Week 3

This was our first "normal" week since Kieran's arrival. By normal I mean that we didn't have any assistance at our house and that Reed went back to being at Grandma's house one day, Nonna's house one day, and then home with me the rest of the week. Kieran had his two week appointment and I had a follow-up appointment as well. We are both doing great and the Nurse Practitioner was in shock that on Tuesday Kieran weighed in at 8lbs 3oz, she said she's usually pleased if babies are back to their birth weight by that point (he was over his by 13 oz).  Over the weekend I attempted to weigh him again and think he's somewhere around 8lbs 8oz now.

The other big event for the week was Dodger's Birthday. My "first baby" turned six years old and Reed was very excited about celebrating. I came up with the idea to have hamburgers for dinner and share with Dodger, but Reed insisted that we make cupcakes and party hats too.

So far Kieran continues to be a good sleeper and eater. He usually has one or two fussy spells during the day where he just can't get happy, but usually if we can work a burp out of him he calms down. His happy place is surrounded by comfy towels chillin' in his bathtub on the bathroom counter looking in the mirror. Seriously, the other day I needed to get something for work done and he wouldn't settle down. I moved the paperwork into the bathroom while he entertained himself for a good 20 minutes.

 

The toughest part of the day seems to be from 11:00 am to Noon. This is when Reed is getting ready for lunch but is almost ready for a nap (read: the threat of a tantrum is at level red) and Kieran usually decides this is when he wants to eat non-stop. There have been several lunches spent with me sitting at the kitchen table trying to rationalize with a screaming toddler while nursing a newborn. Aside from this bewitching hour Reed has done pretty well adjusting to Kieran. At least once a day he tries to hold him, sing to him, or tells him "I wove you Kieran" while hugging him. I can also tell that Kieran adores his Big Brother - check out this Tummy Time/Jam Session below!

"K" continues to be good during his nighttime feedings as well. He has been waking every 3-4 hours, nursing for 10-15 minutes, get his diaper changed, nurses for another 5-10 minutes and then usually goes straight back to sleep. If he's awake when he's done nursing usually walking around the house with him rocking or bouncing for about 10 minutes will do the trick. He does however think that my bedtime is when he should wake up and party for a bit - this is when I usually hand him off to Jon and they have their "stare-off."

On Sunday my college roommate Sarah and her family stopped by for a few hours on their way from Northern California back to Southern California. They were so excited to meet Kieran and equally happy to let their almost 3 year old, Alyson, burn off some energy with Reed. I think we had success on both fronts!!! It was great catching up with them, even if it was only for a little bit.

 

Other notable moments for the weekend include Kieran taking a bottle and a pacifier for the first time. I was really nervous about the bottle, because he had resisted the pacifier every time we had tried it. He took the bottle like a champ and the next day he accepted the pacifier. Yay for Mom being able to leave for an hour or two without worrying about starving the babe and for having another tool in our arsenal for calming K down when need be.

Week 2

So our second week has felt pretty low key, but when I made a list of our "big" accomplishments for the week I was surprised how much actually happened in the last seven days. On Monday we had newborn pictures of Kieran taken and attempted to get a few family shots in as well. I also had my staples removed which definitely helped me feel like I could do a lot more on my own. Grandma took Reed all day Tuesday so it was just me and Kieran at home. I know Reed had a lot more energy as a newborn, but I just remember being so overwhelmed the first time around and having just Kieran to look after felt like a vacation! As evidenced by the pictures below he is definitely a sleeper. I even managed to get an hour or so of accounting work done. On Wednesday Grandma came over in the morning and I spent most of the time finishing up my work for the week while she played with Reed and Kieran slept.

Thursday was my first completely solo day with both boys. I was a little nervous and of course Kieran decided this was his day to stay up in the morning instead of snoozing it away like he had most of the other days. We survived though and even had some fun in the process. On Friday Nonna took Reed for the day and I took Kieran to the doctor, he is now weighing in at 7 lbs 14 oz. He was also circumcised. Our toddler free afternoon was pretty lazy. I caught up on some laundry, but other than that I let Kieran rest on me while I watched TV and let him nurse when he felt like it.

 

 

We had another leisurely weekend of making big breakfasts, taking family walks, and just going with the flow of the two boys. We made our first few attempts at "Tummy Time" and Kieran seems to kind of like it, so that is fun. Of course Big Brother likes to play along as well.

We had already decided earlier in the week we were going to order in pizza on Saturday and since Grandma was out of town we invited Grandpa to join us. Reed was so excited to have him over and played puzzles with him all night. Grandpa also got some good snuggle time in with Kieran.

On Sunday Kieran made his first official public outing, accompanying me to the grocery store (very bundled up in a carrier I was wearing I might add). When we got back to the house our friend Cameron stopped by to pick up Jon to play tennis and to of course meet the Little Guy as well. Sunday night we ventured over to Nonna and Pepe's house for our first extended family dinner since Kieran's arrival.

Having two kids definitely still feels "new" but at the same time we've worked out a pretty good routine and both boys seem to be adjusting just fine.

First Day, First Week

It's hard to believe that it was a week ago that Kieran came into our lives. His first three days were spent in the hospital with Mom and Dad, but that didn't stop him from meeting some of his nearest and dearest. After an agonizing wait at the hospital during my surgery Grandma and Grandpa got to come up to our room to meet grandchild #3. I have no idea why I don't have a picture of my Dad holding Kieran, but he definitely did.

We let family know that baby and I were fine, but we didn't give out any more details because we wanted to wait for Reed and Nonna and Pepe to see the Little Guy in person first. After Reed woke from his nap they came to the hospital and Reed got to come up to the room with Dad and see me and meet Kieran. He was "pleasantly indifferent" as I like to say, meaning he was interested for a little bit and then was back to his chatter box self telling us about his day and asking questions about the things in the room. He did dote on his Brother a bit and never did anything negative, so my worries were soon put to rest!

Nonna and Pepe got to come up shortly after Reed, then rotated out so "C" and Tio, followed by Gran and Papa could meet Kieran. Jon then went out to dinner with everyone while me and Kieran rested up.

The next day my parents came back by in the early afternoon followed by a visit from Aunt Penny and Auntie "M."

Kieran was cleared for release from the hospital early Wednesday morning but my doctor had several deliveries and couldn't get to St. Agnes until around 3:00 pm. I was chomping at the bit to get home and have dinner as a family so we sped through discharge, quickly dressed Kieran in the same coming home outfit Reed wore, and were home just in time to introduce Kieran to Dodger, defrost a dinner we had prepared a few days earlier, and then do bath/bedtime with Reed. I was more than a little weepy sitting in Reed's room reading stories as a family of four, it was wonderful!

The next day, and every day since, has felt so special. Reed has adapted really well to life with a Little Brother helping out where he can and requesting to hold Kieran and sing to him from time to time.

Grandma came over to help with the Kiddos on Thursday and Friday. Reed loved having her here and I loved being able to take a leisurely shower and be given a huge helping hand. Something tells me Grandma didn't think it was too hard of a job! On Thursday Kieran had his first official visitor at our house when Auntie Amanda came by on her lunch break to meet him.

Friday Jon and I took Kieran to the doctor and were told he was a "Superstar." He had gained back all but 1oz of the weight he lost during his first few days and has been nursing (and pooping/peeing) like a champ. Our first weekend home as a family has been nice. We went on two family walks, made pancakes for breakfast, were treated to dinner prepared by Dad, and have been blessed with a restful and mellow baby and a Mommy who is feeling better and better each day!