Cold Bug

Even when he's sick, he's still such a sweetie.

Charlie is sick. I'm not sure what he has, but it is typical for this time of year. He has the saddest cough and is congested with boogs. Thankfully, no fever yet. Even though he isn't feeling well, he has been a real trooper.

We have had the best week together. I went grocery shopping with him and to my terror, he woke up right when we walked in the door. BUT, to my delight, he didn't cry or fuss the entire time! He just looked around, sucked his fingers and smiled at strangers.

I'm in the process of trying to start a routine for him, now that he is getting older (super sad face). We wake up between 6 and 8 - depending how much sleep we got the night before. Then we play together for a bit while he works out some poops, followed by some tummy time. I still think I'm doing something wrong with the tummy time because he hates it and isn't interested in the "baby push up's" like his development chart says he should be. Maybe he's just not there yet. Anyway, then it's time to eat. Right now he only eats about 4-5 ounces each feeding, and less if he's breast feeding. I'm trying not to fret too much, but I do feel a bit inept with my current supply. I'm lucky to get 3 oz. from both boobs, and that's only if he hasn't eaten and I haven't pumped for 4 or more hours. I pump on a consistent schedule of every three hours which you would think would increase my supply...but nay.

Anyway, after he's fed, he takes a quick nap while I work on stuff. Since I'm working from home during the week, this is the perfect time to catch up on emails and get some breakfast. When Charlie wakes up, we play some more. Diaper change. Eat. Then he swings for a while while I do some chores. I even made a weekly chore chart to make things easier and more manageable. Then a quick diaper change, some play time, another feeding and another nap. So far, I haven't had a chance to do this next part, but eventually I hope to incorporate it into my plan: Time to get dinner started. Then Charlie is up after dinner, gets to hang out with dad, and gets his bath. The hope here being he sleeps soundly through the night.

The last couple of nights, though, Charlie has been sick. It breaks my heart to hear his fragile little longs rasping. He coughs to the point it makes him gag, so if he's just eaten, he's likely to spit up. So for now, I have him sleeping in his swing and night as he's less likely to choke. I k ow I'm being a worry wart and probably overly cautious, but A) I'm a new mom and B) I just lost a baby which I never thought would happen to me.

I'm going to call his pediatrician today - which of course I will preface with "I know there's probably nothing I can do right now, but..." - just to see if she needs to see him. Better safe than sorry. I just hope it starts to get better before it gets worse. Even though he is being brave, I hate to see him sick.

In other news, it seems he has stopped scratching his face! I'm glad, because he has outgrown most of his Jammie's with the hand covers.

Speaking of growing, I used the very last newborn size diaper on his buns last week. It was a sad day. I probably would've kept it if it wasn't full of green poop.

So, my baby boy is growing. And fast. I'm doing my best to cherish the moments because I'm fully aware of how quickly he's changing.

Nom Nom

Charlie has made a fascinating new discovery: His hands. He can't get enough of them. You'd think they tasted like chocolate pudding pops the way he sucks on them. Occasionally, he'll figure out how to get just the thumb in there, but more often than not, it's the full fist - or at least as much as he can cram into his mouth.

I'm somewhat surprised he hasn't taken to his binky more than he has. Not that I'm complaining. Hopefully, he'll be like his mom and won't need braces when he gets older. Not being a thumb sucker should help with that.

His hair is growing more and more, but let's be honest...it's still just a bunch of peach fuzz. He has a couple of little red marks on the back of his head that look like tiny bug bites, but it's from rubbing on everything while he's laying down all the time. It should go away when he gets older and can support his own head more.

For the last 3 days, Charlie has been such a stinker. He rarely sleeps and when he does, it's for a few minutes here and there. Sometimes, he will be fast asleep and suddenly, he'll take a deep breath and just start screaming inconsolably for what seems like forever. The doctor did warn me that the two month mark is the peak of fussiness, but I wasn't prepared for this. Kevin always says it's a good thing babies are so cute. It ensures their survival. Ha ha.

I love my new camera. Love, love love it. I wish I knew more about fancy photography, because it's capable of so much more than I know what to use it for. But even with the generic settings, it takes great pictures.

My parents came to visit over the weekend. Charlie loves his grandma and grandpa! During one of his screaming fits, my mom took him from me and the instant she took him, bam. No more tears. It was like some kind of grandma magic.

Charlie can do so many things already. He listens when I talk to him, smiles when I sing, and seems to know the difference between mom and dad. Kevin always jokes that Charlie hates him because he tends to fuss when he's holding him, but that's because I always have him holding him while I'm busy doing other things like making a bottle or something. So it's not his fault - he just gets him at the fussiest times. Charlie loves his daddy. Kevin keeps trying to play with him and is just barely starting to "get it". It's just a matter of time before mom takes a back seat to the boys club!

2 Month Photos

Charlie and I hung out at home today. In between feedings, fusses and diaper changes, he gave me a good 15 minutes of photo time.

Since he's already just about doubled his birth weight, you can see the chub starting to build.


This was Charlie's first bath, the night after we brought him
home from the hospital.



And he is Charlie getting his bath last week, at 2 months. Same
tub. Same baby. Just a much bigger version.

Something is stinky...Charlie just pooped before this picture.

Love these! Sock shoes. The fashion of shoes without the threat
of falling off.

My little English gentleman.

Another C.G. ear shot.

Swinger Central



Touchdown!



Charlie had his two month check up at the doctor on Friday. As far as growth goes, he is short and fat. He's now about 20.5 inches and around 10.5 pounds. My arms burn from the weight when I have to carry around his car seat. I haven't had a chance to use the stroller yet (except when we went to visit Kevin on his birthday back in December...but that was just to wheel him from the car to his office - about 30 feet away). I have a feeling I'm really going to like that thing the older - and heavier - he gets, though. He got his first round of shots and really did quite well, all things considered. He's been a trooper all weekend and we only had to drug him up with some Children's Tylenol a few times.

The night times are still hit or miss. Some nights, he will sleep for hours on end, only waking up once to eat. Other nights, he'll barely sleep more than two hours total. Thankfully, my flexible work schedule accommodates these fluctuations quite well. I'm able to catch up on missed sleep by sleeping in a bit longer or taking a midday nap if needed.

Notice the apropos Spongebob jams for the under the sea theme.

 It also helps that Kevin takes over for me whenever he can. I'm sure he would way rather stay home with the two of us than head off to work most mornings.

Kevin's sister Aimee gave us a swing that was passed on to her from her other sister Heather. It's made the rounds, but I can see why. It has the option of swinging front to back or side to side, plus it has a light up display with circling sea creatures above it. Charlie wasn't too big on the front to back swinging but he seems to like the side to side stuff. He is also now showing LOTS of interest in the colorful sea creatures above him and watches them intensely. It's super cute to watch his facial expressions as they spin. Such awe!

He is smiling like crazy these days. It used to be a lot more common when he was sleeping, but now it's all the time. He isn't much of a cooer yet, but he is getting better at showing his contentment. A couple of weeks ago when my mom was here spending the week with me, I even got him to laugh! I guess I'm just not as funny as I was that day, though, because he hasn't laughed for me since. He did give a few little giggles for grandma while she was holding him, so I know there are more chuckles just around the corner, but it was so cool hearing the very first one. I wish I could have had it on video so Kevin could see it.

Making good use of the pee pee tee pee from Aunt Gina

Having my mom spend the week with us was awesome. We reorganized the kitchen which, for my mom, was probably one of the highlights of her trip. We also did some shopping with my sister from Wyoming and I got to sleep in almost every day! Ah, I miss that. She had a great time with Charlie and he definitely loved being held and cuddled all the time.

We hired a nanny to come to the house while I am at work. So far it seems to be going well. Although I miss being with my baby, I have to admit - it's a nice break to be around adults and focus on something other than diapers and boobs. And it's only a few hours a week, so it's a good balance.

Kevin is the designated bath giver. Although I help hold the arms, he does all the cleaning. Charlie wasn't too sure about the whole bath thing at first, but now he loves his spa time. There have been a couple of times he's gotten so relaxed, he pooped in the towel on his way to being dressed. Such a stinker!

He's not peeing on dad as much these days, either. He has actually been able to get in a few diaper changes without getting whizzed on.

Lastly, I bought myself a nice new fancy camera. I'm still not really sure how to use all the cool features yet, but I think once I learn how to do all the cool stuff that fancy cameras can do, I'll be taking better pictures. And no more ugly purple line down the side! YES!

Photoshoot

Charlie was not been sleeping much the last few days. And I'm not just talking about at night. I mean, in general. He just kind of likes to stay awake. He's not always crying, though...most of the time he just lays on/next to/with me and looks around, but it's difficult to get things done when he's like this because he doesn't like to be left alone. I read somewhere that you just can't spoil a newborn because they are developing their bond with you during the first few months, so I stick with that theory and comfort him whenever he gets upset. Afterall, what could really make a newborn cry? All they want is food in their tummy, clean bums, dry clothes and no gas bubbles. The last of that list seems to be what keeps him awake the most. If he's not burping like a 40 year old sports fan watching the big game, he's tooting like someone who eats nothing but beans and brocolli everyday.

Anyway, I decided to take advantage of a few hours of this awakeness and we did a mini photoshoot in the nursery. Although I took over 100 pictures, I only got a choice few that weren't ruined by my less-than-stellar camera. I have some editing to do on a few of them, but I wanted to share my favorites. He was happy doing this for over an hour. I was even trying to get him to sleep so I could get some sleepy baby pictures, but alas - he still would not sleep.

I took a picture of Charlie's belly button because I noticed it is
shaped just like a heart! It's still deciding if it's going to be an
innie or an outie.

Tro lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo loooo, tro lo lo lo loooo

Don't let the droopy eyes fool you. He's not tired.

Yeah. This is more his style.

Baby toes! 10 perfect digits.

Now, slooooowly pull your fist up under your chin...

This is one of the hats Kevin's cousin made for the boys. There
is this brown one (Toad) and there is also a green one (frog) which
is the theme of the nursery. So thoughtful, cute and awesome!

Ah, those CHEEKS! He is starting to get his baby chub.

Totally my fav. Kevin edited this one and spruced it up. It looks
much better and is the desktop background on both of our computers.

So much awe in a new babies eyes.

Based on the wetness indicator on his diaper, he
needed a change. Yet he's still so happy!

I love to nibble on his toes, especially after bath nights.

Add caption

A super happy baby smile. No, it's not gas - it's totally legit!

This is a yawn, not a cry. Again, don't be fooled.

Sidenote - he is actually sleeping right now which is what is giving me time to write this post. I know, I should be sleeping, but I wouldn't have time to write anything otherwise!

Happy Christmas

Meeting grandma for the first time

I take it back. Now I feel like many things have changed. For one thing, I haven't slept in my own bed since we brought Charlie home (but lets be honest: I haven't slept much anywhere). Thankfully, we have a comfortable reclining couch, but I miss my bed. And my husband.

Riley is so happy to finally have a brother. He should be after
6 sisters!






I have been able to wake up a little earlier as Charlie usually only wakes up two or three times a night to eat now so I don't miss quite as much sleep. However, I find my days disappear before they begin. The routine consists of waking up around 9, feeding on boob 1, changing the diaper, feeding on boob 2, burping, getting caught up on work emails, trying to find something for breakfast, feeding on boob 1 again, pumping, checking on work emails again, change diaper, doing some laundry or dishes, realizing how late in the afternoon it is, trying to take a nap, not being able to nap, feeding on boob 2, work, burping, realizing Kevin will be home in less than half an hour and not having any idea what we're having for dinner, change diaper, feed on boob 1, or was it boob 2?, heating up a frozen burrito for dinner, staying up for the 10 o'clock feeding in hopes I can get Charlie full enough to sleep until 1, feeding, diaper, oh, now I can take a break to pee...  

Mom and Charlie taking a nap the day we came home from
the hospital



And then all over again the next day. Where is there time for anything else? I have all these projects I want to work on. I thought I'd have oodles of time to do said projects now that I'm home...and especially with a newborn who sleeps all the time. Nope! So far, all I've managed to do is organize one cupboard which is where all the baby stuff is. My house is in complete disarray. I don't even remember the last time I dusted. Good thing Kevin hasn't noticed - or at least hasn't said anything yet.

Charlie is starting to enjoy his bath time more and more. I've learned to make sure he's awake for a few minutes before plopping him in his tub. As long as it's a slow transition, he likes to sit back, relax and let mom and dad pamper him. It's still tough keeping his fingernails short enough to where he doesn't destroy his face. He wears a lot of jams with mittens which helps a lot. Unfortunately, he pees on himself because his diapers are still big on his little body so we do a lot of laundry to keep the mitten jams available. 

First bath - how many hands does it take to clean a baby?



So all in all, everything is going well. Charlie got spoiled this Christmas and although most of his presents were utilitarian, they will be very handy and practical. One of his presents was a video monitor by Levana. It's pretty cool...the monitor is color, has two way speaker/talking, night vision, music, night light and lots of other cool features that make it awesome. It had pretty good reviews online so I'm looking forward to using it.

The monitor won't be very handy until he is able and willing to sleep in his crib, though. He hasn't slept in his cradle for...wow, I don't remember the last time. I find he sleeps almost twice as long if he sleeps with me on the couch and I cherish my sleepy time. I'm now starting to regret this spoilage though because he rarely sleeps without being held, cuddled or touched. Even during the day. Curses! 

Clean and snuggly after the bath



My mom is coming to stay with me for a while after the first of the year. I know she's going to be a big help and will enjoy getting to spend some time with little baby. He is, very probably, the last grandchild on my side. Therefore, I'm sure serious spoilage is going to ensue. I can't say I'm terribly opposed to it, though. He's just too cute not to spoil!
 

This set of jammies is size 0-3 months. It appears Charlie
is being swallowed by yards of fabric.

 

Hanging out at nap time.



 

Poppin' his collar and lookin' fly for the ladies.


 

Emilee, Charlie and I hanging around the house























Bright eyed and bushy tailed!



One of my favorites. Emilee fell asleep holding Charlie
before our family Christmas party. I didn't want to wake
them up they looked so sweet.



Charlie has many unique positions he prefers to sleep. This is
one of them.



First Christmas jams! These actually fit.