WEEK TWENTY - FINAL POSTING

In the quiet moments of early evening, while I rocked to sleep my little babe I am struck by the fact that although it’s been only five short months since Oliver has been with us, he has already brought a feeling of completeness to my life. For all the tears, frustrations and sleepless nights, his smiles, laughter and look of wonder while discovering the world, have brought me more joy then I ever could have imagined. As he slept in my arms I was overcome by a moment of peaceful harmony between mother and child. It truly is the hardest job in the world, but also the most rewarding. As cliché as that is, it's the truth. My husband and I feel so blessed that we could have created such a wonderful little boy, and we look forward to whatever the future may hold for our family.

Tip
Buy a pair of earplugs and after baby's in bed for the night, hand of the monitor to hubby and pop those earplugs in! This will allow you at least a couple of hours to completely shut off, without resting on autopilot. And don't worry, your husband WILL come get you if he needs you. This I guarantee!

Happy Parenting!

-Oliver's Mom

WEEK NINETEEN

So, as it turns out my little Oliver probably has GER or Gastroesophageal Reflux. After coming to the conclusion something else was going on besides teething, my husband and I decided to take him to the doctor. Turns out he pretty much had all the symptoms for reflux. We have since started him on medication and hopefully we will see an improvement and he can find some comfort. I read online that elevating the crib at one end can help as well, so we're also trying that. Oliver has started taking a liking to his cereal. Now when we feed him he opens his mouth up wide anticipating the next bite. It's really quite cute. And he is getting so big. He's so long now that he is wearing 12 month clothing. Yup, you heard me right! It's amazing how fast they grow, and I find it a little sad that I'm beginning to forget what it was like to hold him as a wee baby. It is such an exciting stage though. He has become so much more observant and curious about everything. I bought a Heart to Heart sling to use when he's awake and wants to be held on my hip. I like the sling for this purpose because of the extra padding and structure. This way he gets to watch as I do things like make his bottles, which he seems to be fascinated by.

Oh, what a week this has been! My poor Oliver appears to be in full teething mode. It has been a week of VERY long nights and plenty of desperation trying to figure out what is troubling my little man. The week started with Oliver refusing to eat

from his bottle. He was becoming very frustrated at feeding time. I had been using a slow-flow nipple, so I thought I would try a nipple with a quicker flow – fast, but not too fast. I thought this would be a piece of cake. Then I discovered Playtex doesn't make a medium-flow nipple. So, I bought the fast-flow nipples and of

course they were way too fast for him and as a result he was practically choking on his food. Arrrrrg! So after calling a number of stores around the city an

d getting advice from many people, I tried making the slow-flow nipples bigger with a pin. I don't know if it actually did anything because he continued to fuss. In the end we tried a different type of fast-flow nipples and eventually he got the hang of it. Now he is eating at a better pace, minus the choking.

A lot of frustration could have been saved this week if we could have just found a medium-flow nipple! I'm sure I'm not the only person to go through this.

While spending the week at my parents’ house, the nighttime nightmares began. Oliver would wake up wailing minutes after being put to bed. And then, like clockwork, he would pretty much wake up every 45 minutes all through the night. I was lucky to have my mother with me and – believe me – we tried everything we could think of to offer him some relief. In the end we found that a little baby Anbesol would ease the pain and calm him down. Sadly, this is no long term solution and the teething gel can only be applied a few times a day. But it really helped when he was experiencing s

evere pain. I've ordered an amber teething necklace online, because apparently baltic amber has great healing properties.

We'll see...I hope it helps. I'll try anything at this point to bring Oliver some relief. I'm lucky that at least he takes really long naps in his sling, because otherwise I would have an exhausted baby on my hands.

On a positive note...Oliver rolled over, from back to front, for the first time this week! He's like a little turtle when he rolls over, because once on his stomach he starts flailing about trying to get on his back again. Needless to say we're very proud of him!

WEEK SEVENTEEN

So much happened this week I don't even know where to begin. It's as though by hitting four months, suddenly Oliver has morphed into a different little baby. He's staying awake for longer periods of time during the day now and his schedule is starting to become a bit more predictable. I've actually been using a sleep tracker program I found online to monitor his sleep patterns. It's interesting to see the similarities from day to day.
My husband and I decided to try giving him cereal for the first time this week. When we put the first spoonful in his mouth the look on his face was priceless. It was a combination of disgust and confusion. I think more ended up on him them in him, but we keep trying a little bit every day. I decided to taste it to see what the fuss was about, and the cereal is actually quite nasty....no wonder he was making faces! At this point he seems more intrigued by the side of his high chair then the food, and I don't blame him -- it's not very tasty.
We also got an exersaucer for him. Just a warning: when starting your baby in one of these contraptions, do it for just a few minutes at a time at first as it has the potential to BLOW THEIR MINDS! After about five minutes of Oliver being in it the first time, he became so wound up I thought his head was going to explode! So the next time I actually took all the toys off and got him used to being in the saucer without the distractions. Recently I added a couple of toys and he seems to be managing a bit better.
If you've been reading then you know what a constant battle Oliver's gas has been for us. Well this week my sister-in-law found me these wonder tablets from Hylands that have been a lifesaver. After giving him a dose, the gas comes right out and he seems so much happier. It has helped extend our morning sleep time and, because it's a homeopathic product, I don't have to worry about giving him any synthetic products or additives.
This week I've also been experimenting with putting Oliver in his crib for naps during the day. With the help of a full body swaddle I've actually been having some success! So far an hour-and-a-half is our longest stretch. I think that's pretty good for a little boy who would only nap in his sling. Don't get me wrong – the sling is great for cat naps and I still love having him close to me, but when he takes a two-hour nap, his 17-pound body can really do a number on my back!
It's been an exciting week in our house, and I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

WEEK SIXTEEN

At Oliver's four-month doctor appointment it was obvious he had grown since our last visit. He now weighs 16 lbs and is 26.5 inches tall. He's a big guy!I can't believe that the summer has come and gone already. I remember being pregnant and thinking how great it was going to be to have the summer off. And now it's almost over! Time goes by far too quickly...
My favorite of Oliver's recent developments has to be his infectious laugh. My husband and I can now really get him going – we've got it down to a science. As I'm sure most parents would agree, your baby's first laugh is the most wonderful, hilarious sound you will ever hear! In addition to his recently discovered laugh, he has also continued to coo and chirp incessantly, as if he is trying to find his voice. He LOVES to make high-pitched screeching noises. It's very amusing to watch and interact with him now.
I've never been one to engage in conversation with strangers on the street, but since having Oliver I find he has become a magnet for conversation, especially with other mothers. It's as though you are automatically enrolled in the 'Mommy Club' when you have a child. I love it. I think it's great that when you have a child suddenly all social awkwardness passes and you can share the common bond of motherhood with fellow women. Motherhood seems to defy race, religion and social stature and simply connects us together. It's a beautiful thing. I find it funny, though, that after these mini encounters the closing salutation is usually "well, good luck!" I guess, quite frankly, every mother knows a little luck is needed to be a parent. After sharing these experiences I always wonder, should I have gotten their phone number? Email address? Maybe they are like me and don't have a lot of friends with babies. Would that be weird? What would I say? "Call me sometime, we should hook up! " It's like dating all over again!

WEEK FIFTEEN

Well folks, it's official, Oliver has started teething. The first indication was the fact that anything that came remotely close to his mouth he would snatch up and immediately try to gnaw down on it. If it didn't fit in his mouth, it ended up on the floor. The second clue was his fussiness. In general Oliver tends to be a pretty happy-go-lucky baby, so when the crankiness started it became very apparent that something was up. His awake time also became a narrower period of time before he lost it all together and needed a nap. And of course when he was napping in his sling, he would know the minute I'd sit down or make too much noise...my poor back! The other symptom which became of some concern was the fact that he was holding and tugging at his ear, sometimes while crying out in pain. We had a couple of rough nights, as the pain was waking him up. It's so awful to see your little baby in pain. His cry sounded so sad, it made me cry! Thinking I was smart, I put all his soothers in the freezer, and he seemed to really like this. Well, after a call to TeleHealth to talk about giving him Tylenol at night, I was informed by a very polite nurse that I should stop putting his soothers in the freezer because it could cause frostbite on his gums. What a wonderful mother I am! That's probably why it felt so good too him. I was freezing his gums altogether!! So, I just want to get the word out there...teething toys in the fridge only...

I keep trying to get a look and see if something is coming through, but between his tongue sticking out and the constant wiggling, it's impossible to get a good look. I wish I would have felt his gums more when he was smaller so I'd have something to compare to. We ended up taking Oliver to the clinic just to be sure that he didn't have an ear infection, and he got a clean bill of health. This is just another side effect of the teething.

Every week my girlfriend (and her daughter) and I try to get together for a play date. Well, her daughter plays (she's 14 months) and Oliver watches her play with his toys. This weekly get-together is so important to my mental well being. I think it gives both of us a chance to reconnect with the adult realm, have a cup of coffee, compare notes, and have a few good laughs. The days can be pretty long when you are at home with a baby, so I really look forward to these get-togethers to break up the week. Highly recommended.

WEEK FOURTEEN

Oliver is becoming a seasoned traveler. This week he had his first airplane adventure, as we flew to Winnipeg to visit family. Nobody wants to be the parent of “that screaming baby on the plane,” so of course I was slightly nervous about this venture. Luckily I flew with my dad as backup and it was comforting to know that the person sitting next to me was on my team. Bravo to those of you that do this alone, because for me it was necessary, and less stressful to have four hands. I was pleasantly surprised how well Oliver did! He ended up sleeping most of the time in the sling. The incredible thing about traveling with a baby is that people jump out of everywhere to offer a helping hand. For instance, having to pick up my baggage by myself (in a secured area where no family is permitted), there I was with Oliver in the sling, carrying a car seat, diaper bag and bottle bag while trying to figure out how to get a cart. Luckily a very nice older gentleman came to my assistance and did everything for me. My confidence in humanity was renewed this week by many friendly, compassionate people.
It must be hard being a baby. They have so much pressure to perform all the time. As parents we have all been in the situation where somebody gets right up close to your baby's face and says "how about a smile?” Then, when your baby fails to deliver, you receive the questioning look. "Aww no smile?" Then we scramble..."Oh, he's teething; he has a gassy stomach today; he just woke up from a nap; he didn't sleep well last night; it's almost nap time; he's hungry. The list goes on. Sure it could be one of these reasons, or maybe he just doesn't feel like smiling right now. Why do we feel pressure to make excuses for our baby's mood? I myself am guilty of doing this, but I think I want to start a revolution on behalf of my son. The next time I feel pressured to make an excuse on behalf of Oliver, I'm going to simply shrug and say "he's a baby, what more can I say?"