Chance is hooked on sleeping!

Man alive, Chance is sleeping all the time it seems today!

His usual morning nap at 10 or 10:30: 30 minutes. Morning nap on Monday: 30 minutes. Morning nap on Tuesday: 1 hour. Morning nap today: 1 hour 40 minutes.

His usual afternoon nap in stroller around 1 PM: 1 hour. Afternoon nap on Monday 1 hour 30 minutes (30 minutes in car, 1 hour in crib). Afternoon nap on Tuesday: 2 hours (in stroller). Afternoon nap today: back in the crib. I couldn't keep him awake long enough to get him into the stroller!

He is still sleeping approx. 8 PM til 8 AM. Last night he was up 3x to nurse, at 11, 2, and 4. Maybe that's why he is so sleepy today! Another possibility - effect of antibiotic? Unlikely, I think, as I have been taking it since Friday. He has been nursing frequently through the days (a few days in a row it was every hour) and through the night as well, potentially another growth spurt going on. Another factor is that over the past few days he has taken his naps at the same time, +/- 15 minutes or so. Perhaps structuring the day more will result in better naps (BRAINWAVE!).

4 months old

Wow how time has passed! Our little boy seems to be slowing down a bit in the growth department but is making leaps and bounds otherwise.

My mastitis has not cleared up yet. It will be 2 weeks on Saturday. I have an ultrasound on Thursday morning and a follow-up doctor's appointment on Friday.

Good Weekend

We had a really good weekend. On Saturday I met Lynne for coffee and we visited an estate sale. Some really nice things (bedroom set, armoir, etc.) but all were sold by the time we got there. Then we visited some of her local shops: a quilting place and a commercial kitchen, where we enquired about a girls' night - sounds like we will get that on the go in the next month or so. I returned home to find out that Chance had slept for an hour for his dad, pretty good! Cam and I took him for a walk and stopped to see the Shumays. Cam went to the Flames game that night, while I stayed home with Chance. Cam's mom and sister came over for tea. They had been wedding dress shopping all day so were dressed quite nicely however I was comfy in my sweats and old geology tee shirt. Tea was served, of course, on my good china along with a box of my mom's homemade truffles.

Sunday morning I got up before my raggamuffin did, so got breakfast in me and even read a section of the newspaper while the house was quiet. Scarlet curled up in front of the fireplace. Baby napped around 11, when he woke up we did a test-run in the high chair. Looks like he's happy there and hopefully will be more interested in what I'm doing in the kitchen now that he can see at counter-level. We went electronics shopping and bought a new television, sound system and a PVR system. Lillian and Maurice stopped by for a short visit with Chance before they were off to meet their new future in-laws for dinner. Chance, Cam and I played until it was bath time, and boy then the party started! After Baby was in bed, Cam and I had dinner: greek ribs and roasted potatoes along with a salad and a (small) glass of red wine. We have 45 minutes of a movie to finish, then will probably hit the sack.

I'm starting to feel better but still have an appointment tomorrow morning at the Calgary Breastfeeding Clinic.

We had a wonderful weekend!

Chance is Rrrrolling!

Just in time for Rrrrroll up the Rrrrrim to Win time at Tim Horton's, Chance is rolling from back to tummy. He first did it with his Daddy last night, Mommy was reading about 4-month old babies and what to expect. Chance woke us up at 2 and 6 to be fed and both times he was on his tummy. The assumption is that he was sleeping on his tummy as he was genuinely hungry when he woke up. It is harder to change his diaper and clothes now because he is always trying to roll and kicks his legs vigorously - socks have become a necessity only thing!

Also Chance may be getting close to teething. He is drooly, has red cheeks from time to time, and LOVES chomping on cool wet washcloths.

I got oral antibiotics for my breast infection and am taking ibuprofen for pain, which is helping considerably. Have decided not to go to the Flames Game tonight (Grandma Demmans and Auntie Rennal had volunteered to babysit, they will come over for tea instead). There will be other hockey games and I just want to get better ASAP.

Weddings, weddings everywhere!

Already we have 4 weddings to attend this year!

Congratulations to all the brides and grooms!

Rennal Demmans and Glen Huber - July 7 2007

Darcy McGunigal and Stephanie Boyce - July 14 2007 (photo missing)

Jennifer Boivin and Paul Hagedorn - October 6 2007

Brent Collier and Shannon Steele - October/November 2007

Auntie Jim Visits Again

Jen came to visit us for the Family Day long weekend. It was great having her here and I know Chance was impressed with her. She and I spent Saturday morning along with 2 other bridesmaids looking for wedding dresses, bridesmaids' dresses, veils, etc, etc, etc! Cam took care of Chance and fed him 2 bottles and took him for a walk!

We went to Elbow Falls on Sunday and got some great pictures. We ordered Chinese for dinner and then played boardgames with some friends in the evening. Dani retired a bit early due to feeling a bit played out, but all in all it was a great

time!

Valentine's Day Date

Tonight Cam and I put the baby to bed and celebrated a late Valentine's Day. I took a bubble bath. We had a nice dinner of salmon and asparagus and a blue-cheese and olive salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Yummy! Chocolate pudding hot out of the oven with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Cam then went to the airport to pick up my sister, who is here for the weekend to look for a wedding dress & to visit Chance.

Chance is really developing, and has taken to swinging his feet at his dangly-toys to try to grab them. He is a monkey.

Trying Something New

Tonight I fed Chance when he got fussy around 6:30 PM, before his bath (usually 7 PM). He fed for about 10 minutes before pulling away and crying, arching his back. Then I put him in his bath, and puddled around until 6:55. I got him dried and diapered and dressed by 7:10. Then went back to feeding him - he fed for another 15 minutes. Hopefully this means he'll sleep a bit longer (he has been getting up around midnight lately, and not taking a full feeding before going to sleep - too tired).

Just as I laid him in his crib and left his room, the &($@!!**# doorbell went off. I opened the door a crack and hissed "Can't you read?? There's a sleeping baby in this house! Whatever you're selling I'm not interested!!" The poor guy was just canvassing for donations, but sheesh you'd think that he'd know that "do not disturb, sleeping baby & mom" means "don't ring the doorbell!"Anyways, it's 10 minutes later now and he hasn't started crying yet...I guess the doorbell didn't bother him too much....

....2 minutes later Chance fired up. I know the doorbell probably didn't bother him...I'm annoyed anyways.

Remember until the old website is archived here you can always go back to visit it at http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/b/babyinoctober/

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Dr. Walji

Baby Chance had his first visit to Dr. Walji today. Nothing to check out, just a measure and weigh-in plus just getting to know the doctor. He cried when he had to lie down on the cold doctor's table to get measured, but tried his very best to keep it together.

100 Days Old

Chance is 100 days old today! I guess he thought he better make his mark...literally!! He woke up at 5:45 this morning and I took him into our bed to nurse him. At some point he let go and fell asleep, I did the same. When we woke up an hour later, we played in the bed for a bit (peekaboo, etc.), then I changed his diaper and left him in his crib to look at his mobile while I gathered breakfast for myself and started a shower. I took my shirt off and looked down and...holy cow there was a HICKEY on my breast! The little guy must have decided he wasn't finished and tried to latch himself, however missed the out spout and just got a faceful of boob. So there Mom was, zonked while Baby Chance sucked himself to sleep. Cripes, the look on my face must have been hilarious!

Social Butterfly

What a busy weekend we had with Chance. A fondue party on Saturday to celebrate Lynne's birthday and then a Superbowl get-together, to which we walked to with the stroller. Then yesterday we had a guest for dinner, one of Dani's colleagues from Shell Global in Riswijk, The Netherlands. Chance is pooped out! Time for a break from the social scene!

Ferber Success

Day 7: Chance slept from 8 PM til 3 AM, when I woke him up for a middle-of-the-night feeding. This is something that some of my other mom-friends do with their kids, so I decided to give it a try. I set my alarm for 2:30 and listened - no movement from next door. I intended to get up right then, I just needed to find my other sock that I had kicked off, and the next thing I knew it was 3:10 AM. Anyways I picked up Sleeping Chance and snuggled him into my arms for a snack. After 20 minutes, I put him back in his crib. He fussed for 10 minutes. He did not cry. I wouldn't have heard him if I didn't have the baby monitor on. Then he slept until 7 AM. After being awake for an hour and 45 minutes, I fed him and put him to bed, so far he has been asleep for 35 minutes. I expect him to be up soon.

All of the extra sleep has been wonderful for all of us. Chance is smiling and LAUGHING more through the day and is happy to be put down for a nap after he's been awake for about an hour and a half to two hours.His feeding patterns are more regular, and he has a bigger appetite. All in all, I think we've had a lot of success.