One such reason is that we all might be getting some rest. Jett began sleeping on a consistent schedule in January. Though still not sleeping through the night, he was waking only once, and routinely around 2 am. It was so I kind of anticipated his stirring at that hour, and he'd eat and go right back to sleep. A twenty-minute sacrifice in a 7-8 hour stretch of sleep came easy! His schedule's a bit off as of right now and he's waking more frequently than a newborn, but we're going to cut him some slack; we just got back from our trip to NM and his schedule and timezone are out of whack. Plus, he's got a brand new ear infection. Hopefully by the end of the week, he'll be back to predictable. I'm confident that more regular and peaceful slumber is just around the corner.
As Jett gets older, he continues to move more frequently. He was already kicking and flailing at 3 months, but at 5 months, he's a child in nonstop motion. His teachers at daycare, separate pediatricians, two nannies and countless family members/friends have commented on what a "wiggler" he is. Yes, Jett's a wiggler. And a mover, and a shaker, and a jumper and an incher and he just doesn't stop moving. Which may be why he's sort of plateaued weight-wise. He flails even as he's eating! He grabs for his toes and sways when on the changing table; he rolls over the moment you put him on the floor; he has to stand when in your lap; he goes to bed in one direction and ends up in another. Anyway, the prediction is that he'll be crawling here shortly and then running just a bit after that. No walking; just straight to running :) We're in the market now for some rather effective child-proofing kits...
Jett is now a formula-only baby. Though I lamented the end of breastfeeding initially, (my emotional bond with my baby), it worked out. I'm glad we lasted to nearly 6 months, because it really was the best thing for him, but it started to get rather tedious planning my days and nights around my pumping schedule - I started to loathe the sight of my little Medela backpack. And it has been very nice to be able to eat regular food again! When we were in Albuquerque visiting the family this week, it was absolutely wonderful to not only have access to some FANTASTIC Mexican food, but also to be able to eat it!! On my breastfeeding no-gas-for-the-baby diet restrictions, beans and cheese are out. Which pretty much means Mexican food is out. I also got to go out for a night on the town (see: dinner without our child) with the Jensens without factoring in equipment or time for pumping. On the downside...Jett's poo has gotten rather "fragrant" (the introduction of solid foods has contributed to this as well), and formula is rather expensive, considering that the alternative was completely FREE. I'm still glad to have my freedom from the pump and diet restrictions.
One of the best things about January has been Jett's appetite for solid food. He took to the spoon ridiculously quickly and is really enthusiastic about mealtime in general. He'll whine in between spoonfuls if I'm not readying the next dollop fast enough, and he keeps his mouth open like a little fish! Where I used to rather dread going home after work because it meant we were about to start our hours-long, futile sleep routine, I look forward to my evening return for Jett's dinnertime. When we were at the airport yesterday, I was eating a fruit cup with Jett strapped to my chest. While he was watching me raise the fork to my mouth with a grape, he was opening his mouth, ready to be fed. I adore this new-found interest. So Jett excels at eating, and I'm grateful for something easy!
So, with our trip to New Mexico this past weekend, Jett has now met all of our immediate family members - finally! We'd had to postpone our pre-Christmas visit last month when Jett got bronchiolitis. We're glad to have made the introductions (he was a peach!) and look forward to a return visit if Jett keeps being the perfect little traveler that he's been thus far. He seemed to start
inching more while we were there, and is consistently holding the back of his hand to his temple with fingers outspread (as though to feign exhaustion in the most melodramatic fashion) while downing a bottle. It's rather funny.Now that we're back home, we've got our nanny, Jamie, in place this week. Though we may never experience discretionary spending again (except for our son, of course), hiring a nanny has been a great decision for us. We really like Jamie, and really look forward to the personal, one-on-one attention Jett will be getting. She'll be able to help us establish predictable naptimes, familiarity with baby sign language, new food introductions and healthy eating habits, and more. Most importantly, we hope to get (and keep) Jett healthy which should be doable when we can control his environment's cleanliness and try to moderate the germ introductions (avoiding sick colleagues and friends to avoid bringing something home to him). We'll see! As a side benefit, I think Cash is ecstatic to have someone back home with him at all times during the day, like when I was on maternity leave. However, I think it just means that he's going to be really upset when we leave the house for weekend plans...
So all's rainbows and sunshine so far in 2011, and though I fear I may be jinxing myself having made that comment, I hope our fortune continues. We do feel so fortunate :)
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