Growing so fast!

I truly cannot believe how fast this little guy is growing. We were just at our 9 month check-up, even though he is almost 10 months and thankfully his percentiles have fallen from the 90's to the 70's. He was a large baby, due to my undiagnosed gestational diabetes, and I'm glad to see that he's getting to a more average height and weight. It seems like he is learning something new every week! From hand clapping, to pulling up on his knees, to pulling up to standing, and crawling to sitting. He is so delightful to be around, and is just a happy baby. We've truly been blessed with this miracle we call Matthew.

And we are also back on the baby making train. My cycle has returned and we'll see what happens. I am not 100% ready for another baby, but I'm also worried it's going to take another two years. I'm hoping that with my husband quitting smoking and drinking alcohol (he's not an alcoholic, but can't drink because of a medicine he's on), that his swimmers have returned to normal, and that I really did ovulate. My fingers are optimistically crossed that we are blessed with another beautiful miracle, but if not, I'm so thankful for this little guy who is growing up at the speed of light!

And 3 months later...

I guess it's been three months since I've posted. Maybe I should give an update.

Matthew is officially 9 months old as of yesterday, and life just keeps getting more busy! This little man is a mover and a shaker and no one gets to rest until his eyes are closed. Even after they are closed, we never know what the night may bring. He's been a "mostly" good sleeper. However, when he's teething, which seems like he is every other week, we are up frequently. Little man already has 8 teeth and is currently working on 9 and 10. I didn't realize how FAST teeth come in. It seems like once one is in, another is right behind it. We've been blessed with a very content and peaceful baby boy, but a wicked miserable teether. We were up for two hours Saturday night and an hour and a half last night and all he did was just cry and scream in misery. I don't blame him. I can't imagine how uncomfortable teething is. I just pray the tooth comes in soon so he can rest peacefully.

Off to clean bottles, make bottles, and pack the little man up for day care tomorrow. Hoping to be a better poster from now on!

Matthew, in the future...

As parents I know that we all think and wonder about what our children will be like in the future. What does the future hold for our little miracles? For some of us, we fought through a lot of tears, failed pregnancy tests, doctors visits, needle pricks, and ovulation tests to get our miracles. Our only hope is that those sweet babies eventually become adults who get married, have wonderful relationships, travel, and do exciting things with their lives. I know this is morbid, but what if that doesn't happen? I stumbled upon a blog the other day about a woman with two boys who have autism. She didn't realize that her first son had autism until he was maybe a year and half, and the second son she realized much sooner since she had experience with the first child's diagnosis. It has been so amazing reading her blog and learning about how she navigates life with her boys. As a mom to a son, I pray that little Matthew doesn't fall on the spectrum. I don't think he will, because he has hit every milestone thus far, but there are still things he hasn't done and might not do. I have found myself the last few days really looking at him and celebrating who he is. I've also been really thinking about does he make eye contact with me (he does, but is he really seeing me?), does he respond to his name (not yet - hasn't reached that milestone), is he babbling appropriately (lots of eh's and mm's right now, with tons of raspberries thrown in), is he interested in his toys the way he should be at six months? I hate that I'm thinking about it, but is it wrong to be making sure those milestones are being met?

After reading this woman's blog, I am finding myself also enjoying Matthew in the little moments that we are sharing. So what if he falls asleep while nursing and I let him sleep on me for one of his naps. So what if I get up in the middle of the night and rock him to sleep and stare at his perfection. So what if I don't say no when he throws a toy on the floor and laughs and I laugh right back at his adorableness. This time with him flies by so fast that I can't even believe he is already half a year old. Where is my newborn baby? I've also enjoyed these little moments a little more the past few days because of my surgery and not being able to hold him for a few days. I will love my chunky monkey no matter who he becomes, because he is a reflection of me and my husband and the love we have between us. He is perfect in my eyes and that is ALL that matters.

P.S. My cheeky boy rolled over from his back to his front, and just can't get enough of it! Even in the wee hours of the night! GO MATTHEW!

And now for loads of pics! = )

 Just shopping like a big boy, folks!

 Hey! I'm 6 months old and sitting up BY MYSELF!

 My old Pops examining my two bottom teeth!

 Ahhhh, green soft Ohio grass. Much better than sharp, prickly Georgia grass!

Me and my perfect, wonderful, adorable, cuddly, chubby boy!

Holy Moly!! I don't even know where to begin...

School is out for the summer, we took a long car trip to Ohio, and I had a hernia surgery on Monday. Since Cheeks was so large I got a hernia sometime after pregnancy from either working out too early, or picking up my gigantic baby in his car seat! I've been recovering from the surgery this week while my boy has been at daycare. His daddy has been dropping him off and picking him up every day. I feel almost guilty being home without him, but know I couldn't take care of him if he was here since I can't lift him up. I am getting more comfortable with holding him to nurse and play on the floor, but walking around with him makes me nervous since I'm still in pain.

We were in Ohio last week to get Matthew baptized in the church my hubby and I grew up in. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception afterwards celebrating with our family and friends. We also were able to visit with a lot of other friends and family while we were in town.

I can't wait to be over this surgery so we can get Matthew to the pool!! I bet he will love it. He's already six months old and is pretty much sitting on his own. Although, he isn't rolling over from his back to his tummy yet. He's almost there, but my chunker has a lot of body to move. Seeing him in all his chubby glory just brings a smile to my face!

We've been feeding him solids for a bit now. He likes bananas, pears, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, and green beans. He wasn't a fan of apples, but ate them, and highly dislikes peaches! I'm going to try peaches again in a few days and see how they go. I know it takes up to 10 exposures to really know if a babe will like something so I plan to keep offering it. He was a bit more receptive to the peaches on the third try, but ended up crying because he didn't want to eat them. I'll be adding in breakfast for him next week, probably just some oatmeal and a fruit mixed in for flavor and extra nutrients. I try to give him a fruit and veggie at dinner so he has a balanced meal.

He's been an excellent sleeper, but I don't want to jinx myself as I know that can change at any time! He pretty much goes down to bed between 7:30 and 8, and sleeps until between 4:30 and 5:30. Each day it seems is getting later and later which is fine by me! I don't mind getting up to feed him at 4:30 or so if he goes back to bed afterwards.

Now that I am home for the summer I will probably blog a bit more. Being a working mom is NO JOKE! Our nights and days were extremely busy. I'm looking forward to having Matthew home to read books, sing songs, and play with all kinds of new toys!

Here is a picture of us and his godparents at his baptism. He was wearing our family baptismal gown that has been around for multiple generations.

It's been awhile...

I can't believe that I haven't posted since I went back to work! It has been going well, but my second week back Cheeks decided to have a growth spurt and stopped sleeping through the night. He was going from 8 am until 4 or 5 am, and then started waking up at 11, 2, and 4 or increments close to that! UGH! It was horrible going to work with only a few hours of sleep. I literally felt like I was looking through fog. It is very hard to function on that little of sleep with no naps until the weekend.

I am finding it very hectic in the evenings after work. I get home, play with Matthew, make dinner, wash bottles, nurse him (which is taking longer and longer as he gets hungrier and hungrier!), pump, and finally get to bed.

During the last few weeks our boy has become SOO fun! He's giggling, learning how to play with toys, sitting up more, and playing in his bouncy chair. He's finally getting back in to his normal sleep stretches throughout the night and it is fantastic!

I just had spring break and we went to Florida to visit my husband's parents, and took our first plane ride to Ohio to visit my family. I'll save flying with baby for another post, but it went really well. Unfortunately our visit to Ohio was to say goodbye to a very close family friend who is passing away due to her battle with breast/brain cancer. It is super sad, but I hope she is out of pain soon.

Since the weather is becoming nicer we've been strolling through the neighborhood frequently and it feels great to be out in the sunshine and cool breeze.

Here are some pics of Chunky Monkey!

Back to Work

My first week back wasn't too bad. It was nice seeing everyone that I work with, and to not be a lazy bum anymore, but not seeing my little dude's smiles all day wasn't fun. At least I get a huge smile when I go and get him from daycare.

Over this week Cheeks developed a nasty diaper rash that I think was caused by his diapers. I sent a pack of huggies to daycare and with Cheeks' milk allergy his poop is VERY liquidy still. It is definitely getting better as I have been milk free for 2 weeks, but it is still getting out of both of our systems. When I would go to change his diaper out of the huggies his #2's just seemed to sit on the diaper and not get absorbed. We use pampers sensitive at home, and they are very absorbent. So we've been having lots of naked time, took pampers to day care, and I even put some breast milk on his blistery rash and it seemed to help heal it a bit. The blistery rash was not as red and inflamed as it was yesterday.

I'll have to say that the best part of my day now that I am back to work is nursing my babe. During leave I kind of felt like a slave to my child and nursing wasn't that bonding experience that I thought it would be (at times it was, like before bed), but now that I don't see him all day that time where he seems to attack my boob is the most precious. It's almost like he craved that closeness as well.

The chunky monkey is continuing to sleep a minimum of 8 hours (with the exception of last night waking up at 1:30 - growth spurt is what I'm thinking!), which is great for my sleeping now that I am back at work.

We are getting ready to head up to our outlets to get Cheeks a bathing suit, Easter outfit, and some jammies. He has completely grown out of all 3 month pajamas. While I can get him all buttoned up, his little feet are just jammed in to the bottoms. He has this pair of fleecy dinosaur jammies that have a dino on the feet and are absolutely adorable - I am SOOO going to miss seeing his little body in those PJ's! To me, there is nothing cuter than a freshly bathed baby in some adorable footed PJ's! = )

Will be posting a 3 month picture of our chubby cheeked boy tomorrow!

Mommy Breakdown

It hit me that my maternity leave is over last night. I just started bawling. I started thinking about missing Matthew's smile and giggles, and how I was going to miss them all day long.The reality that I will only have 4 or so hours with my baby a day is just depressing! I took him to daycare today so I could see how long it takes us to get ready and out the door. We were ready a half hour early today, so we got to have some play time before we left. I'm getting my hair cut at 1:00 and will be booking it to the daycare to pick him up right after. Tomorrow I'll take him, too, but I don't have much planned other than cleaning the house. I'll pick him up after lunch tomorrow so I can really spend some time with him. Thank goodness I'll only be back at work for 9 or 10 weeks and will then have 8 weeks off in the summer.

I did some organizing of my milk and counted how much I already have frozen. I have a whopping 248 ounces frozen. However, only 12 ounces of that I can use at this point. Three bags out of my sixty-two contain dairy free milk. I am definitely pumping as much as I can today to build up supply for Cheeks for the weeks to come. His poops are already looking and smelling better since I've been dairy free since Saturday. I definitely feel lucky that I produce so much milk, so replenishing this supply won't be too difficult.

Milk Protein Allergy

Well folks, I was right before, Matt has an allergy to the protein in cows milk. I am really upset about not going with my mother instincts before and kept up with eliminating milk products in my diet. I was trying to be optimistic and believe that I just had an imbalance with my foremilk and hindmilk (what I thought was causing his green poop). Unfortunately, it was the milk issue. Baby boy had diarrhea starting last Thursday and has had pretty loose stools since then. Nothing clear like before, but definitely not the seedy poop he should be having. I feel horrible about this, and hope that it doesn't take long for the milk to get out of my system and Matthew's. He also has a pretty bad diaper rash and we spent a lot of time today laying on a towel with  no diaper.

Praying my boy gets comfortable soon. I miss all his giggles when I change his diaper!

Here are some pictures of my Chunky Monkey! Growing so fast!

Maternity Leave is Going Fast

I go back to work two weeks from yesterday. I can't believe it is almost over. However, I am ready to go back. Being a stay at home mom is something that I think you are made to do or not made to do, and I am not someone who could do this full time. I love being with Matthew all day. I love seeing his smiles, and changes, but I am stir crazy! Alone time is something I've always cherished - and staying at home with a baby requires very little alone time. I'm ready to get back to being me, and not just mommy.

While I've been home I've been working on freezing milk for when I go back to work. I didn't realize how much milk I actually do make. I took Matthew to daycare last week so a friend and I could enjoy some mommy-free time at the spa, so we had to pump in the car while we were out. I filled up two five ounce bottles in less than 6 minutes and still had more to pump off. Do any of you who have PCOS find that you make a ridiculous amount of milk? I had to buy 8oz bottles to pump into for when I go back to work.

Also, for those of you pumping to store milk for when you return back to work the Target brand (up and up) freezer storage bags are awesome!! 50 bags for $7.99! They freeze nice and flat, with a double zip lock. I went out and bought 3 packages of them yesterday.

Love all your posts about your little ones. It is so fun to see them all grow and hear about different adventures in mommy-hood from everyone!

Exclusively Pumping

I think I'm switching over to exclusively pumping to feed my chunky monkey. I have been using the nipple shields and they are such a pain in the butt. Matthew knocks them off, sometimes they don't stay in place, they fill up with milk and when Matt knocks them off milk goes everywhere. The biggest thing is not being able to feed him in public. I would have to take every nipple shield with me in case he knocks it on the floor. They are just a hassle. I've been trying to get him to latch without them, and there just isn't enough of me to get in his mouth. I am finding it so much more enjoyable to give him a bottle. He also seems way more content and full when he's finished with the bottle. I am not giving up the before bed feeding and middle of the night feedings though. I enjoy the bond with him before bed, and let's be honest, who wants to deal with a crying baby at 4:30 AM while they heat up a bottle? Luckily Matt is not picky about the temperature of his milk - he'll take it any way it's given. I've never given it cold, but have given it to him when it's cooler. I've been researching some pumping tips and feel up for the challenge of pumping every 2 hours. I already have a pretty good frozen supply going so I'm going to keep up with that. I'm also going to drink the mother's milk tea for any benefit that it will give me for keeping up my supply. I am still not sure if Matt has an allergy to milk. His poop was a bit more yellow this morning, but very very watery - hope it's not diarrhea! If he does have an allergy to milk then I guess my whole frozen supply is null and void! UGH! Called the pediatrician yesterday to ask about his green poop issue, but she hasn't called me back yet.

Happy pumping to me, and nursing to all of you!

Green Poop

Little man, Cheeks, has been having consistently green poops for over a week now and they are starting to look like they contain mucous in them as well. Every where I've read says that poop with mucous means that baby might have an allergy. I've also read that green poops here and there are normal, but consistent green poop could mean multiple things. 1. Your diet is rich in iron. 2. Baby is getting too much fore-milk not enough hind-milk. 3. Baby might have a lactose/milk allergy. I'm thinking baby Cheeks might be having a combination of #2 and #3. When I pump in the mornings, the majority of what I pump out is very watery milk. After I put it in the fridge for awhile, and the fat separates, there is very little fatty  milk in the bottles (see pic below). I need to figure out what I need to do to ensure that this little guy is getting his fatty hind-milk since I apparently have a super-supply. Today I've had him feed off of one side exclusively for each feeding. Next, I'm going to try cutting milk and milk products out of my diet. This is going to be tough because I eat a lot of milk products. My snacks are usually string mozzarella cheese and greek yogurt. I also eat cheese frequently in meals, and sour cream on my mexican items (we eat a lot of mexican, too!). Ugh and ranch dressing! I hope by making these changes this little guy will go back to being a normal, yellow, seedy pooper! = )

Do you ever feel like your life now revolves around 2 hour schedules, colors of poop, how long the baby slept, and what breast you fed off of last? I think that is all I think about any more! But, it is SOOOO worth it!

(This is off of one boob, see how there is only a little bit of fatty milk?)

Boobs

I had big boobs before I got pregnant and started breast feeding. Now they are huge! I'm going to complain a bit here because on top of being extremely exhausted, my back seriously hurts and aches. Today was a rough day, and it's all piling up and I need to vent. I cannot find a bra in any local store that fits my chest for nursing, so therefore I'm left with unsupportive bras. These bras are doing a number on my back. I know that the band underneath my chest should fit right under my shoulder blades, but every bra I've bought gets pulled up because the weight of my chest is so much. Every nursing tank also gets pulled up and fits horribly because of the weight of my chest. On top of my hefty ladies, carrying the baby adds to the soreness/aching of my back. Once we are done with having kids (hopefully number 2 comes without as much trouble as the first did), I'm having a reduction. End of story. Hopefully insurance covers it because I've about had it with my back hurting! I half want to stop nursing so they won't be as hefty and big, but that is a poor excuse for feeding my child for free, so I will keep on keepin' on - only 8 more months to go!

Mom Moves I'm Happy I Made/Am Making

1. I'm happy I followed the advice of keeping my house bright and loud during the days and quiet and calm during the evenings so Matthew could get his days and nights straight. I read that babies have a hard time getting used to day and night, and everything said to try this tactic. I started it in the hospital after he was born. I opened the windows, had the lights on full blast, and tv on during the day and the night was quiet and dark. Because of this, Matthew is very drowsy at night (at least until after his 4:00 feeding!).

2. Having him nap in the crib before I put him in the crib for an entire night. The first nights he slept in the crib where flawless. He went down easily, fussed a bit while he put himself to sleep, and slept for his 6.5 hours! I fully expected the first night to be up and down every few hours getting him to fall back asleep. I actually think he slept better in his crib rather than in the rocker next to our bed.

3. Trying not to push the pacifier. I really don't want him to be hooked on the paci. It is great to soothe him, but I'm trying not to push it at bed time to calm him down. He's been doing a great job of soothing himself to sleep without it and I hope to keep it that way.

4. Putting him to sleep drowsy, but not asleep. Hoping this pays off in the long run!

Now if only I could get him interested in going BACK to sleep after he eats at 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning that would be phenomenal!

The Crib

I was going to start having Matthew sleep in his crib at night this weekend, but I ended up caving and having him sleep with us because I was tired. I'm always tired, but was past exhaustion this weekend. So here is my decision. Starting today, Matthew is sleeping in his crib for all naps, etc. I'll put him in the bouncer only if I need to use the restroom,  or to let him hang out and play, but not for his naps. If I see that he is getting tired, I'm going to get him up and take him to his room. I realize he is only 6 weeks old, but I really want him to feel comfortable in there and not be confused when he wakes up in there at night. I want him to associate his room with sleep. I have NO CLUE if this will work, but in my crazy head this is logical and makes sense. Is it more work for me? Yes, because it is so much easier to put him in his bouncer or swing and plop on the couch. However, I think it will pay off in the future when I'm back at work and he has to sleep in a crib at his babysitter's house. 

I pray that he sleeps well tonight in the crib, because I really am enjoying my 5-6 hour stretch of sleep at night! 

Our First Big Outing

This weekend was a big one! We live south of Atlanta where there is absolutely NO shopping and nothing but your typical chain restaurants (applebees, outback, etc.), so this weekend we decided to drive an hour to North Atlanta for our first official family outing. I had something to return at Nordstroms, we needed some organizational items from the Container Store, and we had a $50.00 gift card to The Cheesecake Factory. After gathering all baby materials, we hit the road. Cheeks slept the entire way there, and when we arrived it was time for him to eat again. (Does anyone else feel like they are constantly feeding their child?) I fed him a bottle (pre-pumped!) while my husband did some shopping in Barnes and Noble. We did our first public diaper change (thank God I bought one of those portable changing bag things so I didn't have to take the whole diaper bag), and it went well.

We did some shopping. I found a nursing bra that fit better than any others that I've tried. I have been having a hard time finding one that fits (I'm large chested), and is comfortable. Did our return at Norstroms, and then it was time to eat again. However, my idiot self left the other pumped bottle AND my nursing cover in the car. So I had no choice but to nurse in public WITHOUT a cover. I found a spot in a Dillard's restroom that had a nursing area and did my thing in the wide open. All the ladies that came in to use the restroom were very supportive and even gave me a "Way to go!" on their way out. That was reassuring because sometimes people can be very vulgar about nursing in public. (Side note: after sitting in the restroom for a long period of time, it is truly amazing how many people don't wash their hands after they are done.) Once we were done we made our way to dinner and enjoyed some excellent food for FREE! = )

The little guy pretty much slept the ENTIRE time from 1:00 until we got home at 8:00. I was pretty much prepared to be up all night, but he kept sleeping until 2:30 AM. I fed him and then it was go time - this little guy was WIDE awake from 2:30 until 5, and had a short 45 minute nap and was up at 6. Thankfully I got up at 2:00 and pumped because he didn't eat hardly anything from 6:00 on. I nursed him on one side at 8:00 for like 5 minutes and he was OUT. So, needless to say my ladies were ROCK HARD and uncomfortable. I pumped out 8 ounces in a matter of minutes. I'm glad I pumped because I made my husband get up at 6:00 and give him a bottle so I could stay in bed and catch up on the 2 hours of sleep I missed.

Doing the normal things we used to do pre-baby is definitely a whole lot longer of a process, but still possible and requires team work from both the hubs and me. Without him, I'd probably never leave the house!

Here's a pic of the little guy passed out in his stroller at Barnes and Noble:

Officially Done!

I am officially done with pregnancy. I had my 6 week check today and I am free to do as I please. I can exercise and I can do the horizontal tango if I please! Of course one of the questions she asked was what we would use for birth control. I kind of giggled inside and wanted to say NOTHING because I had trouble getting pregnant in the first place, but in all likelihood if we had sex tomorrow I'd end up pregnant which is the LAST thing I'd want at this point. I responded with condoms because we do want to try for #2 sooner rather than later and I don't want to deal with pills or an IUD at this point. After #2 I'll be getting an IUD, no doubt about it.

Now for the horizontal tango...this may be TMI, but I don't even know where to start. It has been SOOO long since we've been together without having a goal in mind. Now that we have baby Matt, we're back to being together because it's fun and because we love each other. Meanwhile I have leaky boobs and stretch marks all over my belly, how "sexy" is that!? I'm sure whenever we embark on this "activity" it will be an adventure for sure!

Nothing Really New

I don't have much to post other than things are going really well! Baby Matt is sleeping through the nights still, pretty much from between 8 and 9 PM until between 4 and 5 AM. Once I'm done feeding him in the morning I am pumping off the rest because I am super engorged. I've been getting between 6 and 10 ounces in the morning which is great! I've been freezing lots of milk for when I go back to work and Matty boy goes to daycare.

On Saturday I left the baby with Adam and went shopping for 3 hours. I needed to go to babies r us to get more bottles for my breast pump so I'm not constantly washing the same 4, and then I was on a pursuit for nursing bras. I am a larger chested lady and am having a highly difficult time finding bras to fit. I got measured, but the bras that are that size don't fit right. I'm either spilling out of the top or out the sides. It's pretty frustrating. I WILL be getting a reduction once I'm done having children. I've always struggled with my chest size and finding bathing suits and bras to fit right. I'm over it and can't wait until I can have fun shopping for those items.

I've also started counting my weight watchers points and attempting to exercise. I said I'd give myself a month to really get used to nursing and eating whatever I want, but now it's time to get serious. I'm on day 2 and it isn't going too bad. I struggle with finding things to eat at lunch, so I'll be going to the grocery store later today to get some inspiration!

Matthew is also starting to smile and interact with us more. Today we had a good play session on the floor where he was kicking and punching and smiling back at me as I talked to him. I'm so excited to see what these upcoming weeks and months will bring!

1 Month Old!

Happy 1 Month Matthew!!!

I can't believe that our little guy has been here for 1 month already! Time has certainly flown by, but this honestly has been the most rewarding month of my life. To think that this time last year I was hoarding money to afford IVF, and now I have this miracle baby to love and adore for many years to come. Adam and I couldn't be more blessed with this gift from God - which is what the meaning of his name is. 

We had our 1 month doctors appointment at the pediatrician today. Our chunky monkey is up to 11 pounds 10 ounces which puts him in the 85th percentile for weight, and he's in the 63rd percentile for height and 70th percentile for his noggin. In other words...I've got a big baby on my hands. It's also nice to know that nursing this little guy is going well and doing what it is supposed to do. I have no worries about my supply. He slept through the night again and I was so engorged after I fed him that I went downstairs and pumped and got 8 ounces! I typically get about 6 ounces after a normal feeding. I'll be freezing 2 bags of breast milk today! GO ME! 

Since we had a lot of visitors to our house yesterday, I didn't get a nap, and I'm feeling it today. I'm off to go take a nap while Cheeks is napping, too!

CHEEKS SLEPT!!!

My chunky monkey slept for 7 hours straight last night!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!! I am almost positive that it was a fluke and that this will NEVER happen again (or won't happen again for awhile), but thank the good Lord because I feel so much more rested than I have felt in a LONG time!!

How did it happen? I'm not sure, but I am attributing it to us staying on a pretty strict schedule. I try to do the same thing with the little guy during the day and night. One of my friends told me she read a book and has applied something she read to her kids schedule and it always worked for her. It's called EASY. E for Eat, A for activity, S for sleep, and Y for YOU! After the babe eats do an activity even if they are drowsy or falling asleep. I've found this hard at this stage because there are only so many activities to do with a 1 month old. I usually just hold him and talk to him and walk him around the house and show him things. Once your activity is over then let the babe sleep. While the babe sleeps it's YOU time! This "schedule" also promotes a healthy eating schedule since you never want to go to sleep after you eat so you can burn off the fat calories you take in.

At night we've also been doing the same thing. Around 8 o'clock or as close to his 8 o'clock feeding we go up and take our bath or have our sponge bath, get into our jammies, eat, rock/read our book, get all swaddled up and down we go! Since I've started doing this I have not had a fussy baby at bed time once. I know I will at some point, but not yet. The principle of a well rested baby is a baby that sleeps better at night is also true. Matt has been getting plenty of rest and is starting to fall in to a napping pattern, which I believe also allows him to sleep fairly well at night.

I'm going to start reading a book called Bringing Up Bebe. A friend said something about it on her blog and I read the synopsis of it and it sounds interesting. I'm going to see if any of it can be applied to how my husband and I want to parent our little buddy. Plus, I'm reading a book right now that I'm not very in to. If I don't find a book interesting by 100 pages I ditch it - I have too much I want to read to be stuck with a book I don't like.

Cheeks is waking up so I must resume my spot at the lactation station on my couch! = )

Cheeks Sleeping

Here is baby Cheeks sleeping in his crib for the first time. I think it is hilarious that he sleeps with his arms spread out like that.

Transition

I'm getting used to the exhaustion, thank the Lord! We've pretty much gotten in to somewhat of a schedule at night so I know when to expect Matthew to wake up to eat, and when he decides to sleep longer I cheer and shorter I want to scream! Haha! We've been getting him down to sleep between 8:30 and 9:30 and he sleeps until 1:30 or 2, wakes up to eat and goes back down very easily. Then he's up again between 4:30 and 5. Sometimes I stay up after that feeding and sometimes I go back to bed. Matthew typically doesn't fall back asleep after that feeding, so it depends on how tired I am and if I want to go downstairs and start my day, or lounge in bed until Adam gets up at quarter to 6. I know when I go back to work that I'll probably end up staying awake afterwards to get ready for work. I still have a good long while until I have to think about that though.

Matthew's been sleeping in our room since we've gotten home from the hospital in his rock'n'play sleeper/cradle. I am not sure if I'm ready for him to go to his room yet, but I'm getting used to all of his sounds and movements that I am not constantly checking on him to see if he's okay. He isn't used to sleeping flat on his back so I've been trying to swaddle him and put him in his crib in his room for one nap a day. He typically takes a long nap in the afternoons so that is when I've been doing this "transition." I believe that slow and steady will win the race, so we'll work our way up to sleeping full time in the crib. It would be a lot easier if I just stuck him in his swing in the living room because I know he'll fall asleep instantly, but being a parent isn't going to always be easy so I need to just forfeit my nap so I can get him sleeping where he'll be sleeping for a long time.

I've also been doing a decent job of pumping and freezing one 4oz bag of breast milk a day. I could do more, but for now that is good enough for me. Once I get closer to going back to work, I'll try to do two 4 oz bags.

In other news I've been a complete waste of space while I'm at home. I got a netflix subscription and have been watching all kinds of tv! I watched the complete first season of Downton Abbey and wish that season 2 was available to watch. I've also been watching the show One Tree Hill. All of my high school friends got in to it when we were still in high school, and I never did. It always seemed like a show I'd like, but I never wanted to start watching it mid season. So now I've been watching it and I'm completely addicted! It makes me wish I could go back to high school and those care-free days of hanging out with friends, playing sports, and no obligations. For some, high school wasn't a fun experience, but I absolutely loved it, and would go back in a second.

Well, since the little dude is napping - IN HIS CRIB! YAY! - I'm going to go park it on the couch and watch One Tree Hill and hopefully nap, too! = )

P.S. Congrats to all the celebrations happening with my blogger friends. Megan and Bird both welcomed a beautiful baby girl this month! What beautiful blessings.

And I'm always keeping Lindsay and Laura in my prayers. I'm praying everything continues to go well for Lindsay and her husband and bundle of pink on the way and that Laura has success SOON, because she and her hubs need a BFP ASAP!!

xoxo

Exhausted

Wow. I. Am. Tired.

I knew being a breast feeding exclusive mom that I would be up frequently feeding this little guy, but wow am I beat. Matthew has been eating every 2 to 2.5 hours day and night. I would do anything for a 4, 5, or 6 hour stretch of sleep. I don't function well on little bits of sleep, and I am starting to feel the effects of lack of sleep. When I'm over tired all I do is cry. Today, my hubs came home and asked how my day was and all I said was that all I want is to sleep for a long stretch of time. I know that eventually Matthew will sleep for longer periods of time, but I'm struggling a bit right now. The plan for me to get more sleep is that I will pump a bottle for Adam to give Matthew on Saturday morning for the 6:00ish feeding.

I would suggest to pump a bottle for a middle of the night feeding, but Adam has had 2 more seizures since the post I made in February. He had one in November, and another one in the hospital the last night we were there when Matthew was born. We've pretty much linked the seizures to being over tired/exhausted. Therefore I have been responsible for all middle of the night baby duties. I am happy to do them because it's what my son needs, but it is also what my husband needs. I need him to be the best person/dad he can be during the day as he is working full-time and being super dad when he gets home and on weekends. He needs his rest to be healthy. I feel less anxiety about the seizures, but it still makes me a nervous wreck to know that it can happen at any time. The doctor upped the dosage for his meds, so hopefully he doesn't have any more.

So far, the hardest part of being a new parent is the pure exhaustion I feel at this point. I pray that this little boy give me a long stretch of sleep SOON! = )

New Blog Title and Pampers

Since Baby Shu has obviously arrived and this blog will be keeping family, friends, and blog friends in the loop about baby Matt, I changed the name. Since he was quite a large baby, and has undeniably (I am biased) chubby cute cheeks we've been calling him "Cheeks" at home. I'm sure it is a nick name he will absolutely hate if it sticks around, but right now I think it is one of his most adorable qualities.

Also, for all of you new mommies out there that are using pampers products, make sure you go to pampers.com and register for the gifts to grow rewards. There are codes on diapers and wipes and you enter them on the website. As you accumulate points you can earn free things. You will fly through diapers and wipes faster than you can even imagine, so the points will add up! We bought a huge box of size 1 diapers at Sam's Club last weekend and are more than half way through the box. It doesn't help that our little guy is a pooping and squirting machine! We're about ready to put plastic wrap along the walls behind the changing table, since he seems to pee right when I get ready to switch the diaper from dirty to clean! So frustrating - diaper changing is not my strong area of parenting.

Hope y'all had a great weekend!

Nursing

Nursing the little guy is going really well! Breast feeding is always something that is up in the air until your baby arrives, and I am thrilled that it is working out for our family. I have to use nipple shields since my nipples don't quite stick out far enough for him to latch on to. I'm sure if I tried hard enough right now that he would be able to latch on, but I don't want to frustrate him or myself if I don't have to.

The first week of nursing was hard. Matt was eating every 2 to 2.5 hours around the clock and I was definitely not used to being awake that often. They don't lie when they say your nipples will hurt! I made it through the nipple soreness by using lots of lanolin cream and ice packs! I didn't notice much with engorgement when my milk came in, it just seemed to show up. However, now I can definitely tell if he hasn't eaten in awhile. I've been lucky with some 4 hour sleeping stretches at night, and sometimes my ladies will definitely hurt!

I've also started trying to pump a bit after a feeding here and there. I'm not concerned about nipple confusion because of using the nipple shields. I haven't really figured out how long I need to pump for, but I've been getting a decent amount of ounces and Adam has been able to feed our big little boy two bottles. I love hearing him interact with Matthew and laugh at his little intricacies while feeding. I get to laugh and smile at them all the time, so it makes me happy that Adam gets to experience that, too. It is also much easier to give him his Vitamin D supplement in the bottle than with the dropper in his mouth!

Another benefit to nursing, which I know you all hear, is how the weight just melts off! I've already lost 30 plus pounds since birth 3 weeks ago. I'm not hungrier during meals, but I am hungry more frequently. I've been trying to remember to keep some snacks in the nursery for midnight feedings, because that is when I am most hungry and I don't always feel like going down stairs to find food in the middle of the night when all I want to do is get back in my warm bed!

Well, that is my recap of how nursing is going. I'm so thankful and blessed to be able to do this for my son, and for our family. Formula is not cheap!

Sterilizing all those breast pump parts!

First frozen 4 ounces of liquid gold!