I slept!!

I got 5 hours of straight sleep last night!  I woke up worried that something was wrong.  But only for a minute and then I relished in the fact that I slept for 5 straight hours!!  I didn't know Cooper could sleep that long.  He has been very drowsy the last day or two.  Last night he slept from 9 pm until 2 am.  Then he ate for 20 min and I tried to rouse him to eat another 20 min like he usually does, to no avail.  He went back to sleep at 2:30 and slept until 5 am.  Then ate for 20 min and went back to sleep until 8 am.  Crazy kid!  I like this growth spurt.

We had our first doctor's appointment today.  Cooper grew 2 inches and is now 23 inches tall (greater than 95th percentile).  He also gained 1 lb 7 oz since checking out of the hospital and weighs 9 lbs 8 oz (75th percentile).  He had his first of three Hep B shots.  His piercing cry was heartbreaking.  It made me even more glad that we did not get him circumcised.

Speaking of circumcision...who knew this was such a hot topic.  Everyone seems to have an opinion on our decision.  We did a lot of research on the topic and came to the conclusion to leave Cooper intact.  I don't question anybody else's choice on the matter, but we made the right decision for our son.  It seems like many people disagree with us.  To each their own.

I changed how I'm posting pictures.  Cooper has his own Shutterfly site and all pictures will be posted there.  I will let you know when I've updated it.  I put one week old pictures on it and uploaded the rest of the pictures of Cooper with me and Chris.  I need to keep taking pictures!  I've sort of slowed down because they were all looking the same to me.  I have to remember though that I see him every day and many friends and family do not.

I want to own a house

Yay for a working swing!!  We got the replacement part today and it works!!  He is sleeping away in his swing while we wait for dinner to be done.  Chris is doing an amazing job...he keeps the house cleaned up and makes sure dinner is ready around 5 pm.  He also did the grocery shopping today.  Sure makes my job easier!

Cooper started a new 1.5 hr routine.  He is sleeping a lot, but also eating a lot.  Maybe his next growth spurt??  I'm hoping it won't be as intense as his last one.

Grrr....our darn landlord.  I'm so tired of renting.  Our landlord has decided to sell this place because he can't afford it anymore.  This is strange because we pay him $800 more than his mortgage payment, but whatever.  This makes things a little more stressful since now we might have to move.  We are planning on moving to Denver around the end of October or early November.  Now we might have to move in about 3 months, if the place sells quickly.  I don't think it will, but we have to think about the possibility.

We've seen enough episodes of Designed to Sell on HGTV to make sure the house takes a lot of time to sell.  If they don't sell until September, then we're good.  They have to give us 60 days notice.  If they sell earlier, then we're in a tough spot.  We would have to find a place that will let us have a dog, has 3 bedrooms and a garage, and goes month to month for the lease.  I'm tired of being a tenant.  I just want to own a house.

I know everyone is dying for more pictures, but it's a big job to go through the pictures and name them before I upload them.  I will try to post a picture here or there for everyone.  Here's one of me and Cooper, Chris and Cooper and another favorite of mine of just Cooper.

Moby is my best friend

Freedom!  I have started wearing Cooper.  We got a ring sling at one of the showers, but he hates it.  He doesn't like cradle hold unless he's eating.  He prefers kangaroo style.  So I found a 'sling' called a Moby Wrap online.  However, it's $40 plus shipping.  So instead, I went to Joanne's and bought 6 yards of jersey knit fabric that was 50% off.  I was able to make two Moby wraps for $25.  He loves it and so do I!  I have my hands free!!  I am learning how to breastfeed in it...it's a little tricky but I'll figure it out.

Speaking of Joanne's...that's my second outing by myself in 2 weeks.  I went to Target the week before.  I've also taken a couple walks with Cooper in the stroller.  It makes me feel like a million bucks to get outside of the house.  Granted I feel like I'm rushing a bit so I can get back home to feed Cooper.  This will get easier once I'm more confident and either take Cooper with me or we begin introducing the bottle and I can pump for Chris to feed him.

Cooper loves movement.  He is soothed by it.  Sort of ironic since I get terrible motion sickness.  He isn't interested in music or sucking to soothe him, although humming seems to help calm him down.  The swing is a wonderful invention for babies who like motion.  Unfortunately we got a bum swing and since we bought it more than 90 days go, Babies R Us won't let us exchange it.  Great news, Fisher Price is an awesome company!  They're sending us a new motor.  Hopefully it gets here soon!   This manual swinging by mommy and daddy gets old.

Cooper loves bath time.  Of course I'm not very coordinated at it yet, but we have fun.  The first bath Chris and I gave him together.  When we pulled him out, I wrapped him first in a receiving blanket then in the towel.  I'm not sure why, other than that's just how it worked out.  I'm so glad I did!  He peed and pooped right into the blanket before I could get a diaper on him!!  So much for being a clean kid...we had to clean him all over again.  So gross.  The second time I bathed him--I put his diaper on almost immediately.

Really though, Cooper is such a good baby.  We follow a schedule, sort of.  He eats for 45 minutes, then stays awake for about 10 minutes, then sleeps for 2 hours, and then we start all over again.  It's been easy because he has very distinct hunger cues.  First he starts smacking his lips and cooing, then starts rooting, then puts his hands in his mouth, then he starts fussing.  He's easy to latch before he gets fussy, so we listen for the cooing after he wakes up.  Happy baby makes happy parents.

Wow, what a heat wave we're having!  It's been in the high 80's...which is very warm for being so close to the beach.  We are used to it getting no warmer than 75.  We don't have air conditioning and it's been in the low 80's inside the house!  Makes all of us pretty miserable.

I'm amazed at how quickly my body is returning to normal.  Of the 30 pounds I gained, I've lost 20 of it.  My tummy is almost back to looking normal.  I'm still taking it easy to make sure I heal, but I'm looking forward to becoming active again.  I miss working out and I can't wait to fit into some of my normal clothes again!

Catch up - First days home

Here is the final catch up post.

Introducing Scout:

We got home around 3 pm and Scout was super excited to see both of us.  She kept sniffing me all over.  I finally sat down and we left Cooper in his carseat on the floor.  She kept sniffing him and didn't know what to think.  We realized she was too excited, so I picked Cooper up and Chris controlled Scout. 

We let her sniff him and me.  She kept licking his little feet.  She started pawing at him and that's when we had to start with strict voices.  Poor Scout got yelled at more in that first week than she has her entire life with us!  We both felt so bad, but we were tired and frustrated and she wouldn't listen very well.

Now Scout is a little angel around Cooper.  She is very gentle, never licks his face and is pretty maternal around him.  If he's in his crib or swing, she will check on him.  If he wakes up she will whine until we go get him.  She even tries to be quiet when she barks.  We are also starting to get back to our normal treatment of her.  I think it will take awhile until she doesn't feel neglected.

First night home:

This was one of the most difficult nights of our lives!   Thank goodness Christina brought us yummy lasagna for dinner, otherwise we would have starved.  The phone kept ringing, and although people meant well, it was very overwhelming.  It was all I could do to not yell at anyone who wanted to talk on the phone with us. 

We were both running on empty and each hit a breaking point.  Chris hit his at 10 pm and just broke down because I had just laid down to sleep and Cooper kept crying because he was hungry.  I got up (even though I was purely exhausted) and told my husband in no uncertain terms that he was required to lay down and get some sleep (he had maybe 5-10 hours of sleep since going to bed on Saturday night and this was now Wednesday night).  I was able to make it until about 1:30 am before I reached my breaking point.  I woke Chris up and passed off Cooper.  I got a few hours before Cooper needed to eat again.

First couple of weeks:

The next few days went much better.  We started to figure out that Cooper would eat and then sleep for 2-5 hours depending on the time of day.  On Thursday evening I had my first hormonal cry.  I tried to lay down around 7 pm, but basically cried until 8 pm and then got up.  I told Chris I didn't know what was wrong, but I really missed being pregnant.  He gave me a hug and I was able to stop crying.  I now know that I seem to get the most hormonal between 7 pm and 10 pm. 

My milk came in on Friday and engorgement lasted until Saturday night.  It felt strange and almost a little painful, but it made it really difficult for Cooper to latch.  Once engorgement was over, Cooper seemed much happier to be getting real milk and I felt like I was getting the hang of breastfeeding.

Chris and I actually got to feel like we were normal people again and do normal things like check email.  Plus we got some extra sleep and set up a schedule so that I would start going to bed at 8 pm and he would only wake me when Cooper needed to eat.  At 3 am I would take over and let him sleep for a straight 6 hours, while I took care of all the Cooper duties.

On Monday, all of this went out the window.  Cooper ate continuously from 8 am until noon, then took a 3 hour nap.  Then he ate from 3 pm until 1 am continuously (maybe a few 10 or 20 min breaks) and took a 3 hour nap.  From 4 am until 8 am he would eat every 1.5 hours for an hour.  He did the same thing on Tuesday.  I broke down around 9 pm both nights and cried until he fell asleep for his nap.  I seriously considered quitting breastfeeding so many times.  Every time he latched was excruciating and he might rest 10 min and then need to latch again.  It was torture for 2 days. 

Turns out babies have a growth spurt at 7-10 days, another one at 2-3 weeks, and another around 6 weeks.  During this time, continuous feeding is normal.  I hope to be better prepared for the next one.

Once Wednesday rolled around, I had to go through an adjustment period of not being on super high alert for Cooper to eat.  He was slowly getting back to his normal patterns.  I let him sleep on me every night because I would get more sleep.

Chris and I have spent the last few days learning how to communicate about Cooper.  It's tough because sometimes it feels like we are telling each other how to do things, when in fact we are sharing possible alternatives.  We are still working on it, but I would need several hands to list all of the things I've learned about my baby from my husband.  He is such a natural and amazes me every time he handles Cooper.  It feels strange when he asks for help because I feel like he already knows how to do everything.

Last night was the first night we had him sleep in the bassinet in our room.  He did great, and so did I.  I did get a little hormonal in the middle of the night.  Turns out I probably need to hold and cuddle Cooper as much as he needs me to. 

The baby blues are very hard for me.  When I start feeling down, I get angry that I am a mother and don't have my normal life anymore, I can't stop crying, and I start to feel disconnected from everything.  I always talk to Chris about it and instantly feel better.  When I feel 'normal', I am the happiest I've ever been in my life.

The first 2 weeks have been the most exhausting of my life.  I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Cooper makes me laugh and he makes me cry.  I love him so much!!

I will be working on the announcements over the next couple of weeks.  My goal is to get them out before we come to Denver May 16-24.  I have to learn Photoshop first and then I'll post some more pictures...in the mean time, enjoy the one below.  It makes me laugh every time I see it.  He often purses his lips and he is just learning to control his eyes, so he often gets cross-eyed.

Catch Up - Hospital Stay

I want to get back to blogging about my normal days, instead of what happened a couple weeks ago.  I'm going to try to post everything as soon as possible.

Hospital Stay:

Once we got into the recovery room, I started feeling exhausted.  I attempted to feed Cooper for the first time in the L&D room, but he wouldn't latch.  So we tried again in the recovery room and he did latch, but didn't stay on long.  We were both very tired.  Our nurse Colleen was young and very nice.  Once I tried to feed Cooper we all laid down to take a nap.  The hospital is focused on family centered maternity care, so the baby rooms in and there is a cot for dad to sleep on.

I had to ask for assistance the first couple times I had to use the bathroom.  I still looked about 6 months pregnant and I was just a little unsure of my body.  I was taking Motrin and Percocet for the first couple of days to dull the pain and discomfort.

The nurse gave Cooper is first bath and he didn't cry one bit.  The pediatrician came in to see him at 9 pm and said that he was perfect.  She came back every day to check for signs of dehydration, but there weren't any, so we didn't have to supplement.

The first night wasn't too bad, we were all just a little tired.  At one point I woke up holding Cooper like a little football...I guess I fell asleep with him!  The night nurse was more destructive than helpful when it came to helping me learn to breastfeed.  She would try to get Cooper to latch my shoving him into my boob over and over.  It would just make him mad and he would scream his head off.  Then I would get frustrated.  I had to tell her that I would keep trying and she could go. 

Once she left I calmed Cooper down, waited for him to open his mouth and drop his tongue.  I would bring him to my breast and he would get irritated that I was controlling his head.  So I would release and we would start all over.  Eventually he latched on and I could feed him for 5-15 min.

The second day was long and I didn't get much sleep.  They kept coming in to do tests and take our vitals.  They always seemed to do my vitals when I was trying to breastfeed...which made it worse since we were both learning how to do it. 

Chris went home for a little bit to get some rest and spend time with Scout.  I was trying to change Cooper by myself and he turned his little sprinkler on.  He peed all on his face, all over the bassinet, all over his shirt.  I was so shocked I just kept letting him pee instead of covering him up.  I had to call the nurse to come help me.  It really was quite funny.  That afternoon we went to discharge parenting class.  It was all pretty basic stuff, but helpful anyhow.

They brought us a celebration dinner that evening.  Chris had filet mignon and I had chicken cordon bleu.  We split some sparkling cider.  It was good, but we both were just so tired.

The second night was AWFUL!!!  Chris went home to try to get some sleep, so I was on my own.  The night nurse was the same gal and by then I was losing hope on getting Cooper to latch right.  She basically kept me up all night to get him to feed.  She tried to give Cooper a pacifier, which I had been told not to do because it would make his latch problems worse (teaches improper sucking).  I would do okay when she wasn't there, otherwise she would make matters worse.  I was in tears after she left every time.  I only got about 3 hours of sleep in the previous 24 hours.

The night nurse also weighed Cooper again.  Except she forgot to remove his hat, mittens, and diaper, which meant it looked like he had gained almost an ounce, when he was supposed to be losing weight.

The following morning, a new day nurse, Margie, showed up.  She was an angel.  She spent an hour teaching me how to latch Cooper (he kept tongue thrusting and would suck on his lower lip when trying to latch).  Without her, I probably wouldn't have been able to breastfeed.  Then all of sudden there were about 4 people in the room all wanting something and I nearly broke down.  It was so overwhelming!

We expected to be discharged around 9 or 10, but we ended up waiting for the pediatrician and lactation consultant to arrive.  This meant that we didn't sleep and we were getting cabin fever.  The lactation consultant was also a big help.  She checked my technique and said I was doing everything perfect.  She was glad to know that I refused to supplement and refused to give him a pacifier.  She said that I was on my way to successfully breastfeeding.  It was great to hear the encouraging words.

The pediatrician checked Cooper out and weighed him again.  He was discharged weighing 8 lb, 1 oz, but the pediatrician said that was within normal ranges.  Finally we were discharged at 2 pm.