The little nugget rolled over belly to back last week! This week he has been able to repeat the task several times while on his belly. I cheer for him every time he does it and you can see how proud he is of himself. Its pretty darn cute. As he is getting more comfortable with being on his belly he is starting to explore the space around him more with is hands. He is also starting to get a little more interested in playing with his feet.
Leo's To Do list for the week: work to improve shrieking!
His skin is still acting up and the main problem with this is that Leo is really scratching himself pretty badly at night while trying to fall asleep. I called and made an appointment to see the doctor next week in Lubbock since we will be there for Halloween anyway.
Leo's new favorite thing to do this week is to scream like he is on a roller coaster. He seems to think he is on this imaginary roller coaster about every 10 seconds and likes to let you know it with a piercing scream.
This week has been tricky because Leo has been fluctuating between a high and a low grade fever. On Thursday morning, when I went to feed him at 5 am, he seemed very warm and when I took his temperature it clocked in at 101.1 degrees. I called the doctor once the office was opened that morning and they told me to watch it and if it continued over the weekend then to call Monday morning to make an appointment to see the doctor. Based on the other "symptoms" he has (biting everything, drooling, being fussy while feeding) it seems he has possibly started teething.
Leo is finally starting to bring his little feet up closer to is hands but isn't really interested in grabbing or playing with them at all. He is now starting to grab and reach out for toys during tummy time.
Leo's rash had improved but it has kicked up once again. It is not as bad as when it previously peaked (right now its only on his face) but he still seems uncomfortable as he is always scratching himself when trying to fall asleep.
This week, Leo seems to have "crazy legs"! Whenever he is sitting or laying he kicks and flails his legs like a crazy dude. He is also trying to stand quite a bit. Whenever you are carrying him while seated, he loves to try and push up on your thighs while holding on to your neck. He loves to play in his bath tub and pretend to swim by, once again, kicking his legs like a wild man. He likes to try to kick his bath toys and splashes water everywhere. While sitting in the bathtub he also likes to try and sit up straight but falls over after a few seconds. He can also sit up on his own unassisted for a few seconds while on the sofa or on the floor.
Leo had his four month appointment this week, including shots. Although his face was still a little puffy, the doctor thought Leo's rash looked a lot better. The Hydrocortizone we started putting on him last week seems to have done its job. Leo weighed 15 Lbs. 12 oz. and measured 25.5 inches long. These measurements mean he is a little above average for both weight and height. Leo also got his shots at the appointment and the poor little guy cried his heart out. The shots must have worn him out because he napped from 11 am to 3:30 pm that day! He also ran a slight fever but it did not persist for long. Glad that's over!
This weekend we went to surprise Pops and Lala for their 60th birthday. We showed up at their door on Friday night with balloons, cake, a poster, and all the kiddos. It was really fun to get all of the little cousins together in one room for the first time. Leo had a great time! He was shy for a few minutes when we first got there but then he was living it up with everyone for the rest of the weekend. He had so much fun with everyone that he knocked out for the entire ride home! Happy 60th birthday Pops and Lala!
This week Leo has been enjoying our outings a little more. He has been smiling a bit more at strangers when they come up to talk to him. Leo isn't sticking out his bottom pouty lip anymore unless he really feels uncomfortable in a new place. He is extremely observant at his surroundings and seems to always be trying to figure out what is going on and what people are trying to do around him. He tries to mimic a few facial expressions. He is not napping very well in the afternoons and seems to be sticking to a two nap a day schedule. He has been VERY hungry this week.
Leo's skin has been acting up for a while now but he severity of his skin rash seems to have peaked this week. The rash spread all over his body and got worse on his face. His face got a little swollen and his eyes were puffy. I am unsure if it bothered him but he seemed to scratch his forehead and scalp at night. He has woken up with new scratches every morning this week. I also found blood in his poop again and decided I would take him to see a doctor in Alpine. The Alpine doctor, our pediatrician in Lubbock, and Eric all seem to agree that this appears to be a milk protein allergy. I had reintroduced a protein shake because I had not seen blood in his poop in a while, but after this week, Leo's reaction seems to have confirmed that I need to eliminate all dairy out of my diet. I hope it gets better soon.
Leo found his "screaming voice" this week! He has been trying to talk a lot more. I continue to try and speak to him in Spanish.
Leo is rocking his body more during tummy time and I have even been able to get a few smiles out of him while he is on his belly!
We had one scary little episode this week. When changing Leo's diaper one morning, I found blood in his poop. Eric said that it could possibly be a dairy protein allergy that was causing it. I cut out all dairy and the blood seems to have cleared up. I am hoping it was just a fluke and I can reintroduce dairy back into my diet with no problems.
This week Leo has gotten a lot better at lifting his head during tummy time. He seems to be able to lift it a lot better if he has a little support from a small pillow under his chest. We have also been practicing without the pillow but you can tell it is a lo harder for him without it. He is also making some progress at not getting so frustrated during tummy time.
Leo continues to sleep well only getting up about once per night. He almost rolled over once while trying to fall sleep one night.
Leo has been very talkative this week. He continues to practice grasping his hands at the center and loves to look at his toes. He has tried reaching for his toes and will try to grab them with help.
Leo's skin has been pretty temperamental lately. I can't seem to get rid of his cradle cap and the flakiness extends out to his forehead. he also has scabby red patches on his cheeks. I'm not sure if this is possibly a heat rash or not. He also has these patchy, rough spots on the back of his arms and on his knees. This looks like it could be psoriasis since his daddy also has this.
Leo is officially three months old this week! Wow! I can't even believe I have a three month old! This was a big developmental week for Leo because he now seems to be able to do so many new things. He has gotten so much better at holding onto things and has learned that he can use his hands to manipulate and inspect objects. He also grasps his hands together at the center and seems to really enjoy putting them in his mouth. He has started to use his left hand more this week.
On September 6th, I heard the sweetest little sound I've ever heard besides hearing Leo's tiny little cry for the first time in the delivery room. Leo laughed for the first time this week! Wade and I were sitting on the couch and I was bouncing Leo on my knee like he was riding a little "horse". He though that was the most fun he had ever had in his whole life. I'm hoping to get it on video the next time but for now this picture below is just really cute. I'm feeling good because I feel like our little one is a happy guy and that's all a mama can hope for.
He has also started to "cuddle" with his little lovey bunny that his aunt Vivi gave him. Cuddling the bunny seems to make him real sleepy. I give it to him sometimes when he is trying to fall asleep and he holds onto it real tight and rubs the soft blanket on his cheek. I am always watching him when the little bunny is in his crib and I remove it once he is done holding on to it or if he falls asleep. I am a little tentative to have him get attached to it because I don't really want him to need it for falling asleep just yet. I'm not really sure at what point I will feel comfortable having him sleep with a stuffed animal in his crib. But for now, it's pretty cute.
Our Week in Pictures
Learning all these new talents make for a pretty sleepy week. It's hard work being three months old!
This week I took Leo to go visit his dad at the DEA office in Alpine. It was really fun to have everyone meet him but Mr. Leo did not think so. Lexine, Wade's secretary, asked if she could hold him and right when I handed him over to her he started pouting his lip and then screaming at the top of his lungs. She handed him back to me, he stopped crying, and held on to me for dear life. We tried having someone else hold him after that but he would just pull out his pouty lip and start crying. They would give him back to me and he would stop. It was pretty cute because you could tell that he felt safe with me.
Everyone was gathered in a circle around us looking at Leo. He did not appreciate "all eyes on him" because he would start the pouty lip thing when he realized everyone was looking at him. I guess you can't really blame the little guy...if I was in the middle of a circle of people and they were all looking at me I would feel uncomfortable as well.
At one point, I walked over to Wade and once he said "hi" to Leo you could tell that he recognized his dad because he gave Wade a big smile. Leo seems to be a timid baby and is not too fond of being handed off to strangers. This was a fun day for us and it made us feel good because you could tell Leo feels comfortable with us and understands that mom and dad will protect him.
The following Saturday I took Leo to a little "music group" a couple of moms put together twice a month in Alpine. The moms and kiddos gather in a circle and everyone can sing songs and play instruments. Needless to say, the little guy was terrified and pulled out his little pouty lip antics right when we got there. He seemed scared and held on to me tightly but at the same time you could tell he was a bit mesmerized by everything that was going on around him. I think exposing him to things like this will help to bring him out of his shell a little bit. The poor little guy was so overwhelmed he just passed out on the car ride home.
This week has a busy week for Mr. Leo. This week he seems to have realized that he has legs and feet! He has also been very busy working on sitting up. Crunches are hard work!
Leo's sleep is also improving. We had a couple of nights where he slept from 7:30pm to 5 am. Mama is finally feeling a little more rested!