My baby is two months old! How is this happening?!
On October 9th I took Theo to the Pediatrician to get a check up and his shots. The Nurse Practitioner and the Pediatrician both check Theo and they were happy with his progress. He is 12 lbs and 24 inches long (thank those Neilson genes for that!). I told them that I felt like Theo was sleeping a lot, but the Pediatrician reassured me that that was normal and as along as he is not lethargic when he is awake then I shouldn't worry. Theo does have a large head (he's in the 97th percentile) but as long as he continues to follow the curve and he doesn't go off the charts then they won't worry.
Theo did so great while he was getting his shots. He had three in his thighs and an oral one. We both cried (briefly) and the nurse commented on how great he did. She said he cried less then most teenagers do! Eek! He was a little crabby and needy for the next two days but it wasn't bad and, I have to admit, I loved the extra cuddles!
Theo eats five times a day (8:00 AM, noon, 4:00 PM, 8:00 PM and 3:00 AM) and drinks 5 to 5.5 ounces of breast milk at each feeding. He is a great sleeper and only wakes up once during the night.
During the day we like to cuddle, take naps, play, and do tummy time (for only 10 minutes before he gets angry).
This month we went and saw the Neurologist (Dr. A). After he checked Theo out and showed me the results of his first MRI, he ordered an Echocardiogram and a MRI to be done in the next few months. He is not concerned at the moment, but he wants to make sure that everything internally is still working correctly. We have the Echo scheduled for the end of this month and the MRI will be done at the end of November. I am stressed to the max about the MRI because they have to put him under anesthesia for it.
We heard from the Geneticist and got some of the results back from his blood work. His Microarray and another chromosome test (I don't remember the name) came back normal. They are still waiting on the results for testing they did on 14 specific genes. Hopefully we will get those back soon. At the beginning of January we have an appointment with the Geneticist and at that time we will discuss treatments for his Port Wine Stains and any other treatments or procedures he may need.
AND on September 22nd Theo gave us his first genuine smile!
[Multitasking is part of being a mom, right?]
[I love to have him sit on my stomach and lean against my legs]
[We can usually talk and play for a little bit before he gets tired]
[And.... sleeping]
[Theo loves to sit in his chair with his blankets]
[Growing boy!]
[Cuddling with mom]
[I can't get enough!]
[I took Theo to the store to do some grocery shopping. Since we were getting a lot of food I decided to wear him instead of leaving him in his car seat and putting him in the grocery cart. He loved being carried and fell asleep immediately]
[First family date night! Olive Garden!]
[I needed to clean the house but it's hard to do when there is a cute baby sleeping on your kitchen floor]
[Collection of Rally Monkey and Star Wars toys]
[Josh is so amazing and has no problem getting up to feed Theo in the night]
[Mohawk!]
[Mohawk]
[More playtime]
[Trying to smile]
[Tummy time]
[After Theo's 8:00 PM feeding I put him in our bed and read him a story. He loves it!]
[Big belly!]
[Kisses for mommy!]
[Baby cuddles]
[Sunday nap with dad]
[Bath time]
[My little angel]
[I've been reading a book about sleep training. We are doing pretty good so far]
[Tummy time]
[Tummy time is exhausting!]
[Two months old!]
Theo is seriously the sweetest boy and is such a good baby!
Josh and I have been doing great too! Josh continues to work 6 (sometimes 7) days a week and is doing a fantastic job being the Chief Inspector. Even though he works long hours he has no problem getting up with Theo in the night or changing his diapers. He is such a great husband and father, I love him so much, and I am so grateful for him!
I had my 6 week check up and my glucose test with the OB this month. My check up went fine. The OB checked my incision and I told her that I was still sore and that I was still bleeding. She told me to take it easy and that it will take longer then usual (six to eight weeks) to heal because I had the trauma from both a vaginal (since I was pushing for so long) and c-section delivery and my body went through a lot during Theo's birth (including a bad infection). She also asked me how breast feeding was going and I told her that I was pumping and feeding him. She then proceeded to make me feel guilty and told me I needed to see a lactation consultant. I had, multiple times. My first "mom shame" experience ... good times. We tried. We tried so hard! But after a lot of tears and frustration (from both me and Theo) we decided that pumping and giving him a bottle was what was going to work for our little family. Trust me, it would be easier to be able to breastfeed him. Pumping sucks and it is very time consuming, but I think that breast milk is so important, so I will pump every 2-3 hours so that he has what he needs.
[Each bottle has 6 ounces of breast milk. My supply is in and it's holding strong.]
I also had my two hour glucose test while I was at the OB's office. I had to get my blood drawn, drink a sugary drink, and then get my blood drawn after one hour and then after two hours. I was beyond stressed about the test because I don't want to deal with Diabetes (I have enough on my plate). A few days after the test I got a call from the OBs office with the test results. I passed with flying colors! I'm not even pre-diabetic. Phew! What a relief! My numbers were 78, 99 and 68. Can't get much better than that!
Being a mom is so different then I though it would be. I am surprised that I'm not having any "baby blues" or PPD (since I've had depression in the past), but I am having anxiety. It has gotten so bad that my stomach is being affected (like it did back in High School). It's hard not to stress when you have a sick baby (is "sick" the right word to use?). Not only does he have health issues, but we don't know exactly what is wrong with him. I know I would be over protective if I had a normal, healthy baby but I feel like I am SUPER overly protective of him. I get stressed out when people are around him because I don't want him to get sick because I don't know how he is going to react. The flu or a cold can put a healthy baby in the ER or hospital, but it could be way worse for him. We just don't know! I know I'm paranoid, but I feel like I have the right to protect my child. It's hard and it is all so stressful. Sometimes I get angry about the situation. I feel terrible for bringing a child into this world who has these health issues. I know it's not fair to him, but we are doing what we can to keep him healthy and get him better.
On another note, Josh's sister, Jessi, and her wife, Ally, had a gender reveal party on Jessi's 30th birthday! We couldn't go, since it was in Wisconsin, but we got to watch it live on Facebook. And they are having....
A BOY!
We are so excited for them and we can't wait to meet little baby Carlson in January!
We bought a Rubicon earlier in the year. We don't drive it very often because I have the truck and Josh has the Liberty. The last time Josh drove it it broke down on him and he had to get a jump. It keeps dying and we can't figure out why. Hopefully it's just a bad battery. Fingers crossed!
