In with the new...

Today we went for Mark's 6 month check up.  He now weighs 15 pounds 8 ounces and is 26 inches long.  We went to a new practice today since we now live in the suburbs and driving to the city to see his other dr just seemed plain crazy!  I got a reccomendation for this dr from a few moms from the mom's group I belong to.  He was wonderful!!  He was very relaxed and interacted really well with Mark.  Mark was laughing and giggling and seemed to really love him :)  He was also wonderful about delaying vaccinations and leaving some out.  I felt really comfortable with him and love his methods.  He said that Mark is sitting extremely well for his age and he would not be surprised if he was crawling in 2-3 weeks!  I can't even imagine him crawling :)  He also suggested that we start using a sippy cup.  I was shocked by this...I guess I didn't picture him with a sippy cup until he was a toddler.  I had no idea it started this early but I guess we will give it a try!  We tried carrots again tonight and he still made a few faces but ate half a jar!  I think he's getting used to the taste and the different textures.  I can't belive how quickly he is growing and changing!

6 months already...

Mark turned 6 months old on Christmas day!  I can't beleive how the time has flown.  I still feel like Shawn and I just were driving to the hospital and getting ready for him to be here.  The past 6 months have gone by so quickly that I can only imagine how the next 6 will go until his first birthday.  I have been doing a lot of thinking the past few days about how much I love being his mother and what an amazing thing it is to be a mother.  I have always known that I wanted to have children but it wasn't until I held him that I fell in love.  Being pregnant was difficult and I certainly wouldn't say I would "love" it :) but I would do it a million times just to experience what I have with Mark.   Motherhood is not what I thought it would be.  I thought about diapers and feedings and general things that go along with taking care of a baby.  I had no idea what an incredible bond exists between a mother and a child.  I love him more than anything in the world and wonder what I was doing before he came along.  I love watching him grow and learn and explore the world.  His smile brightens up my days and his giggles make me giggle.

I have also been thinking a lot about breastfeeding.  I have officially been breastfeeding for 6 months straight....no bottles...no pacifiers....ever.    It has been one of the hardest, most enjoyable things I have ever done.  I love the time that we have together and I think it has made our bond even stronger.  I have really enjoyed breastfeeding him and am proud that I have done it this long.  I have had many dirty looks and stares when I am in public and need to feed him.  Im not sure why people feel so threatened by it??  I know many people have negative experiences but unless it's for a medical reason I think there is no reason you shouldn't be doing it.  Given the time and the patience it's an unbelievable experience.  I plan to continue to breastfeed him until he is a year old.  He gets rice cereal as well now and today we started carrots for the first time but I will also nurse him....no bottles.  Thank you to all of the people that have supported me and not given me negative stories/advice about the subject.  I appreciate all of you!

First time with carrots...not sure if I like them!!

I love my new wagon!

 

Up and running...

Tomorrow I will get back on the treadmill and attempt a 2 mile run!  I haven't run in a few days and even though I think about it often just don't seem to be motivated for some reason....but I WILL do this!  Stay tuned for tomorrows update :)

We had a great weekend...doing things around the house and my in laws came over to play with Mark and have lunch.  It was great visiting with them and enjoying the new house.  We are hosting our first Christmas Eve and Christmas this year so I'm excited about cooking a big meal and enjoying the holiday.  There are just so many things to be thankful for this holiday I don't know where to start :)

The "weight" is not over.....

When I was pregnat I thought losing the "baby" weight would be easy.  I have lost lots of weight in the past and God knows I know weight watchers inside and out.  I thought it would be no big deal to lose it but here I am 6 months later and still 22 pounds to go.  Granted I have lost 47 pounds so far and I am proud of that but come on!!  I feel like I'm stuck at this spot and there is no difference in my body.  I have decided that as a stepping stone to get myself back to a healthy weight is to sign up for a half marathon.  I miss the days of running before I had Mark.  I'm signing up for a half in June with Liz and plan on sticking to that.  It's not easy to get back into it though!  I started this week and did ok...I was able to run a mile and a half without stopping but it definitely was work!  It's amazing how fast you lose all of the muscle in your body!  I know I will never take for granted being in shape again.  So as I continue to blog about mother I will also dedicate a little spot on my training for the half marathon. 

Holiday craziness...

It seems like I always think about updating my blog and never get around to it!  I will blame it on the holiday craziness of the past month.  We have been really busy with shopping and decorating and baking!  Mark made his very first xmas cookies too!  We joined a mom's group which has been great...we have been meeting a lot of moms and kids.  It's so nice to talk to other mom's and get some advice from people who have already done this!  I'm able to get some girls nights out as well as playdates and fun activities for Mark.  We went to see Santa and Mark loved it!  He was smiling and staring at him...trying to figure the whole thing out :)  Christmas is so much fun watching through my sons eyes :)

It's been awhile...

I realized tonight that it has been a few weeks since I have updated my blog!  It has been a busy few weeks as the holidays usually are :)   My grandmother has been sick so we had to travel to New Jersey.  It was Mark's first plane ride and he was such a good boy!  Everyone complimented me on what a well behaved little boy I have!  I was very proud :)  Mark also turned 5 months and started eating rice cereal!  He loves it :)  He is such a good boy and opens his mouth up when he sees the spoon coming :)  It's exciting to watch him gro up!  We had a great Thanksgiving this past weekend and celebrated my mother in laws 60th birthday. 

Getting Stronger!

Today we practiced sitting up again and he seems to be getting stronger and stronger!  He tries so hard and then tips over :)  It's a lot of fun watching him try to steady himself.  He definately seems to understand that he needs to keep his head up!  Today was a cold and windy day so we decided to stay in and play  :)  

On another note I started getting a toothache this past weekend and it seems to be getting worse :(  Time to find a new dentist in the new neighborhood.  Im not looking forward to that...

Sitting Up!

Today we started to practice sitting up on our own!  He seemed to like it and found it very funny that he was surrounded by pillows :)  He can stay sitting up for a few seconds on his own and then gets lazy and leans back :)  It was a lot of fun trying to get him to stay up!  I can't believe in a few short weeks he will be sitting on the floor without me! 

Last night he did really well with the one arm out of the swaddle.  He woke up around 10:30 and was crying for about 10 mins but went right back to sleep and didnt get up again until 3:30!  Tonight he was asleep in prob 10 seconds :)  He's growing up so fast!

More Changes....

Mark has been doing really well with his sleep training!  Yesterday we went for his 4 month checkup and he is healthy and growing well!  He is up to 14 pounds 11 ounces and 25 1/4 inches long!  He is in the 50th percentile for his age.  We have been swaddling him since we brought him home from the hospital and continued to do so up until now because it has always helped him to sleep a little better....especially when we were in the condo and all basically in one room :)  So now that we are in the house and that he's in his own room and sleep trained we thought it was time to start weaning him off of the swaddle.  I decided to do it little by little...althought the dr suggested going cold turkey...I thought that was cruel :(.  I swaddled him tonight but left one arm free.  It took him 16 mins tonight to fall asleep...that seemed long to me...he usually falls asleep in mins but I hope he starts to get used to being "free." 

Today was a beautiful fall day and we spent the day getting new library cards at the beautiful library near our house, getting a few things to upgrade the house and unpacking.  Mark was very happy today and giggling a lot!  He loved the xmas decorations at Menards!!  We had a great Saturday together. :)

Getting Better and Better!

Last night Mark fell asleep after 7 mins and tonight it was only 1!!  He has been sleeping really well...only getting up once at night to eat and then goes right back to sleep.  He even slept for 2 1/2 hours today during naptime.  He fell asleep while we were grocery shopping so I just left him in his carseat in the living room and he was out like a light!  It has been so nice actually getting some sleep and having some time to myself at night.  I have had so much more energy this week and have even started working out again!  I had been getting frustrated with my weight loss since having Mark so it feels good to get back into running and eating healthy.  I even joined a book club today!  Sleep is priceless :)

Ferber Night Three...and a big day for me.

Last night he did really well!!  He fell asleep after only 12 mins which was great.  He woke up at 3:15 and nursed for 10 mins and fell asleep at 3:35.  After that he didn't get up again until 7:30!  He was such a happy little boy today....smiling and laughing and really engaged in what he was doing.  As hard as this process is I am really really glad that we decided to do it.  We still don't have the hang of naps yet but it's coming along.  Today he slept for about 45 mins this morning while we were out running errands and then 35 mins in his crib in the afternoon.  I cheated a bit later in the afternoon and cuddled with him on the couch and he slept...couldnt help myself :)  Hopefully as we keep going with this process it will continue to get easier and easier. 

Today was also a big deal because I made the decision to not go back to work.  I am officially a stay at home mom!  As much as I love education and I loved teaching, being home with him is the most challenging and rewarding thing I have ever done.  I look at him and am amazed daily at how smart and beautiful he is.  I feel so lucky to be his mother and I am fortunate enough to be able to be at home with him and watch him grow into a man.

Ferber Night Two...

Last night was a huge success!!  We went through his regular bedtime routine and put him down at 6:55.  He fussed for about 12 mins and then was sound asleep.  He didn't wake up until 1:15....I went in to nurse him for ten mins and then put him back down.  I came back into my room preparing myself for the crying but in three mins he was asleep!!  I fell back asleep and he didnt get up until 6:45!!  It was a great night.  Naptime today was even a bit better.  He took a half hour nap in his crib this morning and then for his afternoon nap he fought it a bit but fell asleep.  He slept for a half an hour and then the doorbell rang.  Of course he woke up.  I let him cry it out for a half hour but he was done.  So I'm looking at it as progress and tomorrow will get even better!

Feber Night One

Shawn and I decided to use the ferber method to get Mark on a good sleep schedule.  We have heard many success as well as horror stories for these kinds of methods but I think the positive ones gave us some hope that it would work.  I decided to keep track of all of the "gory" details on my blog :)  I apologize for the overabundance of details but this is also my way of keeping track of whats happening.  With the move and trying to unpack and taking care of Mark my memory isn't what it used to be :).  Last night we started with his bathtime routine....bath, lotion, diaper and pjs...then reading some books, prayers and nursing.  I wait until he is almost asleep but still awake and I put him into his crib.  He kind of looked at me like I was nuts :)  He went to bed at 7:10...he didnt cry at first...he layed in there for maybe 10 mins and then realized nobody was coming back and started wailing!  We went into the room after 3 mins, 5 mins, and 10 mins.  It was an awful feeling and I spent most of the time sitting outside his door crying right along with him.  I felt awful but I knew it was for his benefit.  Shawn and I took turns going in and reassuring him...telling him that it was ok and that we loved him.  Our next interval was supposed to be 15 mins but he was sound asleep before that time was up!  Shawn and I were able to enjoy some time alone for the rest of the evening which was great!   He slept until 3:15.  I got up and nursed him and waited until we was almost asleep and then I put him back in his crib.  He started crying as soon as I put him in but I went back to bed and set the timer for 15 mins.  Shawn went in to check on him after 15 mins and then we set the timer again for another 15 mins.  This time he fell asleep at 3:58.   He woke again at 4:44 and I went in to reassure him but did not feed him.  I went back to bed, set the timer for 15 mins and he was asleep before the first 15 mins were up.  He was up at 7am for the day!  All in all it wasn't a bad night compared to the 7-8 times he has been getting up at night.

But then came naptime today.....it was AWFUL!!  I changed his diaper, put on a comfy onesie and nursed him.  Once he was almost asleep I put him in his crib and he started screaming!!  It was like he knew what was coming.  I put him down at 12:25 and set the timer for 15 mins.  I went in to reassure him after 15 mins and then set the timer for another 15.  He fell asleep at 12:55 and I made the mistake of smiling to myself and feeling confident that I had this under control. WRONG!!!  He was up again at 1:15 and was mad!  I went in to check on him and reassure him every 15 mins for two hours.  It was completely exhausting emotionally and physically.  Shawn's parents were here helping us unpack so there was some noise going on downstairs....not sure if that had anything to do with it.  We keep white noise on in his room to block out any outside noise while he sleeps so not sure?  After two hours I couldn't take any more and I went in to get him.  He was so upset and so was I.  I had had enough.  I will try again tomorrow and see if we can make any progress!

We Are Finally Moved In!!

We finally were able to close on our house Wednesday!!  It has been a VERY busy couple of days with the closing and moving.  Today was our first offical full day in the house and we started the process of unpacking.  We painted Mark's room and are almost all done with the unpacking in there.  It will be so nice for him to finally be in his crib and have his own space.  I'm also looking forward to getting him back onto a schedule and start sleep training.  I will update more tomorrow....time to watch Grey's :)

Enjoying a Beautiful Fall Day!

Today was a beautiful day and we saw the sun for the first time in about a week.  We headed out to the forest preserve to do some hiking and get some fresh air!  Mark seemed to enjoy looking at all of the leaves and we even saw horses!  Andy had a blast too and spent lots of time running through the leaves.  He on the other hand didn't know what to think about the horses :)  After we got home Mark was playing on his playmat and he turned over from his back to his tummy!  Now he can turn from his belly to his back and his back to his belly!  It was a great day! 

As a sidenote someone should really warn new mothers about daylight savings time.  Mark was up at 5:30am!!!  Needless to say it was a long day...but we survived :)  Tomorrow we are back to waiting to hear about our house.  I'm praying it moves forward and we can finally get in and get settled!

Mark's First Halloween

We still aren't in our house...we are a week past the closing date and frustrated as ever!!  Hopefully things will start moving along on Monday and we get some good news!  Well with all of that in mind we celebrate Mark's first Halloween today!  It was a lot of fun to dress him up...as well as the pets :)  Everyone was a good sport for mommy and put their costumes on!  Mark didn't last very long in his...I think he hated the hat :)  It was all worth it though...he looked too cute!! 

Moving Day....Part One

Well today we finally moved out of the condo. It was a busy day and we're exhausted but it's all done! The movers came at 10 this morning and worked up about 1:30. Mark was such a good boy...he stayed happy and content in his bouncy chair while everyone worked around him. We did have to go for a few drives throughout the day so he could nap and recharge :) It was a lot of work to get it all out and cleaned but finally we are out of the city. Now we just have to wait for the closing for our house and we can move in!! We have our fingers crossed that it will happen this week.

As a side note...on the left hand side of my blog there is a "fun videos" section. It takes a few minutes for our videos to load. I think when you first come into the website there is some random stuff there....stuff that I did not choose :) Our videos will load after a few minutes on the site. Feel free to check them out...I will update them every so often. Off to bed for me :)

Rolling...

Mark rolled over for the first time today!!  He was on his tummy playing on his playmat and started to roll half of his body over.  I kept watching him and he seeemed to have trouble understanding how to get the lower half of his body to roll so I showed him and then put him back on his tummy.  A few minutes later he did it by himself!!  I can't believe how big he has gotten and all of the changes that are taking place.  I'm so proud of him!

We thought that his cold was going away but tonight he started with another fever.  This cold is just hanging on and wont let go!  So more tylenol and more vicks.  Poor little guy.

To feed or not to feed?

Today was spent packing yet again.  It seems like there is no end and the boxes are piling up.  Mark ended up not feeling well again.  He had a temp of 99.5 and sounded a bit congested.  I called the dr to see what I could do and of course it took them 4 hours to return my call.  By then I had given him tylenol and let him sleep and the fever broke.  Im not sure if he has a cold or maybe just the dust that's been kicked up from pulling things out when packing is bothering him.  When we went to plug in the humidifier for him we realized that it was packed away so I made a trip to Target to get another and he's sleeping soundly now.  I hope that he has a good night so he can rest and fight off whatever is bothering him. 

So I have been researching and contemplating when it would be best to start giving Mark rice cereal.  There seems to be two schools of thought on this.  On one side they say give it to him at 4 months and the other not until 6 months.  The doctor said to do what I feel comfortable with and that it has nothing to do with sleeping through the night....it's an old wise tale.  So who knows?  I've read that the pediatrics academy and the world health organization say not to give anything until 6 months becaue it could lead to obsesity later in life, digestive problems and trigger allergies.  He has been waking up ALOT in the middle of the night the past few weeks so it's got me thinking.  Is he really hungry or just waking up to have interaction with us?  I think in the end I will probably just wait until he is 5 months...at least that's the middle of the road between the two schools of thought.

Im going to "tri"

I have decided that I am going to start training for a sprint triathlon.  A sprint consists of a 750m swim, 20km bike ride and a 5k run.  I have been researching different training programs and looking for a training group to join so I can meet other people who have some experience doing this and learn more about the sport.  There are tons of opportunities in this area to compete and lots of room to grow.  I'm really looking forward to getting started.  We move a week from tomorrow so once the move is over and we are settled I can start training!  My main goal is to complete an ironman by the time Im 40!  Good thing I have 8 years to train :)

We spent most of the day packing again...the condo looks like a sea of boxes at this point.  I think we are all looking forward to having this move happen and get some more space and organization.  Only 7 days left!

It's been awhile...

Well it's been about a month since I have last update our blog.  Things have been really busy with selling our condo and buying the new house.  Who knew there could be so many steps to this process!!  We finally have an end in sight though!  Today we spent the day packing, packing and packing.  It's been a lot of work to get everything together.  We have sooooo much stuff stored at Shawn's parents house and plenty still at the condo.  It was funny looking through everything today...so many wedding gifts that we haven't been able to open and use yet.  It will be great to get everything unpacked in the house and finally use it all!  Mark has been such a good boy through all of the packing.  He is a trooper!  We also had Mark's baptism this past weekend which was a lot of fun.  My mom, brother and Liz came out as well as Shawn's dad and step mom.  Liz and Brad were Mark's Godparents which was great!  Linda and Bob hosted a brunch at their club after the baptism.  It was nice to see everyone and celebrate.  I am going to TRY to update our blog every night from now on :)

New House!!

We finally found our new home! After a day of bidding back and forth yesterday we finally got it! We close on October 26th and are able to move in. Now we need to start packing and find movers :) Things are going to start getting really busy I have a feeling. Im excited for Mark to finally have a nursery and to decorate it with all of the great monkey stuff we got at his shower!

Lots of excitment!

We spent all day Friday looking at houses. Our realator took us to 12 different houses and we toured them all. Mark was so well behaved :) He was such a trooper to spend all day doing that and he barely got fussy at all. We found one house that we really loved and decided to come home to think about it. As we were researching the house on different web sites we came across another in the same sub division that we hadn't seen before. We called up our realator and told him that we wanted to see it...along with the other house for a second time. Today we went to see the new house along with the house from Friday for a second look. We loved the new house and decided to make an offer! Apparently the other person's realator is at a wedding tonight and doesn't have the information with him so we probably won't know anything until tomorrow. Keeping our fingers crossed :)

Big day yesterday!

Well after 5 months on the market we finally sold the condo! What a relief that was. We can now move onto looking for a house :) We close on October 26th so we will be moved before the bad weather starts and the holidays begin. It will be nice for mommy and daddy to have a room of their own and mark to have a room of his own :) and Andy gets a yard :)

Yesterday was also a big day because Mark turned 2 months old! He is smiling so much these days and cooing like crazy. He can bat at little toys in front of him and follow the sound of other people in the room. He is sleep around 7-7 1/2 hours straight at night...thank God :) We went to lunch with girls I worked with and then went to visit my principal at school....his first time in the principal's office...and hopefully the last :)

Busy, Busy, Busy...

The past few days we have been keeping ourselves busy! We tried out another my gym class and went to our first gymboree class. I wanted to try both out to see which one was a better fit for us. Even though I like the my gym class they don't have a group running for his age group so we end up in the 6-12 mos. There isn't much he can do with this group so it's hard. At gymboree they do have a group for his age group so it was really nice. They work on skills that he should be working on at this point. We played with bubbles, puppets, mirrors and sang songs! Everyone was very nice and I got a chance to talk with other moms. We even set up a playdate with one mom and little boy for next week!

Mommy and baby yoga

Today we attended our first mommy and me yoga class. It's an hour and 15 minute yoga class where moms can bring their babies and get some exercise. A large blanket is set up in front of the yoga mat where baby can lay and watch mommy :) The class was a lot of fun because it's set up in little groups of time where mommy can practice yoga while baby lays on the blanket and then there are groups of time where we incorporate the baby into the exercises. At the end of the class there is a time set up for tummy time and baby massage. Mark did so well...only a little crying in the middle but as soon as he ate he was smiling again :) He liked the massage and did really well on his tummy. By the time the class ended he was fighting to keep his eyes open :) It was nice to get some exercise and to meet other moms with babies his age. We will be back next Monday!

Mommy gets "baptised"

Today while Mark was getting his bath he "baptised" mommy...yep you guessed it....peed all over me! :) He had no idea he was even doing it! He was just enjoying his bath and I guess felt the need to go!

We spent the day relaxing at home and our friend Brad stopped by to meet Mark for the first time! We walked over to a restaurant near our condo and had dinner outside. Mark was such a good boy at dinner and was smiling at everyone!

Visiting Daddy...

Today we went to visit daddy at work and have lunch. Mark was such as good boy and we enjoyed eating outside in the sunshine. We had another showing of the condo today...this is the third one this week. Hopefully we get an offer soon!!

7 weeks old today!

Today Mark is 7 weeks old. I can't believe how quickly the time is passing. It seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital. He is growing by leaps and bounds and changing every day. He is constantly smiling and interacting with us! He is usually a great sleeper but last night was up every two hours. I'm not sure why...maybe a growth spurt? I have started reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth. So far it makes a lot of sense to me but not much can really be done before four months of age. He suggests that starting this week we should start making his bedtime a little earlier so we will give it a shot :) He also suggests that he should only be awake for two hours at a time and then should go down for a nap. This seems hard to me....sometimes he doesn't want to sleep after two hours? Stay tuned....

The beginning...

I figured I would start a blog to keep everyone up to date on little Mark and our family :) After getting married Shawn and I decided that we wanted to start a family right away. After three months of trying we had our little one on the way! My pregnancy wasn't too bad. I was never sick but had migraines and leg cramps so I guess I paid my dues :) Mark Shawn Thompson was born on June 25th at 12:19pm and so it begins...