Tuesday Pictures!

Thought we would share some of our Tuesday with you!

We have had a great day! I am doing his tummy drops (gas drops) with every feeding & some exercises (pulling his legs down & pushing them up & massaging his tummy & legs) to help him release the gas & to poop more. It seems to be really helping! He had a much more restful sleep last night & has been in a great mood today!

Enjoy the Pictures!

Bath Time!

He is liking his bath more & more now that he can "lounge" in the warm water! He doesn't so much enjoy the washing part, but we are working on that. :)

My Handsome clean boy after his bath & all dressed up! :)

Swinging! 

His new favorite thing!

Bottle Success!

We have had a busy weekend visiting with family & friends, Dustin working his side job next door on the house remodel, daily chores, & BOTTLE SUCCESS!!

Sunday Dustin was home long enough in the morning I had him try to give Drake a bottle. After a few minutes of convincing he took it!! Ever since he has had no problem! I am still nursing him & pumping. He has about half his feedings from the bottle & half nursing. I am also mixing some breast milk in with the soy formula when he has a bottle. So far so good! 

We are still struggling with the tummy aches, but I have ruled out reflux. I think it is mainly gas pain/colic. I am hoping it passes soon! It does get frustrating at times, because when he is awake he is fussy. But it breaks my heart that I can't make it go away more than anything. We are trying different things & are learning to cope with it a little better each day. 

I added a few pictures from the end of last week & the weekend, enjoy!

Just hangin out in the boppy, looking at Mommy!

Wiggle worm all the time! He is going to be a busy boy!

A funny picture with him moving his arm, but his face is super cute! 

Profile Pic. :)

Daddy & Drake

He fed him & cuddled him afterwards! Dustin said "this is my favorite moment so far!"

3 Weeks Old

We are settling into our 3rd week as a new family! Honestly, I can't believe it has only been 3 weeks, it feels like Drake has been with us for a while already!

We have had a little bit of a challenging week, but we are learning & adjusting. Drake started showing signs of being much more fussy this past Sunday. I didn't really think much of it, just thought he was having an off day. Monday was a little better & then Tuesday we were right back to being fussy. I had called & spoke to one of the nurses at the doctor's office on Monday because all Drake wanted to do was nurse, constantly. I didn't know if I was to feed him every time he wanted to eat or if I could over feed him. I also explained that he had been much more fussy, very gaggy after feedings & was acting like his stomach was hurting. Tuesday I called back & asked to make an appointment to see the doctor. Wednesday morning we went in (exactly 3 weeks old). He weighed in at a 7# 3oz! Gaining 13oz in just 1 week! I knew he had gotten bigger, but I wasn't expecting almost a whole pound bigger. :) Anyway, the doctor came in & I explained to her what had been going on (fussy, lots of gas, gagging, large stools, a very large spit up, etc). She went over the possibilities of what could be going on, but because he is just beginning to show symptoms she wasn't for certain. It has basically come down to one or all of the 3 of acid reflux, lactose intolerance &/or colic. At first I was thinking reflux, but after watching him more closely I think it is colic. I had forgotten that I had to be on soy formula when I was a baby & found out that Dustin did as well, so there is a strong possibility he could be lactose intolerant as well. 

We are working on switching or at least supplementing Drake with soy formula. The problem is he wants Nothing to do with the bottle! I am in the process of trying different kinds to try to find one he likes. Amber brought me over a Breast Flow by 1st Years one today which I have been reading about & was told about by another Mom. I am excited to try it! It resembles the breast a lot more than any other I have seen & they actual have to suck on it like the breast. We shall see. 

While we are on the topic of breast feeding...why did no one tell me how difficult it is!!! Don't get me wrong I do very much enjoy the bond that it forms & at night it is super easy. But no one mentioned how often they nurse, how tied down you are & if they are like my baby & don't like the bottle there is no time for Mom & Dad to get away. I know all those reasons may sound a little selfish, but I have always been a big believer in keeping a good marriage & not letting our kids take over our lives, but instead join our lives. On top of that it has really put a damper on Dustin forming a bond with him. With Drake wanting to nurse so much I constantly have to be holding him. That I am not complaining about, but he has lots of people that want to love & kiss on him & help out & he wants Mommy because I have the food! I know I sound like I am complaining & I don't mean to, I just had no idea what I was getting in to. On a better note we are working on it & once I can find a bottle he likes I will start doing those more often. I would still like to breast feed a couple times a day because of the bond & because he likes it!

Other than that Dustin has been as busy as ever with side jobs. I know perfect timing right! I have had a hard time with this because I have wanted him home, but the bills still have to be paid so off he goes. The good news is the biggest one is right next door to us. They are completely remodeling the house & Dustin is doing a lot of the work. They are paying him hourly for some things & off of bids for things like painting. It will be a good extra income for us for a while!

I haven't been great about taking pictures the last few days. Luckily Dustin's Mom came to visit for a couple days & took several. She is emailing them to me & I will try to post them soon. There are many more with his eyes open! 

Hope everyone is doing well!!

2 Week Doctor's Appointment

Yesterday Drake had his 2 week doctor's appointment, can you believe it already?

We did really well, our appointment was a 1045 & we were out the door, me, Drake, Scout & Kenzie showered & ready for the day by 1030. That's a record!!! 

Anyway, his checkup went well! All his newborn screenings (thyroid, cystic fibrosis, metabolic, etc) came back normal, which is GREAT news! He also now weighs 6lbs 6oz! If you remember he weighed 6#2oz at birth, then dropped to 5#10oz. Last Wednesday he was 5#13oz. So in 7 days he gained 9oz, way to go breast milk!! His head & length are still the same. 

I had a few questions/concerns, but all were answered or clarified & all in all he is a HEALTHY BOY!! I am so excited to be able to say that. After all we went through to get here I was so worried that he would be sick or have some sort of disorder. But thank Heavens he doesn't! 

As of today he is finally "free"! His plastibell from his circ came off a couple days ago & today he lost his cord. So you know what that means, a real bath!!! We didn't have time today, but hopefully tomorrow we can do that! 

Everything else is going good. Breast feeding is difficult, I am not going to lie! He is eating every 1 to 2 hours the last couple days, which makes for long nights & soreness for me. I am trying to pump more too, now that I am able to get milk so that we can start using a bottle once a day so Dustin can feed him or for outings. It is a little difficult to go out when he is eating so often. 

We have been going on several outings. We try to go somewhere each day, even if we don't get out of the car. It is good for both of us!

I hear him waking up now to eat so off I go!!

1 Week Old - Already!

I can't believe our lil' man is already a week old!

It has been so great having Dustin home, it is going to be hard on Monday when he has to return to work. It will be hard for him to as there are more changes happening at the lumber yard. Please everyone say a prayer that the housing industry turns around at least a little bit! 

Anyway, Drake is doing great! He has had a couple of fussy days (not really even days, just a few hours on a couple of days :), but other than that he is a really laid back baby!

Yesterday we had our 1st real outing. We went to lunch at Roxanne's Cafe in Parkville & then looked at some houses in a neighborhood we would like to move to. No we are not moving right now, but are working towards doing so in the near future. Tahisha came with us yesterday too! It was nice to get out of the house & of course he loves riding in the car.

Here are a few pictures!

This outfit was my brother Austin's when he was a baby, he is going to be 15 this coming August! Of course it is too big, but Drake will grow into it soon. 

Getting ready to take a sponge bath! He is calm right now, but he soon decided a bath wasn't such a good idea. 

These 2 are kind of dark, but I wanted to get some with his eyes open! Every time the flash goes off he closes his eyes. This was soon after waking up, he usually stays awake for a couple hours in the late morning! It is so fun to watch all his faces & expressions!

Here he is passed out in his bassinet! Totally relaxed! I always lay him on his back & within 10 minutes he is on his side. I told him he was too young to be rolling like that!

Just Thursday

Today we tried out our bouncy seat & found an outfit that halfway fits!

I LOVE being home as a family! It has been so special for all of us to be home this week, just spending time together & having visitors come meet our amazing baby boy! We just take it day by day, it is so nice to not have to worry about being somewhere or getting something done. 

I can already tell it is going to be really hard for me to go back to work! Unfortunately with our debt & the lumber industry being the way it is I don't have a choice. But if we work hard to get our debt paid off maybe I can cut my hours in the near future. I LOVE being a Mom & could totally stay home! I told Dustin I would be willing to give up soo much & become so frugal just to be able to stay home with this little guy! Maybe by the time we have our next one! In the mean time I am trying to figure out  schedule that I can be home as much as possible, maybe I could drop to a 0.8 (which is 3 days one week 2 days the next). We shall see. For now I am just trying not to think about it too much & just enjoying the time I have at home!

Check me out with my Handsome outfit on!! Gotta LOVE Carter's brand.

Today we tried out the bouncy seat for the 1st time! Mom needed to get in the shower & Dad was at the doctors. He wasn't sure at first, but quickly liked the vibration. 

He looked so stinkin cute after his 1st bath we had to do a photo shoot!

This is the outfit Tahisha got me because all my clothes are too big!

It has become our "morning outfit" if he has peed on his jammies, but isn't ready to get dressed yet. 

Little Legs!

Stretch!

Posing for the camera. :)

Our Other Kiddos

The dogs have been adjusting very well to Drake coming home. Scout is already Mr. Protective, which is what I expected & Kenzie is curious but gentle with him. It has been nice with Dustin home to take care of them so I can focus on the babe! Next week will be the true test when he goes back to work. 

First time we all rode in the car together. We now let the dogs ride in the back like normal, they don't bother Drake at all.

Scout hanging out with us in the nursery, he is even giving us a smile!

Kenzie wondering what that noise is!

Miss. Thing watching us load our bags from Target.

1st Bath & Snoozing

We are enjoying every moment with our little one! He is so precious & sweet! Even though he still sleeps pretty much all day I can't stop loving on him! I have known since I was a little girl I wanted to be a Mommy, but this is more than I ever could have imagined. The instant love you feel when you have a child is so amazing & indescribable.

Daddy & Drake taking a nap. 

Notice the box of tissues. Unfortunately Dustin's allergies decided to kick in full force this week (of all weeks right!). This has happened the last couple of years around this time, but we were hoping it wouldn't be this week while we were home as a new Family. He has been to the doctor twice this week & today was finally able to get a steroid shot to kick this bad spell. This is what has worked in the past, so we are hoping for good results. The bad part is he had so much drainage that he now has an infection in his chest & is on a antibiotic. He didn't even touch Drake for 2 days because he was afraid to give him any germs! Today at 1400 marked 24 hours on the antibiotic so he is now able to hold him again at least!

Getting Mad!

Getting lotion after his 1st bath at home.

"This is the Life"

Still looking a bit jaundice in this one. :)

These pictures are from Sun, Mon & Tues. 

Coming Home & A Personal "Tanning Blankie"

Welcome Home Baby Boy!

In his carseat

My cute little snuggle bug!

Tiny Toes

Our baby glow worm.

We came home yesterday late afternoon!

I felt good & ready, but when we got home I must admit I was a little overwhelmed. At the hospital everything is so predictable, they bring your food, get you what you need & are there to answer questions. When we walked in the door I was like what do we do now?? 

My Mom brought us dinner & went & picked up a few groceries to get us thru the next several days. What a HUGE help!!! I knew I needed to go to the store before going to the hospital, but ran out of time. 

We have had a few visitors, but over all have just been hanging out as a family! I can't imagine him not being here already! I am so in love with him & all I do is sit & watch him!

We found out before leaving yesterday that is billirubin is a little high at 11.4. Since he is breastfeeding, my milk hasn't come in yet & it had risen since the previous check we were sent home with formula & a Billi Blanket. I know it isn't a big deal, but as an emotional new Mommy I was a little upset about it. The good thing is he doesn't have to take a bottle we can syringe feed him the little amount he needs after he breast feeds. The billi blanket is a pain because the cord is so short, but we are surviving. He can come off to feed which helps. It is just hard when people want to come see him & he is stuck in our bedroom. Either way what is best for our lil guy is what we will do!

This morning we went to have is level checked again. Our pediatrician (which I love!) called about an hour later & said it had gone up a tad to 11.7. She said in her eyes it was the same as before & not a big enough increase to worry her. Another good thing is my milk is starting to come in! She said we don't have to supplement unless he has a short feeding or doesn't seem to be getting very much. She does want him to stay on the billi blanket until Monday at least when we will go for our doctor's visit & have his level rechecked. She thinks it may rise a little more before it starts to come down. We are to watch him & if he isn't eating, having wet/poopy diapers or seems lethargic we are to call. 

Other than that I am feeling good! I am not really all that sore & am able to move around easily. The biggest issue I am having right now is my breasts are hurting so much!! Breastfeeding is an amazing experience, but defiantly takes a lot of patients & will. As my milk is coming in I am becoming more engorged, slowly which I am thankful for. He is a good latcher & feeds about 15 to 20 on each breast each feeding! Everyone says that is really good.