Two Months - 3/18/12

3.18.12

Weight: 13 pounds, 8 ounces 

Length:  22 1/2 inches

Size: Newborn and 0-3 Months

Hudson sure was busy during his second month! Even though he had a case of baby acne, I managed to document most of his activities; ) This month, Hudson...

Met Great-uncle Paul...

Did some more snoozin'...

Started loving his pacifier - especially Clifford ("Cliff") his WubbaNub that looks like Clifford the big red dog...

Yawned...

Became more alert...

  

Screamed... 

Held his head up...

 

Borrowed a hoodie from his future cousin...

Had caffeine for the first time (aka my first diet coke since May!)...

 Got another sweet dinosaur outfit...

 Did some swinging...

Grew some more rolls...

Blew some more kisses... 

Took some naps with Daddy...

Played in his gym...

Went on some more walks...

Snuggled with Aunt Claire...

Met Great-grandma Carol...

Got sniffed by Callie...

Had some baby acne...

: (

NOT PICTURED

: (

Took some baths...

Read some books (like Pappi's favorite, Mr. Pine's Mixed Up Signs!)...

Had a fun day with Claire and Cookie...

Visited Allen Fieldhouse for the first time...

Prepared for March Madness...

Met Matt...

Had a photo shoot with Mama...

Hung out with family...

Celebrated St. Patrick's Day...

 

Challenges 

- starting a routine: We started a routine this month, and Hudson wasn't always too excited about it! We decided to get ready for bed around 8pm. I try to nurse him if it has been a while since he ate, change his diaper, put on his pajamas, and read a book or two (or three or four...). Sometimes we put some lotion on him, too. On Mondays and Thursdays, we start his routine with a bath. We did a good job sticking with the routine, but there were some nights that it would be after 10pm before Hudson would stop crying and fall asleep!

- baby acne: Around his fifth week, Hudson developed quite the case of baby acne: ( He had just a little bit for a day or two, and then it was ALL OVER his face, head, and neck. He even had a little bit on his chest and shoulders! After a few days, it became more like a rash, and then it dried up and went away almost over night! He had it for about two weeks total.

- spending time with Callie: Callie felt quite neglected this month: (

Successes

- gaining weight: After struggling to breastfeed and gain weight, Hudson really started packing on the pounds! I took him to a breastfeeding support group at the hospital every week, and one week he gained an average of 2.5 ounces/day!

- exercise: I really started to exercise this month! I got in some running/walking with Natalie, and I also went to several BodyPump classes. Nick's parents watched Hudson so that I could go to the classes during the day! (Thank you, Butch and Judy!)

- bath time: Hudson likes taking baths! He even likes having water poured over his head: ) He seems to fall asleep a little bit quicker on bath nights, too.

Fun Stuff

- Jenny and Ryan were in town for several days during Ryan's spring break! We hung out with them several times, and that meant that we got to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Adams, too!

- I took Hudson by LFS to meet my former colleagues and to hang out with Mom. Everyone LOVED him: )

- We had an impromptu evening at Paul and Anne's. Paul made awesome jambalaya, and we watched some basketball.

- Nick had a break from school, so we had more time together as a family! Last month was a busy one for Nick, so it was nice that he had some more time to spend with us!
- Hudson and I spent a lot of time with Claire! She wasn't working on Mondays and Thursdays, so we had lunch with her, went on some walks, etc. We love Auntie Claire; )

- Mom stopped by several times after work. Since she only works a few minutes from here and since we live close to Brandon Woods, it was easy for her to come say hello from time to time!

Must-haves

- WubbaNub: We received the "classic red dog" WubbaNub at a shower, and Hudson loves him! He can't put him in his mouth by himself, but I think he will be able to eventually. He likes to suck on him before he falls asleep - either for naps or for the night. He even has a special yell that means he wants his Cliff!

- Garanimals thermal blankets: We actually used these more last month, but I forgot to post them! They stretch a little bit, and it makes it easier to wrap up the baby!

exercise DVD: I used a giftcard to purchase Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred. The workouts are only 20 minutes long, but they're hard. I enjoyed doing them while Hudson napped in the swing. If I didn't have a chance to walk as well, I still felt like I had accomplished quite a bit!

- activity mat: As Hudson became more alert, we decided it was time for an activity mat. I bought his from Craigslist for $10! I love watching him bat at the toys. He seems so proud of himself!

- Snap N Go stroller - Paul and Anne graciously offered to let us borrow theirs, and it is awesome!!

Milestones
- gurgled and cooed
- followed objects across the room
- noticed his hands
- continued to hold his head up and was pretty steady while doing it!
- started smiling (around 8 weeks)
- made smoother movements
- put weight on his legs
- lifted head and shoulders when lying on his tummy
- batted at colorful objects
- responded to our voices

Working Mom

I can almost say that I survived my first business trip after Hudson's arrival! I'm preparing to board my flight back to KC from Chicago.

As a new nursing mom, I was more worried about being away from Hudson and pumping in unfamiliar places than I was about giving my presentation (which went well BTW!).

I managed to pump at the airport this morning and twice at the convention center this afternoon, and I had no problems bringing milk on the plane! Mission accomplished - almost! To reward myself for actually making the trip, figuring out where to pump, taking my first taxi alone, and giving a presentation about something that is NOT my specialty, I did what every new mom who has 5-7 more pounds to lose would do: I indulged in an ice cream cone; )

I'm hoping Hudson will be hungry tonight because he will be sleeping - I hope, for Nick's sake - when I get home. I missed the little guy, but he was in good hands with Auntie Claire. She even sent me some photos!

Thank goodness for smartphones -Nick has sent me some, too; )

Can't wait to hold him myself - even though he appears to be just fine as long as he has his BFF, Moo Moo; )

Pics (which I can't seem to embed while using the Blogger app):
Me and my ice cream
Hudson and Moo Moo (from Claire)
Hudson and Aaron (from Claire)
Hudson and Moo Moo (from Nick)

PS: Working has caused me to be too busy to post months two and three, but I promise they're coming soon!!

Breastfeeding: Our First Challenge

We look like we're having a good time, right?

Just seconds before I took these pictures, I had tears streaming down my face as I tried to  convince Hudson to nurse. Even though I felt like I'd been up for days, I decided to embrace our time together (especially in the middle of the night) and to try to stay positive even during challenging moments (especially in the middle of the night).

I am sure that raising a child will have a number of challenges along the way, and our first challenge was breastfeeding! I'm happy to say that - at least for now - we conquered the challenge!

***

Long Story Short...

(I wrote a TON about this, so don't feel like you need to read the whole thing; ) I tried to be detailed in case I want to refer to this later for myself or for a friend!)

Breastfeeding was NOT easy for us at first! It took several weeks before Hudson was nursing consistently. We were able to overcome our challenge by: asking questions, getting help from lactation consultants, being patient, reading on www.kellymom.com, and visiting with other moms. I was ready to give up when he was two weeks old, but I stuck with it! Now he is an "efficient eater" and can nurse in 7 minutes! 

***

Our BF Story

I took a class at the hospital about breastfeeding before Hudson was born. The class was informative, and the teacher was GREAT! In addition to talking about some of the benefits of breastfeeding (some info: 1, 2, 3), she shared information about the importance of having a successful latch, and she told us how to know if the baby is getting enough milk. She did not make breastfeeding sound easy, but she had a positive attitude and shared a number of resources in case we had any difficulties. What she obviously could not tell us was whether or not we would face any of these difficulties!

In the hospital, the nursery nurses helped me with breastfeeding within an hour of Hudson's birth. At first, I thought we were doing well. I was incredibly patient (which is NOT one of my innate characteristics!), and at times he seemed to be getting the hang of things. As our time in the hospital went on, I did become a little worried. When we were having success, I was holding the baby, Nick was holding the baby's hands out of the way, and a nurse or lactation consultant was shoving my breast in the baby's mouth. It occurred to me that I wouldn't have six hands when we returned home!

As instructed by friends, I asked a lot of questions, and I frequently called the nurses for help. The nurses were great! They came at all hours of the day and night to try to get Hudson to nurse. They offered tips and suggestions, and they were extremely patient with my questions and concerns. Before we left the hospital, a lactation consultant met with us, and she gave us additional advice and resources. She also suggested that we call if we had any questions or concerns (foreshadowing!).

When we left the hospital, our discharge nurse suggested that we feed Hudson with a medicine cup if he had trouble nursing when we got home. Thank goodness she gave us this advice! 

When we arrived home, Hudson nursed ONCE before refusing to nurse for the rest of the night. As I mentioned, our first night was tough. Hudson would not nurse, so we were feeding him from a medicine cup. He would root as though he were looking for a nipple, and that made holding the medicine cup without spilling it quite difficult. We wished we would have had a Medela SoftCup Advanced Cup Feeder or something similar!

He would scream SO SO SO loud, and he would turn bright red. He was SO SO SO frustrated, and we didn't know what to do. As Nick tried to feed him a little bit of formula, I tried to figure out the breast pump (Note to others: I'd suggest opening the breast pump before you go to the hospital! There are parts to boil and instructions to read. It is NOT fun to have to figure it all out when the baby is screaming and you haven't had much sleep in days!). Luckily, I quickly figured out the pump, and we gave him less than an ounce of formula in all! Hudson cried so much and so loud that first night at home that his voice was hoarse the next day: ( 

I called the hospital the next day, and I spoke with a very reassuring lactation consultant. I cried as I told her what was going on, but she told me everything was normal and gave me some useful tips. She told me to call back if our troubles continued!

We visited the doctor twice that week, and Hudson's weight had dropped both times even though I thought he was nursing a little bit better. His lowest weight was 6 pounds, 9 ounces - almost a pound less than his birth weight: ( My doctor suggested that we visit a lactation consultant at the hospital and told us to make sure to offer bottles.

At this point, our nursing routine was exhausting! I would pump a little, try to get Hudson to latch, feed him a bottle I had pumped earlier, pump, change his diaper, and clean up the pump. It took me over an hour every time I nursed, and I was nursing every two hours! That means that about 45 minutes after I finished cleaning up it was time to start the process over again! 

I went to the hospital twice (when Hudson was 11 days old and 15 days old) to work with lactation consultants. They were SO SO SO helpful! In front of them, Hudson showed off, and it looked like we were pros! It gave me some hope, and the consultants had more tips and tricks! One tip they gave me was to put a rolled up blanket under the baby's head. This simple trick made such a difference for us! Since I'm tall, I think my boppy is too low. Putting a blanket under his head made it easier for him to reach and for both us to get comfortable!

I also went to the breastfeeding support group at the hospital. I could weigh him for free, talk to lactation consultants, and commiserate with other moms. Hudson's weight began to shoot up, and the nurses reassured me that he was gaining plenty of weight! In fact, at one appointment, he had gained about 2.5 ounces/day since the week before!

In between all of the expert advice, I spent a lot of time reading on www.kellymom.com.  The information made me feel like our troubles were normal, and I began to feel like I was learning a lot.

Although it took several weeks, eventually I stopped preparing bottles for Hudson because I was confident he would nurse. As many of the experts told us, as he grew and became stronger, nursing became easier for us! I'm glad that I stuck with it, and I'm grateful for all of the support and encouragement I had along the way! I'm glad I took the breastfeeding class before he was born so that I knew what to do when our challenges began.

We're pretty much nursing experts now! Hudson still nurses about every two hours, and he usually only nurses on one side at a time. It is crazy to think that just two and half months ago I almost gave up, and now I can even nurse in public while walking down the stairs (True story! I nursed him while Lisa tried on her wedding dress, and we were still nursing when it was time to leave!). While nursing isn't for everyone, I'm glad that I was able to access the resources to make it work for us!

Baby's First Word!!

I know, I know. "Goo" doesn't really count as a first word; HOWEVER, "goo" can be used in many phrases in place of "you" as Nick and I try to elicit a "goo" and/or a smile. For instance...

"I love goo!"

"What are goo doing?"

"Where are goo going?"

"Do goo want Mama to change your diaper?"

and...

"Rock Chalk Jayhawk, go K-Goo!"

Ha!

Saturdays are a changin'!

Today I was thinking about the four blog posts that I have started writing - and unsuccessfully finished. They're saved as drafts, so surely I'll have time to finish them soon...right? I thought that maybe today would be the day! Instead, I was reminded of how my Saturdays have changed since I became a mom. I did make it to the gym to start the day, but the rest of the day of the day was quite different from Saturdays of the past! I was focused on the baby-related tasks and household tasks that needed to be done - in addition to the usual routine of nursing, changing diapers, and trying to make the baby smile.

I did some couponing - which took a little bit too much time because our printer wasn't working! - and bought all of these diapers (and a pair of socks!) for $32 ($.12/diaper)...

(A blog that I follow mentioned a $10 off of $25 coupon for diapers at Dollar General! I went once in the morning and scored 120 diapers (+ 1 pair of socks to hit $25) for $15 ($.125 per diaper). I went to a different DG store in the afternoon and did even better - 144 diapers for $17 ($.118 per diaper). Going to two stores took up quite a bit of the day!)

I also spent close to two hours in the kitchen - and I'm still not done! I took the clean bottles out of the dishwasher and set them out to dry...

Organized my pumped milk into freezer bags (/made a huge mess with the dirty bottles before starting another load of bottles in the dishwasher!)...

Took all of the freezer bags of milk out of the freezer, organized them by date, put them in groups of eight, put the groups of eight into grocery bags, and marked the grocery bags with dates and the number of ounces in the bag...

Phew. Once I was done organizing, it was time to take the milk to Nick's parents' house to store and to drop off Nick at a bar to watch the KU game. (Hudson and I then made my second trip to Dollar General before heading to Walmart./0


While inside Dollar General, my sweet little sprinkler guy made a LOUD diaper explosion that made a little girl chuckle in the aisle next to us! I knew I would have to change his diaper before our trip to Walmart. I've changed a diaper in a car before - no big deal. As we drove to Walmart, he began to do his hunger cry, and I realized that I was going to have to feed him in the car for the first time! I parked on the edge of the Walmart parking lot, and I nursed him successfully. Then, I learned a lesson while changing my second diaper in a car: Don't change the baby in the front seat. The seat naturally tilts back, so as I was cleaning his tush I realized that his face was turning red as the blood rushed to his head. Whoops! All moms make mistakes, right? ; ) I quickly lifted up his head and somehow managed to strap on his diaper at the same time. Did I mention that I was wearing a skirt that was blowing up in the wind! I'm sure this was not a pretty sight! Finally, we did our grocery shopping in Walmart! Sheesh - what a long outing!


After Walmart, Mom came over to watch the KU game with us! Somehow KU managed to pull out a win! Had this happened a year ago, I'd be downtown with Nick enjoying this view:

This year, I'm at home enjoying this view (and wouldn't have it any other way!):

I should be asleep, but I'm still stunned from the win. I figure that Hudson will wake up soon to eat, so I might as well write a post. Maybe I'll finish one of the other four posts tomorrow...or maybe not; )