Nursing:
Evan has had zero problem eating from day one, and continues to be a champion eater. In fact, I'm sure we'll be starting our solids on the 4 month end of the recommended 4-6mo spectrum just to keep up with his growing appetite. For the most part, he is eating much faster these days and usually falls into the "happy spitter" category(not to mention the "wow that's alot of spit up" category!). Thankfully, he has overcome his bottle anxiety and is now able to take a bottle(pumped milk) without a fuss. This has been a huge relief in my transition back to work part-time.
Nightime Sleeping:
It's no easy task training a little one the skill of sleep-but by golly I think we've done it..almost! I love the babywise schedule for a lot of reasons, and early sleeping through the night is probably at the top of the list. Currently, Evan goes down for bed between 7:30 and 8pm, and sleeps through until 7am. Whoo hooooo!! I'm still waking him up at 10pm to squeeze in that "dream feed," and will likely wean that one out over the next month or so. In any case, we are thankful to be well rested!
Naps:
Sleep is a science, and believe me I've logged a ton of hours in the lab over the past few months! Nightime sleep came easy, if not natural, to Evan. Naps on the other hand have been a more difficult beast to tame. Thankfully, naps have become worlds easier recently, probably due to his age and his growing ability to really sync into a schedule. We've come through the woods of waking up too early, wrestled with our waketime windows, and conquered the "45 minute intruder." After many prayers, and seeking the advice of google, good books and great mommy friends, I'm happy to report that I am now enjoying the harvest of my hard work-quality, consistent daytime naps! Nine times out of ten, Evan now goes down with with hardly a fuss, and is content to stay in his crib and suck his thumb if he wakes up early. He naps anywhere from 45 minutes(towards the end of the day) to an hour and a half (usually the first nap of the day). It's a day to day work in progress still, but I'm finally starting to feel like "I've got this" in the nap depot. Amen!
Milestones:
Smiling, reaching out and grabbing objects, cooing, eye contact, thumb sucking, terrific tummy times-check, check and check! Evan is an explosion of personality lately, and so much fun to watch! I love seeing him discover new things; he is one smart, silly kiddo! I swear I've heard him giggle several times now, but the jury is still out on that one. I've also noticed that he's become much more vocal lately, and more dynamic and even louder with his "babytalk." He's not quite rolled over yet, but I think that's right around the corner as he's mastered, and even prefers laying on his side. He is absolutely captivated by bright, moving colors and loves him some Praise baby and Backyardigans. Last but not least, he continues to be a big music & movement baby.
This and that:
Evan is a drool-a-sourous these days! I'm sure he's going to be an early teether at this rate...bib town here we come! In other news, I've noticed he is starting to bear more weight on his feet from time to time, and has spent more time being carried on my hip lately as he's gotten better with this head control. Speaking of head, Chris and I have both seen a slight change in his hair lately-it's turning into a much lighter brown, with shades of auburn(where did that come from?!). I may be an ounce biased, but I've gotta say he gets cuter and cuter everyday. :-)
Schedule summary, 15 wks:
7am Wake up to start the day, first feeding.
7:30-8:45 Waketime / playtime
8:45-10am Nap
10am Eat
10:30-11:45 Waketime / playtime...insert errands "here"
11:45-1pm Nap
1:00-1:30pm Eat
1:30-3pm Waketime/ playtime
3pm-4pm Nap
4-4:30pm Eat
4:30-6pm Waketime, playtime with Daddy!
6ish-7ish Last short snooze of the day
7pm Fifth/last feeding of the day
7:30-8pm Bedtime!
10pm Dreamfeed
...and after
Surely the poo-splosion-as we refer to it here in the Scott household- is a first time mommy must, a rite of passage if you will. After this monstrous, muddy mess, I feel as if I've officially arrived haha. All I could do was laugh, make a bee-line for the camera, and grab the Oxy-clean. :-)
Exhibit A-His position. I laid him down last night at a completely different angle, and more towards the middle of the crib.
There are two new things in this photo as well. For one, I bit the bullet and went for a more mommy appropriate haircut. Evan is getting grabby these days, so it was time for a change. Every time I cut my hair I always come back to "I like my hair better long," but in the end, it's just hair and boy do I need a wash n' wear do!