My Name is Sarah and I LOVE Newborns!

I've never been a person to "ooooh" and "ahhhh" over babies. Other than my own, of course. Even with my nieces and nephews - I'm so excited to have more babies in the family, but I've never been a newborn lover. Some people just gravitate towards a newborn and love all the snuggles and cuddles...I never have.

I typically enjoy from about 3 months on with other people's babies. They coo, smile, even laugh and become more interactive...not just sleep and do nothing like a newborn. Braden was so much fun from 6 months on, I always figured I wasn't a "newborn" lover, even my own babies. Until...

Ethan. Don't get me wrong...I loved Braden to bits as a baby. He was a great newborn...it's just that I can't remember it! Nothing in the world can prepare you for having a newborn. I read and hear of women whose babies sleep through the night from day 1 and they never look back...but that, my friends, is very rare and I tend not to believe it myself!

But yes - I just wasn't prepared to have a newborn the first time around. Getting up every 1-3 hours for weeks to feed the baby, changing diapers that often as well, trying to maintain your household, cooking...it was very overwhelming. And like I said - Braden was a great baby. Not high-demanding, very content and calm...but just still stressful as you're learning to take care of a BABY for the first time. Even as a nurse with a pediatric background, it was still scary because I had to keep and care for this baby all the time!

But my second time around? I am truly loving on this newborn boy. I'm trying to savor every moment with him...

Smelling his head as he nuzzles in my shoulder in his milk-drunk state.
Watching him when he nurses.
The little expressions on his face when he first falls asleep.
The way he tolerates yet does not quite enjoy his baths now.
How he loves to sleep on his sides with his arms out, just like his big brother did.

Sigh. He's already 3.5 weeks old and this phase does not last long. I know lots of people will away the newborn phase, but I don't want it to end.

But it must.

It's just so much less stressful this time as I mentioned in my post-partum update post. Lots of my recently new moms-of-2 have told me that exact thing and I didn't see how it was possible until it happened to me. The newborn thing - I got that! It's so much more enjoyable. I knew to expect to be getting up with baby every few hours in the night. I was prepared for broken up sleep and to be in a semi-zombie like Newborn Mom state. I haven't found myself getting frustrated with Ethan at all. I would question Braden so often wondering WHY he was still hungry? WHY won't you burp? But this time, I'm just rolling with the punches. So what if Ethan puked on 3 sleepers in one hour? We'll just keep changing him and doing laundry! No big deal...I got this!

I don't think I ever added this in a blog post, but my baby boy was 2 lbs over his discharge weight at his 2 week appointment last week! He was 6 lbs 5 oz at birth, dropped down to 5 lbs 15 oz on discharge, and was 7 lbs 15 oz! He's definitely still newborn size, but he's already outgrown a sleeper! He's growing so fast and just thriving. I'm so very blessed.

I really make a point of praying for both my boys every day, especially at night when they go to sleep. I thank God for these blessings. For making me a boy mom because He knows exactly what I need and what I can handle. I pray that He keeps my boys safe and healthy and happy and that they will grow up knowing Him and loving Him. I thank God for my husband who is a wonderful father to our children and for his grandparents who love our boys like they are their only 2 grandkids, even though they have 10! And for my Mom who would do anything for my boys and has shown that time and time again. Aaaand...I might throw in a prayer that we'll have a good stretch of sleep too! ;)

Moms of 2+...did you find the newborn stage easier the 2nd, 3rd, etc. time around? Do you like the newborn stage?

Sorry to be a broken record, but please please vote for all 3 of my pictures! Cash prize for the winner of each category!

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Cloth Diapering a Newborn

3 day old Ethan in extra-small FuzziBunz

When I was pregnant with Braden I knew I was going to cloth diaper him. But I also knew, that I didn't want to learn how to do the cloth diapering thing and learn how to take care of a newborn in a sleep deprived state at the same time. So, I started at 1 month old with size small FuzziBunz. He swam in them a bit...but in no time we were using cloth 100% and did so until he was potty trained.

Ethan in Rumparooz Lil Joeys

This time, it was a different story. I felt confident in my mother-of-a-newborn skills, so I wanted to use cloth from the moment he was born - literally. My sisters-in-law and I all went in on a newborn stash of fluff together. Abigail was born in April, Blake was born in August and then Ethan made his early arrival in October, so we knew the babies would each get their turn in fluff and could pass on to the next! Plus, babies are only in newborn size for anywhere from a week to a month or so. Ethan is now 3 weeks old and has outgrown his Lil Joeys...technically they still fit but with how heavy of a wetter he is...they only last an hour, two tops.

So here's what I've found most useful this time around!

• Go in on your stash with a friend or family member - it literally cuts the cost in half...or thirds...or fourths! Even if your babies are months or years apart, you know you'll use them eventually.
• Don't fear meconium! You can use them in the hospital, from day 1! All I did was use fleece liners and you know what...it washed out perfectly. I had heard a "myth" to absolutely NO meconium on cloth...but I didn't have a problem at all, it washed out perfectly.
• Don't bring a lot of diapers to the hospital. I brought a bag full as I forgot that newborns literally only pee & poop once or twice the first couple of days of their life! I was checking his bum every few hours and it always seemed to be dry. I think I changed about 4 or 5 diapers in the first 24 hours he was born.
• Don't buy preemie sized diapers, unless you know you're going to have a baby on the smaller side, there are other options that will work on a smaller baby and still fit a bigger newborn. We had about a dozen preemie sized cloth diapers (5-8lbs) and my baby was the only of 3 who could use them!
• Umbilical snap down feature was really handy to have, but not necessary.
• Buy used diapers on sites such as DiaperSwappers.com. Newborns are only in newborn size anywhere from 1 week to 1 month+ depending on their size, so we bought mostly used and they were in excellent condition...because babies grow so quickly and don't use them that long!
• Look on bargain sites such as MamaBargains.com, BabySteals.com, BabyHalfOff.com, & EcoBabyBuys.com for cloth diaper & accessory deals. I have bought from all of those sites and they do sell newborn stuff on occasion.
• Have some prefolds, hemp, and/or bamboo inserts in your newborn stash to use for extra absorbancy! Once my baby turned 2 weeks he suddenly became a super soaker and needed extra inserts/absorbancy for his longer stretches of sleep at night.
• While not essential, the bigger your stash, the better. My SIL's and I went a little crazy and have a HUGE stash of newborn diapers. I'm talking about 40+! But you know what? It's come in really, really useful. I only wash my diapers every 2-3 days or whenever my diaper pail is full and still have a day's worth of diapers to use. I don't feel rushed or like I'm waiting for my diapers to dry to keep using them. Plus, you're changing a newborn bum every 1-3 hours!
• If you you're using cloth diapers, use cloth wipes too! I have a wipes warmer full of cloth wipes and it's so nice to be able to reuse my wipes too and to have them nice and warm to use on his little bum!
• Just a personal one from me...take lots of pics of your newborn in their fluff - how cute!

I absolutely love using soft, fuzzy, cloth on my newborn's bum! And moms and moms-to-be...it's really not that scary! I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have, please feel free to leave a comment (I always reply!) or fire off an email!

Ethan's Newborn Pictures

This time, I didn't hire a professional photographer to come into our home. By no means do I ever think I'm as good as one...but I figured with my nice new camera I might as well take my own pictures of him, and if I wanted a family portrait, I would set up my tripod and use my remote. I know these aren't perfect, but the baby in the pictures sure is to us!

 

Can I just say I have MAD respect for newborn photographers? Holy Moses newborns are HARD to pose! I tried different softness/hardness of pillows, tried my Boppy...was having NO luck! I searched tutorials...started getting stressed...and then though. Meh! He's a beautiful boy and if he doesn't look properly positioned...that's okay! I love these photos because I took them, I did them over 2 separate sessions at my own pace. I love how his skin is wrinkly and kinda dry. What's the sense in "PhotoShopping" out what's real...you know? I love how I got pictures of him sucking his thumb, I love that I could recreate Braden's block & feet with our wedding ring pictures from his newborn session.

The tone/editing/coloring might be off...but I'm okay with that! Plus...it was free!

Blake & Bump Cuddles

Blake is already 3.5 weeks old, and I've only been able to visit him 3 times! With me finishing up work and just the busy-ness of life...things just catch up on a person. I hadn't even gotten any good snuggles in yet, because anytime I've seen him...I've been cooking suppers! But, I finally got my time last night after supper! Blake was very content to have snuggles with Squishy :)

(Yes, his lips are blue/purple...from gentian violet!)

And since we have been so busy, I haven't even snapped any "good" photos of him yet :( But here's some from a couple of weeks ago that never got posted, when we went over with supper so Jay could meet Blake!

Reminiscing

For weeks now I have been reminiscing about this time last year...all the thoughts that were going through my head in my last week/days of pregnancy, what would our baby look like, what sex would they be? Then going over every little detail about my labour and delivery and TRYING to remember the first few days of having Braden in our lives. Enough words...I hope you enjoy reminiscing with me!

One of the very first pictures of our little guy screaming out the most beautiful sound to a new mommy's ears!

First family picture...

He looked like a natural right from the start!

Tired and ready to go home!

So teeny tiny in that car seat!

Sucking his thumb when he got home..

And later that day...


I could do a suuuuuuuuper long post just reminiscing about Braden's first few days/weeks/months. But I think I'll just leave it as the first 2 days :) He makes me so happy, our family is 100% complete for now and I couldn't be happier. For those of you, as many already have, who are wondering when baby #2 will join our family...not anytime soon! I've got 2 new baby nephews I can borrow at any time, and I want Braden to enjoy being the baby for awhile yet!

Husky & Tabby Cat For Sale!

Okay...I'm just kidding. Kind of. Braden has been sleeping through the night (except tonight, he woke up at 3 and 6:30 for feedings and is still up right now...but I figured this would happen!), but if I could only get my stupid animals on board with sleeping through the night!! I lock Miles upstairs now, if I can remember or find him...but now silly Kihei goes out at 1 or 2AM every morning! For some reason the last 2 nights it's been ME who has heard her, whereas Jay usually does and I don't. Sigh. So last night Braden was in bed at 10:30, me at 11. I woke up at 1AM because Kihei whined to go outside. I was too tired to wait for her...in hindsight I should have, because at 2AM I could hear her HOWLING and barking to come it. I gave her a swat when she came in and she looked pretty bashful, giving me a "sorry, Mom!" look. I guess I can get Jay to let Kihei out before he goes to bed so she can do her business and then be done for the night. She never used to have to go out so much...how annoying!

In all honesty...I've really missed middle of the night feedings with Braden. There's something so comforting to me knowing that I'm the only one that can help him and give him what he needs in the middle of the night. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have my sleep...but I also know that they're only this age once and there's a part of me that will miss it dearly.

Well, I came back to finish this post and Braden is sleeping and I've got a load of laundry going...back to sleep for me, hopefully I can get a decent nap in before I have to really start my day!

Like Father, Like Son?

So the great debate continues! Who does Braden look like? I think he sure looked a lot like me as a newborn. We have the same round heads, same eyes and a more similar nose than Jay. Definitely has Jay's lips...what do you think? I've been meaning to post this for awhile, so here it is. Here's comparing me and Braden as newborns:

This is Jay's newborn picture:

More of me:
But! Now I think Braden is looking more and more like Jay every day! People are commenting on it a lot more too. Braden still has my round head, Jay's is markedly longer and thinner, and he has my eyes too, but I think Braden sure looks a lot like his daddy now!

My favorite picture of Jay as a baby. 7 weeks old (same as Braden right now) smiling at his dad.

Today is a great day! Braden is still sleeping great, another 6 hour sleep, slightly broken up by a leaky diaper at 4 hrs (grrrr!) and then a nice 2.5 hour nap this morning and he's working on a 3 hour nap right now! Jay went to Calgary fairly early this morning with his dad to work on truck stuff, it was a nasty, cold, windy, snowy morning, so I called the dog into our room and snuggled up with her while Braden had his morning nap. Braden woke up, gave me huge smiles, I fed him and he fell right back asleep all cozied up in my shoulder. He was stirring so I put him on his mat for some tummy time and before I knew it he was fast asleep! I've never let him sleep on his tummy, so I figured if it was during the daytime and I could supervise it - why not! I just love this boy more and more everyday I can't even comprehend it sometimes! We're also very excited for the arrival of Joy & Danika this evening, back from Texas FOREVER!!! Yay! And also, Dancing With the Stars starts tonight!

Growing, Growing, Growing...

I could have cried yesterday as I packed up all of Braden's newborn sized clothing! A whole bin of them, not one item fits. He's very long in the body, but has short legs (for now!). I just can't believe our little baby is growing so fast. I held up his coming home outfit yesterday, which was actually preemie sized, and even though it was just 7 weeks ago, I can't believe he was that small! I don't understand how he can be growing so fast right in front of our eyes. He's sure smiling consistently and getting the hang of cooing. He has also slept the last 5 nights at least 5.5 hours and the last 3 of those nights were at least 6 hours! It's sure been wonderful for me to have longer stretches of sleep, but I'm still tired. I think having these longer stretches just makes me want to sleep even more! I think once he's coordinated enough to find his thumb on his own (every time) we'll have it made! The last 2 nights he's fussed enough for me to wake up at the 4 hour mark and he's just looking for his thumb. I go into his room, help him out, and go back to bed for another 2 hours. Then the little guy wants to be awake after this long stretch of sleep, so that's why I'm up at 5 AM today! He'll eat and go back to bed for hopefully another few hours before church. Putting him to bed later has definitely helped out this situation.

Yesterday I took Braden and Kihei to Drumheller and we did a Walmart run and I also stopped by the flooring store to pick up the tile samples we chose for our kitchen and bathrooms and also to pick out our shower tiles. I really wish this house was moving along faster, I'd love to be in by the time Braden is 6 months old (end of July) but I highly doubt that will happen.

Joy & Danika come home tomorrow and I'm so excited to see them. I have my third and final baby shower from the girls at work (Strathmore) on Wednesday and that's how the week is playing out. I decided to pretty much stay at home, free of company, this last week and I really needed it. We've loved having people come to meet Braden and going to Edmonton twice to visit, but it was really wearing me out and I needed a break. Did you know that I have made over 50 thank you cards for gifts that people have given Braden? Yikes! That's a lot of gifts. I also originally ordered 75 birth announcement cards and I only have 6 of those left and I've had to order more. He sure is one popular little man!

Here is a video of Braden's bath last night. He's really learning to kick!

Luck O' The Irish?

We had a St. Patrick's Day miracle happen in our house last night! Braden slept for 5.5 hours!! Holy shamrock! That means that I slept 5 hours straight, a little piece of heaven that I haven't had the luxury of since the second trimester! I bet he even could have gotten to 6 hours, but since I was WIDE AWAKE from such a looooooooong sleep (wow, my definition of long sleep has changed!) I had to go check on my little man to make sure everything was okay. Sure enough he was lying there, practically snoring away! He was starting to squirm again in search of his thumb so I changed him, nursed him, and put him back to bed for a 2 hour sleep. He was soooooooooo tired yesterday! He even had a 4 hour nap in the afternoon, I thought there was no way he was going to sleep well last night. Shows what I know! Hopefully we can keep up this trend, I haven't felt this good in months. He is definitely learned to soothe himself back to sleep with his thumb. Now if he could just find it without crying first, we'll be set.

Too bad the long wait in the hot doctor's office this afternoon drained all the energy I had accumulated! We waited about an hour to see Dr. Maseka this afternoon for Braden's 6 week appointment. All is well, of course! I had absolutely no concerns for Dr. Maseka about Braden, only mentioned that he is a very grunty baby, he coughs a bit when we lay him on his back, and he's starting to get mild eczema on his arms and legs. He just told me to keep him well moisturized! Braden cooed and smiled for Dr. Maseka during his exam! So here's Braden's (end of) 6 week stats:

Weight: 11 lbs 14 oz
Length: 23.5"
Head: 39.5 cm

So he's gained exactly a pound since I last weighed him at the beginning of the month and has gained 4 lbs 3 oz since birth! It is a goal to double birth weight by 6 months and I think that we will beat that by a long shot! He is completely out of all of his newborn size clothes and is fitting his 0-3 month clothes quite well and is even in one brand of 3-6 month! Our little boy is just growing up so fast. When Auntie Joy and Danika come back on Monday, they will hardly recognize him!

Here are some pictures from yesterday:

We also went out for lunch for the first time today and Braden was just great, as usual! Deah is due on Friday with baby number 3. I know she was really hoping for a St. Patrick's Day baby...but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Thinking of you Deah and sending you labour vibes for a fast and healthy delivery!

My Talented Son

We knew he was gifted when he was 2 days old and was sucking his thumb...well, now at 6.5 weeks old I caught him sucking his thumb to soothe himself back to sleep during a nap this afternoon. Such a sweetie! It's really nice, because I've noticed that his "need to suck" is increasing and he really doesn't take to a pacifier. The only problem with him soothing himself back to sleep, is that I tried to have a nap this afternoon too, but every 15 minutes or so he'd cry or fuss, I'd get up to check on him to find him sleeping again. Oh well, so the battle goes. He's growing again...we had 4 nights of 4 hour sleeps (even one 4.5 hour stretch), but last night we were back to barely sleeping 2 hours at a time. Will the growth spurts ever end? I'm super curious to see how much he's gained at his appointment on Wednesday! So, needless to say, I'm very tired today from the 3 hour trip back home and daylight savings time. How can a one hour time change make such a big difference? I've traveled half way across the world and didn't notice that big of a difference! Is it a bad thing to pray for sleep....?

The Mystery and Wonderment of Newborns

Oh you have got to love a good mystery! Right? Except I don't!!! I love Braden to bits, but I hate not knowing why he does the things he does, or doesn't do, as a matter of fact. I am so science and nurse oriented, where there is an answer for everything, so that is kinda making me crazy that I can't "figure him out". I know it's something I have to just get over, but it's been hard. It's been nice to have feedback from friends that have gone through this, knowing that this is perfectly normal and that I'm not alone - so thanks!

Oh, and this...

I've been watching my seasons of Friends (best show EVER!!), to keep me laughing through the sleep deprivation, and I started off with season 8 this time because that's the season when Rachel gets pregnant. I oughtta give those writers a few tips about labour and the post-partum stage!!Rachel was supposedly in labour for 17 hours having contractions every minute, sh'yeah right! I'm sure that can be a reality, but not the way that Jennifer Aniston portrayed it on the show. Another big beef that I had with watching those episodes was her post-partum figure. The show could have at least tried to be realistic about that! Rachel was wearing green pajamas in the hospital after giving birth, and anyone who has had a child knows that it takes the uterus awhile (usually 6 weeks) to shrink back to it's normal size, so it's not uncommon to still look 4 or 5 months pregnant after birth. Well, Rachel had her nice flat tummy immediately after birth, even with those pajamas on! NOT FAIR!! Sorry, just had to vent on how not-realistic TV is!

Honest to Blog!

Wow, I don't think it's been this long between posts since Braden was born. I've been either too tired or too busy to post, so this will be a humdinger of a post! I last posted that Braden had had the best night of sleep and then had a not-so-great night...well that continued for another two nights, hence me being so tired. He just wanted to eat and sleep wasn't really topping his priority list. Jay was gone overnight on Thursday to Lethbridge for a farm show, and I had finally melted down. Lack of sleep and I do not get along, never have, so not getting more than 2 hours sleep in a row for over 72 hours finally hit me and the tears were flowing! What a horrible time for Jay to be away, but through all of it Braden always had a smile on his face and was still as content as can be. Thankfully my Mom was on her way down to the farm for the weekend so she got here on Friday afternoon. I have been hesitant, but wanting to try Braden on a bottle just so that one day I could have some freedom to go and get my hair done or go out for dinner with Jay or something. I ended up pumping and Mom gave Braden his first bottle successfully! He ate 3 oz no questions asked! I was very happy because he's never even had a pacifier yet, let alone milk from a bottle! It's just nice to know that I can have some freedom once in awhile, and I'll continue to give Braden a bottle once or twice a week so he'll get used to it.

And on the 4th night...he slept! He was finally back to his old self (as much as a 5 week old can be!) and slept a 4 hour stretch and has done this consistently since. It has much improved my sanity and overall well-being. One of the girls on my message board suggested Braden might need a pacifier just because he wants to suck. It made a lot of sense, especially the last night he was up so much because I'd go to feed him and within a few minutes he was back asleep and hadn't eaten anything at all! As a nurse I know to make sure breastfeeding is well established before introducing a pacifier, I wanted to hold off altogether if I could, but 5 weeks of really good breastfeeding with Braden and I gave it a try. He only takes it if he reeeeeeeeeally wants it, which is fine by me!

Braden had his first baby shower on Saturday in Rosebud. It was a lot of fun and he was wonderful! He slept the whole time and boy did we ever get a lot of gifts! Lots of cute clothes, books, and some wonderful nursery decor from Auntie Laura!

Grandma and Braden in matching froggy green!

Beautiful handmade quilt from Auntie Deah.