2 Months

Today was Sawyer's 2 month appointment and he is doing great. He weighed in at 11 lbs 4 oz, and 22 inches long. Our friend Emily held him the other day and guessed 11 lbs 5 oz, man she is good! The Dr. said his growth is wonderful and he is doing amazing! We talked about making the switch to formula and it seems to be fairly easy. At this point babies don't have very much for taste buds so he will not notice a difference between breast milk and formula. I will probably notice a difference in that he will most likely sleep longer, may spit up a little more frequently, and his poops may be more solid. The Dr. assured me that moving him to formula is just fine and not to feel guilty. With planning to do formula at daycare regardless, I think I should have enough breast milk to get us through at least month 4. We are going to try giving him formula for his 8-10pm feeding to see if he will sleep a little longer at night. The Dr. said he is really close to rolling over as well. He placed him on his tummy and said with how he is holding his head up and with his feet coming off the ground all he will need to do is push off with one arm and he will be over. He did say it will take a little more for him to go from his back to his tummy. We also got our first round of shots today. Oh, how horrible. Here was my smiling happy baby and here I was holding his arms down so the nurses could poke his thighs. Oh the face and the tears! I got pretty lucky and he didn't cry too much. I did pretty good and didn't cry at all. After the appointment we went home to eat, then took a trip to visit Grandma and off to Target to get a few essentials. Figured we might want toilet paper in the house. We had a pretty busy weekend with a retirement party for a friends dad on Friday, watching the lack of Tim Tebow magic at Uncle Pat and Aunt Missy's, and summed it all up with the Baptism of our friends little guy. Our next appointment is in two months, and we get another round of shots. I think this time I will make Marcus go with me to hold his hands down.

Jo

Reality

Ugh, the reality that I have not won the lottery or have had a large donation of funds has become clear now that I have daycare booked. My first day back it work will be January 30th and as much as I am looking forward to adult conversation with actual discussion back, I will miss the lounging around in my pj's with the most adorable snuggle partner I have ever had. Sorry Marcus and Boomer, you both have been replaced. We were lucky enough to get a highly coveted spot into Peace Care. This is the daycare that my brother's kids have gone and having watched them go through the program fell in love. The daycare is at our church which is about two minutes from our house and five from my work. This is awesome because it will really take me no time to drop my kiddo off and when quitting time hits, I will get to him that much quicker. I can predict however that on January 30th that I will hate that daycare is so close because I am guessing 5 minutes will not nearly be enough for me to compose myself prior to my first day back. I am pretty sure I am going to cry the entire way to work and wouldn't be surprised if I have to pee a lot so I can avoid crying at work. Marcus is pretty sure that within the week, I will be back to loving going to work and everything will be grand. He is usually right and I am looking forward to some sort of routine. I am nervous that I only have two weeks to start working on not laying in bed till 7 or 8 and actually getting up in time to be ready for work. Currently Sawyer eats anywhere from 8-10pm and after that feeding we put him down. He usually wakes around 3am to eat and than back to bed for another 3-4 hours, so usually I am up at 6 or 7 to feed him again. My biggest mistake at this point is that I don't just get up. I am also in the process of trying to ween off pumping. My biggest hope is that in two weeks I can be done pumping and my kiddo sleeps a little longer so I am not night of the living dead at work. I am sure I will learn to function completely on 5-6 hours of sleep if need be though. I am mainly weening off pumping due to a snowmobile trip in February, of course that is if there is any snow. Little hard to pump every 4 hours when you are in the middle of nowhere. This was a decision I completely wrestled with and still do. Mainly because I feel I am quitting for a completely selfish reason, and that is to go on vacation, and I could absolutely go longer. One nice thing, is that I can imagine pumping at work is not very convenient so it will be nice to be done by then. Marcus is also excited for me to be done because he says it is stressful on me which makes it stressful on him. That, and I could actually sleep through him getting up for a feeding and not having to get up as well and pump! We have managed to freeze some milk and did ask the Dr. about intermixing formula and breast milk and he said that is fine. We at this point have decided to do formula at daycare and and breast milk at home until it is gone. We had to the Dr. on the 16th for our 2 month appointment. I am excited to see how much my peanut weighs, especially since he seems to be packing the lbs. on. I however am not excited for 2 month shots. I was clipping the little guys nails the other day and accidentally got the tip of his finger, oh the face and the tears were horrible so I can't imagine what I am going to get with shots! Anyhoo, I am sure I will send an update on Monday after our appointment!

Jo

New Years

Well 2011 is officially over and 2012 has begun. As I look forward to the upcoming year and all the amazing things that are to come, I can help but feel a little sad. 2011 was an awesome year and will be greatly missed. Some of the things that made 2011 awesome were, and in no particular order; being pregnant, Vegas with some beloved friends, spending the summer camping, the multiple birthdays celebrated, another wonderful year of marriage, good jobs, having friends and family happy and healthy, and of course welcoming Sawyer. Even though I am sad to see 2011 go, I am excited to see what 2012 brings. I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe New Years and are as excited about 2012 as I am.

Jo

6 Weeks

Today was my 6 week checkup and everything is good. The Dr. said I could go ahead and start walking/jogging and eventually running. This is a good thing considering I have at least 15lbs of baby weight left to lose. I am hoping to be back into shape and running well enough to run the Breast Cancer 10k again and hopefully beat my time from last year! My scar is healing nicely and I was told the redness will decrease. All in all, it takes about 6 months to completely heal, but I am well on my way! Sawyer did amazing for his first Christmas's. We started the celebrating with my Dad's side on the 17th. It was an extra special treat to have Sawyer's Great Grandpa Cory brave the weather and come back from Arizona. He honestly couldn't have asked for a nicer weekend to make the trip! My brother grilled steaks and that it was present opening chaos! It certainly was fun and I am already looking forward to next year when Sawyer can join his cousins in the mass unwrapping! Christmas Eve was spent with my Mother's side. She made our traditional dinner of dumpling soup and my brother and I proceeded to eat our weight in dumplings! Again, it was present opening chaos, but again enjoyable! Christmas Day morning Marcus, Sawyer, Boomer, and I made the trek to Huron. I was feeling incredibly confident in my packing skills until we arrived and I went to pump and realized that a portion of my pump was at home! Thinking that Walmart had to be open I figured I would just use formula, but of course it would be the one day Walmart closed. My cousin-in-law Amanda came to the rescue and found a pump I could use for the weekend, which was amazing! Again we had present opening chaos, but it was fun watching the kiddos open. Next year Sawyer will add to the mix and there will be 7 grandkids ripping gifts open! Dinner was prime rib and steaks for those of us not fans of prime rib. Enjoyed a couple glasses of wine and by 9:30pm we were pooped and headed to Uncle Kirk's to crawl into bed. This is the first time Marcus and I have spent the night in the same room as Sawyer and wow, my child moves and makes noise a lot! I kept thinking he was going to get up for the night but he was simply grunting in his sleep. He takes after daddy with his snoring! We headed home on Monday with luggage for all 6 of Sawyer's cousins. They are heading to Sioux Falls to stay with Grandpa and Grandma for the week! Hard to believe December is almost over, which makes me sad because next comes January and that means back to work. I am excited to go back to work because I enjoy my job, but I am also sad to not get to hang around with my baby all day. New Year's Eve we are heading to the Stampede game with Marcus's work and than hanging with some fabulous people. I am looking forward to ringing in the New Year with the loves of my life. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and has a wonderful start to 2012! Talk to you next year!

Jo

One Month

Little man had is one month checkup today and is doing great. He weighed in at 8lbs 4ozs. This put him in the 15th percentile. He has only gained an inch in length but the Dr. said he should hit a growth spurt around 6 weeks and gain some length. Overall though he is doing fantastic. We have a grunter on our hands, he definitely enjoys telling us all about it. He currently is drinking 2 and 1/2 ounces and eats every 3 to 4 hours, which is pretty awesome at night. My milk supply has been getting better and Marcus is happy to report he is a milk freezing machine. We are in the process of the ever so fun job of scouting daycares, which makes this momma sad. I can't believe how fast the time goes. It certainly is nice being on maternity leave over the holidays but with this, the time also seems to move quicker because there is so much to do. At this point, I believe my first day back to work would be January 30th, unless Marcus wins the lottery or someone decides to donate some funds for me to stay home! For the most part, Sawyer is pretty laid back. He does have his fussy times, which usually seem to be about 7 in the morning, and 5/6 at night. The Dr. said this is most likely because Marcus is leaving/coming home and Sawyer simply wants to be up and know what is going on. I am slowly, and I mean slowly, coming to grips with the reality that not everything is going to get done like it was prior to having a baby. Mainly, my house is not going to get dusted every week, my workouts will most likely not be at the same time every day, I will either need to get rid of the dog or learn to live with a little dog hair on my kids clothes. My guess on the last one, I will be learning to live with a little dog hair on my kids clothes. As most of you know, I really strive to be punctual, and I am starting to learn that I will need to leave a lot earlier to make it on time for things now, but hey, the kid is a good excuse for being late, right? I stress a lot about when I go back to work, the time management aspect. Getting myself ready for work, getting him ready for daycare, pumping, etc. Of course my husband just looks at me and shakes his head. He tells me to quit stressing and that it is not like he is going to lay in bed and let me do it all...what a wonderful man! Anyhoo, Sawyer is starting to smile a ton and recognize voices. We do tummy time, which he is pretty good at and doesn't get too mad about. He loves his little rain forest sound machine in his crib, we just need it to play a little longer. We usually have to hit the button a couple of times. This weekend we will be having our first Christmas with my Dad and Stepmom, and a special treat, Grandpa Cory flew in from Arizona! We also get to celebrate the birthday of one of Sawyers future best buddies, all in all, it will be a busy but awesome weekend. Hope this finds you all well and talk to you soon!

Jo

2 Weeks

I cannot believe how time flies. Just two weeks ago Marcus and I were just walking out of the hospital with Sawyer. It has been a great two weeks. I am adjusting to waking up in the night for feedings and pumpings. During the week I tend to do this on my own. Considering I get to lounge around all day with the babe and Marcus has to go to work, I don't like him having to get up during the night. On weekends though he is a huge help. He usually feeds the little man while I pump so we can head back to bed that much quicker. It usually takes me about an hour by myself so between feedings I get roughly 2 hours of sleep. Trust me, I am not complaining one bit! I am still having some frustration with my milk supply but it seems to be getting better. I think I just anticipated being able to produce more. While I feel I am adjusting nicely to new routines, I think Boomer is fairing just as well. He sniffs Sawyer while he is in his bouncy seat and certainly is interested in what is happening when we change him. It will be fun to watch these two grow up together. Sawyer and I went to lunch with our friends Emily and Beckett the other day. First trip out without daddy! I say we did pretty well, especially since little man slept the whole time. We also tried taking Boomer to the vet, now that one we didn't fair so well in. I thought I would be smart and take just my ID and checkcard in with me, well Boomer was so excited to be going somewhere that when I got him out of the vehicle my checkcard and ID fell on the ground. Of course I didn't notice this until I was in the vets office. Now trying to carry a car seat and wrangle in an 84lb lab is not the easiest! Thank goodness for the wonderful staff at the vets office. After receiving rabies and distemperament shots, Boomer and I were helped to the vehicle. Now, my checkcard and ID were on the ground and conveniently located under a vehicle. Down we went to retrieve them and in to pay. After that we decided it was in our best interest to go home! My infection of my incision is healing up nicely and I am feeling much better. I am much more mobile and have managed to significantly reduce my intake of ibuprofen. I am way less sore which I think helps things all around. I am becoming better at excepting the dust and dog hair and not letting it drive me crazy! Next week I think I will attempt to help with the laundry since my poor hubby has been stuck doing it for the last how many weeks, but for now I will take advantage of it! Off to the doctor's in two weeks for Sawyer's one month checkup, so if you don't hear from me until then I apologize! I need a laptop so I can sit and do this in the recliner!

Jo

Thanksgiving

Just to give you all a quick update on Sawyer. His first doctor's appointment was on Monday. He weighed in at 6 lbs, but considering he was 5lbs 15ozs when we brought him home our Dr. said we need to fatten him up! Trust me, I am working on it. We were able to get rid of the biliblanket the day after we came home. His bili went from 12.4 to 7.0 and our Dr. said his color was great. Other than needing to gain a little weight, he is doing great! Marcus and I were just wondering if he is always going to be this easy, if so, Marcus says we are having 15...I told him more like 3. This babe eats about every three hours and at night is really easy to get back to sleep. During the day he is up and willing to chill in his bouncy seat and just look around. Of course, he gets plenty of holding from mom. Hard to resist the little guy! On Monday at his appointment I was given a prescription to help stimulate my milk production. It has been pretty slow going, which is beyond frustrating. I am barely keeping up and basically only able to get enough to supply his current feedings with nothing to freeze for later. I am sure it will get better, or at least that is what Marcus keeps telling me. We stopped into the Dr.'s yesterday to get another weight and good news, we have gained a few ounces. He currently is at 6lbs 3ozs and everyone at my Dr.'s is smitten with him! Well, while Sawyer is being his usual rock-star self, I seem to not be finished! Wednesday night while cleaning up the kitchen a little, (I made a mess making pies!) I noticed a few drops of something here and there. Turns out my incision from my c-section was draining. Off to acute care we went. Turns out my my incision is infected. I was given a shot of antibiotic in the butt, a written prescription for another antibiotic, and told to sit with a heating pad 3 times a day for about 15/20 mins to continue to allow it to drain. I was told to consult with my Dr. on Friday to see if there is anything else they would like me to do. Ugh...what a pain, however since this is Thanksgiving and a Thanksgiving post here is what I am thankful for. I am thankful to not be spending this holiday on bed rest in the hospital but rather to be spending it with my family. I am thankful for the most wonderful, loving, willing to pick up my slack, handle my crazy emotional post pregnancy persona husband in the world. Don't know how I would do it without him. I am thankful for all the family I will not be spending the holiday with, but are still the best family! I am thankful for my besties and that they are the other loves of my life. I am thankful to have them and their families as my extended family. I am thankful for all the people unable to spend this holiday with their families because they are allowing me to spend the holiday with mine. I am thankful for an amazing Dr. and his staff and wish them all the happiest of Thanksgivings! I hope this finds everyone well and for those traveling have save travels. I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving and I will continue to keep you updated!
Love,
Jo