Wow! Rebecca slept until 6 am Monday morning, after a few fitful hours in the evening, with several nursing periods, light sleep, and then periods of crying out. Scott and I can't figure out what has her upset in the evening, but nursing her seems to be the only thing that settles her down for longer than a few minutes. She napped well in her pack and play in the afternoon, waking around 4:15 in time for us to go pick up Ben and be back in time for a visit from Renee, to bring dinner and meet Rebecca. Renee was able to settle Rebecca down in the evening, even getting her to take a pacifier for longer than she has in the past. Ben went down to sleep easily.
On Tuesday morning, Rebecca slept the entire time between her 6 am and next feeding, which didn't occur until closer to 10 am after I awoke her with a diaper change. She fell alseep again after nursing, but I used her sponge bath to wake her up. I played with her but making faces in the mirror and talking to her. She fell asleep as I was holding her and she was in and out of light sleep for several minutes once I laid her down on the sofa. She still falls asleep easily in my arms, but if not in a deep sleep when I put her down, will often wake after a few minutes. Around 11:30, I put Rebecca in her crip to sleep, and she slept well until I woke her to eat again.
Rebecca fell asleep after nursing at 6 am Wednesday morning. I woke her at 10 am to eat again, and then we went out to the mall to pick up Benjamin's table I'd ordered. She slept most of the time between that feeding and her 1:00 feeding which I had to wake her for. She also didn't stay awake long afterward, sleeping in the pack and play until I awoke her for her 4:00 feeding. She was alseep again coming back from picking up Ben and slept a while, allowing time for Ben and me to play together. Ben and I loaded and dumped his small animals and trucks from his dump truck. The maid had come this morning, but after a few minutes, we had trucks spread out across the family room and kitchen.
Ben asked for a "nana" before dinner, and he ate it all. He likes to hold the banana himself, peeled part of the way down, but then needs help to finish peeling it so he can finish eating it. Once I had Ben's dinner heated (rotisserie chicken from Costco, brocolli with melted cheese and rice), he wasn't interested in eating and pushed his plate away. However, he settled down nicely after a few minutes and ate most of his rice and broccoli and a few pieces of chicken. He's shown recently that he doesn't like being pulled away from his playing to eat, but eventually will settle down and eat something.
Ben has continued his obsession with juice, but now all juice is "apple juice" which he enunciates quite well, but it's a matter of trial and error to determine which kind of juice he actually wants. He is adamant about what type of juice he wants, and will let you know if pulling apple juice out of the refrigerator isn't right even though he's asking for "apple juice", since it can just as often mean that he wants orange juice. I'm trying to get him to understand that he needs to refer to it as orange or "o" juice, but so far to no avail.
Scott got home from work around 7:30, which was a treat for Ben since lately he hasn't come home until after Ben is in bed. He treated Ben to some m&m's, which Ben calls "nuts" for some reason. First, Scott gave Ben a small piece of graham cracker, which is what he'd asked for. After Ben's first bite, Scott showed him that he had a few m&m's in his other hand, to which Ben immediately announced that he was "all done" with the graham cracker! Ben apparently showed a preference for blue m&m's, according to Scott. Scott told him that the fourth or fifth m&m was going to be his last, and he still offerred it to me to eat. I'm thinking Ben didn't understand that it was going to be his last one! After finishing the m&m's, the graham cracker looked appealing again and Ben finished it.
Rebecca was fussy again Wednesday night, eating every couple of hours and either fussing or sleeping some in between feedings. After I fed her around 10 pm, even though she'd eaten at 6 pm and 8 pm, she was still fussy. I awoke Scott from his nap on the family room carpet and asked him to walk around with her. I was so happy that she settled down with him in a matter of seconds it seemed, with her head resting on his shoulder. He put her down on the sofa and she continued sleeping there in the boppy until almost 6 am. I stayed down there with her on the other end of the sofa until 4 am, and Scott stayed with her until 6. I'm impressed with how long she can sleep, being still under 2 months old!
Lara came to visit us on Thursday after work, and Rebecca slept in the bouncy seat for a good while in the evening, while Ben had a little dinner and played with Lara and me. Before she'd arrived, Ben tried out his new table which I'd put together in the afternoon. He enjoyed sitting at it with his coloring books and markers. After eating at 7, Rebecca slept again in Lara's arms until almost 9:00. However, she was a little bit fussy again after eating, still having a hard time settling back down, but it was better than last night. She ended up sleeping from around 10:30 to 3:00 am in her bassinet, waking to eat and then sleeping the rest of the morning in the bed resting her head in the boppy. Ben also had a hard time, probably partly due to Scott getting home at 8:00, just prior to him going into his crib. He and Scott read books for a little while upstairs before Scott put Ben down. Ben would have none of it though, and cried and screamed for his Daddy for a good while. After Scott talked to Ben about going "night night", he still cried. I brought him downstairs for some milk and cuddle time with Daddy before putting him down again. This time there was only a minute or two of crying before he quieted down and went to sleep.
The weather was nice on Saturday, so Ben and I went outside after almost 3 hour nap. Ben is a little apprehensive about being outside nowadays, afraid a dog will come to close. He listens for dogs barking and says "woof woof" when he hears one. He also wants to be picked up, presumably to be protected from a dog encounter. We weren't outside long before Daddy got home. He asked Ben if he wanted to go to the playground, to which Ben instantly answered "yes" to. So Scott and Ben got in the car with a little juice and headed off. I loaded Rebecca into the van and we met them there before she and I headed off to the grocery store. Ben enjoyed running around and going down the slide.
Ben and Scott stayed home on Sunday, while Rebecca and I went to the farm, to go to church and the lunch afterward to celebrate the new well at the church. Aunt Glenda fed Rebecca a bottle and held her all during the service. Grandma, Aunt Jean, Charlotte, Phyllis, Barbara, and everyone else at church got to see Rebecca for the first time, since she only saw my immediate family at Christmas. Aunt Catherine and Robin even got to meet her Sunday evening at Grandma Hazlegrove's house. I stopped up on my way out to see them and ended up having ham rolls, baked apples, baked beans, and grape salad for dinner with them, Grandma, and Jean. Scott and Ben went to Maymont on Saturday after Ben's nap, seeing lots of goats. I understand Ben and Daddy took a nap together in our bed...I'm not surprised!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Rebecca at 2 months
Rebecca continues to do well. We went to her 2 month check-up on Monday 2/7 and she weighed 12 lbs 4 ounces, including her harness which the doctor indicated weighs about 1/2 lb. She measured 22 1/2 inches. Even adjusting for the harness, she has gained a lot of weight and is growing, which is obvious by just looking at her. She is a far cry from the tiny little baby we brought home from the hospital at under 7 lbs!
She is sleeping better, taking more naps in her crib. Still, some days she has trouble napping, waking up after very short naps and eating more frequently than the typical 3 hour interval. Today she took a fairly short late morning nap but fell asleep right after her1:00 feeding. I tried to put her down at 1:30 and she woke up crying. She'd fall asleep as soon as she was back in my arms but would wake up as soon as I put her in the crib. We tried that twice and then I just held her longer and laid her on the sofa in the boppy, where she has taken quite a long nap and I've had to wake her at 4:15 to eat again, before going to get Benjamin at school.
She is sleeping better, taking more naps in her crib. Still, some days she has trouble napping, waking up after very short naps and eating more frequently than the typical 3 hour interval. Today she took a fairly short late morning nap but fell asleep right after her1:00 feeding. I tried to put her down at 1:30 and she woke up crying. She'd fall asleep as soon as she was back in my arms but would wake up as soon as I put her in the crib. We tried that twice and then I just held her longer and laid her on the sofa in the boppy, where she has taken quite a long nap and I've had to wake her at 4:15 to eat again, before going to get Benjamin at school.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Trip to Grandma and Papa Bleicher's
We drove to Grandma and Papa Bleicher's on Saturday for a visit. Preparing for the trip earlier in the week, Scott kept asking Ben what Papa has and Ben would respond by putting his finger above his lip, referring to Papa's moustache.
Ben seemed to enjoy the trip quite a bit. We sang Old McDonald in the car on the way up and he even gave his input into what animal we should sing about next, and indicated his approval with a nod as I suggested most of the sequence as we went through cows, ducks, horses, goats, and sheep. Ben ate lots of blueberries, as usual, for lunch. He enjoyed reading the books at Grandma's, since they were like new to him. The Big Red Barn and My First Book of Animals. It took a lot of reading and at least 2 attempts, but he finally settled down for a nap upstairs in the crib. Ben's cousin Joel came over with Uncle Marc and Aunt Julia for a visit. Scott says that Joel seemed interested in Ben, but when he approached Ben while playing, Ben would declare "my truck" to him. We brought Ben's tow truck as one of his favorite toys. The kids seemed satisfied enough that Scott and I went to Rio Grande for an early dinner. When we got back, we found Ben sitting at the head of the table with the grandparents and Marc and Julia, looking like quite a big boy and seeming happy as a clam. Grandma Marla indicated that the pizza they'd ordered out for was his 2nd dinner, after eating brocolli and apple sauce earlier. She says that when the boxes were brought into the kitchen, he yelled out "pizza!" Later in the evening, Ben went to the steps and said what I think was "bath". I asked if he wanted a bath and he responded with an excited "yes", so Scott gave him a bath. At bedtime, Scott had to stay upstairs with Ben in his childhood bed until Ben fell asleep, because he cried out when we put him in the unfamiliar crib. I think it might be b/c the night light wasn't plugged in. Ben had a good time playing on Sunday before we got on the road late morning. He said "bye bye Papa" from the van as we were leaving. I thought he'd nap in the carseat on the drive home, but he stayed awake the entire ride, putting his red hat on and taking it off, playing peek a boo with us as he pulled it over his eys, and holding Bunny and Chicky while sucking his thumb. We stopped at McDonalds for a cheeseburger with side of apples happy meal, which he nibbled on a little. He also had a little of my coke, which of course he loves but I think realizes is a treat for him. It was fairly nice out when we got home in the afternoon, so Ben and Scott played outside for a good while in the afternoon, since Ben refused a nap. He was exhausted and fussy in the evening, and fell asleep a good bit before his bedtime right in the middle of reading a book with Daddy. Ben slept until after 7, only waking when Scott took him out of his crib and laid him in our bed with me while I was holding Rebecca. Once awake, he was all smiles and gave lots of hugs to baby and me.
Ben started talking alot more this weekend, saying "yes" more freely instead of just nodding his head and referring to my drink as "wata". He also expanded his colors from just "blue" and "yellow" to "reD", with emphasis on the "d". He also recognizes and will say the color "white" and even referred to a marker appropriately as "gray".
Rebecca took a good nap in the living room on Saturday afternoon in the pack and play. She napped Sunday morning in Grandma's arms in the recliner, which both seemed to enjoy. We tried Saturday evening to give Rebecca a bottle, to no avail. She screamed alot in protest against it. It has me worried that she's not taking the Playtex bottle either, since my trip to Canada is in less than a week and the bottle will be her only option. I tried the Dr Browns bottle on Sunday night at home and she took it after a much shorter protest, at least 5 ounces over the course of 3 bottles during the evening. Then she slept from 10 pm to 4:30 am, which I'll take any night at this age.
Ben seemed to enjoy the trip quite a bit. We sang Old McDonald in the car on the way up and he even gave his input into what animal we should sing about next, and indicated his approval with a nod as I suggested most of the sequence as we went through cows, ducks, horses, goats, and sheep. Ben ate lots of blueberries, as usual, for lunch. He enjoyed reading the books at Grandma's, since they were like new to him. The Big Red Barn and My First Book of Animals. It took a lot of reading and at least 2 attempts, but he finally settled down for a nap upstairs in the crib. Ben's cousin Joel came over with Uncle Marc and Aunt Julia for a visit. Scott says that Joel seemed interested in Ben, but when he approached Ben while playing, Ben would declare "my truck" to him. We brought Ben's tow truck as one of his favorite toys. The kids seemed satisfied enough that Scott and I went to Rio Grande for an early dinner. When we got back, we found Ben sitting at the head of the table with the grandparents and Marc and Julia, looking like quite a big boy and seeming happy as a clam. Grandma Marla indicated that the pizza they'd ordered out for was his 2nd dinner, after eating brocolli and apple sauce earlier. She says that when the boxes were brought into the kitchen, he yelled out "pizza!" Later in the evening, Ben went to the steps and said what I think was "bath". I asked if he wanted a bath and he responded with an excited "yes", so Scott gave him a bath. At bedtime, Scott had to stay upstairs with Ben in his childhood bed until Ben fell asleep, because he cried out when we put him in the unfamiliar crib. I think it might be b/c the night light wasn't plugged in. Ben had a good time playing on Sunday before we got on the road late morning. He said "bye bye Papa" from the van as we were leaving. I thought he'd nap in the carseat on the drive home, but he stayed awake the entire ride, putting his red hat on and taking it off, playing peek a boo with us as he pulled it over his eys, and holding Bunny and Chicky while sucking his thumb. We stopped at McDonalds for a cheeseburger with side of apples happy meal, which he nibbled on a little. He also had a little of my coke, which of course he loves but I think realizes is a treat for him. It was fairly nice out when we got home in the afternoon, so Ben and Scott played outside for a good while in the afternoon, since Ben refused a nap. He was exhausted and fussy in the evening, and fell asleep a good bit before his bedtime right in the middle of reading a book with Daddy. Ben slept until after 7, only waking when Scott took him out of his crib and laid him in our bed with me while I was holding Rebecca. Once awake, he was all smiles and gave lots of hugs to baby and me.
Ben started talking alot more this weekend, saying "yes" more freely instead of just nodding his head and referring to my drink as "wata". He also expanded his colors from just "blue" and "yellow" to "reD", with emphasis on the "d". He also recognizes and will say the color "white" and even referred to a marker appropriately as "gray".
Rebecca took a good nap in the living room on Saturday afternoon in the pack and play. She napped Sunday morning in Grandma's arms in the recliner, which both seemed to enjoy. We tried Saturday evening to give Rebecca a bottle, to no avail. She screamed alot in protest against it. It has me worried that she's not taking the Playtex bottle either, since my trip to Canada is in less than a week and the bottle will be her only option. I tried the Dr Browns bottle on Sunday night at home and she took it after a much shorter protest, at least 5 ounces over the course of 3 bottles during the evening. Then she slept from 10 pm to 4:30 am, which I'll take any night at this age.
Two Woof Woofs
On Monday night (2/7) after the Super Bowl we went to Lara and Eddie's house for dinner, homemade chicken fingers, mac&cheese and green beans. Ben was not a great eater...until I sat down with my chicken fingers which he was not surprisingly more interested in than his own. Earlier he'd eyed one of Lara's m&m bowls, which caught his interest since he thought it contained m&ms, his new favorite treat. He was of course deathly afraid of the dogs and wouldn't let me put him down until they were upstairs in their crates, with their barking out of earshot. I told Ben on our way over that Lara had "2 dogs" and they were "nice". Ben repeated it and I wondered if he understood at all. Over the weekend, he referred to Lara and said "2 woof woofs".
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