Owen: Three Months

03.01.15

Dear Owen,

You are now three months old!  It is so hard to believe you are a quarter of the way through your first year of life.

You are now 8 lbs!  You still fit into newborn clothes, but your long legs are getting squished in footy PJs.  Mommy tried 0-3mo clothes on you, and they are just too big still.

You have become quite the little sleeper at night!  Around 8-8:30pm you start to get very sleepy, and if we wait too long, you get CRANKY.  This is how you let us know you are ready for bed.  So, Mommy feeds you, and then you get changed and swaddled.  We can usually put you in your Rock’n’Play awake, and you will fall asleep all on your own.  You also tend to stay asleep until early morning, sometime between 3-5am, when you wake up hungry.  After you eat, its back to sleep for another 2 hours or so, and then it’s time to eat again.  Mommy and Daddy are LOVING this long stretch of sleep every night!  You also still nap a lot during the day, but you tend to only take one really long nap and then a few short cat naps.

You gave us your first smile this month!  It is such a sweet, gummy grin, and we will talk to you in as silly of a voice as necessary to see that smile.  You also are getting better at tracking things with your eyes, and you love to look for us when you hear a voice.  You happily play on your piano mat, and your little legs just kick and kick to play music!

You are still a great eater, and have stuck to your every-two-hours routine during the day.  Breastfeeding is starting to feel much easier, although I still get nervous about my supply, making sure you are getting enough, etc.  You are not a huge fan of bottles/formula, but with a little work we can convince you to drink it.  We are hoping to discontinue your preemie formula at your 6 month birthday!

We took you to Walla Walla this month on your first vacation, and you did great!  You slept a ton in the car, and were a great sleeper in the hotel too.  We even got to walk around town in the stroller and enjoy the sunshine with Nana and Great Grandma Kathi.

We are loving watching you grow and develop, and can’t wait to see what next month brings!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Owen: Two Months

01.30.15

Dear Owen,

You are now two months old!  It doesn't seem quite possible though, because we missed out on having you home for almost a whole month.

You are still waking up every 2 hours or so to eat at night, and sometimes even every hour.  While I would much rather you sleep, I know your tiny tummy just can't hold very much yet, so waking up often is necessary.  You prefer to be swaddled in your Halo, and sleep in the rock'n'play right next to our bed.  You have also taken a few naps in your swing and in your crib!

You still haven't shared any smiles with us (besides gassy ones while sleeping), but that doesn't keep us from trying!  You now "talk" to us, and love to be held up against our shoulder so you can look around.  Your tiny neck muscles aren't very strong yet, and your heavy head swings around and hits us in the face.  :)  You are not a fan of being on your belly, unless it involves lying on Mommy or Daddy.

Your big brother Lane just adores you, and is so proud to tell everyone that you are his brother.  He holds you every day, and is great at giving you back your pacifier!

Breastfeeding has continued to go so well for us.  You have a great latch, are a quick eater, and are able to take two bottles each day (of your special preemie formula) with relative ease. You definitely get impatient when its time to eat though!

At two months old, you now weigh 7 lbs 12 oz, and are 21.5 inches long.  You are still so tiny, but have grown so much from birth!  You are still in newborn clothes, and I anticipate you will stay in them for a lot longer.

We have battled an icky rash on your belly and face/neck, and Dr. Huang thinks it might be related to a dairy allergy.  So, Mommy is going dairy-free, and we shall see if that helps.

We do plenty of babywearing every day, especially with your brother at home!  You have already been lots of places too, including the Children's Museum!  You so far love all of our carriers- ring sling, Moby wrap, and Boba.

We can't wait to watch you continue to grow, and am hopeful for a smile soon!

Love,

Mom and Dad

I Had It All Planned Out

I am such a Type-A person, who likes plans, and schedules, and lists.  I applied all of these principles to Owen's pregnancy and birth, and obviously a great deal of my plans didn't work out.

Lane's pregnancy was a complete surprise to us- we were NOT expecting to become pregnant, but it was a welcome blessing that we absolutely would not change.

Owen's pregnancy was very much planned; we knew we wanted to add another baby to our family, we knew when we wanted that to happen, and happen it did, right on schedule.

I had plans to pack our hospital bags, Lane's suitcase, and install the infant car seat soon after my baby shower, right around 36 weeks.  I even spent the evening before I went into labor discussing all of my plans with my mom!  Little did I know, I would go into labor that night, and would be rushing home the next day to throw stuff in a bag to take to Tacoma.

Although I had a great experience with my epidural with  Lane, I REALLY wanted to have a natural childbirth this time around.  So, like with everything I do, I began researching.  I read blogs, I read books, I watched YouTube videos, I talked to people, I practiced labor techniques, etc.  I really felt like I could do this.  And guess what?  I got an epidural.  And I don't regret it.  I think the stress of the situation and just how quickly everything was progressing made me feel out of control.  At home, I was able to use natural childbirth laboring techniques to manage the pain.  But after arriving at the hospital, everything was so rushed that I was never able to calm myself, remember what I had practiced, or put it into practice.  Because of Owen's prematurity, there was no laboring in a tub or shower, no bouncing on a birth ball, no trying different labor positions.  I arrived at the hospital so dilated (7cm and bulging water) that we had to move quickly to get antibiotics in me, get an IV started, get a team assembled to care for Owen, etc.  The epidural gave us a few minutes to calm down, realize the severity of the situation, and talk about what would likely happen once he was born.  I think that if we decide to have more babies, I would be able to handle a normal, term delivery naturally, and that is something I hope I get to experience.

With Lane's birth, he had to go to the Special Care Nursery a few minutes after birth due to difficulty with breathing.  I was able to hold him when he was born, but didn't get to breastfeed him for several hours.  I also missed him being weighed and measured and bathed.  I was so excited to have that experience this time around- and again it didn't go as planned.  I even told Josh one weepy night "I just want to give birth to a baby and be able to keep him with me for once!".

I had planned to have Lane at the hospital when Owen was born, so that Lane could be the first person from our family to meet him.  I wanted Lane to come into our room, climb on the bed with me, and meet his brother (and learn his name, since that was a secret).  I wanted Josh to walk into the waiting room filled with our family, and announce that Owen Ellis Davis was born (since none of them knew his name either).  Instead, Lane was at Josh's mom's house, and while my family was in the waiting room, they only got to see Owen through his incubator walls on his way to Tacoma General.  When Lane saw Owen for the first time, he was in his incubator, attached to tubes and machines, and I wasn't there.  I missed the first interaction between my boys, and it breaks my heart.

So, if this labor and birth experience has taught me nothing else, it has taught me to "go with the flow" more.  I am (slowly) learning to let go of things, and just embrace what comes.  It doesn't mean I won't still try to plan things, but at least I can accept when things don't go as planned!