Owed posts

Zach was sick over the weekend and Melissa was away at a training during the week, so I'm behind a few posts. Please accept this picture as an apology.

Four Months Old

Saturday was Zach's four month birthday. Despite being a congested, he was smiling away all weekend.

We'll see how his first full week of day care goes.

First Days

Zach went to day care for the first time this week. Although Melissa didn't go back to work until Thursday, Zach tried out day care for a few hours Monday. He took it really well. He seems to like being around other babies. And it helped that they have a tub of rattles, which are his new favorite toys. Both Mom and Dad dropped him off yesterday for his first full day. His positive response on both days helped Mom swallow the bitter pill of leaving him with minimal tears.

They both looked pretty good for their first days.

Funny Face

Zach learned a new funny face. He sort of tucks his bottom lip and sticks out his neck. Without video, you're missing the "mguuuhh" sounds that go with the image.

Strollin'

Melissa and Zach got out of the house during the stretch of nice days we had.

Bouncy Seat

We got Zach a bouncy seat. He's still a little small for it and doesn't quite understand what to do when he's in it. He definitely likes the change of pace playing upright instead of sitting or laying though.

Cereal for the first time

At the doctor's suggestion, we tried giving Zach some cereal with a spoon. It was a thick mix of the rice cereal we've been putting in his bottle for over a month. He was pretty confused about how to eat off the spoon and either got tired or frustrated with it pretty quickly.

Twins?

On the left is Zach's 3 month picture. On the right is a picture of me when I was three months. I think he looks just like me. This would explain why he is so adorable (and stubborn). Decide for yourself.

-Melissa

Sleep Deprivation

A rough weekend in Collegeville. A couple weeks ago, Zach started getting up too early, around 5am. In response, we started putting him to bed a little later hoping he would then wake up later too. With moderate success, we thought all was well.

Zach also has increasingly struggled to nap for longer than 30-45 minutes during the day. To get by, we've relied on his swing as well as a few other tricks to get him to keep napping. Over the past few weeks, this habit began spreading to the overnight hours.

The situation came to a head when Zach hardly slept Saturday night and was then so sleep deprived Sunday that none of our usual tricks worked. He could barely be put down without fussing. He was clearly exhausted but would not go to sleep.

After a little homework, we found that the number one cause of short naps is sleep deprivation. Number one cause of sleep deprivation is a late bed time. Turns out babies are counterintuitive when it comes to bed time and wake ups.

Hopefully, an earlier bedtime will right the ship. Cross your fingers for us.

p.s. I have pictures I need to post. I just haven't had the time for reasons noted above.