3 Month Update

*as with my girls these updates are for me to keep and remember.

Weight / Length:  Around 14 lbs with scale at home.  Length unknown.  Wearing 3-6 month clothes as of almost a month ago.

Eating:  We are still breastfeeding (yeah!).  We have actually run into the opposite kind of snag (problem?) in that Nolan is refusing bottles now.  It happened during the holidays and I've tried formula supplement (new formula though), breast milk and medium flow nipple.  He won't have anything to do with anything but direct breastfeeding right now.  I hope it doesn't stick.  I may try the supplementing formula we started with but other than that I'm at a loss for what to try.

Development:   Nolan has good head control.  He still doesn't love tummy time but he tolerates it and doesn't cry immediately (the holidays and relatives holding him have probably put a slight damper on tummy time).  He loves to babble.  He is starting to grab things more with his hands.  He loves sucking on his hands too.  He has started laughing and squealing a little. 

Sleep:  He sleeps good at night.  Naps are touch and go though.  He recently started going to sleep around 8 or 9 pm though so hopefully that is why.  He sleeps 8 to midnight or 1 am and then again until 6 am (then another hour or two until I get up with the girls).

Fun Memories:  Nolan slept through Christmas.  He was a good baby for the holidays and enjoyed time spent with both grandparents.  We saw the ZooLights at Hogle Zoo before Christmas and he was interested in the lights and would stare but eventually gave into the warm snuggles of being strapped moby-style to me.

Looking Forward to:  More baby giggles.  Nolan being able to grab and play with more things.  Summer and warm weather to get outside more.

3 month comparison with Mario

Love his little grins and giggles

Wide eyed wonder

Happy 4th Birthday Kendall and Seren

How did they ever grow up so fast?  My little babies are turning into beautiful, spunky and loving girls.  They were so excited for their birthday.  I think next year for the big 5 we'll actually try to throw a little birthday party but again this year we enjoyed the small family get together without too much work.  Grandparents D stopped by the day before to wish them well and give them presents (big fluffy blankets and princess pajamas) that they love.  

We went to church that morning and since I was subbing for a primary teacher during this time I was able to watch the primary sing Happy Birthday to them.  They soaked it in.  They each got to wear a special party hat during the song and Kendall's hat had to be held on or it fell off.  She tentatively tried to let go of it and it toppled to the floor.  A boy in her class got the giggles about this and I was worried she would get embarrassed or sad and start crying.  But nope she picked it back up and laughed too then purposefully let it fall off again for another laugh.  I was proud of her for making light of it and not shying away from the attention.  

Grandparents B and my sister were there for dinner and the actual birthday.  The girls enjoyed a meal of their choice (pasta with white sauce) followed by gift giving and then cake and ice cream.  They helped me decorate the cake earlier in the day.  Grandparents B gave them a ballet outfit for their dolls and a Frozen sing-along microphone.  We were all serenaded with their singing and enthusiasm over this the rest of the night.  Jeff and I gave them a Barbie and a sleeping bag and camping chairs.  They were excited to try out the bags and wanted to go camping right away (not to be bothered with the snow on the ground).  We opted to let them sleep in the bags that night instead and that sufficed for now. 

First and Fourth Christmas

We had a great Christmas.  We were delighted to have my parents come up from Florida to visit us and surprise the girls.  They weren't toooo surprised (I don't think they understand how far away Florida is haha).  Nolan was a good baby for his first Christmas and promptly slept through most of the gift giving and unwrapping.  The girls were thrilled to make cookies for Santa and sing Christmas songs and talk about the magic of the season. We visited Santa on three different occasions and each time they asked for the same things.  Kendall wanted a tablet (with kid games...no grown up games) and Seren wanted a doll.  Santa came through with two of each thanks to some surprise help from family in Florida.  We were spoiled and grateful.  We even got one magical family picture of everyone looking at the camera and smiling.  Love this little family of mine.  

That Darn Torticollis (evaluation appointment)

I went to Nolan's physical therapy evaluation and intake appointment yesterday.  The therapist was very nice and good with him.  She explained more about the tilt and lean/turn that Nolan was doing and which muscles were causing the issue (good to know as I had it reversed).  She used her "tools" to measure how much progress he would need to make and where he was at now.  One looked like a giant protractor she laid on the floor with him to measure how much he could move without resistance/grump.  And the other was like a soft clamp that she measured the difference of his head with (the flat side versus the rounded back of his  head to over the opposite eye).  He had an 11 cm difference.  If he were closer to 6 months old this would mean Nolan would need a helmet but since he is still so young she believes we'll be able to correct the problem and his skull will fix itself before it's an issue.  My understanding is around 9 months is when head shape begins to be permanent.

We'll be going to physical therapy weekly for the first month and then every other week after that along with doing lots of exercises and stretches for him at home.  I hope we see an improvement rather quickly and the therapist thinks it will only take 6-8 visits to get him on the right track and hopefully be done.  He is still such a happy baby and very easy going with the stretches we are to do with him.

2 Month Update

*as with my girls these updates are for me to keep and remember.

Weight / Length:   12 lb 9 oz (76%), 24.21 inches (88%) and head circ 40.2 cm (53%)

Appointment Notes:  We talked about tummy time and Nolan's dislike for it.  Also determined that he probably has a little torticollis and Dr G wants him to be evaluated for physical therapy.  I think he's doing better now that he is fully in the crib but Dr G thought his neck muscles still felt a little tight toward his left side.  Other than that he is doing great and no concerns.

Eating:  We are still breastfeeding and still have the same tub of formula sitting around (yeah!).  I'm debating between buying a backup tub or those nice travel pouches (I usually only supplement on the go) or just using a different formula sample we got from my ob/gyn appointment.  Still happy it's working though and hoping to push until at least 6 months and maybe a year but we'll see.

Development:   Nolan has great head control.  He is very alert  and likes to look around.  Despite this he hates tummy time (okay he doesn't cry anymore but he usually just lays his head down and chills out haha).  He seems to try to immitate "Hi" and loves to make eye contact and smile and coo.  He loves watching his sisters as they run around or lay/sit by him to entertain him.

Sleep:  He started sleeping in his Rock n Play due to a stuffy cold and darn it all he got pretty attached to it.  It cradles, rocks and vibrates so I can't blame him.  I've been trying to break him of the habit for the last couple of weeks and had a breakthrough a few nights ago.  I rolled up a blanket next to him (hoping it would make him feel more secure) and he went down without a fuss.  So now he naps better and sleeps good at night also.  He's in our room and won't move to his own room until next year due to the holidays and honestly not wanting to fight him on it just yet either.  3 months is a good time to hit that goal right? haha  He goes to sleep between 10-11 pm at night until 2:30 (he has hit 4:00 am a couple of times...wow) and then again until 6:30-8:30 am.  

Fun Memories:  The girls still love on him.  Seren is especially attached and likes to touch his head, hold him and lean on or near him.  Kendall is okay with him but seems a little worried about hurting him, so we try to encourage her and she's getting better.  Kendall is the first to ask "How is Nolan doing?" before she goes to sleep and loves to observe what he's doing and tell us.  Nolan spent his first Thanksgiving sleeping most of the time on my chest.  The girls are excited for Christmas and wrapped presents for him to open.

Looking Forward to:  I hope he starts enjoying tummy time more so that he'll eventually be more mobile.  It will be fun to do Christmas stuff with the girls and Nolan.  They love to see the lights.  We've driven through Layton city lights twice now in a week and even Nolan stops fussing once there are above lights that he can see.  

It blows me away how much he has changed in one month

1 Month Update

*as with my girls these updates are for me to keep and remember.

Weight:  He was 8 lb 9 oz at his 2 week check up.  So he has gained back to his birth weight and a little beyond that at two weeks.  Honestly I'm betting he's getting close to 10 lbs now (well maybe).  He eats like a champ and cluster feeds a bit so I'm thinking growth spurt or just plain hungry and growing boy.  He also had gained an inch at his two week appointment.  2 week checkup stats: 

Eating:  I am happy to report that breastfeeding is going well.  We supplemented some in the beginning with his jaundice.  We have had the same tub of formula for 3 weeks now...yeah!  We'll see how long I can hang tough with it.  I realize it's going to be difficult to my limited freedom already and I also wonder/worry if POI will take a toll with my supply after a while.

Diapers:  This poor boy has the runs pretty good from breastfeeding.  We've been peed on a couple times when the diaper is off but now mostly we are on the offense to catch runny poo as he likes to push it out when he's "free".  Hopefully this will improve a little.  The money we are saving on formula is going towards diaper rash cream haha.

Development:   Nolan has great head control for a one month old.  He doesn't like to rest his head on you too much and is very alert to look around.  He coos and makes sounds when you talk to him.  He makes eye contact.  He smiles quite a bit.  

Sleep: Nolan goes down around 10:30 if we can keep him awake that long.  We try to keep him awake from 8:30 pm or so on so that he'll sleep good at night.  He then sleeps for about 3.5-4 hours then eats and sleeps again for another 3 hours and then usually a couple hour nap in the morning.  He is sleeping in the pack n play bassinet in our room for convenience and our room is warmer.  His room/nursery is still not done but getting there. 

Fun Memories:  The girls helped give Nolan his first tub bath in the infant tub.  They are very eager to help out with him and hold him.  He really enjoyed the tub more than I thought he would.  Also in efforts to keep Nolan awake before bed I was making farting noises with my mouth.  It woke him up and he seemed a little startled at first.  Then all of the sudden he let out a pretty good toot of his own.  He had the biggest smile and grinning eyes, like "that's how it's done Mom".  I caught a video doing it second time but the first smile was the best (I'll have to add it later).  

Nolan with his Super Mario (for eventual comparison) - 1 month old

Still cute even with a case of baby pimples

Seren, Nolan and Kendall

Welcome Nolan Jeffrey...

Our little man was born on October 2nd at 2:16 am.  He weighed in at 8 lb 5 oz and 20 inches long.  He's beautiful and such an amazingly good baby.  I went to my 38 week appointment and requested the induction.  I was still scared of a big headed baby and possible c-section.  There really wasn't a great reason to worry and I doubted the need for induction as September 30th came closer.  We arranged for Jeff's parents to watch our girls that evening and next day.  Unfortunately about the time they arrived for their duty I received a phone call saying the hospital was busy with spontaneous labor patients and couldn't fit us in.  They offered to try for 10 pm and would call us at 9 pm to let us know.  We waited and were again told they couldn't do it.  They said they'd move us to 7:30 am and promised not to "bump" us again.  We went to bed and neither Jeff nor I slept very good that night with nerves and excitement.  But 6:30 am came and another phone call saying it just wasn't possible but that we would be the first person they called when it could be done.  We went for a walk around the neighborhood to blow of steam as it was getting old at that point.  Jeff's parents had stayed the night.  We got a call at 10:30 am asking if we could be there by 11:30 am and agreed to this.

We arrived at the labor and delivery unit and were checked in.  Our nurse was great and they had a student/intern following her around who did my IV and catheter (both were fine although I worried a little).  They started me on pitocin and everything was cruising along just fine.  Around 12:30 pm one of Dr B's colleagues was up at the hospital breaking another patients water and Dr B requested he also do mine.  Once this was done the contractions were harder and more uncomfortable. My parents were up to visit and we sat around and small talked.  Jeff would watch the monitor and point out when I was having a contraction (haha as if I couldn't tell from the discomfort/pain).  He would time them out on the monitor and give me estimate for next one and then watch my face for the reaction.  Kind of funny and kind of annoying.  I wanted to put off the epidural and made it until about 4:30 before asking for it.  I was only dilated to a 3 or 4 at that point.  Once again having the epidural placed was the worst part of the whole experience.  I don't think it was placed quite right as they said I should have warm tingle down my leg and I didn't.  So they anesthesiologist pushed or wiggled it around...ouch.  But once it was done I didn't notice the contractions so much.

Around 10 or 10:30 pm they checked and I was dilated to a 9+ but Nolan wasn't dropping very well.  They waited for a "lip" of my cervix to finish dilating and checking his position.  The new nurse wasn't as great as the first and couldn't tell which direction he was facing entirely.  She guessed that he was not face down and that he was facing kind of sideways/diagonal towards my left hip.  She had me do some trial pushes to see if he would move or drop and he didn't.  So we tried some different laying positions to see if maybe he would shift direction on his own.  He didn't.  So around 1:30 am she contacted Dr B with the update and Dr B decided to come in and probably manually turn him and use suction.  At this time my right leg started feeling a little tingly and my feet in general did not feel numb like I thought they should.  The nurse put me off a little when I asked if it was normal.  Then I started having definite feeling of contractions and back pain.  I'm sure they were not anything like they would have been without the epidural but they hurt quite a bit (equal or worse to when I asked for the epidural) and also just made me really nervous it would wear off more and I'd be in full labor/birth without it.  The nurse had me turn on my side and hug the pillow while she went to hopefully find the anesthesiologist again.  I cried and pushed the manual button which would cover or take the edge off of the first contraction but the following one (a couple minutes later) would kill as there was a 5 minute delay on the button.  Luckily they caught him before he went into a c-section and he was able to give me a "booster" that put the epidural back into full effect.  My mom came in to check on progress and I told her Dr B was on his way.  My sister had gone home already just barely so my parents were the only ones still there.  I told my mom she was welcome to be in the room but that it might be a little awkward with my dad there.  Of course he would have understood.

Dr B arrived and I'm guessing manually turned Nolan and placed the suction on his head, although I don't remember this.  My mom was standing up by my head next to Jeff and they were having me push when my dad came in.  He had been separated or locked out so missed connecting with my mom.  I didn't care at that point and just told him he was fine to stay but just to stand by my mom.  It didn't matter to me at the time and now I'm really grateful he was able to be there.  I'm glad both of my parents could share that with us.  They had me push three times with each contraction and I could feel the pressure as Nolan was crowning but not the pain.  It seemed to take a while and the last contraction/pushing did begin to hurt and it felt like we were getting nowhere.  Then he was born and they placed him on my chest with my hospital gown to cover him up.  He was perfect and beautiful and covered in goo.  It was a great moment and tearful.  Then they took him to measure and clean off while I was stitched up.

So he's here and he's wonderful and we are doing great as a family.  The girls were thrilled to come and meet him.  They've both been a little extra whiney lately but hopefully that will lessen with time and a new routine to settle into.  They like to hold him and snuggle up to him.

Nolan at a follow up appointment for jaundice.  The glow might be the lights or the jaundice but it's one of my favorite pictures so far.