Routine

Well, I think we finally have the gas issue resolved. He's burping more. And, I think he's feeling better from his cold.

Now, the other hurdle. OK, maybe the EASY plan is not working out like I thought it would. At first I was all into getting him to sleep through the night by like 2 months. I don't think that's going to work. I'm starting to become more flexible. It seems pretty unrealistic. I've got to quit reading all these books and just start using my own plan. Right now I'm now more concerned with just getting him to nap more in the day so he won't be fussy early morning and late afternoon/early evening. And, trying to get him to fall asleep in his crib during the day. He can only do this when he's REALLY tired. The only thing consistant has been that he's been taking one nap late morning and one nap early afternoon. That's it. I know he needs more sleep. He starts to yawn, but then fights it. Then gets really fussy. I've tried to wind him down and have him awake in his crib, but he struggles and cries. I think I've been not winding him down long enough. Now I have to decipher how long to wind him down before putting him in the crib without him going wide awake. Too long, he's asleep in my arms. Too early, he cries. I think I'm going to have to go with the asleep in arms and slowly try to wean him off. since i'm just trying this experiment today, so far 10 minutes seems to be the magic number. Hopefully I will be able to taper this off and it will get him to soothe himself in his crib.

My 6 Week Appt

Before I start, here's a picture of me 3 weeks after having Wes.


I went to the Dr's yesterday for my 6 week appointment. Got weighed. I'm now at my Pre-Pregnancy weight! Yea! Hopefully I'll lose more than my pre-pregnancy weight! One can only hope!

Wes' First Cold

Poor Wesley! He got his first cold the night before. On Monday night we was fussy going to bed after his bath (which is unusual). Then in his Cradle, he was sounding all congested. Sounded like he was having a hard time breathing. So, there I am, laying in bed listening to him all night. I couldn't sleep. I was so worried. So finally at 6:30am yesterday I call the Advice Nurse. Since he is only 5 weeks and it being the first time where I wasn't too sure about the questions she was asking; I had to get Jay up and drive us to the Emergency (they want someone else to drive so you can observe the baby). So, Jay took off work that day. We get to the ER, no one there when we got there, but it took us about 30 minutes to be seen! It's hard waiting in the ER if it is for you, but with your own child, it's agonizing! I still don't understand the long wait when you're going to the EMERGENCY. They finally brought us in. We get an RN and a trainee! Great! Everytime I go to the hospital with Wes, we get a Trainee. So, of course it takes a little while longer with the trainee. They weren't prepared ahead of time to take his vitals. Basically, he didn't have a fever (good)and his congestion wasn't life threatening. They then send us over to the clinic for a Dr. check up. Jay had to walk with the baby carrier across the street and to the next building where we had to wait again for the Dr. (15 mins) The Dr sees him says he's mildly congested, to give him saline drops for his nose, elevate his head, and to use a humidifier and it should be gone in 2-3 days. That's it?!? I feel like I should be given some medicine to help him feel better. Also, 2-3 days seems so short. What about a cough afterwards? What do I do then? Is he also going to get an ear infection after this? sigh..thoughts of a worried first time mommy.

Oh forgot to tell the good news..they weighed him and he's now 8 lbs 9 oz!

EASY

I've been trying to follow the E.A.S.Y plan by the Baby Whisperer. So far, I think things are going pretty good. EASY stands for Eat, Activity, Sleep, and You. After the baby eats, you do Activity time, then you put him to sleep, which then gives you time for yourself. Now that I'm starting to get adjusted to caring for a baby, I recently started implementing this routine. We're still having a few bumps in the road, such as Wes not staying down for a nap or two due to Gas. But, overall, I'm suprised it is working out better than how things were before. It does, however, take a bit of time trying to get him to sleep (approx 20 minutes), but once he is, he is usually down for an hour or two. And, it does not seem to affect his evening sleep patterns (as long as you don't let them sleep longer than 2 hours per daytime nap) Before, from time to time, he was fussy and we couldn't figure out why..now I know he was overstimulated. I think also his feeding has gotten better since he's been taking more naps. Hopefully if we can keep up with it, we won't have to worry about rocking or walking him to get him to sleep later on.

One Month Old

Wow! I can't believe he's one month old today - and in his 5th week! I think he's getting heavier. My left wrist has pretty much gone out and my right one is starting to hurt too. I've also notice his arms are getting chubbier..the crease lines are starting to come in (juicy!). It took a while, but I'm really starting to bond with him. I think after the trauma of birth, lack of sleep, shock that you have a newborn, learning to breastfeed and care for him; it takes a while to have a breather and really marvel at your child. He's gaining more control over his head each day. I can't wait until this happens. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out and catch where his head is going next..it's like a moving target! Whoa! Whoa! He also seems to be going bald on top. His curl by his forehead is disappearing. He was having Cradle Cap, so as we were brushing his head, all this flaky skin came off (and I think his hair too)! Yikes! (I know, TMI) Hopefully he'll get his curl back soon (since now it looks like, as Jay says, a baby mullet)

The Nights just might be getting better

I hope this statement is true! I think I might be finally getting in the swing of things on night time feedings. Wes seems to be feeding every 2.5 to 3 hours (meaning I'm getting maybe 2 to 2.5 hours of sleep). This has been going on for 3 nights now. Generally I think I'm better able to function during the day with maybe a small catnap. I don't seem to be feeling that nausea feeling anymore. I almost feel like my normal self again.

Jay went back to work again today. He's currently working Mon-Wed, with Thurs and Fri off. This week will be my first "full" week without anyone til Thursday. Last week, I only had Wednesday to myself. So, we'll see how this goes with just me and him all day for 3 days. I sound so spoiled..I was :) It's been nice to be able to get about an hour to yourself while someone else takes care of the baby. Course at the same time, when you're breastfeeding every 1.5 to 2 hours, it takes up a lot in your day. It almost seems to go pretty fast..next thing I know, it's almost 5 pm. Who knows, today I might even be adventurous and try to take Rudy and the Baby for a walk today (very challenging) since it's finally sunny again.

Toot! Toot!

Does our son have gas! Poor thing. When we can't console him and he's squirming and crying like crazy, we know it's probably gas. Sure enough, minutes (which seems like hours) later, a sonic blast hits the diaper. Never sure what you're going to find when you open up that diaper. Sometimes there's a prize and other times you are amazed there's nothing there. Besides the lack of sleep (getting up every hour and half to feed him), dealing with the gas is just as bad. You have to tune out his cries and let it pass through him. Also, how does this kid pee himself on his back? I can't understand it. This is awful too when you have to take off all his wet clothes and redress him. Both he and I don't like that. Especially last night at 11:30pm AND 1:30pm. People tell you having a baby is hard. But, you don't know what they mean til you actually experience it.

I never knew how tiring and time consuming breastfeeding is. They eat about every 2 hours; meaning that say he eats at 1pm, he's on the breast for 20-30 minutes, then he's hungry again at 3pm. So, you really only have an hour and half til he feeds again. Days I seem to be OK with. It's the nights that are hard. I'm still trying to figure out if it's better to breastfeed or bottle feed the breast milk, then pump. Which one will let me get the most sleep? 'Course the the pro-breastfeeders would poo-poo the bottle. But, I'll keep experimenting and keep you posted.

Chinese Name

Wes now has a Chinese Name. Uncle Harry gave him the name Wai-Lei. Means "Stronger Fighter". So, his official name is Hann Wai-Lei.

I also forgot to mention what happened when Wesley was born. Jenny and Emma were there at the hospital. Emma looks at him wrapped up in a blanket and wearing a beanie cap. She then asks, "Why is he wearing a Doo-Rag?" We couldn't believe she knew that word!

1st Dr.'s Appointment for Wes

We had our 1st real Dr's appointment today. Today, Wesley is about 2 1/2 weeks old. He's now 7 lbs. 1 oz and 19 1/2 inches long! He was born 6 lbs 7 oz, lost 7 oz when he went for his 2 day check up and now gained a 1 lb. I didn't know he could grow an inch and half in 2 weeks! Everything with the Dr. went find. She gave him a clean bill of health. With his measurements and weight, she did say he was in the 10 percentile (I know.. I'm actually admitting this..you want to brag your kid is the 90 percentile), but she wasn't concerned since he started small and said this could change. I'm just glad he gained back his birth weight and more. I've been so concerned about him getting enough to eat on just my breast milk.

Wanda has been here and will be leaving on the 12th. She's been a big help with the night feedings. It's given me some time to sleep (although I still have to get up to pump). It will be hard once she is gone. My mom also stayed a week right after the baby was born. She was also a big help with the meals, housework, and helping with the baby. It's been really great to have both of their help. Jay and I have really appreciated the extra support.

Even with the lack of sleep, frustrations with breast feeding, and sometimes a fussy baby; I really can't complain. We have a good baby. When he cries, it's usually he's hungry, wet himself, or wants to cuddle. When he has his angry cries, I'm realizing now it's just gas. We can also put him down in his bassinet for a little while. He takes naps and he seems to know the difference between night and day. Overall, so far (cross my fingers) he seems pretty mellow.