No more maternity leave :(

Yesterday was technically my last day of maternity leave, I go back to work the day after tomorrow. I couldn't have picked a better week. Rhett had a great week at daycare and by the end of the week we had gotten him up to the entire day. He loves the teachers and they really love him, too. He did his first piece of "art work" where they basically covered his hand in paint and plopped it on a piece of paper that they had already painted. Of course I thought it was terrific...such a sucker! He didn't take his naps very well but we knew that would happen. This kid is WAY too curious.

We also hit a big milestone this week! St Pat's was his 3 month mark!! I have pictures from this week - his first day of daycare, St Pats and his 3 month pic!

This week I've also locked down hard core on the paleo diet and was able to get to the gym 4 times so far! Hoping for a 5th tomorrow. I am going for 6 weeks and hope to be in decent shape by the time our April beach vacation and wedding season kick in. We'll see!

I was also able to go to the chiropractor for a postpartum adjustment and the dermatologist for a skin cancer scan and to check out all the freaky things pregnancy did to my skin. I'm happy to report that I have my first adjustment completed and I am skin cancer free!! Sadly, that was my first ever "annual" scan so I was a little nervous considering what I've done to my skin over the years. I also started a new skin care regimen to reverse some of the damage to my skin over the next 60 days... I anticipate looking like a new woman in about a month or two! Ha ha! We'll see how that goes.

So our big milestones this week were daycare for Rhett and no skin cancer for me! Plus starting the lock down to try to lose the last of the "baby weight" which should more aptly be called the "chicken finger, french fries, sweet treats weight" since that's really where it came from.

And he's off!!!

We had a huge milestone over here in the Tribuzio house today! Rhett went to daycare for his first day! I have to go back to work next week so I wanted to start to ease him into daycare. Don't be fooled - this is not at all for his benefit, but for mine. I knew I would miss him way too much and worry that he wasn't getting enough sleep for his naps if I didn't ease him in a bit. I have some appointments (dermatologist, hair - hey, don't judge unless you've seen this mop, chiropractor, etc) this week so it worked out great -- I'll have plenty to do to keep myself busy during the day while Rhett is at his new "school" and I won't miss him quite as much.

I am happy to report that it is a little after 5 and Rhett is home safe, sound and happy and he is napping right now! He actually did sleep a little at daycare. I took him at 11 or so and he took 2 short naps where he might usually have a 2 hour and a 1.5 hour nap. I figured he would be so excited and curious about everything going on around him that he might not be up for naps. Plus, for his naps, we still swaddle him at home and they don't at daycare. I held off until almost 4 before I went and picked him up. I wanted to give him his last feeding before his bedtime feeding later tonight - he's super sweet when he's eating and when I burp him, I can hug him and pretend I'm just burping him :)

I don't really have quite as much to report since I wasn't with him all day. I asked what he did all day (which is a tough question to ask without sounding accusatory I realized) and he pretty much studied the other babies and "talked" to them. He was in a swing when I picked him up and was happy as could be! I am curious to see what toys he likes since they have everything under the sun there. They were really surprised at how strong his legs are and that he (big announcement coming here) is getting a tooth soon!!! Miss Roberta, one of the teachers in his room, was apparently very smitten with Rhett. He was flirting with her hard core when I left him this morning so I wasn't surprised at all to hear that he charmed her!

He wore his onesy that Liz's family gave him that had his name on it, just for fun. It'll be fun to pick out his "school" clothes this week as he goes in each day...though I'm sure that'll get really old really fast. I had to pack some extra clothes and socks for him to keep at daycare in case he had an accident or lost a sock. I had to admit to Miss Roberta that he doesn't really wear socks all that often unless his feet are really cold, but that I had seen all the other babies with their feet covered and didn't want to be "that mom" that didn't put socks on her kid. Miss Roberta and I are going to get along just fine...to give you an idea of how funny Miss Roberta is - when she saw that Rhett had a tooth coming in she said "now that is my kind of man - he's gonna be eatin a chicken leg in no time at all!"

Of course I took pictures of this, I just need to get them on the computer so in the meantime I shall post a picture of Rhett at bath time in his Cookie Monster towel and his Fat Tuesday look... BEADS!!!!

MilkFace JellyBones the Incredible SLEEPING Baby!

He did it! We did it!! I mean he gets a lot more credit than we do, but he is out of the swaddle and sleeping all the way through the night!! Not phony baloney through the night like 11pm to 5am, but he goes down at 8pm and we get him up at 6:30am. We haven't had to get up in the middle of the night one time since we took him out of the swaddle. I also had an awesome tip that I think is very much a part of the equation. Allison told me I could put a bigger diaper on him at night and it would help keep him from waking up with a full diaper. That woman is a genius!!

I can't begin to explain how proud I am. And how much more sleep I am getting! He woke up this morning around 5:30 and just kept himself quietly occupied till I went in and got him at 6:20 or so. I still wake up and check the monitor or hear him if he's moving or grunting but he was so good - no "hey mom, come get me". Just a lot of "yum, those are my hands, they taste awesome!!"

FJ and I also had a big milestone this weekend. We left Rhett for the whole day and attended a St Patty's festival downtown with several of our friends (and took a cab home, of course). We are very lucky to have several friends who love Rhett and don't mind watching him. And even luckier to have several mom-to-be friends whom we trust who want the practice. Our friend Melanie came over and spent the whole day with Rhett. Don't worry, I didn't take total advantage of her, I paid her in baby items since she wouldn't give me an amount she would normally charge someone. I had a blast at the baby store picking up all sorts of odds and ends that I use regularly but never would have thought to register for. These things add up even though they are mostly just $3-10 items so I was happy to fill up a bag for Mel and of course got some for myself. Point being, FJ and I were able to leave for the day and enjoy some time with our friends. We came home to a sleeping baby and when I woke him up the next morning, I was excited to see him, he was excited to see us but he had gotten a good nights' sleep and Mel had sent us pics throughout the day so I knew he had a blast.

In addition to sleeping through the night and us being able to leave him for a whole day, we had another kind of cool milestone. Rhett laughed. He's laughed before, so it wasn't just that. Kate came to meet Rhett and he LOVED her. He laughed for about 3 minutes straight to the point that Kate, FJ and I were laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes. I tried to get it on video but was a bit late due to the fact that I was hunched over laughing so hard. We have no idea what sparked it and he didn't do it for the rest of the day. Apparently Kate triggered the laugh factory (probably cause it's the first time someone barely bigger than him has held him - sorry Kate - you knew you weren't getting out of this without a short joke). I did get a few more cackles out of him this morning so at least I know that I don't have to kidnap Kate from Augusta to get Rhett to laugh. It's absolutely crazy how awesome the sound of our baby laughing hysterically can be. And just to emphasize that it's not just mom gushing going on, even Kate had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard with and at Rhett. It was really cool!

So, Rhett is 11+ weeks and it is crazy to see how many milestones he's passed and how much he grows and learns. It's going to be very sad when I have to take him to daycare next week and go back to work the following week. I don't mean sad for him, I mean sad for me! Ha! Rhett is going to love it. He loves other babies, he loves playing, he tolerates sleeping and he loves eating so daycare is like paradise for this kid. I am definitely going to miss him but I'm excited that he'll be able to play with other kids and with new toys and that he's going to learn a ton that I would never know how to teach him.

MilkFace JellyBones the Incredible Peeing Baby!

In case you couldn't guess by the title, Rhett has figured out that it's funny to pee outside of his diaper! Unfortunately for all involved, I think it's pretty funny, too and can't help but laugh. Since I live in PJ's these days it really doesn't offend me to jump in front of his stream and since the laundry is constantly running, I don't think anything of using the onesy I just took him out of to soak up his stream. And most importantly, because I am beyond brilliant, he has a washable waterproof pad on top of his changing table covers and on top of that is a disposable waterproof pad so it really isn't a huge deal when he does this. I use the verb in the constant and present tense because not only did he JUST do this about 5 minutes ago, but he's done it about 4 times in the past 3 days. And he just laughs and laughs (probably because I laugh and laugh). Poor FJ, though - he got the worst of it when Rhett tested outside of the diaper bathroom usage on his other end. Whoops!

As for MilkFace JellyBones, that is pretty self explanatory. He's almost 11 weeks and we've had a few big strides in the past week or two. We've moved him to medium flow nipples which means that he doesn't have to work quite as hard for his food and his feedings are much easier on us. But this also means that he enjoys himself quite a bit more and ends up smiling through the feedings and getting milk or formula all over his face. And of course I laugh at this, too, which causes more laughter on his part. JellyBones came about because this kid LOVES to stand. He really likes to lay down on my knees and have me help him pull himself up to a standing position. He'll stay standing for as long as you let him. But occasionally he'll get himself all geared up to stand up or I'll want to show someone and his bones are all of the sudden made of jelly. He just slithers back down or if he wasn't up to begin with, it looks like I'm yanking him by his arms.

So MilkFace JellyBones has had a big week or two! Here are some of the things Rhett has done over the past week or two:

1. He is now open hand swatting at things in the air which might not sound like a huge deal, but it is! He sees things and is trying to grab them and realizes that his hand needs to be open to do this!
2. He has found mirrors. This could be dangerous if he is half as vain as his mom.
3. He's started wearing his 6 month (3-6 month) clothes!! I mean he's 2.5 months so I guess that's standard, but still, a milestone of sorts!!
4. He was able to get in his jumpy swing (jumperoo?) with the help of this pillow vest type thing I bought him especially for babies who want to jump before they are the right size for the jumping toys. He jumped for almost 2 hours one day. The swing hangs from a door jam and unfortunately for him the only door jam in our house on the first floor besides the garage is the pantry. So he jumped by the liquor, dog food and other pantry items for 2 hours. He didn't seem phased, but of course I took pictures and those are logged away for yet another day when he decides he's cooler and smarter than me and I need to take him down a peg.
5. He's been sleeping through the night for a few weeks now - or rather not needing to be fed. I still have to get up and reswaddle or change him from time to time, but in the past week or two, he's also figured out how to get back to sleep without being reswaddled. Which means he either sucks his thumb or his whole hand or tucks his little hands under his head. This is huge and it leads to my next point....

Tonight is the big night!! Rhett is going naked in the bed!! Well, he'll be wearing clothes, but he is going swaddle-free!!! I'm pretty scared and nervous, but I've been waiting for weeks to get him out of this swaddle. If he can learn to sleep without it, I don't have to get up and re-do it! And it opens our world of baby sitters up to endless possibilities!!! It's supposed to take a few nights of torture (on the parents) to get him there. Every change in the routine is supposed to take a good 3 days. But we are keeping our fingers crossed that he flows into it pretty naturally. FJ is off work tomorrow and Friday so we have 3 nights where we can lose a little sleep... well, where FJ can lose a little sleep. I can't lose what I've not had in almost a year! Ha ha!

So this is a big step and milestone and I'm sure in 6 months I won't remember when we took him out of the swaddle or when he "found his hands" or when he found mirrors, so I'm just trying to document it all! Plus, I'm obviously proud of him, excited for him, amused by him and intrigued by him! It's so crazy to see these little creatures figuring these things out. He can learn to breathe, eat, go 10 hours without eating, self regulate, self soothe, etc in less than 10 weeks but it takes months to figure out long division and I before E.... crazy!

Long Overdue!

So maybe I have been avoiding updating the blog... Half the time I feel like there is so much to update that I won't have enough time before Rhett wakes up from a nap and the other half of the time I think I am completely boring and unentertaining which is embarrassing since that's kind of part of who I am. Rhett is not yet asleep, we are trying to get him to go down for his 11:30 nap and it's 11:50...that's the kind of week we are having. So I'll give this a try!

Last week on Monday night, my throat started getting that tickle that means I'm about to be all out sick. Usually when I get that, I dose myself with a combination of OTC drugs that is probably illegal and would impress Paris Hilton. That is not an option at this point since I'm still breast feeding and more importantly, I can't be brain dead for 2 days with a 2 month old to take care of. Wouldn't that be nice? Along with not utilizing my usual cocktail of sudafed, antihistamines, cold meds, cough syrups and Mucinex, I'm not exactly getting the "rest" prescribed by all doctors for anything that ails you. As a result, it's over a week later and I'm not quite better. As an added bonus, Rhett is now having some congestion and is not feeling well which means that he is fussy. This is new territory for mommy and baby - we aren't used to this. My entire "let him cry" thing has gone out the window...whatever sick boy wants, sick boy gets. Unfortunately sick boy seems to know this and while I know he feels just fine during the day, he can give me one pitiful quiver and I feel soooo guilty for sneezing on him that I cave.

As far as updates over the past few weeks, we have plenty!! Suz came out and took pics of him around 8 weeks. He was loving the camera more than me after several cocktails. We had some trouble getting smiles out of him since we woke him up for the photo shoot but he was mesmerized by the camera...and maybe by Suz, too! The pics turned out terrific and we are very grateful to Suz for spending her Sunday afternoon out here with us. It's awesome to have talented friends who are happy to help you out!!

In other Rhett related news, he is finding his hands!! He is a tummy time and back time machine and can hold onto anything that you give him (aka wrap his little fingers around) for quite awhile! He's making more and more sounds and noises and gave me a little laugh yesterday! It amazes me how he just smiles with his entire face. He can also see a little further and hear us. For example, today I was on the couch while he was in his swing and he was getting bored so I just told him he was doing a good job and I was proud of him (he was trying really hard to play with the toys on his swing AND he had the death grip on a toy I had given him 10 minutes before) and his whole face lit up...so we proceeded to have a conversation.

At first talking to my infant felt a little strange. Almost narcissistic... I was literally talking to hear myself speak. Now I will be the first to admit that isn't a stretch for me... I like to chat. But when you narrate your day to a subject that you know can't understand a word, you start to feel a little psycho and even a little lonely. Poor Rhett is going to grow up with some developmental issues from watching so much Law and Order as an infant. But now we have conversations sometimes... granted he's not the most articulate thing in the world, but I figured that over the years I have had far more ridiculous conversations where neither participant was speaking much English after the 2am hour and under the influence, so why not make that much effort with my own son? I mean, I would be lying if I said I hadn't had a glass of wine or two and started babbling on to him but give me a break - my tolerance is low and I shouldn't have to wait for 5:00 since my work day starts around 6am and I don't get a lunch break. I figure I have as much right to a 4pm cocktail as people who work for 10 hours and go to happy hour.

So his "vocabulary" is ever increasing and I read that if you mimic the sounds to them, it encourages them. Since I am completely out of things to say aside from the normal praises of how awesome he is and how much I love him, I have no shame in mimicking his various coos and ahs. To my surprise, he seems to like it!

I keep waiting for this magical moment when he finds his hands....like it happens all at once. That's what it seems like when people tell me about it. But then again these same people probably told me that when I was pregnant and sick that it would just stop all the sudden and of course after I felt better, it felt like all of the sudden, but I know it took a few days. So I'm trying to be patient. I am sure it's not that exciting to other people to see him find his hands or the idea of finding his hands, but to me it means that I don't have to play the pacifier game where I give it to him and he spits it out and we repeat until one of us is asleep or dead because he can shove his fist in his mouth! The other morning I found him out of his swaddle with his thumb in his mouth but I believe this was a one off :( Anyhow, if he can figure out how to put his hand, thumb, finger, whatever in his mouth, he can self soothe and if he has enough control to do these things, he won't randomly swat himself in the head and we can be done with the dreaded swaddle. Though let's be clear, I have no idea what to do next! How in the world will he know it's sleep time if he isn't bound?! That will be my next great adventure.

That's what is going on here. Oh, and Rhett got his first round of shots and was a complete champ about it! So it's been a rough couple of weeks with me being sick (and of course FJ was a little sick, too and then Rhett being quasi sick/smart enough to milk this for all its worth from me), Rhett getting shots, etc. Hopefully the clouds are parting - literally and figuratively!!!

Just a quick update...

Due to the biggest storm to hit Chicago this century (really? It's been 11 years...), we had to cancel Rhett's baptism in Chicago. We decided that in addition to the tricky flight situation (we could easily check to see if our flight was canceled or delayed so there was no chance we would be at the airport for days, I just didn't want to get our seats reassigned or have to deal with the idiots who DID camp out in the airport), we didn't really know how to drive in 18 feet of snow and didn't want to risk that with Rhett. I'm pretty relieved. I wasn't excited about traveling with him before his vaccinations and I definitely wasn't excited about trying to figure out breast feeding and pumping with him in the airport or even in Chicago with the family.

FJ still took his couple of days off so we are excited about a few days together. I am excited to get out of the house alone to run errands. It hadn't occurred to me that little things like shipping packages at the UPS store would be virtually impossible. I can't carry a baby and a box at the same time!

In other big news, I also started back at the gym yesterday. I can barely move today and it's only going to get worse!!! I'm so scared! Ha ha! But it felt great and I can't wait to get back into shape. I'll be a much better mom and wife and even person to myself if I can get back on track. But until Monday, I'm going to eat as much junk food as possible! Ha!

Rhett is sleeping great. He's so close to making it through the night. He consistently makes it to 6 am but we do have to get up a few times to reswaddle him or give him a pacifier. But he's really close and I am so proud of him.

He also had a hip ultra sound this past week as a precaution because he was breached. He is is 100% a-okay and he did sooooooooooo good at the doctor's office. He didn't cry or fuss at all and I was so proud of him!

He's growing and getting more and more personality everyday! He had a growth spurt last week and is over 11 pounds now and up to 23 inches. He is a very smiley, happy baby and I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop! Ha! Last night I did the bath and bedtime feeding that FJ normally does (he did the middle of the night swaddle/pacifier game and the 6am feeding) and we said some prayers and talked about our day. That is one sweet boy!

There's not really much of an update, but I put a few new pics of him doing tummy time. Hardly his favorite time of the day, but necessary. There are also pics of him just hanging out. We need to get some really good smile pics so we can do his birth announcements!

Super Stalker Mom

I'm now convinced that babies and video monitors can be put on the list of torture devices used by government agencies! I came to this conclusion by using this torturous combo on myself and can certify that it will drive someone crazy! I stared at that video monitor for over an hour while I laid in my bed in the dark. I got up 3 times to put the pacifier back in Rhett's mouth (add pacifiers to torture devices...It's pretty mean of me to give this kid a pacifier and then bind his hands in a swaddle blanket so that as soon as it falls out he can't get it - well let me clarify, he hasn't found his hands quite yet so even if he had his hands he couldn't put it back in, but actually having them bound in a blanket seems even meaner).

Side note - I am stalking the video monitor telling it to "go to sleep, little boy" as I type this...it's not working :)

These monitors are even designed for psycho stalkers like me. The video will shut off after a minute or two and you have to actively turn it back on. I'm sure the manufacturer would have you believe it is to save the battery life, but I know it's to cause further torture by making me actively participate in this whole process even more.

So, last night he woke up at about 4 and started grunting and moving around. He wasn't out of his swaddle. I was waiting on him to break free and really wake up and let me know he was hungry. This is a game we play every night (well, except the rare nights that he sleeps all the way through). So in addition to waking up to feed him, I'm awake about 30 minutes before I feed him and for about 15 minutes after as he falls asleep, so it's over an hour for me. (I just tapped the button to turn the video back on). I decided after about 20 minutes this time since he was still secure in his swaddle to try to give him a pacifier and see if that calmed him down. I was just trying to buy time till 5am. If he sleeps till 5am I don't have to get him up at 6 to eat so while 6 is the overall goal, I was really just shooting for 5.

The clock was ticking down and the pacifier would fall out and I would jump up and run to his room and find it and put it back in in the dark which is not as easy as it might sound like (from my stalker monitor, I knew about where the pacifier was but had no easy way to determine where his mouth would be since he hardly stays still during this part of the game). (Click - video turned back on, Squirmy in there is fighting his nap). At 4:50 I decided not to get up to get the pacifier for him when it fell out. I figured he could get himself nice and worked up and it would be after 5 and I was home free. I watched that monitor for 20 minutes as he slept just waiting for him to grunt and start the process that lets me know it's time to feed the little guy. I was fighting off going back to sleep myself, there isn't much that is more frustrating than dozing back off for 7 minutes.

The next thing I knew, my 5:50 "feed Rhett" alarm was going off. Literally, I have alarms set on my phone set for 10 minutes before his feedings and they're marked as "feed Rhett" just so I don't let time get away from me if I'm, for example, updating the blog! I couldn't believe it - that little man had gone all the way back to sleep and I had to go wake him up to eat. So, I completely lost that game since I was still up for 1+ hour even though I didn't feed him and he technically didn't get up, but I'm more than happy to concede victory to his full night of sleep! (Click - just turned the monitor back on...keep in mind, I can hear him grunting... I know he is trying to get out of his swaddle and I can tell my the grunts/cries that he's not out yet and is getting really tired of trying - I just want to torture myself by seeing it, too).

So back to my original point, who stares at a video monitor for over an hour in the middle of the night? And then doesn't learn their lesson?!?! I admit that sometimes I click the monitor when he's napping so that I can see his sweet sleeping face. But most of the time it is to stalk him. (Click...his eyes are shut, he's silent...they were when the screen went off, too...no real need to click it back on but I do...it's a compulsion). I'm pretty sure that the baby/monitor combo should be registered as a weapon in psychological warfare because I can recognize that it is 100% absolutely crazy to do what I have done in the past 8 hours.

When the monitor is actually plugged in to the wall (at night), I don't have to re-click. It stays on if it's on. It was a huge milestone when I was able to start sleeping with it off. I'm sure FJ appreciated getting rid of the night light (and for those who are wondering, he sleeps through all of this...none of it even causes him to stir -- even on Saturdays when he takes middle of the night duty, I have to wake him up when it's time to feed the baby so I still get to play a lot of the game, I just don't have to get up).

So I guess that is somewhat of an update!! He slept through the night though I'm not ready to give him the victory all together. But again, I'll take it!

Click -he's asleep. Has been the last two clicks. I still click because I'm sitting still so why not? --- Oh, wait...he's wiggling, grunting...shifting...back asleep... false alarm...okay, time to go change laundry, fix lunch, make some phone calls and get ready to start this cycle all over again. But I'll admit that this past cycle I let him sleep on my chest for about an hour. He was so warm and sweet and I thought I deserved the reward for not just feeding him at 4:30 and getting him to sleep it out!

For those who are on the edge of their seats...

Well, he didn't sleep through the night again but he made it to 4:30 which isn't half bad. Of course this means I woke up at 4 when he started grunting and moving around, but I'll take what I can get!! He had a great day yesterday and so did I! We went to Perimeter Mall to see a friend, Carrie Ann and her new little boy that was born 10 days before Rhett, Carter. She and I just walked around, nibbled on some food and chatted. It was nice to get out of the house and have some company. We also went into some stores and I somehow managed not to buy anything!! Mostly because it would have been a pain, not so much because I have self control. My idea is that when I get back to a realistic, normal size, I can reward myself with some new clothes. Until then, I've gotten some sweaters and tops to try to get me through till I am somewhere near my pre-preg self again.

Rhett took some good naps yesterday, we had our adventure out and about and I got some chores done. Hopefully he is set up for another good day today. Tomorrow FJ is working, but I am going to head out for a couple hours sans Rhett when he gets home so that should be fun and interesting. I'm sure I'll be anxious to get back to him, but I haven't been away from him for more than 1 hour at this point (long enough to go to the store or one time to get my nails done - thank you Joani!!).

It's not that I want to be away from him but I have a stack of things I need to do outside of the house that would take much longer with Rhett (boxes to send, things to return, small items to buy in Target - yeah right - let's just say spend $100.56 in Target in 15 minutes or less). And of course I want FJ to be home with Rhett alone through at least one feeding cycle so he can feed him, change him, play with him, put him down and get him back up. It's not that I want him to see that it's not necessarily easy...I want him to have that bonding time...hahahahahaha... YEAH RIGHT! Though I'm sure an afternoon away won't exactly prove a point to FJ. I have figured out that if he thinks that I'm on "vacation" he should be able to do what I do on his day off since it's vacation and all!

Sunday we are having some good friends over to play with FJ's new green egg (which we have been using all week!!) and to celebrate some big news for them! Congratulations to Tony and Lyndsey who are expecting!!!! So exciting!!! I can't wait to meet Baby Milligan in August!!

We snapped some pics in the bathtub last night. He's way too cute in the tub not to take pictures. Definitely rehearsal dinner material for this poor kid!!!

It's been a good day!

The past few days haven't been great, but so far today (and it's not even 8am yet) has been awesome! Rhett missed a few naps and had a doctor's appointment so his routine was a little off. On top of that, he's so strong that he breaks out of his swaddle...naps, middle of the night - it doesn't matter. When he's ready to be free of the swaddle, he breaks out like Houdini! This wouldn't be such a huge problem if he had any control over his hands, but he doesn't. He doesn't have purposeful movement...he can't take his pacifier out or more importantly put it back in. But he has these reflexes that cause him to randomly move his hands...and frequently when he does this while he has a pacifier, the reflex is to swat the pacifier out of his mouth. Awesome, right? When he is sleeping and he gets his arms out, his reflex is to smack himself in the face and obviously he gets upset about that. I mean, can you imagine minding your own business, laying in your "bed" and just getting smacked in the face or having a pacifier that was just given to you ripped out of your mouth by a total stranger?!

So yesterday was the third less than stellar day in a row. Keep in mind that a bad day for Rhett is like a good day for a lot of babies, so it's all relative, but I'm so spoiled because he's such a good, easy baby! So he's been a little fussy and hasn't gone to sleep or taken his naps well.

Well last night, he slept THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! It could just be a fluke so I'm not jinxing myself by saying he's starting a new chapter. He stayed in his swaddle all night (he breaks out of his swaddle = he smacks himself in the face = he wakes up) and I was soooo proud! I woke up at 2 and again at 4 and checked the video monitor as well as the clock and I was keeping my fingers crossed. I can't believe he did it! I got him up at 6 to eat and play a little and put him back down for a nap at 7 and he went right to sleep. Fingers crossed that he's going to have a good day - but either way - he slept all night. Which means I slept THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! I feel like a million bucks!

Another big milestone - and this might not seem big to most people, but I am able to wear all of my rings! I have my engagement ring and two wedding bands. A couple weeks ago I was able to wear one wedding band for the first time since October (my fingers have really swollen with all of the weight gain and water retention). As you put on more rings, they fit tighter. This morning I was able to put on one band and I tried my engagement ring and it fit so I went for the last band very cautiously (don't want them to get stuck!! If I have to get them cut off, I know FJ won't replace them!!!) and it slid right on!! I couldn't believe it so I went to pull all 3 off at once to see if I had to do it one by one or if they just slid off. I was able to pull all 3 off at once!

So what does this mean? I'm getting the old me back! Slowly but surely. Little milestones make me feel much better. But really this was just the icing on top of the cake from Rhett having such a good night. I am so excited for him that he slept so well and so proud of him! My fingers are crossed that he is going to have a good day - he deserves it!

As for my day, I'm about to go make breakfast and get ready for his 9am feeding! The bug guy is coming at 11 (this is always an ordeal as he is rather chatty and insists on calling FJ to confirm whatever decision I just very clearly made) and then I am meeting a friend and her new little guy to hang out and catch up. Hopefully we can get Rhett a good afternoon nap. We're having chili tonight that is already made and the flavors are just soaking in in the fridge. Point being I don't have to make anything for dinner!!

Today has all of the makings of a great day. I don't want to put any pressure on myself or Rhett but it's started out fabulously!

I need to take some more pictures, but here are some from the snow storm that kept us all locked in last week. It started snowing Sunday night and the entire city pretty much shut down for the majority of the week. FJ didn't have to work on Monday or Tuesday. Everyone I know had cabin fever but I was just fine - I realized I didn't exactly leave on a regular basis anyway! ha! Rhett and I went on an adventure on Friday once the roads were safe and went to Target and Kohl's for an hour or two. Taking him out by myself is still a little tricky but we're getting there!

Snow Day!

We got lots of snow last night and today and FJ even got to stay home from work and spend another day with us. This was awesome since he had to work on Saturday and really only got a one day weekend. We did absolutely nothing but hang out with each other and Rhett all day! We watched movies, caught up on DVR and didn't even venture out of the house to eat. I made homemade waffles this morning from scratch and FJ made me lunch and dinner. It was a really great day.

We didn't take Rhett outside to take pictures - partially because that would have required one or both of us to get all bundled up. Poor Tucker did NOT enjoy the snow. We forced him to go outside and had several laughs at his expense.

Rhett is still sleeping pretty well. He is very sneaky and gets out of his swaddle even though we put him in there so tightly he grunts. I like to think it is because he is smart, but it's really probably operator error. Either way, if he gets out in the middle of the night, his arms hit him in the face (he ultimately hits himself but since he doesn't really know those are his arms nor does he have control over him, I feel it's unfair to say he hits himself) and that wakes him up. And once he's awake, he wants food and a clean diaper. I can't really blame the kid. So, as long as he stays pretty swaddled, he can sleep for awhile. Last night he actually slept until almost 4. I woke up at 3 and waited on him to wake up, though...psycho, I know!

So he is still sleeping well - a few times he has slept through the night. I'm not sleeping nearly as well but I'm sure it'll come. Besides, it's not like I was able to sleep a full night before he got here. The last time I slept more than a few hours in a row was maybe June? But I do see light at the end of the tunnel!

There isn't much of an update right now. He's doing great. We put together his swing and he LOVES it. It's probably gas, but he's smiling a little and I'll take it! He is also doing really well with his routine and has been great when I've taken him out. I'm just trying to figure out my routine with him...I'm sure once I get it nailed down, his routine will change. I'm actually guessing that is my life for the next 20 years in a nutshell! And I'll love it! Ha ha!

SMILE!!

I realize that this is probably gas or a fluke, but I caught him smiling and had time to get my phone, use the camera and take several shots because he kept smiling! I really don't care if it wasn't really a smile, it lit up my entire day!!! What a sweet, sweet boy!

Rhett is super clever, I've determined. He manages to claw his way out of the tightest of swaddles. We put together one of his swings last night (of course he has multiple swings) and he had a blast in it. I had him in his bouncy seat for awhile after his 6am feeding this morning and he was loving that, too. I'm still trying to figure it all out - I guess I never will get it all figured out. But sometimes it's fun to figure it out. Sometimes it's frustrating. But luckily it's a lot more fun than frustrating so far.

I can't believe he is 3 weeks old already. Week 1 of FJ being back at work is almost over. He has to work every Saturday this month so it's not quite over. He got home last night a little after 6. It was great! I felt like we had so much more time. We weren't in a rush to eat dinner, either! It was a terrific night even though Rhett didn't really get his last nap in.

And for those who are wondering, Tucker is holding up okay, too! Rhett sleeps in the nursery at night, he's never slept in our bed, so Tucker gets to snuggle with us at night. He's doing pretty well with Rhett - he doesn't quite get it, but he knows that Rhett is important to us so he is a little protective, but he's not totally on board with it. I guess he better sign up - Rhett's not going anywhere! Rhett is totally fine with with Tucker, though. His barking and running around doesn't phase Rhett at all!

Okay, well, just wanted to check in and show off his quasi smile!

Much Better!

Just a quick update to let everyone know that we are all alive, well and in good spirits and he made it through his fussy evening and even got in a cat nap! FJ and I made it through a terrific fajita salad with flank steak and Rhett slept till 5:30 this morning!!

We (Rhett and I) are going to see FJ at lunch at his new bank today. This will be my second time taking him out by myself so hopefully I'll be a little better at it. I wasn't that bad yesterday, but I couldn't find my phone and it wasn't an option to leave without it...I knew I would be asking for a flat tire if I did.

And on a very positive note - after some inspiration from Allison yesterday who kept telling me great I look - I packed up all of my maternity clothes. Thank you Space Saver Bags!!! I have so much room back in my closet. I still have a whole row of clothes that I won't even bother to look at, but I now have clothes hanging in a section of my closet that I can actually wear so my options are there. They are limited, but they are there. And organized!! Sweaters, plain tees, button down shirts, etc. No pants...still not really able to wear pants. Ha ha! Thank God for leggings. I refuse to spend money on decent jeans right now because I refuse to stay this size for long. I'm a WAYS from my pre-pregnancy/goal size so I'm thinking a good pair of jeans or two will be my reward when I get there. Hopefully for my 30th bday!

I do have some clothes to unpack that I put away when I hit about 5 months because they depressed me by even being there when they weren't an option. So this should get interesting. I'm going to hold off on opening that Pandora's box of clothing until I am a little closer to my goals...that way it'll be like shopping!

Well, our little man is starting to wake up for breakfast and to start his day (he zonks right back out after his early morning - 5-6ish feeding, but after 9, we get to play for a little bit before it's nap time again).

Only today and tomorrow until the weekend gets here and FJ gets to hang out with both of us for a couple days! Very exciting stuff. It's crazy how life and the definition of excitement has changed. I'm guessing I'll keep looking forward to the weekends when FJ is here with both of us, but I'm sure the weekdays will get easier as I work my routine into Rhett's.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Checking in

Well FJ is back at work and it's just me and Rhett! Well, we still have a lot of visitors and actually had a lunch date today and we are going to see FJ at work tomorrow for lunch.

We've had a lot going on. We've gotten onto a good routine and Rhett is sleeping really well all things considered. The Moms On Call folks have been great. The consultation went amazingly well and they have been so responsive to our millions of questions. As have our awesome and supportive friends.

Right now, I am letting him cry it out from another room. It is taking everything in me not to go pick that sweet boy up and hold him because I know he will stop crying if I do, but I also know he is not hurt and he is not even uncomfortable, he's just tired and really needs the last 30 minutes of his nap (he woke up from his nap because he worked his way out of his swaddle - this long legged/armed man is like a magician).

FJ has had to work late the last two nights which I know breaks his heart. For those who don't know, he got a promotion 2 days before Rhett was born (not sure if I mentioned that or not before). So he has a lot of work in front of him and a lot of challenge, but also a lot of reward and recognition. Rhett loves bed time - he gets to spend time with his dad. FJ gives him a bath and feeds him a bottle and then puts him to bed. He goes straight down whenever FJ does it so he must have the magic touch...I wish I had it right about now (still wailing).

I'm trying to work out my routine now that we have Rhett on his. It's getting better each day. (I swear this kid can see the video monitor camera - he is staring into it with these little eys...okay now he has them slammed shut and his mouth is gaping open as he screams bloody murder...then stops and looks around again).

This sequence of events is highly unusual, he is never fussy at all so I feel for him because I know he must be tired.

A few random things that I wasn't aware of about after you have a baby...night sweats...not so much fun. But definitely worth the time after he eats that he just lays on my chest and makes these little baby murmurs. I also didn't realize that the whole "eat, sleep, poop" thing was 100% true and that the pooping part is continuous. I have yet to "waste" a diaper unless he somehow peed or pooped on it before I got it on him. Which technically isn't a waste.

So this is hardly a warm and fuzzy post, but it's realistic which is the point of recording all of this. When I'm having a blast with him, I can't exactly get to the computer because I am holding him and rubbing his soft head of hair or kissing him on his yummy face.

I need to get more pictures of him. I discovered that my camera is not that great (he moves too quickly for the shutter speed I guess?)! I can't wait to have Susan come take some good pics of him!!

Okay, he's down now! I have a few minutes to go get dinner started so that when FJ comes home he can play with Rhett and we can eat before it's bed time for all of us!

More to come later this week, promise!!