Catch-Up

Wow! It's been nearly a month since my last post! Rowen is closing in on 5 months and, boy, is he changing! We tried introducing rice cereal after the pediatrician gave the "green light", but he showed no interest in it. He wouldn't open his mouth and kept turning his head away. When he started to get upset, I stopped pushing. I've tried 4 times and he still hasn't started opening his mouth. I've decided to give it a few more weeks and then try again. I'm not worried, since the AAP doesn't recommend starting solids until 6 months anyway.

He's still not rolling over regularly. I think he's rolled from his tummy to his back about 4 times and from his back to his tummy once. He gets really close to going over, but his arms keep getting in the way. Poor guy! I know he'll get it eventually, but it's so hard not to just help him the rest of the way over.

I think he's starting to teethe. He's been pretty fussy for the past week and he's drooling more than usual. He's also chewing on his fingers and pulling at his gums. He had a slight fever one night, so I gave him a bit of Tylenol before bed to help bring it down. He's also had much more frequent bowel movements, which I've heard is another sign of teething. I guess we won't find out for sure until that little tooth bud starts making its way through his gums.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post more regularly from now on. It'll probably only be harder to keep up once Rowen is more mobile. I think I'm in for a challenge.

Rolling Rowen

Rowen rolled over tonight from his back to his belly! I, unfortunately, didn't see it as I had my face hidden behind the computer screen. I'm ashamed to say that, but it's the truth. He was on the floor laying beneath his entertainment gym and I could hear him cooing and spitting and "talking" to the birds that rotate above his head. All of a sudden, his noises sounded muffled and my first thought was that he'd managed to pull the spit rag over his face. I looked over the computer screen and to my surprise there was my sweet boy laying on his belly! I jumped up from my seat and ran to him (about 4 steps away) completely shocked. I'm so proud of him for figuring out how to do it, but I can't believe I missed it. Curse technology sometimes!

He hasn't done it again since that one time, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time until he's rolling himself all around. My baby boy is growing up way too fast!

Catch-Up

Wow! It's been a while since my last post. Things got crazy around here during the holidays and I haven't been able to update. Here's a brief recap of the last couple weeks:

On December 18, Rowen rolled over from his tummy to his back for the first time. I have a feeling it was completely on accident (got a little top heavy with his big 'ole noggin) because he hasn't done it again. He's gotten close to rolling from his back to his belly, but hasn't managed that one yet. He gets to looking behind him (above him) when he's laying on his back and gets up on his side, but hasn't completed the rotation just yet. I'm excited for these new milestones, but I'm not rushing them. He can just stay my little bug for a while longer. :P

Christmas and New Years were fun and Rowen got to meet more family. My uncle and cousins who live in North Carolina came to Illinois for a week and they were thrilled to meet and spend time with Rowen. He, of course, could care less. :P I think he had a good time with them though.

For Christmas, my parents got him a "play mat" thing that sits on the floor and he lays on it. It has 3 "arches" that go over him and have toys hanging down for him to play with. He's extremely interested in it and I love watching him lay there and "talk" to the toys. It's fun to watch the surprised look that crosses his face when he hits the toys and they move.

He has also recently discovered his hands, mainly his left. He gets it in front of his face and looks at it like, "what the heck is this?" It's adorable. He pulls it close and his eyes cross and then he yanks it away. Each time it comes in front of his face he gets "surprised" all over again. Who knew something so minor could provide so much entertainment?

He is now 3 months old (as of January 4th) and I've loved every minute of being a mommy to my amazing little boy. Just a few more months until Daddy can rejoin our little family and experience all the wonderful things that come along with parenting.

Working on a Schedule

I tried something new today. Rowen has been slightly fussier than usual for the past few days and I couldn't figure out what the problem was. He seemed to only want to be carried around the house; sitting still just wasn't an option. I checked his temperature and there was no fever, so I ruled out sickness. I realized eventually that he was just plain tired. He's been sleeping wonderfully at night (5-7 hours and then goes back down for another 2-3 hours); however, his daytime naps are usually short, lasting anywhere from 10-40 minutes. They are also usually taken in his swing or curled up on my chest. The only time he sleeps more than an hour is if he's in his carseat and we're on the go.

So today I decided to start working on somewhat of a schedule to help him get some more rest. I've learned that he sleeps very well when he's swaddled with the Halo Sleep Sack so I always use that at nighttime. Today, I thought it might work to treat naptime like bedtime. We have a wonderful bedtime routine that consists of being changed, swaddled, nursed, burped and laid in bed. So that's just what I did. And wouldn't you know it, it worked! He slept for nearly 3 hours and probably would have slept longer had I not waked him. I didn't want him to sleep too long so I woke him up after 3 hours to nurse and get ready to go to Nana's house.

I'm hoping the long nap won't keep him from sleeping well tonight. He's been down for about an hour so I guess we'll wait and see. My plan is to continue "scheduling" one 2-3 hour nap every afternoon for a couple of weeks. If these seem to be going well, I may consider scheduling a late morning nap as well. I'm not going to be super strict on the time of the nap just yet as long as he gets at least one good nap a day (for now). Eventually I'm hoping that he will "learn" to get sleepy around the same time every day and will kind of set up the pattern on his own. Hoping being the operative word.

This is just an experiment for now as are most things for a new mother. I'm learning things right along with him, and I'm enjoying every minute of it. Some experiments work out great for us and others just may not click. I guess this is true for most anything new so we'll try it for a while until we can determine if "scheduled naps" are right for us.

Miserable Mastitis

It turns out that sickness I wrote about on Sunday was much worse than a simple head cold. Since I still wasn't feeling well come Monday night and I still had a "clogged milk duct" I decided to look up Mastitis to see what the symptoms were. Sure enough, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding described my problems to a "T". After talking to a friend who said I needed to go to the ER as soon as possible, I decided to check my temperature to see if I was running a fever; I wasn't, but I was in pain from the clogged duct. I called the OB department of my hospital and they transferred me to my midwife. She told me that since I didn't have a fever that it would be safe for me to wait until the morning to call the office for an antibiotic. First thing this morning, I called for an antibiotic and have been taking it all day today. Hopefully, the medicine will help clear this up for good. Mastitis is pretty miserable and I don't ever want to feel this way again.

Mommy's Don't Get Sick

It's been a few days since I last updated so I thought I'd post a quick one. Rowen has been doing so much better since last Sunday. He's still spitting up after some feedings, but it's minimal and not after every feeding. I'm so happy that he seems to be getting better. I'm not getting my hopes up yet, but it appears we're on the downhill slope of this whole issue.

I, on the other hand, have not been feeling the greatest. I felt a head cold and sore throat coming on on Friday. By Saturday, my nose wouldn't stop running and I developed a headache mid-day. Saturday night, I had trouble sleeping and Sunday morning I woke up with the same headache and body aches. I spent most of Sunday sleeping, and I'm so thankful that my parents were around to help out with Rowen and our two dogs.

I'm still not feeling the best, but I hope that I can get a good night's sleep and wake up tomorrow feeling like my good ol' healthy self again. I still believe that Mommy's should NOT be allowed to get sick.

What's Up, Doc?

It's been a few days so here's a brief update. Sunday night was a rough one. I don't know if it was something I ate or what, but Rowen was extremely fussy and would not stop spitting up. He soaked 4 spit rags after one feeding and cried for 2 hours. He was still spitting up when it was time for him to eat again! After that, I was extremely frustrated. Not with him, of course, but with the situation. I'm tired of hearing "he'll grow out of it" and "it's normal". He only gained 3 oz in almost 2 weeks and I didn't feel like my doctor was taking my concerns seriously.

I've decided to switch pediatricians. Mainly because of what I just mentioned; I don't feel like my concerns are being addressed or taken seriously. While my concerns may not be all that "concerning", they are to me as a first time mom. I want a doctor who will understand my feelings of worry as a new mom and who will address the issues and not just brush them off. If this spitting up is indeed something he'll "grow out of" then I'd like a doctor who will suggest ways to help him until he does grow out of it. I'd also like a rough time table: when should he grow out of it by? if he doesn't grow out of it by X months/years, what's the next step? would you like to see him again before his next well-baby appointment? These are just a few things that the doctor could have said to let me know that he truly cares about my son's health.

That said, I'm in the process of switching doctors. I hope that I'm making the right decision for Rowen. I want him to have the best care possible from someone who will take me seriously. I don't want to be the type of mom who rushes her kid to the doctor for every cough and sneeze, but I also don't want to be "brushed off" or made to feel silly for worrying. Hopefully we'll find comfort with a new doctor; hopefully we'll find answers.