Royer Family of Three: Mommy knows best....right!?

I have been really enjoying being a "Mommy." I love watching Ethan drift off to sleep, with his peaceful smiles. I really enjoy spending time with him in the morning, when he seems to be his happiest. At 6:00 a.m. he is usually on his changing table smiling, moving like crazy, and cooing. He loves to lay in his crib and watch his mobile. He follows each animal with his eyes - and has huge smiles! He has also finally noticed Dakota and seems to like watching her. However, his favorite friend seems to be Brown Bear. He lays on his blanket and just stares at Brown Bear. He can lay there for quite a while and be entertained by his new found friend (thanks Aunt Jill and Uncle Rick)! =)

So, Motherhood is quite wonderful. However, there are so many decisions! Little things that I never really thought about before Ethan arrived. When should he take his naps? When do I really try to start a "schedule" with him? Should I feed him before he goes to sleep? Vaccines...or no vaccines? Should I rock him to sleep, or let him cry himself to sleep? How much should I feed him? Am I overfeeding him?

It seems that I am doing everything "wrong" according to the "books." Most books say that you should feed them, keep them up for a while, and then put them down for a nap. They recommend that you keep repeating this pattern throughout the day. We tried that for a few days and it just didn't work. He ended up being over tired and never taking a good nap. It seems that he likes to have a bottle and take an hour morning nap, and then also take a 2-3 hour afternoon nap. So, I am also feeding him before he goes down for a nap - which apparently is a big No No. Am I creating a monster!? =) And then...how do you just let a baby cry!? Yes, I have been rocking him before bed. In fact - right now he is in his crib trying to fall asleep and is starting to get fussy. Should I go back up there and rock him some more? I will wait a little bit and see if he falls asleep on his own...

The doctor told me not to give him for than 3 ounces! Yikes - he would be screaming all day if that was all I gave him. I figure that a breastfed baby gets to eat as much as he/she wants. So, Ethan should also get to eat as much as he wants, right? So, he is up to 5 ounces at most feedings. I have been keeping track of how much he eats over a 24 hour period - and it is higher than it should be. However, he definitely tells me when he is hungry and I can tell when he is satisfied. So, I will continue what I am doing.

We were getting on a very good schedule. He would eat every 3 hours during the day - and sometimes at night he would go for 5 1/2 hours. However the last few days he seems to want to eat more frequently. I am wondering if he is just going through a growth spurt. I am really hoping the night feedings begin to disappear!? (By the way - he DID fall asleep on his own - I am looking at the monitor right now - yahooy).

And then - probably the biggest decision of all - vaccines! The doctor says that all of the vaccines are fine - however I hear otherwise. I am trying to learn about each vaccine and make the decision - but that is tough. It is enough to make your head spin. He is going to get his first vaccines at 2 months - but we aren't going with the normal schedule. We are going to space them out a lot more and probably eliminate some. We would probably wait longer, but I think since he is going to be in Daycare it is important that he gets some of the vaccinations.

So, anyways - my conclusion is that Mommy should know best. At least I hope so! I think every baby is different and I am learning that I can't always go by the "books." What works for one, may not work for another. Right!? =)

Okay, enough of my rambling, here are some recent pics.

'Cutie Pie!