Baby Noah: 11 Weeks

Weight: Noah hasn't had an official weigh-in since his 2 month needles, but he should be well over the 13 pound mark at this point.

Health: Still healthy but a bit fussier last week. He's been gassier than normal, I think from the live vaccine he had for the rotavirus.

"Mom, no more pics!"

Sleep: I am pleased to report that we are back to swaddling "arms in" with Noah. I started last week while Tim was away for work and he hasn't resisted and he has been sleeping much better. The past two nights we even got 8 hours out of him...straight! I do notice that he is getting tired WAY earlier than before. By 8pm he is ready for night night, so most nights he is down by 9pm which means Momma is too if I want to maximize my sleep.

Hoping to get him napping in his crib now. I am writing this in the rocking chair in his room as he coos in his crib. He is not showing any signs of tiring!

Diet: Milk!

Clothes: All his 0-3 months are packed away, he is only in 3-6 months now! Size 2 diapers.

Baby Gear Love: He is loving his activity mat this week and is finally banging at the hanging objects. It is so cute to watch!

Noah and his buddy Baby Kate 

Crying: Not a big cryer, only when he's overtired.

Likes: I really think he now loves the swaddle, I am so happy. After trying the Aden & Anais blankets, the halo sleep sack, the swaddleme and the wombie I think we finally found something that works, the miracle blanket!. He doesn't like to be held horizontally in our arms anymore, but instead prefers to be held upright vertically so he can see what is going on over our shoulders. Or he likes to be carted around facing forwards. I am not as comfortable with this position as Dad is!

He loves to giggle when you touch his face he just burst into laughter. It is SO darn cute.

Postpartum: Still busting my ass trying to get back into shape. It kills me how much my upper body strength and all around physical fitness has declined. 10 pounds to go!

Milestones: Napping in his crib. I knew I had to break the habit of him sleeping in his swing. It was in the living room and the front door kept waking him up every time someone would come in or out. Hoping he'll continue to have nice long naps in his crib like he was in his swing. We got the Ocean Wonders Aquarium from Amazon Canada and it lulls him to sleep.

Oh and did I tell everyone we booked our 1st trip to Florida with Baby in April! I couldn't resist buying little man these adorable sunglasses for his 1st trip down South :)

Cute Much???

In other exciting news, Baby MacNevin has finally arrived. My best friend Emily had her beautiful baby boy Denver yesterday, and I am so excited for our boys to grow up together. It makes me just a tad emotional to think about it. We can't wait to meet little Denver and are so so happy for her and her hubby as they start their lives as a family of 3! 

Being a Mommy

Motherhood (two months into it). It has been 2 1/2 months since Noah came into the world. It's been the most challenging and happiest months of my life. People always say you won't know love for a child until you have one. It is very true! It's funny how when you are pregnant, the excitement of having a little one and the joy of growing this tiny little person inside you seems to overtake the thought of being a parent and the challenges that will come with parenthood. I realize now how naive I really was. 

I came up with 5 things that seem to have hit me the past two months...

#1 - I had no idea how often babies needed to EAT. Like people aren't kidding when they say newborns just eat, poop and sleep all day long. The first few weeks were a complete blur to me.  His feedings sometimes felt endless. But somehow your body adjusts and you just learn to function as best you can. You have to take care of yourself. I have learned to sleep when he sleeps, even if it's 2 or 3 little naps a day. Some days I felt like I would just finish breastfeeding, and he'd want to start all over again. I was so nervous to leave the house incase he decided he HAD to eat and i'd be caught somewhere with a screaming baby. Now at 11 weeks, he's pretty predictable and we are getting some longer stretches out of him. But those first few weeks, I felt so tied down.

#2 - Their CRY will break your heart. Noah screams sometimes when we put him in his car seat. Mostly its when he is overtired in the evenings. It breaks my heart, I just want to rip him out of there! But then we would never make it out anywhere, and that is just not realistic. He's getting better the past few weeks.

#3 - They don't need to be picked up for every grunt/sound/squack that they make. We've been co-sleeping with Noah since bringing him home from the hospital, and while I love every minute of having him next to me those first few weeks were tough!  We were those "hovering" parents. Every sound he made we'd been standing over him asking ourselves "is he ok?" "is he hungry again?" "what if he's dirty?". We'd be picking him up and swaying him back and forth but he was really still asleep and we were just waking him up by picking him up! We quickly learned that if we wanted to get any sleep at all we were going to have to ignore those little sounds he makes. Now I am pretty good at reading his noises. I wear a watch to bed and can tell (based on the time and how long he's been down for) whether he is really waking up and hungry or if he's stirring in between REM sleep. I also don't change him through the night anymore. I put a bigger size diaper on him at bedtime, and unless I know he pooped (you can hear him) I leave him swaddled all night long. When he stirs/starts to wake around 3am I gently pick him up and lie him in bed next to me. He then latches while still basically asleep and I let him feed until he falls back asleep. Normally it's just one side that he takes and it's a quick feed (20-25 minutes). Then I gently pick him up and put him back to his bed.

#4- Lots of TEARS are shed. For happy and for stress. I didn't realize how stressful it would be with a newborn. I remember the first time I got him in the carseat on my own and made it to the doctor and back. He ended up screaming the whole way home. I drove like a maniac. I also remember the first time he had a meltdown at night while Tim was gone to hockey. It was close to midnight and I was trying to get him to sleep and he just kept crying and crying. I kept rocking and feeding and rocking and feeding and he just wouldn't settle. Hubs definitely got some mean text messages from Momma that night. But there is also lots of happy tears. Like the first night we were at home and I was sitting there feeding this tiny little baby that is MINE! I just burst into tears.
He smiles at me, I cry. I read to him, I cry. I look at my perfect little baby, and cry. You get my point! haha.

#5 - Feeling LOVE like no other. I honestly didn't comprehend the love of a mom. It's powerful!

#6 -  Motherhood is not EASY. Emotions are high, and sometimes (most of the time) I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Some days I feel so inadequate. I find myself calling my mom sometimes 3 times a day with questions, concerns,  and just to have someone to talk to. It's a complete learning process. Each day you learn something new. In the short months I have been a mom, I have come to learn there is no textbook, I think a perfect mom gives all her love, and the daily schedules, sleep, and feedings work themselves out on their own:)

I feel so blessed to be a mom to this precious little boy!

Baby Noah: 10 Weeks

Well this week has been one of the hardest for me because hubs has been away all week on the other side of the country. He left Monday morning and isn't back until Friday, leaving Noah and I on our own. Luckily we have a pretty great support network nearby. My Mom came to sleep over Monday night, and Tuesday night my parents watched Noah so I could get out for a few hours. Its been super cold here, too cold to take baby outside, so to have a few hours out of the house was amazing.  My sister slept over with us last night, and tomorrow Tim's Mom is coming in for the day. It's making the week bearable that's for sure having so much help. Normally we are used to having hubs home for lunch and then at the end of the day at 4:30. The days normally fly by. But when he isn't home the days really creep by. Luckily Noah is a pretty easy going baby, makes it easier on Momma!

Snuggles with Auntie Sarah

Weight: As of last Thursday, Noah was 12 lbs 10 oz and 23 inches long.

Health: We did notice the day or two around his first immunization shots that he was more fussy than usual and he spiked a temp that night. He's also had the sniffles since before xmas and he still snots/sneezes a bit here and there. Other than that, he's the picture of health.

snuggle time with Dad

Sleep: We're still averaging about 6-7 hours of sleep at night, down between 10-11pm and normally up once around 3am and up for the day between 6:30-7. Most days we stay in bed and cuddle until after 8am. He is still sleeping in his swing for the most part. I keep trying him in his bassinet and he goes down ok, but keeps waking himself up within 30-45 minutes. I won a Zippidee-zip on Wise Baby, so I hope that when we try that it may help him sleep longer. I think he likes the confinements of his cradle swing, it keeps his head and legs from flailing all around. I try to replicate that in his bassinet with rolled up swaddle blankets on either side of him but it just doesn't work the same. I hope he'll just grow out of the swing at some point, but until then, it's sleep for Mom and Dad :)

Diet: You guessed it!  Mama's milk all day, everyday.

Clothes: Noah's is totally out of all his 0-3 month clothing. He totally fills out most of his 3-6 month sleepers and comfortably fits into all his 3-6 month outfits. We have been trying to use up all our remaining size 1 diapers but we aren't going to be able to get rid of them all, they are just too tight. So on to size 2 we go.

Baby Gear Love: Noah just started grabbing toys this week, it's so fun to watch him play with his toys. 

Crying: He really only cries when he gets frustrated from the hiccups, the odd time going in his car seat (but he is getting better) or in the evenings if he hasn't napped enough during the day he gets totally exhausted and overstimulated come 7pm.

Likes: bath time, getting his hair combed, lying on the change table and chillin in his swing.

Postpartum: Its great to get back exercising again, but my goodness I am weak. I used to be able to do pushups from my toes...now I can't do a single one! My bladder control has also gone down hill. I can't do 20 seconds of jumping jacks without feeling like I am peeing my pants. It's horrible! I am really enjoying being back at spin class though. It's my favorite part of the week!

Milestones: This was a big week for baby...Noah laughed out loud for the first time. He also grabbed toys for the first time and blew raspberries with his saliva. He can stand when we hold him up.

 handsome in his Tommy Hilfiger sweater

Mr. Giggles

He also met his buddy Hudson for the first time, born one week before Noah but only weighing 2 lbs 13 oz. Noah looks like a toddler in comparison. Now Hudson is a little over 6 pounds.

Noah is not impressed with meeting his new buddy

the daddy's and their boys

Each and every day is amazing with my little man, he is just so happy and content and a real blessing to our lives. I love spending the days with him and watching him grow before my eyes. We have lots to look forward to the next few weeks, Noah is hopefully going to acquire a few new buddies as I have some friends that are due any day now :) 

Momma's Boy

2 Month Needles

Well I am happy to report that Mom, Dad and baby all survived the traumatic first needle experience. We went at 9am yesterday and I was home by 10:15am with a sleeping baby. He did so well, and I definitely had myself all in a tizzy the entire week worrying about them. I definitely was more upset than he likely was. He got 3 needles total, 2 in one leg and 1 (the worst one) in the other.

For the first two Daddy held him while I was on soother duty. He was basically asleep when we started, the poor little fella had a rude awakening. He cried when he got jabbed, but once I popped the soother back in he was able to calm himself down. When needle #3 came, he was NOT a happy camper. They say that one stings the worst and he freaked out. He cried so hard he could barely catch his breath. I put him immediately to the boob (which a friend recommended I do) and he soothed himself to sleep within 5 minutes. We then bundled him up and within 30 seconds of getting in the car he was off to dream land.

Once we got home we slept for another hour or so and then woke up angry and hungry. After a long feeding we snuggled on the couch until he got fussy around 1 and I fed him again and he was out like a light for close to 2 hours.

I checked him temp at 3 and it was normal, so I hope it stays that way.

Despite the stressfulness I managed to snap a few photos of the whole thing going down:

 almost asleep before starting

 after needle #1...sucking hard on that soother!

 freaking out 

sound asleep at home..what a brave boy!

He also had a full assessment done. He weighs 12 lbs 10 oz as of today, up 7 oz since last Monday (9 days ago) and is 23 inches long (last week's measurement was off by an inch as they had him at 24 inches last week). He is in the 53rd percentile for weight, which blows my mind. The way he's been growing I figured he would be off the charts for 9 weeks! He had an eyesight and hearing test. She kept ringing a bell behind him to see if it would startle him or get him to look in that direction...it didn't faze him in the slightest. He just sat there and kept looking the other way! Strange child of mine.

All in all I think we did well. Mommy also needed a nap today from all the stress. We have such a great baby! xo

Noah's First Giggles

Be prepared for cuteness overload!

Our 2 Month Favorites

Here is some of our 2 month favourites:

1. The Wubbanub - From the beginning, the only soother Noah would take was the Soothie. But because of their shape (it doesn't conform to his face) and his inability to suck long enough to keep it in, it was always falling out on him. A good friend recommended the Wubbanub! There aren't available here where we live, so I had to order one online on amazon and wait 3 weeks for it to be delivered. But it arrived this week and it is an immediate hit! Noah went to sleep with it last night and went down for his nap with it today...and it stayed it! 

2. Motorolla Video Monitor - I have started putting Noah down in his crib for naptimes. I was so nervous at first I would sit in the rocking chair and just wait until he woke up. Obviously I can't keep that up, so i've been using the video monitor and it is amazing. Such a saver of my sanity!

3. Baby Scratch Mitts - I started putting these on Noah not because he was scratching his face, but because he refuses to be swaddled with his hands inside the swaddle and his little hands were getting so cold! So I put the mitts on him at night and they keep his hands nice and warm.

4. Ameda Purely Yours - This double pump has been my best friend since about week #4. I first started pumping around week 3, but for the past 2 weeks or so have been doing it almost daily to try and build up a stock in the freezer. Noah takes the Playtex drop-in bottles like a champ, which is great for me so I can get out and about every now and again without baby.

5. Sleep Sheep - I added this to our registry based on other Mommy blogs. Lucky for us, friends of ours bought this for Noah and we love it. Sometimes when I put him down to bed he isn't quite asleep. I turn the sheep on to the water option and off to dream land he goes.

6. Lansinoh Storage Bags -These are hands-down, the best way to store milk.  

7. SwaddleMe - We used the Aden + Anais blankets as swaddles in the first month, but Noah kept breaking out of them. Even though we don't swaddle him with his arms in, we still use this at night and swaddle him from his chest down and leave his arms out. It keeps him nice and warm.

8. Baby Einstein Activity Gym - Noah got this mat for Christmas from his aunt MaryEllen and we've been putting him on it every day since. He is still a little unsure of how to use his arms to play with the hanging toys but I am sure he'll get the hang of it soon. For now he likes to chill out on it and look around and listen to the music it plays.

My Little Sock-Monkey

Words can't describe the cuteness of this photo. I just want to kiss his little face over and over! Love my little monkey!

Happy 2 Months Noah!

Today you are two months old!  I have to say that the second month has been so much fun! We really got the hang of things you and I. You started sleeping through the night (well as close to it as you can get) and right around 6 weeks you really started to interact more with us. You smile with your whole face, and are most smiley in the mornings.  You also started to chuckle every now and again!

You had your two month checkup last Friday and you're doing so well!  You are weighing in at 12 lbs and 3.5 ounces...that's my boy!  And you are 24 inches long. In a few days time we have your two month shots which Mommy is dreading. Daddy is coming along for momma's sanity!

 At the doctor's office for your 2 month appointment...look how long you are!

Having a playdate with Carson, born the day after you :)

You are still sleeping in with us, but we hope to transition you over to your crib in the next month or so. We were doing so good with the sleep thing, over Christmas and into the new year you were sleeping 6-7 hour stretches. Then you stopped for about a week and were up every 2-3 hours again. Just the past few days you've resumed your long stretches at night...thank goodness! I feed you around 930 or 10 and you normally sleep through until 3-5am.

my smiley boy :)

You still get the hiccups about 2-3 times a day, and you despise them! you get so frustrated not that i blame you one bit. Overall you are a really happy boy, the past few days you've been a little fussy but you haven't been napping all that well so i think you are overtired.

working on tummy time

You are basically outgrown all your 0-3 month sleepers and are into 3-6 months. We can still get you into a few of your "real clothes" that are 0-3 months, but they are getting tight. You have been in size 1 diapers now since before xmas, but you won't be in them much longer as they are tight around your little legs. We have another 1/2 box left (100 or so diapers) and once they are gone we will transition you to #2's. 

Look at the difference one month has made! You are wearing the exact same outfit! Your face has rounded out and you are much longer. Your belly is also much bigger, and look at how happy you are to have your photo taken!

It's been the greatest blessing being your Mom kiddo. Your Dad and I love you very much! xo

A Day in the Life of a 2 Month Old...

I thought it would be fun to do a day in the life post.

6:20 AM - our mornings normally start sometime around this hour. This morning Noah started grunting and making noises. He appeared to be still asleep but he was trying hard to pass gas so I got him up and changed his bum and brought him in to bed to feed him. He fell asleep after only feeding one side, and I didn't force the other.

6:45 - I put him back down to try and get another hour or so of sleep because he was up at 2:30AM with gas pains that I was trying to massage out of him. I nod off again and hubby gets up and ready for work.

8:00 - I hear Noah start to stir as hubby finishes getting ready. I sub-consciously ask hubs to change Noah, which he does, and then he brings him back into bed with me and I feed the other side. He takes his merry old time and I doze off while he eats. We wake at 8:55.


9:00 - He hangs out on his activity mat while I throw in a load of laundry, make the bed, pump 4 oz's (since i have to leave him with gramps in the am), and prepare breakfast.

9:25- He gets a tad pissed off for being left so long on the mat. So I get him up and we go change his diaper and put his outfit on for the day.

Thanks auntie Kyla for the outfit...I finally fit into the shirt (a little work to go on the pants)

9:45 - Its TUMMY TIME!

less than thrilled about tummy time today..don't mind the bed head everyone!

10:00 - Someone is hungry...again! After a burp and a little spit up on Mom he is ready for some zzzzzzz.

11:00- Nap time, i let him sleep on me for about 20 minutes. I then move him to his swing. He doesn't settle until around noontime where he finally dozes off.

look at that sweet sleepy face...pure contentment

naptime in his swing

12:00 - While he sleeps I change the laundry, do some blogging and get in a 30 minute run.

1:00 - I shower, and change the laundry again. He is still sleeping so I put away his clothes and pack away some of his 0-3 months clothes that are too small. I then eat lunch, Mini-wheats a banana and a baby bell cheese.

Typical outfit for me these days...yoga pants and t-shirt! Hair in a messy bun.

2:00 - He is still sleeping and my boobs are feeling pretty darn full at this point. He must be tired so i am going to let him sleep a bit longer.

2:15 - He is awake...and HUNGRY! I let him take his time and he eats and eats until about 2:50. I give him a few burps and then....BLAHHHH he spits up all over me and himself. Delightful. This is pretty routine when he goes longer between feedings.

3:00- After I clean myself up, I bundle the big guy up so we can go run some errands. He is pretty happy and doesn't put up a fuss.

where we going Mom??

4:20 - We went shopping and went to Shoppers Drug Mart to print some pics. Luckily he fell asleep for most of this but wakes up just as I am finishing at Shoppers. He starts to fuss a bit.

4:30 - I rush home before a meltdown begins. I undress him on the change table and go to change his diaper and see this...

explosion out of the side of the diaper...I'll spare you the nastiness of what was inside!

So its jammy time a little earlier than normal today...

And he is a happy boy once again! This is one of the last 0-3 months sleepers I am still putting on him.

5:00- He isn't fussing yet but I decide it's likely time for him to eat again so I can get supper started at a reasonable hour. Hubs gets home not long after we start feeding.

"feed me Mom"

5:45 - I give him over to hubs for a burp and diaper change while I start dinner. Not long after I start cooking I hear him yell "OMG" and I walk into what is the largest poop explosion I have ever seen. hahaha hubs is so impressed I gave this one to him!

While cooking we indulge in our last glass of rum and eggnog. Just a small one for me!

6:15 - Lemon Dill Salmon is supper tonight...yum! Noah has a small cat nap while we eat...great timing.

helping Mom cook supper

7:00 - Noah is hungry...again. Since I just had a drink (even though it was small)I decide to defrost some breast milk and give him that tonight.

7:45 - We hang out watching Biggest Loser that we taped from earlier in the week.

9:00 - Mom has an early morning meeting tomorrow at 8am, so its early to bed. It's not bath night tonight but normally this is where we would do that. Then it's diaper change, swaddle, and feed time before packing it in for another day.

So that is a typical day in the life of Noah and I...so exciting I know! Lots of feedings and dirty diapers, but not much crying and lots of time for Momma to get some stuff done around the house. I love my days at home with my little man. We look forward to getting hubs home for lunch and supper though :)

Until next time friends! Noah's 2 month update to come :)