I was reading a short article today about the worst baby advice ever, and some of it just made my skin crawl.  For instance, To find out if your child is teething, you should tap his gums with a spoon... OUCH!  Why not just wait until the teeth come in?  It's not like you can make them come in any faster! 

Another one was about how you should never swaddle your baby, because his arms will get deformed.  That one just makes me laugh!  If that were true, then there would be tons of deformed-arm people walking around all over the world! 

Someone else bragged about how she got really good at nursing her baby and driving at the same time!  I think that one was the absolute worst!  But, on that note, when Tony and I were at the mall today, we set Joseph in his car seat without strapping him in and pushed him around in his stroller.  Then when we left, Tony took the car seat out of the stroller and set it in the base in the car... and forgot to strap him in!  We didn't realize that he wasn't strapped in until we got home and took them out of the car!  And THAT makes my skin crawl the most.  We could have had the tiniest accident, or Tony could have just slammed on the breaks, and I don't even want to finish that thought!

So, the rule is from now on, if we do NOT put Joseph inhis stroller without strapping him in his car seat!

Getting your kid to sleep should be an Olympic Sport.

It takes training- Those loooong nights during pregnancy when you wake up 20 times to run to the bathroom... because you will be waking up 20 times a night to nurse, change diapers, and put the baby BACK to sleep... again, and again, and again, night after night after night.

It takes physical strength- carrying around a fifteen pound baby is nothing to sneeze at!

It takes endurance- pacing for a half hour until he falls asleep. enough said.

It takes patience- pacing around for a half hour until he falls asleep... for the third time in TWO hours!

It takes support from your fans- husband: "I thought you already put him to bed.  Is he awake again?"

And once you finally succeed, you feel like to deserve a gold medal.  But don't get too excited- someone can come a long and break your record... OR the baby can wake up again.

Speak of the devil.

Joseph did two cool things today.

First, while we were at the park with my friend Nicole, Joseph rolled from his tummy to his side.  (I know, he probably should have done this sooner, but I've been really bad about "tummy-time" because I hate hearing him scream when I put him on his stomach!)

The second cool thing happened when we were in the car.  Joseph has this Little Einsteins thing that goes on the handle of his car seat.  It's got a little button that plays music when you push it.  Well, he's always been fascinated by it.  There have been many times when I put him in his car seat and he started crying, and all I would do is play the music and he would stop.  So, today as I was driving home from my friend April's house, I heard his little toy playing music.  Somehow, he figured out how to push the button, and did so several times on our way to the grocery store.  I was pretty excited! 

But... on the way home from the store, I didn't hear him push the button anymore.  I don't know if that was because he had already forgotten how or he was too busy screaming his head off the whole way home.  Either way, who cares?  I'm still one proud mama!

We just got back from Joseph's 4 month check-up.  He is right where he should be for weight and length, which is awesome.  His poopy diapers are back to being regular old poopy diapers (yay!) and his pediatrician said it wasn't anything to worry about.  He also said to start giving Joseph a few sips of water out of a cup every day, and then to start him on rice cereal when he gets to 5 1/2 months and vegies at 6 months.  I'm kinda glad that Joseph never got attached to a pacifier, because if he had, Dr.Ramos would have told me it's time to give it up, and I know it would NOT be fun to have to take it away.

Joseph also got more vaccinations today.  His little cry sounded both angry and betrayed, and I am so glad that he has a short memory span for stuff like this.  He is sleeping in his car seat now, and I'm hoping to get in some lunch before he wakes up.

Fingers crossed!

Sometimes, the most important part of your day is what you saw in the poo...

Joseph had two poopy diapers with a little bit of blood in them today.  I called his pediatrician and spoke to a nurse who said to just keep an eye on him, and my mom stopped by to check out the diapers (THANKS MOM, YOU ARE AWESOME!), and she doesn't think it's anything to freak out about.  So, I am staying calm and waiting to see if anything comes of this.  He doesn't have a temperature (I checked with a cool little pacifier/thermometer thing!), and his temperament has been pretty normal.  The only not-normal stuff is his waking up a million times last night, after I was getting used to him sleeping from 9 to 4 am, and he's got a little rash on his back.  I kinda think that maybe he's sensitive to the dairy in my diet, because I do consume A LOT of dairy.  So, I am going to try really hard to cut back on dairy for the next two weeks to see if it helps.  My food future seems rather bleak.  What fun is life without cheese?  But, if it keeps the blood out of his diaper, I can give that stuff up for a little while... I think!

This mess does have kind of good timing, because Joseph has his 4 month check up on Friday, so if anything is still a little weird, at least we already have an appointment set up.

I am borrowing (okay stealing) this idea from my sister Kari, who writes special journal entries to her little boy, Lucas.

Dear Joseph,

Tomorrow, you will be 4 months old!  I cannot believe that so much time has gone by all ready.  You have grown so much and so many ways!  In the past few weeks, you seem to have "woken up" to realize that there is so much to observe around you.  You can bring both of your hands together to hold something, and then bring it (almost) to your mouth to taste it.  (You are still working on this skill!  Some things just won't fit in your mouth, and you have to settle for licking them instead of chewing on them.)  You've also started laughing a little- though it takes Mommy a LOT of work to get those little giggles out of you!  You are such a smiley, social little boy, and everyone just loves to make you smile.  Your pudgy cheeks attract plenty of attention.

One day this week, I was too sick to take care of you.  I had to let other people hold you and feed you and keep you happy.  It was really hard for me.  As bad as I felt, though, I just wanted you not to get what I had.  I don't think I could stand to see you get so dehydrated and weak, but you were fine.  Afterwards, when I could finally hold you and nurse you and play with you again, I didn't want to ever let you go!  Ever since then, you've been nursing longer and you seem to want me to hold you more (to which I happily oblige!) and I think maybe you missed me that day too.  But, my little Love, there is no need to fear that I will ever leave you.  I love you much too much!

You are getting stronger and learning more every day, and I know that before I know it, you will be walking and talking, and even though that will be exciting, I think I will miss my sweet little baby who was so dependent on me.  I feel like the days are just flying past me right now, so I am going to try to enjoy every little second.

You have also been sleeping better these last few nights.  I have started swaddling you again before you nurse, and it seems to keep you asleep in your own little bassinet from about 830 to 400 AM, when you wake up to nurse again.  The only problem is that I start to miss you and want to take you out of your basinet to cuddle, but I don't because we both need our sleep.  

Your papa loves playing with you, and he gets so excited when you smile or laugh or babble to him.  He can't even resist talking baby talk to you, and before you were born, he swore he never would, but you are just too irresistible.

Well, my little love, you are waking up from your nap, so I had better go get you.  I love you, Baby.

I was playing with Joseph today, pulling his arms out wide and saying in a high voice, "I love you THIIIIIIIIS much!" and he gave me a huge gummy grin with a little halting laugh that almost made me cry! So we played that little game for a while, giggling together, and then, in tribute to Ross, Rachel, and Emma from friends, I sag the first few lines from Baby Got Back, which made him laugh a little too.  It made my day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kelmDTjj0AI

I KNOW I shouldn't complain.  I am so blessed to have a wonderful, supportive husband and a beautiful, HEALTHY baby.  But... sometimes...

I guess it just kind of hit me as Tony announced that he was going to pick up his friend, go to AMR (because he'd never been there before), and go to the grocery store to get some drinks.  It's kind of a little bit unfair.  If I wanted to go run an errand on my own, I have to make sure it's going to be ok with Tony that I leave Joseph.  (And then I worry the whole time I'm gone that Joseph might be fussy, and Tony might be having a difficult time.)  I can't just announce that I'm going somewhere, BY MYSELF.  As a result, I end up stuck at home a lot, because when I think about all of the trouble I have to go through to pack my little angel up into the car, and then I start to worry about whether or not he's going to fuss the whole time, it hardly seems worth it to go most places.

At the same time, I really shouldn't complain too much.  I know Tony is working hard with school and stuff.  And plus, it's not like Tony can nurse Joseph.  I guess we'll just keep doing the best we can, and I will try not to focus too much on the negative stuff.

On a positive not, Joseph is getting more and more dexterous every day.  He's been grabbing toys and bringing them to his mouth, which is pretty cool.  He's also started rolling on his side, though it seems to be only his right side so far.  We're still working on all of the sleeping stuff- but I'm sure that's going to go on for a LOOOOOONG time!

I am thinking about finally moving him out of our room into his own room soon.  Right now, he's sleeping in a pack-n-play with a bassinet in our bedroom.  I'm kind of having a hard time getting much sleep because I hear every move and every little whimper that he makes through out the night.  I'm just dreading the whole ordeal, because as it is, I am the one who gets up with him whenever he wakes up at night, and I'm sure that messing with his sleeping arrangements is going to bring on some more sleepless nights.  I guess it will be worth it in the long run, though, if we all sleep better as a result.