3 Months Old - Dear Cash + moving!

Wow, its certainly been a while since I've made a post! We've just been soooo busy. With what, you ask? Moving! Packing! Preparing for our trip to Edmonton! Wrapping! haha. And of course, taking care of the little man.

So this picture is just about 2 weeks overdue.. he was officially twelve weeks old on Saturday, December 8! Wow.. I can't believe it. He's considered to be out of "The Fourth Trimester" now.


Dear Cash,
Here's a little bit about your last month...
- You started out the month sleeping like a champ! Last month, you were sleeping in your crib for 4-5 hours straight before waking up to be fed. We continued with our same bed time routine and you stretched that first portion of sleep to 6-7 hours, waking up around 2 am to nurse and join us in our bed. 
THEN you shocked me by sleeping until 5 am before wanting to eat! And you did this for almost two weeks straight. It was amazing.
And without warning, that completely disappeared. We would do our regular bedtime routine - I'd nurse you in your dimly lit bedroom, dad would rock you to sleep, then lay you in your crib - but you suddenly decided you don't like to sleep in your crib! You'd wake up either immediately after being laid down, or within 10 minutes.. and we'd try putting you down at least 3 more times with no luck. So you end up spending the whole night in our bed.
I've bought a book called "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley that is highly raved about, and have been studying up on ways to help you sleep.. but we won't implement anything until after we're home from Christmas and are settled in the new house. 
Atleast you are a pretty good sleeper in our bed! You nurse probably three times throughout the night.. I don't know exactly, cuz I barely even wake up!
- You are so curious about everything! You study everything around you very intently and notice when things have been moved (like your favourite picture).
- We sing you "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider". You love them both
- A sure-fire way to make you smile is to touch your face
- You have become more content sitting on your own for a little while, so mom can have a quick shower or eat dinner without you crying to be held

You've really been a champ during this whole moving process. At the new house, we lay you on top of a blanket in the living room and you babble away at the ceiling fan while we unpack.

Love Mama

And other exciting-ness... the new house!

We've moved most of our stuff in already (and unpacked it!) and will finish up the weekend we get back from Edmonton. I will share more pictures then.

Wordless Wednesday

2 Months Old - Dear Cash

Dear Cash,

You've grown so much in this last month! You've gained 3 whole lbs, and are definitely longer. On October 25th, you showed us your first intentional smiles. You don't really understand when we tickle your ribs or feet (you definitely squirm though!). The thing that really gets your smiles going is kisses! You light up when we kiss your face or squish your chin. And sometimes you'll be starring at a particular picture and randomly start smiling at it. You haven't started laughing yet, but you try really, really hard! It's almost there.. I bet it'll be just a couple more weeks before you master your giggles.

You've thrown our napping "routine" out the window in the last couple weeks. You used to nap for a good 1.5 hours either in the laundry basket or in your crib at least once a day.. typically it was for your first nap (between 9:30 and 10:30). You've never been good at having your second nap alone.. I've always resorted to putting you in the sling to sleep during the afternoon.

Now, it's rare that you'll stay sleeping in your crib/laundry basket! You wake up after 15-20 minutes, I calm you down, put you back to bed.. and you're awake again. Eventually I just transfer you into the sling. I figure that it's more important for you to get your sleep than it is for me to have my hands free. I'm sure this is just part of the "fourth trimester" and you'll grow out of it.

What's really weird, is that you sleep just fine in the crib for a portion of the night! Our bedtime routine seems to be working really well...

Around 7 pm, I take you upstairs, change you, and nurse you in your dimly-lit room. You fall asleep while eating. Then Dad comes in and reads you a book (even though you're asleep) and rocks you for 15-20 minutes. I turn on the radio to static (for some white noise), Dad lays you in your crib and turns off the light. Sometimes you open your eyes when he puts you down, but you usually go right back to sleep. There have been a couple nights where, within 20 minutes, you've started crying. One of us rocks you back to sleep and lays you down, and you're good to go. I'd say 5-6 nights a week, you sleep for 4-5 hours straight! Then you half wake up cuz you're hungry. I change your diaper, bring you to our bed for the rest of the night, and feed you. You go right back to sleep, and half-wake up to be fed 2-3 more times during the night. You never cry, and never have any issues going right back to sleep. So why is sleeping during the day so hard?? The only thing I can think of, is that you're really starting to notice your surroundings, so it's hard to shut your mind off during the day. At night, it's pitch black in your room so there's nothing interesting to look at!

Happy Halloween!!!





we got this onesie/bib at winners last february - for a whole 60¢!!!

  

We'll be staying cozy in our home, handing out candy this year. Cash is too young to trick or treat.. Next year, for sure! (Then I wouldn't feel so guilty using him to get candy haha)

We hope everyone has a fabulous (I mean spooky) holiday!

i smile now

Today.

There are only so many minutes during the day where I have the opportunity to do something. "Something" that requires Cash to not be in my arms. I usually have a window around 11 am when Cash has his first nap. It will last long enough for a shower and MAYBE time to blow-dry my hair before he wakes up.

Today I gave up doing my hair and make-up so that I could get some laundry done that has been put off for  a week now.

And then later, I joined my baby boy for a cuddle session on the couch. Sometimes I get too focused on the fact that Cash literally needs me all day long, leaving little time to get anything done. But then moments like this remind me of what a special role a mom has in the lives of their little ones. It's very special that he finds so much comfort from me.

Perspective is everything.

1 Month Old - Dear Cash

My sweet baby boy,

You're one month old already! Where has the time gone..
We've noticed some big changes in you during this first month; you've become much more alert, you notice our faces alittle more and even get a small twinkle in your eye when you see us. As the weeks go on, you put on a little more chub.. I notice it in your cheeks and your thighs. You're still a skinny little guy though! In the last two weeks, you've managed to hold your head up a little longer every day. It's still a little unsteady and your head comes crashing down sometimes, but we're working on it.

You seem to enjoy having a blanket hovering over your face when trying to fall asleep. As soon as you're covered, you are out like a light. (Yes, we know this could be a potential hazard, but the blanket is never against your face and it's only when you sleep on one of us)

Usually you love to be swaddled in a light blanket.. But never with your arms tucked in!

One of your favourite ways to sleep at night is in my nook, tucked under my arm. If you get a little fussy and wiggly during the night, I pull you in close. And if you're sleeping between us, I'll typically find you on your right side, facing me! I love your peaceful face while sleeping

Dad gets to hold you pretty much all evening once he goes home from work. You especially like laying on his chest

Sometimes you're able to direct your fist toward your mouth, and practice sucking on your fingers.. or more often, the side of your wrist. However, when you get really upset, it's difficult to find the coordination and usually you just end up flailing your arms around.

Occasionally we'll let you cry a minute longer than we should.. you just look sooo cute when you stick that bottom lip out as far as it will go

So far, I think you've been a pretty content baby! If you cry, it usually occurs when we're driving and can't reach back to comfort you, or it's when you're sleeping in the stroller and we stop moving for too long. I think you're developing a bit of a sleep routine.. In the last week, you have been settling down and falling asleep between 7 pm and 8 pm and will sleep until at least 9:30. Then you wake up two or three times during the night to eat. You typically go right back to sleep though! We've only had one bad night so far.

I can't get over how adorable you are. And I love learning more about your secret language and what you're trying to tell me when you need something. Our days go by so quickly! One minute, we're just waking up, then before I know it, Dad's walking in the door.

You're the best.
xoxo
Mama

Words from Garrick...
"Cash,
I didn't think it was possible to love something the way I love you. I never want to let go of you or stop looking at you. I can not wait to watch you grow and experience all the wonderful things that children get to experience growing up with their dad... skating, camping, swimming and just being a little boy with his dad by his side. I can't believe how cute you are. You are so cute. I love kissing you and watching you make faces.

Love,
Daddy"

So far so good

It's currently 1:20 am and Cash is having his first middle of the night feeding. And there hasn't been any crying so far...

Which is how it always is.. Except for last night.

Last night, he slept from 7:30 pm til 9:30 pm, then woke up in his usual manner to be fed. Usually he just kind of whimpers and "talks", I notice he's rooting around, I feed him, he's happy and goes back to sleep quickly. So this time, I fed him, he fell asleep.. Then I went to lay him back down between us, and he starts to cry. And not just his little whimpering, it was full out.. As if I had been ignoring his small cries for half an hour.

The only thing that would console him was to nurse more. He wanted to nurse literally every hour for at least half an hour at a time, I'd lay him down after, and he'd sometimes sleep for twenty minutes then wake up screaming and crying all of a sudden with no warning. This is very unusual for him! So we didn't get much sleep.

We spent the day walking around Kelowna with Cash in the stroller, which put him to sleep. He slept pretty much the entire afternoon (wish I could do that) other than waking up to be fed once and have a diaper change. I was a little worried he'd be up all night after all his napping, so I tried to keep him stimulated and awake during the evening.

He slept from 9:30 til 1:30, whimpered., I've fed him, will change his diaper, and I think he'll go right back to sleep. Perfect. I think I ate something last night that gave him digestive issues. Whoops.

Daddy always insists on pushing the stroller

All cozied up in the stroller