Starting Three Solid Meals a Day

Parker will be eight months old in a few days and I started giving him a solid lunch earlier this week. The week or two prior I noticed he was getting a little fussy in the middle of the day and eating a ton of solids at breakfast and dinner, so that gave me the head’s up that he wants more food! Now he on the three solid meals day – big boy! 

So far he’s been having yogurt for lunch, fruit for breakfast, and a mix of a couple veggies and meat for dinner. He is off of the fully puréed foods and now eats everything in tiny pieces or I will steam the food if it’s on the hard side, like apples, carrots, broccoli, etc. 
Parker gets breastmilk five times a day and I think he will eventually transition to four milk feedings a day by blending his third and fourth feedings. 

His feeding schedule looks something like:

• 6:15-6:45am: first thing in the morning when he wakes up 
• 8am: breakfast (fruit)
• Around 10:30am: after his first nap
• 12-12:30pm: lunch (yogurt)
• Around 2pm: before his second nap
• 4pm: after his second nap
• 5:15pm: dinner (veggies and protein) 
• 7pm: nurse as he usually falls to sleep

Yesterday this lucky boy got to nurse and take a little nap in Laguna beach while mommy and the grandparents relaxed on the sand 😊 🌊 

Parker Pulls Himself to Stand

Can’t believe it – Parker pulled himself to stand, at 7.5 months old, without me even expecting it. I even got it on camera! I’m surprised at how strong this baby boy is, especially since he just started crawling last week! 

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Leaving Baby with Daddy for the Weekend

This past weekend I went to Palm Springs for my best friend’s bachelorette party, which meant Jason and Parker got to have a boy’s weekend! Jason was super excited to be the one in charge for the weekend and carry out all of his plans for the weekend. He loves when it’s just the two of them and the challenge of preparing to get out of the house and create a new experience with just the two of them.

This is my third time leaving for the weekend and leaving P with Jason. Every time I leave, it’s like someone is dragging me out of the house by the teeth! It’s hard to leave him, but gets a little easier every time. I also know it’s very healthy for Parker to spend time with his daddy and others and for me to have a little break.

As I’ve done with the other trips, I pumped in advance to store up enough milk and wrote a detailed schedule (see pic) including Parker’s naps, feeds, meals, bath, and helmet care. Throughout the weekend, Jason reached out a few times to ask about Parker’s naps. He doesn’t nap at the exact same time every day and his naps especially get thrown off when we get out of the house and run errands or if he falls asleep in the car, and Jason learned this and had questions about when to nap. Jason did a great job in Facetiming me in the mornings and sending a few pics to show me what they’re up to. They went swimming, walked to get breakfast, made some returns at Fashion Island (Jason even tried clothes on in the dress room with Parker!), had Omi and Opa over, and spent time with my family.

I’m thankful I have a hubby and baby-daddy who isn’t intimidated about a weekend alone together, but instead he is sad that it’s over! I had a great time with the girls—pumping 5 times/day at a bachelorette party sure is entertaining ;)—and was happy Parker still remembered me when I got home 🙂

Three Weeks in Parker’s Helmet

Parker had his three-week helmet check-up today, and the clinician noticed his head rounding out in the back toward his neck, his forehead rounding out more, and his face appearing narrower since the bone above his ears is not protruding as much. I’ve noticed a slight improvement, not much but slight, myself and am hoping for more. We will get a scan done at seven weeks so we can compare his metrics to his pre-helmet numbers. Here are some pictures of what Parker’s head looks like today:

Parker continues not to have any idea he’s wearing a helmet and has adjusted to wearing it perfectly. The only difference is that he gets a little warm—this is why he’s in a diaper most of the day at home :). One thing that has shocked me during our helmet journey is how many people come up to us and ask about Parker’s helmet. Most of they time, they do so in a curious way and just want to learn. People ask if he is okay, what happened to him, how long does he wear the helmet each day, how long will he have to wear the helmet, and does it bother him. I’ve had roughly a dozen people share that either their baby had the helmet at some point, or they’ve known a family member or friend who underwent helmet therapy. I’m always happy to hear this, and they ALL say they had great results and were happy they chose to helmet their baby.

I really look forward to the days of his check-ups because I know that means we are making progress—and also I treat myself to an iced hazelnut latte at the medical center before his appointments :). Today was particularly special because Parker had a MASSIVE blow-out as I was in line to order my coffee. It came all the way out of his diaper in the front, and out of his shorts, all over my jacket…Ewwwwww! 🙂

Milestone Day: Parker’s Crawling!

Today, Parker achieved a big milestone—he crawled—at 7.5 months old! I’ve had an inkling these past couple of weeks that he would be crawling any day now, and I’m happy we didn’t have to wait too long. Good thing Jason just put up the gate on top of the stairs a couple days ago. Now time to baby proof the rest of the house. Parker can get a few crawls in a row, and did this roughly four times today. He is especially encouraged to test out his new skill when I place something in front of him but just out of reach and then move it back to he has to reach further ahead. I’m leaving tomorrow for a bachelorette weekend, so I’m thankful he decided to take his first crawls today and not over the weekend when I would have missed them! Big day 🙂 Here he is embarking on one of his first crawls! 💙

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Parker’s Teething Update!

I’ll update this post as Parker gets more teeth! So far…

• 5.25 Months—Parker gets his first two teeth! The lower teeth (central incisor) came in—first one, and then the next the very next day. I didn’t notice much of a change in his attitude. He’s been drooling since 3 months so the new teeth aren’t a surprise. I’m going to miss his gummy smile!
• 7.25 Months—Parker’s left, upper tooth (lateral incisor) is coming in! He was a little fussy for one day but his usual self for the most part 😊
• 8 Months—Right, upper tooth (lateral incisor) came in. Parker was fussy for one day.
• 8 Months, 1 Week–Right, upper middle tooth came in. Parker fussy in the morning and had trouble napping so I have him baby Tylenol. One day later Parker’s bottom second tooth to the right came through, and the next day his top right middle tooth cut through.
• 12 months, 1 week–Parker’s two top molars are coming through.
• 14 months–Parker’s first molars are in and his left cuspid is popping through.
• 14 months, 2 weeks--Parker’s left bottom molar is cutting through.

CHEESE!!!

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Current Obsessions at 7 Months

• Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker—Parker has been eating solids since 5.5 months old, and I am still obsessed with this food maker. It steams and blends! I’ve been feeding Parker chunkier food for the past month rather than only purees, but I still use the Babycook to steam and soften harder foods (like apples, broccoli, corn, asparagus, even chicken!).
• Swimming Lessons—Munchkin has been taking free classes at an Aliso Viejo swim school that offers free classes for babies under seven months. Now that he is older, we will be signing up at Waterworks Aquatics in Irvine, where Parker took his very first lesson when he was six months old.
• Age-Appropriate Toys—It was about time I got some age-appropriate toys for P. He’s been playing with the same newborn-6 month appropriate toys for months. My sister lent me a walker with buttons/noise on the front and another toy that lights up, makes noises, has buttons, and a little steering wheel.
• Baby Gates—Little man looks to be crawling any day now, and he rolls and scoots all over the house, getting in to the TV console, fireplace, and electronic cords. We just put a gate up in front of the TV console and installed a gate at the top of our stairs. We’re ready for the crawler!
• Park Swings—Parker loves the swings! He smiles and loves watching the other kids at the park.
• Summer Infant Grocery Cart Seat Cover—I’ve been using this grocery cart seat cover since Parker was about 3.5 months old and able to sit up better. Now that he’s older I don’t have to hold him to prevent him from tipping over, and Parker is plenty entertained at all of the people and the plastic keys I attached to the cover.
• Medela Pump In Style Breast Pump & Hands-Free Pumping Bra—I’ve recently started pumping again to store up milk for a four night trip Jason and I are taking next month. It’s super convenient to pump while working in the mornings.
  

  

Things I Miss About Having a Newborn

• 

  Milk drunk!

  

  Tummy is full

  

  

  

  Milk drunk—No one can possibly be happier than a newborn who just filled their belly and are in that zen-like state.

• Sleeping on me—One of my favorite things was having Parker sleep on me and feel his little breath. So peaceful!
• Sleeping anywhere, in my arms—The first few months we could take Parker anywhere and he would have no problem sleeping anywhere, especially in my warm arms.
• Sweet little cries—I read a tip to take a video of your baby crying in the early weeks. It sounds harsh but Parker had the sweetest, softest little cry and I’m glad I have that video to remember it and how often he would cry in the early weeks when he was figuring out how to live and sleep, and remember how tired I was makes me proud of how far we’ve come.
• Newborn smell—I miss this smell so much! The best way I can describe his newborn smell is warm and fresh. I couldn’t stop sniffing him!

A Typical Day: 7 Months Old

6-6:20am: Wake up and nurse in bed then snuggle, play in bed with Mommy and Daddy for 30 minutes

–Play time and watch Mommy work–

7:30-8am: Breakfast which is usually semi-pureed or mushy, small chunks of fruit (banana, blueberries, apples, mandarin) or scrambled eggs

–Play time and watch Mommy work–

–If Parker shows early signs of tiredness, I take him for a short walk to keep him awake until 9am–

8:45-9:30am: Nap #1. Parker usually cries as he’s going to sleep so I’ve recently started reading Parker a book before laying him down with his puppy stuffed animal. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t!

10:30-11am: Parker wakes up and nurses

–This is usually when we get out of the house and go to the grocery store, for a walk, to the pool, or run various errands–

–If we are at home, Parker usually gets tired earlier and naps around 12:30pm–

1:45-2:30pm: Nap #2

–If Parker’s second nap is earlier, around 12:30pm, then we do a short third nap around 3:30-4pm–

3:30-4pm: Parker wakes up and nurses

–Play time at home or go for a walk–

5:15: Dinner which is usually a semi-pureed or mushy vegetable (carrots, corn, broccoli, peas, green beans, avocado) or chicken. If he is still hungry I feed him Puffs or a Mum Mum

5:45pm: Bath before Daddy gets home

6:00pm: Play time with Daddy or go for a walk to the park

7:00pm: Nurse Parker in glider. He usually falls asleep then I lay him down and he usually goes right to sleep with no crying

7:15pm: Mommy and Daddy make and eat dinner and hang out together!

 

Parker’s Head Shape Journey Pre-Helmet

Parker’s 4.5-month scan at Hanger Clinic

Parker’s 6-month scan at Cranial Tech

Parker’s helmet-fitting scan at Cranial Tech

When Parker was about two months old, we noticed his head flattening on the back, and this is where our head shape journey began! There are various reasons babies’ heads get flat or lopsided. For Parker, we were told his head was flattening on the back (brachycephaly) and a tiny bit to one side (plagiocephaly). This happened to Parker because 1) he has been an excellent sleeper, thus spending a lot of time in one position, 2) he was born with a big, heavy head in the 93 percentile (birth=ouch!) which pushes his head down harder on the mattress, 3) Parker was born “sunny-side-up” which placed his head in the birth canal at an odd position which puts pressure on the head shape, and 4) because he was “sunny-side-up,” a vacuum was used to help get him out, which creates more of a “cone head” with more sloping at the back, bottom of the head. Also, I’ve learned most babies who wear helmets are the first born boy because their mother’s uterus hasn’t been stretched from prior pregnancies. This crams the baby in the stomach and puts more pressure on their scull.

Here is a timeline of our journey pre-helmet:

• 2 months old: Noticed head flattening. Right away I upped Parker’s tummy time and tried laying him on his side with a blanket tucked under one side.
• 3 months old: Since Parker was started to sit while assisted, I began keeping Parker off of the back of his head every waking moment, by holding him or having him sit in his Bumbo, play gym, or door jumper. We purchased a Boppy Noggin Nest pillow to use in his carseat and a Babymoov Lovenest to use on his changing table. We switched the way his head laid in the crib at every sleep and switched his head on the changing table. This allowed him to look toward his left to even out the lopsidedness.
• 4 month checkup with pediatrician: Our pediatrician recommended we see a neurosurgeon who would assess the severity of his brachy and plagio.
• 4.5 months old: Met with neurosurgeon and had Parker’s head scanned by Hanger Clinic, who works with the neurosurgeon. Parket’s Cephalic Index (measurement used to determine whether or not a helmet is suggested) was not high enough to be recommended a helmet at his current age. The neurosurgeon suggested we use baby safety pins to pin Parker’s clothing down to his mattress to force him to sleep on his tummy. He only recommended this because Parker started rolling from front to back at three months so he was strong enough to begin sleeping on his tummy.
• 5 months: I was reluctant to pin Parker down but I started putting Parker to bed on his tummy and stood there for 5-10 minutes to keep flipping him on his tummy until he fell asleep.
• 5.5 months: We went back to Hanger for a follow-up and while they saw improvement, he was still in the “severe” category and they suggested we start with treatment in three weeks.
• 6 months: Two things happened:
  • Re-visited Hanger and because he had so much improvement, they no longer suggested treatment. What a relief! But now the decision to helmet or not gets really hard!
  • Visited Cranial Tech (another helmet company) for a second opinion. According to their measurements which are stricter than Hanger’s, Parker fell into the severe category and they suggested treatment.
• 6.5 months: After many hours thinking whether to helmet or not, we decided to move forward with the helmet therapy with Cranial Tech. Parker was fitted for the helmet at this time.
• 6.75 months: Parker received his helmet. He was all smiles and even fell asleep in it on the way home! He had no problems adjusting to the helmet and even slept in it all night on the very first night.

My 1st Mother’s Day!

Yesterday was my first official Mother’s Day and now that the day is over I can without a doubt say it is my new favorite holiday—Thanks, Hallmark! I may have thrown a hint or two out to Jason about wanting my first Mother’s Day to be special, and he listened ;). I woke to a beautiful card, a “Mama Bear, est. 2016” coffee mug, and cute gold necklace with a plate that says “Parker.” After some morning snuggles after nursing in bed, we took a walk to get coffee and share a bagel. Once Parker went down for his nap, I went to get a much needed massage! I even upped the 60 minutes to 90, and I’m still sore! Carrying a baby, nursing, and lifting Parker sure has done a number on my back so the massage was really helpful to get all my knots out. We relaxed the rest of the afternoon and then headed to Laguna to walk along the boardwalk and have dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants, Alessa Cucina. Parker was a little fussy because he didn’t have a third nap, so I ended up nursing him to sleep during dinner, which gave Jason and I some quiet time! I’m so thankful for Jason who made me feel special yesterday. I’m so sad the day has come and gone—it feels like the last day of a vacation! Already looking forward to next year 🙂