Big progress

Luke is currently cutting four upper teeth, before last week he had two bottom teeth that had popped through but not grown much for several months. I was actually starting to get concerned about it because these teeth weren't growing! It seems they're coming in more now, and his two uppers have definitely popped through. So it's been sort of rough sleeping around here lately, I think this has officially launched him into a one-nap baby. I'm okay with that now that we're showing our house, since it means hopefully I won't be having to wake him up. I can usually get him and Beth to nap at the same time during the day, usually about 1 pm, though some days Beth doesn't really need the nap anymore.

His favorite thing right now is playing in the dog crate! We had to bring Finley's crate back in the house since we're showing it now, and Luke just thinks it's the best toy in the world. He crawls in (with or without Finley present, it doesn't matter!), giggles and squeals, and will play for 20 or 30 minutes if I let him!

Luke is also walking a lot now, he's much more confident about venturing away from the sofa or something else he's been clinging too. Yesterday he tried to run and catch Beth but he's not quite ready for that yet! Soon though, I have no doubt they'll both be running laps around the couch!

Another big change Luke is experiencing is the weaning process. I was in major denial a few weeks ago because I wasn't ready to wean him yet, but he'd stopped asking to nurse. So I offered anyway and he'd nurse, but it began to hurt so bad. So a few days ago, he stopped asking again and I stopped offering. The last time we nursed was on Friday morning. I am not sure if I'll offer again, if he'll ask again; I'm having very mixed feelings about it. Part of me really wants to continue nursing him since he still feels like such a baby to me, not to mention the health benefits, but another part of me is ready for a break for a few months. So we'll see what happens...

In addition to us switching Beth's car seat around, it seems she's going through a lot of emotional and mental growth right now. I think it's probably most apparent to Ryan and me, because she's challenging us in new ways. Lots of saying "no" in addition to all the regular talking, and Ryan and I spend a lot of time repeating our requests and answering her "whys." It seems that our quest for gentle discipline solutions will continue as we continue to explore natural consequences instead of spanking or yelling. I'm on the fence about time outs. Has anyone successfully used time outs in a non-punitive manner? I think it could go either way, it depends on how you handle them. I think more often than not, I'm the one who needs a time out away from all the talking and noise!


Number 3 seems to be growing well, I'm starting to feel baby movements on a pretty regular basis now. My bump grows bigger and bigger by the day, and I feel good. I did have my first episode of "sickness" on Christmas night, I'm totally blaming that on waaaaay to many sweets! I can't believe I'm 16 weeks! I have a checkup on Monday, and that's the day we'll schedule the 20-week ultrasound to make sure everything looks good. I am going to ask my midwife about lovely compression hose since I am having major vein issues with my legs, especially in my left leg. Each pregnancy has made it worse, and I have friends who have sworn by compression hose to help with varicose veins in their legs. I just found out that my insurance will cover prescription pantyhose (who knew?), so it's something I need to look into!