9 Months + Sleep Training

Wow. Have I really not updated this since Thanksgiving? I really thought I made a post for 8 months but I guess not. Well, I guess I'll just have to catch you all up with this one!

This little boy is growing by leaps and bounds. He's the most curious little guy and is becoming such the troublemaker! He has definitely changed a lot since 7 months. He's already almost 19 lbs! Getting so so big.

Loves reading, just like mommy!

The wii controller is mine!

    Jacet is finally crawling for real, and let me tell you, he is fast! When I open the door to go out to the entrance, he zooms right across the room to try to reach the open door before I shut it. He is finally sitting easily and on his own. He's cruising around the furniture and he'll occasionally balance without holding on for a quick second. He learned how to pull down the zipper on my sweatshirts, he's a champ at shaking things, loves opening books and looking at the pictures, and practices using his two new teeth constantly. Yup, he has his two bottom teeth in! He likes rocking on his hands and knees when music is played, he understands cause and effect (when you shake the rattle, the car moves etc.), and he's just an overall happy baby. He eats very well and has moved on to normal food. Basically what I'm having except chopped up or thinned out. He loves miso soup and blows bubbles in the bowl whenever I give it to him. He also loves loves loves bread. As soon as he sees me pull out the bag, he goes crazy! His favorite thing to do is climb things. He climbs into his walker, he climbs onto the table from the table chair, he climbs the bottom rail of the gate that keeps him out of the kitchen, and he climbs me! I guess I should also mention that he is becoming very clingy (separation anxiety! Ah!) and very vocal...especially when mommy takes away something he's playing with...

yummy soup

So since I haven't update since the holidays, I guess I'll give a brief summary of that.

*CHRISTMAS*
   Jacet loved the Christmas tree and the ornaments. Good thing they were plastic! He pulled those ornaments off the branches every single day. I guess since they were shiny red balls they probably intrigued him. He also pulled off the red ribbons on the tree. Oh and lets not forget how many times he knocked that tree over!
   Christmas Eve was pretty uneventful, but nice. Tomo didn't have to work so we had just stayed home and relaxed. Dinner was KFC and pizza (Japanese style Christmas meal! haha). Christmas Day was much more exciting. I wrapped all the gifts and put them under the tree the night before, and when we woke up, Jacet was very interested in all those colorful presents. He got the moving Santa and Reindeer that sing, he got a little piano book, building blocks, a toy to hook on to the stroller, a car that moves when the wheel on its top is turned or the rattle is shaken, sippy cup, stuffed animal, clothes, and some books. I got Tomo a new metal iphone cover and an electric toothbrush, and Tomo got the family a nice heater for the house.

Troublemaker!

   Later Tomo and Jacet spent some time together and went out while I prepared some stuff for dinner. Then we did some errands and went to see some pretty Christmas lights. Came home, Jacet went to bed and I made a Christmas dinner of very expensive steak (which was given to us as a gift), Christmas tree mashed potatoes, and a salad. Not much, but still filling and delicious. It was a very nice first Christmas for Jacet.

*NEW YEAR'S*
   New Year's is more of a holiday here in Japan. Christmas is usually just a date night unless there are children. Businesses and banks are still open and it's really just a normal day. But everything closes for New Year's. Tomo decided to invite some people from work over to have a little party to countdown the new year. They all pitched in and brought food and of course I made some too. It was a good, fun night. Jacet even slept through the noise!

   

-SLEEP TRAINING-
   To start off, Jacet's sleep had been very irregular and he had stopped sleeping well. His naps were rarely more than 45 minutes and he would wake up every 2-3 hours at night. It was becoming very tiring and I found that when I got up at night to put him back to sleep, I couldn't even walk straight. I couldn't keep my eyes open. Sometimes it would take an hour or more to get him back down in the crib. So I decided to try to teach him how to sleep. I did a lot of research and learned that the reason he was waking up every 2-3 hours was because he couldn't put himself back to sleep after waking up from a sleep transition (which everyone goes through apparently). He would realize that mommy wasn't holding him anymore and start crying.
   So I looked into a lot of different methods. I really didn't want to just let him cry until he cried himself to sleep. I found a book called The Sleepeasy Solution. I read through it and really felt like it was something I could do. It was easy to understand and the authors covered so many things. They basically answer any question you could have about sleep training in the book. They cover what to do to help your child sleep from age 4.5 months to 5 years old. It was such a helpful book. I took notes and decided to try it. Sadly, the method does require crying, but I would go in and check on him at certain intervals.
   So here's how it went. I did his bedtime routine and made sure he was calm and sleepy. We went up to the darkened room. I held him and rocked him a short time while telling him how much I loved him and that I would be right next door. Then I put him in the crib, kissed him goodnight, turned off the light and left. Of course he protested. I decided to check in on him at 5, 10, 15 minute intervals. He had stopped crying by that third check! And he never even reached the screaming/coughing/heartbreaking cry which I am so happy about because I don't know if I could have continued. He woke up just once during the night and only needed one check. Ever since that first night, he has slept through the night! I put him in the crib, kiss him goodnight and he goes right to sleep. No crying since night 1. I am AMAZED at how well he learned. He wakes up happy and refreshed, I wake up happy and refreshed. Win win. I definitely recommend this method to anyone who needs to sleep train their baby! His naps are still awful but I'm not doing this for naps because I want cuddle time with my little boy〜

Troublemaker Part 2

OTHER NEWS
   A quick update on the adult lives here. Tomo passed his interview and is getting a promotion! This means that he needs to manage a bigger store, which means that we need to move at the end of February. But before that, we're going on a nice vacation to Hokkaido to visit his parents for awhile. Tomo will be leaving earlier and I'll be staying with Jacet so they can spend time with their first grandchild. It will be a nice break before things get hectic with moving again.

That's it for now.
Until next time!

7 Month Stats

We went for Jacet's 7 month check-up yesterday. He seems to be right on track, though on the smaller side. Since he's gaining weight on the right curve, even though it's on the lower part, it's not a problem, thankfully. Just a small baby I guess! It's probably because he moves around so much all day!

   He's reaching all of the correct milestones, but needs to work on his sitting. He can sit but not very well, and basically prefers to crawl around instead. The doctor said to practice with him because if he can't properly sit, he won't be able to stand on his own, but really he seems fine. 

 

yummy!

   He still hasn't gotten up on his hands and knees for crawling...still doing the army crawl, but he does get up and rock back and forth and does manage a few steps before reverting back to the method of moving that he can do easily. He's more interested in grabbing on to ANY surface and trying to stand! Nothing is safe on the table or tv stand...and forget about the diapers! He is also very intrigued by the rice cooker. I had to tape it closed because he figured out that the button opens it. Can't have him doing that while rice is cooking! Not to mention that he immediately stands when he wakes up in his crib at night...IDK if he does it in his sleep or not, but I hope that ends soon because I feel like part of the reason he won't go back to sleep on his own is because he can't get down! These days our days consists of stand up, fall down, cry, soothe, stand up, repeat. Since our floors are hard, I've been putting the table on the blanket for padding. Hopefully we'll be getting a new rug soon for the winter though!! 

So here's a breakdown: 

Weight: 7830g (approx. 17 lbs)

Height: 67 cm (approx 26 in.)

Milestones: army crawling, standing while holding on to things, pincer grasp is coming along, transferring things from hand to hand, finger foods, opening drawers, and saying consonant sounds like "ba," "da," "ma."

Ready for the cold!

Some Other Jacet Stuff:

Here is where I am going to write out a bunch of stuff. It might not make sense since I haven't organized my thoughts or anything, plus Jacet is probably going to be waking up from his nap soon and I want to get this finished!

We bought him a walker to keep him occupied and interested. He likes it enough. He's figuring out how to play with all the different things on the tray part. He loves to spin the thing with the balls inside. But mostly, he just uses it to reach the things that he can't reach when he's on the ground...like the curtains (Our curtains are too short for the window doors so they don't reach the ground). We also bought a gate to keep him out of the kitchen and getting into things since he now knows how to open drawers and doors. It's nice not having him around my feet while I'm cooking.

busy day...

He is now on cold #2. We didn't get medicine this time since it's just a stuffy and drippy nose, whereas last time was the nose and a nasty dry cough. Hopefully he gets over it soon! We both need more sleep!

He also got the first flu shot the other day. Didn't even cry at all. Not even a little. I didn't even notice the doctor did it, he was so fast. Jacet probably didn't even realize either. Probably still doesn't realize haha. No side effects so far either.

We now do 3 meals a day of solids. Fruits at breakfast, veggies at lunch, and veggies plus some miso soup at dinner. Occasionally I'll throw in some finger foods too depending on what I'm making.

Some Me Stuff:

Mommy <3 Me

The only really interesting thing that happened is......I got a job! I'm sure most of you read about it on facebook. It's a job translating recipes from Japanese to English from a very popular Japanese cooking website. They're trying to spread the joys of Japanese cooking to other countries. I actually use that website (in Japanese) almost every day for dinner ideas. It's the perfect job for me right now. I can do it right at home whenever I have the time. I can even do it from my phone, so when we're out or Jacet won't sleep, I can still get some work done. I get to learn new recipes, improve my Japanese, AND get paid for it! It doesn't pay much, but it will be nice to have that little bit of extra "me" spending room every month.

And that's all for now! Since it's Thanksgiving back home...Happy Thanksgiving!

First Cold

   Yup. Jacet caught his first cold. I never knew a little runny nose could cause so much lost sleep! The first night he was up every hour, but really I should say every half hour because it would take about a half hour to get him sleeping in the crib. He would wake up every time I tried to put him down. I knew he would probably be up a lot, but I was not expecting THAT much of a sleep disruption, and being unprepared for lack of sleep is not fun at all.

all bundled up!

   The next day was not much better. I turned the heat on and bundled him up to keep him warm. Most of the naps consisted of bouncing him in my arms because he would wake up if I tried to lie him down. He couldn't and didn't nurse very well because he couldn't breathe through his nose. He wasn't his normal playful self and needed mommy to be with him at all times. Needless to say, we were both running on serious lack of sleep.

Luckily, he slept a lot better the next night. Maybe because I got out the humidifier. He still woke up but only a few times. Today he was almost back to normal! It was a cold and rainy day so I bundled him up in nice warm clothes again. His nose is still runny but it doesn't seem to bother him as much today. He even took several nice long 1+ hr naps and I was able to nap with him. I think we're both feeling refreshed. As I type, he is sleeping in my arms after we both fell asleep while nursing, making this nap a nice long 2 hours. Hopefully tonight we'll be back to sleeping through the night!

feeling better!

Oh, a little side note. Did I mention that Tomo and I both have colds as well? Not a fun house to be in right now!

Moving Machine + Solids Success + 6 Months Old!

    Happy belated 1/2 year birthday to my little boy! I cannot believe how fast time is going, and I will probably say that same thing with every month that passes. He has grown and changed SO much since he was born and I really couldn't ask for a more perfect baby. He is not attentions seeking, he doesn't mind being left alone for awhile, he puts up with my long walks and grocery store visits, he barely cries or fusses, and he is just the happiest, most content baby in the world!

I don't have any 6 month stats as he doesn't see the doctor again until 7 months, but I will write about his new milestones.

- Eating Solids:

can't wait to eat!

   It was a little rough going in the beginning. I don't think his digestive system was quite ready at first because he did wind up spitting up a lot. But I think that's due to the fact that he is constantly squirming around on his belly, because when we're out for the day and holding him/he's in the stroller, he barely spits up at all. He's always had a sensitive stomach. I can't drink a lot of milk/yogurt (soy is okay though) or eat too many bananas because they always give him stomach problems. Milk is the worst. If I just have one glass of plain milk he'll have painful gas that he cries about all day. The avocados I gave him did give him some gas and kept him up all night, so I switched to sweet potatoes, which also gave him gas, though not as much. Next we moved on to apples, which he loved, and bananas, which even though did give him gas, he loved more than the apples. We started carrots a few days ago and he hasn't been too fond of them. He eats everything up though and gets excited when he sees his little food bowl and bib. It's adorable.

- Crawling: 

loves crawling around

   It's still basically the army crawl, but he's using his knees now and moving around MUCH faster than before. The good thing about him crawling is that he is interested in everything and can get to it himself, meaning that he can keep himself occupied for longer periods of time so I can get some housework done. The down side is that he LOVES plugs and cords so I really have to pay attention to what he's doing. He loves moving around. I lay him down for a diaper change and he just rolls right over and tries to crawl away. I try to keep him sitting is his little food chair to sort of relax his tummy, but as soon as his food is gone he just tries to escape. He won't even try sitting because he just wants to be on the move!

- 6 Month Sleep Regression/Growth Spurt:

 

   Not a milestone but it's part of our update. Apparently there is a sleep regression/growth spurt around 6 months, and let me tell you, we have definitely been going through that. At least I hope that's what it is. Jacet has NOT been sleeping well at all. He used to sleep from basically 11pm - 6:30am. Not recently. Now he's been waking up every 2-3 hrs at night! I've been spoiled from getting a full night's sleep that this is really taking a toll on me. Jacet's cranky, I feel cranky, everyone's tired. Well, except Tomo, who apparently sleeps through it all. Lucky him. According to that "Wonder Weeks" chart I posted awhile back, this stormy period is one of the worsts and lasts around 4 weeks! Well, it has been happening for at least 2 weeks now. He still doesn't sleep like he used to, but last night he only woke up once. So maybe we're nearing the end and will finally get back to our normal routine!

Getting close to standing on his own!

- In Other News:
   Two of my college friends are coming for a visit, and since they'll be here on a day when Tomo isn't working, I get a day out with the girls! No baby and no Tomo. Just the girls. I'm very excited as this hasn't been able to happen since we went to America in July. I really need a day to relax (though how relaxed I'll be leaving Jacet with Tomo I don't know) and just enjoy time out of the house. Other than that, there's nothing really going on at all.

That's all for now! I don't know when I'll update again...I guess when something new and exciting happens! Thanks for reading!

Starting Solids

Now that my little guy is already 5 1/2 months old, it's time to start solids!

 I have done a lot of research online and decided that I would like to try to make my own baby food. It saves money and it's nice to know exactly what my baby will be eating. The website, http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/, has a ton of information about making baby food and starting solids. She has lists of what foods are safe for baby at what age, the different textures and consistencies the food should be for each age, recipes for mixing different foods, how to cook and puree different stages of food for different stages of starting solids. It's an extremely helpful website and a great guide for anyone looking to make their own baby food.

Sweet Potato and Avocado

To make baby food, all you have to do is puree! Mostly it's just steaming/baking/boiling fruits and veggies and then mashing them up, adding liquid (breastmilk, formula, water) as necessary. I assume most people would use a blender/mixer, but I don't have one so lucky me gets to use a fork and do it by hand. It's not so hard if the food is mushy enough but does take a lot of time. We're planning to buy a blender soon so I can make larger batches to store in the freezer. Using ice cube trays is supposedly helpful for portion sizes. One ice cube size is about one ounce, which is the ideal amount for the beginning stages of starting solids. Just pop out the food cubes and put them in a freezer ziploc and then it's nice and easy to grab a cube or two for mealtime.

Yuck! This isn't mommy's milk!

I think I mentioned before that here in Japan they provide various classes and help for new moms (and if I didn't, then I'm mentioning it now!). I went to a short class that explains how to make baby food and learned that starting solids in Japan is very similar to starting solids in America. I know that in America, starting with baby rice cereal or oatmeal is common. Here in Japan they start with something called "okayu," which is basically just really watery rice. The class taught us how to prepare the foods and what consistency they should be. We made some okayu, carrots, tofu, spinach, and miso soup. It was quite fun and I got to meet other mom's with babies around the same age as Jacet. The class didn't really teach me anything I didn't know from that website I mentioned above, but it did help me with how thin/thick the puree should be. I was a little confused about that.

I decided to skip the rice and cereal and start with avocado. Right now I'm just giving about a tablespoon in the mid-morning, just once a day until he gets used to it and starts eating better. The first day he didn't take to it too much, but the second and third days he got better. Maybe he's getting used to the taste now. I'll be giving avocado for maybe 5 days to make sure he doesn't have any allergic reactions and then next up will be sweet potato. I'm planning to try a fruit, veggie, fruit, veggie, schedule to get him used to everything. Then start mixing them up, and of course adding meat once he's able to eat that. I've already frozen a bunch of sweet potato, avocado, banana, and apple cubes. I guess I need to get more veggies ready!



Other News:

Found his foot!

In other news, Jacet is learning new things so fast! He can manage to sit by himself for several seconds, sometimes longer if there are no toys that distract him. Tomo's mother bought an inflatable chair that he can use to help with the sitting and can also be used in the bath. He has become a moving machine! Not crawling yet but he has got the army crawl down! I went to the bathroom and when I came back he had moved from his mat and was under the table! He can also push himself up onto his hands now. Just needs to get that butt up and the crawling will be next! I guess I'm going to need to start keeping a close eye on him...and I'll need to make sure the floor is clean everyday! Looks like I'll be having my hands full from now on. 

As for Tomo and I, I think we have finally settled in here. Tomo is enjoying his work more and I am enjoying the start of cooler weather. Tomo has been working a lot lately, which usually happens during these season transitions, so it's just been me and Jacet hanging out together all day. I try to take a walk everyday and now that the weather is getting cooler, it's a lot easier on both of us if we can't make it out in the early morning. I've started doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (again) and hopefully I can lose the last of my pregnancy weight! Although with the way I eat, that won't happen for awhile :)

On the move.

Under the table!

4 (and a half) Months!

I can't believe Jacet is already 4 1/2 months! He is growing like a weed! I swear he grows a little bit every night.

First photo booth experience!

He had his 4 month check-up today. Here in Japan (or maybe just Saku?) the check-ups are scheduled by the city office. Basically every baby born during a certain time frame and living in a certain area of the city gets their check-up the same day. So there were about 12 of us altogether in the "born 4/1-4/15" time frame. They had different areas set up and we were basically just rotated around. First was the height and weight area, then we moved on to the development area, third was the "Dr" check, after that was tooth care, and then last was learning a little about starting baby food. We also received information on a class to learn how to prepare baby food, a class on how to play with baby to help with development, and information about a place that lets you hang out with other mamas and their babies, which is I guess good for making some mommy friends.

So here are Jacet's stats!

Height: 62.4cm (~24 1/2 in)
Weight: 6.62kg (~14 1/2 lbs)
Milestones: rolling over from back to tummy AND tummy to back
                     real laughs (occasionally)
                     grabbing (and chewing) EVERYTHING (including mommy's hair!)
                     reaching for toys out of his reach

Loves Daddy!

Here in Japan it's recommended to start baby food around 5 months if they show signs. Apparently Jacet is showing signs, which include lots of drooling, staring at mommy and daddy while they're eating, grabbing plates, etc. I read that in America a lot of people start with oatmeal or rice cereal, or some people skip that and go straight to veggies. In Japan they start with watery rice called okayu, which is what they're going to teach me how to make at that baby food class. I'm looking forward to the many photo opportunities or messy faces!

Other News:
        We went to the northern island called Hokkaido to visit Tomo's parents for a few days. It's very much like Vermont. A lot of land and cows and farms etc. That island is famous for it's seafood and dairy products. While we were there, there was a big fireworks festival. Tomo's cousin does photography as a hobby and took some really nice pictures of us. I got to wear a yukata (summer and less formal version of a kimono) for the first time! Jacet really liked the fireworks and would stop fussing every time they went off!

 family photo at the fireworks

watching the fireworks

        We applied to a model agency for fun just to see if Jacet would pass...well...he passed! He passed the preliminary online application and then we had to go to Tokyo for a camera/video camera test audition. The results came in today that he passed that too! Which means that if we decide to enroll him, we just have to pay the fee and he'll get to be in the agency. Of course it's not guaranteed that he'll get any jobs though. They also have free dance lessons for the older kids and free monthly photo shoots for the kids who aren't old enough to dance, aka babies. So Jacet would get those photos every month which I would really like! The problem is that Tokyo is far and expensive to travel to every month, so we still need to think about whether we want to do this or not. It's exciting news though!

camera test audition photo

Update Catch-Up

Since I never got around to posting a little update on Jacet's development for 3 months, here's a little catch-up post! He's actually 4 months today, but that update will come after his Doctor Checkup in a few weeks.

I believe the last Jacet post was about getting his shots and whatnot. Well, after we came home from America, he had to get more! Tomo was able to come with me this time, which was a big help since the doctor we went to doesn't speak English. Of course he cried but since we were both there comforting him, it only lasted a short time. The Doctor was very nice and the clinic is within walking distance of our house so I think we'll continue going there.

Anyway, here's the more fun stuff. I've been trying so hard to get him to lift up his chest and roll over onto his back during our 'tummy time' sessions to no avail. Sometime in the past month he has gotten very good at lifting his chest. Next step is to roll! I'm ashamed to admit that I treated him a little like training a puppy. I would show him a toy, push him over, then praise him and give him the toy. It still hasn't worked though! He'll get there in time I suppose. However! I have reason to believe that he prefers lying on his stomach rather than his back because he can now roll from back to tummy! He does it all the time now. But he does get a little frustrated after awhile because he can't roll back to his back. Especially since his favorite flashing crab is hanging up! He can't play with or see it when he's on his belly! But he'll learn eventually I'm sure. I added a video of his rolling over, but I'm not sure if it will work. I hope it does!

loves chewing his new toy!

He is very good at holding and grabbing things and I think his depth perception has developed a lot. He reaches out and tries to grab anything that catches his interest...but mostly he still just wants my cell phone. Daddy bought him a nice chew toy rattle that he does enjoy chewing on though, as well as a new playmat that keeps him interested when he does get stuck on his belly.

He has also found his voice and is screaming nonstop! He screams when he's happy. He screams when he wants attention. He screams when he's hungry. It's actually very cute! He is chatting up a storm and learning new noises as well. I'm excited for when the little words come! He sometimes tries to blow raspberries after he sees mommy or daddy, but all he accomplishes is a bunch of drool being spit out...

playing on the new play-mat

His sleeping for the past month has been very good. He was sleeping through the night wonderfully. BUT now I believe we are in the midst of another developmental AND growth spurt. I read online that from weeks 15-19 there is a huge "stormy" period of growth that also includes sleep regression/wakefulness. Well. It sure is happening now. He has been waking up earlier and earlier. As well as one time during the night. His naps are just 30 minutes long and getting longer and longer apart. He definitely tries to avoid taking the naps. He'll fuss and rub his eyes and yawn but just won't relax enough to sleep. It takes a good half hour to get him sleeping for naps. I don't mind too much during the day, it's the evening that it gets difficult what with trying to get dinner ready and finishing up laundry etc. But we make it through each day and I always have at least something ready for dinner when Tomo gets home from work.

One of my favorite recent developments is the smiling and laughing. He's starting to make actual laughing noises now. When I leave the room, I always get a huge smile and laugh when he sees me again. I love it. That's got to be the best part about being a mom. Even if he's just keeping himself occupied and I'm across the room, if I go over to play a bit with him, he gives me a huge huge smile as soon as he sees me. It's adorable and of course makes me forget any frustrations and impatience I have with him. Once I see how happy he is, I get happy. I always try to take a picture, but as soon as he sees my phone he just concentrates on it so hard! I'll have to recruit Tomo for secret picture taking services.

That's about it for now. Next update will be a quick one after we go to the Dr and find out his current height and weight. I'm excited to see how much he has grown in actual numbers!