Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great weekend here in NJ! My parents are back up in NJ and spent a good deal of the weekend with us. Grandmere will be taking care of Zach when I go back to work next week, so we had lots of practice this weekend!

Grandmere tries out the sling!

Zach looking cute!

Grandmere shirts are good for drooling.

Resized pictures

Seven Weeks!

What an adventure! We are making some headway on the nursing issue. Z lost some of the weight he'd gained this week, but we have a reason now! Zach, like millions of other baby boys, has reflux. So we are taking steps to manage his reflux. These include feeding him in a more upright position (he basically sits in my lap to nurse), and putting wedges under his crib mattress and his changing table. While I hate the fact that he has something wrong with him, it is a load off my mind that his slow weight gain isn't something that I am doing. Apparently it is going to progress in severity (he doesn't have a sever case) until he is about 4 months, and then start to improve.I caught this just as he was waking up. He has the biggest blue eyes with these long curled eyelashes. He is so cute when he looks up at me while we nurse.

Snuggled asleep in Aunt Roz's blanket.


As we do not have a television, we have to watch something. The neighbors across the street are always good for a show, but even better are the birds. We have filled the bird feeder outside the picture window. We have a piliated woodpecker who visits, several male and female cardinals, brown nuthatches, and several varieties of finches. It is really quite wonderful. The cats are also pretty into it!

Every day something new

I think I can say with confidence we are on the wan of our 6 week growth spurt. And there was much rejoicing. Zach went down on the weight a little, but the pediatrician wasn't worried. We did a LOT of growing yesterday. He is now out of his newborn clothes. But he wore them for 6 weeks which isn't bad. What is going to be interesting is how the 3month clothes are going to work because he is so LONG. If an outfit is long enough, he is swimming in it. I assume basketball try outs are right around the corner at the rate he is going.

Out for our morning walk in between rain storms!

You can see him in the sling now! This is how we go to sleep during the day. I swear I need a pedometer.

Another cool toy from Paul and Andrea that we just tried. He sort of gets it.

In the crib for the first time! He was less than thrilled about it but, he'll get used to it I am sure.

4m 27s

That's how long it took Zach to conk out from his screaming fit. I know this because of our new sooth Zach toy! Grandad's treadmill! I pop him in the sling (for which I will never be able to thank my mother enough for buying for me) and put on some sneakers and head to the basement. In goes a DVD and I go on the treadmill with him. It's really pretty nifty.

So we have had an exciting few days. Thanks to the intervention of a leader at La Leche League International, Zach has a new latch, and he and I have an new lease on breastfeeding. My supply is up (though not quite there, but it will be by the end of the week) and we are cutting back on the formula. And Zach is doing great! Milestones for the week

• Smiles! Real honest smiles!
• Much increased head control
• He loves his bouncy seat that Uncle Paul and Aunt Andrea gave him.
• We started sign language this week. We've started with "mamma loves Zach" and "daddy loves Zach"
• He sleeps in 4-5 hour stretches. God bless the boy.

Hey there folks! Don't forget to come to the Baptism!

Wee little feet.
Sleeping for Eileen. Eileen is the LLLI leader who came over and helped us. Zach latched non painfully and I nursed for THREE STRAIGHT HOURS. That got my supply going like nothing else. He fell asleep and snoozed contentedly for hours after this. Mom practically cried with happiness!

Life at Almost 6 weeks

We are still trying to get the nursing and pumping situation worked out. I am mostly pumping, and then nursing him in the morning and at night. We are making up this difference with formula. Not what I wanted to do, but, that's the way life is. Zach is doing great though. He's now over 9# and still cute as a button!

During the evening Zach likes to be as close as humanly possible to us. Grandmere's sling to the rescue! We carry him around in it as we make dinner and get ready for bed. When he is finally zonked, we put him down, sling and all.

Aggie is pretty sure the baby arrived to provide her new places to sleep, like the Boppy and the snuggle blanket.

Very comfortable!

Aggie contemplates Zach. Not quite as good a babysitter as Medchen, but give her time!

Happy Mother's Day!

So far Mother's Day has been great! We spent the morning pumping and nursing. Then, we went to my least favorite store in existence Babies R Us and rented a hospital grade breast pump. Let me tell you, on the first go it was so efficient, I might spend the $$$ and buy one. They are expensive, but it may be well worth it, especially if we decide to have more children.

So this was our first attempt at real "tummy time". Zach seems to have missed the point. Though, to be fair to him, he woke up and did start exercising through the screams and whimpers of protest. He can hold his head up really well on his own.


Some days it is really challenging to get your child to look at the camera!

He's adorable in red!
We are making the transition to cloth diapers. This is us after second breakfast (his, not mine) hanging his nappies on the line.

Happy Mother's Day to all! Especially to my mother who has been wonderful and supportive through my whole pregnancy and post partum period! You are the best mom!! I am a better mom for having your great example!