3 Months Old!

This was originally written on Thursday, July 10, 2008:

Knock on wood, I haven't been peed on in three weeks--maybe Logan has stopped doing that while we change his diaper (he also hasn't cried while doing it since then)!

I went to pick him up yesterday and he seemed heavy for the first time. So I weighed him on our scale and he came out to be 15 lbs! I need to lift some weights! I'm going to wash his 3-6 month clothes today to start wearing.

I've been exclusively nursing again the past couple of days and I've discovered there are times Logan wants to nurse without eating. Every now and then he'll make it clear he wants there, but when he latches on he starts crying. This had only happened when my milk supply was low and that's definitely not the case now, so at first I was really confused. Then I realized it always happens when it hasn't been that long since he last ate and so he actually doesn't want the milk--he's just wanting to relax (since he still likes to go to sleep there). (He only takes his pacifiers about 10% of the time now.)

The other day I mentioned that my skin had returned to pre-pregnancy style--i.e. I had my first pimple since Logan. Well that went away, but my hair has returned to its old style now as well. Just like my skin, my hair was bad in the beginning of pregnancy, but it turned out to be better than ever in the end. I was hoping that since I'm still taking my pre-natal vitamins and Neuromins for breastfeeding that I'd continue to have those benefits. Nope, I have my old hair again. :-(

Logan is talking up a storm these days. He hasn't been saying "hi" as much because he's moved on to other words. It's going to be really hard to figure out whenever he says his first REAL word because his "sounds" sound like actual words. A couple of weeks ago I got done nursing and he said, "Thank you!" Then last week Joe was feeding him breastmilk in a bottle and said, "No more for you." Logan said, "Why?" I was in the kitchen and started laughing. Joe kept a straight face and said, "Because you will spit up." Again, Logan said, "Why?" Joe said, "Because that's what happens when you eat too much." For a third time Logan said, "Why?" I was nearly on the floor by this point!

Today our eliptical machine arrives. We haven't been able to take any walks lately because of the humidity, so that's what I'm hoping to do for exercise finally (as well as the post-natal yoga w/ Logan).

Oh no, Logan is having a bad dream. Lately he's been crying for up to 10 minutes in his sleep! It's sad! In real life he's so happy, I don't know what he could be having a nightmare about. Normally I don't wake him up, but when it gets like this it seems necessary, so I better go. Poor guy! :-(
----------------------------------------------------

This was originally written on Monday, July 21, 2008:

To update you on the past eleven days. . .the weekend following my last post was Logan's dedication and Joe's baptism! It all went better than we ever could have imagined.

First, it was a gorgeous day outside. These are rare in the Midwest during the month of July! Usually it's way too humid to spend much time outdoors in the afternoon. But, July 13th was the perfect temperature despite the sun being out, and the colors around us were vibrant.

Since we were able to pick the site, we chose the beautiful Mount Vernon Gardens. (I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Joe, Logan, and I went there with his mom for a picnic. The first time we learned of it was three years ago with my mom, stepdad, and maternal grandmother.) It's popular for weddings, and a couple of weeks ago we even saw a Quinceañera there.

Anyway, we met the minister at the narrow portico that overlooks the Missouri River. He had brought his wife and they were both very nice. He talked about his experiences baptising people in places that ranged from the Caribbean to horse troughs to even a hot tub!

We first did Logan's dedication which emphasized teaching, training, and providing. We are to teach Logan about Christianity, be good examples ourselves, and provide a loving, secure home for him. It was so special to hold his little hands and promise outloud to do this. . .I actually had tears in my eyes. Because, no matter what, as parents Joe & I will be shaping him. . .and so hopefully if we do the best we can Logan will be a good person and have a spiritual connection with God.

Next, was Joe's baptism. This is where I become the idiot of the day.

Okay, I had talked to the minister twice on the phone and both times he explained that his baptisms are done by submerging. Well, I was raised Catholic so I've only experienced the sprinkling of water on your forehead. I guess I assumed that he was bringing a tub or something. . .because the site I picked did not have a place to "submerge" Joe. So there we were (my mom, stepdad, and Joe's mom were there as well), all looking at each other like what do we do now?

Sandi stepped up and said, "Are there other places in Omaha where you've done baptisms?" The minister said there were two churches where we could go. One of them we were familiar with, as it was near our old house and we used to drive by it regularly. So, we all met there. . .only to discover that despite it being 1:30 PM on a Sunday, the doors were all locked!

Fortunately, I remembered how just the week before I'd seen people swimming in a lake at a park right by our new house. I had been surprised, since I hadn't thought of it as a place to swim. I now believe the whole point of that was so that we'd know we could go there!

It turned out to be the best baptism site ever because 1) it's right by our house and 2) it's already special because the very first time we went was the day I found out I was pregnant :-) Now it will hold even more meaning because it's where Joe was baptised.

There were kids playing near the lake and Sandi asked if they had a suggestion for the best place to go into the water and they showed us an area. We walked down a hill and sat on a log and listened to the minister read excerpts from the Bible. Then, he and Joe walked into the lake and Joe was submerged!

Joe was really happy with the way things turned out. Not only were we able to pick the place, have it done privately with our parents, and have Joe & Logan's done at the same time (all things that our church would not let us do if we did it through them) but it just felt so personal to all of us. There weren't 100 other people doing it at the same time like it would have been if we'd done it at our church, nor were there hundreds of strangers staring at us. We could just relax in the peaceful setting that we had picked, and talk & focus on Joe & Logan--and God! It was an honest, authentic, spiritual experience.

Since our house was so close, we went home afterwards so Joe could take a shower and change his clothes, and then we went out to eat at La Mesa Mexican Restaurant. I remembered the last time we ate there was a week before I went into labor--and I'd been soooo uncomfortable! After that our parents went home.

For other updates:

Logan is now 16 lbs! (The average is 12-13 lbs.) I think he had another growth spurt last week because he wanted to eat constantly and was also cranky on Monday & Tuesday which, aside from his first few days of life, he'd only been one other day these past three months. (I barely got any sleep Mon. night and was completely "out" by the time Joe got home from golfing on Tues.) Either that or it's the teething possibility I mentioned in the post prior to last. Or discomfort in the tummy, as at three months old he's finally down to pooping just once a day (I mentiond in a recent blog it usually happens around two months old but he was still pooping 3-4 times a day until this past week). I actually prefer changing him several times a day compared to just once. I was never disgusted by changing his diaper until last week. But now it all builds up so that EVERYTHING comes out at once. Sorry for the TMI--but there's no white part of the diaper showing--thick yellow and brown goo seeps out the sides, is all over his front, his back, etc. It's an absolute mess to clean up and really gross. Plus, before he gets ready to go he's very squirmy and uncomfortable. . .then suddenly there's a loud fart and his face relaxes into a smile and that's how I know it's time to change his diaper, HAHA!

Needless to say, I can't hold him now without a lap pad under me. I've been pooped and peed on too many times. Joe, on the other hand, had his first experience just this past week. He said he was holding Logan and felt something warm running down his leg and thought, isn't warmth pleasant. . .wait--NO IT'S NOT! And then he screamed and took off running. HAHA! I could so relate!

But it's one thing when I'm at home in my sweats, and another when I'm getting ready to walk out the door in my last clean pair of nice pants. I did notice that if I want to pay twice as much I can get the kind promised not to leak. Um, this is confusing to me. . .isn't that the point of diapers? Why wouldn't they ALL be like that? I haven't been able to bring myself to pay double, as I'm hoping these lap pads work for MY end (so far, so good).

Since Logan was eating more than usual last week, he couldn't get enough from nursing again. :-( So I had to pump all day long for a several days until I pumped the most I ever have in one sitting: 13 oz--I should get a job donating to a milk station, LOL. Once again, I hope to go back to just nursing exclusively now. (I'm still taking fenugreek.)

Logan continues to "talk." The other day he was in his pack n play and I was in our office and I swore he said, "Hey! Come here!" :p

I LOVE our eliptical machine. It arrived the day of my last post and I did it for the first time this past Thursday. It is way easier for me to do than aerobics (what I did pre-pregnancy) now that I have a baby--and might end up being more effective. I can just watch TV and not have to give exercise a lot of concentration! So hopefully this week I will finally start exercising.

Joe wants to make it a competition, as he is perturbed that he thinks my abs look better than his (not true). His pants have been tight lately and so he was walking around with them unsnapped the other night which was hilarious because never in his life has Joe been concerned about his weight. He was like, "This isn't fair, you just had a baby three months ago and my stomach is the one sticking out." I told him he sounds like a girl. The difference is I bet he'll lose his extra five pounds with, like, one week on the eliptical :p

Last Monday I had our carpet cleaned. Now I feel better about letting Logan on the floor if need be!

Are you supposed to tip carpet cleaners? I didn't, but it occured to me after I felt bad that sweat was FALLING off of their faces in huge drops when they were working. They informed me that our carpet would dry faster the cooler my house was, so I turned my air conditioner to a colder temp. . .after they left! :-(

Well anyway, up until last week Logan was still getting us up twice a night, so I figured it would go down to one before none--but it was as if he knew he was turning three months old this past Friday because that was the first night he slept 8 consecutive hours. . .and has continued to since without waking up at all! See, I knew he would do it on his own! (And, may I add for those who thought he was late, that this was sooner than the average of 4 months old! :p)

No more dizziness for me, but my wrist hasn't improved so I have an appt. scheduled this Friday with a specialist.

This past Friday (EXACTLY Logan's three month birthday, as he was born on a Friday that was the 18th of the month) he had his first professional pictures taken. I thought it was going to be a disaster. The appt. happened to fall at a time when Logan needed a nap and food! What I mean is, he had been awake the hours prior to the appointment at 4 pm, so normally he would have fallen asleep at that time--except it's kind of hard to sleep when you're getting your picture taken! On the way to Target he did start to snooze. . .but his pattern is typically to eat immediately after wakening, so even though the last time I fed him I tried to give him enough milk so that he'd be satisfied through the pictures, he expected food just minutes into the shoot. :-(

As I've said before, he is usually very easy-going. . .but that could not be seen on Friday. He would not sit alone, which is how I'd always imagined his professional pictures. Instead, the only time that he wouldn't cry was when one of us was holding him. Well, I had not planned on being in any pictures and so I was even more convinced I wasn't going to like them! We spent the majority of the time trying to calm Logan down and feed him. The photographer said we could come back in ten min. to see the results. I told Joe I was going to be surprised if even one picture came out.
We ended up choosing EIGHT! I am amazed at how the photographer was able to get that many where Logan wasn't crying. We had to order right then & there to get the best discount, but when I went home I looked at the computer print-out that she gave us and I'm happy with the choices we made, despite being put on the spot. (I don't normally do very well making decisions under pressure.) We'll have some to give to our parents as well as keep for ourselves. On Saturday I returned to scrapbooking! It was Heather, Sara, Sarah, and me. It was the longest I'd ever been away from Logan (7.5 hrs), but I didn't worry as I knew Joe would be fine (and he was)!

Sara, her husband, and their 10-month-old baby boy Max are moving to CA next weekend and so this Saturday Lisa is having a going away party for them.

Meanwhile, the other Sarah is 24 weeks pregnant which was me in January! It's weird how more in tune I am with my abdominal area now. Every now and then I'll feel flutters that remind me of Logan kicking! I NEVER used to notice anything prior to being pregnant (unless it was a gas pain).

Stacy and I are trying to arrange another playdate with our baby boys. It was fun in June to see how similar Jaxson and Logan are. They make the exact same expressions and sounds and movements, etc.

Oh--and you know how Logan loves his mobile and the gym? Well, I was re-reading the article I gave a link to in my "First Weekend By Myself W/ Baby" about who's harder--boys or girls? And noticed that it's a "boy thing!" Lisa said that her daughter Lexi wasn't as into hers--but apparently boys are more into "action" i.e. things that move and play music, compared to girls who prefer colorful things they can keep one focus on.

The last time my mom was here she brought over a carousel music box that was my grandmother's--Logan is in awe! It was the only thing that calmed him down last Monday night when he was up crying!

He also is fascinated by drums. I first noticed this one afternoon when I was watching TV. There were some drummers on and it became obvious that Logan wanted to see where the drum sounds were coming from. So, I showed him the TV and he was glued to the screen. Every time I started to walk away, he'd turn his head in the direction so as to keep watching. I told Joe when he came home from work that Logan is going to be a drummer. :p Joe found some drummers on YouTube and, sure enough, Logan sat fascinated in front of our computer watching them!

Totally switching subjects--I cut Logan for the first time. :-( You might remember me saying how I was scared to cut his fingernails. . .well, it's amazing I have continued after last week. Usually I do it while he's sleeping, but I tried it once while he was awake and he moved his hand and started bleeding! Thankfully he didn't seem to notice--no tears! But, I had to get a Kleenex to stop the bleeding as it was enough to get on everything.

Logan's scabs from his birth are FINALLY gone. (Yes, sadly he had red marks for three months from my long pushing phase.)

Last month I mentioned that we needed to figure out Logan's godparents (a not-so-fun part of having a child). I think we've decided. . .but haven't told anyone yet (including the couple). It's so hard!

Also I am SOOOO thrilled to say that my first "pay it forward" worked! Someone who had no idea about HypnoBirthing prior to me has now successfully delivered a baby using that method! She thanked me for helping her have a positive experience. How cool is that! (To read my HypnoBirthing post, click here.)

I'll end with something funny: Logan has started mimicking me. Often when I laugh there is an echo! He hears me laugh and then starts laughing, which makes me laugh more. He's so cute :-)