Michael is one month old! Happy day he is one month! To be honest he looks and feels like he's a good two months. But thankfully he is not and we can continue to soak in the newborn noises and snuggles before he changes too much.
Mikey is a noisy kid! The nicknames squeaky and rooster apply to this trait. When he nurses he hums, squeaks and swallows so loudly that everyone in the room (or movie theater) are well aware that I have plenty of milk for him. I guess all my kids were like this, my friend has reminded me. And we still all hum and sing and whistle to ourselves around the house - so I guess it's just a happy Hillstead thing.
Mikey enjoys a shower and bath. He is so funny when I wash his head, his eyes roll back and his head flops to the side as if to say, "Aaaaahhh." He tends to spit up some when he's laying flat on his back so I do bathe him often to clean that chubby neck roll and hair. There is nothing like a fresh clean baby lotioned up and snuggle wrapped. It is one of my favorite things these days. And showering with his newborn little body? So dang cute!
Mikey prefers to be held, as we all do. But when he cannot be he is content in the swing on vibrate, sleeping on the couch or bed, or in the carseat next to the running washer or dryer. That is my go-to when I really need to get something done. The rhythm and sound of the machines knock him right out. He sleeps and eats around the clock the same day and night. He is on a two-hour feeding schedule. He nurses awesomely for about 15-20 mins at a time and burps like a champ.
Mikey still has not ever cried a big wail of a cry. Even when he was born he cried out a few good times but then hushed up. At home he works himself up slowly with grunts and pouts and big deep breaths but isn't apt to let it fly. I'm hoping its a sign of his temperament.
Mikey is strong and big! He likes to be in the snuggly and holds his own head up like a bobble head! I weighed him yesterday and I think he is 11.5lbs! He blew through newborn diapers in 4 days, I had to give them to a friend. And he's now leaking out of size one so I am going to buy twos this week! He is filling out 0-3 month clothes and will be ready for 3-6 months soon. He is a pudgy, soft, content little guy. And also my workout buddy - since nursing is my weight-loss plan at this point! :) Fat goes from me to him…
What else? Mikey loves going on walks, drives in the car. He loves being burrito-wrapped. He is good with a binki once he starts sucking it but doesn't initially want it. He is sleeping in our bedroom, sometimes in his bed and most-times in ours at this point. He loves his daddy to wrap a warm arm around him to help him go back to sleep. And sleeps best on his tummy on my chest.
To think that we've only had this little boy in our lives for 30 days is incredible. He has changed our family so quickly and added so much to it that its hard to remember life before him. We love little Mikey!!
*
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Kindness
There was a nurse in the postpartum area of the hospital after having Mikey who I keep thinking about. She was a little rough around the edges and stood out from the others because of it. On my first morning she came into our room around 11am and seemed surprised, "You're still here?" I replied, "Yeah - I didn't have the baby until 11:30 last night" and she said, "Oh, I know. I just thought you'd have left by now because you're doing so well."
I sort-of chuckled and said, "Nope. I'm going to enjoy this quiet time with the new baby today. There are a lot of excited kids at home waiting for us and grandma's got them handled just fine while we're here."
That's when she told me how nice that must be. When she had her children she didn't have the support of her husband/the baby's father or family. She said she had to have her babies and get on out of the hospital fast because a neighbor usually had her other children - and there was food to be made, laundry to be done, things to take care of. She had her babies and got right back at it. Ouch!
I felt bad for her. That would be so rough having a brand new baby whom all you want to do is hold and stare at and get to know, and to have no support at home to allow you to do that and take some days to rest? It has made me very thankful for ALL the kindness people have shown me this month. I have SO MUCH support, I feel so blessed.
Dinner has been brought in several times not counting the ones my mom and Shauna made while staying here. My kids have been hustled out the door for school, with lunches made and agendas signed by dad and grandmas while I slept in. Gifts have been delivered to the door by friends and neighbors. Teenage girls have volunteered to come sit and hold the baby during busy afternoon hours. My friends have come over to watch the baby and Claire while I run errands. Tyler has stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to let me sleep before the baby needs to be fed again. The ladies I work with at church are covering my responibilites in young women's this month and next. And just generally, so many people are lifting little bits of my load and making it so manageable!
I feel so grateful and lucky for this. I recognize our blessings.
I sort-of chuckled and said, "Nope. I'm going to enjoy this quiet time with the new baby today. There are a lot of excited kids at home waiting for us and grandma's got them handled just fine while we're here."
That's when she told me how nice that must be. When she had her children she didn't have the support of her husband/the baby's father or family. She said she had to have her babies and get on out of the hospital fast because a neighbor usually had her other children - and there was food to be made, laundry to be done, things to take care of. She had her babies and got right back at it. Ouch!
I felt bad for her. That would be so rough having a brand new baby whom all you want to do is hold and stare at and get to know, and to have no support at home to allow you to do that and take some days to rest? It has made me very thankful for ALL the kindness people have shown me this month. I have SO MUCH support, I feel so blessed.
Dinner has been brought in several times not counting the ones my mom and Shauna made while staying here. My kids have been hustled out the door for school, with lunches made and agendas signed by dad and grandmas while I slept in. Gifts have been delivered to the door by friends and neighbors. Teenage girls have volunteered to come sit and hold the baby during busy afternoon hours. My friends have come over to watch the baby and Claire while I run errands. Tyler has stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to let me sleep before the baby needs to be fed again. The ladies I work with at church are covering my responibilites in young women's this month and next. And just generally, so many people are lifting little bits of my load and making it so manageable!
I feel so grateful and lucky for this. I recognize our blessings.
Monday, October 21, 2013
3 weeks
We're three weeks in. "Rollin rollin rollin, keep this family rollin..." It goes without saying (I've already said it in my previous posts) that life in the Hillstead home this month is full. There have been many moments where I think to myself, "Wow. Our cup runneth over!" And that's the nice way to put it.
Everything is good. Everyone is healthy, everyone is happy (for the most part), everyone is active. There is lots of love. Lots of noise. Lots to do in the kitchen and laundry room. Sheets to change, diapers to change, nursing pads to change.
Tyler is working at max capacity to WORK then come home and WORK alongside a wife that, admittedly, hasn't been herself recently (or for the last 10 months if we're really being honest). Not as fun for him, but he does it amazingly! Raising a large family is a team effort and dad carries some serious weight after a new baby is born. He has been putting the kids to bed, cleaning dinner dishes and leaving me with a clean kitchen for the next morning and helping me as much as he can with Mikey during the night (and usually that's just a supportive comment in his sleep or a warm arm to wrap around the little guy). I SO appreciate him! Work is always busy but on top of that we had Mikey right at quarter end which is an extra busy time. Tyler is also in school right now for his CPA so trying to get through homework and exams (last Friday, put him getting home after 7pm - bust). He is Elder's Quorum president at church which has it's busy moments - he was gone helping a new family move in Saturday morning and has several meeting every Sunday morning. He serves on the HOA board and what else... oh yea, has me bossing him around most the time. So he has very little free time. And yet, he is an example to ME of keeping his cool. Maintaining his priorities. And being pleasant to be around. Honestly he never loses his temper. He never walks in the door grumpy. We are all lucky to have his influence, love and support in our home.
Wow - so that paragraph went longer than expected but maybe that's where the focus needs to be this week. On my man. The other half to this picture. He is amazing.
After I had Jake I went through the same emotions/hormones that I've been facing this week and during a quiet moment of reflection I came up with an acronym for what I need to focus on in times of fatigue and stress. I wrote it in my journal. Its the girl's name: LORA. If you add a P before each letter it works:
pLesant
pOsitive
pRayerful
pAtient
These attributes are at the core of who I want to be and what I want to do as a mother. I try to remind myself of these basics often but frankly sucked it up this week most days. That's the truth. HOWEVER, I am getting better, feeling better and doing better. So Week 4 is looking promising. :) And that's a really good thing for me and the kids and Tyler!
Everything is good. Everyone is healthy, everyone is happy (for the most part), everyone is active. There is lots of love. Lots of noise. Lots to do in the kitchen and laundry room. Sheets to change, diapers to change, nursing pads to change.
Tyler is working at max capacity to WORK then come home and WORK alongside a wife that, admittedly, hasn't been herself recently (or for the last 10 months if we're really being honest). Not as fun for him, but he does it amazingly! Raising a large family is a team effort and dad carries some serious weight after a new baby is born. He has been putting the kids to bed, cleaning dinner dishes and leaving me with a clean kitchen for the next morning and helping me as much as he can with Mikey during the night (and usually that's just a supportive comment in his sleep or a warm arm to wrap around the little guy). I SO appreciate him! Work is always busy but on top of that we had Mikey right at quarter end which is an extra busy time. Tyler is also in school right now for his CPA so trying to get through homework and exams (last Friday, put him getting home after 7pm - bust). He is Elder's Quorum president at church which has it's busy moments - he was gone helping a new family move in Saturday morning and has several meeting every Sunday morning. He serves on the HOA board and what else... oh yea, has me bossing him around most the time. So he has very little free time. And yet, he is an example to ME of keeping his cool. Maintaining his priorities. And being pleasant to be around. Honestly he never loses his temper. He never walks in the door grumpy. We are all lucky to have his influence, love and support in our home.
Wow - so that paragraph went longer than expected but maybe that's where the focus needs to be this week. On my man. The other half to this picture. He is amazing.
After I had Jake I went through the same emotions/hormones that I've been facing this week and during a quiet moment of reflection I came up with an acronym for what I need to focus on in times of fatigue and stress. I wrote it in my journal. Its the girl's name: LORA. If you add a P before each letter it works:
pLesant
pOsitive
pRayerful
pAtient
These attributes are at the core of who I want to be and what I want to do as a mother. I try to remind myself of these basics often but frankly sucked it up this week most days. That's the truth. HOWEVER, I am getting better, feeling better and doing better. So Week 4 is looking promising. :) And that's a really good thing for me and the kids and Tyler!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)