Esther Pisano

Showing posts with label Baby. Show all posts

Sawyer Harvey | 5 months

5 months old. Life with this baby just keeps getting better. His joyful spirit continues to grow and he is just the happiest little thing.

I think God knew what he was doing when he gave us Sawyer (duh) because he has been so go with the flow! I mean we all have our off days, but for the most part he is just so easy going and I am so thankful, because it helps when we are out and about to not have a super needy baby. I try to stay super consistent on days we are home and I think that helps when we need to be flexible but over all he is just c h i l l. Last week we went to the pumpkin farm and we left when it was his morning nap and he was definitely getting cranky but he dozed off in the car for a bit, then I wore him at the farm and he was content just looking around being worn, then he slept for a while, woke up and was still chill with being worn and then he nursed in the car before we headed back home. What a blessing it was to have him be so easy while I was chasing two toddlers thru the farm (insert praise hands). We keep joking around that he is doing what Siena did by being so sweet and tricking us into having another baby before showing his true colors haha. We will see but for now he is just the sweetest little guy! Well not so little. He is a tank. I can’t believe he is already fitting into 6-9 & 9 month clothing! I don’t know where this big boy came from because the other two did not grow at his speed. It’s ok tho because I am obsessed with the chub and hoping it will make me buff ;) When we weighed him at home he was 21lbs!

EAT.

Sawyer is still nursing awesomely and will take a bottle if he must, which gives me peace of mind!

Right now he eats every 3-3.5 hours. It all depends on how long his nap is because I like to feed him when he wakes.

I pump every morning after we wake up anywhere from 20-40 mins after getting up for the day. I usually get around 5 oz out. Sometimes more and sometimes less. I have a decent stash building in the freezer!

I don’t plan on starting solids until next month!

He nursed quite a bit during the night some nights, but I think that had to do with the sleep regression.

SLEEP.

This month Saywer’s naps improved so much! He was cat napping a ton and therefore needing a lot of naps! This month he (more towards the end of the month) started lengthening his naps and would need anywhere from 3-4 naps.
I have to give a recommendation for an awesome sleep consultant I found on Instagram! Her handle is @takingcarababies and I love watching her stories. I feel like because I read baby wise before having Noah, and I was in a bunch of Facebook groups for it, that I have the whole sleep thing pretty figured out, but I am always learning! Cara said that it’s normal and totally OK for a baby to have a 20 min nap when they’re 4 months or younger and sometimes if you need to lengthen it by holding them then that’s fine too! It made sense as to why Sawyer was having cat naps after learning that. She also mentioned that at 5 months naps should start to lengthen and sure enough they are. I know I personally value sleep so much that I want my babes to have healthy sleep habits too!

This month he could handle about an hour sometimes a little more of wake time in the morning and then have a nap. After that it was about 2 hours of wake time before going down again. He is still holding strong with taking naps in the swing! I will probably use that until he outgrows it!!

Night time sleep was a bit of a struggle this past month. I can only assume it was the 4 month sleep regression but I don’t really know.

Getting him down for bed was tough most nights. I would go round and round trying to get him settled and then he would wake shortly after. I read that when they are going thru the regression it happens because they don't know how to transition from sleep cycles like we do. They have to learn how to put themselves back to sleep when they wake in a sleep cycle and this can be hard! I have been trying to help him learn how to do this. This was when I discovered that he likes the pacifier again! haha. One night in a moment of desperation and sore nipples I offered him the Paci and he took it! He has liked it ever since that night. Now it is a great tool for me to use during nap time and at night. It has allowed me to not always nurse him first thing but see if he wants the Paci first. He is loving the Pat Pat Paci from Ryan and Rose. I have so many of our sleep essentials linked in my last post about my baby must haves!

If you can't tell I totally enjoy learning about HOW babies develop. I want to support my baby the best I can.

He had some nights he woke up numerous times and early mornings he ended up in bed with me more mornings than not. If it is between 5-6:30am then I just pull him into bed with me because I am way too lazy to nurse him in a chair and try to get him back down. ha. Plus I kind of love the sweet snuggles!

Most days he is up around 7 am just like the other kids. He wakes up so happy too! I suppose his sweet day time demeanor makes up for the rough nights we had.

He is still going to bed later between 8:30&9:30 pm but it works out with the other two being in bed already.

FAVORITES.

Baby boy loves to JUMP! We got him the same jumper that N&S used and he loves it! He has the motion down and now every time you hold him he starts jumping. It is so funny!

The bath, his swaddle, lion and play mat are alls still favs! He still loves to be worn and held.

He loves to stick his tongue out and it is the cutest/funniest thing! He basically mastered hanging onto things and reaching for things himself more and more all on his own this month! Watching him play more and more is so enjoyable.

I swear he loves this thing but this was the first pic I took of him trying it out and I think he was still figuring it out. Now my phone is full of videos jumping like crazy in it!

When Sawyer was sticking his tongue out it reminded me of this picture I took of Noah. He was probably around 7 months old there.

FIRSTS.

He ROLLED OVER! YAY! Back to belly and he is so quick at it now!

First ride in the stroller! We went to the children's museum with my sister and after he was in the carrier for a while we tried out her stroller since my nephew wasn't using it and it worked great! The way the pads on the straps were positioned it offered great support for his head. Now he loves to go for rides in our double stroller when we take the kids outside. We use the infant headrest for extra support.

Sawyer’s first jumper!

First trip to the pumpkin farm!

We are all so happy to watch you grow sweet boy! It has been so fun watching you interact more and more with your big brother and sister. They adore you so much and so does the rest of the family. Your smile is contagious and those sweet eyes. I just feel like I won the lottery with being chosen to be YOUR mama (and your sib’s too ;) ) I am excited to see what this next month brings. You are so loved baby boy.

love this pic of sawyer and daddy so much!

That little smirk!

Happiest boy!

enjoying tummy time at the park!

That tongue haha

Thigh goals!!!

Snuggles from great grandma

and grandpa

The brightest rainbow in my sky!

0-6 month baby must haves

* this post includes affiliate links.

Sawyer is going to be 5 months next week (cue crocodile tears) and I thought now was a good time to make my baby must have list. These are all things that he loves or loved during the new born phase!

1. Fisher Price Sit and Play chair. I love this chair because Sawyer is super chunky and would most definitely get stuck in the bumbo. He fits easily and it has a pretty good back to it for small babies. He started wanted to sit up around 3 months or so and this was perfect for him! When his neck got tired he was able to lean back a bit. I love that this particular one has the tray so when the time comes he can sit and have some snacks.

2. Solly baby wrap. This has been my favorite wrap for siena and now sawyer. I have used the same wraps for both of them and there is just something so special about being able to reuse baby gear like that. I love this wrap because it is so easy to use and is perfect for the 0-3 month stage. I am able to easily keep it in the diaper bag and wear baby when needed. This wrap works great as baby grows as well but I have been using it less lately because Sawyer is a chunk and I need better back support.

3. Lille baby all seasons carrier. I love this carrier! It has such great back support and I love that it allows you to carry baby in so many different positions. I like the all seasons because it can get hot baby wearing and especially here in AZ. This one gives some good ventilation and the back support is great. My husband also really loves this carrier! The third baby ends up getting warn so much because you always need your hands free for the other kids, and if baby wants to be held but you're at the park or something the into then carrier he goes!

4. Fisher Price Jumper. All of my kids have uses this specific jumper and just love it! It bounces really well! I like the jumpers that actually lets them jump and not just bounce around. They take interest in the toys on this one as well!

5. Boppy Newborn lounger. This lounger is great up to 4 months or so. I don't use it as much now that sawyer is rolling over but before that it was awesome! I love having something I can bring from room to room easily for baby to lay on. It also makes for a great place to stick em' for pictures! haha.

6. Milk Snob car seat cover. I love this cover! I have used some variation of this cover with S and now Sawyer. I love that I can use it as a cover for the carseat and also pull it right off the carseat to then cover myself to nurse. Now that we're out of the new born phase and he doesn't sleep as much in the car seat I keep the cover in my diaper bag for nursing. I pull it out the most on Sunday during church when he wants to eat. I love that it will also work as a grocery cart cover when he's older.

7. Love to dream swaddle. We LOVE this swaddle! I wish I would have tried it with Siena because she would always break her arms out of the swaddle. This is so perfect for that and I totally believe that the swaddle/sleep sack is awesome for sleep training and developing sleep habits so baby knows it is time for nap or bed. He wore the newborn size and is now in the medium. I have the large all ready for him when the time comes and I got the version that the arms unzip off so that when he is ready to transition out of it and just have a sleep sack then we can use that.

8. 4moms mamaroo swing. I used this with Siena and now Sawyer too. I mostly love it because it is so compact and there is a lot of baby "stuff" that you end up accumulating over time. All my kids like white noise so I love that this swing has it built in to use during naps. Right now Sawyer does ALL his naps in the swing! He like the car motion on the highest speed and the white noise on.

9. Lovie. Now I know that not all babies need this but all of MY babies love their lovie! and I kind of love it too! It is so special when they have that attachment to a special (small) toy. We do not put this is bed with Sawyer at night but when he naps in the swing we tuck it by his cheek and then we stick it in his car seat. When he was upset after his 2 month shots holding his lovie really calmed him down! When my babies get older and they start to soothe themselves to sleep I swear the lovie helps with that! Noah has a giraffe he still sleeps with, Siena a bunny she sleeps with and still drags around the house, and sawyer has a lion.

10. Pat pat pacifier. Sawyer is my first baby to still like a Paci at this stage of the game. Noah was never a fan and Siena was for a hot minute.
Sawyer liked the soothie style Paci for a while and one other brand. Then he had a period of time that he could care less. I tried the Paci again a week or two ago and he's all about it. It's been nice to have at night and during naps. I decided to order the PatPat because if he decided he wasn't about it again then it doubles as a teether and he is nawing on everything in sight these days! Also, I think they are so cute!!

11. DockATot. This is just a must over here. Sawyer has loved it since pretty much day one and Siena liked hers as well!

12. Skip Hop Play Mat. I am just in love with this darling play mat! I was so drawn to the muted colors but when it arrived I loved it even more. The cloud portion of the mat is SO soft and Sawyer really loves the toys on it! He loves to watch the lights on the star, the little lamb plays "you are my sun shine" and he likes the rattle a lot too!

13. Fisher Price rock and play. I do not have the auto rock one so this isn't a must, but boy do I wish I did have it. haha if I were to buy it again I would definitely get the auto rock one! He really liked it as a newborn and as he's gotten older he likes to just chill in there. He will prob out grow it soon since he prefers the play mat or jumper when he's awake, but definitely recommend for the newborn days!

14. Sound Machine. We are currently using this one and like it a lot! After having babies in my room over the years we have even gotten used to the white noise ourselves and will probably need our own machine when sawyer moves into his own room! I think this is a great thing for creating good sleep habits because along with the swaddle being a sleep cue the white noise works the same way and helps lull baby to sleep.

Well there ya have it! Sawyer's current or past favs! I hope this helps a few mamas out there and if there is anything I missed or should know about please let me know!

Sawyer Harvey | 4 Months

Our sweet Soy Bean is 4 months old! The months keep flying by like they ALWAYS do and I am just so happy to be this boy’s mama. He is such a blessing to our family.

For the most part Sawyer is a really easy going baby. He makes our days fairly easy and for that I am so grateful. He is in a somewhat clingy stage where he loves to be held and sometimes fusses when he is put down but he also gets held A LOT, sooo he might be a tad spoiled. Honestly I KNOW that babies don’t keep so I am going to hold this boy every chance I get. He is still loved and adored by his big sibs. Noah is over the moon about his brother and wants to match him every chance he gets. Siena can be rough so we have to watch her reeeeal close. I think the transition to 3 has been somewhat easy because Noah and Siena have each other and do so well playing together. They are little bestie`s and pretty much understand the needs of baby brother so it doesn’t bother them too much when he needs to nurse or be put down for naps. Now keeping Siena quiet during his naps are another story. That girl has ONE volume level and that is LOUD. ha.

Sawyer is our fastest growing baby so far! The others were still in 3 month or 3-6 month clothing at 4 months old, while Mr. Soy bean is wearing 6-9 and some 9 month clothes already! It’s mostly onsies he outgrows quickly. Pants are huge still and we size down. It is so funny when people hold him and have to hand him back to me after a while because he’s so heavy. I think I am just used to it because I could hold him all day. When he has his 4 month appointment I will know his exact stats but I would guess he’s around 18lbs…maybe

more.

I mentioned in Instagram stories that he is in leap 4 and he still has 6 days left. There were a few super fussy days I noticed and it actually caused me to download the app to see if he was in a leap. I followed The Wonder Weeks really closely with Noah but not so much with S. I feel like it is a great guide especially for 1st time moms to follow your baby’s development. I love to read WHAT is happening developmentally and kind of piecing together WHY they are acting a certain why, because a lot of the time babies can be a mystery.

This is definitely the time where baby is noticing more things, looking around at surroundings and becoming distracted at time while nursing. I had a hard time nursing sawyer in the mother’s room at church the other day because he was so interested in what this new room was. He is rolling side to side (not yet a full roll), grasping things SO well and even starting to reach for toys and our hands and things. It’s pretty amazing to see personality really start to bloom and your baby becoming SO aware and smart!

EAT.

Sawyer is still nursing like a champ. Lately he loves to hold my hand while he eats and it is kind of my favorite thing. He nurses about 5 times a day not including his middle of the night feeds.

I got my hair done yesterday and left him home and after an hour of crying and refusing the bottle he finally gave in and ate 4 oz. I guess if he’s hungry enough he will cave but boy not without a fight! I felt bad but it was going to be so hard to keep him entertained at the hair salon. It was safe to say that he was happy to see me, but at least I know if there was an emergency that the milk I am pumping each morning won’t be going to waste!

He usually isn’t very interested in eating first thing in the morning when he wakes up and if he does he usually chokes on how fast the flow is and then spits up, so I kind of just gage on whether or not I should try to feed him. If he wakes up in the 5-6 o’clock hour to nurse then I know he won’t want to eat until later. When I pump I get out 5 oz give or take. I like to pump first thing because I get a decent amount and it keeps my supply up! If there is a day I can’t pump I sure do feel it later in the day. Makes the biggest difference for me!!

SLEEP.

This last month Sawyer was ALL about cat naps. Because he was taking such quick naps he would need more of them. Usually 4-5 naps! He goes down about an hour after waking in the morning and is still in his Love To Dream Swaddle, in the Mamaroo on high with white noise. It works, it’s routine and until I need to change it I am will stick with it!

I put him down drowsy and he will suck on his hand, jabber or sometimes even cry (not for long) until asleep.

I am thankful that he goes down for naps so easily!!

He sleeps in the dock a tot at night still after being nursed to sleep.

I start the bed time process after Noah and Siena are in bed so around 8pm. Sawyer is usually in his bed for the night around 9:45. I can’t wait until I can’t start to get him down earlier! I know that time will come but for now it works.

He was a little back and forth on sleeping this last month where he’d only wake once some nights and other times more than that. I know if he wakes up between 1:30-2:30 he’ll likely wake again before morning, but if he can stretch it out and wake after the 3o’clock hour he can go longer. It just depends but as time goes on I know the wrinkles in his sleep will be softened. He is easy to get back down for the most part and I am happy with how he is sleeping so far!

Now, on nights that he is up more than once and one of the older kids happens to wake as well that can make for a tiiired mama in the morning, but it’s just a season that will eventually pass!

FAVORITES.

Sawyer is still loving all the things he loved last month including his play mat.

I can tell he’s really starting to love music! It seems to calm him down. His play mat has a toy that plays “you are my sunshine” and he loves it! I love singing it to him too, because he truly is my little sunshine! He also totally digs the "friends" theme song haha. Robbie and I have been watching it every night before bed. He clearly has good taste ;)

He loves grasping onto things including my hands when he’s nursing and holding onto his toys!

He still LOVES bath time and kicks and splash so fast! It is so fun to watch!

SAWYER'S FIRSTS.

This month Sawyer had so many cute firsts!!

He sat in the high chair like a big boy for the first time!

He had his first giggles and I know that belly laugh is right around the corner!!

He wore overalls for the first time and it was basically the cutest thing EVER! All the heart eyes baby boy!

He “played” at the splash pad for the first time at the new park that opened nearby and he loved it! We are so thankful he is so easy to take along with us! He is def a 3rd kid!

His eczema is mostly cleared which is SO exciting! I love the beautifying oil from Aveda coupled with the Tubby Todd all over ointment. I am so impressed with their ointment.

Oh Sawyer Bean, we love you so much. You are growing so fast and just bring so much light to my days. I thank God for you everyday and can’t wait to see what this next month brings us. Although, I wish for each month to slow down because it is going SO fast, I am just so so grateful for everyday I spend with you and your siblings!

Out on a date night with mommy & daddy! It was so easy going out with just one kid haha

Sawyer Harvey | 2 months

My sweet Sawyer boy is 2 months old! This month was sweeter than the last and I just feel so lucky to have this him as our newest member of the family. He truly has the sweetest spirit and is so happy most of the time. I am enjoying watching this boy grow so much. He is truly my little ray of sunshine.

Well, maybe not so little. I went to his 2 month check up on Monday and baby boy is weighing in a whopping 15.4 lbs!! Yep, 97% for weight. I can hardly believe that he is SO big already! His rolls are my favorite!
He's just growing so quickly! He had to get his 2 month immunizations and was not a happy camper! It was heart breaking to not be able to calm him down right away. He didn't even want to nurse so you know he was hurting, but he finally relaxed after I held him with his lion luvie. He loves that thing! Then he nursed for a minute and was asleep for a long nap. I could tell his thighs were pretty sore that night so we gave him one dose of Tylenol and then he was good to go.

He is so adored by his siblings and I am still amazed at how well they have done with a new sibling. I know it would have been much harder if we weren't living close to family and getting so much extra help. I just feel so lucky with how easy it has been. I do have to remind Siena to have soft and gentle hands tho. She can be a little rough at times.

EAT.

Sawyer is still nursing like an absolute champ! He clearly loves my milk and it seems to be pretty fattening haha. He nurses every 2-3 hours during the day. I was giving him a bottle before bed each night just to keep him in "practice" with it, and he decided one night he wasn't about it. I brought it with us to church the next day hoping he would take it then and he again wasn't interested. He finally drank 1oz of it when he was hungry enough and then refused it until I nursed him. I quit trying at night and was worried he wouldn't sleep as well but it didn't affect sleep at all!
One day I had to leave the house for a few hours and he got hungry enough to take a bottle from Robbie, so I was relieved that in a situation like that he will take it.
I pump every morning after he nurses and I get 4-5 oz out, which is really good for me! I am getting a small stash in the freezer going since he isn't having a bottle at night anymore.

SLEEP.

Sawyer is sleeping GREAT at night! He is definitely my best newborn sleeper so far. I swaddle him in the Love to Dream swaddle and he sleeps in his Dock a Tot right next to my bed. We get the "big" kids to bed and then we change, swaddle and I nurse him until he's in a deep sleep. He usually isn't ready to go down until 9:30 or 10 pm but then he does anywhere from 4-7 hours! He generally wakes up again when the sun starts to peek thru so between 5:30-6:30. I pull him into bed with me like the lazy mom I am and nurse him laying down and that gets him to sleep until 8 or 8:30 am.

He naps 4-5 times a day still. I can generally get him down for that first nap on his own pretty easily. He seems to be loving the mamaroo lately but the rest of his naps are more like cat naps and he wants to be held or in the carrier.

I mentioned last month that he had the longest "witching" hour ever. In fact, it was most of the day. He just seemed uncomfortable. I noticed that he would never spit up and it almost sounded like it would come up and back down, making a gurgling noise. I told my pediatrician and she said it could be "silent reflux". We put him on reflux medicine to see if that would help his mood because it wasn't going to hurt anything to try. She said the medicine was totally harmless to babies.
He definitely started to chill out after starting it! His witching hour is pretty much non existent now. He get a little bit cranky before bed time but he seems way happier. I am still a little skeptical if it is reflux but I figure we'll keep giving it to him. There have been a few times we have forgotten to give it to him and he seemed more cranky.

LOVES.

~ His luvie lion! All my kids seem to be luvie kids. Noah has his "baby" that is a giraffe that he has slept with since he was a baby, Siena has her bunny that she loves so much and Sawyer already loves his lion. It calms him down at nap times especially in the car since he seems to hate his car seat.

~ Love To Dream swaddle. He really like this swaddle at night. As soon as we put him in it he calms right down. I like to use it at naps when he won't settle because he flails his arms and legs and won't get into a deep sleep.

~ Being worn. I will wear him in the grocery store if he's awake because other wise he cries in his car seat. I bring the solly baby wrap in my diaper bag and at home we have been using the Lille Baby complete carrier.

~ He is still loving bath time

~ The mamaroo he likes much better this month than last! He likes that motion on highhhh tho haha. and he really likes to chill and sometimes nap in the rock and play

NOT A FAN.

~He is still not a fan of his car seat! Ugh driving with this kid can be so stressful at times when he is screaming his head off so pissed off. Some days he does ok and other it's like the end of his baby world being in it.

~ He has recently decided (around the time he wasn't wanting the bottle) that he doesn't like his pacifier as much anymore. He will sometimes take it when I wear him but for the most part he doesn't want it. Seems to be following suite to my other kids. I did order one other kind to try so I'll keep you posted if he liked that one!

Firsts.

smile! He smiled so early compared to my other kids and is just such a happy boy!
4th of July
first time going to the movies! We went to see the Incredibles 2 and he did amazing! Much better than his big sis. ha.
sleeping longer than a 4 hour stretch at night. I am so thankful he sleeps so well at night.
Play mat! he seems to like it a lot and it is so adorable! I will have to take some better pics of him with it.