Baby Update: 5 Months

I know I say this all the time, but HOW has Peter grown so quickly?!

Peter turned 5 months old on Friday and my mommy brain cannot handle it! He is so alert and active and curious about everything. He is a moving machine and gone are the days of putting him on the floor to run to the bathroom because he will take off as soon as I walk away.

Peter is very close to crawling. He's learned how to get up on his hands and knees and will rock back and forth. I'm guessing that within the next week he'll figure out how to get those hands moving, and then he will be unstoppable.

Peter is eating SO MUCH! I can't even imagine all the food we'll go through when he is in high school. He definitely loves his veggies more than fruits, which makes us laugh, because hubs and I both have a major sweet tooth. But I won't complain!

We are finally getting full nights of sleep. Every once in a while he will wake up and need a bottle to help calm him down, but those nights are far and few between. We have been using Sam's Club brand diapers and have really liked them, but recently realized that part of why Peter was waking up during the night was because his diaper was getting too full. We switched to Huggies diapers at night and have seen a huge improvement in how often Peter wakes up.

I am finally feeling more and more like a normal human again and have started working out in the evenings and doing more things for myself. It is really amazing how much of a difference it makes in my attitude when I take those 30 minutes for myself in the evenings. 

Baby boy, we can't wait to see what the next month will bring!

Baby Update: 4 Months

Holy cow where have the past four months gone?! I love looking back through my millions of photos of Peter and seeing how much he has grown and changed. Does it ever get easier, moms?

Peter has surprised us by sleeping through the night a couple of times. He still wakes up hungry most nights so he gets a snack before falling back to sleep. He constantly fights his naps during the day. 

We started adding rice cereal to his diet. It took him a few days to get the hang of the spoon, but now he shouts if we don't get the spoon to his mouth fast enough. 

We are still working on daytime naps. The goal is for him to nap in his crib 3 times a day, but of course that doesn't always work out. He's gone from sleeping only 20 minutes in the crib to about 40 minutes. It's something! 

Bath time is such a joy to experience. He loves when we pour the warm water over him and he's learned the art of splashing. Everything is new and exciting and fun. 

A friend commented to me the other day that he's grown from an infant/newborn into a baby. It's so true, especially now that he's more aware of his surroundings and spends more time awake during the day. 

I've said it once and I'll say it again- I LOVE being his mommy!

Baby Update: 3 Months

I cannot believe how quickly the past three months have gone by. With life being so incredibly crazy I obviously took a break from publishing any posts. I am now back at work with my firsties and yes, leaving sweet baby every morning completely breaks my heart. My mind and body have been stretched far beyond anything I could have ever imagined, but I have never been happier or more content.

It took us a while to get established into a good routine with Peter. We had to put him on formula the day we came home from the hospital and he's had some reflux problems. So it felt like every day we were playing with his schedule and trying to figure out how much to feed him at each feeding. It was hectic.

But now, we really have a routine that works for all of us and Peter is just absolutely thriving.

5:45 a.m.- Hubs and I get up for work. I have somehow managed to shorten my makeup routine and it only takes me about 15 minutes to get dressed, put on makeup, and fix my hair.

6:20 a.m.- Wake baby. Peter is the happiest little baby in the morning. All smiles and giggles.

7:00 a.m.- First feed. We learned that we can't feed Peter right when he wakes up because he won't finish his bottle and he was spitting up WAY too much. Letting him be awake for a while before eating has made a HUGE difference.

9:00 a.m.- Morning nap. We follow the Eat, Play, Sleep routine and it keeps Peter from spitting up in his sleep. He will sometimes take a full 2 hour nap, and sometimes he will only sleep for 20 minutes. Depends on the day.

11:00 a.m.- Second feed.

1:00 p.m.- Afternoon nap.

3:00 p.m.- Third feed. He eats more at this feeding to get full for the night.

5:00 p.m.- Evening nap.

6:30 p.m.- Last feed. Again, eating more. Feeding him earlier helps him to not spit up once we lay him on his back in his crib.

8:00 p.m.- Bedtime routine. Diaper change and change into pajamas. Hubs holds him while I read Goodnight Moon. He gets really into the story and LOVES looking at the pictures. Then I give him a pacifier and rock him to sleep. Once I put him in the crib he's completely out. He still wakes up once around 2 a.m. and has a quick snack and goes right back to sleep.

We hit some pretty big milestones this month. Peter has learned how to grab and hold onto his toes, laugh, and roll from stomach to back.

It's incredible to think of all the changes Peter has gone through since birth. It feels so bittersweet watching him grow up. I just wish it would slow down, just a little bit.