Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Three weeks and going strong!


j is three weeks old today and just now coming down off the high of spending time with his grandma and grandpa murf, uncle michael and great aunt mrose. it was so nice to have my family in town for awhile. i'm pretty sure they were quite fond of our new little addition to the family. j was like a little hot potato between them all. it was great.

last doctor's appointment, he weighed in at a wopping 9lbs 8oz, well past his birth weight. we are thrilled he is eating so well. i'm really happy with our pediatrician. i bring her lots of questions every visit and she always makes me feel better about everything. the doc says he is looking really good. his one month appointment is next wednesday...he gets his first immunization shots. i'll probably cry more than he will.

j has definitely found his voice. while his cries are still pretty cute, he is very vocal when it comes to grunting. he makes these loud grunting sounds that crack up me and t most of the time, but every now and then they become concerning because he seems like he is in pain. i've asked the doctor about this and she said it's nothing to worry about. he is sleeping some during the night. every once in awhile he'll give us a good 2 hour stretch which is so nice! some days he is pretty alert for a good part of the morning and afternoon, but does take a few naps here and there.

i'm anxiously awaiting his first real smile. he gives fleeting fake smiles when he's doing some damage in the diaper, but i'm holding out for the real deal. his eye contact is getting better and better every day. it seriously melts my heart when he looks at me. he reacts to my voice and to t's, but doesn't necessarily follow our voices yet.

okay, i think that's it...let me know if i'm not giving you some info that you want to know!

lots of love,
m,t & j

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

HE'S HERE!



Born: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 (I was induced at 8:30am Monday morning at 8:30...you can do the math).
Weight: 9lbs, 2oz
Length: 20 inches

Wow. What a ride this has been. I've heard it over and over again from my parents and friends with young ones, but man, this kind of love just wipes you out. It is the most intense feeling I've ever felt. I find myself just staring at him in amazement of what a miracle life truly is.

So far, everything is going pretty well. Definitely some highs and lows, but that was expected. You guys who told me this was hard were right! It's been just over a week and I feel like we are learning new things every day and things we thought we had finally figured out are constantly changing. It's like a gargantuan, never ending puzzle. But the challenge is invigorating much more than it is frustrating.

J had a moderate case of Jaundice (very common). He was under the lights at the hospital for our second day. We had to do a phototherapy treatment when we got home. The home care unit of the hospital delivered this blanket of florecent lights that wrapped around him and plugged into the wall. He was wrapped in the blanket Thursday afternoon through Monday morning. He had to be in the blanket 23 out of 24 hours of the day. Needless to say, it was a little bit of a struggle having him tethered to the wall like that for so long.

Happy to report he is back to good health and now free to cruise around the house. His first doctor's appointment was Monday and the doc said he is looking good. He is already back up to 9lbs...thankfully he is eating well.

The past two nights have gone pretty well. I got at least two 2-1/5 hour spurts of sleep, which has been WONDERFUL. Thank God for adrenaline!

We are so excited to have my mom and dad visit this Saturday and my brother join us next Thursday. I can't wait to introduce J to the rest of his family!!!

Okay, time for another feeding!

Love to you all,
M, T & J