"Stranger Danger", 3-2, and other news...

Anybody who has or is planning to have children has likely read about a few of the more common six month milestones.  Little man has hit a couple of them early, and I'm bored, so here we are. *wink*

Crawling's the big one, and while JJ is trying REALLY DANGED HARD, he's not quite there yet.  He's got the motion of arms & and the motion of legs, and he's got that he needs to push up with his arms and push forward with his feet, but he hasn't quite figured out how to coordinate it all so he doesn't smoosh his face into the mattress.  It infuriates the poor guy, and I'm sitting there biting my lip because the baby rage is just that hilarious.  *I will .... NOT... laugh... at my child...  with, yes.  At, no.*

Minnows is being extremely tolerant 

of JJ using him for a stability-assist!

Last Saturday (4/28), JJ abruptly decided that he no longer needed three naps every day.  Which, despite the fact that I missed it at first and tried for the next two days to coax him into taking a third full nap, is a relief.  My little guy needs a minimum of 90 minutes of continuous sleep in order to really be alert and happy and functional.  He doesn't get it, he is a GRUMPY BEAR.  Coordinating three naps of a minimum of 90 minutes each (and no longer than an hour and forty-five) left very little room in the day for getting anything else done, and getting out of the house was difficult to the point of not being worth the effort.  = Stir-Crazy Laura.  So, after deciding on Tuesday "Okay, bug, we'll try it your way and see what happens", on Sunday I am happy to acknowledge defeat.  Oh, he was super fussy the first day, but each day he gets a little happier, a little less screechy, a little less tired, and...

... (wait for it)...

HE HAS STOPPED WAKING ME UP FOUR FREAKING TIMES EVERY NIGHT.  We're down to one middle-of-the-night feed, somewhere between one and three in the morning depending on how many times he fussed up for food after bedtime, and that, friends, is a routine I can totally deal with.  I no longer feel the daily constant need to crash on the couch every time the baby is asleep.

He's also gone back to very quick transitions into sleep, thank God.  

I LIKE letting him nurse for the first 10-15 minutes of a nap... 

he is one limp baby going into the cosleeper!

I had to get some new binkies a week or so back, when I caught JJ trying to stuff his entire Soothie into his mouth.  Yes, I know, I mentioned that particular pitfall when I reviewed the Soothie.  So when I caught JJ doing exactly that thing, I took the Soothie away, gave him one of our less than preferred binkies as a temporary fix, and ordered him some more age-appropriate binkies from the same supplier... product review coming soon!

Last, but certainly not least, "Stranger Danger" has indeed reared its ugly head.  Now, John is having some trouble with the concept... when I mentioned it to him, he looked at me like I was a little bit bats and said "I don't really see how Grandma is a stranger..."  *shakes head*  He's a guy, he's literal like that... shoulda figured.  Anyway, JJ has pretty much decided that only Mommy and Daddy are acceptable, and does the Little Screech Owl thing (but mad/sad) whenever I leave him with Grandma, even for a few minutes.   (Rest assured, I still DO, if only because I need sunlight and sexytime every once in a very great while.)

What can I say... he's my little snug-a-bug!

Okay, now I know what people were raving about...

We had a really good week here in our little corner of the world last week.  John got paid, our renter coughed up the rent, and everything cleared the bank in a timely manner.  Consequently, I got to go shopping for baby stuff.

Mommy Dance!

I finally used the completion discount on our Baby Registry, and snagged quite a few very necessary items.     The first of these arrived yesterday, and JJ has taken to it so well that I just had to share.

The First Years Newborn Pacifier

Otherwise known as the Soothie... and they are not kidding.  This little gem has swiftly ousted all other pacifiers for acceptability.  We've tried Nuk, Playtex, and several others, and while a few have been tolerated, none hit all our points of ideal.  

The Ideal Pacifier  *drumroll*

* Baby takes it, doesn't lose it when relaxed but not yet asleep, and doesn't fuss or spit it out when he clearly is only sucking for comfort.  (JJ will refuse the breast when he doesn't want food.)

* Made in one piece to reduce germs and ease cleaning.

* No latex or other potentially issue-causing substances. ;)

* Promotes a good, deep latch and strong sucking so that it's use will not interfere with breast-feeding.

* Qualifies as orthodontic ... less likelihood of it screwing up his developing teeth.

* Safety  handle for easy removal ... yeah, it's seemingly a given, but you never really know, do you?

* Gender-neutral color = good, and must be cute!  Must not distract from teh cuteness of teh babeh!!  

The Soothie

* It took a little practice, but JJ quickly got the hang of holding onto the narrow nipple.  After going down for one nap with the Soothie, he immediately began rejecting all his other pacifiers, even the ones which had been previously acceptable.  He refuses it only if he wants to eat or isn't in a sucking mood at all, and when he wants it he actually yells if I take it away!

* One-piece design, can be boiled to sterilize.

* Medical grade silicone... pretty simple.

* The nipple is shaped ... here's a concept ... like a nipple.  Long and narrow instead of short and flat and bulbed like more traditional pacifiers.  This encourages baby to keep his tongue down and suck deeply and strongly, since it's not as easy to hang on to, and that helps to promote good feeding habits.   One nifty feature of the design is the hole down the middle... you can actually see what baby is doing inside his mouth!  The deep latch and strong suck reduces the air swallowed, and I noticed an improvement in JJ's latch at the breast (and consequent reduction in air swallowed during feedings = less gas!) within hours of introducing the Soothie.

* The symmetrical nipple shape means there is no "upside down" with this pacifier, so it's far less likely to create or exacerbate issues with the teeth and jaws.  Because it's a little harder to hang onto, it makes baby work a little harder, which is all to the good for the development of strong muscles in the mouth and throat.  The material is soft enough to give with the sucking motion, like the breast, but firm enough that little JJ is using it to soothe his cranky gums.  (Note: The Soothie is not for babies with teeth.  First Years makes a whole line of pacifiers that are age appropriate as baby grows.)

* While the one-piece design means that the Soothie lacks the traditional "loop" handle, that tab you see sticking out is surprisingly easy to grip and hang on to in a pacifier tug-of-war!  Those two holes are bigger than they look, and would easily accommodate the ribbon from a standard pacifier clip.  There is also the option of purchasing the Soothie as a Wubanub, a stuffed animal with the Soothie attached to its mouth.  The Wubanubs reputedly help teach baby to keep track of his own binky... might have to get one of these later!  (Note: While there have been reports of babies getting the entire Soothie into their mouths (thus creating a choking hazard), this really falls on the parents to pay attention... if you even think baby could fit the whole pacifier into his mouth, it's too small and needs to be replaced with a larger binky!)

* Green... nice and neutral!  And while some prefer flowers, cartoon characters, bright colors, and other such, I think the Soothie is adorable.

Even if it does make him look a bit like a sucker-fish!

All in all... I'm pretty sure it's got to be the perfect pacifier.  At least for us!