Four months old..

Drew went to the doctor on Friday for his four month shots. He did great, a little crying by no fever like last time. He's 12 pounds, 4 ounces and 25 inches long. He's still on the little side of what a full-term four month old would be, but he's doing great catching up on height and most of his weight. In a few more months the doctor expects him to be right on target and you'd never have known he was a preemie--or at least that's what she is telling me.

Also, he's now on baby food. We're starting on the green vegetables first--green beans and peas....let's just say the first few times were interesting. Some of the faces he made, they were priceless. Here's a short video of him trying green beans.

Warm weather

Warm weather is finally here, I'm so excited. For months we've been picky about where we take Drew (sometimes not as picky as I would have liked but Mike also gets a vote...once in awhile.) Since he is a preemie we've had to be extra worried about him going out in the cold because

if preemies get sick, even a common cold, could put them in the hospital. So in addition to Drew being housebound most of the last four months, so has his mom. Don't get me wrong, I've left the house for work and fast trips to the store and even a night out or two, but mostly I've been in the house. There's nothing wrong with my house, but I'm really sick of being inside. I can't wait to take him for walks in his stroller, freely walk around the mall without worrying about all the germs that might get him sick and drive around with the windows down....it's funny how summer has a brand new meaning to me this year. In the past it meant B-B-Q, float trips and cocktails, but now it just means freedom!

Drew's first B-B-Q

Yesterday we went to our friends Kenny and Kristina's for a B-B-Q. They only live a few blocks from us. He did great, he was happy and playful and the only one worried or stressed was me. Kristina has two kids, but they are older (her youngest is in kindergarten) so I was worried about what to bring and where I would put Drew if he got sleep or tried of being held....but all my worrying was for nothing. Drew had a great time just hanging out on a blanket on the livingroom floor watching "Rob and Big" on MTV...who would have though my kid would be so into reality shows...ha!

Sleeping through the night...

Well it's now been one full week since Drew started rice cereal and let me tell you it has been the best week EVER! He is sleeping through the night, which means I'm finally sleeping through the night. With almost four months of no sleep, I was starting to get a little crazy, but this week has been great. He loves the cereal and gets excited every night when he takes it.

Drew's first quake

This morning around 4:37 a.m. we were awoken by an earthquake. It's the first one that both Mike or I have ever experienced. It shook our entire room. However, Drew slept through the entire thing even as his little bassinet began to shake. I guess he's so use to the vibrations from his swing and bouncy seat that it didn't seem much different.

Drew's life

Since some readers of this blog think watching my son fight sleep for 30 seconds is boring, I thought I'd first remind you that he's only 3 months old and doesn't do a lot and then I figured I'd post another video of him a little more active. Sorry it's sideways!

Fighting sleep....

Drew is the KING of fighting sleep. The little guy is so afraid that he might miss something that no matter how sleepy he is, he fights it. I took a short video of him, notice how he's eyes open and close and open and close and then kind of close....(sorry the lighting is so bad.)

IT finally happend.....

Drew slept through the night....well mostly! Last night Drew had a little cereal, a bottle, a bath and was off to bed at 8:30 p.m...He did not wake up until 4:30 a.m. That's 8 hours and that's the most sleep I've had since he was born....let's keep our fingers crossed that it happens again tonight.

Drew meets Blake

On Sunday Drew had a chance to meet a baby 9 days older then him. Blake is the son of a close family friend. Although Drew felt a little inadequate around Blake with all his HAIR, the two had a great time!

Not ready for dining out...

Friday night we decided to take Drew out to dinner. Before we left I feed him and changed him, in hopes that he'd stay happy while we ate. Well he started off great...because he was sleeping, but by the time our food came, he was awake and very unhappy. After juggling him around while we all ate and trying to keep him happy, he was in full out screaming mood by the time the check came....so the lesson is, Friday night dinner is not for him, at least not yet.

Best invention ever...

When Drew first came home from the hospital he loved to be swaddled in a blanket. It made him feel safe and warm and he slept great as long as he was swaddled. As the weeks and months went on, he started to hate being swaddled. He would fling his arms and kick his legs, whatever he had to do to break free from the tightly wrapped blanket. So I stopped swaddling him and just covered him up with a blanket while he was sleeping, but again he would kick and fling until the blanket was off. So, I've now discovered the greatest invention ever. The sleeper blanket. You put him in this and there's no need for a blanket and he can kick and fling as much as he wants and it's not coming off.

Just hungry...I think

Well Tuesday night I think I figured out why Drew was screaming his head off this week...the kid was hungry. I increased the amount of formula at each feeding and so far, so good! I guess I should have figured it was all about food, I mean look how much his dad likes to eat!

Just wish he could talk....

For the past two days Drew has been crabby, not just fussy, but down right crabby, screaming his head off and turning himself purple. The fits don't last all day, but when they happen, it sure feels like it's all day. He started out being fussy Monday morning while I was getting him ready to go to his Aunt Beryl's for the day. Then an hour after I got to work, Beryl called to see what was wrong with my son. She said she couldn't get him to stop crying. The kid started crying when I left and had continued screaming for over an hour. Everything they did to make it better didn't work. Then finally, he fell asleep. When he woke up, he was happy and playful. She was puzzled and I was stressed. It sucks being at work knowing your son is upset! Then when I picked him up Monday night, he started the screaming all over again...it was a long night. Then Tuesday was almost a repeat of the same. However this morning he was happy and playful, no crying and no screaming. He's not sleeping very much during the day or evening, it's almost like he's worried he'll miss something good so he fights off sleep. I keep thinking he must just be overly sleepy and that's why he's screaming, or maybe he's got gas...the kid does fart A LOT! Or maybe he's gums are hurting him, he could be cutting teeth and he does drool a lot more than normal. Whatever it is, I just wish he could talk and tell me what's wrong!

The cereal challenge

So we did it. We attempted cereal this weekend in an effort to see if it would help Drew sleep through the night. It was very messy, I mean really very messy. The kid got it all over his mouth, up his nose, behind his ears and in the cracks of his fingers...it was fun for him, not as much for mom who had to clean him up. However, the outcome wasn't as good as I had hoped. It did make him sleep longer then he has, but it still was only five hour. I guess that's better then three, but I was kind of hoping for a full eight hour night.

No more hair...

For the past three months, managing my hair has become a big pain. It takes a long time to blow dry and style and Drew thinks it's his pull toy. Even a three-month-old can have a pretty strong grip when it comes to yanking the hair out of your head by the roots. So with that in mind, I chopped it off!! Big change! After only a few hours with the new "do", I'm still unclear about what I think about the look. It makes me look older and I guess as a mom that's part of the job. Maybe now when I walk around the UMSL campus I won't be mistaken as a student instead of an employee. But I still selfishly want long hair and to look younger than I am. But on the upside, mornings will be just a little easier!

Still not sleeping....

Drew is now three months old and he is still not sleeping through the night. I finally broke down and tried giving him cereal in hopes that I'd finally get a good night sleep, but he wouldn't take it. I tried it through a bottle and on a spoon and the kid just won't eat it. Must be something with the texture, but he's not liking the cereal which means I'm still getting up two to three times a night to feed him. I can't remember what it was like to sleep an entire night. I remember pulling all nighters in college and feeling fine, but I was also a lot younger and could crash for several hours the next day--now a days I never get time to recover, I'm just doing the same thing again the next night. Hopefully he'll sleep a whole night soon!!! Any suggestions or tips, I'd welcome them all!

Go Cards!

Yesterday Drew was sick, he had his first cold, was running a fever all day and just not happy at all. Even though he was sick, his mean mom made him dress up in his Cardinal outfit and pose for photos....I'm so mean! Anyway, today he's doing a little better, still has a slight fever and the cough and running nose, but once he watches his first Cardinal game tonight he'll be fine!