Tuesday, March 16, 2010
5 Month Old Babies are So Much Fun!
Well, so much for writing a 4 month update. Lately, it’s been all about me. I look at photos of Nikolas from when we first brought him home and I can’t believe how little he used to be!
He is now such a big boy. Today, I took him and the dog to a park in a town close by which is 40 acres. I thought strapping Nikolas into his snugli and carrying him around would be a good idea. Hauling around an extra 17 lbs is alot of work! I was exhausted. On a positive note, I had a massage earlier tonight and there will be no problems whatsoever sleeping tonight!
Nikolas has really started to become more interactive, and he loves to play with mommy and daddy. Peek-a-boo has become a favourite game. He always acts like he’s so surprised to see me appear from behind a blanket! His favourite activity is being in his jolly jumper. He LOVES it. The first couple of times he wasn’t really sure what to do, but he is a seasoned pro now. There are times that he’s so serious about his jumping, that I say he’s not playing around; he’s training for something!
He’s been sleeping almost through the night; for the most part, he wakes at 5:30 am for a bottle, then we put him back down and he’s usually talking to himself and playing in his crib around 8:30. The recent change to daylight savings has been nice. He goes to bed an hour later now (8:45-ish) and sleeps an hour later! I like it.
It’s been close to a month now that we’ve moved him to the crib, and it’s been a great success. We first started by moving his bassinet into his room for a couple nights. Then, we switched him to the crib, and he’s taken to it wonderfully. He moves around like crazy in it. I’ll find him laying in the opposite direction that I lay him down, or he’ll manage to work his way over to the aquarium toy that is at the end of the crib, and amuse himself with that; usually by kicking it! A couple times in the past week I’ve found him on his tummy. I try not to stress about that.
We’ve also started him on solid foods! I’ve gotten mixed recommendations from the paediatrician and the local nurses about starting. Paediatrician says do it, nurses say wait. Nikolas had been showing signs of being ready for awhile now, and he eats like a champ. We started with the rice cereal and then introduced oatmeal cereal. It’s such a fun experience feeding him with a spoon and it’s such a mess! He has to get his hands right in there and spreads the food all over his face. The rare time that we eat dinner at that table, we’ll put Nikolas in his high chair, and he’ll actually watch us, and make chewing motions. It’s so cute.
I’m just always so amazed to watch this little human grow and develop and see how he reacts to the world around him. He is still amazed by his hands. He’ll hold him in front of his face and stare at them. Move them, grab things and his thumb always makes its way into his mouth. He prefers to suck his thumb rather than a soother, and I’m glad about that. He’s able to sooth himself and I’m not always rushing to pick up a fallen soother. Nikolas has recently discovered his feet and is constantly grabbing for them. I even noticed today that he can almost get a toe in his mouth!
We travel to Cuba in just over a month from now and I’ve been busy gathering all the things that we’ll need to pack. And there is a LOT. I’m a planner. I need lists to get things done. So, shortly before I leave, I’ll post my huge mother list of packing ideas.
After the trip, I plan to post some tips for travelling with baby!
He is now such a big boy. Today, I took him and the dog to a park in a town close by which is 40 acres. I thought strapping Nikolas into his snugli and carrying him around would be a good idea. Hauling around an extra 17 lbs is alot of work! I was exhausted. On a positive note, I had a massage earlier tonight and there will be no problems whatsoever sleeping tonight!
Nikolas has really started to become more interactive, and he loves to play with mommy and daddy. Peek-a-boo has become a favourite game. He always acts like he’s so surprised to see me appear from behind a blanket! His favourite activity is being in his jolly jumper. He LOVES it. The first couple of times he wasn’t really sure what to do, but he is a seasoned pro now. There are times that he’s so serious about his jumping, that I say he’s not playing around; he’s training for something!
He’s been sleeping almost through the night; for the most part, he wakes at 5:30 am for a bottle, then we put him back down and he’s usually talking to himself and playing in his crib around 8:30. The recent change to daylight savings has been nice. He goes to bed an hour later now (8:45-ish) and sleeps an hour later! I like it.
It’s been close to a month now that we’ve moved him to the crib, and it’s been a great success. We first started by moving his bassinet into his room for a couple nights. Then, we switched him to the crib, and he’s taken to it wonderfully. He moves around like crazy in it. I’ll find him laying in the opposite direction that I lay him down, or he’ll manage to work his way over to the aquarium toy that is at the end of the crib, and amuse himself with that; usually by kicking it! A couple times in the past week I’ve found him on his tummy. I try not to stress about that.
We’ve also started him on solid foods! I’ve gotten mixed recommendations from the paediatrician and the local nurses about starting. Paediatrician says do it, nurses say wait. Nikolas had been showing signs of being ready for awhile now, and he eats like a champ. We started with the rice cereal and then introduced oatmeal cereal. It’s such a fun experience feeding him with a spoon and it’s such a mess! He has to get his hands right in there and spreads the food all over his face. The rare time that we eat dinner at that table, we’ll put Nikolas in his high chair, and he’ll actually watch us, and make chewing motions. It’s so cute.
I’m just always so amazed to watch this little human grow and develop and see how he reacts to the world around him. He is still amazed by his hands. He’ll hold him in front of his face and stare at them. Move them, grab things and his thumb always makes its way into his mouth. He prefers to suck his thumb rather than a soother, and I’m glad about that. He’s able to sooth himself and I’m not always rushing to pick up a fallen soother. Nikolas has recently discovered his feet and is constantly grabbing for them. I even noticed today that he can almost get a toe in his mouth!
We travel to Cuba in just over a month from now and I’ve been busy gathering all the things that we’ll need to pack. And there is a LOT. I’m a planner. I need lists to get things done. So, shortly before I leave, I’ll post my huge mother list of packing ideas.
After the trip, I plan to post some tips for travelling with baby!
PPD Update
I really feel like I have it under control. After posting my previous post, I got OVERWHELMING supporting responses from family and friends. I really had happy tears in my eyes reading all the messages that where sent. If I did not personally respond to you, believe me, it was my intention to do so. But if you were missed, Thank You for your support. It really means so much to me. Everyone really does go through the bad times, it’s just that some are worse than others, and some of those times, it’s just hard to keep it all together. Since then, I’ve been to my doctor and am now on some antidepressants, and it really feels like they are working. With the help of my local health unit, I’ve registered with a support group that starts up in April that deals specifically with PPD and different issues that surround it.
My doctor recommended that Matt and I alternate nights being on “baby duty” so that I can get caught up on my sleep. I think that this has been such a great idea, and it has helped so much. For the past few weeks, I’d had the WORST insomnia. There is not much that is worse than being totally and utterly exhausted, and then not being able to sleep. For almost 2 weeks now, I’ve had great sleeps, even when I’m on “duty”. That has probably been the biggest contributing factor to me feeling much, much better.
Okay.
The drugs help too.
The mornings where I’d wake up and dread the day ahead are behind me. I now wake up to the sound of my sweet boy’s voice as he lays in bed “talking” to himself and playing in his crib. I get excited and can’t wait to see my baby. And best of all, I’ve given myself permission to rock him to sleep for his naps. I’ve pushed all the advice of the “experts” to the back of my mind and just do whatever works. Nikolas needs his sleep and I need my sanity.
My doctor recommended that Matt and I alternate nights being on “baby duty” so that I can get caught up on my sleep. I think that this has been such a great idea, and it has helped so much. For the past few weeks, I’d had the WORST insomnia. There is not much that is worse than being totally and utterly exhausted, and then not being able to sleep. For almost 2 weeks now, I’ve had great sleeps, even when I’m on “duty”. That has probably been the biggest contributing factor to me feeling much, much better.
Okay.
The drugs help too.
The mornings where I’d wake up and dread the day ahead are behind me. I now wake up to the sound of my sweet boy’s voice as he lays in bed “talking” to himself and playing in his crib. I get excited and can’t wait to see my baby. And best of all, I’ve given myself permission to rock him to sleep for his naps. I’ve pushed all the advice of the “experts” to the back of my mind and just do whatever works. Nikolas needs his sleep and I need my sanity.
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