Almost 3 week Pediatrician Appt (20 d)

We went to the pediatrician today... Brodie is a growing little boy.

At 2 weeks 6 days here are his stats:

-He gained a pound in the 2 weeks between visits, and went up from 7lb 10oz to 8lb 10oz now! (50th percentile)

-He grew an inch since birth- now 22inches long (75th percentile)

-His head circumference went up from 25cm to 37cm (Almost 50th percentile)

The doc was very very pleased with him and with his progress. He was STOKED that I was still exclusively breastfeeding and how healed his circumcision was. He said continue to do what I was doing and that he would see me when Brodie was 2 months old for his first set of shots. I'm not looking forward to the shots but am happy he is doing so well.

~Heather

My personal list of baby essentials

MY MUST HAVE LIST OF ITEMS FOR A NEWBORN

(what I've really used these first 2 weeks)

Big Baby Gear
-car seat with infant insert
-co-sleeper/bassinet with a king size pillowcase for sheet
-2 pack of waterproof multiple use pads
-pack n play with changing table/bassinet attachment
-swing
-bouncer/rocker chair
-Sleepywrap/other type of stretchy wrap

Clothes (In newborn size or 0-3 month size depending on brand)
-4-6 gowns
-4-6 zip up footsie sleepers
-10 or so onesies
-3-6 pair of socks
-3 hats-2-3 bibs

Feeding/Changing
-4-5 36 packs of newborn diapers
-box of Costco wipes
-12+ cloth diapers for burp clothes
-manual breast pump
-Boppy pillow w/ water resistant cover and one cloth cover
-nursing wrap

Warmth/Comfort
-12+ receiving blankets
-2-3 heavier blankets
-2-3 simple infant toys
-4 Soothie pacifiers

Bathing/Hygiene
-baby bath
-1 bottle Johnson/Johnson all over body wash
-6 or so washcloths
-3 hooded towels
-Johnson/Johnson baby lotion-baby hair brush with soft bristles
-nail clippers
-dye/scent free detergent

For Mom
-1 tube nipple cream
-3+ boxes (60ct) of breast pads and a few pair of reusable
-3-4 soft sleep nursing bras
-3 normal nursing bras
-overnight sanitary pads (I've used about 60-70 in these first 2 weeks but haven't had HORRID bleeding)
-maternity or bigger undies to wear with the pads
-2 containers of witch hazel cooling pads
-squirty bottle to fill with water for cleansing "down there"
-800 mg ibuprofen every 6 hours for the first 5 or so days
-2-3 outfits that are very comfy to wear in the first week or so exclusively after delivery that are also "breastfeeding friendly"


And that's all (hah it's actually quite a bit) the items we've needed these first two weeks around here. Hope this helps someone out!
~Me

Happy Belated 3rd Anniversary

Last Wednesday was Nicholas' and my 3rd anniversary. There were no special plans, no special meals, no dressing up to try and impress each other. I stayed in my pajamas until late afternoon and got housework done. Nick worked all day and sat on the couch while I made Spaghetti (my first time cooking a dinner since Brodie's birth). We watched a few hours of TV together and I passed out on the couch after one of Brodie's feedings. Nick finally took Brodie off my chest, placed him in the bassinet, and woke me up. I stumbled through brushing my teeth and collapsed into bed before waking up a few hours later to Brodie wanting to eat again.

It's true, there were no plans, no special meals, no going out, no romantic fireworks.

But there WAS Nick, Brodie, and me all together in our house. We were all happy, healthy, and together.

And THAT ^^^ is what made our 3rd anniversary by far the best anniversary we have celebrated in my opinion. Being home with my boys= amazing. <3 Happy belated anniversary my love, I am so happy with my life and wouldn't change a thing about it. So much has happened in the past three years and I look forward to many many more years of memories with you.

Love,
Me

Random Thoughts on Parenting so far (12d)

Real quick: I weighed myself today and I am currently NINE POUNDS LESS than what I weighed BEFORE getting pregnant. I can officially say pregnancy was a weight loss plan LOL. I just had to document that here so I don't forget. :)

NOW...

My advice (in no particular order) to soon to be moms/myself for the next kid I have when I don't remember. More like observations in these first 12 days:

1. Outfits with lots of buttons SUCK! Instead, go for zippered outfits, gowns with no buttons, or a traditional onesie with only 2-3 buttons in the crotch with socks/a hat if necessary.

2. WAIT for a bit after nursing to change the diaper, even if you know it is already wet. Chances are the baby is going to pee again or (and this is more likely) poop explosively in the next 10-15 minutes which would just necessitate another change and waste a diaper.

3. Let the baby tell you when they are hungry- don't wake them up every 2-3 hours. You both get more sleep this way. Also, (at least for Brodie) when they are still tired/not ready to nurse and you try to make them they will not be able to focus on latching/sucking and will get more frustrated than if you wait til they truly are hungry. They won't let themselves starve, and will cry when they want something to let you know it's time.

4. Relax and chill out with your new baby. The more relaxed you are (with nursing/changing/in general) the more relaxed you baby can be. They sense stress and get stressed from that. Plus, being relaxed helps you stay happier!

5. The baby isn't as fragile as you think. They just got shoved out of a little area and man-handled by doctors...and they didn't break. Just be cautious to how you are holding them and you will be fine. Most things don't phase them as much as you'd think they would.

6. Be noisy around your baby so they get used to normal volumes of every day life. You don't want to tiptoe around them because it will make them super sensitive to noise. Yesterday I threw Brodie in the Sleepywrap (while awake) and vaccuumed my entire house... he passed out during the chore and stayed asleep until way after I was done.

7. Do lots of skin to skin. Babies love it, mama's love it, and it promotes bonding and helps with breastfeeding.

8. Don't give up on breastfeeding. I understand there are circumstances where medically it will not work out (I'm not talking to you guys) but MOST people can breastfeed successfully. I am still new to it, but everyone I've talked to says it takes 6 weeks to be a pro, and those first six weeks SUCK. It was hard in the beginning to get Brodie to latch, and when my milk came in I got SO engorged. The lactation consultant in the hospital told me I had 2 strikes against me (very large breasts and flat nipples) but said to try try try and hopefully we'd get it. With creative manipulation (me holding the breast and aligning the nipple to his mouth during a feeding) and using the manual pump to express some milk while I was engorged so he could attach to my flat nipple we were able to get past a hard hurdle. It was hard though, and a 2:40hr try to get him to eat for 10 minutes was very frustrating. Now he latches on in 10-20 seconds and nurses like a champ!

9. Take lots of pictures, you will never get the day back once it is past. I just sent off to get 93 pictures printed yesterday of Brodie's first 11 days of life. Obsessive, maybe. But I will be so happy to have a book of baby pictures to show people (and show Brodie) in the years to come.

10. Enjoy your baby!!!!!

Now...off to nurse! :o) I <3 my little man!!!!
~Heather

Introducing Brodie Cole! (6 days 22 hours)

I haven't been on my computer all week... and that is because we had our beautiful baby boy!!!!

Brodie Cole made his appearance into the world on his due date, 10/2/10 at 1:06am. He weighed 8lb 2oz at birth and is 21 inches long with a 14cm head. He got a 9/9 on his APGAR tests and passed the hearing test with flying colors.

We are thoroughly enjoying our little man, and getting adjusted to the sleep deprivation and time requirements of a newborn. I will post the whole birth story later on... but here are a few pictures until then. :o) I can't believe in exactly 2 hours he will be a week old already!

Nick and I are in LOVE!

Til later,

~Me