Aidric has two things to say...

So, the good news first....Aidric had his four month check up and immunizations on Friday. Here are the stats:

Height: 24 inches
Weight: 15 lb. 4 oz
Head Circ.: 41 cm

And percentiles:
Height: 25%
Weight: 50%
Head Circ.: 25%

He loves to talk these days and once he gets started, he just goes and goes. (I wonder where he gets that?) So, as Dr. Mani was trying to listen to his heart, he was smiling at her and talking up a storm. She tried to ignore him so he would stop (and so that she could hear his heart), but the more she ignored him the louder he talked. It was pretty cute to watch his first adventures in trying to get a lady's attention.

And the "other" news- it's been a rough and interesting four days, as we have been working on helping Aidric fall asleep on his own. We put him down awake for every nap and night so that he becomes more familiar with his crib instead of just waking up there. Previously, he would almost always fall asleep while I held him, but he was starting to wake up a lot more often when I tried to transfer him. As much as I love him, I can't hold him every time he sleeps!

So, we started on Saturday night when we moved him to his crib. He did GREAT the first night, then had a rough second day. But, on day three we already started to see the improvement. He took great naps yesterday and slept last night from 9pm to 7:15 this morning without waking once! (or, if he did wake, he put himself back to sleep without crying)

I think especially as new parents, it is really hard to figure out what the best, most caring and helpful thing to do for him is when it comes to sleep. It was really hard to listen to him cry on that first day, but I prayed about it a lot and asked God to help me know if I was doing the right thing. I didn't ask for a non-crying day, as much as I would have loved that! I just asked for guidance, and I believe He gave it to me and let me know we should keep going. And so far, I am really glad we did- Aidric has always been a happy baby, but now he is staying awake longer and he seems to have more energy for all of the new things he is doing! (check in the next post- I'll try to get some pictures of his "sitting"....it's really more of a lean, but he's working on it!)

He just keeps growing...

I know that's what he is supposed to be doing, but it makes me happy and sad at the same time. Everytime he does something new, I get so excited for him. I was laying on the floor cheering him on when he rolled over for the first time, and when he slept through the night I decided I had never loved him more =) But, it's sad too. My little 5 lb. preemie is a big 4 month old boy now!! He has his 4 month check up and immunizations tomorrow. And on Saturday, he's getting kicked out of mom and dad's room to sleep in his crib.

He is such a loud sleeper that he often keeps us up at night with his grunting and talking, not to mention the slurping on his hand! He is also getting to the point where he will wake up if one of us gets up during the night. I think he'll probably do better with the transfer than I will. It just makes me so sad that I will not be able to look over next to the bed and see him with his legs straight up in the air, rocking back and forth in an attempt to roll over. What if I miss the first roll because he was all alone in his room?

I could go on, but In honor of the move, here is a picture of him in his co-sleeper next to our bed during a nap yesterday....Wish us luck on those shots.....and the move. Can't he stay small just a little bit longer???

The cutest little bare bottom in the world

Aidric had his first naked photo shoot today. How cute is that little butt? =)

Some of you may remember the baby burrito- we have been swaddling Aidric every night since he came home from the hospital (and the nurses swaddled him there). But the last few nights, he has been fighting out of it and we knew it was time to stop. So, on Monday night we put him in the sleep sack instead, and I was terrified it was going to be a horrible night. I even told Chris he might want to sleep in the guest room b/c Aidric could potentially be awake every hour. Hmmm, it turns out he was fighting out of the swaddle for a reason- the last two nights he has slept 9 hours straight without the swaddle!

Maybe next he'll decide he doesn't need the pacifier? Right- wishful thinking!

As for the sleep training- it's on hold until I finish reading this book. I can't complain too much about a baby who sleeps through the night- I am really just looking for help with his naps. He rarely goes more than an hour. He likes to be awake and be a part of the action!

Sleep Training: A Baby's Point of View

The last few days, I've been reading different books and theories about trying to get the little guy on somewhat of a schedule. He sleeps GREAT at night, but fights sleep during the day. He's usually pretty happy, so I'm struggling with whether he even needs a change right now. But, I read all about getting into bad habits and how this is the time to get healthy habits started. So, we're trying. Trying today meant letting him cry for 15 minutes instead of the hour the book suggested. I couldn't do it. I was listening to the monitor and it was so hard to hear him cry like that. I decided to buy one more book, wait another week and try again =) Yes, I'm a wimp.

In the meantime, I found this "article" on sleep training written from a baby's point of view and thought I'd share. If you're not familiar with popular sleep training methods, they are mainly about teaching a baby to go to sleep on his/her own and as a parent recognizing that the baby is crying b/c he/she WANTS you, not b/c he/she NEEDS you.

Sleep Training: A Baby's Point of View
OK, here's my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 7 months. The first few months were great–I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, day or night. Then something happened. Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep thru the night). At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse. I've talked to other babies, 
and it seems like it's pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 6 months. Here's the thing: these Mommies don't really need to sleep. It's just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep–they just don't need it anymore. So I am 
implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle. 


It goes like this: 

Night 1–cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, 
it's hard. It's hard to see your Mommy upset over your 
crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it's for her own 
good. 


Night 2–cry every 2 hours until you get fed.


Night 3–every hour. 


Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don't give in. I cannot stress this 
enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I KNOW IT'S HARD! But she really does not need the sleep, she is just resisting the change. If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry 
again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it. 

Last night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it. BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with. My sleep sack tickled my foot. I felt a wrinkle under the sheet. My mobile made a shadow on the wall.
I burped, and it tasted like pears. I hadn't eaten pears since lunch, what's up with that? The cat said "meow". I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. LOL. Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room. Too hot, too cold, just right–doesn't matter! Keep crying!! It took awhile, but it worked.
She fed me at 4am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies' internal clocks.

P.S. Don't let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, no milk will come out. Trust me.

Aidric loves Indiana =)

We returned to Texas yesterday after a week long visit in Indiana. On the first night of our trip, we stayed with Brent, Gretchen and Ryder in Evanston, IL. Aidric had his first babsitter (Brent) while Gretchen and I went to get a mani/pedi. I would like to say that he cared that I was gone, but the truth is he didn't =)

The next day we drove to DeMotte to spend the rest of the week with my family. John flew home from California too, so we had a full house. Ella even stayed the night with us one night. It was so much fun to be all together, but even a week wasn't long enough.

Aidric loves his grandma, grandpa and uncles- Uncle Scott made him laugh and smile every time he held him or talked to him. (Chris thinks Scott's voice must have reminded Aidric's of his!) Ella wasn't a big fan, but after a few days she warmed up and gave Aidric lots of kisses.

On Saturday, my mom and I drove to Indianapolis for a wedding shower of a college friend, Andrea. It is crazy how many babies there are between all of us! The two in the fifth picture are Eleanor, Jen's baby and Evan, Chrissy's baby.

At the Hanewich family reunion, AJ was introduced to his second cousins who were also both born in May. (Trey on May 9th, Brayden on May 25). Although he was the preemie, he is the chubbiest of the three! (6th pic)

We had a cook out on Monday and spent the day hanging out with many family members. Everyone who saw him commented that he reminds them of John when he was a baby. My mom got out some baby pictures of John- wow- there is definitely a comparison. (the last pic on the blog is John)

Chris was very happy to have us home as of yesterday. After a week apart, he noticed many new mannerisms in Aidric. He was "talking" with us before, but now he has many more sounds and stays engaged for much longer. He is such a happy baby and we are so lucky to have him!!

(and last night he slept for 9 hours which made me even more grateful for him =)