Week 13 July 27-August 2

I'm posting this a day late but it is completely intentional. Now that Charlotte is 3 months old I am going to blog her updates monthly instead of weekly. I know that you all just patiently wait around weekly to find out the feeding, pooping, sleeping schedule of my princess but lately there has been so much more eating, playing, pooping than sleeping equalling less blogging time for mommy! So this is my last weekly update the next update will be on her 4 month birthday and I will be typing through tears :(

I am still going to use Your Baby's First Year Week by Week as my reference and combine the 4 weeks into one post covering more development at a time. As far as the rest of the family we will get our blog time in too, promise!

Week 13...

Schedule: Same as last week

Eating: She is still eating every 3 hours until 6 pm and then I wake her between 9-11pm and that was carrying her though until at least 5:30 but lately she can only make it to 4. I have experimented with waking at different times and she still gets up 4-4:30 so I'm just going with it right now. But in the end she is still getting the same amount of feedings. She is getting 2 formula bottles a day per her pediatrician. She needed a little help gaining weight and processing food so instead of supplementing a few ounces randomly through the day I give 2 whole bottles and pump. She did move to the medium flow nipples on her bottles.

Sleeping: She sleeps great at night until 4am and she goes right back to sleep after I feed her. Napping has not been great. There are several naps that only last a 30 minutes or so and she will cry the rest of the time...45 minute intruder? At night she is CIO and that is working great. She never cried more than 15 minutes and if she does it is usually an indication that something is wrong. She no longer sleeps with a swaddler and that was her choice. The nights she has it take much longer to fall asleep!

YBFYWBW
-laughing more...she will "talk" to us and toys
-smiling...she is smiling in response to people other than family

-tummy time...still screams and because of it she has not even attempted to roll over or push up on her elbows or arms...I'm getting worried :(
-toys... loves her mobile, and still loving Lilly the Lion but her favorite toy is her fingers!
 - Pacifier...she needs her paci when she is going to sleep but she has starting taking it out and sucking her fingers instead. When we see her we try to give her the paci back but she likes her fingers

-started napping in her room
- skin getting a little better now that she is on medicated lotion and running the humidifier
-getting excited...she will get super excited and kick and laugh and then in the next second burst into tears. I'm guessing she is getting over excited and doesn't know how to calm her self back down.

-sitting...she can sit in her Bumbo and against the Boppy or pillows
-grasping...has learned to grasp but not always to let go
- bubbles..she is blowing bubbles like crazy!!

Clayton: Finished up Space camp last Friday and has a little break until school starts on Friday. He is getting a new teacher AGAIN. This is the 5th time he has changed teachers! Got to love the Army life. We have been spending more time with friends such as he twins that live next door and our new friends Anora and Anya. He will be going to school (not in the same class) with Anora and Anya and is very excited about it!

                                                           This is our neighbor Faith
Me: I am feeling smaller after 2 weeks of workouts but numbers are not reflecting :( Maybe its muscle maybe something else but I do know that WW is not working in my favor! My milk supply is suffering and I am not taking in enough calories for a good weight loss from working out. So I am just writing down what I eat so that I am holding myself accountable but not worrying about the points and focusing more on healthy eating and taking in enough protein.
 

Jason: J changes command on the 31st and then back into his second command on the 6th of October. He is looking at some options for future in Army and needs prayer that we make/are given the best option for our family!

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!

Week 8...June 22- June 28

We are almost to the 2 month mark but not yet!

Babywise and schedule: Schedule is pretty much the same as last week. Still on a 3 hour schedule and sleeping mostly through the night. A few nights ago she gave us a run for our money that ended with an early morning for Clayton and needless to say two very sleepy parents! I am super worried about keeping her on a schedule in GA. I just plan on being very strict with people and making people mad if need be...there's the warning. I understand that family only sees them once/twice a year but that 2 week vacation can set back what we have been working toward for 2 months back to the beginning. No thank you! My plan was to keep them on CA time which is 3 hours behind GA but that would mean going to bed late and sleeping late in turn losing time with family...I am still thinking about what to do...any suggestions?

Sleeping: Getting much better at naps except the 1:00 nap. That one is most important to me because that's also when Clayton goes down for his nap. I need them to nap together!!! She is just really struggling with it :( Other than that she is napping better and like I said before sleeping through the night 90% of the time.

Wake time: Now that she is "playing" more I am initiating more structured wake time IE...tummy time, swing, playing in the pack and play. She loves wake time and seems to be really happy during it but is also able to show when she has had enough and in need of a nap! She is really enjoying the swing and bouncy more now than she was before.

Tummy time: Not her favorite activity so I only do a few minutes a day and plan to increase as she is willing.

As you can see here it was not successful!

Growth: I am guessing 9.14-10 lbs and around 20 inches long? Still in a size 1 diaper and newborn/0-3 month clothes. She is slowly moving into some Carter's 3 month stuff (it says 8-12lbs).

Eating: Every three hours and like a champ! No more shield and I think my supply has finally evened out some. I am still really nervous about feeding in public and basically everywhere I will go excepts my mom's house while we are in GA is not going to be like home where I can just nurse without feeling like I need to cover up. The Dr did suggest at her appointment last week if the gas did not ease up and I wanted to get some probiotics in her system before she is able to eat cereal that I can do a  few ounces of probiotic formula a day. We have not done that yet and honestly I don't think I will. Why spend the money when we don't have to.

Outings: This past Tuesday she went to a Coffee with me to share some time and fun with the other ladies in Jason's squadron. She had a great time and loved being held and played with by the other ladies. I have noticed that she can not just be held for holding sake by me...she thinks she needs to eat if I hold her! And of course she went to the library/Starbucks with Clayton and I on Thursday.

Noises: This weekend we cleaned the carpets and steam cleaned and I can't tell you how happy Charlotte seemed all day! She loved the noise! YBFYWBW says that babies this age will find a noise they really like and start to associate with memories of happy and fun...maybe her noise is a vacuum?

Diaper Duty: She has gone from pooing once a week to almost everyday. Maybe it was a phase or something going on in her tummy? I started a probiotic chew from GNC that I love. It is helping me and possibly helping her too.

Taste like Laffy Taffy :)

In my post about baby items I can not live with out I talked about a video monitor and a sound machine. Since Charlotte is not in her room at night yet we have been using these items in Clayton's room...and will be getting the second camera and second sound machine in the mail tomorrow!! We love them both so much we decided each kid needed one.

YBFYWBW

-she can grasp objects for a few seconds

-she is holding her head up really well now
-she cycles her arms and legs smoothly and all the time
-she can discriminate between noises, faces and objects
-she can pick me out by my voice from other people
-she can repeat actions (smiles)
-has really started watching people and studying their movements and actions
-she makes some noises like "ahs" a little laugh that sounds like she is gasping
-she loves her hands and is always chewing on them

Concerns: The only real concern I have this week is flying with her. Will she be a good baby or will the flight hate me? Will she be safe from germs and random people? Will she stay on her schedule? I am also just concerned about her schedule in general while we are gone. I want others to enjoy her but I am going to have to sacrifice some fun for some strict feeding and napping times.

ME 

Tuesdays are also my weight Watchers weight in days and I woke up to find I had gained .5 lbs back! I know this happens but it made me realize I am not REALLY tracking everything I eat. Those little things you forget to add are what will get you.  I pulled out an old DVD I had with Clayton called Mommy and Baby Fitness by Parents and have started doing that with her as one of my workouts. I think Clayton was getting jealous so I ordered the toddler/ pre-k version of it to do with him. I love that I get a workout, she has an activity during wake time and it includes a section on baby massage and baby yoga/stretching. I can't wait to get the older kid one and start "working out" with Clayton.

OH...I also got a push present from Jason! He ordered me the Firm Express. It's a P90X type workout but 20 minutes a day instead of an hour+ and 3 days a week to allow me to add in the workouts with the kids.

If you read my blog while I was pregnant you know that chewed ice all the time...it is so coming back to get me. My teeth are killing me and once is even broken! I need to see dentist SOON!

Clayton

He made a necklace at the library after story time.

While I was at the coffee with Charlotte Clayton stayed home with Jason and was apparently really whiny so Jason sent him to bed earlier than normal...he slept through the night! So the next night we stuck to that earlier bedtime and a strict routine and guess what? He slept through the night in his own bed again...and has every night since then! Just shows that there is something to the crazy structured life!!

This week he is enjoying cooking camp and I can't wait to see all the fun projects and stories he brings home.

In Toddler wise it talks about structures times such as room time...sibling time...mom time. We had really gotten away from that with the new baby and me being pregnant and I am excited about getting that schedule up and working again! He seemed to thrive when he knew what was coming next and didn't ask me so many questions about what there was to do!

 

Prepping for nap time

Jason

Jason found out he will be taking the other command he was hoping for (699 maintenance company) in September. This is a great career move but it means we will be here until Spring 2013...I never thought we would live somewhere that long in the Army. Most people here so 18 months - 2 years and move on but we will have done 3.5 years. On a great note though that means very slim chance of another deployment until we move again!  

Next week will be published from South Georgia!