We've updated the weekly photos of Miles - see how he grows.Saturday, June 28, 2008
Nap Training
Miles and I are getting into a pretty solid rhythm for napping - and it's making him a much happier little man. He has gotten good at putting himself to sleep - I can put him down awake and he can fall asleep. More often than not, he wakes up after 45 minutes and can't put himself back to sleep. When this happens, he wakes up cranky. If I catch him in time, I can help him fall back asleep with a finger in his mouth and some gentle shushing. If not, we start the feed, play, sleep cycle again and I hope that a couple hours later he is more tired and will sleep longer than 45 minutes. Sometimes this works, others, not so much.
I have also started tracking volume of sleep. He typically sleeps around 15 hours a day. Some days, the ones when he doesn't sleep well, he may only get 14, but that is still good. We've made a ton of progress on this front in the last 2 weeks, but we still have a little ways to go.
I have also started tracking volume of sleep. He typically sleeps around 15 hours a day. Some days, the ones when he doesn't sleep well, he may only get 14, but that is still good. We've made a ton of progress on this front in the last 2 weeks, but we still have a little ways to go.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
15 Weeks!
Miles is seriously growing up fast!!! These past 2 weeks have been pretty amazing in terms of watching our little man grow up quickly.
- Below are recent pictures of tummy time. We hadn't done it in a couple of days, and were SHOCKED on Sunday night when we put him on his tummy in the living room and he could pick up his head high enough to watch TV. Crazy.
- He has also taken to reaching out for toys. It started with the little blue elephant we put in his car seat with him, and now it is everything... and it all goes into his mouth. As I sit here typing, he is grabbing all the toys on the activity mat and pulling them.
- He discovered his feet! The day of his weekly photo, we put him in red and black socks, and could hardly get his attention as he was staring at his feet. He talked, clapped, rattled some toys, but he was intent on focusing on his little tootsies. Too cute. We finally got a good picture for the weekly aggregate, but some of the foot-fascination ones are pretty cool too... if you know what you are looking at.
Tummy Time!
Mom works with Miles daily on his exercises during tummy time. He is almost able to roll over. He gets all they way over to his side but has a hard time pushing over his down hill arm. We've had him successfully roll from tummy to tushy, which is good from a sleeping on stomach at night perspective.
We're still working on sleep regimen and self-soothing.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Miles's 3mo birthday bash!!
Needless to say we got a little crazy :)
Miles showing off his new sunglasses!
Miles Reading
Miles reading with Allen Fish in Soda Springs.
Sitting up all on his own - he's getting so big.
Sitting up all on his own - he's getting so big.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Things I want to remember
- Miles hates the stairs. He holds his breath every time we carry him up and down the stairs. As he can't climb them himself for a while yet, I guess we'll just have to "glide" up and down them.
- He has no manners: he has started to literally talk with his mouth full. It's the new game, he has full on conversations with me while I am nursing. It's quite the spectacle. We opted not to video it for my embarrassment now and his later.
- New trick! Miles has mastered the diaper blow-out that goes out the top of his diaper. That means poop in the middle of his back and a complete wipe-down and outfit change. (Sorry Little Love, hopefully your first girlfriend doesn't read this!)
- He is incredibly happy first thing in the morning. He greets you at the crib with a full ear to ear smile that could melt anyone.
- He hates to nap.
14 weeks!
So we have started packing away some of Miles newborn clothes. It's kind of sad - but he is much easier and more rewarding these days, so I can't complain too much!
He first started growing out of anything that was long sleeved or long legged. He fits his pants and his onesies in the waist / body, but everything started looking really short on him. His long sleeved were 3 quarter sleeves and his pants are all capris... too funny. The only tricky part with the pants is that the next size up is too big in the waist.
He has also started with some new sounds, mostly giggles and squeals which are too funny. We're trying to capture them on film, but the little guy is rather camera shy and tends to stop as soon as we get the camera out. We'll try to post them soon.
He first started growing out of anything that was long sleeved or long legged. He fits his pants and his onesies in the waist / body, but everything started looking really short on him. His long sleeved were 3 quarter sleeves and his pants are all capris... too funny. The only tricky part with the pants is that the next size up is too big in the waist.
He has also started with some new sounds, mostly giggles and squeals which are too funny. We're trying to capture them on film, but the little guy is rather camera shy and tends to stop as soon as we get the camera out. We'll try to post them soon.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Big Weekend for the Reeths!
Last week, we "celebrated" our 2 year wedding anniversary to not much fan fare. I think Tim came home at 8:15, we had take out kabobs, and fell into bed at 9:30 pm. So to make up for it, Tim took Friday off and we went up to Soda Springs to open. Friday was also Miles's 3 month birthday!!
We left here on Friday morning around 9:15 and got up to Auburn at 11:30. Tim started the grocery shopping and I fed Miles in the car. We then finished up the shopping together and got back in the car. We arrived around 2:30. The car ride and shopping was pretty easy. Miles mostly slept in the car. When he was awake, he was mostly quiet until he got tired. He would then make little whimpering noises until he fell asleep about 10 minutes later. Not bad! He seems to not mind the road trip which is great!!!
By the time we got up there, Hap, our caretaker, had moved out all the furniture from the cabins and onto the decks, so the only things left for us to do was unpack and clean. What a gift that was!! We spent Friday afternoon doing the work and playing with Miles. We all took a rest in the afternoon. We then had a nice dinner, followed by some competitive card playing.
On Saturday, it was a little more of the same cleaning and unpacking. In the afternoon, I looked out of the bathroom window and noticed a huge bear in the meadow. We jumped up in a flurry of activity that included running outside, back inside to get the camera, back outside to find the bear coming up the trail, and back inside to change the lens. Tim stationed himself to get the perfect shot of the bear coming up the trail, but the bear spotted me and stopped. After locking eyes with me (seriously cool), he just turned and booked down the trail. He never came into a good view for Tim to get a good shot, but we do have a distance photo of it we'll likely post to Flickr. We later took Miles down in the baby bjorn to see if we could find any tracks, and I found a perfectly intact old glass bottle with blueish glass that must have come from the old hotel on the property that burned down a century ago. How fun for Miles: in his first trip to Soda Springs, he got to be a zoologist and see a bear, and an archaeologist and have a successful dig!!!
Yesterday we headed home in not much traffic. Miles was again a pretty decent road trip companion...boads well for weekend trips to the mountains. There wasn't much traffic on the road heading through Vacaville at 4:00 - peak time. I wonder if this is because of the price of gas.
Today, Miles and I are starting "nap training". He hasn't been great about taking his naps, and he's at the developmental stage where his morning nap should start to appear and formalize. So this morning, after he'd been up for a little under 2 hours, I swaddled him up with 1 arm free, sang and held him for 15 minutes, and then put him in his crib fully awake. The first 10 minutes of so, he just hung out and talked to his mobile. He then fussed a bit off and on for another 20 minutes, and then fell asleep. (YAY!!!) The only problem, is that 30 minutes later (now), he's woken up. At this point, I am sitting downstairs, listening to him cry, watching the clock count up, and hoping he'll figure out how to soothe himself back to sleep. All the while, my heart is breaking. Come on little buddy, figure out how to fall asleep - you can do it!! You've already done it once, now just do it again! I know you can do it little man!! I know you are sad up there, I am sad down here too. I hear you crying, and I care deeply, this is just something we have to suffer through together - it's important so you can get enough sleep so you can learn more while you are awake!
We left here on Friday morning around 9:15 and got up to Auburn at 11:30. Tim started the grocery shopping and I fed Miles in the car. We then finished up the shopping together and got back in the car. We arrived around 2:30. The car ride and shopping was pretty easy. Miles mostly slept in the car. When he was awake, he was mostly quiet until he got tired. He would then make little whimpering noises until he fell asleep about 10 minutes later. Not bad! He seems to not mind the road trip which is great!!!
By the time we got up there, Hap, our caretaker, had moved out all the furniture from the cabins and onto the decks, so the only things left for us to do was unpack and clean. What a gift that was!! We spent Friday afternoon doing the work and playing with Miles. We all took a rest in the afternoon. We then had a nice dinner, followed by some competitive card playing.
On Saturday, it was a little more of the same cleaning and unpacking. In the afternoon, I looked out of the bathroom window and noticed a huge bear in the meadow. We jumped up in a flurry of activity that included running outside, back inside to get the camera, back outside to find the bear coming up the trail, and back inside to change the lens. Tim stationed himself to get the perfect shot of the bear coming up the trail, but the bear spotted me and stopped. After locking eyes with me (seriously cool), he just turned and booked down the trail. He never came into a good view for Tim to get a good shot, but we do have a distance photo of it we'll likely post to Flickr. We later took Miles down in the baby bjorn to see if we could find any tracks, and I found a perfectly intact old glass bottle with blueish glass that must have come from the old hotel on the property that burned down a century ago. How fun for Miles: in his first trip to Soda Springs, he got to be a zoologist and see a bear, and an archaeologist and have a successful dig!!!
Yesterday we headed home in not much traffic. Miles was again a pretty decent road trip companion...boads well for weekend trips to the mountains. There wasn't much traffic on the road heading through Vacaville at 4:00 - peak time. I wonder if this is because of the price of gas.
Today, Miles and I are starting "nap training". He hasn't been great about taking his naps, and he's at the developmental stage where his morning nap should start to appear and formalize. So this morning, after he'd been up for a little under 2 hours, I swaddled him up with 1 arm free, sang and held him for 15 minutes, and then put him in his crib fully awake. The first 10 minutes of so, he just hung out and talked to his mobile. He then fussed a bit off and on for another 20 minutes, and then fell asleep. (YAY!!!) The only problem, is that 30 minutes later (now), he's woken up. At this point, I am sitting downstairs, listening to him cry, watching the clock count up, and hoping he'll figure out how to soothe himself back to sleep. All the while, my heart is breaking. Come on little buddy, figure out how to fall asleep - you can do it!! You've already done it once, now just do it again! I know you can do it little man!! I know you are sad up there, I am sad down here too. I hear you crying, and I care deeply, this is just something we have to suffer through together - it's important so you can get enough sleep so you can learn more while you are awake!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Big Milestones!!
Last night, Miles was super tired (he spent lunch and the early afternoon at Filoli) and we put him down tired as we brushed our teeth and got ready for bed ourselves. I expected to give him one last feeding and then rock him to sleep, but the little man fell asleep on his own!!! At which point Tim and I looked at one another and said "get into bed quick!". The whole family was in bed and asleep around 9:30. Nice. Miles didn't wake up for his next feeding until 3:30, which means he went 7 hours between feedings and slept for 6. Not bad!!
He has also started reaching for things. I was showing him his elephant with rattly feet and crinkly ears at lunch yesterday, and he reached out and grabbed it! He doesn't always do this, but it's a big step and he is getting there!! Just 2 days shy of his 3 month birthday, he is really growing up!!
He has also started reaching for things. I was showing him his elephant with rattly feet and crinkly ears at lunch yesterday, and he reached out and grabbed it! He doesn't always do this, but it's a big step and he is getting there!! Just 2 days shy of his 3 month birthday, he is really growing up!!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Fun Weekend
This weekend was a nice balance of errands (picking up book shelves), stuff around the house (another 30 pounds of laundry) and play. I won't bore anyone with the details of living. On Saturday, Burlingame had an "art in the park" fair with all sorts of booths, food, and music. We strolled down there for lunch and a walk. It was a nice day, though windy, and just good to get outside. We had a quiet evening in and were to bed early.
Yesterday, we lived it up high-style with some friends in Half Moon Bay. We met Uzi and Ritika at the Ritz in HMB for brunch at 11:00. It is this incredibly extravagant buffet with a raw bar, sushi bar, dim sum bar, omelettes, cheese, chartucerie, roasts.... We stayed for about 2 1/2 hours as we casually grazed through the buffet and overlooked the ocean. It was a gorgeous day - no fog. After lunch, we went for a walk along the cliffs edge with the ocean on one side and a golf course on the other. It was beautiful! About 4:00, we got back into our cars and headed to their house for some more conversation and hanging out. Miles was a perfect gentleman all day. Both Uzi and Ritika took a spin with the baby bjorn. He ended up never really getting a full and good nap, so by the time we left their house, he was tired, cranky, and out cold in under 3 minutes in the car. Yesterday literally felt like a mini vacation and was great for the mental health - though it felt more like a Saturday than a Sunday and Monday morning came too soon. Oh well, that's the cost of having a wonderful time!
Yesterday, we lived it up high-style with some friends in Half Moon Bay. We met Uzi and Ritika at the Ritz in HMB for brunch at 11:00. It is this incredibly extravagant buffet with a raw bar, sushi bar, dim sum bar, omelettes, cheese, chartucerie, roasts.... We stayed for about 2 1/2 hours as we casually grazed through the buffet and overlooked the ocean. It was a gorgeous day - no fog. After lunch, we went for a walk along the cliffs edge with the ocean on one side and a golf course on the other. It was beautiful! About 4:00, we got back into our cars and headed to their house for some more conversation and hanging out. Miles was a perfect gentleman all day. Both Uzi and Ritika took a spin with the baby bjorn. He ended up never really getting a full and good nap, so by the time we left their house, he was tired, cranky, and out cold in under 3 minutes in the car. Yesterday literally felt like a mini vacation and was great for the mental health - though it felt more like a Saturday than a Sunday and Monday morning came too soon. Oh well, that's the cost of having a wonderful time!
Oh Ughs
I've been having some back pain for a while now and am finally taking care of it. On Friday I went to a chiropractor and had some x-rays taken. It turns out that I have a compressed disc in my lower back. It seems like there is nothing I can actually do to make it heal fully again, but ice, physical therapy, and advil for the rest of my life is the only solution. I am feeling a little deflated today, and after another adjustment from the chiropractor, a little sore. The chiro says it might be about a month before I start feeling better, but at least I am on my way to feeling better, as opposed to last week where it was just hurting. I was hoping for more of a quick fix and no issue, but I guess that is just not the case this time.
Bah humbug.
Bah humbug.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
12 Weeks!
Wow - is time flying or is the exhaustion causing a time warp? Both?
Our little man is becoming more and more of a happy little guy who chats a ton. This week he has started talking to his activity mat, the little baby in the mirror, and the car. He is using his delightful little voice more and more and it is really exciting to watch.
Over night, he also has developed an incredible amount of neck strength. Tim put him on his stomach for tummy time the other night, and Miles held his head at 90 degrees for a while. His head slowly started coming down until it rested on the mat and he was done. It was just a couple of weeks ago when he would only keep his head up for a minute. We have a video of it (not too exciting, but some big milestones) and we'll try and post it soon.
After a very tricky Monday, Miles has been a joy this week. I got caught up with obsessing about sleep on Monday and worked myself into such a tizzy that he wouldn't sleep. It's not his fault, he won't really learn how to soothe himself to sleep for another 4 weeks... and that's 30% of his life! I have to be a bit more patient and hold on to these days as he is changing so quickly and learning so much so fast. It has to be hard to not have enough muscle control to not be able to hold up your head!
Our little man is becoming more and more of a happy little guy who chats a ton. This week he has started talking to his activity mat, the little baby in the mirror, and the car. He is using his delightful little voice more and more and it is really exciting to watch.
Over night, he also has developed an incredible amount of neck strength. Tim put him on his stomach for tummy time the other night, and Miles held his head at 90 degrees for a while. His head slowly started coming down until it rested on the mat and he was done. It was just a couple of weeks ago when he would only keep his head up for a minute. We have a video of it (not too exciting, but some big milestones) and we'll try and post it soon.
After a very tricky Monday, Miles has been a joy this week. I got caught up with obsessing about sleep on Monday and worked myself into such a tizzy that he wouldn't sleep. It's not his fault, he won't really learn how to soothe himself to sleep for another 4 weeks... and that's 30% of his life! I have to be a bit more patient and hold on to these days as he is changing so quickly and learning so much so fast. It has to be hard to not have enough muscle control to not be able to hold up your head!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
Battle of Wills
It seems that on Day 2 of the great sleep experiment, Miles is a little less willing and able. He slept well last night and like most mornings, Tim took him out of the room at about 8 so I could get and extra hour of sleep (as I was awake 1:30-2:30, 4:30-6, 7-8). Miles fought me hard on this morning's nap, and I bailed on good sleep habits and stuck him in the swing. He slept for about an hour, but apparently swing sleep isn't considered good sleep. When he woke up, he was wailing. Nice. So I fed him again and have been trying again for some time to get him to sleep. I finally danced him to sleep and put him up in his crib. All of 5 minutes later, he was awake and needed the same routine, so it was back to dancing and soothing the little man. I just put him down again and am hoping he will sleep for another 45 minutes... but who knows. He seems determined to be awake and cranky -- while I am determined to have him rested and peaceful. Let's see who wins...
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Weekend Update
Tim got home on Friday night with the world's worse case of Montezuma's revenge... not that we have been in Mexico, but the effect was the same, and Tim spent the better part of Friday night until the early coping. Saturday, Tim slept in while Miles and I got up early and did some errands. Yesterday ended up mostly a wash as Tim was still sick, I was tired, and Miles was cranky.
I spent yesterday night reading up on sleeping infants, and am going to spend the next couple of months trying to get our Mr Miles on more of a schedule before he goes to daycare. It started with an earlier bed time (9:00 - though we will get that down even earlier over the next two months). Miles woke up twice during the night, 1:30 & 4:30 and then was up permanently around 5:45...early. I was up for all the night feedings so Tim scooped him out of the room and let me sleep until 7:30. At 9, we left for an interview with an elderly persian woman for daycare who seemed great. Miles fell asleep in the car ride over and then slept through the entire interview until we got home at 10:30. This is great news as he is supposed to take a morning nap and he did!! We then took a long walk around noon for lunch and a coffee -- which Miles slept through as well. The boy is a sleeping fool today!
Around 2:00, after another feeding, Miles was up and super chatty! We took a number of videos that we will look to convert this evening to get online. The boys are both down for another nap right now, and I am biding my time for another 20 minutes before the next feeding - I guess you just get hungry a lot when all you eat is milk.
Tim has recovered and Miles seems (all of 1 day into it) to be doing well on a new sleep routine. I am pretty tired out, but hopefully with the earlier bed time, I can get a little more sleep every night... here's to hoping anyway!
I spent yesterday night reading up on sleeping infants, and am going to spend the next couple of months trying to get our Mr Miles on more of a schedule before he goes to daycare. It started with an earlier bed time (9:00 - though we will get that down even earlier over the next two months). Miles woke up twice during the night, 1:30 & 4:30 and then was up permanently around 5:45...early. I was up for all the night feedings so Tim scooped him out of the room and let me sleep until 7:30. At 9, we left for an interview with an elderly persian woman for daycare who seemed great. Miles fell asleep in the car ride over and then slept through the entire interview until we got home at 10:30. This is great news as he is supposed to take a morning nap and he did!! We then took a long walk around noon for lunch and a coffee -- which Miles slept through as well. The boy is a sleeping fool today!
Around 2:00, after another feeding, Miles was up and super chatty! We took a number of videos that we will look to convert this evening to get online. The boys are both down for another nap right now, and I am biding my time for another 20 minutes before the next feeding - I guess you just get hungry a lot when all you eat is milk.
Tim has recovered and Miles seems (all of 1 day into it) to be doing well on a new sleep routine. I am pretty tired out, but hopefully with the earlier bed time, I can get a little more sleep every night... here's to hoping anyway!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
