18 Weeks- A Little Delayed and I'll throw in 19 Weeks too!

He moves around so much now!

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10/9/12
As I type this he is singing in his swing.  I LOVE his voice!  The weeks are flying by right now.  I can't believe we are at 18 weeks!  He is growing like a weed and every day he seems older and more interested in the world around him.  He is totally into the cats right now.  He loves petting them and he loves how Pesky swings his tail in his face.  Yesterday we were playing on the floor with Pesky when he walked away.  I propped Maddex up on his feet and he started walking over to him.  It was very cool and Maddex was really excited to see that he made his way over to the kitty!

This morning I confessed to Kiel that I should have gone back to work when Maddex was four months old at the oldest.  In the past few weeks I have really noticed a HUGE attachment to Mama.  The attachment has been noticeable almost since day one.  I remember asking the doctor at his 2 month check up why he seemed so clingy to me.  I guess that is a (good and sometimes not so good) side effect of a breast fed baby.   Anyway, going back to work is going to be super hard for me.  I am going back on December 10th and even when I go back I will still have 41 sick days left.  Those 41 days are sooooo tempting to take, but I must save them for when he gets sick, when I need a mental health/sleep day, and if/when we plan to go for baby number 2.  It was my hope that at five months Maddex really wouldn't notice that he wasn't spending all day everyday with me.   But now I am beginning to think he will notice.  I really hope he isn't stressed at day care.  He still needs to be rocked to sleep in most instances, it takes him a while to take down a bottle, and he gets my nearly constant attention.  He does play for long periods of time and right now he is still singing in his swing!   I hope his sleep schedule changes a bit so include two long naps at daycare.  He will only be there for about 6 hours a day and if he can get him self to nap 2 times for 1-2 hours he could only have 2 hours of awake time there.  That would make me very happy and a little less worried!

Yesterday I finally did the teething trick Kate had told me to try a while ago-frozen banana slices in the Sassy Feeder.  He loved them!  First I put one slice in and he sucked away. When it was all gone he cried for more so I grabbed another slice....And he got so mad!!  Why?  Because it was frozen and he wanted to eat it NOW!!  He is sooo impatient.  Since he was loving bananas in the feeder I gave him some more later in the day.  But the bananas and the sweet potato that I was still on day 3 of introducing caused some constipation.  He didn't really fuss, but his poop was not looking like it should have been.

And now I am picking up where I left off on Friday (today is Monday!  Crazy weekend!)

I got some pears to help with his constipation and they surely did help!  And he loves pears more than any other food!  I wasn't planning on introducing any more food, but when we read up on constipation cures we had to try one of them and pears seemed like a good option.  He first had these with my mom on Saturday when I was out for my spa day.  I kept a few of the steamed pears out so my mom could put them in her Cleva Feeder.  And he loved it!

As of 19 Weeks these are the foods he has tried:
-Apples
-Bananas
-Summer Squash
-Zucchini
-Sweet Potatoes
-Pears

I think once we finish the 4 days on pears we will continue with pears for breakfast most days and a veggie for dinner.  I may also throw a slice of bananas into the Sassy Feeder during the day as well since he loves sucking on those!  His next foods will probably be butternut squash and possibly blue berries, but I think I'll wait until December for that.

- The Weekly List -

18-19 Weeks Old
Total weight gain/loss:
Mom: Ummm I got on the scale this morning after pumping 12 ounces (yes that is a lot!) and I was 21 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight!  Holy crap!   I haven't been this 'light' since before I got married!  I know I have lost a lot of muscle mass and I plan to start running again in the spring with Maddex.  I think by then he will be ready to jog in the stroller.  Also, the fact that my stomach is still flabby means that the bouncing that happens when I jog still hurts where my incision was.  I also have pain in my hips since I got a little out of alignment when I was trying to push him out.  Hopefully several months of no physical activity and continued breast feeding will help flatten out my belly and get my legs back into the right place so running is more comfortable.  And I will also have to invest in new, bigger, and stronger sports bras!  

Maddex: At the gastroenterologist he was 17 pounds.  Kiel weighed him the other day on our scale and he was 17.5 pounds.  He is packing on the pounds right now.   He is about to outgrow size 2 diapers and I am not ready for that. For one, I still have a huge box and a half of Swaddlers, and two, Size 3 diapers are more expensive!  I packed away all of his 3 and 3-6 months clothes (except his pants, he has short legs).  It is so sad to put away all of his cute things!  I can't believe how quickly he is growing!  He is almost out of size 6 months shirts and onesies!   

Sleep: He still hasn't slept through the night by my standards (8 hours) and certainly not by Kiel's (10-11 hours).  He still only sleeps for about 3-4 hours during his first stretch with 5 hours here and there.  Then after his first wake up he is usually up every 2 hours after that.  

Best moment this week: Taking him trick or treating, watching him play on his own, getting him to laugh at me (he knows what silly things are), when he makes me laugh (he already wants to make me laugh so when he makes a silly noise or face and I laugh he keeps doing it! we have a little clown on our hands!).  Hearing both doctors call him perfect, and both saying, "Wow, what a looking healthy boy!" before sitting down at their computers to check his info.  

Miss Anything? Warm weather, but today is nice out and we will get in a few walks before it gets dark.   


Looking forward to: Maddex meeting his baby cousin Alex who was born on November 10th!  

Likes:
Mom: 

-Everything about this child. 

-Spending all day everyday with him.  It doesn't get old!

-Going places with the boy and he totally just chills and watches everything
-Smiles from my boy
-His laugh
-When he seeks me out, finds me, and kicks and wiggles cuz he is so happy to see me!

(All the same!) (I still can't change these!)
-He is now showing preference to the breast instead of the bottle.  I love it, but I can't figure this kid out!

-That he knows when it is time to sleep and he cuddles right in and passes right out.  

-His belly laugh
-His silly faces
-That we have little inside jokes 
-That he sings to his favorite song (Some Nights by Fun.)

Maddex: 
-Spending time outside

-People watching

-Looking at myself in the mirror

-Blowing raspberries

-Diaper changes

-A & D ointment

-Kicking in the bath tub

-Chewing on my fingers

-Sleeping on Mommy's chest

-When Mommy does my belly exercises.

-Being Super Baby!   

-Putting everything in my mouth

-Playing with toys

-My monkey toy
-Hanging out and eating dinner with Mommy and Daddy

-My new crinkly star blanket from Joe and Linda

-Shopping with Mommy

-Grabbing my feet (if only my belly were smaller so I could put them in my mouth)

-When Mommy or Daddy says "Ah Goo"  That is my favorite sound. 

Dislikes:
Mom: 
-When he stiffens during outfit changes and when getting into his car seat.  He hates both of those things!

-That he cries for attention now. 

-When he arches his back so he can try and scootch out of chairs and swings (its time for seat belts!)

Maddex:  

-Getting dressed

-Sleeping the whole night in my Co-sleeper.  Mommy is much squishier!

-Sleeping alone 
-Sun in my face
-Wind
-My car seat