Something is weighing heavy on my mind - so it has just become tonight's blog topic. It is a personal topic, but I will make it family friendly. :)
Nursing - I am very lucky and blessed that I was able to nurse John from day one. I had some intense pain in the beginning, but he never had an ounce of trouble - 2 hours out of the womb he latched right on and the rest is history.
I have also pumped and stock piled a frozen supply for when I am not around to feed him. John has never had a problem taking a bottle. Dad starting giving him a bottle about 2 weeks into life and, again, not an ounce of trouble...until now...at least I thought so anyway....I will spare you the details but I thought he was having trouble with a bottle, but through some investigation today, I think I am drying up. :(
This truly makes me sad, I have enjoyed every second of nursing and I am not ready to stop. It is a bond that is absolutely indescribable and beyond amazing. I am not giving up just yet though, I am going to drink a ton of water and go through some other steps to see if I can increase the supply again. I know I am truly blessed to have been able to do it for almost 7 and a half months now, and I will focus on that.
Don't get me wrong - I, by no means, am a nursing Nazi; I know that a baby can be healthy and happy either way, no question there. But once you start, and the longer you go, the harder it is emotionally to stop. Here's hoping this is not the end.
Our Thursday:
4:00am - wake up to eat (I have decided after today's investigation that maybe he is not getting enough to eat at night to keep him full, thus he is still waking up)
6:15 - Dad gets up to start his day
6:30 - I get up to start my day
7:30 - John gets up to start his day
8:15 - solid breakfast (Apple cinnamon oatmeal and oatmeal cereal)
8:30 - 9:45 - play
9:45 - 11:00 nap
11:00 - wake up attempt a bottle (1 oz)
12:00 - lunch (pasta and rice and goldfish)
12:20 - play
1:50 - attempt bottle and nap (2.5 oz)
2:30 - wake up & nurse
3:00 - play
5:00 - eat
5:15 - activity center while I cook dinner
5:45 - 6:30 - eat, high chair time, and I let him paint with his food on the high chair - he loved it.
6:30 - bath
6:50 - play
7:20 - start bedtime routine
7:45 - sound asleep
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Wednesday
I thought I would elaborate a bit on pieces of our day with each post. Today - we look at what "play" means around here....
Right now, pretty much everything with John is "play" - in fact the most recent fun thing to do does not involve toys - but human jungle gyms - he is all over us, pulling up on us, climbing over us, patting our legs, etc. He can get to his knees, and if you hold your arms just right, he can get to his feet.
But of course toys do take up a good portion of the day. Balls of any size or material are abundant and always a hit. Other favorites include an 18 inch tall bouncy penguin that sings, the traditional bucket and shapes, a large plastic key chain that plays music, a basketball goal, a plastic fish and duck, rubber stacking blocks, a plastic cell phone and a taggie blanket. In addition to these traditional toys, he also loves cups, hats, remote controls, calculators (Like mother like son?!), show boxes and laundry baskets. :)
During his play time we will also go for walks, he is so quiet and content in his stroller as long as you are moving, he truly just relaxes and takes it all in. We will go out back with the dogs and blow bubbles, although he enjoys watching the dogs bite at the bubbles more than the bubbles themselves. And one habit that we have created is that anytime he passes a mirror, you have to say "Hi John" and wave, this produces a smile EVERY TIME! He likes to go around the house and look at and talk about all the people in the pictures. He stays pretty clam during this and interested in what I am saying and who he is looking at; this is one of my favorite activities.
We are always looking for new activities to learn and grow, so please feel free to suggest. I think we will start the spice/food sniffing activity like Abbey and Brendan soon, that sounds like fun. The pool is a bit too cold, but we may start heating up the hot tub and playing in that.
Okay - on to our Wednesday:
6:30 - 6:45 - in and out of sleep
6:45 - wake up and eat
7:10 - Play and cartoons "Little Einsteins" and "Mickey Mouse Club". He has discovered that he can crawl from the carpet onto the wood floor, so the house just got a whole lot bigger!
8:00 - Breakfast (apples and cherries, oatmeal and cherrios), high chair and play time
8:45 - Story "I Love You Stinky Face" and nap
8:55 - 10:30 - I clean the house (fun)
10:15 - 10:30 - waking up and play in crib
10:30 - eat
10:45 - shower and swing and both get dressed for the day
11:25 - run errands
12:45 - lunch (apple yogurt, rice and goldfish)
1:00 - play in the backyard
1:20 - Story "My many colored days" and "Goodnight Moon" and nap
1:30 - I work
3:00 - wake up and eat
3:15 - Play
5:00 - Eat
5:15 - 5:30 - play in crib while I do laundry
5:30 - activity center while I cook dinner
6:15 - Dad is home and dinner is served (pasta, rice and puffs) followed by Daddy play time
7:00 - Bath
7:15 - 7:30 - Daddy time
7:30 - start bedtime routine
8:00 - Mom and Dad time
Right now, pretty much everything with John is "play" - in fact the most recent fun thing to do does not involve toys - but human jungle gyms - he is all over us, pulling up on us, climbing over us, patting our legs, etc. He can get to his knees, and if you hold your arms just right, he can get to his feet.
But of course toys do take up a good portion of the day. Balls of any size or material are abundant and always a hit. Other favorites include an 18 inch tall bouncy penguin that sings, the traditional bucket and shapes, a large plastic key chain that plays music, a basketball goal, a plastic fish and duck, rubber stacking blocks, a plastic cell phone and a taggie blanket. In addition to these traditional toys, he also loves cups, hats, remote controls, calculators (Like mother like son?!), show boxes and laundry baskets. :)
During his play time we will also go for walks, he is so quiet and content in his stroller as long as you are moving, he truly just relaxes and takes it all in. We will go out back with the dogs and blow bubbles, although he enjoys watching the dogs bite at the bubbles more than the bubbles themselves. And one habit that we have created is that anytime he passes a mirror, you have to say "Hi John" and wave, this produces a smile EVERY TIME! He likes to go around the house and look at and talk about all the people in the pictures. He stays pretty clam during this and interested in what I am saying and who he is looking at; this is one of my favorite activities.
We are always looking for new activities to learn and grow, so please feel free to suggest. I think we will start the spice/food sniffing activity like Abbey and Brendan soon, that sounds like fun. The pool is a bit too cold, but we may start heating up the hot tub and playing in that.
Okay - on to our Wednesday:
6:30 - 6:45 - in and out of sleep
6:45 - wake up and eat
7:10 - Play and cartoons "Little Einsteins" and "Mickey Mouse Club". He has discovered that he can crawl from the carpet onto the wood floor, so the house just got a whole lot bigger!
8:00 - Breakfast (apples and cherries, oatmeal and cherrios), high chair and play time
8:45 - Story "I Love You Stinky Face" and nap
8:55 - 10:30 - I clean the house (fun)
10:15 - 10:30 - waking up and play in crib
10:30 - eat
10:45 - shower and swing and both get dressed for the day
11:25 - run errands
12:45 - lunch (apple yogurt, rice and goldfish)
1:00 - play in the backyard
1:20 - Story "My many colored days" and "Goodnight Moon" and nap
1:30 - I work
3:00 - wake up and eat
3:15 - Play
5:00 - Eat
5:15 - 5:30 - play in crib while I do laundry
5:30 - activity center while I cook dinner
6:15 - Dad is home and dinner is served (pasta, rice and puffs) followed by Daddy play time
7:00 - Bath
7:15 - 7:30 - Daddy time
7:30 - start bedtime routine
8:00 - Mom and Dad time
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Tuesday
Tuesdays are a bit different than the rest of the week. I go into the office and John gets a play day with Nana and Grandpa's.
Our schedule:
12:00am - John is wide awake, only way I can get him back down is to nurse (we need to work on this, but I am not sure how)
5:30am - 6:00am - Again, John is awake; I let him roll in and out of sleep for awhile before I go feed him...then...back to sleep for John, but I start to get ready for the day
6:30 - I wake up Dad to start his day
7:30 - I wake up John to start his day
8:00 - Drop off at Nana and Grandpa's
8:30 - Breakfast with Grandpa (puffs, apples and cherries and oatmeal)
8:45 - Play with Grandpa while Nana cleans up, then Nana joins the party
9:30 - Attempts a bottle but only takes 1oz, but all John wants to do is play with it (we need to work on this too)
9:45 - Start nap routine which consist of reading a book, saying bye bye to the sun (closing the shades) and tickling the lamp shade.
10:30 - Wake up and play
12:30 - Lunch (chicken dinner and rice)
1:30 - Story and nap
2:30 - Wake up and attempt another bottle (still only takes 2 oz)
2:50 - Take a walk
3:15 - One last attempt at the bottle (takes 1 oz)
3:25 - Play
5:00 - I come to pick John up
5:30 - We get home and John nurses and falls asleep
6:15 - wake up when Dad comes home!
6:30 - Dinner (chicken dinner and rice and puffs)
6:45 - Play
7:45 - Dad starts bedtime routine and feeds John a bottle (gobbles down 5 oz)
8:00 - Mom and Dad watch the Presidential debate...
Our schedule:
12:00am - John is wide awake, only way I can get him back down is to nurse (we need to work on this, but I am not sure how)
5:30am - 6:00am - Again, John is awake; I let him roll in and out of sleep for awhile before I go feed him...then...back to sleep for John, but I start to get ready for the day
6:30 - I wake up Dad to start his day
7:30 - I wake up John to start his day
8:00 - Drop off at Nana and Grandpa's
8:30 - Breakfast with Grandpa (puffs, apples and cherries and oatmeal)
8:45 - Play with Grandpa while Nana cleans up, then Nana joins the party
9:30 - Attempts a bottle but only takes 1oz, but all John wants to do is play with it (we need to work on this too)
9:45 - Start nap routine which consist of reading a book, saying bye bye to the sun (closing the shades) and tickling the lamp shade.
10:30 - Wake up and play
12:30 - Lunch (chicken dinner and rice)
1:30 - Story and nap
2:30 - Wake up and attempt another bottle (still only takes 2 oz)
2:50 - Take a walk
3:15 - One last attempt at the bottle (takes 1 oz)
3:25 - Play
5:00 - I come to pick John up
5:30 - We get home and John nurses and falls asleep
6:15 - wake up when Dad comes home!
6:30 - Dinner (chicken dinner and rice and puffs)
6:45 - Play
7:45 - Dad starts bedtime routine and feeds John a bottle (gobbles down 5 oz)
8:00 - Mom and Dad watch the Presidential debate...
Monday, October 6, 2008
Monday
Today is the beginning of our "This Week" journaling project. I am also putting together different video clips and hopefully by weeks end I will have a summary of our activities to watch.
Mondays: In general Mondays start out hard for the three of us as Daddy has to go back to work after 2 full family days. We live for the weekends around here! Daddy is more of the "fun" parent.
Our schedule:
5:00-5:20 - John wakes up and wants to eat, but quickly goes back to sleep and so do I.
6:30 - Dad wakes up to start his day
8:30 - John finally decides to wake up; eats; say hello to the dogs
9:00 - 9:30 - Play and Cartoons "My Friends Tiger and Pooh" and "Imagination Movers" (he really only watches about ten minutes before he starts exploring, but they stay on in the background)
9:30 - Breakfast - Cherrios, Yogurt and Oatmeal
9:45 - High Chair time - feeds the dogs cherrios and talks to me while I clean the kitchen up
10:00 - More Play
10:30 - Start nap routine which consist of reading a book, this time it was "Counting Kisses" and then rock to sleep
10:45 - 12:15 - John sleeps soundly while I work.
12:15 - wake-up and eat
12:30 - John plays while I plan a grocery list
12:45 - John spends some time in his swing while I shower and get ready
1:15 - Target
2:00 - Lunch - Goldfish, Bananas, "Happy Baby" frozen food
2:15 - John plays while I try to get some more work done
3:00 - nap
4:15 - wake up and eat
4:30 - John spends some time in the activity center while I pick up the house and prep dinner
5:00 - Play
5:45 - More activity center while I cook dinner
6:15 - Dad gets home and feeds John dinner (Ham and Peas in Fetticini with cream sauce and a green salad); followed by some high chair time while Dad and I eat dinner
6:45 - Bath time (he is starting to like bath time finally!)
7:00 - Play time with Dad
7:30 - Bedtime routine which consist of story time with Dad, lotion with Dad, PJ's with Dad, telling Raul (John's spider monkey) good night and then eating with me.
8:00 and beyond - Mom and Dad time....
Mondays: In general Mondays start out hard for the three of us as Daddy has to go back to work after 2 full family days. We live for the weekends around here! Daddy is more of the "fun" parent.
Our schedule:
5:00-5:20 - John wakes up and wants to eat, but quickly goes back to sleep and so do I.
6:30 - Dad wakes up to start his day
8:30 - John finally decides to wake up; eats; say hello to the dogs
9:00 - 9:30 - Play and Cartoons "My Friends Tiger and Pooh" and "Imagination Movers" (he really only watches about ten minutes before he starts exploring, but they stay on in the background)
9:30 - Breakfast - Cherrios, Yogurt and Oatmeal
9:45 - High Chair time - feeds the dogs cherrios and talks to me while I clean the kitchen up
10:00 - More Play
10:30 - Start nap routine which consist of reading a book, this time it was "Counting Kisses" and then rock to sleep
10:45 - 12:15 - John sleeps soundly while I work.
12:15 - wake-up and eat
12:30 - John plays while I plan a grocery list
12:45 - John spends some time in his swing while I shower and get ready
1:15 - Target
2:00 - Lunch - Goldfish, Bananas, "Happy Baby" frozen food
2:15 - John plays while I try to get some more work done
3:00 - nap
4:15 - wake up and eat
4:30 - John spends some time in the activity center while I pick up the house and prep dinner
5:00 - Play
5:45 - More activity center while I cook dinner
6:15 - Dad gets home and feeds John dinner (Ham and Peas in Fetticini with cream sauce and a green salad); followed by some high chair time while Dad and I eat dinner
6:45 - Bath time (he is starting to like bath time finally!)
7:00 - Play time with Dad
7:30 - Bedtime routine which consist of story time with Dad, lotion with Dad, PJ's with Dad, telling Raul (John's spider monkey) good night and then eating with me.
8:00 and beyond - Mom and Dad time....
Friday, October 3, 2008
Catch Up
I have been a bit behind in the blogging department, so here is a little catch up.
We all have been pretty busy, with work, and learning to crawl and such. Yes, John has perfected the army crawl. When he sees something he wants across the room, there is NO stopping him. One arm in front of the other, pulling his little body as fast as he can, it is pretty cute. I just know any day now he will take off on all fours, but then again - why would he? He is perfectly content to drag himself everywhere and he gets the job done. He has taken interest in pulling up on our legs, the couch, the crib, etc., so he may skip right to standing.
Last weekend we went home to Edmond to visit Grammy and Grandaddy and Uncle Brent, Aunt Abbey and cousin Brendan. Carl and I went to the OU/TCU game with Granddaddy, SO much fun. Grammy and John enjoyed an evening of playing, exploring all new rooms, eating goldfish and watching the game on TV. John had a little trouble sleeping that night due to his teeth, but all in all, he is a pretty good traveler. Sunday morning, Brent, Abbey and Brendan came over and we had a few hours with the whole family before we got on the road. Brendan and John really have no interest in one another right now, but I figure once John starts walking - WATCH OUT! I can't wait for those times!
For those readers that are fellow bloggers... (I only address this to them, as I know that only bloggers (and grandparents) are passionate about blogging :))... jump onto "At Home with the Richards Family" blog and see the "This Week" project that Abbey is doing. I am going to start that for us. It is a great way to journal our lives and be able to look back at all the memories. I suppose we will do it once every few months or so, just depending on when our weeks change from the previous week journaled. :)
We all have been pretty busy, with work, and learning to crawl and such. Yes, John has perfected the army crawl. When he sees something he wants across the room, there is NO stopping him. One arm in front of the other, pulling his little body as fast as he can, it is pretty cute. I just know any day now he will take off on all fours, but then again - why would he? He is perfectly content to drag himself everywhere and he gets the job done. He has taken interest in pulling up on our legs, the couch, the crib, etc., so he may skip right to standing.
Last weekend we went home to Edmond to visit Grammy and Grandaddy and Uncle Brent, Aunt Abbey and cousin Brendan. Carl and I went to the OU/TCU game with Granddaddy, SO much fun. Grammy and John enjoyed an evening of playing, exploring all new rooms, eating goldfish and watching the game on TV. John had a little trouble sleeping that night due to his teeth, but all in all, he is a pretty good traveler. Sunday morning, Brent, Abbey and Brendan came over and we had a few hours with the whole family before we got on the road. Brendan and John really have no interest in one another right now, but I figure once John starts walking - WATCH OUT! I can't wait for those times!
For those readers that are fellow bloggers... (I only address this to them, as I know that only bloggers (and grandparents) are passionate about blogging :))... jump onto "At Home with the Richards Family" blog and see the "This Week" project that Abbey is doing. I am going to start that for us. It is a great way to journal our lives and be able to look back at all the memories. I suppose we will do it once every few months or so, just depending on when our weeks change from the previous week journaled. :)
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
My First Cold
Mom and I caught a cold this past weekend. We both feel pretty crummy, but we think we are on the upside. We have our fingers crossed that we did not give it to Daddy. Here is a pitiful picture of me...
Sunday, September 14, 2008
6 month photo slide show
Here is a link to the 6 month photo slide show. Let us know which ones are your favorites to help us order....
http://web.mac.com/jonnyebowerphoto/JRJ6mos/JonnyeBowerPhotography.html
http://web.mac.com/jonnyebowerphoto/JRJ6mos/JonnyeBowerPhotography.html
Monday, September 8, 2008
The Little Gym
Carl came to class with us last week and took some great pictures.
You can click on the slideshow and it will take you to the picture website the slideshow is much bigger. You can do this with all the slideshows on the blog, including the small ones off to the side of his professinal pictures.
You can click on the slideshow and it will take you to the picture website the slideshow is much bigger. You can do this with all the slideshows on the blog, including the small ones off to the side of his professinal pictures.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
We should all take lessons....
I think this is my favorite age with John. Sure, we enjoyed the times when he was completely immobile and dependent on us and would take naps on our chest (life just seemed simpler then....as if that was so long ago) but 6 months is too much fun!
He is so easy to please - he can find ways to entertain himself with pretty much anything (a ball, a squishy turtle book, a taggie, a toy bucket, or just a burp rag) and when he is done with one thing, he will gently fall over and begin rolling to the next closest thing. All it takes is a big smile and a "hi" from anyone and the (almost) toothless grin comes out.
He has the most engaging smile, it is a welcoming invitation to sit and stay a while! He draws you in and then you find your fascinated with his play and watching him figure things out. It is truly amazing to see the development each and every day. He is well on his way to figuring his world out, only to wake up the next day to something totally new and different, and the eagerness to figure that out too.
There are only a few situations in which he is less than happy - hunger or tiredness rank high on that short list. But, again, he is so easy to soothe.
I would describe life with John right now as "fun"; he has fun, we have fun, everyone has fun!
We should all take lessons from a 6 month old!
He is so easy to please - he can find ways to entertain himself with pretty much anything (a ball, a squishy turtle book, a taggie, a toy bucket, or just a burp rag) and when he is done with one thing, he will gently fall over and begin rolling to the next closest thing. All it takes is a big smile and a "hi" from anyone and the (almost) toothless grin comes out.
He has the most engaging smile, it is a welcoming invitation to sit and stay a while! He draws you in and then you find your fascinated with his play and watching him figure things out. It is truly amazing to see the development each and every day. He is well on his way to figuring his world out, only to wake up the next day to something totally new and different, and the eagerness to figure that out too.
There are only a few situations in which he is less than happy - hunger or tiredness rank high on that short list. But, again, he is so easy to soothe.
I would describe life with John right now as "fun"; he has fun, we have fun, everyone has fun!
We should all take lessons from a 6 month old!
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