Things have been quite a whirlwind since bringing Peter home from the hospital. The first two weeks were great, thanks to having Chris at home, and many thanks to Andrea for helping out the second week. She was just what I needed and I couldn't have asked for anybody more helpful when Chris went back to work. In the first couple of weeks, both Chris and I were barely functioning due to sleep deprivation. It took both of us ten times longer to do everything, to answer questions, even to think!
This is Peter coming back from the hospital. He had some issues with jaundice and breastfeeding early on. He still has issues with breastfeeding, but miraculously, we don't have to supplement with formula anymore, which makes us very happy. For a while, I took him off the bottle because he seemed disinterested in taking a bottle. I assumed it was because he was getting enough from nursing. But, finally at 4 weeks, I rented a Medela scale to determine how much he was eating. We were shocked to discover that he was still at his birth weight! I felt like a horrible mother for letting this happen. We immedinately put him back on the bottle full throttle, so he gained weight pretty fast for a few weeks. Now that he's two months old and over 10 lbs., it's hard to look at his picture from when he was so thin!
Peter at his skinniest. Poor baby!!
A shot of his beautiful head of hair. As a woman from church said, "That's a lot of hair for a newborn white baby!" Gotta love it.
Over Labor Day weekend, we were able to fly out to Seattle to visit with my family. We decided that since everybody was going to be there, we would do Peter’s blessing there (pictured above). It was a little stressful traveling with Peter for the first time since his birth, but we were really glad we were able to go. My sister-in-law, Ann, took some beautiful photos of Peter below. It’s so nice to have such a talented sister-in-law! Thanks Ann! Some highlights:
Peter is getting a little bit better about sleeping longer at night. He usually sleeps for a good 4 hour stretch, and if I’m lucky, 5 hours. But that’s about as good as it gets. For the rest of the day, he doesn’t really sleep well unless he’s being held. In fact, he’s generally not happy unless he’s being held. Occasionally we can put him in his swing, but not for very long. For that reason, we love having the Moby Wrap. He likes being in it, especially to sleep. This is the only way I’m able to get things done a lot of the time.
Peter in the Moby wrap.
Chris’s parents were able to see Peter at 8 weeks old for the first time. He got to take his first walk outside in his stroller with Nana and Papa while Chris and I were asked to help out at a youth retreat. Apparently, he quite enjoyed himself. Whenever he experiences something new and exciting, his eyes get real wide, and he takes quick breaths in. If life is a little too exciting, he shuts down and goes to sleep.
Peter just had his two-month appointment with the pediatrician with all of his immunizations. He is measuring better with his weight. At 2 weeks old, he was in the 5%, and now he is in the 10%. He’s in the 25% for height and the 10% for head circumference. We definitely have a tiny, skinny baby. He’s just starting to get fat little thighs that are very pleasing to see.
Peter did well with his shots initially. Thanks to a great nurse, she was finished with the shots in about 15 seconds, including getting the band-aids on. Peter cried hard for about 30 seconds, and then he was his cheerful self again. He even smiled at me as I put him back in his car seat. However, after he had his first nap, he woke up screaming and would not stop for hours unless he was eating or sleeping. It was a little traumatic for me, as he is such a mellow sweet little guy. He also developed a mild fever that day, but we were able to get some infant acetaminophen, which helped a lot. I am glad that immunizations are over and I’m not looking forward to his 4 month appointment.
Peter at 2 months with Daddy. This is a classic Peter expression with his mouth in an "o". So cute! But then, I'm a little biased...
Peter has recently started smiling socially. He used to smile in his sleep a lot. He has even laughed in his sleep since he was a newborn. I wish we could catch this on video, as it’s really cute and kind of funny to see a tiny baby laugh.
Well, I will try to update more in the future. I’m realizing that Peter is changing so much in so little time, so I’m going to have to take lots of pictures, or I’m going to miss tracking his development. So, look for more pictures in the future.
2 comments:
Hey Dawn,
I'm so happy to see how things are going! Peter is so adorable and you're right, his little "O" face is adorable!
What a wonderful blog post! Peter is simply adorable. I remember those first few months with a newborn quite well, and I'm glad they are over! You do not have long until his schedule is better - if he's anything like Meadow, at three or four months you will feel like you've finally fallen into a schedule, and at 6 months you will finally feel like you can get enough sleep.
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