5 months old & a big eater!

So I started feeding Maddy solids... I tried my hardest to wait until six months but it broke my heart to eat in front of him. He would stop whatever he was playing with and just stare at me as I ate. It was sad! Also, his feedings became more frequent and I was nursing him every 2 hours sometimes every hour and a half. So, we started with some green beans, then bananas and so on. He loves bananas and pears but doesn't like carrots. I also fed him some pumpkin today mixed in with bananas. At nights I mix in some oatmeal with his food to try to keep him full through the night. That hasn't been working so well. Maddy still wakes up to eat every 3 to 4 hours in the night. He looks so cute when he eats and opens his mouth for more. It is a lot of fun. So that is the big news. He is developing so fast! Anytime I lay him down, he rolls over onto his stomach and is almost crawling. He raises his legs and tries to push forward with his feet. Since we got back from Hawaii, I have been trying to get him on a schedule and it has been going really well. Maddy wakes up at around 8 or 9 and eats and plays. Then he naps at around 11 and sleeps for 2 to 3 hours. He also takes another nap at around 4 or 5 for an hour or 2 and then goes to bed at around 9 or 10. I'm trying not to be too rigid or strict with it because sometimes, I have to go places or we're not at home so I want to allow for some flexibility and base the routine around his needs. I also created a bedtime routine. Maddy and I read a book- Buenas Noches, Luna and then I turn out the lights and feed him. He usually falls asleep so then I put him in his own bed. Maddy will usually wake up and fuss a little but I am doing the Cry it Out Method which means I let him cry and then go into the room to comfort him in intervals increasing the length of time as I go. We have done this for the past 3 nights and it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. The first night was difficult to not go in and hold him when I was listening to him cry. One good thing is that since we haven't let Maddy cry hardly at all since he was born, he has a very low tolerance for it and is worn out easily. Maddy has become obsessed with his feet. Anytime I lay him down on the floor or when I'm changing his diaper, he pulls his feet up and holds them or puts them in his mouth. And he has a very strong grip so changing his diaper is a struggle. Maddy is still very ticklish and laughs all the time. He is such a happy baby. I definitely was having my doubts when we got back from Hawaii about whether he would stay an easy baby but luckily, he has completely returned to his old demeanor and I think vacation just stressed him out. I really think he missed home and his routine. Also, I think he was constantly hungry. Maddy loves books and his favorite is one with pictures of other little babies in it. He also loves his Star Wars toys and his favorite one is C3PO the gold robot. He lives in his saucer and loves standing up. Maddy is still putting everything in his mouth including his hands. Anyway, everything is going really well. I love being a mom. As for me though, I am having some maternal separation anxiety and hate leaving him. Anytime I am away from Maddy, I am thinking about him and worrying about him and I can't wait to be with him again. I also worry all the time about all the bad things that could happen. I have never felt so vulnerable and fragile in my life. It's like my whole world is wrapped up into my little baby boy and if anything were to happen to him, it would destroy me. Motherhood has turned me into a worrier. But I pray every night for him and my prayers have never been more sincere. Gosh! Being a mom is scary!

Maddox's First Vacation- Hawaii!

Maddox was such a good little traveler! He was perfect on all the plane rides and basically just slept and ate. We had quite a journey to and from Maui. We flew from Boise to Salt Lake to Phoenix and stayed a couple nights with some friends there. Then we flew from Phoenix to LAX to Maui. We had the same stops coming home as well- quite a bit of getting on and off of planes and a lot of time in airports. Looking back, we should have bought direct flights. With Maddy, we had the stroller/car seat which made it easy once we got through security. We got to Maui on a Monday afternoon and it was beautiful! We stayed in a little apartment with Brent and Marina and it was right in front of the beach. The first afternoon we took Maddy out to the beach and dipped his feet in the water. He hated it. It was hilarious. I realized though that it was the first time he had felt "cold" water considering that he had only been in bath water up until that point. But he was a trooper. He went with us everywhere. We did the road to Hana and we woke up at 3 in the morning to drive up to the highest mountain and watch the sun rise above the clouds. Maddox pretty much lived in his car seat the whole week. We were out and about so much and when we were on the beach, he slept in his car seat/stroller. On Friday, he started getting really fussy and by Saturday night, Maddox was miserable. He was up every hour through the night with diarrhea every hour and wanting to eat every hour. I felt so bad for him. He had horrible diaper rash and probably a tummy ache. Sunday morning we decided to take him to urgent care but because they didn't accept insurance, we ended up at the emergency room. Of course, after a rough night, Maddox was the perfect baby for the nurses and doctors. I swear, they all thought I was a crazy paranoid mother. Maddox was laughing at the doctor and smiling at everyone. The doctor said that he most likely had caught a virus but not to be concerned since he was eating and didn't have a fever. I was so relieved and luckily the very next day, his diaper rash started to heal and his diarrhea wasn't as bad. I just felt really guilty for not being able to take him home to his own bed and back to his routine. Being sick and away from home is not fun. The last day in Hawaii, we took Maddy out to play in the water and at first, he fussed a little but then seemed to be okay with it. He looked so cute in his little swim outfits! During the week, I also took him to the hot tub a couple of times and he loved it. Before 4 pm, it wasn't heated so it was the perfect temperature. Maddox had a little float tube that he sat in and just loved it! While we were at the beach, I would lay Maddy out on my towel in the shade and somehow he would always find a way to put a hand or a foot in the sand. Every day he ended up completely covered in sand no matter how hard I tried. I am so proud of my little guy for being such a trooper and a good little traveler. Vacation was definitely different with a baby but I'm thankful for the experience and the beautiful atmosphere we were able to show Maddox. He is our everything and I am so glad he is feeling better! Aloha!