Chasing Three: Week 6

I suppose this is more an update on the last two weeks... since I missed last week. I'm sure you're all as busy as I am and didn't even notice. There's not much difference between the two weeks either, so I'll basically just let you know how were doing and where we're at now.

Chasing Babies
Still far from on a schedule, as a family anyway. Little Man is on a basic feeding/sleeping schedule. I sleep as long as I can in the mornings. Poor kids. They tend to wake up before I'm ready. I hope it's good practice for them... having them wait for "wake up time". One morning I found Sweet Pea's diaper off (not to mention her jammies) and a puddle of potty on the bare mattress (there was a sheet on there the night before). Perhaps they were left too long that day. Some mornings are just hard to drag myself out of bed. It depends on the quality and quantity of sleep during the night.

Once we're up it's a matter of juggling really... and waiting. Most of the morning is waiting actually... for one person or another. My beloved waits to get out of bed until the kids have all used the bathroom so that he can get ready for work. Some mornings Little Man waits to eat until everyone is dressed. Other mornings kids wait to get dressed (or up at all) until Little Man has had his fill. Kids wait for Little Man to eat before they are served breakfast (or vise versa). I wait to eat until things are calmed down.

Waiting.


Little Man
Little Man weighs 11 pounds 11 ounces as of today. That's 4.5 ounces in the last six days. Not bad at all... especially considering his higher birth weight! He's eating well... though sometimes it seems like he cries through his feedings. I have to be careful to stop everything else when feeding him or he doesn't do as well. Spitting up has slowed down most of the time... with the occasional waterfall.

We had another first this week when he smiled for me on Tuesday evening. My Beloved was working on something at the computer and I was sitting on the couch with Little Man. With all that goes on around here sometimes, I don't feel like I spend as much time just focused completely on him as I'd like. This was a time to do that. I just sat with him and talked. I couldn't tell you what we talked about, but I kept my voice quiet and interesting. Before I knew it I was looking at a half smile... then several. Then lo and behold, a complete smile just for mommy! I've never received a "first smile" from one of my babies before. This was very special!


The EC'ing Department
We keep keeping on. I've been feeling like we've been moving in the backward direction lately. Perhaps I've been too tired to take him potty (or lazy). Or perhaps we are just out of sinc.

I'm still catching at least half of his poops. It seems, though, that I'm "just missing" his potties pretty often. Or he is not wanting to go in the toilet for some reason. Like I said, we just keep keeping on... and I'm sure we're going to get through this hump.

I've started noticing a bit of a cue from him when he needs to poop. Ok... so I shouldn't say I noticed it. Last weekend we were with some friends. Little Man was pretty fussy throughout the evening... off and on. I was telling her about this whole EC thing and she wondered if he was fussing because he needed to poop. Sure enough! Fast forward to this last few days... I've definitely been noticing a pattern. Trick is that his cue is crying... plain old crying. Usually I'm thinking to my elf, "why are you crying?" I haven't gotten good at thinking, "oh, you're crying and I don't know why... maybe you need to poop." Hopefully I'll start putting it together. A couple times now I've missed a very blatant "I don't' know why you're crying" cue just to have him poop in his diaper. It can be a little discouraging and annoying, but my book says that there are no accidents. Even these misses are learning opportunites... and I'm seeing that they're right! Yes... I missed the cue. Yes... I had a mess to clean up. But yes... I am noticing this pattern. And yes... he is telling me he has to go. Now I just need to learn to respond to this communication!

Labels: Chasing Three, Raising Children

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 9:43 AM