Athan's Fifth Month, seriously???

Wow, to think that we're talking about Athan's fifth month already is hard to believe. On the other hand, I do feel as though this month we really got to know little Athan so much better and enjoyed him. It's an incredible experience how you are handed this little stranger one day who you love instantly, and then you spend the next few years actually getting to know that baby.

One major reason joy marked this month is because we got to experience his sweet chuckles for the first time. He's always been a loud baby and squeal before now, but this month we heard definite laughs. Love it! Love tickling him, making funny faces, and saying goofy things to get him to laugh. And, of course, Hudson joins in the fun as well.

Athan's vocal cords have developed in other ways as well. He seemed to be so much louder this month, both in expressing happiness and frustration. Early in the month I noticed he seemed to have an insatiable desire to chew that would just make him crazy. That's when the mad sounds would come. He also had a week long spell of crying when we started to put him to sleep. It seemed to come out of nowhere and then slowly faded away after about a week. It's not just his voice that's growing stronger. His legs are much sturdier, and he loves to put weight on them. He spends much of his day standing in our arms.

We feel like we understand Athan more and more when it comes to what helps him to settle down for sleep. Our keys have been: dark darkness, swaddling (thank you Laura for letting us use your miracle blanket!!), sitting, and the paci after all that is done. When doing this, he is usually settled in to sleep within minutes. He still wakes up twice at night (once to say hi, please hold me and give me my paci; once to eat). It's manageable, and we're content with the progress he's making. His night is getting longer, often from 8 to 8, and he has cut back to 3 naps most days. It's funny how happy I am that he is taking 1 less nap a day.

A fun quirky thing this month- we've discovered Athan's favorite song, at least for now. Great is Thy Faithfulness settles him down like nothing else, especially when he is fussing in the car and out of my reach. A few lines of that great hymn, and his little soul is settled. It is precious. Once again, Hudson has tuned in to this and loves it. He has learned the words to the chorus, which just makes my heart so happy. Great is Thy faithfulness, O Father above, in giving us such wonderful boys!

Oh, October!

Hudson's favorite game at Countryside's party- the Goliath slingshot

The boys had a great time...A stayed up past bedtime like a true party champ!

Tractor Hay Ride with Gigi Thermal Windows party

OSU Homecoming Parade...go Pokes! Happy Birthday, Hudson! Mini golf pro

Oh, October! In our life October is a crazy, fun activity filled month. We started the month off with a surprise birthday party for Aunt Kandace. Then, Hudson's birthday followed right behind. We celebrated ourselves with a family day playing mini golf and then-- throwing up at Eskimo Joe's. Yup, that's what I said. Hudson made a quick recovery in time for his birthday party where we covered everything and everyone in orange to represent all the fun things that come with this time of year. We enjoyed OSU homecoming with the Pattersons, and this year even a few Thompsons came down for the festivities! Halloween was exciting for our fireman and dalmation. We had a weekend filled with parties. First, it was a trick or treat through Thermal Windows, then an incredible party at Pa and Gigi's house (only my parents would have a party like that for their 6 little grandchildren!), and finally the Hallelujah Party at Countryside.

When we weren't celebrating on the weekends, we enjoyed playing outside this month. Hudson and Jay have spent many hours outside playing football. Thanks to a great trick from Aunt K, he's actually learning to catch the ball. It's a great month for family fun!

Athan's Fourth Month

Roll, Athan, roll! The biggest accomplishment our baby A achieved in his fourth month was rolling over. He wiggled from his belly to his back for the first time very early in his fourth month (September 21, I believe). I think he knew my eyes were in disbelief because he went on to do it two more times after that. Hudson was stoked to watch A roll over as well! It took a few more weeks before Jay got the privilege of seeing Athan's new moves in person. He went on to roll over a few more times in the month. It's all about getting that head up and looking another direction. His body just follows behind.

Another first for the month was staying in the nursery at church. I felt very blessed that the worker in our infant room during Sunday School (the best time for me to leave him) is a very experienced mother of 7. I leave him while I help Jay lead our junior high class, and Jill rocks him to sleep. I feel good about him getting his rest and enjoy the opportunity to do something different. He will still hang out with me for awhile the other times we're at church throughout the week, but it's been a good start.

We did make the move from his bassinet to his crib this month. It just happened a little differently than we had planned. After a trip to Starkville when he slept in a crib there, we decided it would be the best time to make the switch for Athan. We ended up moving it into our room. This was not my plan, nor is it the most aesthetic arrangement. I liked the way I had set up the room for the boys. BUT I think it's the wisest thing we've done since having two boys. I was so anxious about Hudson and Athan sharing a room and how I would handle night time or keep Hudson out of HIS room for most of the day while Athan napped. This has worked perfectly. Athan has also adjusted well and seems to sleep a little better in the crib. As I was rearranging things, I also hung up a very dark red blanket over the window next to the crib. That has been a big help as well. I've decided the look of the house is nothing compared to the happiness of those who live in it! Athan is still learning how to sleep through the night, and we're working to figure out the best way to get him to sleep, but we feel like we've made some major strides this month in this area.

He's also continued to grow and grow. The big little man weighed in at 17 lbs. at his four month check up. That's in the 90th percentile if you were wondering! He measured 25 inches, which was right in the middle. We're just glad he's growing, even if it means he grows out of his tiny baby clothes faster. Oh, and this may seem like a strange thing, but we have grown to love his sweet little smell. I've never known another baby to have their own scent, but A sure does. We've said if only we could bottle this up because like everything that happens in this first year, we know it won't last long...

A Two Year Recap

We've hit a perfect trio at our house. First, my car hit 33, 333 miles. Then Athan turned 3 months, and now Hudson has celebrated his third birthday. What milestones! This calls for some time reflecting on Hudson's year as a two year old.

Hudson started out the year as a toddler and has changed into a preschooler. When I think back to Hudson as a young two year old, he still had those sweet baby curls. Those were gone quickly after his birthday. He started out sleeping in his crib, but then we changed that into a toddler bed after Christmas because he had started attempting to climb out. In the summer he made the big move into a twin size bed and has done so well.

His passions have been everything transportation. Digger trucks, trains, garbage trucks, fire trucks, freight trucks. He loves them all. We do try to limit our TV to about an hour a day, but Hudson would probably chose to watch more. He enjoys Thomas the train, Curious George, and Seasame Street. Thanks to a long car ride to Colorado, he also has become a huge fan of the Cars movie. He loves to swing and play outside or go to the park. We have enjoyed seeing him become more willing to try new feats at the playground.

Oh, the things he will say! The vocabulary of this little boy is just constantly growing. Now that he is three there's not much he doesn't say. He says such big boy things like "well, how about..." or "I have an idea!" He is famous around our house for saying "I want to talk to you" with his cars, "read the letters" when we're looking at a book, and "I love it!" He is very polite. We love hearing him say please, thank you, and most recently the way that he asks permission for most anything he does.

Some of our more recent changes are the start of preschool and a church program called Puggles. We started potty training in May, and now a few months later he seems to be getting it. We still use diapers overnight, but we do venture out in public without diapers. There has been much humor associated with potty training. One result is the fact that Hudson spent much of the summer at our house without wearing shorts. It was just easier that way, and he wanted it that way. It was funny to look back on pictures of him around the house and notice he was rarely wearing shorts.

He is a fabulous, loving big brother. He is very patient as we take care of Athan and give attention to him. I do lament that I don't get to hold Hudson in my arms much anymore. He used to want me to hold him all the time, but he seems to be used to the fact that Athan is held and he walks now. He loves to help with Athan and tries to play with him.

Our dear Hudson is still so silly and loves being around little people. He gets so excited and gives big hugs. He loves to play with Bailey and would roll around on the floor with her all the time if we would let him. He laughs often and is just a happy little guy. We are so thankful for our fun little red head!

Athan's Third Month

3 months exactly- 13 weeks- with head held high

12 weeks...just had to capture that face!

11 weeks

Baby Athan has already reached his third month. It's hard to believe he's a quarter of a way through his first year.

This month was filled with new adventures and developments. My favorite development has to be the sounds that Athan will make. He enjoys mimicking our mouth when we make "motor" sounds with our lips. We do it, and then he follows. I was quite impressed with his intelligence the first time he did this. It's great to have that interaction with him. One physical change is the development of his belly. Athan's belly button officially became an "innie" after hanging out for 2 months. :)

Sleep is still a big topic of conversation around our house. After going so many weeks without consecutive hours of sleep, I have to say we've gotten to a new level of exhaustion. Hudson was sleeping through the night by two months, so this was territory I had not yet encountered. We're pressing on and thankful that he always does sleep eventually. He's kept up about the same schedule of 13-14 hours of sleep a day mostly in his own bed with 4 naps and the middle one being the longest. Most days the long nap, a.k.a. "mega nap," goes about 2 hours, but that's not always a guarantee. The other naps are usually around 45 minutes, sometimes a little less or more. Overall, he has made progress and often gets to sleep in what we find to be a reasonable amount of time- around 20 minutes. He winds down very quickly once he is swaddled and in the rocking chair with a pacifier. The work begins when we move him to his bed. Goal for next month: move to the crib in the room he will share with Hudson. Stories about that to follow, I'm sure!

What we have just come to adore about our sweet Athan is his delightful personality. He does not cry often and is just a fun little guy. Even though we have struggles with sleep, we do feel like we are in tune with him and usually know what he wants. We enjoy playing with him, exchanging smiles and sweet cooing sounds. It's a sweet process of getting to know your own little child. We're thankful that God has answered our prayers with Athan.

Hush, Little Baby

In my few years of parenting, I have found nothing more challenging than putting a baby to sleep. I'm not sure what it is, but nothing intimidates me more than this daunting task. It's not just that I'm wishing I could get a fraction of the sleep that the little one is getting. It's also how important I know his sleep is, and how I know that habits, good and bad, are learned early. Before Athan was born, I did my research to make sure I felt prepared to get it right from the start this time. Hudson was a good sleeper, sleeping through the night by 8 weeks, but I remembered that putting him to sleep could be a challenge.

Well, at some point in those early weeks we must have made some mistakes this time, but it's hard to say when it was or what it was. All I can say is that by the end of his first month, I was already frustrated with trying to put Athan down for sleep. It could take up to an hour to get him to sleep. Obviously, that is frustrating for us (me- Jay does help, but it does work, too!). The new complication this time around is having Hudson. I feel so guilty when I'm working with Athan for an hour back in my room and practically banishing Hudson from the room. We got better at it with time, and I realized Hudson's noises were often not the cause of Athan's insomnia. It was just Athan. And to brag on Hudson for a bit- he has been terrific. He has not in the least started to resent his baby brother for taking up so much of Mommy and Daddy's time. He has also complied for the most part when we've asked him not to drum, hammer, or play the piano when Athan is sleeping.

So, back to that little one. We've tried MANY different approaches, often saying to ourselves, "this is it!" We've hovered over the bassinet holding his arms, tried more awake time & less awake time, given him the pacifier an insane amount of times, attempted a strict schedule, let him "work it out" (not cry it out), rocked him and rocked him, walked around, stood in dark closets, and the occasional last resort of just finally driving around the bock.

What have we learned from all of this? We know very little, but will survive. Two months have already passed, and he has actually slept. To my surprise, he does have a bit of a schedule that HE created. Short nap at 10, long nap at 1, medium nap at 4, short nap at 6:30, and bed at 9:30. The predictability does help me.

This week we're employing techniques from the Baby Whisperer, so far my favorite baby book. I spent a good deal of time researching additional information from forums devoted to answering baby whispering questions on Saturday. We came up with a very specific sleep routine. So far it really has gone well and given us more confidence. We're two days into it and not using that stupid pacifier anymore to sleep! :) (It just wasn't working for little A) As I read the posts, I feel like I received permission in a way not to make Athan fall asleep the "right way" every nap. The reality is we have two young children, and it's just not always possible. Our goal right now is to follow his sleep routine for 2 naps a day and at bedtime.

I wanted to record our thoughts right now so that we can see how this sleep journey goes. Since I'm publicly sharing that we're trying this new method I'll have a little more accountability to stick with it. And maybe if you think about it, you can pray for us to wisely teach Athan good sleep habits, but not at the expense of enjoying the journey!

P.S. Thank you, Aunt K, for answering all my sleep questions and reassuring me over and over again! :)

Here's a bit of what we're using. http://www.babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=26671.0

Athan's Second Month

8 weeks old official picture

8 weeks- relaxing at the Youth Lake Party

6 weeks- lifting up his head

Three key words sum up Athan's second month in my mind: smiles, sleep, and sounds.

Smiles. This is one of the greatest milestones a baby achieves. Being the first real milestone in the first year, it's the first indication that things are going okay. For me, it also serves as the first glimpse into his little self and personality. I saw Athan's first responsive smile in his fourth week as I stroked his head. His little smile let me know that he liked that. We then saw what I consider his first social smile a few weeks later. Daddy got those first grins given in his direction during Athan's seventh week.

Sleep. Oh boy, this has been our issue! During baby's first weeks, eating seems to be the top priority. Nothing else is as important as making sure they are gaining weight and receiving adequate nourishment (which, by the way, is not a problem for this little guy!). Once that was established for us, we turned our attention to the issue of sleep. We've gone back and forth on different approaches and have just ended the month recognizing we're no more sure of how to put Athan to sleep than we were at the start of the month. Still, I can at least say he did sleep about 14 hours a day this month with a solid night of sleep and 4 naps a day. He has his nights well established and mostly wakes only to eat. It just takes a great deal of effort to get him there.

Sounds. The sweet, sweet coos have started. Although life is busy, I try to stop while Athan is happily awake and enjoy these conversations with him. His happiest times are after a good rest, early in the morning and usually after a long afternoon nap. One of his favorite places to be for a good time of talking is his changing pad. Funny, but Hudson also enjoyed that.

Other hi-lights include weekly visits from Gigi and an extended visit with Susu. Grandmothers have helped keep us going! I am so grateful for their help. We also started to get out a little more this month and attempted to make it to church for our regular services.

And, as I said, Athan has been growing like a champ! At his two month check up, he weighed 12 lbs., 10 oz. Way to go, little man.