Mother's Day Weekend

It was a wonderful Mother's Day weekend - the weather was sunny, warm and dry for the first time in over a week. We aimed to spend as much time outside as possible.
We're still navigating the new nap schedule with Theo (i.e. having to hang inside a bit more than we're used to) but luckily yesterday's activity included a birthday party in the yard. So Theo slept inside his crib and we hung in the backyard.  I have a feeling that will be our M.O. for most of the summer.

We finally got Sophia her new balance bike. She was very excited to see it: 

But sadly, even though she put her helmet and glasses on, she had no interest in riding it.

That's ok...we'll get there.

The morning was all about cheering her baby brother on with tummy time. Once they finished, he just stared in admiration:

I was able to catch this smiling little guy afterwards:

 On Sunday morning, we ran the M.O.M's 5k road race. There was a 1k race for kids that Sophia & her friend Frances did. All the kids got finisher ribbons.  Here's Sophia running:

Sophia, Me & the top of Theo after Sophia had run her race:

Sophia & her BFF Frances who ran with her:

After the kids finished their race, Dave loaded them into the double stroller and raced with them. Morgan & I got to run on our own and Mark (Morgan's husband) hung with Theo. It was a win for all - Dave came in first in the stroller division, Morgan & I got to be runners for 30 minutes and Mark got to sit and hang out.  Everyone had a blast!

2 months of Theo

It's hard to believe that my little lion man is 2 months old now (well, by the time I'm actually getting around to writing this, it's closer to 10 weeks, but hey...)

He continues to embrace a low key, happy attitude. He eats and sleeps well (so well, in fact, that I'm quite afraid to talk about it for fearing of jinxing it!)

At his two month check up the doctor was so pleased with his growth - both height and weight. He left the hospital a little peanut, losing over 1lb from when he was born till check out. He has more than made up for that and is growing big and strong - almost out of 3 month clothes.

He is interacting so much more now and staying awake for longer periods of time. The cooing and smiling is going on in full force which is one of the most rewarding parts of motherhood. The hair is still in full effect (see two-month picture below) and from the looks of it, isn't going anywhere. I've actually had random bald men stop me and gawk in envy :)

We're putting the finishing touches on his room this weekend - decorations, including a fun mobile that our wonderful friend Karen made him (she made a similar one for Sophia) and wall decals. Pictures to come on the next blog entry.


He is still coming to work with me on Wednesdays and is quite the hit of the office. It actually proves to be one of the most unproductive days for me - not because of him, but because of all my co-workers coming in to visit. My favorite is when they stand there, watching him sleep until he wakes up. He actually gets lots of hugs and love there, so it's a win for everyone.

A parting shot - because it all comes back to the hair. This is a rare, post-bath, non greasy shot.

Growing up fast

The past 7 weeks since having Theo have flown by. Being back to work, I think, makes the time go by even faster. Though I get spend 5 out of 7 days a week with Theo, he still grows and changes so much that it's tough to keep up. I have to say that he is sleeping like a champ. We're still just rolling with day time naps, but (for fear of jinxing it) his nighttime schedule (for now) is he gets nursed to sleep between 8p & 9p and I don't hear from him again until around 4am. Sometimes he goes back down around 5, allowing me an additional hour of sleep. Other times, he'll just kind of hang out and I can at least catch 45 minutes before it's into the shower and ready for work.

Then there is Sophia who constantly seems like a 10 year old in comparison. She is running up a storm and loves telling you exactly what she's thinking - colors, how many things are in front of her (3 kitties, 2 bicycles, etc) and is actually getting really good at telling left and right. I credit Dave for this, which is funny, as often he'll take a left while driving after I've told him to go right! :)

Three big things that happened this week with the kids this week. The first is that Theo started to smile on a regular basis. Here's a shot of my happy little guy:
 

Second, with Theo, is that we moved his bassinet into his room this week. It actually happened on Tuesday (a really hot day). Our room was very sunny and hot, so Lidiana moved him into his room to be cooler. We decided it made sense to just leave him there. And it did. He slept the same as did I and I was still able to hear him. It was a win-win for all. 

The other is that Sophia climbed out of her pack and play. When I went in to get her this morning (we're down in Newport) there she was. Standing. By the rocking chair. Now we knew she had been getting too big for it and even at home, had talked about transitioning her to a big girl bed in the next few weeks to free up the crib for Theo. But clearly, as we spend more time in Newport (necessitating the Pack n Play or other travel bed set up) this transition needs to happen. So the big girl bed will get ordered this weekend and we'll tackle the transition over the next week or two. I guarantee that will provide some excellent blog fodder!

Theo will be 2 months old next week. I'll make sure to post after his check up, but I can tell you that both kids are happy, healthy and (most of the time! :) truly a joy to be around.

Keeping Up...

I made the choice to go back to work 2 weeks after having Theo. I decided this for a number of reasons and so far, all in all, it has worked out. I'm greatly looking forward to my delayed maternity come June & July. While I hate to miss out on these beginning months, I luckily have a job that has afforded me (or I've created) some balance. I work from home Mondays & Fridays, allowing me to be there to nurse Theo, and on Wednesdays he comes with me to work. I'm thankful for those Tuesdays & Thursdays where Lidiana takes care of both kids. There is much comfort in knowing someone who has gotten a full night's sleep and doesn't have baby brain is caring for my child. I can muscle my way through meetings and presentations (no lives are a stake there) but I do miss the naps. :)

One small hurdle I've encountered is creating enough milk supply for Theo. It's been hard to pump and keep up with the supply & demand, but I think I'm making some headway. I actually don't mind the pumping that much and my goal is to not let my head get the best of me. The more stressed I get about not producing enough, the more my supply goes down. I've also come to grips that if I'm not producing enough one week or another, than the occasional supplement of formula isn't going to hurt anyone. And in fact, it'll help.

It amazes me the stigma placed on formula in certain social circles. With Sophia, I completely abhorred the idea of supplementing. It was like you had suggested I feed her razor blades. This is extremely humorous in retrospect, being that I was a completely formula fed baby and I turned out just fine. I was rarely sick, I knew my mother loved me and I didn't grow any additional appendages. My best friend supplemented her daughter because of low supply (and god knows she tried each and everything to increase it under the sun!) and clearly I respect her, her parenting choices and her daughter turned out just fine.

My hope is that I can give Theo as much of my milk as humanly possible. I enjoy it for so many reasons - bonding, health, all the good antibodies that he gets as a result. But stressing over it isn't going to be healthy for either of us. I have my pumping schedule (don't mind if you see me in the car on the way to work, draped & taking advantage of the 40 minute commute). Sophia has also joined in the encouragement during the morning session as she shouts "Mama's Pumping!" (From what I've heard, most kids imitate their moms breastfeeding...well, we're almost there :) )

I'm drinking my tea and eating my oatmeal. The rest is up to my body. In the end I know it'll all work out for what is best for Theo, for me and for us as a family.

Checking In..

We had Theo's 1 month appointment this past week and I'm happy to report he is growing long and strong. He gained 2 pounds since his first weight check a few days after birth. This was amazingly comforting as with Sophia, it took her about a month to get back up to birth weight, mostly because we were both falling asleep while eating at night and the whole breastfeeding thing was just foreign. Once we got it figured out, she definitely gained weight.
I think the other contributing factor to Theo's weight gain is the 2 days of bottle feeding he gets while I'm at work. He's getting 3-3.5oz bottles while I'm gone, so he is clearly consuming a set amount of goodness.

He is sleeping like a champ as well. We've settled into a decent routine too - he's down between 8:30 & 9pm (after an hour-plus feeding prior). He settles himself down fairly easily, but I think the key this time around is that we let him settle himself - just out of necessity. Trying to juggle getting both kids down to sleep somewhat simultaneously lends itself to that I suppose.

It doesn't help that Sophia is in a "Stay up and talk" mode lately - sometimes for close to an hour after we leave her. Hoping this one rectifies itself soon...In the meantime, she's been a trooper while traveling through nap and catching some zz's where she can...


He's been the perfect companion at work - I've got a lovely set up where he comes in with me on Wednesdays. I have a swing and changing pad set up in my office and have scheduled my meetings accordingly. He has cooperated (if you will) with the schedule and takes good naps and eats well. Everyone enjoys seeing him - it really lightens the mood. I most enjoy being able to spend the day with him. I will often just wear him in the Bjorn and snuggle with him while I work. It really brings down the street level. Sophia gets a kick out of the two of us leaving in the morning - "Baby Theo going to work!"

Here's shot of my work buddy!

Neck control is really strong and he is still rocking the hair - it is definitely his signature trait. In fact, after his bath when it is freshly cleaned, it has some serious wave/curl to it. It's so soft and luxiorous. Yep, my son has McDreamy hair. He's also started to smile - this cute, lopsided grin, which makes everything just so much fun and a bit more rewarding - no matter how tired I am.

We're off to an Easter egg hunt tomorrow - pictures to follow!

One month of Theo

I can already see that my time is going to become even more limited than it already is, but I have lofty dreams of being able to post multiple updates on Theo's development, as well as our life as a family. So here it goes...

Theo is officially a month old today. It is hard to believe it, as the time has flown by. We are so lucky that he is a good baby - an excellent sleeper (I actually got a 5 hour clip of sleep last night- highly needed) and a good eater. Though on the eating side, each feeding takes close to an hour. During the day, not so much of an issue, but at night...sigh...it's a bit much. But hey, if that is what it takes to get long bouts of sleep, I'll take it.

He happily sleeps in the bassinet, a pass me down from one of my closest friends Colleen. It has circulated through at least 5 children in her family, so it's got some good sleeping karma to it.
Theo is getting bigger every day - we have his 1 month check up next week. Weight gain was a big issue with Sophia in the beginning. Happily, I think we have most of the eating figured out, so we won't have to worry about that this time around. He also doesn't spit up hardly ever. But he certainly likes to fill a good diaper up and makes quite the face (which I've nicknamed the Mr. Frumple face, after the Richard Scarry character that Sophia adores) while making it happen.

The first thing everyone comments on when they see him is his hair. He still has his amazing mop of dark hair. No sign of it falling out (to quote the nurse at the hospital "It'll look like a rat molted in his crib! - thanks lady!) but I do see blond hair coming in underneath.Bath time is my favorite as he has clearly inherited the ability to create greasy hair in about 10 minutes from me. After bath he has gorgeous, soft brown hair with some curls (definitely taking after my dad in that department!) I've tried to catch a picture of it, but to no avail.

A rare shot of Theo awake.

He is just a relatively easy going baby. I'm not sure if it's because he's a boy and is not as piercing in his cries, because he's #2 or because my nerves are more accustomed to dealing with Sophia's constant toddler needs that his non-urgent cries don't affect me nearly as much as Sophia's did. For him, it's more like he's saying, "If you don't mind, when you have a minute, I'd love some food. But no rush..." versus Sophia was more in the, "Get me some F*ING DINNER NOW!" type of cry. I'm sure he'll have his moments, but for now, the low-key is great.

Here's a shot of the partners in crime...playing well together. Sophia is in love with her baby brother and, all in all, I couldn't have asked for a better transition. I'm very very thankful.

I forgot...

A lot has happened since my last post - I gave birth to Theodore Joseph Ahouse, thus making Dave and I parent of 2 and Sophia a big sister.

I'll post more about the actual birth and good stuff, but right now, it's all about the "new" life. Things I totally forgot about, in terms of having a newborn, and assumptions I made:

1) A toddler is FAR more work than a newborn. Physical energy required at all times. A newborn may not sleep all that much, but once he's fed and in his swing, he has no issue if I make a phone call, jump on the computer or read a book (that doesn't have pictures.) The same is not true for toddlers.

2) I can survive on minimal amounts of sleep. I don't like it, but I can. And I have been spoiled by the fact Sophia has been an amazing sleeper for most all of her life.

3) Newborns are not breakable (well, without trying anyway) but they are still intimidating. I've gotten so used to manhandling Sophia (diaper changes, wrestling on socks & shoes, etc) that all of a sudden, this tiny, 7lb being seems so fragile. Until he's really wailing for his diaper to be changed and it's 3am. Then, common sense kicks in.

4) I forget what I was going to write...oh yes, walking into a room and forgetting why I was going there in the first place! (Thank god for Sophia reminding me to change Theo's diaper!)

5) Showering is good and necessary. A friend who is a nurse mentioned when patients don't want to shower, its a really bad sign. I have luckily managed one most every day.

6) It really does take a village - giving in to the fact I need help was a big hurdle to overcome. But between Dave, my mom, Lidiana, the neighbors and friends, we've managed to keep life fairly normal for everyone. See #7

7) The sun doesn't rise & fall completely on Theo's "schedule" - with Sophia, everything was about her sleeping & eating: at the right time, the right amount, not crying or whining. With Theo, I've quickly learned the importance of taking care of his needs but that the impatient toddler who really needs play doh also gets Mama's attention too.

8) Healing is hard work. I gave birth, it may have been quick, but it certainly isn't easy. Sleep for me is really, really important too.

9) How quickly 2 hours pass. 1 hour to eat and get diaper changed, about an hour of sleep and then rinse, repeat. Wow, the leash is short!

10) How easily Sophia would adjust to being a big sister. It wasn't looking good pre-baby. She's whine and cry and tantrum if we held someone else. Now, the first thing she wants in the morning is to see Baby Brother and give him a kiss. She makes sure to keep her voice down if he's sleeping and she's all about offering him Cherrios (happily, we've gotten the - he has no teeth but thank you for sharing -piece down really well).

11) How amazing my husband is and how he offers such great perspective. There is absolutely no way I could (on so many levels) ever do this without him.