The other day S posted about how awesome Jude is doing at sleeping and it totally ruined it for us to have it spoken “out loud” and so because we got the comment from Michael "When I saw the title I thought, "I hope he's sleeping through the night now that he's at 3 months." And then I read the post and saw he's almost there! It gives me hope…” I knew we needed to fess up to the truth. Jude isn’t always sleeping great. In fact, I would say at least 3 days this week he has had horrible nights where he is up every hour or two ALL NIGHT LONG. In fact, Thursday night he was up so much and I was so exhausted the next day that I totally lost it. In a very not mom of the year moment, I was so tired and so very tired of his all day scream fest that I yelled at him and told him that I hated him. Of course I cried for an hour after doing that, which upset him even further. And that was only 1 of the 4 times I cried yesterday. And I know he can’t understand me (yet), but I just felt so horrible about it. Clearly, something needs to change.
So, when in doubt, I turned to Facebook and a friend of mine recommended to me Moms on Call, which is a website that you pay for and it has videos instructing you on how to set up a schedule and get your baby to sleep through the night. She actually let me borrow her log in so I could check it out. And I have to say that I was pretty impressed with it. But her log in is for the 4-12 week old program and as Jude is already 12 weeks going on 13 weeks, I don’t think it is quite right for him. We tried doing their 3 hour rotating schedule today and it was OK but I think he is old enough to be on a 4 hour schedule (meaning he eats at say 7am, plays for a bit, takes at nap at 9:30 and by 11 is up again and eating). So I think that is what we are going to do going forward. By the way though, if you are pregnant with baby number 1 or have a baby that is still little (not 12 weeks yet) then I think the program is totally worth the $30 or however much exactly it is. I think we would be on a better track with Jude at this point if we had started this all much much sooner. Some of it is a bit duh, some is a bit controversial because they do allow for a small amount of “crying it out" and some is just silly specific, like the instructions on how to give a bath. But still pretty good.
We are going to combine this with trying to get him to eat during the day and less at night. Right now he only wants to eat 2-3 oz every 2-3 hours during the day and then at night he will down 5oz bottles. So hopefully stretching out how long he goes between feedings will help. Today going 3 hours made for much better eating already. All in the name of everyone getting a good nights sleep.
-Liz
Two Moms, two boys, too much fun
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
They grow up so fast
Today Jude is 3 months. Can you believe it 3 MONTHS! I am back at work and Liz is at home with him and we are settled into a routine that works for us. I am trying to do it all. I work, spend every waking moment with him when I am home and am on week 4 of my 9 week 5k training. It’s not easy, but I don’t regret a single second I spend with him instead of sleeping or doing something else.
They grow up so fast. Liz and I were watching a video of when he was just a few days old. He was like a whole different kid. I love the constant growth and changes with him. He always keeps me guessing. How much is Jude going to eat today? How much is he going to sleep? How attentive will he be? He has some regular routine to him, but he seems to be growing and growing and with that his eating and sleeping changes all the time.
A few nights ago, Jude slept from 7pm-2:30am. We were shocked. He then got up and ate 6 oz and slept for an hour, ate another 2 oz and then slept until 7am! Last night, he got up a little more, but ended up sleeping until 9:30am. With all he has been eating and sleeping, I keep expecting to come home from work and him be 2 inches taller.
I was so excited to be there for his first laugh. I am so afraid of missing things while I am at work and I was totally there for his first laugh. Don’t get me wrong, I like being back at work. I just wish it was closer to home. The hour drive to and from is what kills me. I enjoy the adult interaction and doing a job I know I am good at, but I do miss my family. I have pictures everywhere and it keeps me going. Having Jude has made me a much happier person at work. I was really bored and now I feel like my work has purpose…to support my family.
Liz is settling into the stay at home part of life. They have bonded so much and are so amazing together. She is a great mom and I try to support her in her role as stay at home as much as I can by encouraging her to go out with friends when she can and taking him most of the time when I am home.
Jude is so happy. He smiles all the time and laughs now too. I just love his little laugh. He also cries really loud now. I think he found his volume and enjoys using it. He doesn’t cry much, but when he does, he wants you to know.
I love our little family and this new life. Having Jude is amazing to me everyday and even when it is hard and I am tired, I am still the luckiest person in the world to have such an amazing wife and baby.
-S
They grow up so fast. Liz and I were watching a video of when he was just a few days old. He was like a whole different kid. I love the constant growth and changes with him. He always keeps me guessing. How much is Jude going to eat today? How much is he going to sleep? How attentive will he be? He has some regular routine to him, but he seems to be growing and growing and with that his eating and sleeping changes all the time.
A few nights ago, Jude slept from 7pm-2:30am. We were shocked. He then got up and ate 6 oz and slept for an hour, ate another 2 oz and then slept until 7am! Last night, he got up a little more, but ended up sleeping until 9:30am. With all he has been eating and sleeping, I keep expecting to come home from work and him be 2 inches taller.
I was so excited to be there for his first laugh. I am so afraid of missing things while I am at work and I was totally there for his first laugh. Don’t get me wrong, I like being back at work. I just wish it was closer to home. The hour drive to and from is what kills me. I enjoy the adult interaction and doing a job I know I am good at, but I do miss my family. I have pictures everywhere and it keeps me going. Having Jude has made me a much happier person at work. I was really bored and now I feel like my work has purpose…to support my family.
Liz is settling into the stay at home part of life. They have bonded so much and are so amazing together. She is a great mom and I try to support her in her role as stay at home as much as I can by encouraging her to go out with friends when she can and taking him most of the time when I am home.
Jude is so happy. He smiles all the time and laughs now too. I just love his little laugh. He also cries really loud now. I think he found his volume and enjoys using it. He doesn’t cry much, but when he does, he wants you to know.
I love our little family and this new life. Having Jude is amazing to me everyday and even when it is hard and I am tired, I am still the luckiest person in the world to have such an amazing wife and baby.
-S
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Jude’s First Laugh
So for a few weeks now Jude has been making little shrieks of excitement and almost laughing, but on Sunday he full on laughed and has been laughing ever since. It’s the best thing ever. And his first laugh ended up being filmed. Yay! So here it is, Jude’s first laugh caught on film.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Love(and pics!)
Man we just love, love, LOVE our little man. Some pics for you:)
"Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, my bubbles!” (from Finding Nemo) He has been so drooly and blows bubbles and puts everything into his mouth lately!
Normally he hates tummy time, but this day, he loved it!
some times a mama only has so many hands…multitasking! Doesn’t he look so cute in the basket though??
He is really into his hands lately. He is starting to grab at things and touch things. So cool to see him learn new things!
Okay, I will quit obsessing now. He makes me so happy even when I am at work and away from him. I always wanted to be a mom, but never knew I would love it sooo much!
-S
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Top 10 Tips for Traveling With a Baby
Ok so we are by no means experts traveling with the little man, but I feel like our trip to Green Bay (haha I just accidentally wrote Green Baby) gave us some insight into the dos and don’ts of flying with an infant. Of course little man is only 10 weeks old and was 9 weeks old at the time, so I’m sure of these tips would be different for a younger/older baby. But here goes:
10. Think before you book your flight. We got lucky and my dad booked our flights right during little mans normal nap times. This meant that he went down for naps really easily darning the flight.
9. Consider your layover. I didn’t give this much thought when looking at our flights, as I normally want the shortest layover possible, but with a baby, I think that anything less than an hour and half is really pushing it. This is because you will have to check your car seat and stroller under the plane and wait for it to get unloaded after the flight. Then baby is going to need a diaper change (not every plane bathroom has a changing table in it), everyone probably has to go to potty and everyone will enjoy a little walking around/grabbing a bit to eat before loading back up again. I think that two hours is probably ideal so that between all that you need to get done and any unexpected delays you will board your next plane with a happy baby who is ready for another bottle and another nap.
8. Travel light. We had so much stuff with us in addition to the stuff that we checked that getting around and situated was a pain. I think that next time we will try to get down to just one purse and one diaper bag. Instead of having a cooler full of formula I’d bring the powder and buy a bottle of water once you get through security and maybe bring just one premixed bottle. And we were so worried about diaper changes and blow outs that we ended up with like 20 diapers and 3 outfits, which wasn’t necessary.
7. Bring a toy. At some point, that baby is going to wake up. We brought two of Jude’s favorite small toys so that way when we was awake we were trying to get him to focus on something and play instead of just sitting there bored.
6. Bring snacks for yourself. Life is better if you arn’t cranky, hungry and tired. Traveling with a baby you are bound to be cranky and tired but at least you don’t have to be hungry also.
5. Bring your baby monitors. I know that some people might not have baby monitors or don’t use the ones that they have, but they are really nice when you are somewhere other than home. Of course if you all are staying in one tiny hotel room then they might not be necessary, but at my dad’s it was wonderful to put little man down at his normal time and still get to hang out with my family in the evening.
4. Make sure the little one is either drinking a bottle or sucking a pacifier during take off and landing. This helps their ears to pop like they need to and keeps crying because of that sort of thing to a minimum.
3. Don’t plan too much. We made that mistake the first day we were in Green Bay and took Jude all over town, ignoring his normal schedule. Of course by the end of the day he was over stimulated and cranky. Things went much smoother when we planned around at least his long afternoon nap.
2. Download a white noise/sound machine app onto your phone. Jude sleeps at night with a sound machine and it was really nice on days when we had to be out and about during his regular nap times to have him snuggled up in his stroller with my phone playing him rain noises. It really helped him to stay asleep no matter what we were doing.
1. If all else fails, take the baby in the bathroom on the plane. At one point S took Jude into the bathroom for a diaper change and he was just screaming. We had seats that backed up to the bathroom and I could just barely hear him, even at his loudest. So if you can’t calm down a little one, hole up in the bathroom for 5-10 minutes and see if you can get them settled down without the pressure of the angry glares from fellow travelers.
Hope this helps anyone who is planning on traveling!
-Liz
10. Think before you book your flight. We got lucky and my dad booked our flights right during little mans normal nap times. This meant that he went down for naps really easily darning the flight.
9. Consider your layover. I didn’t give this much thought when looking at our flights, as I normally want the shortest layover possible, but with a baby, I think that anything less than an hour and half is really pushing it. This is because you will have to check your car seat and stroller under the plane and wait for it to get unloaded after the flight. Then baby is going to need a diaper change (not every plane bathroom has a changing table in it), everyone probably has to go to potty and everyone will enjoy a little walking around/grabbing a bit to eat before loading back up again. I think that two hours is probably ideal so that between all that you need to get done and any unexpected delays you will board your next plane with a happy baby who is ready for another bottle and another nap.
8. Travel light. We had so much stuff with us in addition to the stuff that we checked that getting around and situated was a pain. I think that next time we will try to get down to just one purse and one diaper bag. Instead of having a cooler full of formula I’d bring the powder and buy a bottle of water once you get through security and maybe bring just one premixed bottle. And we were so worried about diaper changes and blow outs that we ended up with like 20 diapers and 3 outfits, which wasn’t necessary.
7. Bring a toy. At some point, that baby is going to wake up. We brought two of Jude’s favorite small toys so that way when we was awake we were trying to get him to focus on something and play instead of just sitting there bored.
6. Bring snacks for yourself. Life is better if you arn’t cranky, hungry and tired. Traveling with a baby you are bound to be cranky and tired but at least you don’t have to be hungry also.
5. Bring your baby monitors. I know that some people might not have baby monitors or don’t use the ones that they have, but they are really nice when you are somewhere other than home. Of course if you all are staying in one tiny hotel room then they might not be necessary, but at my dad’s it was wonderful to put little man down at his normal time and still get to hang out with my family in the evening.
4. Make sure the little one is either drinking a bottle or sucking a pacifier during take off and landing. This helps their ears to pop like they need to and keeps crying because of that sort of thing to a minimum.
3. Don’t plan too much. We made that mistake the first day we were in Green Bay and took Jude all over town, ignoring his normal schedule. Of course by the end of the day he was over stimulated and cranky. Things went much smoother when we planned around at least his long afternoon nap.
2. Download a white noise/sound machine app onto your phone. Jude sleeps at night with a sound machine and it was really nice on days when we had to be out and about during his regular nap times to have him snuggled up in his stroller with my phone playing him rain noises. It really helped him to stay asleep no matter what we were doing.
1. If all else fails, take the baby in the bathroom on the plane. At one point S took Jude into the bathroom for a diaper change and he was just screaming. We had seats that backed up to the bathroom and I could just barely hear him, even at his loudest. So if you can’t calm down a little one, hole up in the bathroom for 5-10 minutes and see if you can get them settled down without the pressure of the angry glares from fellow travelers.
Hope this helps anyone who is planning on traveling!
-Liz
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Adoption!
We have so many things to tell you all, so many more blogs to write, but the most exciting thing that has happened while we have been away is that I was able to legally adopt my little Jude! Yay! Things got wrapped up yesterday around 11:30 in San Antonio and I couldn’t be happier. The adoption was a pain in the butt, meeting with the social worker and doing the home study in particular, but appearing before the Judge was easy and fun. So glad I get to keep my little man forever!
Also, Jude turned 10 weeks old today and is now in double digit weeks! Isn’t he the sweetest baby you ever did see?
This is also our 200th blog post! Glad to have such an exciting post for our 200th!
-Liz
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Gay Parent Meet Up and An Easter Photo!
So last week S, Jude and I went to a local park for a gay parents meet up. It was awesome and I’m so glad we went. There were probably 10 other adults there and 15 kids, not including us. The lady that ran the group said that it really varied month to month how many people were there. But the people that we met were great. There were 3 older lesbians and their kids and then the rest were gay dads. I had no idea how much I love gay dads! These guys were the best, so friendly and welcoming and all with such interesting stories about how their families were formed. There was one couple that had a baby, a 4 month old little girl, so we spent most of the time talking with them. I’m hoping we can become friends. But the best part was when two little girls, probably 8-10 ish, came over by us and we listened in on their conversation.
“Do you have two dads like me?”
“No, I have a mom.”
“No Dad?”
“Nope, just a mom. I’m adopted.”
“I’m adopted too! Let’s go play!”
“Ok!”
It was so cute and totally why we came to the meet up to begin with, so that Jude would grow up with other families like his and meet other kids like him. I can’t wait till the next meet up.
Tomorrow, we are doing something crazy. We are flying with our 9 week old. Eeegads, I’m nervous for this. We are packing tons of stuff and my Dad and his wife are getting quite a few things together for us. I just hope/pray that he will eat and then pass out for most of the flights. We have one flight that is about and hour, then an hour layover and then a 3 hour flight. Ugh. Anyone have any great advise on flying with a little guy?
And here is Jude’s adorable Easter photo. S somehow managed to get him to smile!
-Liz
“Do you have two dads like me?”
“No, I have a mom.”
“No Dad?”
“Nope, just a mom. I’m adopted.”
“I’m adopted too! Let’s go play!”
“Ok!”
It was so cute and totally why we came to the meet up to begin with, so that Jude would grow up with other families like his and meet other kids like him. I can’t wait till the next meet up.
Tomorrow, we are doing something crazy. We are flying with our 9 week old. Eeegads, I’m nervous for this. We are packing tons of stuff and my Dad and his wife are getting quite a few things together for us. I just hope/pray that he will eat and then pass out for most of the flights. We have one flight that is about and hour, then an hour layover and then a 3 hour flight. Ugh. Anyone have any great advise on flying with a little guy?
And here is Jude’s adorable Easter photo. S somehow managed to get him to smile!
-Liz
Monday, April 2, 2012
2 month check up
We took Jude today to the 2 month check up. This is the one where they give him vaccinations. I was so very nervous about that part. He is 12 lbs and 23 inches long. He is right in the middle as far as the range of babies his age. His head is in the 25% which means that he has a small head compared to everything else, but nothing major.
The nurse thought he was really smart. To Jude’s credit, he was showing off. She kept asking us stuff such as, “does he smile, can he hold his hands together, can he hold his head up” and each time she asked if he could do something, he would! It was pretty funny. She just loved how attentive and smiley he was and said he was a really smart baby. I assume she was just being nice. Everyone in that office is really nice.
We have been calling Jude a “genius baby” because of our swaddle situation. He has figured out how to bust out of the regular swaddle. We have 2 velcro ones and so we have been using those and he cannot get out of them. However, last night, he peed all over both of them, leaving us with nothing to swaddle him with. Genius baby, right? ;)
He did cry thru the vaccinations and has basically spent the day asleep. When he is awake he is either eating or doing a pathetic little squeaky cry. I think his legs hurt where they stuck the needles. He usually loves to stand on his legs, but since they did that, he won’t hold his weight. Poor little guy! Liz is picking up some Tylenol in case he continues to act like he is in pain.
On the my health front, I am finally feeling like myself. I am usually full of energy and get an amazing amount of things accomplished in a day. Between not having a working thyroid and then being pregnant and then my gallbladder going out, I have not been myself for a year and a half. Well, I’m back! I am getting tons of stuff done and caring for Jude. I am starting a 5k running program (the one another blogger, one of the Hope’s, did). I convinced Jude’s Aunt Lulu and Uncle Duck to do it with me and we are going to do our first run tonight! I don’t think we will be able to run together more than once a week, but it is always nice to have running buddies! I am excited and it is the perfect time of year here in Austin, TX to get back in shape. By the time it is in the 100s for months, I will be in shape enough that it won’t be a big deal.
We also have a court date for the adoption!!! April 11th. It is the day after we get back from Wisconsin, but I am excited to have it done! I have had to ride my lawyer to get a date and have been badgering her for a week and a half, so I am glad it will be finalized before I go back to work. Plus, it will be a nice little night at our favorite hotel in San Antonio before I head back to work. Hope it all goes well!
We also went to a gay parent meet up yesterday and it was great! I think Liz wants to blog about it, so I will leave that up to her.
-S
The nurse thought he was really smart. To Jude’s credit, he was showing off. She kept asking us stuff such as, “does he smile, can he hold his hands together, can he hold his head up” and each time she asked if he could do something, he would! It was pretty funny. She just loved how attentive and smiley he was and said he was a really smart baby. I assume she was just being nice. Everyone in that office is really nice.
We have been calling Jude a “genius baby” because of our swaddle situation. He has figured out how to bust out of the regular swaddle. We have 2 velcro ones and so we have been using those and he cannot get out of them. However, last night, he peed all over both of them, leaving us with nothing to swaddle him with. Genius baby, right? ;)
He did cry thru the vaccinations and has basically spent the day asleep. When he is awake he is either eating or doing a pathetic little squeaky cry. I think his legs hurt where they stuck the needles. He usually loves to stand on his legs, but since they did that, he won’t hold his weight. Poor little guy! Liz is picking up some Tylenol in case he continues to act like he is in pain.
On the my health front, I am finally feeling like myself. I am usually full of energy and get an amazing amount of things accomplished in a day. Between not having a working thyroid and then being pregnant and then my gallbladder going out, I have not been myself for a year and a half. Well, I’m back! I am getting tons of stuff done and caring for Jude. I am starting a 5k running program (the one another blogger, one of the Hope’s, did). I convinced Jude’s Aunt Lulu and Uncle Duck to do it with me and we are going to do our first run tonight! I don’t think we will be able to run together more than once a week, but it is always nice to have running buddies! I am excited and it is the perfect time of year here in Austin, TX to get back in shape. By the time it is in the 100s for months, I will be in shape enough that it won’t be a big deal.
We also have a court date for the adoption!!! April 11th. It is the day after we get back from Wisconsin, but I am excited to have it done! I have had to ride my lawyer to get a date and have been badgering her for a week and a half, so I am glad it will be finalized before I go back to work. Plus, it will be a nice little night at our favorite hotel in San Antonio before I head back to work. Hope it all goes well!
We also went to a gay parent meet up yesterday and it was great! I think Liz wants to blog about it, so I will leave that up to her.
-S
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