Too cute!

This photo was so cute I had to post it. This is my 3-year-old niece, Adrianna. She is in preschool a couple days a week. Last week was the school Picture Day. She let my sister do her hair in curls and when she was all ready, she knew she looked good.

Two days later she fell down some concrete stairs at their house and got a black and blue eyelid and a scraped-up cheek. She's had broken arms etc. She's not afraid of anything...which gets her into trouble at her body's expense. Anyway, you'd never know it by this photo!

One month old!

Yesterday Seth was one month old, it was also Evan's 28th birthday.

We went for a 3.5 mile walk through the Metroparks on Saturday. It was a beautiful day to walk, hopefully we can go again when the leaves are changing.


A photo of Seth on his 1 Month birthday. I think he is practicing for his senior picture pose. It's also hard proof that he does in fact open his eyes. Most people see him when he's sleeping, now you know he does wake up occasionally.

Somehow we forgot to get a photo of Seth and his daddy together with the raspberry pie (Evan's must-have birthday treat).

Here's a shout out to Grandpa George who is far away in Florida. Seth says hi!

The weigh-in

Today was Seth's weigh-in to see if he had gained any weight since his last appointment on Sept. 14. He weighed 6lbs. 9oz. which was his birth weight. So, he gained 10 oz. in 10 days. Yay!!

Our pediatrician was out sick today, so the nurse just weighed him and we left. I assume I am to continue what we've been doing so that he continues to pack on the pounds.

Update

Friday was Seth's first pediatrician appointment. The good news is that he grew almost 2 inches in length and is nice and strong...he can lift his head pretty well! Everything is great except his weight. He has not gained any weight since his home check-up on Sept. 6. He is still 5lbs. 15oz. (10oz. below his birth weight). The Dr. said that she likes to see babies be back at their birth weight by this appointment. She said for me not to worry (ha!) because this is fairly common with preterm babies.

So, the new plan is to give him 1-2oz. of pumped milk at each feeding in addition to what he gets on his own. This has been challenging. It's not only more time-consuming, I'm finding out that I don't produce much milk. One ounce is about all the extra I can give.

We went up for prayer this morning at church and I realized once again there is nothing more I can do. I have to rely on Jesus to give Seth what he needs, and to help me supply more as well.

Please pray that he shows a weight gain at his next appointment on Sept. 24.

Two weeks already!

A little picture capturing our life. This was taken last night after a nice walk through the neighborhood. You'd think that it's Evan getting up with him throughout the night. ha. Evan & I are both sleep-deprived. No one can escape the noise when you live in an apartment.

Today marks two weeks since Seth's arrival. It has been challenging, but we're making progress. Thanks to everyone who commented, emailed me, and called me to give encouragement. It certainly helped!!

Tomorrow is his first check-up. I'm hoping he's gained some weight. A week ago he was 5 lbs. 15 oz. So, hopefully he's above 6 lbs. tomorrow.

He sleeps great all afternoon, and will even sleep in his bassinet for some of it. At night, this isn't the case. He wants held. He definitely is wanting held more often than not. It's difficult for me to get much done. I've also resorted to using a pacifier a few times to get him to fall asleep between feedings. He sucks on it at first, but after that it's like it's just a comfort thing. It works, though. He falls asleep once it's in. Sometimes he'll spit it out while sleeping and of course, I don't put it back in. Mostly, I must remember that he is actually just under 38 weeks old. I can't expect him to be on track with most newborns. He is catching up though, I think.

Thoughts…

Well, here we are 11 days after Seth's arrival. It has been tough, honestly. I'm a terrific worrier, and taking care of a newborn feeds right into that.

1. Nursing. I didn't think it would be so difficult. Seth fights it mostly. I'm concentrating on making sure the latch is good, but when he is pushing me away, it only adds to my frustration. He'd love to just have his fingers in his mouth all day. He was down to 5 lbs. 15 oz. on Thursday when the home nurse came, which is still in the safe range. Again, I worry he isn't gaining because he either fights the feeding or has an improper latch. The home nurse showed me how to get him to latch, and of course it worked perfectly in her presence. It hasn't been that easy since then. He is wetting and pooping his diapers, so that's an encouragement.

2. Sleep. I knew I'd have to get up at night. The last two nights though have been almost completely without sleep. As soon as we lay Seth in his bassinet and we get into bed, he starts to fuss. Usually it's not because it's time to eat, he sometimes wants held. I always offer food in case he didn't get enough, but he'll push away and continue to fuss. Often he will fall asleep if I lay him on my chest as I try to sleep too. I don't think you're supposed to do this, but it's quiet for an hour or so, until I try to lay him back in his bassinet. He slept in the car seat one night, whatever works. Frustrating. Is he awake because he's hungry (see point 1)?

3. Pacifier. Apparently he's not supposed to use this until about 1 month of age. I've used it already between feedings to help him to settle. He loves it, which probably hurts the nursing issue. So today I'm trying to not use it.

So, I'm pretty frustrated, worried, and exhausted. He's adorable and I love him to pieces, but I feel like I'm doing everything wrong. Friday is our first pediatrician appointment. Hopefully he has gained some weight. I plan on talking to the lactation nurses there too. I'm hopeful things will get better, at least that's my prayer.

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UPDATE: Last night I tried pumping for a couple minutes to get the milk flow started before putting Seth on. This worked great! He latched on much faster and stayed that way until he was done. AND we got more sleep!! He still only stays in the bassinet for about an hour before I put him on my chest. Once he's laying on me, he's out like a light until the next feeding. This feels like progress!

Meet our son!

Yep, he came early! I'm still in shock, but he's adorable. The stats:

Seth Evan Hammersmith was born Thursday, August 30 at 7:24 pm
6 lbs. 9 oz.
18.5 inches long

We're adjusting to home and trying to get the hang of nursing and sleeping.

Of course, some photos, enjoy!