My Son's 5th Month

This was originally written on Monday, October 13, 2008:

Wow, it's been a month since I wrote my last update! (So get ready for a long post; read when you have time.) Where should I start?

Well, I got my first period since having a baby. :p My body must know that "1" means "beginning" because my very first one ever as a pre-teen was on July 1st and this one was October 1st, LOL. (Five-and-a-half months after having Logan.) Obviously I was right about my hormones & body returning to normal mid-August! I actually think my period tried to start the end of August/beginning of September because I had all of the classic signs at that time and spotting pretty much exactly a month before my "real" one. But--get this--with the real thing I didn't have any cramps! There is no denying I had it, but it was not like what I'd read (that the first after you have a baby is extra painful). In fact, it was the first period I've ever had in my entire life that was completely painfree! Wouldn't it be wonderful if my periods were like this from here on out? My only hope during all of my suffering in years prior was to hear that many women who have cramps to my degree (what I now know are labor contractions) don't have them near as bad after they have a baby. I don't want to get my hopes up, though. . .it just seems too good to be true. But having ONE without cramps proves to me that it's possible it could happen again!

Okay, for those of you who aren't comfortable with period talk, I'll move on :-)

During my last "update blog" on September 11th, my mom was here helping out while I had a bad cold. She paid for me to have the best massage of my life on September 12th. I recommend this organic massage therapist to everyone in the Omaha area! You can check out her website at CenterPointe Massage. Until then, I'd thought it might be fun to start a new hobby: try as many different massage therapists as I could (since the other one I went to this year was in a different location), but after going to this masseuse, that idea seems like a waste of time and money--I'm only going to Deb! (All three that I'd gone to in my life before her were equal--but she was off the charts.) I went again when Joe's mom came the end of September, and am going again this coming Wednesday!

My cold was gone by the end of that weekend, after I went to Sarah S's baby shower. Her baby boy is due in just three weeks! It seems like yesterday she told me she was pregnant a month before I had Logan.

Logan was a bit antsy at the shower (meaning he would have been fussy if I hadn't given him two bottles while we were there)! He hasn't gained any weight this month, though, as he is still twenty pounds (with five days before his six month birthday).

This past month I decided to distract him when he wanted to eat to see if he was always hungry (since 99% of the time, ever since he was born, feeding him immediately stopped his crying, so Joe & I never needed to try anything else when he cried)! I didn't want him to lose any weight, but rather see if his body would slow down naturally (without him noticing). Half the time it works (he'll play or fall asleep instead). The other half of the time he still cries and so I'm not going to deny him food.

In my post titled, Preparing For Brachial Cleft Fistula Surgery, I mentioned that we are doing "attachment parenting" rather than the "cry it out method" which I first mentioned in my post, When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade.

Before I had Logan, I didn't know what "side" I was on. I think every parent has to do what works for them and their child, so it's different depending on the situation. My dad & brother's mom believed in letting my brother cry. I remember spending the weekends at their house when I was 7-8 years old and wanting to go to my brother's rescue because he'd cry for what seemed like forever during the nights. It ripped my heart out, but I later heard "people" say that it's okay (even good for babies) to just let them cry because it teaches them independence.

At the same time, I heard other people say this was unncessary. Teaching babies to be independent is going against nature (they're not supposed to be independent). Babies need to know that you're there for them. Rather than become "tougher," babies who are left to cry stop because they "give up." They've learned they can't count on their parents for love and security.

That sounded so sad to me! If there are two people who Logan should always be able to count on for love & security, no matter what, they are his parents--that's what we're here for!

In my previous posts about this I gave links to articles that explained how rather than become spoiled, children of attachment parenting learn empathy from seeing their parents come to them--so it is a myth that letting babies cry it out is preventing them from becoming brats.

My instructor in last February's childbirth class said the same thing; studies show those not left to cry grow up to be more secure and content as adults. Our instructor said that before the age of six months you should not even consider letting a baby cry--it is impossible to spoil them. But what about at six months old and later. . .where Logan & I are now?

According to an article on Associated Content, "If a baby cries, something is wrong. A parent's natural instincts are not wrong. It is a parent's duty to check on the baby and determine what is wrong. It is a parent's duty to provide the relief and comfort the baby needs to deal with whatever is bothering it." The article goes on to say, "Babies have a great variety of cries to express how they feel at the moment and what their needs are. They can't talk. Crying is their way to communicate."

As I said before, everyone has to do what works for them and their particular child. I know there are colicky babies out there that will cry for hours with no relief, so a parent HAS to leave them in order to not go insane! I've also blogged in the past that there have been a few times in Logan's nearly six months when he will fuss for what appears to be no reason and nothing I do gets him to stop, so sometimes I will walk away to see if he will cease on his own. Sometimes he does but other times he'll get to a "you've abandoned me" cry and there's no way I can let him get that upset! It brings tears to my eyes because even if I can't stop him from crying, I want him to know that I am still trying & there for him.

What both sides seem to agree on is that if a parent is feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or mad then, yes, it is better to let the baby cry rather than to be holding that child and shake it or anything like that! But I have never even gotten the tiniest bit angry or frustated at Logan yet--my reason for wondering how long we do this is because I don't know how long this waking up for a few minutes each night is going to last. :~

But, I researched this topic again--only for "after six months old"--and I can rest-assured that I'm not setting Logan up to be needy and demanding. I'm sure there will be more times in the future like what we've already had when I will have to walk away when I'm making it worse (the article from before says this is most common when babies have been overstimulated. "Any walking, singing, rocking, and other comfort measures will just add to the over-stimulation your baby is experiencing. It would only intensify the discomfort your baby is experiencing. Instead your baby will learn to deal with these emotions on their own, while you can take a breather and a small rest.")--but it's not going to be something that I will intend to do whenever he cries or do often of just because "I" don't think he should be crying.

Therefore, I'm going to continue to feed him when he gives a hungry cry, help him go to sleep when he gives a tired cry, hold him when he gives a needy cry, and play with him when he gives a bored cry. That is a part of being a mother. Even when he's an adult--I won't be able to take pain that he has away, but I will always let him know that I'm there for him. But when he wants to be alone, I'll give him that. I'm confident that he'll learn independence, not getting his way, etc. all at the proper & healthiest times.

So far, all that's come out of attachment parenting is that Logan's healthy, SUPER happy (as everyone who meets him says), and definitely knows he's loved--so until I see something negative come from it, I'm not going to force against my instinct.

The week after Sarah's baby shower Logan's first tooth started coming in (although it still hasn't popped all of the way through yet)! Those who have been following my blog might remember that around three months old he began displaying all of the teething signs: drooling, putting everything into his mouth, being fussy for the first time, etc. But nothing happened from there. Well, shortly after my last update (the week before he turned five months old), he refused nursing for 48 hours! That was so depressing after the rollercoaster we've been on with breastfeeding (I've summarized my journey on the following two blogs: Breastfeeding Rollercoaster and Okay. . .I'm Ready For My First Break). The one thing he'd never done was resist the breast--he'd always at least latched on even on his worst day (which meant the days he didn't work hard enough to get milk and would have to be there two hours--but he always had the desire).

What made matters worse was that we happened to be at another down time in the breastfeeding rollercoaster (meaning, my milk supply had gone down again and so I was having to pump all day in addition to breastfeeding), and so I really thought that was going to be the end that time. But, I'd made the decision that if I had a bad week before Logan's six month birthday then I was going to contact La Leche. So, I was up late one night and found a local contact on their website. Since it was too late to call, I e-mailed them. I told them my COMPLETE story, thinking I'd get feedback from them that week.

Nothing.

I'm not sure whether it was an outdated e-mail address or if my message got lost in cyberspace or what--but fortunately, things picked up again on our own later that week and have been excellent in the nursing department since. It is a total day-by-day thing, but it's safe to say I'll be able to continue past the six month mark (which had been what I was forcing myself to go to; anything after that is a bonus). Thanks to my continuing taking fenugreek I even have stored breastmilk in the freezer for the first time in two months!

The only thing that kept me from quitting last month was thinking about the times when Logan's nursing well and my milk is a good quantity, how I can't say with 100% certainty that I'm ready to give that up yet. It's such a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things. We're never going to be back here & relive this. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. . .I don't want to wish it away because it's not like my pregnancy where I only enjoyed three days out of the 8/9 months--I have really loved the nursing experience. And, why buy formula when my milk is free? (Since he still has to have milk until he's a year old.) Especially since I saw it's effects when I had my cold and Logan never got it--the antibodies in my milk clearly protected him. What if I can protect him during the winter viruses, too?

At the same time, even though those two days last month were the first two days (aside from when he had jaundice) that I went 24 hrs and more without nursing him, I have pumped more during these nearly six months than I have breastfed. Doing BOTH for six months is EXTREMELY exhausting. When I said in last month's blog that I was only going to put up with one more "down" time (which happened when I contacted La Leche), I meant it. The next time it happens I'm putting my pump away--which means I'll be drying up. When that's going to happen, I don't know. I hope not until January (when Logan has his surgery at nine months old). So, in the meantime I'm treasuring every moment because I don't know which moment will be my last.

I read in my What To Expect book that resistance to nurse is often a sign of teething (because it's too painful on their gums), so at least I had a reason for his strike last month which helped ease the stress. (Also reading that it passes.) Logan even had a hard time with the bottle one day (only drinking 6 oz in a 24 hr period) and so we had to feed him the last two of those ounces with a dropper! The strange thing was the day before the strike he'd had way too much--16 oz in a 4 hr period! I think he was just confused with all of the discomforts in his body. He would be perfectly happy and then all of a sudden point to his lower gum area and scream in horrible pain!

I called our pediatrician and they said it could be two things: teething and/or constipation, because he hadn't pooped in 24 hrs. They said we could give him baby Tylenol (which we never had before), and if that didn't work then to bring him in. Fortunately, the Tylenol worked. He fell asleep that night and has been fine since.

He still chews on his finger a lot--and lately has been wrapping his lower lip around his gums and smacking like an old man without any teeth which is really funny. (I think that soothes the area--I remember doing something similar when I had braces!) So I think he is getting used to the aching; from what I've read, the first teeth hurt the worst so if we can just get through the first two he should do a lot better with the others. Unfortunately, he seems to fall into the category of "gradual teethers." Some it happens quickly for without much fuss, others it goes on for a couple of months. Since Joe was 7 months old (according to his baby book) when his first tooth popped through (and I was 9 months old, which was the same as 7 months since I was premature), I'm guessing we have another month before there's a noticeable white tooth above the surface. I have no problem with that (it seems later is better) as long as he's not cranky until then! When he is, the things that work for most babies don't work for him. He doesn't like teething toys because they aren't food (he gets upset if something is in his mouth and he can't eat it; he hasn't had a pacifier in almost two months). Our pediatrician recommended a refrigerated washcloth but that didn't work, either. Several people have recommended Oragel, so if we have another painful screaming week that will be something I'll ask my pediatrician about. (Also on my list to try: frozen fruit in a bag and Hyland's Homeopathic Teething Tablets. Because, I'm not against Tylenol but only want to give it to Logan when I've tried everything else so that it's not a regular thing, since according to CNN there is new evidence that there is a link between Tylenol and asthma. (Joe's sister AnMarie has asthma so I don't want to take any chances.) I tried the all-natural gripe water twice, but either it didn't work or wasn't quick enough, so I don't regret giving Logan the Tylenol since it immediately took away his pain.)

Fortunately, month five (meaning everything after the teething/constipation week through now) has been a lot easier than month four. Even though he stopped sleeping 11 hrs straight through the night (as I said in my Feeding Solids Won't Make Your Baby Sleep Better blog, he's been getting me up a couple of times during an 8 hr night's sleep), I've felt a lot more able to handle everything than in August.

I thought months one thru three were the easiest (all Logan did was eat & sleep). Month four was my least favorite because it was the hardest (he was suddenly unpredictable so I had to start figuring out "the whole parent thing"--and that was when he had his first few fussy days, and he began getting a lot more active and needing constant stimulation which required more energy from me). Month five was my favorite (Logan has been the most fun because his personality is coming out now, and although he's still really active he has been better about playing by himself. Best of all, he still smiles and laughs all day)!

So our only complaint during his fifth month was the relapse with his sleep. I know that it's common to have problems getting a baby adjusted to "betime," but Logan has always seemed to understand that by 10 pm you sleep for a long stretch of time! I've never had to rock him or do any of the other things a lot of parents have to do to get their babies to sleep. He's always fallen asleep easily, on his own his entire life--as long as we put him in his carseat.

But, as I said in my post last Monday (after he only slept 6 hours that night), he's started waking up during the night (although it's only for a few minutes, but happens every night) so we haven't fed him cereal and in the week since then he's taken good naps AND slept at least 8 hours at night--but last Mon, Tues, and Wed nights he got me up once to nurse for 5-10 minutes. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights he got me up twice. However, Sunday (last) night he slept straight through from 10 pm to 8 am, so I'm really hoping we're back on track.

On Thursday evening we fed him vegetables (carrots) for the first time (followed by Friday and Sunday), so I'm not sure if there's a pattern with the food or not. (We're going to add the cereal back in tomorrow--only start giving it to him as breakfast instead of supper--which will be vegetables.)

One of the other things it could be is that he's really into rolling all over the place now (from back to tummy and tummy to back), and I read that often babies' sleep is disrupted when they are excited about a new trick they've learned. Whenever he wakes me up to come into his room during the middle of the night, he's always on his stomach (I always put him on his back to sleep). Since he only rolls to the right (after I posted a blog about how maybe he'd be left handed, he hasn't done one thing on his left since!) he gets frustrated when something is blocking his roll (like the crib) and so then he can't return from tummy to back, which makes him start crying. The only thing that gets him back to sleep is me nursing him for five simple minutes, and then I can put him back in the crib and he either stays asleep until morning or he flips over a couple of hours later and cries for me again. I know he doesn't really need milk, that's just the easiest thing to get us both back to sleep quickly.

"They say" you're not supposed to give them milk to sleep because it's a crutch, but the one thing Logan has consistantly done is wean himself from all of his crutches on his own. So I won't be surprised if pretty soon he falls back to sleep during the night without milk. If not, then we're going to have to schedule a week to follow the tips in my What To Expect book as far as teaching him to relax on his own.

The only thing he's substituted the nursing for is walks. This is not something we will be able to do in the winter so this week we're giving that up. It's all pretty typical for this age, though--apparently babies soothing themselves is a learned thing, it doesn't happen naturally.) Joe can swing his carseat back & forth which also does the trick, but I can't--I've tried and about broke my back!

Anyway, it was after the teething week when Logan had his very first rice cereal on Saturday, September 20th. It is hilarious--in between bites these days he bangs his fists on his tray, like to say "more! more!" He wants to eat as fast as he does by drinking milk! He definitely likes food, he didn't even act as if the carrot flavor was anything new--both the cereal and the vegetables are going smoothly, so we'll introduce squash this week. We still haven't fed him solid food every day. . .it sounds like we have until month seven before we have to do that, which is good because it is taking adjustment on Joe & my part, too because it makes our supper time take a lot longer!

My parents came over for the day/night on Sunday, September 21st and we went to Texas Roadhouse, and then Joe & I went to the movie theater. The movie choices didn't look that good but we didn't want to pass up the one chance we had to go to the theater, so we picked Traitor. It actually turned out to be super good!!!

Unfortunately, my parents had to call us halfway through the movie because Logan had started crying and they couldn't get him to stop. I reminded them to rock the carseat while giving a bottle, and it worked. Logan was asleep when Joe & I arrived home.

The following week (Tuesday, September 23 thru Thursday, September 25) Sandi came over to help out with Logan while I went shopping and also had my rescheduled annual exam. My nurse chatted with me for a while (and I saw the picture she had told me about on the phone in early September--she wasn't kidding, it's smack dab in the middle of the bulletin board!) and then my doctor came in.

I talked to her about going on progesterone, but I had been prepared that doctors generally won't prescribe it because it's "alternative" medicine. My doctor instead recommended Depro Vera (the birth control shot). She said it's called the pseudo pregnancy drug because often women like me who felt their mood was more stable while pregnant find the same thing with the shot. But it also makes you not have your period at all and can take up to a year after you go off of it to get pregnant again. (Plus, some women actually end up with worse moods, bleeding, and other negative side effects.) That just doesn't sit well with me, so I declined. Fortunately, the past three weeks my mood has been a lot better than it was the end of August/early September. I think my period starting the week after my appointment had a lot to do with it because I feel totally normal and stable now and think my hormones are 100% where they "are supposed" to be, so I don't think I'm going to even have to take progesterone. I think August & September my hormones were just trying to even out after being really high from pregnancy and then having to drop in order to be a "regular" woman again.

My doctor actually predicted that I was going to start my period by six months post-partum, after what I'd told her about my symptoms in August & September. So far she has never made a wrong prediction about me! I enjoyed talking with her about "all things pregnancy and mother-related" and then she did my exam, commenting that I couldn't have healed any better. But I was most pleased with how she sat down and chatted with me about my cousin.

That morning I'd received an e-mail from my cousin who lost a baby boy last year at 26 weeks gestation, and went into labor at 24 weeks with this second pregnancy--but doctors have stopped it by stitching up her cervix (an emergency cerclage) and putting her on bedrest for the remainder of her pregnancy. I didn't expect my doctor to take time out of her busy schedule to explain everything to me. I really appreciated it.

Having a baby of my own has made me even more sensitive to topics regarding children. It seems like there's been all of this horrible stuff on TV lately that I wish I hadn't seen because I'd prefer to pretend anything negative associated with babies didn't exist. Anyone who watched Oprah on September 2 knows what I'm talking about. I'm not even going to repeat it to spare those who don't know. Then, last week I was flipping by America's Most Wanted which I never watch but for some reason decided to see what their opening story was. It was about a father who was shot by two guys, and when they saw he had a six month old baby in the car they shot him in the head! That's Logan's age! It made me so horribly upset--babies are the most innocent and loving and special and wonderful beings on this earth and to know that there is just ONE out there not being treated like a gem just kills me. Every day there's something on the news about shaken baby syndrome or a baby with burns and bites on them--or even just yesterday I heard of a 4-year-old whose mother is going to jail because the 4-year-old demonstrated to police how her parents taught her to use a bong to smoke pot! What is wrong with people?! Ugh, I can't stand it. I get so sick over these stories that the only thing that gets me functioning normally again after hearing them is to to know that those babies are going to be held by God in heaven and the people who treat them like trash on earth are going to pay the price someday. I wish I could save all of the babies out there and give them the love and security that Logan has. Nothing makes me happier than seeing Logan smile.

Joe was able to have "male bonding" with Logan on September 27th--that Saturday I went scrapbooking with Heather, Sarah, and Lisa which was a lot of fun, especially since it was Lisa's first time. I also went to Jenn's for scrapbooking on Wednesday (October 1)--it had been since March! (The day before I had a hair appt.) So hopefully I can join Jenn every other week now. It was great to have an afternoon with other moms while our kids all played. Even though Logan was the youngest, he was the biggest, lol.

Speaking of which, the girl I told you about here who is a mutual friend of the bride whose wedding Joe & I were going to go to last weekend (but didn't because they wouldn't let us bring Logan) has a baby that is 6.5 months old and weighs ELEVEN pounds. Am I the only one or does that not seem right? This baby was nearly seven pounds at birth so I am really confused as to how she could only gain a little over four pounds in 6.5 months. I know that her parents aren't starving her or anything, and am sure they're taking her to the pediatrician regularly to make sure she's healthy. . .but I don't think my pediatrician would allow Logan to be eleven pounds! What I mean is, the mother is breastfeeding. When Logan lost an entire pound during his first three days of life, my pediatrician was like, "If Logan doesn't reach his birthweight by his two week check-up you're going to need to supplement with formula."

Now here's the thing--since breastfeeding to motherhood has become my morning sickness to pregnancy, I've learned a lot about it. And, that means I understand this can be a controversial subject, so I respect those with different opinions than mine. There are a lot of women out there who believe you should breastfeed your baby at all costs. For example, a friend of Joe's sister out in San Francisco has a baby that lost more than a pound after it was born and had not even gained an ounce a month later. Her doctor was telling her she needed to supplement--but the woman refused because she only wanted to exclusively breastfeed. She wouldn't even pump because she was worried bottle-feeding would give the baby nipple confusion. Now after my experience with Logan I am going to be more patient with my next baby in case they have a similar situation I'd prefer not to go through this same rollercoaster. BUT, I have to agree with my pediatrician--while breastmilk is best, formula-feeding is better than a non-growing baby who is breastfeeding!!! If Logan had been 5 lbs at a month old I wouldn't have trusted that he was healthy, so it confuses me that since the whole point of breastfeeding is to make sure your baby is in top health, how can some people be okay with their babies being so tiny?

I didn't ask the girl I know, so it could be that they tried formula and that didn't work, but I'm curious as to how much she pumps (because she works outside the home and made a comment that she pumps)--here I am with a twenty pound baby taking fenugreek! If I didn't, then Logan would probably be eleven pounds, too (and also a lot fussier). It makes sense that not all babies have the same appetite (I have no doubt that part of what's made nursing hard for me is that Logan is hungrier than babies who are NOT in the 90th percentile) but it seems like a small appetite at this age is a sign of something wrong.

So I just don't sit well when I hear stories like one that was on the news a few months ago about a baby that was in the hospital and needed to be on IV fluids but the mom kept unplugging the baby because she wanted to breastfeed him/her and so the hospital was taking her to court because if she kept doing that the baby was going to die! I can understand being passionate about breastfeeding, but there comes a point when if a baby is not growing, how can a mother continue?

Well anyway, Logan did really well at Jenn's even though it was during his normal naptime, but we had to leave after a couple of hours because Logan won't sleep in public anymore--he'll stay awake all day if there's "action" going on.

That evening Jenn, her husband Dave, and their three kids Hayden, Tanner, and Maren (who is one year older than Logan) came over for a game night. . .but we got to talking instead and eating puppy chow and I made lemon bars. Hayden, who is 6, and Tanner, who is 3, played our WII while we acquainted Maren & Logan :-)

On Thursday, October 2nd, Lisa & her one-year-and-nine-month old daughter Lexi came over for sandwiches. It was a great lunch with Lisa, and Lexi is a doll. Her little brother or sister will be here in a month!

That afternoon I took Logan for a walk in his stroller and saw our CBS affiliate interviewing a little boy outside his house, which is a few down from us. So I watched the news that night and was shocked to see the close-call that family had (their baby almost drowned in their pool). You can watch the exact interview I saw here.

For the past couple of weeks I've tried to take Logan on walks frequently since according to our meterologists, we had our last nice day this past weekend. Prior to then it was too hot, and now if winter is coming that means we're skipping fall. I hope not, this is my favorite season! The leaves are just starting to change color!

Joe and I took Logan to the park for the first time on Friday, October 3rd. Logan acted like he knew he was doing a "big boy" activity, it was so cute. We picked up a pizza and enjoyed a picnic before going down the slide with him, playing in the sand, and putting him on the rocking horse and other equipment.

That was the weekend we originally were going to go back to Iowa for the wedding. It turned out for the best that we didn't go because Joe ended up having to work on Saturday at 5:30 AM to give a presentation in front of important people (that's about as far as I get understanding his job, lol). This afternoon I received an e-mail from the girl who first told me children weren't allowed at the wedding, asking where I was. :(

Instead, on Saturday, October 4th, I put out our Halloween decorations and we took Logan to pick out a pumpkin :-) We ended up with three: one for Joe, one for me, and a tiny one for the litte guy!

On Sunday, October 5th we went to Nebraska Furniture Mart and finally bought a kitchen table!

For last week, I met Brooke (who I used to work with at the radio station and hadn't seen in over two years) for lunch at Perkins! In my post, Returning To Normal (Is That A Good Thing?) I mentioned that she is pregnant and due in April, so we had a great time talking about pregnancy and motherhood. From there I went back to the station with her to see their new studios and my other former co-workers. They were all shocked that I had a baby almost six months old. Somedays I can't believe it, either!

Not much else to report last week except that we decided it was time for Logan to stop sleeping in his carseat. As I mentioned earlier, that's always where he's fallen asleep--naps and for the night (until I put him in his crib once he's already sleeping). It's made life easier for all of us, because we've never had to go to any work at getting him to fall asleep (and if we want to sleep with no interruptions during the night, guaranteed, then all we have to do is leave him in there) but in the long run I know that will make bedtime harder. Experts recommend putting babies in their crib when they're drowsy so that they learn how to go to sleep on their own.

So, last Thursday I put the carseat out of sight and it was the first time that Logan took all of his naps and slept from beginning to end in the crib. It went better than I thought, but we haven't gotten to the point where we can just put him in there and say goodnight. What I mean is, I have to nurse him and play a music box until he starts to drift off in my arms--then I place him in his crib but he always starts crying, so I repeat this a couple more times before he cries for just a few seconds, then rolls to his side and abruptly stops--sound asleep.

For these past four days it's taken 20 minutes to get him to sleep (when it used to take 1-2 minutes putting him in his carseat). Hopefully he'll realize he doesn't HAVE to flip over every time he's laying down (he still has a tendency to sleep with his face DOWN), and maybe his body is used to the new food so it won't treat him like he's had a bunch of caffeine--and then he'll stay asleep!

He still doesn't take the naps that he used to before five months old. . .but I think that has more to do with his age now. He's down to one, two-hour nap now from 10 to noon. Then, he might take a half-an-hour nap during the 4:00 hour but otherwise is awake the rest of the day until 10 PM to 6, 7, or 8 AM.

My hope is that once he gets used to knowing he's always falling asleep in his crib (which seems to already be happening) then I won't have to always nurse him to get him there. But, I haven't worked my butt off at breastfeeding to now suddenly take it away from him!

Since he prefers nursing to go to sleep, Joe's had a harder time getting him to sleep in his crib than I have. For instance, I was going to go scrapbooking with the girls on Friday (October 10th--my mom's birthday!) but Joe had a busy week at work and thought he might have to work late on Friday. Needless to say, he was exhausted, and since all of the new transitions last week with Logan were changing our schedule around so that it was extra work for ALL THREE OF US that night, I decided to pass.

On Saturday, though, we had Matt & Stacy over for Logan's third playdate with Jaxson! We ordered pizza and were, once again, amazed at how alike Logan & Jaxson are. Babies must be pretty simple creatures because these two do the same "unique" things, make the same sounds, etc. Towards the end they were taking turns crying which was funny. They were both tired and so one would get fussy which would cause the other to smile, then they would stop and switch! I don't think they ever cried at the same time. Logan was the most interested in Jaxson that he's ever been--he seemed fascinated at times!

They definitely like each other, so hopefully they always will! (By the way, until now they've always been the same size but Jaxson is now taller & weighs more than Logan.)

For this week, my mom is coming over tomorrow (Tuesday, October 14) to Thursday (October 16) for the last time before the weather gets bad. I'm hoping to get some shopping in--mainly clothes for Logan & me since last year I wore maternity clothes so I have no fall/winter stuff to wear, and until now Joe & I haven't had to buy any for Logan because we'd received enough as gifts (but most were summer outfits).

Hopefully I won't become a hermit this winter, since the thought of bundling Logan up and going outside seems hard. I can see myself taking the easy way out and just not ever leaving the house. So, I'm trying to take him around with me as much as possible now (because even though I've never had a bad experience taking Logan out in public, I tend to wait to do any shopping until Joe gets home from work so that he can watch him). But, I want to feel comfortable this winter--especially with Christmas shopping--so I'm going to practice the rest of this month. :p

The last time I took him out (last week), he had his first blowout diaper in a long time (fortunately there were barely any during month five) so I had to change him on the floor of a restroom (because there was no changing table)--but rather than scream & cry, Logan just laughed at me!

Fortunately, I think he's about at the age where I can start going grocery shopping with him--until now I haven't been able to because I have to keep him in the carseat which takes up the whole cart. But now that he can sit up on his own I might give the little seat in front a try. . .wish me luck!

Wow, I have finally covered the past month. Hopefully I'll get a chance to write more frequently in the future so that I can make sure not to forget the little things that Logan does these days--like, I don't think I've ever mentioned that for the past couple of months when he yawns he always makes a loud sigh which is entertaining. And, when we feed him a bottle he always strokes our arms. Also, for the past month or two he has clearly known his name. This is stuff I might someday forget, so I want to jot it down now!