Moving on up...

to the big boy sizes - well to 0-3 months clothes! Tonight we went to a party at the Sirven's house and Ryan wore his alligator outfit that Mk bought him and its so tight!! It might be the last time he fits into it. I am excited for him to start wearing all his 0-3 month clothes since we have so many! Yay Ryan!

Tummy Time

Here is a little video of Ryan playing on his stomach the other night. He is getting so strong!

Game Day

Hook'em! Today is Ryan's first UT football game and he is loving it. Daddy has been holding him and they are watching the game together. So cute!! I love my longhorns!

Dear Ryan (1 month)

This past month has gone by so fast and he has grown so much! He already looks completely different from when he was born! The first time I saw him I saw a little Kevin in my arms but now I see a mix of us both. He is really becoming his own little person and I love him so much. 

I never know what to expect each day with him. I would say that we are pretty lucky because he is a really good baby. He isn't too fussy (I hope I don't jinx us by writing that!) and if he is fussy it's either because he is hungry or has a dirty diaper. He is also doing good with sleeping at night (opposed to staying awake after night feedings). Some days he is on a schedule and some days he just does what he wants.  For example, sometimes Ryan is ravenous in the evenings. He wants to eat all evening long and it's exhausting.  There was one day where I basically fed him from 2pm until 8pm at night. He was on and off and the total actual feeding time was 4.5 hours, but I basically sat on the couch that whole time feeding. It's times like that when you can get a little frustrated as a mother but mainly because you wonder - is this going to be how it is from now on? Is he getting enough milk? ect...I started to assume that he would want to cluster feed every night so I better be prepared but it hasn't been consistent day to day - which is nice that he gives me a break. So I guess each day will be different which is fine with me. 


Another one of the mommy bloggers that I follow started wringing monthly letters to her little boy so I thought it was a cute idea. 

Dear Ryan, 

Today you are one month old! You are eating very well and have gained 1 lb 7 oz since you were born, which brings you to 6 lbs 10 oz at one month. It is hard to guage exaclty how much you are eating at each feeding but from what I can tell it seems that you eat about 2 - 3 ounces at each feeding. In the morning you are more alert and after the 7 or 8am feeding you are content to lay in any of your multiple gadgets (swing, bouncer, pack n play or cradle) and stare at different things. This gives mommy time to pump and check email and blog. When I hop in the shower you like to be swaddled and set in the bouncer. You seem to like the sound of the shower and typically fall asleep. I also turn the radio on to our favorite country station - you must remember it from when you were in the womb and we would listen to it in the car.

After mommy gets ready it's time to eat again. After this feeding we try and get out of the house, but sometimes we are just too tired and we end up taking a nap together! The rest of the day is similar to this - either get out or stay in and do chores while you sleep. Daddy usually comes home around 6 and he whisks you away in his arms. I can't wait for you to get excited when he walks in - and for me too. Mommy gets a little bit of a break right now and I try to figure out dinner. Once I eat I take you back and feed you again. Afterwards I pump if I need to or head to bed so I can get a little bit of sleep before my night shift begins. During the week Daddy watches you until my last feeding at 11pm or 12am. On the weekends he will feed you a bottle at that feeding and keep you until 1am.  (This is great for mommy because I get 4-5 hours of sleep!) Sometimes you guys lay together and sleep and other times he tries to sooth you by rocking you in your green glider. He reads to you and sings to you - not baby songs, but rap songs. Daddy thinks he is a rapper sometimes. He is pretty silly. 

Lately feeding you at night has really not been bad. I feed you when daddy brings you around 1am then again around 3 or 4am then the next one is morning time when the rest of the world is up. Your night feedings are usually around 40 minutes which is a nice little break and after we are done I change your diaper and swaddle you up. You lay right next to me and stare at me until you fall asleep. Lately you have started to grunt a lot in your sleep and I am not sure how much longer we can be bed buddies :)


Over the past week you have really become a lot more alert and LOVE to look around while you are awake. I can tell that you focusing on me and you even have started to respond to voices by looking in that direction. You have also recently discovered mommy's long hair and love to grab on to it when you get a chance. You really hold tight because it's hard for me to get those little hands out of it! Speaking of things you like...

Things you are a fan of:

Cuddling with mommy and daddy

Having one arm out when you are swaddled

Holding your head back and staring around

Bath time 

Riding in the car

Your car seat and frog on it

The sound of the shower, vacuum and hair dryer

You also love hanging with your cousins!

You haven't really noticed Bob yet, but I am sure y'all will be best buddies. He has kinda stolen your blue bear rug but I am sure you don't mind him borrowing it for now!

Things you are not a fan of::

Mommy wiping your face (it's always dirty, guess thats a boy thing!)

Sleeping in my pack n play at night
A dirty diaper

We are excited for the next month. Yai Yai T is coming back for a week and then we are going to Houston for our first trip! Lot's of fun times in your future.

Love, 

Mommy

4 week check-up

We went to the doctor yesterday for Ryan's 4-week appointment. Dr. Halsell wanted to see him and check his weight. Good news - the little man is up an entire pound since the last appointment (2 weeks ago). yay!

Weight: 6 lbs 10 oz
Height: 20.75 inches
Head: 34.8

I can't believe he gained a whole pound! He is on his way to becoming a chunker!

Nursing Necessities

Here is a list of items that have made my life easier for these past four weeks!

1. Total Baby App: As you know its important to track your babies feedings and diaper changes during the first two months and this application has made it so easy. I love it! Initially Kevin and I were hand-writing the feedings down on an excel chart that I had created but it wasn't very accurate and it was a pain always trying to locate a pen! I found this app for $4.99 and its so worth it. It keeps track of everything - feedings (breast side & time on each), diaper changes, child's age, birthdate and so much more. It includes a daily summary - where I learned that I spend 5-8 hours a day nursing and you can compare current day vs. previous days. It has been so helpful for us.


2. iPhone: Obviously for the phone/text functionality but even more so for the GAMES! When I am nursing at night and am the only one up it is the games that keep me going. My favorites are WWF, Doodle Jump, Angry Birds, Klondike Deal 3, Tetris & Bejeweled.



3. The Kindle: Another great invention for a breast feeding mother. I love reading and having a kindle has made it so much easier! It is so wonderful not having to struggle with turning pages (with one hand) and balancing the lopsidedness of a book. Plus I never lose my place!

4. My Brest Friend: Yes, you read that right. I have tried a regular boppy as well as the My Bossom Buddy and for me, My Brest Friend works best. You spend ALOT of time nursing so it is very important to find what works best for you. 

5. Tervis Tumbler:  I have been in love with the tervis tumblers since Mk introduced me to them three years ago. I have always been a huge water drinker but I think nursing makes you ever thirstier so I am never without my tervis tumbler. Definitely worth the price because it keeps your water cold for hours! Plus the lid and straw are super helpful if you tend to spill!

6. Love my jersey knit stretch robe from the gap. I practically live in this robe and I am sure Kevin is so tired of seeing it, but its sooo comfy!

Some other goodies that I recommend are the medela breast pump (it allows you to get out of the house! yay!), a hands-free nursing bra (buy this instead of the hands free pump which is $100 more) and contact nipple shields (the full ones tend to flip down over Ryan's nose so I like the half ones better). I think thats all for now....who knew!

Square One - Week 1

Today Ryan and I went to our first Square One meeting. Square One is a group for first-time moms with infants that my neighbor Mica told me about. The program runs for seven weeks and covers topics such as parenting, baby care, taking care of yourself and keeping your marriage healthy. Mica did the Square One program with her son Jackson last year and said that it was invaluable - being able to meet with a group of women that are going through the same experiences is so helpful and her group still meets for play dates.

We had such a great time and got to meet a bunch of new mommies and their babies. The babies in our group range from eight weeks to eight days old!! There is even one other little boy that shares the same birthday as Ryan.  Today we talked about the program and everyone introduced themselves. There are eleven team moms (experienced mommies who run the program and help us with our babies and any questions, ect) and 13 of us new mommies. Today we  all shared stories about our pregnancies and babies births. It was so neat to hear everyone's experiences and it's just so nice to be in a room full of mommies and babies. I am so glad that I am participating in this group. 


Below is the schedule for the remaining classes 

Week 1 - My Story: Introductions, birth stories, previous life, etc.
Week 2 - Mothering: Babies, parenting, pediatric care, books.
Week 3 - Mama: Taking care of yourself, postpartum depression
Week 4 - Marriage: Husbands, dates, dads.
Week 5 - Making a home: Cooking, cleaning, time-management.
Week 6 - M-I-L's - Family Matters
Week 7 - Memories: Travel, traditions, holidays


Fun times!!