Rolling Over

Posted on January 1, 2017 by playinghousewi

Little Henry has been working SO hard to roll over lately, but that 95th percentile body has just been too heavy to get a full roll out of… until last night!

And of course, in full “second child” form, he did it when my back was turned. I only knew he did it because I turned back to find him 3 body widths from where I left him. Way to go, Henry!

Time to baby proof! Somehow I’m going to guess that baby proofing will be much more challenging with Henry than it was with Henry. Damn all those Charlie toys with all the mini pieces!

Meanwhile, if Henry asks, the reason I was so distracted and missed your first roll is simple… we had just given Charlie her final Chanukah gift: a dollhouse! And not just any dollhouse, but a $50-bought-used, lights that work, accessories galore dollhouse.
Sorry, Henry Love, you know how I love tiny things.

Snacks & Teeth

Posted on November 15, 2016 by playinghousewi

Guys, I’ve been so bad at documenting milestones. So, here are a couple of updates.

Last week, I whipped up some sweetpotato and breast milk purée. It was hilarious. He hated it. We decided to try out solids at 5 months because Henry is such a little food monster. Well, milk monster… Here’s a video:
Henry’s also sprouted two tiny, mini, adorable little teefers 💛 Suddenly, he’s just so big.
Tonight, Henry ate some smushed peas (2 to be exact) from my plate off my finger. He seemed to enjoy this much more than the sweet potato. Such a little cutie pie. There’s something so special about our little dinners with the 4 of us. Pretty in love with my family.

This guy…

Posted on October 1, 2016 by playinghousewi

How cute is this little dude? He’s really just the best little man baby ever. He’s been sleeping through the night most nights and has even been letting us put him down awake (sometimes).

When we took him to the doc last week (for shots), he weighed in at almost 17 lbs (with clothes). Can you believe?

Love, love, love.

Henry at 3 Months

Posted on September 15, 2016 by playinghousewi

Weight: BIG! Henry hasn’t been weighed since his 2-month check up (at which point he was nearly 14 lbs!!!), but I can pretty much guaranty that he’s a giant. And luckily for me, he loves to be bounced and rocked and patted to sleep. Let’s just say that my arm muscles have been getting quite the workout.

Height: As with his weight, Henry’s height is pretty off the charts, too. I can’t remember what it was at 2 months, but I do remember that he was in the 98th percentile or something similar. I think closer to 75th for weight (he lost a bit of momentum on his weight after having diarrhea for a month straight). Anyway, he’s giant. Will likely be carrying me around by his third birthday.

Health Updates: The poop saga has seemed to have subsided. After a very long month of diaper blow out after outfit changing diaper blow out (sometimes as many as 6 per day), his poo seems to be pretty normal. I am still not eating dairy or soy (and have actually given up wheat/gluten as well) and Henry is taking a daily probiotic. Other than that, the poor little bumpkin currently has a cold/cough that the toddler so graciously brought home for all of us to share.

Sleep: The word sleep makes me cry. But really, it’s not SO bad lately… the problem is that I haven’t slept in nearly 3.5 months and I’m so incredibly sleep deprived that I don’t notice what an improvement we’ve seen in Henry’s sleep this third month.

He’s now waking up twice per night. Always sometime between 10-12 and 3-4 for about 30-60 minutes total. Not bad…

It’s interesting, I was looking back at my blog to see what Charlie was doing at this age because in my memory, she was only waking up once. Well, turns out (according to this blog post), she was actually on the exact same schedule as Henry. Like… waking up at the exact two times. Pretty crazy, huh?

Makes me wonder two things…

Does that mean that Henry will be just as lovely of a sleeper as his sister????? PLEASE. SAY. YES.
I wonder if Henry hadn’t gotten sick with his massive diarrhea (official diagnosis), would he have slept through the night? Really early on, he was sleeping 4-7 hour stretches and got sick right around 5 weeks, which is when Charlie started sleeping through the night (and Henry started waking every 1-2 hours).

Anyway, let’s just say in the sleep department, there is room for improvement.

It should also be mentioned that Henry DEMANDS a good tush potch and rock until he’s fast asleep before being put down (sorry, Henry, but at 4-5 months, you’ll be crying it out like your sis). If you even think about putting him down before he’s ready, his eyes pop open as if to say, “don’t even think about it!!!”

Also, since I’ve been back at work, Henry has become a regular napper. Although, some days, he’s just a total butt. Refuses naps, forces me to potch for hours, etc.

Clothes/Diapers (Sizes): Henry has been in size 3-6 month for awhile, but as of maybe 2-4 weeks ago, he just flat out doesn’t fit in 3 month clothes. As for diapers, he’s a 2.

Diet: Milk, milk, milk. And fingers. He LOVES to shove his fingers or my hands in his mouth. BUT, still no paci. Apparently, Charlie started at 3 months. Fingers crossed.

Baby Gear Love: Henry LOVES his “baby,” which is an adorable reindeer named Rodolfo, from Cuddle + Kind. He also loves all of his Eric Carle toys like these. Otherwise… I don’t know. My favorite item is the Dr. Brown’s bottles because when they’re in use, it means Mark is feeding Henry and I’m getting a break. But really, I don’t know. I feel like this time around, I’m hardly using anything. We haven’t been using the ring sling much, the swing is alright, I stopped using the boppy awhile ago… Whatever, I don’t know.

Milestones/Firsts: This month, Henry started rolling from his tummy to his back. He’s become an expert head holder upper (yes, this is a thing). He giggles! He’s pretty much smiling 85% of his awake time, staring blankly 10% and screaming his face off 5%.

He pulls himself up while holding onto my fingers. Loves trying to sit up. Grabs at all his toys and shoves them in his mouth. He can follow / track toys. He’s pretty much a genius.

Likes: Mommy, Daddy, Charlie (loves Charlie… except when she’s being a jerk), Rodolfo, smiling, reading books with Mommy, being rocked, being tickled, being held.

Dislikes: Being put down when he’s not ready. When Charlie is too rough.

Things I Don’t Want to Forget: All of it. He’s totally my little momma’s boy baby love. He hugs me like a koala and I just can’t get enough. We play a game where I kiss and smush his little cheek with my lips/face/nose and he tries to eat my face while smiling. Sounds weird, but it’s the best. He’s just such a sweet pumpkin pie.

Also, I know I’ve said it a million times, but he’s just such a happy little fella. He makes me one very happy momma.

8 Weeks Old

Posted on September 15, 2016 by playinghousewi

**SO, I saved this draft 2 months ago… I’m thinking I’m just going to publish as-is and work on little Henry’s 3 month update. Dang. I guess this is life with two kids :)**

I can’t believe my big little man is already 8 weeks old! It’s most definitely been the fastest 8 weeks of my life. They have been challenging at moments and so full of love I could explode (although at some moments my head is bordering explosion for other, less glowy reasons).

Anyway, for the past 4 weeks, I’ve been meaning to write a “one month” update for Henry… so I’m thinking I’ll just get it all out now!

Sleep
Henry was a great sleeper right out of the womb. Honestly, I can’t remember the first couple of days, but I feel like he was already doing 2-3 hour stretches. By week 2 or 3, his night stretches were anywhere from 4-7 hours, followed by one or two 2-4 hour stretches. It was magical. I should also mention that during this time, we believed that Henry had a “witching hour” between 7-9 pm.It really seemed to turn out to be that he was just ready for bed at 7 and needed us to actually “put him to bed.” Once we discovered this, we swaddled him and I would go in a dark room with him and feed him/rock him to sleep. This is when his bedtime moved from 9-11pm to 7-9pm.

By week 5/6, he regressed. I was anticipating him sleeping through the night like Charlie did at that age, but instead, he dropped his long stretch down to 3-4 hours and then demanded we cosleep the rest of the night. At this time, he also got his first cold, so I just cuddled him through the night(s) and developed quite the stiff neck. Over the past week or so, he’s gotten back to his long stretch. He goes to bed quite regularly around 7:30/8pm, sleeps 6 hours followed by a 3-hour stretch and then usually 1-2 after that. Most of which is done in his bassinet (although every so often I fall asleep nursing him). I should also note that in his first few days, he did seem to have his days and nights confused. I made a very deliberate effort of napping him in brightly-lit rooms and making sure he was swaddled for night sleep. It worked quickly and easily.

Henry is now getting more regular with napping, too. He seems to nap every day around 9/930 (either on our way to drop Charlie at school or once she’s dropped off). This nap lasts anywhere from 1-3 hours. The other more consistent nap time is at around 2/230. This is a great one because it coincides with Charlie’s nap. YAY for “free time.”

All in all, the first 8 weeks haven’t been horrible in terms of sleep. I have discovered that I operate pretty well with 6 hours of interrupted sleep. As long as I get that much, I can make it through the day. I’d say I’ve been pretty lucky in this department.

Size
Henry is a giant. At his 2 week appointment, he was in the 100th+ percentiles and just a week later when I brought him to the doctor, he was already significantly bigger. As a side note, Henry had milk residue all over his tongue for the first 3ish weeks of life. I convinced myself that he had thrush and immediately took both of us to the doc to be checked. Turned out to just be milk residue and a paranoid mom.

Anyway, upon birth, Henry was immediately in 0-3 month clothes. He didn’t fit in any of his newborn clothes. We had him in newborn diapers for about a week, but quickly switched him to size 1, as those pesky newborn dipes were just too small.

At about 7 weeks, we switched Henry to size 2 diapers and started transitioning to 3-6 month clothes. He still fits in some of his 0-3 stuff, but it all depends on the brand. For jammies, he’s pretty much only wearing 3-6m.

It will definitely be interesting to see what he weighs at his next appointment. He feels huge and so heavy to me! Hopefully he’s building up my arm muscles.

Skin
When Henry was born, he had the smoothest most delicious skin ever. I don’t remember Charlie feeling so soft and smooth. It was just perfect. By 3-4 weeks, he developed some baby acne on his face that soon after took over his arms and chest, too. The acne only lasted a week or two and then his face/skin just got super dry and scaley, which led to a mild case of cradle cap.

With some aquaphor, olive oil and determination, I got rid of his cradle cap within a week. Now, his skin is on its way back to…

Henry’s Birth

Posted on August 13, 2016 by playinghousewi

I still have to write up his birth story, but here are some beautiful photos our doula took!

My Little Man

Posted on August 13, 2016 by playinghousewi

Guys, I know I mostly discuss Charlotte on my blog, but my sweet Henry… He’s just the sweetest little love. Somehow, when I get a few moments to write, it seems that my Charlotte experiences rule the show.

Anyway, little man. He’s a total button. Loves to snuggle and smiles at anyone and everyone. He loves attention and loves to be coo’d at.

He’ll hang over your shoulder all day and loves to bounce. He looks bald, but has the sweetest fuzzy head.

He is an absolutely kissable boy.

He loves holding his head up like a big boy when I’m holding him, but spends every tummy time face down crying.

He’s my little man and I can’t imagine my world without him.

It must also be noted that he still continues to explosively poop all day, everyday, everywhere. I’m talking 4-5 outfit changing blowouts a day… Not including my outfits (or sheets, or couch cushions) that sometimes also need to be changed.

My Little Man

Posted on August 13, 2016 by playinghousewi

Anyway, little man. He’s a total button. Loves to snuggle and smiles at anyone and everyone. He loves attention and loves to be coo’d at.

He’ll hang over your shoulder all day and loves to bounce. He looks bald, but has the sweetest fuzzy head.

He is an absolutely kissable boy.

He loves holding his head up like a big boy when I’m holding him, but spends every tummy time face down crying.

He’s my little man and I can’t imagine my world without him.

Where I’m at

Posted on August 4, 2016 by playinghousewi

So, we’re two months into life with our sweet Henry and life with two kiddies 2 & under. Things have been amazing and hard and tiring and beautiful and full of love and full of stress.

I feel like I’ve gotten into such a good rhythm with Henry. He’s pretty easy to anticipate (not that it makes him easy, but definitely predictable) and generally speaking, a very good and easy going little dude. He’s pretty consistent in terms of schedule, too. All good things. The best is that he just loves to smile and coo and just be such a chill little man who I absolutely adore.

Charlotte has really been coming into her role as big sister and just seeming much happier and more confident these days. She loves to help with Henry and is back to showering him with kisses. We’ve been spending a lot of time together and she’s just a very special little love.

On our way to school in the morning, Henry tends to cry for the first half until he falls asleep. Charlotte will sing to him (typically her songs are, “Henry, Henry, Henry, Henry” or “balls, balls, ball, ball”) or she’ll simply “hush” him. Sometimes if he’s going for volume and getting a bit relentless, she just gets frustrated and whines, “I want Henry hush.” Me, too. Me, too.

But really, we have such a good routine down and seeing the two of them interact makes me so happy. When Henry isn’t screaming his face off, our car rides are actually quite enjoyable.

However, and here’s the other shoe, I’m exhausted. Like, deliriously tired. Henry’s night sleep is nothing like Charlotte’s (who slept through the night at 5.5 weeks). He sleeps 4-6 hours, but goes to bed at 8:30 (and stupid mommy has been going to bed closer to 11). After his long stretch, he’ll sleep anywhere from 1-3 hours and sometimes demands sleeping on me. While I love his cuddles, sleeping in an upright position with a baby on top of me just isn’t restful. I know these are all normal mom probs, but that doesn’t make me any less tired.

Add to it the fact that I feel like I’m constantly running to pick up or drop off C, hustling to make dinner before C wakes from her nap, and trying to keep the house in slightly functioning order… I’m just tired.

On top of all the normal “mom stuff,” my kitty is dying. I know I’ve made comments and harsh jokes about not wanting my pets, but that doesn’t make this any easier or any less sad. Oliver was my first pet. He was a total companion through some of the rougher, lonelier years of my life and is just a great cat (when he’s not peeing somewhere he shouldn’t). He greets me at the door, sleeps with me, stares at me from across the room, smacks Toby when he deserves it (or when we need a good laugh), always notices (the smell) when I get my hair done or eyebrows waxed, waits outside the door for me when I go to the bathroom, sticks his little paw under the closed door if he’s on the other side, and just plain loves his momma.

Our sick kitty.

I’ve never had to say goodbye to a pet and tonight, we’re saying goodbye to Oliver. My father in law (a vet) is going to put Ollie down for us tonight. My husband texted me and asked me if I was ready. It’s a weird question. The only thing I think I’m sure of is that our sweet kitty is ready. He’s skin and bones, not eating or drinking, barely leaves his new spot under the couch unless it’s to throw up or pee on the floor somewhere (which he hasn’t even done for a few days now). He’s just not doing well.

It’s been a lot. Life is a lot right now. I’m trying to stay in the minute and enjoy my adorable little babies and ignore the exhaustion and the stress and the overwhelmed feelings that are looming. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.