GG-Ma, Swimming, & Mobile

Visit with Great Grandma Pat, Swimming (er, floating) in the tub, and a great new distraction.

One Month Old

Dear Zealand,

Yesterday you turned one month old. We can't believe a month has already passed since we left the hospital teary eyed that we were bringing you home and with shaky steps wondering how in the world to care for someone so tiny. One of the first songs we sang to you was "old mcdonald." You had started to cry and it was all we knew to do in that moment. Since that time we have learned a little more about you and know now that "old mcdonald" sung off key is usually not what you need.

Some of your favorite things so far:

- Sitting in your bouncy seat on the kitchen table with a direct view of the trees outside.
- Looking out just about any window.
- Taking walks chest to chest with mom and dad.
- Sleeping on chests of mom and dad
- The "daddy bounce" - daddy holds you on your back against his arm with your head in his hands and bounces you while moving in a circle.
- Your new mobiles from Grandma and Auntie Michelle.
- Your "suck-a-roo" - aka pacifier
-Being held, rocked, and swadled
-Bathtime

I suppose none of these things are terribly unique favorites of newborns. But, caring for you 24/7 makes us feel that you are our unique little guy. Hints of your personality and temperment shine through. You are a pretty mellow guy. For the most part you save your crys for when you are wet, hungry, or gassy. By the way, you are often very gassy and will grunt and poop frequently throughout the day. Suprisingly, though. the gas is not usually accomapanied by crys - just grunts and groans of discomfort. We hate to see you like this and will try whatever we can to ease your pains - rubbing your tummy, sleeping with you on our chests, or trying whatever position seems to help.

You are a vocal little guy and have earned the nickname "buttermilk goat" for your cascading grunts that come close together. We also call you "butter," "buddy," and "butters." We have no idea how you will ever learn your legal name.

Another notable characteristic is your strenth. Your neck strength is impressive. Often when sleeping, out of the blue, you will rear your head up and look around the room. We call this the "dragon." Your grip and leg kicks are also impressive.

There is a lot about you that we can sense already but that is difficult to put into words. A certain essence of who you might become. This is caught in little grins that come now and again and certain expressions that at this point are only fleeting. You have an intense stare and even when breastfeeding (your most favorite activity by far) you will pause between vigourous sucks to stare at something that catches your eye.

Although it has been difficult at times to adjust to the lack of sleep and constant caretaking of someone who cannot vocalize what they need, both of us wouldn't trade it for a minute. Already our lives are the richer for your presence in them. Already I know that you are the most important thing to have happened to the both of us. We feel so blessed that you are our son.

I love you Zealand and look forward to the many months ahead.

Love,
Mama

Buttermilk Goat

That's our new name for the little fellow. His poop smells like buttermilk and he makes cute little goat noises. BMG for short.

I had a great fathers day breakfast in bed. (at 11am in the dining room). We introduced pacifiers this week, saw the sunset on the longest day of the year, and found a new cozy seat for Zealand.

Tahoe

The whole family just got back from some very relaxing time up in Tahoe. Besides being our first trip with Zealand, there were a number of other firsts. First public breast feeding at our new favorite frozen yogurt stop in Placerville. First hike in the woods. First time meeting Grandma Mary who came up from Mammoth. And first time away from Daddy, Chelsea and Zealand stayed up there with her grandparents while I came back early for a class. (some nice sleep for me in the process!)

Two Weeks Old

And he's doing great.

Family

Although there is so much to say (I am working on the birth story) about this new experience one thing that keeps knocking me over the head is what an amazing husband and father Duane has been. I feel so lucky to have his support and it makes me appreciate what a difference this is already making to our new family. When I was in the hospital recovering from the C-section Duane stepped in as the primary caretaker of Zealand and I. I was doing my best to breastfeed but was still so out of it from all of the drugs and the exhaustion from the labor experience. Duane diligently swaddled the baby, changed diapers, took charge with all of the doctors, and made sure that I had everything I needed. He recorded all of the feedings in a little black book (we are still using this now) and brought Zealand to me every three hours so I could attempt a feed. At one point I even felt helpless as a new mother - temporarily unable to soothe Zealand and baffled by the mechanics behind a swaddle wrap. Now that I am up and breastfeeding the caregiving dynamics have shifted as this guy is pretty preoccupied with just one thing and I have gained confidence as a new mom. But, Duane is still as involved as ever. He reads to Zealand everyday, holds him in sling (something I can't yet do because of surgery), holds him against his chest for hours to give him skin to skin contact, and continues to diaper change, swaddle, and hold glasses of water for me while I breastfeed. I feel so very lucky to have Duane as a husband and I am so happy for Zealand that already he has a father as involved and loving as his dad is. I knew I would love unconditionally our baby. I did not anticipate how much I would love watching Duane become a father - literally overnight. Zealand and I are so very lucky.

First Bath

and first Shel Silverstein

Peaceful and Fussy

Zealand is a sleepy eater so far. He slows down and often falls asleep at the breast. As his appetite is increasing, this means that he sometimes doesn't get enough during the first round. When we do the pass off to me, this means he becomes either:

Peaceful: floppy heavy head, limp body, sleepy eyes, relaxed temple, and he slumps into my arms and dozes off.

or

Fussy: Thrashing his arms, kicking his legs, trying to crawl all over me while rooting around, working on his voodoo hand motions, flexing his surprisingly strong neck. I hate seeing him in this uncomfortable state, and it would be so easy if I just had a breast to give him.  

Sometimes it's a bit of both, but it usually trends one way or another.

One Week Old

Zealand turned one week old today and it has felt like quite a ride.


cute on pink

working on his bear growl


First walk

New Hurdles Everyday

This is such a roller coaster ride.  Today we spent half of the day at Kaiser, but Zealand is now clear from worry about Jaundice, and therefore does not need to be admitted for light therapy. He also put on some weight since the previous day's measurements. (They claimed he added 6oz in 24hrs which I think is pretty much physically impossible. They even used the same scale, but something must have been wrong with the first one.) His weight was bumped by breast feeding which is just starting to get flowing. (This is a whole different story to go into.)

Today Chelsea and I shared several big laughs thinking about how tiny Zealand is and how big baby's get! It's just crazy! Chelsea's friend Jen came over for a quick visit and brought her second son Caulder - which emphasized the point. He's nine months, doesn't really talk, poops diapers, is super cute, and eats breast milk. That's what ours does! How are we going to get from her to there?? And how many nights of crying between? How many diapers.  This is crazy!.....and awesome.  [Thanks for the food Jen]

  Jen with Caulder (9 months, 18lbs) and Duane with Zealand (2 days, 7 lbs).