Patrick stuff....and other tidbits

Okay - so I think Patrick might be a Dawson. He definitely looks more Dawson...as much as a 1 month old baby can look like something or someone. Also, I pumped off some milk the other day and got 5oz off one breast. This is 3 full oz more than I ever got when I pumped with Nattie, at any point in her infancy. So, it appears he knows how to eat. Additionally, he appears to be an over eater. He never says no if there is more milk to be had. He'll simply gulp it down and puke it back up. This behavior is definitely anti-Webster...remember Nattie who will put half a cookie in the fridge because she's full.

Lastly ...his growth percentiles were actually INCREASING at his last Pedi visit.

And a couple of firsts! Last night he slept for 5 hours in between feedings. And today he took his first bottle. I consider both things to be 100% success.

In light of Patrick's awful screaming (reflux) I decided that I needed Nattie to go back to daycare full time this Monday. I am absolutely conflicted over this because I feel like I'm throwing away a wonderful opportunity to spend more time with her. But, I just can't hack 20 hours a day of solo parenting a shrieking refluxer with a very busy 3yo running around. I need to recognize this limitation and work toward quality instead of quantity with Nattie I guess.

Abigail was here for 3 days last week and I had the most fantastic time with her. It was great for her to come visit. Her help was so appreciated and Nattie just loved her! I was very sorry to see her go but am hopeful that I'll be able to go visit her before too much longer.

Big thanks to Jame for his overnight help this weekend. I was starting to lose my cool after no sleep for a solid month. This weekend he took Patrick out of the bedroom and slept downstairs with him. Before he brought him to me to eat he changed his diapers and only asked me to bring him back when finished nursing. It was so much easier for me to fall back to sleep afterward and I slept really well since I wasn't listening to the pukes, squeaks, gags, snores and grunts of a noisy baby. I feel human after 2 nights of this. Okay...so he's going back to work tomorrow night but what a gift. I really REALLY needed this!

And Big thanks to Nattie for watching a movie from start to finish 2 days this weekend while I napped. This is a very new development. While I should regret her newfound attention span for tv I just can't. Those catnaps were fantastic!

1 month old!

Yesterday was P's 1 month milestone. So far the road has been rocky but a wise friend once told me that 6w is a turning point & it was true for Nattie so I'm holding on to that with both hands!

What do a cold, nasty acid reflux, sleepless scream filled nights, male pattern baldness, maintenance prescription meds & terrible infant acne have in common? Poor P has experienced them all in 30 short days. I think he's due for a break!

Oh... I do believe we've got a mini Dawson too. More to come :)

3 year well visit

Nattie had her well visit this morning. She did okay except for the scale/height measurement. I wound up having to be weighed while I held her and then alone...and by the time we came to that realization there was a line of nurses and kids behind me. So, with a full audience I put my 3w post partum self on the scale twice. sigh....

Anyway, Miss Nattie is 27.5lbs and 36" tall. She's very healthy and had a nice conversation w/ our pedi about her new big sister self and also the pedi's daughter who took Nattie's place in the toddler room at daycare. Kind of a fun coincidence that the kiddo's know eachother :)

From my perspective I'm absolutely thrilled that Nattie managed to gain 2lbs in the last year (even if I did stuff her w/ cupcakes over the weekend and 2 pieces of banana bread this morning)! I know she's healthy but with all those ribs so visible it makes me nervous that someone will question whether or not we're feeding her...or trying to since she seems content to live on air.

First conversation with Nattie this morning....

Me: Good Morning, did you sleep well?
Nattie: Yes, Patrick didn't wake me up.
Me: No, he's sleeping right now.
Nattie: Why?
Me:He's not feeling very well.
Nattie: Why?
Me: I think Patrick caught your cold.
Nattie: Patrick has HIS OWN cold!

lots and lots of PICTURES :)

In chronological order...
big shoes :)

First bath...not a fan



so relaxed :)

birthday girl!

very excited for her party...

and loving on Patrick.

baby feet :)

very excited for cupcakes!

New bike!

Already a pro!

On a sign today....

I'm not much for church or organized religion...but I saw the following on a sign in front of a church this morning on my way to drop Nattie at daycare and it helped. I'm in a tough place mentally right now and a little perspective was just what the doctor ordered...

"If you pause to think you'll find time to thank."

So, I am going to focus on some of the things I have to be thankful for right now rather than the things that are driving me a bit crazy.

-I have 2 beautiful, healthy children.
-I have a wonderful husband
-I have a good, fulfilling job
-its 70* and perfect blue sky today
-I am healthy
-I have great friends
-I had a long, hot shower this morning while Nattie colored and Patrick slept

Now, I'm going to eat some lunch and keep my date w/ the hammock while Patrick naps.

And if I have the energy this afternoon I will upload pics from this weekend :)

Happy Birthday Natalie Marin!

I can't believe she's 3!

3 years ago, right now, I had a tiny(ish) brand new baby who was 6 hours old. Today I have a mini-James with a spicy personality who figured out how to ride her bike in 30 seconds flat this morning. Where has the time gone?

Yesterday we had a birthday party here at the house with a few friends and it turned out great. It was 85, sunny and very humid so the kids all splashed in the pool and ran thru Nattie's brand new water toy (the name, which is clever, escapes me right now). There were cupcakes and ice cream and all the gifts were opened in about 2 minutes by all 4 kids since Nattie let them all share in the experience. Patrick was awake and grouchy thru most of the party but slept soundly thru the mayhem of gift opening.

Today we saved the last gift for her actual birthday and she opened up her bike around 7am. Poor kiddo has a rotten cold but it didn't slow her down much. She's been riding laps around the house all day. We'd have let her outside but its been raining.

pictures and a video to come....

Balls!

Let me just say that I think male genitals could use a redesign. Okay, so maybe the balls are useful but they are just in the way. Poo get trapped under them and around the sides and its driving me freakin' nuts. Pun intended.

Changes and updates

Jame went back to work last night. I have to say I was truly nervous about this. While I was looking forward to getting into a more permanent schedule I was so scared about having to take on ALL of the mid-night duties. Thankfully Patrick slept really well and so did Nattie :) Around 5:50 Nattie woke up when Patrick started fussing but I think it was a total success regardless. I am still really struggling with how to get us all ready & out the door by when we need to be but I suppose that 10 more weeks of practice should get us most of the way there.

At some point between the 3:30am feeding and the 6am diaper change Patrick lost his belly button stump. So, I guess there goes the last evidence that we were connected just 2 weeks ago. His new, stumpless button is very cute and Nattie was extremely excited to show Daddy when he got home from work.

I have been running all day trying to get errands done and plans in place for Nattie's birthday party this weekend. I think it will be a very low key affair but I still want it to be very special for my amazing girl so I've been busy remembering things and making lists. And speaking of running...Patrick & I are off to return my overdue library books and pick up Miss N from preschool.

Lost weeks!

I have let this get away from me and now can't decide how to proceed with a coherent update. So, I guess I'll start w/ Patrick's birth and finish with a funny story from today....and try to remember a few of the details in between.

Birth story...
I started to labor right around 8am on 4/28. My contractions were about every 2-3 minutes but not too strong and I knew things weren't progressing so around lunch I started asking about having my water broken. That did the trick! within a half hour I was in some serious pain and knew things were going somewhere. I asked for the magical, glorious epidural and was happily pain free about a half hour later. Around 3:30pm Patrick's heart beat slowed down a little bit and my contractions were getting sporadic so they decided to check things out and maybe attach a monitor to his head rather than the outside of my belly. Well, surprise (!) I was 10cm and ready to push. So, they got the room ready, found my OB and I asked to have the epi turned off. I was so numb I couldn't tell when I was contracting and was concerned I wouldn't be able to push. Just before 4 we decided to start pushing even though I still couldn't feel a damn thing. About 25 minutes and 4 contractions later Patrick entered the world. He came so fast that the pain meds never wore off so it was a completely pain free entrance. I am eternally grateful to the wonderful anesthesiologist!! I am also very thankful that I figured out how to push w/ Nattie or we might have been there for longer.

Patrick came out screaming his head off and was placed directly onto my chest. He was already trying to lift his head up and began nursing immediately. He's obviously a superior child :)

Our time in the hospital was fine, not restful at all due to all the activity, and I was glad both for the recovery time and that I only needed to stay 2 days!

Our first few days at home were a little tricky. Nattie was figuring out new definitions of gentle and what she could & couldn't help with. Patrick had his days & nights backward and was eating every 2 hours and not sleeping afterward...except, of course, during the day. I was pretty wrecked and am so thankful that Jame was home with me. On 5/1 we took Patrick for his first pedi visit and discovered he had lost "too much" weight so we had to take him back 2 days later for a recheck. At that visit his weight was going back up nicely but he hadn't pooped for 4 days (very weird for a breast fed baby) so we took him back again the following day for his first rectal exam and further confirmation that he's a marvel. Both a total pig and apparently a superior digester. He gained 3oz overnight....and apparently was so efficient at digesting his food that he created no waste. Interesting on both counts. we have 1 kid that exists on air alone and has gained almost no weight in 2 years....and another who eats constantly and is quite excellent at gaining weight while creating no by products. He has since become very 'regular' and we're enjoying dirty diapers about every 2 hours or so. A good lesson in 'be careful what you wish for'.

I went thru a bout of the baby blues for a few days but the weather has turned and I'm feeling better about things. Nattie is doing absolutely great. Patrick has straightened out his days & nights and has spaced out his eating a bit so Momma is getting 2 hour sleep stretches. Jame goes back to work tomorrow which I'm sure will throw a major wrench into all of this. We will survive.

Mother's day has been very nice. Nattie picked out flowers from her & Patrick as well as her card to me. Well done on both counts! Jame got me a really lovely card and of course I cried. The weather could not have been nicer. 77 & brilliant blue sky!

This afternoon I mentioned to Jame that I was surprised he hadn't suggested going to hit golf balls. Nattie piped up and said "Daddy, again?!?!". Friends of ours call this type of thing the "future wife in training" and I think its hilarious.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton of stuff right now but I haven't slept for 2 stupid weeks so I guess that is to be expected. More to come including pictures!