Baby Sullivan | Week Twenty

We took a stroller ride so Mommy & Daddy could get some wine and beer. 

Holy cow, week twenty. It dawned on me today that in a few short weeks, our little dude will be 5 months old. Somehow we are already almost half way through our first year with Sullivan James. As I write this, he is on his play mat in the kitchen. He's screeching and making dinosaur sounds. He's becoming very aware of his surroundings lately and doesn't want to miss a thing. Marin is eating chicken nuggets and grapes like a boss. She could eat chicken nuggets every night for dinner and not blink an eye. We are waiting for Daddy to come home from work after what I am sure is a super crazy day because he works at a grocery store and it's only a few days before Thanksgiving. 

We are all slowly getting healthy around here. Sully had a rough night two nights ago and was up a lot. He was also running a little fever. Now though, he's back to his adorable, little, happy and content self. I was up at 2am this morning because I couldn't stop coughing. You know how when you get sick and the cough settles in for a while, then you get that gnarly tickle in your throat that seems to present itself at the least opportune times? That's where I reside currently. In an effort to not wake my sleeping husband, I went downstairs, made some tea with honey and watched some television until Sully woke up to eat in the early hours of the morning. Needless to say, I'm pretty tired today but I feel like I'm slowly getting over it. I have to sing a lot at church the next two weeks so I'm trying to take better care of myself. 

I'm pretty sure Sullivan is already teething because he has been a slobbery mess lately and gnaws on everything he can get his hands on. Marin was super late getting teeth...almost one year old. I never had to nurse her with teeth. I believe that Sullivan will get them earlier than that and he will probably be a little biter. So much fun is to be had. Oh boy! I think we are going to wait a little while to start introducing solids and take more of the baby-weaning approach verses the rice cereal and baby purees. He's already super interested in food and watches you like a hawk whenever you are eating pretty much anything. I have no doubt in my mind that he will be a great eater. He already is which is probably why he is such a big dude. 

Marin loves her little Christmas tree in her room. 

We started setting up Christmas decorations on Monday when we were all off from work. I know....I know. It's not even Thanksgiving yet but I don't care one bit. I want those twinkly lights glowing in my living room for as long as I can before I start getting into crazy Christmas lady territory. We are making plans to see the Zoo Lights in Denver and meet Santa Claus. I also want to go look at Christmas lights and drink hot chocolate and drive around in the new mom mobile, which I am loving. Seriously, I almost hate to admit how much I love the mom van again. It feels right at this season in our lives. Just like our little home does too. I just feel the need to put roots down where we are for a while lately. This season always causes me to feel that way. 

That bouncer is pretty much the only way I ever got ready for the day or went to the bathroom with Marin. It has returned. 

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and spending time with family. We are starting a new tradition of cinnamon rolls and bacon for breakfast on Thanksgiving. Then, we are heading to the Hollen's for lots of yummy food and time spent with family. I want to soak it all in, as best I can. 

Week Twenty. 

Marin at Week Twenty. 

Baby Sullivan | Week Seventeen

We are moving quickly into the world of having a 4 month old. Sullivan will be 4 months old on November 3rd. He has his 4 month well check appointment next week and I am anxious to see how much he actually weighs and to make sure that he's the healthy and growing boy that I believe he is. 

We were realizing how little he was actually napping over the last month or so. Night sleeping has been pretty decent and he wasn't fussy during the day without a lot of sleep, but I noticed how overtired he was starting to look. Poor little guy. We were always heading out to go get groceries or pick up big sis from school or...the list goes on and on. He was getting some naps but nothing substantial and was just kind of napping on the go. That's not good for a little guy his age. He needs a good schedule, one of consistency. Kiddos thrive in routine. I've seen that time and time again with Marin. 

So, we have set out the past few days to really focus on his napping and feeding schedule. I've been researching a lot of different schedules, asked a few friends, etc. We have landed on something that seems to be working fairly well. As long as we begin our day with naps in mind, it seems to go fairly well. His only issue lately is that he wakes up about half way through his nap time, stirs and maybe cries a bit, but then usually goes back down for a while longer. 

We've also moved his bedtime up earlier. I was feeding him around 9:00pm/9:30pm and then putting him down for bed. We now have moved it up to between 7pm and 8pm. Granted, we've had some 3:30am feedings, but I'm ok with it. I can go to bed earlier because I am old if he goes down earlier as well. I have no issues with getting up at 3am to feed him because I usually don't have any trouble falling back to sleep and most of the time, neither does he. 

Right now, he is napping 3 times a day. The third one is usually more of a catnap around dinner time. We have set aside a good nap time in the morning and in the afternoon. I pretty much feel like super woman when Marin is having her quiet time and Sullivan is in the next room over napping. Every nap is a process. We are learning his cues and he is learning how to self-soothe himself to sleep. 

Week Sixteen.