Random Thoughts

This morning my alarm went off in the middle of a dream, a dream only a mother could have.  The kids and I were hanging out in a coffee shop (more specifically, the coffee a shop an old high school classmate is opening in St. Louis) when Henry had a massive poop.  It was very graphic in my dream...I'll spare you the details.  As I was in the process of cleaning up this mess my alarm went off.  I woke up thinking, "What the heck!  Really?  That's what I get to dream about now?!"  I deal with this in real life on a weekly basis, if not more, and now I get to dream about it too!

I've also noticed lately that the more kids you have the more you hone your ability to tune things out.  Hannes is definitely not at the same place that I am with this.  He often gets annoyed by things I cannot even hear.  Some days everyone will be home and there will be noise and stuff going on and then twenty minutes later I realize I don't hear anything.  Everyone is gone and I have a very faint memory that someone may have spoken to me about this, but I'm not really sure.

I think a lot about living in Sweden.  Some days the distance from my family feels like nothing.  I go about my every day life and the days, weeks, months just pass by and I don't really think about how far away we live.  I enjoy my life here.  I mean teachers are only allowed to teach 18 hours a week!  That's a breeze!  I was teaching 25 hours a week.  But then other days I have these nearly debilitating attacks about just how far away I actually am.  I wish I could just put a crinkle in the map and move Sweden closer to the US.


This is what happens when Daddy changes Henry's diaper:

Here are some of the results of a fantastic photo shoot Tyler did:

And finally, a video of Henry's adorable laugh:

Finally!

About a month ago I finished a really special crochet project.  One of my oldest friends, Brandy, is pregnant with her first baby.  A little girl named Charlotte who is due in November.  She put some pictures of her bedding up on her blog.

The very next day I was at the yarn store!  I knew I wanted to crochet something for baby Charlotte.  I decided on a crib size blanket using this pattern from People Webs.

This pattern is worked with two strands of yarn held together so the end result is a chunky, warm blanket.  I love this pattern for a little girl.  It reminds me of a flower.  I think it should be warm for a winter baby.  Since I had to buy two skeins of yarn of each color I had some yarn left over after I finished this blanket.  You remember the lamb hat I crocheted for Henry...I used some of this extra yarn.  Then the yarn just kept staring at me and taunting me to make something else.  So, I did!  I made a smaller, stroller size blanket for baby Charlotte.  I used this ripple pattern from Attic 24.  It's a great size for a stroller or the car seat or laying on the couch on a rainy day.

Sorry Charlee, Henry tested out your blanket!  It was Henry approved!  Look at that excited arm...he can barely keep it still.  I hope baby Charlotte enjoys these blankets as much as I enjoyed making them!

Three Months Old!

Three Months Old!!!!  How did this happen?!  How is Henry already three months old???  I cannot believe how quickly time flies!  Especially when you don't want it to.  I really think I'll blink and he'll be one.  

He's already looking so big!  We went to get his first set of vaccinations today and he did not like it one bit!  There was a lot of screaming, a few tears and a lot of trying to soothe our poor baby.  I think that out of my three children he really took it the hardest.  It broke my heart!  Luckily, Daddy was there to hold him during the shots...I really don't think I could have gotten through it alone.

Those poor chunky, chunky baby thighs!

Henry's Stats:

Henry now weighs 14 pounds 6 ounces.  Almost double his birth weight.  He loves to eat and it shows!  His height hasn't changed, the baby nurse seems to think he'll catch up next time.  He dipped a little below average on the chart this week.  Hannes and I are both pretty short so I don't have super high hopes for his height anyway.  I just have my fingers crossed that he ends up being at least 5'7"...I have the same hopes for Tyler, too!

What Henry's been up to:

Henry has really come into his own this month!  He has really found his voice and learned a few new tricks.  Somedays he wakes up and he just knows how to do things.  It's pretty exciting and I know it's only going to get better!  One of his favorite things to do is to blow raspberries (aka spit all over himself).  I took this gem of a video.

He can soak his entire shirt in a matter of moments.  He also has great range...he can spit on my face from his Boppy pillow!  It's a lot of fun :)  He's also started reaching for and grabbing things.  His favorite thing to grab is his binky...which sometimes makes it difficult at night time.  It's so much fun to watch him try to concentrate and reach for something.  His aim has also gotten a lot better when it comes to sucking on his fingers/thumb.  He can pretty much get his hand in there on the first try!  Henry has also started laughing.  It is the cutest little sound.  It is so difficult to get him to laugh and he doesn't keep it up for very long so I haven't been able to catch it on video.  He also seems to think that his Dad is a lot funnier than I am...I think it's his hair.  I'm hoping to get a video of it soon.  His gentle cooing has also turned into full on screaming.  I was also able to capture his new voice on video.

Henry's gotten into a little more of a schedule.  This past week he's been going to sleep (in his own bed) around 10 pm and sleeping until 3 am.  Then he eats, goes back to sleep in his bed and wakes up again around 6 am to eat.  Then, I usually let him sleep in my bed until I get up around 7 with Em and Ty.  He usually gets up around 9, unless we have something to do in the morning.  It's been nice to get a little more sleep!

What Mommy's been up to:

I still have a few pounds to lose.  I'm not really counting anymore.  I've tried to get out more and be more active.  Henry and I have started baby massage.  It's a one hour class for four weeks.  We had to miss his massage class today because he picked up a little bit of a cold.  Emily was sick last week and stayed home from school for a couple of days and Tyler seems to have caught it too, but a much gentler version.  Henry has been waking up in the morning with a seriously stuffed up nose and a little bit of a goopy eye.  I've also met up with a work colleague a few times, her daughter is just a few weeks older than Henry.  I tried to go for a run last weekend...it was not pretty!  I made it just over a mile and my legs were sore for a few days.  I think I'm going to keep going, but it's hard to find time.  Hannes is always gone because of soccer and Henry is still eating every two hours.

I've also been practicing knitting.  I finally finished my first project!  It's a cute little snuggle bunny for Henry.  He seems to like it okay.  I had most of it finished and then made a mistake and had to start over.  Then, I finished up to the end of the head and couldn't figure out the ears and had to take it out and start over.  The third time was a charm!

I also went back and added a few rows to Henry's lamb hat so that it would fit better on his forehead.

He's such a ham!  That chunky body is just to die for!

Newborn Essentials

Henry is now almost 3 months old and I feel like we've really figured out what items we needed the most (or have used the most).  Prior to having Henry I read a lot of blog posts about essential newborn items.  I even created a facebook post to get others' opinions.  I knew that I didn't want to buy a lot of unnecessary things.  We have a very small apartment and don't really have the room for a lot of extra crap!  We bought a very limited amount of items and still ended up with some things that weren't really necessary.

So...this is my list of the things that we couldn't have lived without!

1.  Aden and Anais swaddle blankets

I got this set from my lovely sister, Caitlin.  We use these on a daily basis!  These blankets are the perfection combination of comfort and function.  They are thin, gauzy and soft!  I use them for a million things!  There is always one in Henry's stroller...actually there are usually two.  One for if he gets chilly and one to drape over the canopy to block the sun.  I use them as a nursing cover if I breastfeed in public.  They are great for swaddling...which we never really did, Henry hated it.  

2. Boppy pillow

This pillow is definitely a must have!  We bought a swing for Henry and he really doesn't enjoy it.  He's much happier sitting in his pillow.  We use this pillow for many hours every day!  He sits in it, on the floor, while we eat dinner.  He sits in it, on the couch, when we watch TV or I knit.  I don't really use it as a nursing pillow.  Henry isn't that heavy yet and I have no problem holding him while I breastfeed, but I'm sure I'll start using it to support him soon!  You might have noticed that in 99% of my pictures Henry is sitting in his Boppy pillow.

3.  Solly Baby wrap

This wrap really allows me to use my hands and get things done!  Henry loves this...for a while.  He definitely has a time limit because it restricts his movement.  He loves to move his arms and legs...which is why swaddling never worked for us.  However, if he's sleepy or crabby or needs to be occupied for an hour or so this is the place to do it!  He sleeps like a dream in this baby, too!  I use it every time I go somewhere and don't want to lug around the stroller.  I always wear it to the grocery store or shopping.  I've also used it on the bus, I don't think Henry even realized that we had gone on a trip...he was sleeping the whole time!  It's also allowed us to do some baking.  We've made cookies and cinnamon rolls together.  

4. Diapers!

I think we went through 40 diapers the first week we were home.  

5. Wubbanub pacifiers

The elephant is definitely Henry's favorite.  He loves to hold on to the ears, the legs and even the tag!  But mostly the ears.  We started using the first day after Henry was born!  (Most advice I've read is to wait at least two, but six if you can...that wasn't happening, for us!  Henry loves to suck and I really needed this pacifier to give my boobies a break!)  He never had any nipple confusion or any problems.  

That's pretty much it!  Babies really don't need much.  We also bought a baby play gym.

It's definitely nice to have, but I don't think it's essential.  Henry liked it a lot when he was about 8 weeks old and he'll still sit under there, but doesn't talk as much to his "friends" as he used to.  I think he might get more into it in a few weeks when he gets better at grabbing things that are further away.  We'll see!