WEEK FIVE

Feeling that Oliver would like his stroller a lot more if he could be tilted up word instead of flat on his back all the time I decide to switch it from the bassinet to the seat and what a difference it has made. He is tolerating being in there now when wide awake which is a relief to me. The only thing that my husband and I find amusing is that the moment we go over any completely smooth surface he starts fussing. So when he starts getting fussy we go off roading onto the grass and it settles him right away. There is nothing delicate about this baby!

It’s wonderful to see how he is starting to focus more on our faces and objects in front of him. He has started to look at his toys and follow the noises they make. We even have caught a few little smiles! I believe his first smile was directed at a picture that hangs above the changing area we have set up on our main level. I’m so curious to know what it was about the picture that caused little Oliver to crack a grin.

It seems as though my life is beginning to revolve around Oliver’s gas. It is becoming the bain of my existence and his. I feel so helpless when his little face gets all contorted and red while he pushes his legs up to his tummy. It seems that every morning now he wakes up with bad gas pains. We’ve tried giving him grip water out of a little cup (which he laps up enthusiastically with his little tongue) and it seems to be helping relieve some of the pressure. It’s a good day when my baby’s tootn’!!

I will be the first to admit that my boy seems to have a big head. Apparently this is fairly common with c-sections as they don’t have to squeeze through the birth canal. So when its tummy time I almost feel sorry for the little guy. I can see the frustration in his eyes “you want me to do what? Lift this big ol’ thing off the floor? You’ve got to be kidding!’ But every day we do it for a few minutes and I start to see an improvement and he seems to be getting less frustrated with every attempt. It’s all about timing. You have to do this when they’re in a good mood, otherwise they get frustrated very easily and don’t enjoy it at all.

This week I read some really good advice online that I would like to share. If your baby is tired and fighting sleep, rock them facing a blank wall. That way they have nothing to over stimulate them and they tend to nod off. I took this advice and applied it to my sling by putting a cotton blanket over top of Oliver when he's fighting sleep. It works like a charm, and usually within a few minutes (instead of a half hour) he's asle