Babywise II

Jack slept from 9pm-5am last night. Thank you again, Babywise.

Has anyone read Babywise II, Toddlerwise, Pottywise...or any of the other 50 that there are out there?? How did you like them...?

Instruction Manual

You always hear that babies don't come with instructions, but those people haven't read
On Becoming Babywise. This book came to me HIGHLY recommended by so many new parents. It has lived up to its reputation, and I can't imagine little Jack being the good baby that he is without this book.

Eat, Wake, Sleep. This is a huge theme in the book. Most parents will play with their baby, then when he becomes fussy they will feed him, and end nursing/bottle feeding with a nap. They say this is wrong because baby might not be getting enough to eat because they fall asleep before getting a full feeding. Since Jack is 2 months old and over 13 lbs already, I don't believe this is the case with him. They say feed the baby, play with him, then put him down to sleep. And this helps set the baby in a predictable pattern.

Let baby fall asleep alone. Put baby down in his crib and let him fall asleep on his own. If you using a sleep "prop" such as rocking your baby to sleep, it will become a horrible habit that you will eventually have to break, and it makes nap time so much harder for you and baby. When it's nap time, I wrap Jack in a blanket, give him his pacifier, and he goes to sleep on his own. He rarely cries, just lies in his crib until he falls asleep. If it's 5 minutes or 45 minutes, he eventually goes to sleep.

Keep baby on a schedule. This has been the biggest help of all. From the very beginning, I've tried to feed Jack every 3-4 hours. (Maybe a little more often when he was newborn). Now he still sticks to this schedule. So if he wakes up from a nap cranky after it only being 2 hours since he's eaten, I know he's not hungry, and 95% of the time he's just still tired, and he goes back to sleep until the 3-4 hour marker has come. Also, if I have to run an errand, I know how long I have until I need to be home to feed Jack. The book says keeping baby on a schedule allows him to eat better, sleep better, and keeps him happier.

Let baby sleep through the night. This is the newest development for baby Jack, and the reason I was inspired to write this post. Last night was the first night Jack made it through the whole night without a feeding. (hopefully a first that will last forever!) The book says a baby 7-9 weeks of age is capable of sleeping through the night, and at this point if they are still waking up in the middle of the night, it may be out of habit, rather than actually being hungry. Jack is 9 weeks old this week, and he seemed to be waking up about the same time every night - no matter what time I put him down for the night. If it was 10 pm, or midnight, he always seemed to wake up about 2:30ish. So I would automatically feed him. But last night I thought I'd try what On Becoming Babywise suggested. Let him go back to sleep! So I got up, gave him his pacifier, and it worked! He went right back to sleep until 6am. I was so excited! I actually got 7 consecutive hours of sleep last night!! (Minus the one minute it took to walk to his crib and put the "binkie" in his mouth :] )

GET THIS BOOK!! If this is your first child or your 5th, I've heard even experienced mothers say this changed the way they cared for their little ones. May I also recommend Dunstan Baby Language on DVD? AMAZING. A woman has a theory on what every cry means a baby makes, and although it sounds crazy, I swear it works :)

Dimples

People think I'm kidding when I say I prayed he would get his dad's dimples.

I'm not.

The double chin, however I did not pray for, but it's adorable anyways :)

8 week check-up

Stats:

Weight - 13 lbs. 3 oz. (he's a little chunk!)

Length - 23 in. (when does "length" become "height"?)

Head Circumference - 41 cm. (I still don't know exactly why this is important)

The doctor said Jack has the best shaped head she's seen in a long time...yay?? haha, I guess tummy time is doing him some good! He's getting so big, I can't believe it!!

As of Lately...

After some Internet searching for a photography class, I found local photographer, Brooke Snow and I LOVED her work. I saw that she was offering a 4-week course that was starting this week, and I got so excited!! The wonderful Mr. Smith paid for the tuition as an early birthday present for me :) Last night was our first class and it was amazing :) I can tell that I'm going to be able learn so much from her. She teaches these classes monthly, and I know I've only had one class but I highly recommend her. Look at her blog on my side panel and see how good her stuff is :)

Jack is starting to smile in response to things, yay! It's so adorable. I'm still trying to catch him in action on video.

We had plans to move upstairs (from our current oh-so-cute basement apartment) in the fall, but unfortunately those plans have fallen through. Since we won't be in Provo in the summer, we are frantically searching to sign a contract for the fall before we leave in 6 weeks. If you know of any 2 bedroom apartments in Provo, PLEASE let me know :)

The End in Sight

FINALLY, after 2 weeks, 2 colds, 4 visits at the doctor (yes, they had me bring him in 4 times), a nebulizer, and endless coughing and runny noses, Jack is almost completely healthy again. What a rough two weeks. It was awful seeing our little one so miserable. They still have us give him Albuterol with the nebulizer a few times a day, but he is SO much better, and should be 100% by the end of this week. (knock on wood).

Last Week:

This week:

I realize this is a little blurry, but you try to get a close up of a squirmy 6 week old, and let me know how it goes :)

Nervous Wreck

I'm usually a pretty laid-back person. It takes a lot to stress me out. But ever since little Jack was born, I worry at the smallest things!! Harrison and I had a cold last week, and unfortunately Jack has caught the sickness. I thought he was over it, but today he seems a little sick still. The doctor said because he's still so little we can't give him any medication. I know he'll be fine - It's just a cold!! He's sleeping well, he's eating well, and he doesn't have a fever. But with every little cough, it makes me so sad to see him sick!! Calling all moms: How do I relax and stop worrying so much?!