Seth: Seven Months Old

I never posted about Seth turning half a year old.  :-(  Poor third child... I try so hard, but there just isn't as much of me to go around as there used to be.

Sleeping Patterns: Seth has had an ear infection for for about three weeks now, so his sleep has been disrupted.  Unlike Cora, who used to wake every 2.5 - 3 hours with an ear infection, Seth only wakes once a night.  Anyway, we are on our third antibiotic in an attempt to get rid of the infection.  I'm really hoping this one does the trick because I'm tired of interrupted sleep, worrying about hearing and speech development, and changing dirty diapers a hundred times a day (courtesy of antibiotics).

Eating Habits:  Seth has milk about five times a day, but he has had no interest in baby food for a month now.  Foods that he used to like now have no appeal for him.  In fact, when I come at his mouth with a spoon, he clamps his mouth shut and refuses to eat.  It is upsetting and disturbing for me as his mom, even though I know that baby food for the first year is just "practice" and not a main source of nutrition or calories.  We don't know if this change in appetite is due to the ear infections and just feeling bad, or if there is something else going on.  For right now, my doctor said to just keep offering the food and we'll focus on getting rid of the infection before we tackle the food.  (I will say that last night I got Seth to eat 3/4 of a container of carrots, so I am very hopeful that the new antibiotic is taking away ear pain and he'll start wanting food again.)

Baby's Weight Gain:  This is a real area of concern.  Not eating baby food is a worry because we don't understand why he doesn't want it, but milk is an even bigger issue.  My body just isn't making enough, probably because Seth doesn't demand it.  In other words, when I only have three ounces to give him, he happily stops eating and waits until the next feeding, which has taught my body to scale way back.  At birth, Seth was in the 75th percentile for weight.  At his three month appointment, he was in the 50th percentile, and at the six month appointment, he was in the 25th.  When I brought him in for his ear infection after the sixth month, the downward trend had continued.  Since then I have started supplementing with formula once a day, and this past weekend our pediatrician told me that I successfully stopped the downward trend, but now we need to work on trending back up.  So, I need to give Seth formula 2 - 3 times a day.  I am sad about it because I have actually enjoyed nursing this time around, and I could pump every few hours, drink water like a fish, and even take some herbs to try to build my supply back up, but honestly, I don't have it in me.  If I can continue to give Seth some breast milk for a couple more weeks, I will have lasted for eight plus months, and I feel really good about that.  Right now all I care about is making sure my baby is healthy, strong, and gaining weight, and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen.

Accomplishments:  Last night Seth army crawled / face planted his way across the floor a few feet to get a toy that he wanted.  He is now up on his hands and knees, rocking back and forth before thrusting himself forward onto his face.  It won't be long before he is all over the house, and it scares me!  It is so convenient to set him down and know that I can walk away, but all of that is about to change!

Places We Went:  We went on vacation to Gatlinburg / Pigeon Forge.

Memorable Events or Holidays:  We celebrated Halloween, and Seth had several cute outfits to wear in the days leading up to Candy Day.  Other than that, it was like any other day for him since he is too little to partake.

It is fun to see Seth coming into his own.  He is smiling more spontaneously, reaching for everything around him, and showing some independence.  He is still crazy laid back, but that just may be who God designed him to be.  If I could describe Seth in one word, it would be patient.  (It will be fun to read this post again in five, ten, and twenty years and see if that is still the case.)  He is such a love.

Blogging is Like Laundry

Yes, you read that right.  Blogging is like laundry.  If I don't keep up, I get overwhelmed, and the thought of doing it becomes more and more daunting.  Well, today is my catch up day.  I'm going to write as many posts as I can bang out.  Get ready for an influx of posts!  :-)

Today's post is dedicated to all of the little things in our life over the past month.  In this month we have...

Enjoyed Brennan's soccer games:

(Brennan is number 3)

Introduced solids to Seth:

(this was our first breakfast with all three kids at the table!)

Improved Cora's cooking skills with the help of Grandma and Daddy:

Spent some time on the phone with Nana:

Read lots and lots of books:

And taken our annual apple-picking trip:

Okay, with my first "load" done, I am going to go have some lunch!  :-)

Seth: Five Months Old

Sleeping Patterns:  Seth sleeps from about 7:00 PM (give or take a half hour) until I wake him around 5:30 or 6:00 to eat, and then he goes back to sleep until around 8:15 AM.  He is awake for a couple of hours, takes a morning nap until lunch time (roughly 10 AM until 12 PM, though our schedule makes it hard to know how consistent this actually is), and goes back down around 1:30 for a long afternoon nap.  The little boy likes to sleep, and he really wants to do it in his crib.  If we are out running around during nap time, he protests loudly.

Eating Habits:  He's still eating about every three hours.  The note from his well visit a month ago said he should be going four hours now, but he's not unless he takes a four-hour nap.  Oh, well.  He's not a grazer, he's efficient, and he sleeps well.

New Discoveries Made:  Seth loves to shriek and make long, throaty sounds.  Mommy and Daddy have made a discovered something too:  The Exersaucer is a guaranteed "poop machine."  

Accomplishments:  Yesterday Seth said unsupported (tripod-style) for the first time!

Places We Went:  We didn't go anywhere very exciting.

Memorable Events or Holidays: Labor Day was pretty uneventful.  We made the mistake of going to Opry Mills Mall that weekend.  It was a zoo, but Seth was a champ.

Baby's Weight Gain:  I have no idea how much he weighs now, but he is wearing size 3 diapers and 6 month clothes.

Mommy's Weight Loss:  I have four pounds left to go until I reach my pre-pregnancy weight.  I'm not sure those four pounds will be enough to get back into all of my old pants, though.  All moms know that returning to your previous weight does not necessarily mean that your clothes will fit the same, especially if you're nursing.  Oh well.  My boots fit now!!  :-)

Seth, I love you so much.  You make me smile, you make me laugh, and I cannot kiss your little head enough.  You are an easygoing, thumb-sucking sweetheart, and I delight in every minute we spend together.  I am so thankful for the days we have alone together when Cora and Brennan are in school.  Even though I am looking forward to the day when we can all go places together and have fun as a family of five, I am trying really hard to savor ever minute of your infancy.  You are so precious to me.

Unexpected Long Weekend

I am home today with a sick kiddo... and so it begins.  Again.  Poor Brennan has had monthly fevers since he was two years old, mostly because he cannot keep his hands out of his mouth.  I feel like he is just as oral as he was when he was a young toddler.  Last year he missed ten days of school, and I got a letter from the school about his attendance.  It was heart-breaking, mostly because I can't change anything.  His oral tendencies are completely subconscious, so harping on him doesn't make any difference at all.

The good news is that today is Friday, so B will definitely be back in school on Monday.  And so today I will do what I can to keep everyone happy until Daddy gets home.  Right now, that involves Caillou and computer games until breakfast.  And so, while everyone gets their daily allotment of screen time, I blog.

Yesterday was my second day having Cora in preschool for five hours.  It was awesome.  Honestly, I felt giddy, being able to run errands with just one child.  And when I got home and Seth took a nap, I dove into an organizing project I have been itching to do for a while.

It is no secret that I get pleasure out of being organized and efficient.  This is especially true in my home.  My house is never completely clean or picked up, (I do have three kids!!) but I do have lots of systems in place to make my life simpler and help everyone stay on track.  My mother-in-law comments every time she comes to visit that I have a new system in place, and she is always learning new tricks from spending time in my home.  She said she loves it because she always knows where to find things and how to step in and help me.  She told me I need to post some of my organizational strategies because they just don't come naturally to everyone.  I thought this sounded like a good idea, so next week I am going to post photos and tips on organization for life with little kids.  If they are obvious, forgive me.  But if they are helpful to even one person, I'm glad to share.

In the mean time, I'll share some photos of yesterday's achievements.  The closets in our house have been driving me crazy for some time.  I picked up a few plastic shelving units at Home Depot yesterday, and voila!  Instant organization.

Brennan's closet before:

... and after:

Seth's closet before:

...and after:

I'll talk about some of the things in the kids' closets during next week's post.  Until then, I'll leave you with some photos.

Brennan and Cora were both supposed to bring family pictures to school, and we realized we hadn't taken one since we were in the hospital when Seth was born.  We threw up a black piece of fabric, set the timer on the camera, and took a few impromptu pictures after church (Jim had been home with the sick baby, so he isn't as dressed up as the rest of us).

Look who is sitting up?!  Oh, wait!  That's a picture of Brennan!  Well, it's awfully hard to tell them apart.  Thank goodness for dates on digital pictures because they are nearly identical at this age.  Check out Seth!!

Have a great weekend!

Seth: Four Months Old

Seth is four months old, and he is such a joy.  Just this past week I had a super hard day, and at the end of the day I was able to sit face-to-face with Seth for about fifteen minutes, smiling, making faces, and "talking."  His laughs, coos, and slobbery kisses filled my heart with so much pleasure I all but forgot the day I had just endured.

Sleeping Patterns:  Seth is still a pretty great sleeper, but lately we have had an issue.  He is an unhappy roller.  He starts out every night being laid on his back, and he immediately turns onto his side and sticks his thumb in his mouth.  During the course of the night he continues to roll onto his tummy, and I don't know if it is just practice or an attempt to locate his thumb, but he hates being stuck on his tummy and can't get back, so he wakes up crying.  I have heard about kids that lose sleep because they have to practice new tricks like rolling, crawling, standing, etc., but I have never had a child who did those things.  Now that I have lived through this phenomenon, I no longer think it is funny.  It is only cute the first dozen times.  Last week there was a night I had to get up to flip him over about every two hours.  And by the fifth time that night, flipping him back wasn't enough.  He was awake enough to discover that he was hungry.  I'm looking forward to him being able to roll in both directions!

Eating Habits:  Seth is still eating every two and a half to three hours during the day because he sleeps so long at night.  I wish he could go longer stretches, but I'll take the sleep without complaint.

New Discoveries Made:  A few days ago, Seth discovered his ear.  He kept grabbing it and pulling it like, "What is this thing attached to my head?!"  (Don't worry, seasoned parents... I had his ears checked at his check-up a couple of days ago, and they're fine.)  Seth has also discovered his voice and loves to make lots of noise.  Most of the time it's pretty cute.

Accomplishments:  Besides being a seasoned roller-overer now, Seth really wishes he could crawl.  He can turn in circles on his tummy to look at things, and he is trying desperately to get his knees up under him and propel himself forward with his toes.  I know things will become super hard when he crawls, but I am proud of his determination.

Places We Went:  We haven't been to any exciting places, as I wrote about in my last post.

Memorable Events or Holidays: Jim and I celebrated our 12-year wedding anniversary, and Seth joined us for a day of shopping while we left the big kids with Grandma.

Baby's Weight Gain:  Seth weighed in a few days ago at 14 pounds, 12 ounces.  This was a bit of a loss on the growth curve (he hasn't lost weight, he is just growing slower), but he is still an average, healthy baby.  Most people who see him think he's a chunk because of his round face and big cheeks, so it's surprising to me that he's "average."  Anyway, the doctor said he usually sees a drop when babies sleep long night stretches, and he is still growing beautifully, so I am pleased.  

Mommy's Weight Loss:  I had a better month than I thought I would, and I have lost 52 pounds total.  I am 8 pounds away from my starting weight, and I am hoping to be back into my fall clothes by Seth's six-month birthday.  I went a week ago to try on new shoes and discovered that my feet are larger than they were (I've been wearing flip-flops all summer).  I am seriously praying my feet fit back into my boots this fall, or I am going to be really, really sad!

Back in the Game!

Guess what?!  After spending the whole summer without one, I have a new computer!!!  

Gosh, I feel like I haven't had the freedom to blog in forever, and it feels so good to sit down at my computer and have everything at my fingertips!  However, having to survive without a computer all day, every day for months really taught me a lot.  I have learned to focus more on my kids and stop wasting time.  I have gotten a lot done around the house and made the little time I could spend on Jim's computer really count.

While I have been absent from the world of blogging, our family has kept busy with more traditional pastimes, like...

Coloring:

Sleeping:

Grocery Shopping:

Roller Skating:

Learning to Curl Hair (Thanks to Hair-Savvy Teenage Friends):

Rolling Over:

And Sewing:

This is the first outfit I have ever made for Cora! :-)

Also, I mentioned in my last post that we started redoing the kids' bathroom a few weeks ago.  Well, it's done, and it is exactly what I envisioned!  I love it when a plan comes together!!

Jim took this photo, and I commented on the towel being askew and the toilet paper being nearly empty. I think he wanted to have me committed for noticing every. little. thing.  :-)

Check out the before and after pictures!

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

I may do another post with the bathroom details if you're interested in knowing more (let me know in the comments if you have questions you want answered).  In the mean time, I'll leave you with one more picture of my little girl before church this past Sunday:

Have a great day! :-)