Letters to Noah - 4 Months

Hello my sweet baby boy,

Another month has gone by and it amazes me how much you have changed and grown. Last month was rough with having your first cold that didn't want to end. Over this past week, you have finally started feeling better. It has been unseasonably warm the past couple of weeks, and Mommy had to go buy some summer clothes since I wasn't expecting you to be needing them for a few more months. We have been taking a lot of walks when I get home from work, and you love it...sometimes falling asleep by the time we get home.

Milestones:
You are now engaging in your toys. You are opening your hands and holding some of them. Of course, everything is going to the mouth. Which, sometimes gets you frustrated when you can't get it in there. You no longer use a nuk, but are starting to suck your fingers. Mommy is not sure how to feel about this yet. Along with this, you are gagging yourself sometimes with those long fingers. Mommy and Daddy try to keep them out of the mouth after your bottle, but doesn't always work. I have a feeling you are in the process of teething as well. The drooling has picked up and you now wear a bib constantly otherwise we need to do laundry every few days of all the clothes you would go through.

We switched your formula to Similac Sensitive and you are doing great!!! No more constipation issues, but we still have to give you a little bottle of prune juice/water mixture here and there, which you don't mind. And you are now eating 5.5 oz at a time, usually 5-6 bottles a day. You seem to be a MUCH happier baby as well, which makes Mommy happy!

Your 4 month check-up was last Friday (3-16-12) and you weigh 11lbs 14oz and measured 25" long. You are in the 4% for weight, 6% for head circumference, and 50% for length. Your pedi didn't voice any concern and said you look "GREAT!" You received three vaccines (2 shots, one oral) and it made you cry so hard. I felt so bad for you.. especially since Mommy hates needles too! I can't believe your next doctor appt will be for your 6 month check-up... where is the time going???

Things You Love:
Well, you love being swaddled yet, which we may be weaning you from soon. Bath time is much better, and you are now splashing your feet in the water, thanks to Daddy :-) You smile a lot, and have started laughing out loud. It's the best sound in the world!!! You love being the center of attention and having ppl talk to you. Addie gives you puppy kisses and it makes you smile. When being held, you like facing outward when you are alert, but still like to cuddle up to Mommy's shoulder! And of course, putting your fingers in your mouth :-) You are just now exploring the fact that you have TOES!!!

Things You Hate:
You hate being left in a room alone. Now that you can follow people in/out of a room, this is something you do not like at all. You still hate being burped, and when the bottle goes empty and is taken out of your mouth. You are getting better at burping though. You are starting to fuss more when being put in your car seat. You used to like it, but not so much now. Could be because it's warmer outside and makes you feel warm?! Not sure. And course, you hate when we pull your fingers out of your mouth. :-)

Well little man, I guess that's it for this month. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this month...
Mommy & Daddy love you very much!!!

Love always & Forever,
Mommy













Well, I Knew it Had to Happen Sometime....

My first PP AF has begun. And let me just say... BOOOOOO, I did NOT miss this at all. I knew this day was coming, especially since I am on BCP and was on the last color of pills. But still. I think it's a realization that my pregnancy/post partum is officially over. A sad day today. But on the bright side, it's the last day of February, I have a three day weekend coming up, and my birthday is Sunday! The big 28 :-) And approx 5 months until Brian and I start trying for a sibling for Noah. I love motherhood and would not change it for the world! The sleepless nights, puke, poop, and all the worry is all worth it. Ok, onto work.... have a great Leap Day everyone!!!

Letter to Noah - 3 Months

To my sweet little boy,

How can you be 3 months old already? Seems like just yesterday we brought you home, scared and exhausted! Even though there are still fears today, we are much more at ease about parenting now, I think...

Milestones:
You rolled over for the first time on 1-27-12 while playing on your activity mat. You are NOT a fan of tummy time and while getting frustrated, you somehow worked yourself up away you went. I think it surprised you as much as it did me! Daddy was so proud of you. Of course, you haven't done it since. You only spend a few minutes on your tummy before throwing a fit!

You have been STTN for about a month now, and we couldn't be happier! The first night you did it, I was shocked and figured it was just a fluke. But ever since then, you haven't looked back. It's been GREAT! Although, you are not the greatest napper during the day, and tend to fight sleep bad.

You have recently found your hands. You love to try and get your whole fist in your mouth to chew on....sometimes both at once. And when you can't do it, you get frustrated! It's actually kind of cute :-)

Things we love:
Still love being on your changing table. We talk, play with feet, and mommy gets you to smile A LOT! I am not sure what it is about your changing table you like so much, but every time I lay you down, I smile knowing your adorable grin and dimples are just seconds away! And you still like to be walked around the house so you can check out everything on the walls. Good thing Grandma has lots to look at! Still sleep in the RnP, love your seahorse toy, and being swaddled.

Things we hate:
You are still not a fan of taking a bath, although its getting a little better. When we burp you, you hate sitting down. Whoever is burping you better be walking around! Otherwise you cry too much and then don't burp. You don't like tummy time (still working on this one).

Noah, I have done a lot of good and bad things in my life. But none of that matters when I think back to the day I brought you into this world. You are my life. I am so proud to be your mommy, and will do everything I can to make you proud of me. I love you peanut!

Love always and forever,
Mommy

A First in Over 3 Years...

Yep, it's been over three years since Brian and I started TTC... and I took my first BCP last night since then! It's hard to believe it's been so long ago. And was even harder to swallow that tiny little pill. Brian and I have already been talking about TTC#2 and when we would like to start. I am thinking this fall I will stop the pills and just see what happens. I think at first, I will be pretty laid back about it. But if it takes longer than a few months, I will start to be more apt to use what worked for getting pregnant with Noah. Within less than two months of starting Metformin and acupuncture, I was pregnant last year. I am hoping my body won't need that the second time around.

The weird part is, I MISS being pregnant! I remember telling my mom after Noah was born this very same thing and she just said that's because I have to share him now. It really didn't have anything to do with that. I missed feeling him move inside of me, making me smile each time I saw my belly move too. Or using the doppler to hear his little heart beating. It was the most magical experience of my life. And I can't wait to feel that way again!

I am little nervous about starting up the pill again. I never really had a negative reaction to it before, but I know after a baby, the body can do some freaky things when it comes to hormones. So we shall see. Let the countdown begin.... T-6 months to kicking the pill and starting to TTC#2!!!!

Been MIA... life update....

Well these last 2 months have certainly been an experience. Noah turned 2 months old on Sunday and I can't believe how much he has grown and changed since the day he was born. Here's a little update on us....

Noah had a difficult time with latching, and never really got it fully. So I have been pumping since my milk came in. He was doing fine until I noticed he was spitting up a lot more and was very gassy. Well after a few visits to his ped, and switching his formula 4 times, I think we finally got it right. He's now on Enfamil AR. I wasn't producing enough for him to have just breast milk, so we supplement with formula. Last week I noticed he would do fine on the formula but would spit up a LOT on breast milk. So now we combine 3 oz formula and 1 oz breast milk. He's doing a lot better!
He is finally outgrowing his newborn clothes and starting to wear 0-3 :-) And his NB diapers are getting a little snug, so once those run out, we will be onto #1s. It's so much fun seeing him change and grow. I swear he changes daily.
I went back to work on January 2nd, which was the hardest thing! I cried all night Sunday night knowing what the next morning would be like. Monday was rough, but it made me feel better knowing my mom was looking after him. She has him Mon-Wed-Fri and he goes to an in-home daycare Tues-Thurs. She's great with him!
Addie has been GREAT with him. Of course the first day we were home, she was going nuts because I had been gone for so long and she missed me (total momma's girl). But she sniffed Noah and that was about it. She now comes running anytime Noah starts crying. It's really cute.
Things we love so far: vibrating seats, seahorse that glows and plays music, Dr. Brown's bottles, being walked around the house and talked to, patting on the butt, diaper change time, and music on the radio.
Things we hate: bath time, waiting for bottle to warm up, sleeping on back, sleeping in the crib, putting on the snowsuit.
We had his 2 month check-up yesterday. Noah is now 9 lbs 6 oz and 22.25 " long. He is still only in the 6th percentile for weight, and 25% for height. He had his shots and I felt so bad for him. Made him very sleepy last night though.
Here are a few recent pics of my little man......

He's Here!!! Noah's Birth Story

I am a little behind at writing this, but wanted to let everyone who may not already know that Noah James has arrived!

On Monday, Nov 15th, I had gotten home from work. Brian and I had a 6pm meeting with a potential daycare provider to watch Noah part time on the off days my mom wasn't watching him. At 5:45 I was putting on my shoes, getting ready to take out the dog so we could leave, when my water broke!!! HOLY CRAP! I called to Brian to let him know that I didn't think we were making it to our appt, and explained why. He asked if I was sure I didn't just"pee myself." Ummm... no! It was a huge gush and continued to leak. Since this was 4 weeks before my EDD, we didn't have a hospital packed yet. So as I am in the bathroom calling labor & delivery, plus cancelling our appt, I am trying to tell Brian what all to pack... not an easy task I might add. We finally get heading to the hospital and I call my mom to meet us there. I got checked in at 7:10 pm, and they ran a test on the fluid to make sure, in fact, my water had broken. Yep! So that meant I was being admitted. I was checked and was at 3 cm and 65% effaced. I didn't have any contractions as of yet.

Since my water had broken, they wanted to make sure my labor didn't stall in fear of an infection, so I was started on a low dosage of pitocin. Then the contractions started kicking in. Not long after, I got my epidural! Let me just say, HEAVEN!!! It wasn't nearly as bad as I had been imagining this whole time. And finally was able to get some rest. Around 10:30 pm or so, I really started to get uncomfortable. My contractions were coming fast and strong. I was checked and was only at a solid 7 cm or so.

I really don't remember the other measurements and the times I was checked. By 3 am though, I had to push! The nurse checked me again and I was ready to go! Unfortunately, the on-call OB wasn't there yet, so I was told not to push. Yeah right!!! With 20 minutes of pushing, at 3:36 am, Noah James was born. Since he was considered "premature," a pediatrician had to be there at delivery. They checked him over and he was great. He had a little bit of wheezing, so they took him to the nursery. I was really worried about him! But within 10 minutes or so, they brought him back and he was great! He was 6lbs 10oz and 21 inches long, with a lot of blonde hair and blue eyes. We were so in love!!!

By 6 am, I was walking to my post-partum room. Our stay in the hospital seemed long. He got circumcised on Wednesday, so we didn't get discharged until Thursday. I was so ready to go home, but at the same time, was now realizing that I am responsible for this little man for the rest of my life. Had a lot of emotions going on that day!

Things have been stressful at home since then. For a while, Noah had his days and nights mixed up...getting up every hour on the hour at night. Was so thankful my mom stayed to help out! Plus, he had jaundice to the point of needing the bili bed. It was so hard to see him in that thing, in just his diaper and with the cloth glasses on. By the following Monday though, his levels were within the normal range, and we could stop the light treatment. He is finally eating better (pumping now since he had latching issues), and is gaining weight.

My recovery wasn't too bad. I had a 2nd degree tear during labor and required stitches. That was the worst pain I had after delivery, which only required me a pain med every once and a while. So now that I am done rambling about everything, here are a few pics of my little peanut! Thanks for reading :-)

In the hospital

Heading home 11-17-11

Happy Thanksgiving!!

1st bath at home... not so crazy about them yet!

My peanut in the bili bed

Noah and Mommy

35/35!

Today is an exciting day!!! Made it to 35 weeks, with 35 days until my due date. I am sure he will be here before then, but won't know for sure until Friday with my next u/s and OB appt. Last Saturday, Brian and I headed to Madison to get the final few things we still needed for baby's arrival. We have pretty much everything now. We ended up deciding against buying a crib bedding set. Since we hadn't planned on using the bumper anyway, plus wouldn't be using the quilt until later on, we chose to just get a breathable bumper instead. Of course, the one we bought was defective and will have to make another trip to Madison to exchange it. One of the ties was not even attached to the bumper. Tonight I am planning on getting the mobile assembled and on the crib. Last Friday, my mom came over to help finish a few things in the nursery, and we also got all of the newborn and 0-3 clothes washed! Felt so good to get that job done. Below I have included pictures of his nursery... still not 100% complete, but getting there!

Weekly Update

How far along:

35 Weeks

Due date:

12-13-11, but will more than likely make his arrival before then!

Total weight gain:

Ugg, went to the doctor yesterday because of my cold, and weight was up 8 lbs from my OB appt last wk Monday... so going to sadly say...35 lbs?!?!

Maternity clothes:

Yes, and some are too small

Sleep:

Bad this week since I am sick right now

Best moment this week:

Getting closer to finishing his room and having all of his clothes washed!

Movement:

Yep :-)

Food cravings:

Milk and sweet kid cereals

Food aversions:

None, really should remove this question from the updates lol

Symptoms:

Growing belly and weight gain

Gender:

BOY!

Labor signs:

None

Belly button:

Still in, and may stay that way

What I miss:

Feeling pretty

What I am looking forward to:

u/s on Friday to see how big my "little" man is!

Milestones:

35/35!!