Bad Bumbo!

Matthew got a Bumbo seat :o) For those of you who do not know what that is (because a week ago I had no idea), it's a special little seat that you can put babies in once they have good head control. It supports them enough so that they can practice sitting up before they actually can do it on their own. Anyway, I read about it on my iVillage message board, and all the ladies were saying how their kids loved their Bumbos. So my husband went out last Friday evening to Babies R Us and got one. And poor Matthew just doesn't care for it at all! He sits in it for a minute and then starts throwing himself backwards, trying to lay down. The pictures that I have posted here show the natural progression of events after he is placed in his Bumbo...first he's OK and smiley. Then he begins to whine, kick his legs and attempt to launch himself backwards (the 2nd picture that looks like he's leaning backwards was actually taken in mid-launch). Then I take him out of his seat and he is smiley again. The booger ;oP

Holy Spit Bubbles!

Week 13 Newsletter:

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 13 weeks (Approximately 3.0 months) old now.
At three months old, babies usually range from 22 inches long and 9.75 pounds (10th percentile) to 24.5 inches long and 14 pounds (90th percentile). Matthew can see a bit farther now and can focus on objects that are up to 20 feet away. This increased view of the world means Matthew can still see you when you are on the other side of the room, so he can now be comforted by the sight of you even when you're not right next to him. But who could stay away from such an adorable little bubble blower?
Yes, drooling has started and Matthew is probably making bubbles with his saliva. With all that excess saliva and wiping, his chin may become chapped. To relieve some of the problem, run a humidifier in his nursery and try bathing him less often. A little redness is normal with chapped skin, but if it becomes really inflamed give your pediatrician a call or bring it up at your next visit.
Matthew can probably lift his head and shoulders high (45- to 90-degree angle) when placed on his stomach, using his arms for support. This strengthens the muscles he will need to roll over, which could happen any time. While babies often roll from tummy to back first, doing it the other way is perfectly normal, too. However, it may take Matthew until he's about 5 or 6 months to roll from back to tummy, because he needs stronger neck and arm muscles for that trick.
With all this increasing strength and coordination, Matthew may now be able to hold with both hands those rattles you got as gifts. It's still a little early for him to be reaching for objects, but he will hold them for a moment if given them.

Matthew DOES blow spit bubbles all the time! He's been drooling them out for a week or two, but just this past weekend actually learned how to "spit." Or blow raspberries, to put it politely. And guess what? He giggled yesterday!!! Finally!! It was so cute...I had to tickle him for a while, and the only place that elicits giggles as of yet are his thighs. And he'll only actually laugh once or twice. But it's so cute! I can't wait until he thinks more things are funny so that he laughs more often. Gotta run, but I'll try to post a pic or 2 later this week :o)

Promised Pictures

Ok, here are the pictures I was talking about yesterday! We know that there should be a shirt under his vest - we just haven't gotten it yet! And he looks cute as a button without one anyway :o) The other one is him smiling at the toys on his bouncy chair. It's so cute now that he has started "playing" with toys. If only he could grab onto them he wouldn't get so frustrated! All in good time, though. He's getting too big already to try and rush his development. Enjoy!

12 Weeks!

Well, Matthew is 12 weeks old today...almost 3 months! Such a big boy. I have more pictures that I'll have to post later - my husband tried to send them to me at work but they didn't make it for some reason, so I'll have to ask him to send them again later this morning or afternoon. I DO have my newsletter, though, so don't worry!

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 12 weeks (Approximately 2.8 months) old now.
This week you may notice that your baby spends a lot more time watching what's going on around him or her and is becoming increasingly social. He or she will flash that gummy grin at any and everyone, and show interest in colorful toys that make noise. Baby gyms with mats offer a comfortable place for overhead play as well as tummy time and will provide lots of entertainment and opportunities to explore and learn.
Your baby is probably pushing up on his or her arms regularly while lying on his or her tummy. Her or his legs are getting stronger too; if you pull him or her up to a supported standing position he or she may be able to put some weight on both legs.
The moment you've been waiting for is finally here: sleep! Somewhere around the age of three months, most babies begin sleeping for extended periods of time each night. In all honesty, you may be more excited about the sleeping than you are about any of the other milestones your baby reaches about now - it will give you the opportunity to get some much-needed rest! He or she is able to eat and store more food to get through the night, so he or she doesn't need to wake up for several meals. These stretches may last up to six hours! While you may not consider this "through the night," it's a vast improvement.

Well, Matthew is doing all of the above - smiling at just about anyone, pushing up on his arms during tummy time (when he's in a good enough mood - still hates being on his tummy), puts weight on his legs and occasionally sleeps through the night. Like last night! He wouldn't go to sleep until amost 11:00pm, but then he was out until I woke him up around 6:45am to eat. And yes, I wake him up to eat in the mornings because if he doesn't eat before I go to work then I would have to pump as soon as I got there. It would be annoying and not good for my milk supply :oP I have to pump 4 times a day (3X at work and once before I go to bed) just to get enough milk for the 3 bottles he takes while I'm gone. What a pain! But the benefits of breastfeeding are just to numerous to disregard for convenience's sake. So I do it :o)

Ok, well got to go. But I'll get the pictures up later (there's one of him in one of the outfits you got him, Spiffy!)

Some Pictures From Yesterday

Matthew is 11 Weeks Old!

Where is the time going? It's so strange - my baby has started to grow out of clothes. My husband said the other day that I should start putting some 0-3 month outfits aside to be stored away since they're starting to be too tight for Matthew. I got sad...it doesn't seem like he should be getting too big for anything yet! He's already in size 2 diapers - no more newborns or size 1 around anymore. He plays now, too. He's always batting his toys around and talking to them. Still can't really grab onto things too well and he STILL won't laugh, but he's just getting so big! We measured him last night - 25 inches long. That's 4 inches longer than when he was born. Wow! Anyway, here's what the newsletter says about 11 week olds:

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 11 weeks (Approximately 2.6 months) old now.
Your baby is starting to exercise a little self-control. When he or she is crying and you respond by making a funny face or talking to him or her, he or she will be able to settle down, stop crying, and eventually give you a great big, toothless smile.
Speaking of smiles, your baby may start giving you my favorite: the full-body smile. A full-body smile is just what the name implies: a smile that uses all of your baby's body. He or she may kick, wave his or her arms, and squeal. There will be no mistaking that he or she is happy. By the end of the first year, full-body smiles are pretty much over, so enjoy them now.
If you are out of your baby's sight and call to your baby, he or she will now probably turn his or her head and search for you. He or she is also gaining enough strength and coordination in his or her neck that when you pull him or her to a sitting position, he or she might be able to keep his or her head steady and in line with the rest of his or her body.

Just one more thing to add. Matthew has been sleeping better and better lately - I actually got 8 full hours of sleep last Friday evening. First time since he was born! Well, last night he went to sleep at 10:00pm. And woke up at...5:55am! I get up at 6:00am anyway, so it was wonderful! First time ever that I didn't get up for a nighttime feeding. Just more evidence that my little baby is growing up already. Man, they're not kidding when they say it goes fast!

Newsletter Madness!

Well, I am now getting a baby newsletter instead of a pregnancy newsletter. And I know how all of you enjoyed reading about what was going on with my body during pregnancy, so I'm sure that you will enjoy reading about Matthew's development! I'm being sarcastic, but hey. It's a way for the few of you who read my blog and know me to keep up with what Matthew's up to lately :o) Anyway, here's what the newsletter says this week:

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 10 weeks (Approximately 2.4 months) old now.
Your baby reaches an exciting milestone around week 10 as he or she begins to respond to his or her name. A sign of recognition may just be a widening of his or her eyes when he or she hears you say his or her name. This development can be exciting, but don't be surprised if it takes many more weeks before his or her response is consistent.
Your baby's eyesight is continuing to improve and he or she is now able to track an object with his or her eyes from one side to directly in front of his or her face. He or she may even continue following it all the way to the other side for a full 180 degrees. He or she is also able to pick your face out of a group by now. When he or she sees you, he or she will fixate on your face, his or her eyes will widen and shine, and he or she may wave his or her arms with excitement.
When your arms need a short break, or when your baby needs a little down-time, try placing your baby in an infant seat or swing. He or she is now strong enough to sit in this semi-reclined position, especially when propped with a small pillow or rolled receiving blanket. However, be sure these objects are not placed near his or her head where he or she could turn his or her face into them and suffocate. While his or her neck and back have grown significantly stronger in the past few weeks, his or her head is still wobbly, so continue to provide support.

I haven't noticed Matthew recognizing his name - I'll have to try this out when I get home today! He does track objects, but how far he'll track them depends on how interesting he thinks the object is! And he has loved being by himself for a while on his playmat or in his bouncy seat almost since he was a newborn, so we do this a few times a day. He still is fascinated with windows and overhead lights. And ceiling fans and pictures on the wall. Hard to tell what he'll find interesting these days!

Last night I finally got a few hours of sleep in a row - he'd been going through a phase lately where he would get up every 2-3 hours. Drove me nuts, especially since he had been only getting up once a night! Last night, though, I layed him down at 10:00pm, he got up at 1:30am to eat and then didn't get up again until almost 6:00am! I'm still tired, but not like I have been the last few days.

Ok, well I wrote another novel. See you all later!

Even More Pictures

Hello everybody! Hope that everybody (that would be you, Spiffy) is doing well. Everything is fine here, other than the fact that I am soooooo tired. I have a baby, though, so duh. Work is going well. I am now officially "used to" being away from Matthew during the days. I don't like it, but it doesn't really make me too sad anymore. I still get a twinge of regret in the morning when I kiss him goodbye, but that is normal and probably won't ever go away. My husband is doing great with him, so I don't have many worries when I'm at work. I'm pretty lucky, really. Anyway, here are some pictures from the weekend. We took Matthew up to Lake Michigan - we only live about 30 miles away. He didn't seem to care one way or the other about having his feet in the water, but Mommy wanted pictures so Daddy took some :o) Enjoy!

Wow, What a Difference!

Ok, here we go! This is just for you, Due Date Buddies! LOL For those of you who do not already know, the picture on the left is me almost exactly one year ago dancing at my friend's wedding. I was the Matron of Honor, I was one month away from getting pregnant, and I was a hottie! :o) The picture on the right is me 2 days before giving birth to Matthew. I was hot, tired, fat and definitely not a hottie! I don't have a current picture of me, but I will get one posted soon.

Guess Who's 9 Weeks Old Now?