Sleep!!!

Sleep is important y'all. For Sawyer. For Drew. For me. I mean, seriously, we need sleep. But ever since we brought our sweet sweet boy home from the hospital, sleep has been an adventure. 10 months of hoping and praying for better sleep. I know, sleep is always going to be rough as a parent, one way or another. But I'm talking about sleeping for more then two or three hour chunks. That is the goal. Not having hour long (or longer!) parties in the middle of the night would be a blessing. On the bright side, Sawyer had never been a big crier. No colic. No crying into the wee hours. Not even lots of tears when it's bedtime. Sure, he gets fussy, but he's a baby. Besides when he is fighting strep throat from hell, has been sick practically since Thanksgiving, had tubes put in, and is combating a fever - that brought on tears last night. Other then that, Sawyer is the happiest baby I know. For reals. And for that I'm thankful beyond words. But decent sleep - we need it!!

 When Sawyer came home he was on a strict "eat every two hours" plan. Which made sense, he was barely over 4 lbs when we left the hospital. We were waking him up every two hours to eat. Really though, you measure from when a feeding starts. So, he starts eating at 1:00, the next feeding should be at 3:00. Yea. Minimal sleep. Then we got good reports on his weight gain and started being able to spread out feedings, aka not force him awake. Then he turned 6 months and everyone said this is the golden age. He'll start sleeping longer/better. Then he started day care. Again, all we heard was this was the start of better sleep. Then we had tubes put in his ears because fluid was not draining. And we prayed that this would help. Prayed, hoped, held our breath. And it almost got better; a couple of nights that included 6 hour stretches of sleep.

Then strep hit. And we reverted. Currently amoxicillin is not clearing the strep up, and hopefully a trip to the dr will equal a new prescription that will put Sawyer on the mend. Because these two or three stretches of sleep at a time is getting old. And besides COI (which I can't even) we've done it all - cosleeping, no bedtime routine, strict bedtime routine, late bedtime, early bedtime - and same results. Sawyer is a joy in the mornings. Smiles. Laughs. Excited to see us, excited to start the day. And we are bleary eyed. How can he wake up so happy on such a tough night's sleep? Especially Drew. He's bares the brunt being alone 5 nights a week while I work third shift. So pray us that after another round of antibiotics our boy turns the corner. Gets better and stays better. And sleeps! I'm not asking all night. But consistently getting two long stretches with the awake time in between being under 30 minutes would be heaven. Heaven!

As an aside, this is something that's been in my mind to write for awhile. But I didn't. I didn't want to sound like a complainer. Because I know we are beyond blessed with Sawyer. But maybe there are other parents out there sick of hearing "my baby's been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks/3 months/etc." and need the affirmation that you are not the only one.

2012 in Review: What a Year!!

Here's a recap of the Pilkenton adventures from the past year. A lot happened and a lot changed over the last 12 months. I'll try to sum it up short and sweet like :)

January - babymoon/3rd year anniversary trip to San Antonio. Our first year of marriage Drew and I decided that we would take a trip every year for our anniversary. This year we took our trip a couple months early due to my pregnancy. We had a great time - River Walk, Spurs game, zoo, food trucks in Austin, and of course the Alamo.

February - baby showers! This was the month that crazy baby preparations started. We had two showers, and cracked down on preparing the nursery for Sawyer's upcoming debut. Good thing some nesting started because...

March - Sawyer arrives!!! 3 weeks to the day early, Sawyer flew (by Drew's first hand account) into the world. Went into labor Saturday night after a baby shower and dinner at Sonny's with family. Absolutely perfect and adorable, Sawyer made March 11 a very special date.

April - birthday, anniversary, Easter and the return to work. April started with the bustle of my birthday and Sawyer's first Easter. Then ended with my return back to work. 7 weeks went by way too fast!

May - Mother's Day and Sawyer's baby dedication. Worked out perfectly that the baby dedication landed on my first Mother's Day. And I got to share it with sweet friends who had also welcomed little ones this year. So special.

June - Father's Day! Sawyer turned 3 months old and started holding his head up. Just in time for Drew to celebrate his first Father's Day.

July - We tried our best attempts to make sure Sawyer was a true Florida boy and introduced him to his first pool experience in a little blow up my parents bought. He rocked the look - cute baby board shorts and shades. Was not so much a fan of the actual pool part. Next year!! Lol

August - Sawyer turns 5 months and started rolling over really well. Stomach to back then back to stomach. Getting so big. Drew's parents also came down and stayed a week to help Drew care for Sawyer while I got the opportunity to travel to my railroads. I went to the Carolinas to play trains (even ran a locomotive!) and experience railroading firsthand.

September - start of football season! And Sawyer's first trip to the beach! Sawyer and I joined my parents and brother for a weekend getaway to Daytona beach. Sawyer enjoyed his first beach/ocean experience a lot more then his first pool experience, and we all had a fun, relaxing time.

October - sitting up (finally!) and Halloween! Sawyer finally decided that sitting up was acceptable, and slowly began sitting on his own. He was also the cutest astronaut ever for his first Halloween. Seriously, adorable!!

November - Sawyer starts daycare. And celebrates his first Thanksgiving! Sawyer started going to preschool at the church up the road from us. It's small, convenient, and his teacher is super nice. There's only four total in his class. And it's all little boys, two a month older and another about 3 months younger. We celebrated Thanksgiving, and Drew's parents and grandparents came down for a long weekend.

December - crawling, Christmas, and surgery. Sawyer turned 9 months old and started crawling! He's gotten better and better, and now doesn't even need to be bribed by a phone to crawl. Best feeling ever when he sees you and crawls straight for you! We celebrated his first Christmas. It was pretty low key, but we had fun. Next year and the rest will be even more fun and exciting :). The month ended with Sawyer having tubes put in his ears to combat excessive fluid build up and persistent ear infections. He did wonderfully!

Can't wait to see what the new year brings our family. 2013 should bring lots of fun and lots of blessings.

Happy New Year!!!

Fall!

It's almost winter, so I should probably recap fall with our sweet boy before the seasons change. I can't believe in a couple of weeks I'll have 9 month old on my hands. Any minute he's going to start crawling and getting into everything. He's getting so big! And still the most precious baby boy :).

So here's what you've missed:

- Halloween! Sawyer was an adorable astronaut. We went to the fall festival and trick or treating. He did well, but I can't wait until next year when he can actually walk up and say "trick or treat".

- Sitting! Finally we have a sitter. Drew thought Sawyer would never sit, but within the last couple of weeks Sawyer proved him wrong. And with in the last week Sawyer figured out how to sit up on his own. He's so proud of himself every time he goes from lying on his stomach to sitting up.

- Eating! Slowly we are moving on from baby foods to "real food". Sure he's still eating baby food, but Sawyer is starting to master the whole chewing process. Green beans, bread, baked potato, cereal, small pieces of chicken...dinner time is becoming more and more fun!

- Thanksgiving! Sawyer made us his first art project of a foot/handprint turkey. So cute! It also gave me time to think about all I'm thankful for. We are so blessed with Sawyer. Even being born early and tiny, he has been healthy since day 1. Sure we've battled ear infections, but nothing compared to what I know others have gone through. He is such a happy easy going baby. Rarely does he cry, and when he does he's quickly soothed. Sawyer's smiles and laughs are infectious and can brighten any day. I'm totally smitten with my baby and can't wait to see what joy he continues to bring us.

October!

I can't believe that it has been 4 months since my last post!  Time has been flying by, though that is no good excuse for not keeping this blog updated.  Sawyer has grown so much in the last few months, and has really become an infant instead of a newborn baby.  He is still laid back and easy going, full of smiles and laughs.

A recap of all that's new:

He is rolling over from stomach to back and back to stomach with no problem.  He can roll the length of a room if he gets going!  h

He is trying to crawl, he can lift up on his knees and hands for a little bit.  He can army crawl some too.

He started eating food!  Right now just fruits, some veggies, and cereal.  Sawyer still doesn't know what to think of it, but he likes it for the most part.

We have TWO teeth!  One came in last week, the other broke through today.  Which means he has been a little on the fussy side.

Growing, growing, growing!  It's hard to believe he is 15 lbs 1 oz and 26 1/2 inches long!  He started out so tiny (4 lbs 7 oz!).

Mr. Personality!  He can cut looks, and make the best facial expressions.  It is so fun to see him take on his own personality.

Sleeping in his crib - Sawyer is still not sleeping through the night, but he is sleeping in his crib!  Feels like such a success.  While it was great having him in with us, we are all sleeping better now that he is in his own room.  :)

Working on sitting, not quite there yet.  But he LOVES to stand.  He wants you to hold him in a standing position all day.

Still the most beautiful baby boy I've ever seen. Granted I'm a little bias, but Sawyer gets more compliments when we're out and about then I can count.

Baby Must Haves (for me)

2 and half months in to this journey of being a mom, I've realized that babies don't need a whole lot, but there are plenty of things that make the job a whole lot easier.  Here are some of my personal baby must haves that Sawyer and I both enjoy:

Blankets for swaddling.  Sawyer loves being swaddled at bedtime.  As in won't sleep well without getting bundled up.  Now he prefers to have an arm (or both) out, but still loves a good swaddle.

Baby carrier.  I have both a wrap and a Beco Butterfly II.  Sawyer loves being in both.  It soothes him if he's being fussy and wants to be near me.  It allows me to get stuff done while keeping him happy.  Great for going shopping and not having to lug around the car seat/stroller.  I started using the wrap in the hospital since the nurses recommended holding him and keeping him close to my heart as much as possible.  I started being able to use the Beco once he hit 7 lbs.  Even Drew has worn Sawyer in the Beco.  So cute.

Activity mat.  Sawyer loves playing on his activity mat, whether it's swinging his arms at the toys or having some tummy time, the activity mat is a favorite!

Swing.  Great place to take a nap, hang out while mom cooks or is doing laundry, the swing was a great gift to receive!  Sawyer enjoys it and as taken many a nap in his.  Ours plays soothing music, and has a mobile with soothing lights.

Sure,  there are a lot of other things - bottles, pacifiers, diapers, etc that you need.  However these are somethings that aren't necessary for survival, but for sanity.

PS Sawyer is such a big boy - 9 lbs 10 oz at his last doctor's visit!  And he's outgrowing newborn clothes!  Whoa!

Two Months

Sawyer turned two months just in time for Mother's Day.  He is getting bigger and bigger, and it is so neat to watch all the developments.

Over the last month:

• He's sleeping longer stretches at night.  He's getting at least one 4 hour stretch in each night.  Which helps Drew since he's on duty all night.
• Smiling and laughing more and more.  Won't do it on command for the camera, but gives lots of smiles to us and Grandma and Granddaddy.
• Eating more and more.  Drinks a about 3-4 oz during at least one of his feedings.  The doctor says he's a very efficient eater.
• Doubled his birth weight!  Almost 9 lbs!  
• With that he is starting to push the limits of some of his newborn clothes.  Some of his footed outfits are getting tight.
• I started back to work, still on 3rd shift.  The going to work isn't as hard as having to go to sleep when I get home.  
• Still loves being swaddled.  Wrap him up in a blanket and he's good to go.
• Loves being worn either in a wrap or in our Beco carrier.

Thoughts on Pregnancy & Newborns

Can't believe 8 weeks has flown by so fast! Being out of town and then starting back to work, I haven't updated like I've wanted to. I wanted to jot down some thoughts on pregnancy and the first few weeks of being a mom before I forget.

I was so fortunate to have an easy pregnancy. Sure there were some uncomfortable times and the three hour glucose test sucked, but overall everything was smooth sailing. And each milestone of pregnancy; hearing the heartbeat, finding out "its a boy", the first movements, all so special. I have to admit I've always wanted kids, but until a little over a year ago, the thought of being preggers scared me. Then not only did I want to get pregnant, but wanted to give birth naturally. Who would have thought? And it wasn't that bad! Labor and delivery was hard, but not unbearable. It definitely wasn't the horrifying thing people make it out to be. I think that's what scared me about getting pregnant. Am I ready to do it again tomorrow? No! But will I do it again? Absolutely! Especially since Sawyer was the end result :)

Although I'm no pro, there is a lot I've learned about being a mom. The first being don't beat yourself up if something doesn't go how you wanted/planned. For example I had made up in my mind that I was going to exclusively breast feed until about 6 months or whenever we introduced solids. However Sawyer coming early and being so tiny changed that, and my body didn't help matters. I had some tears of frustration and sadness, but then told myself, it may not be how I wanted, but Sawyer is getting fed and is growing. Which is most important. I'm sure there are more of those moments to come, when I'll have to give into my preconceived notions and do what is best in that moment for Sawyer.

I also learned that I'm a lot more crunchy/hippie then I would have thought. Natural birth, cloth diapers, baby wearing, etc. So glad I made those choices! Right now, I'm especially loving baby wearing. Sawyer loves the wrap and the Beco, probably because he loves snuggling close. They have kept me sane several times!

The most important thing I've learned through all of this is how quickly you fall absolutely in love with your baby. Not that I didn't expect to be head over heels, I've loved Sawyer since I first found out I was expecting. But the absolute heart bursting emotion the moment he was placed on my chest, I was almost unprepared for. It truly is a love like no other. And everyday, no matter how much (or little) sleep, or how much he cries (thankfully rarely) that love continues to grow.