I guess we're not babymooning anymore, are we?
It was so nice to have Kraig home for a full 3 weeks after Dylan was born. We are so lucky that he gets so much time off each year (we still have enough vacation left over to take 2 more weeks before next October!) Kraig let me cuddle with Dylan and sleep whenever I wanted to- though I didn't nap much because Dylan is such an awesome sleeper. Kraig also did the dishes and laundry, made all the meals, and entertained Owen.
Speaking of meals, we are so thankful for all the meals provided by friends and family. Brie, Sayward, Marissa, Cacye: thank you for cooking for us! Grandpa and Grandma Buesch: thanks for buying a few meals out.
It was SO nice to have food readily available to eat without having to go to the grocery store or do a lot of prepwork. In my opinion, bringing a new family a meal is the very best gift you can give them. Second best is doing housework when you visit (only after asking for permission to do so. Some folks wouldn't like if you just started cleaning their house!)
And about sleep- Dylan has always had his days/nights organized. Seriously- from the very first day he was home from the birth center, he has been a nighttime sleeper. He wakes every 2-4 hours to eat, but he goes right back to sleep. This is WORLDS better than being awake for no apparent reason at night, like many babies (ahem, baby Owen) are. I'm so thankful. I feel very well-rested.
Not having to nap a lot during the day (me, not Dylan. He still naps no matter what :-)) meant we could enjoy time as a family and get out and about as well. Those three weeks were a nice combo of rest/relaxation, and getting things done around town. It was great!
We intentionally didn't invite a lot of visitors over. During Owen's postpartum period we were overwhelmed by people visiting. We needed to sleep and tend to a newborn's needs as well as feed ourselves and try to keep the house clean- not play hostess. We wanted a stress-free (as much as that is possible) postpartum period this time, and it was AWESOME. Don't get me wrong- we welcomed a few visitors- but it wasn't a free for all. It's also cold and flu season and I do NOT like the "pass the baby" game. You'd be surprised how many people try to touch baby before washing their hands. Ick.
So anyway- it was a great babymoon! We are all missing Kraig now that he is back at work, but I'm rocking this parenting-two gig and we get a lot done each day- both playing as well as chores :-) So far I give having two kids two big thumbs up!
31 December 2011
30 December 2011
Comparison
We spent a lot of time during this pregnancy trying to imagine what boy #2 would look like. Similar to Owen? Completely different? Just like Kraig? More like me?
Then when we first laid eyes on Dylan all we could say was "Oh my goodness, he is BEAUTIFUL" (over and over and over- seriously). Of course, we thought the same of Owen (and still do). I think it was rather shocking for us to see this new little person that we created and realize that he was ours, yet he looked so unlike "the other one" that we have- but still SO BEAUTIFUL.
Now that Dylan is looking less like a squishy newborn and more like, well, Dylan, I present the evidence. It will be pretty fun to keep looking for similarities and differences as they both age.
First moments with Dylan:
At one day old:
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| Owen |
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| Dylan
A similarly staged photo:
|
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| Owen |
And to be fair, both the boys at approximately the same weight:
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| Owen |
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| Dylan |
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| Dylan |
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| Owen |
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| Dylan |
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| Owen |
And at the same age:
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| Owen's 1 month photo |
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| Dylan's 1 month photo |
It's pretty easy for us to see that they are brothers, but there aren't very many shared features. Specifically, Owen looks just like Kraig- but not how Kraig looked as a baby. Dylan looks exactly like me as a baby. We're interested to see how he grows and changes. I may be biased, but my boys are just stunning.
28 December 2011
24 December 2011
Thanksgiving
I know- late post, right? I had plans to write a Thanksgiving post the night before T-giving. I even had the computer out but I decided to do some work instead (good thing I finished that up before I went into labor, eh?) I then popped a baby out and never got around to writing it.
Better late than never, right?
2011. What a year this has been. I don't know about anyone else, but I think 2011 was absolutely the fastest year on record. Yes, I know years are made up of 365 (or 366) days, no more no less, but seriously. There was some sort of time warp there somewhere, yes? Maybe it's just me.
We were ready for a lot of new experiences in 2011. Mostly we were excited to have our first full calendar year in Portland- all four seasons, all the holidays, every. single, day. of 2011 would be in Portland. Fun! We knew Kraig would be promoted soon, we were excited about the new relationships we were forming here in PDX, and we were truly settled in and ready to really put down our roots in 2011.
It started okay with Kraig's promotion, then went downhill fast- my dad died, then the three of us got gastroenteritis followed by influenza, all while I was completely and totally depressed and grieving. I "had" to wean Owen (still kind of miffed about that). January and February were basically awful.
Then in March things finally started to turn around. We had birthday celebrations- mine and Owen's- and we found out we were pregnant. Being pregnant in Portland was positively dreamy. We were so excited when we got the positive test- both about being pregnant AND being able to make the kinds of choices we wanted to make since there are more "natural" options here.
My sister got married which meant we had a little mini-vacation in May. Summer was wonderful- our first in Portland- and Kraig helped open the new store which was very exciting. We had a few visitors this year- Jason in April and the Djupes in August.
Autumn came which meant it was time to buckle down on labor preparations. Fall went by in a blur- first we had the gestational diabetes diagnosis. Then it was Kraig's birthday followed by our anniversary, all the while getting things in order for baby. In November we discovered he was breech, which was extremely stressful. Of course- since he is my baby- he was late. Going post-dates in pregnancy is a trip, even though it happens all the time. I knew to expect it but was still surprised by it. Finally, he arrived quickly and efficiently (good job, D!) Even that was a surprise- though a pleasant one, of course!
It's as if we just couldn't make plans in 2011. There were just so many surprises- good and bad.
As Kraig and I were reflecting on the year, we decided that it was our very best year yet. We also decided that it seems very strange to say that since it was also our hardest year. That is exactly why- we saw that even when something terrible happens we are able to get through it. Kraig was so unbelievably supportive as I grieved my father's death. And while I wouldn't say that my pregnancy was "terrible", I would say that there were aspects that were VERY trying- like the GD, the chronic pelvic and hip pain, and baby being breech. Through all of it Kraig was an amazing support, allowing me to complain as much as needed and also encouraging me to do everything I needed to do in order to be comfortable. He's a sweetheart.
While Kraig had a pretty amazing year at work, it is also pretty stressful with all the promotions and responsibility changes, three new stores- one of those being a very high-profile store. I like to think that I am a support and encouragement for him. I won't speak on his behalf, though ;-)
Of course, Owen is always here to remind us how blessed we are. Now we have Dylan, and oh my do we ever feel honored to be the parents of these two sweet boys. We obviously have a lot to be thankful for.
Better late than never, right?
2011. What a year this has been. I don't know about anyone else, but I think 2011 was absolutely the fastest year on record. Yes, I know years are made up of 365 (or 366) days, no more no less, but seriously. There was some sort of time warp there somewhere, yes? Maybe it's just me.
If I could wrap up 2011 and smack one tiny little label on it, it would be this: Expect the unexpected. That sounds awfully optimistic, but no- 2011 was both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Still, I'd do it all over again if I could because while my little family experienced profound loss and went through many trying situations, there was also so much good- and the very best thing of all is that we got through all the hard times together. It would have been infinitely more difficult if Kraig and I weren't a team.
We were ready for a lot of new experiences in 2011. Mostly we were excited to have our first full calendar year in Portland- all four seasons, all the holidays, every. single, day. of 2011 would be in Portland. Fun! We knew Kraig would be promoted soon, we were excited about the new relationships we were forming here in PDX, and we were truly settled in and ready to really put down our roots in 2011.
It started okay with Kraig's promotion, then went downhill fast- my dad died, then the three of us got gastroenteritis followed by influenza, all while I was completely and totally depressed and grieving. I "had" to wean Owen (still kind of miffed about that). January and February were basically awful.
Then in March things finally started to turn around. We had birthday celebrations- mine and Owen's- and we found out we were pregnant. Being pregnant in Portland was positively dreamy. We were so excited when we got the positive test- both about being pregnant AND being able to make the kinds of choices we wanted to make since there are more "natural" options here.
My sister got married which meant we had a little mini-vacation in May. Summer was wonderful- our first in Portland- and Kraig helped open the new store which was very exciting. We had a few visitors this year- Jason in April and the Djupes in August.
Autumn came which meant it was time to buckle down on labor preparations. Fall went by in a blur- first we had the gestational diabetes diagnosis. Then it was Kraig's birthday followed by our anniversary, all the while getting things in order for baby. In November we discovered he was breech, which was extremely stressful. Of course- since he is my baby- he was late. Going post-dates in pregnancy is a trip, even though it happens all the time. I knew to expect it but was still surprised by it. Finally, he arrived quickly and efficiently (good job, D!) Even that was a surprise- though a pleasant one, of course!
It's as if we just couldn't make plans in 2011. There were just so many surprises- good and bad.
As Kraig and I were reflecting on the year, we decided that it was our very best year yet. We also decided that it seems very strange to say that since it was also our hardest year. That is exactly why- we saw that even when something terrible happens we are able to get through it. Kraig was so unbelievably supportive as I grieved my father's death. And while I wouldn't say that my pregnancy was "terrible", I would say that there were aspects that were VERY trying- like the GD, the chronic pelvic and hip pain, and baby being breech. Through all of it Kraig was an amazing support, allowing me to complain as much as needed and also encouraging me to do everything I needed to do in order to be comfortable. He's a sweetheart.
While Kraig had a pretty amazing year at work, it is also pretty stressful with all the promotions and responsibility changes, three new stores- one of those being a very high-profile store. I like to think that I am a support and encouragement for him. I won't speak on his behalf, though ;-)
Of course, Owen is always here to remind us how blessed we are. Now we have Dylan, and oh my do we ever feel honored to be the parents of these two sweet boys. We obviously have a lot to be thankful for.
Kraig summed it up quite nicely when he said "2011 was hard as hell, but it was our best year yet." Cheers.
23 December 2011
Gingerbread house
Kraig and I don't remember ever making gingerbread houses. Still, it's one of those Christmas-y things that I've always thought would make a fun tradition, so this year I set out to make one with Owen. The days until Christmas were winding down, and we sorely missed Donna and Gordon after not spending time with them for over a week (busy holiday schedules be damned!) so we decided to knock out 3 birds with one stone: eat dinner (from Nicholas), make gingerbread house, spend time with D & G.
It turned out pretty cute, if you ask me! The best part is that I just used graham crackers (easy, and we had some on hand) and whipped up some simple frosting at the last minute. We had bought a few different kinds of candy from a bulk sweet shop the night before, so the prep + decorating time was about 45 minutes. So easy and so fun!
Out
We've been bopping around Portland for one reason or another for the past few weeks. Mostly it's been out of necessity- though "necessity" is defined in more ways than one these days. For instance, it's necessary that we go to the grocery store. It's also necessary that we go to story-time so that Owen doesn't start getting cabin fever. And Dylan? Well he is just along for the ride.
Kraig took Owen to Tot Tuesday at Hopworks. They came home and excitedly filled me in on how fun it was, and also presented this little cutie.
We were out and about every day that my parents were here. Peacock Lane, various restaurants, Multnomah Falls, Christmas Ship Parade, Pearl District to see Kraig's store and do a little shopping, and of course a visit to Powell's bookstore. I think being out that much gave us the confidence to keep doing whatever it is that we want to do- Dylan doesn't really slow us down too much. Well, except when trying to get out the door with two kids. The pace is definitely much slower than it was with one kid. Let's just say we are much less punctual than we were before. If you know us, you know that drives us crazy but it is what it is. We'll get better....
Anyway, the game plan when we're out is to keep Owen happy and keep Dylan in the sling- aka the "mobile sleep chamber". He is out like a light as soon as he's snuggled in a carrier. We don't have one of those bucket-style infant carseats (went straight to convertible this time) so we can't put him in a stroller carriage-style. We also don't have a travel-system-type stroller since we traded that clunky thing for a svelte, ergonomic stroller, so it wasn't really an issue anyway. I prefer the sling over a stroller any day of the week. He's on my body so he's warm and cozy, and it's easier to fit through doorways/ maneuver through crowds/ manage a curb when it's just your person and not a big ole' stroller. I still have two hands free, so everybody wins!
We've been keeping up the hustled pace since my parents left. We headed to Bridgeport Village to check out Native Foods Cafe (all vegan and pretty darn good for a chain restaurant) and did a little festive holiday shopping. We also went to storytime at Powells for a reading of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (my personal fave!) and did a little more "shopping". Actually we did a lot of attempted exchanging and window shopping.
I also got out of the house with BOTH kids! We took Kraig to work, parked in the garage downtown and went to Whole Foods, Starbucks, the bank, and back to the garage ALL IN ONE PIECE! Victory! I felt pretty proud of myself until I realized I wasn't sure how to get the kids + groceries into the house without multiple trips and the baby was hungry so leaving him for a minute inside wasn't an option- the things you have to think through with multiple kids, amiright?! But then- providence!- Donna came to save the day. Bam. Successful morning. Days like that make me feel like I might just be half decent at this parenting-of-two thing. Just don't ask me if I've showered and done the dishes today. ;-)
Kraig took Owen to Tot Tuesday at Hopworks. They came home and excitedly filled me in on how fun it was, and also presented this little cutie.
We were out and about every day that my parents were here. Peacock Lane, various restaurants, Multnomah Falls, Christmas Ship Parade, Pearl District to see Kraig's store and do a little shopping, and of course a visit to Powell's bookstore. I think being out that much gave us the confidence to keep doing whatever it is that we want to do- Dylan doesn't really slow us down too much. Well, except when trying to get out the door with two kids. The pace is definitely much slower than it was with one kid. Let's just say we are much less punctual than we were before. If you know us, you know that drives us crazy but it is what it is. We'll get better....
Anyway, the game plan when we're out is to keep Owen happy and keep Dylan in the sling- aka the "mobile sleep chamber". He is out like a light as soon as he's snuggled in a carrier. We don't have one of those bucket-style infant carseats (went straight to convertible this time) so we can't put him in a stroller carriage-style. We also don't have a travel-system-type stroller since we traded that clunky thing for a svelte, ergonomic stroller, so it wasn't really an issue anyway. I prefer the sling over a stroller any day of the week. He's on my body so he's warm and cozy, and it's easier to fit through doorways/ maneuver through crowds/ manage a curb when it's just your person and not a big ole' stroller. I still have two hands free, so everybody wins!
We've been keeping up the hustled pace since my parents left. We headed to Bridgeport Village to check out Native Foods Cafe (all vegan and pretty darn good for a chain restaurant) and did a little festive holiday shopping. We also went to storytime at Powells for a reading of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (my personal fave!) and did a little more "shopping". Actually we did a lot of attempted exchanging and window shopping.
I also got out of the house with BOTH kids! We took Kraig to work, parked in the garage downtown and went to Whole Foods, Starbucks, the bank, and back to the garage ALL IN ONE PIECE! Victory! I felt pretty proud of myself until I realized I wasn't sure how to get the kids + groceries into the house without multiple trips and the baby was hungry so leaving him for a minute inside wasn't an option- the things you have to think through with multiple kids, amiright?! But then- providence!- Donna came to save the day. Bam. Successful morning. Days like that make me feel like I might just be half decent at this parenting-of-two thing. Just don't ask me if I've showered and done the dishes today. ;-)
21 December 2011
Nana and Papa's visit
My parents came to Portland (their very first time!) to meet Dylan and hang out with Owen. We had a fun time bopping around doing various Christmas things and showing them our city :-)
Dylan meets Papa:
We celebrated Christmas while they were here. Owen is SO EXCITED about all of the Thomas tracks, sets, and trains that he got for Christmas (in general, but this bridge is from Nana).
We also went to the Christmas Ship Parade- one of my favorite Portland Christmas traditions :-)
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| Scuba Santa! |
We took them to Multnomah Falls, of course.
We shopped a bit downtown, showed them Kraig's store, and generally just hung out at the house for the weekend. It was nice to have some help with the boys (Kraig's return to work coincided with their visit). Owen loved all the attention. We didn't get to show off Portland too much since we weren't very mobile for much of the day due to Kraig's work schedule and Owen's naps, but they'll be back, I'm sure!
Thanks for visiting, Nana and Papa!
20 December 2011
Weighty issues
Dylan is packing on the pounds, but not *quite* as quickly as Owen did at this age. Here are the stats:
Birth: 8 lbs 11 oz
lowest weight, at one day old: 8 lbs 2 oz
One week old: 9 lbs
2.5 weeks: 10lbs 10oz
5 weeks: 12lbs 6 oz
Believe it or not, at 5 weeks old Owen was 13 lbs even. He was born at 7 lbs 9 oz and dropped to 7 lbs at the hospital, so he gained 6 lbs in 5 weeks. Dylan has only gained ~4.
It's a little bittersweet that my babes don't stay TEENY TINY for very long at all. I do love that they are sturdy little guys. No fragile itty-bitty babies here. They have both been very strong very early on- both boys held their head up at less than one day old, and Dylan is already pushing all the way up on his hands, lifting his chest off the ground. It's pretty crazy.
D is wearing 3 month clothing already and his newborn diaper rental package, which was supposed to last ~12 weeks, is already returned. We got 3 weeks of use out of it, but it was pretty apparent that they were way too little. Ah well!
I do miss the precious, tiny newborn stage BUT I know from experience that babies just get more and more awesome as they get bigger. I am sure that I have friends who will continue to procreate and I can get my sweet little baby fix without the sleeplessness and incessant diaper changes. Ha! I'm excited for Dylan to smile, giggle, talk, walk, and generally just become his own person.
All that to say: grow, baby, grow.
Birth: 8 lbs 11 oz
lowest weight, at one day old: 8 lbs 2 oz
One week old: 9 lbs
2.5 weeks: 10lbs 10oz
5 weeks: 12lbs 6 oz
Believe it or not, at 5 weeks old Owen was 13 lbs even. He was born at 7 lbs 9 oz and dropped to 7 lbs at the hospital, so he gained 6 lbs in 5 weeks. Dylan has only gained ~4.
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| Delicious baby rolls |
D is wearing 3 month clothing already and his newborn diaper rental package, which was supposed to last ~12 weeks, is already returned. We got 3 weeks of use out of it, but it was pretty apparent that they were way too little. Ah well!
I do miss the precious, tiny newborn stage BUT I know from experience that babies just get more and more awesome as they get bigger. I am sure that I have friends who will continue to procreate and I can get my sweet little baby fix without the sleeplessness and incessant diaper changes. Ha! I'm excited for Dylan to smile, giggle, talk, walk, and generally just become his own person.
All that to say: grow, baby, grow.
19 December 2011
Human Milk 4 Human Babies
No, I am not going to argue the merits of formula vs. breast milk. Don't worry. There are plenty of places on the internet where you can find impassioned and often heated arguments about that. I have a lot of personal opinions about it (are you surprised?), but I'll spare you.
Rather, I'm just going to tell you all about this great organization that I am excited to have found. This may seem a little weird- as are most things I write about, ha!- and just like anything else I am writing about it to normalize it and present it as an option for anyone who is thinking about it or knows anyone who might be interested.
The organization is Human Milk 4 Human Babies (HM4HB). What they do is facilitate relationships between mothers who want human milk for their babies and mothers who have extra milk to give. They aren't organized in the swap, it's just a meeting place (online) for mothers. They have some recommendations and tips for milk-sharing but there are no contracts, no profit, no formal agreements, nothing. They are just a resource.
As far as the donor-recipient relationship, it is as casual or as formal as the two parties want it to be. The burden lies on the recipient to decide how much information she wants from the donor- information like disease info, diet, alcohol and drug use, etc. She can be as limiting or as inclusive as she wants. For someone like me (a donor) there is no risk- I just post that I have milk available and people can vet me all day long in order to decide if I'm the right fit for them. There is no fee involved and no payments accepted, but "donations" have been worked out between mothers, such as the recipient donating a box of breast milk bags to the donor every so often. The mothers can meet at a mutually-agreed upon location or at their homes. They can become friends, or remain complete strangers.
I understand that at first this might seem like a pretty radical idea. I've done a lot of reading on milk-sharing and co-nursing so I'm really comfortable with the idea, and personally feel like when it is an option and it's FREE that- in my opinion- it is a pretty radical notion to give a baby milk from a farm animal instead of perfectly wonderful milk from a human being that you can meet and interact with. I also believe that women are capable of making safe choices regarding the sharing of milk from another human being.
I am donating milk to a wonderful mama of twins (she had a surrogate so is not making any of her own milk). She lives nearby and her babies are just a month older than Dylan. Obviously this isn't necessary but I think it's really awesome that our babies are approximately the same age. Why? Because breast milk has the amazing capability to change and adapt over time to fit the baby's needs at a certain age. More or less fat, more/less protein, more/less of certain enzymes, etc. So it's reasonable to assume that the nutritional needs of my baby and her babies are closer than say, my baby and a 6 month old baby who is eating solids. I think it's a great match.
I have been feeding Dylan, of course, and also pumping about 100 ounces a week for the twins to supplement the surrogate's milk. I'm glad to help! The family is so grateful, as they have been able to stop supplementing with formula.
Rather, I'm just going to tell you all about this great organization that I am excited to have found. This may seem a little weird- as are most things I write about, ha!- and just like anything else I am writing about it to normalize it and present it as an option for anyone who is thinking about it or knows anyone who might be interested.
The organization is Human Milk 4 Human Babies (HM4HB). What they do is facilitate relationships between mothers who want human milk for their babies and mothers who have extra milk to give. They aren't organized in the swap, it's just a meeting place (online) for mothers. They have some recommendations and tips for milk-sharing but there are no contracts, no profit, no formal agreements, nothing. They are just a resource.
As far as the donor-recipient relationship, it is as casual or as formal as the two parties want it to be. The burden lies on the recipient to decide how much information she wants from the donor- information like disease info, diet, alcohol and drug use, etc. She can be as limiting or as inclusive as she wants. For someone like me (a donor) there is no risk- I just post that I have milk available and people can vet me all day long in order to decide if I'm the right fit for them. There is no fee involved and no payments accepted, but "donations" have been worked out between mothers, such as the recipient donating a box of breast milk bags to the donor every so often. The mothers can meet at a mutually-agreed upon location or at their homes. They can become friends, or remain complete strangers.
I understand that at first this might seem like a pretty radical idea. I've done a lot of reading on milk-sharing and co-nursing so I'm really comfortable with the idea, and personally feel like when it is an option and it's FREE that- in my opinion- it is a pretty radical notion to give a baby milk from a farm animal instead of perfectly wonderful milk from a human being that you can meet and interact with. I also believe that women are capable of making safe choices regarding the sharing of milk from another human being.
I am donating milk to a wonderful mama of twins (she had a surrogate so is not making any of her own milk). She lives nearby and her babies are just a month older than Dylan. Obviously this isn't necessary but I think it's really awesome that our babies are approximately the same age. Why? Because breast milk has the amazing capability to change and adapt over time to fit the baby's needs at a certain age. More or less fat, more/less protein, more/less of certain enzymes, etc. So it's reasonable to assume that the nutritional needs of my baby and her babies are closer than say, my baby and a 6 month old baby who is eating solids. I think it's a great match.
I have been feeding Dylan, of course, and also pumping about 100 ounces a week for the twins to supplement the surrogate's milk. I'm glad to help! The family is so grateful, as they have been able to stop supplementing with formula.
14 December 2011
Dylan's "Birth Certificate"
Alma creates a special birth certificate- complete with baby's tiny footprints- for each babe. We were very excited about this since we don't have Owen's newborn footprints. (Do hospitals do that anymore? I really want to know!)
Two of our midwives took to the task of stamping his little tootsies. Getting baby's footprints is much harder than it seems. Handprints are downright impossible.
Just another reason why we love our birth center.....
13 December 2011
Dylan's two-week checkup
Tangent: Our midwives are so wonderful. Have I said that before?
We're seriously going to miss being under their care. At 6 weeks post-partum we'll be released to our primary care physician (whom we also love). But there is just something special about the relationship-based care that my midwives provide. And let's not discount the love I feel for these women because they helped my baby enter the world safely. They feel like friends and family to us, and it will be very, very, very difficult to say goodbye in 4 short weeks.... I'm already experiencing a profound sense of loss just thinking about it.
Tangent over.
The 12th was our two-week postpartum visit. Dylan weighed in at 10 pounds 10 ounces. Yes, he is only 18 days old. I am really, really good at chunking out my babies (Owen had a gain of 2 lbs at his 2 week visit as well). He is perfectly following the 90th percentile curve on the WHO growth chart. Interestingly, he was above the 95th percentile for length at birth. I knew 21.5 inches was long, but I didn't know it was THAT long. Needless to say, Dylan is a big boy!
He is healthy and perfect and absolutely wonderful. But we didn't need the midwives in order to know that! We did his special Alma Birth Certificate footprints. So cute!
They checked up on me as well, and I am doing really great! My recovery is going really well, and I feel almost 100% back-to-normal. This recovery took a bit longer than my first- I think because I had a bad cold/cough that exacerbated my muscle soreness, and, you know, it was my second baby so things just aren't what they used to be. Sigh. I'm looking forward to a chiro appointment to adjust my hips and back. I'm sure I'll feel completely better after that!
We're seriously going to miss being under their care. At 6 weeks post-partum we'll be released to our primary care physician (whom we also love). But there is just something special about the relationship-based care that my midwives provide. And let's not discount the love I feel for these women because they helped my baby enter the world safely. They feel like friends and family to us, and it will be very, very, very difficult to say goodbye in 4 short weeks.... I'm already experiencing a profound sense of loss just thinking about it.
Tangent over.
The 12th was our two-week postpartum visit. Dylan weighed in at 10 pounds 10 ounces. Yes, he is only 18 days old. I am really, really good at chunking out my babies (Owen had a gain of 2 lbs at his 2 week visit as well). He is perfectly following the 90th percentile curve on the WHO growth chart. Interestingly, he was above the 95th percentile for length at birth. I knew 21.5 inches was long, but I didn't know it was THAT long. Needless to say, Dylan is a big boy!
He is healthy and perfect and absolutely wonderful. But we didn't need the midwives in order to know that! We did his special Alma Birth Certificate footprints. So cute!
They checked up on me as well, and I am doing really great! My recovery is going really well, and I feel almost 100% back-to-normal. This recovery took a bit longer than my first- I think because I had a bad cold/cough that exacerbated my muscle soreness, and, you know, it was my second baby so things just aren't what they used to be. Sigh. I'm looking forward to a chiro appointment to adjust my hips and back. I'm sure I'll feel completely better after that!
12 December 2011
Our first real tree
Our "tree" from last year was just a royal pain in the tuchus this year (um, hello toddler) so we opted to give Owen a wonderful Christmas memory. Kraig took him to a nearby tree farm to cut down a tree. We've never had a real tree before, and we think this was a really fun tradition to start with Owen!
We had heard about this awesome hippie farm (started by a homebrewer and yoga instructor.)
Dylan and I stayed at home, of course. But we hear that they walked far into the "forest" to find just the perfect tree.
Kraig cut down the tree and then gave Owen credit for it ;-)
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| Future lumberjack? |
I hear there was eating of candy canes and drinking of hot chocolate as well. So fun! Owen was excited to tell me all about it when they returned home. I'm excited to join them next year!
11 December 2011
Pictures of the boys
We're still hanging out at home, babymooning and having a fabulous time. Dylan is a wonderful baby and Owen is an awesome big brother. We're so proud of Owen and generally just over the moon for both of our boys. It helps that they are both really, really, ridiculously good-looking if I do say so myself.
See those delicious arm rolls? Love, love, love baby chub!
In case you were wondering, yes, he does get upset.
You know those photos where baby is all tucked up in a fetal position near mama's belly and it's like "aww that's so amazing that baby was in mama's belly!"
Well, Dylan is big. So I really have no idea how he fit in there....
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| Santa Baby |
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| Loves his mama! |
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| Funny baby grin |
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| Those eyes, oh my goodness. |
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| Love them so. |
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