Happy 5-Month Birthday Baby Bear

Well, I am terrible at keeping up with this blog thing!  I am keeping good notes of Logan’s development in his baby calendar though, but am finding it hard to sit down and find time to write.  I know I say this every month, but what a month of change for Logan.  It is so exciting to see how he is developing!

Playing

He is still a stud at playing, though his tastes have shifted, as I guess is normal.  He isn’t as into his play mat anymore, though I am not sure why.  He loves being in his bouncer.  He plays with the toys and we usually put his blanket and his Sophie toy on him as well (sometimes parchment paper between his feet).  He loves to play on his own, and will do it for quite a while.  If you are nearby, he expects you to dance for him or generally entertain him by standing above him (sitting is frowned upon by Logan).  He loves to be in the front pack and see the world.  He is fascinated by watching people (especially watching them move).  You can watch him just soak it all in!  ON memorial day we went to Richard and Meghan’s house and he sat still on my lap for an hour (never happened before) watching their kids run around. 

He loves any kind of physical play whether flying baby, or being held upside down, or dragged on the floor by his feet.  He also loves his new sitting chair with toys.  He played with it a bunch at first and then has screamed when we put him in it recently.  Saturday, I set him in it while I washed my hands briefly and when I came to check on him (from behind), he was playing away, so I left him.  Sunday played in it for about 20 minutes while I unloaded the dishwasher and ate breakfast in the kitchen.  Charles jokes that it is “his office” because he is so serious when he is playing with the toys.  I think, like the bouncer, he likes to not be distracted while people and enjoys focusing on his toys.  Since then, we have been leaving him more alone while he’s “working” and he loves spending about 20 minutes in here playing with the toys.

Moving

He also loves to play on his mat and roll back and forth.  We have been rolling him and he is now figuring out how to roll on his own.  About 2 weeks ago he did his first back to front roll in his crib.  This last week on Thursday he rolled back to front 5 times and front to back once!  Yay!  Julia finally got to see him roll once, which see was super excited about.  Of course he hasn’t rolled since, but I am guessing it is one of those things that comes and goes for a bit.  He still loves when we roll him around on the mat.

Logan is exploring his body more and more.  He loves to play with his legs (and almost feet).  We can put his feet in his hands, but although he can reach, he doesn’t seem to grab his feet quite yet.  He is getting closer every week, starting at thighs and now holding his ankles.  This feet holding encourages the rolling since being a little ball makes rolling much easier!  His hands of course are his favorite toy, and he loves to suck on them.  He mostly sucks on his fingers, but occasionally does his thumb.  He often sticks all 4 of his fingers in at the same time.  He also touches his face and head, which is cute and different.  Now that he has more control over his hands, you also see less awesome behavior like rubbing at his eyes when he is angry or tired.  This leaves his poor eyes red, and sometimes scratches around his eyes, though I am constantly trimming his nails.

His new favorite things this month are sitting and standing.  He loves to stand up and look around.  We hold his torso or arms for support, but let him support his weight.  He can do it for long stretches at a time (probably 5-10 minutes).  He seems to get a kick out of his new perspective.  He still won’t hold on to something to keep himself standing though (like a chair edge or table), but will balance himself and stand if we hold his arms.  He loves to sit as well.  He would much rather sit or stand than lay down and although he can be held for short periods (especially if looking in a mirror or walking around and seeing new things), he would rather sit or stand on your lap.  He still loves the mirror in all cases though.  He has a giant mirrored closet in his room and we spend a lot of time in front of it.  Because he is doing much more with his legs, I am noticing he is drastically changing how he likes to be held, especially when he is falling asleep.  He used to like to have his legs tucked up or held tight and now he’d like them freer but doesn’t like them dangling, so we lay a little flatter when we rock him (we put an extra pillow below our back), and that helps him.  I imagine this is because his legs are probably a little sore from all the muscle he is gaining daily.  Although, who knows ;)

Interacting

He is getting increasingly talkative and it is so fun to hear his little voice and hear his sounds.  For a while he would stick to one sound for a few days, “ah” or “oo” or “eh” but now he is mixing them up a bit.  He definitely goes through phases where he is more talkative, but in general he is more talkative when is a little grumpy or tired.  He will also stick his hand in his mouth, and play with his tongue while vocalizing, which makes some cute sounds.  

He is full of smiles and it is so fun to see him light up when he sees us or when we entertain him.  He is a really smiley kid and we now get about a thousand smiles a day.  I love it.  Even when he is crying and fussy he will smile (though sometimes while crying!).  The giggles are getting more and more frequent too.  Like the talking, they seem to come in waves, but I have to say, a session of giggles recharges my mommy battery in a serious way!

He is also more aware of this world which makes him more entertained (like watching people) and more interactive (turning to sounds and tracking us as we walk across the room or do chores), but also he gets scared/startled easily and has some issues starting with stranger anxiety.  It is so hard when we scare him.  He will throw his arms to the side, look at you wide eyed, then the lower lip pouches out and finally the ear piercing scream!  Luckily, we can pick him up and comfort him pretty quickly.  He definitely knows who his mommy, daddy, and Julia are now and when other people try to hold him, especially if he is even the slightest bit tired or fussy, he tends to scream.  He will flirt and play with people but is less interested in being held.  Hopefully this will get better with time. 

Sleeping

Oh, what to say about sleeping.  We probably created a little bit of a monster by allowing him to sleep on us.  I am not sure what we should/could have done differently with a little one who refused to sleep at all and would scream until we came.  According to the sleep books, you are supposed to get them to sleep at all costs in the first few months, so oh well.  But now he is almost 5 months and it is time for it to stop.  On Saturday, we started sleep training.  We had a really bad night Friday and I put him down for his nap (which means I rock him until he is dead asleep and put him in his crib) and he woke up 5 minutes later.  It was ridiculous.  So I let him cry.  I feel like not spending 3-4 hours rocking Logan each weekend day has given Charles and I a lot more time together and time to get things done.

How is Logan doing?  Amazing.  In less than a week he really has learned to fall asleep on his own.  This not only helps him once he is asleep in the crib, but even the bedtime process.  He knows when he is tired and how to calm himself down.  If he wakes up, and is still tired, he knows how to put himself back to sleep.  If he waskes up and isn’t tired, we’ll hear him cooing and playing in his crib.  He has slept through the night on Tuesday night and Thursday night and has taken good naps Thursday and Friday.  They are mixing up a bit in terms of length and time of day, but overall he is putting himself back on the same schedule he had before.  The process wasn’t easy and I don’t imagine it is all over, but we haven’t had to “cry-it out” since 1 nap on Wednesday.  I am super excited for the future.  I think he will be more well rested and we can do more activities together (during known awake time) and apart, when Charles and I know he will be sleeping.  I have no doubt that the crying benefited him and if we have to do more, I know it will again.  I am also feeling much better about our trip to California now since he can sleep so much better in general.

Here’s how we did it:  All naps have to be at least an hour long.  Meaning if he wakes before an hour, he stays there until the 1 hour mark (even if this is 55 min of screaming).  We never go to him right when he cries.  We wait at least 5 min so he doesn’t associate crying with a response.  Generally we wait 15 min and try to soothe without picking him up, but after a missed nap during the day, I will rock him back down.  A missed nap happens when he cries the whole time (or a majority) and then we get him up at the 1 hr mark and make him stay up for 1.5 -2 hours of awake time before he is allowed to sleep again.  I don’t want him to get too behind on sleep but I want him to learn to self soothe and to learn that naps happen in a window and if you cry instead, you don’t get to sleep. 

Eating

He eats completely breast milk still.  He is a very efficient eater, though also quite distractible now.  The house has to be quiet and distractions (like people) have to leave the room.  When he gets distracted, he will either get fussy and detach (or bite me in the process) or he’ll just look around and coo at the people. 

He is now taking bottles really well.  Often I have done 2 bottles during the work day which allows me to focus more on work, which I enjoy.

Other

His hair is still growing and growing!  He still has a built in Mohawk with longer hair right on the crest of his head, but the rest is filling in more again (after the hair that fell out after birth).  He still hates hats mostly, and I think it is because he is so darn proud of his hair (I would be).
He doesn’t have any teeth yet but we are constantly sure he is about to get them (which apparently we are wrong).  He just loves to bite/chew/suck/slobber on anything that comes close enough.  Charles calls it “fishing” where he will reach out his hand, catch something, and bring it to his mouth.  His favorite “fish” are people’s hands, but his little jaw is pretty strong and so we don’t usually let him chew on us.

His nick names, at this point, are pretty established.  I call him “bear” or “baby bear.”  I was originally calling him Loganberry, which is a real kind of berry that Charles and I ate last year, but it somehow got shortened and has stuck in my head.  Charles calls him “baby boy.”  His occasional nicknames are “gremlin” from me (especially when he is grumpy or needs to eat) and “wolverine” and “batman” from our friends.  “Wolverine” is because the x-men character who is Wolverine is named Logan.  Batman has no reason, right Mo ;).  Of course we both also call him “Logan” and I think he is starting to learn his name as well as who “mommy” and “daddy” mean.  Not always, but occasionally, he will clearly look at one of us when the name is said.

How are mommy and daddy fairing?

Well, I would have answered differently a week ago, but now with sleep training I am feeling like we are really nailing it.  In general I think we are both such good parents and I think we are doing a great job keeping a fairly high maintenance kid entertained.  We are also both working and doing that well and although house work is still a bit of a work in progress, we have moments (like now), where our house is decently organized and clean.  I am so glad that we have kids and I am so glad that Charles is my partner in this parenting gig.  It hasn’t always been easy, but we are learning together and we are getting better every day.  I love that I work at home and can go squeeze him during my short breaks.  I really miss him when I am away, but I am also really grateful for our nanny Julia and the fact that I don’t physically have to care for Logan 24/7. 


I can’t believe it was five months ago that I gave birth.  It has flown by, but each moment has been so special (or exhausting ;), but mostly special).  He is such a joy and I love his fiery personality and can’t wait to watch him grow up.

4 months old (wrote last week but forgot to post)

Wow, my little baby is A) not so little and B) 4 months old, I can’t believe it!

Today we had our Dr appointment and he weighed 16 lbs 1 oz and was 25.25 inches tall.  That means he has gained 9.5 pounds and 6 inches of height.  That is a lot of work for 4 months.  All of his percentiles are good and he is definitely on the larger side, but nothing at all that is bad.  Doctor is very happy with him.  He loved the exam table at the doctor’s office, and got such a kick out of the mirror as well as the paper sheet thing (which he shredded).  His closet is mirrored in his room so we played a little on that tonight, but I also need to find different textures for him to play with.  He loved scratching his fingernails on the fake leather and ripping the sheet, so he will like other things too!  He also rolled over twice there.  Just goes to show how much of “liking” something is more about the specifics than the generals.  For instance, Logan likes to be held, if you are the right person and doing it right and moving around.  He likes tummy time, but apparently only with a mirror and with textures.  We will eventually learn it all, but for now it is still trial and error.

Feeding:  Logan is an amazing eater.  My feedings are between 8 and 15 minutes total.  He is distractible now, so I have to not chat with people (Charles or Julia) during a feeding.  He also has bit me twice on the left side, which I was not a fan of, but he hasn’t done since, thank goodness!  He eats about 6 times a day, with a few days at 5 times a day.  Otherwise, I am so lucky to have a good eater and good supply.

Sleeping:  Logan is getting better.  His bedtime has moved consistently to between 6 and 7 and he wakes, lately twice a night.  We are going to start some sleep training after he gets over his shots.  He has been calling out for comfort a few times a night and we are going to stop this trend before it gets out of control.  I know he can self soothe, he just would rather see us.  I am also going to enforce the once a night feedings.  I know he can go 8 hours with no problem, so I’m not going to feed him twice a night anymore.  Daytime sleep is more complicated.  Our doctor said we can do whatever but that she would focus on nighttime more.  Currently, he takes partial naps in the crib and then finishes his naps on people (or not at all).  Our doctor said it is common at this age for babies to take naps only for 30 min or so but do many times throughout the day.  We could start implementing this strategy.  Or, we could follow the sleep book that I like (and have been recommended to 5000 times).  It says to sleep train one nap at a time.  This would mean focusing on the morning nap and trying to get it organized and then hold or do whatever for other naps.  The rules would be, 1) if he sleeps for 45 min and wake afterwards, get him up, 2) if he never sleeps, get up after 1 hour, presumably of crying, 3) if he wakes before 45 min, let him cry until 1 hour.  I’m not sure yet if we will do this or not.  I think some of it depends on the success of the nighttime sleep training.  We also have to decide whether to train swaddled or not.  He still sleeps at night in his swaddle, but it does deny him the ability to use his hands for sucking.  Not sure whether  his arms will help or hinder his chances of sleeping.  He has been sucking his thumb more and more, which makes me lean toward unswaddled, but I do think the swaddle helps him stay asleep longer.

So, we have some decisions to make, but our little guy is already moving to a more mature sleep schedule, and that is good to see. 

Play: Logan is an amazing player.  He is so fun to interact with.  He smiles so big and so long it almost makes our cheeks sore! This last few weeks he figured out his handled toys.  My Auntie Jill gave him a monkey that has a big handle that you pull for music.  I put it on his play mat, subbing out another toy, and he figured it out quickly.  This then made him realize his bouncer has a smaller handled toy and started using that too.  He also has gotten much better at sucking his fingers.  His favorite are his thumb and index finger.  He also has now started playing with the same toy with both hands, where before it was always one hand on a toy and the other hand doing nothing or with another toy.  He is also repeating our “trill” noise back at us, though somewhat spittier (see flickr).  Lastly, he is learning more about his body.  He has started touching his head.  You don’t realize things he hasn’t done until he does them suddenly.  Last night and today, he put his hand on the back of his head.  He loves his feet too, though he needs some help to get to them.  After nursing, I help him sit up (folded over a bit), to play with his feet.  He loves it!