Three Year Old Portrait

A bit delayed in posting, but here is Little Man in all is three year old glory.  His smile still melts my heart!

Newborn Portraits

Here are some of my favorite shots from Russ' newborn session.

Summer Fun

Man I wish I was sleeping this peacefully, for more than a couple hours at a time at least.  Russ prefers to sleep either on or next to someone about 90% of the time.  I usually get lucky in the mornings and he will sleep independently for an hour or two.  Work in progress.  I still really hope that he will be sleeping independently at night (at least for a a good portion of the night) by the time I return to work so that I don't become a complete zombie.  Fingers crossed.

 I love to watch him wake up from a nap and stretch out.  His expressions are priceless.

Russ is spending a bit more time each day awake and alert.  He is even starting to focus on things.  I am looking forward to his smile arriving.  He is still growing like a weed.  Last Tuesday at his two-week appointment (17 days old), he weighed in at 8lbs 1.5oz and measured 21 inches long.  Dr. E said he as really happy with his weight gain and said he "looks really healthy."  The next day, Russ was circumcised.  He was less than thrilled with life that afternoon (really fussy), but didn't have any signs of discomfort after that.  By Monday, his man parts were all healed up. 

Meanwhile, Big Brother Henry is continuing to be quite the helper around the house.  On a recent morning, we made zucchini bread together (and he actually ate it, despite the green flecks). 

 Henry has been a trooper while I nurse Russ around the clock.  He often plays Legos or Playdoh (pictured) while I nurse.  He loves to build.  His imagination continues to blossom everyday.  He built me a ice cream factory earlier this morning out of Legos.

We also try to get outside everyday for a little fresh air.  Mommy melts though in the heat, so we often wait until the evening hours when the yard is shaded.

  

This is Henry trying to get Mommy and Russ wet! He thought it was soooooo funny to squirt me.

We have been playing up the "big boy" role with Henry since Russ has been born, which Henry seems to take pride in.  Yesterday, we treated Henry to his first trip to the movie theater to see Planes: Fire and Rescue, just the three of us.  He LOVED it.  He behaved really well too, siting in his own seat quietly the entire time.  Russ stayed home with my mom (and thankfully took a bottle).  It is bittersweet realizing that Henry is no longer a baby, but indeed a big boy, yet so thrilling to get to experience new things with him. I am happy to report that he seems to be getting back into the groove of things with his attitude and potty training.  Not to say he has exited the "terrifying threes," but he seems to be back to his normal "spirited" self, rather than in a particularly colorful mood.  Incentives (aka bribes) have helped to get us back on track with the accidents.

The little stinker refused to pose for a picture!  I still love him nonetheless. : )

First 10 Days as a Mother of 2

Little Mister is a pretty good sleeper for being less than two weeks old (however, I think all newborns sleep away most of their days).  The first few nights were a bit crazy, he wanted to eat nearly every hour.  But, after my milk arrived, he has settled into a nice three hour cycle in the middle of the night.  I look forward to that cycle growing in length, but I'll take the three hour feeding cycle at night for now.  Speaking of eating, Russ is a champion eater.  He was approaching the dreaded 10% weight loss at his first doc appointment (3 days old), weighing in at 6lbs 13oz last Tuesday.  That was the same day my milk finally showed up and he gained 3oz overnight, weighing in at 7lb 0oz on Wednesday when I went to see the boobie saint (aka lactation consultant).  I call her a saint because she is truly a special lady.  She has a special way of calming neurotic moms (like myself) down and helping to build confidence in their ability to feed their babies.  For some, nursing is a natural phenomenon.  Not so much for me.  I struggle.  But, I am happy to report that things are going MUCH better with Russ in that department than with Henry.  Not to say I haven't suffered from blisters, cracking, intense pain ...because I have... but I got help so much sooner this time around and I am confident it will get better, because it did with Henry.  I think confidence is the biggest difference this time around. It helps that on Monday, when I went back to see the boobie saint, that Russ was back to his birth weight, weighing in at 7lbs 9oz.  Yay!  The doc wanted to see him back at his birth weight by his next appointment, which isn't until next Tuesday.  Although not "perfect" yet, nursing is becoming more comfortable day by day.  I have high hopes that after a few weeks of nursing, it will feel more "natural."  The other exciting news around here is that he lost his umbilical cord tag yesterday afternoon, so he was able to get his first real bath this morning.  Henry was a great little helper, fetching Mommy the baby bathtub, towels, soap etc.

Here's the happy big brother!  Henry has been amazing when it comes to being a big brother.  He has been patient while I am nursing, gentle while touching Russ, helpful with diaper changes, and even tells me "I LIKE Baby Russ! I think he likes me too."  He is fascinated at all of Russ' little parts.  The transition hasn't been all peachy though.  He has developed quite an attitude toward Ryan, has had multiple accidents in his pants, refused to leave the house for four days, and is testing boundaries like nobody's business.  The last couple days have gone a bit better, thank goodness.  He finally agreed, after a tantrum, to leave the house with Ryan yesterday.  Today, without a tantrum, he agreed again to leave the house.  It isn't so much that we have needed to leave the house (which is why we didn't just make him get in the car), but we have learned over the last few years that Henry is a much happier, more compliant kid when we leave the house regularly, if even just to walk down to the park for a bit.  When he is cooped up in the house, he tends to become increasingly mischievous and defiant, which probably explains some of the behavior issues during the four days he refused to leave the house.  He has been particularly needy for my attention.  I have been trying to carve out one-on-one time to play with him.  Legos have been a gift from heaven.  I hope that things continue to improve (in the attitude department) with Henry and I hope he continues to love his little brother.  It melts my heart every time I see Henry kiss Russ' little forehead or when Henry asks to hold him. 

As for me, I am doing really well.  The physical recovery has been easier this time around.  I am sleeping a bit better than I did with Henry too.  And most of all, I am so much more relaxed, about everything, this time around.  So far, no post-partum depression, or even baby blues to report.  I do find myself particularly sensitive to TV dramas, but becoming a mom in general has made me a bit of a softy.  Ryan caught me tearing up a couple nights ago while we were watching a crime thriller (where a mother was killed by a serial killer) and he asked what was wrong.  I said "nothing, it's just sad."  He just shook his head and chalked it up to hormones.  Perhaps.  :)  But as for real baby blues, they haven't arrived, and I hope they don't!  Only time will tell, in particular as my maternity leave dwindles down, whether the post-partum depression returns.  My OB said for about 1/3 of her patients, they don't experience it the second time around.  I am desperately hoping that I fall into that 1/3 camp.  But, like with nursing, if I struggle again, I will seek out help much sooner this time around.

Happy Fourth of July

Carrying the tradition forward, Henry and Daddy headed to the beach for the holiday. Henry and Daddy had a grand time digging in the sand and building sand castles.

 Henry and Daddy visited Great Uncle Mike's property while at the beach and Henry got to ride the lawn mower.

 Daddy and Henry working on a new Lego set.  Besides his obsession with vehicles, Legos come in a close second for his favorite toy.

 Meanwhile, Mommy and Russ tried to get some rest back at home.

 He indeed is a little fire cracker!  He is calm as can be one minute and erupts into high pitched wails the next.  This boy came equipped with some pipes!

Sweet baby boy, just chillin.

He's Here!!!

Russell Ryan arrived at 1pm on Saturday, June 28th.  He weighed 7lbs 8.5oz and measured 19.5 inches long.  Ryan and I went arrived at the hospital just before 7:30 in the morning for my scheduled induction.  I filled out the requisite paperwork, changed into my hospital gown, and they began administering antibiotics at 8:30.  At about 9:30, the induction began with some Pitocin.  When I arrived I was having contractions every 2-5 minutes, but wasn't feeling any pain (I had been experiencing painless contractions for weeks leading up to delivery day).  With the Pitocin, my contractions started to become more regular but they still didn't hurt.  At 11, my doc arrived and broke my water and I requested an epidural (because I figured there was no reason to be in a lot of pain unnecessarily).  That is when things started to get real and the contractions became painful.  The epidural was inserted and I became hopeful that the discomfort would subside.  But, the contractions continued to become more intense by the minute.  I told the nurse I wasn't feeling any relief.  They began working on a second epidural.  The contractions were almost continuous at this point, and still no pain relief.  They tried administering some additional narcotics, yet still no relief.  I began to feel an intense urge to push, or rather, I should say, my body just began to push.  I heard them page my doc who had stepped out to check on some other patients.  She came running in as they asked me to lay down.  Three pushes later and Russell made his grand entrance!  This was by far and away the most intense experience of my life.  I am thankful that labor and delivery happened so quickly since I had to suck it up without pain medication (that worked).  I find the yellow tag (epidural catheter) in this picture a bit ironic.

 Baby Russell resting after his first bath. 

 Daddy and Russell taking few minutes to bond.

 Mommy and Russell taking a breather after the morning events.

 Proud parents.  Love at first sight.

Henry loves his baby brother.  He was so sweet and gentle when they met for the first time.  I am very proud Mama.

 Sweet baby boy.

 Hmm...not sure he likes this whole awake thing yet.

Home sweet home.  We thankfully only had to stay in this hospital one night before being released.