I can't believe that I just got back from taking my little one to his 4 month appointment today.  He weighs a whopping 17 lbs even and is 25.25 inches long.  He is in the 80th and 56th percentiles (respectively).  I have a chubby baby!

The doctor was very pleased with his growth.  This little over-achiever already has his first tooth coming through on the bottom right.  He has rolled over from front to back, three times.  He can sit in his exersaucer with a pillow under his feet.  He is doing really well.  The only not so great part about our visit today was the 4 vaccines that he had to get.  It is the saddest thing to see your baby kicking and smiling joyfully and then screaming in terror as they are stuck in the leg with the needle.  Ugh it is the worst.

Tomorrow is B's appointment at the Children's Hospital for his acid reflux.  We will finally figure out (or start down the road to finding out) if this is what he has or if it really is a MSPI (milk/soy protein intolerance).  I am hopeful that there is nothing wrong with him at all and he just spits more than the average baby.  I would love to enjoy a slice of pizza again.  :-)

I have two appointments with daycare centers coming up.  One is this coming Friday, near our house.  The other is next Wednesday near my work.  It will be quite interesting to see these places and hear about how expensive they are.

As for me, 4 months post baby and I am happy to post that my diastasis recti is back down to normal levels.  I have gone from a more than 4 finger separation to tight 2 finger separation.  My physical therapist was quite impressed with my progress and she sent me on my merry way with a packet full of exercises that I can continue to do in the coming months (and a whole set of pregnancy ones if I end up pregnant again someday).  She also cleared me for crunches and yoga.  I am sooooo excited to start yoga again!  In an upcoming post, I am going to document the exercises that I did so I can help people who are looking for advice on this topic.  I had trouble finding anything that wasn't a gimmick or that I didn't have to pay for a few months back.

I am also pleased to say that I am down to 125 lbs and I fit into a pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans this last weekend!  I was happily shocked.  The jeans were definitely big on me pre-pregnancy and they are just fitting now, but hey, I'll take it.

Last week I was able to run 5 days out of 7.  Granted they were not fast runs and they were not especially long runs, but I was able to do it and work and take care of B.  I am hoping to keep up with at least 3-4 days a week and walks on other days.  B loves going with me.  I think he is going to be my new favorite running buddy!  :-)

This past weekend was one of the most social that I have had yet.  I feel like I am finally getting back to a semblance of my old self and am getting the hang of this working mommy thing.  Friday night I left baby with Daddy and attended my sister's birthday party.  Even though I was the first one to leave the party, I was out until almost midnight.  Late night for me!  Be was great for Daddy, too.  He slept the whole time I was gone.  Saturday, my husband and I went to a BBQ with B.  Three other babies that were the same age as B were there.  It was a riot.  Sunday, I went to the local farmer's market, got coffee and took a stroller walk with my sister and B, and then met up with a few families at the beach.

It took me 4 months (and 2 years) to get here, but I am content, finally.  Life is good.  I didn't think I would ever get the chance to feel this way.  I am so very thankful.    

Wow 2 days in a row.  I am impressed with myself.  ;-)

I am not sure if it is because we completely changed up B's scheduled or what, but this week has been just as bad for sleeping as it was when he was 2 weeks old.  He went from sleeping 5-6 solid hours to 1.5-2 hours.  Mommy is tired.  Mommy is grouchy.  Mommy is sleepy.

I am graciously soliciting advice here from other mommies out there who have gone through the same thing.  I started loosely implementing the E.A.S.Y. (Eat, Activity, Sleep, Your time) baby schedule for B about 2 months back and it seemed to be working. Here is what our typical schedule looked like, with regards to sleep, before I went back to work.  I was BF on demand so I am not putting the full feeding schedule in here.  He sleeps in a co-sleeper in our room right now.

7 AM- wake for the day
9 AM- nap
12 PM- nap
3 PM- nap
5 PM- cat-nap
6:30 PM- bath, massage w/ lotion, book, swaddle, BF, sing
7:30 PM- bed
10:30 PM- dream feed
3:30/4 AM- B wakes on his own to eat

Now that I am back to work and have to wake at the ungodly hour of 4:45 AM for the day, things are a little different.  He takes one good nap in the morning and then that is it.  Only cat-naps for the rest of the day and not on any schedule.  My poor sister.  The items in parenthesis are the events that I have no control over.

5:40 AM- wake B to BF
6:10 AM- I leave for work
7 AM- nap
8:30/9 AM- 5 oz bottle pumped milk, I pump between 6-8 oz @ work
12 PM- 5oz bottle pumped milk, I pump 5-6 oz @ work
3 PM- 5oz bottle pumped milk, I pump 4-5 oz @ work
5 PM- I get home from work
5:30/6 PM- BF
6:30 PM- bath, massage w/ lotion, book, swaddle, BF, sing
7:30 PM- put B down
8 PM- B wakes up crying, soothe and put back in bed w/ pacifier
8:15 PM- wakes up crying, soothe and put back in bed w/ pacifier
8:30 PM- wakes up crying, soothe and put back in bed w/ pacifier
8:45 PM- B is finally asleep
10/10:30 PM- dream feed or pump (last night was the first night I skipped the dream feed and pumped because it doesn't seem to be working anymore)
(12:30 AM- B wakes crying, BF lying down, we both fall asleep)
1:30 AM- I wake up, put B back in his bed
3 AM- B wakes crying, BF lying down, we both fall asleep, again
4:30/4:45 AM-  wake up, put B back in his bed, I get ready for work

I think the thing that I am struggling most with right now is the getting B to sleep.  If I could get him down at 7:30 PM for the night then I would have some time to do things like make dinner, pack my lunch, wash bottles/pump parts, do laundry, and iron my clothes for the next day so that I could go to bed at a reasonable hour.

I bought a Graco sound machine, which I really like, but don't think it helps much.  I also have the Tranquil Turtle, which I also like, but doesn't really help either.  Our room has good ventilation.  We have a ceiling fan, air purifier and central AC.  We use the Miracle Blanket, which he has started to bust out of.  We have tried weaning him from a swaddle at night, but he won't sleep at all.  I know we need to start weaning again though because I have a feeling he will be rolling over soon. 

One other wild card is the fact that he also has suspected mild acid reflux and a suspected MSPI (milk/soy protein intolerance).  He has never been tested and formally diagnosed.  He is on baby Zantac twice a day plus I am dairy and soy free (the joy).  He spits up a lot, but not usually at night.  I am not sure if this is another reason why he has trouble?

Does anyone have good advice on how to get a baby to sleep easier or is this just a phase that he will grow out of?  It isn't even the night waking that is the biggest issue, it is the struggle with getting him to sleep.  At first I was thinking growth spurt, but now that this has gone on for over a week, I am thinking not so much.