Cole - 1 Month

Cole is one month old today!  The days and months passed quickly with Jackson, but they are passing even more quickly this time around.

Corey and I took him in for his monthly check-up today and he's doing great.

• He weighs 11 lbs, 10 oz. (90%) - up from 9 lbs, 11 oz. at his 7-day checkup, and 9 lbs. 10 oz. at birth
• 22 3/4" long (95-98%) - up from 21.5" at 7 days, and 21" at birth
• 15 1/3 head circumference (90%) - up from 14 1/4 at 7 days

He's been sleeping well over night and has put himself on a fairly consistent schedule overall.  He eats every 2.5-3 hours during the day, with some awake time typically after each feeing (he still has some tired days where he prefers to go right back to sleep after eating).  He has his last feeding around 8 or 8:30 p.m. and is typically asleep around 9ish (though he's woken up and had to be rocked back to sleep a time or two the last few nights).  Like clockwork, he's up around 2 a.m. to eat again, and then again around 5:45 a.m.  He then goes back to sleep until about 8.

He continues to be a happy and calm baby, and we're looking forward to watching him grow and develop over the next month.

Family Photos

A few weeks ago, our friend Jen came by to take some family/newborn photos.  They turned out great and we are excited to have some photos of our complete family together. 

Here are a few of our favorites.  We used some of these to create Cole's birth announcement.

Thanks again, Jen, for shooting our family!

Cole's Arrival - Labor & Delivery

(Apologies in advance for the long blog posts lately.)

On Sunday, the night of Cole's arrival, Corey and I had climbed into bed just before midnight, after watching several episodes of Breaking Bad (we recently started that series on Netflix and were trying to get as many episodes in as possible before Cole arrived) when Jackson woke up crying.  He'd been sick with a horrible cold (probably the worst one he's had) and was having a coughing fit.  I got back out of bed and went to cuddle with and rock him.

As I was rocking him, I felt what I thought were contractions starting.  I'd had some very minor ones since my last doctor's appointment that Tuesday, but they were not painful and were not consistent at all.  These were mildly painful and seemed to be fairly consistent.  I finally got Jackson back to bed and started to time the contractions, which were 6-7 minutes apart.  They grew more and more painful over the next 30 minutes so I figured this must be it and told Corey.  Since it had only been 30 minutes or so, I didn't think it was time to call Joan (who was going to stay with Jackson) or my doctor, even though they were coming more and more quickly and quickly becoming more painful.  But, because we'd heard that second children often arrive much more quickly, Corey convinced me that it was time to call his mom and to start getting ready to go.  So, at about 1:15 a.m., Joan was on her way.  Any time I stood up, I would have another contraction and they were gaining in intensity, and were sometimes 3-4 minutes apart.

While we waited for Joan to arrive, Jackson woke up screaming again but I was in no shape to go back upstairs to check on him (I was either laying on the living room floor or couch downstairs at this point).  Of course he was calling specifically for mommy so he wasn't having any part of Corey trying to calm him down.  By 2:15 or so, I knew Joan would be at our place soon, so I headed out to the car.  I could hear Jackson screaming again, and it was so sad to be leaving him without being able to see or comfort him.  At one point, as Corey was running back and forth between loading the car and trying to console Jackson, Jackson got out of his bed for the first time ever and made it downstairs while continuing to scream his head off (he clearly knew something was up at this point).  Luckily Joan arrived then and could take over Jackson duty, and as we found out later, he quickly calmed down.

Due to dense fog that night, it took us longer to get to Overlake than normal and the contractions were consistently about 3 minutes apart at that point.  When we arrived around 3 a.m., Corey parked and then decided he had to re-park as he was over the line but I was definitely not in a patient mood.  I rudely asked him to "just park anywhere", climbed out of the car and waddled to the elevator.

We made it to the Labor & Delivery floor where I promptly sat down as the contractions came much more frequently when walking, and it felt much better to sit or lay down.  The woman at the registration desk, bless her heart, took her precious time photocopying our insurance card and questions, as I painfully had contraction after contraction.  Luckily, she didn't mind that I didn't have my license with me, which I mistakenly left at home. 

All of a sudden, about 5 minutes after our arrival, a felt a large burst of water and in all my pain, I thought my bladder had decided to fail me, so I told Corey I'd peed my pants. And, like last time, he told me it was probably my water breaking (duh).  At that point, the registration woman quickly called a nurse and Corey, bless his heart, told her he could clean up if she had some paper towels.  Registration woman instead told him that she'd just call a janitor. 

A nurse quickly rushed out to greet us and walk us back to check our progress. I didn't make it far before I stopped, grabbed the hallway hand rail, bent over, and breathed through another contraction.  She told me I was doing great, but then quickly asked "Are you pushing?!"  I was in so much pain that I didn't know what the heck was going on other than my wishing the contraction was over.  I told her I didn't know so she yelled for a stretcher and that plus two wheel chairs quickly appeared.

They laid me down on the stretcher and rushed me into a delivery room, while ripping clothes off of me.  At this point, I had my eyes closed in pain much of the time.  They quickly checked my progress and I heard someone call out that I was 10 cm dialed and +1, which I assumed meant it was go time and that there was no time for an epidural.  I'd had one with Jackson and had planned to have one with Cole, so hadn't thought about any breathing/pain management techniques. This made me a bit nervous, especially knowing how long I pushed with Jackson (3 hours) and I couldn't imagine being in that amount of pain for that much longer.

Thy told me to start pushing with each contraction and at one point in between contractions, I briefly opened my eyes and saw about 8 people in the room - many more than when I had Jackson.  The on-call doctor hadn't arrived yet, but there was a doctor in the room - not sure who he was but perhaps the ER doctor.  Regardless, but he was great - very calm and patient.

Everyone told me I was doing a great job pushing with each contraction, though I know I was loudly yelling/screaming with each one (I never would have pegged myself as a yeller), while grabbing Corey's hand as hard as I could (I'm surprised I didn't break it).  At one point after I heard comments about how much hair Cole had, the doctor asked if I wanted to reach down and feel Cole's head, which was partially out, to which I abruptly told him no and kept pushing, thinking anything else would prolong the pain.

At 3:38 a.m., Cole made his debut after about 20 minutes and what a nearby nurse confirmed was 10 contractions worth of pushing.  I was able to hold him right away, which was great (I had to wait a bit to see and hold Jackson, since the cord had been wrapped around his neck and they needed to check him out first).

I then heard the nurses and doctor throwing around guesses in terms of Cole's weight.  Some guesses were in the 9 lb range and I thought for sure they were crazy.  But they put him on the scale and sure enough, he was 9 lbs, 10 oz., a pound and a half more than Jackson had been!

They cleaned us both up and shortly after that, we received a call that our family was there and
 heard mention of "big brother" being there as well.  I was confused thinking that just my parents were coming to visit at that point, as they were planning to head straight there on their way in from Yakima, but soon Joan, Jackson and my parents walked in and were able to meet Cole mere hours after his arrival.  Jackson hadn't been able to get back to sleep, so my parents picked them up on the way so that everyone could meet Cole together.

My doctor came by the next morning to check on us and advised that if we do decide to have more children (which we're not planning on), I would need to come in after the first contraction given how quickly Cole arrived.  This is fine by me - I would be camping out at the nearest hotel for several weeks leading up to the due date to ensure I was able to not only get there quickly but also to ensure I was able to get an epidural.

Apparently deliveries like this aren't as common as one might think.  At our follow up appointment at the Overlake Women's Center several days later, upon hearing some of the details about Cole's birth, the nurse said "Oh so you're the one who almost had her baby in the hallway."  As if I wasn't embarrassed enough already - ha!
It's amazing to think this all took place nearly four weeks ago already.  Cole feels like he's been a part of the family forever, and we've loved getting to know him, and experience the feeling of having a completed family.

Crazy Town

Welcome to Crazy Town. Human population: 4.  Canine population: 1.

Last week, I proudly stupidly thought I had it all figured out.  Corey was back at work, and Cole and I had a perfect first week at home together. It was a mix of relaxation and lots of cuddles, walks during the sun breaks, errand running, showering/getting ready daily, and completing all household chores (one of my goals during maternity leave was to try to have my normal weekend chores completed in small doses throughout the week, so that by the time the weekends roll around, we could just relax as a family).  We had a great routine of picking up Jackson from daycare and once back at home, I would pump and/or feed Cole, spend time with Jackson while Cole finished napping in his car seat, and have dinner prepped for when Corey arrived home (granted, most of the meals were extremely easy and/or reheated, but they were still ready).

Things changed this week.

While I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with Cole, we haven't been able to sneak in any walks, we haven't run any errands, and only a few things are done around the house. 

Part of the change is due to Cole being more alert after his daytime feedings, which mean I've actually had to try to get him down for a nap when he starts to seem drowsy (vs. him passing out milk drunk immediately after his feedings, as he often did during his first couple weeks).  Some naps I haven't been successful at actually getting him to sleep, and others he's awoken early from, still tired, and I've had to get him back to sleep (think lots of singing, bouncing, rocking, and popping a paci in his mouth over and over).  The other thing is that Jackson woke up from his nap at school not feeling well one day.  I had to wake Cole up from a nap to pick J up and by the time we got home, we had a hangry baby and a sad toddler who needed attention.  I quickly gave Jackson some cuddles and got him situated with a snack and Dora episodes (as he continued to tell me "Cole's crying Mommy") before feeding Cole.  I'd told Corey I'd see how Jackson was doing before we decided if he needed to come home early, but thankfully Corey ended up coming home early on his own, and was able to help out.

Then yesterday, Jackson woke up early with a bloody nose so we kept him home thinking we'd need to take him to the doctor (one of the things he'd complained about earlier in the week was that his nose hurt and after the bloody nose, we were a bit concerned). The nurse I spoke to just said that, based on his symptoms, he was likely just fine and that bloody noses are common with colds and to keep an eye on him. Thankfully (again) Corey said he'd stay home to help out.

Even with two of us, it was nuts. Neither of us had showers, I didn't even get a chance to go to the bathroom before 10 a.m. (at which point I realized I was having lactation (i.e. leaking) issues and thus required a change of clothes....TMI, I know, but helps you understand the day we had).  Corey took a quick call for work and as soon as I sat down to feed Cole during his call, Jackson decided he wanted to play Play Doh.  Typically he requests a lot of help making things that he sees on the Play Doh box, so I warned him that I wouldn't be able to help, but I knew that wouldn't last long.  Luckily Corey was able to help him just as his call ended.  Then, Corey ran out to grab us lunch, and I realized then that Jackson needed to eat lunch and both boys would be due for a nap at the same time, while Corey was gone.  So, I helped Jackson make his PB&J and then got Cole to sleep in my arms while Jackson ate, all the while trying to clean up with one hand.  While making lunch, I wasn't thinking clearly, and put one of Jackson's plastic plates in the toaster oven to thaw the bread that was on it (oops) and that completely melted everywhere (see Exhibit 1 below).

Exhibit 1:

Once Corey got home, we ate a quick lunch while DJ Jazzy J spun tunes on his CD player.  Only problems with this are:

1) The conversations around what CD/song to play.  They went something like this:

Jackson (J): Daddy, what CD do you want?  The red one or the blue one?
Daddy (D): The blue one.
J: Daddy, the red one or the blue one?
D: The blue one.
J: Lets listen to the red one.  Daddy, what song do you want to listen to?
D: #1 is good.
J: Daddy, what song do you want to listen to?
D: #1.
J: Daddy, what song do you like?
D: #1.
J: Let's listen to #7.

2) J would then constantly change the song and each time a new song started, Cole would flinch and nearly wake up.  At one point, we were eating lunch while the National Anthem (and other patriotic songs - see Exhibit 2) was blaring from his CD player, Cole was moaning and groaning, about to wake up, and Corey and I looked at each other and couldn't do anything but laugh.  Our life is Crazy Town right now.

Exhibit 2:

Corey and collapsed into bed at 9:45 last night exhausted, wondering how stay-at-home moms do it.  I honestly can't wrap my head around it.  Watching one child on your own can be challenging and exhausting, but two is absolute craziness (even with two parents on hand, as you can see from this post).  I truly don't know how they manage getting both kids down for naps and/or fed when their schedules overlap, how they keep both kids happy, and how they manage to do something like make it to the bathroom before peeing their pants.  I have 110% respect for them and would love to know their secrets.

Until then...our crazy life continues in Crazy Town.

Happy Valentine's Day!

With a 2 week old at home, we kept Valentine's Day pretty low key this year - a small gift exchange and dinner at home.

My mom got each boy a special shirt to wear (Heart Breaker for Jackson and Single and Loving It for Cole) and they both looked adorable.

Jackson had been eagerly awaiting the holiday after spotting several of his wrapped presents earlier in the week and was excited to find some new books and candy inside this morning.  They had a little party at daycare and he received some Valentines, along with more snacks and candy.  And Corey brought home some treats from his co-workers as well, so Jackson has been in heaven.

Holidays are even more fun when seeing them through a munchkin's eyes!

Brown Bear

Last night, out of nowhere, Jackson decided he wanted to read to me before bed. "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See" is a book we've read a lot, but not frequently lately. I had no idea he'd memorized it so well!  Unfortunately I didn't think to capture it until halfway through, but you get the idea.

Cole's First Days

We've loved being at home together as a family, getting to know Cole since we came home from the hospital.

So far, he's a pretty chill baby - he really doesn't cry or fuss unless he's 1) hungry (which I'll get to more in a minute) or 2) being changed and a cold, wet wipe comes into play (but even then, he is sometimes okay with it).

Hunger.  Jackson could eat a lot, and seemed to be hungry frequently, but Cole is my eating machine.  He LOVES to eat, but you can't blame him - he's got to keep up that 9.5lb frame somehow!  Breast feeding has gone surprisingly well - Jackson was too impatient to figure it out, but Cole is more patient and actually even latched on briefly in the delivery room at the hospital, and after some lactation support there, we fell into a good routine with him.  That said, he's needed much more milk than I could produce, and we had to start supplementing with formula right away.  I've been breast feeding or pumping since we came home, but he's a bit lazy when it comes to breast feeding, and I have to constantly work to keep him awake.  After eating for 40 or more minutes, he falls completely asleep but is still hungry and is rooting minutes later, so we always have a formula bottle teed up to top him off.  I think he's eating ~2+ oz every 2-2.5 hours during the day.  The nice thing is that he's not picky - breast feeding or bottle, formula or breast milk - as long as he is eating, he doesn't care.

After a rough first night at home where he didn't want anything to do with his crib (which Jackson was fine with at night from day one) and we took turns holding and rocking him throughout the night, we borrowed a sleeper from our friend Natalie and he's since loved to sleep in our room in that.  Since we started using that, we've fed him around 11 p.m. and have had to wake him around 4 a.m. to eat again, before he returns to sleep until between 7 and 8.

We may get a few hours of awake time with him during the day, especially in the morning, but for the most part, he sleeps nearly all. day. long. (Jackson was very alert and very awake for a newborn, so having a baby that literally sleeps the day away is new to us.)  We often have to wake him to eat during the day as well, to ensure we're getting enough feedings in, knowing that he's going so long overnight without eating.  Of course, I know the great overnight sleeping and the sleepiness during the daytime won't last forever, so we're enjoying it while it lasts.

He will sleep pretty much anywhere in the daytime, but because we didn't get much time with a snuggly Jackson (while he loves cuddling now, as a baby, he only wanted to cuddle and/or sleep in our arms or on us for his first few weeks), we're enjoying all the sleepy snuggles for now, and are enjoying holding him for many of his naps.  Otherwise, he's in his sleeper or bouncer.  And surprisingly, this a.m., I put him down in his crib to swaddle him and ended up leaving him there as he was asleep and appeared content, and he's been napping for over an hour, so perhaps his dislike for his crib is a thing of the past.  We'll see...

Jackson sort of ignored Cole the first day or so, but has since come around, and loves to turn the bouncer music on when Cole sits in that while we eat dinner.  He has even started giving him very gentle kisses, which is just too cute.  He has also been pretty understanding when it comes to things he wants or needs - he realizes that mommy can't pick him up right now (he has even reminded me when I've forgotten and tried to pick him up) and has been willing to ask daddy for things that mommy typically could have helped with. As a big bro gift, Cole got Jackson some play doh and play doh tools, and Jackson LOVES them. He's spent hours playing with play doh over the last week, so I'm sure that has helped him appreciate Cole a bit more.

All in all, things are going well and we are enjoying some good rest for the time being.  It's been great having Corey home last week and this week, and we are getting into a good routine as a family.

Cuddling with Grampa Kent and Gramma Linda in the hospital

 



 

First trip in car - on our way home to see big bro!

On the way to our first check-up

 

 

 

Takes after mommy

He slept through the entire game yesterday...poor kid missed all the excitement.  Hard to see it here, but he often looks like a grumpy old man when he's sleeping. (Notice how nervous daddy was...this was at the beginning of the game.)

Those cheeks and lips!  I just can't get enough.

Brotherly love.