Reflux

As you may be aware, Cian is not gaining as much weight as he should be.  At 1 month he was 10.42%, at 2 months 2.93%.  At our 2 month visit, he was given a reflux medicine and I was told to bring him back for a weight check in 2-4 weeks.  Last week I changed his appointment to 2 weeks later as he was still spitting up a lot.  At his weight check appointment, he was at 9 pounds 1.5 ounces (he gained 6 ounces), but his weight percentile was down to 1.67%.  His doctor put him on a reflux medicine that is a step up from the one he was on.  He also has an ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow to make sure there is nothing wrong with the muscle that opens and closes the stomach. 

If you remember, at his 2 month appointment, the doctor wanted me to feed him whenever he wanted to eat.  Well, I think Cian heard what she said because that next day I was feeding him almost every hour.  Then last Friday, I decided to actually record the times of feeding.  I stopped doing it when I got to Arizona at 2 weeks since he had a hearty appetite and was eating plenty.  Well, during one session, he ate for 1.5 hours straight.  My poor nipples.  I am really thankful that he actually latches on properly or else that would have been unbearable. 

I guess the reflux causes him to be fussy when he eats sometimes.  Lately he has been scratching my chest all up.  I used mittens once, which really helped.  The thing is, is that I don’t remember that I forgot to grab them until he starts scratching me and by then it’s too late.  And I keep forgetting to trim his fingernails.  They are really sharp and painful.  At least he isn’t scratching up his own face.

Still have so much more to write for the next few times.  Next up my weight goal and exercise plans.

Books!

I never realized how useful the library was until now (and how much money it will save me).  Growing up, I would just check out reading books for entertainment.  I’ve been looking into a lot of home improvement type and language books on Amazon (I have sooo many saved for later that the library also has).  To give you an idea of how intense my list is, I have 50 already checked out and about 70 on hold or waiting and still so many more I haven’t requested yet.  Thank goodness the library has a 100 book limit.  The books I have so far are decluttering and organizing, landscaping, gardening, and German.  I also was able to check out several cd’s to learn German.  I figure Chris can listen to it on his commute.  We’re going to be on a tight budget, so it’s exciting that I can also check out Kindle books for free!  That will save us quite a bit of money.  It’s so easy to buy books on the Kindle without realizing how much it adds up.

Cian still likes to be with someone at all times.  It may only last a few more months, but I should actually do something productive during that time.  I am thinking about getting more language books/cd’s from the library, specifically Spanish and Arabic.  Also, this way I’m not on the computer all day and not tempted to buy things on Amazon.  My goal is to do a half hour a day, at least three days a week for each language, including German.  One semester of college, I had Spanish class right after German class.  In Spanish class, I would think in German but then had to speak in Spanish.  It will be interesting to see how this will work out.  There’s a German school in north Seattle that I’d like to put Cian in.  It would be in place of the public elementary school here, but so far they only have preschool through second grade. 

Speaking of Cian, we bought a used jogging stroller for really cheap from a coworker.  I tried it out for the first time today and love it!  I like how easily it moves.  Cian was a little fussy before we left, so I was pleasantly surprised that he calmed down once we started our walk.  He looked so adorable in his snow suit.  I’ll try and take a picture next time.

I still have his birth story to write about, but next time I’ll probably write about the organizing of my house, specifically the pantry.  It’s going to be epic.  I’m excited!  And also of the house projects we had/will have done.

2 Months!

My little Irish boy is two months old today.  It’s hard to believe it’s been that long.  The story of his birth will come later.

Stats:

Weight:  Birth – 6lb 1oz, 1 Month – 8lb 2oz (10.42%), 2 Month – 8lb 12oz (2.93%)

Height:  Birth – 19.7” , 1 Month – 20.5” (12.47%), 2 Month – 21.25” (3.94%)

Head:  Birth – 12.6”, 1 Month – 14.02” (7.12), 2 Month – 14.49” (3.48%)

He had his 2 month wellness check today.  I noticed he has been getting bigger, so I was disappointed to see that he did not gain as much as he should have.  He was a tiny baby to begin with.  It is hard to believe that babies are being born that are bigger than he is.  He still fits in his newborn size clothing, though not when I have cloth diapers on him.  He is right on the edge of them being too small for him.  And here I was afraid of the clothes only fitting for the first two weeks, if even.

At his appointment, he was given a prescription to help with reflex.  We will see the doctor in three weeks to see how that is working and to make sure he is gaining enough weight.  I am supposed to feed him whenever he wants to eat, even if it is just for comfort.  He also had his first set of shots today.  He only cried for about a minute.  So far no fever or loss of appetite.  When we got home, he was eating for over an hour.  And if he wants to eat that long every time, I have to let him because of doctor’s orders.  And yes, I am producing plenty of milk, so it i not because he is not getting enough during a feed.  And we figured out how to properly latch on and feed pretty fast (thank goodness!). 

At 4 weeks old, he rolled over.  At 7 weeks old, he stood up on Chris.  He has the strength to stand, just not the balance and coordination.  I think he has pretty good head control.  He has been able to lift his head for a while now.  He smiled at Chris and me once (on separate occasions), though it was not a full smile like he does when sleeping.  It will come eventually.

There is still so much more I can write!  He always wants to be in contact with someone.  Guess I better enjoy it now since he is not going to want to much longer.  I wish I could just freeze him at this age.  He is so adorable, and I am not just saying that because of a bias.  He definitely has my ears and probably my lips.  I am hoping he will have my eye color as well.  His eyes are so pretty right now.  They’re the dark blue/grey but with light blue around the pupil. 

I really should update more so my updates are not so long.  It has been a bit hectic, though, these past few weeks.  Our carpet was replaced last Friday, so we had to bring everything down to the garage.  Basically only the furniture has been brought back up.  I am still sleeping on an air mattress.  And I cannot really do much during the day in terms of putting things away since Cian can’t go more than half an hour without realizing that he’s alone.  I have a sling, which he loves to be in, but it is hard to do much with him in it.  So now my only opportunity to get anything done is to hand him off to Chris in the evening.  It is going to be a long, slow process.  But on a good note, we love our new carpet!  We were not sure how we would like the color we chose.  The sample looked so dark against our old carpet color.  It did not turn out as dark as we thought and we actually like this color in the house better than the previous one.  Also, our master bedroom is now painted, as well as the master bath and Cian’s bedroom.  Our room is a light blue/grey color, bathroom is a light tan, and Cian’s room is green on one wall and blue on the rest.  Our house is slowly coming back together.  More on life in Belfast, trip to Arizona, Arizona, trip to Washington, and our first few weeks back home later.  But first I will leave you with a few pictures.  Enjoy!