Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful day today. Melanie and Vanessa were here to share Thanksgiving lunch with us. We had turkey breast, cornbread stuffing, gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, broccoli casserole, sweet potato casserole, sauteed green beans, and pumpkin pie. Amazingly, the only thing that was made ahead of time was the stuffing that Nanner made and sent with Pops when he visited earlier this week. We had a wonderful time cooking together all morning. We had three ovens going at once, including the toaster oven. Everything came out great and it really tasted like Thanksgiving.

Here's a wider angle showing that Ben was part of the festivities. Chris just loves it when I take these shots of everyone eating, but I love looking back at the pictures later.

Here we are earlier in the morning eating breakfast in our pj's. Chris was taking a picture of me feeding Ben and Sam ran over to get in the picture.

Chris gave Ben one of his bottles last night and I put him back in bed after he ate at 6:45 since no one had to go to work or school, so I got a lot more sleep last night. We woke up to Sam standing beside our bed around 8am. He's figured out how to take the baby proofing thing off of the door knob to his room. I'm just hoping he doesn't think it's ok to go wandering around the house at night now. I really hope he doesn't go in Ben's room or try to come downstairs to our room in the dark either.

Ben is gaining weight like crazy and growing like a weed. He's outgrown the newborn clothes and diapers so he's fitting into the 3 month clothes now. He's losing the hair on the top of his head and has some baby acne which I'll be retouching on most of the pictures. (I can't help it.) He made a few cooing noises today and is doing a lot more looking around. You can see that he's really doing a good job holding his head up too. Bring on the smiles!

Growth Spurt

Well, that better be what's going on any way! Since putting Ben on formula last Thursday we had eased into a fairly comfortable routine for a few days where he was eating every 2.5 to 3.5 hours with consistent three hours stretches at night in the cradle. Then all of a sudden he started waking up early from naps and wanting to eat every 2 hours. This is exhausting enough during the day, but he continued that pattern last night, waking up just one hour after I went to bed! Growth spurts generally last 2 to 3 days, but can last longer. If he's still eating every two hours in 5 days, we'll have to consider a different reason. I'm concerned he's just waking up early from his naps because he doesn't like being in his crib and just wants to be held.

With as little sleep as I've been getting and now getting less, I decided to move Ben to his crib in his room upstairs last night. Even when babies are sleeping they make these sleep noises and they were keeping me awake. Moving him helped, but I was worried that I wouldn't hear him on the monitor since I had the volume lower. I wanted to miss the random chatter and just pickup the real crying. I'm sure I'll get used to it in a few days. We plan to make the move permanent since it also helps having the rocking chair upstairs for the night time feedings.

Weeks 5 to 6 are really hard. Newborns seem to hit peak fussiness and also go through a growth spurt. They don't do much besides eat and sleep and cry and poop. They don't smile yet and aren't making any cooing sounds or cute squeals. They also get overstimulated easily. That being said, I only try to "play" with Ben and do tummy time once per day. He tolerates it A LOT better than Sam did. Sam cried as soon as I laid him down. Ben will lay on his back for about five or ten minutes and will do tummy time for about two to three minutes. Most of Ben's other wake time throughout the day is spent eating, rocking, and singing. Due to the overstimulation factor he also has some wake time where I just put him in his bouncer or swing so he can just look around on his own. I try to get a walk in every day too. Last weekend was jam-packed with soccer, shopping, and two birthday parties and Ben did great. He just took cat naps in his car seat and the Baby Bjorn. (Yes, we got the Bjorn out this weekend since he is big enough to go in it now!)

I couldn't get Ben to look at the camera when he was doing tummy time, but you can get a sense for how he's doing holding his head up.

Allen Americans

Sam and I went to the opening night of the Allen Americans inaugural season. Emily and I bought two season tickets in a group buy with the Vorndrans and other friends. The Americans are a CHL minor league hockey team and their home is the new Allen Event Center on Stacy Road, right in the middle of the new shopping center.

Here's Sam with Hagen and Shawn Vorndran. Sam didn't behave well that night, but I think he had fun nontheless.

Here's a shot of the puck toss. The goal here is to toss your pucks (you buy them for $1) and try to get to the middle of the rink. The pucks are numbered. Whoever gets closest wins a prize. By the way, I don't recommend walking out on the ice while this is going on!

Me and Sam.

Another shot of us playing on the swing. Sam has really opened up to having me play with him on his play set.

Ben's 1 Month Checkup

We had Ben's one month checkup yesterday. He's really catching up in weight. I think he weighs about the same as Sam at his one month checkup. He got only one vaccination, so there wasn't much crying. Here are the stats ...

Weight: 8 lbs 9 oz (24%)

Length: 21 in (34%)

Head Cir.: 14.25 in (16%)

Well, the breast feeding saga is over. I started weaning Ben yesterday after his appointment. His doctor agreed that it was the best plan, especially for my sanity. A huge weight has been lifted and the rest of the day was the best day we've had for a while. Chris even went to a hockey game with Ian, and I was able to bathe Sam, read him books, and put him to bed on my own while Ben took a nap.

Chris took the day off since we had a doctor appointment for Ben and another one for me and Sam's Thanksgiving Feast at school. Knowing exactly how much formula Ben is taking, we are better able to put him on a schedule. We've also moved him to his cradle in our room for sleeping. Originally he was alternating between the bouncer and the swing. Then, even though I swore I'd never do it, I moved him in the bed with me for a week or so. He's slept all night in the cradle for the last two nights, and I don't plan on moving him back. I'm actually getting less sleep because he's waking up a little more often, but I'm getting better sleep and I feel better about it. He was sleeping a five hour stretch with me, but he's back to 3 hours in the cradle. Hopefully he'll start sleeping for longer stretches once he gets used to it.

With Chris home for the day, we got to take a nice long walk. Ben fell asleep and slept for hours. We had to wake him to feed him before my doctor appointment.

Here are the boys taking a bath. Sam loves to help rinse Ben off. We still have to remind him constantly not to pour water on his head.

One of Ben's favorite places to hang out (and fall asleep) is his bouncer. Nanner got him this little bear and Sam insists that Ben have it all the time.

Yiayia and her Grandbabies

It's been a week since Yiayia came to visit. She was here for nine days. It was great having her here! We had lots of yummy food and got all caught up on laundry. Sam was very happy to have her here because she played lots of games with him and gave him lots of attention. It was wonderful to have someone to hold Ben so that I could take a shower or nap without worrying about him crying. It was also nice just to not be alone in the house all day.

Yiayia taught Sam to say "zelia psora" and do the hand gestures that go with it. Sam loved it because they were basically making fun of Cleo being jealous of Sam's food and telling her that she couldn't have any.

Yiayia spent lots of time playing with Sam and he loved every minute of it. We've been having issues with Sam being jealous of all the attention that Ben has been getting from Mommy, so Sam was happy to have Yiayia to himself in the evenings.



There was lots of time to hold Ben while he was sleeping.

Big Brother

With Ben reaching 8 lbs I don't have this constant feeling like he's going to break. I keep telling Sam that Ben will be able to do certain things when he gets bigger, so every day when Sam comes home he asks me if Ben is bigger yet.

It always seems to work out that I'm feeding Ben when Sam comes home and that has led to some jealousy issues, so last night I asked Sam if he wanted to help me give Ben a bottle. That was a big hit! Sam loves being a "good helper."

Here are some more things Sam is doing and saying ...

We are not "allowed" to go any where in front of Sam in our house, especially up and down the stairs. Sam has to be the "line leader" or he has to "beat you" or "win."

For a long time now we've been able to "trick" Sam into eating things by saying we are going to eat it or Cleo is going to eat it. He would scream, "No! Mine!" and eat it. A few nights ago this changed to "Okay. Whatever. You can eat it."

Sam: I hate poop. (or squash casserole, or anything else that he's decided he doesn't presently like)

Me: Hate is not a nice word. No more "I hate." You can say "I don't like."

Sam: No more "I hate"?

Me: No.

Sam: I don't like poop.

A little girl in Sam's class is having a birthday party next weekend.

Me: Do you know how old she will be?

Sam: Three. And next year she will be four. And then she can have a whole vitamin!

Sam gets 1/2 half of a Flintstone vitamin every morning and he always asks for a whole one, but he can't have a whole one until he turns four. He also asks the name of the character of is vitamin every morning. He's never watched he Flintstones so he doesn't know Fred from Barney, but he won't eat it until he knows who it is.

Ben at 3 Weeks

Ben was three weeks old on Monday. He's starting to be more alert between feedings. He's started focusing on our faces and it seems like he recognizes our voices. He's starting to hold his head up when we put him over our shoulders. He's super cute, especially his little round head. Our main focus is still on feeding and sleeping of course. Ben weighed 7 lbs 13.7 oz this morning, so he's still gaining weight at or above the expected rate of .85 ounce per day.

We are still supplementing with formula. My milk supply is still going up, but very slowly at a rate that can really only keep up with Ben's increased demand - not enough to eliminate the formula. I've tried everything you can possibly try: pumping, herbs, and even a prescription medicine. Pumping is painful. It seems I may have Raynaud's Phenomenon. The lactation consultant said she had heard about it, but I was the first person she had seen with it. I'll have to talk to my doctor about that at my appointment next week. I took herbal supplements, but they didn't seem to have an effect. Then my doctor gave me a prescription for Reglan. Within 24 hours of taking that, Ben started having increased bowel movements and discomfort. When I say increased, I mean from 2 per day to 18. Everything online says that the medicine shouldn't cause that side effect in the infant though it is listed as a side effect for the mother. Oh, and once you start taking it, you can't just stop - you have to wean off of it, so I just took the last dose yesterday. Ben is still pooping too often for a baby that is getting formula. At this point we don't know if it's because of medicine still in my system or if he's developed an intolerance to the formula. We'll have his one month check-up next week, so we'll ask what to try next if it hasn't normalized by then.

Ben is still getting about 3/4 of his nutrition from breast milk and there are lots of reasons for his health to keep at it, but it is honestly wearing me out. He falls asleep every time I try to feed him, so I have to keep waking him up or he'll want to eat ever hour to hour and half instead of every two to three hours. With him falling asleep, weighing him before and after to see how much milk he transferred, changing his poop diaper, and giving him a bottle, it takes about 45 minutes to feed him, so you can see why formula in a bottle starts looking more and more attractive, especially when you want to try to leave the house with a three-year-old in tow. I think I'm too type A for breast feeding too. I mean, what am I going to do when I return the rented scale and I don't know exactly how many mL he got?

At this point I've set the two mini-goals of making it to 8 lbs (Ben should be there by this weekend) and then making it to 1 month (next Thursday). We'll talk to his doctor then and see if we should change anything - whether it be for Ben's health or my sanity.

Halloween for Two

Sam was infatuated with Halloween this year! He had three Halloween shirts and wanted to wear them every day. They had lots of Halloween activities at school, including a party, and he simply could not wait to go trick-or-treating.

Sam still wants to hold Ben all of the time. We just make sure that Sam is sitting somewhere where he can easily support Ben's head. I'll feel a little better about it when Ben can hold his head up on his own.

I took this close-up of Ben in his Halloween outfit while he was napping in the bouncer.

I got up early on Saturday and actually got a shower, washed my hair, and put on make-up, so I wanted to take a picture with my boys on Halloween. We took this picture sitting on the picnic bench under Sam's fort.

Sam is in a phase where he is making really goofy faces when we take pictures. We take lots of pictures and pick the one most resembling an actual smile.

We have to remember to get Daddy to pose for a picture every now and then too!

Trying to continue the Halloween tradition of carving a jack-o-lantern with Sam.

Here's a video of us carving the pumpkin with Sam. He's actually talking in this video. We don't have many of those. He usually gets shy when the camera is rolling, so Chris set it up on a stand and Sam forgot it was there.

Sam posing out front with all of the pumpkins.

Sam actually wanted to wear his Spiderman costume this year! I've pretty much made him cry every year up until now trying to get him in his costume.

We got lots of silly face poses here too.

Our front doorstep on Halloween night with everything lit up and ready to go.

We had lots of fun trick-or-treating with Sam. Chris did one street and then we swapped out and I did another. Sam's pumpkin bucket was half full after two streets and he was ready to go home and eat some candy. We had some really cool houses in our neighborhood. Some were very scary and set up like haunted houses. Sam was pretty brave and wanted to go see them though he practically ran away from one of them. They were pretty good about not jumping out at little ones. I was surprised he didn't have any nightmares that night.

Two Weeks

Ben was two weeks old yesterday. He is doing very well. He's was just a few ounces shy of his birth weight at his doctor's visit yesterday, but I think he's caught up now based on today's weight. Here's the stats from the doctor:

Weight: 7 lbs 1.2oz (10%)

Length: 20 in (22%)

Head Circumference: 13.75 in (12%)

He is tracking around the 10th percentile for his weight and the 20th percentile for his height. Note that his length is shorter than what we were given as his length at birth (20.25"). It seems like they measured him wrong on the hospital because his length was around 19.5" when they measured him at his pediatrician's office a few days later. Of course I wouldn't call the methods use to measure length very reliable, especially with a squirming baby.

Ben didn't get any vaccines, but he did get a heal prick for the 2nd state newborn screen.

You can see Chris giving Ben a bottle in the picture above. He's getting about 1/4 to 1/3 of what he needs from formula right now. I'm still trying to get my supply to come up, but formula supplementation is a slippery slope. We have to give it to him so he can gain weight, but then he's not motivated to nurse. We had the same type of issue with Sam so I shouldn't be surprised. I was just hoping it would be different this time.

Here are some pictures of Chris giving Ben a sponge bath in the kitchen. We only had to do this twice before his parts healed an we could move him to a real bath. We haven't taken any pictures of that yet though because it takes both of us to keep Sam from dumping a big cup of water on Ben while Chris is bathing him.

As you can see, Ben loved the sponge bath about as much as any baby does.

Here's a picture of me and Ben on the couch. That's where we spend most of our day. My goals are really small right now. I'm just trying to eat, sleep, shower, and take a walk every day. Anything else is a bonus for now. It's very frustrating to go from being so active to being tied to the house. I know this phase is short, so I just have to keep that in mind. I did manage to make it out for Sam's soccer practice this past weekend, but I missed a birthday party that Sam went to. Sam is starting to learn that he doesn't get to choose when he wants Mommy or Daddy. He's ready for Ben to either get bigger or go back in my tummy for sure!

Family Visits

We've had lots of family stop by to meet Ben. My mom was out to visit for the weekend. She got lots of baby holding time.

Sam loved playing on Lulu's laptop. She had this great kid's game called Purble Place which is free with Microsoft Vista. Sam is still asking me to play it.

Pops left a day or so after Lulu arrived. We are already missing the yummy food and comic relief.

We also got to see Andrea, aka Mister, for a few days. Andrea had some cool apps on her iPhone that Sam had a blast playing, like Whack-A-Mole an another where you squish bugs. He also showed her how to put some puzzles together and explained that they were "learning" about the trucks or whatever was on the puzzle.

Of course she had to hold Ben, too!

My cousin Vanessa just moved to town. She came by to visit with her friend Jen.

I only got to hang out for a few minutes since I was in the middle of all of the breastfeeding issues and quite exhausted.

It was great having lots of family around, especially for Sam. Here are some pictures of everyone throwing the football around.