Traveling with baby!

We are leaving tonight for Georgia...and from there will be hopping over to Vegas to visit family. Today, I am gathering up all the things we will need.

What a different experience it is to travel with a baby! Firstly, for planning purposes, you have to account for extra time spent changing the diaper, feeding, and possibly even dealing with a cranky baby. This means, we can't predict an exact timetable. (Can anyone say "flexibility"?). Secondly, the packing itself. My goodness, Ian requires more stuff than us! Let's hope I don't forget anything important, like diapers! (Or at least bring enough of them!) Then there is always thinking about where he is going to sleep, and change his diaper, and....on and on! Finally, traveling with Ian means that we get to create fun family memories. That's the best part! :)

So, the photos/blog sites will be quiet for a few days. Expect some interesting stories and lots of pictures when we get back July 5th!

Eye boogers...

Ian has developed a case of eye boogie-itis! We had noticed on Sunday that the discharge which was an occasional thing was more abundant. It seemed that every time we looked at him, more white or yellow discharge was building up in his eye. I wasn't too concerned until it started getting crusty, and even more copious.

I did a lot of research online, and determined it was either blocked tear ducts or conjunctivitis (GASP!!!). I immediately washed my hands and face with hot water. My eyes were itching! I was already telling Matt that I needed to find my glasses, since you can't wear contacts when you have pinkeye.

(Insert screeching brakes sound here.)

As Matt put it, "Oorah nurse's hotline!" The description of his symptoms was as follows:
-No fever
-Lots of white discharge in his left eye only, appears yellowish when it builds-up or is wiped away
-Whites of his eyes are NOT red or bloodshot in any way
-Area around eye is slightly puffy
-Sometimes he sounds slightly congested
-When discharge is not present, his eye is still extremely watery
-Doesn't seem to bother him!

The nurse said that babies this young don't get pinkeye! Hallelujah! She informed me that it was a blocked tear duct, quite a common ailment among infants. Instructions are to keep wiping the discharge away with a warm wascloth, and massage the corner of his eye to help unblock the duct. Additionally, if his nose is stuffy, we need to loosen the congestion with saline and a bulb syringe. The condition is nothing to worry about, and should resolve itself completely within his first year of life.

The short and sweet version of the condition...either Ian has a narrow tear duct that easily becomes blocked with "stuff" (and as he grows, this will self-resolve), OR there is a membrane that did not fully dissolve partially covering the duct (sometimes this requires "probing" to open the duct).

Already, with the prescribed home treatment, the eye boogers have greatly diminished! Ian is so good for the "treatment" too. Such a good baby!

Oh, and oddly enough, my eye isn't itching anymore. :)

ONE MONTH OLD!

Ian is now one month old! It's totally amazing to think that it's only been that long, already it feels like forever!

Ian has grown from 7lbs 9 oz. to 10 lbs. and from 20.5 inches to 23.75 inches!

Other milestones...
-Stares at your face directly for 2-3 minute stretches
-Recognizes mommy and daddy, often with a smile!
-Tracks hands to his face (and go cross-eyed)
-Sleeps 4-6 hour stretches at night!
-Has outgrown most 0-3 month sizes because he's so long!
-Grabs objects put into his hand...including mommy's hair!
-Turns his head to look towards voices - in all directions!
-Tracks objects in an arc with his eyes for approximately 90 degrees
-Accidentally kicks himself along the ground for a few inches when on his stomach (feet more kicking into the air than pressing onto the ground!)
-Rolls from back to sides purposefully
-Holds head up for 1-2 minutes at a time!
-Coos, gurgles, and "talks" at random times
-Sometimes smiles when you gently tickle his chin

Amusing things Ian does...
-Tries to suck on his arms and knuckles when he is hungry
-Pulls at his own ears!
-Almost always sleeps with at least one hand near his head
-Recognizes different textures with his feet...pulls his feet up when he feels concrete!
-Becomes amazingly quiet and still at bath time, he's fascinated by the process!
-Enjoys to be held up in a sitting position, so he can look around at everything

The list probably could go on and on, but these are the things at the front of my mind.

Ian is such a joy, I am so glad that we are blessed to have him! He is the best and cutest baby ever! :)

Ian's new toys...

Ian really likes his swing, and promptly falls asleep when he goes in it...however, when he is wide awake, he doesn't want to be very far from the action. He will start his angry crying and swinging his arms around, grunting, and very much looking like he is trying to get out! So, I decided to get him a little bouncy seat. (The seat is also a lot more portable than the swing!)

The picture above was taken the first time I put Ian in the seat yesterday. No joke, he stared INTENTLY at that little lion in the middle for about 5 minutes straight...with the most serious look on his face! He really loves it! For about 45 minutes while I was cooking his dinner, he stared at the little toys, and bounced around. He seemed highly amused at the fact that when he moved his arms, the seat moves too. It is too cute the way he waves his arms around clumsily, and I find myself just waiting for him to start giggling with glee. He may not always use his face to express emotion, but body language definitely tells a story! In this case, I just managed to catch the hints of a smile he was making on camera...I know it wasn't gas, the smiles happened too predictably with his activity!
He is finally getting old enough to really start taking interest in some of the "tummy time" toys. You can tell he still prefers to look at people's faces, however. "Tummy time" is recommended for infants to start gaining muscle control needed for crawling. They can build strength in their arms from pushing up, legs from kicking, and neck from holding it up. We are still working on this activity. He doesn't like to be on his stomach very much, and will start fussing almost immediately. I'll get down at his level and talk or sing to him, which increases the amount of time he will tolerate tummy time. Earlier today when he was on one of the mats, he actually seemed to take more interest in looking at the designs and toys! Hooray!

The other toy of mention is the "Exer-saucer" from Grandma Gayler. It is SO cool! Eventually, when he gains enough neck control, he will be able to sit in it, and spin himself around to check out all the toys on the edges. It can also be converted to an activity table when he is too big to sit in the center anymore. As cool as this toy is, I can see how kids end up playing with the boxes instead of the toy. It took mommy a good little amount of time to get it put together! I can only imagine what will happen when he starts crawling around, and impatience takes effect. Here's mommy, studiously trying to assemble the gadgets, and little Ian crawling around in the box behind her, LOL! I can't wait!

Moving around!

Motor control is definitely developing. It is so amazing to watch him physically grow stronger every day. Ian is now regularly rolling from back to tummy...and then back again! :) He can also hold his head up for longer and longer periods. I counted the longest as almost 20 seconds! Go Ian!

His vision and focus is also improving. Ian is tracking his hand to his mouth at times, which means he ends up cross-eyed. It's very entertaining to mommy and daddy! Yesterday was the first time he noticed (at least apparent that he had noticed) the mobile moving around above the swing. The ability is only there to follow it for a couple of inches, and then he starts looking off at other things!

He is definitely finding his voice...cooing, grunting, and making all sorts of cute (and funny!) little noises. Mommy is learning to tell the difference between commentary, angry, and hurt cries. Who would have guessed a cry is not just a cry!

Alert and awake time is increasing steadily...last night it was almost 3 hours! Blessedly, he is also gradually sleeping more of the night it seems. Five or six hour stretches are not uncommon. He's such a good baby!

Last order of business...Ian has officially outgrown the newborn size! He's not necessarily too chubby for them, rather too long. I'm going to weigh and measure him on Sunday...

Growing up...

Ian is definitely growing up! Even though I see him all day, every day, and the changes are gradual...some things make that fact apparent. For example, how the clothing is fitting him...

Newborn sizes aren't going to last too much longer. He wore his last newborn diaper yesterday. He's now in size 1's! Newborn socks are too small and the hat he wore home from the hospital is a little snug on his noggin. He is also starting to fill out his onesies in the middle. Getting a little chubby-kins, just like a baby should!

It's amazing to think that by the end of this week, he'll be a month old! Just yesterday, he was in my belly! I remember Matt holding up a paper clip and saying, "Our little baby is this big!"

WOW! Our little Ian is growing up! :)

Visiting daddy at work!

This picture is simply classic!!! :) Notice the, "What on earth is that?!" look on Ian's face!

From the picture, you can see that Ian visited daddy at work today. He was awake the whole time too! The vote is still leaning almost completely towards the, "He looks EXACTLY like his daddy," side. We did get the response, "No, I can see both of you in him!" I think that makes the vote 1 million to 2, LOL.

One other note of interest for the day...when getting Ian ready to go, I laid him up on the changing table to change his clothes. Ian reached up and grabbed a chunk of my hair! I might have thought this was an accident, but when I pried his hand off, he swung his arm around, and then grabbed my shirt!

Bath time...and rollover!

Last night, daddy gave Ian his first bath!

Ian is already quite used to running water, and fluids in general. After all, he did swim around in it for almost 10 months! There is more to it than that, however. He develops diaper rash after using wipes on him, so we have been rinsing his bottom at the sink. This definitely saves on the cost of wipes!

We decided to use the bathtub for his first bath, and set his giant sponge down for cushioning! When Matt lowered Ian into the water, Ian's eyes popped open VERY wide! He made some cute baby noises, and wiggled around a little bit when water was splashed over him. Overall, I think he liked it! It was obvious he was taking the whole experience in and trying to figure it out. His eyes were busy trying to track the washcloth and hands over him.

That's about it! We had a clean baby for about 15 minutes! :)

Later last night, we set him down for night-night...and he rolled onto his side first, and looked around surprised! After a few minutes, he then rolled over right onto his tummy! Now we really have to keep an eye on him! :)

First smiles...

We have discovered a little "game" that gets Ian grinning. He is highly amused when you blow his hair!

Just a light little blow across the top of his head, and he will give a definite open mouthed grin!

He is also beginning to respond more to daddy's pestering and noises. When Matt makes growling noises (or other nonsense) behind Ian's head, he will actually turn his head back to see what is going on!

He still hasn't figured out what quite to make of raspberries yet. Matt says he is trying to imitate us, but I think he's just making his hungry face.

Speaking of hungry, he also grins a little when he finds his hand and starts sucking on it! Funny little guy! :)

When is a newborn no longer a "newborn"?

I'm curious what you think! Who decides when a newborn is no longer a newborn? How long are you an infant? A baby? I guess when people stop calling Ian a newborn, I'll know!

His umbilical cord fell off today! (This is what started that whole line of questioning if you were wondering).

So, this means that a bath is forthcoming! We have to wait 24 hours after the cord stump has fallen off before the area can be immersed in water. Research says this is so the area can scab over to further ward off infection. Expect pictures soon! :)