Happy 5 Month Birthday!

Yesterday, Caleb turned 5 months old. He’s so adorable! No cake for Caleb yet. Instead, I celebrated with Caleb by trying all day to get him to take a nap. This boy still does not want to sleep! He so needs it, but fights it with a passion. I’ve read all or parts of the following sleep books:

Babywise by Ezzo
The Sleep Book by Dr. Sears
Touchpoints: Sleep by Brazelton
No Cry Sleep Solution by Pantley
The Lull-A-Baby Sleep Plan by Tobin
The Baby Whisperer by Tracey Hogg
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Weissbluth MD

Crazy, eh?! All these books, and all I’ve learned is that there are a lot of different ideas out there on how to get babies to sleep.

But seriously, this boy can cry. My dad watched him the other day for just 1.5 hours. When I came home, I could hear Caleb wailing inside the house as I was driving into the garage (with my car windows up). After I soothed him, he still continued to whimper for the next 2 hours in his sleep. It’s hard because we want to give him time to figure out how to soothe himself back to sleep when he wakes, but if you let him cry to long, he gets into this funk where he has trouble with stopping his crying. It’s like he gets caught up in his crying. When he gets like that, it’s hard to find anything/anybody that will soothe him. He even makes himself throw up sometimes when he cries too hard.

But on a lighter note, he’s so much fun when he plays. It’s neat to see him get stronger. He can sit up pretty well now. He still needs assistance sometimes. His gross motor skills have really improved. He used to grab a toy and some part of the toy might make it to his mouth. Now, he grabs a toy and the part of the toy he wants (as long as it can fit) almost always makes it into his mouth. He’s developing well. I have no idea how much he weighs now since I don’t go to any breastfeeding support groups anymore…. but he’s definitely not losing any weight. On Monday, at our parent education class, I picked up this 8 month old who was crawling where she shouldn’t. I picked her up much higher and quicker than I meant to because she was that much lighter than Caleb. It was like picking up a feather when you’re used to usually picking up a sack of potatoes.

OK, time for me to go to bed. If we come to mind, please pray for us and our sleep.

Halloween, Vaccines and More

We try to keep up with posting pictures, but it takes time. You can view the latest at http://pictures.chriswong.org. If anybody has a better picture of us at the baby dedication, can you please send it our way. Thank you!

Gotham’s Crime Fighter
Batman!

Ouchies
Vaccine Shots

Is a Reading Rainbow still on PBS?
Reading

Baby Dedication
Dedication

Sore Muscles

So, last night, I noticed my inner thighs were really sore. I’m thinking, gosh, it’s not like I’m lifting anything new all of a sudden. Was I doing something totally different with Caleb causing me to exercise a different set of muscles?

Then I remembered what happened earlier yesterday. I was walking around Toys R Us looking for bubbles (Caleb loves watching bubbles in the air). There was a small pool of water on the floor from a leaking A/C. Caleb’s in the Ergo baby carrier on my chest… so, of course, I don’t see the lovely pool of water on the ground. I step in it and go sliding across the floor from the aisle with Barbies to the aisle with Transformers. My motherly instincts must have kicked in because I came away with only bruises to my left knee and a small cut to the top of my left foot… oh… and sore “I can’t let myself fall with my baby” muscles. So, that’s why I’m sore. Caleb was unphased… I don’t think he even noticed me sliding across the floor as he stared in awe at all the colorful toys.

Gosh, those people at Toys R Us are really nice, especially when you nearly fall with your baby in their store.

Tooth #2

That’s right… tooth #2 has arrived. Now, tooth #1 officially has a neighbor. 18 more to go.

Sleeping, New Tooth and New Home

If you haven’t heard, Caleb hasn’t been sleeping well. It’s not that he doesn’t sleep. It’s just that he doesn’t like to sleep. Yvonne’s got his sleep cycle down, but knowing his sleep cycle doesn’t mean he actually stays asleep. For daytime naps, Caleb’s schedule goes like this:

0 min – Falls asleep
25 min – Stirs awake.

It’s at this point where intervention is almost always needed. First off you need to be holding him. Secondly, adult intervention is required usually in the form of bouncing up and down, sticking a finger in his mouth, or a combination of the two. If all doesn’t go well, he’s awake after his 25 minute nap. If all does go well, Caleb passes this moment back into slumber land. This process continues:

45 min – Stirs awake.
1 hour 45 min – Stirs awake.

According to babycenter.com, babies at four months of age need 12-15 hours of sleep a day. Now if Caleb only goes down for 25 minute naps at a time, he doesn’t get enough sleep. And when he doesn’t get enough sleep, he gets grumpy until he finally crashes before his normal bedtime.

It’s not easy getting him asleep and keeping him asleep. But Caleb is getting enough sleep now (most days), but it’s hard work. We’ve even had to trick him into thinking we’re still holding. That’s what it’s come down to.

Caleb + Pillows

Nighttime sleeping is a different matter though. This whole sleep cycle is different for some reason. He can actually stay asleep pass that 25 minute barrier. Problem is he’s developing too fast. He talks, he rolls, he’s teething. All this complicates his sleep, which complicates our sleep.

Caleb popped his first tooth a few weeks ago, and this morning we can see his second tooth about to pop out. No wonder he keeps waking so often during the night. I wish I could get a good picture of it.

You probably didn’t notice, but baby.chriswong.org has a new home. It’s on a new server that is. Hopefully it’s much more reliable and much faster. Cause all know the real reason why you’re here. It’s not to read stories. It’s to see pictures of Caleb.

Sitting Caleb Playing Caleb + Tommy Headphones Bumbo Naked Funny suit

Caleb’s Baby Dedication

You’re invited to Caleb’s Baby Dedication on Sunday, 11/18/07!

San Gabriel Valley Alliance Church
1027 S. First Avenue
Arcadia, CA 91006

10AM

Come see which outfit Caleb wears. Chris would be happy to see Caleb in a Mlikwaukee Bucks oufit. I would love to see Caleb in his first polo shirt/onesie.

But more importantly, come celebrate and pray with us as we publicly dedicate our beautiful son to His Maker.

4 month immunizations

Baby Caleb had to have his 4-month vaccines yesterday. Daddy Chris had (and will continue in the future to have) the honor of holding our son for his vaccines. Caleb’s been fussy and feverish with an unhappy tummy. Poor Chris had to sleep holding Caleb with his legs propped up to help Caleb relieve his gassy intestines (compliments of the oral rotavirus vaccine).

When we have a chance, we’ll upload a picture of Caleb’s legs. They gave him cute Charlie Brown bandaids–one on each rotund thigh.

Oh almost forgot… Caleb is now 17 pounds, 7 oz (95th percentile) and 26 1/4 inches long (90th percentile). And, I thought he was slowing down… I guess I was wrong… 🙂

I have feet!

Caleb found his feet today. It’s adorable. He wiggles his toes and watches in amazement. Then he grabs his feet with his hands (sometimes both hands grab 1 foot), and he looks shocked that he found his feet. My goodness Caleb is developing fast.

My special workout

So early last week, a friend of mine asked, “Have you been working out now? You look like you’ve lost a lot of weight.” Haha!!!! I replied, “No, I don’t even have time to sleep… I definitely don’t have time to work out.” But later, as I thought about it, I have been working out heaps…. with a 17-18 pound munchkin in tow nearly 24-7. hee-hee. thanks, Caleb. you’re helping me lose weight. 🙂

First Tooth

So after 2 months of nearly nonstop drenching drool and animal-like gnawing, our son has cut his first tooth. So many people told me he’s too young to be teething. After a month of these symptoms with no tooth as proof, I started wondering myself if I was just poorly assessing Caleb. But, lo and behold, the first rough tooth top of his bottom right incisor has definitely erupted.