19 weeks old today!

Kieran is finishing out the last of his "teen-week" birthdays today... as of next Thursday we will be into the 20-something weeks! Kieran is glad mommy decided to give up on the cry-it-out method as he now gets to sleep, at least part of the night, and some naps too, with mommy. Mommy is glad Kieran is sleeping and is relishing these fleeting moments spent cuddling with her ever-expanding and changing little boy. However, despite the co-sleeping, Kieran is also learning to sleep, for short periods, in his crib- both during the day and at night and that is an accomplishment! He has not slept in his car seat or swing in about a week now- that is something to celebrate as far as we are concerned :)
He is mastering the art of razzing (blowing raspberries) and is loving it as you will see in today's video. Today, he also sat unassisted and when he began to tilt to the side he put his hand down to catch himself and sat like that a few more moments before toppling over... a very busy and proud day! No wonder he is rather fussy tonight- all that hard work and changing is exhausting!
Oh- these last two pics show Kieran's first (of many I am sure) "ride" on daddy's shoulders- which resulted in much hair munching! Mmmm! Good thing daddy isn't too into products!

Jumperoo!

Kieran just got a jumperoo today- mommy found one on Craig's List... and he loves it! Here are some pictures of jumperoo antics with Kieran today- what a cutie!

I'm a flip-floper mom!

So... I quit! I usually don't say those words- persistence should have been my middle name. However, with this whole baby thing, I can't seem to stick to my guns at all! After two days of the CIO method- both on Kieran's part and mine, I have decided it's not for us. So now I'm back to co-sleeping and boobie soothing. However, we have decided to completely nix the swing and car seat for sleeping- they had to go for sure. And we are still working on getting Kieran to spend some time sleeping in his crib in preparation for daycare in a few weeks. But otherwise I am giving up on the CIO stuff because it was just too traumatic- for both us. Thanks, BTW, to auntie Erin for talking me through my emotional melt-down yesterday and thanks also to aunties Julie and Julie for their support and advice. Kieran and I are both very lucky to have such wonderful ladies in our lives :)

Sleep-training boot camp begins

After much deliberation, reading and discussion with other mommies- Rick and I have decided it's time to suck it up and "sleep train" Kieran. I have always been opposed to the CIO (cry it out method)... that is until it became clear that my four month old son did not know how to soothe himself and that Rick and I can no longer swing his 16lbs + the car seat for 10-15 minutes everytime he needs to go to sleep! And recently, as of the last two weeks or so naps have become increasingly elusive and he has been waking more and more every night. In fact I am typing this at 4:45 in the morning after having been up for over two hours trying to get Kieran to sleep and after other waking earlier in the night.
At the advice of friends, we are going to try to follow the schdedule in the book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. The theroy touts lots of sleep, a schedule and allowing a child to learn to self-sooth. This basicaly means we will be slaves to Kieran's sleep schedule, at least in the beginning until we can get him used to it. It also means lots of crying- most likely for mommy too. I dread the tears but am excited at the posibility of a baby who can sleep on his own and is therefore better rested and happier. Wish us luck in our little sleep "adventure", we will keep you posted as always.

Happy 18 week birthday!

Kieran is 18 weeks old today. As you can see we are trying to make the crib a little more fun for Kieran so perhaps he will one day sleep in it easily :)

4 month appointment! (And a couple other pics)

Kieran went to see Dr. E today and we discovered that he has doubled his birth weight- he weighed in at 16.4 pounds today! He is also over 2 feet "tall" at 25.5"! He is right on track in the 75%. Dr. E was very happy with his progress as are his proud parents. He got two booster shots today and after just a minute or so of crying was smiling again like a champ- Way to go big boy!
Oh- a funny side note... the Dr. was asking us about his development- you know "is he holding his head up?" and "is he cooing?" etc... and then she asked if he is rolling. I responded that although he rolled a couple times accidentally as a one month old, that he had not been able to do it since. And sure enough, just as I said this, Kieran rolled over from his tummy to his back! Proved mommy wrong for the first of what I am sure will be many times to follow! Silly baby!

Talking at the cat

Kieran is trying really hard to communicate something to Gracie... unfortunately I think it was lost on her.