My Sweet Girl

The theme at Mia's pre-school from last week was about "favorites".  She brought home this project and my heart melted a little when I read the bottom of the page. 

Seriously, how sweet is that? 

Mia had two birthday parties to go to last weekend - I swear she has a better social life than me!  Anyway, one of the parties had pony rides.  It was a huge hit...especially since horses are her favorite thing in the universe right now (see toy category above).

I'm not sure she could be any happier...

 



































Check out her long legs...she certainly doesn't get them from me!  ; ) 

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Fun Comparison

I came across a picture of Mia during bathtime at 6wks old and thought it would be fun to compare it side by side to a picture of Ricky at 6 wks old...(Mia is on the left)

Sooooooo, what do you think?  Am I SOL again?  Or do you think I have a chance that one of my kiddos will look even remotely like me?  And be honest...I can take it.  ; )

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2 Months!

This month has flown by compared to the first.  Maybe it’s because we’ve fallen into some kind of a routine.  It’s definitely not perfected…but it’s better than the sporadic eating and sleeping schedule from the first month.  Although, up until last week, Ricky was still eating every 2 hours during the day and taking 30 minute cat naps in between – I was seriously beginning to lose it!  Then, just like that, he started stretching his feeds to every 3 hours and taking marathon naps compared to the little cat naps he was giving us before.  Wow, wow, WOW - what a difference this has made!!!  I can actually get some things done around the house now and even have some extra time for me afterwards while he naps.  I can’t begin to express how incredibly nice this has been and I thank my little man profusely for giving mummy a much needed break!  ; )

I was trying very hard not to complain about his rigorous eating/sleeping schedule before since he’d been giving us a decent stretch of sleep the first part of the night - usually going 6 hrs between feedings.  Last night we had a huge hiccup though because the little man got his first batch of shots.  Can we say, “NOT FUN”.  Surprisingly, I held it together while he was lying on the table, beat red and crying so hard that no noise was coming out of his mouth.  L.  The handout we got at the Dr’s office noted this statement, “these immunizations can cause your baby to have a fever, decreased appetite, act fussy or change his/her normal sleep patterns”.  That explained Ricky to a “T” yesterday.  I’m hoping that these symptoms only last 24hrs and he’ll be back to his happy go lucky self today. 

Now for his stats…he weighs a whopping 12lbs 5.5oz (75^th percentile) & measures 23 7/8” (90^th percentile).  So yeah, I’d say he’s doing pretty awesome!  The pediatrician did say that this is a typical pattern that breastfed babies follow.  They spike at the top of the charts at their 2 & 4 month appts and then level back out around their 6 month appt. 

His favorite pastimes are still staring intently at the fan and chewing on his hands.  It’s actually quite hysterical to watch him try so very hard to shove both fists in his mouth at the same time.  He's smiling a ton now.  I just love when I get greeted with that gummy grin when I walk into his room to get him.  Watching his face light up with a huge smile makes my day every time!  I remember how fast the infant stage went with Mia and so I’m making a conscious effort to not take a second for granted and soak everything up.  I love you baby boy!

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They're real!

Ricky's smiles, that is.  He's been giving us genuine smiles for a little over a week now and we finally caught them on camera.  Oh, how nice it is to get a little bit of love back from the little man!  : ) 

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Ricky's 1st bottle

Ricky got his first bottle of expressed milk yesterday.  I'd be lying if I said that he liked it...it was more like he tolerated it.  But, he did end up drinking 3oz so I'm still going to call it a success.  : )

 

I have no idea how we're going to incorporate a night time bottle so I can get a good stretch of sleep in.  Truthfully, the whole process was a pain in the ass - from pumping to warming the milk to washing and sterilizing the pump parts and bottles.  Nursing is so much easier but I really, really need some good sleep!  So wish us luck please!  ; )

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1 Month

At times, it’s hard to believe you’re one month old already...and at other times it seems like it’s been longer (I blame the sleep deprivation on that).  I'm somewhat sad that you've lost that sleepy newborn look already, but I love those cubby cheeks of yours and can't kiss them enough!   You stay awake for longer stretches during the day now and we have so much fun with you while you lay in our lap.  You make a million different faces which makes us laugh all day long.  I’m amazed at how alert you are for a one month old and love when we stare intently at each another.  You love Eskimo kisses and getting your toes nibbled on and I can swear that I sometimes get a genuine smile out of you.

You have a love affair with all the fans in the house.  We’ve even heard chuckles from you while you stare completely fascinated at what I like to call your "beloved fans".  Oh, how I would love to know what you’re thinking!  You love when you big sister talks and “plays” with you – even though she totally invades your private space by getting an inch away from your face.

You’ve been exclusively breastfed for these past 31 days which I’ve loved and am so proud of.  Mummy is definitely in need of a little break though so we’re planning to give you a bottle of expressed milk this week. Daddy is excited about that!

Ricky - you’re a complete joy, a blessing from above and you’ve filled the void in our family that I didn’t even know existed. I love you baby boy!

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"He's an Angel Baby"

These were the exact words that came out of the mouth of our labor & delivery nurse.  Why, you ask?  Because Ricky was born with a 'true knot' in his umbilical cord.  Apparently, this is extremely rare.  So rare that it only occurs in about 1% of pregnancies.  Without going into detail, the knot could have caused severe complications...one of them being disastrous. 

I was still in a euphoric high when the L&D nurse explained the knot to us...so the disastrous outcome wasn't really registering in my brain.  But when I think about it now, my eyes well up with tears and I thank God profusely for our tiny miracle.

You can clearly see the knot here... 

And a close up...

Ricky's here for a reason...a true miracle from God.  I truthfully believe he had Guardian Angels watching over him while he was in utero...and I'll always be eternally grateful.

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