Life as it is these days....

A lot has been going on here in the Reed household! Our sweet baby boy has been getting so big, is growing more hair, and has gotten his first teeth in! His two bottom teeth are making their way out- not enough to capture a good picture yet, but enough to make you think twice about letting him chew on your fingers!! Mike went offshore, finally, and will hopefully be out for a long hitch this time. Not because we don't want him here, of course, but because funds have become super tight and we really need the income to get us back to where we are comfortable again. He's been gone 5 days now, and Sean and I both miss him like crazy. But he is on a good job- one of his company's boats is being leased out to BP to provide food and housing for guys working on the oil spill- no diving involved, but Mike is out there as a medic (DMT). So he gets to hang out, doing grunt work, reading books, etc. and be available in case someone gets hurt or needs to be checked out.

When Daddy is offshore, or working in the shop during the week, Sean and I have established a pretty decent routine (as much as we can, at least, considering how unpredictable babies can be.... once we get used to this schedule, I'm sure it will change again LOL!) Sean typically sleeps until sometime between 7-8am, with an occasional night waking/feeding sometime between 2-5am. The nights where he sleeps until 7 with no wakings are awesome- I feel like I am getting enough sleep to be a normal, functioning person again! When he wakes, I give him a 4 oz. bottle, then he eats breakfast- this week has been sweet potatoes. I even made some of my own last night from scratch- just baked the potatoes, scooped out the meat, and blended it with formula until it's a consistency he can take. I froze 6 containers, and saved one in the fridge for this morning. After breakfast is usually Sean's "quiet time," meaning I put him in the playpen and he plays by himself very contently for 20-40 minutes, depending on his mood, while I make coffee, take the dogs outside, etc. He usually takes another 4 oz bottle at some point after breakfast as well, and then we play until naptime. After Sean has been awake 1.5-2 hours, he is ready for his first "nigh-night," aka nap. I have been trying to catch him before he gets too fussy, so we can go into his room and read a book before putting him down in his crib. Sometimes he fusses in his crib for a few minutes (usually less than 5 minutes) and then is asleep for anywhere between 1-2 hours (on fussy days, he may only sleep 30 minutes!) He is eating every 3-4 hours, so whenever he wakes is usually time to eat again (anywhere from 10am-12pm). He takes a 6-8 oz bottle, and then we have playtime. We play on the blanket in the living room, or in the exersaucer that we are borrowing from Bec and Rob, or whatever else we can find for fun. Again, after about 2 hours of wake time, Sean is ready for his second nap. If any errands need to be run, I try to make it right after his first or second nap of the day (after he eats if it's close to that time) because his third nap of the day usually falls sometime around 4ish. After this third nap, we have a pretty set in stone routine- solid food for dinner sometime between 5-6pm (lately it's been homemade peas!) then a 4-6oz bottle. At 7ish, we go for a walk in the neighborhood- at this time the sun is down enough I don't have to worry about sunscreen or covering every inch of his body with clothing, and it has usually cooled down enough that I can walk a good 0.5-1 mile with him in the stroller. If it's a longer walk, Sean usually falls asleep before we get home and gets a mini cat nap in before bedtime. Bathtime is around 7:30, then we lotion up, put on jammies, say good night to Daddy (We have a picture in a frame for when he is offshore) and get ready for "nigh-night." If he is in a good mood, I can usually sneak a story in before bedtime. But on fussy nights, or on days where his previous feeding is nearing the 3-hours-ago mark, we just turn off the light and he takes his 4-6 oz bottle while I sing our bedtime song. He is usually asleep around 8pm.

This is pretty standard, but notice I didn't include times until the nighttime routine begins at dinner. That's because on days where Sean wakes at 6:30 or 7, the schedule varies a lot more than the times he wakes at 8. And on the days where he thinks that 30 minute naps are sufficient, the times vary there as well (he is fussier, therefore hungry sooner, and sometimes takes 4 or 5 naps on those days). My routines are solely based on how his day is going- they only thing I do pretty regularly is wash bottles and get 4 of them prepared for the rest of day during his first nap. Other than that, I do what I can when I can : ) Our weekends are a little hectic too- we like to visit friends, swim in their pools, go to BBQ's, festivals, etc. So naps, eating, and everything else revolve around whatever is going on. But we are pretty good about coming home no later than 7:30 so we can start bathtime and all that jazz.

This week has been tough so far- Mike left Saturday morning, and on Sunday afternoon I threw my back out. Of course I was freaking out initially- I literally could not stand up from sitting, let alone walk or bend over or pick up a 15 lb. baby. I was soooo upset, we absolutely could not afford for Mike to miss this job opportunity, but I was unable to care for my baby alone!! Luckily, I have the greatest group of friends down here, and they were more than happy to help me out through the rough first few days. I literally had to wake Angelo and Josh up to pick Sean up out of the crib and move him to my arms while sitting, or whatever destination was best for him. The first day was the worst, but after that I learned how to pick Sean up correctly without re-injuring myself. Katie came over to my house those first few days and helped me to care for Sean during the day, she also drove me to the doctor, and helped me tidy the house, do laundry, clean bottles, etc. I could not ask for a better situation here, with Mike being gone it is so reassuring to know that my "family" down here is there for me when I need them!

Now I am looking forward to the upcoming visit from Gma3!! Angie is driving over from Austin to stay with us, starting July 3rd. Not sure what Independence Day events we will attend, but I know she is looking forward to hanging out with her grandson!

Our Baby is 4 months!

Our little man is getting so big!! We went to the pediatrician today for Sean's 4 month well-baby visit, and he is doing great! He is 14 lbs 14 oz and 25 inches long, which is about the 50-55% for both height and weight. The doctor says he looks healthy and happy and to keep doing what we are doing, so that is great to hear : )

At four months, Sean can hold his head up very well- he doesn't do the bobble head thing as much, unless he is really excited or really tired. He hates tummy time, but I am trying to get him to do it at least a few minutes each day- he can do it so well when he has enrgy and is in a good mood, but when he is sleepy or cranky he just gives up and puts his face into the floor : ( I am trying to not let it bother me- he will get stronger and enjoy it more as he is ready. He has rolled over a few times from his belly to his back, but there is no pattern to when he remembers how to do it, and sometimes he forgets.

He knows who Mommy and Daddy are pretty well now, and likes to watch us when he is sitting as we walk across the room, or have conversations with other people. He is a very smiley and happy boy and loves to be social and coo at people.

We recently started sleep training him and it has been going very well. I was putting him down drowsy but not asleep, giving him kisses and telling him I love him, then letting him either fall asleep or fuss a bit if he needs to. The very first time he cried for about an hour- I checked on him several times, gave him his paci and played his crib music but would not pick him up. After a few naps, he fussed less and less, and sometimes not at all! It has been a little over a week now, and sometimes he still fusses, but it's rarely more than 20 minutes, and more times than not he just rolls to one side and soothes himself to sleep with no crying at all. Especially at bedtime- he does love to sleep! He has gotten into a pretty regular pattern over the last week of going to bed around 8pm, sleeping until sometime between 2am and 4am, then sleeping until sometime between 6am and 8am, and then he is up for the morning.

Sean generally naps 3-4 times a day, and has about 5-6 bottles a day. This boy likes to eat! He is up to 5-6 oz in each bottle. Unfortunately I had to start giving more formula than breastmilk- we tried solely nursing for 3 days straight, to get him to relax and be patient enough to wait for my letdown, and also for my supply to increase to meet his needs. But it kept getting worse and worse, and unfortunately I couldn't take it anymore and gave him a bottle again. It is too hot here to risk him becoming dehydrated, and it was so hard to listen to him crying when I knew all he wanted was to eat. It took some time, but I have finally become at peace with my decision to give him mostly formula during the day, and I am still breastfeeding for his after-midnight feeding (when he is sleepy and more patient) and also for his first feeding of the day.

His doctor gave the ok to start on rice cereal, and to transition into solids as he becomes more ready. We tried rice cereal for the first time tonight! At first he didn't like it and got really frustrated. Then I decided to give him his bottle first, since he was so hungry and impatient, and tried the rice cereal again after his bottle, and he did much better swallowing and enjoying it. After 1-2 weeks we will see how he is doing, and then we will start on some veggies! I am so excited because my friend Katie bought a food processor and a baby cookbook, so we will start making our own baby food and freezing it! Hopefully this encourages me to eat healthier too- I figure if I make sweet potatoes for Sean, he can't possibly eat an entire potato to himself, so I will have to eat the rest of it. It will encourage me to eat more veggies : )

Here is Sean enjoying his first try at solids! Mmm rice cereal!

I tried to upload more pictures, but our internet is being slow so this was all I was able to upload. I will try to update again sooner next time.

Here is Sean in his big-boy stroller- no more infant carrier up top! Now he can see what is going on when we take walks!

Here is Sean with his buddies Luke (almost 5 mo.) and Tristhian (about 1 mo.)

Here we are hanging out at Katie's pool- he is starting to like it better than last time!

Organization

I felt the need to write in my blog, this time using it more like a journal. Sean is sleeping right now (probably not for much longer), and I usually use this time to catch up- cleaning, facebook, appointments, etc. As I was taking the sheets off our bed to launder them, I looked around my room and felt sick. I used to be a very organized and fairly clean person. I have always been a pro at making messes, but I have also always been even better at cleaning up after myself (and all of the other males I have lived with over the years).

Ever since I have had a baby though, I feel like I have lost all control of my life. And parts of that I am okay with- I have come to accept and love the complete 180 change in my life for what it is. I love my son. I have fun with my son. Being a mom has taught me how to adapt to change, how to loosen up a bit, etc. But parts of it I am not okay with- I feel it is important to keep my house clean and organized- not because other people care, but because I care. Because I can't organize my brain when I am surrounded by a mess. I miss being thinner, and feeling pretty. And I cannot tell you how sick I am of hearing "welcome to mommyhood!!" I understand that I will always have messes to clean (and more so as my son gets older and mobile). I know I should give myself 9 months to lose the weight, since it took me 9 months to gain it. But I still feel out of control, and I am not okay with that.

So I have decided to take control with what I can, and not feel like a victim any longer. Here are a list of my hopes, and my goals.

Goals:

Lose the 30+ pounds I gained with my pregnancy

Keep my house at a clean I can live with, but realistically maintain as well

Go on a date night with my hubby at least once a month, if not more

My plan of action, in order to meet my goals:

Drink only water throughout the day

Try to cook dinner at least twice a week

Complete laundry at least twice a week (wash AND put away!)

Vacuum every 2 weeks

Organize bills/paperwork once a month

Ask for help when I need it

Relax : )

I am hoping this list will help me to organize my brain a little better, so that I can feel like I have a little bit of control again. And I may choose to modify/add to it as my brain becomes clearer and ready for more of a challenge. But this is a start!

Oh, and I promise to post an update on Sean soon- he is 3 months old now!! I just never really know what to say in my blog posts anymore. I feel like I am constantly repeating myself, so it makes it hard to summarize it all into a blog post. I guess that should be a goal to add as well- update my blog on Sean every month!!

11 weeks old : )

My mom has been bugging me about updating my blog, so here goes...

Our little man is 11 weeks old today. Man is he getting big! Haven't been to the doc since his 8 week check up, but I can tell you that my best guess is he is about 13 lbs. Mike commented (after being offshore for about 12 days) that he is much longer- his feet hang on the armrest of the chair when I am nursing him : )

Sean is so much fun : D He is a very happy baby- he smile and coos a lot, and he loves to carry on conversations with people. If he is very excited, he will actually talk over you : P We laugh at the sounds he makes- "un-guh" and "ga-goo" and "blah" are among his favorites. He said "oi" once the other day, which got me excited, so I spent the rest of the day pumping his fist and saying "oi oi oi!" but he didn't catch on.

I am getting excited for his next set of milestones- rolling over, grasping things with a purpose, and even showing interest in food. Of course, I have become more and more appreciative of soaking up him just as he is, because I know he will be crawling and getting into everything before we know it, and we will miss the days where he just laid there and cooed.

Now don't get me wrong- he is a very stubborn baby sometimes. He just about *requires* that I rock him to sleep. After every feeding (about every 2 hours) and also at bedtime. He loves to sleep, but during the day has a hard time staying asleep for more than 30 minutes at a time. At night he still does pretty well- he takes a bath about 7:30 and a bottle around 8 pm, and is usually asleep by 8:30. He then usually sleeps until about 1 am, then again until about 5 am, then again until 7ish. We are usually up and about by 8 or 9 am. I am happy he has his nights and days straightened out- his daytime naps are much different from his nighttime sleep. Our next step will be to cut him off from being rocked to sleep, but I am not in too big of a hurry for that one- as exhausting as it can be, I do love the feeling of being needed to go to sleep.

I officially told my job I don't plan to be back until I have to, which is February 28th, 2011. If I need to go back before then I will, but I figure we are saving money by not putting Sean into daycare, and I hardly use much gas anymore since I mostly drive to get groceries and that's about it. So I think we are making a good choice. But Mike is trying to find an onshore job now- he is really showing more of an interest in being home with us every night. We have no idea how long that will take, so he will take jobs offshore for as long as he needs to, until something more permanent comes up.

Here are some pics of Sean since my last update.... enjoy!!

Sean is 8 weeks old!

Our little man is growing up so quickly!! And he gets more and more lovable by the day : ) We absolutely adore the smiles that he gives us now, and love listening to him laugh. He has even gotten better at entertaining himself- I bought a baby mirror from Target the other day, and I am so glad I did. He will sit in front of it and laugh and talk to the "baby in the mirror" for quite some time- it gives me a chance to do the dishes, etc. in the kitchen, while he sits in his pack n' play.

Sean has a tattoo on his neck....

He has been going through growth spurts like they are going out of style- just when we think he will eat on a "normal" schedule, like say every 2-3 hours, he changes his mind, and is hungry pretty much all the time! I am still nursing him, but after almost every nursing I have to supplement with either a bottle of breast milk or a bottle of formula, depending on what I have on hand. After nursing for 20-30 minutes, he drinks about 2-4 ounces of breast milk or formula after that, so the whole eating session lasts about 45 minutes to an hour. And because he is getting hungry every 1-2 hours, he pretty much eats all the time! When I finally get him to nap is about the only time this week when he is not acting hungry or eating. I am hoping he mellows out soon, because we are going through bottles, formula, and pumped breast milk like crazy!!

This was the amount of bottles and breast pumping supplies I went through in less than one day earlier this week...

The doctor says if this doesn't pass soon, it would be ok to put a teaspoon of rice cereal for every ounce of formula he drinks into his bottles. It is supposed to help keep his tummy full longer. I thought it might be a bit early to introduce cereal into his diet, but if doc says so then I guess it's ok!

At his well baby visit today, I was told he weighs 11 pounds 10 ounces, 22.75 inches long and his head is about 15 inches around. He is meeting all his two month milestones- he can lift his head while on his belly (and he holds it up pretty well while I am carrying him), he smiles and coos (and laughs!), he recognizes his parents, and tracks objects moving in the room. I am so proud of our little guy!!

My friend Katie and I (Luke's mommy- Luke is about 3 weeks older than Sean) have been walking in my neighborhood almost everyday now. It is great exercise- we wear the babies in a wrap, and they sleep while we burn calories. We always joke about how we need to figure out how to nurse in the wrap, so we can burn twice as many calories while we walk! LOL. It is soooo nice to have a mommy friend- whenever Sean does something cool, or whenever I am overwhelmed or frustrated, I can call her and she knows exactly what I am going through. Pretty soon we will have more mommy friends- our friend Rachel is due to have her baby girl Brooke any day now. Heather is due to have her baby boy in April. And Bec is due to have her baby boy in June. I can't wait for this summer- we are going to have little ones running around at the BBQ's, and parties with babies at the pool.

Being a mommy has taught me so much- it's amazing how your life changes once a child enters your life. I have learned to slow down, and enjoy the little things. I have learned where my tolerance levels have been daily for certain things. I appreciate hanging out with adults more than ever before. And I appreciate just sitting with my little one and trying to soak up all of his baby goodness, before it's gone.

It's amazing how you can hurry hurry hurry because the baby is sleeping and it's the only chance I will have to wash dishes. Or he just ate so we need to get him in the car seat and to the store and back before he is hungry or fussy. Or he just yawned so I need to hurry and get into the rocker and help him fall asleep or we will miss this nap opportunity and it will take twice as long to put him to sleep.

At the same time, I have learned to slow down- it's next to impossible to make "plans" with a newborn, so I take everything day by day, minute by minute. When I start to feed him, it could take 20 minutes, or it could take an hour- who knows. When I get to the store, if he starts to fuss, I will take him out of his seat and rock him to sleep, so I can finish my shopping without having to listen to his wails and disturb everyone else in the store- but it can turn a 30 minute shopping experience into an hour and a half excursion. And of course, I have learned to love our nursing time- I used to have a hard time with it, because he would dawdle and take 45 minutes to nurse, and then be hungry again in 30 minutes, so I never had a moment to myself. But now, sometimes I just like to sit there in bask in all his innocence and beauty. What an angel : ) I think about how much I love him, about when I was pregnant, and I think about when he gets older- what will he look like, how will he act, what will he like and dislike.

Life is so different now. It's amazing.

Sean gets a bath in the sink before bed, usually every other night....

He looks a lot like his daddy here : )

Life as Parents

Ok, so quick update on Sean and the family. He is napping now (finally, after being woken up from his nap earlier by the dog barking) so it gives me a quick chance to catch up. I already cleaned some bottles for the day, so now it's blogging time!

Sean is 6 weeks and 5 days old today. He is my little angel, and I love him dearly. He had a rough patch for about 2 weeks- going through a growth spurt, and we were trying to figure out his hunger cues versus just being plain fussy. The doctor had me start supplementing with some formula because his weight wasn't quite where it should be, and during our nursing times he never seemed quite satisfied or full. After starting on the formula supplemenst, he is a much happier baby, and gained a whopping 14 ounces in one week! As of Wednesday, he was 6 weeks and 2 days old, and weighed 10 lbs 2 oz. Very exciting! He is finally outgrowing his newborn clothes and fitting his 0-3 month clothes a bit better. 

Sean has definitely turned our world upside down- Mike and I love him to pieces, and wouldn't trade him for anything. But he is quite a handful sometimes! Generally I would call him a happy baby, and fairly self sufficient (as far as babies go!). But when he wants to be cuddled and held, you'd better do it, because his cry goes from 0 to 10 in a second!! 

This week we started having him sleep in his room in his crib. We have the monitor set up in our room so I can hear when he needs to eat in the middle of the night. Typically he is going down for bedtime between 9 and 11 pm, sleeps until 2 or 3 am before needing to eat, then going back down until about 6 or 7 am. Those times vary, but for the most part I can count on 1-2 feedings in the dark before it's late enough in the morning that I can get up and get moving.

Today Sean has really been turning on the smiles : ) He has been experimenting with smiling all week, but this morning he was really enjoying sharing his smiles with his daddy and me : ) Also he is starting to laugh sometimes, but mostly in his sleep. It's really, really adorable to hear him giggling over the monitor. 

Our good friend Angelo has been staying with us on our couch for the last 2 weeks or so- it has been really nice. He is an excellent cook, so we are never missing out on good home cooked meals. And he cleans up after himself (and us too sometimes!) And he loves Sean, so Mike and I actually got to go on a date last week to the movies, and also for a ride on his motorcycle yesterday. And Mike was wonderful enough last night to watch Sean from 6pm to 11pm while I went out with my girlfriends. I had a blast! It has been so long since I got to really enjoy myself out on the town with my ladies, so I really appreciated every second of it!! Of course, it was hard each time I left to keep my mind off of my son at home, but I am glad to be doing it earlier than later. I am sure it gets harder if you wait too long for that initial "going out without baby" experience. 

Well that's all I have for now. I have tons of pics already posted on facebook, and they are not loaded onto Mike's laptop (where I am blogging right now) so no pics in this post. But next time I will try to post some more pics, and possibly some video too : )

Update on Sean!

Ok, so I know it has been a while since I updated.... and I left anyone who reads my blog only through blogger hanging, with that post about Sean in the NICU. I have been keeping facebook updated, so I didn't think to update my blog too, but then I realized that not everyone is on facebook! So I am going to do a quick update in my spare time here. I don't have that much of it it seems these days : ) Or at least, not a lot of spare time that includes two hands, or lasts long enough to make plans! Sean is a wonderful, beautiful, perfect little angel. But he is a newborn baby, so he loves to sleep in my arms more than his crib or pack and play, and right when I make "plans" to do something productive during his nap, is usually when an unexpected bout of fussiness will make its appearance.

Our daytime schedule usually looks like this: wake up for his "early morning" feeding around 5 or 6, nurse for about 45 minutes, then we either go back to sleep, or Sean goes back to sleep and Mommy gets up to take a shower, or make breakfast, or just experience 2 hours of peacefulness to herself : ) Sean typically eats every 2.5-3 hours during the day. We actually had it down to a science- him and I were on the same page, and you could have set a clock to his wake up timing to eat every 3 hours. It was nice- I could anticipate a feeding at 3, 6, 9 and 12. And then at night, my angel would normally go form 9pm to 1am, and then from 1am to 6am, where we start the daytime feeding schedule again. We were also going for a walk in the neighborhood when the weather was warm enough, after his 3pm feeding.

Then 2 days ago, I am thinking that a growth spurt hit him. He is hungry every 2-2.5 hours instead, and hasn't gone more than 4 hours between feedings at nighttime. He isn't completely satisfied after each feeding it seems, but will *usually* still go down for a nap during the daytime. Luckily we are still not having to walk around the house for hours on end in the middle of the night to soothe a colicky baby, but I miss the predictability that I so naively thought I could hold onto.

The problem with a 2-2.5 feeding "schedule" is that it really isn't a schedule at all- I have no idea what time he will eat next, and therefore cannot anticipate the feeding after that, so it's been impossible to make any concrete plans for the past few days. Tomorrow we have my postpartum doctor appointment in the morning, and his one month photo shoot at Sears in the afternoon. I am nervous that our feeding will run into one or both of those, and it's difficult to breastfeed a baby in public, especially one that is a slow eater and can nurse for well over 45 minutes.

Anyways, sorry to ramble about his feeding schedule. It just seems that feeding him has become my life. And I guess I am ok with that- he needs me, and I am his mom, and it's my job to take care of him. I just can't wait until he can sleep through the night and only eat every 4 hours during the day : )

So I will end the post with some pictures of our little man. I can't believe how much he has grown in just a month. We went to the cardiologist on Monday and he was 9 lbs 3 oz already : ) Oh, and just to feed your curiosity, the pediatrician is not concerned about him at all- says he seems very healthy and happy despite his stay in the NICU. His cardiologist says she can still hear a slight murmur, but we have another follow up appointment in 2 months. They say that the murmur is from the PDA, and will most likely go away with age.