4 weeks old!

Well I can't believe 4 weeks ago today I gave birth to my little man! Where oh where does the time go? Things are going well here- I feel like we are getting into a groove as a family of four although of course things are constantly busy and crazy! I have really been enjoying my maternity leave and quiet days bonding with Brody. He is such a sweet little man and changing so much. He is really becoming alert now and holds his head up like a champ. He just sits there looking around and taking it all in and I love the little look on his face when he does it! Even when I am trying to burp him he pulls his head up off my shoulder and looks at me. :) We had a rough 48 hours or so recently when Brody seemed agitated and was fussy which is very unsual for him. He had two nights where he literally would not sleep anywhere but on me and had tons of reflux issues- coughing, gagging, and lots of milk coming out of his nose. I was thisclose to taking him to the doctor but yesterday he slept most of the day and seemed much more content when he was awake. Last night he slept much better- even giving me a four hour stretch- yay! I know that was probably a fluke and the norm will be that he will be up every 2-3 hours but the fact that he slept in his Rock and Play made me really happy. Baby steps right? :)

Ella Bella is continuing to be her happy, bubbly, energetic self! My favorite part of the day is when she and Jeff walk in the door after he picks her up from the sitter and she runs to give me a hug and tell me about her day. She has to be sure to see Brody right away as well and gives him a little pat or kiss. I have been trying really hard to spend one on one time with her each evening and on the weekends and she just loves it. We have taken several walks in the neighborhood when the weather is nice enough or will do "shopping" as she calls it running quick errands to the grocery store or Target. She has definitely become a Daddy's girl though and only he can put her to bed the "right" way. I love hearing her giggle over the monitor as he reads her a bedtime story and tucks her in. It is very sweet.

I hope to use this blog to update periodically on both kiddos as a way to look back later and see the way they were. It gets hard to find time but hopefully I can be consistent. At four weeks old today Brody boy weighed in at 9 lbs 5 oz! He is SUCH a big boy and I am so proud of him. He has gained 3 pounds in a little over 3 weeks since he has been home from the hospital. Ella weighed this same amount at around 9 weeks old (her two month appointment)!

Gaining Weight, Losing Weight and Sibling Love :)

Love this picture! It is the first I have gotten of my two little ones officially together. I love how happy Ella looks! She is really doing such a great job being a big sister. She likes to be helpful by bringing us Brody's paci or helping us change his diaper and likes to give him kisses when she wakes in the morning. Other than that, she pretty much goes about her day and doesn't even really seem to notice that he is here! I thought she would be a bit more bothered when he cries or when I am nursing him but so far she hasn't seemed too rattled by it!

Brody had his two week appointment at the pediatrician yesterday. The two days prior he had been going through a major growth spurt where he was eating every 1-2 hours and just seeming ravenous nonstop. He was also pretty fussy those days especially in the evening. Well at the pediatrician we came to find out why- my little piggy gained 20 oz in 11 days! Holy growth spurt! He now weighs 7 lbs 10 oz which puts him at the 20th percentile. He also grew half an inch so he is 21.5 inches which is the 77th percentile. The doctor was very pleased with his growth and overall health. The only thing we are watching for is possible acid reflux. He has had some issues of milk coming out of his nose while eating or shortly after. Also, especially at night, he grunts and chokes if I lay him down on his back after eating. I can hear the milk coming back up and see him struggling to swallow it. The doctor said it could be due to him eating so much during the growth spurt but if it continues over the weekend to call in and we may start him on medicine. Ella was on Prevacid for reflux for 8 months and it helped her out a lot so I am hopeful it will work for Brody too if we determine that is the issue.

As far as losing weight goes, that would be referring to me. :) I weighed in at exactly two weeks postpartum and am down 16 pounds out of 18 total gained. Yay! So two more to go to reach prepregnancy weight and I would like to lose another 5 pounds on top of that to reach my goal weight. I can tell the weight loss is slowing down but my goal is to have these 7 pounds gone by my 6 week check up. It will be hard though because I am STARVING all the time!

Other than that, not much is new here. We are just loving life and our little ones! :)

One Week Old

We have been home from the hospital one week today and are settling in as a family of four. Brody is doing awesome and is just a sweet little guy to be around. He is definitely still in the sleepy newborn phase and spends most of his days snoozing through all the noise and chaos around him. :) He has started to have longer periods of awake time and loves to sit and look around. We took him to the pediatrician on Monday for his 5 day check up and all looked great. He had just a slight bit of jaundice in his face but nothing that will need light therapy like Ella had. We were pretty excited about that. He weighed 6 lbs 6 oz which puts him in the 10th percentile for weight. His circumsision is healing really well and the doctor gave us the okay to stop using the gauze and ointment since it looks so good.

Jeff was able to take a whole week off of work so it was wonderful to have him home with us those first few days. It is really a team effort to do things like baths or play with Ella while I am feeding Brody so I am very thankful for all Jeff does! Speaking of baths, we gave Brody his first sponge bath on Monday and like his sister he wasn't thrilled. Little guy just hates to be cold and its really the only time we hear him cry. He isn't a fan of having his diaper or clothes changed but stops fussing as soon as he is covered up and warm again. Can't blame him on that one! His umbilical stump fell off when he was one week old which surprised me because that is pretty early. But fine with me! It bled a little at first and the nurse told us to use some rubbing alcohol to dry it out. It is looking much better today and continues to heal so we were able to give him a more thorough bath last night. He cried at first but then became calm and seemed to enjoy being rinsed with water so maybe he will like baths after all! :)

Miss Ella is doing a wonderful job of being a big sister. She has really adjusted well so far. She is sweet and caring to Brody and is sure to remind Mommy that "Bwody" needs his diaper changed or needs his paci. I am excited to see how they bond with each other as they grow older! It is crazy how old and big Ella seems to us now that we have a newborn in the house. She went from being our baby to our big girl and now it seems like she can just do SO much compared to her little brother. She is talking up a storm these days and loves playing out in the snow with her daddy.

As for me, I am feeling really good. I was really only sore for a few days after delivery and today I only have mild back pain every now and then. I was even able to take Franklin for a walk outside yesterday. We probably only went half a mile but it felt good to get outside for a bit. As of one week postpartum I was down 13 pounds- I gained 18 total this pregnancy. So I have 5 more to go but would like to lose an additional 5 to get down to my ideal weight. I know it won't be easy but that's my goal! :) I don't feel as sleep deprived as I remember feeling at this point with Ella which is nice. I have my sleepy moments but for the most part am doing well and try to sneak in naps when I can! Brody is waking every 2.5-3 hours at night which I can't complain about. I have been feeding him around 10 PM and then he will wake between 12-1, 2-3 and again between 5-6. He is sleeping in his Rock and Play sleeper right next to the bed so it is nice and convenient to pick him up when he wakes!

We are loving being a family of four and so blessed to have our little girl and little boy to complete our family!