The Duffy Family: April 2010

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

I can't believe Nate is already one month old as of yesterday! This month sure has flown by so fast, and he is growing like a weed. I wish time would just slow down. I never thought that all of these sleepless nights would be just a memory slo quickly!

Nate's little personality is really coming to life. Unfortunately, so is his reflux. Sunday night we took him to Bible study where he proceeded to scream his head off the whole time we were there and did not stop screaming after we got home. Ben started up the vacuum cleaner (a little tip he received from a coworker), and Nate was konked out within about three minutes. He immediately started screaming though as soon as I put him down. Next we tried the carseat on the dryer trick, and that lasted about five minutes. Finally, about 10:15, we put him in the car and went for a drive while playing his lullaby CD, and he finally konked out for good until 2 a.m! This was the scene that night....

We started him on the Mylanta last week and it seemed to make a big difference. But several days ago, his symptoms started slowly creeping back, so I called his pediatrician yesterday. She prescribed Zantac, which we started last night. So far the Zantac has not kicked in, and he has been absolutely miserable today. He is hardly sleeping during the day and is starting to gag, cough, and choke a lot. We have started the Mylanta back along with the Zantac. I'm giving it till Thursday, and if he's still miserable, I'm calling the pediatrician again and hope she will start him on Prevacid. It's so hard to see your baby suffer through something like this, as I am sure so many of you mothers can relate.

On a brigher note...when Nate is happy, he is very alert and interactive between naps. He is starting to smile purposefully and speaking his own little language. My favorite sound he makes is when he yawns. I love when I am holding him and his little hands grab onto my shirt. He is now wearing 3 month footed sleepers and is almost too long for them! I think bathtime is quickly becoming his favorite time of th day. Whenever he is in the bathtub, he is a happy boy!

I got my new camera yesterday and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!! I have been taking pictures all day, and soon I will be a professional! Even Ben says the pictures are great. So get ready for some great Nate pics coming your way! Here ar a few I played around with today...

Well, I'm trying to upload more pictures, but in the break I took from uploading, it looks as though they have changed the uploading process and I can't figure it out. If anyone else has this problem, let me know! I'll keep trying, but meanwhile, enjoy these few of our little cutie!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

No Rest for the Weary

It's been a long, tiring week! Last week Nate decided that he would be fussy during feedings, after feedings, and every other time in between. He has established his fussy time from about 7 to 12 at night and it has been impossible to get him to bed at a reasonable hour and on a good schedule. He would not sleep more than half an hour during the day and would grunt in his sleep and wake up crying. He also started showing signs of reflux and spitting up a lot (hence the crying all the time). I took him back to the pediatrician Monday (he weighed 9 lb. 6 oz., almost another pound!!) and she told us to give him Mylanta before every feeding to help with the reflux. Well, let me tell you, I never thought Mylanta would work, but he has been a different baby for the past two days! He does not cry at all during the day now and has been taking great naps. Now it's hard to keep him awake after his feedings! Unfortunately, the Mylanta has not helped his fussy periods at night, and we have just resolved that we will probably have to live with getting no sleep for the next couple weeks. Two nights ago I was up with him until about 1:30 a.m. and finally had a meltdown. Ben switched places with me in the bed and graciously took baby duty for the rest of the night since he didn't have to work Tuesday. He told me he thought he was going to have to commit me! I'm better now, knowing that this is just a fussy period he is going through and hopefully we will all get through this soon.

Ben and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary on Monday. His parents graciously came over and kept Nate while we went out for a nice dinner. Of course, Nate was the perfect little angel for them and slept the whole time! But we were back before the sun went down. Welcome to parenthood, I guess! Ben let me order a new Canon Rebel camera for our anniversary and my upcoming birthday, and I can't wait to get it. Hopefully, y'all will be seeing some even better Nate pictures soon!

Meanwhile, I mentioned in the last post that he hates sleeping on his tummy, but he has discovered that it's much more comfy than he realized. So anytime I can't get him to sleep, I just put him on his tummy long enough to get him to sleep, then flip him over! Whatever works, right?!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Three Weeks and Still Surviving!

Nate is 3 weeks old today and growing so fast! We took him for his two week appointment on Monday and he weighed a hefty 8 pounds, 10 ounces and was 22 1/2 inches long, which means he gained 1 pound, 13 ounces and grew 2 1/4 inches in just two weeks!! We know we are going to have a tall boy; I just wish he wouldn't grow so fast. I can really tell he's growing when we put him in his swing or car seat because he fits in them so much better now. He has outgrown all of his newborn sleepers. They are all too short in the arms, legs, and feet. I have had to buy him some new clothes already!

These past couple weeks have proved challenging. Nate hit his two week growth spurt last weekend and has been feeding about every two hours around the clock. He finally started slowing down last night, so hopefully we can spread them out a little more for now. He has been very colicky at times (his favorite time being late at night!) and has a lot of trouble with gas pains. I have totally cut out dairy products from my diet as they seemed to really bother him, and he has gotten somewhat better. I am trying to start getting him on a regular schedule. I was actually able to get him to sleep tonight at 8:45 and he hasn't made a peep!

Nate seems to be doing new things and changing every day. He has some chubby cheeks and a double chin now, thanks to all the weight gain! He really focuses on us when we talk to him, and he loves when Ben or I sing to him. Today he was even laughing in his sleep. He is much more alert and awake during the day. He very much dislikes tummy time and loves to sleep on his back, unlike most babies. He absolutely hates sleeping in his crib but fortunately sleeps well in his pack 'n' play in our bedroom. I guess we will be crossing the crib bridge when we get there! He got his first tub bath tonight and actually didn't put up too much of a fight until we got him out of the tub.

As for me, I am hanging in there. I have been on my own for two days now. Ben went back to work Monday, and my mom and dad were here helping me out until Wednesday. They certainly were a lot of help! We have had some friends bring us meals, which has been very much appreciated. I think Nate has enjoyed having his mommy to himself the last couple of days and seems to be adjusting well. I was even able to get a shower and get my hair and makeup done by 11:00 this morning!

We are having so much fun as parents so far. Every minute with Nate is so rewarding. Hope you enjoy the pics!

Not to fond of this bath situation at first...

but maybe it's not so bad!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

So keeping up with this blog while being a mommy has proved harder than I thought it would be! Mainly because my computer is SOOO slow and pictures take forever to download. Plus, Ben has been writing a paper for the last several days, and I have not been able to get on.
I had originally planned to give a little day-by-day account of life with Nate, but the last eleven days have all started to run together! So I will just hit the high points.

We arrived at the hospital at 4:00 am on March 26th and the nurse started my pitocin at 5:00. April was our nurse and she was fabulous. My contractions weren't too painful for a while. Dr. Chauhan came and broke my water at 7:00, and immediately my contractions came on full force about every two minutes. I did not hesitate to ask for my epidural on advice from the nurse, and I'm glad I didn't wait! It took about two hours to get the epidural to fully kick in. Apparently my mild scoliosis was a factor. But once we got it working, all was well and I rested for a while. It didn't take too long to get to 10 cm, then it was go time! I only had to push for 20 minutes. Overall, the labor and delivery was a much more pleasant experience than I ever imagined it could be, thanks to the drugs and awesome care we received.

Nathan is the most beautiful little baby I have ever seen! He looks just like his daddy (in my opinion) and he is such a sweetheart. We both cried and cried when we go to hold him for the first time. He is feeding like a champ and his little cheeks are starting to fill out. He even woke up this morning with a double chin! His first pediatrician appointment was last Monday. He had only lost 3 oz. He was jaundiced, so we had to have his bilirubin checked, which turned out to be okay. We were instructed to let him suntan in the window for a couple days. His complexion is now back to normal. He has gotten on a pretty regular schedule and has slept well through the night in his pack-n-play next to our bed for the last six nights! Of course, he wakes up every few hours to feed. He has really been much more alert during the day the last couple of days and already has so many cute facial expressions. He just changes so much every day! Nate got to celebrate his first Easter at Ben's grandparents' house. We enjoyed the day getting out of the house and spending time with family.

Life as a mommy has proved completely overwhelming and exhausting so far, but at the same time completely rewarding and full of joy. I can't imagine life without this beautiful, precious little guy. We thank God every day for the opportunity He has given us to raise this precious gift!