Hello, Relationships Wonder Week

As I type, I'm listening to the muffled cries coming from our bedroom where Asher lays in his co-sleeper bassinet, refusing to sleep. He's been a finicky with sleep this week; he's more difficult to put down, waking at midnight then again at 4am to eat. I had chalked it up to a growth spurt or maybe the solids he's been eating twice a day. Now it's getting worse and when he wakes, he is happy, very alert, full of energy, and taking in all the sights and sounds around him while trying to touch and rub anything in sight. I think it may be something more.

(FYI: It's not teething, because he is perfectly happy once picked up. No signs of pain, redness, or teeth under the gums yet. Still on "Tooth Watch" not "Tooth Alert".)

According to the wonder weeks, at 23 weeks, Asher has just entered the 'Relationships' leap. One of the signs is sleeping less or worse - this must be be what is going on.

{ Now the cries have turned to squeals and coos. A quick check confirmed - he's smiling, kicking, and pulling his arm out of his pajamas. It's going to be another long night. }

The 'Relationships' leap is the time period in which your baby develops the perception of relationships such as distance and placement of objects and people - on top of, underneath, beside, in-between. Separation anxiety may be soon to follow. They'll also start to understand cause and effect. There are LOTS of skills that they will have developed after this leap. Asher hasn't started to show any of those skills yet, so we are just now in the beginning phase and have - eek! - 26 days left of this "stormy period". Lucky for us so far, Asher is only "stormy" when it's bedtime or nap time. Throughout the rest of the day he is a relatively happy and calm baby. Knock on wood, will ya?

The SIGNS of the fifth leap, the "Relationships" leap, include:

• Cries more often and for longer (check)
• Asks for more attention (check)
• Sleeps less or worse (check)
• Eats less (check - during the day)
• Has mood swings (check)
• Is not pleased with many things (no)

Asher has been initiating games of peek-a-boo, which is a skill that usually coincides with this leap. He does it when he is on his tummy, tucking down his head and then popping it up with a smile. He keeps going if I say, "Peek-a-boo!"

His coos and shrieks of happiness have gotten much louder and more frequent within the past 2-3 days.

He's not demonstrating any protest to diaper or clothing changes yet. He does try to roll over when getting changed.

A few of the new skills he'll have developed AFTER this leap include:

• Lifts things to see if there's anything underneath
• Throws things (Today he threw Suki's toy - she loved it!)
• Puts food in others' mouths
• Blows air
• Makes connections between words and actions
• Protests when mom or dad leaves
• Pulls himself to an upward/standing position

{ Pause for a check - needed a diaper change, made "milk" sign, or so I thought, but when I offered he just wanted to pet Suki. Back to bed. Cue the cries...  }

So we are in for a few more weeks of difficulty with sleep and fussiness. Hopefully it won't get worse, but I have a feeling it will. He started this leap on the early side, so we have a long way to go.

Some of the recommended activities to do with babies during this leap to help them develop and master their new skills are peek-a-boo and putting things inside a box and then tipping it over. I think I need to break down and buy the book to see what other activities are suggested.

{ Went ahead and brought sleepless Asher out here with me. He's sitting in his Rock & Play while I rock it with my foot. He just started tickling my toe with a smile on his face. I melt. }

Dr. Frans, the author of the Wonder Weeks, says his belief is that you should never let your baby "cry it out". He says that you can not spoil a baby with attention in the first year of life. On nights such as this one, I usually give it about 5 minutes and if the cries have not started to taper off, I will go ahead and get Asher. I have 2 sleep books I bought when Asher was only a few weeks old that most likely suggest otherwise. I haven't had much need to read them yet. I spilled water all over them and they're all crinkly.

While I'm not looking forward to losing more sleep over the next month or so, I am excited for all of the changes that are taking place with baby Asher (BIG baby Asher). It's amazing to watch their minds develop, to see them suddenly understand something that they didn't before. It's priceless, one of those parts of parenting that is indescribable. Bring it on, wonder week, bring it on.

In other news, I made - read: MADE - these delicious Panera Bread-esque orange scones yesterday. And they were amazing. Here's the recipe. Yum!

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Patterns Week & Baby's First Cold

I'm not gonna lie - this week has been a challenge.

From diaper rashes to sensitive skin issues, possible cradle cap and hair loss to crankiness... we have really run the gamut with challenging baby issues this past week. To top it all off, Asher got his first cold. More on that in a minute.

It seems as though he is going through his second metal leap according to the wonder weeks. He was born about a week early, so supposedly that puts him a week behind in the stages since it is based on his mental development from conception. His behavior for the past week has definitely fallen in line with the signs of the "patterns" week. I haven't bought the book on the wonder weeks yet, but I did download the iPad app and have read a little about them online. He definitely wants to be entertained more than ever, cries at the drop of a hat, has a decreased appetite, and wants to be held all day. This all started about a week ago. While it is trying, it also is encouraging to see him hitting all these new milestones. He is holding his head up like a champ (and actually wants to do tummy time), he's shifting his weight forward while in my lap or when someone else is holding him and he wants to come back to me, he is more engaged with his toys, making new sounds, and has been playing with and staring at his hands... The book goes into much more detail on these weeks and offers suggestions on dealing with the extra fussiness associated with them. He's also exhibiting a lot of the "symptoms" of the third leap, too, though... blowing spit bubbles... sucking on his hands... so I am still sort of on the fence on this theory although it is very interesting and does seem to be hitting a lot of the marks!

Anyways, despite my best efforts to keep my germs away from John and baby Asher, they both ended up catching my horrible cold. Word to the wise - sanitize your hands during and after your pediatrician appointments! Many times! I think I picked this awful thing up at the pediatrician's when Asher was getting his vaccines last week. :(

It started with a few little sneezes here and there. They're cute until you realize that they are happening too frequently. Then I saw a runny nose. He didn't have a fever and he was (and still is) surprisingly happy for the most part, but I called the doctor anyways and they recommended using a nasal aspirator with saline drops if needed, keeping Asher upright, and keeping an eye out for a fever. Basically, we have to let his immune system do its job and just wait it out.



It's the hardest thing to see your tiny baby uncomfortable and sick when you know there is not much you can do! I couldn't help but feel guilty knowing that the cold came from me. I set up our Vicks Humidifier that I received at my baby shower to help decongest his little nose. It blows out "cool moisture" and has a Vicks scented insert for "soothing vapors". It seems to have helped a little! I've also been using our NoseFrida "Snotsucker" and that has been a big help. It's a unique spin on the standard bulb aspirator that instead uses a tube that you suck with your mouth. Lol! It sounds gross but it blocks anything from coming up the tube with a filter. Although it sounds weird, he actually likes it! It's supposed to be more gentle on their little noses. When I hold it up he smiles and after I "suck" at his nose, he laughs! He really is the cutest baby, even when he's sick.

It was incredibly difficult hearing his nasally sounding cries! Fortunately, it seems like he is getting better. He is starting to sound normal again and the runny nose seems to be gone. He's been very clingy and fussy at times, his appetite went down a little (whether related to the wonder week or to his cold, I don't know) - but he's still flashed us his wide grin and let out small bouts of laughter several times a day. What little schedule he had has certainly been disrupted, but hopefully we'll be back on track soon. He's a trooper, this one! I am extremely relieved that this did not progress into something serious and I will definitely be more careful about hand washing and sanitizing from now on!

As far as everything else we've been dealing with, I'm keeping a running list of blog topics originating from our crazy week. One in particular, our sensitive skin problems and seemingly never ending diaper rash. I'm at my wits end on how to keep it away and am going to give cloth diapers a try. I'm hoping that using them a few times a day when we're just relaxing at home will help air circulate better... we'll see! I'll definitely follow up our experience with a blog post!




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