Sunday, March 28, 2010

Seth's Summary: Week 13

The biggest thing about this week is that we've been adjusting to me going back to work....probably me adjusting, more so than Seth! Thankfully, Seth has been used to being around my mom and Jason's mom, so having them come over to our house to watch Seth has been easy on him.

Eating: No change here, except I know Seth is getting the food he needs because he is gaining weight. If the scales are true, he is now 16 lbs!

Naps: Eh....Seth sleeps well for his morning nap, but his 2nd and 3rd naps range anywhere for 45 min - 1.5 hrs. Never consistent, but he probably gets about 4-5 hrs of sleep total with his naps. Seth still cries when being put down for about half of his naps. I read that at this age, Seth may enjoy his time playing with us so he would rather be up, than put down in his crib for a nap....even though he's been awake for a while. We're just trying to keep consistent with Seth's waketime so he doesn't get fatigued.

Nighttime: What is consistent is Seth's nighttime routine! This little guy sleeps from 8pm-ish until 7am! We're still enjoying it until something changes!

Waketime: Seth is up to 1.5 - 2 hrs of waketime between his naps. You can tell when Seth is reaching his max waketime, because he gets a little fussy, rubbing his eyes or gets the 7-mile look.

Other fun Seth facts:
- The drool faucet turned on! I find his drooling sweet.:) He's getting prepared for those baby teeth to start popping through in a couple of months!
- Seth LOVES walks in his stroller. He chatters the whole walk through!














Posted by Picasa

Friday, March 12, 2010

Seth's Summary: 12 weeks and 3 months!

Our 3-month old!!! Seth is getting so big and I can't believe that 3 months have flown by.

What is Seth up to at 3 months?

- He's discovered sticking his tongue out. We play a little game that Seth usually starts by sticking his tongue out, then I stick my tongue out and we go back and forth sticking our tongues out at each other. It's so fun! Of course, I'm sure there will be a day when I have to teach Seth "we don't stick our tongue out at people".
- We had tried giving Seth a pacifier weeks ago, but he never wanted to hold it himself. So, we tried a pacifier shaped differently and surprise, surprise - Seth takes it! We use it when Seth wakes early from a nap or is overly tired and needs something to suck on when going down for a nap. He sucks on his fingers, but when he gets overly tired, he'd rather shake his hands instead of put them in his mouth!
- I need to get the boy some shades cuz when we take Seth out for a stroller walk, he's practically blinded by the sun.....but he loves stroller walks - coos and squeals abound!

My favorites for Seth....blue, browns and stripes!



One of the fewer happy moments in his carseat. Seth has started to put up a fuss when he's put in the car seat...I think because he doesn't have as much access to swinging his arms around and putting his fists in his mouth.
Love the cheeky smile!! Seth has my chunky cheeks!

March 10, 2010:

Seth is sporting his first Viking shirt. I know what you're thinking....his first Viking shirt?? Yeah, we don't have a big stock of Viking threads....which I'm sure will change with this upcoming season.
Seth loves his daddy and gets excited when he comes home from work. They have a special time playing and chatting away.


March 11, 2010:
Seth and I had a playdate with our friends Jenny and Hayden. Hayden's 14 months old and Seth just got a kick out of watching Hayden. Hayden loves using his voice and walked right up to Seth chattering away. Seth just took it all in and watched Hayden like a hawk.

Seth absolutely adored Jenny. He smiled, cooed and laughed with Jenny for over a half hour. It was so fun to watch!

Seth got a taste of the Bumbo for the first time and I decided it was time for Seth to have his very own. He did well holding his head up! It is the perfect little seat for our boy that loves to watch the world around him.


March 12, 2010:
In the last two weeks, Seth really took a liking to the bouncer. He kicks his legs and pumps his arms, which inevitably hit the hanging toys and he gets so excited!
March 13, 2010:
We call this the "Zoolander" look.
I don't know who enjoys the Bumbo more.....Jason or Seth. We just bought the Bumbo for Seth and so far I can't tell if he likes it or not. He just kind of slumps over a little bit right now.
March 14, 2010:

Playing with a new toy....Seth loves toys that light up and make music.


March 15, 2010:


Feeding: No change! I'm still BFing and Seth is still quite the eater.

Naps: Seth takes a really good long nap in the morning and takes shorter naps of about an hour or so for the other 3 naps in the day. I've found that Seth's optimal waketime is an hour and a half, longer than that he starts to melt down.:) We started letting him use his new pacifier at the beginning of his nap if he is particulary fussy. Seth still does not prefer to have a nap in the early evening, but we try hard to get him to take a catnap around 6pm.

Nights: Seth goes to bed at 8pm, gets fed "in his sleep" around 10:30pm and then sleeps until 7am. It's proving to be a good routine....however long it lasts!

Playtime: We do Seth's stretches and positions to help his neck muscles. Seth has a lot of tummy time so he doesn't always rest on his back and head. He actually really likes hanging out on his tummy and does so for about 15 minutes during playtime. We try various activities like sitting in his Bumbo or playing in his bouncer for a few minutes. He does really well with independent play, either kicking his legs and pumping his arms over the dining room light to squealing over Sally the Snail that lights up.

Seth loves to be talked to and when you hold him, he prefers to be looking out with his back to your chest. Jason and I think he's going to be quite the independent, active little boy. He would rather be smiling, giggled and played with than being cuddled. Seth has his cuddle moments, usually when he's just woken from naps or we're winding down for a nap.

That's why I love the quiet mornings I have with Seth....because I know soon enough he will be too busy to cuddle with his mommy!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Seth's Summary: 11 weeks

Our little chatter box is now 12 weeks old! But, as I've let on, Seth is revealing himself to be quite the talker. He is our baby boy....no longer an infant, but soon to be 3 months old!


Seth and I had a playdate with our friends Martha and her little baby girl, Lauren. It's so fun to hear the difference between baby boy and baby girl coos and chattering. Seth's sounds like a boy as compared to Lauren's little baby girl coos. I love it!


Eating: Seth is still eating well, which is evident in the weightiness that I've noticed in him the last week or so. I'm so glad I've been able to still BF Seth, so I hope it continues.


Naps: Seth has a good, long 1.5 hr nap in the morning and his subsequent naps during the day range from 45 min. - 1.25 hours. I was having a hard time getting Seth settled down for his naps, but then I found a nice little routine to help him get ready for his nap. First, we read a book in his nursery chair, then I sing a song to him for a few minutes. He calms down very well, but as soon as I turn his noise machine on and then lay him down in his crib, he starts to fuss and cry. I stay with him a few minutes while he finds his fingers to suck on. Usually he falls asleep within 5-10 minutes.


I laughed so hard this morning because Seth had a full morning of a bath and his neck stretches. He was nearly falling asleep in my lap just a little before 9am, so I headed for his room. I sang a song and lay Seth down in his crib. Right on cue, he yelled in protest but as I put his arms in his swaddle sack, he fell right asleep on me. That was a first that Seth fell asleep for a nap before I even stepped out of the room. I'm racking my brain for the magic trip, because I need to try that again!


Nights: Seth does so well at night! Our evenings and nights have been pleasant. Jason feeds Seth a bottle at 10:30-11pm and then puts Seth down for the night. He goes to sleep without a struggle and sleeps until 7-7:30am. I'm counting this little blessing, because who knows when Seth will change on us??


Playtime: I found that Seth's ideal awake time is really around 1.5 hrs right now, including his feeding time. After I feed Seth, I play with him in the living room on his play mat. Or, I'll do his neck stretches with some cuddle times in between the stretches because he does not like to have those stretches done!

My favorite thing is to go into Seth's room in the morning to wake him up or get him up from his crib if he's already awake. He is so happy! He giggles, squeals and gives me the biggest smile!


Other fun Seth facts:

- He is an absolute hoot on the changing table. It does not phase him when he gets his diaper changed. He squeals and gives happy screams.
- He laughs when I shake my head on his belly.
- He tolerates about 10 minutes of tummy time and has even begun to enjoy it somewhat....as far as I can tell, because he "who's" and sounds like an owl when he's on his tummy.
- When Seth is in a new surrounding or with a new person, he wears his inquisitive studious look: the furrowed brow. I laugh because everyone comments how he's so serious, but it couldn't be farther from the truth. He takes it all in and just watches.
- Seth consistently tips himself over on his back when he's doing tummy time. He gets so surprised when it happens as if he says, "How did I get here?"
- Jason took Seth on his first stroller ride outside last week and he liked it! Well, if you count falling asleep in his stroller by the time Jason finished the first block.
- Seth began physical therapy appointments for torticollis, which is basically a shortening of the neck muscle that's connected to your shoulder. We are doing stretches and positions to help strengthen the muscles on the left side of his neck and shoulder. He does not like the stretches, but we have lots of cuddles in between the exercises. We're trying to prevent Seth from having to wear a helmet if the shaping of his head does not improve from these exercises.

Here are some fun pictures!

March 3, 2010:
Wearing designer threads! I love this sweater. He was looking mighty cute for lunch with my mom at Panera Bread.

March 5, 2010:

Who puts their baby on the snow for a photo op! Seth clearly is a Minnesotan at heart - he took it all in stride.

I love how little babies look like penguins in their snowsuits. But putting Seth in the snowsuit was a chore. It's almost like you need to shimmy your baby's body into the snowsuit to actually get them in!

Seth has this look of "what is this thing?".

Seth sucking his thumb....sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't! I'm hoping he continues to opt for a finger or fist, because his requests for mommy and daddy to hold the pacifier in his mouth for doesn't quite cut it!



This is the "after" picture....Seth was on his tummy and then tipped himself over.


March 6, 2010:
Jason took Seth for his first stroller ride on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

March 8, 2010:
Tummy time: strengthening those shoulder and neck muscles!

March 9, 2010:
Seth batting Paulie the Polar Bear and Leo the Lion. He's figured out that if he keeps hitting the Paulie, the toy will make music.

More tummy time!

This was one evening when Jason had gotten home from work right before Seth had to go down for a nap, so I had to capture this sweet picture of Seth and his daddy.

It is my last full week being home full time with Seth before my maternity leave is up next week and I head back to work. I'm sad to leave my sweet boy, but he will be in good hands!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Seth's Summary: 9-10 weeks

It's been a bit since I've posted, but that just means one thing....our lives are getting busy! Seth and I have been busy during our days together. I'm getting more and more confident taking Seth places on my own and figuring out how Seth does during a day with an activity. He does pretty well on our little outings!

In Seth's 9-10 weeks, we've been busy:
- Visited my company during the lunch hour on a Friday. Seth was dressed Friday casual with my favorite button up shirt.
- Visited with Seth's great-grandpa and grandma on my side. Seth was a peach and impressed his great-grandpa with how strong his legs are and how much he wants to stand up. Then, he took a long nap in his great-grandma's arms and boy, did she love that! He knows a nurturing little embrace when he feels it!
- While Jason and I went out to dinner at Benihana's, my parents baby sat Seth.
- Visited friends Jill and her baby Caleb for a play date. Seth seemed to take in what Caleb was doing as a 1-year old.

What Seth is up to these days....

Feeding: Seth is a little rock-star eater! He has six feedings a day and dropped his middle-of-the-night feeding during his 9th week. Wahoo! I think it was mommy who dropped the feeding, because clearly Seth was ready to give it a try because he didn't wake up hungry until sometime after 5:30am. Jason now feeds Seth a bottle of expressed milk at the last feeding of the day. We found that feeding Seth 5 oz was exactly what he needs to sleep through the night.....

Night sleeping: Seth is now sleeping through the night! Since we started giving Seth 5 oz instead of 4 oz at his last feeding, he sleeps until after 6:45am! Knock on wood, we keep telling ourselves. We never take these sleeping-through-the-night for granted, so we'll enjoy it while it lasts. In his 10th week, Seth now sleeps until 7-7:30am. I don't even remember when our last middle-of-the-night feeding was, but it seems like so long ago.

Naps: Seth has five naps a day, ranging from 1.5 hours to 1 hour in duration. Half of his naps he sleeps well for; half of them he does not. By that I mean that for all naps, he is now awake enough where he has to soothe himself to sleep. At most naps when I lay him in his crib, he cries for a little bit - even though he's tired, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He is learning to suck on his fingers or fist while he drifts off to sleep. I found a good routine for Seth that calms him down and gets him ready for a nap: draw the shades, darken the room with only one light, read a book, and sing some songs. After the songs, he is calm and relaxed. When I reach down to turn on his noise machine, Seth knows what's coming. He starts to whimper and whimpers more when I lay him in his crib. I turn his musical mobile on and help him find his fist to suck on. For now, this seems to work and he cries for about a minute before falling asleep.

During Seth's first 7 weeks, he had a fussy time anywhere between 6-10pm. It was difficult for him to take a catnap during this time. As Seth got older, we took out the cluster feedings in the evenings and he has had less fussy times.

Seth sleeps well during the evenings. At times we've been tempted to drop his 7:30pm feeding, because it's so difficult for Jason to wake Seth up for his 10:30pm feeding. If we let him sleep through the late evening feeding, he'd probably wake us up at 2am to be fed! He's still a little young to try to extend his sleep time from 7:30pm - 7am.

Awake time: Seth likes to be awake. In fact, he could be awake for 1.5-2 hours and not get crabby. He just loves to be up, looking around, sitting with his mommy or playing on his play mat. But, we try not to keep him up too long because he can easily get overtired. When Seth gets overtired, he does not nap very well.

Fun Seth stuff:
- His personality is really starting to shine through: content little boy, with a studious little look in surroundings outside of his home. He always gets the comment that he is so serious. And he is! Seth furrows his brows when he takes in his new surroundings.
- He is so happy, alert and giggly in his home with me and Jason. Seth will laugh, squeal or smile at us to get us to laugh and then he does it again. He's going to be just like his daddy - trying to get a reaction out of us.
- He sticks his tongue out when he smiles at me, which proceeds into a game between me and Seth: I stick out my tongue and smile, then Seth does. Back and forth we go!
- Seth wakes up in the mornings with big smiles and laughs. I love going in to wake Seth up because we're so happy to see each other. It's like - wow, I haven't seen you for a while! Let's play.

It is soooo nice outside and I'm itching to take Seth's wheels - aka, the jogging stroller - for a trip around the block. Pretty soon you'll see us jogging the trails!

I'll post some pictures soon!