Celebrating Small Victories

Being at home, sometimes it's easy for the days to get a tad bit monotonous. Nurse, diaper, make silly noises, rock, nap, clean, and do it all over again about 3 hours later.

But today we've had lots of little victories--so here's to celebrating the small things.

Here's what we celebrated today:

We figured out the mystery of why Collier sometimes struggles with bottles. More on this later.

I have hardwood floors. This is especially nice when you have a baby who spits up over your shoulder.

We made it through a trip to Walmart AND a bath without C crying (I was also in the bathtub, but it totally counts).

I got to drink an entire cup of coffee. On the porch, no less!

Collier got himself back to sleep after waking up mid-nap.

Every day, at least once, I have a moment when I am overwhelmed by the blessings we've been given: the sweetest baby, our health, a loving family, education, our home, friends who will talk to me about nothing, our jobs, our church, the list goes on...this, my friends, is reason to celebrate! Cheers!

Happy 3 Months!

Collier, 

I think I'm going to say this around the 23rd of every month....I cannot believe that you're already 3 months old!  I also can't believe that I have one short month before I return to the "normal" life of a working mom.  I'm trying to treasure every sweet moment with your perfect baby-ness....spending a few extra minutes rocking you after you fall asleep (In fact, I was just doing this.  You must have been having sweet dreams because you were chuckling and smiling in your sleep.  Adorable :), and sneaking in snuggle time whenever I can get it.  You are such a cuddle bug, and I love it!

The last month has been a bit trying at times.  We are all three trying to figure out a routine that works for everyone; you getting the sleep you need, and eating at more regular times (you snacking every hour and a half was really wearing on mommy!) us getting to eat dinner sitting down, occasional exercise, and time together.  Most days, you are on an three-hour eat-play-sleep routine.  Hurray!  You seem reassured and comforted by this routine, and have fewer meltdowns.  You have had a lot of exciting "firsts" this month: your first nights in your crib, Father's Day, first trip to Grandpa and Nana's house, a babysitter for the evening, meeting new friends (namely Caroline--I think you were smitten), and a visit from Aunt Maureen.  You also had your first laugh this month.  Mommy was making silly noises, and you just let out a little chuckle--it was the sweetest sound!  You reserve your laughs for rare occasions, but we love them!  You're still growing like a weed:  13 pounds, and 25 inches long.  I calculated that if you continue growing at this rate, you will be over 3.5 feet tall by your first birthday.  So, slow down, please! :)  

Visiting your buddy Davis.  We'll eventually get a picture of both of you smiling. :)

Caroline liked you too! ;)

Aunt Maureen came to meet you, and brought you a very sweet Mickey Mouse lovey. 

Sleeping like a champ in your crib

You are quite the observer, little bug.  You love to be where you can look around, especially outside, and you like to look at different people, but you're not sure if you want them to hold you or not.  You enjoy being read to, and love to look at the pictures in books.  Your favorite toy is your activity gym, and you love looking in the mirror and talking to the critters that hang from the gym.  You've started to bat at toys, and occasionally will grab onto them.  Probably because you want to see what's going on, you have such strong head and neck control--people comment on this all the time ("Look how well he holds his head!").  Of course, we know that you're just advanced. :)

You love seeing yourself in the mirror

Having a conversation with Artie the Octopus

Check out how strong you are!

This month we've also discovered that you do not like loud noises like the rumbling of pushing the grocery cart through the parking lot, or the bus cart at a restaurant, or a car alarm.  You make the saddest face when something startles you--your eyes get so wide, and you stick your bottom lip out, then start to cry.  It's impossible not to scoop you up.  You also have a strong disdain for the car seat (maybe there's no one to talk to?), and bath time.

You think silly noises are just hilarious

So serious!

The last three months have been the best, most challenging, most rewarding, and most full months of my life so far.  Thank you, bug, for adding so much to our lives.  We love you so much!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Daddy's Day Weekend

I don't know how many times I've said over the past three months, "I don't know how single moms do this!".  I know for a fact that I (and Collier too) would be a complete mess without Chris--he encourages me, makes me laugh, and loves sharing in this parenthood adventure.  He is about as "hands on" as a dad can be (I think he'd love to nurse Collier, if he could), and I so loved getting to spoil him a little on his first Father's Day!

Chris reads to Collier most nights before we put him to bed.  He may be dozing off, but we enjoy it too! :)

We had a pretty low-key weekend, per Chris' request.  On Saturday, we hung around the house, went out to breakfast, watched the US Open, (I got a pedicure, also per Chris' request...see, he's so thoughtful! :) and left Collier with his first "non-family" babysitter while we went to a bbq with some friends.  Collier (and mom and dad) did just great!  Thanks Leauna! :)

On Sunday, Collier woke up early to give his daddy his Father's Day gifts.  We gave him a  photo of C's sweet little feet, framed with a poem called "Following Daddy's Footsteps", and a book called "My SuperDad" (you send in a photo, and they add it to a superhero--it's precious!).  We went to church (where Collier entertained everyone with his impressive GI feats during our prayer time--thanks, bud.), and then Chris' parents came over to grill out and visit.  We had a great time!  I love seeing Chris, Collier, and Collier's Papa all playing together.  I know that Chris is such a great man because he had a great example of a loving father and husband in his own dad.  I'm beyond thrilled that Collier will be following behind such great men in our family, who seek to be fathers who are following The Father.  Thanks for being such a great dad, Chris!  We love you!! 

I love my Daddy!

Collier, Daddy, and Papa playing together

Chris got his Dad a card that had a little dancing hula girl on it (you push a button, and her hips shake and she plays a song).  Collier was obsessed with it--he'd get really still and quiet when we played it.  Hilarious!

All the Cowan Men

Daddy reading Collier his new book

Ahh...irony

Collier had his first real laugh last night! He was fussy and starting to get hungry, so I was trying to distract him. I was flying him above my head like an airplane, making puttering noises, and he cackled. He's made a few almost-laughing cooing sounds before, but this was an honest-to-goodness giggle. It was glorious!! We even got him to repeat it a few times, even though he wasn't in the best mood.

I thought we'd be able to get that sweet giggle on video this morning. Of course, this morning when he's well rested and has a full tummy, we can't get him to do it again. Silly boy.

Also, Collier decided to have the best nap ever this morning....just as Chris and I are all ready to go out to eat breakfast. Our tummies are growling for chocolate chip pancakes, and he's snoozing away (going on an hour and a half now!). Praise God for miracle naps--even if they do come when we're ready to leave the house.

I guess this little dude just wants to keep us on our toes... :)

Thankful Thursday!

Look!  We made it!

 Today was day 1 of "nap training" (read: me being a schedule nazi) and all in all, I think it was a success.  Collier took two great naps, one so-so nap, and one terrible nap.  But, we stuck to our plan, and he was definitely a much happier boy after the better naps.  So, for that, I'm thankful.  I'm super thankful that Chris got to take an extra-long lunch and help me endure one of the "cry it out" sessions (it only lasted like 5 minutes, but it would have felt like 5 years alone).  I'm also thankful for the overflowing support from my mommy-friends today who called/texted/commented to let me know that our family was on their minds.  And of course, I'm uber-thankful for the Sonic Blast that Chris brought me after putting the bug to bed to celebrate our successes.  Worth every last calorie.

The "Hey Batter Batter" Blast with BOTH cookie dough and brownie batter chunks.  It comes in this mini-size so that you don't feel too badly about having it once (or twice) a week.  Go ahead, get one now.

Wait...didn't we order a happy baby?

It happened today. I hit a wall. It was sometime mid-afternoon, with both Collier and I crying, sitting in his room. He was exhausted. I was exhausted. But he was SO tired, he couldn't (wouldn't) sleep. Before Collier was born, I figured that if I just paid attention to his cues, he would direct me to the schedule he needs. (umm....incorrect, Adrianne) For several weeks now, we've been operating on "Collier time", without a really defined schedule, and serious nap issues. C will nap just fine--for about 45 minutes. This clearly isn't long enough. He progressively gets more and more overtired throughout the day, and inevitably melts down each afternoon and evening. Many days of meltdowns have led me to this point--I am going to have to take charge of his daily schedule.

So, here we are! Tomorrow we are hitting the ground running with a strict (at least to begin with) 3 hour eat-play-nap schedule. If he wakes up early, I'm going to give him the opportunity to get himself back to sleep. This means he may have some challenges in store over the next few days. But how else will he learn? My friend Ashely had a really wise piece of advice about this situation: "having a schedule makes them (her twins) confident that I'll meet their needs,". While it may be challenging at times, I've got to teach Collier that I will meet his needs, and I know what they are. It's a trust thing, I guess.

So, I've got Philippians 4:13 running through my head and my mama friends on speed dial. Let's do this.

Playdates and a Big Boy Bed!

I'm trying to get caught up on what we've been up to...this is a couple weeks old (sorry! :)

I think this has been the spring of the baby.  In the past three months, I have 6 close friends who have collectively had 7 babies.  Tell me that's not crazy!  I'm so excited for what it means for Collier--lots of friends! We had a playdate week before last with Ryder (my friend Lori's son who just turned one), Mallory (Kim's daughter, who is 3 months), and Becky's 3 boys: Parker (2), Aiden and Colton (exactly one week younger than Collier).  Not only did they have a great time, but their mommies got to have some much needed time to talk with other grown ups.  Yay!

All our baby friends!  From the left:  Collier, Aiden, Colton, and Mallory (who just scored a touchdown, apparently! :)

Colton and Mallory...Don't they look like they're holding hands?  Precious!

Aiden and Collier were watching TV.  Just like men.

Big Boys Parker and Ryder didn't seem to mind all the "baby toys" at our house.  They can play with anything! :)

Also, weekend before last, we decided that it was time to move C into his own room for night time.  He's been sleeping great--waking up only once (usually around 4 or 5 am) to eat and go right back to sleep.  While I knew that we needed to go ahead and make this change, and that he would sleep better in his own space, this was a hard adjustment for me.  I got so used to having him in the same room, where his little sleep noises were a nice reminder that he's doing alright in his bassinet.  As a first time mom, I'll admit I did the "is he breathing?" thing several times a night, and having him in our room made checking on him easier.  Even though I felt conflicted, I knew that it was best for all three of us (well, all four of us, since Avery's sleep is interrupted when Collier wakes up too, poor thing :) for Collier to make the move to his room.  So, with several prayers, and our AngelCare monitor all set up, he made the move last Friday night.  We established a bedtime routine (bath, massage, book, bottle, swaddle, rock to sleep) and he did awesome!  Collier slept 8 hours the first night in his own room, and has only deferred from that once since then.  The first few nights I slept very poorly, and made more than a few trips across the house in the dark to peek in on our little bug, but I've done much better as time goes on.  On the bright side, Chris and I have our room back, which is nice....even if we do have to share it with Avery. :)

Collier's big boy bed--I took off the bumper pads after reading too many articles about SIDS.  I still think the crib looks weird and uncomfortable without them, but they're not recommended anymore.  I'll probably put them back on once he's able to lift his head if he gets stuck against them. 

 

 Rocking with mommy.  Collier and I spend a LOT of time in this chair. :)

Such a sweet sleepy boy

Rest...

When someone meets Collier for the first time (most often in a store I'm trying to hurry out of because he is losing his patience, but that's beside the point), they ask two questions:

1. How old is he?
(occasionally they ask "How old is she?", but only if he's wearing blue)

2. How does he sleep?

Everyone is interested in a newborn's sleep patterns. From the time Collier was born, we've focused on his sleep almost as much as his feeding. After all, sleep is as important to brain development as diet is (no wonder all us overtired adults can't think straight!). Before he was born, one of the few "parenting" books we read focused on sleep. Luckily for us, Collier has slept pretty well. He does awesome at night, but naps are another story. When napping in his crib, he wakes up every 30 minutes or so, crying and needing to be soothed back to sleep. He just wants to be held and comforted while he rests. While we're holding him, he'll sleep for hours at a time.

Sleeping good while Mommy holds her little bug

In all this, I have learned a lesson from our little man. First, that rest is important. Collier is a bear when he's tired, but for good reason. We need to make that a priority--but not just physical rest, spiritual as well. We need time to allow our souls to be refreshed. Also, there's a reason why C rests so comfortably in his parents' arms--it's safe, it's warm, it's full of love for him. We also have a Father in whose arms we need to take time to rest as well. So, take a lesson from our little man...take a load off, rest in your Daddy's arms today.  I know I need to take time to make that a priority as well!