Our Growing Boy

"This is a child that will not allow himself to starve," stated our pediatrician.

Truer words have never been spoken. Little P is a great eater. True, he still thinks he is starving if he has to wait longer than 2 hours, and he only eats for 10-15 minutes each time, but he is growing, and growing well.


Today was his 2 month appointment and everything is looking great. He is in the 68% for head circumference, 34% for weight (11 lbs 9 oz), and 73% for length (23.5 in).

He may not be a chunky monkey, but he has gaining a great double chin, has dimples on his hands, elbows, and knees, his belly hangs over his pants, and he has gained a leg roll or two. I love it all. It is so cute. I was most surprised by his growth in length. He has grown 3 inches in the last month. Go Baby P! I have a feeling that he is going to be taller than both of his parents (considering neither of us are exceptionally tall and he has tall grandpas on both sides.) He has grown so long that he is nearly too big for the bassinet. I think we are going to start transitioning him to the crib for that reason. I have already started to have him take his naps there so hopefully it won't be a big shocker.

Speaking of change, our pediatrician said that at 2 months of age, babies are capable of sleeping 12 hours at night. I have a very hard time believing it. Sigh... I know it's true for some babies, but I just don't see that being true of our little guy. Night time sleep is as random as it comes. Some nights are wonderful. Others are awful. In general, he is good to sleep for a 3 hours stretch at first, and then it's back to every 2 hours. Last night went 3, 2, 1. One hour, P? Really? I don't need him to suddenly start sleeping that long (though I wouldn't complain) but it would just be great if he could stretch it out. That is my biggest challenge right now. How do I convince him that he doesn't need to eat that often? It's also rough because our schedule is not very conducive to a bedtime routine (with Ryan getting off work every other night around 11 pm). Little P has learned from us (not that it was our intention) that bedtime is not until midnight, even if we start the routine hours earlier. (Last night he was ready for bed at 9:30. He did not give up until 12.) Our doctor suggested trying out the cry-it-out method. I am not wholly against it, but from what I have seen of P's personality, it won't work. When he gets crying, he doesn't stop. Ever. He just becomes more and more angry the longer he goes. I am sure we can find a method that works for us. We are trying Tracy Hogg's method and I think it is helping. But I still don't know how to get around the feeding issue. Any suggestions?

Pierscen received his first set of shots today, aside from the ones in the hospital. I believe vaccinations are extremely important. I know there are risks, but those risks far out way the dangers of not vaccinating. Of course he cried, but he did a good job. We gave him some Tylenol to help a bit with the pain and hopefully ward off any fever. I have been pumping his legs to keep things moving, which he seems to find funny, so that is good.


As we were waiting for the doctor come in, I was looking at the music stenciled along the ceiling in the room. I was curious to know if they were just random notes drawn in, or if they were to a melody I might recognize. I wish my phone could have captured more of it, but this first phrase may be enough. I started humming it in my head, and then when I reached this dotted half note, exclaimed out loud, "No way!" I jumped up and followed the music around the room. "It's 'I am a child of God'!" I said. "That is so awesome!"

Ryan looked at me and smiled. "You are probably one of like three people that have noticed that," he said.

I doubt that. I am sure there are plenty of other people that have figured it out. But I just thought it was really neat and incredibly appropriate. We are children of God. There is no more precious knowledge than that. And how cool to find that in the pediatrician's office, where their very livelihood is based on protecting and taking care of children, whom God loves more than we can comprehend.

Pierscen is a such a good natured boy. I feel so incredibly lucky! He is smiling more and more. When he gets really excited he opens his mouth really wide and his little arms and legs start swinging. He loves his play mat and enjoys mobile time. Tummy time is not a favorite and I am not good at remembering to do it, but he still does great sitting in his Bumbo. We will have to return around 3 months to get his 4 month shots because he cannot have any vaccinations within 2 weeks of his surgery. But other than that, everything is right on track and he is doing well. We sure love our little guy.

Friday is his eye appointment in Salt Lake. It's a small visit and I don't think it will take very long, but I will definitely post to let you know what we learn!

Cranio - Syno - What - O?

Pierscen won the lottery!!!

The odds? 1 in 2000

The prize? Some quality 1-on-1 time with the Craniofacial surgical team at Primary Children's Medical Center just shortly after he turns 4 months.

The reason? Baby P was born with craniosynostosis.

Uh... what is that? Craniosynostosis is where one (or more) of the sutures in an infant's skull fuses prematurely. This usually does not happen until around the age of 2 giving the brain adequate time to grow and develop. When these plates fuse prematurely it causes the head to be misshaped and may inhibit proper brain growth. There is no known cause and the only treatment is surgery.

There are several types of craniosynostosis. Below is a picture outlining the four main types: Metopic, Sagittal, Coronal, and Lambdoid. Pierscen has Unilateral Coronal Synostosis (one sided). The picture below is a perfect demonstration because it is the same side as Pierscen's.


The front right and side bones are fused near the temple. The result of this is that the right side if his forehead is recessed and the left side bulges out more. The right eye socket is also is pulled back so it is "longer" than the left side, making his right eye appear larger. It's not larger, of course. He can just open it wider. His nose is also slightly crooked. In short, this type of synostosis creates an asymmetrical look. That being said, it sure sounds like it would be obvious, right? Not really. In fact, unless you know it's there, most people don't notice a thing.


I mean, look at that cute chubby face! Not exactly what comes to mind when you mention "misshaped" and "asymmetrical."

I love this picture. Man, oh man, is he a sweet little boy. But this shows things a little bit better, though still not completely. It's far more obvious from the birds eye view. But here you can see the left forehead is bulged out a bit and the right eye looks larger than the left.


We have actually known about his condition since a few hours following birth. While Ryan was down in the nursery with him, he was feeling his head to see if he could feel all the sutures. (I personally don't know any other father that would do that... but I am grateful he did. In fact, later when I asked him why he did so [meaning, did he felt impressed to do so] he responded that he wasn't sure. Only that his first thought was to check his head before he even looked to see if he had all his fingers and toes.) Ryan noticed that he couldn't feel that particular suture. He mentioned to the nurses that he thought Pierscen's head was a little funny shaped. They laughed and said, "Honey, he was just born." He replied, "I know, I know. I am sure you get that all the time. But he was a c-section baby. It shouldn't be that bad." This gave them pause, but they still maintained that by the time we left the hospital that it would be totally normal. It was then that he told them he couldn't feel that particular suture. That got their attention. They came over and checked it and finding that they couldn't feel it either, called over the charge nurse. She too couldn't feel it. So she made a note in his chart for the pediatrician to check it when he made his rounds in the morning. Ryan came back to the room and googled "fused skull" and came up the diagnosis. We read up on the condition as well as the treatment for it and had already come to terms by the time the pediatrician came in. He told us that everything looked great. But when he paused, Ryan added, "Except his head?" To which he responded, "That's the only thing..." He ordered an x-ray, and later a CT. By the end of the day, the diagnosis was officially confirmed.


What we learned from our research is that the surgery involves opening the scalp, separating the fused plates, and then placing the child in a helmet for up to a year while the skull reshapes. We couldn't find a definite timeline for when they would operate, but we assumed they would at least wait until he was six weeks old. It was amazing to see before and after photos on some of the websites. The change in many cases was immediate! Our pediatrician told us he would send a referral to the neurosurgeon team at Primary's and they would be in touch.


The following week we called up to Neurosurgery to make sure they had received the referral. The answer was no. So we called our pediatrician and asked them to send one up. After a couple of days we called Primary's again. This time the referral had made it, but we were told that after they had reviewed his case, due to his age we would actually need to go through the Craniofacial team. They couldn't say what about his age made that determination. Just his age. Unfortunately they couldn't just send our info to the Craniofacial team. We would need to contact our pediatrician again and have him send a separate referral. Luckily we had an appointment with our doctor the next day, so we just asked him to send one when we saw him. We told him about the change of team and he didn't seem surprised. But he had no answer for the whole age thing. He seemed just as baffled by it as we had been. A few days following that appointment we called the Craniofacial surgeon's office and were able to secure an appointment the following week - and in Provo none the less. We were really excited that we wouldn't have to drive up to Salt Lake just yet. Our doctor has an office at UVRMC that he comes to once a month and we made it in just in time.


Turns out Craniofacial (which we had never heard of up to this point) is basically plastics. At first I was a little concerned about this. Considering the surgery involves cutting open the skull and all that, I thought Neurosurgery made a lot more sense. But then the more I thought about it, I realized that no - plastics is more logical. Especially for his type of synostosis. It literally is reconstructive surgery. He nose will need to be fixed, his brow straightened out, the eye socket pulled down, and of course the suture separated... yes, plastics made sense. We were told when we called the Craniofacial office that it is pretty much always the craniofacial doctor that does the surgery, but that they work hand in hand with the neurosurgeon and that they would be there as well. Age had nothing to do with it.


We met with Dr. Morales on a Wednesday morning, bright and early. The nurse that took us back told us that Morales has done hundreds of these cases and that we were in very good hands. As we first began talking, he seemed surprised to see how young Pierscen was (only two weeks) and wanted to know how we had figured out what he had so early. I explained that it was Ryan who had found it originally and had gotten the ball rolling. (The fact that he was surprised by his age confirmed to me that had Ryan not been the one to find it, there was a very good chance we would not have discovered it until a much later date. Ryan kept saying he was sure the pediatrician would have caught it the next morning if he hadn't. I am not so sure.) Dr. Morales said he assumed we had already researched it a bit if we were proactive enough to figure out the diagnosis before the clinical staff had. We said yes, and told him what we knew about the surgery and the helmet. He nodded at our telling of things, but then told us that that particular method was "kind of outdated." We were more than surprised to hear this as that was pretty much all we could find online - and that information was coming from the medical websites.


He gave us a booklet on craniosynostosis that outlined the condition, how to prepare for surgery, and what to expect from the surgery. Included were some pictures showing how they would proceed. They will have to shave a strip of hair from ear to ear. Then they will cut the scalp in a zig-zag or wavy line. This is so that when the hair grows back, it should fall over the scar in a way that hides it much better. If it was just a straight line across the scalp, it would be much harder for the scar to be hidden. Makes sense! And there is another good reason the plastic surgeon is doing it. Plastic surgeons are all about minimal scaring! Once the scalp has been pulled back, they will separate the sutures, reconstruct the brow, eye socket, and nose, and shift all the plates around where they want them. Then instead of putting the child in a helmet, they connect everything with dissolvable plates and screws. Dissolvable! They take about a year to disappear completely, but there should be no reason for a helmet (since the plates and screws are basically an internal helmet.) How amazing is that?! Modern medicine I tell you! It is simply amazing! He explained that the reason he steers away from the helmet is because there is no guarantee that it will work. You can separate the sutures and do everything else you are going to do, but there is no guarantee that the helmet will be able to get things were they need to be.



The picture above is from the booklet he gave us. You can see the wavy incision. But even more amazing is the before and after comparison. Note that the child is still on the operating table. The head shape is already fixed! That is so incredible! They say that it only takes about a week and the child is feeling as good as new. What a blessing. Children are so resilient! They spend 3-5 in the hospital split between the PICU and the Surgical Ward. It is common for one or both of the eyes to swell shut and become black and blue, but that, of course will go away with time. But once they are eating well and things are looking good, they get to go home. Dr. Morales said this surgery is typically done between 4-8 months of age. Old enough for them to be able to handle the physical maneuvering of the plates, but young enough that they aren't too mobile yet and in danger of lots of falls and head bumps. He said that we would aim for 5-6 months for Pierscen, just depending on when his schedule and the neurosurgeon's schedule would work together. In the mean time, he told us to set up an appointment with the pediatric ophthalmologist to check to see if his eye muscle is weakening. (Not vision, but eye muscle due to the elongation of the socket.) If it is, then they can fix it when they go in. They just have to know beforehand. He told us we would also need to set up one more consult with him closer to the surgery date as well as with the neurosurgeon. At these check ups they would make sure that his head is still growing and that things are on track for surgery. His secretary/assistant said that she would actually arrange these appointments for us so that we could see them on the same day up in Salt Lake and save us another trip. She said their schedules are very hectic and to save us the headache of calling back and forth between them, she would call us with the appointment dates as well as the surgery date.


It seemed like an eternity before I heard from her, but she got it all figured out. May 3rd is the surgery date. He is the first surgery of the day and she emphasized the need to keep him healthy. Even so much as a runny nose and they might not operate and then it could be months before we could get another date. May 3rd puts him at 4 months 1 week old. I was surprised at that since I wasn't expecting anything until 5 or 6 months, but we are also excited and relieved to have it done even sooner. Our consult appointments are set for March 7th. With that in mind I was able to call the ophthalmologist and set up an appointment. The doctor they referred me to is leaving the practice so the doctor taking over was pretty booked, but they were able to squeeze me in March 2nd. It will be great to have all of these appointments over (including his 2 month pediatric appointment) in the next few weeks. It is a relief to at least have everything lined up and ready so we can move forward.


So here we are. It has been an interesting adventure. Neither of us are worried about the surgery even though in reality it kind of is a big thing. (Opening the skull and playing tetris with the plates... yeah I would say that's a major surgery. Most adults are frightened by head surgery and here is this little helpless boy...) I am grateful that we both work at the hospital. I think it has definitely helped us feel confident in the medical world and the doctors that will be doing the surgery. So I don't worry about the surgery itself. I have cried thinking about the eyes swelling shut and him not being able to see mom and dad. I have cried thinking about the pain he will experience. And I have cried about losing his hair. But all of these things are so minor. Even though I had never heard of Craniosynostosis, and the resulting surgery is a bit overwhelming (especially financially... so grateful we have insurance. Could you ask for a more expensive surgical team [plastics AND neurosurgery]?! I doubt it...) in the grand scheme of things, we are really lucky. He will have the surgery, be back to his normal self within a week or two, his hair will grow back, and the plates and screws will dissolve. And that's it! It's over and done with. No one will ever know. The only lasting proof will be the scar. He could have had some disease or illness that we would be fighting his whole life. There is no limit to the possibilities of what could have happened and what would have been worse. We are lucky. And oh so blessed. We are lucky to have Primary's so close. People come from all over the states to this hospital to have this surgery done. And we just have an hour drive. Very blessed indeed.


About a month ago now, Ryan received a phone call from our neighbor who he home teaches, and who is also my visiting teaching companion. She asked if he would be willing to come over and give her and her husband a blessing as they had just learned that their youngest daughter had... you guessed it... craniosynostosis, and they were set to have surgery in 2 weeks. After learning about the condition, I had actually suspected that her daughter might have it too based on her head shape (though hers is the sagittal one - fused down the middle.) I called to talk to her, curious about how she came to find out considering her youngest is 5 months old and knowing that our surgery date was set 4 months in advance - the fact that theirs was set for 2 weeks said to me that they must have just barely found out about it. Sure enough, it wasn't until her 4 month old appointment that the doctor finally decided that the head shape wasn't going to fix itself and that there might be something wrong. He sent her to Primary's where the youngest, and the second to youngest were both diagnosed with it. The older girl is old enough now that the skull has already fused completely, so surgery is kind of out of the question unless she starts developing too much pressure on the brain. They will just watch her closely for a while. As for the younger girl, she needed the surgery. What I didn't know was that the surgery that involves the helmet is done laparoscopically. They make a couple small incisions and then use a scope to separate the fused sutures. Then they put the child in a helmet and hope that the helmet will mold the head into the correct shape. (So when my doctor said that technique was "outdated" it was really more of a preference for him because even though the technique they are going to use on Pierscen is much more "invasive" it allows them to have more control and manipulate things they way they want to.) The laparoscopic technique is typically done when the child is still pretty young. My neighbor's girl was right on the border of that time line. Her doctor felt that the laparoscopic method would likely still work, so they opted to try that first. She will be in a helmet for a year. If that doesn't fix it, then they will need to go and do the other surgery. The surgery took place almost two weeks ago now and she is doing really well. It's kind of nice to know someone personally that has gone through this so we can kind of know what to expect. It is just interesting that for the odds to be 1 in 2000, we have not one, but 3 in our ward alone - 2 of which are in the same family.


As I have researched online, it sounds like most parents don't find out about the condition until the child is a few months old. Likely it is because many pediatricians may not be familiar with it, and most feel that misshaped heads will fix themselves (as they usually do) following birth. So once again, I really don't know that Pierscen's condition would have been picked up in the hospital. I am sure we would have found out about it eventually, and our pediatrician has had other patients with it so maybe... but it was been a blessing to know from the get go. This has allowed us tons of time to research, learn and prepare ourselves.

I cannot say enough about modern medicine! I am so grateful to live in this day and age where medicinal miracles happen every day. I am so thankful to my loving Heavenly Father for leading mankind on his quest for knowledge. I am grateful to know that because of the amazing technologies that exist I will not have to worry that my son's brain will not be able to grow or that he will be ostracized my other children because he "looks different." Of course, this surgery won't shield him from a whole world of difficulties, but at least that shouldn't be one of them. And hopefully, with a little coaching from his parents, he will grow up thinking his scar is totally awesome and I am sure other kids will think so too. But most important, I want him to grow up knowing he has a Heavenly Father that loves him very much and a Brother that died for him, making it possible for us to be a family forever. I love this boy more than I can say. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have him.

I will keep you updated as things progress. I am sure it will be here and over before we know it!

I Got Dressed Up For This?

Pierscen made his debut appearance at church today. We only went for Sacrament meeting because we are still trying to keep him away from well-meaning, germ-sharing ward members. It was nice to be there and Pierscen was very well behaved.


Though admittedly a little bored...

Sound The Trumpets

I did something crafty! Actually three somethings. And I am so incredibly proud of myself!

Behold!

Item #1 (also the one I am most proud of): Bug Themed Car Seat Cover!


Now I know that these covers aren't a "necessity" and are more a fad than anything, but I do think there is some sound reasoning behind owning one.


No, they may not stop all the germs from getting in, or provide a lot of protection from the elements (though it does to some degree.) But if nothing else, it gives people pause before coming up to the car seat and thrusting their face in your child's face, or touching them, or passing on said germs. It at least gets them to ask first. (Well, most people. There will always be some who have absolutely no regard to boundaries. You can't win 'em all.)


And... they are cute. Especially this one. Hehehe. I set out to the fabric store with the goal of finding fabric to "match" his carrier. Black, red, and gray. Not much to work with. I found nothing that I really liked. So I started taking pictures of themed fabric and sending them to Ryan to approve of. He said he liked the bugs best. I thought they were pretty cute myself.


Want to know what the coolest feature of this beauty is? It's reversible! Tada!!!


I love it when they have coordinating fabric. At first I couldn't decide which fabric to get (surprise, surprise considering how decisive I am by nature... NOT), and Ryan wouldn't tell me whether he liked the bright bugs or the dark bugs better. But then I thought, you know, I might as well get them both - and make it reversible. Genius.


I didn't have a pattern for this, though I am positive one (or many) exist. I simply didn't want to spend the money on a pre-made one, and I didn't think it looked that hard to make, though admittedly I am not a very seasoned seamstress. On average I think they cost close to $30-40 pre-made. No thanks. I spent less than $15 on the fabric and velcro for the straps. And if I had chosen a different fabric, I could have done it for even cheaper.


I think it turned out pretty dang good, if I do say so myself. I also learned that when the bright side is facing out, the light streaming through the fabric makes the white words on the inside all colorful. It's pretty cool.


Item #2 and #3: Nursing Covers!


Easy, easy, easy. Again, I didn't have a pattern for this. I did look one up online a long time ago, but for being so simple, it was awfully complicated. I was positive I could do it in a much easier fashion. What it comes down to is preference. I did not care for a button, overall snap, or something I would have to tie. And I didn't think that boning was necessary either [used to make the neck rigid so you can see baby and maintain eye contact. If you sew the straps on wide enough, there is more than enough fabric to allow for this without the boning - though of course it doesn't stay there as nicely]. (If you want any of those thing, then yes, it would be a little more complicated.) But for me, all it took was a yard of fabric. I cut off about 3-4 inches from the bottom, sewed it wrong side together into a tube, flipped it right side out, and wala - there was the neck strap. Then turn, press, turn sew the edges. Then measure the strap around the neck so you stay covered up but can still get your head through the loop. Done.


I bought this fabric last July during our Anniversary date. (Ryan went to a manly store, I went to a girly store while we were waiting for our movie to start). It cost me $4 for each of these. $8 total for two nursing covers, when on average, these cost $30-40 to buy them. I am pretty happy with that deal. :)


Needless to say, I am quite proud of myself (as mentioned several times already). I don't do this stuff terribly often - mostly because I lack the confidence. I have a wonderful sewing machine - and I do know how to use it, but not as in depth as I would like. So now I just need to find more projects...

It's Either You Or the Chocolate

And trust me... some days I really want to choose the chocolate. Alas, that is something of the past and far off future. Sure, I could keep eating the stuff, but the screams of pain and discomfort break my heart and make me feel incredibly guilty. Not to mention, it leads to total exhaustion for both parties involved trying to resolve said pain and crying. Now, I could just fore go this breastfeeding thing in favor of the bottle, but that seems a little extreme just for a piece of chocolate. However, as many women (and some men) know, there are often no limits on what a person might do in the name of chocolate.


Pierscen is now 5 weeks old. Can you believe it? Already over a month! It has flown by. Just like they say. And along with everything else cliche I could say, it is amazing how much he has grown already. He is a wonderful boy. I don't think we could ask for a better kid. So now it's time for an update.


His 2 week appointment brought a strange feeling of deja vu. They had just strip him down to be weighed. I knew he needed his diaper changed anyway, but once we got the process started, we discovered he had blown out - and that his pants and onesie were now out of commission. After cleaning him up and and moving him over to the scale, he proceeded to pee everywhere. The nurse laughed and said it happens all the time, which I know it does, but still. The fountain finally stopped and I did my best to wipe things down, just in time for it to start again. All I could do was laugh. From my memory, this was almost exactly how my coworkers baby's 2 week check up went - hence the deja vu. At least we weren't alone.

He weighed 8 lbs 1 oz. This was a 3 oz gain from his birth weight, so the doctor was very happy. In face, he just wanted him to be a birth weight again, so any gain was a bonus.

The stats: 28.89% for weight, 41.94% for head circumference, and 40.34% for length (he grew 1/2 an inch = 20.5)

He was also circumcised on this visit. I did tear up just a tiny bit when they first gave him in the numbing shot and he squealed and little tears started down his face. But after that it wasn't bad at all. He did continue to cry - but it was out of frustration. He hates being restrained and they had his arms and legs pinned. Not a happy child. When they flipped him over to do the heal prick, he just about crawled off the table. He had his head all the way up and pushed up on his arms screaming. Not because of the prick itself, but because the nurse was holding his foot. Seriously - don't try and restrain that boy. (Very much his father's son. I can't really cuddle with Ryan because he feels like he is being restrained...)

The rest of the umbilical cord fell off the following week and his circumcision healed nicely.

Some common questions and answers:



1. Is he a good sleeper? (and/or) Do you get any sleep?

Ryan answered this one best. "We don't sleep. We nap." On most nights Pierscen will sleep in 2 hour spurts. Some nights are better than others. One night he decided to sleep in 20 minute intervals. Yeah that was fun. But then only a day or two later he slept for 5 hours straight, woke up to eat, and went back to sleep for another 3 hours. We do have to swaddle him at night so that he doesn't wake himself up flailing his arms about. This ideally is done when he is fairly groggy. If he is wide awake, the swaddling makes him angry. Again - it's that whole restraining thing. Many nights we go to bed listening to him grunt up a storm trying to work his way free. He has quite an array of caveman sounds. He is not so much for the cooing as he is the boy noises. He truly is all boy.

I took this picture while he was napping. He managed to work one arm free and then he was a happy camper.

2. Is he a good eater?

Yes, he does eat well. However, like sleeping, he eats about every 2 hours. I can't seem to get him to last longer than that unless he is napping. (Like right now - he has been asleep for 3 hours.) I would like to extend the time of his feedings, but I am not quite sure how. Any suggestions? I am doing my best to distinguish between his cries so that I know when he is hungry, tired, bored/overstimulated, has gas, or just wants to suckle. For a while there I think I was training him to be a snacker because he always seemed to be hungry. But now if I know he has eaten relatively recently, I give him the binki instead. I know he is not starving because he is definitely growing! On Monday night, I stopped by the ER after eating dinner with Ryan to use the baby scale in triage. I honestly was quite surprised.


10.4 pounds! Granted, I am sure a few of those ounces are from his clothes, but I figured since it wasn't the doctor's office, I wouldn't strip him down to the buff. He is a healthy little guy. His little cheeks are growing, as is his double chin. I love it. He is starting to get little dimples on his hands. So stinking cute.
Later that night while getting him ready for bed, I found myself fighting to get his pajamas on. They just wouldn't fit right. I couldn't figure it out until it suddenly dawned on me - he is outgrowing them! Shouldn't have been that novel of a concept, but it was still shocking none the less. My little guy has been in newborn everything this whole time. He still fits in newborn diapers. But all of the sudden (literally overnight) his newborn outfits were just a tad bit too small. Sad day.

3. Will he take a bottle?

Yes. I didn't let Ryan try for the first couple of weeks because I didn't want him to develop flow preference and decide that it is easier to take the bottle than to breastfeed. The first attempt didn't go so well. Because I had trained him to open up wide for feeding, he was practically eating the whole nipple and bottle. (It was one of those little nipples.) We then switched to the Avent ones that are much larger (and more realistic) and he hasn't had an issue since. This has been a blessing because then Ryan is able to help out with feedings. I started teaching piano again this week, so bottle feeding was a must. Ryan does a great job with it. And if he isn't quite holding the bottle to Pierscen's liking, he will let him know by either caveman grunting his disapproval, or actually grabbing the bottle and holding it where it belongs. The kid amazes me.

4. Does he take a pacifier?

As mentioned above, yes he does, but this is a frustrating topic for me. I remember in our breastfeeding class they told us that one of the reasons they use those big green "soothies" in the hospital is because they are more realistic compared to the Nuk and other pacifiers in shape. They are designed to fall out of the child's mouth when they sleep so that the child doesn't become dependent on it being in their mouth. It makes sense. But they also suggested not letting them have it for a while so they wouldn't develop nipple confusion. Oh, the many things you learn and want to do just right... But the best of intentions don't always work out. So I didn't let him have the soothie much while we were in the hospital. As a result, he does take it, but he has a really hard time keeping it in his mouth - and not just while he is sleeping. Sometimes when he is sucking on it, he is so enthusiastic about it, it keeps popping out every two seconds. This makes him angry, and makes me frustrated as well because I have to keep pushing it back in. What good is a pacifier if it makes the two of us even more angry?! And add to that a certain little Shih tzu that has an unworldly passion for pacifiers, and it's a challenge. When Pierscen is in his bouncer and launches the soothie out, Dodger is often sitting on the side waiting for it. If I am not watching him, he will steal it and run off with it. He knows where we often keep them and is constantly doing his best to get them. This is not a jealousy issue. He has loved them since the time he was a pup. I remember taking him over to my sister's house years ago and he would run off with their pacifiers too. It's quite funny in reality, but it is frustrating.

It is getting better though. There has been no nipple confusion - and I doubt there ever would have been. Silly silly. We have found it funny, however, that on many occasions we have caught Pierscen using his hand to hold it in his mouth. (Both in the hospital and out) Fine by me!



5. Does he enjoy tummy time?

Ummm... yes and no. I will admit that I have been selective with which pictures I have posted on tummy time. A good chunk of them are actually him crying. Poor thing. He does pretty well, and he does have amazing neck strength, but he doesn't love it. However, he quite enjoys sitting in the Bumbo. I know most people don't use the Bumbo until their kid is a little bit older and actually learning to sit up, but Pierscen does really well hanging out in it. He only lasts for a few minutes before he gets tired, but it's still good exercise.

6. How does he do with his baths?

Really good. The first bath we gave him was not a fun experience. He screamed and cried the whole time. However, in the long run this wasn't a bad thing because then he ate really well and went right to bed. My mother-in-law suggested putting a wash cloth over his stomach during the bath to help keep him warm. We gave it a try and now he loves bath time. It calms him right down. Unfortunately it doesn't make him sleepy, but it does help him relax. He loves the warmth. He hardly ever cries, even when we get water in his eyes. In fact, he really only fusses when we take him out. (Definitely my child in this regard. Ryan is a short showerer. In and out. I love the warmth and would stay in there eternally if I could.)


This cute towel was made by my friend Megan. It is awesome!

7. Have you been peed on/pooped on? (Thrown up on is a given.)

Yes. In fact, I had a 2-for-1 special on both of these. It was during the first few days after his circumcision. (Maybe even that very day.) We were told that if he got any poop on his pee pee that we should drizzle water over it to wash it off rather than wiping it off. So, when it happened, I stripped him down and carried him into the bathroom to wash it off. I had him over the skin when the waterworks went off. I was hit in the face, but then leaned back as quick as a could to avoid anything else. In so doing, his bum pressed up against my stomach, which apparently wasn't totally clean... I couldn't do anything to stop the spray the way I was holding him, so I just sat back and let it go. It coated almost the entire mirror top to bottom. I was laughing the whole time. I tried to take a picture to prove just how amazing it was - but clear liquid on glass doesn't show up very well.

I think Ryan has managed to avoid both of these, although just narrowly in regards to being peed on. During Pierscen's first bath at home, Pierscen let it go. The stream was so big and so impressive, that it sent Ryan pedaling backwards as quickly as he could to avoid being hit. In the end, he ended up in the tub which being some three feet away, was just barely out of reach of the stream. Pretty impressive I would say. I could have stopped it by putting a washcloth or my hand over it, but it was just too funny.

Other things I love about my boy:

1. Watching him sleep.

Especially when he smiles. I finally caught one of his smiles on camera. It's not a great shot, but it's something. We are really looking forward to the hopefully not so distant day when he smiles at us on purpose.

2. How alert he is.

When he is awake, he is very interested in his surroundings. He loves lights. And he loves looking around. He doesn't cuddle much any more because when I prop him up by my shoulder, he just holds his head up and looks around. We recently set up a play mat for him that has lots of bright colored toys for his to swing at, a mirror, and a piano that plays music and lights up when he kicks it. Although the swings and kicks aren't intentional right now, he loves it. He entertains himself there for long stretches of time. He also enjoys mobile time. The mobile matches his bed set and has frogs, turtles and snails on it. He likes to watch the blue snail the most.


3. His hands.

He has not made the conscious connection with them yet, but he is constantly bending and straightening his fingers. He often holds his own ear or my shirt while feeding. He likes to intertwine his little fingers, and will place one hand on top of the other on my shoulder and rest his chin on them when he is done feeding. He also likes to keep his hands in the "I got your nose" fist with his thumb between his pointer and third finger. I love it when he folds his arms or makes a fist and leans his cheek against it. Or, like the picture below, fall asleep "plugging" his nose.I just love those little hands. They are so precious.

4. Going on walks with my boys.

It has been so nice that the weather has allowed for walks. We don't get out every day, but it has been great to enjoy the sunshine in the middle of January. (He is not a fan of the beanie.)


Of course there are a million other things that I could say. I love this boy more than anything. He is such a great baby.

And I do have to add...

Ryan is the best husband/father in the world. I can't say enough about him. He is usually the one to get Baby P to sleep at night, often taking him out into the living room so I can sleep while he waits for Pierscen to wind down. He typically gets him up every morning as well so that I can recover from getting up a half dozen times to feed and change him during the night. He loves to walk around with him and talk to him. The crying doesn't seem to frazzle him at all. He is great to entertain and engage with him. The diaper changing never phased him. He is fantastic. I honestly could not ask for a better husband or father for my boy.

And just to round things off, if anyone is still reading...

How am I recovering?

Slowly, but steadily. This c-section stuff is a tough one. The first few weeks were killer. I had zero energy. I am finally feeling like I have my energy back (for the most part) but I am still extremely limited on what I can do. My stomach is still pretty tender. Below the incision is basically numb. Above it almost burns. Very sensitive. And the last few days the pain has suddenly returned - but I blame that on my doctor. I just had the post postpartum check and he pushed on my tummy quite a bit to make sure the uterus was returning to normal size. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.

I thankfully have not suffered from any depression. I do go a little stir crazy if I don't get out of the house. I try to go somewhere at least once a day, even if it's just a small outing. I have not been back to church. I am ready to go back, but Ryan really wants me to keep Pierscen away from the crowds. I feel the same way, so we will just have to wait a little longer.

Sadly, the headaches I used to get before getting pregnant are returning. I haven't had any major migraines yet, but I have been getting smaller headaches almost every day in the last week. That was one blissful thing about being pregnant: the headaches disappeared.

Besides that, I am doing well. The dishes and laundry are getting done, even if it takes a little longer to do them, but that's better than not at all. The bills are starting to roll in, and I thank my Heavenly Father we have insurance. Modern medicine is amazing - and lifesaving - but wow is it expensive!

We had family pictures taken a couple of weeks ago. I will try and figure out some way of getting them on here, because I think they turned out pretty darn good!

Life is good.