SLEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a little bit slacking on this blog, but hey, I have a newborn so I am okay I think;)  I also didn't want to jinx what I am going to write about so 12 days was an accurate time frame to make sure things were going as well as I thought.  Anyway, these past couple of weeks have been all about SLEEP!!!  I have really started to follow my doctor's advice about scheduled nap times, and the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby is literally my bible.  Joey is now ok at his morning nap around 9, and has a solid 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon!  I can then count on one more 4t5-1hour nap early evening, a catnap for about 20 minutes at 7:30ish, and then to bed between 8:30-9pm.  I think I am doing things relatively correct.  He also had another overnight and did wonderfully!!  The nap schedules were followed and he did a great job!

Next post will be longer I promise!!

Here fishy fishy fishy=)/Mean Mommy=(

He's a fish!!  No, at his 10 week mark Joey didn't turn in to a marine animal, but he did take his first swim.  I was counting on the fact that he would scream and cry since bath times can be a bit iffy, but he was GREAT!!  I then felt relieved because Mike and I both love the water, and are both certified scuba divers, so we can't wait to get Joey in to swim lessons, the ocean, scuba diving, and snorkeling.  My little guy swirled around the water (with Daddy's help) and was all smiles.  I think I was most excited about how darn cute he was in his trunks and pirate hat.  I know there are a ton of pictures, but I just couldn't narrow them down to just a few! 

At the doctor last week I explained how we were having great success with a bedtime routine and getting Joey down for his bedtime.  I also then explained that mornings and afternoons were still a problem.  I am especially having problems in the morning.  I took my doctor's advice this week and began letting Joey cry when he goes down for naps.  The theory is if he goes down at the same time every day, he will get used to it and stop crying.  I notice Joey gets very sleepy around 9-10am.  This week marked my (as I call it) Mean Mommy stage.  Yep, I am officially beginning the Ferber method and letting him cry (in fact, he is crying on the monitor while I am typing this).  This has really made me lose my mind on many occasions.  Hopefully this week it goes better.  Stay tuned.........................

Question of the week:
Should I expect a growth spurt every 3 weeks???

2 Months!!!

Memorial Day Weekend was a HUGE one for us!!  Saturday marked Joey's first overnight without Mommy and Daddy.  He (happily) went over to Grandma and Grandpa Mike's house for a great night.  I later found out that not only did my sister come over, but my aunt and uncle decided they should go over and visit too.  Joey sure does draw a crowd!  Apparently he did outstanding and he slept from 10:30-5:30 when Grandma decided to wake him up because she was a bit nervous.  As many of you know my mom is a beekeeper so sure enough when I arrived to pick him up, Joey was dressed in a cute little outfit with bees all over it.  My mom's friend Maureen gave it to her.  According to my step dad within 5 minutes of me leaving him, my mom had him changed in to the Bee Outfit. 
Sunday was my big guy's 2 month birthday!  I can't believe he is that old.  Yesterday we hit 9 weeks and he is definitely getting more social.  We also went to the doctor for his 2 month visit and he is doing and I quote "wonderfully!  I am soo pleased with his development and he is extremely alert!"  Thank you very much Dr. E!  He is 12lbs 15oz now (which let's just round to 13) and he is 22 3/4inches long now.  By the way if any moms to be are reading this and want a great recommendation fro a Pediatrician that is located in the DesPeres, Kirkwood area, let me know.  We ADORE ours!!!! 
On Sunday he also FINALLY met his Uncle Tyler (A.K.A Twood)!!  Tyler has been finishing out his freshman year of baseball at Furman University and was the last of the Aunts/Uncles to meet Joey.  Needless to say I think Joey spent a good 2 hours in Uncle Twood's arms!!
I hope everyone has a great week!    Here is a FABULOUS outfit given to us by Aunt Heidi!!

Oh and if you notice I figured out how to get his hair to not stick up.  I dressed him in an outfit given to him by his late great grandma Momoo and it came with a hat.  That did the trick!!

Heads Up!

My post this week is a bit late and I apologize but we have been busy!  This week Joey has really started to raise his head and keep it up.  His neck muscles have been hard at work this week! 

We also have had a full week of 6 hour stretches at night and (dare I say) the midnight feedings are a thing of the past!  Yesterday was a bit scary with all of the bad weather and tornado warnings.  However I had a huge breakthrough and finally went down to my basement when the sirens went off.  For those of you who know the situation, you can understand how difficult it was for me to finally go down in to my basement.  Thankfully Joey remained asleep the whole time, and Sadie and Trigger just snuggled up next to us on the couch while we waited out the storm. 
This weekend will mark 2 big events for Joey and myself.  He will have his first overnight babysitting stay at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Needless to say I have been pumping up a storm so he can have enough milk for the stay.  I hope it goes well for him and for me.  Also on Sunday my BIG guy will be 2 months old!!!  It is hard to believe he is already 2 months.  Time goes by so quickly. 
I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
Questions for the week:
Any suggestions on cute, cheap Baptism invitations???

Growth Spurt

I think I am going to invent a special spa package for mothers when babies go through their growth spurts..or maybe just a bottle of wine that is so outstanding and rewarding that a mother can forget that her baby is going through a growth spurt.  Every book and article that I have read about growth spurts give such a quick, nondramatic account of what will take place during a growth spurt.  It usually states that it is around 3 weeks, 6 weeks, (I have blocked out the next one for right now) that the baby will want to feed constantly, and it can last a few days.  UH where is the dramatic part???  The part that states your baby will cry and cry and NOT sleep.  That he will want to feed ALL the time and you will be even more sleep deprived than you already are?  Plus you will worry that maybe it isn't a growth spurt but maybe he is sick?  Or maybe there is something wrong with the baby.  Welcome to Week 7 at the Betz Household!!  Are you getting the picture???  It started Sunday and its Tuesday.....I was so looking forward to posting for this week because from Monday of last week to Saturday Joseph slept 6 hours straight and skipped his midnight feeding.  I was thinking this is it, we are finally starting a nighttime routine.  I can do this.  We made it through the hell of the first month......AND THEN THE GROWTH SPURT!!!!!!!!!!!   Hopefully next week I will have better reports and I don;t have to write the word growth spurt for a LONG time...if another one is coming up please don;t tell me for at least another week. 

Questions for the week:
Is the above described scenario common?
When did you start introducing a rattle?

On a better note, here are some pics of the big guy for the week.......

Dude, I have fingers and I can make noises....

My mommy FINALLY caught my smile on camera!  More to come I am sure.........

This week my little guy figured out he has some pretty awesome fingers.  He has been jammin' those little suckers in his mouth whenever he can.  Research says to not worry about it at this point.  Babies suck on their fingers to help them self soothe at this age.  In fact, you don't have to worry about it until quite a few months down the road.  He gets very excited when he connects with his fingers and his eyes get extremely big. 
He also has been making a ton of cooing and ahhing noises.  He loves to lay in his crib and look up, kick around, say "ahhh" and coo.  It is getting a lot more fun for me and Mike as he is now responding to us and interacting with us.  This little guy also gave us 2 nights in a row of 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep!!!  WOO HOO!!!!  Unfortunately one of those nights was NOT the night mommy and daddy went out with friends and sat on the Beer Garden.  Oh well........we are totally in love with him anyway.
Finally this week I was able to celebrate my very first Mother's Day.  It was really a great day and I am so lucky and blessed to have Joseph in my life.  I know I will make a lot of mistakes but hopefully I will turn out have as GREAT and FABULOUS as my own mother. 

Questions for the week:
How do you know when he can ride in the stroller without the infant seat?  (I have a GRACO METROLITE and a BOB REVOLUTION JOGGER)
How long do you let your baby play in between feedings and naps so he/she doesn't get too overstimulated?

I am going to call this his "pensive" look!

Mommy's Social Scene and the Activity Mat

This past week has been a pretty great one at our house.  Joe is starting to become more alert and awake during the day.  We also made it 4 1/2 hours one night of  uninterrupted sleep!  Joseph really likes his activity mat as well.  He loves to lay down on it and kick his legs, swing his arms, and look around.  Plus, I highly recommend it.  It has all of the colors that research says is great for babies and he loves to look at the (semi obnoxious) light up, sound, bug thingy that hangs down.  The other GREAT thing about it is how you can get it out of the way so quick.  It literally folds and we slide it around the room or under the crib.  It also is not just geared (as far as colors etc...) for a boy, so if we have another child we can use it if the baby is a girl.  Here is a link to it for any moms to be.
http://www.brightstarts.com/p-232-start-your-senses-developmental-activity-gym.aspx



It is even dog friendly!  Trigger loves to relax on the activity mat.



This week also was the first time since I was put on bed rest that I got to enjoy a real night out on the town with friends.  Friday I went to a Royal Wedding Viewing at a friend's house, and Saturday night I hit the town with some friends of ours to go to The Demun Oyster Bar.  It felt great to get out of the House and be with adults.  Plus the grandparents love the time with Joseph.  I am going to make it a definite point to try to get out at least once every weekend, or 3 weekend nights a month, and do something non-kid related.  I already received an email asking if Mike and I wanted to get out this Saturday night...don't mind if we do!  We get to go out with a few friends again and I am soooo looking forward to it. 

Week 5 is leaving me feeling more relaxed and a teensy bit more energized.........BUT the dreaded week 6 is on the way and this when babies reach their crying peaks (or so the experts say).  Stay tuned!