More Than Two

We noticed last week that Karston can count to two. He would look at one person, then to another, and you could see the wheels turning: one adult, more than one adult! More than one is a good number, because that usually means someone will hold Karston even if someone else goes to the bathroom. Two is a common number of adults in our house, Daddy and Mommy, but after holiday gatherings with more than two, Karston counted to three today. Again, you could watch his head turn, with wheels spinning: one adult, two adults, more than two adults! That may be this week's definition of happiness: more than two adults, and so many chances for holding, for play! Since Karston's very social, he counts people. I just had no idea that someone so young could count.

Merry Christmas!

What's the best Christmas present from a new baby to his parents? Yes indeed, Karston let us sleep Christmas night! He only woke up once for nursing. He's only done that once before, 4 days after Thanksgiving, and then he was up for an hour in the middle of the night. That's not nearly as nice as this Christmas present! I woke up rested, smiling, and thinking how much I love this baby boy ...

Five Months

Saturday Karston turned five months old. Sunday he was twenty-two weeks old. And Monday, he ate food from a spoon! Before this evening, he thought food only came from nipples. Daddy decided to feed him formula from a spoon since Karston was hungry after going through all I had, and was pushing the bottle away. OK, you don't like a bottle; well, here's a spoon. And it worked this time, he swallowed! I quickly mixed in some rice cereal to increase the calories. This past month, ever since the pediatrician suggested that we try it, Karston wouldn't swallow anything from a spoon. He would give us a strange look like we were weird for putting a spoon in his mouth. On the positive side, he also wouldn't spit it out. But without swallowing, the rice cereal would dribble out soon enough. But the transition to real food is starting now! Speaking of eating, Karston's second tooth came in on Thanksgiving Day, exactly five days after the first tooth, both at the same age as his dear cousin Hayley, a Thanksgiving baby who turned 13 this year. Overall, he's been on a bottle strike, no matter what's in there, which is tiring for me.

Karston sits in his high chair now, not the bouncer. The bouncy chair used to be wonderful, because we didn't have to hold him every second. Now that he's so intent on sitting up, and spends so much energy curling his body forward into an upright position when you hold him semi-reclined, the high chair is better. He's at our level when we eat, and he's much happier there. He has remarkable trunk control this past month, sitting up, lifting his head up so far when we roll him on the bed, and even holding himself horizontal when held above your head. He's more coordinated now, as you can guess since he's batting away the bottle, so toys are more interesting. He can reach for things, and pull them to his mouth for gnawing. Then he forgets, and unattached things fall. He laughs more easily now, although it still takes a lot of effort to get the laughs to fall out. He still loves to stand up in his stationary activity center. He's getting even stronger, so he can stand on his tip toes and almost tumble out of the seat (which we can lower). His thumbs are now wider than his other fingers (as you would expect). Oh, and ever since Thanksgiving, he hasn't screamed about bathing (thank goodness).

Although Karston looks older and bigger now, the truth is, he hasn't quite gained a whole pound this month because he was a hair under 14 pounds on his birthday, on our new accurate scale. We all agree, though, that he looks more like a boy now. I'm not sure if it's because his face is getting square, or if it's just because his hair, as it gets lighter, catches the light just like a blond crew cut.

We're starting to get a daily routine, which is a huge relief because I now know when I can do things for myself without toting him around. Karston usually wakes up hungry every 3.5 hours at night. He generally sleeps the rest of the time between 9:30 PM (his choice! I'm not making him stay up that late!) and 7:30 AM. We had three nights in a row right after Thanksgiving where he went four hours between hunger cries, and he insisted on staying up late those nights, so we only got out of bed once to nurse. I could get used to that! On a good day, he takes two naps about 2 hours long, one after breakfast and the other after lunch. If his first nap is less than 2 hours, I have to switch him to a three nap schedule, which is trickier all around.

It's Raining Percentiles

This morning I woke up, listened to the patter of raindrops, and thought, How weird for Karston, it's raining. Then I remembered that we've been in a severe drought since he was born, so he really has very little experience with rain. (Not that we would leave him out in the rain, I mean that he hasn't seen much rain through a window.)

I notice that people often ask for a relative measure of Karston's size. The fact that he weighs about 14 pounds at 20 weeks old now is one thing, but how that compares interests more people. The CDC provides growth charts so you can compare to the U.S. distribution. You could download the PDFs to print and then plot by hand, but there's free software for Macintosh OS X called Growth Charts that does it for you. (Don't ask: I don't do Windows, so I don't know.) Eyeballing those charts leads me to guess at these percentiles for weight, length, and weight-to-length ratio from his pediatrician visits:

	birth	3 days	2 weeks	1 month	2 months	4 months
weight	12	7	25	38	25	15
length	75	75	50	45	18	25
W:L	x	x	10	25	50	25

So he's small, with a tendency to be taller than his weight by percentile comparison. Since he prefers to be carried rather than pushed in his stroller or set on his play yard, and he is healthy, and I end up carrying him a lot, I think I like having the skinny baby. Plus his happy smiles and flirty eyes really brighten a dreary overcast rainy day like today!

Teething

Well, we knew it was coming: Karston's first tooth poked through yesterday evening. Lately, he's been enjoying chewing on everyone else's fingers. He knows if he bites down on his finger, it hurts; so if he gets close to someone else's finger, well that's much better for chewing. Same great finger taste without the pain! Last night while we were trying to convince him to go to sleep (setting him down caused constant shrieks), he started to chew on Daddy's finger. Only this time, Daddy reported that it wasn't just toothless gum! We didn't get much sleep last night, either. I got about an hour in bed without baby, but the quietest times were when I snuggled up to Karston and let him nurse and doze. Hopefully we won't have too many nights like that ...

At the conference I attended in Boston, I heard a glowing recommendation for Hyland's Teething Tabs. We were a little nervous about the story where the teething baby slept for 36 hours straight after taking it, though. That sounds wonderful, but suspicious. After some research, I don't think I'll give any to Karston because belladonna, one of the ingredients, can be fatal, and sleep is one of the signs of overdose.

Karston hasn't napped well today, so teething may be incompatible with sleep. I'll miss my sleep too, but not enough to poison him.

Pacifier

After months of rejecting a pacifier, I thought Karston might never use one. But I still tried every once in a while, including this morning. He started to cry during his regular morning nap, but his eyes were still shut. I raced to get a pacifier. I had to hold it in his mouth for about twenty seconds, and then he went to town sucking on it. He never opened his eyes, but he did stop fussing. Whew, morning nap saved!


I got a late start on lunch this afternoon, so Karston and I were both hungry at 1:30 PM. I wanted him to wait to nurse long enough for me to fix a quick sandwich, and then we could both eat at the same time (seems fair to me!). I put him in the high chair we got for him this weekend, and I tried a pacifier again. It worked, but I felt guilty for playing such a dirty trick on him! He sucked on his pacifier for all he was worth, and he stared at me the whole time. Wherever I went in the kitchen, he looked at me intently and sucked intently. It was only a few minutes until we both had lunch, and he didn't fuss about being hungry (whew!), but that was still a dirty trick. And so convenient that I hope he continues to accept his pacifier now!

Pediatrician: Four Months

We went to the pediatrician this afternoon for his four month checkup with the same four vaccinations as the second month. Karston weighs 13 pounds 0.6 ounces, is 24.25 inches long, and has 16.25 inches head circumference. We went for an afternoon appointment, during afternoon nap time, so that the pediatrician would have to believe us when we tell him that Karston can really holler. Yes, he let the pediatrician have it! His doctor's ear drums reverberated! However, Karston mostly calmed down when I bounced him on my shoulder. We had to wait in the exam room longer than usual, but Karston decided to fill the time and his diaper. The pediatrician says he should start sleeping through the night soon. (Did he say that just so we can stand another fractured night?) He also said we can try rice cereal any time now, and that success with rice cereal means that half of it ends up inside. Anyway, Karston's healthy, he's awfully cute especially when he smiles, and we're happy about that.


I had a meeting at work this morning, and it wasn't worth driving to work, driving home to pick him up, and then driving most of the way back to work to go to the pediatrician. So I took Karston in to work with me. He got to meet my boss' boss, and he was enjoying the attention before he noticed the motorcycle helmet. Remember how Karston didn't like Halloween costumes? Well, when he saw a head shape under an arm, he flipped! He was sure that I work for Ichabod Crane, and he wanted the world to know that people shouldn't carry heads under their arms! I had to rush outside because his baby siren was so loud! I've heard several comments to the tune of, "Did all that noise come from such a small baby?" and his yelling even stymied a professional nanny. The only trick I've found is to place his chest on my shoulder, drape his arms down my back, and bounce, preferably by walking outside. For some reason, being outside calms him down. Luckily he's happy most of the time, but when he's not you'd better have hearing protection.

Four Months

Karston's four months old now. What's new?


I still call helping Karston stand "Elvis time," but he's much more stable now. His hips don't wobble, so he's not really a baby Elvis anymore: he's just ready to stand. The stationary activity center is very popular with him, particularly when the adults are boring. (If there's something going on, he doesn't want to miss that.) He often does baby push-ups, where he straightens his legs and pushes his body up. He will do that push-up in his walker (excuse me, stationary activity center) and hold his arms up, just asking to be picked up.


In addition to push-ups, he also does baby sit-ups, where he concentrates, and leans forward, lifting his head, neck, and shoulders off of his chair. I think he'll be ready for a high chair very soon! He already watches us intently when we sit at the dining table.


We've started a bedtime routine for Karston starting with a bedtime story. He calms down from pre-bed fussiness and pays careful attention to his story. I'm glad he associates his bedtime story with calming down! Next we swaddle him, rolling him over the blanket instead of rolling the blanket over him. That usually makes him smile, and sometimes laugh! We still swaddle him for bed because he doesn't even sleep an hour otherwise. (Although he sometimes sleeps longer, he usually sleeps two hours between night-time feedings. The few times he does sleep longer, I wake up every half an hour wondering why he's not awake.) Finally I let him nurse himself silly before putting him to bed. On the good nights (less fussy), he gives me a sleepy half-smile when I set him down in his bassinet.



His average nursing session lasts about twice as long as his first month. Back then, he would nurse for 4 to 9 minutes; now it's more like 7 to 18 minutes. About a month ago, he started playing when he's not very hungry, where he takes one suck and then pulls back to move around. He doesn't make angry face anymore, but sometimes he does wrinkle his nose while playing when he should be nursing.


My mother stopped by yesterday afternoon (I got a break to take a shower! it was wonderful!), and she figured out what his new face meant. Karston started making this funny face the day before (November 1st), where he sucks in his lower lip and brings his upper lip over to cover it. (I'll take a picture and add it here.) You can't see his lips, just puffiness. She says he's teething! Now it makes sense! He bit me during his before-bed nursing on October 30th, and several times since, but he stopped that bad habit ever since I've given him a teething ring to chew. He'll even hold on to his teething ring, which is new. Usually he drops what he's holding when he catches your eye, since eye contact is so exciting. He drools more too, and has a sad teething whine too.

Halloween

We went to a Halloween party this evening. Daddy went as Dr. Evil, with Karston riding in the Baby Bjorn dressed as Mini Me. I went as Frau Farbissina also from the Austin Powers movies, but that costume wasn't as cool as Dr. Evil with Mini Me; I should have brought a water sprayer. For the first twenty minutes, we were sure we were about to go home! Every time someone in costume came up to us, Karston's lower lip would tremble, drop down to expose his lower gum ridge, and then he would wail. No, a witch! No, no, a devil! No, no, no, a wizard! Then he seemed to notice that we weren't upset, so he calmed down, but I have to say that I think Karston's first Halloween was quite scary for him, and I wouldn't've done this to him on purpose! I didn't know he had a strong idea of what people should look like!

Bottle OK

Something weird (based on the past 15 weeks of experience with Karston) happened last night. Karston wasn't nursing well (which is odd), but he was clearly very hungry (growth spurt), so Daddy gave him a bottle. He took it! That was so weird! He's always been a serious barracuda about nursing, and he's always rejected a bottle until he's truly desperate and knows he has no choice. I was rejected! Well, I suppose that makes it easier for me to go back to work, and to cope with his teething. I had never actually seen him use a bottle before because if I'm in the house and he'd rather nurse than bottle, I let him.

He even played with the bottle's nipple when he was done, with the same grin and the same tongue rolling that I recognize. So maybe this transition to a bottle won't be as tough as I expected.

Sit-ups

I propped Karston up on a wedge pillow right next to me on the couch when I ate lunch today. His feet were touching me, I was watching him, but I had both hands free to eat. What a concept! Imagine my surprise when I saw Karston trying to sit up! He rolled his head, neck, and shoulders forward lifting himself off the pillow! A baby sit-up! A few more tries like that, and I'll be back at the store for a high chair so he can sit at the table with us, not on or below it in his bouncy chair. Karston surprises me with new skills all the time!

Walker

Karston is so happy to "play Elvis" when he practices standing that we went shopping for a stationary activity center that looks like a walker. Walkers have a reputation for being dangerous (especially with our stairs), and would be frustrating on all this carpet. Plus recent studies suggest that the use of walkers actually delays walking by about a month, presumably because the baby can't see his feet. (Is that really a negative?) So we have an item, this stationary activity center, that doesn't move across the floor like a regular walker, but does allows Karston to move himself from end to end, and around in a circle. (Well, hopefully Karston will be able to move in it. It's disappointingly stiff right now, so we have to move it for him.)


When we got to the store, I wanted to see if Karston "fit" it or not. He's only 3 months old, and most of these list 4 or 6 months as the starting age. On the other hand, he'll practice standing until your arms get tired and he's been holding his own head up for a long time now. I would expect that desire and the neck strength to be the underlying requirements. But I wasn't sure. So I slipped him in the store demo model, and watched his face. The message in that smile was immediate and clear: the walker is great! I knew then that I'd be bringing one home for him. I had a tough time deciding between the ExerSaucer Mega (classic and totable) or the Intelli-tainer that I got (better chance of watching his feet, but less adjustable). The report from home is that it's still good, same as in the store! Maybe now I'll get to brush my teeth and brush my hair in the same morning session in the bathroom, not separated with baby cuddling! Everyone's happy!

Boston Baby

We went to Boston for a week right as Karston turned 3 months old, and either going to Boston or being 3 months old agrees with him! After the first night in Boston, he woke just twice at night for much longer feeding. That's so much easier! He laughs readily now: for morning baby boogie, when he sneezes, when standing and wiggling like Elvis is so much fun! Baby laughs are so genuine and delightful! He "talks" when he plays, long sentences of baby vocalization. I'm so excited to hear his voice, even if he doesn't have much communication yet! He also makes clicking sounds more often now. He even plays with toys for a short while, although I think his favorite is the bright yellow and black warning label inside his car seat. Karston enjoys his tongue game, when he sticks out his tongue and grins, and the adult he's looking at does the same. I'm pleased with how many people, strangers included, will play this game with him! It's all such a repertoire, and all developed on a single 5-day trip to Boston... Wow...


While in Boston, Karston saw Fenway Park, travelled quite a bit of the Freedom Trail as well as Commonwealth Mall and Boston Public Gardens, drove a duck (amphibious vehicle), and finally got better about bottle feeding. He's also pretty sure he's a two-person baby, because he will calm down from fussing when he can see two adults looking back at him.

Boston

Karston's three months old today and laughing more often, not just during morning play time when he often shows off his new skills (like better balance, clicking, and vocalization). This is a fun age so far!

We flew to Boston yesterday so I could attend a conference. We were worried, but Karston was great about flying! He didn't want to sit in his seat at all (he wanted to be in my lap), but he didn't complain about the flight. The flight attendant, Michael Frederick, was exceptionally kind and friendly which made the whole flight quite pleasant.

Last night, for the conference social mingle, we all went to see the Blue Man Group. All the Blue Man Group information says no children under 5, so I was worried about going. However, the social aspect of conferences is very important, so I gave it a try. Yes, it was very loud, and one of us stayed in The Charles Playhouse Lounge with Karston while the other watched, but it worked out. The staff were nice, the bar (lounge) was pleasantly non-smoking (cigarette smoke gives me hives), and the show was more interesting than a description could have convinced me. Near the end of the show, Karston announced he was only interested in cuddling with Mommy. (That means he cried loudly for anything other than me holding him. Including Daddy holding him. My ears were about done then anyway.) When the show was almost over, I was nearly dozing in the lounge when I heard a voice say "there's a baby!" In the bar of a children-discouraged location, I knew that comment was about us, so I made sure I was awake. Karston met the stage manager! He was wearing his motorcycle leathers, and made me look small; not the person you'd pick out of a crowd to make a beeline for a little baby. Karston turned on his smile because he loves eye contact, and showed off how he likes to stand (with assistance), and they had a great time.

So now that I've taken Karston places where you don't expect babies to do well or be welcome, I have to say he did well and everyone has welcomed him.

Laughter

Karston definitely laughs now! Today he laughed for Daddy while they were playing, just like he did for me yesterday. The day before yesterday, he looked like he was laughing, but no sound came out. Swatting at his mobile (nowhere close) is hilarious. Head butting my friend Dan in the nose is uproarious. And now he can laugh about it! He puts his whole body and all of his attention into his laughter, like it's the best thing in the world. And if you're listening to him, it is!

Toys

Friday we drove to the coast for the weekend, our first multi-day trip with baby, and our first trip over 20 miles since baby. When we arrived, Karston started to focus on the plush toy attached to his car seat handle! This is the first time he has noticed any toys! Daddy gave him a rattle to grip about a week ago, and Karston thought it was a fine time to throw his arms wide and, oh, send that rattle flying. This evening he noticed that his toys move when he flails around. He knows he has legs and feet, because he'll pull back the foot that you tickle and he loves to stand (Elvis), but he doesn't seem to know he has arms and hands. When he notices his toys, he's really fascinated! I'm sure flailing for toys will be how he discovers his arms and hands. It's remarkable to watch his brain make these connections!

Fewer Naps

So I've been trying wild ideas to get Karston to sleep longer at night. Since his snacking habit was the problem, I started with A Schedule. During the day, I fed him once every two hours, even if he didn't act hungry. He took to it! But that night, ugh! Karston wanted to snack at least every hour. The only time he slept longer than an hour was when we fell asleep together in the glider! I took that to mean that the best sleep involves touching me. I think Daddy's allowed to say that, but it doesn't sound like an ideal baby routine. So the next day, I instituted a new policy: there shall be no sleeping on mommy's lap, only in bassinet. He didn't take nearly as many naps that day. He took a 3 hour nap late in the evening, and then wanted to join our evening wind-down. We all slept soundly for 4 hours! Such bliss! I enforced the same nap rule yesterday, and the same thing happened! He had a 3-hour evening nap, some time with us, and we all slept for 4 hours! So my new rule is that my lap is for nursing, cuddling, playing, but not for napping! He takes fewer naps during the day so I get fewer breaks, but the nighttime result is so much nicer!

I probably made his Mean Ol' Mom list with my new policy, though. This morning, Karston cried when I held him, but was quiet for Daddy. Since Guess Who just left for work, I'm wearing his shooting hearing protectors. It's OK for him to be Daddy's Boy sometimes, because at his age I would expect him to be all about Mommy or at least nursing. I'm happy to share the pleasure of the baby wants YOU to hold him. It just makes you feel all warm inside!

Day and Night

I finally figured out Karston's sleeping pattern! He's not sleeping through the night, but he does know that it's time to sleep when it's dark. He'll wake up every two hours to nurse (sometimes every hour, once in while every three hours), but he will go back to sleep after a quick meal. And that's the problem ... he knows about nighttime for sleeping, but he hasn't figured it out for eating. He only snacks at night, but he'll have a full meal during the day. He's got day for night reversed for his meals! Aha! Now how to convince someone to eat more when he seals his lips and moves his head away ...

Baby Elvis and the Great Outdoors

This morning, Karston added a new skill to his Elvis routine: a little balance. Rather than let his arms dangle as usual, he put them out every time he needed to stabilize! Of course I made sure he didn't topple, but he needed me less than usual.


This afternoon, Karston went for his first kayak ride in our tandem sea kayak. When I put on my life preserver, the adjustments were too big ... because the last time I was on the kayak, I was enormous months pregnant. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed the ride, while our terrier-mix Emma was beside herself with delight. (She's so lean that she sinks without her life preserver, but she loves to be on the water.) However Karston didn't like it, despite a hat to keep the sun out of his eyes. Karston, the Baby Bjorn, and I had to go back to shore early.


Yesterday's outdoor adventure was better received: Karston's first hike! We hiked to the top of Oconeechee Mountain, to the old fire tower, and to the Eno River overlook. Bouncing in the Baby Bjorn from hiking beats very gentle rocking in the kayak, I suppose. So we'll stay on land for a while, and hope he warms up to water later.

Pediatrician: Two Months

We went to the pediatrician this morning for his two month checkup (and vaccinations). Karston is now 10 pounds 11.4 ounces, 22 inches long, 15.4 inches head circumference, and perfectly normal. The pediatrician said Karston looks very healthy. He was remarkably good about getting four shots too: he stopped crying as soon as I picked him up! All around YAY for this healthy and happy baby!

I'm amazed how much he has changed every week. I look at his early pictures, like here, and his face wasn't chubby! He's had a chubby face so long now that I can't imagine a skinny baby. His head control is now consistent, so these days he rides facing out in the Baby Bjorn. He has more personality, more emerging talents (like Elvis), and more smiles all the time. He has more volume when he screams (more than the human ear can handle), but overall he's a real delight! He's done with size 1 diapers, using size 1-2 right now ... and growing like a weed!