A Couple of Issues

This little guy has decided that he no longer needs to take long naps. He has been doing GREAT at night and sleeping 10+ hours consistently. However during the day we are on an eat/play/sleep schedule and he eats about every 3 hours. He used to eat and then stay up for 1 to 1.5 hours. Then he would take a 1.5 to 2 hours nap. This week he has decided that a 45 minute nap is all he needs. Sigh. He is not hungry when he wakes up and clearly not grumpy (see above picture) so I guess he is getting enough sleep.

He has also decided that he doesn’t really like bottles anymore. We had been giving him a bottle at least once a day since he was about 2 weeks old and never had any problems. It was great because Jon could help out with the feedings (including the night ones). Well over the last few weeks Jon has been working a lot so I have been doing all the day feedings and Aedan hasn’t been getting up at night so we haven’t had to do any night feedings. :) Since it is harder for me to pump and then get a bottle ready, I have just been nursing him. Over the weekend we gave him a couple bottles and he just acted like he wasn’t hungry. I have been trying to give him a bottle everyday since and he will drink about half of what he normally would and then acts like he is not hungry. I know he is still hungry so then I nurse him afterward and sure enough he eats more.

Other than the nap and bottle issue he has been such a great baby lately. He is happy and all smiles most of the time. We are headed to my parent’s house for the weekend, so hopefully he will keep up the good mood.

-Lauren-

Update: I wrote this post yesterday and last night I tried giving Aedan a bottle before bed, and wouldn’t you know he took it like he had never had a problem. Sigh. Oh well, I guess I worried for nothing. I am hoping he keeps taking the bottle without a problem, especially this weekend. I know there will be a grandmother and an aunt that would love to feed him!

Weekend Recap (a little late)

Since Aedan had his check up and shots on Friday he was pretty sleepy most of the day. We decided to take it easy and just relax at home all afternoon/evening, which was perfect since it was a stormy day. I am happy to say that Aedan was fine after having a long afternoon nap. He slept great that night and was back to normal the next day.

On Saturday, Jon got up with Aedan and let me sleep in a little (so nice!). He pretty much took care of Aedan all day. One of my good friends from school was having a birthday/graduation celebration Saturday afternoon. Originally they were going to have it at their condo’s pool, but since it was supposed to rain they decided to have a late brunch at Z Tajas (yum!). The 3 of us were going to go to the pool party, but once it got moved we decided it probably won’t be the best idea to take Aedan to a nice restaurant with a large group of people. Jon stayed home with our little guy and I was able to have some time with my friends which was really nice.

Jon had to work for a few hours on Sunday morning and then he had a soccer game. Aedan and I were pretty lazy and just hung around the house. Sunday afternoon we headed over to Jon’s sister’s house for our nephew’s 5th birthday party. Jon was going to bring our Baby Bjorn carrier in with us so he could carry Aedan around, but I told him I was pretty sure we won’t have to carry Aedan around at all. Sure enough as soon as we walked in the door Jon’s dad was there wanting to hold Aedan. From there I think he went back and forth between Jon’s two sisters. :) The party was during Aedan’s nap time so we only stayed for about an hour, but it was great to see everyone.

-Lauren-

Things We Love Part 2

Last month I made a list of the things we used pretty much everyday during Aedan’s first month. I can’t believe I am already making a list for his 2 month!

We moved Aedan to his crib when he was 5 weeks old. He was getting too big for the newborn bassinet part of our pack and play, and since he was already sleeping right outside our room, we decided it won’t be much different to have him sleeping down the hall in his room. He has a little bit of reflux, which makes it hard impossible to get him to sleep flat on his back. When he was in the newborn bassinet his head was tilted up a little bit and that really helped him sleep. We tried different things out in his crib, like adding a wedge under the sheet but he would just slide down. Then I found some reviews for the Boppy Newborn Lounger. A lot of people said their babies with reflux were able to sleep well on the longer. So we picked one up and he has been sleeping on it ever since. It’s nice because it props his head up, but unlike a regular Boppy the center is filled in so he can’t slip down.

Aedan hated his swing until a few weeks ago. One day Hiro woke Aedan up from a nap early so I calmed him down and put him in his swing while he was still swaddled up. He fell right back to sleep. Now I use it whenever he wakes up early from a nap or when we get home from running errands and he has fallen asleep in his carseat. As long as he is calm and swaddled and not hungry, he is pretty content in the swing (if its on the fastest setting).

We have also started to use Aedan’s bouncer more as well. He loves to be outside and the weather has been so nice. At least once a day I take the bouncer out on the front porch and Aedan sits in it and just looks around while I read or play with Hiro. The bouncer also comes in handy when I am drying my hair or putting on my makeup. I have gotten pretty good at bouncing the seat with my foot. :)

We have been using our Baby Bjorn carrier a lot lately. It is so easy to just strap it on and wear it when we take Hiro to the park or on a walk around the neighborhood. I also like using the carrier when I go grocery shopping. His carseat doesn’t seem to fit very well in the shopping cart, plus it is getting pretty heavy to carry around. We just started having him face forward in the carrier, I can’t tell if he likes it better or not yet, but either way he likes being in the carrier.

Last but not least we have figured out that bouncing on a yoga ball pretty much cures everything from being fussy to needing to burp. I’m pretty sure Aedan would be perfectly happy just to be held and bounced 24/7. Jon sometimes puts Aedan in the carrier and then watches a soccer game while bouncing on the ball.

Thanks for all the helpful advice about tomorrows shots! I’m planning on waiting and seeing how he does. Since he is only getting 2 shots instead of 5, I am hoping he will be fine without anything afterward, but we’ll see.

-Lauren-

Baby Schedule Update

We have been working on a schedule/routine for about a week now. It’s going really well. I think Aedan hit his 6 week growth spurt at the beginning of the week so during the day he was eating every 2 to 2.5 hours and then at night he downed two 4 oz bottles before bed!

It seems like we are past the growth spurt and now we are back to him eating about every 3 hours during the day (much more manageable than the snacking he was doing before).

He has also started to sleep much longer at night. On Tuesday night he was asleep from 9pm-3am then he ate and went right back to sleep until about 6:30am. Last night he had a hard time falling asleep and didn’t go to bed until 11, but he slept until 6:30. :)

Tonight he was pretty tired so he went down around 7:30. We are going to feed him again before we go to bed around 11, and I am hoping for another long stretch of sleep until the morning.

-Lauren-

National Infertility Awareness Week

This week is National Infertility Awareness week.

I know there are many others out there that have struggled for much longer and endured many more treatments in regards to infertility, and many others that are still waiting for their journey to be over, but I wanted to share our story.

I always knew I wanted children. Jon and I talked about before we were married. It just seemed like the next step for us after marriage(and after we got this little guy).

We never really laid out a specific timeline for when we would start trying. One weekend, after we had been married for a little over a year, one of Jon’s good friends was visiting with his wife and their 9 month old son. We had such a great time with them and the baby. After they left I remember Jon and I talking about when we wanted to start trying. We didn’t think it would happen right away so we thought why not start now.

After about 6 months of not using birth control and waiting for something to happen, we started trying a little harder. I went to my doctor for my yearly appointment and mentioned that we had been trying for over 6 months. She said to come back in another 6 months if nothing happened. Ugh. I remember feeling so frustrated! I felt like we had been trying for so long. It seemed like so many of our friends were getting pregnant and while I was happy for each of them, it left me feeling discouraged.

I think that was about the time that I really started to read more blogs. I remember staying up late at night reading about other couples going through the same thing. It was such a comfort to read their stories and know that it wasn’t just us.

Finally after another 6 months had gone by I went back to my doctor. After being off the pill for a little over a year, my cycle was still irregular and very long. I felt like this could be the problem (which I had expressed at my previous appointment 6 months before) but my doctor didn’t think it was a problem. She did some tests on both of us and then referred us to a fertility specialist.

The specialist wanted to run her own test so of course it was another few months before we got those results. She found a cyst in my uterus that needed to be taken out. It was nothing serious and the surgery went well. The next cycle we decided to try Clomid since the specialist felt like my long cycles could indeed be the problem.

We tried the lowest level of Clomid. Towards the end of the 14 day wait we took a trip to South Padre. It was a relaxing trip and really helped keep my mind off testing. The day we were driving back was supposed to be the day I would start. When it didn’t happen that day, I decided I would take a test the next morning if I still had not started.

The next morning Jon had to get up early for a job. While he was making breakfast, I took a test. It was immediately positive. I’m pretty sure I sat there stunned for a few minutes. After 18 months of trying I was finally seeing my first positive test! I immediately went out to the kitchen to tell Jon. We were both pretty excited!

Now we have a healthy 6 week old boy and while he keeps us up at night and can be fussy at times, we love him so much and are so thankful for him. 

I know that God’s plan and timing is always perfect (despite the times we think it’s not). Looking back now I realize how much better timed his birth was than had we gotten pregnant right away. I was able to finish up grad school and my maternity level provided the perfect transition period for me to go from a therapist to a supervisor. Even though it was a long 18 months, I know our marriage was strengthen by the journey.

-Lauren-

A Few Pictures

 Relaxing on the Boppy.

Getting a little hungry.

Watching the fan, while Mommy folds laundry.

Watching the fan from my play mat.

Finally looking at the camera.

Back to the fan.

Baby Schedule

Life around the Dechiro house is going well.

We were finally able to clear up Aedan’s diaper rash (I think he had it for just about 3 week, poor little guy). Diaper changes are much quieter now. :)

Aedan has been on a pretty good schedule, but I felt like he was “snacking” a lot throughout the day vs nursing well and getting a full meal every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. So, today we have officially started a flexible Babywise type schedule. I started by getting Aedan up at 7 (even though he had just eaten at 5:30 and probably would have slept longer, I want to try and get a consistent wakeup time down before I go back to work). He ate and then we had some wake time before he went down for his first nap around 8:15.

The Babywise book talks about setting up a eat/wake/nap sequence for during the day and then just a eat/sleep sequence at night. It says to watch for signs that your baby is ready for a nap so I paid more attention today and was surprised how easy it was to put Aedan down for a nap. Before today I felt like we were on a eat/sleep/eat a little more/wake/eat a little more/nap schedule during the day, which was tiring and unpredictable. I was having a hard time getting everything done throughout the day since I felt like I was always nursing. Right now Aedan is down for his second nap (he was just as easy to put down again) and sleeping soundly. I have already had time to get ready, clean the kitchen and living room, and wash some laundry.

I’m sure we will have some bumps in the schedule here and there, especially in the evening when Aedan can be pretty fussy, but overall I think it is going to go well.

Aedan officially moved to his crib at night last Saturday night. He has been taking naps in there since our first week home, but at night he was sleeping in his pack and play bassinet in our room. After the first couple of weeks we moved his pack and play right outside our room because he is a loud sleeper. Then we figured if he is not in our room, why not just put him in his room since that is were he needs to learn to sleep anyway. He has been doing great and we have been sleeping better. :)

-Lauren-

One Month

I can’t believe Aedan is already a month old! 

Aedan, here is what you have been up to:

• You are weighing in at 10lbs and 9oz, which means you have packed on a little over 3lbs since we brought you home from the hospital! We had your 1 month check up today and the Dr. said you are doing great!
• You wear size 1 in diapers and 0-3 month clothes fit you well (although pants and sleepers are still pretty long on you).
• You LOVE to be held (in fact you usually hate it when we put you in your bouncer or swing)
• You love to fall asleep on your daddy’s chest.
• You like to lay on your tummy, especially on your play mat
• You take most of your naps in your crib, and I think we are going to move you there for the nights very soon. You have a little bit of reflux so you prefer to sleep propped up.
• You’re on a pretty good schedule: you wake up between 7 and 8 every morning, you usually take a short nap midmorning, then a long nap around lunch time, and a few short naps in the afternoon/early evening. We have a bedtime routine and you usually go to sleep between 8:30 and 9:30, then you wake up every 3-4 hours at night to eat.
• You are doing great at nursing and you take a bottle just fine too (which means your daddy gets to help out with night feedings sometimes).
• When you get upset (during diaper changes and after we get you out of your bath) we can calm you down with your pacifier. The only pacifier you will take is one we have that has a little frog attached. We named it Hurly and we take it everywhere.
• You have already been to the Greenbelt 3 times and you LOVE to be outside.

We have had so much fun getting to know you and learning about your little personality. We can’t wait to watch you keep growing!

-Lauren-

Things We Love

Aedan is just about a month old and I just thought I would share a few of the things we use on a daily basis and love.
I love the Bravedo nursing tanks. I have a couple of them and wear one just about everyday, either under a t-shirt or hoodie. They make nursing super easy and I don’t feel like I am getting undressed every time my chunky monkey wants to eat.

When Aedan goes down for a nap, I usually turn on his Sleep Sheep. It makes a few different sounds, but I usually use the heartbeat sound.

At night and for his longer naps, we swaddle Aedan. He sleeps longer when he is swaddled up and I think it helps him fall back asleep after his night feedings. We started by just using regular receiving blankets, but he always got his arms out and they were kind of thick so we switched to a Swaddle Me (so he wouldn’t get hot). He could still get his arms out of that, but it worked pretty well. Earlier this week I picked up a Miracle Blanket since we only had one Swaddle Me. I really like the Miracle Blanket! He can’t get his arms out and it is easier to rock him while he is laying on our chests (since he has some reflux he needs to stay upright after eating).

After trying 3 or 4 different types of pacifiers, we finally found one that Aedan loves. He always has his hands up by his face (even in his ultrasound pictures) so I just knew it would only a matter of time before he started sucking his thumb. I would prefer he suck on a pacifier rather than his thumb. I know how to fade out a pacifier when he gets older, I’m not sure how to take away a thumb. :)
Anyway, he only uses the pacifier when he is really upset, like after we take him out of the bath or after a diaper change (he has had a pretty bad diaper rash so changes are not so fun for us or him). This is the only pacifier that will take. It’s perfect because the little frog rests on his chest/belly and helps hold the pacifier in since Aedan tends let it fall out of his mouth.

He will even grab onto the frog…too cute! (sorry for the poor picture quality, I took it with my iphone)

We also use our playmat everyday for tummy time or just when I need to get something done. Aedan also likes to sleep on his stomach so I let him take short naps on the mat (so I can keep an eye on him).

Those are just a few things we have used on a daily basis and have helped us get through the first month. I can’t wait to see what our favorites will be next month.
-Lauren-

Pictures!

I’m finally getting around to posting some pictures of Aedan’s room. There are still a few things left that I want to do, but it’s just about there.  

 

I framed some big alphabet cards to hang on either side of the window. 

 

Things I would still like to do: paint the little table by the chair red, get a floor lamp for behind the rocking chair, frame some newborn pictures to hang over the dresser and get some curtains. Hopefully I will find some time to get those things done in the next month or so. :)

Now for some pictures of Aedan!

Trying to get the hang of tummy time. 

So far so good.

Not okay!

Much better. :)

Looks like someone is just about to wake up. After we eat, we are headed out to the park to enjoy this beautiful day!

-Lauren-

Catching Up and 2 Week Appointment

First off, I really need to transfer some pictures from my camera to my computer! I think that will be one of my goals for tomorrow. :)

Today Aedan had his 2 week check up. At our last appointment his weight had gone down to 7lbs and 1oz (he weighed 7lbs, 14oz at birth). By this appointment, the doctor wanted him to be back up to at least his birth weight…well he definitely accomplished that! My little guy weighed in at 8lbs, 10oz! I can’t believe he is getting so big, so fast! There are already a few newborn t-shirts that are too small for him.

Overall things are going pretty well. Monday was Jon’s first day back to work after taking 2 weeks off. It’s been a little hard for him to get back into the swing of things since we are still getting up twice a night with Aedan. Tonight I am going to try nursing Aedan in his room instead of ours so Jon can get some more sleep (he is a loud eater!).

This week I also started putting Aedan in his crib for naps during the day. The last 2 weeks we just kind of let him fall asleep wherever during the day. We had family in town and he would end up sleeping in someone’s arms, in his swing or in his bouncer. So far he has been doing really well napping in his crib. He cries for maybe 1 or 2 minutes and then is out. I like having him in his room because it makes me feel like I can get more things done around the house without worrying about waking him up. Jon set up a web-cam that I can pull up on my laptop or on our TV and I can see and hear what Aedan is doing in his crib.

Speaking of laptops…last week I got a new toy!

My old laptop had a broken fan which made it super loud when running, and the battery was pretty much shot so it had to be plugged in all the time. This new laptop (yes, I got it in cherry red!) is perfect! It a little bit smaller than my old one and much lighter. I am loving it!!

Pictures later this week for sure!

-Lauren-

1 Week

Look who is already 1 week old!

 

Aedan has been doing great! He is 7lbs 5oz and wears newborn size diapers. He is wearing newborn size sleepers and they are still a little big but fit him for the most part. He sleeps about 3 hours at a time, which means we get up about twice a night (not too bad). He sleeps the longest in the morning so I usually feed him between 5 and 6am and he will sleep until 9 or 10, which means for now we are sleeping in with him. :)

We are having so much fun learning about him and his little personality. He loves to have his hand or hands touching his face (just like the picture). Jon will swaddle him up and put him to sleep, then a few minutes later Aedan will start fussing. When we check on him he is asleep again but one little hand has found its way out of the swaddle and will be up by his face.

Overall I think week 1 has be great and I am loving every minute. I’m feeling pretty good and it is wonderful to be able to move around without feeling like I am caring a watermelon around with me. :)

-Lauren-

Happy Due Date Aedan

Today is Aedan’s official due date. I can’t believe it has already been 6 days since he arrived. I’m so glad he came when he did. Not only was I pretty sick of being pregnant, but he came at the beginning of my mom’s  (who is a middle school teacher) and sister’s spring break. It allowed my mom to spend most of the week here in Austin.

Aedan has been a such a good baby. We are so in love! He has been sleeping and eating really well. I was expecting him to be bigger so most of his clothes are 0-3 months and they swallow him up. He has 6 little newborn sleepers so we have been rotating those and doing lots of laundry.

Yesterday Aedan had his first sponge bath. He didn’t like it too much, poor baby!

Today went ventured out and ran some errands. It was nice to get out of the house. We went to Target, Costco and Buy Buy Baby. Aedan did really well. There were a few eating breaks but overall it was a very productive afternoon. On our way back home we stopped by the doctor’s office for a weight check. Aedan has gained 4oz since Tuesday, which brings him up to 7lbs and 5oz. :)

-Lauren-

Aedan’s Birth Story

I wish I had bet on when Aedan would arrive! When I found out I was dilated to 3cm  just before 37 weeks, I began to think he was going to come early. Then at my next appointment I hadn’t made much progress so I began to wonder just how early he could come. For some reason I kept telling myself that he would be here either the 13th or the 14th, and it turns out I was pretty dead on (he was born at exactly 11:56pm on the 13th).

On Saturday Jon and I slept in. We let Hiro up on the bed and the three of us enjoyed a lazy morning together. Once we got up and had breakfast we cleaned up the house and Jon went to run some errands (I was about to join him when I started having contractions and decided to stay home). When he came home around 2pm I was have contractions pretty regularly but they weren’t very painful. Around 3pm we decided to start timing them and found out they were about 3-4 minutes apart. We called the nurse at 4pm and she said we could go ahead and head to the hospital. I was afraid it was false labor so we decided to wait another 30 or 40 minutes. Since the contractions were just getting stronger we headed for the hospital around 4:40ish. We got checked in and I was hooked up to the monitors by 5:30pm and my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and I had dilated to a 5. The nurse let us know that this was the real deal and we wouldn’t be going home for a few days. :)

While Jon made calls to our parents I got my epidural (best thing ever!). My doctor came in a broke my water and by 9pm I was 10 cm dilated and ready to push. Everyone thought it would be no time before Aedan arrived.

(feeling great after getting my epidural)

Unfortunately while everything else had happened super fast, pushing did not go the same way. I pushed for about 2.5 hours and Aedan made some good progress but once we got to certain point he just wasn’t moving and I was exhausted! We made the decision to use forceps around 11:40 and from then on everything went really fast. Once the forceps were in place it only took 1 contraction and he was out.

Jon really wanted him to come on the 13th since its his favorite number and his soccer number. I didn’t think we made it, but apparently we did by 4 minutes. :)

(Our tired but happy little family)

I’ll post more about our hospital stay in another post (along with more pictures).

-Lauren-

Introducing…

Our son, Aedan Cole Dechiro

Aedan was born on March 13th at 11:56pm and is perfect. We are all home now and doing well. I will post more when I get a chance. :)

-Lauren-

Dr Appointment Update

I went to the doctor this morning and now I am 4 cm! My doctor thinks it will happen sooner rather than later (maybe this weekend)! If not, I go back in on Tuesday to have my membranes swept. If that doesn’t work, she said we could talk about inducing on the 18th!!

I would prefer things to happen on their own, but he is so low that it is uncomfortable 90% of the time. I am so ready to be done! Hopefully I only have one more week at the most!

I can’t wait to meet our little guy!

-Lauren-

Just Waiting

I’m pretty sure I am going to be spending this week and next week just waiting. Jon has to work up in Round Rock all week so its just me and Hiro at home. Today I did laundry, baked zucchini bread muffins, went to the library and to yoga…oh so exciting. :) I also rearranged our bedroom, just because I was bored.

Jon and I had a pretty relaxing weekend. The weather wasn’t that great so the kite festival got moved to next weekend. I went walking Saturday morning and then Jon and I ran errands that afternoon. We went to check out the new HEB Plus that just opened down the street from our neighborhood.

The old HEB that used to be there was super small and always very crowded. We usually would end up shopping at an HEB a few more miles away, just to avoid the crowd. Now we have a much bigger HEB super close to our house, which is going to be great. :)

On Sunday I was supposed to have my BCBA study group over, but everyone was really busy so we ended up cancelling. Since I didn’t have anything to do, I went with Jon to Cabelas. Jon bought a new gun (I don’t remember what kind but its pretty impressive). Our deal was that he could buy something with some of our tax return money and I get to spend the same amount on something I want. I’m planning on spending some of my money on new clothes for spring/summer. I can’t wait to pack up my maternity clothes!

-Lauren-

38 weeks

I had my 38 week appointment this morning. My doctor said nothing much has changed, so it could be any day or a couple of weeks from now. She said she won’t let me go past March 25th (our anniversary). I guess for now we just wait.

Other than feeling huge, I have been feeling pretty good. I am sleeping pretty well and haven’t had to deal with any swelling (except my hands sometimes when I go on long walks).

The weather has been absolutely beautiful the last few days so I have been out walking as much as possible. If it is still nice this weekend, I think we are going to go to the Kite Festival.

 

I’m going to run some errands this afternoon and just enjoy having lots of free time for now. :)

-Lauren-

Belly Pictures

Here are a few of the great pictures that our friend Aaron took for me on Monday.

I love them! Thanks Aaron!!

-Lauren-