Raising Eli & Zachary + a little Princess

I know, I have been bad, not much activity on RaisingEli for three weeks and it has all been due to a crazy busy schedule and some major changes upcoming in our lives. First and foremost Eli is doing very well, and has conquered his fear of the water. I owe a great debt of gratitude to his swim coach for making it all possible. Eli has gone from a scared little cat in the water to a swimming duck and it has been a really cool transition to see.

Eli has also gone into a stage that is driving me absolutely crazy. He whines a lot, and is not listening. When corrected he cries and runs to mommy. When mommy corrects him, he runs to daddy and whines about wanting mommy. He whines about wanting mommy when mommy is holding him. No win situation. Best thing we can do to not support the behavior and eventually he will realize it is not working and give up.

As for Zach, he is a tank, eats like a champ. Poops like one too, and is growing bigger each day. He is an easy baby and it reminds me how much fun kids at that age can be. Looking forward to hearing him giggle.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

At Eli’s swimming class you get to ring the bell when you reach certain achievements in your program. It is a big deal and in the multiple lessons I have watched, I have never seen a kid ring it. Call my unlucky or something but with all the laughing, splashing, crying and temper tantrums it is just something I have missed. Last night, I get a phone call from my wife and she tells me Eli has something to say….

“Daddy! I rang the bell, and I jumped into the water all by myself!” Like music to my ears this was great news. Eli has always been scared of jumping in, and going underwater, and after weeks, if not months of swim class he has finally conquered his fear!

I am extremely proud of him!

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

Eli received three new games recently and two of them are sure hits for every toddler. The first is a “Guess Who” which is a mystery game in which the players have to ask each other yes/no questions in order to narrow down the field of suspects until only one remains. This game is a logical thinking game that is awesome for the kiddies. Some examples of questions:

Does the mystery person have blue eyes? If the answer is yes, the person flips down the players who have any color eyes other than blue…. etc etc.

The second game is a listening game. The players separate into two types of players, one person gets to be the guy ordering the pizza, and the other players get to make the pizza. It is simple, the player who orders says they want a pizza with X number of toppings and places cards representing the topping in order in front of them. He repeats the items twice and flips them over. Now, each player making the pizza has to remember the toppings, and what order they were given. If the player makes the pizza with the right ingredients, then they get 1 point. If they make the pizza with the right ingredients and in the correct order, they get two points. The level of difficulty is changed by adding/removing the number of toppings.

The third game, which is not one of my favorites simply because it is way too repetitive is another NoodleBoro game where you have to use proper manners to take tokens representing food out of a picnic basket and place them in the proper spot on the picnic blanket, always using manners. The game is over way too fast and it is entirely too easy with little value, but to the kids, they love it just the same and it does encourage good manners.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

Ok parents, what does one “do” with a two week old baby? All they do is eat, sleep, poop, pee on the wall or the unsuspecting parent or eat…wait did I say eat twice?

Well there are a lot of things you can do, most importantly there are a lot of basic rules to follow:

How many times per day do I feed my baby?
I believe you feed on demand, but you have to understand the difference between the I am hungry cry, and the I am tired cry, and the I am bored cry. Only experience will teach you the difference. But in terms of how often? Breast feeding means every 1-3 hours. Bottle Feeding is more like every 2-4 hours. Of course, the older your baby gets, the more per serving and less frequency.

How often do I give my baby a bath?
Two to three times a week, but only wash the hair with shampoo once per week at most. The rule of thumb is bathing a baby is about using a very soft cloth and luke warm water. Babies don’t get dirty like toddlers do, so use your best judgment. Make sure however that you comb the babies hair to help avoid cradle crap. Also, don’t submerge the belly button until the umbilical cord breaks off on its own.

What position should the baby go to sleep in?
On the back, with the head alternating sides. Use a support system to keep baby in place. SIDS research also points to allowing an infant to use a pacifier, but don’t force it on your baby, especially if they let it go.

How much belly time is appropriate?
When your baby is alert and awake it is a good time to do some basic exercises. Things like a boppy pillow and some belly time (always supervised of course). Back time with mom or dad talking to the baby. Gently moving the legs, hands and arms in the babies normal range of motion is always good

How much is too much swing/bouncer time?
I don’t know the answer to this, but I do know that there can be a problem holding a baby too much. Although you can’t spoil a baby until it is three months old, it is always good to have the baby out of your hands and in the swing or bouncer. Just make sure you watch out for the cat, dog or little brother.

Walks!
Walks in the carriage is always a great thing. Fresh air does a baby great, and if your baby is jaundiced, the sun is a great healing mechanism. Make sure the baby is dressed for the weather and go for a walk.

Hope this all helps. As a new dad all over again, I tend to forget things. There is always google!

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

Zachary is getting me in trouble right from the start! Twice, yes twice I have been changing his diaper only to have him pee all over the place. The first time, it was my fault, I just simply was not covering him up in case the cold air caused him to pee, the second time I did have him covered but just didn’t account for the angle!

The first time, Zach just urinated on the wall, the second time, he urinated all over himself. Not a good start to diaper changing! You would think I would remember all the tricks to the trade.

Dad’s out there, if you have a boy, make sure you have the new diaper ready before taking off the old

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...