Four weeks! Kian wore his Tiger's onesie today. It's still a tiny bit big through the shoulders, but I remember just a few weeks ago when it practically fell off of him. He's starting to get to the point where we need to think about going up a size in diapers too. He's been wearing Huggies which are bigger than the Pampers for a while already. Brian weighed himself, and then weighed himself again with Kian in his arms and he seems to be about NINE POUNDS now. Holy smokes. I need to take him to the Breastfeeding Support group to find out an official weight, but it's only once a week and it's in the evening and I can't seem to remember.
Friday Grammy Tina, Papa James and Aunt Jaime arrived. It's so nice when they are here. Not only do they help out around the house, but Kian always has another pair of hands waiting to hold him and it frees me up to do some things.
Friday he started sounding just a little congested off and on, 'snortly in his nose' as I like to say. It worried me some, but at that point it wasn't too bad.
I took a fabulous bath on Saturday and shaved my legs and everything. Heaven!
Grammy Tina put herself on late night duty. She kept Kian up and entertained until 8:30 or so, then we gave him a bath and fed him and I went to sleep. She would either feed him a bottle or at least keep him until the next time he was hungry so I could sleep. It was just what I needed. Even if he goes 2 or 3 or the rare 4 hours between feedings he is SO NOISY at night. Really all the time he's a very vocal baby. He seems to make some kind of grunt or squeak or groan every time he moves, and he moves constantly :). It makes for a rough night, every night. We're pretty sure he's going to be making the transition out of our room and into his crib pretty soon.
Papa James cooked fabulous food the whole weekend, and the three of them cleaned my whole house on Monday.
That day Kian was sounding worse and worse, more and more stuffy, so I finally called the doctor. My mom had suggested having him sleep in his swing so he'd be on more of an incline, and putting Vicks on his chest. I wasn't sure the first was safe, and the second... well, I hate Vicks but the label also says babies 3 months and older. Of course, my mom knows everything, and the nurse suggested those very things, plus saline nose drops and a humidifier. We made a Walgreen's run and stocked up on all sorts of congestion fighting goods. I moved into the nursery, with Kian sleeping in his swing so that he could sleep on an incline, and the humidifier wouldn't kill Brian. I crashed on the futon mattress on the floor. It seemed to help, although I didn't sleep very well myself and I had a hard time finding a good place and position to nurse.
Tuesday they headed home, which was hard as usual. It never seems to get any easier, only harder. I'm still struggling with them missing out on being with Kian even more than I miss them myself. I keep having a lot of guilt because it's my choices that are separating them, neither one of them chose to be apart from each other. I wish we could live closer so Kian could see his Grammy and Papa and Aunt every few days. :(
Tuesday night I hardly got any sleep at all, and Wednesday morning Brian got up with him for me. I talked to the nurse on base again per their instructions. It sounded to me like he was starting to wheeze a bit, but it only happened once. Brian and I each heard a cough as well. We were told to keep an eye on him, and if the cough or wheeze became consistent to call in again. Otherwise, we should call the first of the week to update them.
What a busy week!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Week 4: August 2-8
Kian's three week birthday! Holy smokes how time flies. I dressed him up in his baseball outfit for the first time, which of course made Brian very happy. It's true that he's awfully cute. There are pictures of him in it, with his Detroit Tigers tiger - a gift from Grandma Becky. On that same day is a picture of me with him, disheveled hair and all. Someday the pictures including me will be less embarassing, I hope! I still really need a haircut (even at the time of this writing, a few weeks later). At this point I may as well just try to grow it out, but THAT is a pain too. Bleh.
Anyhow! This week was a fairly quiet one. We had a weekend with just our family which was nice. We did a lot of hanging out, snuggling, and just enjoying each other.
Saturday Brian went and picked up my new glider-recliner. He put it together the next day, and for now it's in the living room. We got an ottoman too, and the combo is really very nice. It's a good place to sit with the laptop, so to some degree it's daddy's baseball watching chair for now. I don't mind sharing! The plan is for it to go in the nursery eventually, giving me a place to nurse once Kian is sleeping in there. For now though, my parents and Jaime are coming to visit next weekend and we'll need the space for the futon mattress so in the living room it sits. Surprisingly it fits pretty well and I think when we move it, we might just miss it!
On Sunday Kian had his first tummy trouble day, leaving him squirmy and fussy for most of the day. Now, Kian's fussy would be some babies' sunshine I'm sure, because he hardly ever cries or even fusses. If he does you know he needs something and as soon as you change, burp or feed him he's content again. This day he was obviously uncomfortable and he spit up far more than normal plus he seemed to have other gas in his tummy too. He didn't scream or anything but he just seemed uncomfy and wiggly the whole day. It was so bad I put a bib on him for the first time. He was sure cute in it! If you look at the pictures, somewhere in there he actually spit up on the bib, and I kept snapping photos but ended up taking the bib off and changing it not too much later. *sigh*
Kian's loving his bouncy seat now too, which is pretty new this week. He's heavy enough to stay in it instead of just sliding right off, and now that we put the batteries in he's loving the lights and sounds too. It has a mode where moving the hanging toys sets off the lights and sounds but I think it surprises him more than anything. I wonder when he'll start to have some concept of cause and effect, like, if I hit this the lights come on. For now sometimes it really startles him when his foot accidentally bangs a toy hard enough, so I mostly just leave it on the 'play music' mode for him :).
Now that Kian is more than 3 weeks old, I can start to pump for bottle supplements. I'm not pumping every feeding or anything, just occasionally. Monday Brian gave Kian his first bottle since the hospital. We decided to do it right before bed so he'd be really full and hopefully sleep. He ate over 4 ounces - I couldn't believe it! And THEN he was still hungry so I ended up nursing a little. Honestly that was OK with me, because hearing him fuss and suck had my milk rushing anyhow. Unfortunately it didn't really help him sleep better either, but on the plus side he took the bottle really happily, and that will evenutally give us a lot more freedom. Yay! Oh, and Brian was so cute! Pics at Shutterfly.
Wednesday we had our first play date. My friends Lauren and Bevin brought their kids, Carter 8 months and Masyn 3 months for lunch. I vacuumed because Carter is in the rolling around stage and I straightened a little, but in all the house did not get cleaned ahead of time. I just didn't have the energy to worry about it. Luckily everyone was so busy with the babies I don't THINK they noticed. Nice and neat and fresh vacuum marks goes a long way, apparently! They brought Quizno's, and stayed for a few hours of girl talk. At one point all the babies were fussy at once, but it only lasted a few minutes. My little angel hung out in his bouncy seat and fell asleep, letting me eat. Maybe he'll do that more often one of these days :). The visit was really nice, but oddly I don't really feel desperate for adult conversation. Brian's been coming home early at least a few days a week, my mom and I talk daily, and I have other folks I can call to chat. I guess I've always been a bit of a homebody, so I don't feel like I'm losing my mind or anything. Still, it was good to see them and to hang out. We'll have to do it again.
I can't believe my little man is almost a month old!
Anyhow! This week was a fairly quiet one. We had a weekend with just our family which was nice. We did a lot of hanging out, snuggling, and just enjoying each other.
Saturday Brian went and picked up my new glider-recliner. He put it together the next day, and for now it's in the living room. We got an ottoman too, and the combo is really very nice. It's a good place to sit with the laptop, so to some degree it's daddy's baseball watching chair for now. I don't mind sharing! The plan is for it to go in the nursery eventually, giving me a place to nurse once Kian is sleeping in there. For now though, my parents and Jaime are coming to visit next weekend and we'll need the space for the futon mattress so in the living room it sits. Surprisingly it fits pretty well and I think when we move it, we might just miss it!
On Sunday Kian had his first tummy trouble day, leaving him squirmy and fussy for most of the day. Now, Kian's fussy would be some babies' sunshine I'm sure, because he hardly ever cries or even fusses. If he does you know he needs something and as soon as you change, burp or feed him he's content again. This day he was obviously uncomfortable and he spit up far more than normal plus he seemed to have other gas in his tummy too. He didn't scream or anything but he just seemed uncomfy and wiggly the whole day. It was so bad I put a bib on him for the first time. He was sure cute in it! If you look at the pictures, somewhere in there he actually spit up on the bib, and I kept snapping photos but ended up taking the bib off and changing it not too much later. *sigh*
Kian's loving his bouncy seat now too, which is pretty new this week. He's heavy enough to stay in it instead of just sliding right off, and now that we put the batteries in he's loving the lights and sounds too. It has a mode where moving the hanging toys sets off the lights and sounds but I think it surprises him more than anything. I wonder when he'll start to have some concept of cause and effect, like, if I hit this the lights come on. For now sometimes it really startles him when his foot accidentally bangs a toy hard enough, so I mostly just leave it on the 'play music' mode for him :).
Now that Kian is more than 3 weeks old, I can start to pump for bottle supplements. I'm not pumping every feeding or anything, just occasionally. Monday Brian gave Kian his first bottle since the hospital. We decided to do it right before bed so he'd be really full and hopefully sleep. He ate over 4 ounces - I couldn't believe it! And THEN he was still hungry so I ended up nursing a little. Honestly that was OK with me, because hearing him fuss and suck had my milk rushing anyhow. Unfortunately it didn't really help him sleep better either, but on the plus side he took the bottle really happily, and that will evenutally give us a lot more freedom. Yay! Oh, and Brian was so cute! Pics at Shutterfly.
Wednesday we had our first play date. My friends Lauren and Bevin brought their kids, Carter 8 months and Masyn 3 months for lunch. I vacuumed because Carter is in the rolling around stage and I straightened a little, but in all the house did not get cleaned ahead of time. I just didn't have the energy to worry about it. Luckily everyone was so busy with the babies I don't THINK they noticed. Nice and neat and fresh vacuum marks goes a long way, apparently! They brought Quizno's, and stayed for a few hours of girl talk. At one point all the babies were fussy at once, but it only lasted a few minutes. My little angel hung out in his bouncy seat and fell asleep, letting me eat. Maybe he'll do that more often one of these days :). The visit was really nice, but oddly I don't really feel desperate for adult conversation. Brian's been coming home early at least a few days a week, my mom and I talk daily, and I have other folks I can call to chat. I guess I've always been a bit of a homebody, so I don't feel like I'm losing my mind or anything. Still, it was good to see them and to hang out. We'll have to do it again.
I can't believe my little man is almost a month old!
Week 3, Part 2: July 31- August 1
July 31st was a big day! It was Brian's last full day at home with us, a bittersweet event. I knew we would miss him like crazy, and I was a little worried about how well I would handle being all alone with my baby. At the same time, a big part of me was looking forward to "just us" time - we hadn't really had any at all since he was born.
Before we got there though, we hit yet another milestone! The evening of the 31st Kian had his first real bath. We had given him lots of sponge baths, but since his circumcision was healed and his umbilical cord was gone, the time had come to use his infant bath and give him a good dunking. There are pictures at kianogrady.shutterfly.com, look for the 'July 31' album. As you can see, he generally did pretty well. There were definitely points where he got grumpy, and I didn't have the routine down at all so he got a little chilled at the end. His favorite part is still getting his hair washed, which I do separately in the sink once he's all wrapped up in his towel. You can probably tell by the pictures that all the fussing stops and he gets very quiet and still. It's one of my favorite times too because of that. Probably the best part is when he's all warm and bundled afterwards though. He's so cute and content and snuggly! I am extremely grateful for the blessing of a cuddly baby. I am a snuggly sort of person and I know that not all babies are cuddlebugs, but mine definitely is!
Wednesday was our first full day alone together. We lived! It actually wasn't terribly different, because I went back to sleep when he did, getting up around 10:30am. Brian came home in the early afternoon because not much was going on at work (and he missed us I think), so all in all we still only had about 5 hours on our own. It was a great way to transition.
So, I'm tired (imagine that), but things are good. I swear he's growing like a weed, and getting more and more alert every day. He's really starting to be a baby and not just a newborn. Imagine, I'm not supposed to be able to meet him for over 2 weeks yet. I'm so glad to have these weeks - it's like bonus time. :)
Before we got there though, we hit yet another milestone! The evening of the 31st Kian had his first real bath. We had given him lots of sponge baths, but since his circumcision was healed and his umbilical cord was gone, the time had come to use his infant bath and give him a good dunking. There are pictures at kianogrady.shutterfly.com, look for the 'July 31' album. As you can see, he generally did pretty well. There were definitely points where he got grumpy, and I didn't have the routine down at all so he got a little chilled at the end. His favorite part is still getting his hair washed, which I do separately in the sink once he's all wrapped up in his towel. You can probably tell by the pictures that all the fussing stops and he gets very quiet and still. It's one of my favorite times too because of that. Probably the best part is when he's all warm and bundled afterwards though. He's so cute and content and snuggly! I am extremely grateful for the blessing of a cuddly baby. I am a snuggly sort of person and I know that not all babies are cuddlebugs, but mine definitely is!
Wednesday was our first full day alone together. We lived! It actually wasn't terribly different, because I went back to sleep when he did, getting up around 10:30am. Brian came home in the early afternoon because not much was going on at work (and he missed us I think), so all in all we still only had about 5 hours on our own. It was a great way to transition.
So, I'm tired (imagine that), but things are good. I swear he's growing like a weed, and getting more and more alert every day. He's really starting to be a baby and not just a newborn. Imagine, I'm not supposed to be able to meet him for over 2 weeks yet. I'm so glad to have these weeks - it's like bonus time. :)
Important Labor Story Addition!
It has come to my attention (the source shall remain nameless) that I have been grossly negligent in my recount of my labor story! It's true, in my haste to get the story down on paper... er, on the internet, I missed whole chunks of very important information.
So let me state for the record, my sister is amazing! She did NOT just panic when my water broke, which is somehow unfortunately the only thing I really mentioned. I am sorry Jaime! She was a wonderful rock throughout my labor and I would have had a vastly different experience without her. I'm not just saying that because she pointed it out either, it is very true. She held my hand, she prayed with me when my anxiety over Kian's health got to be too much, and most of all she was just THERE with me. When Brian fell fast asleep on a cot, she tried to get some rest too but the only place for her was a bench. It was cushioned, but far from comfy, and I think she ended up trying to sleep on the floor just so she could stretch out. Needless to say, I think she was the only one who got absolutely no sleep at all. On the plus side, that left her free to get me ice chips when I woke up in pain again. What a sweetheart.
So, in short, Jaime was an angel and I don't know what I would have done without her. Thank you Jaime!
Love you,
Sissy
So let me state for the record, my sister is amazing! She did NOT just panic when my water broke, which is somehow unfortunately the only thing I really mentioned. I am sorry Jaime! She was a wonderful rock throughout my labor and I would have had a vastly different experience without her. I'm not just saying that because she pointed it out either, it is very true. She held my hand, she prayed with me when my anxiety over Kian's health got to be too much, and most of all she was just THERE with me. When Brian fell fast asleep on a cot, she tried to get some rest too but the only place for her was a bench. It was cushioned, but far from comfy, and I think she ended up trying to sleep on the floor just so she could stretch out. Needless to say, I think she was the only one who got absolutely no sleep at all. On the plus side, that left her free to get me ice chips when I woke up in pain again. What a sweetheart.
So, in short, Jaime was an angel and I don't know what I would have done without her. Thank you Jaime!
Love you,
Sissy
Monday, August 6, 2007
Pictures!
No time for a good update just now, but I put up pictures! We're all doing well, Kian is getting so big! New pictures can be found at http://kianogrady.shutterfly.com
A better update should be coming shortly.
A better update should be coming shortly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)