Baby bakes banana bread

Last week Owen and I made some whole wheat banana bread - he was my lucky charm because the last three times I've attempted to make bread it was a GIANT FAIL. Not this time, this time it came out perfectly! Just the right amount of sugar and spice from my little helper ;)


Baking is a hard job and all that cooking really took a toll on Mr. Owen. This was the first time he fell sleep in the Moby facing out - what a sweet little squishy face!! (please excuse my pre-shower bed head, we just had to capture this cuteness - disheveled Mommy and all!)

I love this turtle bib!

Reading time

Owen *LOVES* to be read to. He stares intently at the books and usually doesn't make a peep until the book is over. Every morning when Owen wakes up, after he eats we bring him in bed with us and read him a story.

And sometimes at night he gets a story and some snuggle time with Daddy.

Look at that red hair on my boy!!

Bathtime snuggles

So our PUJ tub won't work in the new apartment. One sink is too big and one sink is too small. We were thoroughly disappointed because Owen loved his baths in the Puj. The saddest part of all is that we now own the largest plastic baby bath on the market. I think we were destined to own this monstrosity after declaring we would never buy such a thing. It doesn't help that O HATES his new tub and bathtime all together now. We're hoping its a phase. I'm also hoping my back muscles stop spasming from bending over our very deep bathtub to reach into this plastic tub to scrub my boy.

Somehow the clean baby cudding afterwards makes up for it - GEESH, these baby feet get me every time!

Tummy Time - a work in progress

We've come a long way with tummy time this month, O is getting bigger and stronger every day!

My first Mother's Day

Looked like this

and my heart was filled with the most unimaginable love for this boy. Just like it is everyday.

Better late than never!

With all the moving chaos we didn't have a chance to post Owen's 2 month snapshots. Here you go, our adorable boy!

City boys, city girl

I'm happy to report we made it safely to Pittsburgh with two cars, a 24-foot truck, a 10-foot truck and a two month old! Go us! We couldn't have done it without the help of my brother "Uncle Dane" - helping us move was my 30th birthday present from him and it seriously was the gift that kept on giving.

Moving from a 4-bedroom, 3 bath house to a two bedroom apartment has been quite the challenge for us and even though we parted ways with our dehumidifier, recumbent bike, queen guest bed, lawn equipment, patio furniture and TONS of cherished chotchkies junk we're still strapped for space. A trip to IKEA seems to have done the trick for the kitchen but Jeremy's medical books might reside in our basement storage PERMANENTLY.

Owen is doing well, we had a lactation consultant out to the house this morning who could not have been nicer. She helped us with Owen's latch and making a schedule for him. This boy is growing like a weed!! He has already gained 1 pound six ounces over the last two weeks and has developed a case of the thigh chubs! I can't wait to unpack the camera and show them off! I also have some great 2-month pictures that we took of him just before we left Dayton.

So we're here and as soon as things settle down and get unpacked I'll post more updates/pictures.

Also, the rumors are true - no one can have a casual conversation in this state without bringing up NFL football. We need a better response to "So are you guys Steeler fans?" - GO BUCKS doesn't seem to appease them.

In other news - my wedding ring fits and it feels like i am wearing it for the first time all over again. I can't stop starring at it! *love*

Eat at MOMS

I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a child quieted at its mother's breast;
like a child that is quieted is my soul.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and for evermore.
-Psalm 131

Our pediatrician called with Owen's blood work and it indicated he was malnourished. I guess he wasn't able to drain my breasts through the nipple shield, even though he would "eat" for nearly two hours at a time. There always seemed to be some milk in the cup so I had no idea he wasn't getting enough. And when he was finally starving he rejected the shield. Owen was sleeping all day for two days before our Dr. visit and we thought he was just tired. Nope. Starving. Our pediatrician said he may not have had enough energy/muscle tone to lift his head and push up with his arms during tummy time. Also might explain why he was so fussy over the last month.

I have been a mess since his doctor last week. This was an awful thing and I felt solely responsible for it. My heart broke at the thought of him being hungry all the time and then just giving up and sleeping when he couldn't satisfy himself.

I was sad, and felt guilty but was not ready to give up on what I believe is best for my son. I am happy to report that Owen and I are working our way back. With the stress and the shield, my milk supply was very low - but thankfully I had been pumping and storing milk since week one. Owen is latching now and doing well. I pump after each feeding to stimulate supply. I take 3 Fenugreek pills 3 times a day, got some rest and have been drinking TONS of water. Our pediatrician wanted to supplement with formula, but since we had a small supply of my milk in the fridge and agreed to call in weights she agreed to let us try our method.

We bought an infant scale and we weight Owen before and after he eats (same clothes, no diaper changes) to determine how much he ate. He needs ~ 30 ounces per day so we're making sure he has a minimum of 4 ounces per feeding. If he doesn't get it from me, we give him a bottle to finish it out. At first we were force feeding our poor boy - but now he's increased his stomach capacity and taking 4 ounces per feeding like a champ!

This morning I woke up engorged - I fed Owen FOUR FULL OUNCES on my own!! Then three hours later - again he ate FOUR ounces from me AND I pumped an additional 1.5 ounces! The best news of all is after a week of diligently feeding our cub - HE GAINED ONE POUND. As of this morning he weighed 10 lbs. 11 ounces.

Jeremy was so supportive of all this and I could not have done it without him. He cheered us on, helped Owen latch, bottle feed him and supported me through my ups and downs. He was just as crushed as I was when we set Owen on the scale last week and even more so when the doctor called with the blood work confirming it. He has been so strong with all that is going on and packed up our home and arranged our entire move himself. He made sure that my sole responsibility over the last week was feeding Owen.

These are all such good things. All of this in addition to news that there wasn't an underlying thyroid function problem with Owen and thankfully we are blessed with a versatile baby who has no problem going from breast to bottle and back again.

Breastfeeding was and is so important to me and although it has been one of hardest things I've ever done in my life, and I considered giving up on more than one occasion - for the first time I feel like the two of us are succeeding. Be on the look out for a more confident Mamma toting a little red-headed boy with some serious chubs.

Playtime

Owen is finally starting to interact with his toys. He *loves* Peter, and is enjoying his time on the play mat. He even smiles and swats at the safari animals hanging from the bouncer.

My heart melts with all of this adorableness going on in my living room. ABSOLUTELY MELTS.

Two Month Check Up

Today was Owen's two month well baby visit. I was dreading it all week because my sweet babe would have his first immunizations and because the office we go to doesn't order combo vaccines, my little cub would be getting FIVE SHOTS.

Leading up to the visit I knew Owen had not chubbed up the way we would have liked. He has been struggling with the nipple shield and nursing for two hours at a time with seemingly no satisfaction. Even though his pediatrician told us last month to let him sleep for a six hour stretch at night, his longest was 4.5 hours. All of this was making for a very exhausted Mommy. Over the past two days O began to reject the nipple shield all together but seemed to be latching on and draining my breasts in about a half hour. The past two days had gone fairly well, so I was beginning to be optimistic.

Owen was in such a sweet mood when we brought him to his visit - cooing and smiling. We stripped him down to his diaper and put him on the scale and of course he wailed. As the nurse moved the ticker, our hearts sank. 9 lbs 11 oz. Owen had not even gained a pound since his last visit four weeks ago. His head circumference was also behind -falling from the 50th percentile to the 25th, but luckily our little string bean was right on track with his length.

Weight: 9 lbs 11 ounces - 15th percentile
Length: 23.5 inches - 50th percentile

We told her Owen smiled but about two weeks later than expected. We also had to confess that Owen hates tummy time and refuses to lift his head and push up with his arms. His pediatrician was concerned about all of these issues. She observed his apathetic tummy time, and noted that his neck and arms were weak - although his legs are VERY strong. She ordered some blood work to check his hemoglobin and thyroid levels. She instructed us to monitor his food intake and never to let him go longer than 3 hours without eating during the day, with only one long stretch at night.

...and then the nurse walked in with Owens vaccines. SHIT. I totally forgot. I attempted to feed Owen while the nurse fumbled around with the injections. We opted to hold off on Hep B for another month to avoid the 5th injection but the screams coming from my poor babe after four needle sticks were simply torture.

The pediatrician was also not happy to hear my paid maternity leave was denied. She wrote a note last month requesting I stay home for six more weeks with Owen to establish breastfeeding. HR notified me last week that I could take the time, but it would be unpaid because "breastfeeding is not a medical diagnosis and plenty of mothers pump and have perfectly healthy babies." Because Jeremy doesn't start his job until July we couldn't go without income so I went back to work this week. After today's visit his pediatrician called HR and two hours later I received a phone call, "Mrs. Reese, we received a call from Owen's doctor and your sick time has been approved through the end of May. Please stay home and be with your son. We hope things get better soon."

Owen didn't latch for the rest of the day and refused the shield. Each time I sobbed over my sweet babe as Jeremy warmed a bottle of pumped milk for him. He was tired and clingy all evening and I just wanted the day to be over.

All this made for very overwhelmed Mamma. I felt like complete failure - today just wasn't what we wanted to hear. I know things could be much worse and I have so much to be thankful for. Overall we have a happy, healthy son. I have the most incredibly supportive husband any woman could ask for. Me and O just need to get over this little hump. I am praying we can get him back on track. I am praying I can dig deep inside me and find that confident Mamma that I so badly want to be. Can you help me find her?