stomach bug, and then the next day (when I was feeling better) your Dad came down with some sort of mystery illness. In an effort to keep you from catching germs, we put you upstairs in your crib and I slept down the hall on the loveseat in your Dad's office. By the time your Dad was feeling better, I was starting to feel more comfortable with you sleeping down the hall versus right next to my side in the pack and play at night. It was a little weird to just have the monitor and no baby in our room, but I think the transition has been good for all of us. We left the pack and play up for an extra night or two just in case I changed my mind about being "ready", but on your four month birthday it came down! We've had all your stuff in our room since mid-August when we were anticipating your arrival, so it feels freeing in some respects to have our bedroom back to being just me and Dad. Also, it's been kind of nice to not tiptoe around and whisper when we're getting ready for bed since we don't have to worry about waking you up!
During the day you are such a fun, sweet, and smiley baby. We've had lots of people comment about how happy you are, and we get a kick out of seeing you just sit around and smile. Nighttime, however, you turn in to a completely different baby. It can take anywhere from one to four hours for us to get you to sleep at night, and nothing we seem to do makes a difference. You cry and cry and cry and we just keep taking turns trying to calm you down. We try every sort of soothing known to mankind, have tried early and late bedtimes, consistent routines, and have read every single suggestion the internet has to offer. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and most of the time you just end up wearing yourself out. Hopefully something will "click" soon and you will grow out of this phase. It's really not fun for any of us!
(This kind of sleeping is bliss!)
We talked to the pediatrician and she had one or two suggestions we haven't tried (starting rice cereal and occasional Tylenol), but for the most part it sounds like we just have to wait for you to grow out of this fussy period. The good part is that you don't really wake-up once you're asleep for the night. If you do wake-up, it's usually just for five or ten minutes and most of the time you can put yourself back to sleep. On occasion, you do need a bit of assistance, but a hand on your belly and stroking your hair seems to do the trick. I'd say you stay asleep nine to ten hours a night on average (according to the pediatrician, the goal is to get you to sleep for twelve straight hours at night).
On a more fun note, you're big and sturdy enough now that I can easily walk around carrying you on my hip with one arm. I love how carrying a baby around the house while doing other things feels like my new normal (because it is, I suppose!). I know it's silly, but this one little thing really makes me feel like a mom. You've started to hang on to my arm while we are walking and you really pay attention to what I am doing which is also fun.
Speaking of hanging on, it's pretty much your new favorite thing to do and it makes your Dad and I laugh every time. If we put you in anything with sides you'll reach out and hang on to the edges. Car seat, bouncy seat, stroller, swing, changing pad, you name it and your little hands are gripped tight. I'm pretty cautious (your Dad teases me about holding the railing when I walk down stairs, for example) so we've joked that you inherited my cautious nature.
You continue to have one heck of an appetite and nursing is still going strong. You drink nine bottles a week at daycare plus an occasional one at home if I am out and Dad needs to feed you, but the rest of the time you nurse. Sometimes you'll take a quick break and look up at me with a huge smile on your face as though you're saying, "Wow! Thanks, Mom! This is delicious!" It makes me laugh every time and feels like it's our own little joke. Also, if your Dad and I are talking while you are nursing, sometimes you will look up and try and see where your Dad is and look at me as though you want to contribute to the conversation. One time you looked at me with a curious face when you couldn't figure out where Dad's voice was coming from and I said something like, "Mind your own business and keep eating, buddy!" and you gave me a big grin with a sparkle in your eye and went back to eating. We get such a kick out of it. You really are starting to develop your own personality!
(Now you are really playing with toys!)
You have turned in to a super drool-y baby and you almost always have a hand or toy in your mouth. We're constantly grabbing a burp cloth to dry off your face and hands, and often have to dry ourselves off after we get "slimed" by your little fist. Sometimes you just suck on your hand or thumb, but other times you hold and rub your tongue. It's gross, but cute at the same time.
Here are some facts about you as a four month old boy:
New Nicknames: Pumpkin, Little Guy, Sweet Boy
Loves: "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", hanging on to whoever is holding you or the edge of whatever you are sitting on, smiling, playing with water during baths, toy keys, putting everything in your mouth
Dislikes: Going to sleep, getting drool wiped off your face (sometimes you're fine with this, though)
Height: 25 inches (51st percentile)
Weight: 14 lb. 8 oz. (47th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16.5 inches (39th percentile)
Clothing Size: 3 month, 3-6 month, Size 2 diapers
As you can see from your "stats" you are pretty average as far as size goes. Of course, we think you're above average in every other way. :-) You get more and more fun every day, and we can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the coming weeks!
Mom
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Blog Update
When we turned on password protection on the blog it apparently stopped sending email updates (I just found this out last week). I also understand some of you are having trouble figuring out how to set-up a password to view the blog. Ben and I had a conversation and we decided to take down the password protection on the blog and just hope for the best. We'll just read our posts a bit more carefully to ensure we are not including too much detail that could put any of us at risk. I still have the settings so that the blog cannot be found by a search engine (which is what was in place before when I found some people were visiting the blog from other websites, some with questionable content, which is why we put up the password).
Email updates should resume now that the password protection has been turned off. Please let us know if you have any questions!
Love,
Ben and Laura
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Max's First Christmas
Even though he didn't have a clue what was going on, we're pretty sure Max enjoyed his first Christmas! We sure did. :-)
Max had fun reconnecting with all the Lilly relatives and seeing his pal, Charlie the dog again.
We taught Max how to open presents which was pretty fun. If it was in a gift bag we'd let him grab the tissue paper, then we'd pull him back! haha If it was wrapped, we'd get a piece going for him to grab then we'd pull the gift away so the paper would start to tear. Fun! We did have to keep an eye on what was in his hand, though, as he was pretty interested in tasting the tissue paper and wrapping paper. :-)
Everyone was so generous and little Max really enjoyed playing with (and tasting) his new toys, trying on his new clothing and accessories, and reading new books.
After the holiday celebration we enjoyed a few more days up in the mountains playing with everyone. We even got to see some "wintery mix" but nothing stuck to the ground.
How many Lilly men can fit on an activity mat at one time?
Later that week we once again packed up the car and literally headed over the river and through the woods to Max's other grandmother's house! We enjoyed more family fun and even got to visit Santa again to thank him for such a lovely Christmas.
Max flexed his gift opening skills again and practiced getting ready to have fun next summer.
"Eh... I'm not so sure about this, Mom..."
"Wheeee!"
After about an hour on the road we had to make a stop in a parking lot to feed Max and do a lightening fast diaper change in my lap (open air "action" on my shirt and pants would not have been fun to wear home!).
It was a great first Christmas for our sweet baby boy! A huge thank you to everyone who helped make it so special.
Just for fun, here is a little series of photos of Max trying on and exploring a Christmas bib from my babyhood! Apparently it still tastes delicious after 30 years. :-) I love these photos as it's a pretty accurate depiction of life these days. If you put something in arms reach Max will grab it, feel it, taste it, and smush it against his face. haha
On Christmas Eve we ended up staying in with just the three of us. Evenings can often be challenging with Max due to feeding times, sleeping, and general evening fussiness. Coupled with cold and steady rain we decided to forego attending a Christmas Eve church service. We don't really have a place we consider "our church" yet, so we'd just be going somewhere random anyway. Instead, we did a video chat with all the New Hampshire grandparents! We had fun chatting and seeing everyone, and Max opened his gifts from them on camera. We also read some Christmas books and had some family snuggle time.
Christmas morning rolled around and Ben and I enjoyed a big breakfast after Max gobbled up some Christmas Morning Milk (it was extra special haha). Ben and I exchanged gifts, the three of us played, and Max took a nap while we finished packing the car for our Christmas festivities. Once Max was up, he ate again and then we hit the road to head to Hiawassee! We called my mom and grandmother on the way up to wish them "Merry Christmas" and Max snoozed away in the back seat.
We taught Max how to open presents which was pretty fun. If it was in a gift bag we'd let him grab the tissue paper, then we'd pull him back! haha If it was wrapped, we'd get a piece going for him to grab then we'd pull the gift away so the paper would start to tear. Fun! We did have to keep an eye on what was in his hand, though, as he was pretty interested in tasting the tissue paper and wrapping paper. :-)
Everyone was so generous and little Max really enjoyed playing with (and tasting) his new toys, trying on his new clothing and accessories, and reading new books.
(The guy on the shirt is a musician named Morrissey [also lead singer of the band, The Smith's]-- Ben's all time favorite. Max's cousin Olivia enjoys Morrissey's music, too, and went on a quest to find a Morrissey onesie for Max!)
How many Lilly men can fit on an activity mat at one time?
Later that week we once again packed up the car and literally headed over the river and through the woods to Max's other grandmother's house! We enjoyed more family fun and even got to visit Santa again to thank him for such a lovely Christmas.
Max flexed his gift opening skills again and practiced getting ready to have fun next summer.
"Eh... I'm not so sure about this, Mom..."
"Wheeee!"
After more family fun and playtime with Great Grammie Teal we hit the road back to our house.
It was a great first Christmas for our sweet baby boy! A huge thank you to everyone who helped make it so special.
Just for fun, here is a little series of photos of Max trying on and exploring a Christmas bib from my babyhood! Apparently it still tastes delicious after 30 years. :-) I love these photos as it's a pretty accurate depiction of life these days. If you put something in arms reach Max will grab it, feel it, taste it, and smush it against his face. haha
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Video: Tummy Time and Talking
Playing catch up on posting a few short videos!
A little peek at tummy time with Max filmed on December 11, 2012:
Max and Mom having a chat on December 21, 2012:
A little peek at tummy time with Max filmed on December 11, 2012:
Max and Mom having a chat on December 21, 2012:
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