One Month Down...

Matthew is one month old today...how quickly the month has passed...

He is so funny...he is always looking at me with these concerned looks, like he is never really sure what I am up to.
He loves bath time...he never cries and loves the water on him.

Tummy time is for resting...and Cameron likes to join in on the fun.

His Big Brother loves him, most of the time. Nate still wants to hold him and kiss him regularly (when he isn't poking or pulling him).

Right now we are working on establishing our schedule...I gave us a few weeks to make sure the feeding part was going well but now I have dusted off Babywise and am undergoing my crash refresher course in sleep training. So far we have made good progress this week migrating to a pretty consistent 3 hr routine (which is pretty huge...the random 2 hr schedule was wearing on me, this extra hr has made a world of difference, I am so glad he is adapting quickly!).

So, we have survived a month with two boys...and so far so good!

2 & 2

2 weeks have now passed since Matthew joined our family and he is still a really sweet baby. He is very alert - he is often wide-eyed, just looking around checking everything out. He only cries when he is hungry, but unfortunately (or fortunately, I suppose) he always seems to be hungry...we are still working on extending our 2 hr feeding cycle (yes, even at night). But the good news about this feeding schedule is that he is growing...Yesterday was his 2 wk appt with the pediatrician and he checked out perfectly. I was worried about his weight gain - thinking that he was feeding so often because he wasn't getting enough - but turns out that isn't the case. He was 6 lb 7 oz when he was born, dropped to 6 lbs when we left the hospital, was back up to 6 lb 3 oz at his first appt...and yesterday he was a whopping 7 lb 6 oz! I was so surprised and happy to hear that!
Nate is still doing well with his little brother...he wants to hold him a lot. The sweetest thing is that when Matthew cries Nate says "it's gonna be ok Baby Matthew".
However, I have learned the challenges of managing a 2 yr old and a newborn at the same time....and have discovered that the most frightening sound is silence when said 2 yr old is in another room while I am nursing. Yesterday, Nate was playing in his playroom and it got quiet...then I heard the toilet flush a couple of times so I yelled his name and asked what he was doing...he yelled back "I did it! I poo pooed in the potty!" While that is exciting, he can't manage the "clean up" so I had to run up there...only to discover that his underwear was missing...I asked where it was and he pointed to the potty. Hence the reason he had to flush a couple of times...guess he didn't get them down the first time. Clearly he was hiding the evidence so that he could get his "special treat" (an m&m) for going in the potty...sneaky kid.

4.5.10

Our lives changed forever on Monday...Matthew Charles came in to this world and made us a family of four. He was 6 lbs 7 oz, 20 in., healthy, and perfect.
His birth couldn't have gone more smoothly (relatively speaking of course). We went to the hospital at 5:30 Monday morning (I was already 3 cm when we got there so, luckily, things were already in motion), began the induction process at 7:30 am, and he arrived at 1:28 pm that afternoon. I will spare the details, at the risk of publicly over-sharing, but I couldn't have asked for a better birth experience.

He has been a great baby so far...I am sure all parents wonder how they will love their second baby as much as their first but it is amazing how silly that thought is once you have them in your arms.

It is also amazing how much more relaxed we are this time around. With Nate, I didn't let him leave our hospital room the entire time unless the Dr or Nurse took him away....Matthew got to spend a few hours in the nursery to let us get a little rest (of course by 6 am I wanted him back, but I was still proud I let him go!). Feedings are going better with Matthew so far, again probably in part due to the fact I am more relaxed about it.

Nate reacted perfectly to his Little Brother...I was really nervous about him coming to the hospital but he immediately ran to my bed and wanted to see Baby Matthew. He was very excited. He kept saying "Hi Baby Matthew!" and petting and kissing him. He did that each time he came to the hospital. He checked him out and said things like "he has little feet" and "that's gross" (his belly button). When he cries he says "I want to cheer him up". Yesterday he decided he wanted to hold him...so he jumped up in the hospital bed and held out his arms. He has been so sweet....hopefully that will stick now that reality is setting in!

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers and calls and emails. I can't wait for everyone to meet him!