My Baby is More Vocal

This week my baby is 21 weeks old. He is very active and I have noticed that he is more vocal. I have heard sounds like ' ña ña,' or 'a ba.' Of course I am dying for him to say mama, but I'll just have to wait.

I've been reading up on the subject and have learned that girls actually acquire language earlier than boys. So I have to be patient. Also, the fact that my baby is being raised in a bilingual home makes the language acquisition a bit more difficult. On a lighter note, bilingual children understand written language earlier than monolingual children. So I'll just have to see how this goes.

Baby Feet

I am a sucker for baby's feet. They are tiny and fat and just so adorable. I love to kiss them and look at them. Apparently, my baby admires his tiny feet as well. He loves to kick and put his feet up so he can see them. There's nothing cuter to me than a baby without socks.

Hands vs. Pacifiers

My baby, who is now three months old, has started to suck on both of his small hands. He has more control over them. He can also bring his blanket or burpie up to his mouth. He seems to enjoy it.
Ever since he was born, I have given him a pacifier to calm him down or when I put him down to sleep. I have read that pacifiers are also good to prevent SIDS. However, he doesn't seem to want it as much lately. He would much rather suck on his hands. Should I be worried that he'll be one of those thumb suckers? Or is this a phase?

Diapers

I went to the store yesterday because I needed diapers. I was thinking of buying the new Huggies Pure and Natural which I had already tried thanks to a gift in the mail. It turns out the stores don't carry them yet. I want to know when I can buy these. I really like them.
Oh well, I'll keep waiting. Meanwhile I purchased the same brand, which I also like....... Pampers Swaddlers.

Baby Formula

Believe it or not, I had trouble with baby formula too. I started out with the formula the hospital gave me which was Similac Advance. And that worked out well when I was also giving the baby my breast milk. When I stopped the breast milk, the formula made the baby constipated all the time and was always getting gas. He would cry constantly.

People gave me all types of advice. Some suggested I switch to a liquid formula claiming the liquid would be better for the baby's tummy. So I did, but it didn't work. My sister told me to try the Enfamil specifically for gassy babies. That didn't work either.
I asked the doctor about which type of formula I should be giving the baby. He only said that any formula would be OK as long as it had 1.8 mg of iron.
So I checked the labels on all the formulas. Then I decided to try Enfamil Lipil. What a difference! The baby seemed to tolerate it better. The formula looked whiter and it didn't stain his clothes. The baby was in heaven, and so was I.
If you're having problems with the baby formula, I suggest you talk to your doctor.

Hard to Run Errands

Today I had to run a million errands. Before I left I made sure the baby was fed, diaper was changed and baby was happy. Once I am out, I know I only have about 2 hours before the baby gets tired and cranky. One of my errands today took longer than expected and of course the baby woke up and started crying. I immediately headed for the comfort of home thinking the car ride would soothe him and lull him to sleep like always. I was wrong. He cried all the way home. Luckily it wasn't far.

When I got home I took him out of his car seat and he felt better. I guess he just got tired of being strapped in it. My errands will have to wait until tomorrow when I'll try the adventure again.

Baby Bottles

When my baby was born I tried to breastfeed but the baby wouldn't latch on correctly. So I decided to pump my milk and also supplement with baby formula. That meant that I had to use baby bottles. This was a crazy adventure. Some brands of newborn bottle nipples had enormous holes that made the baby drink too fast and get gas. Others had very small holes that made the baby suck and suck and no milk came out. And this made the baby tired, cranky and even more hungry.

I ended up spending lots of money trying many different types of bottles and nipples. I tried the cheap ones, the expensive ones, the mid-priced ones. I read tons of reviews online to see what people were using. Some raved about the complicated ones like Dr. Brown's. I tried those too and the baby didn't like them. I bought the glass ones but the nipples had huge holes. I even bought a funny looking one that only had two pieces. That didn't work either.

In conclusion, I ended up with Playtex Bottles with the disposable liners. They are easy to use and can be recycled. But the most important thing is that the baby likes them. So I guess it's up to the baby to decide which type of bottle he wants.

Sleeping Through The Night

Last night my husband fed the baby around 7:30 pm. The baby was happy and smiling at us after his belly was full. It was a normal evening. A little later I bathed the baby and put him in his crib like usual. He was still awake when I put him in his crib. He spent a good 15 minutes mesmerized with his animal mobile and the music it plays. And of course, a pacifier in his mouth. Then slowly but surely, he fell asleep. This is about the only ME time I get. The time when I can take a shower, or do anything just for me.
I ended up going to sleep around 10:30 pm knowing in the back of my mind that I would be awaken around 1:00 or 2:00 am for a feeding. I woke up around midnight to check on him. He was sleeping. So I went back to sleep. Then before I knew it, 5:00 am came. Wow! I got to sleep. To me, if I sleep more than three hours in a row, I consider myself lucky. He woke up hungry and I felt so happy to feed him because I had some sleep. I hope tonight it's the same for us. I haven't had a normal sleep night in months.

Gifts in the mail

My baby is 12 weeks this week. He seems to grow by the hour. Everyday is a new adventure and I'm loving it. I also love the free gifts in the mail that are just for the baby. Today I received a package of some nice diapers. They are the new Huggies pure and natural. I tried them on the baby and absolutely love them. I think I'm going to do some research on these and maybe buy some the next time I go shopping.