Well, today Cael is 3 months old! It's so weird to think that just THREE MONTHS ago today I was laying in a hospital bed, being induced and waiting to meet my son! I have to say that even in some respects, Cael is growing up so fast, that when I think about it this way, it seems like I've known him for SO much longer! I can't even really remember what it was like to not have Cael a part of my life! And it's a trip thinking that just THREE months ago I was all gigantic and pregnant and waiting to meet my angel who is now such an integral, important, wonderfully MANDATORY part of my life!!

Everyone normally says that the first three months are the hardest and least rewarding, so I guess if that's true... I'm about to move on to even MORE happiness, which is hard to imagine. But I can see how that could be true, because each and every day I pick up Cael from Mom's, he seems more grown up, smarter and filled with even MORE smiles and giggles! Yes, getting the laughs is definitely much more fun than just 6 weeks ago when he was barely smiling at all.

Knock on wood, Cael has slept through the night EVERY night this week and most of last week! I really hope this is the new official every-single-night-without-a-doubt trend. Although I hear when teething comes on that this can change. And I guess when they get old enough to develop imaginations and can be afraid of the dark, that things change yet again.

Oh, I posted some new pics and 2 new videos of him up on his PHOTOS - MONTH 3 page! Check them out!

Right now David and I are trying decide who will be his official caregiver starting Aug 7th when Mom goes back to working at the school. We have narrowed it down to one in-home caregiver in Carrollton and the Primrose School in Highland Village. This is a really tough decision for me and for the past 3 nights it's all I've dreamed about! The school is $50 more expensive per week, but I do not want to think too much about cost. I want what's best for Cael. I try and guess which he'd like more in the long run.

The school has its plusses because it's extremely reliable (doesn't go on vacation or get sick), has to follow strict regulations because they're licensed, and has flexible hours (6:30am to 6:30pm -- which is nice for my hectic schedule). They come highly recommended by the families whose children attend there.

The in-home caregiver has their plusses because they are a mother-daughter team, have extensive experience with great references, only keep no more than 5 children total and provide a home environment with probably less germs. Not to mention they are $50 cheaper per week. They also offer evening, night and weekend sitting for $10/hour.

Decisions Decisions. Anyone have any input?

I just realized it yesterday, but all of a sudden I don't really need to support Cael's head very much. He's got great control of it. Its nice to lift him and not worry about his head flopping everywhere.

Also, he's really mastering batting at things. He started doing it in an obvious manner about a week ago and now he won't stop. He just LOVES you to put a dangly jingly toy in front of him. He will focus on it SUPER hard and bat at it like a boxer! It is too cute. I will move it left to right and up and down and he will follow it intently and bat away.

I'm also suspecting he's going to be a lefty because he strongly favors his left arm and hand when reaching for something. I thought that was a little odd since neither David nor I are lefties, but Mom said her parents were both lefties, so if it's at all genetic, perhaps it came from them?

He's also 'talking' and 'singing' like crazy now! It's sooo cute! He LOVES to sing along with me! 'AAAHH-ROOOOO!' he says in different pitches with a gigantic smile. I'm gonna see if I can get some video of it, cuz I guarantee there will be no way you won't laugh out loud when you see it. My little honey bunny boo just keeps getting cuter and cuter! I swear every day I pick him up from Mom's after work he's gotten smarter and visibly more grown up!

He's also starting to consistantly sleep 7-8 hours in a row at night, which is nice. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean *I'm* getting that much sleep (cuz it takes me forever to settle my mind down for the night after I put him to bed), but its nice that we don't often have to get up at some crazy hour.

I love my little boy.

I'm not good at writing these kinds of things but I just wanted to say that I have the cutest baby in history... I don't care what any of you have to say. It's so cool that Cael has so much personality now and smiles and giggles at me all the time.

Katie wants you to know there's a bunch more smiling photos under the 'Month 3' Photos webpage.

Well, it's over. I did it. The pain sucked, but I knew it would be for the best just to wean Cael. About 4 weeks ago I went down to 5 or 6 feedings per day breastfeeding, then 1.5 weeks ago I dropped to 4. Then on Friday I pumped only 4 ounces twice and Saturday 1 ounce twice and then Sunday went cold turkey.

I have to admit my emotions are very mixed. I was never crazy about breastfeeding. Cael was a pro at it, so it wasn't his fault, but I'm just really not patient enough to sit around 30-45 minutes every 3-4 hours. Plus, after the horrible bout of Mastatis, I definitely was more afraid.

I have to say that this weaning experience sort of goes along with packing up Cael's newborn clothes. Its a phase of our lives that's now complete. I feel a little guilty knowing I could have provided Cael with breastmilk (supposedly the best nutrition) for longer. However, I was never breastfed and I turned out OK (well, some might argue). Plus, 10 weeks of breastfeeding is certainly not too shabby (not to mention I still have milk in the freezer).

But with going back to work full-time and needing help from David with any possible late night feedings, its just best for our schedules. Plus, I don't have to drag a pump to work. And I do have to admit that it's nice not to have to watch what I eat or drink, worrying what might affect the breastmilk. And it's also nice to wear normal (non-nursing) bras again and not to have to deal with engorgement and let-down.

Even though there are all those positives, I still feel a little sense of loss. I think my boobs are sad their purpose in life has been cut short. And I think my hormones are going a little crazy. ;-)

I think this going back to work full-time at a new job thing, not seeing Cael for 9 or so hours during the day (will he still know *I'm* his mother?), and the end of breastfeeding may have been a little too much to tackle all at once. I definitely feel sadder than I would like this July 4th.

But, it's hard to be sad long about anything cuz basically I'm just blessed that Cael is a part of our lives. That's what really matters. And I never have trouble remembering to cherish the time I spend with him. Have I mentioned what an incredible little boy he is? So cute and smart! Oh, and he slept for 7 hours straight last night. Well, time to get him up from his nap. HAPPY JULY 4th EVERYONE!!

Today I packed away Cael's newborn clothing.

I folded each outfit up slowly and lovingly, remembering the days he wore them. The bunny outfit and sweater he wore home from the hospital... the sweet little pea outfit his Grandma got him, the outfits I picked out lovingly myself...

Saying goodbye to these special clothes is for some reason such a big deal to me.

I cried big heart-felt tears as I sealed up the box... My little boy is growing up too fast.

Well, Cael had his 2 month checkup yesterday. He's perfectly healthy! And I mean VERY healthy... 13 lbs 9 oz of healthy! heehee! That's the 80th percentile for his age. And he's 21 1/2 inches long which is the 20th percentile. So basically, he's short and roly poly. heehee! I LOVE IT! The doc insisted that was nothing to worry about, though.

He was such a happy baby, laying on that examining table paper and kicking and giggling and smiling. I think he liked the noise the rustling paper made as he flailed around. He was soooo sweet laying there in his diaper. I wish I had my camera! But then the 4 shot part came and I couldn't bring myself to watch. But it was over in a flash. I heard him scream, and then 5 seconds later, he was done complaining! WOW! Very impressive, even the nurses were impressed. What a good boy!!! And a good mom... I didn't cry... but I have to admit some tears welled up in my eyes when I heard that initial scream. Now I TOTALLY understand that my mom REALLY meant it when she says 'I wish I could take the pain for you'.

On another note... I am almost done weaning him. Right now we are down to breastfeeding/pumping only twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. And in another week I should be either completely finished or down to just one time per day, which will coincide perfectly with STARTING MY NEW JOB! Yup, that's right, after this wonderful, invaluable time home with Cael, I now get to venture back into the business world and become a working mother. I look forward to the challenge. I start Wed. July 5th. I'm very excited! The company, Clearview Staffing Software, is in Addison and seems like a GREAT company to work for.

I'm sorry to report we haven't had any more 7 to 8 hour sleep nights since last week, but we're averaging 5 to 6, which still isn't too shabby. Maybe I can get him to be closer to 6 to 7 by next week in time for me to go back to work. Sure would be nice.

I'm going to move him up to his nursery and crib tomorrow night, so we have the long weekend to get him used to it. I think he will LOVE it!

Can I just say again how much FUN I am having as a mother? Cael is just a joy... he is SUCH a good baby! He spends most of his time now being observant and smiling and even giggling. He usually only cries when he's hungry or if he's being over-stimulated (well, and sometimes if he gets bored). It's SO AMAZING to watch him grow up and develop his motor skills and watch him observe things. I know I will miss this when I'm at work during the days, but it will make me cherish my time with him in the evenings and weekends even more! And I'm so lucky, cuz at least for the next month and a half I have the best situation... my Mom is wanting to babysit him during the days until she has to go back to school at the end of August. And it's clear to see he's crazy for his Grandma!

Any tips from working moms out there on how best transition out of being 'stay-at-home-mom' and back to being 'working-mom'? It's gonna be a tough first week adjusting I'm sure, but I just know it's worth it for everyone concerned, especially in the long run! :-)

Well, for 3 nights in a row now, Cael has slept for at least 6 hours straight at night! Tue night it was 6 hours, Wed night it was 7 hours and last night it was 8 hours! Surely this is too good to be true and I can't expect this to happen with any consistancy at this age??

We're getting into more of a routine. Granted, the hours of everything shift, but the cycle of activities stays pretty much the same. Sometime between 8pm and 11:30pm, he will go down sleep for the night. We feed him, talk/sing quietly with him, change him, swaddle him (we only do this at night), put him in his bassinette (only sleeps in it at night), turn the fan on medium (pointing away from him), and shut off all lights save a nightlight. We'll put him down while he's still awake, but very sleepy and he'll drift off on his own, sometimes after fussing on and off for a few minutes. Then he's down for the entire night. Not a peep.

He generally takes 2 naps during the day, a shorter nap in the morning an hour or two after waking, and a longer nap mid-afternoon. I make sure that nap doesn't run longer than 3 and a half hours and that he is awake from it no later than 6pm or so.

Well, that's what's working this week, who knows what will work next week. Because he is sleeping longer at night, he eats more in the day to make up for it. He's pretty much eating 5.5 oz every 3 hours.

He's also interacting much better and has been for a good week now. It was like the 7 week mark caused an 'alertness' switch to go off in him. He is definitely smiling, but not on demand and not as often as I would like. He more does it when he feels like. He also has this sort of almost laugh thing going on. But it's just a one syllable 'HA!' that's in a high pitched voice. We're working on his sense of humor, he's gotta have a good one to hang with THIS family. ;-)

If Cael continues to sleep through the night for a week or so, then we're gonna move him to his nursery upstairs. I think he is excited to sleep in his crib (he is outgrowing the bassinette already!) and to be with all the polar bears and penguins. Of course, just switching rooms like that could change his sleep habits again. Also, to possibly complicate this almost-routine, Cael is having a sleep-over at Grandma's house Sat night while David and I go to a big annual pool party that always lasts well into the night. I am hoping and praying he will be good for Grandma and sleep through the night. But I realize a different place/person/atmosphere will inevitably cause a deviation from plan. Oh well, we'll just hope for the best.

Don't worry, I won't put too much pressure/excitement into this sleeping thing. It's exciting, but I realize it may not stick around with any consistancy. I'm just so lucky in a way that I'm not working full-time right now and I don't have to feel any pressure to get a certain number of hours of sleep during the night. And hopefully by the time I do get a full-time job, he will be in somewhat of an established sleep routine.

Well, something must have worked because around 4pm yesterday (Thur) we had some MAJOR action. And let me just say how I think Pampers Swadlers are the best diapers in the entire world to hold all that came out!!! WOW!!!! I have never seen so much poo at once in my life! heehee! And it all looked normal, so I guess we're good to go. Maybe this is just the start of him not going 10 times a day. That would be nice! He hasn't gone since, but maybe we'll see some futher action this afternoon. (I apologize to the future 8 year old Cael for talking about your bowel movements... but it's OK cuz... well... you are a baby now and that's just the sort of thing adults talk about when they talk about their babies.)

I'm feeling MUCH better and my flu-like symptoms are completely gone! Hooray!!

I have posted some new pics of Cael on his Photos Month 2 page and more will be coming this weekend, hopefully; so check back soon.

Well, I've gone and done it. Just when I thought I was reaching the safety zone of NOT getting a breast infection, I've gone and got a serious case of Mastitis. Now that I know what it is and a little about it, I think I've had a borderline case for a while, but was always getting just enough rest and sleep to fight it off. But I think my trip to Six Flags on Monday was what did me in. I didn't feel great that morning, but just figured it was the lack of sleep. As the day progressed, I blamed my icky feeling on the heat (it was 100 degrees that day). I told myself I was just getting old and would probably never be the same person I was before I had the baby. Then that evening after returning from Six Flags, more and more symptoms kept creeping on that I couldn't ignore. By 8pm I was having a fever of 102, one of the worst throbbing headaches of my life, a right breast that was about to explode and catch fire, and having massive horrible chills and aches throughout my entire body. I was in honest-to-goodness misery. And what made it all worse is that my 2 good friends from Wisconsin were in town visiting me (my partners in crime at Six Flags). ACK! At least the Mastitis reared its final ugly head the LAST night of their 5 night stay.

Around 9:30pm, I gave in and called the on-call doc at my OB office and he called in an antibiotic for me to a 24-hour pharmacy which David went to pick up for me. I felt miserable all night and the next day (my 102 fever continued through Tue night); but today, thankfully, I am feeling a bit better.

To make things even more interesting, Cael just yesterday, has developed his first ever constipation problem. Normally he is a poo-factory. He poos 8-10 times per day! In the past 48 hours he has not pooed once! Big change for the little guy. I just called the pediatricians office and they told me to give him 2 ounces of water with brown sugar or to take his temperature rectally to 'stimulate' activity down there. I will try both when he wakes up from his much needed nap. He's been having a VERY hard time sleeping. I bet he broke a record for the least sleep in a 24 hour period for a child his age. Which ironically would be the 24 hour period I was in misery myself. A screaming, constipated child is not fun to be around when you are having flu-like symptoms and a headache that no medicine can touch. Oh yes, we were quite the pair yesterday! heehee!

But the good news is, I'm feeling marginally better today, and I think after yesterday, I can pretty much handle anything. Well, I say that now... I'm sure someday something worse will happen, but I don't care to think about that now. ;-)

Have any of you out there had Mastitis? How long did it last? I feel fortunate I started the antibiotics when I did. I know I should have listened to my body better, but I really for a while figured my boob was just bruised/swollen from riding the Texas Giant (the roughest roller-coaster in the world), and I figured I was tired from the midnight feedings and the mid-day heat. The only thing positive that came from this was that at least I know I'm not as old and hopeless as I thought I was Monday evening while driving home from Six Flags. Now I have a reason for it all! Hooray! So I guess basically I'm saying that I'm GLAD I had Mastitis! LOL! Boy, am I TWISTED!!!

I'll post again tomorrow about Cael's constipation! The nurse from the OB's office seemed pretty certain he'd have a bowel movement in the next 24 hours. Despite his poo-problem, he's still the sweetest, most wonderful baby in the entire world! Thanks to his 'Aunt' Pam and 'Aunt' Tina who were awesome and loved on him and helped me take care of him while they were in town. I think he's constipated cuz he misses you guys SOOO much!!! Come back soon!!

Well it's about time, eh? I finally stole a couple hours to get this new Journal up and running! Screw the laundry and dishes! Now you can always see the latest Cael pics and hear the latest on Cael's experience with life!

I can't believe how fast the past 5.5 weeks have FLOWN by! Cael has been a dream! Sure, we have our challenges, but nothing we haven't been able to easily handle. He is an inquisitive, handsome, fun baby! He has NO problems in the eating department and is gaining weight rapidly. We're guessing him to be around 12 pounds already! A couple of weeks ago, he started taking breast milk from a bottle with no issues (had family in town and escaping to breastfeed for EVERY meal was just too anti-social), and most recently he has started taking formula (again, with no issues). Right now I am formula feeding once, sometimes twice a day. I started this when he was 4 weeks old. This is helping me stock-pile up frozen breast milk, allowing me to toss some out if I decide to have a drink or two, and best of all, it is allowing others to share in the joy and responsibility of feeding.

Breastfeeding is going pretty well. As a matter of fact, maybe too well... he has a strong little sucker! I am having some pain and I'm not sure if it was caused by some damage done during some improper latch-ons a few weeks ago or some possible clogged ducts. I now pump once or twice a day now to help give my body a little rest from his strong sucker. He eats for 15 minutes per side and would usually go longer if I let him!!

And I guess I should mention that he has NO problems in the digestion/output arena. Holy crap... literally! This boy can poop! About 10 dirty diapers a day! He'll groan and grunt and cry a little if he's having a problem doing the deed, but overall he seems to have no problems with gas or indigestion or colic and he rarely spits up.

Just this past weekend Cael got in his first swimming pool! Well, knees down anyway. And he seemed to enjoy it (in all honesty, he slept right through most of it- when he sleeps, he SLEEPS!). He has also been out and about in all sorts of restaurants, stores, shopping malls and even the lake. So far he's been an angel each and every time. The car lulls him right to sleep and he stays that way until we wake him or he gets hungry.

He also has his first over-nighter with his Grandma while David and I threw a party at the house to celebrate Lisa's birthday when he was 4 weeks old. I have to admit, that morning, with a slight hangover, it was nice not to be awoken by his hungry cries. But we eagerly retreived him from Mom as soon as we had breakfast and refueled on fluids. It was evident he had a wonderful time with Grandma and missed us not.

We've also had many visits from vistors including out-of-towners like my brother, Theresa, Cameron, Dad and Ellen. And this weekend 2 more friends from Wisconsin are coming to visit... Pam and Tina!

We're still anxiously awaiting his first without-a-doubt REAL open-mouthed smile. Not sure how much longer we will have to be patient for, but be sure to take the POLL on Cael's homepage to cast your vote!

Right now he's sleeping reasonably well for an infant. He sleeps 3 (4 on occassion) hours at night, wakes up to breast-feed, stays awake for another couple hours, feeds again, then falls back asleep for the rest of the night for another 3, or maybe if I'm lucky 4, hours.

Just a couple nights ago we had a big breakthrough (two nights in a row)... he actually returned right to sleep after his night-time feeding! Something I have been anxiously awaiting for as it's not easy to spend a couple hours entertaining a wide-awake baby (who has no interest in sleep) at 3 in the morning!! Right now I average 6 hours of sleep per night. And it's interrupted only once. Not bad. Unfortunately, I still have not learned to nap during the day. Too much to do! I can't wait til I'm able to get 8 hours of sleep per night (even if it's interrupted), but I understand that may not happen until he's put on solids around 6 months of age? He's a hungry boy and he likes his milk! He can't last much longer than 3 hours without wanting to eat.

Well, that's the update for now, Cael's waking up from his nap. Let me know if you have any tips on getting him to sleep longer than 3 or 4 hours at a time at night or if you have any advice on ways to make sure he goes immediately back to sleep after his middle-of-the-night feeding. :-)