3 Generations

3 generations of Clowers men

45 minute intruder

You may be wondering what a 45 minute intruder is. Well, I'm going to tell you. It's a concept I read about in the book On Becoming Babywise. Apparently at several times during the first year of a baby's life they have growth spurts. This is obvious by the huge amount of growing they do in that first year. These growth spurts can and often do cause a baby to wake up 45 minutes into their naps because they are hungry, even though they ate less than 2 hour earlier.

This is what we are going through with Caleb at the moment. It started earlier this week. I moved Caleb into his own room and into his crib, and all the sudden he started napping differently than he had before. I attributed this change to the fact that he was in a new bed and it would just take him some time to adjust. But then, it didn't make sense that sometimes he was sleeping fine, and his nighttime sleep never changed. Just a few random naps. So I began to think that maybe something else was waking him up. Is it too hot? too cold? too noisy at certain times of the day? I tried changing some things around, but still he was waking up 45 minutes into at least 2 naps a day. Then I found the section in Babywise on the 45 minute intruder and it sounded like what I was dealing with. And supposedly it hits around 8 weeks and again at 4 months. According to the book, this consistent waking is a feeding problem, not a sleep problem. During growth spurts babies need more calories for a few days to keep them growing. So I figured I might as well try it.

The next time he woke up after only 45 minutes of napping, I tried feeding him. It had only been an hour and 45 minutes since he had eaten last (he usually goes 3) but he ate, and ate well. He was hungry. I had finally figured it out. So today, I did the same. He woke early from 2 of his 4 naps and had a total of 9 feedings today instead of 7. ( I was worried for a moment about over feeding him because he's already rather (ummm) chubby, but according to the pediatrician you can't really over feed a breastfed baby). This made for a much less stressful day for me because I had been trying to make him go back to sleep when he woke early, which only ended in tears and frustration. (it's hard for anyone to sleep when they are hungry, I just assumed that hunger wasn't the culprit because it hadn't been long since he'd eaten). Hopefully today did the trick and we'll be back to our old schedule by the end of the weekend.

He's a growing boy and packing on the pounds. :)

Feeding Frustrations and Other Stuff

In the last week or so Caleb has become so distractable while he's eating. It's like he's just now noticed that other things are still going on when he eats. He's also getting faster, which is nice. He'll eat for about 5 minutes really well, and then it's : eat for a minute, look around, eat for a minute, smile at me, eat for a minute, "talk", eat for a minute, cry because he needs to burp, and so on. He eats about 8-10 minutes at a time, except at night. At night, there is nothing to distract him, so he eats for about 20 minutes. While I'm happy he's getting faster (for awhile I was feeling like I was feeding him ALL the time), it's frustrating trying to get him to pay attention to what he's doing and just eat. From what I've read, this is just typical and lasts for a few months until they realize they can eat and pay attention to what's going on around them.

I also finally found a bottle that I'm comfortable giving to Caleb. I didn't want to give him anything that made it too "easy" to eat because I don't want him to prefer the bottle to me, but I found one that is so similar to breastfeeding I don't think he knows the difference. He doesn't like taking it from me (I guess he knows I've got the "real thing") but he takes it fine from other people. Now I can leave him with other people, or in the church nursery and know that if he gets hungry it's not a big deal.

And finally, he's officially sleeping in his crib for naps and at night. I think everyone is sleeping better this way. And while he sleeps great in his crib at night, he's still struggling with naps in there. He wakes up alot more often and it takes him longer to fall asleep, but I think he's getting used to it. So, we got 9 weeks of use out of the Moses basket, definitely worth it because he slept great in there, and it let me keep him close when I was having to get up with him several times a night. Speaking of getting up at night ; Caleb is sleeping consistently from 10:30 until 4 or 4:30, and then until 7:30. I think this is pretty good, but I'm hoping that we can drop that 4 o'clock feeding in the next few weeks. Then I'll finally get a full nights sleep. I don't even remember what that's like, but I'm looking forward to it.

9 weeks old

At 9 weeks old ...

Caleb turned 2 months old this week ... no party though :)

He also had his 2 month doctor's appointment and got his first shots, which he did not like.

He finally moved to his crib, and although he didn't like it at first, he's getting used to it.

He is still very smiley and happy, particularly when he wakes up.

He still loves his bouncy seat, and his new "under the sea" play mat (thanks, nanny!)

He is still eating every 3 hours during the day and sleeping about 5.5 to 6 hours at night, but I have a feeling this will be extended in the near future.

He weighs 12 lbs. 10 oz.

He is still sleeping on his tummy, although I did try switching him back to sleeping on his back. He would have none of it. Oh well.

He went to the nursery at church for the first time while Charles and I taught Sunday school. He seemed to enjoy it, although he did get hungry before we made it back, and missing his morning nap through off his schedule for the rest of the day.

He rolled over from his tummy to his back, only once, and we didn't see it, but he was in his crib on his tummy and the next time Charles checked on him he was on his back. We'll see if it happens again or if it was just a fluke.

He slept though his first meal at a restaurant. We had just enough time to eat before he woke up.

A picture for you

Here is a picture of Caleb at 2 months old ...

What I love about Caleb at 2 months old

*He's sleeping better and better at night.

*He's on a good routine, which makes going through the day so much easier.

*He's a smiley little thing. He smiles all the time.

*He "talks" to us and to his toys.

*He thinks daddy's funny sounds are funny, and always smiles at them.

*He is old enough to take out with me, but still small enough to be easy to take places.

*He is still easily entertained ... by anything ... a picture, a shadow, a stuffed animal or a face.

*He likes taking his baths.

*He recognizes me and Charles, and is happiest with us. (and his Aunt Rachel, of course)

*He focuses on things better, and can spend a long time just looking at me.

*He likes to go on walks in his stroller.

*He doesn't mind riding in his carseat anymore, even for a long drive.

*He is getting bigger, but he still loves to snuggle up when I hold him.

*He's got big dark blue eyes that I think are just adorable.

*He has a dimple on one side when he smiles.

*He looks like his daddy when he smiles.

2 month doctor's appointment

Caleb is not technically 2 months old until the 23rd, but he had his 2 month doctors appointment today. I knew he would be getting shots today, so I've actually been dreading this appointment, he, of course, had no idea what was in store for him.

In case you don't remember, I HATE shots and needles in general, for that matter. In the past I would do anything to avoid having that sharp piece of metal jabbed into me. There were times when Charles was going to the doctor or dentist and needles were involved and I would think, "Glad it's him and not me!!!" But I found myself wishing that I could get the shots today instead of Caleb. Crazy how he's only been here 2 months but I love him so much.

Anyways, I knew he had to get shots and the poor little guy was just happy as can be at the doctors office waiting with me, getting weighed and measured, (He weighs 12 lbs. 10 oz. and is 23.5 inches) talking with his doctor and then the nurse came back in. I laid him on the table and held his little hand hoping that somehow maybe he wouldn't notice the pain (wishful thinking, I know) and she stuck him in the leg ... twice ... and then again in the other leg. He of course screamed and cried ... and cried some more. But by the time we got to the car he had completely forgotten about it and was just fine. I had given him some tylonal before his shots, and his morning nap got cut short, so he was a sleepy little man and slept the whole way home.

So another good appointment. Everything looked great. He's in the 75th percentile for weight and 50th for height. So he's a chubby little guy.

Look at those chubby cheeks :)

someone loves his daddy

8 weeks old

Well ... he's 8 weeks old today. It seems like yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital.

At 8 weeks ...

He is smiling more and more and we are learning how to get him to smile. Tickling the corner of his mouth often works, lots of Charles' funny animal noises do the trick, and just catching him at the right moment (after he's been fed and taken a nap).

He is noticing more of his surroundings and loves looking out windows.

He loves his bouncy seat and has figured out that by kicking his legs he can make the toys that hang overhead move. He's particularly fond of the zebra :)

He is more vocal and makes lots of noises.

He studies your mouth when you talk to him, and you can tell he's trying to figure out how to do it himself.

His playtimes are longer and his naptimes are shorter. He still takes 4 naps a day, but he's awake for about 1.5 hours and then naps for about 1.5 hours.

He is still sleeping good at night, from about 11:30 until 5:30 or 6:00, so no complaints there.

We are transitioning him from his Moses basket to his crib (which he does not like, by the way). But he's such a big boy that he's not going to last much longer in the basket.

He gets excited and happy when Charles comes home from work. It's easy to get smiles out of him then.

He likes riding in his stoller, going for walks, and riding in his sling. If he's tired and nothing else works I can put him in his sling and he's out within a few minutes. I try not to use it for that too often though, don't want to establish any bad habits.

He went with us to Sunday school for the first time and did fine. He got fussy for a few minutes, but then fell asleep and slept for the rest of the lesson.

He's changing so fast and getting so big. It's amazing how quickly the time goes by.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Alright, I'm doing good here ... 2 weeks in a row... here we go.

I did not completely forget that today is Monday until just now... as I sit feeding Caleb, and I most definitely am not typing these words as he eats. I am much too organized to lose track of what day of the week it is and I would never play on the computer while feeding my son ... who does that?

I did not miss the sermon at church yesterday for the millionth time because no matter what I do I cannot figure out how to keep Caleb from getting hungry as soon as the sermon starts.

I did not get a new camera that I absolutely love, and I did not have fun pretending that I'm a real photographer while taking these pictures.

I did not wash the same load of laundry twice, because the first time I left it sitting in the washing machine too long and it did not get that mildewy smell of wet clothes. Honestly, I always keep up with laundry and all other housework, for that matter.

That's all I've got for this week.
What have you not been doing this past week?

Picture Time

I recently got a new camera that I absolutely LOVE!

So here are a few pictures I took this weekend.

The Many Faces of Caleb

A few tears means a happier baby

Listening to your baby cry is one of the hardest things there is. I have a really hard time listening to Caleb cry, especially when I don't know why he's crying. It's frustrating to feel like something is wrong, but he can't tell you what it is, so you're just left guessing.

Well, recently I've gotten better at deciphering between his different cries. He has one cry that means, "I'm hungry." and another one that means, "I'm HUNGRY!!!!". He has a cry that means, "I'm getting tired" and he has one that means, "I want someone to hold me." He has another one that means, " I need to burp", and yet another than means, "I need my diaper changed." Now granted, alot of these cries sound the same alot of the time, so I'm still left guessing sometimes, but if he's crying, I know it's one of these things. Thankfully he's not the type of baby who cries for no reason.

Up until a few days ago, I would do anything, and I do mean anything to keep him from crying. You don't feel like taking a nap?? OK, stay awake. You want me to hold you, even though I'm busy with something?? OK, no problem. While it's fine for me to want him to be happy, there's got to come a point when he doesn't get everything he wants, the second he wants it. Now if he's hungry, I feed him. If he needs his diaper changed, I change him. But at the same time, if he's tired, isn't it my responsibility to make sure he gets sleep? Sometimes he just doesn't realize what he needs.

So for the past several days, when I know that Caleb is tired and needs to take a nap, and I know that there is no reason for him to be crying other than the fact that he doesn't think he needs a nap, I let him cry. It's hard. I don't like it. But I've realized that even though it seems to take forever, he only cries for about 5 minutes and then he goes right to sleep. Isn't this better than letting him decide whether or not he takes a nap? I'm his mom and I know that it's important for him to get his sleep, whether he knows it or not.

Some people are completely against "crying it out", but I think that some babies, particularly ones who do not cry much to begin with, just need to let off some energy before they can sleep. Now, for those of you who are curious, I don't just toss him in bed and leave him to cry until he falls asleep. I stay right beside him the whole time, telling him that he's fine, and it's time for a nap and then he'll feel better. I might pat his back and give him his paci, but once I put him down, I do not pick him back up, unless I think he needs to burp, and then its a quick burp and right back down. My opinion might be different if it took 30 minutes of crying for him to go to sleep. I'm not sure I could do that, but for now, 5 minutes of crying, here and there, isn't so bad, especially when it's really for his own good.

And believe it or not, doing this has helped establish a routine better then anything else. Previously, his naps were very inconsistent because he was deciding when he slept. In other words, he was staying awake until he couldn't keep his eyes opened anymore and by the time he fell asleep it was almost time for him to eat again. So I was left to either wake and fed an unrested baby, or let him sleep longer and change his feeding schedule. Either way, our days were very inconsistent and he wasn't always sleeping or eating well. Now, he takes a nap when I know he needs one, and it has caused our days to look very similar. He's tired at about the same time every day. He's hungry at about the same time every day. What a relief to finally have some sort of routine back to our days. I'm more rested and happier and so is he.

So, at 7 weeks old, here is our daily routine:

5:30 - he wakes, diaper change, eat, and straight back to bed
8:30 - I typically have to wake him, diaper change, eat
9:00 - get dressed, go for a walk or, if it's too hot, play with mommy or sit in bouncy seat or swing
9:30ish - nap
11:30 - diaper change, eat
12:00 - playtime with daddy (who comes home for lunch)
12:30ish - nap
2:30 - diaper change, eat
3:00 - play with mommy, tummy time, swing or bouncy seat
4:00ish - nap
5:30 - diaper change, eat
6:00 - playtime with daddy (while I fix dinner)
7:00 - nap (this could be considered bedtime, but because we haven't done bath or jammies yet, I call it a nap)
8:30 - diaper change, eat
9:00 - bath, jammies
9:30 - bedtime
11:00 or 11:30 - eat ( he pretty much stays asleep for this feeding)

Precious Feet

Four years ago today

What were you doing four years ago today?

Realistically, you probably don't remember.

It was a Saturday, does that help?

I didn't think so.

Well I do remember what I was doing.
Four years ago today I was marrying the wonderful man that is my husband.

It amazes me that it's already been four years, and how much has changed in those four years. We have moved several times, eventually buying the house we live in now. Charles has become established in his career. I became a nanny for 2 and then 3 adorable children. Our own family grew in size with the birth of our 7 week old baby boy, Caleb. But most importantly, we have grown to love each other more, to respect each other, to trust God to lead our marriage where He wants it to go. We argue, we disagree about things, I know that I don't respect or submit to Charles the way I am called to, but we've made progress in the past four years. Certainly not by any strengths of our own, but by the grace of God. He has blessed our marriage in ways I never imagined. I pray that I can say the same thing four years from now.

Charles, thank you for the past four years. Thank you for loving me the way you do. Thank you for being the wonderful father that you are. I pray that Caleb grows up to be a man of God like his daddy. A man who loves his wife as Christ loves the church. I am blessed to have you as my husband and best friend. I love you and enjoy every minute of spending my life with you. Happy Anniversary Baby!

Bath time... Again

Look how things have changed. Remember this??

Caleb is starting to enjoy his baths. No tears at all, just relaxing in the warm water. Note that I do have to fill his bathtub with as much water as possible because he DOES NOT like being cold. This makes it rather difficult to actually get him clean as I can't lather him up under water. But sitting in soapy water counts for something, right?

Alright, I'll be honest. He doesn't love his baths yet. But it is getting better.

7 weeks old

Caleb is 7 week old today ... how the time flies

This week Caleb was all smiles. He's finally figured it out and is smiling all the time. Although he smiles more often for daddy than mommy, or so it seems. It's absolutely adorable, but amazingly difficult to capture in a picture. I'm working on it.

He slept 7 straight hours 3 nights this week, so I think we are well on our way to sleeping through the night on a regular basis, thank goodness!

He took his first vacation. We went to the lake (Greer's Ferry) and stayed in a lake house. He also had his very first boat ride, which put him right to sleep.

He had his first visit to a restaurant as we stopped at The Bulldog on the way home from the lake. He made it about 2 minutes before crying. Thankfully we just stopped for some ice cream so it was quick.

He is noticing things around him more, and can often be found staring intently at his mobile above his swing or crib. Or staring at the polka dots on the lining of his Moses' basket. This kid has a thing for polka dots.

He can lay on his stomach and use his arms to hold up his chest and head. Such a big boy!

He's awake more and asleep less, which is fun, but I think he's getting to an age where he doesn't want to take naps because he would rather look around. He doesn't want to miss anything, so he protests when I put him down for naps. If you aren't sure what I mean by 'protest' ... he cries, and screams and pretty much throws a fit :)

He still sleeps on his tummy but we might try switching back to his back because I've discovered that on his tummy he can move from one end of his crib to the other.

Either his hair is getting lighter or just thinner, it's hard to tell, but it's beginning to look more the color my hair was when I was younger.

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I haven't done a Not Me! Monday post in awhile and decided I'd better get back into the swing of things around here. Unfortunately my list this week could be rather extensive, but I'll limit myself only to those things I'm not utterly embarrassed to mention.

I am always up by 7:00am doing all sorts of wifely things around the house, and did not work out my 7 week olds schedule so that he would sleep until 10:00am so that I could sleep in.

Caleb has the cutest clothes and I never just leave him in his sleeping gown all day because it makes it so much easier to change his diapers. I would never let him outgrow all those adorable clothes without getting a chance to wear them! Not Me!!

I have not put off moving Caleb from the Moses basket in our room to his crib simply because we were going out of town this weekend and it was easier to take the basket than to take the pack-n-play. And Caleb is certainly not already too big for the basket, and most definitely does not end up with his head all crunched up against the side of it. That would be silly!!

He is not, right this second, sleeping in that basket because we got home late, and he was tired and I didn't want to risk the screaming that might possibly ensue, were I to try and put him in his crib for the first time. I am sure that he's perfectly comfortable scrunched up in the basket!

There you have it. The things that I surely did not let happen this week. Try making your own list of things you would never have done this past week, and have a Happy Monday!

Nothing So Amazing

Being a mom is hard. I've had lots of experience with kids so when I found out I was pregnant with Caleb I thought, "This will be a breeze". Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE being a mom, but it's hard. It's different when it's your own child rather than someone elses. It's different when it's a 24/7 responsibility rather than an 8 to 5 job like it was when I was a nanny. It's different when you can't pass them off to their parents at the end of the day ... you are the parent.

It's great when I'm playing with him, and see his cute face and his cute smile. It's great when he's learning and doing new things. It's amazing how much he's changing every day. But it's hard when he cries, especially when I don't know why he's crying. It's hard when I know he's so tired, but he won't go to sleep. It's hard when I have to get up in the middle of the night to feed him. It's hard trying to keep up with everything else and take care of a little person.

It may be hard, but I love it, and wouldn't change a thing. It's wonderful how God blesses us with these little people. To take care of. To teach. To learn from. To love.

I read this quote in a book called Meditations for the New Mother

"We all agree that there is no age when we can take credit for the miracle of love which is now ours, for the gift is absolutely unmerited and the glory belongs to the King of glory!"

It is completely unmerited. I do not deserve the gift that Caleb is in my life. He was created by the Creator, in His own image, specifically for us. What an absolutely amazing gift.

So, when things seem just a little too hard, I just have to remember that this child of God was created to be my son and there is nothing so amazing!

I got my first real smile today from Caleb. I woke him up from his nap and he gave me a big grin, several actually. It's harder than you'd think to catch it in a picture, but I'll keep trying. I know you are all just dying to see if for yourselves.

6 weeks old

I can't believe he's already six weeks old...

this week he smiled his first real smile...
to someone he had never seen before...
it's ok we know we'll get one soon enough

He is even stronger, lifting his head and looking around,
and standing (with help of course)

He has slept through the night several times and regularly sleeps 5 hours

He has gotten too big for the moses basket he has been sleeping in,
so after we go to the lake this weekend, we move to his crib

He's wearing 3 month clothes

He went to his first big gathering ... a lunch at church ...
everyone thought he was adorable :)

How does he know?

It seems as though Caleb has some sort of 6th sense concerning the most inconvenient time to cry. For example, I put Caleb down for a nap, and after I'm sure that he's good and asleep I fix myself some lunch. What does Caleb do? Starts crying. Or I jump in the shower. And what does Caleb do as soon as I've put shampoo in my hair? Starts crying. Or I decide it's time for bed and move a little man who has been sleeping soundly (with the TV blaring) in my arms into his bed and what does he do? Starts crying. You get the idea. When I desperately want him to sleep, he cries, and when I'm ready to devote my undivided attention to him, he sleeps.

It also seems as though Caleb just might be a night owl like myself. I feed him around 8:30pm, followed by a bath and jammies, and then it's bedtime. Sometimes he'll go to sleep, but it's become normal for him to stay up until around midnight before he decides that it is indeed bedtime. He'll then sleep until around 2am, have a quick bite to eat, then back to bed until around 7am. Well because he stayed up so late he goes back to bed again until around 10am and then he's ready to start his day. I'm not complaining because it's great that he sleeps so long at night, but it would be nice if I could go to bed before midnight one of these nights. Perhaps I need to shorten those late afternoon naps so that he'll go to bed a bit earlier.

My sister has been begging to see this picture on my blog..
so here you go Aunt Rachel.

It almost looks like he's saying, " What you lookin' at?"