Well, little Henry is doing smashingly well. Chris and I have been extremely lucky! He is eating well (I am breastfeeding), and sleeping really well! Here is an example of how our last three nights have been.
10pm Feeding
11pm-12am Mom gets some sleep while Dad watches Henry downstairs
12am Feeding-and Dad goes to bed
1am-4am Dad is sleeping upstairs while Mom and Henry sleep downstairs on the couch (Henry sleeps either on my chest or in his little vibrating chair.)
4am Diaper change and another feeding (this one is usually a little more difficult than the others. He just squirms around a little more around this time and has trouble latching on, but he gets it eventually.)
4:45am-6am Daddy takes Henry downstairs so Mom can get some more sleep! Henry sleeps in his chair while Daddy naps on the couch.
6:30am Daddy goes back to bed, Mom is up for the day and Henry gets another feeding
So, total, I have had about 5 hours of sleep in the last 2 nights and so has Chris. I think next week we will try to start putting him in his bassinet to sleep. We don't want him getting attached to sleeping on one of us or in his chair. I'm thinking we might make the transition by starting with him in his chair IN the bassinet. It will be hard because I'm already very attached to him sleeping on me. I cannot tell you have wonderful it feels. That's why it's so easy to fall asleep with him on me. It's like the most amazing hug you've ever had!
Another cute and funny Henry fact: He tends to fart a lot during feedings.
We've only heard him burp once, even though we try to burp him during and after every feeding. So, no burps, but he farts like a champ! Like father like son!

Yesterday, we had a home visit from a nurse from our hospital. Henry has lost a little weight, but that's normal for a newborn. She thinks the hospital made a mistake the last time he was weighed. When he was discharged from the hospital, they said he had actually gained an ounce, but she said that's not really possible. His jaundice is completely gone (he had a tiny bit of it at the hospital) and his circumcision is healing nicely. He is in great health!
OH! I forgot to write in the birth story that Henry's Apgar score was 9/9! Not too shabby!
Anyway, the nurse also checked me. She was surprised by how quickly my uterus has already shrank back down to normal. She was also surprised that I didn't need to use the squirt bottle or any pain meds for my privates since leaving the hospital. I fed Henry while she was there so she could make sure he is latching on correctly, which he is, and even though I have not become completely engorged yet, she said it looks like my milk is starting to come in. When I express some, it is definitely milk now, but it is coming out verrrrrry slowly and there's not a whole lot of it. I keep waiting for the day i wake up with giant rock hard boobies, but it just hasn't happened yet! hehe
I am a little concerned though that it hasn't fully come in. I might call the lactation consultant later today to see what she thinks I should do. So far I'm doing everything they told me would help my milk come in, it's just taking a little more time than average.
Oh, and the nurse was also very impressed with Henry's neck muscles. he can already lift his little head up easily and turn it to the side. If you put him on your shoulder as if to burp him, he will do a sort or push-up on your shoulder lifting his head up and looking around the room. I think it's pretty amazing, but it was even more gratifying hearing the nurse say the same thing :)

If anyone was concerned about how our cats would react to the baby (like I was), just so you know, the cats are also doing awesome. Michi loves to sit really near by when I'm feeding him and she purrs like crazy. I think she thinks she's somehow helping us :)
Beatrice is actually more romantic than before! She used to be very very playful (she still is) and didn't receive getting petted very well. She'd kind of try to bat at your hand instead of letting you pet her. But now when you pet her, she purrs loudly, sticks her toosh in the air and makes doughboys. She's loving any attention she can get. Both cats have sniffed the baby, but pretty much stay a good couple of feet away from him at all times.

Well, that's about it for now. It's a little more difficult for me to have access to the computer now for obvious reasons, so I imagine this will be the last update for at least a few days, unless something totally amazing happens!

Yesterday, Henry not only had his first sponge bath, he also had his first visit with the pediatrician! It was a stressful day for him ;)
The doctor said he his in great shape. He is already almost back to his birthweight, which is a little unusual. It just means he's a really good eater! (Or I'm a good feeder.. hehe)
Last night went a little different than usual. He was very fussy on and off from about 9-10, and the only thing that seemed to comfort him was feeding him and letting him just sleep on my chest, so we took a nap from about 9-10. I fed him again, then daddy took over, letting me sleep for a couple hours. He got really fussy again around 1am so I fed him and let him sleep on my chest for a while.. again. We slept together for 4 whole hours. I had to wake him up to eat around 5am. Then at 6am I put him down in his bassinet while Chris and I slept together in the bed (finally) which was wonderful! Henry slept in the bassinet for a good 2 hours, and by then it was time to eat again anyway. He also took an hour long nap in his bassinet yesterday afternoon. Get this-he was able to roll himself from his back to his side by just swinging himself back and forth. It was wild! He's so freaking strong!
Anyway, him sleeping in his bassinet is huge progress to me. I'm so proud of our little boy :D

More progress!
Henry slept a full 2 hours in his bassinet this morning! He probably would have slept longer, but I was wide awake at 7am and he was making cute little cooing noises. I couldn't resist :D
Last night went about the same as the last few nights. He'd sleep from about 10pm to midnight, I'd feed him, then he's sleep for about four hours. I changed his diaper, then he slept from 5am-7am in the bassinet. Daddy slept in the bed the whole time (from 12am-still sleeping) and I got to sleep on the couch for about 4 hours, then a couple hours in bed. We are doing GREAT on sleep. I wasn't planning on doing it so soon, but I'm thinking maybe tonight I will put Henry in his bassinet after his 12am feeding-see if he'll still sleep a full four hours!
I LOVE THIS KID SO MUCH!
Thank God the breastfeeding is going so well. It's gotten to the point now where I love our middle of the night feeding time. It's just the two of us and I we just stare at each other the whole time.
I might try using my pump today. If it doesn't work out, we're going to rent an electric from a local medical supply store. I figure I could at least be storing some milk in the freezer so maybe next week we can leave him with Grandma for a while while Chris and I go out to dinner or something. It's really amazing-once the baby comes home from the hospital, Moms tend to feel a little cabin fever being stuck in the house for so long-I have been feeling that the last couple of days. But also, you can't help but love your husband even more, looking at this beautiful thing he helped you create. So I have been missing my husband so much! I know he's right here next to me all the time, but suddenly, we're not alone anymore! I think having a "date night" once a week will be so great for us. Even if it's going to dinner at Bob Evans and taking a walk around the neighborhood :)

ps
Check the photo section later today-I am going to try to take some new pics of Henry today in honor of his 1 week birthday (which was yesterday). He is really filling out quickly and his little face is already changing! I'm also going to try to post a "post-birth" picture of myself. It's amazing how quickly things are moving back into place so to speak. I still feel soft in the belly, but that's fine with me! It's not like I ever had abs before! I was able to put on a pre-preggo skirt of mine yesterday. It was definitely snug, but I got it on! lol

Henry is having a bit of a growth spurt right now.. Or at least that's what I think is going on! For the last few days, there are about 3 or 4 hours where he wants to cluster feed-eat for about 10 minutes every hour, or sometimes less than an hour! I can not get him to eat more during these feedings, and I really can not get him to wait longer between these feedings. The good thing is that once those few hours are up, he goes right back to wanting to eat every 2-3hours, and is still sleeping 3-3.5 hours straight at night. He's really great at night actually. He'll wake up, eat, then go right back to sleep. 3 hours later, wake up, eat, and go right back to sleep again! I really can't complain! We tried to get him to sleep in his bassinet last night though, and he was not having it. He kept wanting to eat. I don't know if he was just eating to pacify himself because he didn't want to be alone in bed yet, or if he was once again having one of his cluster feeding moments. I will tell you though, he was EATING! Rather frantically! And once about 3 hours of that went by, it stopped! Who knows. He is getting cuter and cuter every day. I can hardly stand it! I keep telling him to slow down, but he won't listen! :)
Oh yah, yesterday we gave him a sponge bath in his little baby tub. He screamed bloody murder the whole time except for one moment.. He got real quiet and looked at me. Then I saw the PEE shooting straight up in the air like the tiniest fountain you've ever seen! It was HILARIOUS! I wish I could have gotten a photo of that! There are a couple of pics of him in the tub uploaded to the album by the way.

Well,,, it finally happened..
We got hosed!!
Just a little while ago, i was changing Henry's diaper when I noticed a little bit of something on the tip of his pee pee. Chris and I examined it and tried to pick it off. Well, I guess all that fiddling made him have to go pee! It shot straight up first, then the poor boy showered himself! It was all over his face and belly. Unfortunately, my instinct was to just watch and laugh instead of covering it up! We thought it was over, but then it started up again! HE PEED ON THE WALL! All over the changing table.. Everywhere! We swiftly took him to the bathtub and rinsed him off. We'll probably give him another bath tonight too. Poor Henry! How traumatic it must be to pee all over yourself! lol

Ewwwwwww... I smell like sour milk! Gross! I guess i shouldn't be using the shirt I'm wearing to wipe milk from Henry's face :P
Henry is two whole weeks old today!! He's practically a teenager! hehehe

What a crazy day!!
It's my first day at home with the baby without Chris's help, since he had to go back to work today. So far, so good! I was able to take a shower this morning with no interruptions! I just put Henry in his other bouncy seat and brought him in the bathroom with me. The sound of the shower running must have had a calming effect on him because he seemed really happy! He didn't go to sleep, he just sat there looking around the whole time. So, I thought that was pretty exciting! Then came the trauma.. We had to go to the baby dr. today for his 2 week ckeckup. The second we got out of the car, he turned into a screaming banshee! Nothing would console him! The nurse made me get him naked, which of course made things way worse. After she was done measuring and weighing him, I nursed him while we waited (FOREVER) which calmed him down,,, until the Dr. got a hold of him. Then the screaming got even worse. Henry does this little thing sometimes when we're changing him or giving hi a bath where he gets so stressed and cries so hard that he sort of stops breathing for a couple seconds. This always scares the crap out of me, so I usually stop what I'm doing and try to calm hi back down. Well, the Dr. saw him do this and I expressed my concern. She then tried to get him to do it again, a FEW times, so she could count how many seconds he would hold his breath!! I couldn't stand it! I was in tears.. I got all hot and stressed and wanted to knock the Dr. out! Anyway, she said it's probably not a big deal, but to keep an eye on it because he could be a "breath-holder".. Like, this is an actual disorder?! She told me to watch his coloring when he does this and if he ever starts turning blue to call the Dr. (DUH). She said it's unusual for babies this little to have this problem, it usually doesn't start till about 3 months and lasts till about 3 years. She said it's the kind of thing where a 2 year old will have a tantrum that is so stressful for the child that he will literally pass out from losing his breath crying so hard! She kept telling me not to worry about it, that it's probably nothing, but come on! Of course I'm going to worry!

Here's the good news..
Henry now weighs 6lbs 15oz!! That is a gain of 13oz. in a week!! Doc said that's awesome considering we are exclusively breastfeeding and not supplementing with formula or pumped milk. He is also now 20.05" long! So he's getting longer too! hehe
Doc also said he is in the 25% for height, but she thinks he will surpass that at the rate he is growing.

The ride home was much better. Very quiet. I watched him in the mirror and he seemed happy! Until we were about 2 min. from home. The screaming began again. I figured out why when I took him out of his carseat and saw that he shat all over himself that yellow liquidy poop. SO, that will be interesting to clean. We'll see how that goes!

I think Henry has a clogged tear duct!! :( :(
I'm going to call the Dr. as soon as they open.

edit*They said it is probably a clogged tear duct. They want me to give him 2 saline drops in one nostril, wait 10 minutes then massage the inner crease of his eye. They want me to do this every few hours until it clears up-she said it will take around a week. Crap crappity crapola. Poor Henry!

It looks like Henry's eye is almost completely better already!! Thank goodness!

Our basement flooded early this morning!!
Updates to come....

The basement is all good now.. Chris and his dad used their handyman skills to fix the problem, and there was very very little damage.
Henry is awesome. I think his 3 week growth spurt is over. He's back to wanting to eat every 2-3 hours, occasionally wanting to cluster feed in the evening. He is sleeping a solid 3 hours from around 9-midnight, then he eats and goes right back to sleep for another 4 hours, sometimes 3, sometimes more! The problem now is that he seems to think that 4:30 am is wake time.. So I've been getting up at 4:30 am for the last week or so. He doesn't cry or fuss at all at this time, he's just awake and cute. So I really can't complain!

So here's what happened today:
Henry's umbilical cord stump still had not fallen off yet. I had always heard it takes roughly 2 weeks at the most to fall off, but Henry is almost a month old, so I was starting to worry. Then yesterday and all day today, there was an awful lot of brownish/red goop coming out of his belly button area-it was all over his onesie and all over my clothes as well. His stump just looked,,,, really gross. So I called the Doc to see if I should clean it in a special way or something, but she said to just bring him in. So I fed him, then went to change his diaper. Of course when I took his onesie off the stump came off along with it! So that's good. BUT, there was still this,,, thing left over in his belly button. To give you a visual, it sort of looked like there was a fleshy/yellow colored jelly bean stuck in his button. So we go to the Doc and of course he is SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER the whole time! He was so stressed he gave himself a bit of a fever. I couldn't hear anything the doctor said, and I could tell she was getting annoyed, so we hardly talked. If I understand correctly, the lump that is sticking out of his button was supposed to scab over, then recede back into his belly button once the main part of the stump dries up and falls off. But instead, it is swelling up and not scabbing over at all. SO I had to hold the poor boy down while she rubbed silver nitrate all over the lump, and I suppose that's going to make it heal over quickly or something. I really don't know. We have to go back on Monday so she can do it all over again :(
I've attached a photo of what his button looks like now. Sorry if it grosses anybody out. It actually looked worse before. Now the lump is all gray and wrinkly. Poor Henry might have a really funky looking belly button!

Well, it looks like Henry's belly button has actually gotten worse. This morning I noticed a strange looking bruise-like red circle around his button and more goop coming out. I called the nurse who reassured me that this is all normal, but she would have the Doctor call me about it late in the afternoon. Well, about an hour ago, the part that WAS gray on the tip there (you can see in the photo from yesterday) has fallen out/off. it looked like a giant boogar. Now inside his button, you can see a new jellybean shaped lump, but this time it is bright pink, almost red, and there is white goop around it. Of course I called the Dr. again. They once again told me this was all normal, but if I was still concerned I could bring him in today at 3. So that's what we're going to do. I've attached a new photo of it-you can totally see that strange reddish marking around his button. Sorry I'm probably grossing everyone out with these photos. I guess part of me is hoping one of you will see the picture and somehow reassure me that it's all normal. Something tells me that's not going to happen.

We went and saw the nurse practitioner and she put the silver nitrate stuff on it again. The markings around his belly button is actually just STAINS from the nitrate! All that worry about a freaking stain!
She also told us he has an umbilical hernia, which is why his button sticks out a little, like an outtie. She said he's healing fine and it just looks yucky.. That's all.
Now fast forward a couple hours.
Ok, so our Doctor called me to check up on things (how nice) and I told her that I didn't realize he had an umbilical hernia. She responded with "well, no, I mean yes he has one but that is not what we're treating! Let me talk to the nurse practitioner (who we saw today) and I'll call you back.." Here's the deal. He DOES have a hernia, but it is so tiny that the doctor thinks it is a non issue. That is why she did not even mention it yesterday. What we are seeing inside his belly button,, that lump thing is a granuloma-which is basically just a build up of scar tissue. It is totally unrelated to the hernia. By putting the silver nitrate on it, they are carterizing it. There is scar tissue build up there because his cord took so long to fall off-the cord took a long time to fall off because it was really fat and healthy! Anyway, there is nothing actually WRONG with his button, it could heal just fine without being carterized. The only reason why we are putting the silver nitrate on it is to make it heal over quickly and shrink back down inside his belly button so that it just looks nicer.
So, as gross as it looks and as traumatic the trips to the doctor have been, Henry is going to be just fine! No biggie!

I forgot to mention in the last entry that Henry now weighs 7lbs 11oz-up 12oz since last week!! Also, the bruise-like marks around his belly button turned out to just be stains from the silver nitrate. It looks so much worse than it actually is! Today it is much better. It still looks nasty, but more like a scab than anything. I wish it would hurry up and heal so I can kiss it!! haah

Henry's bellybutton looks totally normal now! It's a super cute button at that! There's still major stains around it from the nitrate, but the button itself is totally healed! Woohoo! Lots of new photos uploaded too, check'm out!

A quick update:
Growth spurt!! Yesterday and the day before, Henry only seemed to want to eat or sleep.. And if he was not doing one or the other, he was screaming! I tried to space out his feedings and distract him, but because of his cries, my Mommy instincts told me to just give in and feed him and let him sleep if he wants. As soon as I took on that attitude, I had a much calmer, happier baby-even if he was nursing every hour. The only person that this is an inconvenience to is me, and if you think you can be a Mommy and put your needs first instead of doing the most natural thing in the world and nourish your child, you probably shouldn't be a Mommy. I kind of like this feeling of being totally selfless. Once you give in to that, you can really enjoy your baby!
I'm realizing how very important it is to listen to your instincts.. That is what I will do from now on. I was worried yesterday because after a full day of eat/nap/fuss, he finally went into a very deep sleep around 6pm. Everything I've read said to not let your baby sleep for too long in the evenings, or he'll be up all night. After 2 hours of sleeping, I tried to wake him up and he was just completely wiped out. I got him to sleep in the bassinet for a long time and he wasn't even swaddled! I felt like it would be cruel to wake him up because he seemed to be chasing this sleep all day and he finally got there. If he's up all night, so be it.
Guess who slept like a champ last night! For the first time in a couple weeks, he went right back to sleep after his 3am feeding (which only took about 10 min) and he is just now starting to wake up at 7am!

Henry's Dr. appointment yesterday sucked! Of course he screamed the whole time. They had to give him the Silver Nitrate again for his button, but she said that would be the last time. Then she checked his weenie.. Folks, stop reading here if you are easily grossed out..
Basically, after the circumcision, for some reason the forskin basically healed itself against the head of the peepee. So you could not pull the forskin back-it was stuck. So the Dr. had to pull the skin back kind of ripping it from where it had stuck itself. That was terrible to watch! The good news is, miraculously, it did not bleed.
Then she noticed a couple of pimple-like bumps on his pelvic area. I thought they were just baby pimples so I wasn't too worried, but the Dr. was concerned-said to put polysporin on them at every diaper change and keep an eye on them because it could become a staff infection! Yikes!!
Oh, and then he had a shot which he handled very well. Probably because it was nothing compared to them manhandling his weenie!!

Henry and I had a few adventures today. First we went to return some videos at the video store.. I was feeling brave, so after that we went to the grocery store!! (See accompanying picture) He was HORRIBLE in the car but fabulous in the store. Slept the whole time! After that, we went to Natorp's (a plant store) and walked around.. Once again he slept the whole time. Then we went home, ate some lunch, and then I put him in his sling and wore him for a nice long walk around the neighborhood! It was a great day! When Chris got home, we gave Henry a nice long bath (so I could scrub the heck out of that area with the pimples!) and now he is squeaky clean and sleeping soundly!

ps
more new pics added..

Last night, Henry slept in his bassinet for nearly 2 hours! It would have been longer, but he had already been sleeping for a couple of hours when I put him in there. So, I fed him and he fell right back to sleep, so I decided to br brave and put him in his crib in his own room! I put him down, set up the monitor so I could see him, turned on his mobile and tip toed out of the room. I laid down in bed and just stared at the monitor.. Henry was awake but very sleepy. He didn't cry at all, he just kept tossing and turning. He managed to wiggle himself out of his swaddle but seemed to be falling asleep. The problem was that his swaddling blanket looked like it was covering his nose and mouth-and of course this is dangerous, so I went back into the nursery, unwrapped him and got rid of the blanket, then rocked him right back to sleep. I put him back in the crib and tip toed back out. This time he woke up immediately, but still did not fuss. About 8 minutes went by when I heard the poop!! Bwaaaaaappp gurgle gurgle! This only pissed him off, so then the crying started. I don't think that was a good time to let him cry it out, considering I KNEW he was crying because he had a diaper full of hot poo! So I changed his diaper, and because we have to do all this stuff to him during his diaper changes now with the polysporin, he was WIDE awake and pissed off by the time I was done with him! By now it was about 3am and I thought I was in trouble. Usually if he is wide awake around this time, he wants to stay up! So I took him back to our usual spot downstairs, nursed him for about 5 minutes and he fell right to sleep. I put him in his bouncy chair and he slept soundly until about 5:30 when he woke up wanting to eat. I fed him and once again he fell right back to sleep for another couple of hours! Our Dr. recommended that we start trying to give him a bottle every once and a while now-I think we will do that tonight. I still have not pumped enough milk to store, so I will try a few times today and see what I can get. I have a feeling we will be supplamenting with formula. Pumping is just so freaking hard to schedule! He eats so often that my boobs don't have a chance to really fill up so I can pump. And by the time I get myself all set up to try to pump, he's crying about something else that I have to take care of!

In case anyone is curious, here is a picture of me 4 weeks postpartum.. I've still got about 12-15 lbs. to lose. The weight loss seems to be at a stand-still right now. What I REALLY need is a haircut!! :P

We had an amazing day yesterday!.. Well, amazing to me at least.
I had to go to my good friends bridal shower yesterday, and I was convinced it would be impossible to do with Henry. But I made sure he was well rested-I've learned rather quickly that if we wake him from a nap, no matter how long he's been sleeping, he is pissed off for the rest of the day! So, he slept for almost 3 hours.. I was going to be late, but I figured I wouldn't be able to stay long anyway. I fed him, changed him, put him in the car and it was like he was a new baby! No crying the whole drive there-it took me about 20 minutes. He was awake the whole time, looking at himself in the mirror. When we got there, I took him out of his car seat and just held him the whole time. NO CRYING AT ALL!! He was wide awake and alert for a good 45 minutes or so, just being cute. Then he fell asleep in my arms! And this was a pretty loud party! Something about the cackles of all the ladies around him must have lulled him right to sleep :P
He slept the whole car ride home too. I'm just so proud of him!!
THEN, last night he took a bottle of pumped breast milk from daddy for the first time! We've been struggling with this for a little while, and last night it was like there was never a problem. Yay Henry!!

I also found out at the party a friend of mine is pregnant with her first baby and I am so excited for her!! Congratulations, April!! Congratulations to Mikala also!! It's so nice to be the one who's NOT pregnant, watching her friends go through it all. hehe
You both will be fabulous Mommies!!

I got reaalllllllly sick 2 nights ago! I had a terrible stomach virus type thing! We still can't figure out where I got it from since I hardly ever leave the house! And I know it can't be food poisoning because Chris and I ate the same exact thing that day. It's a mystery!
I'm terrified that my baby will catch it! I was so sick that I was unable to breastfeed for a whole night. Unfortunately, I had not pumped and saved enough breastmilk to last through the night, so Chris gave Henry formula. I pretty much had to stay in the bedroom/bathroom all night. Luckily, Henry took the formula like a pro and slept really well for Daddy. By 5am I felt well enough to feed Henry and he hasn't had any formula since. I did not get engorged from not feeding him for so long because I was so dehydrated that I don't think I really made any extra milk all night. I've been letting H feed on demand since then so that I can build my milk supply back up. I'm feeling WAY better now, but still a little weak. I was not able to drink or eat much yesterday.
Since I'm feeling pretty good right now, I'm letting Chris get some extra sleep. So far he's had 6 full hours in a row, lucky duck!

Congratulations to my friend Danielle who gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on April 27th!

Last night was rough! Henry just did not want to sleep unless there was nipple in his mouth, and I'm not talking about a bottle, folks. We worked things out today though and I can get him to sleep just fine without nursing. I just had to be a little more patient with him. New pictures added!

By the way, I discovered today that Henry loves Gershwin! We were having play time on his play mat thingy and listening to classical music and the second Rhapsody in Blue came on, he was going nuts! He loved it! Arms flailing around, legs doing the bicycle, smiling and cooing! It was hilarious!

By the way, Henry's belly button is 100% normal now and cute as can be! I'll attach a picture!

SUCCESS!!!!
Henry slept in his crib last night for a whole 2 hours! We decided to try to give him formula for his middle of the night feeding in hopes that it will keep his tummy full longer, so he will sleep a little longer. Last night, Chris tried to feed him around 1am, but he was still full from eating at 11pm, and was also just to sleepy, so he only ate about 1 ounce of formula before being put to bed. When he woke up, he was clearly hungry but not crying. So I went and go him, brought him downstairs and fed him, put him in his swing and he went right back to sleep for another couple of hours! Then he started fussing a little bit so I picked him up and let him sleep on my chest for a little while. We are all feeling very rested today!! We are going to try the same thing again tonight, but hopefully he will be more hungry this time.

Henry slept in his crib for 4 hours last night!!!
Now if we could just get those hours to be in row... hehe

One step forward, two steps back!
Last night, Henry would not sleep more than an hour and a half in his crib. Actually, it was probably more like an hour at a time. I held strong though and did not give up! Part of the problem was that he kept busting out of his swaddle. You'd think this means that he doesn't want to be swaddled, but when you try to even just lay him down on his back unswaddled, he immediately cries like a madman!!
I think tonight we will try a little Gripe Water in his formula as suggested by a friend of mine and a bunch of ladies on iVillage. If you're curious about Gripe Water, here's a website all about it:
http://www.blissbymom.com/Products/Detail.aspx?product=gripe-water
Hopefully he'll be in a decent mood today.. I was hoping to take him to where I used to go to school/work and visit some old friends. He's FINALLY sleeping soundly now, but for the last hour or so he's really been fighting it. Poor baby is probably overtired!

PS
Again,, check out the new photos I added! He is officially smiling now! Those smiles make the sleepless night SO worth it!!

We had a great night last night!!
Henry went to bed in his crib around 12:15am, did not wake up till 2:45-the longest stretch in his crib yet! I think he would have slept even longer if he had eaten just a little more. We are still giving him formula for one feeding a night, and he only seems to want to eat about 1-2oz. Anyway, I fed him, changed his diaper-which is another reason he might have woken up-and put him back to bed at 3am. Then he slept again until 5am!! I fed him, rocked him and put him back in the crib. He slept until about 6:45am am when he was clearly ready to get up. He wasn't crying at all. He would just streeeeeeetch,, make cute "ahhh" noises, fall back asleep, and then do it again. He did this for about 20 minutes until he just laid there eyes wide open making cute cooing noises..
Like I said, it was a great night! And Mom and Dad felt well rested this morning!

More good news: I've been taking Henry out at least once a day now> I am trying to get him used to riding in the car and going out and about. 2 days ago, we went to babies 'r' us, which is about a 20 minute drive away. Then I picked up drive-through and ate in the car with the kiddo. He handled it beautifully. He only got fussy once, and it only lasted about 2 minutes. Then yesterday, I again ate drive-through in the car with him, then we went to Wild Oats to buy some Gripe Water,, THEN we drove around for about 20 minutes, went to super wal-mart to get more diapers (he is STILL wearing newborn size!) then we went to Gymboree and Children's Place to look for a cute outfit to wear to our friends wedding. We were out for almost 3 whole hours! Then later that day, I put him in the stroller and we went for a walk around the neighborhood that lasted a whole hour. He is doing great!!! Maybe such a busy day is what helped him to sleep so well!

On another note, have you seen this new JCPenny commercial celebrating Mother's Day? Man, my hormones must still be pretty raging because I get a little chocked up every time I see it!

Last night, Henry went 4.5 hours without eating.. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite bed time yet! I went to bed around 8pm and Chris didn't come to wake me up until 12:30 to tell me he hadn't eaten and slept most of that time. So Chris gave him his formula and put him to bed at 12:45am.. I was convinced it would be a bad night since Henry had slept so much already, but he didn't wake up again to eat until 3:45am!! He slept another 3 hours in a row! And it's a good thing he woke up when he did, because for the FIRST TIME since he was born, I was engorged!! Finally! It still wasn't that bad. They just kind of hurt a little and were firm to the touch, but not freakish. Anyway, I fed him and he slept again until 5am.. I think he was having one of those weird half awake/half asleep cries because as soon as I picked him up he was fast asleep and snoring! I put him back down right away and he slept till 6:30. Again, when he woke up for good, he was happy just laying there in the crib stretching out. So cute!!

Big news!!
Last night, Henry ate a full 3 oz. of formula before bed (until now, he would only take 2 at the very most, usually more like 1.5 oz.) and then he slept for 4 hours!!
Then I fed, burped, changed him and he slept for another 2.5 hours!! We got up at 7am today!! He would have slept later if it weren't for a diaper blow-out.. hehehe

Henry is sleeping in his crib now really well!
He is still waking up once or twice to eat, but he goes right back to sleep. And he's not even 10 lbs. yet, so him going 3-4 hours without eating is pretty darn good!

Well,, we had a very eventful week to say the least! I was in a good friend's wedding, so my Mom came up for a visit and to help out with Henry while Chris and I were needed for the rehearsal and ceremony and all that. Things were going surprisingly well with Henry, he seemed to just sleep through most of everything. He'd just have a few meltdowns in the car on the way to and from places. Then,, the day of the wedding... Mom was taking great care of Henry while Chris and I had to have our photos taken and stuff. The ceremony was supposed to start at 6:30, so I was feeding Henry in the car at around 6:15 with Mom.. All of a sudden, Mom doesn't feel good. And from that point on it just got worse and worse. Poor Mom picked up the same stomach virus that I had a couple weeks ago! And hers started moments before the ceremony.. Right when we needed her most! Poor thing was throwing up all over the place while she pushed Henry around in the stroller outside while Chris and I were pretty much clueless during the wedding. So, once I found out what was going on after we came out of the ceremony, I apologized, told everyone what was going on, and Mom, Henry and I left while Chris stayed. Mom was getting sick in the car the whole way home too. It was a ROUGH night. The next day she felt better, but fat from 100%. So she still was able to get on a plane and go home. I feel terrible that she had to go through that. I know exactly how she was feeling because I went through it weeks ago-except I was in my own home!
She is much better now and is able to eat and drink well.
Other than Mom getting sick, it was still one of the most stressful days I've ever had! I just hated seeing Henry 10 yards away, crying, and there's nothing I can do about it. If he was just a month older, I think we would have left him with a sitter at home and enjoyed ourselves at the wedding.

Anyway, that night he slept five hours in a row!!! Which would be awesome if he had done it in his freaking crib!! But no.. I put him in his swing at around 9:30pm while we were waiting for Chris to get home. Once he did, I asked Chris to just come get me when Henry is ready to eat again, which I assumed would be around 12 or so. It wasn't until I woke up at 2:30am that I realized what had happened. Chris fell fast asleep on the couch. I had to wake Henry up to eat! He would have kept sleeping if it weren't for me.. Makes me wonder. But mostly, I just felt like 5 hours is WAY to long for him to be swinging!! He still slept in two three hour shifts in his crib after that,, so he did GREAT! Last night was a whole other story though. I think we let him sleep too much during the day yesterday. We're going to work on that today and try to get his schedule back in order.

Lots of new pictures uploaded!

I know it's been a long time since I've updated this journal, and I have a lot to catch up on like Henry's first big set of shots and also Henry's first concert.. But since I only have a second, I have to tell you that this morning, henry really and truly giggled!!! I had him on his changing table and he kept doing this weird fake cough. That eventually turned into a funny little giggle! I got him to do it a bunch of times while I tickled his belly with a burp cloth. I even got him to change rooms and do it in front of Daddy! I'm so excited!!! Talk about a milestone!

Ok.. vaccinations.. Henry had four gigantic shots and an oral vaccination. It was awful. We cried. He cried. Horrible. Terrible. he recovered just fine though. The next day he didn't really want to be put down. He just wanted to be held-and that's exactly what we did for him. Since then he's been just fine.

Very exciting--Henry went to his first concert!! Jake Speed and the Freddies were playing at a book signing at a tiny little children's book store in Oakley! I know, perfect, right? Henry had a great time!! We danced and sang and shuffled around. Henry is a Jake Speed fan for life! Plus, we got him a book signed by the author and illustrator. Just a really great day! That photo attached to this entry is on the band.. Taken with my cell phone-that's why it's crappy.

Happy June!
Last night, Henry was FUSSY from about 8-9. I was trying to get some rest while Chris took care of him, as we usually do every night.. But for some reason Henry refused to nap and just cried and cried. Eventually Chris came and got me. I fed him even though it had only been an hour and a half since he ate.. He ate for a while, then once he was done he fell asleep just fine. At 12:30am (I know, way too late at night.. Henry is still not on an actual schedule, we just follow his cues.) Chris gave him some formula and put him to bed in his crib. He slept till 4:30am, 3.5 hours-that's great! I fed him, put him back to bed a bit before 5am.. He then slept till7:45 am!!Usually if the sun is up, he is too.. I was able to get up, feed the cats, help Chris out getting ready for work, eat breakfast and watch the tube. I just kept his monitor with me. When he started crying at 7:45, I went to get him and lo and behold, he was crying because he had rolled himself ONTO HIS STOMACH!!! Another huge milestone! Not only did he roll over,, but he was tightly swaddled when he did it. Imagine if he was UN swaddled..
He is also able to hold on to things, as long as I put it in to his hand. I'll attach a photo of him holding onto his keys. I'm not sure if he understands that HE is the one making the rattling noise with the keys or not.. But he gets really excited when he shakes them!

::sniffffff::
So Chris and I both have terrible nasty snotty coughy mucousy barfy colds. We feel miserable. The worst part is that because I am breastfeeding, I literally can take NO medicine for it. Oh, yah.. I can take Tylenol. HA.
So this cold will be here to stay for a while. And knowing us, we'll probably pass it back and forth for a while too. I'm just praying that Henry does not get it. I'm not ready for all that! He's too little! I'm still scared to use the snot sucker! I tried to use it once because Henry had some milk in his nose (gross, I know) and I just scared the crap out of him!

Last night was not an easy one. In fact, yesterday was not easy altogether. Henry DID NOT want to nap almost all day. So you'd think he'd sleep like a champ at night, right? NOPE. He slept about 4 hours and then was up about every half hour until 5:30am. I did not realize until the sun was up and I could see better that Henry was in the swaddling blanket that it too small for him, so all it was was he would kick himself out, wake up, CRY, I'd fix it, he'd go back to sleep until he'd kick himself out again. SOMEBODY didn't think it would make a difference.. But the last time Henry kept me up all night, it was exactly for this reason and the next day was when I bought the next size up swaddler and he slept great after that. We have officially learned our lesson.

So, I was feeling like total crap-ears clogged up, throat burning, head POUNDING, absolutely exhausted, trying to changed Henry's first poopy diaper of the day when he giggled. Then he giggled again,,,, and again.. For about 3 minutes straight.
He knew just what I needed.
Life is good.

Henry has his first cold.. :(
Chris and I have our 5 gazillianth cold.
We are also trying to break the habit of having Henry nap in his swing during the day, so he's been napping in his pack and play during the day.. He's been doing a lot of crying lately..

BIG DAY!!
Not only did Henry sleep from 12:45 am to 7:45am ,, this morning he ROLLED OVER!!! TWICE!!
I'll post details later when I can type with both hands...

He did it again!!! Sleep through the night, I mean. Again, he slept downstairs from about 9-12:3am. I fed him and put him in his crib around 1am and he slept till 6am! I just fed him and he was still acting really sleepy so I put him back in his crib and it looks like he might sleep some more. Hopefully he'll sleep another hour or so. Yesterday, Henry rolled over from his stomach to his back three times! It's funny because sometimes we put him on his tummy and he flips right away like it's so easy.. Then other times we put him on his tummy and he grunts and groans and does his baby push ups and shows NO interest in turning over. He doesn't really try to flip from his back to his stomach yet, but from what I hear if he can flip one way, he will soon flip the other way. Since I have not been keeping up with this website very well, I have TONS of photos to upload. Hopefully I will get to that today.

So I guess the whole sleeping through the night thing was a fluke. I have changed things up a little though. Henry now goes to bed in his crib somewhere between 8:30 and 10pm and he stays there (except for when it's time to eat) until between 6:30 and 8am. Now that I'm putting him in there so much earlier, of course he is waking more. He is still getting used to it. He's all over the place with his night wakings-he'll go anywhere from 1.5-6 hours without waking up (or at least without waking ME up!) There is just no way to gage what kind of night we're gonna have.
The good news is, Henry is completely broken of the swaddle habit! He hasn't needed to be swaddled in over a couple of weeks now! He'd probably sleep longer at night swaddled, but I think he'll get used to it as long as we stick with it.
He now can grab at things. I'll put a toy in front of him (he LOVES his baby Big Bird) and he'll grab it, sort of cuddle it, then it goes directly into his mouth! He holds on tight to everything now-including me! That's such an awesome feeling, carrying him around and feeling his little arm wrap around and grab on tight.
He has rolled over for us 4 times now, from belly to back. But here's the thing, now when we put him on his belly, he doesn't try to turn anymore! Now he just does his push ups and looks around, cooing and whatnot. It's very cute! He also is REALLy trying hard to roll from back to belly. He rolls himself up onto his side really easily, then his whole bottom half will be rolled over, but the top half isn't quite there yet. He can't seem to figure out what to do with that one arm that he rolls onto. He also talks now,,, A LOT. He's almost always "aaah! aaah! bwaaa! GAHHH!" It's hilarious! He especially talks a lot when he is tired. It's almost as if he is trying to sing himself to sleep.
I weighed him on our scale the other day and it looks like he's between 11-11.5 lbs. now.

Lot's of new pictures added!

I had to post this..
A little while ago, Henry was in his swing and crying off and on. I went into the kitchen and a minute later I hear "maaaaamaaaaaammmmmm mmmmmaaaaammaaaaaa!!" Over and over!
Of course he was not actually calling to me, but crying with his whole fist in his mouth, so when his little fist moved, ma ma is exactly what it sounded like. I can't wait till it's the real thing!

Last night, Henry did pretty good! He slept from about 10pm till 3:30am!! Then I fed him and he went right back to sleep. He woke up at 5am, but I turned the volume down on the monitor (I know, I'm terrible!! These are the things that happen when you are sleep deprived!!) and he went back to sleep till 6:45 am. Henry is getting WAY better at getting himself to sleep at night. Unfortunately, nap time is a whole different story. If he is not in his swing, he will not sleep for more than 30 minutes or so, and he has to cry for a good 10 minutes before he falls asleep. In he swing, he just coos for a little while and zonks out for and hour or two.

Big news! Henry officially rolls from his back to his tummy now! The problem is that he does it at night when he's sleeping! Every time he cried last night, it was because he had rolled himself onto his tummy. I think he was both startled and annoyed that he couldn't turn back over. This morning I woke up at 7:15am a little worried because Henry has usually woken up by now. He was fast asleep,, on his tummy!! I know doctors warn you about putting your baby on their tummy to sleep because of the risks of SIDS, but if he keeps rolling himself there on purpose, I think I'll just let him stay there. His neck is so strong, I'm just not going to worry too much about it.

Henry attended his second wedding last night! He did so great! I posted photos of him all dressed up. I'm trying to think if there's anything else going on....
He is definitely not sleeping through the night yet. At least not technically. He goes to bed in his crib between 9-10 and does not get up for the day until 6-7am. The last couple of weeks he has been up every 2-3 hours. One night it seemed like even less than that. I think this tummy turning thing might have something to do with it. We shall see!

Forgot to mention..
Henry also now grabs his feet constantly! He loves trying to take his socks off. He also has made changing diapers a real task. Not only does he grab his feet and hold on, now he also tries to roll over... All while trying to wipe him and whatnot. Its a real adventure every time! lol

We've had some progress with naps. He is now napping in his crib during the day when we are home. It takes him a little while to fall asleep, but he does. And until today he would not nap for more than 30 minutes or so. But he is napping in his crib right now and it's been an hour! Good stuff.

Henry had his first taste of real food a few days ago! (On the day he was exactly 4 months old, actually.)
We gave him rice cereal with a spoon, as recommended by his pediatrician. He LOVES it!! The first feeding was all just experimentation for him. We'd put the stuff in his mouth and he'd just hold it there. He also desperately wanted to hole the spoon himself! The whole experience was hilarious. I will post some photos.

Henry is still not quite on a schedule. He's hard to figure out! On average though, he is still up every 3 hours at night to eat. But he at least is sleeping a little later now-about 7:30, 7:45. He is now in his crib from about 8:30-7:30 every night. He rolls like crazy now, but mostly from back to front, and mostly just at night. During the day he shows little interest in rolling.

Henry had his 4 month check up and vaccinations yesterday. He now weighs 12.3lbs!! And he is 24 inches long-over 2 inches longer than his last appointment. He has grown a lot, but he is still mini. He is still between 15-25th percentile for weight and length. However, he is in the 50th percentile for head circumference :P
His torticollis is completely gone (yay!) and he is hitting all his milestones accordingly. In fact, the doc said his motor skills are way ahead. He has already hit a couple 6 month milestones. He has "transference ability" which basically means he can pick something up with one hand and switch it to the other hand. He also does this fake coughing now, which we WERE a little concerned about until the doc said that actually is him getting our attention. He makes that sound and mommy and daddy come running. So, basically it means he's already figured out how to manipulate us! He also rolls front to back, and back to front easily and on purpose now,, he can push up with his arms when he is on his belly, and he purposefully reaches for and grabs things. These are all things that are not usually figured out till later, according to the doctor. She said we have a "mover,, a wiggler" on our hands and should always keep an eye on him! We should no longer put him in him in his car seat or bouncy chair on a table because he will more than likely wiggle himself right out of it.

She also told us that he is in fact NOT teething! We were convinced that he was because he has been SO cranky lately and not sleeping well. He also vigorously chews/gums on absolutely everything and drools like crazy.

I really don't want to jinx it but....
Henry is finally sleeping through the night!
He goes to bed now around 8-8:30, wakes between 1:30-3am to eat, then goes back down for another 4 hours or so. We're so proud! It only took a couple nights of crying for him to get the idea. And really, it didn't take that much crying either. He is also eating rice cereal every day now. He gets 1.5 ounces of formula mixed with about 2 tbsp of cereal. At least I think that's how much! I just eyeball it and mix it until it looks like a really thick gravy. And now he eats every little bit of it! He ever cries/kicks his legs when he wants more. It's hilarious!

Henry slept 11 hours straight last night!!!

Uh Oh... Looks like Henry is teething! He's been REAL fussy the last few days, and last night he had a hell of a time sleeping. (So much for sleeping through the night, eh?) Up until last night, Henry would sleep uninterrupted from 10-11 hours every night.
Anywho, I called the doc for advice, and she said to bring him in so she can have a look at him and make sure he does not have an ear infection (they sometimes share the same symptoms.)
We'll see!

Yup! He is officially teething! Doc said she usually can't tell unless there is actually a tooth beginning to poke through, but Henry's gums are so swollen that it's obvious. His ears are perfectly fine. He now weighs 13.4lbs!!!
She also said that his torticollis is NOT gone. This makes me furious! Last time we were there she told us he looked fine! It's like she did not remember that! Grrrrrrrr... Now we have to go back to doing these exercises and stuff. I guess she didn't think it was that bad since she didn't refer us to a physical therapist.

Houston, we have a TOOTH!!
Henry has been teething for the last several days, then this morning I finally felt a SHARP tooth poking through!
Poor thing is absolutely miserable today. He's had orajel and tylenol and he is still super cranky. His first nap was a disaster. He's napping again right now-hopefully he'll sleep longer this time!

My best friend Kris came to visit this weekend and we had so much fun! It was so nice to have another Mommy around to keep me company. I'll post photos later.

Also, Henry is still sleeping 10-11 hours straight at night now. ::knock on wood::
He's getting much better at napping. The crappy part is that now for some reason he is not willing to sleep in his car seat like he used to. Which makes it hard for me to go out anywhere!

Henry tried Barley Cereal for the first time last night.. I'm pretty sure he liked it, but he also seemed to enjoy projectile-spitting it right back at Daddy! His second tooth is also (already!!) coming in. His first one popped through last Monday I think.. Let's hope this one is a little less painful for him. He also has taken to BITING Mommy when he is eating. This is a milestone that I am not too excited about... But still, you can't help but laugh. :)

Today was a great day! Henry was in a great mood, napped easily and was full of smiles and giggles. I was able to get him to actually drink water from a glass! I'd hold it to his mouth-of course he grabs the glass immediately and puts it in his mouth, then I'd tip the glass little by little until some water went into his mouth. Most of it would drip right back out of his mouth, but he would still smack his lips and GULP!

Henry cut is second tooth today!! No wonder he was cranky yesterday! I have to say though, this one came much easier than the first. He seems to be in great spirits today.
Wow.. Two teeth before he's even 5.5 months old. Is this normal? This is going to make breastfeeding a real challenge!

Henry had his first taste of bananas today! I just mooshed one up real good and fed it to him. He was NOT impressed! I'll add photos of the experience to the online photo album. It was hilarious!

Well, yesterday was exciting!
My friend Miranda came over for lunch and brought her little boy, Wyatt who I LOVE!! We had a great time. At one point, I was playing with Wyatt, tickling him and stuff while Miranda was holding Henry, and Henry got jealous! He cried! Once I was holding him again, he was fine. So weird.
Also, Henry very clearly said Da-Da! Of course it was unintentional. But it still was exciting! He's been making all sorts of different sounds lately. So yesterday he was just laaa laaa laa baaaa boo buh baaaaaa laaaa mmmmm DAH DAH mmmmmm buh bbbbbb pffft.
Just like that :P
Then, last night when I was piking him up after his bath, he wrapped one arm around my neck and held tight! My knees bucked it felt so good! Like the sweetest hug ever.

Now, another milestone happened this morning.... Henry had his first REAL POOP. Now, I knew his poops stank pretty bad before-sort of like hot garbage. But the one this morning,, well,, it smelled like POOP! There was no denying it!

By the way, the photo to the left of of Wyatt!

Haaaaappy Biiirthday tooooooooo ME!
I'm a ripe old 29 years of age today. I have a kid now though, so I could care less about my birthday. I'm more excited about his!

Henry woke up today (yeah, as if he was actually sleeping last night...) with a cold. He constantly has snot running out of his nose and he goes from being cute and happy old Henry to absolutely miserable. I'm terrified of how this will go. This is only the first day of this cold, and he is already refusing to sleep in his crib. I drove around all day today so he could sleep upright in his car seat.
Because I'm a paranoid kind of gal, I took Henry to see the doc. She said not only does he have a cold, he is also still TEETHING!!!! His two top center teeth are now trying to come in!! Good God when will we get a break from all this teething! Poor Henry! I don't want to give him orajel now because he can't hardly breathe through his nose, and he'll probably end up swallowing so much saliva he'll barf. I'm just giving him Tylenol for now. The Doctor pretty much said that's all I can do and to NOT give him a decongestant because he is too young and it could give him heart palpitations (yikes!!).