Happy Baby!

I can't get enough of this face!

Fun at Eva's House!

Mikey has been through A LOT of changes recently---between the move and having a new baby brother has taken a lot of getting used to.  He was also a bit weary having Mommy and Daddy away overnight when we were in the hospital with Nicholas.  (Prior to then I had only been away from Mikey for one night.)  He frequently will say things like "And Mommy and Daddy stay here, too, right?".  Poor kid.  No matter how many books you read or conversations you have, there is no preparing them 100% for all of the changes coming their way.  

I'm glad I made the decision to keep things consistent when it came to staying at Eva's House for childcare.  Mikey goes Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays and really enjoys himself.  Thursday is "Ronnie Day".  Ronnie is the music teacher that comes and sings with the kids.  Two weeks ago Eva told me that Mikey sang a "solo" lullaby to his stuffed animal during the class.  They were very proud of him---as were we!  Eva does lots of other fun things with the children as well---crafts, playtime and outside play, too.  

Here are some fun shots of Mikey having fun at Eva's House.

                                    

Sick Visit

We woke up today and Nicholas was very congested.  I wasn't sure if he had a cold or it was just newborn congestion.  He had a rough night sleeping and was nursing more often.  Today is Saturday and Mike went to work so I had to problem solve on my own.  The "snorting" got worse and nothing was coming out with the suction bulb.  I tried running the shower and having Nicholas breathe in the steam for thirty minutes.  It helped but only briefly.  I called the doctor's office and they suggested I bring him in.

His weight was 11 lbs 7.8 oz (!) and had a 99.4 rectal temperature (which isn't considered a temp--anything above 100.4 is concerning to them.)  His ears and lungs were clear.  Throat seemed fine and he wasn't coughing.  They suggested saline drops, humidifier and raising head of the mattress.  All of these suggestions have helped.  (Even now as I revise this post on 2/19/13 he is still congested from time to time and the saline drops work perfectly!  I mix a cup of water with 1/4 tsp of salt and do 1-2 drops per nostril.  It either loosens the mucous up so I can suction it out or causes him to sneeze and it comes out on its own.)

**Note: Some of these topics may be boring and/or TMI, but remember, THIS is the baby book!  Bear with me!!

SLEEP!

Hooray!  We are sleeping for 2-3 hour chunks at night!  Nicholas is staying awake during daylight hours longer and we are all feeling happy and better rested!  Oh happy day!

Myth?

A co-worker of Michael's recommended that we "flip" Nicholas to alter his day/night confusion. After last night of me not going to bed until 5:30 AM, I was up for trying everything. After a quick google search, I read two different methods.

1) Cradle the baby in your arms, support his neck and flip him over 360 degrees. This will effect his equilibrium/balance and switch his body cycle to match ours.

2) The second method was merely the recommendation of switching which side his head rested on when placed in the cradle. He was originally placed with his head on the left side so last night I switched and placed him with his head on the right.

(It should also be noted the temperature was raised to 71 degrees last night (by Michael) since I was wearing both my scarf and fleece in the house. It is COLD out!)

Scientists would disagree with our experiment last night since three different variables were modified however, I am pleased to report that I put Nicholas to bed at midnight and didn't feed him again until 4:15am!! Success! After he ate it took some time for him to settle back down and get back to sleep (around 5ish) and then he woke up when Mike's alarm went off at 6:30.

Let's see what tonight brings.....

4 week check-up

Height: 20.75" (I think that is off----you seem much longer--and you were 20" when you were born)

Weight: 10 lb 2.7 oz (!!)

HC: 36 cm

We are now transitioning to life as a foursome now that all of our company has left.  This will take some getting used to for all of us!  

Happy New Year!

New Years was spent just the four of us---and we were FINE with that!  Mikey went to bed at his regular time and Nicholas stayed up with us to watch the ball drop.  We are very much looking forward to everything 2013 brings our way.  2012 will be pretty tough to beat!

Happy New Year!