Valentine’s Day

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. And I would have posted then but my battery died. Oh well. It was a fun and busy day. John and I spent the morning with nana and had lots of fun playing with her. While they napped I was able to go to Paul and then Erin’s party.  They handed out the valentines I spent all night finishing up. They were cute heart shaped crayons that I made using the crayon factory.



 I made them over the course of a month whenever I had the chance. And then the machine broke after just a few so I had to get another and hope it lasted longer. It did. 

Anyway. The parties were fun. Then we came home and I made Mac and cheese and chicken. Then Erin and I rushed off to Girl Scouts while the boys stayed with nana. We came home to her with a rose and some chocolate. I came home to a similar box of chocolate and gave a matching one to Chris. Overall busy but good day. 

Pauls 2 week check up

Post for July 6, 2011

Today at 1130 was Paul's 2 week check-up. We actually saw Dr. Harp-Wetz now that she is back from maternity leave.
Weight: 9 lbs 3 oz
Length:
Head size:
So basically he has gained a pound since leaving the hospital but remains the same length.
Other things she said was that he was perfectly healthy and she didn't expect to see him back again until his 2 month.
Then there's the stuff with the belly button...

She said it is sticking out because it's herniated; which is not a problem and should go away by the time he is 2 years old. His hernia isn't bad enough to warrant surgery if he doesn't need it. But we are supposed to watch it because it can be more prone to infection (which can be very dangerous) than normal. Also because it is herniated, it will stick out more when he cries or strains. This has been causing the healed/dried up stub to remain fresh (Which is what I've been worried about). The dr put some silver nitrate on it to help seal it, which is perfectly normal. But by the end of the day, due to all his straining, the silver nitrate had worn off and the fresh wound remained fresh (and puss-like). She did say if it didn't look better or wasn't healing by the next couple weeks to go ahead and give her a call.
Other than that he is a perfectly healthy little boy!

Pumping (the second time around)

The first time I pumped after Paul's birth was June 26, 5 days after he was born. I got a full 2 ounces! I was not prepared for this! I was even more so not prepared when I pumped a complete 8 ounces justa few days later (June ?). This was deffinetly different than how it was with Erin. with her I was barely getting .25 of an ounce that first bit. it took forever for me to pump a full 8 ounces! Like 4-6 months! It hasn't been a regular event, but I do get around 4 ounces at a time right now. I'm so not used to this. It must be because I got pregnant so close to stopping breastfeeding Erin... I was actually a number of months pregnant (4, I think) when I stopped nursing her. I don't know, it might just be how it is with consecultive pregnancies.

Growing up

More of a quick note but: my little buby is growing too fast! He's already 3 weeks old! Where has the time gone? It does not seem like just yesterday but it does seem like we've got a rhythm going. I don't want him to grow any more (says my mommy voice because the rest of me does so that he can become the person he's supposed to). It seems like this is the way it should be, not him reaching milestones, walking, and ultimately leaving the nest (yes, more mommy voice)! *sniff, sniff*

Baby's First Bath

Paul had his first bath at home today (June ?, not the date of the post). Erin even helped out! It was very sweet of her but it meant we had to be extra attentive. I was so preoccupied that I didn't get the camera out! I'm sorry, Paul, it was a momentous event I was unable to document properly. I was able to get a few pictures after while you lay drying in my arms. The one below was the best.

It was pretty good as far as infant baths go. He screamed a little. We had to use soaked washcloths because the shower bit wasn't working. Erin helped out with a washcloth by dripping water over him. There were a couple times she got close to and on his face but it was still all good.

Pauls big growth spurt

Paul's definitely going through growth spurt. Yesterday he was nursing what seemed like every hour.
He's now eating very little and sleeping a ton. When he eats it's one side for not very long and he seems like he's fighting it

Sleep?

Erin has been so worn out these last couple of days that she's sleeping well into 8:30. Chris says this is a good thing for me because I can sleep a bit longer, too. But I have to say that's only true if both of them stay asleep during that time. Paul doesn't agree with his dad and likes to be wide eyed awake in the mornings after his morning pooh. And until that point in time he's only "asleep" in the sense that his eyes are closed because he starts kicking and grunting loudly way before that point.
But it's okay. I've been fortunate enough to get at least a couple hours sleep during the day either during Erin's nap time or while she is with someone.

Worry Wart

So this is Paul's belly button. His umbilical cord has just fallen off and there is a large amount of pus with some blood oozing from it coming from the stump.

Pooh on pooh

They say that breastfed babies rarely get constipation. Well, I think Paul is constipated and he is breastfed. Yes he has dirty diapers but that's not what it means: with babies it's about the consistency and ability to push it out. Paul's is very hard, when it should be runny and he definitely has a hard time pushing it out. It seems to hit him worst at night... In the middle of the night.

Bassinet babies

So Chris and I picked up this $300 white wicker Pottery Barn bassinet at jbf for $150 right before Erin was born. At first we were apprehensive about the buy, a bit worried we had spent that much on an item we weren't even sure we'd ever use.
But since then Erin slept in it for months in our room, Brooklyn did the same at the Wards, and now we are repeating the process with Paul.
We had it out in the living room and were going to wheel it into the bedroom each night. But right now I'm sleeping on the recliners in the living room, so he stays right there with me. Once I feel good enough to "get out of bed" (quite literally; it's the bending and pushing myself from a full laying position, which is why the recliners are nice) both of us will move into the bedroom where he will stay until he grows out of it or hits 3 months, whichever comes first.
But I think it's really cool that this buy, that we questioned, is quickly becoming a family heirloom.

Schedule

Paul's schedule is all sorts of backwards! I mean, it's past 2 am and I still haven't gone to sleep... And that's after trying to from about 10pm yesterday on! I am not upset, like how I was when Erin did this kind of thing, I'm remaining calm. But I'm afraid of how it's going to effect me when Erin wakes and I have to watch the both of them alone (while still not able to lift her). I know I get real short fused when I don't get enough sleep so I'm going to have to watch it (because I know Erins at the testing phase).
Anyway, he sleeps so much during the day I almost forget he's awake all night and start to worry that he's not awake enough. He doesn't oversleep during the day. He's very reliable in getting his food about every two hours (a schedule he has set for himself, I might add). But then he goes right back to sleep. By the time the night comes I forget and think he'll continue this routine... But he doesn't. Urgh. It's so tiring. If it was just him it'd be different because i could rest when he does too. But with active Erin, I really need these few hours of sleep. Speaking of which: goodnight.

Dr check-up for Paul and I

Today, June 27, was paul's first doctors appointment! We saw the muse practitioner, Erin, which is fine because we've actually seen her more than our actual doctor who has been out on maternity leave for a while. Paul has already grown almost an inch (3/4 of one ain't bad!) and gained back all the 5% of weight he lost in the hospital so he is doing very well. I believe she said something along the lines if "perfect in every way.". :)
I also had an appointment today, and at almost the same time. Mine was not planned because i'm actually not supposed to see sorensen until my 2 week check up. But with the infection, dr cook (the last doctor to see me and inspect my stomach in the hospital) said I should see her as soon in the first part of the week as I could. He was also the one that gave my infection a name: cellulitis. When sorenson inspected my stomach it was still pretty tender but she said it was looking better. Which is nice. I was barely able to get an appointment with her but lucky for me someone canceled. So all is well with Paul and getting better with me.