Here's another one where he wasn't quite as happy about being awakened, at least not until the end, but it really captures his mannerisms. And I don't want to forget any of them! Love the head turns and the breathing when he's trying to decide if he wants to cry or not...and of course, the lip. Okay, I love everything about him.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Streeeetch
As mentioned in my list of favorites, I love the way Will stretches when we undo the swaddle! It's too cute not to share. The best part about this video is how he falls back asleep almost immediately!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
A few of my favorite things...0-3 months
How he brings his legs up like a frog when I pick him up
How he opens his mouth like a baby bird waiting for his mommy bird to give him the worm when he's hungry or when I lean over to kiss him
When he roots
How he smiles at me while I'm nursing him if he catches my eye
How he gets shy and looks away after giving a big smile
The fact that he cries when he toots (it's funny!)
How he slowly blinks when smiling at me
How he gets a huge smile on his face every time he sees Wayne
How he smiles and talks to himself (or perhaps the pattern on his bumper) in his crib
How he puts his arm over his eyes while nursing
How he opens and closes his hand while nursing
The noises he makes when sucking his paci
How quickly he goes from crying to content when he starts sucking the paci
How he likes to have his arms up by his head
The way he stretches when we undo his swaddle
How he smiles at me when I'm singing a lullaby to him
How he spreads his toes and straightens his legs when he's happy
How his laugh currently sounds like a hiccup
How cute his sneezes and hiccups are
How he cuddles with me when he's sleepy
How he smiles while still sucking on his paci
How the simplest things entertain him and make him happy (looking at the fan or the blinds)
How the thought of him makes my heart sing. He is the greatest blessing!
How he opens his mouth like a baby bird waiting for his mommy bird to give him the worm when he's hungry or when I lean over to kiss him
When he roots
How he smiles at me while I'm nursing him if he catches my eye
How he gets shy and looks away after giving a big smile
The fact that he cries when he toots (it's funny!)
How he slowly blinks when smiling at me
How he gets a huge smile on his face every time he sees Wayne
How he smiles and talks to himself (or perhaps the pattern on his bumper) in his crib
How he puts his arm over his eyes while nursing
How he opens and closes his hand while nursing
The noises he makes when sucking his paci
How quickly he goes from crying to content when he starts sucking the paci
How he likes to have his arms up by his head
The way he stretches when we undo his swaddle
How he smiles at me when I'm singing a lullaby to him
How he spreads his toes and straightens his legs when he's happy
How his laugh currently sounds like a hiccup
How cute his sneezes and hiccups are
How he cuddles with me when he's sleepy
How he smiles while still sucking on his paci
How the simplest things entertain him and make him happy (looking at the fan or the blinds)
How the thought of him makes my heart sing. He is the greatest blessing!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Change
We've been through a lot of changes this month. My maternity leave ended May 15th, but we decided that I would take additional time off work. I'll get to be home with Will until the end of August, which means he'll be 6 months when I return to work. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to spend more time with my little man! The downside is obviously losing my income for a few months. I've been dabbling in couponing lately, but I'll be getting a little more "extreme" to get us through the next few months. I'm nervous, yet excited about seeing how much money we can save. (I will not be as extreme as the crazies on Extreme Couponing on TLC. We're more into buying only things that we need, and we don't need 100 bottles of mustard or 50 boxes of cake mix...)
Another major change in our lives is we got a new car! Wayne's two-seater 1993 Honda Del Sol wasn't exactly conducive to a car seat, so we started looking a few months ago for a new car. Last week, we found one we loved, and we bought it!
So, we had to say goodbye to Little Black Mini-Me Tic-Tac...
And hello to Foxy!
It's a 2007 Acura TL, and as Wayne said, "it's phat!"
We are very excited about the changes going on in our lives. I love my temporary life as a stay at home mom and am soaking up every moment I can with Will!
Another major change in our lives is we got a new car! Wayne's two-seater 1993 Honda Del Sol wasn't exactly conducive to a car seat, so we started looking a few months ago for a new car. Last week, we found one we loved, and we bought it!
So, we had to say goodbye to Little Black Mini-Me Tic-Tac...
And hello to Foxy!
It's a 2007 Acura TL, and as Wayne said, "it's phat!"
We are very excited about the changes going on in our lives. I love my temporary life as a stay at home mom and am soaking up every moment I can with Will!
Monday, May 23, 2011
3 Months Old
I can't believe my baby boy is 3 months old already! The time has really flown. Seems like we'll be saying that for the rest of our lives now. Will brings so much joy to our lives, and it is so fun to watch him grow and discover new things everyday. He's getting so big!
In the past week or two, he has discovered his hands. He twists and turns, opens and closes them, and is overall fascinated by them. He also occasionally notices his feet. It's so cute to watch! Earlier this week, I watched him examine his right hand for five minutes as he was laying on the changing pad. I loved getting to experience such a sweet and precious moment with him!
Another new thing he's doing is rolling over. He's been rolling onto his right side for a little while, but he officially rolled all the way over from his back to his tummy this past week. He was swaddled in his crib (taking a nap) when he did it, so we wondered if the swaddle gave him enough force to swing all the way over. Yesterday, we tried letting him nap in a sleep sack instead, and he still rolled over to his tummy. He also rolled back onto his back from his tummy! We officially have a roller! We're trying to figure out the best way for him to sleep without rolling over because he won't go to sleep unless he's swaddled, but he can't roll back onto his back in the swaddle...so he rolls over onto his tummy and then cries until we roll him back over.
He was happy after he got to finally eat his breakfast. So proud of my little man for doing so well!
And now for his 3-month "photo shoot" at home :)
He is such a sweet baby. We love the smiles we get when we peer over his crib! Anytime Wayne or I make eye contact with him, he gets a huge smile on his face and completely melts our hearts!
He's outgrown the newborn sling in his tub
In the past week or two, he has discovered his hands. He twists and turns, opens and closes them, and is overall fascinated by them. He also occasionally notices his feet. It's so cute to watch! Earlier this week, I watched him examine his right hand for five minutes as he was laying on the changing pad. I loved getting to experience such a sweet and precious moment with him!
Another new thing he's doing is rolling over. He's been rolling onto his right side for a little while, but he officially rolled all the way over from his back to his tummy this past week. He was swaddled in his crib (taking a nap) when he did it, so we wondered if the swaddle gave him enough force to swing all the way over. Yesterday, we tried letting him nap in a sleep sack instead, and he still rolled over to his tummy. He also rolled back onto his back from his tummy! We officially have a roller! We're trying to figure out the best way for him to sleep without rolling over because he won't go to sleep unless he's swaddled, but he can't roll back onto his back in the swaddle...so he rolls over onto his tummy and then cries until we roll him back over.
It started when our Houdini escaped from his swaddle and rolled on his side.
And now this is how we find him in the crib.
Earlier this month, Will went on his first date to the food court with Scarlett, my friend Beth's baby. Scarlett was 5 weeks and Will was 10 weeks. They hit it off really well. :)
Will's first medical test was an upper GI...he did so well! This is him waiting patiently that morning...without having had anything to eat yet.
Laying comfortably on his side while waiting for the test to begin.
He was happy after he got to finally eat his breakfast. So proud of my little man for doing so well!
And now for his 3-month "photo shoot" at home :)
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| Found a foot! |
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| Love this sweet boy so much!! |
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| Mom, do I have to pose for more pictures? |
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| Oh, is that my hand? |
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| Wait, who's over there? |
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| Is that my daddy? |
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| It is my daddy! |
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| This face melts my heart! |
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| Precious boy!! |
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Reflux.
Oh, where to begin. This has certainly been the biggest struggle for us. Within the first few weeks of Will's life, I started to question whether or not he had reflux or maybe even a food allergy. He spit up a lot. Since I've never had a baby before, it was hard for me to know what "a lot" of spit up was and what was a normal amount. There were other signs that made me wonder, too. For example, when he would burp or spit up, he'd let out a cry after, as if it was painful. I could also hear the milk come back up and go back down even though it wouldn't always come out. Other factors: he would cry, scream, choke, gag, gasp for air, whimper, spit up while eating, arch his back etc at every feeding. I could see the pain on his face. Every time I'd bring it up with his pediatrician, she'd say he was gaining weight really well, so she didn't want to put him on medicine, as meds are saved for extreme cases where the baby isn't thriving and gaining weight. (I completely agree. I don't support unnecessary medicating, especially for a baby.) She wanted us to try "reflux precautions" and see how he did. Those precautions included tilting his crib mattress, not putting him in pants that put pressure on his belly, keeping him upright 30-45 min after every feeding, doing shorter and more frequent feedings, and limiting dairy in my diet. At his 2-month check-up, I brought it up again because the week before his symptoms seemed to have gotten worse, and we had been doing all of those things. She said he's halfway there (I guess it gets better in most babies by 4 months), so to see if we could make it without meds.
I was back a week later.
I could not take the look of pain on his face anymore. I'm the one who sees that look every time he eats and has to hold him and try to comfort him when he's crying and in pain after he eats. It had gotten worse. The amount of spit up I'd see on his sheets started to make me mad. I was tired of everyone trying to make me feel like I was overreacting and that what he was going through was totally normal. I took him in to see the doctor with a purpose. Good thing.
He'd lost weight.
FINALLY. Some actual proof supporting what I had been saying for almost two months. Don't get me wrong, I am not at all happy that he lost weight. I'm just glad that there was finally something to show the doctor (and everyone else, for that matter) that I wasn't overreacting. That there was an actual problem that needed to be addressed before it got any worse.
His pediatrician also heard how congested he was, which is apparently another symptom of reflux. She gave us a prescription for Prevacid because she thought it was severe enough that Zantac wouldn't work. I thought we were on the road to recovery...until insurance wouldn't cover Prevacid.
Or any. other. acid-blocking medicine.
So, we had to try Zantac first. In order for insurance to cover anything else, he'd have to "fail" the Zantac. We had to go a full 7 days of giving him a medicine that did nothing to help him. It was so frustrating. It still is just writing about it!
Finally, we were able to get insurance to cover the Prevacid. The doctor said it could take anywhere from 3 to 7 days for us to see any improvement. So I waited.
After the first week, I noticed that he started throwing back up the Prevacid anywhere from 3 to 7 hours after I'd given it to him! That really seemed weird since it should be long-gone out of his tummy after that many hours. And after two full weeks on Prevacid with no improvement, Will introduced me to projectile vomit. That was a new experience! I thought I had seen projectile vomit from him before...no, sir! I just sat there and laughed. I was already planning on calling his doctor that morning, but I didn't delay after that.
We went that day. He had only gained 2oz in 3 weeks. So my sweet baby boy who had been gaining weight so well had suddenly dropped to barely gaining at all. His pediatrician ordered an upper GI and referred us to a pediatric gastroenterologist. We had the upper GI the next morning (yesterday). He did really well, considering he couldn't eat for 4 hours before the procedure and he had to drink a bottle of barium. He couldn't taste it, he was just so glad to be drinking something! He only got upset when the nurse stopped letting him drink the barium. :) Praise the Lord, they didn't see any blockages in his stomach or esophagus! The radiologist said they wanted to measure how bad his reflux is. All it took was one time, and she said his reflux is severe. Tell me something I don't know.
I haven't heard back from his doctor yet with the official results. Hopefully I'll hear something tomorrow. Our appointment with the GI isn't until May 27th. I know it's just over a week away, but it seems like a lifetime when I think of how many more feedings we have until then...
I forgot to mention that the day after Mother's Day, I officially went dairy and soy free to see if that will help him. I know it can take 2 weeks for the dairy protein to get out of my system, so I'm not there yet. Maybe by next week we'll see some improvement. I sure hope so.
I'm certainly keeping things in perspective. I am thankful that all we're dealing with is reflux. There are thousands of parents out there who deal with much worse issues than reflux. I'm thankful for my overall healthy baby boy. No matter how big or small the issue may be, a parent never wants to see their baby in pain. Period.
And P.S. I know that reflux is very common in babies. I was never worried that something was horribly wrong with him. I just wanted his issues addressed, and ultimately fixed.
I'm ready for some relief...for both of us.
I was back a week later.
I could not take the look of pain on his face anymore. I'm the one who sees that look every time he eats and has to hold him and try to comfort him when he's crying and in pain after he eats. It had gotten worse. The amount of spit up I'd see on his sheets started to make me mad. I was tired of everyone trying to make me feel like I was overreacting and that what he was going through was totally normal. I took him in to see the doctor with a purpose. Good thing.
He'd lost weight.
FINALLY. Some actual proof supporting what I had been saying for almost two months. Don't get me wrong, I am not at all happy that he lost weight. I'm just glad that there was finally something to show the doctor (and everyone else, for that matter) that I wasn't overreacting. That there was an actual problem that needed to be addressed before it got any worse.
His pediatrician also heard how congested he was, which is apparently another symptom of reflux. She gave us a prescription for Prevacid because she thought it was severe enough that Zantac wouldn't work. I thought we were on the road to recovery...until insurance wouldn't cover Prevacid.
Or any. other. acid-blocking medicine.
So, we had to try Zantac first. In order for insurance to cover anything else, he'd have to "fail" the Zantac. We had to go a full 7 days of giving him a medicine that did nothing to help him. It was so frustrating. It still is just writing about it!
Finally, we were able to get insurance to cover the Prevacid. The doctor said it could take anywhere from 3 to 7 days for us to see any improvement. So I waited.
After the first week, I noticed that he started throwing back up the Prevacid anywhere from 3 to 7 hours after I'd given it to him! That really seemed weird since it should be long-gone out of his tummy after that many hours. And after two full weeks on Prevacid with no improvement, Will introduced me to projectile vomit. That was a new experience! I thought I had seen projectile vomit from him before...no, sir! I just sat there and laughed. I was already planning on calling his doctor that morning, but I didn't delay after that.
We went that day. He had only gained 2oz in 3 weeks. So my sweet baby boy who had been gaining weight so well had suddenly dropped to barely gaining at all. His pediatrician ordered an upper GI and referred us to a pediatric gastroenterologist. We had the upper GI the next morning (yesterday). He did really well, considering he couldn't eat for 4 hours before the procedure and he had to drink a bottle of barium. He couldn't taste it, he was just so glad to be drinking something! He only got upset when the nurse stopped letting him drink the barium. :) Praise the Lord, they didn't see any blockages in his stomach or esophagus! The radiologist said they wanted to measure how bad his reflux is. All it took was one time, and she said his reflux is severe. Tell me something I don't know.
I haven't heard back from his doctor yet with the official results. Hopefully I'll hear something tomorrow. Our appointment with the GI isn't until May 27th. I know it's just over a week away, but it seems like a lifetime when I think of how many more feedings we have until then...
I forgot to mention that the day after Mother's Day, I officially went dairy and soy free to see if that will help him. I know it can take 2 weeks for the dairy protein to get out of my system, so I'm not there yet. Maybe by next week we'll see some improvement. I sure hope so.
I'm certainly keeping things in perspective. I am thankful that all we're dealing with is reflux. There are thousands of parents out there who deal with much worse issues than reflux. I'm thankful for my overall healthy baby boy. No matter how big or small the issue may be, a parent never wants to see their baby in pain. Period.
And P.S. I know that reflux is very common in babies. I was never worried that something was horribly wrong with him. I just wanted his issues addressed, and ultimately fixed.
I'm ready for some relief...for both of us.
Mother's Day 2011
My first Mother's Day was a very special day for me. When I woke up that morning, there was a card for "Mommy" on my nightstand with a hot cup of coffee...the perfect way to wake up! Will also turned 11 weeks on Mother's Day. :)
We had brunch with my family at Cheesecake Factory, and Will did great. He fought sleep the whole time, but he was as happy as a clam sucking on his pacifier.
After brunch and running home for a quick feeding, we headed over to Wayne's aunt Sandy's house to see his mom, aunts and grandparents. His grandmother (Will's great-grandmother) was so thrilled to see Will, she couldn't keep her hands off of him! I'm sure he loved every minute of being held by her.
That evening, Wayne made a delicious dinner of macaroni and cheese (one of my favorites!) and I got to enjoy my free cheesecake from brunch for dessert. We enjoyed the time we got to spend with both of our families. More than anything, though, we are so thankful for our own little family now; and I enjoyed getting to spend special time with my baby boy! I am so blessed to be his mommy!
We had brunch with my family at Cheesecake Factory, and Will did great. He fought sleep the whole time, but he was as happy as a clam sucking on his pacifier.
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| He loves Uncle Russell! |
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| Granddaddy can't believe how quickly he's growing |
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| Grandmother/Grammy making him smile :) |
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| Will and Granddaddy |
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| My mom's first Mother's Day as a Grandmother |
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| Excited about her free key lime cheesecake :) |
Will was also excited to meet his Great-Aunt Terri for the first time!
That evening, Wayne made a delicious dinner of macaroni and cheese (one of my favorites!) and I got to enjoy my free cheesecake from brunch for dessert. We enjoyed the time we got to spend with both of our families. More than anything, though, we are so thankful for our own little family now; and I enjoyed getting to spend special time with my baby boy! I am so blessed to be his mommy!
The Journey Fund Fundraiser April 30, 2011
Our first family outing was to go to The Journey Fund's 2nd annual fundraiser. The Journey Fund was created by Wayne's mom Betty Amodeo in memory of Wayne's step-dad J. Michael Amodeo (or "Mr. A" as he was to us). It was a gorgeous April day (after the horrible tornado-producing storms had come through just a few days before), and the weather was perfect for the event. Will enjoyed spending some time outside, although most of the time he was in the shade.
This Friday will be the 5-year anniversary of Mr. A losing his battle to cancer. It's hard to believe it's been that long. Wayne and I are both better people for having Mr. A in our lives - he impacted everyone he knew in a positive way. We wish terribly that Will could have known him, but Betty is doing an incredible job of keeping his memory and legacy alive. Betty is an amazing woman; her strength is an inspiration to everyone she encounters! Will is fortunate to have her as his Bebe.
As soon as we got there, his Bebe grabbed him and took him around showing him off to her friends, co-workers and students. He was hungry in the pic, in case you couldn't tell. :)
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| Will loves his Bebe! |
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Wayne got some great actions shots of the board breaking exhibition!
Will sporting his shades like his daddy!
This Friday will be the 5-year anniversary of Mr. A losing his battle to cancer. It's hard to believe it's been that long. Wayne and I are both better people for having Mr. A in our lives - he impacted everyone he knew in a positive way. We wish terribly that Will could have known him, but Betty is doing an incredible job of keeping his memory and legacy alive. Betty is an amazing woman; her strength is an inspiration to everyone she encounters! Will is fortunate to have her as his Bebe.
Learn more about The Journey Fund and how the memory of Mr. A is touching the lives of students through marital arts.
Will's First Easter April 24, 2011
For Will's first Easter, we decided to keep it simple by having my parents and brother come over for lunch. It was the first time I've had them over where things weren't perfectly in order and "ready" when they got there, but I didn't care at all...and neither did they. I was so much more relaxed about them coming over than I used to be. I guess Will is already teaching me not to sweat the small stuff anymore! We had such a nice afternoon with them over. It was my favorite family gathering we've had at my house.
After lunch, Will woke up from his nap and got to come down to see everyone. His Aunt Katey had given us his Easter outfit when she came to visit us in the hospital. The men in Will's life (including Aunt Katey's husband Tommy) were a little concerned that the outfit was perhaps on the girly side...and judging by the look on Will's face, it seems he agreed. :)
When I got back down from changing his clothes, I learned that my dad had been keeping a secret all morning... he wanted to bring Will his first Easter bunny, so he went in the attic and found a big bag of my old beanie babies from high school. The only bunny he could find was pink...so Will's first Easter bunny was a pink beanie baby that had spent the past 10+ years in a cedar bag in the attic.
After lunch, Will woke up from his nap and got to come down to see everyone. His Aunt Katey had given us his Easter outfit when she came to visit us in the hospital. The men in Will's life (including Aunt Katey's husband Tommy) were a little concerned that the outfit was perhaps on the girly side...and judging by the look on Will's face, it seems he agreed. :)
But look at the cute bunny tail!!
and the bunny feet!
and the sweet top
Good thing we got the pictures of the outfit when we did because it wasn't long before a certain diaper incident forced us to change clothes.
When I got back down from changing his clothes, I learned that my dad had been keeping a secret all morning... he wanted to bring Will his first Easter bunny, so he went in the attic and found a big bag of my old beanie babies from high school. The only bunny he could find was pink...so Will's first Easter bunny was a pink beanie baby that had spent the past 10+ years in a cedar bag in the attic.
Squirmy worm making his way out of Granddaddy's arms!
Uncle Russell brought Will his first UGA hat. It's a little big, but he'll grow into it, and I'm sure it'll be his favorite hat. He looks good in red and black!
After getting to see everyone, it was time to see what the Easter Bunny brought for him!
Our family of three :)
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| loving that swing! |
After my family left, Wayne's brother Forest and his girlfriend Julia stopped by. They hadn't seen Will since the night he was born, so it was fun for them to see how much he had grown and changed. It was also fun for us to get to hang out with them for a little bit...especially since I didn't really get to see or talk to them much the night of Will's birth.
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