I'm so emotional over Simon hitting the big 3 months! It still seems like it was only a few short weeks ago that we brought our beloved son home from the hospital, and now--as Eric noted--he is a quarter of the way to his first birthday! Since it has in fact been 3 months instead of only a few weeks, Mommy and Daddy are starting to find a routine in caring for baby, who is also beginning to develop a bit of a schedule himself. The 3 of us are of course still learning and figuring out many things, like what works better and what's just plain easier, and we all know that this whole 'family of three' thing is truly a gigantic learning curve. But if I do say so myself (and I'm sure Eric would agree), I think we are doing a pretty good job at this whole parenting thing so far!
success with the bottle
first time taking the paci
eating like a champ with Daddy
At 9 weeks, Simon had his first successful feeding with the bottle. We first introduced the bottle at 8 weeks through suggestions from my doctor and our friend, a lactation consultant. I was hesitant at first, but understood that we needed him to get used to feeding from a bottle before I return to work. When we started, I would pump an ounce for a bottle, begin a nursing session, and as soon as Simon would unlatch to burp, I'd hand him off to Eric, who would attempt to continue the feeding with the bottle. The first few experiences Simon did not. like. one. bit. Eric would try and try until Simon got too fussy to continue, and at that point I'd take him back to resume the nursing session. Poor Eric was just as frustrated as Simon and wondered if he was doing something wrong. I looked up a few bottlefeeding techniques to share, made sure to leave the room so Simon couldn't smell me, and encouraged Eric as much as I could. Finally, I decided to try giving Simon the bottle one day and *poof* he figured it out. It's taken practice from both of us, but after a week and a half Simon learned to drink from the "Daddy boob." Now, I'm pumping to store breastmilk in the freezer for when I go back to work, as well as leaving a reserve in the fridge so Eric can feed Simon when I need a break or a shower. One day, Simon was quite agitated waiting for me to finish pumping so I tried giving him a pacifier to soothe him while he waited. We hadn't been forcing one on him, but had been trying on and off without success since he was a month old to see if he would be comforted by sucking on one a night. Desperate to ease him so I could complete my pumping session, I offered the paci and he finally broke down and accepted it, which calmed him enough so I could wrap things up and prepare to nurse him. Seeing our baby boy suckle on a bottle and pacifier makes him look like such an older baby, which excites me and saddens me all at the same time.
multitasking daddy
two of a kind
hangin' with his favorite guy
Now that Simon is taking a bottle, two wonderful things are happening in our house: baby boy gets more Daddy-time, and Mommy gets more Mommy-time! Eric is so amazing and jumps at the chance to spend quality time with his boy. Sometimes I feel guilty handing over Simon the moment Eric walks in the door after a long day on his feet at work, but Eric never complains and always greets Simon with a huge grin on his face. As much as I know he absolutely loves his son, a part of me will always feel bad about asking Eric to take Simon for me after I've been home with him all day while I'm not working. I know deep down that parenting is a job all in its own and can be just as tiring as working out of the home, but I still sometimes can't help feeling guilty needing a break. Lucky for us, Simon and I have been blessed with a loving father and husband who agrees I deserve a little time off here and there and enjoys hanging out with his adorable son. And because I love seeing how cute my boys are together, I spend half of my 'breaks' watching the two of them, laughing and smiling and taking photos of their cuteness!
trying out the bouncer for Pappy's house
enjoying time without Mommy
napping with Cho-Cho
Simon recently got to spend his first few hours without Mommy at Pappy's house. I had dinner plans one evening while Eric was at work, and decided it was the perfect opportunity to try to leave Simon with a sitter since he was now feeding from the bottle without problems. I'd left Simon with Eric before to run to the store a few times, but this was the first time that baby would be without Mommy and Daddy. Surprisingly, I had no problems saying goodbye to my boy and enjoying some adult time with friends. Maybe because I knew I was leaving him in capable hands, I wasn't worried at all about how Simon would do. Just to be a good parent, I checked in after about an hour and of course Lester reported back that Simon was fast asleep in his arms. When I returned to pick him up, he was all smiles and I was happy to be reunited with my little love. It's hard for me to ask for it, but I do need and appreciate a little extra help or just a small break here and there. My dad has been spending a day with us once a week to help with Simon to give me the chance to get some things done around the house. They hang out and eat and nap together and Simon seems to really enjoy being in the company of his Cho-Cho. So far, Eric and I are very happy with how much time Simon has got to spend with both of his loving grandfathers.
new wheels!
activity gym
cozy in his "sleepy chair" with his "lovey"
Our friends, Ben and Debra, were wonderful and gifted us their old travel system when I was pregnant. It was a weight off of Eric's and my shoulders not to have to worry about the expense of a car seat and stroller while preparing for Simon's arrival. As wonderful of a gesture as the gift was, I discovered that the car seat expired in April and after speaking with the manufacturer, learned that the decision to continue using the stroller would be to our own discretion should something happen. After discussing it and feeling that Simon's safety is our main priority, we decided to purchase a new travel system. With the help of our remaining Target gift cards and our friend, Justin's employee discount, we found the same exact travel system in a different color and scored it for a great price. We also had left-over gift card money and coupons for Babies "R" Us and purchased the activity gym from our registry, since Simon is now beginning to show some interest in his toys. So far, he loves both his new wheels and playmat, and Eric and I love gift cards and sales!
Kesley's baby shower for her daughter, Kinlee
first birthday party for Erica's daughter, Bailey
It has been exciting to prepare for and introduce Simon to my friends' children. We went to the baby showers for my friends, Nicole and Kesley, and had fun talking about Simon getting to meet his future girlfriends. Simon will only be 3 months older than their daughters, so our kids will be the same school age and probably very close developmentally once they hit the toddler stage. We also went to my friend, Erica's, daughter's first birthday party. I have known Erica since middle school and it was so much fun to hang out together with our babies. Life really does change as you get older, and I guess my mind was kind of blown when I realized I was hanging out with my friends and our kids. Eric and I have already realized that we will probably start spending more time with our friends who have families, which makes me very happy. Sharing motherhood with my friends is going to be a beautiful gift, and watching our children play together is going to make my heart smile.
Simon with Athena's daughter, Lilly
being cute with Mommy's friend, Hayley
Cinco de Mayo with Uncle Bucky
It has been such a treat and a blessing watching our friends with Simon and seeing the joy and love they share for our darling boy. As I stated many times during my pregnancy, Eric and I felt extremely lucky to have the support of all of the wonderful people in our lives as we prepared to welcome Simon into the world. The support of our friends has not wavered, as they continue to gush and smile and love on our son every time he is in their presence. I don't know why this continues to surprise me; Eric is constantly reminding me of how truly amazing our friendships are and he is of course right. It is our goal to give Simon the family life that Eric and I did not have growing up, and I am sure that with so many surrogate aunts and uncles among our close friends, our son will experience more love and attention than he'll know what do to with. I've never been more certain that we've chosen wisely in regards to the people with whom we share the best moments of our lives. We have an incredibly awesome extended family.
sleeping angel
tall boy
best smile ever!
Time is passing by so quickly, and I am trying my hardest to document as many moments as possible. Simon is growing like a weed before our eyes, and it's scary to think that we could blink and miss something huge. He's still smiling like crazy, and Eric and I are waiting breathlessly for his first laugh. His neck muscles are becoming stronger by the day as he holds his head up more and more. His grip is getting lots of practice as his curious fingers find more things to grab, like my hair, and the toys that hang from his activity gym, and the loveys that accompany him in his car seat everywhere we go. He is so long that I can barely hold him in a cradle-like position, and he's getting lots of practice standing on his strong little legs. With each day that passes, we get closer and closer to seeing what his personality will be like. I know in my heart that he is going to be such an awesome young boy. Nothing has made my life more complete than getting to know the little life form who is and will always be... my first-born son.
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