1 month

Henry turned 1 month a couple days ago.  I actually already wrote out this whole post, but somehow lost it.  Silly iphone.  I am holding sleeping Henry right now as I type this. 

He had his one month checkup Friday, and he weighed 10lbs 5oz- 59th% (I think...) and he is 21.5 inches- 40(something)%.  Growing boy!  It is so funny because with Blakely, I always wanted her to be growing and healthy, but I also love that she is petite cause she is just so cute and dainty.  With Henry I want him to get FAT FAT FAT!  And he is.  He has outgrown all of his newborn clothes except some really stretchy onesies and is wearing 0-3mo and some 3mo clothes.  His big ole belly stretches the small ones. 

We went on our first road trip with Hank last week.  It was a little crazy, but both kids did so great.  We spent about a week in Fayetteville doing some support raising.  We stayed with my aunt and uncle and had a BLAST.  They have two teenage girls, so it was like I had 3 helpers at all times.  They have a dog and a pool and toys which kept Blakely entertained pretty much the whole time.  I got to work out, we went on a date, and I got to take a nap!  :)  We only had a few car freak outs, and a few grocery store freakouts.  It took Blakely a couple days to adjust to her new sleep environment.  We wished we could have stayed longer on the day that she asked to get into her pack and play.  Thats when we knew she felt at home.  After Fayetteville we headed to the lake with our friends the Brewers and my parents.  It was a lot of fun, and Blakely LOVED the lake. 

Henry is still grunting like CRAZY.  He is on two kinds of reflux medicine- which seems to help the spitting up.  It seems like he is super uncomfortable from about 3:30am until 7- grunting and squirming.  Neither of us get much sleep.  He nurses every 2.5-3 hours, occasionally sooner.  He goes 3-4 hours at night occasionally.  He is sleeping in a pack and play in our room, and occasionally with me if he seems to be having tummy trouble.  We are experimenting with him sleeping in the living room at night cause he wakes Blakely up with his grunting.  It's not just like the occasional grunt, it is like he is clearing his throat for about 4 hours straight. 

He is not liking me trying to get him on a schedule, and just in the last couple of days he has started waking up frequently and early from naps.  I'm not sure what to do.  If I swaddle him, he wakes up and is TICKED and gets worked up because he can't get his arms free, but if I leave his arms out, he wakes him self up moving.  We are trying super hard to get him on something predictable, but I just can't let him cry.  I know no mother wants to hear their baby cry, but every time I have tried to let him cry for a bit, I am in tears.  I might suffer a year of bad sleep like with Blakely... He is iffy about his pacifier.  Sometimes he goes to town on it, and other times I can't get him to take it to save his life.  Even if he does take it, it only lasts about 10 seconds before it falls out.  Blakely was like this too.  Is that normal?  I would love ANY advice on helping him sleep.  I am trying to use sample schedules from Babywise, and I use all the tips from the Baby Whisperer, and I can eventually get him to sleep, but he just wont stay asleep. 

Blakely is still having a hard time adjusting.  She literally bawls her eyes out when I nurse him unless Stephen is playing with her.  She also gets VERY upset if I try to put him to sleep and make her stay out of the room while I'm doing it.  It's a lost cause when she is screaming/crying right outside the door.  She loves to scream these days(happily)- probably also contributing to Hank's broken sleep. 

Like Blakely, Henry prefers to be held by me.  He rarely lets Stephen hold him.  He did good with my mom, but so far shes about the only person he will let hold him. 
He is very vocal.  He squeals all the time- Blakely never did that.  But he also gets mad quick.  I'm thinking he might be a tad spirited like Blakely- Lord help me.  :)

upset cause I'm feeding Henry

only in my arms

chubby cheeks!

mom kisses Blakely kisses Henry

milk coma

Questions

To my friends who have newborns or just remember when they did:

Henry is 3 weeks old now and I want to start getting him on a schedule. I am wondering if I'm late in the game already. Blakely wasn't on a predictable schedule until she was 7-8 months old so I know I don't know what I'm doing!

Did you do anything this early to get them on a schedule?
Did they have a set bedtime/wake time?
Where did they nap/sleep?
Did you put them to sleep or let them fall asleep on their own?
Did they use a pacifier?
Did you wake them for feelings?
Did they spit up? (my kids spit up a TON)

And anything else you might be able to tell me about an almost one month old!

3 weeks

Well, blogging with two babies is harder than I thought!

Hank is 3 weeks old today. A few days ago he weighed 8lbs 9oz. He's growing! And he better be cause the boy RARELY goes 2 1/2 hours between meals. He wants to eat all. The. Time. But as long as he's growing! He's a great sleeper, minus the grunting. He grunts even more than Blakely did. And he wakes her up at night and especially early morning. We've contemplated moving downstairs but we figure they both have to figure it out sometime. Stephen has had some early mornings (3am!) with Blakely. :/

I knew life with two little ones wouldnt be easy- but I thought we would have adjusted more by now. And by we I mean Blakely. :) She still LOVES Henry. She wants to kiss him, hug him, hold him, give him his binky, all the time. BUT she just can't get over the times when I am feeding him or holding him. She decides when I'm nursing that she wants me to play or read or hold her. She just cries and cries- like real tears- the whole time. It's pretty sad actually. She frequently asks me to put him down.

Blakely isn't the only needy one though. Henry conveniently cries when I'm rocking Blakely before bed or changing her diaper. I have definitely had to get use to letting a baby cry for a few minutes- cause I have no choice!

I haven't gotten brave enough to get out of the house by myself with both of them- and it might be a while. Finding time to go grocery shopping or run an errand is a lot harder trying to work around two babies schedules. I have had to leave a cart of groceries in the store cause Stephen has called me home cause Henry was freaking out.

I am definitely more tired than I ever was when we had B. So we are in bed by 9 or earlier pretty much every night. I love it. I count it a successful day if my babies are fed and I'm in bed while there's still light outside. :)

Birth story

I'm so bummed cause I started this post a few days ago and now it's gone! Oh well.

Since I waited over a year to write out Blakely's birth story I figured I'd do Henry's now while it's fresh on my mind. I know I left out tiny details of B's that only I care about, but I want to remember it all!

I went in Friday for my last checkup and the doc said I was still a 2, and he stripped my membranes. I told him how bad I wanted to go into labor and he offered to strip them again- I didn't even know you could do that. I told him to go for it, duh. And boy am I glad I did.

So. I was scheduled to be induced Sunday night at 9pm, so we planned out our weekend. Stephens parents got in town Friday afternoon to take care of B while we were in the hospital. Saturday Stephen had a (last) fishing trip with his dad and my brother. Stephens mom and I planned to take B to the farmers market so I could get some biscuits and gravy and so B could see the dogs and play with friends. And Sunday we were going to clean the house really well and just relax! Well, B messed up those plans when she started getting sick on Thursday. Apparently I can't have a baby without Stephen getting sick, so naturally he caught it a day or two later. At least it wasn't ER worthy though!!! But he did feel pretty bad the whole time we were in the hospital.

Anyway, since B was sick she went down for a morning nap on Saturday- but I figured she wouldn't sleep long (cause she never does) and we could go to the market as soon as she woke up. I starved myself all morning cause I REALLY wanted to enjoy my biscuits and gravy, so OF COURSE Blakely slept for 2hrs and woke up 15 minutes before the market closed. I'm still sad I didn't get my biscuits and gravy! So we got panera for lunch instead and played all day.

We were outside a bunch and took a few walks around the block and Stephen and I got to go on some walks by ourselves- our favorite thing and probably the thing we miss the most from our no-kid days.

I had been having contractions all day but I was trying not to focus on them cause I knew I'd just psych myself out and loose sleep over nothing. Looking back, I had a LOT all day, and they got more painful as the day went on. That night Stephen and I walked several laps around our neighborhood and at that point I was really feeling like I was gonna go into labor but I didn't tell anyone. We went to bed and I tried to go to sleep but my contractions had become painful enough that there was no way I could sleep through them. Finally around 11:45pm I started timing them and Stephen woke up. As soon as I told him I thought I might be in labor he got up immediately and got dressed and packed his bag. I was still not ready to go anywhere. My hospital is all the way in Kansas city- 45 minutes away and I knew if I went in and wasn't in labor we'd be gone until morning. Not what I wanted my last night pregnant to look like. Well, when I started timing the contractions, they were 4-5 minutes apart. I was suppose to head to the hospital when they were 7-8 minutes apart, so we knew we had to make a decision quick. I convinced Stephen to wait about an hour and then he called the doc. Doc said to come when the contractions took my breath away and I couldn't talk through them. I was already there so we woke Stephens parents up and headed to the hospital.

It was really fun and exciting! Stephen was keeping track of my contractions and we were just laughing about how terrible it would be if it was a false alarm. We got to the hospital and I was dilated to a 4 and they confirmed that I was in fact in labor. We got there around 2am.

I was doing ok on pain- it hurt bad, but I was getting enough relief between contractions that I didn't want the epidural yet. I considered trying to go without the whole time, but knowing that Henry was a lot bigger than B, I was terrified of pushing without the epi. Around 5-6am I caved and decided to get it so I could get some rest. Stephen was very happy.

It didn't go like I planned. Just like with Blakely, it only took to my right side. They redid it and my right side became completely dead, but still no relief on my left. I was so upset. I was tired and emotional and I felt like I made a big mistake cause now I was stuck laying down unable to move with no pain relief. I wasn't sure if I wanted them to try again, cause I was afraid it wouldn't work again- and the whole process of getting it was painful. They called in another anesthesiologist that supposedly was really good so I decided to let her try. She told me she "rarely can't give a patient what they want." Her self assuredness was fine by me so I let her stick me. It didn't hurt at all, and it worked. Apparently I have scoliosis and didn't know it and it is just exacerbated by pregnancy. That's why the epi didn't work with B either. Now I know for next time!

I got relief immediately and although I couldn't sleep, I could at least rest. Funny thing was, as soon as I got this one, my contractions slowed way down. I'm glad I got it though cause my doc came and broke my water to get things moving again. My contractions picked back up. They were thinking of giving me pitocen to speed things up more and I chimed in and told them to do whatever they needed to get this show on the road!

So they did, I progressed, I told them to crank it up, and around 10 I was dilated 6-7. Then about an hour later I felt the urge to push and they wanted me to "labor down" for a little bit. I guess it just means let your body get the baby as far as it can without pushing. Then they were ready for me to push around 11:35. I literally pushed for one contraction- my doctor laughed- and there was Henry! I couldn't believe it. Two and a half pounds bigger, and even easier delivery than B.

He cried a lot more at first than Blakely did. She cried once, then was content on my chest. Henry was pretty ticked to be out of his warm wet home. Henry immidately latched and nursed well- Blakely didn't latch until the 3rd day with a nipple shield. Henry wants to eat about every hour and a half/ two hours. It's exhausting! But I must say, it is much nicer to have a kid who loves to eat than one who I have to fight with about it! Henry likes to fall asleep though, probably why he doesn't always go 3 hours between feedings. He is getting better though. Like B, he is a spitter. Sometimes it seems like he spits up his whole meal.

We stayed in the hospital Sunday night, then again Monday night because Henry was jaundiced. He had to be on the "billi bed" with the blue lights to get his billiruben to go down. He had a hard time peeing- I think because of his circumcision. Now he is a peeing machine. He has peed or pooped on me at least 5 times now- once in the face. Lovely. :) He is a grunter like Blakely, and it drives me crazy! I don't know why, but I worry about every little noise he makes. I'll just have to get use to it. When we left the hospital he weighed 6lbs 6oz, and the next day he was 6lbs 8oz. Today he was 7lbs 8oz. (21%)

He got an eye infection and we are putting ointment on it and he is on some reflux medicine. His plastibell fell off Tuesday and his umbilical cord fell off today.

Blakely really seems to like Henry, but she gets frustrated by all the "rules." *no touching while he is sleeping, *no touching his face, *no touching with inanimate objects, *only touch gently, *no rocking his bassinet, *no feeding Henry, *no screaming when Henry is sleeping, etc. All of these are VERY hard for her. She LOVES to give him kisses and hugs. It is hard to get on to her for not being gentle when she is hugging and kissing him. We are trying to teach her that one hug and one kiss is enough She is sweet. She has stopped trying to pick him up, thankfully, but we still can't leave her for more than a second unsupervised. He's gonna be a tough little brother!

Stephen's parents went home the day after we got home from the hospital. Blakely had a GREAT time with them, but sortof became a basketcase when we got home. I think the emotional buildup of us being gone a couple days and everything changing caught up to her. After Stephen's parents left, my parents came and stayed with us. I love having the help, but it will be really good for B to adjust to our new life with no visitors for a little while. Blakely has been giving me the cold shoulder. She knows things are different now that Henry occupies my lap much of the time, and I think it will take a little while for her to warm back up to me. She is LOVING her daddy right now though. She has gotten a couple of "ouchies" lately and she ONLY wants him to hold her when she is upset. It is pretty funny.

Here are some pictures!

Henry Joseph is here!

He decided he wanted his birthday a day earlier, so he was born Sunday morning, May 20th at 11:36am! He was 6lbs 13oz and 18.5in long. We got to come home today so we are both still adjusting to our new lives! More later!

Grandma and mothers day

I feel so blessed to have a mom and to be a mom. Sunday was a sweet day just thinking about the gift of motherhood, and also appreciating what my mom has been for me. There is nothing that opens your eyes more to the endless sacrifices that your mom gave for you than becoming a mom yourself. I can always count on my mom to empathize with me, offer advice, and to just feel sorry for me outloud when it comes to the hardships of being a mom.

This mothers day was bittersweet though. As Stephen and Blakely appreciated me, my mom's mom was passing away. She lost consciousness Sunday afternoon and passed away Monday evening.

I have always been very close to my grandma, but my deepest sadness is for my mom losing her mom. I just can't, and don't want to imagine.

My grandma- Betty Lou Yount was one of my favorite people. I feel very lucky to have had the relationship that I did with my grandma. I grew up 5-6 hours away from my grandparents, and I feel like it gave me a greater appreciation for my time with them. Seeing them was always exciting and something I looked forward to. For as long as I can remember, my grandma was one of my favorite people. I would have told you she was my best friend until sometime in late middle school, and only not then because I realized it was normal to have a best friend a little closer to my age. :) When my brother and I were really young we started going to their house for weeks every summer. I said I was going to college in smithville (where my gma lived) until I was old enough to understand that there was no college in smithville. And after that I still said, for a very long time, that I was moving there when I grew up.

My cousins and I would eat at "Betty's Diner." Where she would make us eggs to order, serve us juice out of wine glasses and let us eat off her nice china. We would fight over who she would rock on her lap, and luckily her lap was big enough for 2 of the 3 of us. She and I would play cards- "13"- and she usually beat me. We'd stay up late and drink homemade tomato juice and watch "Golden Girls" and "Roseanne"- which was a special treat since I wasn't allowed to watch it at home. :) She taught me how to cook and bake. I even recently got a lesson in how to make her homemade jelly, and I had my first solo attempt a few days ago. I made a huge mess, burned myself, and Stephen says I'm not allowed make jelly again- but I'd say it was a success! :)

When my grandparents would come visit, my gram would sleep with me and my gpa would sleep on the couch. We would stay awake talking for way too long, then she'd keep me awake snoring. She had a very distinct snore that I will never forget. :) It wasn't until pretty late into high school that I finally stopped crying when they left our house or we left theirs. I genuinely couldn't fight back the tears because I hated to see them go.

My grandma was pretty notorious for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. She was usually the first to tell me when I had put on weight, lost too much, or my hair looked bad. She might have been accused of being insensitive, but she certainly didn't require any special treatment herself. she expected the same honesty from everyone else. I would rudely try and tell her that she had put on some weight herself, but she never cared. She'd just laugh and agree. It was one of her strengths. You never had to wonder where you stood with her. She'd let you know long before you wondered. And she was loyal. She always stuck up for and fought for the people she loved. Ask my dad- it took him a while to convince her he was good enough for my mom.
She had a great sense of humor and a lively cackle to go along with it. She was always making fun and joking around with everyone. And she was always up for a good time. Her energy was impressive for an over 70 year old woman. She was always the one pushing for us to get up at 3am for the black Friday deals. She didn't even want or need the deals- she just thought it was fun. Even after she found out she had terminal cancer, she continued to live her life and planned to stick around for many years longer than we were lucky enough to have her. Sometimes her optimism was frustrating- but it was the best thing for her.

My grandma was very special to me. I feel blessed that Blakely got to spend quite a bit of time over the last year and a half with her. Blakely liked her. Monday morning we visited her and I told Blakely to give my grandpa and cousin hugs goodbye, and Blakely insisted on giving grandma a hug too.

It was hard watching her suffer these last few weeks, and because of that I am thankful that she is no longer in pain. But it still- and will for a long time- hurts to know that one of the most special people in my life is no longer here.

I am reminded more this week than ever of God's control over all our lives. Whether we choose to give it to him or not. As we anxiously wait for Henry to get here, we are grieving the loss off my grandma. Job's words have never felt more true "He gives and takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." -Job 1:21

Update

I'll start with Henry. I went to my OB yesterday and he said he was comfortable with the other docs decision for me to continue being pregnant. I told him I was not comfortable with it. :)

Luckily I am 2cm dilated. And though I know that doesn't actually mean anything for me going into labor, i am still hoping. He stripped my membranes- and let me just say: yowza. I didn't know what that was... But hey, whatever gets me closer to not being pregnant! I ate Thai food a couple days ago hoping some spicy food would do the trick, and I have been taking quite a few walks around the block. I had contractions all day and all night last night. It was hard not to get my hopes up. But alas, here I am, not in labor. :)

On to Blakely. She is 17 months as of 2 days ago! I completely forgot too. Well what's she up to? Lots! She has really improved in her behavior. I think our lives were hectic trying to get our house on the market and Stephen was going out of town a lot and I think it was throwing her off. She still throws fits when she is tired. But she is getting SO much better at communicating with sign language and words and that is helping her so much.
I am not even going to attempt to list the words she can say. She has new ones every day. And she has her own words that we are figuring out.

She is WAY into pretending right now. She has a baby with a stroller that she pushes all over the house, feeds her bottles (and takes sips herself...), puts her to bed, shares her binky with her, and her new thing is swaddling her in dish towels. I have no idea where she got that cause we never use blankets with her and she's not around any babies. It's pretty cute though. She even occasionally swaddles other things...like sippy cups and bowls and food. :) She is obsessed with being outside- where 90% of her fits come from (us saying we have to stay in or go in) She would literally be out there all day if we let her. She loves to pick leaves and smell them and have you smell them. She also tries to feed the rabbits that live in our backyard. She pushes the wagon way more than she rides in it and she collects rocks.

We are attempting to move to 1 nap a day. She will take 2 but has been having trouble going to sleep for the second one and at bedtime. We had the perfect day today- up at 6:30, 2.5 hour nap at noon, asleep at 7:30. And she was in a great mood all day! I hope we can keep this up. I am sad to loose her (my) morning nap, but I think it's for the best. I probably wouldn't be able to sleep then anyway once Henry gets here.

Here's lots of pictures!