Anders Update

A former caregiver at JUK, and Ellis' favorite in the infant program, is taking care of Anders while I start back to work part time. Her name is Latosha and she is wonderful. She has brought me breakfast and, even better, collard greens that her grandmother made. I love collard greens, and these were fantastic. Yes, the way to my heart is straight through my stomach.

Latosha took the two pictures below, of Anders sucking his thumb and hanging out with her new baby cousin, Alonzo. She already has him on a schedule. Feeding in the morning, followed by a nap. Lots of alert time mid day then feeding around 2 and a nap during a walk. He goes to sleep consistently at 9:00pm and wakes up around 1:30-2:00am. The part not working as well is the rest of the night. He wakes up around 3:30 or 4:00 and 5:30 or 6:00. If I snuggle with him, he'll go back to sleep until 7:30 or 8:00. This is in spite of full feedings each time he wakes up.

So what is Anders up to these days?

• He has really struggled with reflux, and it turns out that he is sensitive to dairy. So I have had to cut that from my diet, which is tough. My diet is about 80% dairy and nothing else makes me feel full. But I can't give up the breastfeeding because I need to burn a bunch more calories. Oh, and it is really good for Anders. (Reverse the order of those two reasons.)
• In spite of the tummy troubles, this child is growing like a house afire. He has been gaining weight at a rate of about 2 ounces a day. He is over 13 lbs at 8 weeks.
  
• It is possible that he is already teething, as he has begun to drool in massive amounts from time to time and he seems to want to gnaw though his binky and/or hand.
  
• He is smiling a lot these days. Things that make him smile: ceiling fans, the light above our dining room table, Ellis, Mommy and Daddy.

• This is a strong kid. He is getting good at holding his head up and sitting upright when leaning against one of us. Given enough time, he can squirm his way out of a miracle blanket.
• He does not fuss very often and only cries outright if he is in pain. He still wakes me at night with squeaks and purrs. In fact, I am not sure when I can move him to his crib because I don't think I will be able to hear him through the monitor until he gets himself really worked up (which will make going back to sleep tougher on him).
• He is a world class snuggler. He wraps his arms around us and just sticks. Love it.