Let's start with Alexis. Her favorite new phrase is "be quiet!" As you can probably assume, we're not overjoyed about this. She has hit that 2 1/2 year stage, the one when every six months a kid gets especially difficult. She definitely wants her own way, and I am constantly having to tell her to watch the tone in her voice, something that is difficult to figure out how to phrase for a two-year-old. However, she also busts out with hysterical stuff, like walking into her room when Jason and I are both already there and saying "hey guys!" Or trying to figure out how to say Periwinkle, the name of a cat, and saying "pinkywiggie" instead.
Potty training is going decently. I know that people have these stories of training their kids in three days, but that's just not Alexis. Or maybe I'm not dedicated enough. She has, however, peed in the potty at least once a day for about a week, and she pooped once last week, too! This is exciting news for me. Cleaning it up is not my favorite thing, so if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to pass them along. One great tip is to use a coffee filter when she's pooping, but it's a big pain when she's just peeing.
She's also still growing, but she's still so tiny! She barely fits into 24m or 2T stuff sometimes, and I just bought her an 18m dress a little while ago. But she's so cute in her petiteness! I chopped all of her hair off the other day. She now has a very short bob. Her hair was touching her shoulders, but it was so thin, especially at the ends, that I just decided to cut it off. Hopefully it's thickening up some. She's doing so much big girl stuff, though, like climbing the stairs at Chick-fil-a to go down the slide, or climbing up the swirly purple slide at the playground. She still wants to help with Micah a lot, which is nice, but she tends to get in the way a lot, too, so we try to find the balance between letting her feel free to express herself and do what she wants AND restricting her and pulling her back when necessary. It's quite a task.
Micah is just HUGE! I was so sad because yesterday I put him into some six month pajamas for the first time. And they fit. Where is my baby time? In a year they're going to look like they're twins... He has started to sleep through the night about half of the time, and by that I mean he goes in his crib around 9 and gets up at 5 or 6. The other half of the time he gets up around 2 or 3 and then I feed him again in the early morning. He lets me sleep more than Alexis ever did. I suppose that huge belly of his can hold a lot more food at a time.
He's a lot mroe interactive now, too. He likes to grab things and bring them to his mouth, he's playing with his fingers a ton and is learning how to suck on his hand and his thumb, and he smiles and laughs so much! I actually really like changing his diaper because 1. he usually only poops about once a day (Alex pooped ALL the time), and 2. when I start taking off his clothes, he gets this huge smile on his face and will usually start laughing because he knows what's coming. And then if I tickle his belly or kiss it a lot he'll laugh even harder, and it's so adorable!
The kids are doing well, and our life is getting really crazy. Jason has been working a lot lately because he's acting as a field office director for Bolivia for a few months, and I just finished training for the online tutoring company I'm going to be working for. I imagine that I'll start next week or the week after. I'll be reading and giving critical feedback about papers that students submit to the company. A bunch of colleges pay for the service, so it's not like it costs the students anything, and I'm supposed to do about one paper every 30 minutes. That part will be a challenge at first, but it will get easier as I progress. We'll see how it works; right now I have to work ten scheduled hours a week, which is a lot. I'm also going to be teaching another Eastern class in about a month. While it's not the ideal time and will make things really hectic, it's a great opportunity, it's a grammar class (I couldn't handle a writing one right now), and the pay is too good to pass up. New kitchen counters, here I come! Actually, my current house project is painting the grout in our kitchen, which is a dificult task. It's not going to look perfect, but it's going to look a whole lot better than the black, dirty grout that we currently have that will never get clean.
We're off to the park this afternoon. :) Pictures. Soon. I promise. Maybe.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
It's a PARTY!!!
Yesterday I did some more "decorating" in Alex's room. I got a bunch of ladybug wall decals and put them all over the place. I was trying to get it all done before she came in, but she wanted to come upstairs so I let her see it. She walked in, looked around, said "WOW" and "it's a party!!!" This is her phrase for her new room - IT'S A PARTY!!! I think that's pretty hysterical. We've been trying to start potty training her, but so far she's not very into the idea. We sit on the potty a few times each day, and she'll SAY that she needs to poop but hasn't done that yet. The strange thing, though, is that every morning she wakes up talking about needing to poop in the potty. It's the first thing she says. Last night she was sitting on the potty and she grabbed her clean diaper, saw a green puppy, and said goodnight to the green puppy, kissed him, gave the diaper to me, and then kep saying goodbye to the green puppy and blowing him kisses, all while sitting on her potty that she won't use.
Micah had his two month check-up last week and weighs 12 pounds, 1 ounce, so he gained 1 1/2 pounds, which is a much more normal amount of weight to gain. He also had three shots, poor kid, but was very brave. He's still on his medicine for thrush, but if he doesn't stop needing it before, he shouldn't need it by the time he starts eating solids. I also got my flu shot while I was at the doctor because since Micah's too young, he recommended that I get one. He definitely still needs the medicine, though, because when he doesn't have it, he gets crankier and spits up more, etc. Recently, the kids have been letting me sleep in later, which is great! WHen Micah has his early feeding, he usually doesn't go back to sleep immediately after that, but even if he fusses some, I've learned that he doesn't need to eat again and that I can leave him in bed and he ends up pretty happy. He loves to watch the animals on his mobile go around and the pictures go by. (It has a projection thing on it; it's pretty cool.) But he loves that, and on his bouncy seat he just started trying to reach out and tough the little toys that hang on the bar. It's so exciting! I can't wait until he can truly push up on his elbows when he's on his stomach, although then he'll start rolling over and crawling and I'll never have any peace at all!
Jason left for Bolivia unexpectedly last night due to a work situation there, so we're flying solo for a little while. I have a whole list of things that I want to do around the house by the end of October, but we'll have to see if I actually get those things done. I think the first priority is to finally paint the kids' bathroom. I did some cutting in the other day as motiviation to get the rest done. We won second place in our neighborhood's landscaping contest, which is supposed to come with a Home Depot gift card. (We heard the news through neighbors who were at the HOA meeting but haven't heard anything personally, so we're still a bit tentative.) And I still haven't heard back from them about what is wrong with the tree in our front yard that is in viloation.
I am now going to rescue my son from his misery. (He still hates tummy time, but he's got to do it. Hopefully, he'll be much happier when he can push up.)
Micah had his two month check-up last week and weighs 12 pounds, 1 ounce, so he gained 1 1/2 pounds, which is a much more normal amount of weight to gain. He also had three shots, poor kid, but was very brave. He's still on his medicine for thrush, but if he doesn't stop needing it before, he shouldn't need it by the time he starts eating solids. I also got my flu shot while I was at the doctor because since Micah's too young, he recommended that I get one. He definitely still needs the medicine, though, because when he doesn't have it, he gets crankier and spits up more, etc. Recently, the kids have been letting me sleep in later, which is great! WHen Micah has his early feeding, he usually doesn't go back to sleep immediately after that, but even if he fusses some, I've learned that he doesn't need to eat again and that I can leave him in bed and he ends up pretty happy. He loves to watch the animals on his mobile go around and the pictures go by. (It has a projection thing on it; it's pretty cool.) But he loves that, and on his bouncy seat he just started trying to reach out and tough the little toys that hang on the bar. It's so exciting! I can't wait until he can truly push up on his elbows when he's on his stomach, although then he'll start rolling over and crawling and I'll never have any peace at all!
Jason left for Bolivia unexpectedly last night due to a work situation there, so we're flying solo for a little while. I have a whole list of things that I want to do around the house by the end of October, but we'll have to see if I actually get those things done. I think the first priority is to finally paint the kids' bathroom. I did some cutting in the other day as motiviation to get the rest done. We won second place in our neighborhood's landscaping contest, which is supposed to come with a Home Depot gift card. (We heard the news through neighbors who were at the HOA meeting but haven't heard anything personally, so we're still a bit tentative.) And I still haven't heard back from them about what is wrong with the tree in our front yard that is in viloation.
I am now going to rescue my son from his misery. (He still hates tummy time, but he's got to do it. Hopefully, he'll be much happier when he can push up.)
Friday, September 4, 2009
It Doesn't Get Much Better
I woke up this morning a little before seven. Micah was upset because he had spit up badly all over his bed and was pretty uncomfortable. (And he had a really full dirty diaper.) However, as I was changing him I heard Alexis say her adorable "heWWWOOOOO!!!" She was still in bed so I opened the door, and a moment later she ran into Micah's room and spontaneously said, "I love you." And right now she is giving me a huge hug. And THEN, to top it off, Micah gave me a HUGE smile right after that. Being a mom is pretty cool sometimes.
Yesterday Micah finally mastered turning his head from lef tto right AND right to left while he's on his stomach, which was pretty cool to see. He's getting so big! I'm going to miss the trembling chin when I pick him up sometimes, the way that he pats me with his hand sometimes when I'm burping him, like he's trying to burp me in return, and his general "babyness" because it's not going to last for long!
Yesterday Micah finally mastered turning his head from lef tto right AND right to left while he's on his stomach, which was pretty cool to see. He's getting so big! I'm going to miss the trembling chin when I pick him up sometimes, the way that he pats me with his hand sometimes when I'm burping him, like he's trying to burp me in return, and his general "babyness" because it's not going to last for long!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Yes, He's Still a Meatball
Micah still seems huge to me, and he's getting more and more adorable, if I do say so myself. While he still has his fussy moments, he remains a pretty chill kid. And very strong. He still doesn't like tummy time, but he can push himself up a little bit and change the direction of his head from one side to the other (right to left, if I recall correctly). He is also eating at longer intervals, which is really nice. At night he has started to go at least 3-4 hours most of the time. (On Saturday night he slept from 10-3, which was incredible, but unusual. He didn't sleep much during the day, though, so I'm sure he was exhausted.) He's starting to get the hair loss ring and has a small bald spot on the back of his head already. Sadness, but it happens to almost all kids, right? The biggest thing, though, is that he has started to smile! I first noticed it a week ago, and they've been becoming more frequent, and he even gave one to Jason the other day when he walked through the door!
Alexis is more and more communicative and remembers everything. And repeats everything. They say kids at this age are simply a sponge, and that really is the truth. She has started to get out of bed sometime when we put her to sleep at night, so last night before prayer we told her that she needed to stay in bed and she wasn't allowed to get out. When I asked if she understood, she said, in her toddler speak, "Understand. Stay IN BED." It was pretty cute, and she did stay in bed. She's starting to say yes ma'am and sir on her own, and she has finally picked up your welcome. And she gets her pronouns entirely confused, but that's normal. (She always says, "MY TURN" when she wants me to do something.)
Other than that, we had a great time in Wilson over the weekend, but traveling with two kids is a bit exhausting. It's more Alexis that's the difficulty now, but that's because she no longer automatically just goes to sleep in the car. I think we're going to look into getting a used or refurbished portable dvd player that we use for just the car on trips. If we can find one for a reasonable price, we think it will be worth it. We've slowly been putting more final touches on the house, like I finally replaced the blinds in the kitchen above the sink, and we finished the front yard landscaping. The three of us just got back from the playground, where it was absolutely beautiful outside. Who would have thought Virginia would see this kind of weather in the first week of September? Bring it on, fall!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Micah's First Month
Pictures are posted in the provious entry...
Micah now weighs ten pounds, nine ounces. I was astounded! He truly is our little meatball. He gained two inches and is now twenty-two inches. The doctor said that he looks good and that I don't need to be concerned about the weight gain, especially because he's breastfed, and breastfed babies are almost never obese. It's just so strange to think about the difference between Alexis and Micah because she wasn't that big until almost six months.
He has a little bit of cradle cap, has been breaking out a lot recently (probably due to a little bit of heat rash), and has some thrush, so we are going to put him on some medicine to see if we can resolve that. We suspected that he had some reflux issues and the doctor thinks he probably does, too, but we're not putting him on anything for that because it's very manageable. (Alexis' was a lot worse.) The thrush medicine will also, hopefully, help with it as well.
Overall, though, he looks great. It's just shocking how huge he is. Alexis continues to be hysterical and adorable with her brother, but she does have her moments of despair and tragedy when I can't come to her and spend time with her. Overall, she has truly adjusted wonderfully. She is currently obsessed with her Elmo socks and reading about chickens in Spanish.
We finally fnished the landscaping for the front yard. There was a small patch to the right of our steps that needed a retaining wall and a maple, and it actually ended up taking a LOT more work than we thought it would, especially considering that Jason had to pull up a 1 1/2 foot by 1 foot concrete slab, but we finished it late Saturday morning and now have, what I think, is the best looking front yard in the community!
I'm doing well. It's been great having Jason work from home on Wednesdays and off on Fridays. I try to keep the house reasonably clean but don't stress about it too much, and even though I have to get up in the middle of the night, I still feel incredibly well-rested for having a one-month old and a toddler. (I have Jason to thank for a lot of that, especially for letting me sleep!) Micah is starting to go longer between feedings, which is very good news for me, and it's been nice to have some down time the past few weeks.
Just the details this entry. :) That's it for now.
Micah now weighs ten pounds, nine ounces. I was astounded! He truly is our little meatball. He gained two inches and is now twenty-two inches. The doctor said that he looks good and that I don't need to be concerned about the weight gain, especially because he's breastfed, and breastfed babies are almost never obese. It's just so strange to think about the difference between Alexis and Micah because she wasn't that big until almost six months.
He has a little bit of cradle cap, has been breaking out a lot recently (probably due to a little bit of heat rash), and has some thrush, so we are going to put him on some medicine to see if we can resolve that. We suspected that he had some reflux issues and the doctor thinks he probably does, too, but we're not putting him on anything for that because it's very manageable. (Alexis' was a lot worse.) The thrush medicine will also, hopefully, help with it as well.
Overall, though, he looks great. It's just shocking how huge he is. Alexis continues to be hysterical and adorable with her brother, but she does have her moments of despair and tragedy when I can't come to her and spend time with her. Overall, she has truly adjusted wonderfully. She is currently obsessed with her Elmo socks and reading about chickens in Spanish.
We finally fnished the landscaping for the front yard. There was a small patch to the right of our steps that needed a retaining wall and a maple, and it actually ended up taking a LOT more work than we thought it would, especially considering that Jason had to pull up a 1 1/2 foot by 1 foot concrete slab, but we finished it late Saturday morning and now have, what I think, is the best looking front yard in the community!
I'm doing well. It's been great having Jason work from home on Wednesdays and off on Fridays. I try to keep the house reasonably clean but don't stress about it too much, and even though I have to get up in the middle of the night, I still feel incredibly well-rested for having a one-month old and a toddler. (I have Jason to thank for a lot of that, especially for letting me sleep!) Micah is starting to go longer between feedings, which is very good news for me, and it's been nice to have some down time the past few weeks.
Just the details this entry. :) That's it for now.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Meatball
Yes, that is one of his nicknames. He came out all red and round, and Jason immediately called him meatball, and the name has stuck a little bit. However, he does have a few others. For instance, he is our little baby nazgul (from Lord of the Rings) because sometimes when he cries, he sounds exactly like a baby version of the nazgul in the movies. And Jason thinks he looks like Brain from Pinky and the Brain, and I think he has one face that makes him look like Mr. Potter from It's a Wonderful Life.
Our son doesn't stand a chance...
Our appointment for the surgery was Friday at 10:00. We got there a little bit before 8:00. Of course, I was incredibly excited, so when we got to the doors that you had to get buzzed through, I pushed the button and didn't know what to say, so I ended up saying, "Hi.. .I'm here!!!" I meant to continue with the sentence, but Jason started laughing at me because I was just announcing my arrival. I did, however, get buzzed in succesfully, which is the important part. We ended up simply waiting around for quite a while because they were running a little behind, which I suppose can be expected in a maternity ward. During the wait time we read a little bit and watched a little bit of tv and I got prepped. Honestly, the most painful part of the entire hospital stay was getting the IV put in me then. While I'm not scared of needles, I tend to be a little skittish about them because I had a few bad experiences in Nicaragua. The wait wasn't bad, though, and I went in to begin the process about 11:00. I remember last time when I had to get a spinal how painful it was, not because of the needle itself, but because I had to be scrunched up into a position that really, really hurt when I was so incredibly swollen. The entire process took about 45 minutes. They cleaned him up and then Jason brought him over to me so that I could see him, and he got to hold him most of the time that I was getting stitched back together.
After the actual surgery, we all went into the recovery room for about 45 minutes and I got to hld Micah for the first time. He also nursed for the first time, and he took to that immediately, which made me very happy. After the recovery room, Micah had to go to the nursery for a few hours, so Jason and I went to my actual room and waited and rested. I felt pretty good after surgery; the worst side effect I had was feeling fairly nauseous for the afternoon. Mom and Earl brought Alexis and they all got to meet Micah. Alexis, however, really didnt' care and was a huge handful the entire time I was in the hospital. She had a good excuse, though; she was teething and hadn't been feeling well, so my parents had the daunting task of taking care of a somewhat sick and cranky toddler. (We couldn't have done this without them; they've done so much to take care of us and make this experience really easy.)
Micah stayed in the nursery at nights and a nurse would bring him into my room when he needed to eat, which was a really great arrangement. He had a bottle once in the nursery so that I could get a decent chunk of sleep, which was hugely beneficial, and he had another bottle at church yesterday. (I'm a little more uncomfortable nursing in public in the states than I was in Nicaragua, but that's a personal thing.) He didn't seem to have any problem with the bottle and then going back to nursing, so the whole "nipple confusion" thing that people talk about doesn't seem to be an issue with him. This is a very good thing because we're planning on Jason being able to feed him sometimes, although we'll use milk, not formula, for that. (I am very fortunate in that I don't have a problem with milk supply.) Okay, enough about that topic for now.
The day after surgery I got up for the first time and was able to take a shower. This was actually something I wasn't looking forward to because the firt time I had to shower in Nicaragua it was a really difficult experience and I was horribly cold the entire time. However, I did it entirely by myself. Hooray for small victories! That day (Saturday) I got up and walked around a number of times and felt really good. While I was obviously on some pain medication, the nurses seemed to think I was doing exceptionally well. (My doctor later told me that she thinks I have a body made for being pregnant because it was daeling with pregnancy and recovery so well... when she cut me open she also told me I had beautiful anatomy. How funny is that?) I basically spent Saturday and Sunday hanging out, feeding Micah, and ordering food from the cafeteria at will. And watching HGTV. Mom and Earl came by each day, and one day Jason went home to watch Alex so that they didn't have to bring her to the hospital.
Overall, everything at the hospital was great. The nurses were helpful, my doctor was awesome, and it was wonderful to hear Micah's pediatrcian say that he was in perfect health. (We still can't get over the 8 pound, 1 ounce thing... it's not that that's so huge but that that's so huge to have been in ME!)
We left the hospital late Monday morning. It was awesome to be able to bring my son home only a few days after he was born. I was very cautious at first about basically everything, especially steps, but I felt much better than I was expecting to feel and moving around pretty well. I've been home for a week now and don't think twice about taking steps at all, although I don't carry a lot of stuff up and down, other than perhaps my son. I still don't pick Alexis up and will hold off on that for a while. (Well, I've lifted her a few times, but mostly just to out her in her chair for a meal, nothing more.) Mom and Earl have been running errands and doing housework, which has been incredibly helpful. I feel great, though, and while I'm not running any marathons or anything, I feel as though I'm able to function really well and I don't feel overly tired, which is amazing. As of right now I'm just taking an ibuprofen in the morning for pain. I'll go to my doctor for a check-up on Wednesday, but everything seems to be going better than expected. I'm not overdoing anything, though, so for all of you who worry, please know that I'm taking care of mself and other people are taking care of me as well.
Alexis has done wonderfull! When we brought him home, the first day she was somewhat tentative, but by the third day she was completely comfortable with the fact that we had a baby in the house. The first two nights she woke up when Micah cried around 5:00 in the morning, but she hasn't woken up since then. She likes to look at him when he's sleeping and gets distraught if he cries. She loves to try and give him his pacifier and will bring him his blanket, even when he doesn't need it at all. She also likes to try and put his hat on, which basically consists of her draping the hat over his head, which is really funny. If Micah isn't in a place that she expects him to be, she wants to know where he is, and she'll even occasionally give him a kiss. She seems to like having him around for the most part, although there are some moments of jealousy when I have to be with him and can't be with her. However, I try and give her special time with just me at various times throughout the day, and she's adjusted really well.
And Micah is a round little ball of spunk and cuteness. Everyone always has an opinion about who a baby looks like, but Jason and I (and mom) think that he looks like a male, fat version of Alexis more than anyone else. They both have similar mouths and noses, and mom just showed me a picture of Alexis from when she was a newborn and the similarity is remarkable. There have also been a few people who have commented that he looks like his uncle, my brother. Mom said that Micah reminds her of Jason because of how strong Micah is and how alert and attentive he is. He really does watch things, which is pretty amazing to me. He's going through a little growth spurt right and has been spitting up a TON today.
And now it's the next morning...
He is a good eater and is very strong, constantly trying to hold his head up and sometimes looking like he wants to roll over. He likes to sit in his bouncy chair, and he tends to like his pacifier so far. He also does a really great job of going to back to bed at night. We have a monitor this time around, so I'm learning when his noises are just awake noises and when they are hungry noises that will turn into crying. I can usually get in there at night before he starts to bawl, and the routine seems to be that he eats, I change his diaper, he eats again, and after a little more burping I put him down and he's fine, either sleeping again or awake and content. Micah is definitely not big into crying so far and almost always seems to have a specific, justifiable reason for when he does cry. I'm really hoping this continues because Alex was a little colicky (sp?). She also had a dairy sensitivity, which Micah doesn't seem to have so far. This means I can eat cheese, unlike last time. He also sneezes A LOT, usually in batches of 4-5, and Alexis has started to say "bless you" whenever he does. And if course, the hiccups. (I can't remember if I already wrote this, so I'm writing it again.) Alexis didn't really have hiccups when I was carrying her, and Micah had them ALL THE TIME!!! And he still does get hiccups all the time.
I'm sure there are a dozen other little things I could tell you, but I am now going to end this email. All is well and we are very, very grateful to have an incredibly healthy son.
Our son doesn't stand a chance...
Our appointment for the surgery was Friday at 10:00. We got there a little bit before 8:00. Of course, I was incredibly excited, so when we got to the doors that you had to get buzzed through, I pushed the button and didn't know what to say, so I ended up saying, "Hi.. .I'm here!!!" I meant to continue with the sentence, but Jason started laughing at me because I was just announcing my arrival. I did, however, get buzzed in succesfully, which is the important part. We ended up simply waiting around for quite a while because they were running a little behind, which I suppose can be expected in a maternity ward. During the wait time we read a little bit and watched a little bit of tv and I got prepped. Honestly, the most painful part of the entire hospital stay was getting the IV put in me then. While I'm not scared of needles, I tend to be a little skittish about them because I had a few bad experiences in Nicaragua. The wait wasn't bad, though, and I went in to begin the process about 11:00. I remember last time when I had to get a spinal how painful it was, not because of the needle itself, but because I had to be scrunched up into a position that really, really hurt when I was so incredibly swollen. The entire process took about 45 minutes. They cleaned him up and then Jason brought him over to me so that I could see him, and he got to hold him most of the time that I was getting stitched back together.
After the actual surgery, we all went into the recovery room for about 45 minutes and I got to hld Micah for the first time. He also nursed for the first time, and he took to that immediately, which made me very happy. After the recovery room, Micah had to go to the nursery for a few hours, so Jason and I went to my actual room and waited and rested. I felt pretty good after surgery; the worst side effect I had was feeling fairly nauseous for the afternoon. Mom and Earl brought Alexis and they all got to meet Micah. Alexis, however, really didnt' care and was a huge handful the entire time I was in the hospital. She had a good excuse, though; she was teething and hadn't been feeling well, so my parents had the daunting task of taking care of a somewhat sick and cranky toddler. (We couldn't have done this without them; they've done so much to take care of us and make this experience really easy.)
Micah stayed in the nursery at nights and a nurse would bring him into my room when he needed to eat, which was a really great arrangement. He had a bottle once in the nursery so that I could get a decent chunk of sleep, which was hugely beneficial, and he had another bottle at church yesterday. (I'm a little more uncomfortable nursing in public in the states than I was in Nicaragua, but that's a personal thing.) He didn't seem to have any problem with the bottle and then going back to nursing, so the whole "nipple confusion" thing that people talk about doesn't seem to be an issue with him. This is a very good thing because we're planning on Jason being able to feed him sometimes, although we'll use milk, not formula, for that. (I am very fortunate in that I don't have a problem with milk supply.) Okay, enough about that topic for now.
The day after surgery I got up for the first time and was able to take a shower. This was actually something I wasn't looking forward to because the firt time I had to shower in Nicaragua it was a really difficult experience and I was horribly cold the entire time. However, I did it entirely by myself. Hooray for small victories! That day (Saturday) I got up and walked around a number of times and felt really good. While I was obviously on some pain medication, the nurses seemed to think I was doing exceptionally well. (My doctor later told me that she thinks I have a body made for being pregnant because it was daeling with pregnancy and recovery so well... when she cut me open she also told me I had beautiful anatomy. How funny is that?) I basically spent Saturday and Sunday hanging out, feeding Micah, and ordering food from the cafeteria at will. And watching HGTV. Mom and Earl came by each day, and one day Jason went home to watch Alex so that they didn't have to bring her to the hospital.
Overall, everything at the hospital was great. The nurses were helpful, my doctor was awesome, and it was wonderful to hear Micah's pediatrcian say that he was in perfect health. (We still can't get over the 8 pound, 1 ounce thing... it's not that that's so huge but that that's so huge to have been in ME!)
We left the hospital late Monday morning. It was awesome to be able to bring my son home only a few days after he was born. I was very cautious at first about basically everything, especially steps, but I felt much better than I was expecting to feel and moving around pretty well. I've been home for a week now and don't think twice about taking steps at all, although I don't carry a lot of stuff up and down, other than perhaps my son. I still don't pick Alexis up and will hold off on that for a while. (Well, I've lifted her a few times, but mostly just to out her in her chair for a meal, nothing more.) Mom and Earl have been running errands and doing housework, which has been incredibly helpful. I feel great, though, and while I'm not running any marathons or anything, I feel as though I'm able to function really well and I don't feel overly tired, which is amazing. As of right now I'm just taking an ibuprofen in the morning for pain. I'll go to my doctor for a check-up on Wednesday, but everything seems to be going better than expected. I'm not overdoing anything, though, so for all of you who worry, please know that I'm taking care of mself and other people are taking care of me as well.
Alexis has done wonderfull! When we brought him home, the first day she was somewhat tentative, but by the third day she was completely comfortable with the fact that we had a baby in the house. The first two nights she woke up when Micah cried around 5:00 in the morning, but she hasn't woken up since then. She likes to look at him when he's sleeping and gets distraught if he cries. She loves to try and give him his pacifier and will bring him his blanket, even when he doesn't need it at all. She also likes to try and put his hat on, which basically consists of her draping the hat over his head, which is really funny. If Micah isn't in a place that she expects him to be, she wants to know where he is, and she'll even occasionally give him a kiss. She seems to like having him around for the most part, although there are some moments of jealousy when I have to be with him and can't be with her. However, I try and give her special time with just me at various times throughout the day, and she's adjusted really well.
And Micah is a round little ball of spunk and cuteness. Everyone always has an opinion about who a baby looks like, but Jason and I (and mom) think that he looks like a male, fat version of Alexis more than anyone else. They both have similar mouths and noses, and mom just showed me a picture of Alexis from when she was a newborn and the similarity is remarkable. There have also been a few people who have commented that he looks like his uncle, my brother. Mom said that Micah reminds her of Jason because of how strong Micah is and how alert and attentive he is. He really does watch things, which is pretty amazing to me. He's going through a little growth spurt right and has been spitting up a TON today.
And now it's the next morning...
He is a good eater and is very strong, constantly trying to hold his head up and sometimes looking like he wants to roll over. He likes to sit in his bouncy chair, and he tends to like his pacifier so far. He also does a really great job of going to back to bed at night. We have a monitor this time around, so I'm learning when his noises are just awake noises and when they are hungry noises that will turn into crying. I can usually get in there at night before he starts to bawl, and the routine seems to be that he eats, I change his diaper, he eats again, and after a little more burping I put him down and he's fine, either sleeping again or awake and content. Micah is definitely not big into crying so far and almost always seems to have a specific, justifiable reason for when he does cry. I'm really hoping this continues because Alex was a little colicky (sp?). She also had a dairy sensitivity, which Micah doesn't seem to have so far. This means I can eat cheese, unlike last time. He also sneezes A LOT, usually in batches of 4-5, and Alexis has started to say "bless you" whenever he does. And if course, the hiccups. (I can't remember if I already wrote this, so I'm writing it again.) Alexis didn't really have hiccups when I was carrying her, and Micah had them ALL THE TIME!!! And he still does get hiccups all the time.
I'm sure there are a dozen other little things I could tell you, but I am now going to end this email. All is well and we are very, very grateful to have an incredibly healthy son.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)