3 Weeks Old- COLLYN

WOW! 3 weeks already!? I think I say that with every update on my kids, but time sure does fly! I can't believe next week it will be a whole month! Collyn is one popular and busy kid! Let me tell you. We have been doing lots this week! p>Updates!!! :)

GROWTH: At Collyn's doctors appointment on Wednesday(2 1/2 weeks old) he weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. Since birth he has gained 6 ounces (He lost 8 ounces after he was born) and has grown an inch.

EATING: He is still nursing wonderfully. We are still on the schedule of every 2 hours or so and he nurses for about 10-20 minutes depending on how hungry he is. Sometimes he will eat sooner, he is pretty much doing on-demand feedings. We haven't tried a bottle yet, but I'm thinking about pumping so Lyndon can help me during the night, but I'm afraid to because he is taking the breast so well. We will see.

CLOTHING: Newborn. He is fitting much better in newborn clothing. Maybe by a month old he will be in 0-3 month. :)

DIAPERS: Newborn.

SLEEP: What is sleep? Who needs it anyway right?? Just kidding. He really isn't that bad of a sleeper. It just depends on the night. Some nights he will give me a good 3 1/2-4 hour stretch between feedings and some nights he is up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. He is still sleeping most of the day. He is awake a lot more this week. He wakes up and eats and stays awake through bathtime (For everyone) and breakfast. I feed him again and he sleeps through the morning. Then, wakes up to eat and sleeps for a couple hours in the afternoon. Eats, and sleeps another couple hours in the evening.

DEVELOPMENT: His eyes are focusing better. I put him in his swing and he fixed his eyes on the mobile above him. If I talk to him he will look at me. He is wiggling and exercising a lot more during the day. If you lay him on your chest he will attempt to lift his head... and getting pretty good at it. His head of course is still super wobbly, but he can keep it up and it doesn't fall forward in his carseat anymore. That always freaked me out when I was driving.

ACTIVITIES: This week he has gone to a restaraunt with Momma and Daddy. Alden stayed with Grandma and Grandpa while we went. A little "Date". We also had a block party in our front yard hosted by MTE Communications (Where my dad and sister work) about 50-60 people from our neighborhood showed up for hamburgers, hot dogs, and ice cream sundaes (Did I mention how much I love small towns??) He went shopping with mom and dad. I still haven't attempted the shopping trip alone with both kids yet. I'm still a big chicken! He went to a birthday party for a friend of ours' daughter who was turning 12. He was passed around all night. After church, they had a Back To School Bash and he enjoyed the nice mild weather and getting passed around to different ladies in our church. We left before the band started playing because it was too loud for the boys.

Updates next week. A whole month old!!!!

Swimming With The Youth Group

On Wednesday after the doctors appointment, I brought the boys home and put them down for their naps and Lyndon stayed at the church to work. I had a choice to go pick up Lyndon after youth group, or take both kids to the pond they would be swimming at.

We went swimming!!

Alden LOVED it!

When we got there, Alden played in the sand. He loved running it through his fingers and throwing it. We haven't been able to be outside as much this summer because I was pregnant and it was super hot! So, Alden REALLY enjoyed it.

Collyn got hungry, so I took him to the car and fed him while Lyndon and the youth kids played with Alden. He got to go in a peddle boat, put his feet in the water, play volleyball, and eat cookies and otter pops... All while I nursed. Thats how spoiled he is with the youth group.

The rest of the time, Alden just ran around playing and I held Collyn. It was a nice evening. It was only about 85 degrees outside. Collyn loved just hanging out of my lap in the heat. He slept most of the time.

It was a great evening to get out! :)

Dr's Check-Up

This last week Lyndon and I took both boys to their doctors appointments. We combined the appointment so we didn't have to deal with needles and poking more than once.

Alden was up first. He weighs less than I thought he did. He is weighing 24 lbs 3 oz and is 33 1/2 inches long. He is in the 50th percentile in weight and 75th in height. He is becoming our little string bean. He is developing correctly and is saying more words than he should be. :) Genius! HAHAHA! Alden had to get 3 shots in his legs. He cried and I cried. Lyndon held on to Collyn while they gave him shots, then we switched off. Alden did so good that he was given a coin from the doctor and he was able to take the coin and get a prize! He got a bouncy ball. :)

Collyn was up next. He has gained weight!! YAY!!! He weighs 7 lbs 5 oz and is 20 1/2 inches long. Weight: 50th percentile Length: 75th percentile. He didn't have to get shots, but he had his heal poked for his PKU. His belly button looks good and he is well fed.

I feel so blessed to have two healthy little boys!

Check Out My Boots!

My mom went shopping the other day at Kohls and got an AMAZING deal on some winter boots for Alden. They were on clearance for 8.99 and she had 30% off of that. WOW! they are Lightning McQueen boots that light up when you walk.

I showed them to Alden and then put them in his room because I figured he wouldn't be interested in them until it was snowy outside. I was wrong.

I didn't realize he associates boots with Daddy's fire fighting boots. He has worn these things around the house for days now. He napped in them one day and we had to take them off of him when he fell asleep one night because he wanted to sleep in them. I couldn't imagine how hot his feet were.

It's so fun to have a toddler in the house. They do the funniest things.

(And, yes, they are on backwards. He put them on all by himself!)

2 Weeks Old- Collyn

Our little Collyn is 2 weeks old today. I cannot believe how quickly these two weeks have flown by! The last two weeks of pregnancy were miserable and the waiting game was horrid, but these two weeks have been amazing.

Here are some updates:

GROWTH: I'm horrible about this right now. As they get older I can hold them on the scale with me and measure that way, but I have no exact measurements for him yet. We have a doctors appointment on Wednesday (Both boys get shots, yuck) so we will find out how much he has grown.

EATING: He is doing wonderful nursing. I never thought I would be the parent who would enjoy breastfeeding, because I got so frustrated with Alden because he couldn't nurse. Collyn eats about every 2-3 hours depending on how much he eats at the feeding before. He nurses only on one side at each feeding for 10-20 minutes, again depending on how hungry he is. We haven't tried a bottle since the first few days of life. I am exclusively nursing him which seems to working. I've learned to keep a hair rubberband of my wrist and move it to which side he is supposed to nurse next. It has helped a lot because I constantly forget, while I am chasing Alden around. :)

CLOTHING: We are still in Newborn sized clothing, but they are starting to fit like newborn clothes are supposed to. He isn't swimming in his outfits anymore. Thank goodness. I never had this issue with Alden.

DIAPERS: Newborn Size. I have 2 packages left of newborns and then we will try Size Ones since you can buy those in bulk.

SLEEP: Sleep is actually okay. I don't know if it's because he is my second and I am just used to being sleep deprived, but getting up with him in the night isn't as hard as it was with Alden, and I don't feel as exhausted. Maybe it's because I don't have time to feel exhausted. :) Collyn usually will go down to bed around 9 PM. He wakes up about 12 AM for a feeding and then sleeps until about 3:30 - 4 AM. Then, we feed again around 7 AM and we are up for the day because Alden is up by that point also. He sleeps most of the day also. He will be awake from 7-9 AM. We get in showers and baths for the morning and then he is down until about noon, gets up to eat, sleeps a few more hours, eats, sleeps, eats.... The life of a newborn.

DEVELOPMENT: His eyes are focusing even better this week. I was singing to the boys before nap time and he just stared at me. It was the sweetest thing ever. Melts my heart. When we put him on our chests, he will try to lift his head up, just for a second or two. I've let him lay on the floor and wiggle this week. He likes it for a few minutes but then he wants to be swaddled again.

ACTIVITIES: Last Sunday, he went to church for the first time and spent the morning with Alden and Momma in the nursery. Tuesday, I had a doctors appointment, so he went with me to that and the midwife "Ooh"ed and "Aww"ed over him. :) I'm one proud Momma! On Wednesday, he spent a couple of hours with Daddy at work at the church with Alden so I could go buy groceries. Friday, he went to a Benefit dinner for a woman in town who has cancer. (I love small towns). Everyone was able to see him. He slept through the whole thing. Today, Lyndon wasn't feeling great, so we didn't go to church and I took some newborn pictures of him. :) He is one busy boy!

Updates next week and the week after and then it will be monthly, so I won't bore anyone. :)

1 Week Postpartum Check-up

Since the midwife in the Women's Clinic that I go to delivered Collyn, I did my follow-up checkup with her. Last time, my doctor waited until 4 weeks postpartum to see me. She wanted to see me one week after.

The appointment went really smooth. Lyndon was going to watch Alden for me while I went, but something came up at work and he wasn't able to. His mom was close by so she watched Alden for me and I took Collyn with me.

She asked me normal questions. Everything seems to be going good. I scheduled my appointment to get an IUD. I've never been on birth control before. (Obviously, I have 2 kids and have been married 3 years) I wanted something that was hormone free and no pill because I don't like to mess with natural hormones and I am still terrible at taking vitamins. I can't imagine me trying to remember a birth control pill. That appointment is in 5 weeks with my regular doctor.

I am down 18 pounds from when I gave birth. I still have quite a bit to go to even get close to my pre-pregnancy weight. I will be satisfied being at 125-130 pounds, knowing this is my second baby and its harder to lose the weight.

I'm definitely feeling much better this time around than with Alden.

1 Week Old- Collyn

Little Collyn is one week old today. I can't believe it. This first week went a lot faster than the first week with Alden. He had quite a busy week this week. Here are some updates on Collyn:

GROWTH: Weight: 6 lbs 7 oz (At his appointment last Tuesday. We have another appointment on the 22nd to see how much he weighs.) Height: 19 1/2 inches (Again, from his doctors appointment)

EATING: Collyn is such a good nurser. Alden didn't like breastfeeding, so by this point with Alden he was already supplemented by formula. Collyn doesn't like the bottle. One night we tried to feed him formula and he refused the bottle. Collyn eats about every 2-3 hours for about 15-20 minutes each time.

CLOTHING: Newborn size. They are a little big on him but I don't want to buy premie sizes because he is starting to grow.

DIAPERS: Newborn Size

SLEEP: Collyn is actually a pretty good sleeper. Fingers crossed it stays that way. He gets up 2-3 times per night to eat and falls back to sleep. He sleeps quite a bit during the day. He pretty much eats and then goes back to sleep. He will look around for about a half hour at a time a few times a day, but mostly sleeps.

DEVELOPMENT: Nothing too much new. He is just eating, sleeping and pooping. His eyes are starting to focus a little better when he looks up at me while I hold him.

ACTIVITIES: Monday afternoon Collyn came home. Wednesday morning Collyn had his first doctors appointment. He has been to Papa and Grams (Stacy's parents) house, Grandma and Grandpa Haines (Lyndon's parents) house, Aunt Susan and Uncle Cody's house, he went to church this Sunday and spent the morning in the nursery with Alden and Momma. He also went to a party for MTE Communications (Where Papa and Aunt Susan work.

Cherish These Moments....

Collyn's First Doctors Appointment

Collyn had his first doctors appointment this morning. Lyndon, Alden, Collyn and I headed to the doctor. Alden loved playing with the toys in the waiting room.

Collyn weighs 6 pounds 7 ounces and is still 19 1/2 inches long. He lost 8 ounces since birth but the doctor said that is a good loss. She wants him back up at his birth weight at 2 weeks old.

He passed all of his tests with flying colors. His eyes are a little goopy so I am massaging them every few hours to get his tear ducts to start working properly. He is a healthy little guy.

This afternoon, we headed to another doctors appointment for his circumcision. This appointment was here in town so Alden stayed at my parents.

I didn't stay in the room while they did it, Lyndon stayed with him and I waited in the waiting room. Lyndon said he was more upset about being nakey then with the procedure. The poor kid has been through a lot today.

I brought him home and he has been sleeping ever since the appointment.

Coming Home

On Monday, August 6th, we were released from the hospital to bring baby Collyn home to see his big brother Alden.

Alden stayed the night at my sisters house and played with Hannah and Hayden, his cousins, while I was in the hospital. The next day, he went to my parents house until we got home.

We went to their house before we came home so Alden could meet his new brother and HE could take him to our house. :)

When we walked in the door, Alden was very excited to see Momma and Daddy. Then, he saw the baby. We have practiced a lot lately with a baby doll and now he got to hold the real thing. We quickly pulled Collyn out of the carrier and Alden was able to hold his brother for the first time.

After everyone was able to see Collyn and he was passed around to all my family, we left for home.

Alden acted up a little when we got home because he was confused about why the baby was staying. We didn't get to bed until about 11 PM that night and Alden cried for the last hour of that (Which is not normal at all for him). We finally got him to sleep and took a deep breath.

Collyn had a typical first night home. Pretty rough. Lyndon and I switched out sitting in the recliner with him in the living room. I would nurse and take care of him for a few hours and then once I nursed again, Lyndon would come take care of him. We think he had his nights and days mixed up. The next night was better.

The first day home was a rough one, but since then it has been going pretty smooth. Bringing home your second baby is a lot easier than bringing home your first. I am so much more relaxed with Collyn coming home. He just adjusts to our routine. I'm already in "Mommy Mode" so it wasn't a huge change.

The Birth Of Collyn

I know everyone likes hearing the birth story of your little ones, and I have been telling the story over and over, so I figured I would post it here too, so everyone could read it. :)

There were so many things that were the same with Collyn's birth as Alden's, but it was also so different at the same time. So, here I go.

I woke up Sunday, August 5th feeling... Eh... Okay. I was having light contractions, but I figured they were just like the ones I had before and so there was no reason to be worried about them. They were no closer than 15 minutes apart. No worries. :)

Lyndon got up for church without waking Alden and I up and was going to leave us at home to rest. I thought I would go to church because I hadn't been there in weeks and I hadn't been out of the house much for weeks because it was hot and I was so miserably pregnant. I showered and got Alden ready and we went to church.

I took Alden to the nursery and stayed there with him (As always) while Lyndon taught his class. The nursery was short staffed so I helped. There were about 8-10 kids under the age of 3 and 2 of them were 7 months and younger. I had my hands full. I think this is what kick started real labor. I just kept feeling worse and worse.

We headed home after church and I just didn't feel good so I layed down with Alden and took a nap with him. I woke up about an hour into the nap with contractions, much harder, about 7-10 minutes apart. I let Alden and Lyndon finish the nap and then told Lyndon maybe we should make a run to the hospital to get checked out. (Remember: I was not dialater OR effaced at my doctors appointment). I figured I was a cm or two dialated.

We dropped Alden off at my sisters house so he could "Play" with his cousins and headed to the hospital, 20 minutes away. Contractions were about 6 minutes apart. When we got to the hospital, there were no wheelchairs in the Emergency Room entrance. I told Lyndon I was feeling pretty good, so we could walk to the elevators. I walked through the whole hospital, walked to the maternity ward on the 3rd floor and told them I was having contractions, but there was no progress at my doctors apointment, so don't worry to much, I just want to see if anything was happening.

They got me layed down (In the same room Alden was born in) and checked me. Fully effaced, dialated 5 cm. Active labor. They asked me my birth plan. EPIDURAL! :) They ordered the epidural and I was admitted to the hospital. After about an hour, I got my epidural. I was dialated to about a 6 and contracting a lot. Thank goodness for pain medication.

After about 4 hours of contractions, I was dialated and ready to push. I pushed for 15 minutes and Collyn arrived. He came out Sunny Side Up (Face towards the ceiling) so it was a lot harder to get him out. The pain broke through my epidural. I didn't tear as bad as I did with Alden so I only needed a couple stitches. He came out pink and crying. We left the hospital the next afternoon. ,/p>

Last time I had issues with bleeding after delivery. They took extra precautions this time, but nothing happened. THANK GOODNESS. My bleeding was normal. Last time, Alden wouldn't latch to nurse and I struggled. This little guy has no issues latching and loves to breastfeed. We offered him a bottle and he refused it. So, I am exclusively nursing.

It is strange to say, but I enjoyed the process of delivery, again. It is just such a magical moment when your child enters the world. We are definitely taking a break now. We aren't going to have any more for a while. I'm very satisfied with my two little boys! :)

Welcome To The World: Collyn James

He has arrived.

Collyn James Haines

Born: August 5th, 2012 8:25 PM

Weight: 6 Lbs 15 Oz

Height: 19 1/2 Inches

Baby Issues

Having an 18 month old in the house when you are about to have a newborn is interesting. You can't explain to them that there is a baby coming, or that their lives are going to change drastically, or that they will have to share their toys, etc.

We have been working really hard with Alden about "There is a baby in Momma's Belly." "Can you say Hi to baby Collyn" "Where is Collyn?"

It was working until he asked Lyndon to see the baby is his belly. "Dada Baby??" and lifted his shirt. So, now every day he goes around to all of us, lifts our shirts (Including himself) and tells us that there is a baby in there.

We got him a baby doll to play with. I've shown him how to feed the baby with a bottle and how to hold the baby and we are gentle with baby... He loves the doll. He will find it every once in a while and "practice". Still, I don't think it is clicking.

We look online at my friends who have had babies recently. He points out the babies.

With all of these great things happening.... This is happening...

He wants in the bassinet, wrapped like a newborn and says to me... "I the baby."

I let him do it. I figure it is a phase and he will get over it when the baby comes. We have been trying to get him to do "Big Boy" things, like help daddy mow the lawn (Which means he plays in the yard while daddy mows) and going to do big boy things like getting a milkshake with Momma and daddy.

We will see how things go when Collyn arrives.