Peter 2 Months Old

Peter has quickly grown from a newborn to a baby! He loves eating and being held. His greatest trials are gas and hiccups which he deals with frequently. He weighs 13 pounds and is 24 inches long. (He has his two month appointment this Thursday, so I'll update it then.) We are finishing up the last box of size 1 diapers and then he will be in 2's. He is wearing 0-3 and 3 month size clothing right now although many outfits are getting snug.

Peter's schedule basically revolves around Leah's. We officially wake up for the morning between 7 and 7:30. (I say officially because he (and Mommy) is usually up with gas pains starting around 3 am or so.) Peter either hangs out on the bed watching me do Leah's hair or Grandma H, Grandpa, Aunt Heather​, or cousin David hold him for a little until he falls asleep and they load him into the car seat. Then it's off to Pre-K we go to drop Leah. Peter usually sleeps the whole time, wakes to feed, and then plays for a while. Playing for Peter involves watching me makes faces at him listening to songs, or looking at himself in the mirror on his play gym.

Mostly though, he just sleeps...

and sleeps...

and SLEEPS.

Peter's favorite place to sleep (besides next to Mommy in bed) is in the swing. If he happens to be awake when I'm trying to eat dinner, all you have to do is put him in the swing awake with the music playing and 9 times out of 10 he'll calm down and just hang out while I eat. Leah hated the swing, so I'm glad I get my monies worth on the second kid!

On school days, Peter gets passed around by his cousins after they get home from school. They love to hold him and play with him. He likes to sit in his Bumbo so he can see everything that is going on and even watches the TV sometimes.

Since Doug has been traveling, both Leah and Peter have moved into my bedroom at Mom and Dad's house. Peter has been there from the beginning, but Leah has been a welcome addition. I was worried she wouldn't sleep so well particularly with the late night/early morning feedings, but she has done well and sleeps through everything! Peter wakes up 2-3 times in the middle of the night to nurse right now. 

Peter started smiling just a few days after he turned one month old. His Grandpa H. is particularly good at eliciting a smile from Peter by "blubbing" his lip. He's a pretty happy baby for the most part as long as he isn't dealing with hiccups.

Earlier this month, Peter's Grandpa and Grandma S and Aunt Lexi came out for a visit. Peter enjoyed the opportunity to hang out (sleep on) with them.

We took the opportunity to give Peter a blessing at this time. I asked Grandpa H. to give him the blessing. Peter wore the same blessing outfit that his Grandpa H. did about 66 years ago! We blessed Peter with all the local family attending at Grandma and Grandpa H.'s house. He was wide awake, quiet, and staring up and Grandpa H. the whole time during the blessing.

We are so happy that Peter has joined our family. We love him so!

Peter 1 Month Old

I can't believe that it has already been a month since Peter joined our family. Time seems to be flying by! Today at his one month well visit, he weighed in at 11 pounds and measured 23 inches long which puts him in the 80th and 97th percentiles. He's my SWEET PETE!

Posing with Roarie

Leah wore bows... why not a TIE for my little boy!

At one month old, Peter is basically really good at eating, sleeping, pooping, and crying. He has a special talent for pooping as soon as I change his diaper. I made it two full weeks before I joined the boy mom club (Peter peed on me during a diaper change!). We get little smiles here and there, but for the most part all he does is track us with his eyes as he becomes more aware of the world around him.

Peter does a pretty good job of holding up his head. He likes to sit in the Bumbo for short periods of time because he enjoys being able to see everything. Leah and I sometimes take him for walks in the evenings after dinner, but he really hasn't been a fan. Hopefully he warms up to it soon because I want to start taking him in the jogging stroller soon for runs!

Mine and Peter's schedule right now really just works around Leah's schedule. We need to be dressed and out of the house by 8:30 each morning to bring her to preschool and back out again to pick her up at 1:40. At this point, most of the time that she is in school, we are napping. Lots and lots of snuggling!

Peter definitely has his days and nights mixed up, but I can tell we are on our way to getting it right. I've decided that it is impossible to schedule a newborn, so I've just been taking it easy, reading his cues, and basically letting him take charge. Feed him when he's hungry, let him sleep when he's tired, etc. He's been a much happier/content baby than Leah ever was so far.

Three weeks ago, Doug was offered a travel assignment that would last 12 weeks. He negotiated flights back on the weekends and a bonus which will really help with the start up costs for the new house. Unfortunately that meant that one week after Peter was born, I would be taking on two kids as a single parent. Fortunately, we are staying with my parents while we build our house and they have been a great help. On the tough mornings when Peter has been a little more difficult in the nighttime hours and I come out looking like a zombie, my mom will take Peter and my dad will get Leah ready for school while I grab a shower.

Our Good Morning Picture for Daddy while he's traveling.

Right now, at night time Peter is sharing the king size bed with me. I will gradually work on moving him to the crib in the next two months. He sleeps well in my arms, in his swing, in his lamb papasan chair, laying in his play gym, in his car seat... ANYWHERE but his crib!

I don't think I mentioned it in his birth story, but when Peter was born he suffered a minor birth injury called a cephalohematoma from being in the birth canal for an extended period of time. About 2% of babies get these usually from vacuum assisted births which was not the case for us. Basically, he had a funny looking lump on the left back side of his head for the first few weeks. It didn't cause him any pain and has resolved itself already.

Little Everest aka Peter's Cephalohematoma (say that 5 times fast!)

Peter is very lucky to have lots of family nearby (and FAR) that love him very much. We've received wonderful thoughtful gifts and have enjoyed visits. His cousin's come home from school each day excited to get the chance to hold him. When he was first born, they would just watch him sleep!

Leah feeding Peter his first bottle.

Aunt Bekah visiting from Hawaii!

Grandpa rocking Peter to bed

Mommy was lucky enough to have a few close friends that were pregnant at the same time. Peter already has some built in playmates! I see some fun play dates in the future!

I'm pretty enamored with my sweet Pete! I'm excited to see him grow and feel blessed to be his momma!

Leah at 4 1/2 Years Old

Here are some snapshots of Leah and a quick write-up of where she is at four and a half years old. 

Leah is adjusting well to being a big sister. She tells me daily how much she loves Peter and even told someone one day at preschool pick up that she loves Peter "more than lollipops." Since we're at my parents house, I don't think she's had to fully adjust to not being an only child. There's plenty of attention to go around between living with "Grampy" and "Grammy" (Leah gave them those names on her own.) and having her cousins nearby. She is a little impatient for Peter to be awake more. He'll barely crack open one eyelid and she'll run to get his play gym and all of the baby toys in hopes that she can play with him. She's already asked me if she can teach him how to walk. She has been really helpful running errands to get diapers, wipes, spit-up clothes, my cell phone, etc. when I am nursing Peter.

Leah is going to Pre-K full time 9-2 Monday through Friday. It was really an adjustment at first because she was missing her nap and we still have some cranky days, but overall she has adjusted well. She loves her teachers Miss Lacey and Miss Amber. She really enjoys the responsibility of having a different job each week in the classroom and excitedly tells me about her job each day. Her favorite centers are housekeeping and the bean sensory table. When I pick her up, she likes to walk around the classroom and give all of her classmates a hug.

One of the things they are working on in school is letter sounds. In the car ride to and from school she likes to have me quiz her on different words. We've also enjoyed playing "I Spy" and "Guess that Animals" during our 20 minute commute. Leah can identify all of her letters uppercase and lowercase. When it comes to counting, she has difficulty differentiating 13 and 14 because she has difficulty making the "th" sound. After all of that, she ends up skipping 15. After 15 though, she is good for a while and can reliably count to 50 and beyond.

Leah is becoming a better conversationalist and participates in conversations although she tends to go off topic. I find that she listens now to conversations that I am having with others... especially if it's about HER. She will insert herself into those conversations to clarify if she feels it is necessary.

We've been continuing to work on independence. I had Leah doing most stuff independently, but with Peter getting here I found that I started doing stuff for her again because we are usually short on time and it's faster for me to do stuff for her. In the last week or so, we've adjusted bedtime to earlier so that she will wake up earlier. When we get a head start in the morning, there is more time for her to be independent on things like getting dressed and buckling herself.

As a attempt to start to teach responsibility and money management, we do chores and an allowance with Leah. She can earn $1 per week if she keeps Darwin's litter box clean, helps to gather all the trash on trash days, and empties the silverware from the dishwasher. She likes to save everything to pay for rides at the annual carnival, but she has recently learned that she can spend her allowance on things like donuts and other snacks. For the most part, I need to work with her to do her chores, but she has actually started to clean the litter box without me initiating it. She still comes and tells me that she scooped it though afterwards.

Leah is very much into anything My Little Pony or Doc McStuffins. She watches the shows on her iPad in the mornings when I do her hair for school. Her favorite color is still pink, but she'll tell you that she loves "pink and purple... and all the colors." I'm not sure if she's indecisive or if she just feels bad for the other colors and wants them to feel included. She loves to sneak chocolate and other sweet snacks with Grampy which they do frequently now that we live here full time. She loves playing with her cousins when they are here after school. They like to jump on the trampoline and play with her toys. Leah likes to sing a lot, but never the actual words to a song. She prefers to make up her own words with borrowed melodies. Leah still prefers to have playmates and complains frequently about being lonely, but she is rather good at playing independently especially if it's with a new unfamiliar toy. She has become very attached to stuffed animals, particularly Lambie and Hobbes. She has to have them with her at bedtime in a certain order next to her in bed along with her purple blankie.

Leah is still very much a pleaser, but is very stubborn. She likes to do things/decide things on her own. For instance, before we bless a meal, I will ask her if she wants to say it or if I should say the blessing. She always wants to choose her OWN option that was not given. She select someone else in the room or say that she will help Lambie say the prayer. After she completes a task, she wants to know if you are proud of her or if she did a good job. When she gets in trouble, her first question is always though tears, "Do you still love me?"

I absolutely love my big four and a half year old. I am blessed to be her Mommy!

Peter's Birth Story

Peter was born late Tuesday this last week and I wanted to document everything while it was still fresh in my mind, so here is Peter's birth story.

I started getting contractions much earlier in this pregnancy probably due in part to the physical and emotional stresses of moving. On Sunday, Doug and I were asked to speak at a Q&A session for a group of young adults going to a competition in Abu Dhabi. We had fun recounting our experience abroad and sharing what we learned with a group. When we got back home I was feeling dizzy, sick, and I thought I felt a few contractions. I decided to crash on the couch for a few hours and I hope up feeling MUCH better, but I was still having the occasional contraction. On Monday, I continued to have irregular contractions and decided to go ahead and finally pack my hospital bag. Monday night I was woken up a few times by contractions, but once again they weren't regular at all. On Tuesday morning, I woke up feeling a real urgency to get things done. My contractions may have not been regular at that point, but after two days of having them I knew that the end was near! I took Leah to Pre-K first thing in the morning and warned her that Peter would probably be coming soon. I then got home and immediately got to work washing and putting away two loads of laundry and switching over Leah's summer wardrobe to her fall one. At around noon, I messaged Doug telling him that I thought I was in active labor after having a few contractions seven minutes apart. I continued to monitor them with an app on my phone while hurrying to get everything ready. I went ahead and picked up Leah from preschool, filled up the car with gasoline, and went on a quick shopping trip to Aldi... All while having contractions every 7-8 minutes!

When we got home, I texted my mom that I was in labor and needed to talk to her about care for Leah while we were going to be at the hospital. I called the doctor's office and left a message to let them know that I thought I was in active labor and wanted to know if I should head to the hospital yet. I took a quick shower and had Doug pack his stuff into our bag. The doctor's office called me back and told me that there weren't any doctors in office, but to go ahead and check in at the hospital in triage. Leah's labor had been very slow and they didn't have me go to the hospital until my contractions were 5 minutes apart, so I decided I would take my time and blow-dry my hair.

As we were leaving, I decided to get one last picture with Leah with my pregnant belly and then she ran off happily to spend time with her cousins. During the hour long car ride to the hospital, my contractions slowed so they were 10+ minutes apart, but getting much stronger. We checked into triage around 5pm and for some reason they took me back first over another pregnant woman saying that they had been waiting for me. I changed into a gown and got the monitors on my belly. The triage nurse started asking me the standard questions and I could tell that she didn't think I was in active labor. She asked me when my due date was and when I responded the 16th, she said, "Of October?"

A hospital doctor came in to check me since none of the doctors at my practice were available. She continued with the questioning and treated me like I wasn't in labor either. When she finally got around to checking me, she said, "Wow! You're actually a 4! Let's get you checked in and get this baby out."

We were moved to labor and delivery, but it took some time to get my blood work done and to find a vein to start antibiotics since I was strep b positive. The doctor from my practice came in and told me that she didn't even want to check me for fear of breaking my water and the baby coming before I was finished with my two rounds of antibiotics. It was around 7pm at this point and she said she would be back at 10:30 to break my water so I would be ready to deliver by 11:15 or so when my second dose of antibiotics would be completed.

The contractions were getting pretty painful at that point and I was waiting impatiently to get the epidural. It took a bit more time to take than my last epidural, but once it did... Oh sweet relief! The doctor told me to take a nap in the meantime, but I was about to have a baby and I couldn't get to sleep! I laid around impatiently waiting, counting down the minutes with Doug until the doctor would get back. Once I was on the epidural, they started giving me Pitocin and increasing the dosage every 30 minutes. I mentioned to my labor nurse that I was feeling a bit of pressure (which usually means you're ready to push) and she was like, "Okay." and didn't really make a big deal out of it.

We waited a while longer and my doctor finally got there a little before 11pm to break my water. She wasn't even trying to break my water... She just checked me and my water sac suddenly burst everywhere. Doug exclaimed, "Woah!! The first one wasn't like that!" The doctor then checked me and said, "Wow! She's COMPLETE! ...and a +2! Ooookay! This baby wants to come!" Doug and I looked at each other in surprise, we had thought it was going to be a much longer process and that Peter would not be here until the 13th. The labor and delivery nurse asked the doctor if there was "An average amount of fluid?" And the doctor was like, "No, that was definitely HIGHER than average. Now excuse me while I go to the sink to clean up." I confirmed with them that there was no meconium like with Leah's birth which was good news. While cleaning up she explained to me that she wanted to wait for me to push because I needed to get the second dose of antibiotics or they were going to have to do a lot more work on Peter once he was here.

The labor and delivery nurse started me with some little pushes which were much harder to do than I ever remembered with Leah. The doctor then came back as soon as the antibiotics were complete and had me start the "real" pushing. They set up a mirror for me to see everything which made a huge difference. I had no clue what was going on with Leah's delivery and felt so much more control and awareness for Peter's delivery. Pushing was difficult and they got me some oxygen, but the mirror really helped me focus. While I was pushing, he was actively kicking while still inside me which the doctor and nurses thought was rather entertaining.

I only actively pushed for maybe 30 minutes and then he was here! He was facing upwards through the birth canal which is apparently harder to deliver that way. He didn't really cry like you hear babies on TV. They did a quick suction of his mouth and nose and he breathed right away. Then they laid him right on my chest immediately after delivery without cleaning him off or anything. (Leah had to be taken away and suctioned from the meconium and was cleaned and prepped before I ever got to hold her.)

It was surreal to have him REALLY there and just laying on my chest. Doug cut the umbilical cord this time and examined the placenta with the doctor while I enjoyed skin-to-skin with Peter. They let me nurse him (which he picked up right away) and spend as much time as I wanted with him before they weighed him and did the eye goop and vitamin K shot. It was such a different experience than with Leah. Everyone in the delivery room made predictions as to how much he would weigh exclaiming how big he was. I guessed an even 8 pounds, but he came in at 9 pounds and was 21.5 inches long!

We are so glad that Peter is here now. He is the perfect addition to our family!

Peter was born with a cephalohematoma on his head from being in the birth canal for an extended period of time. You can see it somewhat in this picture. (upper left side)

The proud big sister

Peter in his car seat ready to go home!

I texted Leah a picture of Peter and I "breaking out of the hospital."