Throwback Thursday

I'm sure the suspense has been killing you.  Today I reveal the portion of my pregnancy e-journal where I found out the gender of my little nugget.

July 20^th – 19 weeks

Was at a client meeting this morning & swear I felt the nugget.  It felt kind of like a gas pain on the left side of my stomach (not all the way left but left of the middle).  I felt it several times, but didn’t feel like I was having gas.  It was a different sensation than what I thought may be the nugget.  I wish I knew for sure, but I’m sure I will in a few weeks when I’m feeling him more & more.  I almost shouted out in the meeting – I think my baby’s kicking me!!  But I restrained myself…  J  Two more days til my next appointment!!

July 22^nd

Doctor’s appointment today!  In order to get the nugget moving, I ate powdered donuts & drank OJ for breakfast.  He didn’t want to move around last time, so I wanted to make sure to wake his little butt up this time!  Apparently it worked!  The doctor got a good look at his baby junk & confirmed she thinks it’s a boy (99.99% sure – and she doesn’t always say that).  My plan worked because he was definitely moving around a lot.  The doctor said, “He’s really active, what did you have for breakfast?”  I told her powdered donuts (but later wished I had added “but I don’t eat like that every morning!”)  Oh well, I’m gaining the right amount, so she probably knows I don’t eat donuts all the time!  Up about 9 pounds so far…  Michael was very happy to find out the gender, too.  He’s excited about a boy!  I also asked the doctor about the occasional glass of wine – she said no.  Boo.  Oh well, better safe than sorry.  I miss wine a lot, though.  I have found that since my nose is so sensitive, I enjoy smelling Michael’s wine.  It’s almost as good as drinking it.  I swear, I can almost taste it through my nose.  It will have to work for now!  I’ll just look like the crackhead who likes to sniff her husband’s glass of wine.  Ha!

July 23^rd

Took off work to go shopping with my mom & sister.  We went to Peek a Boo Baby, Mathis Brothers, Babies R Us, Crib City, Target, Baby Emporium, Hobby Lobby, Joann’s Fabric & Hancock Fabric.  Got some good ideas!  Bought my first item for the nugget.  An OSU stocking cap to put on him for his trip home from the hospital (it will be cold in December!)  It’s so cute & tiny!  I didn’t find any bedding sets I loved, so we’re thinking about having the bedding made.  A co-worker’s wife makes baby bedding, so we’re going to check with her.  Otherwise, my mom thinks she may be able to do it.  She checked out the pattern at Hobby Lobby & said it didn’t look too hard.  That way we can get exactly what we want rather than paying for a set but not liking certain parts about it.  I found several fabric patterns I liked to run by Michael.  We went to eat at Olive Garden (they have several fun non-alcoholic drinks – yay!) & he really liked the first fabric swatch I pulled out (stripes in green, brown & blue).  He wasn’t that excited about the others but I really like the one he picked, too.  I think we’re going to head that direction at least for now!  So glad I have my mom & sister to share this with me.  I’m still overwhelmed about how much we need to do & how much stuff we need, but it helped just taking a day to check out some stuff.  I really want an upholstered glider rocker & ottoman but the ones at Peek a Boo Baby were $700+ for the set.  OUCH!  I love the way they look so much more than the regular glider rockers.  But I don’t know if I can justify spending so much on a chair…

It's a boy!  Duh.  It was super exciting to find out, though.  I was kind of hoping for a boy (no real reason) but I would have been completely happy either way.  I'm just a planner & didn't feel like I could do much until I found out the gender.  Obviously I didn't waste any time - I started shopping the day after my doctor appointment!  J

We ended up having the bedding made & going with the stripes that Michael & I originally liked.  My mom made the bumper, pillow & window valance & my co-worker's wife made the bed skirt & blanket.  I love how it all turned out!

Hilarious

The other day I pulled out my Precious Moments bible to look up something (yes, I'm in my thirties & it's still my favorite bible).  I happened to find a blast from the past in the back - my camper journal from church camp from the summer of 1994.  I'll share some of my wonderful entries.  My current thoughts are in red.

After reading Exodus 32:1-4 (Moses had a deep down concern for the people he had brought out of Egypt & he pleaded with God to spare their lives), we had to answer some questions:

Look around you at creation.  What makes you & God sad?
Littering.
That's... random.

Look at your family.  What makes you & God sad?
When we fight.
Very generic answer.

Look at your school.  What makes you & God sad?
All the drug & achohal.
Not drugs.  Just drug.  You know, all the drug that people do.  And nice spelling of alcohol.

Look around your home town.  What makes you & God sad?
All the disrespect.
I don't remember my home town being so disrespectful.  Too bad I didn't take the time to explain my answer further, so I could figure out what the heck I was talking about. 

Look at your country.  What makes you & God sad?
Violence.
Don't worry about expanding or giving examples.  That pretty much covers it.

Look at your world.  What makes you & God sad?
That we don't have world peace.
Like Michael pointed out, I was apparently hoping to be a future beauty queen.  I obviously was so in tune with world events at age 14.

Where do you see people being destructive at camp?  What makes you & God sad?
Everywhere.  Littering & judging.
I don't remember being so offended by littering but I guess it was worth mentioning twice.  I lived a rough life watching all the "littering & judging". 

Now on to "My Resolution Wish List".  I was advised to think & pray about who is causing me conflict in my life right now & to be specific - don't just say "my sister" but use her name & describe the situation.  NO ONE will see this but you!!!  (Well, just me & everyone who reads my blog seventeen years later...)

Here is my entry:

My parents who always seem to be getting on my nerves.  It sometimes seems like they don't want me to have fun or a life.

CLASSIC!!  Can't you just hear a fourteen year old say that?  And I like how I put "who always seem to be getting on my nerves" instead of "who always get on my nerves".  Man, did I have a way with words!  I shared this with my parents over the weekend & they confirmed that indeed, they did not want me to have fun or a life.  In fact, every morning they would wake up & try to figure out how to accomplish this.  (Insert evil laugh).

It's fun to read this later with some perspective on life.  Even more fun to hear Michael read my answers in his "teenage girl" voice!

I can hardly wait to scheme with Michael on how to keep Alex from having fun or a life.  Ha!!

Yum...

While sitting on my stomach, someone figured out how to lean over & suck on a new toy...

Hmm, this is fun.

Oh yeah, delicious.

 What?  Doesn't everyone do this??

Throwback Thursday

Here's another glance at my pregnancy days.  Reading back through my e-journal, I'm realizing I kind of sound like a lush sometimes!  I wouldn't say I'm a heavy drinker by any means (at least now - I can't comment on my college years - ha) but I definitely have no problem enjoying a glass or two of wine or a cold beer.  Giving up alcohol was not that fun but not a huge problem either.  More of an annoyance.  Of course, totally worth it to give me peace of mind for Alex.  That said, it sure was nice to enjoy a glass of wine after I had him.  J

July 13^th – 18 weeks

Michael’s been playing softball with his company & two of the partners (they’re married to each other) had everyone over after the game for a cookout.  Once again, not as much fun not being able to drink.  AND they had Sam Adams Summer Ale – my favorite!!  BOO.  Michael apologized for drinking it.  I don’t blame him, I would drink it even if he couldn’t!  I have been missing alcohol a lot lately.  Had a dream tonight (or maybe it was last night) that I was at Matt & Kat’s ranch house & I drank two beers.  I actually didn’t drink the beers in my dream.  I stood up to go inside & use the bathroom & realized I was a little drunk because I had drank two beers.  Then I freaked out because I remembered I was prego.  I couldn’t believe I had forgotten & no one else there had reminded me.  I surely damaged our nugget.  I was really glad when I woke up & realized it was a dream.  No alcohol in my system.  I guess I’m not a bad mom afterall…  J

July 14^th

Remembered to take a belly picture.  I’ve gained about 8 pounds overall.  Maybe that’s all I’ll gain & I’ll have a 7 pound baby with the remaining pound being water/placenta/etc.  Sounds ok to me!  I don’t think that’s how it works, though.  More people (that know I’m prego) are noticing that I’m showing.  Still wearing my normal clothes, but I have to use a rubber band on my pants.  They no longer button.  So weird!  Oh well, I have decided (to try) not to think of myself as fat but to think about how healthy the nugget is & how he’s growing like he should.  Found out another girl at work is prego & is possibly around the same due date. 

July 15^th

One more week until my next appointment.  I can hardly wait!  I wish it was this week.  I want to get another look at the nugget & hopefully confirm if it’s a boy!  If they still can’t tell, I think I’m going to schedule an appointment at Baby Bump for $75.  They’ll do a gender ultrasound & keep trying until they get a good look.  I’m ready to get going on the nursery (planning), but I want to have a better idea of the gender first.  Can’t decide if I’m feeling the baby or not.  It doesn’t feel like what other people describe (gas, bubbles, etc).  For weeks, I’ve occasionally felt what’s more like a pinch or a sensation that makes my tummy flip (like when riding an elevator or roller coaster).  It doesn’t really hurt but doesn’t feel good either.  Maybe the nugget is already practicing to be a runner or soccer player like his daddy & likes to really punch/kick me good.  I guess we’ll find out as time goes by & he gets bigger.  Maybe it’s just my muscles & organs moving around (or whatever they do to accommodate this bugger)!

This month's belly picture...

Next week, I'll reveal the results of my doctor's appointment where we found out the gender.  Are you excited??  Can you guess what it will be?  Ha!



Llama Llama

We try to read to Alex at least a few times a week. He usually has to be in a good mood to make it to the end. Otherwise, he gets a little grumpy. I love to read, so I hope he has more interest when he gets a little older.

One exception is a book he got at one of my baby showers - Llama Llama Misses Mama.  We started to notice pretty quickly that he seemed to pay more attention to this book than his others.  Success!  The issue?  Well, no offense to the Llama family, but Llama Llama is kind of a brat.  In fact, the first time Michael read the book to Alex, I heard him comment, "I don't like this Llama Llama kid."

In the book, Llama Llama goes to school for the first time.  It is a hard transition & he doesn't handle it very well.  He won't play with the other kids, he won't sit on the reading rug, he won't eat his lunch, etc...  He eventually has a meltdown (a common occurrence in the Llama Llama series) because he misses his mama.  The teacher explains that his mama will come back when the day is through.  Little Llama actually chills out & has some fun.  He finds out (as the book says) he loves Mama Llama & school too.  It's a good lesson for kids & the book is kind of fun to read (I never realized how much rhymes with "llama").

Well, the other day my sister brought over a copy of Llama Llama Red Pajama from the library.  Sure enough, Alex loved it.  Since then, I picked up the two other Llama Llama books at the library - Llama Llama Mad at Mama & Llama Llama Holiday Drama (and Grammy got him his own copy of Mad at Mama for an early Easter present!) 

Spoiler alert...  Here's a quick summary of each book:

• Misses Mama - see above.
• Red Pajama - Llama Llama is in bed & wants a drink of water, but his mama is busy.  He doesn't want to wait, so he freaks out & yells for mama.  Mama tells him to stop all this llama drama & be patient.
• Mad at Mama - Mama Llama takes Little Llama to the Shop-o-Rama & Llama Llama gets tired of shopping, so he throws out all the stuff in cart onto the floor.  Mama tells him she thinks shopping is boring, too, but they can have fun afterward.
• Holiday Drama - Llama Llama gets overwhelmed waiting for Christmas & loses it in a fit of holidrama.  Mama explains Christmas is really a time of being together - not gifts & food.

I'd like to think that Alex loves the big pages, colorful illustrations & rhyming (I mean, you gotta love all that llama drama), but I'm secretly worried that he identifies with Llama Llama.  Is he thinking, "Hmm, that llama is always throwing tantrums & never really gets in trouble"?  I have mentioned to him once or twice that if he throws out the shopping cart contents, it will involve a trip out to the car - not me telling him how I just love spending time with him even though shopping is boring.  Ha.

I'm sure I'm in denial anyway.  I know kids have meltdowns & tantrums - my Little Llama will be no different.  I just can't help but be a little freaked out that he is SO interested in these books.  J

Reading with Daddy

 Reading with Aunt Amanda

Throwback Thursday

Just when you thought the yucky part was over...

June 29^th

Felt very light headed all day & off balance & very tired.  Read on my weekly update email that pregnant women are more likely to get off balance & be unstable.  I’m not supposed to wear high heels (I’m going to resist this for as long as possible – I love my heels!)  Thought maybe this is what it felt like to feel “off balance”.  Was planning on swimming at the Y but decided to go home after work since I was so tired & light headed.  Took it easy all night.  Threw up after my shower (made it to the toilet this time).  I thought I was over this morning sickness crap.  Boo.  I said to Michael while laying in bed, “Why am I throwing up again??”  He said something like, “Some people feel bad their whole pregnancy.  A woman at work said she was sick until her 7^th month.”  Thanks.  That’s really HELPFUL right now.  I appreciate that while I’m feeling like crap, you point out that I may feel like crap for another six months.  That’s just freaking great!  Dork.

June 30^th

Woke up & was even more light headed & dizzy than on Tuesday.  Called in sick to work.  Took an anti-nausea pill, ate some cereal & went back to bed.  Kept the cereal down but the pill didn’t seem to give me the same relief I got previously.  Laid around all day & feel crappy.  Called my doctor’s office & the nurse said I probably caught a stomach bug or virus since it would be unusual for me to have morning sickness now since I’ve been feeling good & in my second trimester.  She said to call back if I didn’t feel better in a few days.  I hoped it was a bug & that I wouldn’t feel like this for the rest of the pregnancy.

July 1^st

Got up & went to work even though I still felt crappy.  Worked through the morning & decided to go home at lunch.

July 2^nd

Decided not to go to work.  Felt a little better but still very woozy in my head.  Hoping rest will help my recovery.  Had to do a little work from home.  Went to Walmart to grab a few things & felt pretty crappy.  Too much activity really made me feel bad.  BUT was looking forward to the one good thing of the day – seeing Eclipse with Christine!  Loved the movie, am mad I have to wait until 2011 for the next one.  We stood around talking for awhile after the movie & I started feeling bad again.  It eventually passed, though.

July 3^rd

Felt a little better today but still took it easy & didn’t do much.  Trying to let myself recover fully before resuming normal activities.  It was rainy most of the day anyway.  

July 4^th – 17 weeks

Feeling better again today.  We had Brandon & Christine (and Hagan) over to celebrate the 4^th.  They brought a smoked chicken & fixings for quesadillas.  So good!  Michael made salsa & white queso to snack on before.  Brandon & Michael ran out to get some fireworks once they saw how much fun our neighbors were having.  Christine & I sat near the garage while the boys had fun blowing stuff up.  Christine was worried about Hagan & tried to cover his ears from the loud noises.  He liked watching the fireworks but wasn’t a big fan of the noise.  We all had fun, though!  It was a great night!  We’ve celebrated at least two 4th of July’s with them – glad we got to again this year!

July 5^th

No work due to the 4^th of July holiday!  Went shopping with Christine while Brandon watched Hagan.  We ate at El Chico & then shopped at the mall & Gordmans.  I found some maternity stuff (my clothes are starting not to fit – agh!)  Lots of stores were having good sales.  I’m not quite ready to transition into maternity clothes but I have a few things when the time comes.  I’m not really enjoying gaining weight.  I just feel like a fattie!  Everyone says I’m crazy, though & I definitely look pregnant & not fat.  Yes, if you know me, I look pregnant.  If you don’t know me, I just look like I have a gut.  They all disagree.  I’m working on accepting this whole weight thing.  It’s hard!  I’m not used to embracing getting bigger.  Plus, I haven’t worked out in over a week, which makes me feel even more like a porker.  Oh well, I’m trying to not be so neurotic!

 
Thank goodness it was just a bug!  It wasn't fun being sick but better than the alternative of feeling bad for the whole pregnancy!

Oh, Alex has a special message to relay.  It's a day late but he was very busy yesterday.  What can I say?  He's a social butterfly!

One Year Ago

One year ago today, I found out I was pregnant.  On April 10, 2010, I was clueless to what the next year had in store for us.  I didn't know that one measly year later, I'd be taking a picture of a little guy with a sign that said "4 Months".  Wow, a lot has changed!  I have to admit that I'm happier today than I was a year ago.  I wasn't upset by any means to learn I was pregnant - it was planned even though it happened MUCH more quickly than we anticipated.  I was just nervous & freaked out.  It's a life changing event (and hard to understand until you actually have the baby).  Today I'm full of love & happy that I don't feel like a completely different person.  It's still me (just a little more tired - ha).  Today I get to see Alex's adorable smile.  Last year, I learned he was currently the size of my pinky fingernail (how the heck can you even wrap your mind around that??)  Also, today I can go home & drink a glass of wine if I want.  Last year, not so much.  J

Like I mentioned earlier, Alex is now four months old.  How can that be?  Little man is growing up so quickly.  The monthly pictures are getting a little harder.  He doesn't mind sitting but he was very interested in the piece of paper.  It didn't take long before it was in his mouth.  I'm sure it's just the start!  Soon, he won't want to sit still long enough for me to take a picture.  Fun stuff...

A few developments over the last month:

• He started rolling over from his back to his stomach shortly after turning three months old.  Now he can roll from his stomach to his back.  He hasn't quite figured out rolling can be a mode of transportation but I'm sure it won't be long.
• He got a glowing review of health at his doctor's appointment.  They think he'll be crawling before six months since he's already doing the mini pushup.  Eek!  Time to baby proof the house!
• It seems like he's starting to recognize his name.  He definitely notices when you talk to him.  He really discovered his voice a few weeks ago & he likes to squeal when he's happy (and shriek when he's not - ha).
• I'm finding out he's ticklish on his belly & his sides.  So fun to get those cute little laughs!
• Like I mentioned in another post, he's sleeping better & getting a little more predictable.  Yay!
• He got his first haircut yesterday - given by his daddy.  I've been saying I was going to cut off his mullet for quite awhile now & Michael finally took the initative.  It's not quite even (actually not even close) but it gave me a good laugh.  J

Big boy!

 "What is that thing?  It looks delicious."

 Nom nom nom

 No more mullet but still a little redneck - ha!

Happy Monday, everyone!

Spring Is Here!

The weather's finally starting to warm up & it feels like spring.  Alex & I have been taking advantage of the warmer temps - he loves going on walks or laying on a quilt in the backyard.

Hanging out in the stroller

Watching Sadie run around

His hair blowing in the wind

 "Oh no, Mom has that camera again."

"What are you doing?"

 "Wow, this quilt is cool."

 "Ok, picture time is over."

 "I'm not kidding..."

"That's enough, Mom!"

"Remember that active listening post you did not too long ago?  Try harder."

Hope you all are enjoying this weather, too!!

Happy Day

Happy five year wedding anniversary to my honey!  Love you!!



Throwback Thursday

Another Throwback Thursday for your viewing pleasure.

June 23^rd

Had another OBGYN appointment today!  Michael went in hopes that we would find out the gender.  I could see the nugget as soon as she put the wand on my belly – looks more like a baby than an Ewok now (but really like an alien baby).  Then she went searching for the goods.  I completely lost my point of reference & couldn’t tell what was what.  She would bounce the wand on my belly to get the baby to move.  It felt SO weird!  It’s like I could almost feel stuff moving around.  I wanted to say – stop bouncing my organs around, that feels weird – but I was willing to go through just about anything in hopes of finding out the gender!  She said a few times, “Come on, baby, move your foot.”  I didn’t know if she was totally getting blocked or if any of the bouncing worked.  I originally had said I didn’t want to know if they were unsure & I’d rather wait until next time.  That all went out the window since I just wanted to know anything!  After a while, she said, “Guys…”  And I thought she was going to say she couldn’t tell, but then she continued, “I think it’s a boy.  I keep seeing this, so my guess is boy.”  She paused the ultrasound & showed us what she saw.  I’m feeling pretty confident in her guess, but we’re staying reserved just in case.  Like she said – no painting the room blue yet!  I hope it’s a boy now that she gave her prediction.  But I did see a few pictures of my two nieces later & thought – oh, a girl would be fun, they’re so freaking cute.  I’ll be happy either way, but for simplicity’s sake, I hope it’s a boy now.  We have to wait four more weeks to get another look – UGH!  I wanted to ask if I could come in every week until they could tell for sure.  I’m sure they wouldn’t mind – ha.  I restrained myself, though.  I guess I can wait four more weeks… 

June 25^th

Went to Sam’s to eat lunch with Amanda (we’re dorks but the pizza combo is delicious & so cheap!)  We went last week & had hoped to find some dessert at the sample stands (no luck – we were disappointed with the selection of samples).  This week, she brought me some funfetti cupcakes that she & Emily had made earlier this week.  That way, I could still have dessert even if the samples sucked.  Ha!  The samples were better this week & I discovered pluots.  What is a pluot you say?  Well, it’s hybrid plum & apricot!  So good.  I decided to get some for tomorrow (another US World Cup game).  That way if we win, I can yell, PLUOTS FOR EVERYONE!  I’m weird, I know.

June 26^th

Went to Matt & Kat’s ranch house for a pool party/World Cup party.  The pluots were a big hit, but the US didn’t win (so I couldn’t say “Pluots for everyone!”).  Boo…  I got some sun, but Michael & I had to leave early since we had agreed to babysit his nephews & niece from Lubbock.  Jonathan & Starr were going out to eat with friends & asked us to watch the kids for a few hours.  We agreed since they’re all potty trained.  J  We took them to McDonalds for dinner & then went to the splash park right behind McDonalds.  They loved it!  Michael & I just sat on a bench & watched them play.  Another lady was there with her son & Ryan & Dylan played with him.  She came over & told us our kids were so good & how nice they were to play with her son.  Michael admitted that we were just the uncle & aunt.  She gave props to Jonathan & Starr for raising such good kids (hopefully someone says that about Michael & me someday!)  Michael told her we were expecting & she got all excited.  She talked to us for about 15 minutes on how great kids are & how exciting it all is.  She was nice, but it was funny how pregnancy causes such a reaction (especially with other parents).  Michael told the kids it was time to leave around 8:00.  He suggested that we go through McDonalds drive through to get ice cream, but I wanted to get it & have them eat it at a picnic table at the splash park so they would dry off & not make an ice cream mess in the car.  Michael really just wanted to go home, so I told him he’d have to clean up my car.  So, he told the kids that they’d better be really careful or else they’d have to clean up the car!  The ice cream cones were huge & the kids cracked up the whole way home while trying to keep them from dripping.  Thank goodness we live close.  I had them finish the cones on the driveway & the mess started right after they got out of the car.  They did a good job, though!  We cleaned them up & then watched the animated Robin Hood movie (one of my favorite Disney movies).  By the time that ended, Jonathan & Starr were on their way.  I think we did pretty well, but we were both really tired afterward!

June 27^th

Got a pedicure *happy sigh*.  Went over to Michael’s parents’ house for dinner with everyone.  Apparently when Stephen asked Lauryn who her favorite uncle was (she usually says Stephen), she said Michael.  I guess he made a good impression while babysitting!

I warned you last time that I'd be talking about food again soon - welcome to the world of a pregnant woman!  But if you have a Sam's card, you need to check out the pizza lunch special.  Yum!  And you especially need to look for pluots this summer!  You probably won't feel like yelling out, "Pluots for everyone!" unless you're me or my sister but they are delicious.  J

The Art of Listening

My sister-in-law Starr posted a great guest blog entry this week on Prize 31.  And no, I'm not just saying that since she gave me a shout out at the end - ha.  Her post got me thinking this week about the importance of being mindful - especially when it comes to listening to others.  Actually, not just listening but active listening.  I agree with Starr that all of life's distractions (technology, to-do lists, etc) can make it easy to not be fully present when having a conversation.  So, a new goal of mine is to practice the art of listening.  Like with anything else - sports, hobbies, work - you get better the more you practice.

I especially want to improve my listening skills for Alex.  I find myself even now playing with him while half watching TV or thinking about something else.  Obviously, he doesn't have much to communicate right now (at least in real words) but I don't want him to get the sense that those things are more important than him.  Hopefully my practice will pay off by the time he's talking, so I can give him my full attention & he knows he can always talk to his mama.

Actually now that I think about it, how could I not be enthralled by everything this little cutie has to say??  :)

Sleepy Boy

I feel like we've been really lucky with Alex.  He's healthy, pretty good natured & a decent sleeper.  A few weeks ago, we started laying him down when he's sleepy but still awake.  Sometimes he'd cry for about five minutes but then pass out.  But lately, I can put him in his bed & he usually just squirms a little to get comfortable & goes right to sleep (even for naps).  I love it!  And this past week (knock on wood), he's been waking up once during the night to eat - and that's it!

One obstacle we've run into is he's learned to roll over to his tummy - while being swaddled!  It freaked me out at first.  I would wait until he was asleep & then roll him back over.  But sure enough, every time I'd look at the monitor again, he'd be back on his stomach.  We tried to start weaning him off the swaddle blanket but he just wouldn't sleep as long with one arm out.  I've finally accepted that if he's happiest on his tummy in the swaddle blanket, that's fine.  His head & neck are strong - he can move around even with both of his arms pinned in the blanket.  Since then, we've all slept better.  Can't argue with that!

Here are some pictures of my little caterpillar.  It doesn't look that comfortable to me, but what do I know?  :)