10 Weeks

And we're back!  From our whirlwind east coast tour!  We were scheduled to leave Pittsburgh on Saturday, the 22nd, but we woke up on Friday morning to snow, so we hauled out of the house fast, to get through the Laurel Highland mountains before we got stranded here.  Moving with a baby though, inhibits my expediency!  Billy wanted me to "move with a sense of urgency" but that is not easy, when you're trying to feed, change and dress a baby!  Luckily, we got out of here, and to Billy's grandmother's house in Maryland unscathed.  It's a good thing we left a day early though!

The next day, we went to Billy's big family Christmas party in DC.  Everyone got to meet Will - all of his aunts, his GrandPaul, great grantparents and his little cousin.  He was so good, and didn't fuss for anyone!  I think all of the noise was soothing to him!  There was NO shortage of noise!  Not with the Hudgins in the house!

The next day we traveled another 6 hours down south to visit my parents.  We were originally planning on only staying 2 days, but extended it to four because of MORE snow up in Pittsburgh.  It was so nice - in the 60s and Will got to go to the beach for the first time!  It was so nice to have help!  My back and arms got a nice rest and the food was soooo good!  In our house, we get whatever is quickest and easiest to clean up!

Christmas really is more fun with kids.  Not that Will had a clue what was going on, but everything is a lot more joyful and exciting with him around.  He received a lot of toys for Christmas.  It's a good thing, because he really had none!  Grandma also got him a playmat, which we have had fun with every day since!  Sometimes, I'm at a loss for what to do with him while he's awake, so this is great for us!

Our trip home was TWELVE hours!  We had to stop about every 3 hours to change and feed him, but other than that, he slept most of the time.  We made a little progress with the pacifier, and this baby is no match for the car.  He screams for about 2 minutes, and then is out like a light.

Our little guy is over 2 months old now and it seems like he's been with us for so much longer.  How can it be that I was in the hospital only two months ago??  He's also on the large side, so when I see other 2 month olds, he just seems older to me.  Large side...as in, in the 97th percentile for weight!  This baby clearly has never missed a meal!

He has started grasping things(intentionally or not?) sucking his thumb and entire fist, and lifting his head up a little during tummy time.  He also makes a lot more noises, especially when he's getting his diaper changed.  When he was first born, he HATED changing time, but now he seems to love it, and to look at the fish on the wall.

What has NOT progressed is sleep!  For the past 2 nights, I was up every two hours...or less.  I am thankful for coffee, and for nap time!  He is napping as I type this, and I can usually count on an hour or more in the mornings.

Nap time for the next week or so will be used for finishing up packing!  We're set to close on the house in WV on January 10th...so praying everything goes through!

Today is the last day of 2012 and it was a WONDERFUL year!  I don't think we could have asked for anything more!  Happy new year!!!

Eight Weeks

Will is going to be 2 months old this week!  He is such a different baby now and he has us laughing a lot!  He loves being on the changing table and squeals a lot...the other day it sounded like he said "ok!" and "hi!"

Last week I decided to be brave and take him shopping again.  Instead of lugging his giant car seat around, I put him in the moby.

I used it when he was a tiny baby, but now it is even easier to use since he can hold his head up.  The trip went pretty well and we got almost everything we needed.  Afterwards, we went to visit Melissa and Teagan, which was so nice to eat and relax!  I love that some of my friends have kids now!

I had to take him to work on Friday because the policy is that I have to work one day to keep our health insurance for the rest of the month if I resign.  So I packed him up and he was asleep most of the morning.  I ended up leaving around 3, when he wanted to be entertained, and I couldn't finish my work.  I went back with Billy on Saturday to pack up my office.  

I've been trying to give Will a pacifier, so he will use it at night, but that is a no go.  He rarely cries when he isn't hungry or needs a diaper change, so I don't know when else to give it to him.  When I try, he'll suck on it for a minute, then just spits it out.  Maybe he just sees me and would rather have the real thing?

This little boy LOVES bath time!  When Billy gives him a bath, he'll let Will float by just holding his head.  I'm not that brave - he's a slippery little thing!  Hopefully he'll love the water just as much when he's older and gets to go to the beach!

We finally got our Christmas cards in and in the mail!  I love sending and receiving them!  Luckily, we got a redo from our first attempt at the picture.  When Patton learns how to sit and stay when using a self-timer, he can be in the picture!

I love our little family!  And I'm glad I have this documentation to look back and see what Will was doing each week and how much he changes all the time. 

I tell Billy that I am the manager of Will's bum.  I am happy to report that the rash is GONE and Grandma El's rash ointment is made of miracles!  It cleared everything up in a day and I am so thankful!  We're back to cloth diapers and a happy baby bum!

7 Weeks

I have a feeling that I am going to be late for life for the next year or so.  Between getting myself ready, the baby fed and changed, and taking the dog out, getting out the door is proving to be a challenge.  Will is also sort of like a ticking time bomb, so as soon as he eats, I race around to get everything accomplished, before he wakes up and wants to eat again.  Which leads me to be hot and sweaty, even in 30 degree temperatures, with carrying around his large car seat.  With his large body!  This seven week old is 13.5 pounds, in size 2 diapers, and growing out of some of his 3 month clothes.

In the past week or so, he has started to smile some, grab on to my hair and drape his arm around my shoulder when I'm holding him.  He has also been starting to self-soothe, which is so helpful!  He eats his hands(yum!) and is ok being put in his Rock-N-Play without anyone rocking him or entertaining him.

We've also been battling a diaper rash, so I've had to use disposable diapers, since I'm still waiting for Amazon to deliver my rash cream that is approved for use with cloth diapers.  A little disappointing  because for this month, I'm using a cloth diaper service, that I received a gift certificate for and have to use before we move in January.  

I don't get this little guy dressed too often...unless we leave the house.  He is either in his fleece PJs or no clothes at all.  Sometimes, he feels like a tiny furnace  so I don't think he wants clothes on.  Other than that, with as often as I need to change his diaper, it is just a nuisance to put clothes...especially pants on him.  Here is a rare picture of Will with pants:

We're gearing up for our Christmas travel next weekend.  I hope he learns a few more tricks, to impress all of our family members before then!  :)  

6 Weeks

Six weeks in now and a few thoughts...

I need a drive-through grocery store!  Sometimes, I just need milk and the thought of lugging the giant car seat in, is enough for me to skip the milk.  

My command center during the week is in our bed.  I have a nice set up of the iPad, my phone, the baby, the remote controls and my planner.  Unless I need to eat, shower or change a diaper, I am pretty much fine hanging out there.  Billy asked if I was getting bed sores.  Answer: no.  We did go for a long walk with the stroller for the first time yesterday!  It was almost 70 degrees...in December...in Pittsburgh!!

Will always falls asleep in the car and so I just lay him in his car seat by the front door when I get home.  Billy saw that the other day and said I was treating Will like a pair of shoes.  No need to wake a sleeping baby!!!

Being a mom is really awesome.  So much better than I ever thought it would be!  I never knew how to interact with other people's kids...and I probably still don't.  But I know how to handle my own baby, so that is a bonus.  As of tomorrow, I will be a full-time mom.  I'm resigning from my job which is a little sad because I really liked the people I worked with the job I had.  It's been the best out of my working adult life, by far.  But I also can't imagine what a wreck I would be if I had to give him to someone else for 8 hours/day.  So for now, we'll tighten up our budget and make it work for us.

I went to visit Lisamarie and her baby this week.  Anders sleeps through the night, and I only get 2 hour stretches.  Part of me makes me want Will to speed to that stage, but I also don't want to rush any of my time with the tiny baby stage.

We tried taking our Christmas picture with a self timer this weekend.  What a disaster.  We had pending rain, a 5 week old and an easily distracted dog.  Maybe we can try again this weekend...but if not, Patton will get a separate spot on the card just for him!

5 Weeks

We had Will's 5 week Well Visit yesterday and he did so great! The vaccine shot barely phased him and the doc confirmed that we have a healthy baby! He weighed in at 11lbs, 13oz, so he's still packing on the pounds faster than the average baby. He eats all the time, so at least my efforts are paying off!

It seems like overnight, he became an alert baby and he's holding his head up!

He had his first Thanksgiving with his little buddy, Anders. But he could not be bothered to smile for this picture!

We also attempted to go shopping on Monday, which was glorious while he was sleeping, but extremely stressful when he woke up screaming! Another kind mom pointed me in the direction of the dressing room in Marshall's, where I could feed and change him. Crisis: averted! We are learning how to navigate life outside the safe confines of our house!  I do think, that much of my Christmas shopping will be online though!

We went on our first long card ride, too. It was 2.5 hours each way...to see the house we put an offer on in West Virginia! He made it about 2 hours to and from without crying. It was just a sneak peek into Christmas traveling.  We'll need to practice a few more times over the next month!

Still working on sleeping in the crib.  I don't swaddle his legs tight, so they flail and wake him up about every 1.5 - 2 hours.  Which is fine for a nap!  The pediatrician said he should gain more control over his limbs around 2 months, which should make sleeping a little better.  Somehow, my body seems to be adjusting to the lack of sleep...or very interrupted sleep.  I would certainly prefer 8 solid hours, though!

Life with our little buddy gets more fun all the time!

4 Weeks

I have never done so much laundry in my life!  And that is 2 sets of stairs, every time!  I did realize last week, that the cloth diapers we have DO fit him, so we are doing it part time.  At night, it's easier right now to just put a disposable on him, and Billy isn't a cloth diaper fan.  The leg holes are still a little big on Will, so there is a chance of a leak, but we have not had one.  They also don't have the "wet" indicator like the disposables do, which Billy doesn't like.  But I have been using them a lot during the day.  But oh yes, there is a lot more laundry with them!

We also have a crib sleeper!  You would have thought someone told me I won a small lottery when I got him to take a 2 hour nap in the crib last week!  Now, we have the monitor set up and as long as he's swaddled, he's pretty good in there.  I mostly follow the Happiest Baby on the Block guide to sleep.  I read the book and our pediatrician's office recommends the "5 S" system.

Billy have Will his first bottle today.  Success and fail...he took it right away, but we didn't realize we needed a slow-flow bottle because he chugged it right down like a champ, but then threw a lot of it back up.  Rookie parents at it again.

Week 3

Week 3 already!  No official weight update because we don't have a pediatrician appointment this week.  His next appointment will be in 2 weeks for his one month visit.  My home scale says he weighs 10.6 pounds, which sounds like it could be close to accurate.  Not only does he make the piggy sounds when he's hungry, but he also flails his head around and headbutts whoever is holding him.  This baby is serious about meal time.

We had our 3rd weekend visit from Lisamarie, Aaron and Baby Anders this weekend.  They live about an hour away, but every time they are near the city, they pop in.  Billy was gone for work Saturday and Sunday, so they brought me lunch and Aaron took Patton for walks.  I love this picture of the baby chaos!  

Since Billy was gone, I was on Patton duty.  For the first 2 walks, I used the Baby Bjorn and it really hurt my back.  For the rest of the weekend, I used the Moby Wrap...after watching some helpful YouTube videos about how to correctly carry a newborn in one.  I felt that he was much more secure in the wrap, and it hurt me a lot less!  We also got laundry and dishes done while he was wrapped up!

Last week, I was beginning to feel antsy about the house chores not getting done, but then someone in the New Mom's group I went to, referred me to this poem: Babies Don't Keep.  And since reading it, I've chilled out a little.

Mother, O' Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth.

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due,

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek - peekaboo.

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew,

And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo.

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow,

But children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

~ Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

A lot of people have asked me about how cloth diapering is going, but we haven't started yet.  Even at about 10lbs, he's still too small for the one-size diapers.  Maybe in a couple weeks.  I didn't even realize how expensive disposable diapers are!  We go through about a box of 100 diapers per week.

We also took Will to vote with us on Tuesday.  Obviously, his carseat cover was the wrong color.  Red would have been more appropriate to support our ticket!  He was very popular with the elderly ladies in line with us though!