Checking In

I haven't posted much lately because, well... several reasons actually. For one, things have been busy and they are about to get even busier. Also, our home internet service has been giving us fits. We've had to call and report the SAME issue 4 times now. And they have sent 4 different technicians out to "fix" the issue, but with no resolution. Or at least not one that lasts. I would seriously love to drop their crappy service and go with a different provider, but unfortunately there aren't many choices out where we live. Anyway, that has interfered with time that I might otherwise have squeezed in a post.

But mostly, while I have lots of random ideas and thoughts about things I would like to post, I'm having issues getting any of it to solidify into actual, coherent sentences. For instance, here are topics I've thought about posting on lately:

• My first real Mother's Day (I was barely pregnant last year and terrified that it wouldn't last, so that doesn't count!).
• My reaction to an article in a women's magazine about so-called "social infertility" and egg preservation.
• Navigating friendships with those who are still in the throes of treatment after having finally gotten pregnant and delivered my take-home baby.
• Parenting after infertility - and dealing with the inevitable "So when are you going to have #2???" comments from others.
• Sleep training.
• Grandparents.
• Working and pumping and supply issues.

I would still very much like to post on all the above (and more). I just need to overcome whatever writers' block I seem to have developed. Or maybe just get over my writers' perfectionism and do some stream-of-consciousness writing. We'll see...

In the meantime, here are a few quick updates:

• Nathan had his 4 month check-up today. He is 11 pounds 9 ounces (5th-10th percentile for weight) and 25.25 inches (50th-60th percentile for height). The doctor said that as much as Nathan moves and wiggles, he is burning calories like crazy and unlikely to "bulk up" any time soon.
• He smiles and laughs a lot, and is quite the little flirt when we are out in public.
• He has been rolling front-to-back for over a month now, and is so very close to rolling back-to-front. I would say he gets about 80% of the way there, but can't quite figure out his arms to finish it out.
• He drools and slobbers and chews on anything and everything he can reach. He's been chewing/sucking on his toes for a week or so now and it's really funny - he looks like a little pretzel. No teeth yet, but you can see where some are starting to get close...
• He likes his bouncy chair, carseat, jungle mat, bumbo-type chair, the stroller, lion mat, and just about any where else you want to put him. But he does like to change it up frequently throughout the day. His favorite toys are his glow worm, a Sophie the Giraffe chew ring, his plastic keys, and a stuffed monkey that detaches from his jungle mat. He's also started paying more attention when we read books - he touches the pages and looks at the pictures and "talks" to his reflection in the mirror book.
• He takes at least one good, long nap each day (usually in the morning) and a couple other shorter ones after that, depending on what we're doing. At night, he sleeps anywhere from 6-8 hours straight. Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of that stretch, but usually goes back to sleep without a feeding or any major intervention. He still won't sleep in his crib at night, but we've got him taking some naps in there now (on his side, which helps to minimize the flailing and startling) so we're hoping he will transition back soon.
• He has recently dropped down to 6-7 feedings a day, going about 3-4 hours between feedings during the day (and up to 8 hours some nights). We've adjusted the volume of each feeding accordingly, so he now takes about 4 ounces a feed in a bottle (I still nurse 2-3 times each 24-hour period, depending on schedule). We won't be starting solid foods until he is 6 months, but I think he's definitely going to be ready. He stares at our food now and watches spoons and forks.
• He knows when I'm around but not holding him. When I took him on our mini road trip to visit my family a couple weeks ago, he was fine being passed around to everyone. But he was always looking to see where I was, particularly if he could hear my voice but I wasn't in his direct line of vision. And one time, he even got fussy until they handed him back. We obviously don't want to raise a baby that is scared of strangers (or other relatives), but it still makes me a little bit pleased to know that he "recognizes" me and feels safe when I'm around :)

That is all I can think of for now... I'm sure there's more, but it's late and traffic is finally dying down, so I want to head home to see my little man. I'll work on posting some pictures next time too.