A few of my favorite pins

Between diaper changes and gummy baby grins and all the fun and exhaustion of being Liam’s mommy, I have found an easy stress reliever—Pinterest.  Pinterest is basically a website filled with inspiration from around the web that you can “pin” and put on your own board.  For years, I have pulled magazine clippings and favorite-d hundreds of articles and ideas, and then could never remember what I did with them or where something was.  On Pinterest, I can just go to my board and find the idea if/when I’m ready to use it.  Here are a few of my favorite pins from the past weeks.

For More Liam Fun….

Check out the pictures Andy posted at www.nofailgraphics.com.  Some are repeats of the ones I posted yesterday, but edited differently.  Andy actually knows what he’s doing and doesn’t just play around on Picnik until he finds something he likes….he can for real tell you what he did with his images in Photoshop.  He challenged me this morning to try to figure out Photoshop for myself, so we’ll see.  He has some new ones too, from a photoshoot last night….so check them out if you are my mom or my sister and can’t get enough of LiLi and his little punkin head. (that’s what Andy’s mom says)

Liam at one month

Liam, you are one month old today.  I can hardly believe it.  I told Daddy this morning that for as long as the nights have been, these past few weeks sure have flown by.

Right now, you wear mostly 0-3 mos. clothing.  Sometimes I put you in 3-6 mos, mostly because you have more of them and I don’t putting things over your head that feel tight.  You outgrew the newborn disposable diapers we had for you, and we’ve had to loosen the snaps on your cloth diapers. 

You had your one month well check today, and you weighed 9 lbs. 10.5 oz. and you were 22 inches long.  Dr. Holly said we should keep doing what we’re doing because you are a healthy boy. 

You had an ultrasound on your hips this morning too, and the technicians kept going on and on about how sweet you are—it happens everywhere we go.  You just attract attention with your cute face and your sweet personality :)

(For that picture, Mommy stuffed you in a basket and laid you on Ollie’s sheepskin rug—Daddy was horrified)

Mister, you still have thrush.  You’re going on four weeks with it.  In your first month of life, you’ve had thrush, a fungal diaper rash, and a staph infection, and you never once complained.  Dr. Holly gave us a new prescription, so hopefully it will clear right up.

For the first two weeks of your life, your grandmas stayed with us.  Mommy and Daddy are so thankful for their help—with everything that surrounded your birth, we couldn’t have done things on our own.  You are a very blessed boy with two wonderful sets of grandparents who love you very much.

Your days look like this: Wake up at 7:30, eat, diaper, fall back asleep.  When you wake up between 9:30 and 10:30, you eat and get your diaper changed and usually stay awake a few hours.  You spend some time in your bouncy seat, we sometimes read a story, or we look at your black and white cards (you totally love the animal one Miss Shannon sent you).  You do some tummy time (which you love…you like to scoot yourself around some during tummy time too) and just kick around on your activity mat.  After your lunchtime feeding, you usually take a nap on my chest.  It’s where you sleep best, and the only way we’ve found for you to a really good afternoon nap.  You usually stay awake a little while in the evening too, and this is when you play with Daddy or watch Ollie or do the same things you did in the afternoon.  We try to take a family walk which you love…your stroller is one of your favorite places).  Then we either hang out, or it’s time for you to be fed and put to bed.

Mister, you are loud.  Not so much crying loud, but you make noises all the time.  Especially in your sleep.  Your monitor kicks on lots, and Mommy and Daddy always listen to hear if you are going to keep on making noises or just stop.  If you stop, then it’s just a sleep noise.

Oliver loves you so much, and you love him.  You aren’t phased by his barking at all.  He is jealous of you, and shows it by laying down next to us when we’re holding you or feeding you, and then he sighs and looks at us with sad eyes out of the corner of his eye.  It’s a real show.

You started lifting your head off our shoulders during burps when you were less than a week old, and sometimes you are incredibly violent about it.  Last week you popped me in the lip and it hurt!

When you are hungry and we aren’t feeding you fast enough, you start chewing on your own fist and you get what we call “crazy eyes”

Your favorite thing in the world is to be held and snuggled close.  I love it.  I told Daddy that I will snuggle you as much as you want because you’ll only be my sweet baby once, and our time with you like this is so fleeting. 

Adjusting

We are finally getting to our new normal.  Things have calmed down, and I think  I’m starting to see the way things will go around here.  At least for now.  Friday, I got my PICC out….and it made me so happy.  It’s crazy to see such a huge hole in my arm….but I will take the hole over the line any day of the week.  I’ve also decided to stop planning how I think things will go….because nothing has worked out the way I planned or thought.

As of now, we are doing well.  Andy and I have figured out a care/feeding schedule that works for us.  Right now, I am exclusively pumping.  We tried to go back to breastfeeding as soon as possible after my medicine, but we had some issues.  We’ll just say that there is not much advice out there for “my baby had to be formula fed for 14 of the first 16 days of his life and now he’s so used to the bottle that I think he’s going to rip my freaking nipple off and the thought of trying to breastfeed him makes me want to die inside because the pain is so bloody intense.”  I only wish I was being dramatic.  We had a whole family meltdown and came up with a solution that’s working for us.  I’m pumping….and it works.  It’s not ideal by any means, but Liam is getting breastmilk and I don’t cry 36 times a day.  I only had a single electric pump (because we really didn’t plan to bottle feed….we owned like two bottles that came in a gift set and I had the single pump….obviously we’ve gotten a bit more since then), so I ordered a double yesterday….so I can cut my time in half that way.  My supply isn’t quite up to snuff yet (but we’re getting close) so we have had to supplement formula a few times as well.  I’m starting to be okay with these things.  I still don’t love it, but I’m recognizing that it doesn’t make me a failure as a parent, and that it’s okay.  We have to figure out what works for us, and frankly, the last three weeks  have been anything but ideal and we’re dealing with that the best we can. 

Since Liam is eating from a bottle, it does mean we can split up his feedings.  As of now, Andy feeds him his last bottle before bed (because Mommy goes to sleep earlier than Daddy), then I take care of the middle of the night feeding/diaper, and Andy gets the first thing in the morning.  Then whoever does whatever during the day….tomorrow will be my first full day home alone with Liam and Ollie.  Liam and I have to go to the bank and the health department so I will also be driving for the first time (unless I go get groceries tonight, which may happen) AND making my first outing alone with baby.  It seems overwhelming right now, but I’m sure we’ll be fine.

Liam seems to love his carseat and his stroller right now (the boy likes to be moving).  He’s been on two walks in the park.  I think I have overestimated my ability on both walks…..we went to the park Saturday night, and I forgot about the hills the way we went.  I kind of wanted to die by the time we got home.  I keep having to remind myself that I did just have surgery three weeks ago….and I had a very serious infection after surgery….both of which would make it so that I wouldn’t feel great for a few weeks……and I had both, and am caring for a newborn and sleep deprived….so it’s okay to take it a little easier.  Yeah….I keep saying it…but it’s not really happening :)

Pajama Day

Sometimes, it’s just a good time to stay in your pajamas.  Today is one of those times.  Any night where we are up half the night because of storms, and the other half with feeding and pumping and this mama ends up getting less than 3 hours of sleep overall is a good night to be followed by pajama day.  See?  Liam stayed in his pajamas, and he looks oh-so-fabulous in them! (Liam’s mommy…not so cute)

 

And just for kicks and giggles….here are some of the outtakes.

“Oh…were you taking a picture?  Didn’t you want me in it?”

“Quick….he’s on the ground….I’ve got to sniff him!”

“Mom, seriously, I’ve got this under control…no worries.”

A package deal…two for the price of one.

 

Someone has beard issues.

Seriously….enough.  Stop taking pictures.

 

First Outing

Liam got to go on his first outing that wasn’t to the hospital last night.  We went for a walk in the park next to our house.  It was a family affair—Andy’s mom had Keegan, Andy had Ollie, and I got to walk with Liam and his stroller.  Here’s our boy in his stroller (which is way too big for him right now…even with the Snuzzler to tuck him in….I think we’ll be using his carseat attachment until he gets just a bit bigger).

 

This picture was taken after the walk….when it started sprinkling and we couldn’t get our family shot outside. 

Also—can I tell you how much I love little boys in striped onesies—that one is from Baby Gap and it makes me all sorts of happy….especially since he got it in 0-3 mos. from Andy’s parents neighbors, and 6-12 mos. from a cousin of the Cooks.

7The State of :Things: Two Weeks In

Liam  is two weeks old today.  It’s kind of hard to believe we’ve been parents for an entire two weeks.  So I thought I’d give an update on how things are going here.

--Liam now weighs 7 lbs. 14.5 oz.  He had gained six ounces from last Wednesday to yesterday, so our boy is on a healthy little growth streak.  Also…he was two inches longer than he was at birth.

--Liam is starting to figure out the joy of stretching out.  Our boy still lays like a frog for most of the time, but occasionally, he’ll kick out and stretch.

--Liam has made himself a nice little schedule.  He wakes up every 3-4 hours and gets his diaper changed, eats, and hangs out a bit before going back to sleep.  Except at 2 AM.  At 2 AM he wants to hang out for a long time.  And possibly poop in his brand new clean diaper.  He likes to talk politics and celebrity gossip and anything else under the sun at 2 AM.  I blame Andy.  He did that to me all the time while I was pregnant….he would come to bed and wake me up to talk in the middle of the night.  I don’t find it to be a charming trait in either of them…but they are both so darn cute.

--During his hang out time, Liam has started looking around more.  He has this black and white pattern card that came in one of his toys, and he can follow it all the way around with his eyes.  He also likes just being held and talked to.  He and I talk about ridiculous things…”Ollie just moved his left paw.  Ollie is biting his leg fur.  Ollie stop biting your leg fur.  Liam, you are making a funny face.  Is Mama insane?”

--Andy’s mom came back to help for the week, and I am so thankful.  I don’t think I could do everything without her right now.

--My PICC line comes out on Friday….and I am so excited.  I think it will change our whole world.  I definitely feel like our schedule will be freer.  THhe things we will be able to stop doing soon: my iv line each afternoon…which takes a full hour.  I will be able to stop pumping and dumping…which will free up a few hours a day…and definitely allow for more nighttime sleep.  No more preparing formula and warming bottles and sterilizing nipples.  Next week, we won’t have to apply Liam’s mouth and rash creams four times a day.  We’ll just have a lot less to do every day.

--As a side note on that last point, I think Andy finally realized why I’m so much more tired than he is.  He and his mom had changed Liam’s diaper at 2, and brought him to me to feed.  They fell asleep around 2:20…and I stayed up to feed him, try to get him to fall back to sleep, and to pump.    At 3:50 I woke Andy up and asked him to take Liam  back to his bed….I think it was the first time he realized how long it takes to do everything I do in the middle of the night.

--In a surprising twist, Andy is gung ho in love with Liam’s cloth diapers.  To the point that he made the decision to stop using disposable over the weekend.  And since he’s the primary diaper changer right now, he’s the one that gets to make that call.  He likes them because they are super absorbent—they keep the wetness off our boy, he likes the way they cover him, and they seem to really be good for his rash.  He has also taken care of all poop removal in the cloth, and seems to be totally okay with it.  He told me the other day that he was really hesitant about it…but he’s really glad I made the call on them because he feels like they are so much better for Liam.

--I’m recovering well.  No more fevers.  My medicine seems to be working well.  I’ve gotten the hang of giving myself an iv treatment.  I hate my PICC line with a passion.  It gets in the way.  I can’t hold Liam in my right arm because the lumens dig into the back of his head.  If I leave my elbow crooked for too long (like holding a bottle or pump) it hurts when I straighten it.  My left arm, neck, and shoulder are super sore from doing all the baby work, since I can do very little with the right side.  I don’t have two necks.  I meant the left side of my neck.

--My c-section scar is healing up well.  It only hurts a little, and sometimes more itches than anything.  My pain has lessened significantly in the last few days…I’d say I’ll be recovered from that pretty shortly.  And that’s exciting. (Shannon—thank you so much for telling me about the brace thing---I ordered one and it has been my absolute best friend)

--Also…just to keep things interesting, I ended up with some bruising in the vein in my right hand where the iv was in the hospital.  I had no idea it could appear so much later.  But it hurts like heck and I have to use hot compresses to help it go down.  Now how funny is that?

--And lastly, Oliver.  Ollie has adjusted well.  He loves Liam, and is very protective of him.  He just wants to watch him (and lick him…but we try to stop that) and love him.  He’s very sweet.  He did learn this weekend that he doesn’t have to wake up for diaper changes and feedings overnight and now stays firmly planted in bed and asleep whenever we get up with Liam.  So I’d say he’s the best rested member of the family.   He never showed any signs of jealousy, and has done crazy well considering the chaos our house has been in.  He goes to the groomer this afternoon, and he LOVES the girl who does his hair…so I’m hoping she showers him with some extra special attention (she always does…Andy sometimes has to pick him and carry him out to get him to leave because he loves his groomer so much)