Lilypie First Birthday tickers

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Nursing in Bed

Well, I've finally aced the art of breastfeeding while lying on my side. I must say, it is the most convenient of all nursing positions. I am actually doing so as I type this and am still able to type with both hands. I don't know if we would have found it possible when Hunter was younger, at least it didn't work out when I tried it before. Not without being propped up on one elbow. Part of it is that I felt that I had to be holding my breast constantly to keep him from suffocating, but we've progressed to the point where I believe him capable of letting go of the breast and breathing through is mouth is his nose got blocked. He also isn't letting go as much now. He's been "nursing" for the past hour or more, though for a long while it has really been suckling while sleeping. For those still giving middle of the night feedings I can imagine this is a lifesaver. I don't envy bottle-feeding parents. This is so much more convenient.

Hunter is really getting so big! He is reaching out and grabbing toys and even "talking." I think I talked about these things a lot more in my last blog, but he amazes me every day.

Hunter is special because he is mine. There was never a child more loved in the whole history of the world. I've been dubbing home videos from VHS to DVD and it's been so cool witnessing myself and William as babies. We were so cute, and Hunter looks so much like we did. It's also a moving experience to witness my parents in the same position that I am in now. It connects us in a way I never imagined. We are all the same. Each and every one of us sharing a unique human experience. And that is a miracle.

Friday, January 21, 2011

What a wonderful day!

Hunter and I had such a perfect day today! And he did so many things for the first time today, or close to the first time. He stands so well now, and for so long! And I don't have to hold him under the arms anymore, I can hold his wrists and he is able to keep his balance all on his own, and sometimes I even let go of one and he still holds himself steady. He holds himself pretty upright when he's sitting now, also a relatively new skill, so I think it's about time to bring the Bumbo out and see what it can do.

Today he also reached out and grabbed a toy I was holding in front of him, the first time it was one of a matching pair of rattles Grandma Sue gave him for Christmas. After he did that I had him play with his Winkle, which he also successfully grabbed, waved, and stuck in his mouth.

And to top it all off, he rolled from his back to his stomach for (almost) the first time today. He did it Wednesday on the hospital bed, but he had a bit of help from gravity and the angle of the mattress, so we couldn't be sure how much of it was chance. But today he did it on the floor all by himself, so there was no doubt about it. He is getting so big and strong! He holds his head up so much now and the milestones just keep coming. There were several for the baby book today. I didn't get the chance to write them down in the actual book yet, but I wanted to get them recorded somewhere so I don't forget how wonderful the day was.

One of the best parts is that David got to watch so much of it on webcam. He saw him stand up for a while and after that I put him under his gym and he kicked and kicked for a long time. He hits the ball so much more than he used to! And he loves it! I put the wrist rattles on his ankles and he seems to really enjoy them. Those are some other things that he has recently figured out. He can bring his hands together now, and he seems to know that his hands and feet are his. After that was when I offered him the rattle that he took, when in the past I had to force it into his hand and it seemed to be chance and muscle contractions that kept it there. And then he started rubbing his eyes so I swaddled him and gave him his pacifier and he went right down for a two hour nap, which is a long time for him. He took a nice, long nap later in the day too. It was like pushing a button though, he just went right to sleep all on his own. He is such a good baby!

I really need to get some sleep now. But those are the basics of todays events (yesterday by the time this was written).

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Hands!

Hunter has discovered his hands! Actually, for the past several weeks it's been obvious that he can put them together and knows that they are his. But today he was holding his bottle on his own! He couldn't quite hold it tall enough when it got low, it was a bit too heavy for him even almost empty, but he was holding it! It was so cool! Oh my goodness, he is getting so big! And he talks! He definitely is saying specific things, like, "Mom, my pacifier fell out, could you put it back in please?" And he will repeat the same pattern of noises until he gets what he wants. It is amazing. We can start the My Baby Can Read Program in another couple of weeks, and sign language after that. I'm so excited! And yesterday (Monday) he rolled over almost all the way from his back to his stomach while we were visiting Lisa. He's such a big, smart boy!

According to the babycenter.com developmental milestone chart he is fairly advanced even! He can do everything they say he might be able to do as a 3 month old already, such as holding his head steady, following objects with his eyes, recognizing me, vocalizing, doing the mini-pushup, bringing his hands together, and batting at toys, which range from mastered to advanced skills. And in the 4 month category he can smile, bear weight on his legs, responds vocally when we talk to him, grasps toys, and rolls over. And he's not even 3 months! Before I know it he's going to be crawling and toddling! And he might even cut a first tooth in the next little bit. We will see!

Monday, January 3, 2011

My funny child

When Hunter first wakes up in the morning I give him a pacifier and we go back to sleep. when we do finally get up the first thing I do is change his diaper so that he doesn't overfill it while he's nursing. He'll be perfectly content in his cradle to enjoy his pacifier and just coo and wiggle a bit. When I pick him up and change his diaper he's fine. Once the diaper is on and I'm snapping up his romper he starts screaming. Crying screaming. Like his belly had just kicked in and he is HUNGRY! ARGH! Feed me! And he proceeded to scream and cry until the boob was literally in his mouth. There was no anticipatory slow down, he just cried. Poor thing. :-)

He's very attached to his pacifier recently. He will cry just to get it. That's a new thing, before he didn't even seem to like it that much, he didn't catch on all that quickly, but now it's a necessity.

Time to tend to the baby and stop blogging.