Sleep

During our trip to Virginia over the holidays, Jimi started sleeping through the night (he had previously been sleeping until about 4am, eating and going back to sleep). It was an amazing two weeks of extra sleep. That all ended when we got back to Washington. Jimi started back on his schedule of waking up at about 4 or 5am and then started adding in waking up at around 1 or 2am as well. I know this is still better than when he was a newborn and he was waking up every two to three hours, but I still miss the full nights of sleep we got for two weeks (conveniently at a time when James didn't have to be up in the morning to work). 

Since his birth Jimi had been sleeping in a moses basket next to our bed, which was very helpful for the frequent nighttime feedings. However, now that he is not getting up as frequently I decided it was time to place him in his crib in his "nook". The "nook" had been set up in a way that wouldn't allow us to use the heater in that area, so James and I got to work as soon as we returned from Virginia and rearranged the area so that Jimi could have heat. After all that we discovered that the heater didn't work. So we decided to keep him in our room until we could get the heat working. However, last night when we went to lay Jimi down in his moses basket (he was already asleep), he woke up screaming. This happened two more times until I finally laid him down in his crib and he went right to sleep. I guess he decided he was ready to sleep away from us. Even though I said I was ready... it turns out I wasn't. I spent the night on the couch so that I could hear him better in case anything happened. Of course everything went fine.

In the last two weeks Jimi has entered the phase of putting everything into his mouth. He's never really seemed all that fascinated with his hands like some babies are, until he discovered that they are fun to chew on, now we can't get them out of his mouth. It is pretty adorable though, especially with his new found squealing laugh.

Eating his stuffed animal



Eating his hands



Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

James, Jimi and I took a trip to Virginia for the holidays to visit both sides of our families. I was a little nervous about how Jimi would do on the plane, but he was a champ! He slept for the majority of all of our flights (two on the way to VA, one back to WA). There was a little fussing on the 5 hour flight home but not nearly as much as the other kids on the plane.

We had a fantastic trip and it was great to be able to introduce Jimi to members of the family who hadn't met him yet!

Jimi passed out on the plane

Playing with his second cousin, Marley (they are exactly three months apart in age)

Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home

 
 

Three generations of James Orr




Getting ready to go ice skating with my nieces, nephew, brother in-law, and step-dad in Norfolk, VA



Jimi is three months old!




James and I at the top of the old Cape Henry lighthouse

 During the two weeks we were out East Jimi changed a lot; he out grew several outfits, grew some more hair, became increasingly alert and aware, started grabbing objects (rather than just swatting at them), and started sleeping through the night (most of the time). After consulting with our doctor we switched Jimi to a soy formula (he was still nursing and getting some formula feedings). So far the change in formula has helped clear up his eczema and has made him seem more content overall.

 

Quick Update

Jimi had his two month check up on Thursday. He weighed in at 11lb 6oz and was 23.2 inches long. He also got a round of immunizations. I was nervous about how he would react but he took them like a champ. He cried for a minute and then went down for a nap.

James' band 20 Riverside had a show in Ellensburg over the weekend. Jimi and I made the trip over with him so we could spend time with our friends Dan and Zita and meet their adorable little one Miles.

Jimi and Miles hanging out on their boppies

These two little guys are 6 weeks apart. They don't know it yet, but they are friends.



Zita and I with our babes



There weren't many moments when both boys were awake and happy at the same time... but they still got a few good looks of each other. We had a lot of fun and it was great to meet Miles! Thanks for having us Dan and Zita!

Two Months Old!

It's amazing how fast time really does fly with a newborn in the house. It's hard to believe that Jimi has already been here for two months.

It's amazing to watch Jimi become more alert and aware of the world around him everyday. He's also becoming more and more interactive with us and his toys. He has a little conversation with the animals that hang from his car seat each time we go out. He is currently letting us get about 7 hours total of sleep with one feeding in the middle of the night. Jimi is also learning the art of throwing a good fit. He can be quite a grumpy butt when he thinks he's not getting his food fast enough and when he's fighting going to sleep. Overall though, he's a happy little guy.

The last few weeks have been pretty fun. We celebrated James' 27th birthday by going to the Diamond Knot Brewery with some friends, had a great Thanksgiving dinner at James' Dad's house (and again on Sunday at my sister's house), spent time with friends visiting from out of town, and went to a Silvertips game.... Oh and we survived the snow (although my car almost didn't, it went into one ditch and got stuck on a small icy hill).

 James, Jimi, and I on Thanksgiving (Jimi was passed out)

The beginnings of holiday baking

Piles of baby laundry

James and I at the Silvertips game

Tummy time almost always ends in spit up

10pm

Nearly every night no matter what state Jimi is in (eating, sleeping, crying, etc) at 10pm he decides it is time to be alert, happy and ready to play. This can be pretty frustrating, as we're usually trying to go to sleep around then and it can take an hour or more to get him to sleep. His adorable smile and "talking" makes it pretty easy not to get too upset though.

This last week Jimi has really been starting to show his personality. So far he's a pretty goofy guy. He likes to talk and smile a lot. However, he's made it clear not to come in between him and his food or he'll let you (me) hear it.

Cuddle Time

Memory Foam and Leavenworth

During my entire pregnancy I complained about being able to feel every spring in our mattress. After Jimi was born, sleeping got easier but the middle of the night feedings were not so comfortable. So we finally broke down and got a memory foam mattress topper (under $50 on overstock.com).... Let me tell you, it is amazing! No more uncomfortable pokes for me (James never noticed the springs). I highly recommend it to everyone.

This weekend we took a day trip to Leavenworth with my dad to get Jimi a first Christmas ornament and to do some wine tasting. Jimi did great on the long trip, but spent most of his time sleeping instead of sight seeing. We had a great time and successfully completed all of our missions of the trip.

My Dad with Jimi

One Month

Jimi is still doing great. He's getting bigger and stronger every day. He's still waking up every few hours at night to eat. We're hoping he'll start sleeping for longer stretches at a time soon.

 Jimi is one month old today!

Poor guy was a little cold from his bath and didn't enjoy the photo shoot very much.

 We took a tour of the Redhook Brewery with Jay and Karen (James' dad and step mom) and had a great time! We thought it was a good way to celebrate Jimi being a month old, even if he didn't get to enjoy any of the liquid goodness.

A few days ago James and I decided to go on a walk around the neighborhood with Jimi and Penny after I finished doing some laundry. I came back from doing the laundry to find this:

I had to wait about45 minutes before one of them woke up so we could go on our walk.