Putting Aunt Stephanie to work

My sister is in town for a week and half, so we put her to 'work' already. She helped us get a tired baby to sleep and I got to take a much anticipated shower!

It's a two man job

The sling is great, but really a pain in the butt to learn how to use/wrap. We're still getting the hang of it and I hope will have it mastered soon, because Miles really does seem to like it a lot. It will be fun when he has more head control and can face out.

First Thanksgiving

Hanging out with cousin Ben, Aunt Stephanie, Aunt Penny and Aunt Mary

Four weeks old

Hard to believe we're at the four week mark already! I've heard people say how fast it all flies by and now, I'm a believer. Things are getting better, although we still have some serious crying bouts now and again. It seems like we have one good day and then a challenging day...back and forth. I'm still not sure what it's all about-but I am suspicious about tummy trouble still. Turns out I need to give up offending foods for 10 to 14 days, so back to the drawing board. Also, he really, really fights going to sleep, which lends itself to a lot of tears too. We really have be proactive and start helping him sleep before he gets overtired-not always the easiest thing to do. We got some new pacifiers, but they don't seem to be high on his list of favorite things. Apparently, he's a purist! It's such a learning process, trying to figure out what this little guy needs. I'm trying to rely more on instinct and surrender to the process. This has helped me relax, which in turn has made it easier to cope with the crying. It just breaks my heart to hear him cry. The sling has turned out to be a bit of a lifesaver as well. He still needs to feel close human contact and this at least allows me to have my hands free for a bit. Case in point, he's snuggled up in it as I type this post. Sometimes, it does feel like we're walking on egg shells, just hoping he'll stay happy/asleep/quiet. As we get to know each other better, it will get easier I know. On the plus side, we have seen our first social smile! It happened on Thanksgiving day and again today. We're pretty excited to see more, but first, he'll have to stay awake for longer than five minutes! :-)

In my adorable Thanksgiving outfit.

New styles in sling wear

We found a new wrap that seems to work well-gets him all snuggled in and comfy. Plus, we get our hands free for a bit! :-)

Storytime

I stumbled upon this sight when I peeked into Miles' room. Completely warmed my heart.

Pre-Thanksgiving snow

Sleeping like a baby

Bathtime

Fortunately, this is an enjoyable activity for Miles and us! We are trying to incorporate it into a relaxing nighttime routine, since this seems to be when he has the most trouble settling down.

One with the mama

This is how we roll

At least for now...thank goodness for this chair!

Three weeks old

Found a new way to get the weekly photos that provides a bit more support for the baby! I have retired the Boppy and found a new, better breastfeeding pillow, but the Boppy is proving to be good for these pictures until Miles has more support from his own body. I can't believe he's three weeks old already. We just had a lovely visit from Craig's sister, Karen and her family (and I can't believe we forgot to take a picture!! We're still getting up to speed with the whole picture taking thing). Miles did great, only a little fussing, stayed awake and then fell asleep with no screaming when he got back in my arms. Maybe we're turning a corner??? I'm still loving the snuggly sleepy times he has...before we know it, he'll be crawling and wanting to take off on his own. Anyway, without further ado, I present you with week 3:

Aunt Mary came to help out today.

He's started noticing things around him. Here he is having a 'conversation' with his penguin friends.

Two weeks

The dry skin from adjusting to life on the outside is almost gone, but now the poor little guy has his case of baby acne-right on schedule. Things are going well, we're still all trying to figure each other out. Miles has quite a set of lungs on him and he's not afraid to use them. It's a mystery to us as to whether he's overtired, cranky, hungry, gassy, overstimulated or all of the above. Nursing always seems to help, but this can mean he'll be at the breast constantly for two hours some nights. So, we've tried introducing the pacifier and it seems to help quite a bit. The crying is just too hard and stressful for me, so hopefully, we're making some headway. I'm also experimenting with eliminating dairy and beans from my diet. If we see an improvement, we'll run with it! He still sleeps a lot during the day, but today and yesterday, we've seen some more quiet, alert time. Thankfully, he sleeps all night, even though he still gets up to eat a few times. At least he goes back to sleep, which is huge! I tried to include more pics with his eyes open...not a common event!

Giving mom a little break. It's surprising how fun washing the dishes or doing laundry has suddenly become. Just being able to move around freely and use both hands-wonderful!

Before a walk with the dogs...we're getting a little better at getting out of the house!

We've discovered the secret to the swing right now is to keep it still. So, basically, it's a glorified chair! Hopefully, he'll take a liking to the swinging part at some point.

Someone didn't get the memo

....that the chair is not for him.

So true

Pediatrician

Had our first appointment with the pediatrician on Thursday. Two week check-up. The pediatrician we're using was also the doc for my cousins, Mary and Alex. Anyway, it went well. 90th percentile for height and 50th for weight and head circumference. Miles wasn't too happy about the taking off his clothes part or the getting his heel pricked part, but overall, it wasn't too bad. Dr. Borgenicht seems very personable and capable...plus, he went to Case Western Reserve, so we also have a Cleveland connection. I forgot to add that he weighed 8 lbs. 12 0z.

Two weeks old!

November 12, 2009-still not too sure about this weekly plan.

Time with Dad

Nursery

Top view of the amazing quilt made by my mom (with a little help from my sister). The crib actually sits in front of it, so Miles will have lots of great images to look at.

Bottom view of the quilt...we had to pin the very bottom edging of the quilt up, so it wouldn't hit the plug. Isn't it amazing??!!


View from the doorway

Pan right

Sock Monkey quilt made by Craig's sister, Karen-all the colors match perfectly!

More week one-a week of firsts

First time in the sling-cooking with Dad

First stroller ride

Eyes wide open everyone!

Hanging out with Aunt Mary in the awesome chair.

First car seat ride where I didn't scream my head off (second car seat ride in all)

First time in the sling with Mom-we went for an awesome fall walk.

A visit from Miriam, Max and Madeleine-I used to nanny for them!!!

Max and Miles

Madeleine and Miles

Dad and Miles in the awesome new chair he hunted down for breastfeeding/snuggle time

One week old!

This shot was not easy to get. I'm going to try to take a photo each week in the same spot, right now, he's so squishy, it's hard to pose him! He looks very concerned about such shenanigans. Oh, and week one was actually November 5, 2009.

Days 3-6