Almost Four Months!

Phew, what a long hiatus. The last time I had a chance to update this blog was when Owen was just a few weeks old. We had a nanny for the first six weeks and having help those first weeks during recovery was so wonderful.. but it totally spoiled me and made the seventh week of fending for myself that much more challenging. At nearly four-months, I know exactly what my baby likes, what he dislikes. I know how to rock him to sleep quickly and efficiently, how to switch positions of holding him based on the type of cry, how to change his diaper in 30-seconds while making him laugh and coo, and how to get him to do tummy time for just a few minutes longer.... but one thing I've yet to master is bottle-feeding him.

We've tried a number of different bottles and nipple flows, but he just doesn't like bottles. We've been "bottle-training" for almost a month now so that owen can do without me by his side 24/7 (I'm returning to work on 6/30-- *cringe*) . We cry and cry and cry for HOURS on end (we've gone up to 7 hours of him protesting the bottle and once it gets past 4-5 hours, I am totally defeated and usually end up nursing him) and it's only when he starts dozing off in my arms of exhaustion from all the crying, that he reluctantly takes the bottle. The whole process has been emotionally and physically draining! There have been so many times where I've considered just quitting my job so that I could stay home to feed the little guy... but alas, that would be a rash decision. My left wrist is completely unusable so I have to pick him up with my right hand and try and support him with my left forearm. Thankfully, Owen IS getting better (his protests have grown shorter for the most part (20-30 minutes of crying on good the days) though his protest is a bit more extreme (think bright-red faced rage with cute pouty faced expressions and screams AND bead-y little tears). I love it when grandma (my mom) comes over to help. She just about the only other person in the world that has enough patience with Owen to bear through the bottle-feeing frenzy. Owen's taking a break from one of his bottle tantrums in this picture with grandma...

On a brighter note, Owen's been very alert since 2.5 months and started to really smile just before his 3-month mark. In his 3rd month so far, he's developed into a real person! He laughs, talks (coos), grasps things and puts everything in his mouth. He pouts when he sees strangers or when someone makes a sad face. His tummy times are a lot more fun now that he is very observant of whatever is in sight. He concentrates really hard and stays on his tummy for a good 10-15 minutes straight, exploring stuff! This was also the month where he rolled over (front to back) for the first time. I was so happy to be able to see him do this for the first time that as soon as he rolled over, I put him in my arms and danced around the house with him, covering him in big wet kisses. :) Just a few days ago, he started to sit very sturdy, using his arms to support himself up. It will be a long time before he's able to sit on his own so I'm supporting him on all sides but it's such a (cute) start!! He seems to enjoy the new view that sitting brings very much.
 

We also celebrated owen's 100 day! It's a significant milestone in the Korean culture and now the more traditional elders in my family don't look at me like I'm a baby-abuser for taking Owen out into public places. Back in the day, many babies never made it past the 100-day mark, so the 100-day celebration would be the very first time that the baby would be shown and exposed to people other than the immediate family. I suppose it makes sense, since newborns are more susceptible to diseases and still have immature lungs and such. Well, he's "out of the woods" based on the cultural beliefs of our nationality. Plus, we always enjoy having excuses to celebrate and get together with family and friends.. so yipee! Can't wait until his ddol (1 year) celebration!!

Since it's been quite awhile since the last update, let me write out his doctor's visit stats from 1-3 months, accompanied by a photo of Owen after his 3-mo visit/vaccinations:
One Month: March 24 2010 - 9lbs 15oz, 21in.
Two Month: April 26, 2010 - 13lbs 4oz, 22 3/4in.
Three Month: May 25, 2010 - 15lbs, 24in.

I'm not sure what percentile each stat is, but I do know that my boy is "thriving", per his doctor and that's all that really matters to me.