Ryan is starting day care tomorrow

(Sorry for the word wall...blogspot keeps messing with my paragraphs!!) Time really does fly. It didn't really feel that way during maternity leave as much as it does now that I'm back to work and I look back on the last 3 months. Ryan has grown and changed so much. I started work again on Monday but hubbs took the week off from work to stay home with the baby until he starts day care on Friday. I know that may seem wierd...that we're having him start on Friday but we paid for April which starts on Friday and we've agreed that it might be easier for us to use that 1 day as sort of a practice run...getting our feet wet with day care before jumping into an entire week. We took him before my leave ended to the center and introduced him to the caregivers there. They were so sweet! We dropped off some items that he will need like diapers, wipes, etc. Tomorrow we have to bring the rest of his stuff (crib sheets, extra clothes, blankets, bibs, etc). We even bought him an extra mobile to put on his day care crib. His crib is right by the window which is so cute (it's elevated off the ground level so it's not like someone could be looking it at him from outside - and anyway the playground is right outside his window, not a sidewalk). We're going to get there extra early tomorrow to set up his crib for him and stay with him for a little while - this is more for us than him I'm sure. We're also going to take pictures of his first day so I hope to post those sometime during the weekend. Miss Monique and Miss Carly are his caregivers. Miss Monique is this older French lady...she's so sweet. She sings to them in french, reads stories during circle time. They asked us if it would be ok for Ryan to participate in ART PROJECTS...lol! I'm thinking, how much can my 12 week old really do?? But they said that they paint their little hands and make handprints and stuff like that. Picturing that jusy makes me giddy. We said YES...please get our little boy messy! I'm definitely nervous but more excited about day care. I can't wait for him to have these experiences. Here's a picture of the Ladybug Room where the baby's stay: On another note: Ryan is getting a DOC Band for the Plagiocephaly. The DOC Band is that thing they put on the baby that looks like a wrestler's helmet to help their head round out again. Insurance didn't cover it so there goes $3500 (and that's after a $300 discount for paying the entire balance up front). But they are pretty confident he will only need it for 4-6 weeks tops. In some cases, especially when the babies start the process later on, it can take significantly longer. And being that they have to keep it on for 23 hours a day...that's a hell of a LOT! So hubbs took him yesterday to have the imaging done. I'm glad I wasn't there because they had to put something that looked like a stocking over his head and face and I was told Ryan kind of lost it. He was licking the stocking, had snot coming out of his nose, and was sobbing the entire time. That image breaks my heart but I'm glad it's over. The purpose of the imaging is so the band can be manufactured to fit his exact dimentions. Next week he will be fitted with the band. This should all be over by mid-May. Here's a link to a page on the Cranial Tech website which has a video showing how they do the imaging.

And now for some pictures!!

Here he is in my brother's fireman boots

Not quite ready for the Bumbo...but almost

Updates and pics :(

Where do I begin?

Ryan is awesome. He's now 9.5 weeks old. At his 2 month appointment he weighed 11lbs 8oz and was 21.75". He is such a good baby. He rarely cries...he does only when he's hungry and even then it's not a full on cry unless we take longer than normal to get the bottle in his mouth lol. He's smiling and cooing all the time. He sleeps through the night (this started at 5 weeks) in his crib in his own room.

Recently we had to start swaddling his arms at night because he has eczema on his cheeks so he rubs his face a lot in his sleep.

At his 2 month appointment, he got his first round of vaccines. He handled it so well. After the first shot he looked confused. After the second he looked pissed. And after the third he screamed for about 10 seconds and it was over. I picked him up, popped the pacifier in his mouth, shushed him...he wimpered a little and it was over. He didn't react badly to it at all. No fever or fussiness.

He's eating 4.5 ounces every 2.5 to 3 hours from about 7am to midnight and then he sleeps.

We do tummy time but he really doesn't like it too much. He's been tolerating it more and more every day so I'm hoping he gets better at it. He favors his right side so he has a flat spot on his head. We have an appointment next week to evaluate his neck and head for torticollis and pagiocephaly. I want to learn what exercises we should be doing with him to get his neck muscles stronger so that he can start turning his head the other way when he sleeps. This is where we need to get creative with tummy time. We started doing "airplane" exercises which he tolerates longer than tummy time on the floor. We also are using the Boppy Noggin which allows him to turn his head easier when he is laying on his back in his crib, swing, rock n play, bouncer, car seat...basically everywhere. He has 2 already; one stays in his car seat and the other is used everywhere else. We are going to buy a 3rd to take to day care when he starts in a couple weeks.

I go back to work on the 28th of this week :( so Ryan starts at his day care soon. I have mixed feelings about it but we chose a center that we both love. It's a center that takes children from when they're babies until Kindergarten. It's so cute!

Anyway...here are some recent pics:

"What u talkin' 'bout mom?"

"I'm 2 months old today!" (3/3/11)

"This is my cool Woolverine band-aid for my shots"

"And this is Iron Man!"

"Do I look chubby in this towel?"