Five Months!!!!

Ok I'm not exactly sure how this is all going to go. Michael has been begging begging begging me to start using a tumblr account. He has had a blog through tumblr for awhile and harrasses me about how much more user friendly it is. When I started this blog, I used blogger because that was the first one that came to mind. And I really didn't care either way. I don't know that I would have attempted a switch but I have so many pictures to load from Jude's 5 month day. The cool thing about tumblr is it makes it into a slide show which is less cluttered feeling. So I'm trying it out. The only bummer is that I can't include pics and vids in the same post. I am undecided, but thought I would give it a go and at least Michael will quit harrassing me. I would really appreciate comments and feedback from those of you who follow. Which do you prefer- tumblr or blogger?

New Hey Jude Dylan

Putting in to Perspective

I put Jude in this same outfit today and remembered how he wore it November 19th, the day he turned 1 month. I decided to do a look back to remember how much he's grown.

Look how long the pants are, and how baggy!

Actually what really stood out to me is how short Jude's hair was. I mean, yea, he had a lot of hair even then, but now it's so long! I feel like any day now I'm going to have to either take my 4 month old to get his hair cut or put it in a ponytail. What the heck!

My baby is growing growing growing.

Four Months Old

Jude Dylan is 4 months old today! I really cannot believe I've been a month for 1/3 of a year. Biggest changes this month are just in his strength and coordination. He's getting close to rolling over I think, like I posted yesterday. He wants to do it so bad. I am linking a video where you can see his attempts. He was pretty tired though, so he wasn't super active. You can see him thinking about how he is going to get his toy, which is pretty interesting.

He also seems to be teething. He wants to attack anything he can get his mouth on these days. He threw a fit last night because his teething ring wasn't cold anymore. Pretty suspicious behavior. Tonight, in the tub, he was trying to eat my hand. I was letting him for a little bit, until I realize it hurt! He wasn't just lightly chewing my hand, he was chomping down. At one point, I actually made a yelp sound. The poor thing looked at me with the saddest face like "oh no, I didn't mean to."

Sleep wise, Jude is getting much better. He only wakes up one time at night, which he's been doing for awhile. He is still pushing the time back though. I think we are almost officially in the wake at 5:00 range, although he still has his wake at 3:30 moments on occasion. A typical nights sleep includes eating at 8 and going straight to sleep. He wakes up at 5:00 and eats, then usually plays until he puts himself back to sleep. He finally wakes between 7:30 and 8:00 for the day.

He has his nighttime routine down to a science at this point. He takes his bath at 7:30. He eats at 8:00. He's in bed by 8:30. We started working with him on a nighttime routine when he was 4 weeks old I think. The original goal was just to help him know the difference between night and day. That routine was the best thing we ever did for him. It's amazing because he knows it's time for bed once we start the bath. He plays and enjoys himself in the tub, but he knows once those jammies come on, it's time to eat and go to bed. We never have any trouble with it at all.

Jude is still doing great with breastfeeding, and it really makes me happy to know we've been successful with it for 4 months so far. He eats about 6-7 times a day usually. I think he would only eat 5-6 times a day if I was at home. He seems to like to eat once I get home for comfort reasons. He eats about 5 ounces per feeding I believe, although he spits up lots of it. It doesn't seem to affect him much because he's a strong little guy.

He's extremely happy and easy still. He is laughing from the moment we peek over the side of his bed to get him up in the morning. It's pretty weird having a baby that wakes up this happy. I don't wake up that happy even now.

Jude has his 4 month appointment on Monday afternoon. I really look forward to these just to see how much he's grown. There are supposed to be some shots he gets again at this visit, but we are still going to delay vaccinating until he's at least 3 years old. The more I get to know his personality and realize just what a special baby he is, the more I cannot imagine risking the destruction of that with vaccines.

Jude is such a delight and a blessing. I have so much fun with him! Here are a couple videos of Jude on his 4month birthday:

Playing on the floor- PS I sound like a total idiot with my baby talk voice

Playing in the bouncer

Want to remember Jude through the months? Here's some month by month links to Jude.

* Birth

* One month- this post amuses me because I was so excited for Jude to sleep 4-5 hours at night. Makes his 6-8 hour stretch amazing.

* Two months

* Three months

Sweet 16

Jude Dylan turned 16 weeks on Feb 8th. What a sweet 16 weeks they have been! I cannot believe he's changed so much in such a short amount of time!

Superbowl Sunday we went to our friends apartment. They just had a little boy on Jan 26th. He was 7 lbs some ounces when he was born- very close to Jude's size. I couldn't believe how little Chase was! The crazy thing is that Jude was just that big 14 weeks ago! It is truly mind blowing that one little person can change so much so rapidly.

This might be TMI, but speaking of change, Michael and I were talking about how about this time last year Jude was conceived. We found out we were pregnant on Valentines Day. Talk about love! Anyway, it's amazing that this squirmy, smily, giggly baby was smaller than a poppyseed a year ago. How amazing is God and the entire conception-pregnancy-birth-growth process! I can't imagine having to create such intricate processes.

Jude's personality seems to change with each passing week. He is still the goofiest baby I've ever been around. He just cracks up constantly. Our favorites are when he spits up all over us or farts and laughs about it. He's going to be one gross little boy!

He's really starting to show preferences with people. Now that he really recognizes Michael and I, he definitely prefers us to anyone else. At the Superbowl party, some of our friends were holding him and he kind of freaked. He's only seen them once or twice, and both times were awhile ago. Obviously, he doesn't remember. When he realized he didn't know them and couldn't see us clearly, he got so upset. There's no more 'sure hold my kid'. He's getting picky. I was really shy as a kid though. I'm hoping he's just picky, not shy.

I've really been impressed by how much his fine motor skills have developed recently. He uses the NUK brand pacifiers which have this thin ring on them. He's gotten to where he will grab the paci with his pointer finger and thumb to hold on to it. I can't believe he can grab on to something so small. Sometimes, he even manages to get it in his mouth. He usually just gets his cheek though.

Now here's a question for the audience. One of his ears has this mildew like smell. Is this an ear infection? He doesn't seem bothered by it so I'm not sure. I called the doctor this evening, but they had already left. Hopefully I will catch them tomorrow.

Three Months

Jude Dylan is 3 months old as of yesterday. Can Not Believe It. I absolutely adore the last 3 months. He's gotten soooo much fun. He started getting to be easier and less demanding around 6 weeks, but by now he is just completely entertaining. He's one of the happiest kids I've ever seen, much less for being so young. He just loves to play and interact with people. He really is just the funnest baby ever. (Yes, I know I sound braggy- but he's just so stinking happy!)

At 3 months Jude :

* eats 7 times a day

* follows a 3 hour routine of eat/play/nap

* loves his bouncer and play mat

* loves kicking, kicking, kicking at things

* is able to reach for and successfully grab things he's interested in

* Typically is sleeping for 6+ hours at night (except for this week because his schedule has been shot to crap)

* smiles and laughs all the time. Everything makes him happy.

Click the link to watch a video of Jude playing.

Jude Plays- 3 months

These pics are actually from the 18th when I was off an able to hang out with him.

10 weeks old!

Jude Dylan is 10 weeks old today! I love babycenter.com because they email me weekly updates on typical babies Jude's age. This is the same website I used to get week by week pregnancy updates.

Based off what they say, Jude is right on track for the most part. He is really responding to voices and sounds. This is a catch 22 because he used to sleep through anything. Now, that he is more alert, he is more likely to wake up out of curiosity.

He is full of coos and smiles which has made him most fun. He recognizes me and even Michael now, which makes us feel pretty cool. It's starting to feel like we have a relationship with Jude, as opposed to being his caretakers.

Jude's schedule is so much easier now. Plus, now that I understand his cries and how he cycles through eating, playing, sleeping, repeat, I am better able to figure out why he is crying. Now that I know what he needs, his crying is minimal. He's really an easy baby, and we are pretty lucky. We will probably pay for it the next go at pregnancy.

Jude is eating about every 3 hours and we are still breastfeeding. Yay! Thankfully, with the help of my breastpump, we will be able to keep it up exclusively for a while longer. I'm hoping to not have to use formula at least for the first 6 months. He eats about 7 times a day. Babycenter.com said we are one of the "lucky ones" because Jude sleeps for long periods at night. His long period keeps getting longer and longer. At 8 weeks, he went from 8 to 3. Now, he's stretching it form 8 to 4. He typically doesn't fully wake up until 8:30 or 9, which is awesome. He's really a good sleeper, and from what I've read, he should remain a good sleeper through childhood. Thank you God!

One thing they mentioned which I haven't noticed is being able to roll from the back to the side. I'm not sure if Jude can do that yet or not. I haven't paid much attention to it. What I do know is that when I lay him in his bed for naps or at night, he makes a 90 degree turn during his sleep. Even when I lay him on his stomach for naps, he does this, so I assume he can at least do some moving like they are referring to.

Jude and I are going to enjoy week 10 together setting up his new room and not having to go to a babysitter. I go back to work on the 5th, and I will really miss all these moments!

2 month visit

Jude had his 2 month doctor visit yesterday. The doctor said he was doing great! She said he's really strong as far as being able to support himself on his tummy, standing on his legs, and of course holding his head up. He's such a wiggle worm, so I wasn't really surprised by that.

We talked about his clogged tear duct, which apparently can remain clogged for up to a year. Looks like I may potentially be cleaning eye boogers for a long time!

She thinks his continuously stuffy nose may actually have been less of a cold and more like allergies. I blame Michael's genes for this. His allergies are horrendous.

Jude is a completely average baby. He was in the 50% for height, weight, and head circumfrence. He is 23 inches and 11 pounds, 13 ounces.

After our preliminary research, we decided to pass on the shots for now. I don't think we are going to be completely hardcore and never vaccinate. For now, we are planning on waiting until Jude is 2-3 years old.

We enjoyed hearing everyone's opinions and perspectives. However, we decided to wait because the only people who could support their claims with evidence and research were those who said "wait". So we are waiting, at least until we have time to do more thorough research. I am planning on starting with talking to the Denton County Health Dept on the prevalence of the vaccinated diseases and deaths. If a particular disease (and causing deaths or serious side effects) is actually common in our area, it would make sense to vaccinate. If not, there really is no need.

Regardless, we are waiting. When we do decide to vaccinate, we will only get one shot at a time and wait a couple weeks to give the next one. We possibly will be driving to Dallas to do this because so far I only know of a pediatrician down there who is willing to seperate out vaccines. IE one vaccine for measles, then a couple weeks the vaccine for mumps, then another couple weeks for rubella, etc. This seems to be the most responsible choice. The reality is none of the drug companies ever test to see how this process affects infants, so why risk it?

I know other people have different opinions, and that is fine. We have chosen to wait. I am going to continue researching Denton County and vaccines in general. Eventually, I will post my findings for your information to use as you like.

I do think every parent should truly research this topic BEFORE vaccinating their child. Just asking your doctor his or her opinion does not really constitute getting the full story....

Two Months Old

Jude Dylan is 2 months old! Can't believe it! He has changed so much!

Here he is as a newborn:

One month:

Two months:

He has so many new skills. He is smiling more and more with his little baby coos and laughs. He really likes interacting with people now. He's starting to spend a lot more time turning to look at sounds he hears, especially when people talk. He still likes to stare intently and study random things on the wall. He's done this since day one honestly.

He's starting to get interested in his toys and playing more. He's really using his hands and feet all the time. He's really getting difficult to hold on to because he is just never ever still. My side of the family is thrilled because he moves his left arm a little bit more than the right. Since my brother pitched in high school and is now pitching for the Naval Academy, they are hoping Jude will carry on the pitching tradition. Everyone knows a left handed pitcher is much better than a rightie. He is in love with his tongue. He sticks it in and out over and over and over. He looks like a little frog.

He's outgrown his bassinet and has moved in to a big bed. Interestingly enough, this move has made clear just how much of a mover he is. The first night, we placed him with his head down at one end. By his 3:30 feeding, he had made a 90 degree turn in the bed. I've decided there will be no stuffed animals in his bed. Talk about a sids risk. He's all over the place.

The most amazing new skills however include moving closer to sleeping through the night. He's doing really awesome for being a breastfed baby. Right now he eats at 8:00 and is in bed by about 8:45. He sleeps until 3:30. After that, he pretty much eats every 3 hours, with the exception of his cluster feed when I get home from work. I'm hoping he'll get to sleeping through the night early in January.

We have his two month appointment on Wednesday. Still processing through how we will deal with the whole shot issue. My main thing is that the shots be thimersol free. He's supposed to get hep b (he got the 1st one in the hospital), DTP, some meningitis one, and rotavirus. As long as they are thimersol free, I will probably get 2. I don't know. I'll post my decision sometime after Wednesday....

7 weeks old!

Our little Jude Dylan is 7 weeks old today. We are getting dangerously close to 2 months which is unbelievable. I'm really looking forward to finding out how much he has grown thus far. He has a two month appointment coming up.

His growth will be the only interesting thing about that appointment, because most of it will consist of shots. This is obviously going to be hard to watch, but also, I just have concerns about shots. Too many stories about autism and elements involved that don't necessarily belong in a little body. I hate that I feel like a don't have a choice and am bound by the system to do this. Why can't we wait until he's older if anything. I don't know, I guess this is the hippie naturalist side of me, but I don't like the idea of manufactured, potent thing injected in to infants. Anyway, enough of that rant.

Jude is growing more and more each week. Based on our amateur measurements, he's about 22-23 inches long and 10-11 pounds. Obviously, these are guesstimates. He's really interacting with us a lot more. He loves being talked to and just laughs and smiles the whole time. It's so much fun!

He's really an easy, happy baby and for that we are thankful. As long as he is being talked to or has lots of interesting things to look at, he's perfectly content. He really isn't interested in baby toys though, at least not yet. He loves looking an linear patterns. By that I mean, he is fascinated by the blinds and this grid patterned headboard we have- things like that. He's very observant, which I have to confess is not something he gets from his mom. He's just a really calm, observant little guy. The awesome thing about that is I knew he would be this way from the womb. I never thought he would be a wildly active child, and so far, it seems I was right. Gotta love that!

Anyway, he's doing good and growing and changing all the time! I can't believe how much we have fallen in love with the little guy in so short a time. Loving your child is unlike anything I ever expected and it is truly a blessing!

More 1 month pics

These are just some more pics of Jude now that he is 1 month old!

Notice, he is very excited about Thanksgiving. I'm loving the bib! Thankfully, my friend Rachel got this for Jude. I tried Monday to go to Babies R Us to get him a Thanksgiving shirt or outfit or something. Can you believe they had already put up the Thanksgiving things? They were only selling Christmas clothes. THANKSGIVING HASN'T EVEN HAPPENED YET!!!!

Don't get me wrong, I am just as excited about Christmas. Seriously though, do we really have to pass up Thanksgiving?! I just wanted a dang Thanksgiving outfit for my baby. DUMB!

Happy One Month to Jude!!!

A month ago today, I was enjoying being drugged and induced and watching Jude's adorable face enter the world for the first time. I canNOT believe it has been a whole month already. I guess time flies when you get no sleep?

Jude has changed so much since he was first born. Honestly, it seems like he almost changes rapidly every day, especially at the beginning. When he was born, he was 19 inches. I measured him yesterday and he was 23. That's pretty much an inch a week! I'd love to know how much he weighs now. When he was first born, I could feed him without any pillows or any help because he was so light. Now, I have to use the boppy or my arms are dead and burping him is useless.

Jude is smiling now, and that is definitely the most exciting accomplishment thus far. That and the fact that he sleeps for 4-5 hour stretches at night now. Praise the Lord, we finally helped him get his days and nights in order! He's starting to realize he can move his arms and legs more, so I'm expecting he'll get more in to his toys pretty soon. Right now though, he is mostly entertained by looking at color contrasts, especially in his baby books. His favorite thing is being read to right now. His eyes get huge especially when we read 'Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?". He really likes the white backgrounds and bright colored animals I think. I hope that means he'll be a reader for life. Michael and I both enjoy reading, although me more than Michael. Plus, being a teacher, literacy is a big deal to me!

This month has been such an awesome life change. Michael and I are both pretty obsessed with this little boy. (Not that we are going to be obnoxious parents or anything, I promise.) He's changed our lives for the better, and it's been an awesome month no matter how exhausting. I can't believe it's flown by. It scares me to think how fast the rest is going to fly by. My goal right now is to hold him as much as possible because he just isn't going to stay this little and sweet for long. I already nearly cry just thinking about that!