Donovan just turned 10 months old. And, poor little guy, with it came a few not so pleasant experiences and changes.
He just got over a bout of RSV. It went around at his daycare, and poor kid got it pretty badly. He was on a nebulizer and everything. So that was unpleasant. The poor kid was just miserable for a few days. And, of course, I felt like the worst mommy in the world because I shrugged it off as teething-related or just a cold for several days. Now, to be fair, I did make a declaration of, "If he gets any worse we are going to the doctor!", so it's not like I was ignoring his illness. But then we got the RSV letter that day, so that definitely sealed the deal for seeing the doc.
So it was albuterol via the nebulizer every 3-4 hours for a few days. That included overnight as well. Plus saline and nasal aspirator to clean out his nose. And Benadryl to help with the drip.
That is a LOT already. But on top of it, he had not one, not two, but THREE teeth coming in. His gums had been sore for a few days before he got sick, and by the Friday after Thanksgiving he had three new teeth popping through. Poor little guy is just hurting from it! So it's been ibuprofen and Orajel Naturals for that.
Given all of the above, I guess it's no surprise that sleep has become awful lately. I mean *awful*. He is very difficult to put down to sleep in the first place, and then he always wakes up at some point in the middle of the night (usually between 1 and 4 a.m.) and stays up for several hours. He will fall asleep at the breast, but the second I start to lower him into his crib he wakes up. When I pick him up, he passes out on my shoulder. Lower him to the crib, wakes up immediately. On and on. Then eventually Mike tries. Then I usually wind up nursing him again. And that eventually works. Most of the time.
Lately we have done something that I swore I wouldn't do - we let him cry himself to sleep. I couldn't help it. We were up for hours, passing him back and forth. He was fed. He was dry. He was warm, but not too warm. He was magically fine in our arms, but a mess when not. I know it's developmentally appropriate for a 10-month-old to get separation anxiety. I know it is. And I want to be sympathetic. But we were SO. TIRED.
Two nights ago (the day he actually turned 10 months old), he cried on and off for over an hour. It was pretty bad, but not as awful as I expected it to be. It was only on and off, and I could tell by the sound of his cry that he was awake and bored and wanted to cuddle. We did it again last night, and he cried hard, but only for about 15 minutes. Then he was out and we didn't hear from him until morning.
We do plan to officially sleep train starting this weekend. We will employ the Sleep Lady Shuffle again. It worked really well for Jocelyn, so we are going to test it out for Donovan. Yes, it's silly to do this now since we are about to go on vacation for Christmas. But I figure that if he back-slides it won't be all the way, and maybe it will be better enough in the short term.
But enough complaining. Donovan is awesome! Sure, he has had some rough patches that probably contributed to his sleep backsliding. But he's great! His walking is getting much better. He can go a good 8 or so steps before falling. He is not nearly as interested in practicing as he used to be, but he does great with it when he does. His cruising is superb - he is the expert. He can turn around, catch stuff as it goes by, go around small 'footprint' objects (like the kitchen stools, or me). He enjoys pulling up on people, which is really cute, except when it pulls up on Jocelyn and it hurts here (he is 2/3 her weight, after all).
He is working on saying "cat". He looks right at Dakota and Pumpkin and yells something that sounds like 'GA!' He loves them. He is so very interested in them. He will crawl right to them. They usually run away, but every once in a while he can get his hand on one. Dakota did scratch him once, which she got a HUGE time out for (and then I ignored her for days, because I was mad at her for it, because she had an open doorway behind her so she was not cornered). But usually they just peacefully, but quickly, walk away.
Donovan is doing the typical, clingy 10-month old thing, though. He will not be put down these days. I have to brush my hair while holding him. I often need to hold him while eating (or take turns with Mike). Even when I'm dressing him, I have to hold him. Sitting him in my lap to pull a onesie over his head will not suffice. He needs my hands on him or arms wrapped around him. It's a pain in the neck, especially in the morning, and extra especially when either Mike or I has an early meeting and only one is around to get the kids up and moving. Sometimes he pushes out of my arms (which he is very good at), so I bend over to put him on the floor. This makes him cry, despite his own attempt at freedom. When he does this while I am seated on the floor, he crawls a few steps away, then quickly turns around and crawls back in tears. Again, he pushed out himself, I just didn't stop him. If, by some miracle, he does play by himself on the floor, he quickly realizes the problem and makes a bee-line for me and pulls up on my legs so I can pick him up.
All in all, though, he is a good boy. And he loves his Mama :-).
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Walking and Clapping and Eating, Oh My!
It has been a BIG milestone week for Mr. Donovan.
A few nights ago (11/7), Donovan took a few steps! He was SO proud of himself, and we were so proud of him! I can't believe he is already starting to try to walk. His sister was early as well, and he seems like he is going to pass her. He practices a few steps a day, but is usually content to crawl around. He is really becoming quite the climber. His legs are super strong.
He also knows how to clap! I had no idea that he was practicing that skill. But he can do it. And, again, he is SO proud of himself when he does it. It's super cute. And we clap along and say, "yay!" So that makes him happy.
And yesterday he started to pick up Jocelyn's puzzle pieces and shove them in his mouth. Now, I know what you are thinking.. that is not something to celebrate. But it is! It means that he might be interested in some self-feeding! Which is something that he could take or leave in the past. He also grabs her sippy cups and tries to drink. When they have water, we let him at it. When it's milk or juice we take it away. He rarely gets the spout into his mouth. Hopefully he will start to work that soon, though.
Today, during lunch, he grabbed at his spoon. I think he tried to shove it into his mouth, but he didn't quite get there. I gave him his own play bowl and spoon to practice with while I fed him. He didn't get anywhere with it, but it was good practice regardless.
A few nights ago (11/7), Donovan took a few steps! He was SO proud of himself, and we were so proud of him! I can't believe he is already starting to try to walk. His sister was early as well, and he seems like he is going to pass her. He practices a few steps a day, but is usually content to crawl around. He is really becoming quite the climber. His legs are super strong.
He also knows how to clap! I had no idea that he was practicing that skill. But he can do it. And, again, he is SO proud of himself when he does it. It's super cute. And we clap along and say, "yay!" So that makes him happy.
And yesterday he started to pick up Jocelyn's puzzle pieces and shove them in his mouth. Now, I know what you are thinking.. that is not something to celebrate. But it is! It means that he might be interested in some self-feeding! Which is something that he could take or leave in the past. He also grabs her sippy cups and tries to drink. When they have water, we let him at it. When it's milk or juice we take it away. He rarely gets the spout into his mouth. Hopefully he will start to work that soon, though.
Today, during lunch, he grabbed at his spoon. I think he tried to shove it into his mouth, but he didn't quite get there. I gave him his own play bowl and spoon to practice with while I fed him. He didn't get anywhere with it, but it was good practice regardless.
Who is this tiny person?
Jocelyn just turned 28 months old, and I swear she is two going on twenty. She is becoming quite the little person. When she gets frustrated over something, she says, "Oh man!" When something is ridiculous, she says, "This is ridiculous!" She is speaking in great sentences, such as: "I had fun with you, Mommy," and, "I want some milk please, Daddy." And she is very good about disagreeing, saying things such as, "I playing right now. I don't want to eat dinner."
She is still bad at transitions. No matter what it is, the first time you bring it up, she doesn't want to do it these days. I think that the only exception might be a walk to the donut shop, but even then she drags her feet about getting in the stroller. Yesterday we went to the zoo, which is something we talk about and tell stories about all the time, and somewhere she often asks to go, despite never having been there. Anyway, it was hard to convince her to go at first, but then a few minutes she was all about it. Once we were there, she wanted to see animals in the order she wanted to see them in, and would turn away when it was something she didn't want to see right now. Funny kid!
She did have a blast at the zoo, though. I had always heard less-than-nice things about the Dallas zoo. But I thought it was a perfectly fine zoo. No, it's not the San Diego zoo. It's not even the Atlanta Zoo. But the Dallas Zoo is good and it has a really nice children's area. Jocelyn loved the play ground, she got to feed and also pet goats. She rode a pony, which she won't stop talking about now ("I went to the zoo and rode a pony!" It's adorable). She wanted to feed the giraffes, but I wasn't about to spend $5 on a few leaves of romaine lettuce that the giraffe didn't even eat. The giraffe area was really awesome, though. It was set down, and there were decks built, so the giraffe's head is at your level. They come right up to you. People were petting them! We weren't able to, but it was really cool being so close to a giraffe!
They still work on manners at daycare, and it's awesome! We, of course, also work on them at home. But it's great to have the message reinforced. They also do stuff that feels a bit advanced for a 2 year old. For example, recently Jocelyn told Mike that it is good manners to cover your mouth when you cough. It was too cute!
I guess my little girl is growing up. More evidence of her new found maturity is that she told us that she no longer wants to wear onesies to daycare. I nearly started to cry. My little girl wants to dress like a big kid! She has also started revisiting potty training at home. She was all gung ho for a while, and then she lost interest. Now she is working on it again. Not 100% of the time, but she's getting there. She is also getting to where she can clean up after herself, even though she doesn't usually do it without prodding from us.
That said, she is still such a baby still. She still loves a good cuddle with mommy or daddy. She asks for hugs, and sometimes still wants her daddy to walk her to sleep. And she still has tantrums on occasion, but usually only when she is overtired. Now she has mostly shifted to just sending away the parent who wronged her and asking for the other one. It's pretty hilarious.
She is still bad at transitions. No matter what it is, the first time you bring it up, she doesn't want to do it these days. I think that the only exception might be a walk to the donut shop, but even then she drags her feet about getting in the stroller. Yesterday we went to the zoo, which is something we talk about and tell stories about all the time, and somewhere she often asks to go, despite never having been there. Anyway, it was hard to convince her to go at first, but then a few minutes she was all about it. Once we were there, she wanted to see animals in the order she wanted to see them in, and would turn away when it was something she didn't want to see right now. Funny kid!
She did have a blast at the zoo, though. I had always heard less-than-nice things about the Dallas zoo. But I thought it was a perfectly fine zoo. No, it's not the San Diego zoo. It's not even the Atlanta Zoo. But the Dallas Zoo is good and it has a really nice children's area. Jocelyn loved the play ground, she got to feed and also pet goats. She rode a pony, which she won't stop talking about now ("I went to the zoo and rode a pony!" It's adorable). She wanted to feed the giraffes, but I wasn't about to spend $5 on a few leaves of romaine lettuce that the giraffe didn't even eat. The giraffe area was really awesome, though. It was set down, and there were decks built, so the giraffe's head is at your level. They come right up to you. People were petting them! We weren't able to, but it was really cool being so close to a giraffe!
They still work on manners at daycare, and it's awesome! We, of course, also work on them at home. But it's great to have the message reinforced. They also do stuff that feels a bit advanced for a 2 year old. For example, recently Jocelyn told Mike that it is good manners to cover your mouth when you cough. It was too cute!
I guess my little girl is growing up. More evidence of her new found maturity is that she told us that she no longer wants to wear onesies to daycare. I nearly started to cry. My little girl wants to dress like a big kid! She has also started revisiting potty training at home. She was all gung ho for a while, and then she lost interest. Now she is working on it again. Not 100% of the time, but she's getting there. She is also getting to where she can clean up after herself, even though she doesn't usually do it without prodding from us.
That said, she is still such a baby still. She still loves a good cuddle with mommy or daddy. She asks for hugs, and sometimes still wants her daddy to walk her to sleep. And she still has tantrums on occasion, but usually only when she is overtired. Now she has mostly shifted to just sending away the parent who wronged her and asking for the other one. It's pretty hilarious.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
9 Months Old - Tall and Skinny
Donovan turned 9 months old last weekend. I can't believe that I have had him for 3/4 of a year now. Crazy!
He had his appointment yesterday. He is still 97% for height and head circumference, but has dropped to 60% in weight. The doctor isn't concerned, since he is crawling like a fiend. Since they start crawling at different times, the weight average doesn't move that much, but they tend to drop once movement milestones are achieved. She expects him to catch back up.
Those little milestone charts that you need to fill out are so annoying though. You have to stop at three no's. But, the thing is, Donovan is not developing in order. There was a no from last time that still wasn't a yes - it has to do with self-feeding (which he has minimal interest in doing). So it counted against the limited number of no answers. He had like 8 yesses after the last no, but they don't count. Okay, so he can't feed himself using a pincer grip yet. But he CAN cruise, get himself to sitting, babblye strings of consonnts, stand for a full minute while not holding onto anything, and say both "Mama" and "Dada" discriminately. Let's give him credit for those :-P.
As far as everything else is going, not much new to report. His top, front teeth are coming in, which is pretty adorable. It's no fun for nursing, but that's a different story altogether :-P. Otherwise, he's doing all the same things - just better, faster and more. He crawls around like it's really no big thing. He cruises all over the place. He talks to "Mama" and "Dada" all the time. He babbles, squeals, raspberries and makes all of the adorable baby sounds that I love to listen to so much. He and Jocelyn play and giggle together - when they are not fighting over the same toys, that is :-P. They do love each other, though. It's really awesome.
Oh, here's the big deal! Donovan is sleeping in his own room! Finally! The new recommendations from the AAP are that the baby should sleep in their parents' room for the forst 6 months (in their own bed, the AAP does not promote babies sleeping in their parents' bed). So that's what we did. And then once we hit 6 months, we were planning to have a guest in town. Then another. Then another. And since the guest room is also Donovan's room, we didn't want to move him back and forth before he got into the routine. So we kept him with us. But, last night he slept in his own room! And he slept great - didn't hear him from when we put him down at about 11:30 (a late cat nap resulted in a late bedtime) until 6 a.m.! Then he went back to sleep, but the morning sleep was in his Pack 'n' Play in our room because I didn't feel like walking all the way back to his room after I was done nursing him (so far we haven't moved the recliner into his room yet).
As far as food goes, he eats yogurt almost daily these days. And, of course, still loves his cheese. He is ready for chunkier foods - and last night we shared a roasted carrot, and some banana pieces. He also has had some experience with avocado pieces. So we are getting there with the chunkier food. I am such a nervous mama when it comes to choking hazards and stuff. And, really, what's the rush? Okay, he needs some practice so he doesn't become a super picky eater. But I think he will be fine. Over the next few weeks we will try some chunks of potato and sweet potato. That should be good :-)
He had his appointment yesterday. He is still 97% for height and head circumference, but has dropped to 60% in weight. The doctor isn't concerned, since he is crawling like a fiend. Since they start crawling at different times, the weight average doesn't move that much, but they tend to drop once movement milestones are achieved. She expects him to catch back up.
Those little milestone charts that you need to fill out are so annoying though. You have to stop at three no's. But, the thing is, Donovan is not developing in order. There was a no from last time that still wasn't a yes - it has to do with self-feeding (which he has minimal interest in doing). So it counted against the limited number of no answers. He had like 8 yesses after the last no, but they don't count. Okay, so he can't feed himself using a pincer grip yet. But he CAN cruise, get himself to sitting, babblye strings of consonnts, stand for a full minute while not holding onto anything, and say both "Mama" and "Dada" discriminately. Let's give him credit for those :-P.
As far as everything else is going, not much new to report. His top, front teeth are coming in, which is pretty adorable. It's no fun for nursing, but that's a different story altogether :-P. Otherwise, he's doing all the same things - just better, faster and more. He crawls around like it's really no big thing. He cruises all over the place. He talks to "Mama" and "Dada" all the time. He babbles, squeals, raspberries and makes all of the adorable baby sounds that I love to listen to so much. He and Jocelyn play and giggle together - when they are not fighting over the same toys, that is :-P. They do love each other, though. It's really awesome.
Oh, here's the big deal! Donovan is sleeping in his own room! Finally! The new recommendations from the AAP are that the baby should sleep in their parents' room for the forst 6 months (in their own bed, the AAP does not promote babies sleeping in their parents' bed). So that's what we did. And then once we hit 6 months, we were planning to have a guest in town. Then another. Then another. And since the guest room is also Donovan's room, we didn't want to move him back and forth before he got into the routine. So we kept him with us. But, last night he slept in his own room! And he slept great - didn't hear him from when we put him down at about 11:30 (a late cat nap resulted in a late bedtime) until 6 a.m.! Then he went back to sleep, but the morning sleep was in his Pack 'n' Play in our room because I didn't feel like walking all the way back to his room after I was done nursing him (so far we haven't moved the recliner into his room yet).
As far as food goes, he eats yogurt almost daily these days. And, of course, still loves his cheese. He is ready for chunkier foods - and last night we shared a roasted carrot, and some banana pieces. He also has had some experience with avocado pieces. So we are getting there with the chunkier food. I am such a nervous mama when it comes to choking hazards and stuff. And, really, what's the rush? Okay, he needs some practice so he doesn't become a super picky eater. But I think he will be fine. Over the next few weeks we will try some chunks of potato and sweet potato. That should be good :-)
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