SQUASH TO THE EXTREMMMMME!!

If you remember back to June, I made tons of baby food peas, beans, and zucchini. Well now that we are picking loads and loads of squash, I suddenly have a new project! My mom says BABIES HATE SQUASH and my husband says LETS MAKE MORE so I'm torn on how much to freeze. Today I filled all the icecube trays pictured and still was only half done with this "first batch". I'm thinking the next batch we'll just freeze like we freeze pie pumpkins and I can always process it later if and when it is needed!

10 Weeks: Giggles and Pumpkins

Blaine is sleeping SOOOOO WELL THIS WEEK! He has pretty much given up his 2 AM feeding and last night slept from 10:30 until 5 AM. WOOOHOOO!! I'm not sure if it is because he's been drowsy from his vaccinations but I like to think it is because he is at the magical 10 week mark now.

I guess he does laugh after all, but only for my mom. hmmmmm. I'm not funny enough I suppose!



We couldn't help but take advantage of the 90 degree temps (record high for NE Ohio) to get "naked baby" in some pumpkin photographs! The very last photo is his "birth pumpkin"; it was pollinated on 7/18 (his birthday!). It is cool that it ended up having a birdbath shape so he could sit in there unassisted!

Kathy Lee and Hoda

Honestly I've never heard of their show but today I guess I was on it during the "How much do you know about autumn" trivia! :)

Video

"Sleeping Through the Night"

I learned today at the pediatricians office that sleeping for a 5 hour stretch is what "sleeping through the night" is defined as.

HOLY HECK! BLAINE HAS BEEN SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT FOR AWHILE NOW!!!

I'm not sure waking up at 2 AM and 5 AM and 7 AM reallllly means he sleeps through the night but hey if the doctor says so it must be true. ;)

Oh and since today was his 2 month check-up and percentiles are so fun, here are his:

12 lbs 12 oz.....75 %
24.25 inches.....90 % (WOA)
41 cm head.......50 %

15 Minutes

Guess what Blaine did three times in a 15 minute time span?

Not roll over, not tell stories....POOP IN THE POTTY! (TMI ahead)

So I put him on the potty and he pooped but didn't pee. Must be a boy thing because I don't know about you girls out there, but when I poop, pee automatically comes out everytime. LOL. So I was like "weird", let's go play and try to pee again in 15 minutes because I know you've got pee in there! After 15 minutes I stick him on the potty again. Another poop (!!), but still no pee. I'm talking these are BIG POOPS not just little fart splurts. I clean out the potty while he's laying there on the changing table and I'm like "what the heck let's try and pee one last time because I know you've got it in there" before I put the diaper back on. A THIRD POOP CAME OUT but still no pee.

HOW MUCH POOP DO BABIES HAVE STORED IN THERE?!!

Hilarious. That saved me a rather large diaper mess to deal with, that's for sure! :)

Video: Storytime

Good video of Blaine telling my dad about his day! It's so funny when dad tells Blaine to move his legs and he does. LOL.

9 Weeks: Smiles and Stories

Blaine is smiling soooooo much more and telling stories like crazy. My mom said he told her a story that was like 10 minutes long! Just chattering away! When he really can talk, WOAA LOOK OUT!

The cutest? He will stop eating, pull away to look up at me, smile, and then have a little conversation with me. SOOOOO CUTE I MELT! I only wish I knew what he is telling me! LOL.

Blaine went to two geocaching events this week, on two "mom dates", and to two company cookouts at the park. He has been SO well behaved everywhere. I caved and now use a pacifier (hey I made it to week 8 without) but week 7 / 8 was fussy week for sure and I learned that the pacifier really will calm him down and fast. I only use it in cases of emergency and extreme fussiness.

Tuesday is his 2 month appt at the doctor so I'm a little nervous about how that will go with the vaccinations and all, but we will see!

Weight this week: 12 lbs 12oz

His Own Bed

I can't believe I haven't posted the big news until today: BLAINE SLEEPS IN HIS OWN BED IN HIS OWN ROOM AT NIGHT NOW!! I figured a weekend and week that Nick was in town was the best time to transition Blaine from the Pack-in-Play bassinette he had been in beside my bed, to his own crib in the nursery. That way I could get over my fear of the baby monitor. ;) (don't ask but I have some weird fear of hearing ghosts through the monitor...TOO many scary shows and movies over the years...WHY did my mom let me watch that stuff?! It ruined me for life!!!)

It has been going great but there is a moment right before I fall asleep that I REALLY REALLY REALLLLLLLLY miss him! And then I send Nick over to the nursery to make sure he is breathing. LOL.

So yeah, last Saturday we "made the move" and it has been great. This age was a good age to do it because he is on a very predictable waking schedule. 2 AM and 5 AM regardless of when he ate last. One night he went from 7 pm - 2 am without eating (yipee) but most nights it is more like 9 pm - 2 am. Can't wait until he outgrows the 2 am thing, but for now, I ain't complaining. :)

EC'n

Yeah I know he should have his pumpkin shirt on to complete the outfit, but oh well. Next time (LOL).

So I read this rather popular / semi-famous blog, This Place is Now a Home by Kate, and what can I say, SHE'S ADORABLE! And so is her family and baby Owen. She had a give-a-way for baby legwarmers and I didn't win but I took advantage of the 20% discount she offered. I ordered the pumpkin ones (DUHHH) and a bundle pack (huge deal; three for the price of one practically!).

You can only imagine how I SQUEALLED IN DELIGHT when I got them in the mail and they said right there on the package how they were "great for EC'n" (EXACTLY WHY I WANTED THEM!). I hadn't heard it called EC'n but that is cute! :) I actually can't believe Kate hasn't written about or tried Elimination Communication! I rip Blaine's diaper off every 45 minutes or less when I'm at home for him to try the potty and pants are just a pain in the butt.

So here's the 8 week update on how he's been doing. Somedays are better than others and somedays I even freak out that he "forgot how to use the potty". But then he always proves me wrong and does something AMAZING, like today! Remember how I said he is great at peeing but not so great at pooping on the potty? Well, in the last 24 hours he pooped on the potty THREE TIMES!! At 1 AM, at 8 AM, and at 8 PM. Meaning he only pooped in his diaper once! He has pooped in the potty for 6 straight days now. Happy mommy! AND HE PEED IN THE REAL TOILET AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE AGAIN TODAY!! Omg babies amaze me.

8 Weeks!

Not much new to report other than yesterday's post about Blaine being a bad napper. LOL. I just have to keep up with doing a weekly post or I'll lose track of how old he is (as I learned 8 weeks is not 2 monthes because 1 month doesnt have exactly 4 weeks, etc). So even though it's only the 12th of the month, and he was born on July 18th, he is 8 weeks old; if you follow that haha.

~ smiles a ton especially when first waking up or when sitting on the potty (even though smiles are virtually impossible to catch on the camera grrr)

~ not as good at peeing on the potty this past week but has been pooping on the potty much much more!

~ grandma Pam claims he was laughing at the "get you" game in the swing

~ actually likes his swing now

~ no matter what the mood, will go to sleep before the song Elvira is over

~ staying asleep when transfered to bed is a different story (LOL)

~ looooves his Brutus the Buckeye mobile!

~ must go on walks / runs in stroller in the MORNING. 3 pm = bad results

Weight = 12 lbs 9 oz

Napping in the Great Outdoors

If I had to give myself a mommy-report card (hey I'm a teacher), here's how it'd look:

Breastfeeder A+
Tummy Time Coach A+
Potty Trainer B+
Night-Time Sleep Instructor A
Nap-Time Sleep Coordinator F-

Thanks to Casey, I am now reading a book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" but I obviously haven't gotten to the part about getting Blaine to FALL ASLEEP FOR NAPS ON HIS OWN. My day consists of seeing the "tired signs" after the 1-2 hour awake period, and immediately starting the naptime process. Get him drosy, put him down. He grunts and then cries. Start over. Same result. Try again. Same thing. Next strategy: rock him all the way to sleep. Transfer him to bed. Blaine wakes up. Start over. Eventually cave and either put him in his carrier, his stroller, feed him, or take him in the car. I don't really believe in "cry it out" this young because of things I've read regarding his age.

As you can see above, Blaine sleeps EXCELLANT outside. Probabably all the white noise in the wind, traffic, birds, bugs, etc. Then today I read in the book "moving sleep" such as in the car, on a walk, and sleep in the "stroller by the pond" doesnt really count towards a quality nap. At least he's not by the pond. ;). GAHHHHHHH. Then there is the issue of nap in light or in dark? I've read both. Mainly so babies don't confuse day with night. Thank goodness at night he can fall asleep on his own no problem so I am counting my blessings! Then I read online "nap traps" that parents can fall into. One was letting baby sleep in carseat (OOPS) because it is comfortable to babies that like being held all the time. Ok guilty.

This nap issue gives us something to work on! (hey I'm keeping positive despite being frustrated lol) :)

PostPartum Weight Loss: RUNNING!

I gained 34 pounds in pregnancy. Those first 2 weeks after Blaine was born it was almost fun watching the scale drop. I even made a line graph and put it on the fridge as entertainment / motivation. 24 lbs came off no problemo. Then something funny happened. THE GRAPH FLAT-LINED. For 5 weeks now I haven't lost any weight! Grrrr. I'll admit I'm eating three times more than I did when I was pregnant; I'm just THAT HUNGRY! And I'm OK with that because I figure my body needs it to produce milk for babe. I've been walking, biking, doing push ups and crunches. But what I think I need to do to really drop the weight is start running. I hadn't started running yet because honestly, my body errr my boobs aren't what they used to be (which was non-existent). Well I used the trick my friend recommended (wearing 2 sports bras one size smaller than everyday wear) and today completed my first run since baby!! Actually it was my first run since LAST DECEMBER! YAYA!! I needed that because Lord knows I'm not giving up the brownies and peanut butter cups! ;)

7 Weeks!

It's Sunday! Another birthday! I still think it is cool he was born on Sunday. Speaking on Sundays, the handbell choir is going to play at his baptism (date still unknown). What song? Little David, Play on Your Harp. OUR LAST NAME IS HARP!! Purely coincidence actually! I had my grandma (the director) look for "cute kid like songs" and she found that one. I was like "OMG HARP" and she said, "I HADNT EVEN THOUGHT OF THAT!!"

Nothing really new to report just a few pics to remember this precious age. We survived Nick's California trip with no meltdowns and I got out of the house sans-baby 3 times this week! So thanks for the grandmas and great-aunts for their baby sitting services! :)

7 Week old weight: 12 lbs 4 oz

ONE MORE NIGHT!!

One more night and I officially survived Nick being gone for a week in California! Don't want to jinx anything quite yet, but Blaine's "6th sense for daddy's absence" hasn't quite kicked in this time like it did last week and the week before that and the week before that. ;)