The First Five

Now that I've waited so long to update my blog it feels like the first couple months were a fantastic blur so I will try to recount the memories/events as best as I can. I know I'll be missing a lot of little stuff but once I catch up it will be a bit more detailed from then on. I'm also trying to fit in almost 5 months worth of stuff...here goes!

Our first night home was probably the most memorable night for me. Landon was an angel in the hospital - this is no exaggeration. He was (and still is) one of the most content babies I have ever met in my life so when it came to our first night at home I seriously questioned who the heck this baby was that we brought home! We went home on a Friday after driving over an hour home in a snow storm. I could barely move from the pain of my C-section, my breasts were the size of Texas, and I was exhausted. We got settled in and gave Landon a sponge bath and got him into his pajamas. Everything was going so well - it was a relief. It's so different coming home for the first time since you get used to having lots of help in the hospital so the real work begins when you get home.... 

So speaking of Texas, this happened to be the night that my milk first came in and when it was time for Landon to eat after being all snuggly and clean it was a little rough. He had a hard time keeping up with the supply but he finished, burped, and was all swaddled and ready for bed- or so we thought. Shortly after swaddling him, he starts to cry.... and poor Andy is trying to calm him.... and then Landon proceeds to throw up a few times and simultaneously have a blowout in his diaper. Who the heck is this baby!!?? I swear it was a scene from poltergeist! Very memorable indeed. Up until he was probably about 3 months old this was our worst night on record since it took awhile to calm him and get him to sleep but looking back it really wasn't that bad! Andy was certainly a trooper and poor Landon didn't know what to do with this new form of food!

The first two months or so were pretty uneventful as I spent 95% of my time on the couch, but it was nice to snuggle with my baby and get to know each other. It was too painful to move and Landon ate so often it was pointless to leave the couch. Andy went back to work on Tuesday of the next week and Andy's mom, Linda, came to stay with me for the next week.  My mom, Lorna, came the third week from Virginia. I don't know what I would have done without Andy and the Grandmas. They cooked for me, helped me get around, and watched Landon so I could nap. I definitely didn't nap enough when he napped - lesson learned. When they say nap when the baby naps, they aren't kidding! Landon was up every hour in the middle of the night to eat - I was a zombie for probably a good 7 weeks! I'm not sure how it goes for formula fed newborns but Landon ate so often it was unreal. Breast milk metabolizes faster than formula so I expected to be feeding him often - but I was not prepared for Landon's version of often. I have nicknamed him Baby Hippo for this reason as well as the fact that he gained a lot of weight very quickly! He was a little peanut when he was born (6lb 12 oz) and he lost weight by the time we left the hospital (6 lb 2.5 oz). By his first pediatrician appointment (three days after we went home)  he had gained 6 oz! 

                                                                Grandma Lorna 

It was difficult to go anywhere for awhile because I wasn't sure how it would go with nursing Landon in public. It took several weeks for us to become pros at nursing and let me tell you - it's not easy- (PS this is where I talk about breastfeeding so if you are squeemish or don't care to hear, I'd skip this section). I feel as though it is necessary that share this experience because I hope that it helps others who are nursing and are having problems. I knew I wanted to breastfeed from the moment I got pregnant and I was willing to do anything and everything I could to make it work. I read several books and many different websites in order to ensure that I was prepared and I knew it was going to be hard - but no one tells you exactly how hard it is. I could easily see how women could get discouraged and quit - it's a full time job- but I am glad I kept truckin'. I had every nursing problem in the book - cracked nipple, yeast (but not Thrush surprisingly), a clogged duct, and mastitis. It was painful - so painful that every time he would latch I cried. Nothing seemed to help. I tried Lanolin and Lansinoh, and cooling gel packs that the hospital gave me but it didn't work. Finally I called the lactation consultant from the hospital and she talked me through a few topical suggestions - she suggested I use hydrocortisone/bacitracin to prevent infection on the cracked side and if that didn't work try to rinse them after every feeding and use olive oil to heal it. So essentially I spent the first 5 weeks topless around my house. Andy certainly didn't mind!

At around 5 weeks, however, things were only improving slightly so I went to go see the lactation consultant in person and thank goodness I did! She's an angel I swear! She gave me a nipple shield (a plastic type nipple that goes over yours to protect it and help with latch)  and some advice on other nursing positions. I ended up olive-oiling and pumping (talk about exhausting) the cracked side until it healed and things were mostly smooth sailing from there. I am leaving out a lot of the nitty gritty details of course, but this was the overall gist. It was hard - and it literally sucked. I strongly encourage those who have problems to SEEK HELP!! It seems as though it should be the most natural thing on the planet for a mother to nurse her baby but really it's not always that easy - if it was easy for you, then GOOD FOR YOU, lol!! Anyway, now I love it! I don't have to prepare bottles in the middle of the night or lug any around with me or clean them. I don't have to buy expensive formula (that I can't afford anyway) and worry that he's getting the proper nutrients. I highly suggest trying - at least for a little while if you can (this is the only topic I'll ever really get preachy about FYI). Landon is almost 6 months old and we are still going strong. I plan to nurse until he turns one - although did you know the World Health Organization actually recommends nursing until the age of two??? 

Ok, enough of that... ugh looking at all these pictures of him being so tiny just melts my heart. I love talking about and sharing pictures of my little peanut! Much of this blog will probably end up as an endless procession of pictures- beware. Opa Kurt and Grandpa Bruce/Grandma Linda are pictured to the right. We tried to get out and about when we could but since it was winter we ended up staying inside most of the time. It was nerve wrecking to be going out, too, because I was afraid people would try to touch him during flu season, lol. Oh the nerves of a first time mom :)

Fortunately, during the first couple months Landon had so many visitors that we didn't need to go too far! We are so lucky to have such a great network of friends and family members. I am so thankful for them everyday. Landon was so alert as a newborn it was as though he didn't want to miss a thing. He LOVED staring at the ceiling fan and was always alert when people would come by to see him. He didn't mind being passed around and loved listening to whoever was holding him. I'm glad I'm not one of those super anal moms who is afraid to let people hold their baby - although I will say I wouldn't let strangers hold him or touch him or breathe on him. 

Very early on Landon loved to chat. He would just babble away and smile at everything and everyone. This is TRULY heartwarming the first time you see your baby interact this way. It's amazing how quickly they begin to change physically and hit their milestones. Time really does fly... 

Milestones 0-3 months

Landon rolled from tummy to back at around 2 1/2 months- he hated tummy time as most babies do. He loved his little play gym and it was great to see him reach for things and manipulate them with his new found fingers! During this time he loved sitting in his swing, watching Baby Einstein, cuddling with mom, and cuddling with dad while he played Xbox.

I believe it was around 3 months or so when Landon started to sleep about 4 hours at a time at night. For awhile he would get up every 2-3 hours to eat and go back to sleep so when he started sleeping longer it was like heaven. "Sleeping through the night" is technically 5-6 hours in one stretch - which is garbage! My version of sleeping through the night would be like 8! Luckily he does that now but man those first couple months were a little brutal. Although, I will say that once I discovered the side-laying nursing position at night I felt like a million bucks in the morning! Also, sleepwise, he can fall asleep and stay asleep in loud places and he almost always falls asleep in the car. For these two things I am incredibly grateful and I hope that they don't change!

 I decided to put him in his crib at 3 months as he was outgrowing the bassinet at my bedside. The first couple of nights in his crib were rough on me. I hated that I couldn't hear him breathe and his bedroom was very chilly (poor house circulation). I got up at least a dozen times to make sure he was still breathing and that he wasn't too cold. I admit I still do this but not as often. I'm not sure that it will really ever go away - my hubby thinks I'm crazy but I'm ok with it.

Speaking of crazy, I am now totally that mom who cries over everything. I will blame it on the hormones but damn! I cry when he gets shots or does something new. I even cry when I read him certain books like "Wherever You Are" and "The Giving Tree." I cry reading other people's birth stories and watching Disney movies, it's just ridiculous!
Who am I??

Milestones 4-5 months
Right after his 4 month appointment Landon decided it was time to roll over from back to belly and has not stopped since. At around 5 months he started to actually roll onto his belly to sleep - which completely freaked me out! Everything you read/hear about getting your baby to sleep insists that they sleep on their backs and I was very diligent about this to prevent SIDS. It didn't help that the first time he slept on his tummy he slept a solid 10 hours...talk about freaked out! I knew he was strong enough to roll back over and lift his head well enough but it continues to freak me out occasionally. I know this is just one of the first of many things that will make me sick with worry!                                                          

Nowadays it's hard to keep up with him and I know this is just the beginning. He started scooting a few weeks ago and rolling everywhere he wants to go. Right now his movement is either side to side or backwards. Much of the time he's doing a downward dog and rocking back and forth. Reaching for toys is new and he has started to protest if you take something away from him. He can also hold his own bottle (expressed milk) or his own boob while he eats and is very impatient when it's time to eat. Trying to burp him is always an interesting experience because he's either still hungry and wants to eat more (and gets mad!) or he tries to wiggle away and go play. It's almost impossible to keep his hands out of his mouth and has been for a couple months due to teething. Last night we actually felt a sharp little toother trying to poke through - guess that would explain his recent crabbiness. I tried to look for it but he won't move his little tongue off his gums and then he just gets mad that I try to open his mouth and look inside. Using the nasal aspirator when necessary also elicits the same reaction - he arches his back and shakes his head back and forth like he's being tortured. 

Over the past several weeks we have also begun solid foods which I make at home. So far we have tried rice cereal, banana, avocado, sweet potato, pear and zucchini. He has a love/hate relationship with banana and avocado depending on their ripeness and he loves sweet potato and pear. We tried zucchini yesterday and he wasn't a fan, but we'll try it again and hopefully he gets used to it! This may be one of those veggies I have to mask with something sweet. Making it at home is very easy and cheaper.  I'm glad that I decided to do it. Having a Baby Bullet helps tremendously although a food processor would work just as well. I absolutely love it! I usually make a big batch, freeze in ice cube trays and put them in a freezer bag and label it. It really isn't as time consuming as I expected.

Landon's favorite things lately have been;  bath time, his hands for munching, anyone else's hands for munching, the exersaucer, Baby Einstein, Finding Nemo, peek-aboo,  skyping with grandma, his blue hippo car seat toy, hungry hungry caterpillar plush and a few other toys that rattle or catch his eye. He also loves mommy's phone and any remote/controller he can get his hands on. When daddy gets home Landon is especially all wiggles and giggles. He likes to watch daddy talk and waits for him to look at him and smile. Apparently he thinks daddy is really funny (looking) and he loves his scratchy beard.

We have been trying to get out and about now that the weather is nice to see friends and meet other babies. I am going to look into joining a play group as well so that Landon doesn't have to look at my mug all day everyday. He has had the pleasure of meeting several of my friends including a few from out of town that came to visit and we have brought him to the zoo, downtown Chicago, our softball games, and to a pool. We have had an amazing almost 6 months together and I cannot wait to see what adventures we will have as he gets older.

Landon will be 6 months old next Tuesday... good lord the time has flown. And now that I am all caught up I can finally update this blog with current events and "other stories" or ramblings! Thank you for reading :)