My Superman

I have been staying a little closer to home lately with the hope of getting my little superman on some sort of a schedule. Most nights Carter sleeps from 10:00 P.M. until 9:00 A.M., usually only waking up around 4:00 or 5:00 to eat. He eats as soon as he gets up in the morning and again around 11:00. Then I try to get us out of the house for an hour or so; we meet Beth or Tatiana for lunch or run some errands around town. I feed him again around 1:30 and then put him down for a nap, in his swing of course. He usually sleeps from 2:00 until 5:00. He eats as soon as he wakes up and again around 7:00, 8:00, and 9:00. We usually go for a walk at some point in the early evening, and Jeff usually gives him a bottle at either 7:00 or 8:00. Although I'm still spending a lot of time everyday feeding Carter, it has gotten much better. And I'm actually really enjoying breastfeeding now. (I'm so glad I didn't give it up in the beginning. Believe me, it was tempting.) I'm also really enjoying my time to myself in the afternoon!

P.S. I'm sure as soon as I post this Carter will change things up...

Road Trip

Last week, while Jeff was at We Fest, Carter and I decided to take a road trip! On Wednesday we drove to Appleton to visit Christine and Sophie. We did some shopping and even went to the pool. The next day Christine and Sophie rode with us down to Chicago to visit Mike and Alanna. It was well worth the long drive! I don't think Carter has ever had so much attention! We did more shopping and a lot of relaxing. Plus, we finally won the bottle battle. We bought some new bottles, and Carter seems to like them; he even took a bottle from me one night. Carter also started to grasp and play with a couple of his toys while we were in Chicago. He especially likes a giraffe named Sophie. (No, we didn't name the toy after Christine's baby. She came with that name.) It's so much fun to watch him learn how to use his hands.

While we may have won the bottle battle, the crib battle rages on. Carter continues to sleep very well at night; he'll sleep eight to eleven hours straight most nights. But he has to be in his swing, and the swing has to be moving, all night. I'm really not sure how to transition him from his swing to his crib. I've been trying to trick him into sleeping in his crib by laying him down in there asleep. If he doesn't wake up and immediately start crying, he usually lasts less than an hour. Then he gets so worked up that I have to feed him and pretty much start the whole bedtime routine over again. It would be so much easier just to let him sleep in his swing, but I can't get this image out of my head: Carter is so big that his legs are touching the ground as he swings himself to sleep. I'll keep you posted on our progress! Wish us luck!

I need sleep!

When I was pregnant everyone told me to rest while I could. Of course I didn't listen. I was too busy cleaning and getting everything ready for Carter. What a mistake! Now I would give just about anything for some sleep. And I mean real, restful sleep.

Carter has actually been sleeping a lot better lately though. He has been sleeping through the night most nights; I usually put him to bed around 10:00 P.M., and he hasn't been waking up until around 7:00 A.M. most mornings. However, almost all of this good sleep has taken place in his swing. I know, I'm the worst mom ever! When I discovered this amazing phenomenon I did call my doctor, and she told me Carter could sleep in his swing (or car seat) until three or four months. Imagine my relief! She said she thinks Carter probably has some reflux that makes it uncomfortable for him to sleep flat on his back.

Last night I put Carter in his crib at 10:00. He slept in there until midnight. At midnight though I heard him fuss, so I quickly moved him into his swing, where he slept until 7:30 A.M. Carter and I are off to Appleton and then Chicago next week, so maybe we'll wait and try the whole transition-into-crib thing when we get home!

P.S. The top picture is of Carter sleeping in his car seat, in his crib! I thought it was kind of funny!

Carter and Me

Remember all of the cute pictures of Jeff and Carter? Well, here are a few of Carter and me. Apparently I need to remind Carter of the fact that I'm the one who gets up with him in the middle of the night!

Carter's favorite babysitters!

Now that Carter is getting older - and a little more predictable - I am able to actually leave him with a "babysitter." I wouldn't trust him with just anyone though. On Saturday, July 11, I worked at one of my dad's stores in New Richmond while my dad and Sabrina watched Carter. They said he was pretty good; he even took a nap. But they had a hard time getting him to take a bottle, even though he was starving. My mom had the same problem when she came down to watch Carter on Tuesday, July 14, so Jeff and I could go out to celebrate our anniversary. Jeff had been giving Carter at least one bottle a day since he was three weeks old. He seemed to really like the bottle. The last month though Carter and I have been traveling more, and Jeff has been working later. We kind of got out of the whole bottle routine. With more practice, he is getting better, but Carter had several days when he would scream and refuse to take the bottle. Jeff's heart broke every time I had to take Carter to feed him! The last couple of days have been much easier. Last night I went out to eat with some friends from school while Jeff watched Carter. Carter drank his bottle and was sleeping when I got home. We've found that Carter will drink a bottle only if it's breastmilk and the perfect temperature. What a stinker!