Starting Over Is Not Easy ... Mother Baby Child Blog
I was over 35 when I gave birth to Baby Max. My middle son was 11 years old and my older son had just turned seventeen. It wasn't easy starting over again ... Mother Baby Child is a blog to share parenting experiences, as well as what marriage is like after being a single mom for so many years. Get info on having a baby, raising children, babies, tweens, teens, homeschooling, mom blogs, work at home mom. business marketing, Christian and celebrity moms blog posts.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. ~ Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
Maybe I should start calling these "Wordy Wednesday" blog posts :)
BEAUTIFUL BABY BOY POEM by Lea Hunt
Baby runs laps in the living room; every pillow and blanket ends up spread around. White teeth while smiling and laughing, "Hi Mama", "Hi Dada", "Hi Ra Ra" (brother) ... mornings are filled with beautiful baby sounds.
Baby playing with his favorite toys; scattered on the floor with such finesse. Cars, Percy and Thomas the Tank Engine; chewed cardboard books, 123s and ABCs ... afternoons are such a beautiful baby mess.
Lots of hugs and kisses, climbing mom like a little monkey, taking walks on sunny days, cheerios and cracker snacks, yoga with Nina, dancing with DJ Lance and Angelina ... late afternoons and evenings of beautiful baby play.
Splashing in the bathtub, pajama wrestling, reading and rocking the night away, mama singing your favorite lullaby, sighing, deep breathing and slight snores ... beautiful baby sleeps sound after another busy day.
Lennon comes to mind and heart as I pick up crumbs, blankets, pillows and toys, I would not wish it to be any other way; especially as the grateful mother of three sons ... this is my last beautiful baby boy!
Baby is the plants blowing in the breeze ... Baby is checking out his stroller ... Baby is watching the birds ... Baby is watching the cars and trucks ... Baby is checking out the neighbor's dog ... Baby is saying hello to the trucks and cars ...
Happy Wordless Wednesday :) How Is Your Week Going?
We are fortunate that our baby loves being outside as much as we do ... In fact, he loves being outside so much that we can put him in his stroller when he is upset; he will immediately stop crying and watch the cars, birds and trees blowing in the wind. It is always an endearing moment :)
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OK, I know this is Wordless Wednesday and a picture should say it all, but I have to share just a few words ... "I conquered" ... "I defeated" ... "I wore the baby out to the point that he put himself to sleep" - WOO HOO!!! I am so excited to share this picture because he has NOT been sleeping as much as I think that he should (two short naps and maybe up at night one time). Our baby was on a fantastic schedule, but teething has taken over ... again. We have tried everything; even the pacifier is in his pack n play. He hasn't taken a pacifier since he was about 3 months, but likes gumming on this one sometimes. Now, if I could get him to put himself to sleep at night ... :)
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Picture of Baby Max - 4 Months Old - April 2011 - Sits up with support, plays with toys, smiles / laughs out loud, eats cereal, coos, loves watching the Sprout channel.
Max just had his 4 month check up and it went well. I have to admit that I was not thrilled about having to take him to get his immunizations (his father handled his 6 week well baby appointment). I hate to see them hurt my baby with those vaccination needles, but I was excited to see how much he has grown over the past 2 months. The bitter sweet reality is that parents are so excited to help their babies develop and hit milestones, but they grow up so quickly that we are sad when we realize that they are not our babies anymore. I have to admit that he did look so cute wile drinking the Rotavirus. It also showed me that babies can drink from a cup if the flow of liquid is reduced. Max also performed for the nurse and doctor. He smiled and laughed for them. I don't know why he liked the examination table so much, but Max got so excited that he looked like he was swimming the back stroke for them. It was comical.
Anyways, Maxwell is now 15 lbs 2.08 oz and 24.5 inches long. This puts him in the 58% for weight and 36% for height. His head circumference is 16.37 inches (33%). I think my jaw hit the floor when the nurse told me his weight was only 15 lbs ... I could have sworn that he was 20 lbs by now. He looks so much bigger than when he was 6 weeks old. He was 10lbs and 22 1/2 inches at his 6 week check up. I am surprised because he looks like a little butterball to me. Max is so round and compact; his chin, belly and thighs are chubby. Plus, Max is out of his newborn, 3 month and some 3 to 6 month clothes! I guess it is just that he is short in comparison to his weight, so he looks bigger than he is.
I guess Max's frame will be similar to my middle son. He was always right on track with age and clothes size (so he wore 3 month clothes when he was 3 months old and 12 month clothes at 1 year old). My older son was always in the 90% to 95%. I hate that I look forward to seeing if I am right, but as I mentioned above ... the bitter sweet reality is that parents excitedly help their babies develop and hit milestones (even push them sometimes), but our babies grow so quickly and it sad once we realize that they are gone. I look at Max's newborn pictures and see how much he's changes and it makes me kind of sad.
I am over 35 years old and this is my 3rd child ... I love that Baby Max is developing, but I wish that I could keep him my little butterball a bit longer. The few inches and pounds made a huge difference in just a few months. Ces't la via! Next will be his 6 month appointment.
BTW: Aside from sleeping a little more than normal, Max had no side effects from the vaccinations.
Picture of Baby Talking - Baby Max - 7 Weeks Old - February 2011
I am an infomercial addict ... especially when it comes to "kid stuff"!
Yes, I know that some people think that infomercials are a horrible waste of time and I rarely do buy anything from them, but I LOVE learning about all of those "useful", new and amazing products.
One of my absolute favorite infomercials is Your Baby Can Read. I've been watching it for years and just about drove Max's dad crazy during our pregnancy ... We have to have it! Meanwhile, I never thought that I would ever have the opportunity to buy it for a baby of my own ... nor that his father would FINALLY watch the infomercials with me once the baby was born (LOL, he even questioned which languages it comes in). We cannot wait to buy Your Baby Can Read and another program called Signing Time.
Why haven't we bought Your Baby Can Read or Signing Time?
The problem is that we still have a few months before Max can see well enough and focus long enough for the programs. It is good to start Your Baby Can Read as early as 3 months and some studies have show babies as young as 5 or 6 months can use Signing Time. Regardless, as I was exploring these options, I came across another program called Dunstan Baby Language. It was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show and I find it somewhat accurate for our baby. The premise of the program is that ...
"All newborn babies produce 5 distinct "pre-cry" sounds that signal their 5 most important needs. By listening for these subtle cries, you are able to prevent the crying from even starting. Dunstan Baby Language System will teach you to identify exactly what sounds to listen for, so you know precisely what your newborn needs. Learn how to listen to your baby's 'babble', and respond quickly. Your baby will reward you by sleeping more, allowing you to sleep more."
I don't know about you, but it breaks my heart when my baby cries and I cannot sooth him.
Crying at night is not an issue for us. Max sleeps pretty well, and it is obvious that he wants changed or fed if he cries at night. I am more concerned with the crying that comes out of the blue and not knowing why my baby is crying so hard (is he hungry? is he wet or solid? is he tired? is he hurt? does he have gas? is he bored?). This is what prompted me to pay very close attention to the signals he gives me when leading up to, during and after he cries. It's also why I'm glad to have come across the Dunstan Baby Language System.
The funniest thing is that I kept telling our family that Max has been talking to us these past 3 weeks. His father thought that I was crazy until I introduced him to the Dunstan Baby Language website. Now he agrees ...
If you watch this short video until it ends, you will see this baby using body language to communicate that he is starting to get hungry. You will also hear the baby saying "Ney" to communicate that he is hungry and ready to eat ... as explained below in this blog post.
The following is what I have noticed about our child. Compare it to your baby and what is stated on the Dunstan Baby Language website ... it's too cool!
"NEY"
He sounds just like a sheep, but this lets me know when he is ready to eat because sometimes he just needs to get burped again or wants to rest on my chest. Dunstan lists "NEY" as the cry for hungry. It is quite valid in Max's case. In fact, he can become a quite assertive "neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey" when he is impatient or starving after a long nap. Dunstan was right on point for this one.
"HEY"
Max sometimes says "Hey" when we walk out of the room (when he is alone for a span of time). Now that he is 7 weeks old, we are both confident that he is and has been calling us back to him. It is just comical and that "hey" can get rather loud and frustrated if we do not answer quickly enough. I tested this by responding to him from another room. Max will get quiet for a second or two, though start with the "hey" again if we do not speak again from the other room or come into the room where he is calling, "hey". It is just a hoot. Dunstan Baby Language attributes this to discomfort (which it very well could be for Max) - our family reads it as Max just does not want to be alone (a different type of discomfort - loneliness / abandonment).
There are 5 types of crying and we have confirmed 2 thus far. As per the other 3 types cries, Max must have a language of his own because we cannot distinguish these, but this does not mean that we will not. We notice changes with our baby ever day, so I'll have to get back to you on whether he meets the status quo for cries that distinguish his need to burp, gas or being tired.
I do know that our baby was able to communicate whether he wanted to nurse or have the pacifier by 2 1/2 weeks. Max would instinctively reach one hand to his mouth and do a quick touch (awkward poke or quick fist to mouth) to signify that he was checking for his pacifier. On the other hand, he would quickly rub both hands / fists and make panting sound if he wanted to nurse. This was awesome because I could somewhat avoid unnecessary crying by watching his actions. Now that Max is 8 weeks old, he will also block the SOOTHIE pacifier with his tongue when he wants the NUK or does not want a pacifier at all. He will most often stop fussing when he sees my breast (and they say babies do not see well - phooey!). i.e, This is not addressed in the Dunstan Baby Language, but think that it is interesting enough to share with other moms.
The point here is that although all babies cry, you can make your baby more comfortable and avoid potentially stressful situations by recognizing their indicators (as stated in my examples above). We use the pacifier much less now that we are listening and watching how our baby communicates. I think that the Dunstan Baby Language is useful to new mommies and those who want to be more sensitive and in tune as their baby develops.
I hope that you enjoyed this blog post and video :)
Picture of Newborn Baby Max - 2 Days Old - December 2011
Although the nurse advised against my using a pacifer in the hospital, I am SO GLAD that I made her bring us one. I also suggest that all breastfeeding mothers have one ready once their baby is comfortable feeding and doing well with it. In our case, my baby was able to distinguish between whether he wanted to nurse or suckle by the time he was 2 1/2 weeks. He would instinctively reach one hand to his mouth and do a quick poke to signify that he was checking for his pacifier. On the other hand, he would rub both hands and make a quick panting sound when he wanted to nurse. This was extremely helpful to my adjusting breasts because he was only using them to eat (i.e. babies can become adamant about wanting suckle on the breast and this can become painful situation).
In case you're wondering ... NO, he does not consistently want nor rely on the pacifier 24 hours a day. Our baby learned how to pop his pacifier out by week 2. At first, it was an accident, but by week 3, he could, clumsily, push it out with his index finger. He was letting is drop out of his mouth when ready to nurse or coo - "popping it out" - soon after.
Coming into the world is not an easy adjustment for babies. It is our job to make it as comforting and safe as possible. Do not hesitate to use a pacifier if you think that your baby needs it. There are all different types - even a style suggested to prevent S.I.D.S. - try a few and see which your baby prefers. Our baby will block the pacifier with his tongue when he wants the other style (NUK) or does not want a pacifier at all.
Did your nurse advise against giving your baby a pacifier? Did you give your baby a pacifer? Let us know your experience in the comment section below!
