Gus is 4 months

Gus's new crib:

Gus having his first bite to eat (rice cereal)

He has a crib

Gus got his crib last week! I'll post pictures later. I am still waiting for his nursery bedding to arrive. I really liked the farm animal theme so I got him bedding with cute sheep, cows, horses, and barns. I know it sounds a little redneck, but it is adorable.

Speaking of adorable, Gus is turning into such a good looking boy. He is still bald, but his beautiful smile more than makes up for it. We went for his 4 month check up last week. He is now 14 pounds 14 oz (50%) and 26.5 inches tall (95%). Again, they gave him some vaccinations. This time he cried a lot more than previous times. However, I still think my boy is pretty brave.

After it was okayed with his pediatrician, he was allowed to start solid food. Now, there is one thing that has always been a guarantee about my Gus is that he is a good eater. Less than an hour after his traumatic birth he was eating off the breast. When I had to go back to work and my mom had to give him a bottle, he ate from that too. In fact, he switches back and forth from breast to bottle so easily! I swear, that boy is not picky. It is not unexpected then that he ate his rice cereal off a spoon as if he was doing it his whole life. I wonder if he was one of those sport eaters in a previous life. You know, like those Nathan Hot Dog eaters. Gus is strong like bull.

I am settling into life out here with my parents. Because I moved across the country, I feel like I have to start all over again with friends, hobbies, etc. I now work two nights a week and there are a lot of young people my age at the hospital. They are into mountain biking, white water rafting ("running rivers"), and hiking. I hope to meet up with them and learn some new skills! Also, the hospital has a weekly chat group for nursing mothers. I have gone to that a couple of times and met some really nice girls. With all this networking, hopefully I can find some friends as awesome as the ones in Virginia! Or at least try.

I didn't post any pictures because I am writing my blog here at work. When I get home, I will try to post some good ones.

Due to come next week: the Ergo Baby Carrier. Perhaps this over priced gadget will let me fulfill my hippy-ish dream of carrying my baby.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to me! My first ever as a mom. Gus and I had an excellent day. We woke up (after he slept 12 hours straight) and went out for breakfast. We skyped with Uncle Geoff for awhile. My mom got a digital picture frame so while Gus took a 90 minute nap (I KNOW!) I helped my mom put that together. Later on in the day, Grandma, Gus, and I went to a Mother's Day One Mile run. Actually I ran the mile and barely survived. Grandma and Gus were in the 40+ wave. They walked and beat some old ladies who had to use canes to finish. What at team! Gus got his face painted with a nose and whiskers. This seemed like a good idea at the time, until Gus wiped his face with his hand and stuck it in his mouth. Good thing that stuff they use for kids face painting is non-toxic :)

Earlier this week, I had quite a scare. On my first day of my new job, before I left, Gus had an odd spell. I only say spell for lack of otherwords to describe it. Gus slumped over, turned pale white, and turned limp as a baby doll. I went to give him CPR but before I could start, my dad shook his legs until Gus screamed. The whole time Gus's eyes were wide open and he gazed blankley. Because we could not arouse him from this state, we called 911. By the time they got to our house, Gus was still very lethargic and pale. While the paremedics were there, he did it again. They too were worried and took him to the local hospital where the decided to admit him. He was in the ICU for 24 hours on a cardiac monitor. Poor Gus! We put him in a Graco swing in his room, and it was so pitiful. He was swinging trying to have a good time with all his wires dragging under him.

After talking to a pediatric neurologist (thanks Megan!) I found that he could have had one of two things: a petit mal seizure or a pallid breath holding spell. Babies can have one seizure and never have them again. Even if it was a seizure, waiting to see if it happens again would be more than medically okay. The second option is the pallid breath holding spell. From my google.com readings, I found there are two forms of this. One is when the baby turns blue. Usually, this occurs when the baby is screaming and very agitated. They turn blue and pass out. The second (which Gus must have had) the baby has a traumatic like being hit in the head or in Gus's case choking on some milk. The baby turns pale, passes out and look dead. The good news is while this is horrid for the parents, pallid breath holding spells are never fatal.

Well, Gus is home and doing well. He bounced right back and doesn't remember a thing. And on Mother's Day, I treaure my baby more than ever!

Do up next week: Gus will finally get a crib!

Gus's Grandmommy

A special post about Gus visiting his Grandmommy. This was a special because it was the first time Lou Ada got to see her 8th grandchild. Gus just adored sitting on her lap. When I told her how Gus had trouble taking naps, she came through and got him a book that teaches Gus how to fall asleep. Here are some pictures of Gus and his Grandmommy. This was a truly a special time for Gus.

Three Months!

Gus is three months old now! He has grown so much in the past month (BTW sorry about the delay in posting, but I will make up for it in pictures). We have had a busy few weeks visiting with friends and family. I will post some of the pictures of our visits.

First I wanted to let you know the milestone he has hit. First, now Gus chews on his hands constantly! He never took to a pacifier but loves chewing on those digits. Gus also has some favorite toys that he grasps with one hand. Now, he will even look down and pick up a toy on rare on occasions. He is getting better at tummy time, but still has not tried to roll over. And recently, Gus even kind of giggles/chuckles. Check out this video.


Here are some people we have visited with in the last few weeks.

1) This is my friend Heather from work. She came is actually 37 weeks pregnant in this picture. Go Heather!


2) Katie came to visit with her fiance Kent. Gus looks a little chubby in this picture. . .but Gus is a little chubby these days.


3) Gus got a visit from his cousins (my cousin's twins) Abigail and Jordan. He loves little children.

4) Then there was Aunt Joanie!

5) Family Shot!

6) Here is Gus sitting on Aunt Emily's lap. He loved sitting on her. . . and pooping on her :)

7) Alison and Marley came to visit us too!



8) And there was Megan. . . .


Finally, here are some random cute pictures of Gus. We went to DC for his 3 month birthday weekend.

"I hate naps!"

Gus hates naps. He almost refuses to take them during the day. I am lucky to get him down for 2 or 3 30 minute naps. But even that is usually on "accident" (ie, he falls asleep in the car seat or swing). This makes him a major crank pot by evening. It also has helped him to sleep through the night at 11 weeks of age! I am not talking that 6 hour sleep through the night. Gus is sleeping between 10-13 hours at night. Can you believe it?

Other milestone Gus has reached is keeping his head up at tummy time. For all those non-parents out there, tummy time is a new thing that babies must do. In the early nineties, the American Academy of Pediatrics decided to put babies to sleep on their backs and NEVER on their tummies. This decreased mortality due to SIDS by 40%. Now all babies sleep on their backs which means they don't know how to lay on their bellies. They also all have flat heads from laying on their backs, sitting in their car seats, swings, etc. Gus also hates tummy time and will only do it for about 5 minutes at a time. I posted a picture of him with his head up in tummy time position.

Gus also continues to develop socially. He knows his Mom, Grandma and Pop-pop. He also babbles and cooes as if he was in a conversation. This is so cute. I love it when I am telling him a story. . . the 3 little pigs or the 2 crazy patients I took care of last night. . .and he just laughs and smiles and talks back to me.

Finally, Gus has sort of found his hands. He clasps them together in front of them and then shoves them in his mouth. Sometimes I am afraid he is going to choke on them because he shoves them so far in there. I put a picture of him doing that also. Gus has still not actually looked at his hands or still does not reach out and grab objects. I am trying to be patient, but I think I am a typical worrysome mother. I just want my son to hit his milestones!

Finally, I had a good birthday. Gus, Grandma, Pop pop and I took a nice hike. We also had cake and then I went out with some friends for dinner while Gus was baby sat. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Visits from Aunt Amy and Uncle Brian

Gus's Aunt Amy and Uncle Brian (well not blood related relatives, but my best friend and her husband) came all the way from Philly to visit their beloved Gustav. I don't know who loved who more! Amy has also taken on the role of spoiling our baby boy. In fact, the couple are now in charge of his fashion. When they arrived, they found poor Gus's pants were jacked up to his chin, and he was wearing sandals over socks. OH MY! Amy promptly pulled his pants down to his waist and removed the sandals. She then proceeded to buy him real shoes. Oh Aunt Amy! Now my baby is styling!

Thank you for loving my son. And thank you for making the trip out to see him. We love you!






On the other hand, I have discovered that Gus still likes to be swaddled. While he is as big as a 6 month old, he is only two months old and technically a newborn. Babys R Us is a little discriminatory and only sells swaddles in size small! How dare they! My good friend Theresa Love (T Love) had her eye out for swaddles and found this lovely tiger one that fits. You will see that T Love and I have the same fashion sense. . .