Thursday, September 24, 2009

Jeeper Creepers

He can really use his peepers! I know...corny. Anyway, LT loves to look at shapes and stuff. I had also neglected to get him a mobile because honestly, I thought most I found were just stupid looking. The baby perspective was horrible. So I found this online: http://crafts.sleepingbaby.net/mobile.html. I made it for him but now (with a little paper, tape, thread, and leftover cereal boxes) just need to hang it. I may need to redo it with high test fishing line but we shall see. It is basic black and white patterns and shapes and I have been using the extra cut outs for playtime and he seems to enjoy them. I also taped some of them to the backseat of the car for him to look at there. Then I even have one in my purse to use as a quick distraction when he is somewhere. I am so prepared :) Here are some pics of it:
And then Landon's perspective(may need a bigger star):

Dance Partay!

Are my ears bleeding?

Holy smokes can this boy shreik. He showed his talents off last night trying to go to sleep. 1.5 hours of trying. He would trick us with thise closed eyes and droopy mouth and then BAM screaming like no other. We are working on a schedule to nap more in the day so we aren't so over tired. Today he has had about 2.5 so far and some good play times. So keep thinking happy thoughts!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Hello World!


Landon is really starting to smile at things now...so cute! He is also up to 10lbs 7 oz...chug a lug little boy! I don't even think he has hit his 6 week growth spurt yet!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

1 Month Chair Photos

We had fun with Mr. Hippo :)


WHAT ARE YOU DOING MR HIPPO!?!


Sweet Jebus Mr. Hippo...DON'T EAT ME!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

My Smart Boy

Sorry for the pause in posts...been a tad busy with Senor Fussy Britches. Last Thursday we had an appointment to "get to know our newborn". At SAS healthcare, they will examine all babies(no matter if they are primary cared for there for not) to show their temperament to their parents. It is all based on their reflexes and the way they respond to stimuli. So here is Mr. Landon:

What I'm Good At:
Great tracker; good reflexes; calms easily*

How I Send Out an SOS:
turn red; tremors; activity increases

How I Try To Bring Myself Under Control:
Fencing; sucking

How You Can Help Me:
tummy time; swaddling; pacifier

What I'm Working On:
neuromuscular development; learning to trust; getting into a routine

It was very fun. Of course, he was a gem while there. Note the *. That is because of COURSE he calms when someone else is watching him...this exam wasn't at 5 in the evening, we could have had different results. But she showed us all his reflexes. She was very impressed with his tracking with a rattle and looking for me when I talked. Since the exam, we have been learning more about him. Going along with the tracking, he really likes to focus on something to calm himself. For those of you have been to the house, there are a series of glass pictures with trees on the wall in the living room. He LOVES looking at these. We walk around the hall and he just stares and stops crying(sometimes...it ain't magic). He also likes looking at faces like most babies. I had him on the ottoman to play and caught him watching the TV when it would be a single person on the screen. He also was crying for like an hour yesterday afternoon off and on and when I changed his diaper, he just wanted to lay there and stare at the people on the wall. If I tried to pick him up, he cried....so I just sat in the nursery while he stared at the wall :). Very interesting. She also explained that he is a very active baby...so what interests him one minute, will change...so we have to be on our toes. Joy! But she pointed out at least he can go with the flow. Some babies are really routine and get all out of whack when things are exactly the same. He loves to be jiggled as well. Last night he was bright eyed at bedtime and I swaddled him up and walked on the treadmill for, no lie, 36 seconds and the eyes were shut and he was a like a rag. Awesome. I just let his head jiggle a little and it is kryptonite. I did it again this morning for 5 minutes and he was out then for a 2 hour nap. Cha ching. Now I just have to work on him taking naps without us getting him to that state. Fun.....

Monday, September 14, 2009

Friday, September 11, 2009

State of the Mommy Address

Well it has been 1 month since I gave birth (well almost...I will be at the river tomorrow = no internet). I kept saying I would post about my condition after he was born but kept putting it off. I figure a 1 month window would work. I will try to do a 6 week postpartum to coincide with my doctor appointment. Thinking of that, why do they wait until 6 weeks after? Seems like they would want to check you earlier...whateve. Anyway, I am doing very well. No more pain at all down below and it looks like everything is back to normal. For something so traumatic, it is amazing how quickly it can heal.

Next up, boobs. They are quite large. I never got engorged(yay) and they are now on a pretty regular cycle and don't get too full anymore. At first I would have the occasional enlargement but nothing horrible. I don't know my exact size at this point. My nursing bras aren't good indicators since they are made to expand. I am going to guess a 38DD-38DDD. Fun. I can now actually just wear a plain tank/shirt to bed and sleep on my stomach without any pain. I say that is pretty good. I can also take a shower and not have to hold them. Before, the water beading down on the nipples was killer...but that is much better.

Now for the flat tire around my waist. That was really weird at first. I felt like I was on one of those gastric bypass shows on TLC. The sagging skin was just funny looking. It started rebounding pretty soon after I got home. It is still weird but not as floppy I guess. Not too bad. The bad part is the stretch marks. I almost made it without them. They didn't show up until like the last week or so of pregnancy. The skin around my belly button just couldn't take it anymore. There isn't a ton and they aren't super noticeable. I am kinda bummed. I doubt I will ever be comfortable in a bikini again...o well. As Billie put it, I can look at it as Landon scribbling his name on me :). I still have the dark line down my belly but it is getting lighter. I know that they go away eventually. Weird phenomenon. I am still wearing a lot of maternity pants because my hips are definitely wider but they are going down. I got into my PJ pants earlier this week..so that was good.

Overall, I gained 40lbs while pregnant. I can say about 10lbs was in the last month or so. I kinda gave up one eating super healthy because of being tired at night and I couldn't do a ton of exercise. Plus I was really busy with stuff and didn't have a lot of time to workout. O well. I almost immediately lost 15 lbs after he was born. I have now gone down about 23 or so....so plenty to go. I think I am still retaining a little water because my engagement ring still doesn't fit. I hope to be able to run after the 6 week marker. The mornings are so nice and cool now that I really want to already. On our walk this morning, I had to stop myself from jogging. All I know is I will need to invest in some good sports bras :)

Thursday, September 10, 2009

bath time....here we come.

Before:
After:Hooray! That silver nitrate was the ticket!

Orange you glad I didn't say banana?

Today was Landon's infant class meet and greet. We went to see the classroom and meet the teachers and other parents. There are 8 kids in the class...3 boys and 5 girls...my boy will be pulling tail in no time :). 2 of the mommies were in my hey baby classes...so that was exciting. We are all first time moms. It was cool to swap notes. They both have girls around 7 weeks old. There are 3 girls born within 4 days of one another. Landon is currently the youngest but will be second youngest once the last boy is born. The oldest kid(Grant) was born in April...so there is a big difference. Each kid gets a color to represent them. We then get a roll of tape that color to put on all their stuff. Landon got orange...we were wanting red...o well :)....better than carolina blue. LT can officially start daycare at 6 weeks and we start paying for it then. I might use them as a mommy morning out sometimes to maybe go to SAS for a run or something.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Chubster

Yup...that's my baby...9lbs 5 oz. That is 10 oz in 6 days people! This kid is growing like a bad weed. We had just a little appointment at the doctor today. We had a weight check and talked with a new doctor(we are still rotating). She was really nice and spunky. I like her! Anyway, LT's umbilical stump still hasn't fallen off so she put some silver nitrate to help it along. Apparently sometimes the skin starts trying to regrow instead of just die. He is one of those lucky ones. :) It has been kinda gooey down in there...GROSS. She also noted that around the 1 month mark, babies can fight sleep. I swear this child is text book. He is so active during the day. Michele and I were noting he probably is developing his brain faster than his body and is frustrated he can't do much. He is calm active for about 20 minutes and then it turns to fussy. Sometimes I get lucky with a swing, bouncy seat, walking, paci, etc. But most of the time, screaming. Anyway, good to know it is just a usual phase. As for calming techniques, walking on the treadmill with him swaddled yesterday was like kryptonite. He was out by the 2 min mark. Also carrying him in the moby wrap and walking works well...except it makes us both really hot. Cmon Fall!

Well that is the update for now. Maybe if we have a happy period this afternoon, I can get some fun photos.

P.S. He is sabotaging my attempts at tummy time because he freakin rolls over to his back. In like a split second...grrrr. I am trying to record it but he is so darn fast!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Pictures!

I have taken plenty of photos and my new way to organize my photos is by month. So now I have an album for Landon Month 1. I will just add to this one until next Saturday and we move to Month 2!

To note, I will post more about my DVD on baby photography I got and the easy ways to make better photos (babies or otherwise).

Landon Month 1

Updates!

Sorry for the delay in responses. Just for a quick list of things:

  • We went on our first outing with Grandma last week. We started with just a trip to Brueggers for lunch. LT cried most of the time but we sat in a corner and I rocked the stroller to keep it tolerable. Tuesday we went out shopping and to La Shish. He was great and slept the whole time.
  • I had a lactation appointment at health care on Thursday. I decided to make it my first attempt at taking Landon somewhere by myself. We went in and had lunch with Dad and then visited with my group afterwords. He was GREAT. He slept the whole time except to eat at the appointment.
  • At the appointment, I weighed him out of curiosity and he had gained 11 oz in a week! Man he can eat.
  • We made our first trip to the river this past weekend. The drive down was one big nap and we had some good relaxing time. The drive back was rocky with lots of crying but we survived. He got to meet more of the family and seems to like to ride in the wrap in the breeze.
I have more pictures I am uploading now.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

I heart my moby wrap!

So I finally mastered the Moby wrap. Kevin's mom's friend Susan got it for me as a shower gift. I had seen them online and really liked them but they were a little intimidating for the price. I was so excited to get one. I even took it to a LLC meeting to get someone to show me how to use it with a real baby when I was pregnant. I also watched like 3 youtube videos before attempting it. It is like 5.5 meters of fabric you strategically wrap around your torso to hold your baby all kinds of ways. I broke it out on Friday and have loved it ever since. I get to go to the bathroom, do my makeup, throw the frisbee for Jack and even eat with both hands! All of this while he sleeps! He seems very happy all nestled in my chest. Next thing to learn is the hold where he can nurse discretely! Anyway....I played with the isight camera on the mac and made a little video of us since I can't really photograph myself in it :)