Mr. Bean at Seven Months

 Today is my husband's birthday, as well as the day our little Bean turns seven months old.  I am thinking I should start planning his first birthday now, so I can accomplish putting the party together by October!

Bean has really grown this past month!  His little legs resemble the Michelin Man. Even his feet are chubby!  So cute! Since I last posted about his milestones, he has learned to do so much!  On March 24, Mr. Bean rolled from his back to his belly.  Currently, he is a master roller.  We put him down in one spot and in no time he has rotated and rolled across the room.  I can no longer leave him in one spot and expect him to stay there.

On April 17, Maika realized he could chew on his feet.  This is now a favorite past time.  He also likes to grab his feet and move his leg while nursing.  He is so funny! At about this same time, we started the Beanster on solid foods.  My original plan was to start with vegetables, then move to fruits, but he was having some "issues." The doctor recommended giving him pears or prunes to help him out.  So far, he has had pears, prunes, peaches, avocado, oatmeal, apples, and bananas.  He loved all of it, with the exception of the apples.  I think they were a little too sour. I think he would eat for as long as we shovel food in!

Mr. Bean has started sitting on his own this past month.  Today he was sitting up on his own without toppling over for several minutes.  He is really getting the hang of it.  I love to see him grow and change, but wish it wasn't happening so quickly!  I am afraid crawling is in our near future...

first bite of solids (pears) taken at the Marshall's house

he really did like it

I got this sitting thing down - no problem mon!

outfit from Aunt Aida's travels

Bean and Aunty Aida

it's good to be loved!

LA Trip

Last month, Mr. Bean and I had the opportunity to travel to LA to visit our friends and for mama to go to the Juanes concert! It was a quick trip, but a lot of fun.  We stayed with our dear friends Nela, Brian, and baby Liam.  Merima (Nela's sister) was also able to come for the weekend.  Bean and I flew to LA Saturday morning.  When we arrived at the airport, I had trouble checking in.  Turns out I had made my departing reservation for the month before!  Luckily, I was flying Southwest and they switched my reservation free of charge to the day I had actually planned on leaving.  Who says mommy brain isn't real?! We spent Saturday hanging out and had dinner at a local Italian restaurant.

The Juanes concert was Sunday evening. Brian and Nela's mom, Betty said they would watch the boys while Nela and I and her friend Chun (sorry Chun if I am spelling your name incorrectly) had a much needed girls night out at the concert. I was worried about leaving Mr. Bean for the evening.  I knew I was leaving him in very competent hands, but was afraid he would scream his head off all night.  I didn't think this would be very enjoyable for Brian, Betty, or Maika.

Despite the churning in my stomach, Nela, Chun and I left for the concert.  We were early and decided to have some appetizers and vino at a wine bar near the Staples Center. I was beginning to worry a little less after chit chatting with the girls and a couple glasses of wine!  Before walking over to the concert, we called to check on the babies.  Brian reported that Betty had put Mr. Bean to sleep and he was sleeping peacefully! I am telling you, those Bosnian grandmas have some magical powers!

The concert was amazing.  Juanes was fabulous and his music was very uplifting.  I must admit, I felt great, getting dressed up and having a night on the town with the girls!

Unfortunately, Merima had to leave on Sunday.  Nela and I spent Monday together, taking a walk in beautiful, sunny LA and having lunch.  It was a fantastic trip!

Maika's First Easter

Mr. Bean and I spent the past week visiting family in Ohio.  We celebrated Easter and my Granny's 91st birthday. We also took a trip to the Newport Aquarium. I am so happy Bean got to meet his great grandma (Granny), his grandpa, aunts, uncles, and cousins! The week seemed to fly by.

While in Ohio, Mr. Bean started becoming even more vocal.  He has started babbling - bababba bebebe hiii... I also think he is purposely waving! He is starting to sit for several seconds on his own.  Amel was surprised to hear all the new sounds coming from Bean and said it looked like he grew while he was gone.

Happy 91st Birthday, Granny!

Bean and Grandpa Baker

Uncle Dave, Bean, and Aunt Doe

Jacob and Isaac getting ready for the egg hunt at church

Grandma Baker, Bean, and Jacob

Bean and Aunt Leah in the Easter outfit she got him

Bean and his cousin Olivia

Olivia grew hair???

Uncle Kevin being silly

My brother Seth with his sons, Isaac and Jacob

Bean's new do

Granny and Bean

The Miley's - Kevin, Leah (sis), Jackson, Benny, and Olivia

Uncle Jimmy, Granny, and Bean

Things I Wish I Knew Before Being Pregnant/Having a Baby

I was talking with a dear girlfriend this evening, who is expecting her first baby.  Our conversation got me thinking. There is no way in the world anyone can prepare you to be a parent, but there are some things I learned that will be useful should we be blessed with another baby; things I wish I would have known with my first!

I wish I would have known (in no particular order):

1.  However my baby arrives in the world it will be OK, whether completely natural birth or c-section.
2. Plans for pregnancy and parenting do not always go as planned!
3. There is no need to be in a rush to get out and about right away. Soaking in the time with my newborn and husband is perfectly OK.
4. Stay in your pj's for a few weeks, or better yet, spend the first month of baby's life with lots of skin to skin contact.
5. Start wearing baby in a ring sling, wrap or baby carrier from the beginning.  This promotes breast feeding, comforts baby and mom, and releases feel good hormones in mom and baby.
6. Take breast pump to the hospital.  Start pumping right away to get milk to come in, especially if baby is born via c-section.
7. Hospital personnel and pediatricians don't always know best.  Follow your instincts and find a pediatrician that is in line with the way you parent.
8. You will be more tired than you ever thought possible, but you learn to function.
9. Don't worry about what time it is, or how many times you wake up.  Remind yourself it won't last forever.
10. Your marriage WILL change and there will be challenges, but it makes you stronger as an individual and a couple.  Keep working on communication.
11. Your house will not be clean, even if you are a stay at home mom.
12. You will not have time to cook dinner, even if you are a stay at home mom.
13. Let people bring you dinner for the first few weeks.
14. By around two months, you will feel like you know your baby and start learning his/her signals.
15. Pacifiers were made to replace the breast.  Your baby will want to be on your breast all the time in the beginning.  This is OK.  It promotes your milk coming in.
16. Breast feeding can be very difficult in the beginning (I was told this before having a baby, but didn't realize how difficult it would be for us). A lactation consultant is super helpful!
17. Don't try to feed baby according to a schedule.  Feed baby whenever baby is hungry. Baby may be hungry sooner than every three hours, or may just be thirsty.
18. Sometimes babies "cluster feed" or want to eat every hour when going through a growth spurt.
19. Growth spurts happen approximately at 10 days, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months.
20. When you think you've gotten into a routine, everything will change.
21. Breastfeeding is amazingly rewarding and comforting for mom.
22. The "Breast Friend" Pillow is more comfortable for nursing than the "Boppy" pillow, but you will find other uses for the Boppy.
23. It will feel weird when you walk in the door of your home with your baby.
24. Don't give your baby a pacifier until breastfeeding is established.
25. Don't give your baby a bottle until breastfeeding is established (if you can help it).
26. Don't freak out about baby's weight loss in the beginning.
27. More about cloth diapers
28. What you or your baby wears home from the hospital doesn't matter.
29. About Dr. Sears and Attachment Parenting
30. More about vaccines and alternate schedules
31. Don't change baby's diaper at night unless he poos.
32. After 3 weeks (or so) don't wake baby to eat at night, as long as baby is gaining weight and thriving.
33. Have protein bars or something healthy, but quick to eat.  It will be hard to find a chance to eat the first few weeks.
34. It gets easier and is SOOO worth it.
35. Do what works for you and your family.
36. Don't try to make baby conform, get to know baby.
37. More about using natural products without parabens, pthalates, dimethicone..
38. Reading parenting books along with pregnancy books
39. Your husband will probably not open a pregnancy book - send him to "daddy bootcamp."
40. Being a mommy has made me more fulfilled than I could have imagined.  It has filled a hole that I didn't even know was missing!

Cry it Out?

Last night was one of the most challenging we have had with our little beanster.  I think I had two hours of sleep. Poor Bean woke up screaming and was up most of the night.  It must have been the raw onions in the bean dip I made or the strawberries I ate.

Most of the night was spent nursing, rocking, and bouncing on the exercise ball.  Amel had to take over for a little while.  I often get advice saying I need to let Maika "cry it out."  I have decided, at least for the time being, that is not an approach I want to take with my little man.  I know he was crying for a reason last night.  Putting him in his bed in a dark room and leaving him to cry until he is so exhausted he falls asleep just doesn't sound like a good plan.  This phase of his life is so short in the over all picture.  It is a little hard to remember that in the midst of the challenges though.

There are two reasons I don't want to use a cry it out approach: 1). I don't want to damage the trust that is developing between us and our baby 2). I don't want my baby to suffer any physiological distress.

When I hear my baby cry, I can feel my blood pressure rise.  My instinct is to comfort him.  If I use a sleep training method, I have to desensitize myself to his cries.  I really don't want to become insensitive to his cries.  I don't believe, at this age, my child is trying to manipulate me, but cries to communicate a need, even if it is just the need for a snuggle.

At some point, I may have to adjust my stance on this issue, but for the time being, I think I am doing what Mr. Bean's sensitive personality needs.  Of course, there are times when it is just not possible to attend to a crying baby immediately.  There may also be moments when when one needs to put baby down in a safe place and take some sanity time (I have had some of these moments).  Parenting seems to be more of an art than a science.

More information:
Fussy baby
10 Reasons for Not Crying it Out
The Continuum Concept: In Search of Happiness Lost by Jean Liedloff