Baby Whispering

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer has changed life as we know it here at the Fletcher house. I started reading everything I could on getting infants to sleep because we were having trouble getting Holden to sleep in his co-sleeper. He wanted to sleep either being held, carried or in bed with us. We knew if we continued down that path we would be in BIG trouble a few months down the line. So my quest for help began!

In her book, Tracy Hogg advises that parents put the baby down where they want them to sleep. As soon as they start to fuss, pick them up, comfort them and put them right back down as soon as they're calm (not a minute longer). They will soon realize that this is the place for sleep, and that they will always be comforted when they wake up scared. She said this could take up to 30-40 times before they get it and fall asleep. I was thrilled that I didn't have to let him "cry it out". I was ready and knew I had nothing to lose by trying it. So on Monday night while Trey was in Newport overnight (I didn't want to have to keep him up all night too - it's no fun having two cranky boys!), I gave it a shot.

It took Holden 18 times of being picked up and comforted before he fell asleep. When he woke up again a couple hours later, it only took 3 times. In the middle of the night, it just took 1 time. It was a miracle - I couldn't believe it was that easy! He's been sleeping through the night in the co-sleeper ever since (well...waking up for feedings, but no fussing). Last night all I had to do was lay him down and he fell right to sleep.

Tracy also suggests having a structure for the day, even with newborns. She uses the E.A.S.Y. acronym - Eat, Activity, Sleep, You (meaning me) time. We are following that too, and it's working wonderfully. Life is becoming a bit more predictable around here and I like it! Here's some evidence of our progress.....

BEFORE

Now as cute as the little guy is, it could get pretty tiring holding him through every nap. We were basically "stuck" for however long he decided to sleep. Any attempt at putting him down would lead to a major crying episode!

AFTER

Acitvity time: Holden is enjoying looking at himself in the mirror while in his bouncy seat.


Sleep time: Here he is in his co-sleeper as I type this. I put him down, ran out to get my laptop, and when I came back he was sleeping.

Playtime

Holden had fun listening to his new Baby Einstein Playtime CD while practicing using his neck muscles. He's such a strong boy!

Kitty Update

I'm happy to report that the kitty is ok. All her tests came back looking good. Her kidney test came back a little high, but it was still within normal range. We just have to change her over to a special kidney diet. What a relief!

Poor Jenga!

Trey began noticing that the kitty had become more lethargic and just not herself these last couple of weeks. We brought her food in the house (it was out in the garage) this week and noticed that she hasn't been eating much. She also hasn't been drinking water. She looked and felt super skinny so we took her to the vet yesterday (3/24). The doctor said she was extremely dehydrated, and was having some difficulty breathing. They ran a bunch of tests - bloodwork, urinalysis, x-rays. The x-rays show that she has some fluid around her lungs; we're waiting for the results from the bloodwork. We should hear back today. Keep your fingers crossed that our sweet kitty is ok.

One Month

Holden was one month old on March 24th! He had his second pediatrician appointment with Dr. Rubenstein. He met all of the developmental milestones for his age and had gained 2 pounds! He weighed 9 pounds exactly and measured 21 3/4 inches long. He is in the 25th percentile for his head size and length, and in the 50th percentile for his weight. We're so proud of our growing boy!! He had to receive one immunization shot for Hepatitus B. He took it like a champ!

The developmental milestones we're looking for in the next month are:

• better head control
• following our movements with his eyes
• moving his arms and legs equally
• social smile
• may bat at things awkwardly

Holden is not smiling socially yet, but he smiles in his sleep. Here he is smiling away in Michelle Conley's arms while he sleeps.

Number 10!

Holden met his great grandmother on Tuesday, March 7th. He is her 10th great grandchild. His Aunt Tabi drove down from Orange County to come with us. Tabi also made us a delicious dinner before heading home, Chicken Parmesan and Caesar Salad. It was soooo good!

Gadgets Galore!

In an effort to keep our newborn happy and to maintain full function of our arms, we've tried all the baby gadgets under the sun. Holden didn't take very well to any of them except the Baby Bjorn at first. He loved being carried in the Bjorn, but cried after a minute or two when put in the swing or bouncy seat. Weeks 2 and 3 were exhausting for his mom and dad, but it seems we've turned a corner. He's enjoying the swing and bouncy seat a lot more now.

Firsts

Holden meet Houston, Houston meet Holden! (Ok, were Trey and I crazy to name these two so similarly or what? Let's just say they've both been called each other's names many times.) At first, Houston didn't really seem to care much about Holden. He was readjusting to being home again after staying with his "second family", the Betts family. After a couple of days and some lengthy cries by Holden, Houston learned the little guy was going to stick around. Houston became very needy and wanted to be around me at all times. Every time Holden cries, Houston comes up and licks me as if to say, "Mom, the baby is crying, what are you going to do?" He really is a sensitive dog.



As you can see, Holden didn't love his first bath. In fact, he hated having his body washed and cried through the whole thing. We went as fast as we could. But to our surprise, as soon as we started washing his hair he got really quiet and seemed to LOVE it. All in all, the first bath was a success - he was clean and we still had our sanity!




Holden went to his first pediatrician appointment on Thursday, March 2nd, two days after coming home. He checked out perfectly and was back to his birth weight!







While we were at our first doctor's appointment, Nana Judy went to the bookstore to buy Holden a book, Little Quack. She gave Holden his first read aloud. He slept through the whole thing, but I'm sure he remembers it. He still loves being read to and Little Quack is one of his favorites. Another one he loves right now is Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? given to him by the Conley family.

Homebound

All dressed up and going home!













Here we go....











We're home!

NICU

Holden spent his first two days of life in NICU. His oxygen saturation had dropped while they were monitoring him in the nursery after birth, so they decided to admit him to the neonatal intensive care unit just to be safe. They ran some bloodwork and the results took two days to get back. Trey and I went in every 3 hours to visit and feed him for those two days. We all (nurses, doctors, and us) quickly determined that he was a healthy baby. He was quite verbal and kept the nurses on their toes! But we had to wait for the bloodwork results to come in Monday before they would release him.

Dad and Holden hangin' in NICU.


NICU was happy to release Holden on Monday morning, and we were thrilled to finally have him in our room.

Birth Day!

Here are some pictures from Holden's first moments after birth. We were lucky to have Nana Judy and Aunt Jill with us for the long labor and delivery.

Welcome Everyone!

We have created a blog to share pictures of Holden with our family and friends. Thanks Anna & Aaron and Lori & Steve for the inspiration! We'll update often, so that all of you can share in the joy of Holden's growth, and Jenn & Trey's journey into parenthood. Jenn knows she is guilty of saying she'll e-mail pictures, and then either forget or not have time (Holden is a full time job!). Now we can post pictures here...enjoy!!!