~4 month stats~

Connor had his 4 month doctor appointment yesterday! He is such a big boy! He weighed in at 14 lbs 15 oz and measured 25 1/4 inches long! He is in the middle of the growth charts for both height and weight. He also got 3 vaccinations (one oral, and 2 injections) and he did fairly well! He had a delayed reaction to the shots, and then cried for only about a minute. He slept a lot at home the rest of the day and was a little fussy in the evening, but he's doing great today!

We were able to talk to our pediatrician about some of the concerns/struggles we are having. Our pediatrician has a son that is 6 days younger than Connor, so it is nice that he is at the same stage we are at and understands our troubles 100 percent! He said that Connor's regression in his sleep habits is normal for this age, and that he and his wife are going through the same thing. Connor rarely sleeps more than 3 hours anymore and fights us so much when we put him down at night. We wondered if it could be teeth or hunger. The doc said his teeth are definitely there, but that it is hard to say when they will come through. He also gave us the go ahead to start rice cereal, but he didn't seem to think it would help him sleep through the night. I guess babies at this age are just becoming more aware and "smart" and are figuring out how to get what they want. He suggested trying to cut out the night time feedings because he'll get into the habit of thinking he needs to nurse every time he wakes up at night. He also suggested letting him "cry it out", but was very realistic and said that he and his wife struggle to do this too. He said he can tell us what the "right" thing is to do, but that he knows how hard it is to actually execute it.

We tried the "cry it out" method for a few days last week. The first night was hard; he cried for an hour long! But, after the first night, we seemed to see some progress. He was going down for naps and at bedtime and only fussing/crying for about 10-20 minutes. Sunday was a bad day, and we think he was in pain -- teeth? tummy ache?? -- so we decided to stop. He wasn't just crying he was screaming in pain. We were taxed out emotionally from listening to him cry so much in the past couple of days, so we decided we would try it again in a couple of weeks. We need to make a decision on how we want to go about this and stick to it.

We tried rice cereal last night! We knew going into it that it probably wasn't going to go well because he was a little fussy from his shots. But, we thought we'd give it a try anyhow. He did well, but he only lasted about 5 minutes. He made some "funny" faces and spit a good portion of it back out. I'm sure it'll take a few tries before he gets the hang of it. Plus, maybe we'll have better luck tonight if he's feeling back to normal.

Today we are getting a visit from Jenna and baby Jameson!! I'll try to get pictures of Connor and Jameson together and post an update later today!

Last week was a busy one! Connor and I had a few playdates. Last Wednesday, we got together with our friends Kayla and baby Khloe! I met Kayla and her husband, Kris, through work and they ended up being in one of our childbirth classes. Khloe is about 8 weeks older than Connor, and when we get them together, you can definitely tell the difference in age. She is rolling around all over the place! They had a lot of fun! Below are pictures of Connor & Khloe:

Last Friday, we got together with Libby & baby Emily. We also met Libby and her husband, Greg, in one of our childbirth classes. Emily was born about 2 1/2 weeks after Connor. Libby and I met up in Elizabethtown for ice cream! YUM! We dressed the kids up for Halloween and took pictures. Below is a picture from that playdate:

Last Thursday night was trick or treat night in Hummelstown. We decided to dress Connor up and walk around the neighborhood to see our neighbors and all the kids that were out. We cannot wait until he is old enough to really get into trick or treating.




Baby Dragon!


Last Tuesday, I was able to go and meet baby Jameson! He is so sweet and snuggly! I left Connor with Grammy for the day and went to keep Jenna company. Matt went back to work, so I was able to go help for the afternoon. We gabbed the whole time, as usual, and I got to love Jameson for a few hours! It is so funny because Connor is gigantic compared to him even though he is a pretty good sized newborn; his birth weight was 8 lbs 10 oz. I forgot what it is like to hold a little newborn already! It is amazing how much they change in 4 months!

Saturday was my last photography class. It was amazing to see the difference in my photographs from the beginning of the class until now. I learned a lot!! Hopefully I can keep up with it! I'm thinking about taking another class during the winter session; not a photography class, but something out of my comfort zone like painting or pottery. I've never considered myself artistic, but I think it would be fun to just see what I can do with a little instruction.

So, what new things is Connor doing?? Well, he is getting more and more interactive each day and he is getting pretty darn close to rolling over. When he is on his tummy, he can get up on his side, but he gets stuck because of his arm. I'm sure he'll roll over any day now!

Here are a few pictures to end with:

Welcome Jameson!!

Connor's new best friend entered the world on 10~17~10!! His name is Jameson Michael and his mommy and daddy are our good friends Matt & Jenna! He's such a little cutie! Congrats Matt & Jenna!

This week has been a little bit of a whirlwind! We were home in Lewistown over the weekend for the grandkids photos for my mom. The pictures went well! We are very excited to see how they turned out! We should have them in about a week!

I ended up getting sick over the weekend with a sinus infection/flu bug. It wasn't fun and I ended up missing a day of work this week. Unfortunately now I have passed it on to Ryan and he has been feeling miserable! We are so glad that Connor has seemed to stay healthy! Between talking to his doctor and reading a bunch of articles, it seems like breastfed babies are usually the only ones in the house NOT to get sick! I'm very glad to be breastfeeding him this time of year! Hopefully we can keep it going!!

Connor had about a week and 1/2 where he was getting up in the middle of the night to eat. The past two nights he has been back to his old self! He'll wake up usually between 5-6 to eat and then usually go back down until 7am. He still isn't really liking the bottle if I am around, but that's okay. He has shortened his feedings down to about 5 minutes (it used to be about a 40-60 minute process) so it isn't really causing me much of a sleep deficit! I am SO thankful for that! Connor's 4 month doc appt is coming up in about 2 weeks. We are excited to hear when we can start cereal. I'm thinking they are going to tell us either 4 or 6 months.

Ryan and I are going to a dinner theatre tomorrow night with our friends Joe & Katee. It is Halloween themed, so we are dressing up. We bought costumes last year but I had just found out that I was pregnant and didn't feel like going out, so we are wearing them this year. We are going as a 1920s gangster and flapper girl! Ha ha. I'm sure we will take pictures!

Next week is another busy one! I work Monday and Thursday, on Tuesday I'm spending the day with Jenna & baby Jameson, on Wednesday Connor has a playdate with Miss Khloe who is about 8 weeks older than he is, and on Friday we are meeting Libby & baby Emily for ice cream! Libby and I are going to dress the kids up in their Halloween costumes for our ice cream date! It'll be good for us to go out and about!

I am pretty positive Connor is teething. I read that babies can have symptoms of teething for a few months before the first tooth pops through. He is chewing on everything -- his fingers, bottle, pacifier, us! Ha ha. This is definitely something new. And, he has occasional crying fits where it seems like he is in pain! We think we might see two little white buds popping through, but since it's our first time going through this as well we really aren't sure what to look for....I hope this little sucker pops out soon!! Poor guy!

Happy belated birthday to my Nana who turned 88 on Monday!!!:)

Below are a few pictures that we've taken in the past week or two!

At the corn maze last Friday!

This is how I found Connor after a car ride home!:)

Connor & Nana!

Connor & Pop

Happy baby!

Daddy thinks Connor should be walking already! Ha ha!



Updates!!:)

Connor & Daddy!

1. Connor got weighed yesterday for a research study we are in.  He weighed in at 14 lbs 1 oz!!! He has gained 2 lbs since Sept 1st! He has also grown 2 inches since that date; he is now 25 inches long. He's a growing boy!!!

2. Connor went down to bed last night on his own with no troubles!!!! This is a HUGE step in the right direction. We put him down sleepy, but awake, turned on the white noise and he dozed off himself! The previous 5 nights, we found that if we turned the vacuum cleaner on in his room (kinda silly, I know) that he would go down in his crib and hang out there content until he fell asleep on his own. We discovered the vacuum cleaner trick during a moment of desperation! Ha ha. I was also doing this for day time naps and it had been working. We are/were trying to teach him to go to sleep on his own in his crib. It seems like it has paid off. Hopefully he keeps this up!

3. My cousins, Sean & Jen, had their baby girl, Phoebe, on 10/12/10! I don't know all her "stats", but I was told she weighed about 6 lbs 12 oz! Phoebe has two big sisters, Grace & Evelyn, whom I'm sure are soooo excited about their new baby sister.

Sleep Baby Sleep!

Our current challenge = sleep! Connor has been fighting bedtime and occasionally naps ever since I went back to work. We aren't sure if he is still adjusting to me going back to work or maybe if he has started teething. He does show some signs of teething (drooling, fussiness, chewing on anything & everything), but we really aren't sure if that is the culprit. I guess time will tell! In the past, Connor would go down for naps and at bedtime with no problem. Now, we are in the bad habit of rocking him, singing him, walking him to sleep each night. On bad nights, it can take up to an hour and 1/2 to get him settled into bed. Naps have been hit or miss; some days he will nap well and then the next day he won't nap more than 20 minutes at a time. One night we tried letting him "cry it out" for 25 minutes, but we both agreed that he was more awake after those 25 mintues than he was when we first put him down. The poor little guy had a puddle of tears beside his head and his eyes were so puffy from crying. And, he had such a sad face/cry! We decided that we need to find some other way to break this habit other than letting him cry. This little guy keeps us on our toes 24/7!

Connor is definitely becoming more aware of his surroundings! Yesterday, we had all of my cousins over for the afternoon to watch the PSU game & play games. He would go to my cousins for a few minutes and then realize that neither mommy nor daddy were holding him and he would start crying!! He knows what he wants...as soon as we would take him back to calm him down, he'd stop crying! It makes us feel good to know that he wants us and knows when we aren't holding him, BUT it would be nice if he would let our friends/family hold him. Maybe he'll get better with this as he gets older. We had a lot of people at our house, so maybe it was just too much commotion for him. He's becoming very sensitive!

A few weeks ago, Connor had a play date with his buddies Ravi & Ethan. Ravi & Ethan are 12 and 8 months older than him, so they are much more mobile! Connor pretty much just sat back and watched the other two boys walk and crawl around. In a year they will have a blast together!! It is nice to have friends with babies close in age. Below are pictures from their play date:

Work has been going okay; I have 3 weeks under my belt. I still do not enjoy leaving him (I don't think I ever will), but it is a nice change of pace. I am very, very ready to stay home with him once those 2 days are over with. After working Monday & Tuesday, Wednesday is usually our lazy day. I am usually wiped out after working those two long days. Thursday and Friday I try to make sure we get out and do something: walk, run errands, shop, etc. With all the rain over the past couple of weeks, it has been hard to be outside much.

Today we went to Daddy's flag football game. They won again and are now 2-0-2!! Connor usually does pretty well at the games. He likes to just hang out and watch everybody. If I wasn't holding him, I wouldn't know he was there! He doesn't make a peep! The "cheering" section at the games is slowly dwindling and pretty soon it'll just be Connor and I! The first couple of games, we sat on the sidelines with two expectant mommies (one being my good friend Jenna). Today, Jenna was still there (she has less than 2 weeks until her due date!!), but the other soon-to-be mommy didn't make it. She didn't have her baby yet, but she is 2 days past her due date and very uncomfortable (according to her hubby). Maybe Connor and I will go keep Jenna and baby Moyer company later in the season when it is too cold for us to be outside and watch the games. That way (if they feel up to it) her hubby can go play in the game!!

We have busy week ahead of us!! I work on Monday and Tuesday. On Thursday, we are getting together with Ethan's mommy and daddy (Kristen and Dave). Ryan has off work on Friday, so we are going to a corn maze. On Saturday, we are heading back to Lewistown for a visit and then on Sunday Connor and his cousins are getting their pictures taken for a "grandkid" photo for my mom. Then, we start everything all over again! We have definitely noticed that our lives have gotten much more busy even with me only going back to work 2 days a week!

Hopefully it won't be another 2+ weeks before my next entry...

We survived!

Well, we survived!! I started back to work last Monday & Tuesday. Surprisingly, Monday & Tuesday morning weren't as bad as I expected. Don't get me wrong, it was still incredibly hard, but not what I anticipated. The mornings were a little bit rushed and when I was ready to go out the door Connor was sleeping, so that helped a lot. Sunday afternoon was actually the hardest day of all. I had all afternoon to think about being away from him while I was getting everything ready for Monday & Tuesday; I moped a lot! :) I'm working approximately 20 hours a week, so that means two 10 hour days. However, I was on call Tuesday and the day ended up being 12+ hours. WELCOME BACK! ha ha ha! The grandmothers said Connor did great (however, I bet they wouldn't tell me otherwise). Ryan and I can tell the change has affected him. On Wednesday he cried for 2 hours straight and I had no idea what to do for him. He was fed, his diaper was clean, he wouldn't go to sleep, etc etc etc. We've also been having trouble getting him to bed at night. Usually we can put him down with little to no struggle. This week he wouldn't go to sleep without one of us rocking him for 30 min or more! I know it will take him a while to get use to this change; I hope he's back to normal soon! The end of the week went much better than Wednesday did!

Last weekend, Connor got a visit from Uncle Mike (Ryan's old college roommate) and his girlfriend, Diana!

Connor meeting Uncle Mike!

Connor and I had a great afternoon with Liz & Ravi on Thursday. We went over to their house for a nice walk. Liz is surrounded by hills, so it was somewhat of a grueling walk while pushing the stroller. But, it was a good workout for me! Afterwards, I took Ravi's pictures!! He's such a cutie and his pictures turned out great. Below are a few from our "photoshoot":

Friday night, Ryan and I had a date night with Liz and Jatin! It was wonderful to have some time with Ryan as well as with Liz & Jatin. We use to hang out with them ALL the time before the kiddos but haven't had much time because we are all so busy! As everyone knows, we are busy with Connor, work, and soon Ryan's school (he officially got accepted back to PSU for the MBA program -- classes start in Jan! Connor and I are so proud!). Liz and Jatin are busy with Ravi (he's almost exactly one year older than Connor), renovating their house, both working full-time jobs, plus Liz is going back to school to be a Dietician! There is little time to spare between our two families, not to mention trying to coordinate any extra time we may find! We planned this date night about a month ago! My mom and dad drove down to babysit the boys, and we had dinner at the Batdorf in Annville! We had a blast!

Saturday morning, Ryan & Connor were able to spend some time together while I went to my photography class. Below are a few pictures I took for my first week's assignment. I wasn't that happy with the way they turned out. I was limited on time this week, so I did them last minute before I had to e-mail them to my instructor. I'm hoping in the upcoming weeks I'll have more time to produce more "creative" pictures. But, Connor still looks as cute as can be!!:)

Today, Connor and I went to daddy's second flag football game (they are 0-0-2). We are spending the rest of the day getting ready for the week! We're hoping it goes a little better than last; I'm sure each week will get a little easier!

Connor wearing his "Little Hershey Squirt" onsie from Aimee (Ryan's teammate)!

What new things is Connor doing??? 1. Laughing out loud!! He doesn't do it often, but we've gotten a few unexpected laughs from him! 2. Motor skills!! He is grabbing everything -- bottle, our hands, our faces, my hair/earrings, toys, etc.!!

Below are pictures of Connor in his new toy. He's still a little bit too small for it, but he likes to look at all the colors and shapes.

As always...more to come!

Approaching 3 months!

I cannot believe that Connor will be 12 weeks old on Sunday. That means one thing...my 12 week maternity leave is coming to a very abrupt end! I cannot believe how fast the past 3 months have gone by!! So much has happened and Connor has changed (and changed us) so much!

I start back on Monday, and luckily it is only 2 days a week! I feel very fortunate that I am able to go back part-time, but it is still going to be very hard to leave him! We are very blessed and have two grandmothers that are willing to drive 120 miles each week (60 each way) to watch him one day each. Each of them will get special bonding him with him that is irreplaceable. Having them watch him will make leaving for work each day a little bit easier than if we had to drop him off with strangers. It'll be interesting to see how Connor reacts to my absence. I've been told by multiple people that he may have a bit of separation anxiety (as I'm sure I will too)! I hope it doesn't affect him too much. We've been apart for about 6 hours at the most, but my work days will be pushing it to 11 hours with driving to and from work.

Connor's new "thing" he has been doing over the past week or so is talking. He has definitely found his voice! Some days I think I have a little owl in the house! All I hear is "Oooo, Ooooo, Ooooo"! It is so cute! I'm sure it will just continue to get louder and louder! He is developing quite an little personality. He is a "studier" and often has a very serious look! I'm always wondering what he is thinking!!

Connor and I ventured out today to the Mother & Baby class that we used to go to when he was 3-4 weeks old. It is pretty much just an open forum for new mothers to go to with questions/concerns. Most of the discussion is about nursing. Anyhow, they have a scale there for you to weigh your babies. Connor weighed in this morning at 12 pounds 10 ounces. I can't believe he has gained over 5 lbs since his lowest weight at 4 days old (7 pounds 2 ounces)!!

Last week Connor and I went for a walk at a local walking path and decided it would be fun to throw down a blanket and take some pictures! I was so happy with how they turned out that I decided to get them printed. I was told about a website that you can upload your pictures to and have them printed on professional looking paper for a pretty cheap price! I got a few wallets printed to see if I like them. They should be coming in the mail any day now! Ryan convinced me to take a photography class that is being held in Harrisburg over the next 6 weeks. I'm pretty excited about it because it is something I've always wanted to do. I am hoping that it will teach me how to use our complex digital camera that we got before Connor was born. The camera takes great pictures, and now we have a place where we can get nice prints of our pictures, so hopefully I can start taking my own pictures of Connor instead of taking him to a professional every couple of months!

Ryan and I decided that we wanted to go strictly to cloth diapers and wipes. The financial savings is just too great not to do it. So, the cloth diapers came in the mail today! Sounds silly, but I'm excited to get them washed and all ready to go! I'm sure we'll still use disposables when we are traveling and out & about. But, for the most part, we'll just be using cloth. Connor looks so cute in them! They are like a little pillow for his tush!

Connor is still sleeping like a champ!! A normal night goes like this: around 8:30-9 Connor lets us know that it is time to go to bed (it is VERY apparent), I nurse him, and then we change his diaper and get him all swaddled up and down to bed around 9-9:30. He usually starts to stir around 4:30-5:30, so we give him the pacifier and turn on some white noise and he'll go back to sleep until 6:30-7! He has us very spoiled! By 7am, he is ravenous and very eager to eat!! We usually cuddle in bed for a little bit afterwards before starting our day! His day time feedings usually don't make it more than 2 1/2 hours apart, but I'll take that if it means that he sleeps all night!

The rest of this week I am going go try to spend as much quality time as I can with Connor. We are getting company tomorrow and Thursday. Tomorrow Ryan's parents and his cousins are coming to visit in the evening. On Thursday, my aunt Nancy is coming for the afternoon. This Saturday Ryan is going to the PSU game and I have my photography class in the AM, so my brother & niece are watching Connor for a few hours. The rest of the day we'll probably just relax. Sunday is a very exciting day!! Flag football season starts!! I was able to play last year until we found out I was pregnant, and then I stopped because people were getting stitches!! haha We didn't think it was a good idea for me to chance getting hurt!! It was a blast though (I scored 2 TDs AND threw a TD pass)!! I am not playing this year; Connor and I will cheer daddy and the rest of the team from the sidelines, but I am still very excited to watch! Go Hershey Squirts!! (Interesting team name, I know!! haha).

Many babies on the way over the next 6 months or so: my cousin, Jen, is expecting Miss Phoebe any day now; one of my best friends, Jenna, is expecting baby Moyer next month; our friends Chase & Jenny have Miss Emma on the way and she's due in January; Ryan's cousin, Chelsea, is expecting a baby boy in early 2011; and I have a bunch of other high school friends that are expecting as well! Babies are in the air!!

So, when do we want baby #2?? Should we have them back to back or wait?? That's the question of the day lately! I know it is kind of crazy that we are even thinking about that already, but if it were solely up to me and finances didn't play a role, I'd have another one as soon as I got another 12 weeks off at work!! Neither Ryan nor I had siblings close to our age, so we think it would be nice for Connor have to have brother or sister that wasn't too much younger than him. BUT, if there is anything we've learned about the whole 'baby makin' process (haha) it is that you cannot plan it! Connor was long awaited; he is a Clomid baby (google it). So, when the time is right, I guess we'll have #2! What are your thoughts?? Feel free to comment below!

On a little bit of a side note: Ryan did excellent on his GMAT exam scoring in the 80th percentile! Now we just have to wait to hear from PSU to see if he got in! If he does, he'll start classes in Jan!

I'll leave you with a few pictures from the past couple of weeks!

"I love you, Daddy!"

"Let's Go PSU!"

Life's good!

Very inquisitive!!

Love this grin!

All dressed up to go visit friends! Looking very dapper!

Chillin' in the pool!

Water Baby

Connor and I were in Lewistown from last Friday to Wednesday of this week. It was a nice visit, however it was hard being away from Daddy for a few of those days! Ryan got to spend some good, quality time studying for his GMATs that he takes tomorrow. We got to see a lot of people on our visit to Lewistown!


On Saturday, we went to a wedding reception for Ryan's childhood friend and neighbor, Brennan. Brennan and Samantha got married in Virginia and came to PA to celebrate with friends and family here. It was wonderful to see them and their little girl, McKenzie, who is a year older than Connor. We haven't seen them since we got married about 2 and 1/2 years ago! It did not take long for things to go back to old times. The boys spent a lot of the afternoon/evening reminiscing and acting like their old selves. It's crazy to think that a lot of us are either married/on our way to being married/having babies/etc.! I've said this once or 1,000 times, but times flies!

Sunday was my very good friend Jenna's baby shower!! She is due in mid/late October! It was wonderful to see her glowing! She had a beautiful shower and was surrounded by lots of friends and family!! She got sooooo many cute things! I cannot wait to meet baby Moyer (gender is a surprise) and for Connor to meet the baby too! Jenna and I have been friends since 6th grade and I am so glad that we are having babies at the same time! I hope that they grow up to be best buddies too!

The rest of our visit we went to see Connor's grandparents at work and did some fall shopping for him. Somehow we missed that season when shopping for him before he was born! But, thanks to his grandmothers, Connor is all set for fall now!! On Tuesday, Connor spent the afternoon at Ryan's parents house. This isn't the first afternoon I've spent away from him, but it was harder than the last! I think it was harder because I know work is approaching and I'll have to leave him more often. I am very lucky that I get to go back part time, but it is going to be so hard! I wish I could spend the rest of my leave not thinking about my first day back, but it's been in the back of my mind for a few days now.

Connor took his first dip in the pool with Meme when we were home! He loved it...he was kicking his little arms and legs!! I can't wait to get him back in the pool this weekend (if it's warm enough)!!

Wednesday we took Connor for his 2 month check up and immunizations. He weighed 12 lbs 0.8oz!! It's amazing how much he has grown since he was at his lowest weight at 4 days old (7lbs 2oz). He has also grown in length quite a bit! He's about 23 inches long! He got 3 shots while we were there as well as an oral vaccination. It was absolutely horrible! He cried quite a bit when he got the shots and then at about 6pm I think his legs were really sore (swollen and red) and he just cried and cried. We gave him generic Tylenol, and that seemed to help. I was prepared to be up with him all night, but when we finally did get him to bed at 11:30, he slept all night! Speaking of his sleep schedule...he has slept through the night the past 6 nights! YAH! When I was pregnant I would always tell my friend, Liz, that I didn't think I'd ever feel normal again. I was very tired all the time. She always told me to wait and see that I would feel like superwoman once we all became adjusted. Well, she was right -- I feel like superwoman!! :)

Thursday was a lazy day around the house doing laundry, chores, etc. But, we did get a visit from Connor's great aunt Nancy! See below!! It's a little blurry because he wouldn't let her stop rocking!

This week we started working on getting Connor ready for the transition of me going back to work. He hasn't been a fan of the bottle lately, but we're trying to give him one bottle a day so he can learn to like it more and try to get used to it. Once I'm back at work, he doesn't have a choice, unfortunately.

What's next?? Well, we are heading to Lewistown, yet again, for the holiday weekend. Lots of swimming, food, family, etc. I am sure Connor won't get put down for more than a diaper change and to sleep at night! Ryan's 26th birthday is on Saturday (man, he's getting old!!!) and PSU's first football game of the year is also that afternoon, so Ryan is happy about that. I'm sure there will be some serious Connor/Daddy time during the game! I already have Connor's PSU outfit packed to go home! Pictures to come..I'm sure.

Just a little update: Jen is still pregnant with Miss Phoebe (YAH)! And, Chrissy's dad is still recovering from surgery but getting better every day!