7 months!

Rolin has fully recovered from RSV -- thank the Lord! He was outta the game for about a week and a day. It was so nice to see his little smile return and to hear his giggle once he felt better! 

In the last month, little Rolin has become much better at sitting on his own, he started solids, he can entertain himself for a good amount of time, he graduated from the infant lounge seat in the bath and he is finally growing some hair. -- sort of a brownish-reddish-blonde (surprised?). 

It's been fun to watch him learn something new each day. What hasn't been fun is dealing with the severe sleep regression that set in as a result of RSV. Little man became quite accustomed to sleeping on someone during RSV week -- because he was uber cuddly and also because he couldn't really breathe whilst laying flat. He went from being put to bed without a fight and sleeping 10-11 hours, to refusing to be laid down flat or alone and only sleeping about 2 hours before waking up again. 

We tried having him sleep in the bouncy seat. We tried swaddling, we tried just a sleep sack. We tried white noise, we tried lullabies. We tried a night light, we tried pitch black. We tried a later bedtime, we tried an earlier bedtime.

Finally we gave in and let him sleep with us a few nights. 

THAT WAS A BAD CHOICE. 

Hanging out with his friend hanger.

Then it was worse. I was tired of sit-sleeping in the glider. Justin was just plain old tired. Rolin was tired too. 

We decided to try the Ferber method.

The first night was awful. The second night was a little better than awful (I slept through some of his screaming, Justin didn't...). The third night he fell asleep screaming before the first 10 minute period was up (yippee!), but we had to restart the process around 4 a.m. -- it didn't end until about 6 a.m., but we did get another hour of sleep. The fourth night he fell asleep about four minutes into the first round AND STAYED ASLEEP! Well, he woke and cried for 10 mins at midnight, but we just left him to it and he fell back asleep on his own until about 6:30 this morning. Today will be night five. 

I know many people have strong or mixed feelings against or for Ferber, but it seems to be working. It is extremely hard to go in and not be able to pick up the little guy, especially when he's reaching out for you and screaming like you've never heard before, and especially when it goes on and on and on, but there is something to be said for this method...at least in the Thompson household. 

  

Still a little glassy-eyed and sick here, but by the next day he was soooo much better!

Rolin's personality comes out more and more every day. He loves to laugh and smile. His feet and my hair (OUCH!) are his favorite toys. He lusts after iPhones, computer keyboards and TV remotes. He loves seeing his dad come home from work. He grins and makes duck lips when he's having a good time. He's ticklish, loves sweet potato, loves bananas and hates broccoli. He is more and more fun to interact with, and I think he even laughs at some of my jokes. Maybe it's my silly face, but he still laughs, so I'll take it! 

It's hard to believe he's 7 months old...I can't believe it's March! A year ago this week we watched movers pack up our belongings and we said goodbye to California. Wowza! Speaking of California -- we had a great time! I'll post about that soon.

Do the duck!

Crafterson

Every now and then I finish a project. Some projects sit half done in our dining room for ages, but I do get around to finishing them (most of them) eventually! 

Here are a few things I've done lately.

Mommy & me aprons for a buddy with a toddler. Color/Pattern: Pink and brown paisley for the main piece, brown with pink polka-dots for the pocket, brown for the trim.

I traced a set of aprons my mom has to make these. I think my favorite part is picking out the different fabrics.

 Mommy-sized.

Baby-sized.

Rolin's valentine to his grandparents. If you look carefully, you can see me in the reflection. Hello there!

Other Mommy & Me aprons. As you see, it's customary to always wear the apron when playing with Rolly. Other pics of this pair would have been available if our camera hadn't spontaneously jumped from the hands of the carrier. Color/Pattern: bold color stripes for the main fabric, orange for the pocket, yellow for the trim. 

 Christmas wreaths!

I'll try that!

Rolly and I went to my parents' house for a couple days while Justin was in Boston. While we were there we tried a few pieces of food instead of purees. It appears he prefers to feed himself -- even the foods it he didn't seem to like when we tried them before!

"Sweet potato?Is that what this is called?"

Fine, I'll try it like this. Aren't you afraid I'll choke though?"

"It really is quite delicious this way. Tell your friends thanks for the tip!"

What now?

Homeslice simply does not like vegetables. Hates sweet potatoes so much he'd rather shove them in his eye than eat them!

How do you get a baby to eat??

Ew

Sicko

Little peanut is quite sick at the moment. Justin and I thought we'd wait it out as people get colds, people survive colds and, most of all, there is no way to cure a cold.

But with his fever still looming Wednesday, breathing a bit shallow and his cough so bad he threw up most of his morning bottle, I called the pediatrician to talk over his symptoms with a nurse to make sure there wasn't something I overlooked. When I mentioned "barky cough" they suggested I come in that afternoon. 

I didn't know a little baby could produce a string of snot two feet long (ok, more like one foot) until they swabbed Rolin's nose, causing him to sneeze. Color me impressed! Sadly, the swab tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) so I'm glad I took him in. 

There is no quick fix for this nasty bug, but they did give us a nebulizer and a prescription for the vapor that will help break up the mucus. It doesn't make him better any sooner, but it'll help along the way. It makes him more miserable for a while after using it -- more coughing and sneezing -- but at least we're getting some if the nasties (nasty-s?) out. I've never been happier having strings of snot across my shirt. 

It also helps him be able to eat a little better; he hasn't had much of an appetite. Plus, it's hard to suck on a bottle when your nose is stuffed.

The night before last and yesterday afternoon were (I'm hoping) the worst of it. It's the worst watching him cough so hard his whole body convulses. It can't be comfortable at all!

Thanks for the prayers for Rolly (and for me!). The cough is expected to last for a while, but hopefully his fever will go down and he'll get some energy back soon. 

No, thank you!