This past weekend we experienced the fall-back time change. As a teacher I always adored this weekend, getting an extra hour of sleep, feeling refreshed, and getting just a little more time to enjoy my coffee and start my day. Until, that is, a few days later when my body quickly adjusted and I felt exhausted again. The students always seemed more fresh and awake, as well, that first day back at school after the time change.
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| Getting ready for a bath in the sink! |
Times have certainly changed. Sleeping, eating, using the bathroom, conversations, and more, all revolve around Ian. And they should. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm very aware of the fact that sometime this week I would have had to return to work, if I was teaching/working this year. Many friends and family have done so and I am now aware of just how hard this would be. Wow.
This week Ian has continued to become more social and aware. He smiles quite often and more often at people than before, but they are still elusive. He can often be seen smiling for no apparent reason, just smiling away.
He is an incredibly active and strong baby. His neck muscles are almost completely developed, so we have started wearing him facing out in front of us in the Boba wrap. He
loves getting to look around! It's been such a blessing this week to be able to start wearing him this way. Normally we could not put him in the wrap unless he was tired and ready to fall asleep, but now we can use the wrap often and he's content. It's also so adorable :)
The rest of his body also continues to be strong. He really enjoys pushing up from a squat to stand, supported, in our laps or on the floor. His eyes get so big and excited with each push.
One of our cousin's friends brought over one of these bouncing chairs last week. At first Ian had NO interest in spending time in it, but Monday he has enjoyed sitting in it first thing in the morning. He's able to look at the hanging toys and sounds and study them now, which he wasn't able to do just last week! It's great for me because I am able to make myself a bowl of granola, get dressed, and brush my teeth before he starts to get fussy. Then it's normally time for a walk with Leif and Ian's first nap of the day!
This weekend Jim's parents came to visit. Ian was, once again, surrounded by love and cuddles. He's one loved little boy. We went on a nice, long walk with them around the property and in the field across the road. The whole time we walked, Ian rode in the Boba with his Grammy and napped. It was a nice visit and we look forward to more time with them in two weeks!
Jim gave me a huge gift last Saturday and kept Ian through two nighttime feedings! I got almost a whole five hours of solid sleep before he brought him back to me. I had to sleep far away because any cries are impossible for me to avoid or sleep through. The next day I felt like a new person. I think that a part of my brain was allowed to function again. It was wonderful and I think it has continued to help me through this week. Thanks, Jim!
I have gone to my aunt's exercise class two times this week. That's saying something because I have felt like a blob with a mush brain up until this point. I have gone on walks with Leif in the field, but not anything strenuous. It feels so good to go out and be social and get the morning started with some structured exercise! The class is also almost perfectly timed with Ian's first morning nap. Perfect.
Here comes the "You know you're a new mom when..." moment of the week. On Sunday we went to church with my grandma, aunt, and cousin. When it came time for Ian to nurse, I hopped out of the sanctuary and into the conference room where they have a speaker so that you can still hear the service. Since Ian had dropped a huge poop that morning, I left the diaper bag behind. BIG MISTAKE. He had a huge bowel movement and was very stinky while we were in the conference room. Ugh. So I took some paper towels, that were in the conference room, and wiped out the diaper and then folded a clean one inside to go against his skin. For the rest of the service we were smelling buttered popcorn (this is how my cousin, Julie, describes the smell and she's SO right).
My friend Amanda, my roommate when I worked at Teton Science Schools in Wyoming, made Ian an awesome dinosaur/dragon hat! It fits him so well and is perfect for some of these chilly Pennsylvania days. Plus, what little boy doesn't love dinosaurs and dragons? Thank you SO much, Amanda! We love it.
The sixth week really was the peak of fussiness (for now)! The first half of his sixth week was incredibly fussy, but as the week wore on he has become so much more calm, predictable, and, dare I say, "easy." I feel like I am finally getting comfortable in knowing if he wants to feed, needs a diaper change, or needs to start settling into a nap. I also spent the first part of this week journaling his napping and nursing times to see if there was a trend and there was! He tends to take a half hour nap about an hour to an hour and a half after he wakes up. Then he takes another half hour to an hour nap again before lunch. His longest nap tends to be early afternoon. It's so nice to know this, so I can plan to sleep with him for that last nap! ;)
It's so exciting getting to know him just a little bit better each week. There are so many changes, but each one just keeps getting better and better. I love his strength. I love the way he has started cuddling for a bit after he wakes up from some naps. I love gazing into his eyes and having him hold my gaze for long periods of time and then to see him crack a smile... I'm in awe.
Hello week 7!!!
