Mama's Brag Book

It's been a long time since I've posted, and I have lots to share.  I'll start by bragging on our sweet boy, who rolled over from his tummy to his back twice in a row two days ago!!  He did it several weeks ago without meaning to, and it startled him so much he began crying.  But on Thursday he rolled over once during tummy time, and then promptly did it again once he realized how neat it was.

For your enjoyment (it's long, and there's lots of mom voice cheering, so you may want to fast forward to the beginning of the big moment around 1:30).

Picture Post

Moving on Up

Henry turned one month old on July 26!  These photos were taken on his one month birthday.

So what's Henry up to these days?

He doesn't have his two-month pediatrician appointment until August 31, and we don't own a scale, so I don't know his weight.  But, I am betting he's pushing 11 pounds by now.  The boy loves to eat.  And he's good at it.  His cheeks are rounding out and he's got a little buddha belly.  He's solidly into 0-3 month clothes, but I am guessing he will only be able to wear them for a few more weeks.

Henry is a fairly content baby, although some days are better than others.  I have found that when he gets overly tired, the day goes downhill quickly and it is hard to get it back on the right track.  I'm not sure why he naps better some days than others, but there is a marked difference in his mood depending on how well he sleeps.

Henry eats about every 3-4 hours, day and night, but he has given us a few 5 hour stretches at night and one 6 hour stretch!  The 6 hour stretch was after he had a pumped bottle of over 4 ounces, and I'm thinking that's more than he's used to eating.  We're considering feeding him a bottle before bed each night in the hope that it will keep him fuller longer.  Our goal is that he will wake up only once a night by the time we return to work in late September/early October.  To that end, we're beginning sleep training soon!  I am ordering a couple of books to read and determine which method I'd like to try.  I'm sure that will be a subject of a few blog posts!

Milestones: Henry has given out a few smiles here and there.  Not too often, but enough to keep me wanting more!  He's also very strong.  He is a champ at lifting his head, either when he's lying on his stomach or when you hold him upright such that his head rests against your chest.  He also has fairly defined leg muscles and he works on standing when you hold him upright on your lap, so we're planning for his future as a champion soccer player.  Henry is definitely beginning to interact with us more, which is so cool to see.  He will coo and babble, and he'll also follow us with his eyes if we come into the room.  I think Mark is especially enjoying this increased communication and reciprocal interaction.

Henry, we love you so much, and we are so excited to watch you grow!

Three Weeks

I'm late in posting, but Henry turned three weeks old on Tuesday, July 17, 2012!  These pictures were taken on time, however, and he already looks older!

The third week was a little more challenging, both for us and for Henry.  He started getting fussier than he had been, and he had two days at the beginning of the week where he was very fussy, basically crying any time he wasn't eating.  We attributed the crankiness to gas and were trying all different methods of burping Henry, so the air bubbles wouldn't travel to his stomach.  Our techniques weren't working, so we called the pediatrician.  Apparently, we had been doing things all wrong by jiggling and burping Henry for so long after each feeding, because it caused stomach acid to come back up, rather than settling down.  Instead, the nurse recommended keeping Henry upright for 30 minutes after each feeding, to allow him to spit up and burp on his own timetable.  So far, this is working fairly well, and though it's time-intensive, it's worth it for a happy baby!

Likes: Car rides, stroller rides, eating, his wubbanub pacifier, rocking in his swing

Dislikes: Gas in his tummy!


Milestones: Henry has begun cooing when he's happy.  It's pretty much the most adorable thing ever, and it makes me so happy to see him happy and content.  Also, Mark isn't sure, but I swear Henry has started smiling with meaning while awake.  It has happened only a few times, usually after feeding when I'm holding him.  He looks at me so intently and gives an open-mouthed grin.  Kills me every time.  Maybe it's a reflex, but I'm choosing to believe that Henry's just expressing his satisfaction with life!  I fall more and more in love with him, and with motherhood, each day.

Nautical Themed Shower

A look back at the nautical-themed baby shower that my aunt Lois and uncle Tom hosted for me, with my mom's assistance.  Everything--decorations, food, games, the weather--was perfect. 

The adorable diaper cake my mom made!

Emily couldn't make it, because Harper was teeny tiny, but she repurposed the diaper wreath from her own baby shower to fit the nautical theme.  Thanks, Emily!

We played a game called "Make a Baby," in which the guests crafted babies from clay.  Kim's was the big winner!  I couldn't resist the adorable pacifier and the bald head.

Everyone's babies.

In the next game, guests guessed my circumference. 

Kathryn (who made the trek all the way from Florida) won!

Decorating onesies.

A play on Kim and Stephanie's nickname for Henry, "Prince of Peace."

The clothesline holding the onesies fell, and people were drafted to hold it until we could procure tape.

Poor Natalie agreed to hold the line while 7 months pregnant!

 

The group.  The weather at my aunt and uncle's house couldn't be beat.  What a wonderful day! 

Two Weeks

Henry turned two weeks old on Tuesday, July 10, 2012!  He already looks so big to me, like a baby, not a newborn.

Henry is doing great.  He's a pretty good baby and isn't overly fussy.  He definitely lets us know when he's hungry, and he also isn't overly fond of having a wet diaper, but who can blame him?  Other than that, he's fairly content most of the time.

Likes: Swinging in his swing (especially when the music is playing--maybe he has the musical ability his parents lack?!), holding onto his pacifiers, looking out the window during diaper changes, car rides, going on stroller rides around the neighborhood (a first this week!), staring at ceiling fans and lights, scrunching his face during full-body stretches.

Dislikes: Diaper changes, being hungry, bathtime, the process of putting on socks.

Milestones: Henry reached several milestones this week. 

First, on Wednesday night, his umbilical cord stump fell off!  Mark noticed it during a late night/early morning (who keeps track of time these days) diaper change.  Now Henry can have regular baths!  Maybe he'll enjoy them more since he can be submerged and won't be so chilly. 

Also, we began tummy time with Henry this week.  As we predicted, he's pretty much a genius and is already able to lift his head and turn it from one side to the other while lying on his stomach.  According to my Google search, he shouldn't be able to do this until he's three weeks old.  Look for him in the 2032 Olympics.  Sport TBA.

Finally, Henry had his two-week checkup this week.  He remains an eating champ and is up to 8 pounds, 3 ounces.  This puts him in the 33rd percentile for weight.  Despite his genetic make-up, he is a long guy at 21 inches, which is the 60th percentile for height.  His head circumference of 14 1/4 inches puts him in the 30th percentile for that measurement.

One Week

Henry is one week old today, July 3, 2012!  He already doesn't look like a newborn to me, which makes me a little sad.  Time is going to fly by so quickly, and while I am looking forward to Henry reaching milestones, I also want to keep him tiny forever.  That isn't possible, of course, so I am trying to savor every second of his "newborn-ness."

Our big excitement today was Henry's first appointment with the pediatrician.  The appointment was actually delayed a day because our pediatrician's office was out of power for several days following a major storm in the area.  We learned that Henry has gained half a pound in only four days!  He now weighs 7 pounds, 9 ounces (28%), up from his hospital discharge weight of 7 pounds even last Friday.  This weight gain was huge, and the doctor was very impressed.  Henry is an eating champ, and it shows!  The other positive aspect of the gain in weight is that Henry can now feed on demand.  This is a huge plus for mom and dad, since we have been sticking to a three hour feeding schedule, day and night, and let me tell you it is a blast waking up to a 4am alarm clock.  So, tonight we'll see how long Henry will go between feedings.  It better be more than 3 hours, or he will find himself back on a schedule!

Henry has also grown in length, and he is now 20.5 inches long (60%), and his head is 13.75 inches (20%).

At one week old, here are some facts about Henry:

Likes: Hanging out on his boppy pillow or rock n' play watching the world go by, eating, his pacifier, sucking on his hands and fingers, breaking his arms out of his swaddle, car rides (yay!  Hopefully this trend will continue and we can take him on a vacation in September), perfecting his finger grasp.
Dislikes: Diaper changes, bathtime.

We feel like we're settling into a routine with Henry.  We've become more adept at diaper and clothing changes, and we know what to check for when he's fussy, to help calm him.  The dogs are doing great with Henry.  Rowan was absolutely obsessed at first, following us around when we carried the baby and standing guard in the nursery while I fed Henry.  She is a little less interested now, but she still does like to keep tabs on Henry and will quickly come to assess the situation when he is upset.  Finn has been much less interested in Henry and pretty much keeps to himself.  He does sniff him from time to time, and today he got a little closer to Henry to check him out.  We are very careful to watch the dogs at all times around the baby, but we're hoping they'll all grow to be good buds.

I'll update soon with Henry's birth story.  The delivery was definitely not routine, but we're all safe and healthy, and that's all that matters.