10 Weeks Old!

My maternity leave officially ended this week. I know I've said it before but, 10 weeks of my life have NEVER gone by so fast! Seriously, I can't believe it. I spent my last day home with Cole snuggling and trying to take a mental photograph of every second of the day. There were also a lot of tears! When I returned to work Tuesday, Cole was lucky enough to stay with Daddy for the day. That morning was pretty ugly, involving me leaving with a BOX of tissues in hand for the ride to work. Sweet Dave stood at the door waving Cole's little hand as I backed out of the driveway.....that.killed.me. Once I was at work I got myself together and made it through the day. I left at 4:00 on the dot and was home in record time! The only thing I brought in with me were Cole's bottles and I ran through the door to kiss his cheeks!!! The rest of that night I spent snuggling and kissing his face! The second morning back wasn't too much easier. This time, Cole was staying with Grammie, Dave's mom. Again, he did great and I couldn't wait to see him when I came home. Thursday, he stayed with his great-grandmother, Mimi, and had a nice visit with Aunt Becky as well. Friday he was with Daddy again. By Friday, I didn't cry AS MUCH when I left but still shed tears. I just hate leaving him and missing all his sweet smiles and coos! 

This post is short and sweet b/c I want to get off here and back to my little buddy. Enjoy some pictures:

Girlfriend Emily and Cole aka the spit-up twins

football with Daddy and the uncles

2 Months Old!

How is this happening? Two months of my life have NEVER gone by this fast! Cole is growing like a weed and getting cuter by the minute (which I didn't think was possible!) Here are the stats for this month:

Should have started taking his pic next to the dog when he was first born to track his growth, but I forgot!

Here's his week by week growth, you can click on the collage to see it larger. You can click on any of the pictures in the blog to make bigger :)

Sleep: Cole is still great sleeper at night! His last feeding is between 9-10 and he doesn't eat again until around 6:30-7:30 the next morning! He usually falls asleep about an hour to an hour and a half after his last feeding. He sometimes likes to play or just make noises while laying in his bassinet. He is still sleeping in our bedroom and I can't imagine him being in his crib all the way across our huge (haha) house! He has been making some odd noises in his sleep, taking a large gasp for air or coughing (because of his cold) This freaks me out but, doctor said it was normal!

During the day I do put Cole in his crib to nap. In the past I just let him sleep in his bouncy seat, swing, or in my arms. However, I've been really trying to lay him down in his crib where it is flat so he can get used to sleeping on a flat surface. When he goes to his babysitter when I go back to work, he will be sleeping in a pack and play, which is flat. He is doing a great job in his crib so far! I also like watching him on our video monitor :) He is still napping during the day after every feeding. He will usually want to sleep about 45 minutes to an hour after his feeding. Dave and I can definitely distinguish his sleepy cry from his hungry cry now so that makes things easier. We have been swaddling him for his naps and when he goes to bed at night. This puts him right out usually and helps him to sleep longer because he can't flail his arms around to wake himself up. God Bless whoever invented the swaddle blankets with the velcro! During the day I don't even have to swaddle him that tight, just enough to keep his arms still. Every picture we have of people holding him, he is in a swaddle! He seems to like his fleece one the best. Every time he slides his legs down in it he gets a smile on his face! I just ordered some more in the large size because I anticipate him using them for a while. Cole is so big, he is almost too long for the small/medium size. I was bummed because all of the cute patterns and prints are only in the small/medium.

Eating: Cole is getting on more of an eating schedule. He is still solely on breastmilk; sometimes getting it in a bottle from Daddy :) He eats every two hours, give or take about 15 minutes. In the morning he can sometimes go longer because he takes a longer nap. If we are out and about, he also goes a little longer because he sleeps a lot in the car seat. Because he sleeps through the night, I have to pump first thing so I don't choke him on his first feeding! I am getting about 6-7 ounces out of one side first thing in the morning and a couple more ounces out of the side he's done feeding off of! I pump again right before I go to bed so I'm not SO full in the morning. I think I'm going to cut out the pump before bed so my body doesn't think he's having another feeding and I'll produce too much. Needless to say we have a freezer FULL of milk and at least 4 bottles in the fridge at all times. Luckily, Grammie and Gigi's houses both have freezer space so Daddy will be transporting some over soon. This stock will come in handy when I have to go back to work, just in case I can't keep up with his needs since I will only be able to pump a few times during the day.

Not sure if I already posted this on a previous blog but, I caught this when he was nursing one day. He has done it before, praying for plenty of milk I guess! :)

Diaper Size: Cole is still wearing a size 1 diaper.  They fit great but he has had a couple blow-outs! Some have been because the diaper wasn't in the right position so it came out the side. However, he has had some go up the back!!! The other day I had to cut a onesie off him for fear of poo getting EVERYWHERE if I tried to take it off him normally!!! I'm sure when he is older he will love that I am sharing this with the world right now :)

Clothes Size: Cole is wearing mostly 3-6 month outfits already! There are a few 0-3 that still fit but I have broken into the 3-6 month drawer :) He has soooo many cute outfits, it stinks that they are covered up with a bib (and sometimes a swaddle blanket) 80% of the day! Although I'd rather change bibs 10 times a day than outfits!

Other Fun Facts:

* At Cole's last doctor's appointment (8 weeks old) he was up to 13 pounds 10 ounces! This puts him in the 90th percentile, which means only 10% of babies his age weigh more than him (I think)! He is 1 foot 11 inches long, putting him in the 75th percentile. He is also in the 75th percentile for his head size! Just means there is a lot of brains in there! :) He also got his immunizations at this doctor's appointment :( He was not a happy camper, and neither was Mommy, I think I cried as much as he did. The pain didn't last long though, he calmed down once I picked him up and was back to his cheery, smiley self when he woke up when we got home.

Cole's boo-boos :(

*We are still doing tummy time and he is starting to lift his head more and more. We also have been spending a lot of time on his playmat. He loves to stretch out after he eats and coo and smile at his toys and mommy and daddy.

*He is still spitting up quite frequently (after every feeding some days!). He is clearly gaining weight so I'm trying not to worry about it. He is also not acting like he is in any pain when he does it so its basically just a messy inconvenience, but we are learning to deal with it.

* Cole is still tolerating bath time. He also really enjoys getting his diaper changed! He is so proud of himself and what he has accomplished in his diaper! On the changing table is where I get A LOT of smiles and cute pics!

This is the pic we gave everyone for their Christmas present, I just LOVE his little dimple!

Even loves to be swaddled in his towel after his bath :)

*I am finally feeling like I can get **some** things done during the day (cleaning up the kitchen, laundry, etc.). However, I only have 2 more weeks at home. I can't even begin to explain my anxiety/depression I have about leaving Cole. I am not even going to write anymore about the subject because I am trying to avoid it at all costs......moving on....


*Cole is smiling tons and cooing also! It melts my heart every.single.time. I swear he does something and I don't think he can get any cuter and then, he does!!!!

 *Cole experienced his first two snow showers the past two weeks :) I hope we have a few snow days to spend together once I'm back at work.

I couldn't help but to put him in snowy attire :)

7 and 8 Weeks Old!!

More weeks have flown by too quickly! We have had a busy 2 weeks celebrating Christmas and New Years with friends and family.  Forgive me if I leave anything out!

Before Christmas, I had a few girls over from work to watch Christmas movies; however, with three baby boys, there wasn't much movie time, mostly playing, feeding, and chatting :) I can't believe I didn't snap a picture of the 3 adorable boys together :( 

We spent Cole's first Christmas Eve at Grammie and Grandpa's house. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and time spent together. We all received wonderful gifts. One gift in particular was very special. Cole received "Santa's Magic Key" (should've taken a pic of this but it is already packed away in the attic for next year). This is a key that we have to put outside our door on Christmas Eve to let Santa in because we don't have a fireplace. I cannot wait to start this tradition with Cole :) We ended Christmas Eve watching "A Christmas Story" while I fed Cole, I think he really enjoyed his first showing of such a classic movie ;)

Thanks to Uncle Jimmy for his photography skills :)

Christmas morning, Dave and I exchanged gifts and packed up for our visit to Elkton. Cole did great the whole way, waking up with only about 10 minutes left in the car. Again, we received terrific gifts and Cole got lots of new toys. One special gift was the book "Twas the Night Before Christmas" from Pops. This book is so special because it is recordable and Pops recorded himself reading the story for Cole to enjoy for years to come :). Crystal, Lexi, Mom Mom, Aunt Sandy and Uncle Scott visited Christmas night. The day after Christmas Cole met many new friends: Laura, Becky, and Betty Patterson, Jen and Rick Osowski, and John and Donna Bitely. Cole was an angel all day and did great getting passed from visitor to visitor. You will notice that almost every picture shows Cole in his beloved swaddle blanket. That boy loves to be swaddled, it helps him sleep and calms him down so Mommy and Daddy don't mind although I hate that it covers up his cute outfits!

I may or may not have staged this pic AFTER Christmas because of a spit up debacle that happened Christmas morning, hindering a photo shoot ;)

 Once home from Elkton, we continued to stay busy visiting with friends and doing things around the house. I noticed Cole was congested and coughing/gagging at night (which was super scary) so I decided to make him a doctor's appointment just to be sure it was just a cold. Sure enough it was just a cold, probably from the weather and the dry heat in the house. While at the doctor, Cole was weighed and he is a whopping 13 pounds and almost 24 inches long!!! He has a regular check up this week so I will update his stats then. We got some saline drops and ran the humidifier, he seems to be getting a little better. Hate to see my baby sick :( but, he is still in good spirits. We also brought Tucker over to spend a few days with us. This is the first time he has stayed with us since Cole was born. He is so good with Cole, just sniffing him a few times when he walks by. At night he slept next to Cole's bassinet, I assume to protect him. I even had a little photo op while Cole was playing on the floor. Tucker plopped down right next to him and everytime Cole flung his hands and touched Tucker's ear, he didn't even flinch, such a good dog!

We spent New Year's Eve as a family of three. Dave made an awesome rack of ribs and Cole enjoyed a milk feast of his own. The weather was so mild we even had a chance to take a New Year's walk :). Dave and I both fell asleep before midnight but I set my alarm for 11:55 so I could see the ball drop. I also took the time to decorate Cole for his first NYE!

I'll end this post with his two weekly pictures and a snapshot of two outfits I thought were too cute not to capture on film :)

6 Week Update

It is hard to believe little Cole is 6 weeks old!!! It is even harder to believe my maternity leave is over in 2 short weeks. However, I am so thankful that I am able to stay out for two additional weeks-they will just be unpaid : /

This week, Cole and Mommy had our first outings alone! Last Friday, we had to run into Walgreens before heading to Lewes for dinner at Grammie and Grandpa's house. Cole did  great!!! He was well-behaved at Grammie and Grandpa's so it was a wonderful visit :) Cole has started smiling more and more when spoken to, which is just heart-melting! He enjoyed watching his Daddy and Uncles decorate the Christmas tree. 

This Monday Cole had his first stay with Miss Kelly, his daycare provider for this school year. She watched him for two hours while I stopped into school to have lunch and a Secret Santa exchange with my teammates. I thought I would be a nervous wreck leaving him for the first time. However, with the exception of a few tears when I pulled away, I did better than expected. Cole was fine with Miss Kelly and was quite the little piggy, drinking BOTH bottles that I left! He slept the whole way home and even through a trip to Food Lion. By the time all of our errands were finished, Mommy was exhausted from being out and about most of the day-I'm not used to this these days. 

Daddy was worn out from working in the wind all day, Cole was worn out from his big day out with Mommy! :)

Today, on Cole's six week birthday, I decided to try out Cole napping in his crib for the first time. He takes short cat naps all day long so he only lasted in there 20 minutes but hey, that is a start. The whole time he was in there, I pretty much stared at the video monitor, haha. I feel like a crazy person staring at the screen 2 inches from my face trying to see if his chest is rising and falling! How am I going to stand him sleeping in there all night!!! : / Tonight we are having dinner at Uncle Mike's, so we will have another adventure out. We also have a big holiday weekend planned and will update with plenty of pictures next week I'm sure! Dave, Cole, and I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and safe travels!

Daddy thinks this outfit looks like a "Mrs. Claus" shirt, but I don't, I couldn't resist putting him in it!!!

Also couldn't resist snapping a pic of his Phillies socks :)

5 Weeks Old!

Cole met a lot of family members and family friends this week and had his first sleepover!! We stayed at Gigi and Pops' House for the first time this past weekend. We first visited with the Wilkinson side of the family at Aunt Donna's house. We were so excited to show Cole off to everyone! He got a chance to meet his great-great-grandmother, Nannie, and his new cousin Reese, who is 2 months older. It was so great seeing everyone and Cole was on his best behavior! He slept the entire time we were there (this is not the norm). He was even sleepy during his feeding times (this is definitely not the norm). He also got to meet Mom-Mom, his great-grandmother, and lots of other family members this weekend. 

 

Meeting friends and family :)

the 2 great-grandmothers

The Men

The Women

Then and Now :)

The new Daddys

Baby Reese!

Worn out from partying!

Cole did a great job sleeping at Gigi and Pops' house and a pretty good job during the long car ride there and home. The trip is about an hour and 45 minutes. Both ways, he slept for all but about 20 minutes of the trip, then he was hungry and not happy. But, luckily we didn't have much farther to go.
I received Cole's Christmas card outfit in the mail Saturday and am hoping to do a photo shoot sometime this week so I can get the cards in the mail. I ordered the outfit off of etsy.com and it was handmade by a nice lady in Canada so it took a while to get here! I'm glad I didn't go ahead and order it BEFORE he was born because I'm sure I would have ordered too small of a size! He wore a 3-6 month outfit this past weekend and it was only a tiny bit too big for him!

Abby loves Baby Cole

We decorated Cole's first Christmas tree this week. I can't wait to see how he reacts to the lights as he becomes more alert everyday. He loves looking at our ceiling fan and light so I'm sure he'll love the lights on the tree! :) 

Tail end of a smile...do you see the slight dimple!? :)

 

 

Making a funny face but, only pic I could get with the tree...so far

One Month Old!!!!

Can't believe my baby boy is one month old already!!! Where did the time go??  Let's see, here is the rundown:

Sleep: Cole is a great sleeper at night! Once we put him down he can usually go up to 5 and a 1/2 to 6 hours without waking to feed. There were a few weeks where the doctor wanted us to wake him every three hours because he was not up to birth weight. This killed me!!! I hated my alarm going off and rolling over to see him sound asleep and having to wake him!!! However, it got him back up to his birth weight. Dave and I discussed it and we decided now that he is at his appropriate weight, we are letting him (and me) sleep more. We are aiming to wake him every 4 and a 1/2 to 5 hours although sometimes my snooze button gets hit and its a tad longer :/. He doesn't seem to mind though! After his long stretch of sleep at night, he usually goes another 3-4 hours and then I'm up for the day. He usually falls fast asleep after his "first" feeding of the day. If I was smart I would use this time to shower and get myself ready. However, I usually keep snuggling him and end up dozing off myself or I use the time to scarf down breakfast and catch up on dishes.

During the day and early evening, Cole fights sleep like no other. He doesn't like to miss anything that is going on (much like his Mother :)) He will be just yawning away and eyes rolled in the back of his head one second and the next screaming. Once he is swaddled and a pacifier in, he falls right to sleep! He naps anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes, we don't have a schedule yet!! All in due time!

Eating: Cole is an eating machine!!! I plan for him eating every two hours during the day, however, its more like every hour and a half to every hour and 45 minutes. When the boy is hungry, there is no satisfying him unless he is eating!!! Instead of a certain schedule, I am basically just feeding him on demand, especially while he was trying to get back up to birth weight. During weeks 2-3 I was nursing on the left side and pumping the right while my right side healed up a bit. This gave us a chance to stock up on some milk in the fridge and freezer. After I healed, I started nursing on both sides again. Now, I'm pumping an average of 3 times a day. In the morning, he usually only nurses off of one side, so I pump the other. When Dave gets home from work he feeds Cole a bottle and I pump both sides. In the middle of the night Cole seems to only nurse one side as well, so I pump the other. I get anywhere from 1.5 to 3 ounces on one side, it depends on the time of day. I'm a bit anxious to figure out a pumping schedule before I have to go back to work. I'm not sure when I will have time to pump since he is nursing all the time! However, I need to stock up the fridge and freezer!

Diaper Size: Cole is wearing a size 1 diaper. We just gave up the newborns during week 3, they were getting very snug! Now we just fold down the top of the size ones, even though we probably don't need to since his umbilical cord is gone! He gets his diaper changed after every feeding and sometimes more than that! I have gotten peed on and so has the wall during a few diaper changes but Daddy has been safe!

Clothes Size: Cole pretty much skipped the newborn size. He wears all 0-3 months stuff. There are a few pairs of newborn pants he can fit into though. Most of our clothes are Carter's brand and their 0-3 months has fit well. Some other off brands in 0-3 are too tight in the shoulders and are a CHALLENGE to get off and on so even though they are ADORABLE, I've given up on them. We also gave up on the Gerber 0-3 months onesies! They are incredibly tight! Our favorite onesies are the Faded Glory brand from Walmart because they are nice and loose around the head so it makes them easy to get on and off. We are changing clothes a lot lately because Cole has had quite a bit of spit up! It seems as though the second I get his arms through a shirt, he spits up and I have to change him again! Some days I go through 4 shirts in a matter of 10 minutes! I never knew we'd be doing so much laundry! His and ours because not only do his clothes get spit up on but ours too!

Other Fun Facts:

* At Cole's last doctor's appointment (around 3 weeks old) he was up to 10 pounds 13 ounces (1 ounce less than birth weight).

*At birth, Cole had a slight heart murmur, which the doctor's didn't seem worried about (however, Mommy and Daddy were!). Before we left the hospital he had an EKG and the results were sent to AI Dupont. Our pediatrician reviewed the results with us and said it was nothing to worry about (I can't remember exactly what type of valve opening she said he had). At our last appointment (around 3 weeks) she said she couldn't hear the murmur anymore!! :) We will continue to ask about it at his future appointments though, just to be sure!

*Cole is most alert after his second feeding of the day, however, this can vary. This is when we usually do tummy time. He doesn't seem to mind it too much!

*Like I said previously, he has been spitting up frequently. Some days its after every feeding, others its only a few times a day. The pediatrician says it is normal and as long as he's gaining weight, we shouldn't worry about it yet. It is a hassle though because we go through so many clothes, bibs, burp cloths, and changing pad covers! It also frustrates me because I feel like all the time I spent nursing is wasted because he loses everything he ate! I've been reading a lot about it and I'm wondering if I have a fast let down and he is getting too much milk at first. I'm also trying to keep him upright for at least 15 minutes after he eats and getting a few good burps out of him (which is impossible sometimes)!

* Cole seems to enjoy bath time! Daddy has been the primary bath giver, and does a great job with it. We are still mostly doing baths with a squirt bottle on a towel like in the hospital. We have used the big tub once but it was kind of awkward to use (I think because we are so used to the other way).

*Mommy and Daddy are slowly adjusting to parenting life! With Dave back to work, Cole and I have been by ourselves during the day. We don't have much of a schedule yet, so some days are smoother than others! Some days I am showered and the house is straightened when Dave gets home, other days I am still in pajamas and the house looks like a tornado hit it! Poor Dave has been very tired when he gets home from work. Although he doesn't have to get up to feed Cole during the night, I know it still wakes him up when I have to get up. I try my best to be quiet but sometimes he still wakes up. I usually try to take a quick nap with Cole in the afternoons, that is when I am the most tired. I still haven't ventured out on my own with Cole! I've been out a few times on my own while Dave has Daddy/Baby time and it has definitely felt weird! I'm sure it will feel even more odd when I am out on my own with Cole!

 

4 Week Update

4 Week Update:
Mommy had her first doctor's appointment since Cole's birth on Tuesday! Everything went great, incision is wonderful, and I've lost 35 pounds! Granted, 11 of those pounds were Cole himself! But, I'll take what I can get! I'm back into pre-pregnancy pants and tops but my tummy doesn't look like it used to! I'll get there though!
I'll post more on Cole in my one-month update!!!
Here are some pics from this week:

Check out the slippers!

Love those lips & the sweater!!!

Too tired for my pacifier!

smilin' at the ceiling fan

milk coma!

such a big boy looking at my play mat!