Small steps toward larger goals

As I type this, Logan is sleeping on the couch, my himself and has been there for the last 23 minutes alone.  (I have been 5 feet away, in case he wakes up. And he just did, I'll just type with him in the baby back pack.)  Those precious 23 minutes have been the only time he has slept alone, except for when he's in his car seat, since before Thanksgiving. 

Being a mom is harder then I ever imagined- I imagined a sort of babysitting where the baby never went home because he already was home.   Trying to create structure and give Logan what he needs and is good for him is hard.   I started with on demand style.  If he was hungry, I fed him, if he was sleepy, I let him sleep.  Honestly this was the easier of the 2 options because I was so wiped out from the labor and birth that I didn't even remember what day it was and to remember times to create a schedule was impossible for me.  But as he develops, I'm noticing things happen slowly.  Like there isn't just one moment where he started smiling, he built up to it, gradually using the muscles.  Now he's slowly spacing out his feedings, he's still eating very often but most of the feedings throughout the day are more snacks then real meals...

I had been noticing he's been SUPER upset when he wakes up from his short sleeps in the afternoon, so I've been trying to initiate a regular nap time for him- 2-4pm, I will try to sleep with him and he can sleep in the backpack until 5 if he's still tried.  Yesterday this worked beautifully and we had a much better day and evening with a happy baby.  Today....well, we'll have to see.  He's been crying and fighting the last 30 minutes of his nap since I put him in the back pack.

Back to his issues sleeping, he has had colic, with the strong suggestion of a lactation nurse, I have been on the elimination diet- avoiding the 5 major allergens which include 90% of all allergies.  So no wheat, dairy, eggs, soy and nuts for me.  It has been hard but his improvement in gas and happiness has made it much easier.  I've been doing this for 2 weeks, one more week and then 1 food per week I get to add back into my diet so we can tell what it is which he has issues with.  I'm probably going to start with eggs or wheat because those are what is least likely to be the problem and ending with dairy, which before I started this diet I was already avoiding because it made him cry nonstop for about 4 hrs, 13 hrs after I ate it.  This diet has helped with issues feeding him, he was pulling back and crying for most of the feeding, twitching and not being calm, he will restfully eat now which is great...too bad he has acid reflux too.  He's had medicine for that since last Friday and we were told it will gradually begin to help over time.  I ordered some sleeping wedges for him and those were delivered to Mike's work today.  Hopefully all these small steps can help us go toward the goal of having Logan sleep by himself-for any amount of time but ideally a 5 to 6 hr stretch at night.

He's also refused to take a bottle...I go through spells where I try daily to get him to take it (if I let him cry for a while first, I can get him to take it for about an ounce) and then I forget about it for a while and try again.  A friend is going to take him on Friday night for 4 hrs while Mike and I have a date and go see the Hobbit and she is going to try to get him to take the bottle.  Hopefully she will have some success.

Despite his issues with food and eating, he has grown really well at 11 lbs 14 oz yesterday when he went to the doctor. I find myself putting away not just the newborn size clothes but also the 0-3 month size as well, those could fit but mainly are too tight on his head to get them on and the pants look like cropped off pants, which could work in summer but it is winter in Alaska. 
-Kim

Christmas and New year

   Hello from Alaska and the Johnson family. Mike here, just wanting to wish everyone a merry Christmas and happy New Year! We had a terrific one here. Kim got a matching ring to her wedding ring and engagement ring for having Logan, and I got an awesome new pair of gloves and a DVD burner, which is cool. Logan got a ridiculous amount of gifts (thank you everyone), too many to list. Just know he is well taken care of by friends and family everywhere! We enjoyed our family tradition of singing happy birthday to Jesus, and then we went through how a lot of modern Christmas traditions came to be. We also had some great face time with Kim's family, and some good phone time with mine. I hope I can skype with my family soon!

   As for New Year's, it was CRAZY here. I had no idea how big of a deal fireworks are here. People were double parked on the ROADS in town. People had bonfires going in snowy areas in town. Stuff you would never see anywhere else. Also, it warmed up to really really warm temperatures today. It got up to 32 above zero at our house, which is 75 degrees warmer then it was 2 weeks ago. I went out with no coat, gloves, or hat at one point, and it felt like summer to me. It is a nice break before we plunge back into cold. It is also nice to be back up to almost 4 hours of sunlight per day, and gaining daily. In only 4-5 months, it will  be spring again.

   No New Year's resolutions for us here though. Just resolutions. To be good parents, to be a good family, and to love God and others through the year. Paying off loans would be good too haha. Well, more pictures and things to come, but just know we had a fun New Year. We went to our church and talked and hung out (and I played my fair share of Foosball). Here's to another good year with a great family, awesome friends, and abundant blessings. And here's to your New Year friends and family; blessings on all of you this year!

    The Johnson Family