Upset Tummies

Well we had our first outbreak of the daycare stomach bug last week. Uncle Hans had come down to visit for a few days and help out with the deck...and then Eric got sick all over dad.  Uncle Hans was ready with the paper towels for clean up. We took our sick little one to the pediatrician at night. Fortunately after a good nights rest Eric didn't get sick again and seemed to be acting more himself. Then...dad got sick on Thursday...then Uncle Hans got sick...then Friday night MJ got sick...who knew a little boy could take out so many! Fortunatley after some sleep and rehydration everyone is healthy and a bit more OCD about washing our hands :).

Aunt SueSue's Bday & Other Fun

Two weekends ago we travels up to see Aunt SueSue for a post-birthday celebration.  We had a great lunch and then played some put-putt golf. Baby boy was a champ and didn't fuss much. In addition to seeing Uncle Kevin and Aunt Suzanne, Eric got to spend time with his Farfar, Farmor and Farbror Hans. Eric did well sleeping in his new crib at the Fars and only kept them up a little bit with his crying :). 

On our way out of town, we stopped by John, Mandy's and Baby Madison's house for a visit. It was the first meeting for the babes and Eric was way more interested in Madison than she was him. 

Here are some photos from the fun weekend!

Two Firsts

On Saturday, I took Baby Boy to the park for his first swing ride. I expected him to laugh and smile with glee; instead he was just mesmerized by the other children. However, there was no crying, so I count it as a success. 

Today when Christian was feeding Eric, he put his hands on either side of the bottle and held it himself! Pretty proud of our dexterous child.

 

Mornings with Dad

For the month of September, Christian fortunately has an "easy" schedule at school.  He is taking medical Spanish hola!  This easy schedule has allowed him to spend the mornings with Baby Boy.  I love getting the morning updates about my boys.  Here are a few photos from the morning time with Dad:

How to Sleep Train Your Baby

I remember the days when I would tell people, "Eric is such a good sleeper.  He slept 7 straight hours last night!"  But then one day our good little sleeper started waking up every hour...for three weeks in a row.  Obviously, everyone in this Bergman household was tired.  After talking to the pediatrician at Eric's fourth month appointment about sleep training, we were given the green light to try the Ferber Method a.k.a. the "cry it out" method.  I read up on the blogs and asked every parent how they got their baby to sleep.  Some parents were against letting their child cry it out, but others who tried it said there were a few painful nights, but the reward was worth it.  Since we were completely sleep deprived, we decided to go with our pediatrician's advice and follow the Ferber method.

Armed with detailed advice/instructions from cousin Jackie (thank you!), we started with the regular night-time routine.  But instead of rocking him until he fell asleep, I put him down while he was still awake.  Cue the crying!  Per the method, we checked in on our crying babe at the various intervals.  After about an hour of crying, Eric settled down and fell asleep.  We congratulated ourselves for being strong and thought the worst was behind us.  Then 15 minutes later...he woke up...crying.  We continued following the method, checking on him, which usually pissed him off more; then finally at 1 AM he fell asleep.  He slept until about 4 AM, then we started the whole process again until 7 AM or so.

On night two of sleep training, we expected the another night of crying and parental guilt.  However, Baby Boy did great - he slept 8 hours!  Of course Mom and Dad woke up to check on the little guy, but in the end we got a lot more sleep than normal, which was fabulous.

Hopefully, I am not jinxing myself by writing these next statements, but since Saturday, Baby Boy has slept really well (one night of 10 hours!) since we started the "training."  He has figured out how to comfort himself and goes down easily at night after we read a book together.  Eric loves to sleep on his side, with his neck tilted way back, or on his tummy with his face completely schmushed into the mattress.  Thankfully he snores loudly, so we can always make sure he is breathing :).

Rolly Polly 4 Month Old

Just as the books say we have entered the "golden months." Eric loves to play, is good natured and developing his little personality. Plus each day he gets stronger and acts more like a little person. Here are a few highlights about our sweet four month old:

- Eric can roll both ways; back to front and front to back

- He has started to giggle; which melts my heart

- Eric is wearing mostly 6 month clothing

- He has experienced his First  Hokie game. Too bad we played the #1 team in the nation...

- He has started having an Interest in food. He follows what we put in our mouths.

- He has started to sit in his highchair while we eat dinner

- Eric has discovered his feet and legs; and they are wonderful!

- The "baby" in the mirror is fascinating!