Time Flies

New mom's checklist:

Spit up on:  Check
Peed on:  Check
Stayed in the same clothes for multiple days:  Check
Skipped a meal without realizing it:  Check
Woke up to crusty hair from spit up that I didn't realize was there when I went to bed:  Check
Caught drool in my mouth as Rudy was "flying" overhead:  Check
Caught poop in my hand:  As of last night...Check!

What else do I have to look forward to?!

So I'm changing Rudy's diaper at about 5 am when he woke up to eat.  I was hoping he would go back to sleep for a couple hours, so I was doing this in the dark.  As I am applying Desitin, out it comes.  I must have jumped a foot because it was a bit explosive and I was definitely not expecting it...ahhhh the joys of motherhood!

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas season!  Hard to believe it is over already.  We celebrated Christmas with the extended Ballweg family the weekend before and had a great time.  It is always nice to see that side of the family.  We don't get to get together as often as we would all like, but it is always fun whenever we do!  They are a fun and funny bunch to hang around!  We had Christmas with Ray and LeeAnn and the Burke's on the Sunday before Christmas.  As always, it was nice to see them and the spoiling of Rudy began.  LeeAnn got some great pictures, but I haven't hassled her for them yet!  I'll add them whenever I get them from her :)  Rudy got lots of good presents, but only cared about the ribbons that he could put in his mouth.  Of course!  Christmas Eve we went to the KC for breakfast for Grandpa Ballweg's biscuits and gravy and then went to my parent's house to watch football.  Our Sunday football group moved our gathering to Saturday since the games moved and we had an extra special "Sunday."  It was a great Christmas Eve!

Christmas morning John, Rudy, Rufus and I stayed home and opened presents and John made breakfast for us.

It was better and more special than I could have imagined!  Having our little family together for a couple hours before all the commotion started was perfect.  We were able to video chat with the Keough's and Cicci's who were together in Des Moines.  Technology really is great!...if only it could get us to be in more than one place at a time...Then we went to Gran and Grandpa Ballweg's to see them and Uncle Tony and open up our gifts for each other.  Rudy, not surprisingly, was showered with gifts again!  He is one lucky little man!  We went to lunch at John's aunt and uncle's house and the extended Favero family were all there.  It was great getting to see them, too!  Then back to my parents with all the Sames for the rest of the afternoon/evening!!  (anyone with pictures, please send to me when you get a chance)

Uncle Tony is a big Harry Potter fan.  For Rudy's baptism, he bought Rudy the first book in the series.  He said it was for when he grows older, he wants to read it to him.  For Christmas Gran made Uncle Tony a Harry Potter cape.  

When he opened it, his first reaction (well besides a sigh of excitement) was that he couldn't wait to tell Rudy he went to Hogwarts and that he knows all the people in the books.  He will even have his cape to prove it (along with a wand and sweater from Harry Potter World at Universal).  Too funny.  I'm sure Rudy will love it.  Tony also gave him one of those recordable books that he narrated.  Rudy LOVES it.  He sat and listened to it and played with it for quite a bit this past weekend at Gran's.  

The only down-side to the weekend was that Rudy somehow came down with an ear infection.  He was pretty crabby Saturday and Sunday evenings but I thought it must just have been all the activity, people, and shuffling around (which it may well have been).  But come Monday, he was a nightmare.  I'm exaggerating, but he was not a happy baby!  The doctor's office was closed so I had to wait until Tuesday morning to take him in and sure enough, it was an ear infection.  That on top of his teething, he wasn't feeling very good!  Rudy's second tooth popped up!  His front 2 bottom teeth are viewable now -- they aren't all the way up, but they are there.  The antibiotics have been working and he has been MUCH better!!  Thanks be to God!!  And they weighed him again -- he's up to 18 lbs, 12 ounces!  Holy moly!!  He is growing like crazy :)  

He is getting much more upper body strength.  He is able to lift him self up when he is on his tummy.  He gets lots of practice with that at night.  He is rolling nonstop...even in his sleep, which wakes him up and gets him all mad.  He wants to sit up on his own so bad.  He is almost there, but not quite stable enough to be by himself just yet.  He still wakes up about once a night to eat, which isn't bad at all.  We are getting spoiled and act like its a huge inconvenience when he gets up 2-3 times (and this is from about 7pm - 7am...so WAYYY better than a couple months ago!)  It's incredible how much he changes from day to day and how every day is easier than the next.  He is so much fun and we just love him to pieces!!    

Hanging out with Grandpa Ballweg

Getting ready for bed

Rollie Pollie Rudy

Rudy's new hat to protect those fragile little (wellll...) ears.

Now we are trying to get ourselves and our house organized.  Rudy's stuff and toys are taking over!  And with everything new in the past several months, we haven't been great about keeping things organized and put back in it's place.  But we are on a mission!...more info and pictures to come later :)

I somewhat threw this together so I'm sure I'm leaving something or someone out!...I'll add more if and when I think of it! 

"All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth..."

Rudy has sprung a tooth...well, sort of.  A tooth did break gum.  His bottom front tooth came out sometime in the last 24 hours.  It's just a little piece of it, enough that I can feel the sharp point, but not big enough to see noticeably yet.  I have no idea how long it will take to come in more, but when I talked to LeeAnn this afternoon and she said she felt it, I couldn't wait to get home to feel it, too!  It's no real surprise because he has been a drooling, chewing monster!  But it is surprising it already came at 4 months...that's right...Rudy reached the 4 month mark last week! 

He found the sticker...

He was telling (or more like yelling) a pretty interesting story here.

If you didn't notice, the sticker is a little mangled by the end.  I took a video clip that I will have to "format" to add here, but he got ahold of it, crumpled it up, and attempted to eat it...pretty standard with anything he gets ahold of!

We had his four month check-up yesterday.  Rudy weighed in at 17 lbs, 8 oz (86 percentile) and 26.5 inches (92 percentile).  We talked to the doctor about some of the things going on, and now she thinks it may be acid reflux that is bothering Rudy.  I had always skipped over that in my books because he wasn't spitting up much.  Once I did look at it, the first sentence said, "Babies do not have to spit up to have acid reflux."  Then going through the list of symptoms, Rudy seemed to fit the bill.  The doctor suggested we switch bottles to Dr. Brown's brand for a week and see if that helps.  She said if it didn't, she would give him some kind of medicine to help him out.

She barely mentioned starting rice cereal...I had to ask.  She didn't give me much guidance on it and I got the impression she didn't think it was necessary for a couple months, but that we could try it if we wanted.  I read some on it and the timing and decided to hold off for a little longer...see how the change in bottles goes and go from there.  I did read that adding it to their nighttime bottle may help babies with acid reflux sleep better.  I'm sure it won't make him sleep-through, but it might take away those 1-2 times he wakes up crying and doesn't need anything but just seems uncomfortable.  We'll see...more on that later!

Rudy also got shots -- it is so hard to watch him get them and hear him cry.  Poor baby!  He hasn't had a  problem with them in the past, other than the actual shot, but last night and this morning he was crying a lot and seemed bothered by them.  But we gave him some Tylenol and he is ok now, so that's good! 

We attempted to get some family Christmas pictures on Thanksgiving.  Maria and LeeAnn were a big help, but with the wind and an uncooperative dog and baby, we didn't end up with a good one of the 4 of us.  But we did get these adorable ones of Rudy before we went outside...

John was to the side and, of course, Rudy was all smiles for him.  I don't know how he does it, but Rudy is ALWAYS laughing at him! 

We have been busy getting ready for Christmas.  Here is our "silver and gold" Christmas tree for the year.  We were watching Rudolph while I was putting it up and they started singing the "silver and gold" song...I had completely forgotten about it until then.  Of course it was stuck in my head forever afterwards!  But it definitely put me in the Christmas spirit!  I am still in the process of getting all the presents wrapped to put under the tree, but that's fun, too. 

We went to visit Santa.  Rudy did really well with him.  When we handed him to Santa, he looked up at him with a confused expression, then looked back to John and was all smiles.  Then during the camera flashes, he stared blankly, but of course when we walked back over to get him, he was all smiles again.  Oh well! -- at least he wasn't scared of him!

On our way to see Santa

Santa!

 And on the way home...wore out the little guy!

Rudy is so sweet when he sleeps.  I thought that might go away after awhile, but it hasn't!  I could look at him forever when he is asleep.   

My work Christmas party was last weekend.  It was at the Hilton downtown, which was nice because there are lots of places to go before and after and we ended up running into friends before and after.  Gran watched Rudy for us overnight.  Yea...overnight!  CRAZY, I know.  Not crazy that I let my mom do that, but crazy that I would let anyone have him that long!  It just seemed like the most responsible thing to do.  I knew we would be out late and having some drinks.  It wouldn't be a big deal if Rudy was sleeping through the night, but if we got home at 11:00-12 and he woke up at 3:00 -- well I just didn't think either of us would be particularly thrilled about it.  I figured we were really only missing out on that one awake time and we would be there early to pick him up.  We were home and in bed by 12:30 and I had such a hard time sleeping.  You'd think I would soak it up and enjoy every peaceful moment, but I kept waking up wanting it to be time to go get him.  At 6:30 I was up and ready to go!  We missed him so much.  He did great with Gran, though!  And it was really nice of her to do that, too!  

Rudy has been busy playing and trying to chew on everything within reach!  He is still working on perfecting rolling over.  He has rolled from front to back and back to front, but only a few times each (we told the doctor this and when she put him on his stomach, he rolled over -- show off). 

 Rudy got to sit in a new seat at Gran's house this weekend.  It had lots going on and lots to grab at!

Getting ready either before work or just in general has gotten much easier.  As long as I get the showering part done, he is good to hang out while I am getting ready.  In the mornings he is so relaxed and we can prop him in his boppy with some toys and he will sit and hang out and watch cartoons or me.  Of course he squirms some or needs attention here or there (it may take me a tad longer to get ready), but much better than before when I wouldn't have even attempted it! 

Here he is snuggling with Bumper watching cartoons while we waited for John to get home. 

It is so hard to believe Christmas is just about 10 days away!  I am beyond excited to spend Christmas with Rudy this year.  John keeps reminding me that Rudy won't even know it's Christmas, but I don't care.  Our traditions are starting with his first Christmas -- John hung lights, we did a tree, I am going to wrap all his presents, we are going to have breakfast together on Christmas morning as a family -- it is going to be great!  I can't wait for all the other traditions we will establish over the years.  But we are on to a good start! :)  It's embarrassing to admit, but this is the first Christmas I have really not cared about what I am getting for Christmas (of course I still will appreciate every gift, I don't mean it that way), but John and I are so lucky just to have each other and Rudy and Rufus and to all be healthy and happy, have healthy, amazing families (like unbelievably amazing) and friends that are the best ever.  Not everyone is as lucky and I thank God every day for all He has blessed us with.   

Speaking of friends...Robyn is due December 19 and Levi is really holding out!  I guessed he would be born today, but apparently I am not good at that guessing game!  Robyn is hanging in there, she is very uncomfortable and anxious for Levi to be born, to say the least.  I am very anxious for her, too.  Come on, Levi!!!  Rudy wants to play :) 

We drove up to the Western Springs area recently for a quick trip.  A close friend of John's from college father passed away last week.  We weren't able to make it to the visitation because John had to work, but we drove up the morning of the funeral mass.  The church was less than 5 minutes away from Hotel Minella.  Aunt Dawn the Great, Aunt Sue the Great, and Uncle Dave the Great (as opposed to Great Aunt Dawn, Great Aunt Sue and Great Uncle Dave) were nice enough to watch Rudy while we went to the mass and we were able to visit with them afterwards for a bit.  Rudy did great on the drive.  He slept the majority of the time there and back.

We were also able to visit with a few friends.  It goes without saying we wish we were there for any other reason, but it was nice to see them all.

Tom and Rudy in his "I heart Tom and Nicole St. Jules" onesie.  Wonder who gave that to him??? :)

Well I can't promise I will blog again before Christmas (unless something extraordinary happens before then that I want to share), so to anyone who reads this, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season and get to enjoy it with lots of family and friends!!   

It's all about the poops

Well not too much has been going on the last month (ha!)...

Poor baby Rudy got constipated.  We switched him to soy formula, thinking it would help with his crabbiness...instead it stopped him up and made him way worse.  It was so awful.  The poor guy would cry and scream so loud whenever he was trying to poop and then just little rock-hard acorns would come out.  This went on for about a week.  We took him off the soy as soon as we found out that was the culprit and went back to the "gentlease" formula.  I was still mixing in breastmilk until this past weekend, though.  Anyway, we tried it all to get him feeling better, which isn't a lot of options at his age.  What ended up working was giving him 2 ounces of water mixed with 1 tsp of dark Karo syrup, so sugar water basically, between every feeding and some "sits" baths.  Since I put him in there just to relax, I took him off the sling and let him sit in it...too funny!  He really enjoyed himself.  At first he was just so concentrated looking at his feet and knees, moving them around slowly and then he got the hang of it and our counter and myself were covered in water from his splashing.  He wasn't laughing, but he was fascinated by it. 

Of course as soon as he started going again, it was the other direction and he had diarhea for several days.  We actually took him to the doctor right before Thanksgiving to have the doctor check him out.  I feel so bad for him that he's inherited my digestion issues!  They said he looked "perfect" but to keep pushing fluids and stick with the gentle formula and if he were to look dehydrated or lose weight, then they'd be concerned.  But until then, even if he did have a bug or something, they wouldn't treat him for anything.

Let's see...what else?

He has been doing better sleeping at night.  He still wakes up a couple times, but usually one of the times he just needs rocked back to sleep for about 15 minutes, which is ok with me.  I actually enjoy those minutes with him.  Then he will wake up again, usually closer to 5 or so and want to eat and rocked back to sleep, so maybe 45 minutes.  The last couple mornings he has gone back to sleep until about 8, so we are getting there!

I don't know if it was the holidays, teething, gas, or what but he has not wanted to nap during the day.  Poor LeeAnn had him yesterday and he only slept a total of 1 hour alllll day.  And if he doesn't sleep, he is a crab and demands so much attention.  And when I got home I thought for sure he would take at least a little hour nap, but nope!  He was up until 8:30.

I think God is trying to teach me to relax and let things go some by giving me a baby like Rudy.  As much as I try and try to plan his eating and sleeping schedule and get him on a schedule, he does something different every day and night.  We are doing the best we can, and that's all we can do.  I'm trying to do what's "best" for him -- as in all the things you should do to keep from developing bad habits with eating and sleeping -- but I think I need to let go a little because it just makes it more stressful on everyone when I try to be perfect with it.  Everyone does their best with him and he is loved beyond words and that's all I can ask for!

Rudy wore jeans!  That was an exciting day.  He looked so grown up...

Being back at work is getting easier, but I still dread it.  I miss him so much during the days and wish I could be with him, but as much as I hate to admit it, sometimes it is nice to be forced to leave.  I feel too guilty to choose to leave him, but its probably for my benefit that I get away.  John usually sends me a picture of him during the day, which I absolutely love.  This one I got one day with a text, "Hi Mom!  Hope you arrrrrrrrre having a good day" -- not going to lie, it made me tear up, but in a good way.  I have such an amazing husband. 

I tried to get some good 3-month pictures of Rudy -- trying to cut some expense of taking him somewhere every 3 months.  The picture part isn't hard, its the setting up the area and a "backdrop" -- he might be going somewhere for 6 months! 

Rudy rolled over this past weekend!  I was changing his diaper and there he went.  We were on the floor in his room and he used the thick rug to pull himself over.  He hasn't done it again since.  I played with him on his floor last night, hoping he would do it again, but he was being stubborn.  I put him on his tummy and he rolled over to his back, though!  I actually got it on video.  I let the camera run while we played but it was 10 minutes before I stopped it.  Needless to say, I haven't had a chance to upload and format it to be added here.  But he is getting much better at tummy time.  He still doesn't like to be there for long, but he can lift up way better than before!

This is how he ends up while we are on the floor a lot.  And he even rolled half-way over like this when he was sleeping last night.  Its funny because that is how he slept or layed when he was in my belly, too.  He was always over to one side, stomach arched, with his feet on the other side... 

And as you can see in that picture, his hands are constantly in his mouth.  Or if not his hands, anything he can get his hands on.  I thought he might be teething -- between that and the amount of drool this kid spits out, tis amazing.  But no signs of teeth on his gums, yet.  His hand-eye coordination is getting much better, but still not perfect.  He gets so frustrated when he has something in his hands, but can't get it in his mouth.  He yells at it until he gets it in or we help him out.  And some things are never going to get in his mouth, but he tries...like the buttons on his activity gym.  He will lay his head down trying to eat them and sit up with a face full of drool... or his bumbo seat...

It's seriously non-stop that he is either sucking/chewing on something or trying to!

I put out our Christmas decorations this weekend!  John is putting up some lights outside today and I have just a couple more things to do in the house.  I love this time of year.  And in another month, Rudy will be that much more fun.  He won't have a clue its Christmas, but we will always remember his first one.  I put a little tree in his room.  He loves the lights. 

And just for fun...let's compare...

I can't get that to rotate...but what a difference a few months makes!