We had a doctor’s appointment this past week, and found out the reasons for Caleb’s fussiness. He’s been having reflux that’s been agrivating him. We’re now using Zantac and Gripe Water, and he’s back to his laidback calm self. We’ve just started having visitors over, and everyone loves holding the little guy. He weighs in at 10 lbs. 4 ozs. now and has grown at least an inch since birth. Last week alone he was gaining about 2 ozs. a day which the doctor said is healthy for a baby his size/length.
Heather and I are both doing well, and starting to figure out how to do this baby-raising stuff. I’ve changed more diapers in the past 2 weeks than in the rest of my life, and I’m told this will continue for SEVERAL months. I’m already giving Caleb pep talks about getting out of diapers as soon as possible. He smiles at me, which means he understands… or he’s just preparing another diaper for me to change.
We’ll be taking more pictures this week, and keeping the site up to date. Till then, be sure to check the gallery, we added a lot of photos over the past week that weren’t there before.
Patrick Blog
With the number of pictures that have been taken of Caleb in his 12 days of life, I’m afraid he might get an inflated ego. As you can see in the gallery, we’ve been taking pictures constantly (more to come tonight). Since so many of our family and friends live too far away to visit, this site makes for a wonderful way to keep everyone up to date on events.
Gamma leaves tomorrow, meaning that Heather and I have to figure out how to fend for ourselves. Thankfully, Nana Gail is planning on heading over to help us out some this week. I think Heather and I are going a bit crazy with the prospect of taking care of Caleb 24/7. Don’t get me wrong… it is an absolute joy to have him in our arms and to spend time with him each day. However, it will be nice when we get to a regular feeding schedule that involves more than 30 minutes of nap time between feedings. For those not in the know… this is a breakdown of the typical schedule when baby is 10-12 days old:
12 (midnight) – begin feeding
1 am – just finishing feeding due to baby falling asleep 6 times on each breast
1:30 am – baby is finally asleep after diaper change and much rocking – nap time
2:00 am – baby begins to stir from hunger – wake from nap
2:30 am – baby is wide awake and ready to feed – begin feeding
3:30 am – just finishing feeding due to baby falling asleep 6 times on each breast
4:00 am – baby is finally asleep after diaper change and much rocking – nap time
4:30 am – baby begins to stir from hunger – wake from nap
5:00 am – baby is wide awake and ready to feed – begin feeding
6:00 am – baby falls asleep at end of feeding (hooray!) and has pee’d all over creation
6:30 am – baby is asleep again after diaper change (hooray!) – nap
8:30 am – wake in a panic because baby is still asleep and has given you 2 hours of blissful snoring
etc, etc, etc.
I hear that at some point, he’ll be sleeping through the night. This wonderful event will be celebrated in the historic Lawrence manner… passed down from father to son… involving much red meat, a grill, and some dancing. This will all be followed by a deep sleep, lasting at least 4 hours (hooray!). The male members of the family will most likely fall asleep on the couch, and will protect the rest of the family from the loud animals that seem to be snoring under the couch. There will be much rejoicing.
Patrick Blog
New photos are going up in the gallery today. Some more in the July 13th album, as well as a new July 16th album. Be sure to check them out. Caleb is doing great and is starting to figure out the routine. His only problem seems to be that he falls asleep WAY to easily while eating. We are constantly having to wake him up so we can continue feedings. I’m told that he’s just imitating me, since I can fall asleep at a moments notice.
Oh, and at the doctor’s appointment on Tuesday, he weighed in at 8 lbs. 13 oz. and everything looked normal. I’ll post again with more info. Right now I’m off to have lunch with my brother Tom.
Patrick Blog
Two hours of silence, followed by an hour of crying with a pinch of long nights of frustration… ah the joys of parenting. But seriously, Caleb has been a joy and a wonder. We sit and watch him sleep for hours, and then wonder why we’re so tired in the morning.
For those still expecting, I suggest taking your naps when the baby is sleeping. Hopefully I’ll take my own advice soon.
Heather and Caleb are both doing fine. We all get to go see the doctor tomorrow. It’s my opinion that they schedule these appointments within a week of delivery to make sure the parents aren’t screwing up too badly. Thankfully, I think we’re doing just fine. He still has 10 fingers and 10 toes. He really is a very happy baby as long as he’s dry and fed.
We’ve got more pictures on the way, once I find the USB cord for my camera. Oh, in other news… I’ll probably return to work tomorrow. I’m very thankful I work at a company that allows for paternity leave. I’m excited to get back, but I know I’m going to be missing Caleb and Heather… I’ve gotten really used to being around them 24/7. I am really more afraid that I’ll fall asleep at my computer tomorrow. I think I’ll be ingesting large amounts of caffeine to get me through the day.
Patrick Blog
I’ve come to the conclusion that we have given birth to a tiny black hole wrapped inside a very cute baby.
Merriam-Webster has two definitions of hungry. The second one goes something like “strongly motivated (as by ambition)”
To say that Caleb is STRONGLY MOTIVATED to eat would be an understatement. The volume of liquid that has gone into this kid in 24 hours is amazing. And just to calm your fears, we aren’t feeding him any more than the nurses did in the hospital. Even scarier still is that the formula is supplementing the breast feeding. I had no idea that a newborn would eat this much.
So, we are officially home as of 5 PM last night (Friday). We were planning to be out much sooner, but the pediatrician wanted a specialist to listen to a small heart murmur. Everything ended up just fine, and mom and baby were released. I have to give very high praise to the nurses, techs, and every one else at Northside. They have an amazing setup there, and everyone was so attentive to Heather and Caleb. If you leave that hospital with a worry, fear, or question unanswered, it’s your own fault. I know more about child birth, care, and treatment than I even knew existed before.
Last night was your typical first night home I guess. The little man had a hard time settling down, was constantly hungry, and oddly enough… he was very interested in hearing how a high pitched scream echoes through the house at 3 AM. He’s got a great set of lungs and isn’t afraid to use them.
Right now, he and Heather are resting comfortably upstairs, Mama D (who’s official Grandma name is Gamma) is helping out SO much doing laundry and fixing lunch. I’m slacking off right now, writing out this post. But I figured that everyone would be interested in hearing how things are going.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who’s posted on the guestbook, called us, or stopped by. It is really humbling to know that so many people are thinking about us. Thanks everyone. We love you guys!
Patrick Blog