8 Weeks

This week was a little tough at times. Bryson decided that he was not going to sleep in the evening time for several days. This lead to an overly tired baby and a very tired and stressed out mom and dad! From about 3pm until 1am was the "witching hour." It seemed like no matter what we did he would not stop crying! Finally we decided that maybe he was just being overly stimulated in the morning, so by the evening he just couldn't take any more. Things have been better for a few days now thank goodness! 

One funny thing that we discovered this week is that Bryson does not like it when Daddy sneezes. It is adorable... whenever Kevin sneezes (which is ridiculously loud by the way lol) he gets a shocked look on his face, sticks his lip out in a pout, and then lets out a pathetic little cry! EVERY time! Lol He gets so upset! Too funny! 

An interesting fact that I realized is how much money we have saved from breastfeeding. I did the math of how much a can of formula costs, based off the amount that he eats, and we have already saved over $250! Pretty cool! 

Picture time! We didn't get a ton of pictures due to the fussyness and exhaustion! Hopefully more next week! 

This is a video of Bryson making his little "ah"s and cooing noises. So cute!

Bryson's silly faces! Check out this adorable toothless grin :)

Sticking his tongue out lol

Dumbo! Love these pj's from Grandpa!

Samantha helping with tummy time.

#1 Chiefs Fan!

Sleeping in the new rocker recliner

My little chunky boy! 

Bryson playing with his play gym

Here is a video of Bryson playing with his play gym. He is really interested in looking at all of the toys and bright colors!

7 Weeks

We went to meet with the lactation consultant again this week. I had some concerns about his latch while breastfeeding. It turns out that it is associated with his tongue tie. :( She made it sound like it is a pretty severe tie and recommends that we get it revised. It is a simple procedure where they just snip the little piece underneath the tongue so that he can have full range of motion. It is basically the same as getting your ears pierced. It hurts just for an instant and then you are fine immediately after. It does not NEED to be revised unless they are unable to eat, however it can be connected to a lot of other issues later on. It can cause jaw tension leading to headaches, it can cause speech issues, even dental issues from not being able to extend the tongue over the back teeth removing food particles as easily, plus many more. We are hopeful that if it is revised, he will be able to more easily nurse and fix some of the issues we have been having with that. (mainly all for my comfort... he likes to "chew" on me as the lactation consultant calls it. OUCH!) He apparently also has a lip tie. I am not sure if that is connected to his problems with nursing or not. I am also not sure if there are any long term effects from that either. I am going to try and find out more information about all of this. We are going to talk to our pediatrician about all of this at his 2 month check up and see what she thinks... 

I survived my first week back to work! It turns out it wasn't so bad after all. That first day I also had a doctor's appointment that morning. (My 6 week postpartum checkup.) Kevin was working so I had to take the baby with me. Of course he woke up as soon as we got there and was crying and screaming. Everyone in the office was staring at me and the nurses kept asking if I was ok and saying "oh you poor thing, you are all alone!" I felt really embarrassed having everyone looking at me and was worried that everyone thought I was a terrible mother or something! (I know it is silly... but that is how I was feeling!) I decided to just re-schedule the appointment and left. Of course the second I left the building he fell back asleep!! 

I went home and cried! I know it is irrational and silly... but all of my anxiety about going to work just caught up to me at that moment. The melt down at the doctor's office was just a final straw for me! Anyway... after crying it out, I felt much better so by the time I had to go to work that night I had already let go of a lot of my anxiety and stress! LOL It ended up being a good thing! Of course everything went great and Kevin did an awesome job while I was gone. I came home and Bryson was asleep in the swing and Kevin was asleep on the living room floor! LOL He hasn't mastered getting him to bed yet... but it was only the first week lol. Got to do what you've got to do!

Friday was a busy night and I didn't get home until 3am! I was stressed out because I knew that he would need to eat at 2am and I hadn't left enough milk for that feeding because I thought I would have been home by then. (We have some emergency frozen milk but it would have been a huge pain for Kevin to thaw) When I got home at 3am, to my surprise he was still asleep! He somehow randomly slept an hour longer as if he knew I was going to be late! lol I had just enough time to put on pj's and quickly eat some dinner before he woke up hungry. 

I calmly nursed him to sleep and put him to bed. It was the perfect ending to my night! It was such a sweet moment for me. He woke once more in the night and nursed then went back to sleep. When he woke in the morning I took him to the nursery to get him dressed for the day. He looked up at my face for the first time since I had left for work the night before (His eyes never open during his night feedings) and as soon as he saw me he gave me a huge smile! It was so sweet! At that moment I didn't care that I had only had a few hours of sleep! It was worth every single second!! 

Another story I want to write about happened yesterday. I told Bryson that someday I would tell him this story to show him just how much his Mama loves him! Far warning... its a little gross! 

While on my lap he had a huge diaper blowout. It was runny, watery poop all up his back and out the top of his diaper. It soaked through his onsie and onto my lap. It soaked through my shorts down to my underwear! I took him to get him changed and cleaned up, and as I was carrying him he spit up all over my shirt! I had poop down to my underwear and spit up dripping down my arm and I was using the cloth in my hand to wipe HIS face! At that moment I couldn't help but laugh! That is why I told him that I hope he realizes how much his Mama loves him!!! lol 

And now some pictures... While uploading pictures from this week I feel like I can definitely tell that Bryson has become much more alert! He smiles almost every time that he is awake! I love it!

Kevin text me this one while I was at work... it made my night!

Me on my first day back to work

This shirt! too funny!

Mommy and Baby selfies! I got a bit carried away this week.

Such a happy Boy!!

Gifts this week! Bryson is obviously very loved!! We have some pretty great friends and family! The bottom left, is letters that Kevin's cousin made for us. It spells out Bryson's name, decorated in his nursery dumbo theme.

Another video of him trying to crawl... he is ready to move!

6 Weeks

Little man is 6 weeks today. I don't know how it is possible, but he just keeps getting more adorable each week!! LOL He fits three month clothing perfectly. According to our home scale he weighs exactly 12 pounds (while wearing a onsie and diaper). Of course our scale is not 100% accurate... but it is pretty darn close!

Bryson has been smiling all week. Cutest thing ever! Haven't gotten a good picture yet. I will work on it, but to be honest I am usually too busy soaking in that sweet little smirk! He has also been making noises more often this week. Little "ahh" or "coo" sounds. I just love to hear his sweet voice! He has figured out that the pouty face gets him whatever he wants, because he does that a lot more now too! After being awake for a while he will start to get tired and will begin pouting and leaning his head back. It is seriously the cutest thing ever!

Yes, I am aware that I said his smile and his pout are both the "cutest thing ever"... lol It is a tie I suppose!

We re-introduced the pacifier and it went a lot better this time. One day he was really fussy. I went through the checklist, he was feed, dry, burped, held, rocked, bounced, swaddled... no matter what I did he was just cranky! I gave him the paci because I was out of ideas! He fell asleep with it in his mouth for the first time and didn't wake when it eventually fell out. We have since used it a few times with the same result.

I am trying to only use it when he is extra fussy to hopefully avoid having a child with a pacifier glued in his mouth non-stop! For example, one morning he was gassy and wouldn't stop fussing (it was breaking my heart!) We patted his back, tried every position I could think of, did bicycle legs, etc... but it wasn't helping. I gave him gas drops and a pacifier to help him self-soothe while waiting for it to pass. It actually helped him to feel some comfort and stop crying until the gas passed!

It actually takes a bit of a weight off of my shoulders to know that I have a "back up plan" as I call it. For example, I am taking it with us to the doctor's office today. (My postpartum check up- Kevin will be at work so I have baby) If he begins to get antsy in his seat while the doctor is examining me, I know that I can use the pacifier for that short time until I am able to pick him up. It makes me feel less nervous about taking him out!

Now for some pictures!

His arms and legs are a blur in half of the pictures I take... he loves to wave his arms, and REALLY loves to kick his legs like crazy! (Particularly during tummy time. He seriously wants to crawl!) He has really strong legs! If I lay him on my lap, he will kick off my belly and could easily push himself off! I have to keep a hold of him! 

He was sleeping in this photo, he just opened his eyes for a moment when he heard the camera snap lol

This is his favorite way to fall asleep... laying on Mommy or Daddy's chest while rocking in the glider.

I was trying to catch a smile. He loves to smile at Daddy's silly faces

Playing with Daddy. Super baby

Pacifier :)

Best place in the world to be :)

"Mom, seriously, I am not tired!"

"I am not tired at all.... zzzzzzzz" LOL

P.S. He is in just a diaper because he gets hot so easily! Most babies need to be wrapped and bundled up all the time, but he gets sweaty and hot in just one layer of clothing :( I am kind of obsessed with checking his temperature. I am always feeling his face and neck to make sure he isn't hot or cold. I also worry constantly about making sure his toes aren't cold! Lol I don't know why, but I am seriously always worried about his socks lol I am going to go crazy when he discovers how to pull them off himself!

Video for Nana and Greg

5 Weeks

Posting a day late... oops!

We had a big week! We celebrated baby's first holiday, Easter! (Unless you count St. Patricks Day) Nana mailed a big box of goodies for Bryson.... and some goodies for mommy and daddy too LOL! Kevin's cousin, Jo Leanne came to visit for a few days this week also. We went out to lunch on the beach and Bryson got to see the sand and ocean for the first time. (Just long enough for a photo.) 

Bryson is getting bigger and bigger every day! He already fits into half of his 3 month clothes! He has wanted to be held this week more often then normal. He falls asleep in my arms almost every time now :) I have finally figured out how to get him to sleep without tears (most of the time). I have learned his "sleepy signs." As soon as he begins acting sleepy, we sit in the rocking chair with him laying on my chest. I rock him and patt or bounce his butt as his eyelids get heavier and heavier. After about 5-10 minutes he is sound asleep! The only down side to this is that I have to keep him in that position for at least another 15 minutes or so, otherwise he will wake up as soon as I move him every time. I have to wait until he is in a deep sleep and then I can lay him in the swing. 

When I don't feel like sitting and bouncing a baby for 30 minutes, I will use the moby wrap the hold him to my chest. The movement of my walking substitutes for the swaying of the rocking chair. Gets him right to sleep!

He still sleeps like a champ at night! He wakes every 3 hours, nurses, has a diaper change, and then right back to sleep! I feel so lucky! We have even learned how to breastfeed with him laying parallel to my body next to me on the bed. This allows me to staying laying in a comfy position, making it easier for me to fall back to sleep when he is done. (He of course goes back to sleep in his bassinet, I don't allow him to sleep in the bed) 

He has had gas at night a few times which kept him up a bit. I am trying to pay attention to my diet to figure out which foods make him gassy to avoid them. So far I have found that when I eat broccoli he has an upset tummy :( Nothing too severe, just enough to make him stir a lot at night!

The other big development this week was that Bryson had his first bottle of breast milk. I will have to pump and have Kevin feed him from the bottle while I am at work. Kevin feed him a "practice" bottle to make sure that he will be able to take it okay. He did a great job! It was nice to see Kevin be able to feed him for the first time :)

Now for some pictures from this week! 

This was taken at exactly 1 month old