Gerrit is Four!

November 10, 2018November 16, 2018 nk330Leave a comment

What a year this one has been! So much has happened, and Gerrit has accomplished a lot. We moved from Texas to Arkansas to New Mexico, Gerrit became a big brother, and he grew up so much!

Age: 4 years old on 27 Oct 2018
Weight: 35 lbs
Height: 39.96 inches
Teeth: 20
Clothing Size: 4T
Milestones: weaned from breastfeeding, potty trained during the day, can fully dress and undress himself, moved from crib to twin bed, sleeps through the night regularly, first dentist appointment, beginning to draw actual pictures, upgraded from tricycle to bike with training wheels, increase in imaginative play and making up stories, started preschool

Gerrit started out his fourth year with a bang: less than a month after turning 3, he breastfed for the last time. I’m not sure if he would have done this on his own or if it was because my pregnancy with his little brother dried up my milk supply. Just a week or two after that (early December), he potty trained himself too! I had chosen not to push the matter of potty training after receiving advice from my boy mom friends. I’m so glad I listened to them, because I saved myself a lot of stress by just waiting until Gerrit decided he was ready. Then he figured it out by himself within a few days. He even did great in underwear on our road trip from Texas to Kansas just a couple of days after Christmas. I was so impressed!

Andrew built Gerrit a twin bed frame after he finished pilot training and while we were waiting to go to Arkansas for C130 training. Gerrit switched from his crib to the twin bed in early March with minimal issues. The first few nights we had some frequent night wake ups, but he got used to it just in time for us to move (and have to sleep in more twin beds).

I’m not quite sure when I realized Gerrit could completely undress and dress himself independently this past year. He can also sometimes do socks, and he’s good at getting sandals and shoes on and off. Now just because he can get things on and off doesn’t mean he will take them on and off himself. He is still very stubborn, and it depends on the day if he wants to be independent or not. Drives me nuts.

Gerrit has never been a big fan of coloring and drawing, but he slowly started to show more interest in them this past year. I think it was this summer into early fall that I noticed he could actually draw things! He can draw people, animals, and shapes. I was pretty impressed! I think this has just improved with projects and worksheets at preschool.

Yes, Gerrit has started preschool! I was looking forward to him starting school while we were in Little Rock, because I felt like I just didn’t have enough time to play with him after Berend was born. But when we got to New Mexico, I started having second thoughts about it. I did end up signing him up for 2 mornings a week at a local Christian preschool, and I’m glad I did. It’s been a great way for Gerrit to get some socialization and time out of the house, plus I get to sneak in a nap and one-on-one time with Berend.

I thought I would start doing a birthday interview from now on to get a snapshot of Gerrit’s life!

What is your favorite color? every single color in the rainbow
What is your favorite food? pizza
What is your favorite TV show? “Rescue Bots”
What is your favorite movie? Moana
What is your favorite thing to do? riding my bike
Where is your favorite place to go? to the park
What is your favorite toy? trains
What is your favorite book? Dr. Seuss books
What is your favorite animal? bear
Who is your best friend? Gram & Gramps
What did you do on your birthday? I had a dino birthday party and bounced in the bouncy house.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A Rescue Bot driver

I’m looking forward to seeing how his answers change year after year!

And now for some photos of Gerrit over the past year:

Seeing Dada graduate from UPT in January!

A visit from Gram & Gramps and fun in San Antonio

Gerrit’s first dentist appointment in March

We had fun exploring Little Rock in April

We moved to New Mexico, and Gerrit’s 5th home, in July

Mimi helped out for a month in Little Rock and then twice in New Mexico. We loved having her this summer!

He started preschool at the end of August

After 5 weeks away, Dada came home at the end of August too!

The start of some playtime with Berend in September. Gerrit in enjoying his baby brother getting bigger and more interactive.

And here are a few photos from Gerrit’s birthday this year:

What a year it has been, Gerrit! I feel like you’ve become so much more independent and grown up, and I don’t know how I feel about that. So much has changed as you hit so many milestones, yet you’re still definitely YOU. You are my Sour Patch kid (sour then sweet), you are opinionated but love to learn (especially about dinosaurs and outer space), and you are very persistent and strong willed. The things that drive us crazy right now are the things that will serve you well when you’re older, so we do our best to give you as much freedom as we can. I love your questions, stories, and imagination. I love that you still request snuggles on a daily basis and that you want Dada to snuggle you to sleep every night. You are a great big brother, and Berend adores you — I can’t wait to see your relationship grow as he gets more interactive. Gerrit, we love you so much, and we’re so proud of the little boy you are! Happy 4th birthday, buddy!

Baby Update · Daily living · Parenting

Berend: 5 Months

October 30, 2018October 30, 2018 nk3302 Comments

Well, I’m publishing this 2 weeks after B turned 5 months, but better late than never, right?

Age: 5 months on 15 October 2018
Weight: about 17 lbs
Height: about 27″
Teeth: none
Clothing Size: 6-9 months & 9 months
Diaper Size: size 3 in disposable and one size in cloth
Milestones: rolling from back to tummy intentionally, laughing, new sounds (fake coughing for one), sitting independently

Likes: Sucking on everything, watching the TV, trying to get Mama’s phone, being carried, being outside, standing with help, taking baths, watching Gerrit, crinkly toys, sleeping on his side.

Dislikes: Diaper changes at 1am, going to sleep, not getting attention all the time, waking up on his tummy, when toys don’t do what he wants

Sleeping: Not a good month for sleep. He averaged only 12.5 hours of sleep each day and mostly got 4 naps a day because they tended to be short. I think his longest stretch of sleep was maybe 3 hours? I can’t even remember.

Naps were mostly short ones (30-45 minutes), so he usually got 4 a day. All naps are in his crib with him wearing his Zippadee Zip, curtains closed, and white noise going. I almost always nurse him to sleep for naps because he usually won’t nurse well any other time of the day.

During the night, Berend was up all the time. He was generally up every hour, but sometimes as often as every 30 minutes (not including whole hours where I was in and out rocking him to sleep, laying him down, then going back 5 minutes later because he was up again). Exhausting. Frustrating. I usually gave up around 2 or 3am this month and just brought him to bed with me. He still would wake up crying, and I’d still have to get out of bed to walk him around to soothe him.

Eating: Still exclusively breastfeeding this month. Berend is still a quick nurser: 5 minutes or less when he’s awake and maybe 10 minutes if he falls asleep nursing. He also still nurses roughly every 2-2.5 hours day and night. He is still very easily distracted from nursing if I nurse around any other people, so he gets his best feedings before sleeps.

Mommy Update: I feel like the days are pretty long yet. But I feel like my attitude is generally better than it was when Gerrit was this age. I don’t get nearly as frustrated with the short naps and constant resettling all night. I feel like I’m always telling myself It is what it is. It won’t last forever. It helps more than I thought it would.

I’m definitely better when we get out of the house. I’m just not always motivated to actually do that. It seems like even if I tell myself that we’re going to leave right after Berend wakes from a nap, it still takes almost an hour to get out the door. Between Gerrit dragging his feet about getting dressed or using the bathroom and me trying to get Berend changed and ready, it all takes way too long.

Physically? I keep losing hair. My skin is better for the most part. I’ve gained a couple of pounds (oops). I’m always tired, but I somehow keep going along!

My “me time” was pretty limited this month. I really tried to take advantage of the stretches of sleep Berend had at night, even if they were only 30 minute ones. Sometimes I just spent that time catching up on folding laundry, but other times I actually sat and relaxed for awhile.

Memorable Events; It was a pretty quiet month to be honest. We had some small outings to the library on base and plenty of walks to the park. We went to our first block party on our street, which was fun, but I didn’t get a single picture! The only other “big” thing we did was visit the nearby alpaca farm.

That would be Berend chewing on his foot while he learned about alpacas!

Meanwhile, Gerrit had a great time petting and feeding the alpacas! It really was a fun afternoon out as a family.

October photo of Berend:

Berend, you are a mover and a shaker (as you can see in the photo ^)! You rarely sit still, and you insist on being up and part of the action, never laying back like a baby. In fact, it’s better if we just stand you up. You know what you want, when you want it, and you are very vocal when we can’t read your mind. You grunt and growl just like a little bear. You still have the most infectious smile, and we love making you giggle. We love you so much, Berend!

Baby Update · Daily living · Parenting

Berend: 4 Months

September 29, 2018 nk3302 Comments

Officially out of the newborn months now! I think the biggest sign that we’re out of the “fourth trimester” is that Berend’s “schedule” is becoming a little more regular finally. But I know from last time around that that will only last a few weeks haha.

Age: 4 months on 15 September 2018
Weight: about 15 lbs 10 oz (16 lbs 2 oz on 24 Sept)
Height: about 26″ (26.25″ on 24 Sept)
Teeth: none
Clothing Size: 6 months & 6-9 months
Diaper Size: size 2 in disposable and one size in cloth
Milestones: Discovering his feet (and trying to get them into his mouth), weaning from the swaddle for sleep, moving out of our room and his bassinet and into his own room and his crib, rolling from back to tummy a couple of times…accidentally haha, some new sounds (ah-goo and ohhhh are the favorites).

Likes: Talking to Mama (he’s very chatty), sucking/mouthing anything that comes near his mouth, Dada coming home (big smiles!), watching the TV, being walked around, baths, sitting supported, standing supported, anytime someone new talks to him, his Zippadee Zip (thanks, Kate!), crinkly toys, fake nursing, being outside

Talking with Mama on the couch

Attacking the crinkly butterfly

Outside at the playground with Mimi

Dislikes: Being tired, being hungry, being held laying back, diaper changes at night, when toys don’t do what he wants, his play mat, seeing Mama walk away, the car seat (in the car & in the stroller)

Sleeping: Well, it’s been another rough month in the sleep department. My mom came back for a couple of weeks right after Berend turned 3 months old which helped me catch up on sleep again. Then Andrew came home from SERE a couple of days after she left. So thankfully I wasn’t on my own for too long being so sleep deprived.

Berend’s total amount of sleep went down again this month… to an average of 13 total hours in a day. Lots of broken naps and nighttime wake-ups. I also started bedsharing out of desperation this month (same thing happened with Gerrit at this age).
Shortly after Berend turned 3 months old, I started putting him down for naps in his crib instead of in the bassinet. Naps ranged from 20 minutes long to 3 (broken) hours long. Most days he took 4 naps, although if he took long naps, he’d only get 3, and if he only catnapped he would get 5 naps. His wake time between naps was usually about 1.5 hours. Some days he nursed to sleep for naps, and others he refused to nurse and I had to bounce him around to get hims to sleep. He started off the month napping swaddled, but by the time he turned 4 months he was napping in his Zippadee Zip sleeping bag.

After Andrew came home (and hung up darkening curtains in Berend’s bedroom), I moved Berend into his room to sleep at night. I was hoping he would sleep more comfortably on the crib mattress vs the thin pad in the bassinet. He was also getting pretty big for the bassinet. My other thought was that he might sleep more soundly not hearing sounds in our room (me crawling back into bed, the bathroom door, Gerrit coming in at 4am, Andrew occasionally snoring). It didn’t seem to help much though: Berend still woke up a LOT at night. His longest stretch of sleep this month was 4 hours, and it only happened once. Usually he was up every 30 min to 2 hours all night long.

After 2am, Berend would get really restless and hard to resettle. By 5 or 6 in the morning, I would be exhausted and frustrated from going back and forth every 10 minutes, so I would bring him to bed with me. You would think that this would help! Sleeping with me did help Berend sleep longer (vs waking every 10 minutes), but he was still waking hourly screaming. It didn’t matter then that he was laying with me; I had to get out of bed and bounce him back to sleep, then carefully crawl back into bed holding him to keep him asleep. Overall bedsharing does get me more sleep, but it’s not something I want to do all night long.

Eating: I’m still exclusively breastfeeding Berend. He became very easily distracted this month, so most feedings happened before naps and at night. During the day, Berend would only nurse for a minute or two at a time if I tried nursing in the living room. If we were in his room preparing for a nap, he was more likely to fall asleep nursing and nurse for at least 5 minutes. He generally nurses every 2-2.5 hours throughout the day, even interrupting a nap to nurse. Once in awhile I can nurse him when he wakes from a nap, and he’ll go back to sleep for another little nap. Since Berend doesn’t nurse well in the living room, Andrew says it seems like he never eats. Between his short nursing sessions and almost entirely nursing right before naps, I can definitely see how it may appear that way!

Mommy Update: Eh, it was another rough month here. I haven’t been getting enough sleep, and self-care has been low on my list of priorities. I shower regularly and brush my teeth twice a day, and that’s about as good as it gets right now. My hair is always in a messy bun, I never have makeup on, and I consider it a win if I have actual shorts on instead of elastic waist ones.

Postpartum issues might be starting to calm down. My skin isn’t breaking out as badly, and I think my hair loss is slowing down. Andrew can’t believe I still have hair on my head with how much has been coming out. I feel like my cravings for sweets and carbs are calming down too. I guess I’ll have to stop visiting the ice cream section of the commissary now.

I do try to have some alone time every night before I go to bed. Sometimes it’s pretty brief between my trips up and down the stairs to try to resettle Berend, but having a glass of wine and watching a little TV by myself helps me feel like I’m not just a mom. I haven’t really gotten back into any of my hobbies yet, but I want to get back into crocheting soon now that the carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms from pregnancy have gone away.

Memorable Events: Another visit from Mimi! I basically begged my mom to come back while Andrew was away. I was so happy to have help and company again!

Gerrit starting preschool! He only goes twice a week for 4 hours a day, but those days mean a nap for me when Berend naps plus one-on-one time for Berend. The bad part is that Berend still really doesn’t do well in the car. Having to go back and forth multiple times on Tuesdays and Thursdays are rough. Plus it can mean that first nap of the day happens late (overtired B = very cranky B) and that I occasionally have to wake him from a nap to go pick up Gerrit. Hoping this gets easier as the year goes on.

Andrew coming home! After 5 weeks away, we were all really looking forward to his return. I was definitely glad to not be parenting alone anymore, Gerrit was thrilled to see him, and Berend was all smiles too!

Berend moving into his own room. Mixed feeling here for sure. That first night in his own room was tough for me… and him. With how much he was/is waking, I thought putting him in his own space would mean he wouldn’t be woken by us as much. I also didn’t want him waking Andrew up all night.

It’s hard to say if it really helped at all, but it’s one transition out of the way now. Plus he’s just across the hall (versus across the house like Gerrit was at this age). And I like having a glider to nurse him in instead of our bed now that Andrew is home. Fingers crossed that he starts sleeping better in his room once this sleep regression is behind him.

September photo of Berend:

And the brother photo which is becoming a usual thing:

Berend, you are such a fun little guy! You are quick to smile whenever one of us is giving you attention, and you’re SO close to giving us a giggle. We love your chubby thighs and kissable cheeks. You love when anyone talks to you when we’re out and about, and you give them big smiles too. You are so eager to be mobile, and we think you might be advanced in this department solely so you can go play with your big brother! We love you so much, little bear, and we are enjoying every new thing you learn each day!