A trip to town

Benjamin and I ventured out for our first Mommy/baby trip together.  

I think he's already mastered the, "Really, that camera again?" look for me. 

I love this outfit, including the socks that look like tennis shoes.

Next is the view from my rearview mirror. 

The trick is to watch the road more than I look in the mirror to check on him.

I think I did well to be a careful (but not Sunday) driver while still peeking at stop signs. 

I love the Bearview mirror that I received as a gift from my registry at The Baby Place.  

As you can tell from the link, Amazon.com carries them as well.  

We'll probably be buying a 2nd one for Josh's car.

Wouldn't surprise me if Grammy finds she likes the convenience of seeing little B too.

What was the special occasion?  Voting, of course!

We traveled over to the courthouse, stopped by the gas station for a gallon of milk, 

and swung by the Hardee's drive thru to pick up a #1, ketchup & pickle only, thank you.

Sprite to drink...sigh.  I miss my Cokes.  Caffeine's not good for newborns. :(

All in all, it was a good trip.  Benjamin slept the whole time, and he got plenty of "Ooh's and Aah's" from the ladies at the courthouse.  Even kids who saw him said, "Oh, a baby."  And when I left, "Awww, the baby's leaving."  The workers at the gas station offered to take him if we ever get tired of him.  lol.

He'll stick around the cabin now for the next several days...possibly the whole week

while friends and family drops by to see him.  

I, however, will venture out (leaving Daddy to babysit) on Saturday while I go to

 Bows to Toes

Hip hip hooray for consignment sales!  I love them.  If you ever happen to consign there mention my name as the person you heard about it from, and I'll get Baby Bucks to spend at the sale. :)

FAQ's

 

Are you breastfeeding?

Yes, I was fortunate enough to have weaned Benjamin off of the formula they were supplementing in NICU (after feeding him what I was able to pump) within 24 hours of him being home.  The Lord answered my prayers and allowed my milk to come in within 4 days of delivery.  All I needed was some real, stress-free skin-to-skin contact with my baby.  I also had very good advice about pumping between delivery and that time so that my body would respond to the demand.  Benjamin's had some trouble learning latch since he was introduced to a pacifier & bottles while at the hospital.  We're using a shield until he figures it out a little bit better.  I'm very grateful for my pump, and I have gotten plenty of use out of it already.  It's helping me through a current road block.  My milk supply has significantly decreased (I'm assuming due to the steroids), and pumping is helping us both get through so Benjamin doesn't get too frustrated.  I take my last pill in the morning, so I'm hoping to see an increase again.

Is your rash gone?

Mostly?  The redness and inflammation has reduced.  The itching is still quite aggravating.  I notice it is mostly aggravated by heat, like when I have a warm baby resting against my body, or I get warm and cozy while sleeping.  Overall there is improvement, and it hasn't spread anywhere else.  Please pray it continues to go away after the pills wear off.  I really don't want to go on any more meds.

When do I get to see the baby?

Between having a baby in the NICU for 3 days, start of the school year germs, and first-time parent protective instincts, Benjamin hasn't ventured out for much.  I cringed having to take him to the pediatrician's office two days in a row for bilirubin checks, and I was glad to for a "healthy" side to the waiting room.  Our plans are to let him go to church for the first time on Labor Day Sunday, and once we pass that time I will start making trips to schools, workplaces, and other establishments with people wanting to see him.  I've welcomed (healthy) visitors to our home to come see us and him.  I'm happy for the occasional visit (especially now that I've past the exhausted phase, and now I'm just tired) because I'm a bit stir crazy.  Plus, our visitors often bring us food!  ;)

When are you going back to work?

It looks like it will be mid-October when I head back to work.  I'm fortunate to be able to take my full Family Medical Leave.  I've had so many people tell me that, "Oh, you're not gonna want to leave that baby once you have him here."  Well, no, I don't want to, but our household budget runs on both of our incomes, so I'll venture back to work so that we can pay the bills.  Plus, I actually miss my job.  I don't relish waking up early in the morning, but I really do love being a teacher, and as hard as it will be to leave Benjamin during the day, at least I'm in the profession where God has lead me.

Who's going to keep Benjamin?

Right now the arrangements are for our pastor's wife to have him part of the week, and my mom will keep him the rest of the week.  I have several daycares that I'm comfortable with, but overall I appreciate the ability to let him stay and have one-on-one care.  

2 weeks old

Today I'm two weeks old!

My accomplishments for the week:

1.  Last night (this morning) I lost my umbilical cord.  Mom noticed at a 2 AM diaper change, and she had to look around in my sleeper to see where it went.  Now I have a precious baby belly button.

2.  Today I'm back to my birth weight of 8 lb, 4 oz...when my belly is full.  I haven't been measured recently, but mom plans to see if I've gotten any longer.  I am quite gangly for my size, although I do have mom & dad's short legs.  (outfit from Aunt Kimmie)

3.  Today I officially christened mom during a diaper change.  She took too long trying to put some Vaseline on me, so I peed on her arm and the floor.  Daddy was very amused.

4.  I am quickly learning that my mother is a menace with a camera, and I'm going to have to tolerate her taking lots of pictures of me.  I do occasionally strike a pose though. 

 

(Daddy captured this one while Mommy was napping too.) 

Mommy got these the next day.  Favorites for sure.

Time for me to eat soon.  Mom is going to sneak a banana split first for energy.  :)

Likes & Dislikes

Tomorrow Benjamin will be 2 weeks old.  Time sure flies when you're changing diapers, nursing, and trying to keep rested enough to do it all again...and again...and again.  lol.

I'm officially past my due date now.  I would have been 40 weeks yesterday.  I'm so glad he decided to make an early appearance into this world.  I can't imagine how much bigger than his 8 lbs 4 oz he would have been with two more weeks in the womb.

I thought I'd share with you a few of Benjamin's likes and dislikes.

Likes

Picture taken about 3 AM after a feeding, btw.  

Made waking up in the middle of the night completely worth it.  :)

Benjamin enjoys:
Being held & talked to by Daddy
Being cuddled by Mommy
Sleeping
Nursing/Eating
Being swaddled  (SwaddleMe wraps are awesome.)
Car rides
Looking around
Hearing Athena meow
Background noise..TVs, music, talking
Visits from grandparents & aunts

Dislikes

I believe this was post nap, prior to a feeding.  

Benjamin does not enjoy:
Having his diaper or clothes changed -- This is when we see his temper.  He doesn't like to be cold.

Being hungry

Bright lights

Passing gas

Hiccups (although he tolerates them sometimes)
Quiet (He needs noise to be able to sleep; I think he picked that up from NICU.  We play music at night.)

Being alone (He seems to be fairly social...I wonder why.  His parents are so shy.)

Benjamin is fairly impartial towards his pacifier.  He takes it sometimes, but 90% of the time he doesn't care for it.  It helps occasionally.  He also doesn't seem to care if his diaper is dry or wet.  I keep a schedule of his feedings & changings because I want to make sure that he is changed often enough.  He has such a good nature.  He's only fussy when he is hungry, being changed (and then he screams), or if he's trying to make us a messy present in his diaper.  

We have been amazed from day one about how strong this child is.  He was already attempting to hold his head up the first day he was home.  He can already hold his head up & look around, and he controls it most of the time with the occasional wobble.  His arms are so strong that we have to use the SwaddleMe wraps (they have velcro) because he busts out of any blankets we wrap him in.  He pulled my glasses of my face at 1 week, and his grip is amazing.  Even the doctor & nurses remarked how strong he is.  He was using his legs to kick away from the doctor the other day.  I let him practice his standing reflex on occasion, and he kicks off of the changing table while I hold him.  He rolls over on to his side sometimes, although I'm guessing that it isn't intentional yet.  I have a feeling if he keeps up this trend we will have an early crawler and/or walker.  Josh was walking without help at 9 months old after all.  

Benjamin is currently wearing newborn sleepers and pants.  He can fit 0-3 month onesies because he has a long torso.  He takes after both me & Josh with his long torso and short legs.

Overall we are doing great.  I may end up with the energy and time to write up his birth story sometime this next week.  I've been trying to fit in some housework between caring for him and napping (Yes, I do occasionally sleep when he sleeps).  I've also been battling a wicked rash that spread from my torso all the way down my legs to the soles of my feet, down my arms to my wrists, and on my back.  The doctor thinks it is an allergic reaction to something.  I'm currently on a (breastfeeding safe) steroid to help the rash to stop spreading, take down the inflammation, and hopefully decrease the maddening itching.  I'm unsure of what caused it.  I've had a ton of things going on of course, so my immune system has probably just declared mutiny.  Between labor, an MMR vaccine, a DTAP vaccine, NICU stress, taking care of a newborn, and taking care of myself, it's hard to say.

Now that I've taken some blog time, I'm going to go back to some housework.  I'm grateful for the temporary burst of energy from my steroids.  lol

Check it out.

Enjoy 31 products?  Check out Audra's blog at Fearfully & Wonderfully Made for some great deals.  Plus enter to be eligible for prizes.

http://audrakellymcleod.blogspot.com/2012/07/pick-date-pick-prize.html

I recently placed an order through Audra, and I'm looking forward to my new purse & lunch bag.  I'll share pictures with you once they arrive. :)

Because his grandparents want to see some pictures...

;)

1 week old

Already?!  Hard to believe, but NICU did take up a large portion of the week.

And also, my 1 week postpartum body.  Weight loss total so far...25 lbs!  Yay. :)