Baby development at 3 months and 3 weeks old!

Posted on December 13, 2015 by llpitlwp

Baby development

So many changes in baby development over such a short time!

He is learning so much:

He is starting to make conclusions about his world

He has so much curiosity

He loves looking at himself

He may like a toy with an unbreakable mirror so he can see himself and admire his looks even though he won’t really know that it is him he is looking at.

Sleeping and baby development:

Sleep patterns may be solidifying making it easier for you to get some rest. Gratefully my little grandson is a great little sleeper but some babies to not settle into a nice pattern until 6 months old. Baby should be now taking two daytime naps.

Interacting with others:

Your baby may stop eating to listen to you talking to him so talk to him about what you are doing in the kitchen and around the house and let him coo and talk back to you.
He is also starting to laugh…what a joy it is to hear his laughter.
Keep him close so he can hear everything…he will really like watching other babies and toddlers and even you dogs and cats. But be careful of him around your pets and make sure the environment is safe.

Grab and go

Your baby can reach for things now and is mastering grabbing give him interesting things to play with and hold.

Individual babies:

These baby development guidelines are they happen at different times for different babies. If you have questions please consult your healthcare provider.

Your life: Changing friendships

Having a new baby brings changes in your relationships with everyone — including your friends. Sometimes old friends who have no children are as delighted by your baby as you are, and aside from a few accommodations to your schedule, things continue as they once did. But others may not be as excited about your new phase of life. Some may be envious, others bored, and still others may simply have no interest in children. You can’t blame your friends entirely. You’re changing, too. Interests you once shared with certain people — skydiving, nightclubbing, shopping for shoes till you dropped — may no longer mesh with your lifestyle.

Although you can’t expect everything to stay exactly the same, it helps to strive for a balance between your old way of being together and your new situation. Your friend can’t expect you to abandon all thoughts of your baby, and you can’t expect her to want to talk only about motherhood. Look for common ground in your activities and time together. It’s great if you can sometimes go out to lunch, just the two of you, and other times have her come to your house to visit with the baby, for example.

You may drift apart from some pals, but at the same time, your baby will bring you into the orbit of new friends. Through playgroups, mom support networks, and chance encounters, you and your partner will meet other new parents with whom you have a lot in common.

Source: Your 3-month-old: Week 3 | BabyCenter

If you feel sad or depressed at this time, you may be experiencing Postpartum Depression please contact you healthcare provider for help.

PostPartum Progress is very helpful resource for PPD also.

New parents never sleep…really!

Posted on December 2, 2015 by llpitlwp

Sleep like a baby but not when you have a baby!

Sleep has become an obsession since the last trimester of pregnancy according to my daughter, who now has a three month old.

Tired is how she describes herself

Fortunately my grandson is a decent sleeper and has been since about 5 weeks old.

Some how that does not ease the new parent fatigue…feeding, diaper changing, napping, feeding, changing, tummy time…more feeding and changing.

It seems that rest escapes many parents from the birthday of their first baby.

I wish I could say that this changes as baby gets older…

But really…

It does not get better

At times It actually gets worse

randomly waxing and waning.

Here is how sleep goes…

Sleep becomes difficult during the third trimester of pregnancy, probably to get you ready for the parenting road ahead.
After the baby is born, you will initially be up peeing and then feeding and changing your newborn every 2 to 4 hours. It will seem like a never ending cycle.

Sleep deprivation really begins to take hold now so you might as well get used to it.

If you go to bed late because you want to watch a movie or even read a book that will definitely be the night your little one (no matter the age) will wake up screaming for whatever reason at around 3 am.

Have no fear the teen years provide no relief because then you will be worrying about your kids being out till curfew or later.

You might as well face it you might sleep again when your kids go to college

It is a plus for the “empty nest”.

Many have traveled this foggy road of sleep deprivation which is little consolation.

What are some of the ways you deal with sleep deprivation?

Do you have empathy for sleep deprived parents?

Weekend Pics from Parenting in the Loop

Posted on October 30, 2015 by llpitlwp

Weekend Pics from Parenting in the Loop

It is almost Halloween!

This weekend will be busy with all the ghosts and goblins traveling around our neighborhood tomorrow.

Added to the festivities, I must not forget to adjust my clocks at the end of the night on Saturday so that the extra hour does not catch up with me not realizing it till I get to church at the wrong time on Sunday.

With daylight savings coming to and end there are sometimes problems with sleep patterns for our littlest family members. They only have their inner clocks to alert them. The canine members of our family can also be a little problematic since they also run on their internal clock and feeding schedule. I have learned the hard way that one hour to them is an eternity.

Here are my pics for reading this weekend if you have time!

Consistency is key in whichever approach you take. We always manage to get through this time of year unharmed! Remember my two favourite words. Persistence and consistency! You got this – candy overload and all.

Source: Daylight Saving Time + Halloween = Sleep Sh*tshow :: YummyMummyClub.ca

Getting settled down in the evening and going to bed has it problems at times. Consistency can be rewarded for parents who set a bedtime and a bedtime ritual early on with their little ones. These days that is much easier said than done.

Meditation is something I love introducing to children at a young age. It can help them quiet and self soothe at times when this seems impossible to do. For parents it also provides the same soothing feeling when the inevitable ~~stress~~ sh– hits the fan!

Meditation for children and parents is a great way to relax before bed, and is one of the most commonly suggested methods for helping children sleep better.

Source: Meditation for Children and Parents – Bring Back Bedtime

As pretty as Fall is we all know that winter winds are just around the corner.

For me the shorter days with sunset so early in the evening makes me wish to ‘hit the hay’ earlier with a good book. It also makes me wish for a nice cozy fire and warm pot of stew on the stove in the late afternoon.

What are some of your favorite Fall foods that give you comfort as we head into winter weather?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Celebrate the small stuff!

Sweet Evasive Slumberland

Posted on July 9, 2015 by llpitlwp

Sweet Evasive Slumberland

by Adrienne Lavine

Sunset

Setting out to slumberland seems to be a sweet memory of my pre-pregnancy state of mind.

Since I became pregnant the reality is I never know how I’m going to sleep at night . I always fall asleep pretty fast but I hardly ever stay asleep for any length of time. Getting up to go to the bathroom several times a night is inevitable. Whether or not I get back to sleep can be quite the challenge.

Sleep being difficult since becoming pregnant has forced me to develop a nightly routine which helps me to sleep better. I try to incorporate relaxing and soothing things into my nightly quest for sleep. I start to wind down about an hour before slipping off to slumberland.

My routine:

I wash my face and put on moisturizer.
Take a hot shower and lather up with Dial lavender body wash because I love the soothing scent.
Oil my thighs, butt, belly and boobs with Clairins Houle Tonic to prevent stretch marks (recently, I switched to Weleda).
Climb into some comfy PJs (this includes a sports bra or sleep bra) and recently I was introduced to Belabumbum from my mom’s friend Jessica at Momma’s Gone City.
Take my prenatal vitamin and extra folic acid.
Curl up in bed with my body pillow and husband.
Since the baby is able to enjoy music, play Mozart for him.
Lights off…Slumberland awaits!

Tips for sleep:

Now that the weather is warmer, my husband and I also take a walk at night after dinner. The fresh air and sounds of summer also have quite the calming effect on me.

If I can’t stay asleep, there are a few things that I do. I switch them up because every night is different.

Listen to music (I put my laptop on the floor and turn on Pandora. Commercial-free is essential)

Get up and go into the family room to read a magazine or book (sometimes I just like to flip through the latest issue of Marie Claire)

Have a cup of hot tea (decaf, of course) with a piece of whole grain toast and peanut butter

Turn the lights on dim in the hallway and crack my door a tiny bit (sometimes the dark and quiet is a bit suffocating)

Pregnant and Exercise

These are just a few things that work for me but sometimes I’m awake for a couple hours during the night and know that there is a better night’s sleep ahead.

TGIF-Weekend Reading

Posted on March 6, 2015 by llpitlwp

Weekend Reading:

Chicago

OMG…this weekend we may see the temperatures rise above freezing here in Chiberia (Chicagoland) and just perhaps some of this snow will melt and the ice on our stoop will disappear…FINALLY!

So many interesting articles appeared in my feed this week. I am excited to share some of them with you.

Morals, values, opinions and the Core Curriculum currently a hot topic is discussed here. This article really got me thinking. See what you think!

So as a parent, I will teach the morals, the values and my opinions. The schools will teach my children to question me. In that way, we all end up on the right side of history.

Why Schools Should Undermine Moral Teachings – NYTimes.com.

Moral facts or mere opinions that vary from culture to culture, what do you think?

The Convent of the Sacred Heart Greenwich Middle School Parent Blog is on my favorite list. There are always some great posts that generate a lot of thought on my part about what my grandchildren will face in the future.

As a philosopher, I already knew that many college-aged students don’t believe in moral facts. While there are no national surveys quantifying this phenomenon, philosophy professors with whom I have spoken suggest that the overwhelming majority of college freshman in their classrooms view moral claims as mere opinions that are not true or are true only relative to a culture.

via Why Our Children Don’t Think There Are Moral Facts | Convent of the Sacred Heart Greenwich Middle School Parent Blog.

For me, sleep comes fairly easily and now that I am a grandmother, when I awake during the night, getting back to sleep is not usually a problem. But for many moms and women in general, this is not the case. Are you too stressed or worried to sleep well? Or do you know someone that is…then this NYTimes article may shed some light on why sleep is so evasive.

Why all the angst over bedtime, the one part of the day that, barring nightmares, ought to bring deeply needed peace? Many believe that sleep deprivation among women has worsened. In the “Women and Sleep” study, 80 percent of women reported being just too stressed or worried to turn out the proverbial lights.

via Mothers and Sleep Medication – NYTimes.com.

Another weekend, my husband and I try to have dinner out on Fridays, most of the time with friends but sometimes just the two of us. We unwind at a local restaurant, where the waitstaff knows us and where we can enjoy eating and relaxing. I have to plug the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group because they have been a dependable favorite of ours for so many years here in Chicago. They do not disappoint!

Lettuce Entertain You

Enjoy a meal with your significant others this weekend!

Sleep Solutions…

Posted on April 16, 2012 by llpitlwp

Last week, I blogged about sleep and our resident 3 year old. I thought that I should report on our progress.

Well, most nights we have done okay…after all is said and done she has usually been asleep by 8:30pm…not bad, right?

We have not been too rigid in our routine and it works sort of like this…

We begin bedtime routine at around 7pm … going upstairs and either a bath or washing up and toileting.
Books are chosen…we try to stick with only one book but I have to admit sometimes we vary and read two or three short ones.
Mama, Nana or Papa usually rock with her for about 5 mins…sometimes more but never less, (sometimes I fall asleep).
Into bed…hugs and kisses…
Sometimes, I return to the rocker for 5 more minutes and then leave the room with her asleep or almost .

I have to admit it was easier when she was an infant and before she learned the art of procrastination.

Back then, it was a bath…quiet time…with her toys on the bedroom floor and a picture book.

Into the crib with lights out and some music playing…she would talk to herself and then off to sleep …

We were always listening on the monitor from the comfort of our own room…

With summer fast approaching and the evenings beckoning for more time outside, this routine will undoubtedly be disrupted and refined to include trips to the ice cream parlor and to the park…I cannot wait!

Sleep schedules will always be somewhat fraught with issues but we will roll with the changes…

Bring on summer….and a more relaxed schedule.

Babies and Sleep…

Posted on March 27, 2012 by llpitlwp

Interesting interview about sleep, parenting and children.

Dr. Lieber shares some key information about babies and sleep. He mentions one of my favorite books on sleep…“Healthy Sleep Habits…Happy Child by Dr. Mark Weisbluth.

I hear more discussions among young moms about how good or how poorly their babies and they are ~~not~~ sleeping.

I love the area of babies and sleep …maybe because as babies, my own children were good sleepers. At the time, I did not know too much about what makes for a good sleeper…but I was a mom with a routine and I recognized my baby’s sleep cues. Luck was big part!

Since then, I have made good sleep habits and sleep help one of my interests in the care and treatment of babies and children.

Please enjoy this interview from Mamapedia with Dr. Andrew Lieber, M.D.

My favorite excerpt from the interview:

Dr. Lieber: “parenting children involves long days but short years”

via Expert Advice on Babies and Sleep – Mamapedia™ Voices.

Week in Review…Parenting In The Loop

Posted on March 9, 2012 by llpitlwp

Highlights of the week…sharing some of the videos and reads of the last few days.

Respect

via Would You Call My Child A Retard? – YouTube.

http://parentingintheloop.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/daylight-savings-and-your-childs-sleep/

“Daylight Savings and Your Child’s Sleep”

http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/2238-stop-saying-good-job-to-your-kids

“Stop saying good job to your kids!”

Let me know what you think…

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!

Week in Review….Parenting in the Loop

Posted on February 24, 2012 by llpitlwp

Links of the Week:

Internet Safety:

via InternetSafety101.

The Internet has opened up an exciting new world filled with benefits for everyone. It has also opened the door to many potential dangers for children.

Childbirth:

via Deep Fear of Childbirth Drives Some C-Sections | Healthland | TIME.com.

The mere idea of pushing a fully grown baby into the world the natural way can give even the bravest expectant mother pause. But a small number of women are so terrified of childbirth that it dramatically raises their odds of delivering by emergency or elective cesarean section, according to new research to be published in the international journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica AOGS.

Sleep:

via Why Sleep Is the Ultimate Parental Bugaboo: Go the F— to Sleep Offers a Clue | Healthland | TIME.com.

For all the lead-up to having a baby, newborns don’t do much: eat, sleep, poop. Pooping happens without any parental intervention. Eating is a function of breast or bottle. But, ah, sweet slumber — that is the wild card.

It is a “snowy day” here in Chicago but the sun is trying to make an appearance.

Have wonderful weekend!

Co-sleeping good or bad… safe or dangerous….

Posted on November 18, 2011 by llpitlwp

Co-sleeping...

Common sense certainly does enter into the equation…but some of us are gifted with more common sense than others.

It would be nice to think that there is a clear answer to what is safest and best for baby when it comes to eating, peeing and popping and sleeping.

Formula feeding…breastfeeding ….Cloth diapers…”pampers”….diaper free (elimination communication)….cribs…co-sleeping?

So many decisions so many discussions without any clearly right or wrong answers.

What ever you choose for your child…make sure you make the choice based on “common sense” for your lifestyle and what will work best for you, your family and child.

Do your homework…it is important for your child.

Cosleeping is not the devil. Is it dangerous? Yes. But so is sleeping in a crib. Pack and plays are death traps. Do we still use them? Of course. The key is common sense. Something we sorely lack in this world.

There are safety measures you have to take no matter where your baby sleeps. To put your baby in a crib you have rules. Common sense rules like no heavy blankets, pillows, toys, bumpers, gaps in the mattress, bars of a certain width, etc.

Cosleeping has safety rules too: do not drink or smoke before bed, sleep on a firm mattress or futon, no heavy blankets or pillows, don’t sleep with the baby if you have sleep apnea or if your bed is too small, put your mattress on the floor, etc.

So is cosleeping dangerous? Yes, if done without care or thought. So think. Use the mind that the creator (whoever she/he is) gave you and think about what you are doing with your babies. Don’t blindly follow trends or advice from ads plastered on bus shelters. Do research and make informed decisions with a big dollop of common sense tailored to your own little family’s needs.

via Common Sense and Cosleeping | Tales of a Kitchen Witch.