Two Weeks Old!

Yesterday, Ian turned 2 weeks old. Can you believe it? It didn't seem like he could be that old. I think it felt that way because he'd only been home for four days. Carter's preemie clothes fit him perfectly. Newborn clothes are big on him, and 0-3 month clothes are just WAY too big to consider putting on him. As seems to be the norm with baby clothing, what is considered "preemie" size varies greatly as the preemie outfit my friend, Donna, gave him is big on him, which just means he won't outgrow it as quickly as he will the other preemie sleepers. There certainly is a BIG jump in size from preemie to newborn.

From his doctor appointment on Wednesday to Saturday morning, he gained at least 1 1/2 ounces. He weighed in at 5lb 10oz on Friday (one ounce more than he was on Wed), and yesterday the scale kept bouncing between 5lb 10.5oz and 5lb 11oz (because he was crying and not lying still on the scale). He isn't quite up to the 1 ounce a day goal, but it seems he's gaining at least 1/2 ounce a day. I am hoping for good news when I weigh him later today. I also am hoping to see that I lost more weight when I weigh myself later today.

He has dark brown hair like his sister did when she was born although he has a little more than she did. We shall see if his hair stays brown or not. His eyes are also blue like his Daddy's and sister's. The Pediatrician said he thinks that Ian's eyes will stay blue. Time will tell! He also has the same type of ear lobes as his Dad and sister (whereas mine are the attached kind). Unlike his dad and sister, he has long fingers (like his Mommy). Donna noticed them and commented that they'd be good for playing the piano. :-) He also has very long toes.

Changing his diaper is definitely more of a challenge. Part of this is just because he's a boy (since boys tend to pee on the person changing their diaper more than girls). Part of this is because he kicks his legs like crazy when you're changing his diaper. Hopefully eventually it will be as easy to change his as it was/is to change Nadia's. He's generally a pretty content baby. The main time when he cries each day is when he's getting his diaper and/or clothes changed. He already is a thumb sucker (much earlier than Nadia), and like his sister he doesn't show a preference for one thumb over the other one. He keeps his other fingers parallel with his mouth while he sucks his thumb (rather than curling them over his nose). Ian also likes the pacifier more than Nadia did.

Thursday night was the best night for me in terms of sleeping over the past 2 weeks. Friday night his sleeping habits resembled Nadia's in that he'd nurse for a long time and then only be asleep for a very short time before he'd want to nurse again. Last night was somewhere in between the two nights. He'd let me sleep about 1 hour on average in between feedings. I was just glad he nursed well though as he didn't nurse well yesterday. I did all the feedings last night whereas the previous four nights I had Paul do one or two of them. I didn't want him to have any bottle last night since he hadn't nursed well during the day. At times it was like he totally forgot how to nurse. I haven't done much with weaning him off the nipple shield yet. I think I'll wait a few more days before tackling that. He had a few long periods of being awake yesterday whereas he doesn't do that at all at night; I am glad he doesn't have his days/nights confused like some babies do. I am looking forward to going to the library tomorrow so that I can read some while nursing him. I remember it made the hours I spent in the glider more enjoyable when I read a book while nursing Nadia.

One adjustment Ian's parents are having is to using the correct pronouns. The funny thing is that Paul corrected me a few times in the first few days of Ian's life when I used a feminine pronoun to refer to Ian. I haven't made that mistake in over a week, but Paul continues to use female pronouns to refer to his son. Thankfully, Ian is oblivious to our mistakes. We're accustomed to only having a daughter!

In terms of my recovery, I am definitely more active/ mobile at this point in the recovery than I was with Nadia. Of course I do still have some pain with the incision, especially if I'm walking around too much. One thing that's different this time is that the area that is tender is MUCH bigger than it was last time - a lot of my belly is really sore, not just the incision area. Yesterday was a happy day in that it was the first day I could wear my own socks plus my own shoes. YAY! The swelling isn't 100% gone yet, but it's getting very close to being totally gone. I am so glad to have ankles again! :-) I am also handling the sleep deprivation better this time. It's funny because Paul is really dragging and is taking more naps than I am even though he's gotten FAR more sleep than I have the past 2 weeks. Usually I require more sleep than he does, but for whatever reason we've switched roles the past 2 weeks. I am not sure if it's adrenalin or what, but I am managing to function on very, very little sleep. This isn't to say I don't feel lousy at times due to lack of sleep, but despite how icky I feel at times, I am able to keep going. I do plan to take at least one nap today though since we'll be home all day today. I contemplated going to church this morning since I missed the last two Sundays (while I was in the hospital), but I think it's a bit too soon to take Ian out in public. Nadia didn't get to wear all of her Christmas dresses that I got her since we missed so many church services this month. Hopefully size 2T will still fit her next December.

Paul's grandmother has been making stockings for each family member for 40+ years. She made Nadia's last year and Ian's this year.