Good grief, I’ve been working on this post for nearly a month! Gerrit has kept me very occupied during that time, but I really wanted to get it published finally.
While we were in Wisconsin, we mostly saw Andrew’s family. His parents flew in from Reno, and the majority of his extended family live in the state, so it was fairly easy to see everyone. My family, on the other hand, is a little more spread out! Almost all of my extended family is in Michigan, although in the winter, I also have grandparents that head down to Florida to wait out the cold. I have one sister still in Wisconsin, but the other two and my parents live down in Tennessee now. Like I said: spread out!
We spent the most time with my sister Amanda and her family. You wouldn’t have guessed it though, because I took pretty much NO photos at their house. I blame stress and lack of sleep for this. 🙂 I finally got a photo of Amanda, Gerrit, and myself at the baby shower she threw for us:
My mom’s parents drove over for our last weekend in Wisconsin. I’m thankful they were able to come over to see their newest great-grandchild before we headed south! The weather in February in the Midwest can be pretty hard to plan around. Here they are with Gerrit:
I just laugh at Gerrit’s reaction to the camera: completely solemn! One of these days he’ll realize you SMILE for the camera, not just study it intently.
My dad’s sisters had planned on driving over to meet Gerrit (and see us) that last weekend as well, but Mother Nature had other plans and dumped snow on them. They were pretty disappointed; I was too! So Gerrit will have to wait until our next trip up north to meet his crazy great aunts. 🙂
After nearly a month in Wisconsin, it was time to head down to North Carolina so Andrew could report at our next duty station. Since the rest of my family is in Tennessee, we made Chattanooga a stop on our trip. Only my mom had met Gerrit, so I was excited for my dad and youngest two sisters to meet our little guy!
Kelsi with Gerrit (sitting on his cousin!)
Kelsi’s little boy, Braxton, was pretty excited about meeting Gerrit! He wanted to hold him, play with him… pretty much anything that we would let him do with to Gerrit.
Aren’t they cute together?! Since meeting Gerrit, Braxton has become a big brother, and from what I hear he is loving it! I can’t wait until Gerrit and his new cousin, Nolan, are big enough to play together.
Gerrit with his Aunt Becki
My sister Becki has said she won’t hold babies until they have some head control… so I’m glad Gerrit was almost 4 months old when she got to meet him. I wish we had had more time in Chattanooga for her to take some photos of him, because she has recently graduated with a degree in photography. Hopefully next time!
Gerrit with Mimi & Papa
Last but not least, Gerrit had to meet my dad… his Papa! Gerrit’s middle name (Allen) is after my dad’s middle name. Since my dad didn’t get to pass on his last name to any boys, I wanted our first son to have part of his name.
I realize Gerrit doesn’t look thrilled to meet any of his family, haha, but he was much more interested in person! Like I’ve said, he is a pretty serious little guy. He really likes to observe people for awhile before he starts smiling and interacting with them. Slow to warm up to people, just like his momma. I’m hoping that the next time he sees everyone, he will get to play with them more and start to get to know them. I know he will love his crazy family!
I was going to delay posting this until we got Gerrit’s official height & weight from the doctor, but since we just moved, we won’t be bringing him in until almost the middle of the month. So his current stats are an estimate, and I’ll add the actual ones later. Turns out I was pretty accurate with my guesses!
Gerrit’s fourth month was spent living out of suitcases. Two days after he turned three months, we boarded a plane in London and flew to Chicago. Since then, we’ve driven around Wisconsin, from Wisconsin to Tennessee, and from Tennessee to North Carolina. The day after we arrived at our new base, Gerrit turned four months old!Yep, we forgot to pack the monthly onesies in our luggage, so they’re in our household goods. So I just snapped this photo on the day Gerrit turned 4 months. It is impossible to get this kid to smile for the camera!
Age: 4 months on 27 February 2015 Weight: 17 lbs (17.1 lbs on 10 March) Height: 25″ (just over 25″ on 10 March) Teeth: none Clothing Size: 6 months & 6-9 months
Diaper Size: size 2 (barely) Milestones: rolling from tummy to back once
Sleeping: The first thing I think of regarding Gerrit’s sleep once he turned 3 months old was the night before we flew out of England. He refused to stay asleep! I know I was probably making it worse, because I was fretting about how little sleep I was going to get before we had to wake up (3:30 AM). By the time he finally slept, I figured I had gotten about an hour of sleep. Thankfully, he slept on the coach down to the airport, so I was get a little sleep as well.
Once we got to my sister’s house, I think Gerrit hit his 3 month growth spurt. He had a few days where all he did was sleep and eat. I was so focused on getting him to stay asleep, that I was either napping with him or holding him while he napped. It wasn’t ideal, but I figured he needed it.
After that I started trying to track his sleep again. It really just showed how inconsistent Gerrit’s sleep is! For nighttime sleep, he has good nights and more restless nights. On the good nights, he goes to sleep and will stay asleep for nearly four hours before waking for his first night feeding. But on the restless nights, he wakes up every hour or so until I give up and bring him into bed with me. And then he will do his four hour stretch of sleep. For naps, Gerrit will most often only sleep for a half an hour or 45 minutes at a time. It’s frustrating! If I nap with him, he’s more likely to sleep for about two hours, but I really can’t nap with him every day and for every nap. And then he will surprise me and sleep solo for over two hours! I wish I knew how to make those fabulous long naps happen more often, but I haven’t figured that one out yet.
Overall, I’m hoping Gerrit’s sleep patterns become a little more regular once we get settled into a house. Unfortunately, that probably won’t happen until he’s over 5 months old. Until then, we’ll just keep doing what works for us.
Eating: Well, his weight gain has started to slow down, but I think Gerrit is still eating well. Those huge spit-ups he was doing? It only lasted 2-3 weeks. I’m not sure what changed, but I’m glad it’s over with!
Gerrit doesn’t have a feeding schedule; I still breastfeed on demand. In general, I think he needs a solid feeding every 3-4 hours right now. At one point I tried to coax him into a schedule (eating when he wakes up to try the eat-activity-sleep pattern), but if he wanted to nurse at the “wrong” time, I rarely denied him. Part of the reason for that is because I still think that some days he does most of his good eating during his night feedings. That’s when there are fewer distractions, and he’s cozy and sleepy. I’m hoping that eventually he starts eating better during the daytime hours, but I’m usually okay with him taking more calories at night for now. Eventually I think I’ll get tired of it, but we’ll deal with that when/if we have to.
Mommy Update: : I think every month I say that my milk supply is finally regulating, haha. Usually my supply doesn’t get too out of control, but on days that Gerrit surprises me with an extra long nap, I find myself having to hand express in the sink while waiting for him to wake up. Because he eats a good amount at night, I don’t usually end up engorged by morning, but it depends on how long his stretches of sleep are. I worry a little bit about him stretching out those nighttime hours of sleep, just because he hasn’t proven to be very consistent yet! I still need to use nursing pads every day, because I leak pretty regularly.
My weight loss has leveled out between 15-20 lbs. under my pre-pregnancy weight. I definitely have a high appetite, and I am enjoying eating whatever I want without gaining anything. I’m sure it helps that my alcohol intake is a lot lower than it was before I got pregnant either. 😉 I enjoy a glass of wine or two once in awhile, but it’s most often just when socializing. I’m hoping that once we get settled in a house that I can start eating healthier (since I can start cooking again) and lose more weight. Weight loss isn’t really a priority, but if it happens, great!
My mood has been much better since accepting my Mommy Instinct when it comes to parenting ideas instead of feeling self-conscious about them. When I doubt myself, anxiety takes over, and I obsess about becoming a better parent. That’s when I lose sleep and stop taking care of myself. Then Andrew has to force me to take a shower, eat, and/or get out of the house for a bit. It’s been so nice having family around; having more people to pass Gerrit to gives me more time to focus on myself. I try to take time to do things for me without feeling guilty, but some days it’s easier than others.
Pretty much the day Gerrit turned 3 months old, my hair started falling out. Like a LOT of hair. I noticed it mostly in the shower, but we started finding my hair all over the place. I know that it’s normal (hormone changes), but I can’t wait til it stops.
Best Moments: A lot more smiles and cooing from Gerrit! He is such a happy guy when he gets the sleep that he needs. He’s not shy at all, and enjoys spending time with anyone as long as they let him stand up and are willing to change positions and locations once in awhile.
Gerrit has started “talking” a lot more right before he turned 4 months old. He likes to say “ah-goo” and “ah-ha.” And when he’s mad, he yells, “Maa!” I’m pretty sure that’s for me, haha. He also started making loud noises that sound like a pterodactyl. He likes to squawk and yell when he’s really excited or fighting sleep.
Getting to meet his Grandma & Grandpa Kiel for the first time! He also met his Great Grandpa Kiel and GiGi (Great Grandma Schauder), as well as lots of his extended family.
Out for Friday fish fry with Andrew’s parents
Gerrit also met my mom’s parents, his Papa (my dad), his three aunts, and his two cousins! I know my family was eager to meet him, and I only wish we could have spent more time with all of them.
Likes & Dislikes: Gerrit still really likes standing up a lot.
Wanting to stand ALL the time!
He enjoys us helping him to sit and stand. I started saying, “Up!” when I’m about to pull him to sitting, and we’ve noticed that he readies himself before I even pull up. Gerrit looks so proud of himself when he pulls up from sitting to standing – it’s so cute!
Right before he turned 4 months, Gerrit started trying to keep himself sitting up without support. If he’s leaning back on something, he’ll use his abs to try to sit up. Once he’s actually sitting, he ends up tipping sideways or slumping forward, but he works hard at staying upright.
Sitting like a big boy!…and tipping over, haha
He also likes to hang out on his back for quite a while if I play with his feet. He likes getting his diaper changed: he coos and wriggles around, all excited to have his skin bare! Gerrit likes putting everything in his mouth, especially his knuckles. He likes having books read to him and songs sung to him. He liked when his Grandpa Kiel played “Patty Cake” with him.
Gerrit still hates going to sleep. He doesn’t fight it so much at bedtime, but he is very stubborn about taking naps. He also dislikes being on his tummy for a long time.
He doesn’t like to be held horizontally (I think he associates it with being put to sleep). I don’t think he likes taking the time to eat meals, because he eats a good amount during the night. He does a little better when I go to a separate room so he’s not as distracted by everything else that’s going on.
Memorable Events: On the 7th of February, Gerrit rolled from tummy to back for the first time with minimal help. But he hasn’t done it completely independently yet. He doesn’t like being on his tummy, so it surprises me that he doesn’t roll from tummy to back more often.
Gerrit had a low-key first Valentine’s Day, although he got lots of kisses and cuddles from everyone!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
My sister, Amanda, arranged a surprise “meet the baby” shower for us. I suspected something was up, but it was still fun to see my friends! Plus she put together such a nice event with cute decorations and an adorable (and yummy) cake.
Gerrit went on his first road trip at the end of the month. We drove from Wisconsin to Tennessee to see my parents, and then we drove from Chattanooga, TN to the base in Goldsboro, North Carolina. It wasn’t the most pleasant experience (Gerrit hated being in the car seat when he wasn’t asleep), but we made it!
Gerrit’s fourth month was busy and a little hectic, but I’m so glad he got to meet so many family members. And now we can say we survived all that traveling we had to do — eager to see what North Carolina has in store for us for month 5!
I was so nervous about our big flight from London to Chicago with Gerrit, but as the end of February approached, I started worrying even more about our 12 hour drive to Chattanooga, TN. We had driven around Wisconsin seeing Andrew’s family, and Gerrit didn’t always do so well on long car rides.
We planned to leave my sister’s house on Sunday. Well, we did leave on Sunday… but not until about 4PM. That may have been a good thing though. We left right when Gerrit was due for a nap, so he slept straight through Chicago (3 hours)! By the time he woke up, it was a good time to stop for dinner. We stopped at an Applebee’s just south of Chicago. We figured it would be a good place to stretch our legs a little and let Gerrit let off some energy. He did fairly well at the restaurant: he ate about 3 times (have I mentioned that he’s a snacker?), we got him a clean diaper, and he started getting restless right when we were ready to leave. Back in the car though? Meltdown.
We drove for awhile listening to Gerrit cry. It was awful! Then I thought about putting on a CD that has one of the “night time” songs I sing to him. I don’t know if it was a coincidence, but as soon as that song started playing, he quieted down and then went to sleep. I was shocked. I didn’t think babies recognized songs at that age yet, but it seems that Gerrit immediately knew the song and associated it with sleep time. Yes, we have a genius baby! 😛 Then Gerrit slept for over 3 hours. It was awesome.
When he woke up again, we stopped for gas and for me to nurse him. Again, he cried a lot when we put him back in the car seat, but he settled down when we played the other song I sing to him. It took a little longer for him to calm down, but he did go back to sleep. This time he slept until about 3AM, I think.
We stopped for me to breastfeed again. I could tell we weren’t going to have an easy time this time. Gerrit was really sleepy, and I knew he wanted to nurse back to sleep…which he obviously couldn’t do in the car seat. Well, we tried putting him back in the car seat, and he was pretty hysterical. We tried pulling over to comfort him several times, but by that point, I was exhausted and crabby. We tried the CDs with those songs on them again, but Gerrit was done. He was happy to snuggle and hang out with us up in the front seat, but as soon as he was in the car seat, all hell broke loose again. I grumpily asked told Andrew to stop at a hotel. He had been really hoping Gerrit would cooperate well enough so that we could drive through the night to Chattanooga, so he wasn’t happy about stopping just to sleep for a few hours.
We stopped in a little place called Cadiz, Kentucky. I was SO happy to be stopping to sleep in a bed. We brought in the playpen, even though I doubted Gerrit would sleep long in it. The poor little guy was so tired, I barely had to try to get him to sleep. He slept for a little while in the playpen before I brought him into our (king size!) bed. We both woke up feeling much more cheerful.
The next day, Gerrit seemed to know what was up. We didn’t have far to go (4 hours or less), but he refused to take a long nap this time. We stopped for lunch at a little Mexican place, thinking it would be enough activity to tire Gerrit out a little. He wasn’t keen on going back to sleep again, but he did nod off for maybe an hour. We ended up having to stop again though.
The last half hour or so to Chattanooga was so long. I kept dangling toys into the backseat to entertain Gerrit. I would have sat back there with him, but we had suitcases piled up in the other half of the seat. Side note: if you ever need to cram a TON of stuff into a car, have Andrew do it. I still don’t know how he managed to get all of our crap in there. Anyway, I was overjoyed to see my parents’ place and couldn’t get Gerrit out of that car fast enough!
Stay tuned for part 2 about our drive from Chattanooga to Goldsboro, NC. 😉
My mom’s parents drove over for our last weekend in Wisconsin. I’m thankful they were able to come over to see their newest great-grandchild before we headed south! The weather in February in the Midwest can be pretty hard to plan around. Here they are with Gerrit:
I just laugh at Gerrit’s reaction to the camera: completely solemn! One of these days he’ll realize you SMILE for the camera, not just study it intently.
Aren’t they cute together?! Since meeting Gerrit, Braxton has become a big brother, and from what I hear he is loving it! I can’t wait until Gerrit and his new cousin, Nolan, are big enough to play together.
On An Even Kiel 