Kicking the Habit

Last night was not fun. We put Seth down around 7pm, which is the time he gets tired. We rocked him a little, gave him his pacifier and I stroked his face until he looked like he was going to fall asleep. Usually we have to go back in his room a few times to put the pacifier back in because he wakes up as soon as it falls out. Last night was no exception. I was determined not to bring him in bed with us, as I have been doing, just to try to get some sleep (all of us).

Well, it was miserable. I had to go in his room to get the pacifier just about every hour of the night. No one got any sleep. I told Evan that this can't continue. So after Seth's 4:30 bottle, I put him back down as I always do. This time I let him have his pacifier to start, but when he pulled it out or it dropped out, he would have to cry it out. This worked! About two minutes after putting him back down, he started to cry. I think it was about 5 minutes and the crying stopped and the boy slept for almost 4 hours straight through. He sleeps better without the stinkin pacifier! In fact, we all do!

So this morning I jumped online to google this issue. Over and over I read how mothers had the same exact issue and how they just had to get rid of the pacifier all together. They said it would be hard at first getting through the crying, but their children slept so much better and eventually got used to it. This makes sense to me, as I just experienced this myself.

So, today I am putting Seth down for naps without his pacifier. This morning's nap went rather smooth, he cried for five minutes and drifted off. This next nap took more effort. He cried for a longer amount of time, but as of right now, I don't hear him. I know it's going to be tough to get through the crying, but I think it's worth it if we ALL can get some sleep at night, especially Seth. We'll at least give it a shot.

Seth Rolls Over for the First Time!

This morning Seth rolled over for the first time. I had just given him a bath and I put him on our bed for some belly time. He pushed himself straight up nice and high so I went to get the camera. As I was snapping the photo he started to lean then eventually rolled over! This was a first. How exciting. We hope to try again tonight so Daddy can witness it.

Thanks to all those who have given me their two cents about feeding Seth. I'm not sure why they are having me start the solids so soon when 6 months is the recommended age. My cereal attempts have not been too bad, Seth still tends to cry through it. I am going to be in no hurry to move forward. I think I will keep trying the cereal once a day until he gets used to it, then move on to serving it twice a day.

For the faithful readers...

Hammersmith Happenings will remain. Thanks to the friends and family that let me know that you're making it worth my time to post. My mom even called wondering if I was ok after reading yesterday's entry. I reassured her I was fine, just taking inventory I guess. :o)

So anyway, Seth had his 4-month check-up on Wednesday. All I knew going into it was that we were meeting with the nurse practitioner to discuss solid foods. Which we did. We went over the plan: we're going to attempt starting with rice cereal once a day for 4 days, then twice a day for 4 days, then on to carrots. I'm thinking of making my own veggies for Seth, I just need to read how to do it.

Anyway, he had a great visit. The nurse was very impressed at his head control and strength. She said it was beyond that of a 4-month old. She also said neurologically that he was doing very well. He was very tolerant of being examined and had great self-control. When he got his shots, he only cried during the shots then immediately stopped. She was very pleased. She did say that she saw some things that were more like a 3-month old (his gestational age) but she didn't tell me what those were. I'm glad, I won't have to worry about it then.

Seth has some dry skin and she thought that he also has sensitive skin. She gave me some lotion samples to use. I have used the Johnson & Johnson pink lotion only a few times, even though the hospital said not to use it. The nurse recommended Aveeno or the Eucerin lotion she gave me. We'll see if it clears it up, we might have to use a body wash for sensitive skin instead of the Johnson & Johnson.

Oh! How could I forget?! His stats: he gained 3 pounds since last visit and now weighs 12lbs. 8oz. He grew 3 inches and is 25 1/4 inches long. His height is in the 45-50 percentile, his weight is in the 10th percentile. He's long and skinny I guess.

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Since Wednesday, I've tried the rice cereal twice now. I have thinned it out quite a bit so the transition goes smoothly. So far my method has been to give him spoons of the cereal in between sips on the bottle because he is so hungry that when you give him a tiny spoon with a miniscule amount of cereal on it, he gets frustrated. So, I let him chug on the bottle, take it away (which he hates), then slip in some cereal. If I'm lucky, he keeps the cereal in his mouth. I've read this is normal for them to spit it back out and to keep trying. Which is what I do. I'm sure he doesn't even get half the cereal I prepare, but it's a start. Does anyone have any tips that worked for them when introducing the cereal to their children?

An end to this blog?

Today I'm contemplating stopping this blog. I mean, in all honesty, the only people who visit it are mainly family members who just want to see photos of Seth. It barely gets traffic, let alone comments or anything. So then my thought was: well, Angela, it's a way for you to communicate about trials and challenges and even successes in being a first-time mother. But then I thought: no one cares. I could write about our 4-month check-up but in reality that probably doesn't interest many. We can just email photos to family occasionally, to those who don't see him on a somewhat regular basis.

Who knows, maybe this site gets more traffic than I think. I just think that I have enough going on each day/week/month that dropping the blog would be an easy choice. I don't really do it for myself, i offer it to others. If the interest isn't there than i am wasting my time.

Give a shout if you'd like to see the blog stay. Results will determine the fate of Hammersmith Happenings. :o)

The End.

Happy New Year!

Here is the new year! We pray it is one filled with good health and prosperity for everyone!

FYI Seth was 4 months on December 30. Time is flying.

Christmas Day 2007

Seth on Christmas morning with his stocking that was hung by the chimney with care. Daddy filled it with Andes mints which were apparently for himself.

Whew! We made it through Christmas! We traveled to see both sets of grandparents and Seth did well with changes to the daily schedule we had been working on. He got so many great gifts: many adorable clothes outfits, a couple toys and a couple books. We enjoyed seeing everyone and I think everyone enjoyed seeing Seth. It was a nice first Christmas for him. We look forward to future Christmases when he knows what it's all about!

Chillin'