The Story of the Chai Latte

So, I love chai lattes and I have had very little of them in the past 11 months due to the caffeine in them. Monday morning, I had to run a few errands with the Little Dude and found myself close to a Panera, which in my opinion makes the most wonderful chai lattes. As it was morning, and thus the caffeine wouldn't affect Justin in the middle of the night, I decided to get one. Of course, when I got it, it was too hot to drink. Then, half way to the last stop, Little Dude wakes up and starts screaming in his carseat (NOTE: this is the first time he has made a peep in his carseat while in the car - it usually puts him to sleep). When I got to the last stop - the vet to pick up Izzers' heartworm prevention medicine - Little Dude had calmed down. As it was an in/out stop, I grabbed the carseat and took him inside. Inside, he promptly started wailing again. So I pay for the Sentinel, take Little Dude outside, grab the pacifier and Little Dude is calm. I quickly checked that he wasn't too hot or in pain, and we headed for home. The chai latte was still too hot to drink, and I made it about two blocks before Little Dude was screaming (often he just needs to work out some gas that is uncomfortable for him and he is pretty vocal about it), and he cried the whole way home. Though it was less than 10 minutes, it felt like an eternity.

As soon as we got home, I took Little Dude out of the car, leaving everything else, sans Diaper bag. I brought him inside, fed him, changed his diaper, and put him in his swing long enough to take Izzers outside to relieve herself, grab the stuff in the car (including the chai latte), and brought everything inside. By then Little Dude was unhappy again, so I picked him up, rocked him and walked with him. I figured out that he was still hungry so I fed him again. After he finished, I burped him and he fell asleep in my arms (awwwwww!). After a few minutes, I figured it was safe to put him down to sleep, and he fell asleep easily. I quickly went to the kitchen and unpacked the groceries. I finally grabbed the chai latte, took a drink, and it was hardly luke warm. Down the drain it went. Boooooo.

The Many Faces of Justin

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a smile!! Justin has started 'cooing' and last night we got our first smile. Well, technically Baby Daddy was the recipient, but I got one just minutes later so I don't feel too bad. Here are a few other expressions we've seen in the past day:

NU-uh!

OMG - That is the funniest thing I have heard so far.

Alright Mom, I'm getting bored . . .

Just Plain Handsome

6 weeks later . . .

I know I sound like a broken record, but time is flying by. Granted, the late night/early morning hours when Justin (aka fussy britches) decides he wants to be WIDE awake seem long, but otherwise it's hard to believe he has been with us for six weeks already. Let's do a mini-update, shall we?

* To start with, we have a little Chubbers on our hands. Justin had a mini stomach virus this weekend and visited the doctor. He was weighed and came in at 10 lbs. 13 oz. Yes, that means from the time he left the hospital, he has put on four pounds in five weeks!! See pic for evidence. . . (the virus did not seem to bother Justin too much and is doing very well now)

* Justin has definitely had his fussy days lately, which means that we have been creative in finding ways to calm him down. My favorite: Bouncy seat + noise of a hairdryer + Izzers (she comes running when Justin squawks) = calm baby, at least for a few minutes.

* Justin seems to be instantly calmed by his Grandmas - they have the touch, let me tell you. They are free to take night shifts whenever ;)

* Justin has become quite squirmy. One second he's laying on my chest, the next his head is over my shoulder, or he has scooted down out of a hold. I think he's going to be quite the mover.

* Justin typically gives us two 3-4 hour stretches of sleep a night, waking up to eat once and easily going back to sleep.

Here he is, turning away from the ugly Hawkeye game last weekend.

I know, Little Dude, I know . . .

I went to my postpartum checkup today and everything looks good. I have been cleared to return to work (sad sad sad face). I just have a lot of baby fat to lose (umm . . . I thought breastfeeding was supposed to just melt those pounds away . . . no? not in my case anyway).

Ain't My Baby . . . Name: the Boy's List

So, this is the final installment of the 'Ain't My Baby. . . Name' posts. Now that Justin is with us, we don't have to debate about which names to include/get rid of. I, for one, do not miss the conversations that involve me shooting down another name because it ends with a 'kuh' sound ;). . .

At the last baby name post, we had eliminated Brian from the conversation, and we had 4 names left to choose from. Without further ado:

The Boy's List (in alphabetical order):

- Colin

- Nolan

- Scott

- Theodore

What's missing? That's right: Justin. After Justin (still Baby Hunt to us at the time) was born, Bonnie and I got our first look at the little guy. I didn't think any of the names that we had on our list fit (no, I don't really have a reason for thought process, but it is what it is). After about an hour of discussion (yes we deliberated that long), we decided Justin Mitchell was the winner. . .

So there you have it (I know, real exciting post. . .). With the end of the Ain't My Baby. . . Name posts, I leave you with Bonnie and Justin pre-gaming before tonight's (starts at 9:30 PM CST) Iowa football game.

When my family parties, they party hard ;)

A first . . .

This evening we dealt with our first baby blowout. I don't know why I feel the need to blog about it, but I figure it is sort of a rite of passage of parenthood, yes?

His clothing was spared the scissors treatment, but the padding in his swing is currently in the laundry.

You can thank me later for not including pictures in this post . . .

1 Month

I plan to take a picture of Justin in his chair each month.

Our Little Dude is now one month old. Seriously? Already? Justin does not go to his pediatrician until 8 weeks, so I do not have an updated weight, but I can assure you he has grown. I may even call him 'Chubbers' on occasion - let's hope he doesn't develop a complex.

Here is a peek into the life of Justin at one month:

* He has outgrown most of his newborn clothes and is now wearing size 0-3 months consistently.

* We made our first late-night call to the pediatrician Friday when Justin had his first congested nose and was unable to eat. This was followed by a trip to the nearest Wal-Mart to get some 'medicine' as they closed. A few saline drops, some nasal aspartions, and subsequent screams later, and Justin is doing much better. This same night, Izzers and I were sick as well.

* Justin has taken a bottle and does very well with it. When he was ill this weekend, we fed him exclusively by bottle for a day so that he could have a chance to breathe through his mouth without hurting me. Justin tends to eat more when using a bottle, which translated into longer periods of sleep. :) We may be using this to our advantage at nights, but during the day I am feeding him normally.

* He has worn his Hawkeye onesie the past two weekends and 'watched' the games with us. He is well on his way to becoming a Hawkeye fan :) I think I saw a slight smirk when Iowa was up 35-0 over Iowa State. He was probably just filling his diaper, but I'd like to think it was the domination by the Hawkeyes!

* Justin and I spent our first time away from Daddy this week when he was in Michigan on business. We stayed with my parents Monday through Sunday. Mitch arrived home on Friday and joined us for a wedding, and I think we were both ready for him to come back. My parents helped when they could but Justin slept no more than two hours when he was gone. I was very happy to have Mitchell back for the nights, and since he was being fed by bottle, I got my first nearly-full night's sleep in a month (by nearly-full, I mean I fell asleep at 12, woke up when Justin did at 3, but stayed in bed and fell asleep until 6:30).

* Justin's sleeping has, for the most part, improved. He usually goes down around 11 0r 12, wakes up between 3 and 4 (sometimes stays awake for an hour), and goes down until 6-7.

* He is spending much more time alert and is focusing on our faces and ceiling fans and lights. When he naps during the day, it is rarely over an hour, maybe an hour and a half.

* He are quite the squirmer and is a strong little guy. He surprises us with his ability to hold his head up already and we have to reposition him often when holding him because of his squirminess. Tummy time has paid off, though Justin often has to compete with Izzers, who has her own version of 'Tummy Time':

* I was away from Justin for the first time this weekend. I attended a couple hours of the wedding reception while Grandma W watched him. Of course, he slept the entire time I was gone (barring an initial diaper change/bottle feeding). I was glued to my cell phone, waiting for news, but all went well, and besides a little anxiousness to see my boy, we both survived.

I promise Baby Daddy is alive and has not forgotten about the blog. In fact, I know he has the last 'Aint my Baby Name' post planned for the near future. Don't you, darling?

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.