Chasing Three: Week 3

My Little Man is 3 weeks old! I had a bit of a rough patch today (hormones?) when I *realized* that he's growing up too fast and I'm practically missing it already. Then I realized that the only part I'm really missing is the part where he's asleep and that I'm pretty much with him every other minute. Such is life in these first weeks of having a newborn in the house (the hormones, the sleeping, and the going so fast!)

As of Sunday morning (last week... not today, sorry about the lateness of this post), my mom was at the airport and we were on our own. As we (the kids and I) waved good-bye to her and My Beloved at 6am that morning, I was sure I was in trouble. Little Man had barely been sleeping the previous couple nights. He'd wake up every 2 1/2ish hours for feedings, and then not always go back to sleep... crying until his next feeding, the whole time except when I was shaking his bassinet, holding him, or letting him suck on my finger (which was still attached to my hand, attached to my arm that was draped from where I was warm in bed over the side of his bassinet and to him.)

It wasn't all that bad though. The rest of the week was ok as far as sleep went... waking every 2 1/2 hours, but going right back to sleep each time.


Chasing "Babies"
I'm not going to hide it from you... not every day was as smooth and enjoyable (nor productive) as that first day home alone with them all. There was no schooling, few dishes done, and I didn't even try to follow that trial schedule I mentioned. Even though he was sleeping some, I was still exhausted! I spent more time falling asleep in the couch while they played (or better yet, while reading them a story) than I had planned to. (Does anyone really plan on that?) The weather was beautiful all week, but we never once made it outside apart from Monday. Bread making was on the schedule most of the week (and still is as a matter of fact!)

I am grateful that my church family began bringing meals this week and I didn't have to worry about the evening meal!! Praise the Lord for family in His body! We did accomplish a few things. I got the yogurt made and survived both Tuesday and Thursday nights (have I mentioned that My Beloved is taking an EMT class at the community college this semester... it started this week) with out back-up.

Overall, God is good. No one's been sick or gone hungry (apart from the constant "I'm still hungry" I get from Tornado after every meal!) The kids are enjoying their baby brother and haven't even hurt him yet. :)

And me? God is doing works in my heart in a number of different areas. Isn't it just like God to pick an unlikely time for Spiritual growth and challenging! I look forward to sharing some of what's been on my heart with you all someday... when I have time to actually write it up and post it. For now, I've been making more use of my journal than I have in a long time! It's way easier to journal on paper while nursing or rocking to sleep than it is to type!


Little Man
We've worked hard this week to keep him awake when he should be awake during the day in the hopes that he'd find his night time schedule. It seems to have worked some as we did finally find a 5 hours stretch one night night... followed by a 4 1/2 hour stretch the next night! Sigh. I hope it continues!

Nursing continues to go well. I wondered about my milk supply for a couple days, but am not anymore. I tend to worry/wonder about such things because of past experience and will hopefully be choosing a scale and getting it soon (maybe this week!) Spitting up continues as well... sometimes a lot at a time. Having a scale to monitor weight will help me to know whether it's too much spit up or just the extra that he doesn't need.

His alert times are stretching out some more most of the time. There are still a couple times during the day when it's really hard to keep him up. I have to be very careful not to keep him up too long or it messes with his nap times. At least this is what I'm blaming it on. He sleeps great at night and through the morning and mid day. The afternoons and evenings though, he doesn't sleep well at all. Some nap times are off and on crying through the whole time. Others he doesn't stop at all (without help). As PDF parents, one of our goals is to try to help Little man learn how to fall asleep by himself... without the sleep props of being rocked or nursed to sleep. This will be a help to him as he gets older and doesn't have those options available. A number of times this week though, I've grabbed him up in the evening to ensure he gets some of his nap. Part of it is not being able to stand the thought of him crying more (and I can't think of anything else that could be causing the crying... wet diaper, gas, hunger, etc.) and part of it is wanting him to get the sleep he needs during the day so that he's not over tired and won't sleep at night. If any of you PDF mommies out there have any suggestions, I'm all ears! I can't complain too much though... it's nice to have him sleep on me every now and then! I just worry that I'll do more harm than good in the training arena.


The EC'ing Department
Though I've been tired, I have also had more energy this past week. Does that completely contradict??? My body is coming back around and I've stepped up to a few more things. One of them has been ECing. We really buckled down to try this pottying thing. And it's magical!

Some days I've caught more potties and poops than I've missed (EC term for "accidents" or wet and poppy diapers). Each time he wakes up during the day, we head in to the bathroom where I have a diaper changing station set up. I remove the wet diaper (sometimes more wet than others) and we sit together at the potty.

I have found it much easier to do this with him since trying a slightly new position. I sit on the kids stool facing the potty, holding Little Man in my arms (one hand under each thigh) over the potty. Most of the time he's leaning on my chest. Sometimes he doesn't seem happy with this, but other times he's fine. Many times this week he'd potty almost right away (and sometimes not at all)... and often does his pooping there. I will say though that much of the potty early in the week was going everywhere but the toilet. I was starting to loose hope, wondering what I was doing wrong. I was holding him the way I thought they said too, but this couldn't be right.

I still don't know if I'm doing what they say to do or not, but holding a bit of toilet paper over "the zone" has helped (some) with keeping potty off the floor, toilet seat cover, and tub, and out of the trash can.

I still haven't noticed any obvious cues that he needs to go. We go when he wakes up and, as often as I have energy or attention for, a little while after nursing. Sometimes we go a third time right before going down for his nap, but it depends on how things are going and whether or not he's already gone in his diaper. At night, I just change his diaper and move on, getting back to sleep as soon as possible. I may add night time to our routine someday too, but not for now.

Overall, I'm happy with it. I have had many fewer poopy diapers to clean up than I would have otherwise... and saved many diapers from being needed (which is nice since I feel like I'm flying through them as it is.)

One thing I did find this week that is worthy of reporting. Little Man had some diaper rash that I was struggling to get rid of. One morning I just buckled down and worked at it... keeping him only slightly covered with the pre-fold diaper (this worked best on me rather than the floor, etc., as he did less kicking and I could hold the pre-fold in place)... letting as much air get in there as possible and taking him for even more potty-opportunities. It took all day, but by the end of the day, it was mostly healed, and gone the next morning.

Labels: As it happens..., Chasing Three, Raising Children

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 7:25 PM