Sunny Days

I am happy to report that the pictures I took last weekend were very well received by my 'clients' (I don't think I'm good enough to call people clients, actually, but I did it just for kicks). :) They were for one of the Realtors at Baird & Warner that I used to work with and were for he and his fiance's Save the Date cards. When he initially called me to see if I would take them, he told me (a few times, actually) that he and his fiance were 'totally unphotogenic'. I took this as a challenge, and I'm really glad that they ended up liking quite a few of the pictures. I'll post one of my favorites for the heck of it. He just called to let me know that they loved them, so I was happy and had to share the news with someone. :-) Yay! I don't have to change majors after all! ;)


In other good news, yesterday was a great day with Keaton. He decided not to have his 5 o'clock meltdown, and basically had a very happy day in general. Highlight of my day? I heard and saw him LAUGH!!! Just when I think his smiles are too cute, he steps it up a notch and laughs!! I'm not sure what made him laugh about running water in the sink, but I'll do it again and again if it gets that kind of reaction. LOVE IT.

Today has been a fairly good one with him- I think we're getting a handle on this whole reflux thing. This morning went well enough that I decided to take him to Cradle Talk, a group for parents of 0-6 month olds that meets every Wednesday. Before now, things wouldn't work out so that we could go, but today was an exception. Although he ended up getting fussy near the beginning of class and showed everyone that his lungs are working VERY well, it turns out he was hungry so I fed him a bottle and he was good to go. Thank goodness, because even though we were all new moms in the class, it's hard to listen and learn anything with a screaming baby. I actually learned quite a bit today. They have a Mother/Baby nurse that teaches the class, so I learned a better way to burp Keaton (he never wants to burp!) and a few other things that I should have been doing at this point that I didn't know about. I am apparently reinforcing the whole binky thing by putting it back in his mouth whenever he cries, so the nurse said he's old enough to let him just cry it out. He will eventually learn not to need it anymore. I have some work to do to make him sleep in his crib as well. Too many times I've let him fall asleep in my arms, so now I'm supposed to try and put him in his crib when he's sleepy (but not while he's asleep because then he can wake up and get scared about being in a totally different place)... that's hard with a fussy baby who I know will wake up and start crying again, but I need to start reinforcing it so he'll sleep through the night. In general, it was nice to go to a place with other moms and get support. A lot of the ladies today were on their second kids, but they are in the group because their kids are totally different and they aren't sure what to do. I look forward to making this a habit if possible.

Basically this week has gone much better than the last, and Keaton is doing more and more all the time. He is starting to push up with his legs now anytime I'm holding him, which makes feeding interesting because when I try to switch sides, he's bouncing all over the place. I need longer arms, wider shoulders, and a bigger lap. No wonder Casey has a much easier time with some of this stuff (like burping him). I'm doing my best not to be jealous of Casey, but he makes some of this stuff seem so easy! Saturday when I was out taking pictures, apparently Keaton did great, until I got home. Maybe I smell like milk and set him off? I have no idea. All I know is that Keaton is consistent about saving all his smiles for Casey- he even did it this morning when Casey was getting ready for work and we went in the bathroom to say hello- Keaton got a huge grin on his face when he saw Daddy. I'm actually not mad... it's one of the cutest things I've seen him do- I just look forward to the day when he smiles at me, too!

The weather outside is BEAUTIFUL, so I'm going to take the boys outside and enjoy it. It'll be nice for Charley to run around a bit, too. I'm working hard to get both my daytime boys to be happy- now I just have to work on the nighttime one. Just kidding, Casey's doing pretty well. ;)

Gotta go soak up some rays...

-Ash

Smiles for Daddy

Pretty sure I mentioned this before, but this happens a lot now... Keaton has a meltdown around 5 pm, just before Casey gets home from work, and the instant he sees Casey, he gets a huge smile on his face! Yesterday I was able to catch one on camera. Although I'm jealous (b/c I get all the screaming, etc), it's hard not to love when he smiles this big. I just wish it didn't come with the crazy crying session beforehand!

This weekend went pretty well. Keaton was much happier and definitely felt better. I hate how quickly the weekends go! It's nice to have Casey home with us.

I'm sure there's plenty more to write, but my kid's awake and happy so I'm going to take advantage. :-D

-Ash

Better Day... 6 weeks old!

Well it looks like the Zantac is starting to work- I've had a mostly happy kid today! He's been eating every 4 hours now, and seems to be in a lot less pain today. I even took him in to work to meet people this afternoon and he didn't cry until we got back home, b/c he was hungry and needed a diaper change. So glad things are looking up.

Yesterday he'd been screaming a good chunk of the day, but wouldn't you know, the second Casey got home from work he was happy... so much so that when he saw Casey's face, he gave the biggest smile we've seen so far! It was pretty amazing, not to mention adorable!! He did smile at my eyebrows earlier in the day... I noticed he was looking at them so I moved them up and down... he grinned at that. It was still no where near the smile he gave Casey! I was a little jealous b/c all I've gotten this week was a lot of screaming and spit up... but I think it's cool that Case can come home from a long day and get to see that. :-D I'll hopefully see it one of these days in my direction. :)

I guess that's about it... I can't believe he's 6 weeks old today!! Time flies.

-Ash

It Will Get Better.

It WILL get better. I just have to keep telling myself that. And I've heard it from quite a few other, experienced parents, so I believe it.

This week has been pretty trying, though. So much so that Casey stayed home from work today so he could help me with our crying, screaming baby boy. We ended up calling the doctor this afternoon because Keaton went through a one hour period of time and nothing would console him. Usually we can calm him down pretty quickly, but nothing was working, and we're on day 3 of an unhappy little guy who seemed to be in pain. Combine that with the 2 hour feeding marathon last night, and we were sure something else was going on with him.

The doctor checked him over (I should mention that when she went to take a peek in his diaper, he peed all over her leg!) and has come to the conclusion that he has acid reflux. I guess he's been eating more because it temporarily calms his esophagus. They prescribed Zantac and it will hopefully kick in in a few days after the esophagus is less inflamed.

I'm really glad I've seen bits and pieces of a happy little kid before now. If not, I'm afraid I'd probably cry even more than I already have this week. It gives me hope that this is just a rough patch, and as they say, it will get better. I realize many parents out there have had things happen to their kids that are much worse than reflux, so I definitely don't mean to seem insensitive. It's just so hard to see this little tiny person in so much pain and there's nothing I can do about it. Monday and Tuesday had me second guessing everything I thought I knew about my kid to this point. We had an awesome weekend full of smiles (like the one he just gave me while sleeping (for a moment) in my lap) and lots of happy, active awake time. Sunday night into Monday was tough, but Monday night was the hardest... I felt completely helpless and exhausted. Thank goodness Casey's been here to help- he's gone above and beyond, especially when dealing with my moods and overall instability so far. Someone should give that guy a medal.

Here's hoping the meds kick in sooner than later. Until then I'll be here, doing my best to make the little guy as comfortable as possible. Must. Maintain. Sanity.

Love,

Ash

PS: I forgot to add that Keaton now weighs 9 lbs, 8 oz!! Keat loves to Eat!

Roller Coaster

I'm not going to lie, last night was rough. It almost seems like Keaton has bad days/nights about every 2-3 days now. He hasn't latched for 2 days now, and last night I fed him for over an hour and he was still hungry. I fed him right before my cousin Russ came by to visit, and then before he had even been at our place for an hour, Keaton was hungry again. I fed him again from 10:45 pm off and on until 12:30. He would act like he was full, so I would clean him up, burp him, and attempt to get him to go to bed, then he'd start crying again. The worst part last night was that he would be sound asleep in my lap out on the couch, so I'd start to walk back to the bedroom with him and his eyes would pop open and he'd start screaming and rooting again. I tried everything near the end, but nothing worked. At one point, I just started crying, and we cried together for awhile. I just felt so helpless. Sometimes I just look at him and really have no idea what I'm doing. But he eventually settled down (after we accidentally woke Casey up because I attempted to put him back in his bassinet) and I ended up falling asleep with him on my chest out on the couch until 2 am. He slept until 4:45 am when Casey got up to feed him.

He slept this morning until 7:45 am. Luckily it was a quiet feeding and he didn't really cry much at all, which was a big step up from last night. We got a decent nap again this morning for a few hours. He just ate again, and now I'm attempting to eat some lunch. I still feel pretty tired after everything last night. I would like to get something done around the house today, so hopefully I'll get some energy after eating. He's laying in the travel crib next to me while I type this, and every minute or so he'll knock the binky out of his mouth and then start crying. I've actually watched him push it out with his hand, and then get mad because it wasn't in his mouth anymore. Is he playing a game with me?? Probably not because I'm sure his hand/eye coordination hasn't come into play yet, but sometimes I wonder. Maybe I'm just lucky during the times he holds his binky in because he accidentally has his hand in front of it instead of behind it. Who knows... sometimes I think I understand the kid, and then after nights like last night, I feel completely ignorant.

I know things won't always be like this (I know I've written that before, too) so I try to keep it in perspective. There are just low points where I wonder if I can do this. I know I can, I just hate those moments where I have absolutely no clue what to do. I feel like I'm on a roller coaster- this weekend I was at the top of the hill, and last night we hit the bottom of it. Hopefully today will be a better day.

-Ashley

The Little Things

It amazes me how little things can boost my confidence a TON. Like yesterday when we headed to downtown Chicago to have dinner with the Hetrick family, and all my anxiety about breastfeeding in public was completely put to rest.

Most of you reading this know I am a pretty modest person (understatement), so nursing in public was something I was highly anxious about and kind of dreaded. We were waiting for a table at Giordano's for at least an hour, and it had taken over an hour to drive to downtown, so regardless of the fact that we had fed Keaton right before we left the house, it was his dinner time right about the time our pizza got to the table. (*I would like to mention that we brought a bottle with us, just in case, but I was in a bit of pain at this point and wanted to at least try to feed him this way.) With the help of pretty much the entire Hetrick family, who strategically placed Keaton and I right by a wall and generally out of sight, and who also held up menus as I adjusted my nursing cover, Keaton successfully latched on BOTH sides. It was the easiest, most quiet feeding he's had in a very very long time. We attribute the success of the feeding to the fact that all the noise of the restaurant had him distracted so he didn't start wailing. Or squirming. Or crying. It was AWESOME.

Afterward, I pretty much wanted to bounce off the walls. I mean, my kid ate, I wasn't in pain, and no one outside of our table (and maybe our waiter) was any wiser to the situation. It was really one of those moments where you sit back and think, "Look at how far we've come!" Thank You God. Seriously... what comes so naturally for some women has been a struggle for me, so I will take as many of these moments as I can.

After the little guy was content, we passed him around the table, which normally makes him fussy- instead he decided to open his eyes and look around at everyone. He ended up staying awake for probably 4 hours (with a small nap in between on the way home to Plainfield). He was wide awake last night when we came home, and played with his aunts until almost midnight! He slept well, and at some point Casey got up with him and fed him while I slept. Then he woke up around 6:45 and we just got done with another feeding session. Now he's passed out in my lap.

I know it would not have been nearly as easy if not for all the amazing help from the family... I also know that now that I've done so many of the things I was nervous about doing, my confidence level is higher than it's ever been during this process. It's been a pretty awesome week, over all. Where Monday felt hopeless, the rest of the week redeemed it all. SO thankful. :-D

-Ashley

Insert Title Here...

All things considered, Keaton had a pretty good day yesterday. The Hetrick side of the family is in town this weekend. We met up with them yesterday for lunch, and Aunt Valerie got to meet Keaton for the first time in person (because the first time was on Skype). After lunch, we headed over to the mall so Aunt Leslie and her two friends could go prom dress shopping. Keaton did really well and slept until about 45 minutes past his feeding time, then he let all the folks in our vicinity of the mall know that he was HUNGRY!! I ended up coming home with Val so we could feed him and I could pump. He proceeded to let Aunt Val see that his lungs are in full working order! We hung out here at home for awhile, and then the rest of the family came by and we got ready to go out to watch the KU game. (Casey allowed me an huor nap in between, which was great!!) Keaton did great until a little into the 2nd half of the game, then he started getting fussy. He screamed bloody murder the entire time I was trying to change his diaper in the bathroom, and got quite a bit of attention from the staff at the Limestone Brewery for how 'tiny' he is (man he feels big to me, though!!). Luckily he was able to eat, and then had his semi-regular fussing session at 11 pm. Once he settled down, I put him in the bassinet and attempted to get some sleep. This is when his newest habit came into play- he will be 99% asleep, but if/when his binky falls out of his mouth, he starts squawking and working up to a full cry. So for one entire hour, I was in and out of bed, pushing 'Bink' (as we call it) back in his mouth. Ahhh! I need to stop this habit ASAP! Finally he got to sleep until about 3:30 when he was hungry again. Half awake, I stumble out of bed and take him in to start changing his diaper. Yeah... I got a nice wake up call when I was wiping his bum and he passed gas, then I looked over to see that poo had sprouted wings and flown over the diaper and onto the changing table, and my arm! I really wanted to title this entry "Shootin' Craps" but I thought it would be inappropriate. Hahahaha....

Now the kid is passed out on my lap, after a nice nap this morning. I'm afraid to move him, but I need desperately to take a shower, especially considering the poop shooting festivities this morning. Although my arm is clean, it just can't be clean enough after that! Casey is going to take off work around 1 today, then we're going to get around and take Keaton to downtown Chicago to meet up with the rest of the family. Hopefully he'll do well and won't have a complete meltdown, because it'll take us at least an hour to get home! I'm trying to put my anxiety in check right now.

Another thing that causes me anxiety at this point is using the little sucker bulb to get snot out of his nose. He gets SUPER PISSED whenever I do this, which is unfortunate because the guy has snot in his nose all the time, and even gets mad sometimes when he's crying and starts snorting from it! It'll make him scream even louder. I try to get through it anyway, though, because he always feels better after it's done. I wish there was a better way! He's gotten to the point where he bats my hands away, and kicks his feet to push himself away from me. Ahhh! I only see this getting worse.

Well, I should definitely try to get that shower now. Hopefully the little guy will stay asleep and be content this afternoon with our travels. Worst case scenario would be that we have to turn around and come back home. Hoping for the best...

-Ash

First Smile(s)!!

My favorite picture so far...

Yesterday was by far my best day with Keaton. He decided not to clusterfeed anymore, and allowed me to get almost 4 straight hours of sleep! I was able to shower and get around, then we went to get my hair cut at 11:30. I was pretty anxious about taking him since Casey had always been with me in previous adventures, and I wasn't sure how I would do with a big clunky car seat and stroller by myself. Besides taking forever to leave the house (I got everything together and then couldn't find my stupid keys!), we made it on time to the hair appointment. All the ladies at the salon really enjoyed him, and he was great and slept right through everything, as usual. Then we met up with Casey for lunch, and he did great there, too! We came home, and he was wide awake so we were playing, and he SMILED. It was a genuine, non-gassy smile while I was making faces at him! (He did it again this morning!) Both times I've gotten a little teary-eyed because it was what I had been waiting for and it finally happened! I just can't cry every time he smiles, or he may learn not to do it anymore! ;) He was awake a lot yesterday, and not as fussy. To end the day, Case and I took him out for a St. Patrick's Day dinner last night, and he did great as usual. Then we came home, fed him, and he allowed me to sleep from 11:30 to 3 am, then again until 7! Overall, probably the best day I've had so far. It was very rewarding, productive, and fun. :)

Today the Hetricks are coming for Leslie's spring break, and they should be here sometime this afternoon. Hopefully Keaton will continue to have a good eating/sleeping schedule so we can run around town with everyone. I enjoy his new habit of eating every 4 hours and sleeping more at night.. I know it won't always be like this, but I love that it has been the past few nights! :)

I guess that's all for now. I'll update more this weekend!

-Ash

Clusterfeeding, round 2.

Oh clusterfeeding, how I haven't missed thee.

Looks like Keaton is going through another growth spurt. We had a great weekend with him, and the feedings were going really well. Still no 'help'- he was able to latch on just fine each time. He was eating about every 4 hours, sometimes a bit more, and we were able to get larger amounts of sleep! Case fed him in the early mornings and allowed me to sleep, which was AWESOME (but if you're breastfeeding, a bit painful after 2 or 3 hours). I think I got 5 hours in a row of sleep, by far the most in the last month. However, I woke up in pain. I think it was still worth it, though. :)

Last night after Keaton's bath, he basically passed out and we seized the opportunity to go to bed 'early'. Riiiiight. About 30 minutes after my head hit the pillow, I heard the little guy chirping in his bassinet. I got up with him, and fed him a bit because he was acting hungry again. Then he passed out. Put him back in the bassinet, and about 45 minutes later, more chirping. He gets into this REM sleep cycle where he is asleep enough to smile and make faces, but then wakes up the second his binkie falls out of his mouth, and is suddenly ticked off again. So I got up, made sure the binkie was in his mouth, and would just lay down and he'd start fussing again. Around 1:30 a.m., he was at it again. This time he was rooting, so I fed him again. I had fed him less than 2 hours before that. I tried to push the idea of clusterfeeding out of my mind because I remember how much of an absolute BLAST it was previously! Got done feeding around 2:15, laid him down again. 3:15ish he was chirping. Reinsert binkie. 3:45ish, Case decided to get up and feed him his bottle. He ate another 4 oz, then proceeded to stay wide awake for Casey until he handed him off to me at 5 so he could get ready for work. 5:45, the kid is rooting again! I feed him for a little bit, then he passes out again. I take the opportunity to eat some breakfast, and before I know it, the kid's awake again and rooting again! I really, sincerely hope that this is not how the day goes, or I'm going to be one grumpy, frustrated, sore mommy.

Awesome... he was asleep in my arms just now, then I sneezed. Let the fussing continue!

Sorry to be such a bright ray of sunshine this morning... I guess the collective 2.5 hours of sleep is catching up with me right now. :( I'm going to attempt to move him again without completely ticking him off... I hope we get some good naps today!

More later,

Ash

One Month Old!

The last 4 weeks have been a complete and total blur for me. I can't even believe that the little kid in my lap right now (swaddled up and looking a bit like a burrito) is officially one month old. Amazing. And it's amazing how much I've learned, and how much more I have to learn about this little kid.

The newest obstacle has been difficult for me... he's been spitting up the last few days and hasn't really done that before now. Last night I was surprised he had anything left in his tummy judging by what came out, but he was content afterward and proved me wrong. His consistently wet diapers are proving me wrong, too. I read something that said that spit up may look like a lot when it comes out, but normally that's not all milk and they've normally eaten quite a bit more... so I feel a bit better about that in general. This morning he spit up after I fed him for only 10 minutes, so I decided to call the Pediatrician and see what might be wrong. She said that I should try holding him more upright when I feed him, try to burp him more frequently, and to have him sit upright for 30 minutes after he eats. She also said to judge by his cues- if he spits up after not eating very much, let him rest. If he acts hungry again, try to feed him, otherwise if he's content with his Binky or falls asleep, just let him be until he acts hungry again. I feel like I need a freaking 'For Dummies' book for this kid... I can't figure out the 'best' way to do anything sometimes! So I just keep trying different things until they seem to work. Now the trick will be remembering what those things are.

I still freak out anytime anything comes out of him. You'd think that after a month I would get used to that, but no. I just thought I got the hang of doing diaper changes that did not require a wardrobe change for either of us, but yesterday he sprung a leak all over me, the wall, the changing pad... etc. etc. etc. I had a pretty good streak going before that, though! It's tough because he wiggles all over the place, and half the time the clean diaper that I put underneath the dirty one gets scooted out from under him, and I get hit when I have to pick up his legs and put the clean one back under his butt... then it's like he knows my hand is there and BAM!! Then a long string of words come out of my mouth... I just know I'm going to teach him that and his first word is going to be terrible. (Please prove me wrong, kid!!)

So tonight our plan is to go out and celebrate Keaton's one month by having Japanese food!!! YAY!!!!! I have missed sushi so much, and according to the lactation consultant and various other sources, I can have sushi as long as I don't eat a ton of it. I think I'm still going to avoid tuna, though, considering it's high in Mercury and I don't want to take a chance. Living in Japan for four months definitely spoiled me as far as sushi goes, and of course I haven't tasted anything in the US that was remotely as good as Japan, but I crave it on a regular basis (even before being pregnant) so I'm really happy to be able to enjoy it again. :)

So looking back on the last month, I think I've felt just about every emotion one could feel. Overjoyed that he was here. Scared that I was going to screw up. Frustrated when he would cry and I didn't know how to fix him. Helpless when he would scream and nothing would console him. Surprised when he started getting the hang of feeding without any help, after 3 weeks. In love every time he would smile in his sleep. Enthralled when he started making eye contact, tracking objects, and responding to my voice. Terrified when he would spit up all over everything. Exhausted when my head would hit the pillow and he would start crying again. Sad for no reason at all. What a month!! All of it has been totally worth it. He still has that 'new baby smell' that I love. He makes the most hilarious noises almost all the time like grunting in his sleep, yelling at his Binky (while it's in his mouth), making this funny "huh uh" noise when I put the Binky in and he doesn't want it, often followed by shaking his head back and forth... little 'happy baby noises' right after he gets done eating, as if to say he's satisfied with his meal, often followed by a confused look, then a big wail when he realizes he isn't eating anymore... LOL! Seriously, I could go on forever, but I'll spare you. I will say once more, though, that this is the hardest but most rewarding job I've ever had.

Lastly, and randomly (as usual), I think we need to change his middle name to Houdini. Every time I swaddle him, knowing that I've definitely pinned his little arms down and gotten his feet inside, a little hand is sticking out the top, or a foot pokes out the bottom as soon as I close up the blanket. Never fails. He may be one of the wiggliest (is that a word? Spell check cleared it, so I guess it is...) kids I know. I should have known he'd be this way, judging by how much he moved in the womb. Now that he's definitely growing, he's getting more difficult to hold onto and I find myself having to readjust him all the time because he slides around. He's starting to cling on to me, though... hopefully that will help. I'm sure he's well over 8 lbs now... looks like I need to do some weight lifting to keep up!

Blah blah blah... that's enough from me for one day. Looking forward to going out tonight with my boys to celebrate one amazing month!

Love,

Ash

Reproduction and Productivity

So 3 ladies I know have given birth in the last 24 hours, which is pretty amazing. My roommate from KSU, Chelsea, just had an adorable baby girl *(I knew it was going to be a girl!!) this morning. My friend Tressa, also from KSU, had a baby girl, but through all my Facebook stalking today I can't find out details or see any pictures. Finally, my friend Haley from high school had a baby boy this morning. I think at one point I knew 20 different women who were pregnant, and now babies are joining the world left and right! Such an awesome time. :-D

My little guy is passed out in the travel crib in the living room. He's sleeping well and I'm going to regret not doing the same right now. But as usual, I find other things that need to be done.

One thing I'm struggling with so far is actually feeling like I'm accomplishing anything around here. People keep telling me to take it easy, but when Casey gets home and the house is a mess, there's laundry to be done, the sink is full of dishes, etc., I can't help but feel like I need to push myself to do more. He works hard enough at work, and shouldn't have to come home to a trashy house. At the same time, getting things done with a newborn around is tough. I know it will get easier, I just have low moments (like today) when I really start feeling like I'm not getting any better at this. I completely spaced out earlier and was supposed to put a roast in the crock pot this morning. Realized this at 1:00 pm today. So I thawed the roast out in the microwave, hoping to buy myself some time. It is easy enough to throw things in a crock pot so dinner can be ready tonight. It is another thing entirely to remember to do so. CRAP. I hope I didn't ruin it, or that it will be finished and we won't have to eat at 9 pm. Not cool. I need to make a constant list right now or I won't even remember to change my clothes or brush my teeth.

Blogging has always been sort of therapeutic for me, which is why I'm doing it now instead of getting things done around the house, as I just complained about. I know it doesn't make much sense, but I feel like I need to write this out before I can be productive around here. Consider it a self pep talk. I dunno. I just know that I'm glad that days like this are few and far between right now. I also know that if I'm a little sad/depressed today, it's only temporary. This hormone thing is annoying!! So I'm going to stop writing and get back to being productive... hopefully that will make me feel better about the situation.

The Keaton alarm is going off now, so I guess the timing was right. Time to go see about feeding a kid!

-Ash

PS: Definitely forgot one of the cardinal rules of diapering a little boy this morning. I forgot to make sure his boy parts were pushed DOWN when I fastened his diaper, and while he was laying on my chest during tummy time, I suddenly felt warm and wet on my stomach. Oops. Yeah... lesson learned!

Good weekend!

WARNING: This first part is about breastfeeding. Skip ahead if you don't want to read about it.

So if you've been keeping up with the blog, you know (unless you skipped over this part) that we were having feeding issues with Keaton in the beginning. The kid would not latch, or stay latched, and I had to seek out other resources to help him along. Thank GOODNESS for the nipple shield, that's all I have to say. He really got pissed because it would take a long time for me to 'get his food ready', if you will... and it's been additional work to wash and keep track of the shields because they are clear silicone and are easy to misplace. But the shield was getting the job done, and I didn't have to supplement with formula anymore, so I was content. (I would like to note that I am definitely not anti-formula by any means, just for the record.)
I bring you to yesterday, when I tried the 'bait-and-switch' technique the LC had told me to try in the beginning. Whenever I tried it before, Keaton would get PISSED and never latch on. In fact, I'd take the shield off when I burped him, and as soon as he got back to the boob he'd get this hilarious, confused look on his face. Okay it wasn't always hilarious, but it has definitely made me laugh at times.) I decided to skip the stress and hadn't tried that for a few days. Yesterday, though, I guess he changed his mind. We have now gone through 3 successful feedings without any 'help'! I'm not saying that it doesn't take him a minute or two to latch, but once he's there, he'll finally stay on and not completely pass out like he did in the beginning! I'm not sure what's different, but thank goodness this is starting to work. :-D And because of it, I seem to be producing more milk, which is great because the kid is eating at least 3 ounces at every feeding now! Little piggie!

***Okay, no more talk about breastfeeding now. I realize there are guys that read this and I don't want to totally weird anyone out. So we had a great weekend at home. Casey was incredible and did about 90% of the housework. I feel guilty about that, and look forward to the days when I can get more done around the house. I just started another load of laundry, so we're off to a decent start today. Now the task is actually remembering that I did it and continuing with it later. My brain is definitely not functional anymore since Keaton came. I heard rumors of this, but took pride in the fact that my brain wasn't quite this foggy while I was pregnant. It's definitely not the case now! I had a few slip ups back then, but now it's so bad that I forget what conversation I was having, etc. Or I get totally sidetracked, like I am now, and have trouble getting back to the point. My point was, we had a great weekend. The weather was wonderful (minus a bit of rain yesterday... but it's rain, not snow!)... Saturday was sunny and almost 50 degrees, so we took Charley and Keaton on a walk around the neighborhood. Chuck was ecstatic, of course. Keaton slept the whole time. We were able to introduce him to a few of the neighbors who hadn't met him yet. Then last night we took him to Walmart- we had a bunch of things to get so we decided to go as a family. He did great and barely woke up the whole time we were there! We had to get him some pants, and found the CUTEST outfit for him, with a little blue sweater vest and jeans! I'll definitely take pics soon. :)

Saturday, Keaton stayed awake for two straight hours, without crying- then did it again a few hours later! He got a little fussy b/c of tummy pains, but once we gave him gas drops he settled right down, :) Case and I took turns entertaining him while he was awake. He made up for it yesterday by sleeping most of the day. It was still fun to see his eyes open so much more. They are still a really dark denim color- I wonder if they'll change. His hair is brown and since he's already a carbon copy of Casey, I'm sure they'll turn brown eventually.

Well, I know there's more to the weekend, but he just woke up and I'm typing with one hand right now. Just thought I'd update... I'll try to again soon!

-Ash

My Baby Jayhawk

(One friend thinks he's saying, "Rock Chalk Jayhawk" in this one...)

In my efforts to be productive at home, I just ran down to the basement to start another load of laundry, and wouldn't you know? The stupid (large) container of laundry detergent fell off the washer and spilled out all over the floor, AGAIN. This is the 2nd time in 4 weeks. You'd think I would learn not to put it on top of the washer when that happens, but nope. Blah. Oh well, looks like I have a fun cleaning job ahead of me sometime today. Luckily there is still some detergent left so we're not totally out, but this is getting to be an expensive habit!

In other news, Charley is driving me nuts. I feel bad saying that, but since the weather is nice, he's standing at the door wanting to go outside constantly! I keep telling him he just went out and needs to stay inside, but 5 minutes later, he's standing at the door again. I don't think he's very happy with me right now anyway. I try to give the guy attention, knowing that he's a little weirded out since I spend virtually all my time with the little screaming boy in my arms. I can't tell if it's the crying that gets to him, or he's just jealous in general. I wish I could split my time up and make him feel like I haven't abandoned him, but it's tough to play with him and give him attention as much as he would like. Luckily Casey spoils him every night when he gets home. I'm excited for the nice weather this weekend because we're planning to go on a family walk around the neighborhood! I think Chuck will cheer up a bit after that, or at least I hope he will...

Yesterday went pretty well in the Keaton department. He ate every 2-3 hours, and stayed awake a decent amount of time during the day. We had some awesome naps together during the afternoon. When Case got home, we decided to go out to a place called The Foundry to watch the KU/KSU game since ESPN decided to be a bunch of jerks and only play the game on pay-per-view. Keaton did great! I of course dressed him up in his Jayhawk attire (thanks to Uncle Daniel!) and he was a perfect angel, until the last 2 minutes of the game. (KU won!) My theory is he is either 1) sad that it was Sherron Collins' last home game, or 2) he's actually a KSU fan like his Daddy. As I said in my Facebook status today, I am going to go with the Sherron thing. :)

While watching the game, we noticed a big group of KU fans in the room. Of course I decided to go talk to them, because I am strange like that (and embarrass Casey on a regular basis because of it). I took my baby Jayhawk down to see them, too, and they all oohhhed and aaahhhhed over him. :-D Turns out they were from Overland Park. The parents graduated from KU, and now they live in Naperville. They have two daughters that are our age. Actually, the mom was a former youth pastor, and the 29 year old daughter is a Para, so they have a decent amount in common with members of our family! They said they frequent The Foundry when KU games are on, so hopefully if KU makes it far in the tournament this year, we'll see them again! They were a really nice group and of course I always enjoy meeting other Kansas people. :)

Well, since Keaton is asleep and I stayed up until 2:15 am with him so Casey could get some rest, I suppose I should try to sleep when he sleeps today. Every time I've done that so far, he's woken up right when my head hits the pillow. (Cue the wailing baby... haha... it never fails!) Time for me to go change a diaper and feed a kid!

-Ash

Bjorning It

I'm test driving the Baby Bjorn right now that my neighbor Laura gave us, and so far Keaton and I are enjoying it. He is passed out on my chest (strangely enough, I sort of feel pregnant again because I can feel every time he moves, but I have both hands free! Sweet!). It's nice to be able to move around right now. I tried to redeem myself by playing with Charley, but wouldn't you know, he's not in the mood right now. At least I know I can throw his toys around and keep Keaton with me at the same time. So far, the Bjorn is working wonders! I guess I am glad that everyone found out about the baby during our annual Subdivision garage sale, because we've gotten quite a few great items out of the deal. :)

My kid makes some hilarious noises and faces. I find myself watching him 98% of the time, even when I should be doing other things like eating dinner or concentrating on conversations. No wonder my brain is absolute mush right now. I have had more trouble remembering what time or day it is, let alone any important details like how much Keaton has grown since our last Peds visit (luckily they wrote it all down) and what percentile he's in. I hope that part gets better!!

We had a decent night of sleep (meaning he woke up every 3 hours and didn't cluster feed, yay!) but I've noticed this happens every other day. My hope today is that we can keep him awake enough to sleep well again tonight. He was wide awake last night and Casey was able to hold him for a long time without him screaming his head off. He would just look at Casey and make the cute little noises and faces. He's cooing in his sleep, too, which makes me think he'll someday talk in his sleep like Casey does. We shall see!

I guess that's about it. All we've really done today is eat, sleep, and... I guess that's about it. Hopefully the Bjorn will help me be able to be a bit more productive around here. I have managed to get some laundry done since my mom left, so I feel like that's a big accomplishment so far! I don't plan on vacuuming yet, though- not because I think Keaton will wake up, because he's done great as far as noises go... I'd just rather test that out when Casey can be home and get all the vacuum equipment out for me. (PS, having a central vac is AWESOME!!!) I already have 7 lbs of baby on me right now, and lugging around hoses and other things doesn't sound like a good time right now. I'm sure this weekend will be more productive.

I forgot to randomly mention that I was trying to take Keaton out of the car yesterday in his car seat, and only half of it would come out of the base. I had to take him out of it and leave the seat in the car. I have unhooked it before, so I'm not sure what was wrong. Part of me is getting tempted to take him somewhere by myself during the day... if I can get the dang car seat out, that is. The week is still young, I may attempt that before the week's over. We'll see. Plus, it's supposed to be almost 50 this weekend, so we may go on a family walk around the neighborhood! I hope it all pans out because that sounds great!

That's all for now... back to Mommyhood.

-Ash

Sleepy Keat

Our little Gas Man had his 2 week appointment today, and did great! We weren't big fans of the pediatrician we saw today, but luckily there are plenty more in the practice so we might not always be stuck with her. She was a bit set in her ways and said a few things Casey and I didn't agree with... we also felt like she was talking at us and not with us, which was annoying. When I asked her what could be causing Keaton's gas pains, etc., she simply said, "It's probably your diet" and left it at that. Okay, thanks for the info! What should I be doing differently, lady? I've eaten a more balanced diet the past 3 weeks than I have in a loooooong time! So yeah... no clue. She basically told us things we could have found out on the internet... so yeah. Not the most impressive time with her.

Keaton's doing great, though! He's gained quite a bit of weight since we saw them last, and now weighs 7 lbs 8 oz! I knew the kid was eating well, so it's nice to have proof! He is also not jaundice anymore, which was great to hear. Looks like he was blessed with pigment in his skin, thanks to his Daddy! I would feel bad if he were pale like me. :)

99% of his umbilical cord fell off on Saturday night. Since there's still a little left, the doc put some zinc oxide on it to try and dry the rest up. She also yelled at us for not putting enough clothes on Keaton... yikes. He hadn't acted cold so we didn't think much of it. It's so embarrassing when people correct us on things like that... like the other day when we went to Babies R Us and the lady corrected us because we set up the stroller wrong. I realize there are things I wouldn't have known to do, since I've never had a kid before, but it's still really embarrassing. Oh well, lessons learned.

Keaton didn't have the best night last night, and I predicted it... He has his days and nights flipped, so he slept most of the day, and then right when I put him down for bed, he screamed his head off... off and on until 2 am. So I got about 4 hours of sleep last night after he finally settled down, only because Casey took over early this morning. He may be going through another growth spurt right now, who knows. All I know is I should definitely be sleeping now while he is, and I'm sure I'm going to regret that later! Not sure where this day has gone, but it's already 3 pm. Yikes. I probably have another late night head of me so I'm going to go sleep for a bit, if Keaton will allow it. :)

Love,

Ash