Two weeks later . . .

It is seriously hard to believe that our 'Little Dude' is over two weeks old already. He has already changed so much. Here are a few of the latest developments.

I am slightly biased, but he is incredibly handsome, isn't he?

* Justin had his two-week checkup with his pediatrician on Thursday. He tipped the scale at 8 pounds, 2 ounces. His doctor says they are happy when babies have simply regained their birthweight by two weeks - let alone gain over a pound! He has also gained half an inch in length! His head is a little smaller than most babies his age, but is nothing to be worried about - and I feel sorry for the 90% of women who have to deliver babies with larger heads.

* Justin has gotten a few baths now, and doesn't seem to hate them. He does shiver a little bit and make noise (see next point), but does not scream.

* Justin makes a 'clicky' noise that sounds like a cross between a giggle and morse code. It's pretty cute.

* Justin seems to enjoy his swing, though he has only been in twice and for a few minutes each time (can we say paranoid mom?).

Seriously, mom, I'm fine.

* Justin has been spending more and more time awake, with his handsome dark blue eyes open, each day. He seems to be focusing a little more, and just stared at me for a few minutes today.

* He is gaining strength quickly, and already is able to pick/hold up his head for a few seconds. He can also hold his arms/legs in a frog position that is quite difficult to get him out of.

* His hair is already lightening, which is not surprising as both Baby Daddy and I had near white-blonde hair when we were little.

* Justin's sleeping has been sporadic. For awhile he was doing great, waking up every three hours at night, giving me 2-3 wonderful 2.5 hour sleep sessions a night. Last night, however, he was awake and fussy from 11-2:30. I'm pretty sure there is no worse feeling than hearing your baby cry and not being able to calm him. Baby Daddy and I took turns rocking, shushing, changing, feeding, walking, etc. and finally got him to fall asleep a little before 3:00. He seemed to be having some gas trouble as he would act incredibly hungry, but only eat (and eat like a teenage boy after two-a-day football practice) for 20-30 seconds, then cry again, then repeat. Either he was taking in so much that he was slightly choking, or gulping large amounts of air that he was having trouble getting out.

* Justin has been pretty consistent when it comes to eating (barring the few instances like last night). He sleeps, he wakes up and starts trying to eat his hand/whoever is holding him, we change him, I feed him, and the cycle repeats. Sometimes I feel like a buffet more than a mom, but as he's put on a pound and has 'breastfeeding blisters' (dry skin on his lips that his pediatrician was actually happy to see), we must be doing something right. I was warned before Justin was born by other new moms that breastfeeding is not as intuitive/easy/romantic as the propaganda makes it sound, and oh my were they right. We took a class (yes, I made Mitchell go) and I met with a lactation consultant after he was born, and it's still difficult at times. It would be wonderful if others could help feed him and I could catch up on some sleep, or if I wouldn't think that buying stock in breastpads would be a fabulous idea, or if I wouldn't be in engorgement-like pain multiple times a day. However, I know it is best for him and hope to continue for awhile. In another week or two he can start taking expressed milk in a bottle, so that could be a slight help.

* Just as he is consistent with eating, he is consistent with filling his diapers. He is rarely silent, which is really a nice notice for us that he needs to be changed. It makes a really awesome impression when someone is cooing over his adorableness and he lets one rip. (I say he gets this from his father, but his father says the same about me ;) )

* Justin made his first trip to Grandma and Grandpa W's last night as he had his newborn pictures taken this morning. Yes, I know the last post said something different. Long story short, I had someone selected to take photos, and had a date set for the Friday after he was born. The photographer is pregnant, and was having problems on that day, so we rescheduled, and after two more complications and reschedules, we frantically looked for someone else. We should have some photos soon!

Grandma W came to visit for a day and help me get some rest/a few things done. Doesn't 'helping' look difficult?

And for an Izzers update:

* Izzers has not gotten as jealous or depressed as we thought she would. If Justin stirs, she will run to his crib/pack n play, but won't bark. She spends most of her time either quite close to him/us, or in a different room entirely.

* She does get a little stressed when he cries for a long time. Last night she kept jumping off the bed and hiding under it.

Her typical, preferred distance.

Move over Zach Efron . . .

there's a new hair style in town. I call it 'The Swirl' . . . We were both expecting Justin to be bald when he was born (I mean, look at his father ;) ), so imagine our surprise when he not only had hair, but this much hair, with this interesting cowlick.

We're continually amazed that we made someone this cute. We have a very hungry, quite nocturnal little boy on our hands. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Justin so far . . .

Grandpa W and the three grandbabies together for the first time.

Right after getting home from the hospital

Chillin with Auntie Mel

I jokingly told Mitchell that if I hadn't carried Justin for nine months, I would question whether he was mine. He looks like a mini-Mitchell, doesn't he? with a little less facial hair . . .

Still too small for the duckie hooded blanket, but he has already grown quite a bit.

Justin's great-aunt Nan made these adorable little John Deere bibs for him. Here he is practicing his touchdown pose . . .

The back is my favorite part :)

Justin has his newborn pictures tomorrow, so check back later for a peek at those.

The first few days

This post is going to be picture-free. I swear we have some, but uploading them takes a) effort and b) time away from sleeping/Justin, so you will have to wait a little longer. Sorry. Besides, if I did post a picture of myself right now, it would look eerily similar to a zombie.

Justin's first few days at home have been . . . well . . . tiring, but that is to be expected. The first night he was awake and wanting to eat (I am breastfeeding) every 45 minutes-1hour. Add that to the general nervousness of being a first time mom, and you can imagine how much I slept . . . or didn't sleep, rather. The second night was not good either, as Justin was pretty well awake for four hours during the night, and also wanting to be fed each hour. I actually called his pediatrician to make sure this was normal (oh yeah, I'm that mom already), and not only is it normal, but a good sign that he's eating/digesting corectly - as was confirmed at his mini-appointment today where it was confirmed that he is only 1 ounce from his birthweight :) This last night was much better on all of us as Justin only woke up 4 times :):):):):) and went nearly 2-3 hours between feedings and was only awake for a 30 minute period. We both got the most sleep we've had since leaving the hospital.

Today Justin got out for the first time as I had an appointment with a lactation consultant and his mini-appointment. Everyone thinks he is adorable :) Here is hoping each night gets a little better, though the little guy hasn't slept much today so we'll see.

He's here!

I would normally start off a post with some sort of wise crack, but for this post A) I'm too tired, and B (and more importantly)) I'm too excited to share.

The info:
Name: Justin Mitchell Hunt
D. O. B.: 8/12/10 at 4:40 P.M. (yes he did have to be evicted).
Weight: 7 lbs, 0.7 oz
Length: 20 in

And, the pictures (in no particular order):

Eviction Notice

Dearest Baby Hunt,

This message serves to inform you that should you not pack up your things and vacate my uterus by Thursday morning, you will be forcefully evicted. Please exit at your soonest convenience.

Love,

Mommy

Today marked our last visit to the OB office pre-Baby Hunt. The ultrasound shows that Baby Hunt is doing well, estimated to be 7 pounds, 10 ounces. However, we don't seem to have progressed anywhere on the labor front. The latest induction we could schedule was Thursday morning, so Baby Hunt should be here by Thursday evening.

While I'm very, very excited to meet Baby Hunt, I am dreading the induction. When pitocin is used, constant fetal monitoring is necessary because of the intensity of the contractions (heart rate problems are common), so it means that I will be stuck in the hospital bed throughout labor. It's not my ideal scenario, but having a healthy baby is the most important thing, so I'm constantly reminding myself of that. I'm so hoping he decides to leave the coziness of my tummy in the next two days. My prediction was tomorrow, so we'll see if I am right again . . . (yes, Baby Daddy - again ;) )

It's the Final Countdown. . .

Just something to pass the time while we wait for the arrival of Baby Hunt. . .

D-Day

and no Baby Hunt :(


yet . . .

Week 40

Baby Hunt is one day from his due date and we've just returned from the OB. I am dilated to 2 cm, up one from the last few weeks. I met the last of the doctors in my OB partnership, and she estimates Baby Hunt to weigh around 7.5 pounds (we'll see soon if she could someday transfer her talents and become an amusement park intra-uterine weight guesser). His heartbeat sounded lovely at 132 bpm. My blood pressure was 126/82 (normal for most people), and I have minimal swelling. I have had lower back pain for a few days, but it does not appear to be back labor as it comes and goes with lots of massages from Baby Daddy. She also commented on how 'surprisingly' low he is. Hopefully he'll just slide right out . . . ha, I wish.

The OB threw out the scary 'I' word - induction. It's no secret that I dread the use of pitocin and want to give Baby Hunt as much time to come on his own as I safely can. Our OB practice does not deliver past 41 weeks, so she gave me the option of a) scheduling an induction for next week, or b) scheduling an ultrasound w/BPP (essentially a detailed ultrasound with a nonstress test) for Monday and going from there. I choose option b, so if Baby Hunt does not arrive before Monday, we'll have an ultrasound in the afternoon, followed by scheduling an induction for later in the week, assuming he's still doing well. I am really hoping we do not need the induction - come on Baby Hunt :)

Hopefully we'll have good news soon :)

It's August . . .

you know what that means . . .