Stop This Train

Happy 4 months to my big boy, Blake! Where does the time go?  Is this the point where I blink my eyes and he’s suddenly in kindergarten, then graduating from college? (Becoming a doctor, of course) Time is flying, just as everyone said it would.  Though, if you asked me 2 months ago I would’ve told you time had completely stopped and I was stuck in a dark hole.

We revisited the doctor the other day to see what was going on with his fits of screaming that had resurfaced.  I had a suspicion it was the GERD again.  Sure enough.  Dr. S said the back of his throat was really red where it was clear his reflux was acting up again. Blake is now on 1.10 mL of Zantac 3 times a day.  He said that was the highest dosage he felt comfortable going to, and if this doesn’t seem to help then we are going to explore other “options”, including possibly changing his food again to something even more gentle.  With “more gentle” also comes an added expense. As if Nutramigen isn’t expensive enough! Agh!  We’re supposed to give the new dosage two weeks to kick in.  Hopefully it doesn’t take that long.  He threw up about 3 ounces yesterday after a meal, and spit-up 5 times today after a meal.  He was also very fussy during his dinner bottle, and spit up several more times.  I hate it when I know he’s so uncomfortable.  I could hear the liquid traveling back up his throat.

Additionally, he also has eczema.  We are doing our best to control it at home by using Aveeno and Aquaphor, but the flare ups come and go.  His skin hasn’t gotten swollen yet, so that’s good. Dr. S. said if the areas begin to look inflamed then we can try something with a steroid in it. Really hoping we don’t get to that point!
It’s clear to me at this time that our little man has sensitive skin, and a sensitive stomach.  I can only hope he grows out of these things for his sake.  And maybe our wallets sake too.
He weights 15.5 pounds, and is about 26 inches long.  He’s eating 6 oz. every 3 hours, though once  a day or so he’ll go up to 7 or 8 oz.  He’s also in size 2 diapers. The size 1 phase didn’t last very long!

He’s sleeping through the night most days of the week.  Some days he wakes up at 3:30 ready to eat.  His usualwake up time is about 5:30, but there are rare occasions when he’ll sleep until 7:30! Michael has the early morning shift, as he’s much more of a morning person than I am.

I’m not sure the self soothing phase of sleeping is going very well.  What I hate most about allowing him to cry it out for a few minutes (10 is our limit), is that it wakes him completely up when he’s crying and makes it even harder to go back to sleep. If I pick him up when he first starts then returning to sleep isn’t such a big deal.  He usually falls asleep during his last bottle, which makes putting him down very easy.  But there are always nights when he doesn’t and my husband and I “discuss” putting him down or not. (By “discuss” I mean he wants me to put him down and I’d like to keep bouncing him to sleep.)
A good article.
How Do I Teach My Baby so Soothe Himself to Sleep?
Our bedtime routine is:
Bath
Swaddle
Bottle
Bounce
Bed

We still swaddle him at 4 months, yes.  Our doctor swaddled his kids (all 8 of them) until they were 6-8 months. I don’t see any harm in this so I think we will continue doing so for now.

Tomorrow I am running my first 5k race since I found out I was pregnant. I actually ran a 5k the DAY I discovered I was pregnant.  I’m really not back into shape like I want to be, so this 5k is going to be difficult for me, but I’m going to keep training. Still need to lose some baby weight! The pounds don’t shave off as easily as they used to, and I’m not quite fitting into my old clothes just yet.  Wondering if my body is ever going to go back to the way it was?  I feel like my whole shape has changed, and that my hips are forever doomed to their new wide-size.  I don’t consider myself to be a “large” person, but I am definitely wearing size large in everything these days. What the heck?  I was once a small/medium.  And I don’t get it because I don’t feel or think I look far off from what I was before.  It’s a little mind boggling to me.  I just seem…wider, and so nothing in my closet fits.  Even many of the elastic skirts I have dot n’t over my hips! New clothes are in order soon I think. Not that I need an EXCUSE to go shopping or anything…

My most favorite thing about Blake right now is how much he smiles.  I love coming home from work and seeing his face light up when I talk to him after not seeing him all day. He just warms my heart!  Despite all the difficulties, being a mom is amazing.  My heart is full.