Thanksgiving Rap Up

Being that we are still in newborn baby mode, the holidays really snuck up on me. I feel like it should still be October rather than December 2. Thanksgiving has ALWAYS been my favorite holiday simply because there's less hustle and bustle (compared to Christmas) and it's the official start of the holiday season. I love that Thanksgiving is really about enjoying your family and all of the many blessings in your life. I also love having Jamie home during during the Thanksgiving break. We spent Collier's first Thanksgiving Day with Jamie's family, enjoying a delicious lunch at Deer Step Hunting Lodge. Deer Step is my sister-in-law's hunting lodge and it's located about 30 minutes outside of Florence. It's become somewhat of a tradition for us to have our Thanksgiving meal out there. Collier was perfect and didn't fuss at all while we were there and Noah, Eastlon, and Madelyn (Noah's cousins) had a good time running around and playing in the floor. However, the BEST part of that day was that Collier slept 5 hours that morning (or Wednesday night)from 12:40 - 5:30am... it was GLORIOUS! Jamie and I both woke up when he cried out at 5:30 and when we realized how long he had slept, we high-fived each other! It was awesome to get more than a couple of hours of sleep at one time and we felt very well rested for Thanksgiving Day.

The following day, my aunt Carol and my grandmother, Nonnie, came in town from Birmingham to spend the weekend with my family. They arrived just in time for us to all watch the Alabama/Auburn game at my parents house. Alabama dominated the first half, but to our disappointment, Auburn came back and beat us. Needless to say, Jamie was not a happy camper. I'm pretty sure he would have cried had we not been with all of my family. Since my sister had to work Friday and Saturday (gotta love retail), we had Thanksgiving with my family on Saturday evening, after she got off work, and it was delicious! My mom and aunt made Nonnie's dressing and it is by far, mine and Jamie's favorite. In fact, when Jamie and I were planning our wedding, I joked that I wanted Nonnie's dressing to be served at our reception! It definitely did not disappoint! This was Nonnie's first time meeting Collier and I made sure to get some sweet pictures of her holding him.

On Sunday, we took Collier to church for the first time since his arrival. We had intentions of going the week before, when he was 4 weeks, however, he decided to stay up that entire Saturday night, so we had a change of plans. However, this past Saturday night, he did much better so Jamie and I got both boys up and ready and actually made it on time for Sunday School. Trying to get two kids dressed, fed, and out the door by 9:30am is so chaotic! Once we got in the car, we both felt like we'd just gone through a hurricane! Collier did good in the nursery and Noah enjoyed being back in his class with his buddies. My mom teaches Noah's class so he always loves it!

We spent the rest of Sunday afternoon relaxing at my parent's house. My mom took over baby duty and let me take a much-needed, uninterrupted nap. And like all good things, our Thanksgiving weekend came to an end.

One Month Already?!

I can hardly believe that it's already been 1 month since our sweet little boy entered our lives! Collier has just started to interact a little more these past few days, other than eating, sleeping, and crying. He's begun smiling at us and what a precious smile it is! He has the same little dimple in his left cheek that his daddy and Noah both share. His little eyes are really checking out his surroundings and he's even began cooing at us. He still looks so much like Noah did as a newborn, however, with extra chub and fat rolls. I'm dying to know what he weighs, as I'm positive it's around 10 - 11 lbs already.

Noah is in love with his little brother and constantly wants to give him kisses and hugs. He loves to grab his little hand and just hold on... however, sometimes I have to remind him to be gentle. Noah hasn't shown any jealousy, however, he is very clingy towards me when Jamie's at work and just the three of us are at home. It makes for a challenge for sure, especially when I'm trying to tend to Collier.

Last week, I began implementing a Baby Wise schedule for Collier. Some days he does really well with it and other days are not as good. He still fights sleep alot during the day so it's hard to get him down for a nap at times. However, the BW schedule has helped to spread out his eating to every 3 hours, which has freed me up and is WONDERFUL compared to the eating every 2 hours that he was doing. Each night I go to bed praying that it will be a good one because we never know how he's going to do. Over the weekend, he was up all night and would only sleep if he was held. However, the past 2 nights were much better. He goes to bed after nursing around 10-10:30 and sleeps really peacefully until 1:30 - 2ish and wakes to eat. I LOVE that I'm getting a good 3 - 3 1/2 hours of sleep. However, after his first feeding, he never gets back into a good sleep. He'll doze off for an hour, wake up crying, and so on until it's time for him to eat again. I'm not sure why he can't get back into a good sleep after his first night time feeding, however, I'm hoping it'll change as he gets a little older. Last night, he went 4 1/2 hours between one feeding (from 10:15pm - 2:45am)... that was the longest he's ever gone and it was FABULOUS. Of course, he then was up almost every hour to hour and half following. I swaddle him at night and for naps, however, and he'll sleep really peacefully, but then he also gets hot, so I wonder if that's what wakes him? I'm still trying to figure out what he prefers.

Lastly, Noah has been doing really well with standing on his own. We'll stand him up and let go of his hands and he'll remain standing for a good minute or so, sometimes a little longer. He'll begin to lose his balance, and sometimes sit down or sometimes regain it and remain standing. Last night, he was walking by holding on to our hands and I let go, he stood for AT LEAST 5 minutes! It was by far the longest he's stood on his own without ANY help at all. He had such great balance that he was standing there like it was no big deal! I just wished I could have caught it on camera!

We are so excited about our first Thanksgiving with our newest little guy, as well as spending it with the rest of those most important to us. To be honest, I can't believe it's already time for the holidays. I'm been so preoccupied with our little one that it's snuck up on me. The thought of entering the Christmas season, shopping and getting all the decorations out kind of seems overwhelming with a newborn, however that's not what's important. It's about spending this time with our loved ones and recognizing just how much we have to be grateful for this year!

Mommy Advice Needed!

My first time around when Noah was a newborn, wasn't the "typical" experience, simply because Noah was very weak and sick. He slept literally, the entire day away and we rarely would hear a peep out of him. We woke him up every 2 hours to force feed him just so he would gain weight. So I went into this KNOWING that I would be kind of like a first-time mom again. I was still under the impression that newborns sleep majority of the day. So is this some kind of funny joke, that I'm not getting? :)

Collier is awake ALOT... it feels like he's awake more than he's asleep. He doesn't take long naps, but a few (very) short ones and majority of the time it's when we hold him. If we lay him down, he wakes up. Sometimes the swing works, but not often. It makes for a challenging day because Noah needs me too and I can't tend to him while holding a sleeping newborn. I'm guessing Collier's up to 10 lbs now and my pediatrician told me that once at 10 lbs he should be going 5 hours between a feeding at night, however, he's still nursing every 2 1/2 - 3 hours (at night). During the day, he will act hungry after just 2 hours have passed, sometimes he can make it 3 hours. Dr. Allen told me to try and make him go at least 3 hours between feedings, but then that means I'm doing everything I can for an hour to keep him from screaming his head off. He seems to have tummy/gas issues (even though I'm nursing exclusively and have cut out all caffeine) and we've let him sleep in his carseat with it sitting in the crib at night.

Maybe this is just typical of some newborns, however, does anyone have any tips for getting a baby to take better/longer naps during the day? What about going longer between feedings? Is it "normal" for a 3 week old to want to nurse every 2 hours?

Just the Three of Us

I survived my first week at home by myself with the boys. Jamie went back to work this past Monday and it went pretty well! All though I will admit, I was kind of eased into things. On Monday, Jamie only worked half a day, so that he could keep Noah while I took Collier to his 2 week check-up and then my mom was off work Thursday (Thank you, Veterans!), so she spent the night Wednesday night and helped out the following day. However, I didn't have any emotional breakdowns and I'm feeling pretty confident that I'm able to handle two! I even got them out by myself and we went shoe shopping for Noah and then on Friday, after Noah seemed to have a bit of 'cabin fever', we loaded up the double stroller and went for a long walk around our neighborhood. Speaking of... I think I've found a form of excercise! That HUGE double stroller weighs a good 35 lbs + Noah (35 - 40lbs) + Collier and his carseat = one heavy load. Pushing all of that uphill had me breaking a sweat and my muscles burning!

During the 2 week check-up on Monday, we discovered that we've got quite a little piggy on our hands! In 10 days, he gained 1 lb and 4 oz and was up to 9 lbs 12 oz! He had only been going about 2 hours a night between feedings so I had actually been concerned about him getting enough to eat at each feeding. Apparently, that isn't a problem! Dr. Allen told me I could try 1 formula bottle at night, in hopes to stretch out the amount of time he would sleep, which would allow me a little extra zzz's. I tried it for a couple of nights, but it didn't really make a difference in his sleep, plus it seemed to cause some tummy issues, so I've taken him off of it for now. Wednesday night was a pretty rough night and he was up on the hour every hour, however Thursday and Friday were much MUCH better, with him going 3 - 3 1/2 hours between each feeding. Noah has always been our easy-going little guy and I think Collier is going to be our opinionated, more stubborn one. He isn't like a typical newborn, sleeping majority of the day; he's awake ALOT. In fact, Thursday (after being up almost all night) he only napped for maybe a total of 2 hours?! Thank goodness I had my mom there with me! Thankfully, Friday was much better and he napped on and off throughout the day. I've been getting up with him each night by myself, simply because I feel bad asking Jamie to help when he has to go to work the following morning (plus, it's not like he can breastfeed). So Friday night, after Collier ate at 8:30, I went to bed. My mom fed him a bottle that I had pumped at midnight and he didn't wake up again until 4am... so I got a good 6 hours solid of sleep and felt like a brand new woman! What would we do without our mommas? :)

It's crazy to me that he's already 3 weeks old and I realize just how quickly it's already going. The newborn stage is TOUGH and EXHAUSTING as every mom knows, however I'm just trying to savor every minute of my boys and the age that they are right now. Yesterday, as we were waiting on Jamie to come home from work, Noah crawled up beside me on the couch and fell asleep with his head in my lap. Collier was asleep in my arms and I thought... it really doesn't get any better than this. I'll take the sleepless nights and the trying days for moments like these!

The wait is over... Collier is here!

Two weeks ago, on Thursday the 21st, Jamie, Noah and I ate lunch at Dish, then Noah and I went home so he could nap. Meanwhile, I laid down for a little while and dozed off for maybe 30 minutes. Once he woke up, we met my mom at the mall. I left the house without really looking in the mirror or "freshing up" since I'd only laid down for a little bit. Once we got to the mall, I went to the restroom and realized I looked pretty puffy in the face (I had not really had much swelling up until this point). I mentioned to mom how rough I looked and she commented that I was alot more swollen than I had been the night before, when my whole family had carved pumpkins together at my parent's house. She suggested that we go to a pharmacy and check my blood pressure. We left immediately and went to the nearest pharmacy where we discovered my blood pressure was elevated. I called my doctor's office to see what they thought and they told me to immediately go to the hospital to be monitored. Mom took Noah and Jamie and I headed to Helen Keller, where they admitted me. After about 2 hours, it came down to normal so Dr. Keith discharged me but wanted me to come in to his office the following morning for a re-check. I had a small feeling that if my bp was back up, I would be having a baby that following day. Friday morning, Jamie took Noah to school and I went to my appointment. On the way there, I stopped at CVS to see what my blood pressure was and it was even higher than the previous day so I was prepared that I would probably be having Collier that day. At the doctor's office it was even higher, 154/94 and I had traces of protein in my urine. They had me lie on my left side then they rechecked it; it came down some, but not much. Dr. Keith checked me and I was having mild contractions and dilated to 2 cm. He told me that he felt like I was in the beginning stages of preeclampsia and he didn't want to let it go over the weekend. I was far enough along in the pregnancy (38 weeks, 3 days) that he felt like Collier would be fine and if we waited, there was a chance I could get really sick, really quick. He told me to go to Helen Keller Hospital immediately and the C-section would be scheduled for later that afternoon. YIKES! I was prepared for this but nervous doesn't even describe the feeling! Noah was delivered at 38 weeks 1 day so I was so afraid that Collier's lungs wouldn't be ready, just as Noah's hadn't been. I asked him what he thought regarding Collier's lung development and he said that majority of the time, if there is some sort of problem, (such as preeclampsia, etc) the baby's development speeds up in preparation for delivery. I trusted Dr. Keith and he reassured me that he felt everything would be okay.

Since I was already in Sheffield at his office (which adjoins to Helen Keller Hospital) it didn't make sense for me to go home to finish packing my stuff. I called Jamie and gave him a list of the remaining items I needed added to my bag, along with all of Collier's things. I got to the hospital around noon and they got the ball rolling quickly. My mom was already there waiting for me in the room and shortly after that, Jamie, Noah and my dad arrived. The nurse attempted to get my IV started, but after blowing TWO veins, they had someone else do it,thank goodness, because the IV's HURT. Finally, the other nurse got my IV in. Because I had eaten breakfast and had something to drink right before my doctor's appointment, they had to hold off on the C-section until 3:30 - 4ish. We had a crew of people waiting in the room with us, which helped to keep me from being nervous and was a good distraction. Finally about 3:30, Dr. Keith came in my room and said we were about to get started. Shortly after that, the nurses came and got me and off we went to the OR.

First of all, let me say this was a completely different experience than my first C-section because that time, I had already been given pain meds and an epidural before they took me to the OR, so needless to say, I was loopy. This time, I walked myself into the OR and was completely aware as they gave me the spinal. My nerves had the best of me because I was shaking uncontrollably! Because of my scoliosis, they had a difficult time getting the spinal to take and at one point told me that he might have to put me under completely because I still had feeling in my lower half. Finally, I went numb and it was the WEIRDEST feeling because my legs were so HEAVY... at one point, I even had a heavy feeling in my chest making it hard to breathe, which made me a little panicky. While this was going on, Jamie had to wait in another room. After 30 minutes of prepping, Jamie was allowing in the OR and the c-section began. I kept closing my eyes and just praying for my baby to be okay. Finally at 4:16pm on Friday 10/22/10, I heard the most precious sounds, our baby's first cry! I immediately began asking if he was okay and thankfully, I was told he was perfect and healthy. Knowing what I did with Noah, I asked the pediatrician what his APGARS were and they were 9 / 9... as good as they could be which was music to my ears! :) My eyes immediately filled with tears and I just thanked the Lord over and over. Jamie told me that he looked JUST like Noah did as a newborn, which he did and still does. He weighed 8lbs 8oz and was 20 3/4" long. The nurse brought him over for me to see him before they went off to the nursery. Jamie went with Collier while Dr. Keith stitched me back up. Around 5:00pm, I was moved into Recovery where I spent the next hour and then at 6pm, I was moved into my room and told that Collier had already been bathed and was ready to come into the room with us.

All of our family joined us to meet our sweet baby boy. Noah, however, was exhausted from the long day and having had no nap, he wasn't the happiest camper. He also did not like his momma being in the hospital bed. My parents hung around for a little while but took him home so he could go to sleep and we spent the evening loving on our little guy.

Jamie stayed with me in the hospital and by the following morning (Saturday) I was up and slowly moving around. It was so much easier of a recovery than my previous c-section. That evening, we decided it would be best for Jamie to go spend some time with Noah and watch football with him at my parents house. My mom, aunt, and sister came and hung out with me, watching football in my hospital room, until Jamie returned that evening after Noah went to bed. Late that night, while I was asleep, my IV was knocked lose and came out of the vein, but was still under the skin, pumping pain medicine into my arm. I woke up with this huge swollen and sore spot on my arm. The nurse removed my IV and started yet another one in the other arm (that makes the 4th place where they tried IV's.) My arm is STILL bruised from where the IV came lose. The rest of my stay was thankfully, uneventful. We were discharged late Monday afternoon and couldn't be happier to get both of our boys home!

Life with 2 kids has been interesting (and tiring) but I've also had Jamie's help these past 2 weeks. He goes back to work Monday and I'm DREADING it. The hardest part has been that Collier wants to nurse every 2 hours so I'm not getting much sleep at night and I feel like ALL I do is feed him and change him and turn around and do it all over again. However, I couldn't be happier or more in love with both of my boys. It took Noah the first week to adjust to sharing our attention but he's doing much better. At first, he would cry every time Collier cried but now it doesn't seem to phase him. One of the hardest things has been that I've been unable to pick Noah up. Jamie has been such a HUGE help and we've really made a good team. We've even successfully ventured out of the house several times. As much as I wish Jamie had more time off, I'm also curious to see how it goes with just me and the boys as we settle into our routine. Jamie has been taking Noah to and from his therapy each day, however, we are taking next week off to ease me into things. The thought of trying to get both boys dressed, feed and out the door all by 9AM stresses me out just a bit. Hopefully, this next week will go smoothly and we'll get into a routine easily. I'm also hoping and PRAYING that Collier will start going a little longer between his feedings ...I'll keep ya'll posted!