You have officially been here so long that none of us can remember life without you. Maybe that happened awhile ago but I just tonight at dinner thought to ask the big kids and they were completely at a loss. I also realized that my past posts make it abundantly clear that I am completely crazy about you (which is ok, it is my blog after all) but maybe fall short of capturing just how much we all go crazy over you. For example, it is literally impossible for anyone in this house to walk by you without kissing you, for real. We all do it, especially Lily. Seeing you smile lights up this whole house and none of us can get enough. Also you have rolls for days and we are all suckers for those!
Dislikes: Milk from the freezer, being over tired, the first 3 minutes of being put down in the crib, being cold
Nicknames: Youkie has taken over. Other versions include, yooooouuuuukkkkk, youk-a-dook, youkie-dokie, Hughtiepie is still Ben's favorite.
Milestones: Intentional putting of things into ones own mouth, moving up to all size 9m clothes and sz 3 diapers, deliberate chatter, blowing raspberries, grabbing, backward scooting
Feeding: Milk, milk, milk, Hugh loves milk. EXCEPT from the freezer. This is obviously a wrench in my plan to actually use my freezer stash (which is no less than 250oz). I don't know if it is just a phase or if Hugh's refined pallet simply will not tolerate milk that is not fresh from the tap. We have tried several different bags/batches/freeze dates etc. and he fights the bottle like we are insulting him. Milk from the fridge, no problem. Being the dedicated scientist that I am, I am currently freezing a bag of milk that I pumped this morning to give to him tonight. I have backup milk in the fridge if he puts up a fight but I would like to get to the bottom of this whole thing. Stay tuned :)
Other than the freezer fight Hugh is really rocking being exclusively breast milk-fed, a gift I am eternally grateful for. He nurses happily every few hours during the day. I'll be the first to admit it can be super annoying some days, or certain times of day (like dinner time) when Hugh fusses non stop to nurse even though I know he is far from starving. I had a stomach bug on Monday into Tuesday and despite tossing cookies every few hours I continued to nurse Hugh as often as I could because I am irrationally afraid that my supply will plummet after just one day of skipping a few feedings. I'm sure things will change (again) in the next few weeks as we introduce solids so for now fingers crossed that our nursing bond stays strong. Hugh officially holds the record for 'latest start' with solid food. I would have started this week but Matt will be in CA for work for fours days and this solo mommy has enough to take care of without adding a new trick to the routine.Hugh's nighttime bottle is up to a solid 7oz but he never downs it like Lily or Ben did. He takes his time and makes sure to scream in Daddy's face for no apparent reason at least once.
Sleeping: Eh, some nights you win and some nights you fall asleep on the closet floor next to the crib because the idea of going all the way out to the bed only to return in 10 minutes just seems stupid. Two great naps per day: 10am-noon and 2pm-4. Love everything about that!
With this being our first winter in the house we are still working out the heating situation. As I have mentioned the wood stove keeps the main part of the house and the kids' rooms upstairs a lovely 68-70 degrees. It does not really heat our bedroom on the first floor and you can forget about using our bathroom. The master closet (from here on will be referred to as the "Baby's Suite" haha) does have a few baseboard units that keep the room warm but the thermostat is out in our room so it is an all day job to monitor the ever fluctuating temperature. Needless to say there are some nights when it gets too chilly in the baby's suite and he fusses. We ordered a small heater for his room...over a week ago...maybe the first time ever that Amazon Prime failed me!
The beauty of the five month sleep routine has somewhat escaped us. We stopped swaddling and honestly it went fine. Hugh plays and rolls around a lot more now in the crib but he doesn't seem to need the swaddle to settle down. I was hoping that he would be able to replace his own paci a little more proficiently but that will come soon enough. There is a lot of shuffling around and fussing for someone to comfort him. Holding out on CIO until I feel like he is depending on me coming to him in order to fall asleep. The beauty of third babies is perspective. Every single thing is a phase and will eventually pass. Also, I survived Ben...so there's that. (Love you Ben!)Odds and Ends: Hugh still has a blocked tear duct that shows no signs of getting better on its own. The pediatrician said we should give it a year, so that's what we will do. BUT when she first said that at one month I completely thought it would open and we wouldn't have to look into the 'next step', now I am not so sure.
Hugh is the drooliest baby in the universe. So much so that he has a rash under his neck roll (of which he has many). I feel so bad because it is obviously a little raw and I just can't keep it dry. I have tried bibs and burp cloths. I have tried leaving the top of his jammies open. Nothing really seems to be working. Cornstarch or Vaseline maybe?? Poor thing...it is just SO MUCH DROOL!!! Also it may have been said that Hugh is a little sour smelling but I completely disagree. Seriously, I think he has the best natural baby smell of any of my kiddos.
Matt and I have decided to run a road race every month of the year this year. February in Maine was a tough one to find. We decided on one for Valentines day a few hours away so we are staying in a hotel. I am having a really hard time leaving Hugh. So much so that I emailed the race organizer to make sure that Matt could push a jogger during the race (he said "of course!" haha), romantic eh?!? I'm not really sure why, other than to say that I am pretty sure Hugh is our last baby and I don't want to share. Let's be honest here for a minute though, I do not share my babies very well, never have. Lily didn't sleep away for an overnight until she was 16 months old. Ben was only 6 months but it was just one night, and then in didn't happen again until he was at least one. I don't want to go away for Valentine's Day and spend the whole time missing my baby. I'm still thinking it over. (*Big kids if you are reading this fear not...I will
Serious baby, yes Hugh I'm lookin' at you, you bring us all so much joy. I am so grateful every day to be your mommy. And for those of you still reading along...someday I will post more frequently again. And by that I mean, someday Hugh will actually be too big for me to hold three hours a night. For now trust me when I say that these are the absolute best days of my life.
Up next: Solid foods, a NY road trip, and cupid kisses.
Ha, good luck fighting the thumb sucking war :) I never really fought it, but Luke took a paci and then as soon as he could take it out of his mouth and replace it with his thumb, he did. Annie never took a paci and sucked her thumb starting at 12 weeks - especially since they go to daycare there was no chance of stopping that, and I really don't even know if it would have been possible other than taping their arms down or something.
ReplyDeleteI think thumb sucking is absolutely a godsend for kids under 2 or so (no having to replace pacis in the middle of the night! solves meltdowns instantly!) but after that gets annoying. Thankfully both of my kids have been okay with the understanding that it's just for bed (still working on it with Luke - for him right now it's "beds, cars, and snuggles") but then again I know they come from a long line of thumb suckers who didn't quit til elementary school and we are all fine, no long term dental issues at all.
Perspective with these angelic third babies is SUCH a nice thing to have, for sure.
ReplyDeleteHe is just the sweetest and I feel like he and Porter would be best buddies if they could meet, sharing so many qualities already. Gah, I love him.