Friday, September 26, 2008
nom nom splash splash
Elias is obsessed with putting things in his mouth lately. In other video news, add bathtime to the list of activities that do not in fact ease this particular baby any closer to sleep.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
vegan - soy + meat
That would be my diet for the foreseeable future. If you've been keeping up with this blog ("previously on the spit-up factory...") you know that we pretty much confirmed that Elias seems to be sensitive to both eggs and soy. Turns out dairy doesn't seem to agree with his system either. And despite just a week ago concluding that if he reacted poorly to the reintroduction of dairy in my diet we'd likely make the switch to formula, I just can't seem to stop breastfeeding! We made brief attempts with the two main hypoallergenic formulas on the market, Nutramigen and Alimentum. He wouldn't drink the former but seemed to tolerate the latter. Which is good to know, if and when we decide to try again. But for now, I've decided that I'm sticking with the crazy diet in order to continue breastfeeding. Formula's stinky. And it doesn't seem to take his system too long to clear whatever offensive food I've consumed. So if I can stock the freezer full of a supply of allergy-free breastmilk between now and Thanksgiving, I might be able to enjoy all the fixin's and, as we say in Margaritaville, pump and dump.
Clearly, I'm feeling pretty positive about the situation right now, but I know I'll have my mopey days, when all I really want to do is bury my head in a big piece of cheesecake. That will be the carrot dangling in front of me. In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy all the alternatives I've discovered over the past couple of months. For breakfast, for example, there's always oatmeal with coconut milk (even if dairy's not a problem for you, I recommend you give that a try...coconut milk is really the secret to maintaining this diet) and various meats for added protein and fat. I finally found a dairy, soy, and egg free bread so that makes lunch easier. I've been steering clear of peanut butter but hopefully that will be another sandwich option in the near future. Snacks include various chips, pretzels, kettle corn, and fresh fruit, of course. A couple of my favorite dinners lately include turkey burgers with avocado and sweet potato fries and these chicken kabob pita things that Neal makes with broiled veggies and hummus. He's even made coconut ice cream a couple of times, using the Enjoy Life allergy-free chocolate chips the first time and throwing in some crushed pineapple this past weekend. We thought the pineapple would create an alcohol-free ice cream version of a pina colada but I think the juice from the crushed pineapple did something strange to the ice cream. So I went to Whole Foods and splurged on some of the store-bought stuff until Neal can whip up another batch for me. See, it's not so bad, especially when your husband is also your personal chef. I'm just not ready to give up breastfeeding. But we'll see how long this all lasts. I think if I can hold out until we start introducing cereal and solids, in other words, when Elias is not getting 100% of his nourishment from his liquid diet, then I might feel better about making the switch at that point.
With that settled, for the time being at least, I can focus my energies elsewhere, like sleep. Elias is an awesome sleeper at night (subject to change, I'm sure, so I try not to get too used to any particular pattern he might seem to be developing). For the past three nights, he's slept through the night. And I'm not talking textbook definition of "through the night," i.e. a five hour stretch between midnight and dawn. I'm talking 9:30 to 5:30 or so. Granted, it takes us awhile to get him to bed still, but I don't think I've gotten this much sleep in one stretch since well before giving birth. I'm trying not to get used to it; typically as soon as I blog about something positive that Elias is up to, he quickly changes his ways. It's funny that this recent trend started on his three-month birthday, though. On the other hand, daytime naps continue to be a challenge (not today, obviously, since my blogging requires him to be sleeping). He pretty consistently goes down for a shorter nap (45 minutes or so) within about two hours of waking up in the morning, regardless of how his night went or when he woke up. And then the rest of the day is one big wild card. He falls asleep while nursing just about every feeding and will often stay asleep during his 20 to 30 minutes of upright time after. And I usually try to go on one "adventure" (usually running an errand and/or going for a walk) a day, during which he'll often sleep the entire time. So he's getting his rest, one way or another, but a consistent afternoon nap like the one he's working on right now sure would be nice.
Clearly, I'm feeling pretty positive about the situation right now, but I know I'll have my mopey days, when all I really want to do is bury my head in a big piece of cheesecake. That will be the carrot dangling in front of me. In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy all the alternatives I've discovered over the past couple of months. For breakfast, for example, there's always oatmeal with coconut milk (even if dairy's not a problem for you, I recommend you give that a try...coconut milk is really the secret to maintaining this diet) and various meats for added protein and fat. I finally found a dairy, soy, and egg free bread so that makes lunch easier. I've been steering clear of peanut butter but hopefully that will be another sandwich option in the near future. Snacks include various chips, pretzels, kettle corn, and fresh fruit, of course. A couple of my favorite dinners lately include turkey burgers with avocado and sweet potato fries and these chicken kabob pita things that Neal makes with broiled veggies and hummus. He's even made coconut ice cream a couple of times, using the Enjoy Life allergy-free chocolate chips the first time and throwing in some crushed pineapple this past weekend. We thought the pineapple would create an alcohol-free ice cream version of a pina colada but I think the juice from the crushed pineapple did something strange to the ice cream. So I went to Whole Foods and splurged on some of the store-bought stuff until Neal can whip up another batch for me. See, it's not so bad, especially when your husband is also your personal chef. I'm just not ready to give up breastfeeding. But we'll see how long this all lasts. I think if I can hold out until we start introducing cereal and solids, in other words, when Elias is not getting 100% of his nourishment from his liquid diet, then I might feel better about making the switch at that point.
With that settled, for the time being at least, I can focus my energies elsewhere, like sleep. Elias is an awesome sleeper at night (subject to change, I'm sure, so I try not to get too used to any particular pattern he might seem to be developing). For the past three nights, he's slept through the night. And I'm not talking textbook definition of "through the night," i.e. a five hour stretch between midnight and dawn. I'm talking 9:30 to 5:30 or so. Granted, it takes us awhile to get him to bed still, but I don't think I've gotten this much sleep in one stretch since well before giving birth. I'm trying not to get used to it; typically as soon as I blog about something positive that Elias is up to, he quickly changes his ways. It's funny that this recent trend started on his three-month birthday, though. On the other hand, daytime naps continue to be a challenge (not today, obviously, since my blogging requires him to be sleeping). He pretty consistently goes down for a shorter nap (45 minutes or so) within about two hours of waking up in the morning, regardless of how his night went or when he woke up. And then the rest of the day is one big wild card. He falls asleep while nursing just about every feeding and will often stay asleep during his 20 to 30 minutes of upright time after. And I usually try to go on one "adventure" (usually running an errand and/or going for a walk) a day, during which he'll often sleep the entire time. So he's getting his rest, one way or another, but a consistent afternoon nap like the one he's working on right now sure would be nice.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
do you believe in magic?
Elias hits the magical three month mark in about an hour. We don't have another regular doctor visit until the four-month mark, so I'm not sure what his stats are exactly. He definitely seems to be getting longer and heavier by the day. Neal hopped on the scale with him this evening right before his bath and he weighed in at about 14 and 1/2 pounds. Of course, the whole weigh with and without the baby isn't exactly the most accurate method, but I'd say he's at least a solid 14 pounds, which is about what I predicted. That means he's doubled his birth weight. Way to go, kid.
I feel like my posts lately have tended to focus on the more challenging aspects of the past few weeks, but let's take a moment to reflect on the progress we've made as we celebrate Elias's three-month birthday. Breastfeeding is still not quite the rosy image I always had in my mind before Elias arrived, but it has gotten much easier. We still struggle a bit with comfortable positions and nursing in public, but so long as I can sit on the couch with my boppy and not worry about being exposed, we're good.
When he's not eating, Elias is getting better at keeping that big head from bobbling around. He can even face forward in the Baby Bjorn. I can tell when he gets tired, though, because he starts to lean back and rest his head on Neal's chest (for some reason, I can rarely "wear" him in the Baby Bjorn for more than a few minutes). We're spending more time doing "baby sit-ups" and in the Bumbo seat. In general, he seems to go through phases of preferring to do more physical stuff over vocalizing and vice versa. The past couple of days, for example, he's been extremely "talkative" but doesn't seem as interested in rolling from side to side, almost like he's forgotten how to do it. Not surprisingly, it's during his more vocal days that he's more likely to giggle and squeal. Sometimes I think he's laughing not because we've done something funny but just because he can. But his latest development is an intense interest in his hands. Namely, putting them in his mouth.
So, yeah, I guess he is, as everyone said he'd be, a completely different baby from those early weeks.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
in the thick of it
Not surprisingly, I tend to blog most often when things seem to be improving, or when they've settled somewhat, at least. I don't want to focus on just the challenging aspects of being a new parent, after all. I try to keep things in perspective; Elias is doing really well, after all, even through what sometimes feels like a twilight zone of reflux, spit-up, potential food allergies, and lack of sleep.
But while we're in the midst of it all, I thought I'd throw together a quick update (yep, Elias is finally napping, after three returns to the crib to lull him back to sleep each time). In the two weeks since we met with the GI doctor, we have noticed a net improvement, so to speak, in the "two steps forward, one step back" sort of way. He's still spitting up a fair amount, after just about every feeding, but the volume has slowly decreased and the general discomfort has eased up a bit. But he's still had some bad spells and, more mysteriously, has continued to have blood in his stool off an on through late last week. I'm not sure what to chalk that up to. The fact that Neal gives him a bottle each morning with milk I pumped two or three days before kind of complicates things, so who knows, maybe the egg protein took awhile to get out of his system. After a few days free of red-streaked diapers, though, we decided to throw soy back into the mix. I enjoyed some soymilk with my cereal on Sunday morning, followed by a sandwich for lunch on bread (milk-free, soy-free, AND egg-free bread is incredibly hard to find), and a turkey burger for dinner on a hamburger bun (same deal as the bread; my bread alternatives have generally included mini bagels, pita bread, and wheat wraps). He seemed to be a little crankier than usual and by the end of Sunday was experiencing a bit of diarrhea, but we still weren't seeing any blood in his diapers, so Monday morning I again had soymilk with my cereal. By yesterday afternoon, however, it was pretty undeniable that he was reacting poorly to the return of soy in his diet. His spit-up had once again morphed into near projectile vomiting and he had a couple of red-streaked poopy diapers.
Eggs? Check. Soy? Check. Sigh.
Neal and I spent awhile before the next feeding considering our options. We could make the switch to formula based on concluding that he is sensitive to at least two ingredients that are in lots of stuff. Or we could continue to breastfeed, taking soy back out, and, on the slim chance that he's not sensitive to dairy, reintroduce a little milk after his symptoms clear up again and go from there. I feel like we've come this far, I'd like to know whether or not dairy - probably the one thing I'd least like to cut from my diet - is a problem. Even though I'd previously decided that if it turned out to be multiple food allergies, I'd probably switch to formula, I underestimated how strong the urge to continue breastfeeding at just about any cost would be. Eggs and soy would be difficult, but considering he seems to be doing fine with soy lecithin and oil back in my diet (and it's the soy fat - not the protein, the allergy culprit - that's in just about everything), if I could also have dairy, I think the joys and benefits of breastfeeding would, in that case, outweigh the frustration of the limited diet...at least for a little while longer.
In the meantime, not knowing how long it will take my body to process and be done with the soy I had up until yesterday afternoon, we gave him a few bottles of milk I'd pumped before soy was thrown back into the mix. That was tough, and brings up another potential issue that I hadn't even really considered. If we decide to switch to formula it might be tricky to get him to take bottles all the time, from both of us. I'm sure he'll adapt, if that's what we decide to do, but last night was a potential preview of what might be in our future. The 4 a.m. bottle was more difficult than the one I gave him right before he went to bed. It took several attempts, lots of reassurance, and I'm sure I'm projecting my own emotions about all of this onto him, but I couldn't help but think he looked just a little confused from time to time, when he'd open his eyes and look up at me. Wait a second, where's the boob? I don't know if I can put into words the way I've felt over the past few days, with the possibility of weaning way earlier than I'd hoped becoming more and more real. Even feeling a new sense of frustration lately, as we've awkwardly been transitioning from the supported positions of the early breastfeeding days that he's quickly outgrowing to the classic cradle hold, which looks a lot easier and more comfortable than it is, breastfeeding has a crazy powerful hold on me. And of course I want to do what's best for my kid, not jump to a decision that will affect the way he eats over the next nine months because I'd really like to indulge in a cupcake. It'll be hard to wean whether it's in the next couple of weeks or in a year, but I think I've realized one of the main reasons this whole process has been so difficult is because I never even considered for a minute that I wouldn't be able to breastfeed. For at least a year. It's like childbirth in general - you think you have control over what's going to happen, with your detailed birth plan and prenatal classes, but ultimately, the way that event unfolds can be a lot different than you'd imagined.
Anyway, I could go on, but you get the idea, I'm sure. I will, as usual, keep you all updated.
But while we're in the midst of it all, I thought I'd throw together a quick update (yep, Elias is finally napping, after three returns to the crib to lull him back to sleep each time). In the two weeks since we met with the GI doctor, we have noticed a net improvement, so to speak, in the "two steps forward, one step back" sort of way. He's still spitting up a fair amount, after just about every feeding, but the volume has slowly decreased and the general discomfort has eased up a bit. But he's still had some bad spells and, more mysteriously, has continued to have blood in his stool off an on through late last week. I'm not sure what to chalk that up to. The fact that Neal gives him a bottle each morning with milk I pumped two or three days before kind of complicates things, so who knows, maybe the egg protein took awhile to get out of his system. After a few days free of red-streaked diapers, though, we decided to throw soy back into the mix. I enjoyed some soymilk with my cereal on Sunday morning, followed by a sandwich for lunch on bread (milk-free, soy-free, AND egg-free bread is incredibly hard to find), and a turkey burger for dinner on a hamburger bun (same deal as the bread; my bread alternatives have generally included mini bagels, pita bread, and wheat wraps). He seemed to be a little crankier than usual and by the end of Sunday was experiencing a bit of diarrhea, but we still weren't seeing any blood in his diapers, so Monday morning I again had soymilk with my cereal. By yesterday afternoon, however, it was pretty undeniable that he was reacting poorly to the return of soy in his diet. His spit-up had once again morphed into near projectile vomiting and he had a couple of red-streaked poopy diapers.
Eggs? Check. Soy? Check. Sigh.
Neal and I spent awhile before the next feeding considering our options. We could make the switch to formula based on concluding that he is sensitive to at least two ingredients that are in lots of stuff. Or we could continue to breastfeed, taking soy back out, and, on the slim chance that he's not sensitive to dairy, reintroduce a little milk after his symptoms clear up again and go from there. I feel like we've come this far, I'd like to know whether or not dairy - probably the one thing I'd least like to cut from my diet - is a problem. Even though I'd previously decided that if it turned out to be multiple food allergies, I'd probably switch to formula, I underestimated how strong the urge to continue breastfeeding at just about any cost would be. Eggs and soy would be difficult, but considering he seems to be doing fine with soy lecithin and oil back in my diet (and it's the soy fat - not the protein, the allergy culprit - that's in just about everything), if I could also have dairy, I think the joys and benefits of breastfeeding would, in that case, outweigh the frustration of the limited diet...at least for a little while longer.
In the meantime, not knowing how long it will take my body to process and be done with the soy I had up until yesterday afternoon, we gave him a few bottles of milk I'd pumped before soy was thrown back into the mix. That was tough, and brings up another potential issue that I hadn't even really considered. If we decide to switch to formula it might be tricky to get him to take bottles all the time, from both of us. I'm sure he'll adapt, if that's what we decide to do, but last night was a potential preview of what might be in our future. The 4 a.m. bottle was more difficult than the one I gave him right before he went to bed. It took several attempts, lots of reassurance, and I'm sure I'm projecting my own emotions about all of this onto him, but I couldn't help but think he looked just a little confused from time to time, when he'd open his eyes and look up at me. Wait a second, where's the boob? I don't know if I can put into words the way I've felt over the past few days, with the possibility of weaning way earlier than I'd hoped becoming more and more real. Even feeling a new sense of frustration lately, as we've awkwardly been transitioning from the supported positions of the early breastfeeding days that he's quickly outgrowing to the classic cradle hold, which looks a lot easier and more comfortable than it is, breastfeeding has a crazy powerful hold on me. And of course I want to do what's best for my kid, not jump to a decision that will affect the way he eats over the next nine months because I'd really like to indulge in a cupcake. It'll be hard to wean whether it's in the next couple of weeks or in a year, but I think I've realized one of the main reasons this whole process has been so difficult is because I never even considered for a minute that I wouldn't be able to breastfeed. For at least a year. It's like childbirth in general - you think you have control over what's going to happen, with your detailed birth plan and prenatal classes, but ultimately, the way that event unfolds can be a lot different than you'd imagined.
Anyway, I could go on, but you get the idea, I'm sure. I will, as usual, keep you all updated.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
parent bot
Do you remember Gobots? They were like Transformers, but, as I'm told (I don't really remember their quality), cheaper. I remember watching the cartoons and then playing with the little gold guys that sat in the Gobot's head and controlled things. I was about 7 or 8 and remember thinking there must be a little gold guy in my head, controlling my body like a Gobot.
Anyway, Elias is definitely in control of these parent bots, that's for sure! But we have our fun with him.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
will work for chuckles
Elias laughed out loud for the first time a few days ago. It really took me by surprise. I thought it would happen gradually, like smiling, but all of a sudden, while trying to distract him from his mounting fussiness by simultaneously swinging him from side to side, bouncing on the exercise ball, and singing to him, he downright chortled. Twice. And then got a really bad case of the hiccups. And then got really fussy and eventually took a nap.
Of course, we've spent most of his wakeful time since trying to recreate the setting. Later that evening he chuckled, again unexpectedly, this time on the changing table. The following video is our attempt to get him to do it again for the camera:
Finally, he chuckled a little this morning, again after being changed, while I was lifting him into the air. Neal went for the camera and we got a few more laughs out of him.
Laughing seems to bring on the hiccups every time.
Otherwise, we continue to try and puzzle out his digestive issues (you can hear me pleading with his belly in the top video to work out the kinks already). I made the mistake of reintroducing soy lecithin/oil, eggs, and peanut butter in one meal the day after our appointment with the GI doc and sure enough, later that day and into the next morning he had more blood in his stool (it sounds scarier than it is, trust me). Based on that and how he reacted before, we're pretty convinced that eggs are in fact the culprit...at least, one of them. He seems to be doing okay with the soy lechithin/oil so I'll give peanut butter a try next. I'm eager to throw in some dairy, too. How great would it be if I only had to eliminate eggs from my diet? If it turns out to be multiple allergies, well, we'll have to go from there...Either way, I look forward to more laughing as he continues to feel better.
Of course, we've spent most of his wakeful time since trying to recreate the setting. Later that evening he chuckled, again unexpectedly, this time on the changing table. The following video is our attempt to get him to do it again for the camera:
Finally, he chuckled a little this morning, again after being changed, while I was lifting him into the air. Neal went for the camera and we got a few more laughs out of him.
Laughing seems to bring on the hiccups every time.
Otherwise, we continue to try and puzzle out his digestive issues (you can hear me pleading with his belly in the top video to work out the kinks already). I made the mistake of reintroducing soy lecithin/oil, eggs, and peanut butter in one meal the day after our appointment with the GI doc and sure enough, later that day and into the next morning he had more blood in his stool (it sounds scarier than it is, trust me). Based on that and how he reacted before, we're pretty convinced that eggs are in fact the culprit...at least, one of them. He seems to be doing okay with the soy lechithin/oil so I'll give peanut butter a try next. I'm eager to throw in some dairy, too. How great would it be if I only had to eliminate eggs from my diet? If it turns out to be multiple allergies, well, we'll have to go from there...Either way, I look forward to more laughing as he continues to feel better.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
an update from the spit-up factory
As I mentioned last week, we met with the GI specialist today. He didn't solve all our problems in one visit, as I'd hoped, but we do have a slightly revised regimen to follow for the next month. Mainly, he noticed that Elias is on the lowest dose of baby Zantac for his weight range. So we've upped that fairly considerably. Now, I know a lot of people might (and do) question our use of prescription meds. Firstly, try spending a day with a refluxer and you'll be considering drugs yourself. Secondly, the Zantac is actually protecting his esophagus - think about it, every time he spits up or vomits, there's all sorts of icky stomach acids making their way up his throat. And Zantac is really the most benign drug prescribed for his condition. Anyway, not to get all defensive, but I know the criticism is out there.
So that's that. The doctor also reminded us to keep Elias upright for 20-30 minutes after feedings (which we'd mostly been doing except maybe in the middle of the night, when I'd aim for at least 10-15...or until I'm about to fall asleep, whichever comes first) and elevate the head side of his bassinet/crib about six inches.
As for the possible food allergy, just because of those few poopy diapers that tested positive for blood, he'd like me to stay on the dairy/soy elimination diet, at least for another 2-4 weeks. If and when Elias begins to improve on the increased dosage of Zantac, then I can reintroduce soy. And if all continues to go well, I can proceed with dairy. It makes sense, I guess. If I were to reintroduce something right now, it'd be hard to tell if that was the thing making him spit up, since he really hasn't significantly or consistently improved no matter what we've done over the past month and a half.
And I'm at peace with that. My heart sank a little when he said to stay off dairy until our follow up in a month (especially considering I have a wedding to go to a few days before that appointment...what, no wedding cake?!). But then I asked him about the controversy around soy lecithin and soybean oil; turns out, even if Elias is sensitive to soy, unless he has a severe allergy, those two things (which are in everything) are rarely the culprit since they only contain trace, if any, amounts of soy protein. That opens up a whole world of processed foods for Mama to enjoy over the next couple of weeks. Dairy is tough, I won't lie, but it's really the combination of possible suspects that had me down. For example, I went to dinner Saturday night with family and found one thing on the menu that I could have, even with omissions and substitutions. I'd even cut out eggs for a few days after suspecting that maybe that's what was causing the somewhat sporadic but slightly more extreme spit-up episodes last week. The GI doc didn't think eliminating eggs was necessary. Adding eggs and soy lecithin/oil is huge. Plus, by continuing to avoid dairy I'm sure to lose a few more pounds while on this elimination diet. I might not be able to enjoy any cake at that wedding, but I'll probably be able to squeeze into the dress I didn't think I'd be able to wear.
So that's that. The doctor also reminded us to keep Elias upright for 20-30 minutes after feedings (which we'd mostly been doing except maybe in the middle of the night, when I'd aim for at least 10-15...or until I'm about to fall asleep, whichever comes first) and elevate the head side of his bassinet/crib about six inches.
As for the possible food allergy, just because of those few poopy diapers that tested positive for blood, he'd like me to stay on the dairy/soy elimination diet, at least for another 2-4 weeks. If and when Elias begins to improve on the increased dosage of Zantac, then I can reintroduce soy. And if all continues to go well, I can proceed with dairy. It makes sense, I guess. If I were to reintroduce something right now, it'd be hard to tell if that was the thing making him spit up, since he really hasn't significantly or consistently improved no matter what we've done over the past month and a half.
And I'm at peace with that. My heart sank a little when he said to stay off dairy until our follow up in a month (especially considering I have a wedding to go to a few days before that appointment...what, no wedding cake?!). But then I asked him about the controversy around soy lecithin and soybean oil; turns out, even if Elias is sensitive to soy, unless he has a severe allergy, those two things (which are in everything) are rarely the culprit since they only contain trace, if any, amounts of soy protein. That opens up a whole world of processed foods for Mama to enjoy over the next couple of weeks. Dairy is tough, I won't lie, but it's really the combination of possible suspects that had me down. For example, I went to dinner Saturday night with family and found one thing on the menu that I could have, even with omissions and substitutions. I'd even cut out eggs for a few days after suspecting that maybe that's what was causing the somewhat sporadic but slightly more extreme spit-up episodes last week. The GI doc didn't think eliminating eggs was necessary. Adding eggs and soy lecithin/oil is huge. Plus, by continuing to avoid dairy I'm sure to lose a few more pounds while on this elimination diet. I might not be able to enjoy any cake at that wedding, but I'll probably be able to squeeze into the dress I didn't think I'd be able to wear.
Monday, September 1, 2008
what we've been working on...
Elias is enjoying tummy time more. Here he is working on his upper body strength, head and neck control, and drool. Sheesh, you'd think this kid was teething!
Another exciting discovery the past few days is that Elias no longer hates his swing:
He's spent a good ten to fifteen minutes in there several times over the past few days, staring at that yellow star, which has a mirror on the side facing him, or looking up at the place where the swing meets the frame. The irony of these hands-free diversions, of course, is that Neal and I tend to just watch him and take pictures. The first time I got him in there without screaming I think I was too stunned to do anything but stare at him in awe...and apprehension, of course. When is he going to start screaming??
This week we're back to working on daytime naps in the crib. He's currently working on the third catnap of the day in there, swaddled tight and with the SoundSpa set to the "rain" setting. As Neal pointed out the other day, his nursery is the play room right now, and it probably doesn't help matters that in a pinch we've been resorting to setting him in his crib to be entertained by the mobile. I can't imagine any baby being lulled to sleep by that thing, it's way too stimulating. So sleeping in the crib, in the nursery, must be like trying to take a nap on the playmat to him. The sagging bassinet addition to his pack 'n' play is what inspired the transition; I'm still not sure what we plan to do for night sleep since I'm just not sure I'm ready for him to completely transition to his own room!
Another exciting discovery the past few days is that Elias no longer hates his swing:
He's spent a good ten to fifteen minutes in there several times over the past few days, staring at that yellow star, which has a mirror on the side facing him, or looking up at the place where the swing meets the frame. The irony of these hands-free diversions, of course, is that Neal and I tend to just watch him and take pictures. The first time I got him in there without screaming I think I was too stunned to do anything but stare at him in awe...and apprehension, of course. When is he going to start screaming??
This week we're back to working on daytime naps in the crib. He's currently working on the third catnap of the day in there, swaddled tight and with the SoundSpa set to the "rain" setting. As Neal pointed out the other day, his nursery is the play room right now, and it probably doesn't help matters that in a pinch we've been resorting to setting him in his crib to be entertained by the mobile. I can't imagine any baby being lulled to sleep by that thing, it's way too stimulating. So sleeping in the crib, in the nursery, must be like trying to take a nap on the playmat to him. The sagging bassinet addition to his pack 'n' play is what inspired the transition; I'm still not sure what we plan to do for night sleep since I'm just not sure I'm ready for him to completely transition to his own room!
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