If I could use one word to describe Adriana over the past couple weeks it would be – changing! She is going through what appears to be many developmental milestones. This girl is always in motion. Her arms and legs are always flailing about. I call her squirmy girl multiple times per day. If her feet press up against anything her first instinct is to push off it with all her force. She has tried to spring off my belly a few times when I pick her up. The energy. Baby talk is also going on all the time, unless she is in the company of new people then she tends to be quiet and observant.
Adriana has also started grasping everything in sight – including my hair (ouch) and my necklaces. I see a lot of ponytails in my future. Or a hair cut! In addition to the grasping, she is scratching everything in sight. Textures are so interesting to her right now. She likes to scratch the top of my breast with her nails when she feeds sometimes. I am trying to gently correct this behaviour. ;) Her favourite book is her fabric book that makes the crinkle noises – she looooves scratching it all the live long day. It’s hard to keep up with filing her nails…they grow so fast.
Also, her hands and feet are suddenly very interesting. The other day I noticed that she spotted her feet and she had the funniest, most confused look on her face…like wtf are those???
I would be lying if I said that these recent developmental changes didn’t bring about some challenging times over the past couple weeks. I swear I was just saying “The 3 month mark is my FAVOURITE so far” a few weeks ago, and then everything changed, almost overnight. Lately, she has been quick to cry, often refuses to nap, wakes up multiple times in the night (like the newborn days), and mostly just wants to be held lately. It hasn’t been easy. I feel like that awesome grove we got into simply vanished into thin air. I’ve been feeling so run down.
And at this age, there are so many explanations for these changes in behaviour…
The dreaded 4 Month sleep regression (I’ve been reading a lot about this at 2am, lol)
Teething (she seems to be in so much discomfort lately)
A Wonder Weeks developmental “leap” (sure enough, I checked my app and weeks 14.5-19 are storm clouds!)
Growth spurt
Travel or disturbance of environment/routine (which we did a lot of over the holidays)
Transitioning from co-sleeper to bassinet (we just did this last week)
or umm…how about just being a baby? They tend to do that sometimes. ;)
So lots and lots of changes going on. I guess it’s to be expected. We’re just trying to give her a lot of love and consistency. Consistency is hard because some days she refuses to nap (yesterday she napped maybe three 15 minute sessions) which only creates an overtired baby who is less likely to sleep well at night. If you have been through this before you know exactly what I’m talking about! We are going to continue experimenting with an earlier bedtime to see if that helps.
We’re still working on getting her to take a pumped bottle. I bought some faster flow nipples last week and they seemed to help a bit, but she is still not latching on. She just gums the nipple and lets the milk flow into her mouth (half of which ends up coming out). I’m still EBF (exclusively breastfeeding) on demand, and aside from the challenges I continue to love it.
Current fav nickname: monkey-doodle
Teething: Nothing really new to report except for a lot of fist chewing, cheek rubbing, mega drool (hello bibs!), and extra fussiness. We also went through a couple days where she seemed to be using my nipples as teethers – she was rough on them. I even got a few tiny sucking blisters again and it reminded me how painful the early weeks of BF’ing were. Luckily, they healed up very quickly and it hasn’t been an issue since. Overall, she seems to be quite fussy/distracted at the boob lately and sometimes she will completely refuse to nurse and cry.
Exercise: As I mentioned, I’ve felt really run down lately so I’ve worked out maybe twice in the past 2 weeks. Oye. I think I’m the only person who stopped working out at the start of a New Year! Oh well. I just haven’t felt that motivated about working out lately and my eating hasn’t been great either (craving lots of sugar from lack of sleep). It’s a vicious cycle! I know activity usually helps me feel better, so I’m going to make it my goal to get in a bit of exercise each day this week, even if it’s only a 20 minute walk. Warm weather please hurry!
Weight: We are quickly approaching the doubling of her birth weight. She clocked in at 13.4 pounds on Monday (birth weight was 7 lbs).
Height: Approx. 24.5 inches – 4.5 inches up from birth
Current clothing sizes: She is mostly in 3-6 months now, although some brands are still a bit big. I’m in total denial and will occasionally try to put the 3 months clothes on her with bare-legged results, hah.
Well, that’s all for this week. We’re in a bit of a challenging time, but I know we’ll get through it. Feel free to let me know in the comments how things are going for you! Any new phases or developmental milestones to report? Sleep regressions? Maybe we can be zombies together. ;)
I hope 2015 is off to a great start for you all!
Congratulations on your wee one! Just a few weeks younger than mine – teething and in the throes of the 4 month sleep changes :-) but every smile is worth it. Anyway I thought I would pass on another developmental site I’ve found useful – www.evolutionaryparenting.com. the author is a ubc researcher who does a great job of analysing, explaining and sometimes debunking infant sleep and development research. Continued joy with your little one!
thanks Tracy!
I’ve heard of the site and will check it out. :)
I love this site as well!
Thanks for the site recommendation!
Angela, have you tried unlatching little miss monkey doodle when she scratches? She’s smart, she will figure out quickly that doing that means mealtime is interrupted. If she’s teething then this is really important for that period when she will start trying to teethe on you. Oh if I may, trying taking some toothless grin photos because she will look *so* different once the first pearly white peeks through.
I so feel you about the teething and poor sleep. My lo seems to be starting on the dreaded two year molars and he wants nothing but to be held (the God for the Ergo!), to nurse, and to thrash around in our bed all night long and get up after 20 minutes if we move him to his own bed. Good thing kids are cute because this mommy thing gets hard sometimes! You’ll get through it and might even find that the developmental leaps are your favorite times to remember, because with all the chaos comes another piece of lo’s personality shining through.
thats so true about the personality shining through during these times. I feel like weve seen so many more snippets of her personality lately!
I can only imagine how hard the molar business is! Hope it passes soon.
Oh man. I am right there with ya. My little girl just turned 4 months old and she’s been refusing naps, turning down pumped bottles when she used to take them, waking up more at night, etc. It’s rough. This is my second baby so if I remember correctly, after this chunk of “storm clouds”, it’s easy sailing again for a while, so hang in there. And for the record, I’ve fallen off the exercise wagon too!
Oh it didn’t even occur to me that they could learn to take a bottle and then refuse it later on…what a bummer! Hopefully it’s just part of the 4-month phase. From what I read, so many odd behaviours can pop up out of no where. Hang in there!
Glad I’m not the only one who isn’t overly excited about exercise these days…hah.
I loved my first year of motherhood. I especially enjoyed months 4-12! ;), really though, the interaction, cuteness, development-its so incredible the first year!! After 4 months, it really does just get better and better and then toddler hood :) its all amazing!
I’m only 5 weeks away from giving birth to identical twin boys – your page has been very helpful in getting me prepped (x2!!) of what I have to look forward to. Thank you!!
Congrats Shannon! Identical twin boys…wow!! How amazing. Good luck with everything…and please let us know how you are making out.
The book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child saved me when my twins were babies. For certain, an earlier sleep time was the solution to a multitude of issues. Mine were in bed at 6:30/7:00 p.m., with a nap from 1:00-3:00/3:30 p.m. – like clockwork! This worked both for my son, who surprised me by sleeping 13 hours straight when he was four months old (yes, I kept compulsively checking his breathing the first night this occurred) and my daughter, who had more erratic sleep habits initially.
Thanks for the reminder about that book…I downloaded it to my Ipad but haven’t pulled it out since the early weeks. I will start reading it overnight again!
I second the Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child book. Used it for two (very different) kids. Worked like a charm for baby #1… Took longer for it to work well with Baby #2, but we also had a child care provider at the time who was undermining our strategies. Since we’re no longer using that provider and applying the methods consistently, Baby #2 turned into a marvelous sleeper. I still consult that book for info about my 3 year-old’s sleep. (I think he’s phasing out his nap entirely…. agggghhhh!)
Glad you found Wonder Weeks… I know it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it always gives me comfort to feel like there is a purpose to all the challenges.
I love your recipes and look forward to following your motherhood journey (especially because I suspect that means you’ll develop more super-quick-to-prepare recipes as your daughter gets older and more active!!). Thanks for all you do!! And hang in there, you’ll get through this challenging patch!
I love reading your baby blog posts :) Have you lost all your baby weight? You look amazing!
Thank you Cathy. I haven’t weighed myself in a while, so I’m not sure. But many of my pre-preggo jeans are still tight so I know I’m not quite there. It doesn’t feel very high on my priority list right now though…and thank god for leggings! ;)
Cathe, Ange, you’ve hit on the bright side of going through a needy period quite well! Adriana is getting bigger, and so she needs more calories–so around 4mos her natural liposuction effect is going to go into full force now till whenever you start offering solids and eventually her bmilk consumption will taper down naturally (this can take lots of time or go quickly, depending on how much one wants to keep nursing). So Ange, get ready–she’s going to grab that fluff from you and put it straight on her! Good on you Adriana! Go go go! That’s the part to love about this period.
Hey if she ends up refusing a bottle late on, you could cup feed. No worries.
Like Cathe I also noticed that you look to be springing back into health, and I fully support you taking it easy, as it comes. It took months to go up, it will take time to go down healthily and as a bfing mother one isn’t doing crash dieting. Clothing fit is a nice barometer because while LO is getting all nourishment from bfing your body will cleverly hang on to a heavier cup size and hence about two kilos or so.
And with a 2 year old (and almost 2 months) she’s also changed a lot lately so I feel ya. I’m like where did my predictable, non-whiny toddler go :'(. It’s parenting so fun? No, it really is, but my patience isn’t always so accommodating! haha
My daughter is 9 weeks+. The issues we are having is that she is extremely “colicky” all day long, but then sleeps through the night. I don’t understand it. It makes me so sad because she SCREAMS bloody murder during the day. I have tried everything. It’s improved in the past week because she smiles now, but i dunno. I feel hopeless sometimes–i just want a happy baby.
Sorry to hear that…I can imagine how hard a colicky baby is! Hang in there! I hear the colic phase passes around 3 months. You are doing great and I’m glad it’s improving a bit lately.
Thanks. Everyone keeps telling me to wait for 12 weeks/3 months…i can’t tell you how many times I have googled, “Does it REALLY get better at 12 weeks???” I am starting to think people are just lying to me!!
If you are breastfeeding, this could be related to too fast a letdown or too strong a flow, which can cause baby to take in too much air and upsets their tummies. Sidelying position or even reclining while breastfeeding can help. See www.kellymom.com for related topics and if you can, consult with a board certified lactation consultant. Those women have TWO YEARS of education and are worth every penny.
Just as I wrote that comment, I realized that you probably want to strangle people who say that 3 month thing! lol. I know it doesn’t help when you are in the throes of it. Big hugs!
Don’t give up Nicole. It will be better soon. My oldest son’s colic did not completely go away until about 4 months so don’t give up hope if it lingers a little longer. I was fortunate to have lots of help from family. Please seek out friends and family to give you a break and don’t feel guilty about it. Your helpers will form a stronger bond with your little one by helping you during this time. My son is 21 now, healthy and happy, and has been since the colic ended. He has a close relationship to everyone who spent hours walking him to music- the only thing that worked.
Nicole, your baby is happy and lucky to have such a sensitive and loving mother. Baby is uncomfortable during this period for reasons we don’t fully understand but it will be over soon.
Another idea to try is babywearing, which has demonstrated in published research that carrying a baby when s/he is not crying for a couple hours (!) each day reduced crying dramatically. I think it’s like, 4 hours? But if you can wear baby for 45 minutes and it improves things, that is already progress. It will also have a side benefit of giving you a little extra muscle exercise. If you are bfing you can also try nursing then, or nursing while carrying or rocking baby, or… trying the Healthy Sleep book mentioned above and try getting baby to sleep more through the methods mentioned. I like the 5-S technique too for settling babies from the Happiest Baby on the Block series. Worked like a charm with my son!
Nicole, whatever you do, the most vital thing of all is to keep your cool and remember you have a higher stress job during this period than most mothers have. Every intense high-pressure job gets breaks. So more importantly than watching baby’s mood is to watch *your own* and know when your patience is running thin. I try to stay aware of how much patience I have left, and if it’s running low, I set baby up to where s/he is safe (in a crib for example) and then take a breather to re-centre myself. As I got better at this I would notice more and more in advance to really set up baby to be comf(ier) in a clean nappy with a fully tummy and swaddled, put safely in a crib. Baby was fine, even if if s/he grizzled for ten minutes, but if I lost my cool things are not fine. Taking care of yourself is taking care of baby. You’re doing a good job, Nicole *hugs*.
That sounds really rough….it is so hard to hear your baby scream and not be able to help. Hang in there!
Hi, Nicole!
I just wanted to let you know I’m sending out positive vibes for you. :) I’ve had not one, but two high needs babies (you can google it if you do desperate googling during 3 a.m. breastfeeding sessions like I did!) and I can empathize with many of the feelings you’re probably having. Neither of my kids were happy unless I was holding them in their baby phases… Draining on both physical and emotional levels. I am ok with saying I love my kids with all my heart, but I don’t love the newborn phase at all.
I really hope you have a strong support network… It is so hard to imagine how trying those times can be until you’ve lived them.
A BIG part of the problem with my oldest child was sensitivity to dairy… Which I eliminated, which eventually led me to lots of reading and a switch to a vegan diet… Which led me to this blog. Funny how life is. :) My son also has confirmed allergies to eggs, soy, peanuts, coconut, and gluten (among other things), so I would encourage you to consider the elimination diet if you’re really at the end of your rope. I apologize if you’ve had enough of unsolicited advice, but I remember looking for answers, any answers, in those challenging weeks.
Truly, truly, truly, I am hoping you have peaceful days and nights ahead. If your experience is like mine, you really will look back someday and the moments you’re living now will seem so distant. I promise you, it is going to get easier. I’m sure you’re a phenomenal mother. Hang in there, mama, and use the support your loved ones offer!
Omg thank you for this post! We are going through exactly the same things. My baby is four months on the 10th and he has been fighting sleep so bad, fussy, etc. it makes me feel so guilty because I work at home and he is here with a nanny, screaming. My mother in law was here the other day holding him and he kept peeking out, seeing the nanny, and crying. Poor guy! Lol
Also, same here with the exercise. I feel so crappy and stiff but fitting in an hour and a half yoga class between nursing seasons? Nightmare.
I’m sorry you are going through this too, but I take comfort in the fact that this is a normal phase! Hang in there. I’m with you on the exercise classes…with her not taking a bottle it’s very hard to leave the house. I’m just seeing it as a sign from the universe that I should be easing up on myself during this time. :)
Hi, I have been following along all through your pregnancy after finding you site a few years ago (love your recipes and cookbook). Our first daughter also started out being called monkey which turned into monkey doodle and then just doodle. She is now in university and we still occasionally still call her dood. Enjoy every minute because it seems like just yesterday my little girls were the size of Adriana.
haha that’s so funny! great minds think alike.
Hi there
I remember those days, the good and the difficult! I have 3 little ones none of them small like yours anymore , but I remember what worked for me every time was first nap was within 2 hours of waking with 1st yawn being my cue to get them ready and swaddled up. Afternoon nap was the same..its yawn was my cue to get them settled, and a little cat nap around 4 or 5 ,then 2 hours or so later in for bed. I exclusively breastfed and this was the only thing that worked. I spent months with my first never sleeping consistently ever and feeding all the time. After surviving that for 10 or so months I knew when I had my next 2 it had to be different….
Good luck.
Love your blog! And the snicker doodle cookies I made this Christmas were a huge hit!
Sleep in the day means more sleep at night.
That sounds very much like the nap pattern that we have on the good days! First nap is usually 20-30 minutes within an hour of waking. Second nap is late morning (again 20-30 mins) and then a longer stretch late afternoon. Hopefully we can get her back there soon!
Glad you enjoyed the Snickerdoodles! I wish I had some right now!
I feel you! My little babe is a week younger than yours so it is interesting reading some of the same things that you are going through. She has been a drooly mess and obsessed with her fists for the last month and a half, but it has reallllly ramped up over the last few weeks. She has chapped hands from sucking on them so much! I’m also having probs with scratching, though she has taken to her own face instead of me. I don’t really want to put those scratch mittens on, but no matter how often I trim and file her nails, she still scratches the heck out of her forehead. Also, I never realized how much babies needed to be groomed, ha! I feel like I am constantly grooming her, nails, face, head, etc. Here’s to the end of this leap coming soon!
I hear you on the grooming! It’s never ending.
Adriana scratches herself a lot too. I used the mittens for the first couple months, but then stopped because I wanted her to be able to learn grasping and all of that. I try to file the nails a lot but the corners get sharp and she still manages to scratch herself. Lately I’ve had to really file them quite short for it to be effective. She does seem to be a bit more gentle with her face lately…and I noticed she’s rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands now rather than just scratching them. heh
Try an amber necklace to help soothe the teething pain. We weren’t too sure if it would work, but seems to make a huge difference with our baby girl. I bought one from The Art of Cure on Amazon for about $21. Totally worth it!
Thanks Jen. I’ve heard a lot about these necklaces. I’m nervous about putting something around her neck. Do you know if it’s still effective when placed around their ankle?
I have a soon to be 19 week old. Going through all of this as well. He’s my second, but I still don’t have any stellar advice for you! ha! Sounds like you are into researching and being aware and sounds to me like you’re doing everything right (not that there’s only one right way except just what your heart and instinct tells you!). My first never slept well but this baby was sleeping really well about a month and a half ago, so I just hope he starts to again soon. And the bibs. Ugh. So drooly, and the bib just messes up cute outfits, no? First world problem… Love your updates, thanks for sharing! Zombie moms unite! :)
Thanks for your post, Angela! My baby girl, Evelynne, just turned 6 months so I definitely am familiar with the changes you are talking about. There are hard changes, for sure! But mostly, it is so amazing to watch as Evey learns new skills in seemingly the blink of an eye! One day, she needed help sitting up and the next day she was a pro on her own! And another day–a tooth suddenly appeared after weeks–months!– of drooling and chomping on everything.
I hear you on the sleep…cosleeping has definitely been my saving grace with the multiple wake ups. I so look forward to nights of even 3-4 hour stretches. As the saying goes…this, too, shall pass. In the meantime, I’m trying to just enjoy all the late night snuggles!
I love reading your weekly updates! Thanks for sharing this part of your life with us!
Oh mama, I’m a zombie with you. My baby is 22 weeks and for the past couple weeks he has woken up several times in the middle of the night and then will take FOREVER to go back to sleep. It is as if he just wants to be held all night long. As soon as I would put him back down he will wake up and start crying. Ugh, its a battle but we will get thru it. So far I think the 3 month sleep cycle was the best.
It is so amazing to watch them recognize new things. The other day I caught Jacob touching the top of his head and feeling his hair. It was so adorable.
Thank you for all of the updates, I really enjoy reading what she is going thru and relating to your experiences.
Have you heard of brestfeeding/ teething necklaces? I didn’t use them personally, but I had friends that used them with their children. Silicon beads are used so baby can grasp and chew on them without an issue. I am sure there is a large variety out there, but here is one.
http://www.amazon.com/Bitey-Beads-Silicone-Teething-Necklace/dp/B00HX6Y9YM/
My baby boy is 13 weeks. He had been sleeping from about 8:30-4 ish. Then two nights in the past week he was up at 1:30 and 2 times after that. But then last night he slept from 8-5. Babies are so confusing! But so worth it!
Going through the exact same thing as you! My 15 week old is scratching while feeding, pulling my hair, drooling, screaming out of nowhere to demand more attention, but more baby talk! That I guess makes up for the rest! He’s never been a great sleeper. Some nights we can get a four hour stretch but that has been rare these days. I’m determined to prove that breast fed babies can sleep through the night! I give you so much credit for working out. I barely have the energy to cook dinner. What gets me through is that glass of wine by bedtime. I feel less alone knowing there is another zombie out there with me : )