9 Weeks Old

Sean is nine weeks old, and also now two calendar months old.  At some point I'll do updates for him once per month, but right now he just changes so fast!

Sleeping has been quite rough the past few weeks.  I was trying to get Sean in his own bed at night more and more, but basically I wound up with no sleep myself.  When in his own room at night, he wakes every two hours.  When he wakes, I go grab him and nurse for 5-20 minutes, depending on how hungry he is. Then I rock him back to sleep, which takes another 20 minutes.  If I'm impatient (which, apparently, happens frequently when I am tired and it's past my bedtime) and try to set him down before he is TOTALLY asleep, he wakes and I have to pick him up and rock him all over again.  What happened five nights in a row this past week is that I never even had enough time to fall asleep myself before he woke again, and at some point between 12 - 3 AM, having still not gotten the chance to sleep at all myself (also known as the time of the night when all willpower left me), I pulled him into bed with me, giving up for the night.  So, starting last night, I just bring him to bed after he initially wakes, as long as it's after 8 or 9 PM and I'm ready to turn in.  I got soooo much more sleep last night and all day felt like a new woman: more patient and rational, enjoying him more, etc.  I guess this is what works for now, and maybe in another week or two he'll be better able to settle himself back to sleep.  I'm incredibly fearful of never getting him out of our bed, but he's too little for serious sleep training, so this is the best I can do for now, I suppose.  Cheers to you if you read that whole paragraph!

Otherwise, Sean is great and super easy!  He is enjoying playing (aka looking at and batting with closed fists) with his toys more.  He has become aware of the pets, smiles at his own face in the mirror (see blurry pic below), and started drooling when he is concentrating hard.  Most days I get a tear-free shower by putting him in his bouncy chair with Pandora tuned to Raffi, and today he was content on his floor gym mat long enough for me to take the dog out and make (no-bake) cookies.  Wahoo, that's freedom, folks!

Some favorite pictures from the past week:

8 Weeks Old + A Visit to Vermont

This past weekend we took Sean's first major car trip and drove to Vermont.  My father's parents are visiting there before they head back to Florida for the year, and we couldn't pass up the chance to introduce them to their newest great grandchild.  It was a wonderful visit, despite being pretty tricky with a tiny baby.  I spent a good portion of the weekend with Sean strapped to my front in the Moby wrap or else alone in my childhood bedroom trying to nurse him to sleep.  I am sure I missed most if not all of the family meals.  Oh well, Bradley got to chat with his great grandparents, I hear, which is pretty special considering they are normally so far away.  A few pics from our visit:

Also, Sean is eight weeks (and nearly two calendar months) old.  We went to the doctor today for his first round of vaccines, which has turned him into Fussy McSleepypants.  Poor thing has done nothing but sleep, nurse, or cry ever since.  He did enjoy a cool bath and we gave him some pain medication as he was clearly not feeling well.  We are reminded he is not the same person as big brother, who was a really quiet little person, we are learning!

He is growing well, reaching 24.5 inches long (98th percentile) and 12 lbs 10 oz  (51st percentile).  Because he is so tall and not as heavy, the doctor wants to see him for an extra visit in a month, before the regular four month well baby appointment.  We're not worried at all, as he has little fat rolls aplenty, wets tons of diapers each day, and my brother and I grew in a similar pattern.  Bradley tagged along for the appointment, wearing his babies like I do Sean.

Some days with Mr Sean are great (yesterday I was able to run, shower, and even make dinner)  and some are still kinda rough (no shower today, and see above references to lots of loud crying), but the general trend is improving.  Developmentally, he's doing well: tracking with his eyes, responding socially with babble and smiles, and now able to put his tiny fists into his own mouth.  Some recent favorite pictures:

 

7 Weeks

Sean is doing a great job growing up, as we like to say around here.   He has been sleeping longer in his bassinet, allowing me to actually complete an uninterrupted workout for the first time this week.  He is in there at night more too, with me retrieving him when he initially wakes after 1 AM.  I aim to keep pushing that time back an hour till I just get up with him if it's at least 5 or 6 AM.  Around 12 weeks old I will start working on putting him down drowsy but awake... something that isn't possible yet.

He still adores big brother, has been giving us huge toothless grins, and is pawing at toys that hang nearby, occasionally getting lucky and grabbing one.  I felt like a pro this week with both boys at Bradley's dentist appointment followed by some shopping for fresh produce, but really it was that Sean made it easy on me, napping and nursing in the Moby wrap.

We're off to Vermont this weekend for his first trip away from home, to meet his great grandparents.  Hopefully the travel and sleeping away from home go well!

Next week he has his first round of vaccines at his two month (!!) well baby doctor appointment.

Here are some favorite pictures from this week:

Summer Fun

We have been staying inside a lot what with a newborn and some awful heat waves, but we're still managing to have our share of summer fun.  Bradley is taking swimming lessons at the local YMCA, with his best little friend Wyatt.  It's nice because he's getting more comfortable with the water, and Sean and I can watch from the comfort (?) of the bleachers.

We're growing tomatoes (I am gently easing into gardening some vegetables), and the first have recently ripened.  That has been quite rewarding for Bradley and I; he asked if we are farmers now.  Ha!  In all honesty though, I'd like to be a little bit of a farmer.  My parents kept a large vegetable garden when my brothers and I were growing up and I have wonderful memories of picking produce right out of it and eating it sun-ripened right off the plant.  Nothing is tastier!  Maybe that's part of why I still love raw fruits and vegetables to this day.  We may be starting with three small vegetable pots and one herb pot this year (last year's chives, we didn't have to touch it, haha), but I have high hopes of dedicating a little more space and time each year to the idea, so that Bradley and Sean can have similar memories.

And of course there's been as much bike riding, baseball, pool swimming, and watermelon slurping as possible.  Pat and I are actually starting to worry the PawSox are spoiling Bradley... the kid gets at least one ball thrown his way via players or managers every game!

6 Weeks

Sean is six weeks old!  Favorite activities this week include bath time (he gets really mellow and quiet and kicks his feet to splash), the standing up game (we support him while he tries to uncurl those little bow legs!), the grab a toy game (he has actually been able to hold onto a toy when handed it a few times now, a new development this week), and watching anything Bradley does.

At our midwife appointment, we were both given clean bills of health.  I was most excited that I was cleared to begin running again, yay!  It's been since the week of May 1st, so quite a long break from something I love and that feels so good to both my body and mind.  Because Sean's been successfully napping a big in his bassinet, I was able to get in a run the very next day after the appointment, though he did wake before I was finished.  Oh well!  I am starting from scratch again with the same plan I began running with, the Cool Running website's Couch to 5K plan.  I got to around 5 minutes shy of finishing the walk (3.5 mph) and jog (6 mph) portion of very first workout.  Sweat was dripping off my face, and my legs and stomach felt taxed but in that good way!  My poor abs need some work, as they are still split down the middle!

Here are some of our favorite pictures from this week:

5 Weeks

Sean is five weeks old already, where does the time go??   The individual days are long, but the weeks seem to be flying by.  He has his first cough (Bradley's not perfect at covering when he coughs and sneezes yet, d'oh!), he's been to two PawSox games, he's had his first play date (the entertaining Dieringer twins and their lovely mother, who brought me lunch), and he attends Bradley's weekly swim lessons with me on Fridays.  He remains an easy going little guy.  His smiles are getting more purposeful, making Mommy and Daddy act like fools on a regular basis.  Sheesh, does he know how to go through diapers!  So far I can count on one hand the disposables he's worn, so as you can imagine we are washing diapers nearly daily.  He and I have our six week appointment with midwife Andrea next week.  Can't believe that's already around the corner!  The only thing we're working on, really, is sleep.  So far after he initially wakes, I bring him into our bed for the evening.  Putting him down in his bassinet initially can take two hours, and sometimes he only sleeps on his own for 10 minutes.  We're going to work on it more beginning next week.

Some of our favorite pictures from the past two weeks (featuring real tears, interactions with big brother, and the Winslows' visit for July fourth):

 

3 Weeks Old

Sean is now three weeks old.  He enjoys his bath, is starting to maybe fall into a little bit of a nap pattern, and he remains pretty content and easy going.   Bradley is adjusting better this week and seems more himself.  He says he thinks his babybrother is ''good.''   :-)

Some pictures from the week, including his first trip to McCoy Stadium:

Baby Sean is Here! Birth through 2 Weeks

Baby Sean is here!  He arrived Monday, June 10th at 4:21 in the morning.  I was hoping he would be born in June, and I got my wish.   This way I still have my own birth month :)  He was born in the birth pool at home after about 10 hours of labor, weighing 9 pounds even and measuring 20.5 inches long with a 32 cm head.  Mommy escaped in relatively good shape with four tiny first degree tears needing no stitches, and not even needing ibuprofen after about three days.  We're nursing and it's going well at this point.  He needed formula for two days or so, but has since perfected his latch and was back to birth weight before two weeks of age.  So far he seems mellow and content, though much more vocal than we remember Bradley being as an infant.

Big brother Bradley is excited and interested, but has definitely been needy for attention.  It helped having grandparents visit, and he seems better every day, but it remains a concern for Pat and I.

Here are a few favorite pictures from the past two weeks :

40 Weeks

As of Friday, I am 40 weeks pregnant.  Bradley and I celebrated my due date (ha) and had a fun day off of work and school and attended a tour at the local fire house with some MOMs club pals.

The baby center post for this week states that the average baby weighs about 7.5 lbs at birth (ha) and is about 20 inches long.  Bradley was 9 lbs 4.5 oz and 21 inches long.  I'm suuuuuure this bambino is going to be larger than the average baby as well.  Many people say subsequent babies tend to be larger; let's hope not too much larger!  A quote from this week about being past 40 weeks:

After months of anticipation, your due date rolls around, and... you're still pregnant. It's a frustrating, but common, situation in which to find yourself.  You still have a couple of weeks before you'll be considered "post-term." But to be sure your baby is still thriving, your practitioner will schedule you for testing to keep an eye on her if your pregnancy continues.

Pregnancies are not actually defined as "post-due" till 42 weeks is reached (which would be June 14th for me).  Even then, some babies just aren't ready to be born.  Our midwives will let us decide if and when to be induced (reason #1 we elected not to go with an OB again for this birth), and I'd tentatively thought I would do so if we reach June 21st still pregnant, but I'm not even sure about that at this point.  The more I read up on the subject, the risks are very slight and can generally be avoided by keeping a close watch on baby's movements and submitting to "non-stress tests" where baby's heart rate is monitored for a length of time (20-60 min, say) or even an ultrasound to check up on the amniotic fluid levels.  Basically, there are signs if a baby's in trouble, and we can easily monitor for those signs should the pregnancy continue past 42 weeks.  Only the baby knows.  Our first non - stress test is scheduled for Monday, if I'm still pregnant.

I have stopped working (my last day was my birthday, Thursday, May 30th).  We are sending Bradley to preschool three days per week (four if I feel desperate) to maintain his schedule and allow me to rest up.  Sleeping at night continues to be very rough for me, so this quiet opportunity to nap and just take it easy has already proven to be wonderful for me.  Those who know me well know I can't sit still, so I'm still doing some chores around the house but I'm making sure I get my naps and meals and red raspberry leaf tea in first, and once my boys come home I just enjoy their company.

The baby's name, we're fairly sure, is to be Sean Reed Harrington.  Bradley helped choose the first and middle names from those we were considering and has been emphatic about his choices.  He calls his future brother "Sean Sean Reed."  Heehee.  Sean - the Irish spelling of John (my father-in-law's name, and a name that shows up on both family trees), and a similar sound to my mother-in-law's maiden name of O'Shea.  Reed - from my paternal grandmother's family tree, my mother notes there was even a Sarah Reed Harrington on my father's family tree (my mother-in-law's married name is Sarah Harrington).  We think it all flows nicely together and we're happy there is some family significance and we get to honor some of our parents and grandparents with the choice.  So there you have it.

Here are some pictures from this week:

39 Weeks

I am now 39 weeks pregnant.  Home stretch!  Several people have guessed that I'll have the baby sooner, but I'm still predicting this baby won't arrive till mid June.  We'll see.

The baby center post for this week states that baby's around seven pounds, like a small watermelon.  He feels rather more like a medium or large sized watermelon, let me tell you!  He certainly feels long as well, stretching his legs out (or trying to) and causing discomfort both near my belly button/ribs and way down in my hips.  I think he's getting restless and running out of room in there!

No real signs of labor yet, though contractions (some with some minor pain sensations) have begun to happen each day, in no particular pattern.  They aren't typically very intense and most of the time don't even require my attention, though once in a while I do need to focus and just breathe easy.  I notice them much more when I'm on my feet walking (or playing choo choo train with Conductor Bradley), and they settle if I get off my feet - typical description of Braxton Hicks, aka "practice," contractions.

We are pretty much as ready as we'll ever be.  The car seat's installed, the room is ready, everything is washed and dried and put away (and sometimes twice - thanks to Lily cat exploring the nursery and leaving traces of cat hair on things), the freezer is stocked... pretty much down to "now we wait!"

Here are some pictures from this week (not the most flattering shorts, but they are comfy!):