Week 12 July 20- July 26

It has been a rough week! We were getting back into the groove of things and it was super hard. To adjust Charlotte decided to go on a nursing strike and is currently in a huge napping strike...grr :) But overall we are getting back to normal.

Baby wise and schedule: We have moved into phase 2 of the BW "plan". This mean that she should be dropping her late-evening feeding (11:00 pm) leaving 6 feedings, she should average 10-12 hours of sleep at night (she goes to bed at 7:30 and wakes around 6). It also says that she should have 3, 1.5-2 hour naps but she has 4 right now and is doing her best to drop the earliest one (7:30 am) so I am just letting her lead on that and laying her down when she is sleepy. So her schedule looks like this:
6 wake up and nurse
7:30 ish nap
9 bottle
1030 nap
12 nurse
1:30 nap
3 nurse
4:30 nap
6 nurse
9-11 I let her chose but never later than 11 a small bottle of night time formula

Sleeping: She does great at night and loves to watch her jungle crib light thing as she falls asleep. She is sleeping in a sleep sack now and starting to move away from the swaddle. Naps are still a bit of an issue and part of it is the 2 morning naps are interrupted to go get Clayton from school but there is really no way around it right now. She has been sleeping in her swing more than I really like.

 She was so tired but so not wanting to sleep

Finally sleeping

Wake time: We have introduced music time and at first I was making it when Clayton was in school but Clayton joined in one day and they both had a blast so I have moved it to a wake time that he can participate. Tummy time is still awful and I am really trying but she HATES it!!

Eating: As it said in the schedule above I have added 2 formula bottles to her diet and at first I was really struggling with it but I honestly believe that by adding these 2 feedings I have extended breastfeeding. She could not seem to stay full after the 9am feeding and it would set the stage for fussy all day. With the bottle at that time she seems to be able to handle the day with more smiles!! The bottle at night is to carry her through the night and because by then I am empty. I pump at night to store some for times I am not around so there is not much left for her. There are times though that she wants to nurse for comfort and I will let her for a few minutes and then back to bed!

Growth: YBFYWBW says that she should be around 12 lbs but she is only 11 max. But filling out t the point that I packed up the newborn stuff and she is now in 0-3 month clothes and size one diapers.

Packing away NB clothes and organizing her closet

YBFYWBW:
-We listen to music all the time..the book says although this may not make her smarter she will enjoy it and she does. It brings a great calm to her.
-she can lift her head but not from her tummy for very long at all
-she seems to be able to see from a farther distant and reacts to me when I am farther away from her.
-she makes so many facial expressions now

-she is started to babble a little
-holds her hands open more than in a fist and is very into them...looks at them all the time
-starting to but things in her mouth
-reacts differently to speech than other sounds
-seems to see Jason and Clayton and I as different people

-her soft spot is getting thicker
-is in a great routine
-has a favorite toy...Lilly the lion

-is not really able to do the "mini push up"
-loves to play song/games that involve hands and toes...this little piggy and loves when Clayton does it with her

She has been having some bloody snot when she wakes up so we put the humidifier in her room at night and it seems to be helping.

Clayton

He is really into hand washing these days...or maybe it is water play! He seems to remember everything. For example I tell him he can not have another snack until after dinner, as soon as dinner is over he asks for the snack. He is also learning to ignore me and it is not a fun stage at all! I'm not sure how to discipline that but I need to do something soon!!

C and his scentsy buddy

Clayton sings ALL THE TIME...he loves "Hush Little Baby" and changes the words. He will also talk to us in song, its like living in a musical.
When I was pregnant with Charlotte Clayton was "pregnant" with a puppy and we worried that when I had the baby he would want a puppy but it turns out he is still pregnant : ) When we ask what is in his tummy he tells us Himpey the Hawk...which is also what he calls this toy he got from Burger King. And there are times when he is tired or just not into whatever is going on around him he will say he is wishing bout Himpey the Hawk but will never tell us what it really means...weird !?!?!

He is finishing up his last week of camp (Space Camp) and starts preschool again on Aug. 5. He has one more year of this type of school and will then move on to actual Pre-K. I am getting together some prep stuff together for him to practice before school starts. We are working on drawing shapes and faces, recognizing sounds and matching them t the correct letter, writing letters and his name. He is really a smart boy and I hope he continues to love school and the school setting and really flourishes from it. We started him so young I worry that he will burn out!
Clayton is such a big boy that we took down the lower level gate this weekend so now we are just trapped upstairs. He has also learned to put his lower clothes on...we are still working on the top half!

And he has found a new love for Care Bears. He could watch it all day!!

Me

I am into week 2 of the Firm Express and I am still loving it. It is a hard workout but is so much packed into 20 minutes that I feel like I am getting so much and not taking up hours that I don't have to do so. I am not keeping up with WW as well as I should be but I have lost 2 more pounds but more importantly my clothes are getting closer to fitting!! My milk supply is starting to suffer from the dieting and working out so I am really looking into changing my diet to adjust for that. Most importantly I have to drink more water!!!

Jason

J is back to work out and trying to spend as much time with us as possible.

Week 10 and 11 of the Phillips gang...July 6-July 19

First of all as I say every week how did my baby turn 11 weeks already! Second I am combining 10 and 11 because we were only home 1 day out of those 2 weeks and I have 17 blogs waiting to be written covering our trip!! 

I could sum up the past 2 weeks with "so much fun" and "complete loss of anything scheduled and Babywise and routine" and "this week is back to business...as soon as I recover from vacay!"

Babywise: 100% my fault but every one's schedule was completely messed up while we were gone. In general I guess things stayed the same...eating, napping and bed time were roughly the same but there was WAY more flexibility than normal. 

Sleeping: She slept in her own "bed" (a crib in S.GA and pack n play in N.GA) But overall she slept through the night. Naps were rough and I'm not sure how long she slept for each one.

Wake time: Filled with new faces and new places! She was so into seeing so many different things and stayed pretty occupied.

Growth: At her 2 month well baby visit she weighed 10.11 and was 22 inches long. I can tell a big difference in her growth! Her cheeks and thighs are getting so chubby : ) and her newborn onsies are too small and her new born outfits are almost there :(

Eating: We tested out some formula while we were at home and as much as I hate to say it she loved it and was so happy after the formula bottles and not nearly as gassy! This doesn't mean I am giving up breastfeeding and at this point I am still putting on the boob every 3 hours but there are times she is getting formula and I'm not totally against it anymore. The extra formula is decreasing my milk supply I think but it could also be working out, wearing more sports bras, not drinking enough, not getting enough calories....etc

Diaper Duty: Has picked up a lot since last update. It may not be everyday but it is at least every 2 now. The gas is as usual...often and smelly! We are still using Mylecon and Gripe Water and when we do bottle feed we use the Playtex drop ins or Playtex Ventaire

2 month Well Baby: She received her 2 month shots and got a full look over by the doctor who said she looked great. She is growing well and meeting all of her milestones. I was a little concerned that she doesn't lift her head when she is on her tummy as much as I thought she should but he said that was normal and to keep up the tummy time. She was diagnosed with pretty bad eczema and was given a cream to put on at least once a day. The air here is so dry and that is not helping at all! She did have to take Tylenol for the first for a slight fever from the shots but otherwise handled them well.

YBFYWBW:
-she has excellent control of her head when held and when sitting with assistance
-kicks and swings arms all the time
-swings arms to reach objects
-she will hold her chest and head up while on her tummy but only for a few seconds
-when picked up she pulls her body in compactly
-she will bring her hands together
-follows slow objects with her eyes
-explores her own face with her hands
-stops sucking to look around and listen
-makes some noises but is usually a silent smiler
-she will mimic my facial expressions
-she will let me know when she is bored of a person or an activity
-she loves hanging toys that jingle or rattle when she moves them and really likes the rattles that go on her arm and leg
-she loves her baby bouncer now and when she is super fussy due to being tired I can lay her in the bouncy and she is right out!
-she is learning to control her cries and will stop them if distracted
-she can sit propped against the bobby or a pillow
-she will turn her head looking for sounds
-she has not gotten up on her elbows during tummy time yet
-she can hold a toy and wave it
-she is beginning to show favoritism for me over others
-she will allow you to capture her attention and will hold eye contact

Clayton: Loved being in GA was not excited about coming back! He has asked me everyday if we can go back :( He took a week off of camp to get readjusted and will start back next week.

 Playing in the bounce houses

 Taking a much needed break

 indoor playground at the mall

 He loved Kayla!

 Blowing bubbles with Aunt Karen (Doobee)

 Cousin Blair

 Cousin Jessica

 Playing with new toys

 silly faces

  Reading with Nana

Jason: Loved the chance to relax but is now back at work and looking forward to the next break!

Me: I love vacation but I will be glad when everything is back in place. I restarted Weight Watchers and start the Firm Express...after day 1 I Love it!

Charlotte is 2 months old!

Week 9... June 29-July 5

Charlotte 

Charlotte turned 2 months this week...on the 3rd!! 

Baby wise: Schedule and routine are basically the same. I had intended to move to Phase 2 of the baby wise schedule which is extended night meaning that she should be sleeping through the night (9pm-6am) and dropping that dream feed or late evening feed which for us is at 11:30. She was starting to do that on her own before our trip but since we have been traveling she has needed to feed more often and I think that most of it is really just needing more love and attention. She seems to be wanting to eat sometimes closer than 3 hours apart! The goal now is to keep it at the schedule we were before we left as much and as close as possible and adjust to phase two once we get home. We actually decided to adjust the kids to GA time instead of stay on CA time and they both adjusted really well.

Sleeping: As far as napping they are not going great but she seems to be sleeping more not less like I thought would happen. She is sleeping in various places while we travel (a dresser draw, a tent, a mini crib) but in our room and basically through the night. A few times she has woke up and realized that she was not at home and would cry but settle super quick when she realizes Jason and I are there. I do think though that her naps may be able to move to 1.5 hr of her 3 hour cycle instead of 1.5-2 hours. She is a sleep fighter 100%! At home we are starting the CIO (cry it out) but here in GA the family is rescuing her every chance they get :)

Wake time: Since we have been in GA, her wake time has been consumed by playing with family and she is loving all the new faces and environments to look at. Before we left I was trying to push more tummy time which is still not a favorite! I read in YBFYWBW to blow up a beach ball a little less than full and lay them across it. It is supposed to help with tummy time and gas which are both major issues for us!!

Growth: She is wearing 1-2 diapers and ready to move to the 3 month Carter's clothes and 0-3 in most everything else. I will be packing her newborn stuff when we get home :(

Eating:  Like I said earlier she is wanting to eat less than 3 hours but I honestly believe she may be going through a growth spurt. I have had to supplement a little with formula to get her over this hump. I think I might be dehydrated and therefore my milk supply is running a little low but because I am aware of it I am trying to fix it quickly and feeling a little water logged!

Outings:  This week was pretty crazy she has been to 2 airports, several family member's houses and the lake. Next week will bring even more visiting!

Diaper Duty: Gassy, pooping 1-2 times a week and taking Gripe Water and Mylecon like a champ..same ole same ole

The Monday after we return is Charlotte's well baby checkup and first real round of vaccines. I will update on that once we conquer it! 

YBFYWBW

-she is learning to manipulate the day with her cries and learning to communicate with her cries

-she can hold objects for longer periods of time like the neck of my shirt when she nurses

-she watches objects that move in circles...fans or lights

-she sucks at sight of breast and wiggles or squirms in anticipation for the bottle and breast

-smiles all the time at people and things that she enjoys

-likes taking a bath

-beginning to chuckle and laugh 

-her walking reflex has dissapeared but will return at 10-15 months in preparation for actually walking

Clayton

Clayton finished up his cooking camp the Friday we left and since we have been here I haven't really seen him! He loves being here in GA and is going to give us a fit when it is time to go home. He is staying on a schedule pretty well and eating well, with some special treats added in!

Me and Jason

We are enjoying the time here and relaxing as much as possible. Jason is working out still and keeping up with that...me on the other hand :( I'm not doing great with my Weight Watchers or working out but I am hoping my Firm Express is waiting for me at home!!!