3 Naps a Day ... Keeps grumpy baby away!

Who knew a nap would be so critical to a baby's schedule?   When William was first born, he would nap all the time at his leisure.  I remember staring at his closed eyes, trying to will them open.  I wanted him awake more so I could see his big blue eyes and marvel at how beautiful my little son was.

Now, fast forward 2 months (today! Happy 2 month birthday!)....  My daily prayer is that he takes three good naps a day because I know that a good nap means a happy baby.

It is obvious when he has napped well, because he wakes up like this:

No joke, this is how he woke up from his nap the other day;  talking, cooing and sporting a smile as wide as the Pacific Ocean. 

It didn't take us too long to get into a routine.  I knew from the offset that I wanted an "eat, awake, sleep" routine similar to the babywise method; however, I wasn't sure that I wanted to follow that regimented of a schedule.  But as I spent a couple days closely watching his "natural schedule" and writing down when he slept, was awake, was hungry etc, I realized that he naturally fell into a very typical babywise schedule.  I would be lying if I called our adaptation a schedule--we adjust the times a little every day to fit him--but it is a definite routine.  He eats every three hours, plays after his feedings for about an hour or hour and a half and then goes down for a nap.  I watch for "sleepy cues"--yawning, fussing and staring off into space--to help determine the right time to put him down and, as a result, rarely have a cry session when I put him in his bassinet.  Next up: Figure out how to keep the pacifier in his mouth during the entirety of the nap so I don't have to replace it every 30 minutes...

And because I was always googling "sample infant routines" before arriving at ours, I will share ours. 

William's Routine

7:00 - 7:30:  William wakes up (VERY happy, in fact the happiest of the day)

7:30:  Eat

Around 8:15 - 8:30:  William is EXHAUSTED (apparently, being awake for an hour and a half is tiring!)

so @ 8:30 - 10:15: Nap

10:30: William eats again and then has play time (walk around the neighborhood, run errands)

12:00 - 1:30: Nap

1:30: Eat then play (tummy time, singing and play mat)

2:45ish - 4:15: Nap

4:30: Eat then play, then play with dad when he gets home

6:00 - 6:45: short cat nap 

7:30: Eat then bath, massage, singing and getting ready for bed

8:00: Bed (if he makes it that long)

He wakes up around 2am and 5am for dream feeds and then falls right back to sleep.  Not too shabby if I say so myself!

William may think that eating is the most important part of his routine, Mama would argue that naps are most important. 

Enamored

It took him a while to figure out there were things to look at on his swing, but now that he has...he is mesmerized.   At least for a couple minutes, then he's bored and on to the next thing :)

Diarrhea Diaries

I know it's been a good day when I actually find time to take ONE shower.

I know it's been a bad day when, due to poo, I MUST take more than one shower.

I know it's been a really bad day when I SHOULD take more than one shower, but don't have time, and much later in the day, find poo on my shirt.

.....Not sure how long I have been wearing the orange slime..but am quite sure that I have officially joined the ranks of mommyhood.

Hiking with Baby

How many people does it take to put on an Ergo Baby Carrier?  Apparently....5.

We broke the Ergo carrier out for our first hike with William and did not realize it would be such a project.  I had googled a YouTube tutorial on how to put it on and still was at a loss when put to the test.  

After almost losing my babe out the bottom of the carrier and suffocating him against my chest, we finally figured it out.  It took five people, including an engineer by trade, to put it on correctly.   But once on, it was quite a pleasant afternoon.  And I NEVER thought I would do this, but I nursed Liam and hiked at the same time.  For those of you who think that is gross--I understand.  Like I said: I NEVER thought I would be the mom that does that sort of thing.  But a kid's got to eat!  And the sun shade cover helped make the process very discreet.

William hiked the first two miles with mama and the final two with dad.  

Don't you love the manly pattern?  

Here is the hiking clan.  

You can't see William or me (I am under the sun hood checking on him)...

It doesn't get better than this!

Everyday, I say "it doesn't get better than this!" and then it does.  Here are my "it doesn't get better than this" moments from the last couple days:

hanging out after breakfast

isn't he so serene?

happy (and full) boy

my favorite place at 6pm (when daddy gets home)

how big is liam?  SOOOOO BIG!

this game is fun!

smiling at his mimi

sometimes i hate getting my diaper changed, not today!

so chill after his evening bath

Big Boy

While at the pediatrician's office, Liam was weighed.

Here are his stats at 7 weeks:
13 pounds (even)
90th percentile for weight.

We've got a big boy on our hands and we LOVE EVERY OUNCE of him.

Liam at 7 weeks

Moooo-ving away from dairy.

William is a pretty happy baby...but not when he is going #2.  He gets pretty mad at the world, and makes faces like this:

And, while I will spare you the dirty details, we took him to the pediatrician to see what we could do to make it a more enjoyable process for him.

We were told that our sweet William is allergic to the cows milk that I consume and that I need to stop eating and drinking the culprit.  This was the equivalent of someone telling me that my life would soon be over.  Okay, I admit, that was a bit dramatic but anyone who knows me knows how I like my food.  So trust me, cutting dairy out of my diet is going to be PAINFUL.

Here are the top 10 reasons why:
10. Ice Cream
9.  Bagels and Cream Cheese
8.  Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
7.  Beach Hut Sandwiches
6.  String Cheese
5.  My daily cereal
4.  Pizza
3.  Butter on my bread
2.  McDonald's Cheeseburgers

and the #1 reason is going to take a major sacrifice:
1. My daily iced cappuccino, EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA foam :(

After making that list, I actually have no clue what I am going to eat today.  Any dairy free ideas?