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!

Go Me!

I have always waited until dinner time to figure out what is for dinner.  It was always stressful for me, but I did not think about planning ahead.  A week ago I started planning our dinners a few days in advance.  I have wanted to try it for a while now, but I just have not gotten around to actually doing it.  What really made me finally take the plunge was to get start eating healthier.  I also want the practice so by the time our kids are big enough to eat with us, we will have many months worth of meal ideas.

We go to the grocery store on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday (or Sunday) and plan the dinners the night before for the next couple of nights until the next grocery trip.  I am definitely eating more vegetables than I was before (which is great since I tend to avoid the vegetables).  And the nice thing about going to the grocery store a few times a week is that the produce is fresher and that I do not have so many groceries in one trip.  I am definitely the one to throw things in the cart that are not on my list.  It is easier for me to avoid doing just that when my list is short (especially since I avoid going up and down every aisle).  

I have been putting down everything we have for dinner in an Excel calendar for future reference.  I am so proud of myself for how organized I have been thus far (and the whole planning in advance and eating healthier).  One step at a time to making my life more organized.

I am addicted to Pinterest.  When I first started, I did not understand all of the hype.  After spending some time on it, I cannot stay away!  There are so many great ideas in many categories.  Chris even likes looking at all of the pins with me.  

I am thirty-three weeks along today.  It is crazy how fast my pregnancy is going.  Less than two months and we will get to meet our first baby.  Unbelievable.  Overall I have had a great pregnancy.  I expect to have as equally great of a labor, due to my amazing genes.  Last Friday, Chris and I slipped on ice walking back to our flat.  I had a hard landing on my side, mainly my right elbow.  My muscles are still sore from it.  What is comical is that my mom had a fall onto her right elbow when she was seven months along with me, though it fractured.

Thankful

I woke up this morning to a strange smell.  A few minutes later I heard sirens stop in front of the flats.  Fire trucks had come to the flats before without it being anything, but I got a little scared because of the smell.  I opened up the blinds and saw the fire trucks right below and a crowd of people across the street.  What really scared me was seeing smoke coming from a flat near mine.  I quickly got dressed and got out of there as fast as I could.  When I got to the stairs, a fireman was coming from above and asked if everyone was out of the apartment.  I said yes and continued downstairs, passing by more firemen coming up with hoses.  I went across the street and saw that it was the flat diagonally above ours.  Unfortunately the fire was in the bedroom, which was the room closest to our bedroom.  I called Chris and he picked me up at took me to work (I was in flip flops and a bit cold).  I am so thankful that I was able to wake up and that the fire was contained really well.  My breathing hasn't been great since then, but the baby should be fine.  Our next appointment is Monday.

A month ago my hard drive failed on my laptop.  I'm so glad that it happened a week before my warranty ended.  I haven't received the replacement hard drive yet, which was shipped a couple of weeks ago.  It's really hard to receive packages at the flat as the shipping companies can't get into the building.  So, I'm never notified if a delivery has even been attempted.  I emailed the customer service guy asking the company used and the tracking number, but he was no help.  So it's probably in some depot and will be sent back sometime.  I've been using Chris' laptop when he doesn't take it into work.

I got Chris a DSLR camera for his anniversary/birthday/Christmas present.  His aunt and uncle brought it over when they visited us a few weeks ago.  Chris was shocked, to say the least.  He's been having a lot of fun figuring out everything on it.  And now he has a list of all these camera things he wants.  Oh, what have I created?  For our anniversary, which was the end of September, Chris was going to get me a Claddagh ring.  When we traveled to Derry, I found the perfect one!

We went to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher last weekend.  It was something that was planned the day we left.  I had mentioned to Chris the week before that we need to go before it gets cold and I get too big.  It just worked out well that we could go last weekend.  We had a great time and the weather was beautiful!

I'm 29 weeks on Monday.  We've been trying to take week by week pictures, but I can't get the slideshow to work on our blog.  I feel like I'm still pretty small for how far along I am.  I definitely look pregnant now, though.  I can still see my feet and don't feel huge.  The baby will slide his foot down against my tummy.  It feels so weird.  I like to poke at him when a body part is right up against my tummy.  Tonight, he finally stuck a foot out when Chris was around.  I had Chris feel it and he took his hand back right away because it felt weird.  He's been kicking more lately near my bladder.  The first time he kicked my bladder was so strange.

Pictures to come when I finally get my laptop working.

Halfway!!!

I’m still at that point where it’s not obvious yet that I’m pregnant.  I kind of expected that I’d be a lot bigger by now (not that I’m complaining, not at all).

I think I look pretty well for being 20 weeks along, though my waist has increased by three inches.  Chris has taken week by week pictures of me, but I just haven’t put them up yet. 

It’s a Boy!

We had our appointment at 19 weeks yesterday.  Everything looks great.  He looks about 19 weeks along and very healthy.  The baby was very cooperative and she could see everything she needed to really well.  She said that he’s very active, and I should enjoy not being able to feel him just yet.  She also said that he has long legs (not sure where he’s getting those from).  Our baby looks so athletic right now.  I’m sure he’s going to be a handful once he learns how to crawl and walk.  It looks like we’re going to have the baby in Belfast.  We have a couple of names picked out, but we don’t plan on revealing the official name until birth.  Our next appointment is in 3 weeks.

Chris completed his first 10k on Sunday.  It was cold and a only a little rainy, but at least it wasn’t windy.  He finished just under 52 minutes.  He managed to run with a terrible side cramp for the last half of the race.

Nothing much going on right now.  Our anniversary is in 3 weeks (the day of our next baby appointment), but it looks like we’re not going to go anywhere for it.  Chris may be working that weekend and we don’t want to make plans because of that.  We are planning on doing a one night stay at a hotel with a Groupon I bought in mid-October.  We’re hoping to go to Germany for Christmas to visit Valentina and Joerg.  I also want to show Chris the Christmas markets as he has never been.  That was one of my favorite things while in Germany.