Progress A Plenty
My what a difference a month makes!
Sweet Everett has worked through his tummy troubles that dominated the first 
month of his life. Actually, I suppose I should say that I am so careful about what I eat that we avoid tummy troubles. It appears to be nuts (as in the actual snack, not “crazy”) that throw him into a tailspin of colic sadness, (evidence from Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve) however I am still particularly careful about dairy. I don’t eat very much dairy but I tested it out with some decaf cappuccinos a couple days in a row and so far so good. When it triggers a reaction it happens within 25 minutes or so – but it is strange because if that is it, it is from literally a couple of nuts. So, we will see but it is a welcome change!
Christmas was a whirlwind to say the least. I almost have a hard time recalling the whole weekend but Everett definitely celebrated until he couldn’t anymore. All in all, he was very overstimulated by the whole event. So many people (“pass” the baby) , 
noises,(cousins laying, paper, dishes, etc) lights at once caused him to be a bit fussy during most events. Several times we had to just take him into a dark room, lay him out and sssshhh him or put on a noise machine while he stared at us just to give him some downtime – totally understandable. I think he did what we all needed! It was a memorable first Christmas for us for him and yes, I did stuff his stocking with some carseat toys…I couldn’t not do anything. Caden showed him presents and gave him lots of pats on Christmas morning and Thrasher himself tried to steal a few of Everett’s gifts. It will be quite the change next year when Everett is going for the tree instead of being mesmerized by the lights!
Colter and I felt robbed of a few weeks with our boy since we didn’t truly get to see
him since he was so upset so it is hard to believe he is already two months. The hubs keeps looking at him and commenting on how grown up he seems now, especially in this last week. I will say that Everett gave us a bonus gift of “waking up” out of the newborn-ness right around 6 weeks and really showing his personality so to speak. “They say” by 3 months they really wake up but Everett has been smiling, interacting and “talking” back to us since about 6 weeks. Just like his big brother he is particularly fond of his changing table. He is comfy and has a great view of me from there so he will lock eyes and go to town with grins and his form of giggles. It is nice and refreshing to have a sweet baby 
give you that love just because he can’t help himself and is happy to see your face!
Everett is checking off his “milestones” one by one as he is also now a rolling machine! I thought since he hadn’t much cared for tummy time he might be on the slower side to do this and not get there until 3 months or so. Wrong! All of the sudden he was staying on his tummy longer and in a couple days he went from lifting his head for a minute and getting mad to hanging out, looking around and rolling himself right over. Maybe he just decided to solve the problem of being on his tummy himself! 
I was excited for his accomplishment and also a little sad that he is that much closer to having to be supervised at all times because who knows where he will go and Caden isn’t used to him really going anywhere/flipping over.
At two months, Everett is still eating entirely too often so we are working on spreading that out. He is a mama’s boy, but so was Caden for the first 6 months and I blame it on being his food source. His days in our room are numbered so by the next update he
will surely be in his nursery. His “stats” are all above average on their percentile scale so it seems as of now we have another tall, chunky baby on our hands. His sleeping has been inconsistent (until this week – more on that later) waking every 2-3 hrs after a “long stretch” of 3-4 hrs. Spreading his feedings out and moving him to his room should help with that! Everett still hates the carseat whether it is moving or not so most of our errands get done with him in the Baby Bjourn and Caden in the cart. He is loving his playmat and really smiles at Caden when he comes to snuggle him. Sweet brothers!
Here is to hoping that we continue on this positive path with our boy as he seems to enjoy life outside the womb a bit more each and every day!
Sweetness
The Sweetness of a Sleepy Six Week Old
One
One month already! (Technically almost 6 weeks now, so I’m a little behind) While the past couple weeks have been long (more on that in a moment) it seems like Everett has always been a member of our family so it is always a shock to be reminded of how fast time goes!
It is also a shock to see that your newborn has hit the 11 pound mark the weekend BEFORE his “one month birthday”. Eleven pounds! I should remind you that he was 8 lbs 9 ounces at birth, dropped to 7 lbs 13 ounces during those first days and has come back big. BIG! His little cheeks are so chubby and sweet, as are his chunker rolls on his thighs and his Buddha belly. At 5 weeks old, Caden was 9 lbs 13 oz which was pretty hefty, so baby brother is getting ready to defend himself.
Everett’s other news (sleeping, eating, demeanor) is a bit inconsistent as of the
month mark because once we rounded week two, we have been battling colic at its finest. I’m talking the angry, siren crying all day (literally all day and night), only semi-content if being held super tight and walked but still needing to be “Sssshhed” and patted or something to convince him he won’t always have a tummy that bothers him. L The poor little guy doesn’t (didn’t) really burp at all which is causing adding to the issue it seems. You can burp him for a good 40 minutes and still get nothing. He needs to burp, he wants to burp, his tummy hurts because there is air there…but he won’t give it up. With new burping strategies, a strict diet on Mommy’s part (no dairy, eggs, wheat, nuts, citrus, cruciferous veggies) chiropractor visits and a lot of love and patience this week has taken a turn for the better but you will have to wait for that 
update with the two month post. Fingers crossed. I will tell you that on Monday, I had my first night of sleep without him on top of my chest hugged tight which was huge progress in the colic department. Oh and by night of sleep I mean hour naps.
Therefore, sleeping has been well, minimal. (notice his grumpy face) I can’t tell you for sure how long of a stretch he can go without eating because he wants to be up and rooting as if he is hungry all the time but it is just because he was unhappy. Typically during his first month he ate every two hours during the day still. (Sometimes every hour). I am hoping in a couple weeks he will finally decide to space it out to every three hours consistently because with his size he should be able to but this whole colic thing has really thrown him
off. He hasn’t had a reliable “long stretch” during the night since he hasn’t been sleeping regularly either. He pretty much sticks to the 2 hr rule at night too and hasn’t yet embraced the 4-5 hr stretch he can supposedly go. So, not a great sleeper yet but that’s okay, we will get there.
For those of you who are curious, here are some comparisons with Caden’s third week and one month post. It appears they do look quite alike so I don’t think 
anyone will wonder if they are related or not.
Now that we are really getting a good look at him without a constant angry, crying face he has the most gorgeous eyes! Watch out ladies, because they are even bigger and bluer than Caden’s. We have regular staring sessions when I am holding him which is when I really get amazed again that he is ours and we made him!
So, to sum it up we are again blessed with a beautiful boy. Our goals for month two are to reintroduce some foods into my diet to see if we can find a specific trigger for him so we can solve his tummy troubles. With that we should then be able to make progress in sleeping and napping!
14 Days of Sweetness
Happy to be Two Weeks Old!
( probably because he is well fed)
A Week of Four
Today at 2:23 p.m. it has been one week since we became a family of four. It is hard to believe that 
only a week ago he was still in my beach ball belly and now he is with us. Yes, that was the point, but there is still something to amazing about that. My how things can change in one week! After a brief hospital stay that was anything but restful (won’t they ever just leave you alone?) we came home to introduce Everett to his big brother and begin the process of settling in.
So far so good.
(Minus the fact that Colter managed to get strep a day after we got home just like with Caden!)
Everett is a sweet, sweet, chunky little man. At 5 days old we officially decided he had
outgrown his newborn diapers since his thighs get squeezed too death by them. Go figure that now we have to go exchange our pre stock of newborns for Size 1s already! Most newborn hats slide ride off his head and sit on the very tip top also a bit too small. Fortunately, until today it hasn’t been too cold and he hasn’t really wanted or needed a hat while bundled up with us in the house.
Yes, he has dark hair…for the time being. Caden had a VERY fine dusting of dark hair his first couple weeks. Everett cooked a couple weeks longer than him so naturally he has more hair, but it still isn’t much. No one could make the call as to if it is going to stay dark or not but that seems to 
be the most immediate striking difference between the two right of the bat. Other than that, and the chunkier cheeks most of our friends feel as though they are staring at Caden as a newborn. Precious round button nose? Check. Pouty pink lips? Check. Wide grey blue eyes? Check. It will be interesting to see how he changes and what really is alike and different.
Thankfully, Everett is a champion eater too. The first day or so home is always a little rough as he starts to get hungry and I don’t have much for him yet. Once he could go into a milk coma after a feeding he has been a content, sleepy newborn happy to be fed and snuggled. Despite the difficulties of entertaining older brother while feeding, I am trying to embrace this time with Everett again. I don’t mind the nights so much just like before as it is such a peaceful time the two of us have together without distractions or stresses. You can’t be upset with a tiny person who just needs you because he is hungry!
Settling back into newborn life is a walk down memory lane. It hasn’t been THAT long since we we
re doing this but we find ourselves chuckling at the memory of getting peed on, diapers that always need to be changed and then as you soon as you change them….changed again, the flailing newborn arms that don’t know they are attached to a body etc. The nice part is that all of those things that were so new to us then are as familiar as our daily routine and just seem to be a part of life as anything else.
Everett got one good day of snuggling in with his Dad before Colter was quarantined. It is sad that they have only been able to spend “time together” from a distance that Everett can’t even really see him at but I know their time will come! Colter would like to not have to walk around with a surgical mask over his face too.
If you remember, when I wrote about Everett’s room in “The Nest” I mentioned that there would be one difference once he was born. Now, his full name is hung below the monogram letters too.
So, as with Caden I will do a what we have survived in this very first week of our new family.
- We survived labor…from it’s start of intense regular contractions on Tuesday morning at 6:30 a.m. accompanied by a stomach virus to it’s finish on Wednesday at 2:23 p.m. My boys sure do like to make their mama have a nice, long, really get the feel of it labor! So much for the second is shorter.
- We survived the nurses that would leave the only light on I couldn’t turn off from bed and who would leave the door open upon leaving so I had to go close it.
- We survived getting home without hitting any potholes this time. Thank goodness.
- We survived introducing him to his big brother who has yet to be anything but sweet to Everett.
- We survived the nights without any milk and have gotten on track without having to see the lactation consultant this time.
- I survived taking Everett to his first doctor’s appointment on my own so that sick Daddy and snotty big brother could stay home and away from us.
- I am surviving with Colter being sick in these first times together again. At least I wasn’t used to the opposite right? This just seems like the way our family does things!
As if we thought we would be anything but, we are completely in love. I sit and look at all of my boys and feel so blessed to have such a healthy family. Here is to surviving and thriving for the remainder of Everett’s first month and beyond!
Oh Happy Day
Happy Due Date Day!
Everett is happy he came a few days early too.
Sweet boy and his cheeks.
I Take it Back – Kind Of
I think I owe you an apology.
After giving you a internet hand-slap the other day during my grumpfest I felt a little bad. I get it, you are excited about Baby Kaz II (as are we) and the only way you really have to display that is by checking in on us. I get it I do…as with anything though it can get tiring repeating yourself.
So, I am sorry I revoked your checking in privileges.
I’m not sure that I am necessarily reinstating them persay, but I am sorry.
(Rumor has it you are now calling each other to say “have you heard anything”)
You see, I am not actually that grumpy. Sure, I am uncomfortable and all of that mess that one could complain about but if this little man needs more time to be big and strong and healthy – so be it! Actually in addition to the fact that being pregnant and childbirth is such a miraculous experience there are a couple of things in particular that I just love about it. Both have to do with the lack of control we have with this. The first is gender. Colter and I have never had a “gender preference” if you will. We both love that we have no real say in the matter and that we are given what is supposed to fit our family. The second part that is so mystifying is the birthday. When they are ready, they come. In a world of calendars and schedules it is nice to be reminded that we can’t choose everything and be 100% prepared.
Now, the grump fest came from a difference in experience that I had to make peace with weeks ago. With Caden I truly felt he was going to be early but had no real expectations. (Although through my whole pregnancy I mentally prepared for him to be late since he was my first.) I wasn’t exactly sure what I was waiting on (water breaking, contractions etc) and had nothing to compare it to. This time from very early on it seems the “waiting” began. Partially because I have been having contractions and other signs for months and partially because I already had one to experience to base some
things on. I have always said that due dates are such a “pardon my French” crapshoot. In our opinion anything approximately two weeks before or after that date they give you is on time.
Today I sit here somewhat proud based on how this pregnancy has gone that we actually made it to November, the month of his original due date. Caden, my supposed March baby became a February baby which for some reason was very hard for me to grasp at first! (How do you like my view when I look down?)
The hand-slap came in when I was having a harder time tuning others out. Usually, I am really good at this (now you know) and staying focused on our plans/goals/opinions etc. However, getting it from all angles (friends, doctors, family, strangers, neighbors) was making me need to go into hiding to refocus and re-center. Why? We do things as naturally as possible around here and in order for that to happen I have to remain as relaxed and focused as possible. That also means that I have to sometimes decide what is and is not helping and make an adjustment. So I did. Sorry.
I am so appreciative of all the excitement and support. Colter and I often talk about how much we love that our friends and friends that are like family are so involved in our kids lives (as well as ours). You are waiting just like us and while I can’t tell you when he will come, I can tell you that you will be informed. This I know for sure.
To appease you, I have a little bit of an update but no sono to show. My doctor is quite shocked that he is not here. (not helpful doc) In fact, she said that the only thing that is truly keeping me pregnant is this baby boy. (Poor thing is probably afraid of the judo-chops to the belly he gets from his big brother and wants to stay nice and cushioned.) Yes, I have continued to progress on my own quite steadily. I am actually almost as “far along” in my progression as I was when we ended up going to the hospital to have Caden (had already been laboring at home for 11 hours at that point). So here is to hoping that this labor is at least even 30 minutes shorter than the 31 hours I was blessed with for him. Regardless, he was healthy I was fine and I will take it if that is the way it needs to be again.
I swear I am not that grumpy though unless the hormones attack. Yes I want to meet him but when he is ready.
So we wait and in the meantime keep as busy as my waddle can keep up with.
In the meantime you can check out Baby E’s “nest” which I find to be one of the most peaceful places in our home.
The Nest
Since I have been talking about all of the house nesting I have been doing for the past couple of months and before I forget, I thought you might enjoy a tour of the room that awaits Baby Boy #2. While he will sleep with us in our room in his bassinet for the first few months (makes my night time feedings a lot easier than stairs) his room is ready for him just as I like it to be.
The view from the doorway.
Baby Boy’s crib and monogram. The monogram is antiqued wood letters we had made from a wonderful Etsy store and while it may look a little high that is because we have a white antiqued sign with his full name scripted out to hang below the initials once he is home with us safe and sound.
In Caden’s room we had his first name hung by his dresser, so we thought this would be a nice change and something we could use on down the line as well.
We again chose to do his bedding through PolkaTot Designs because we were so pleased with the quality of Caden’s and the fact that it still looks like new. Plus, I enjoy the custom process and getting to pick out the fabrics and piece together what I want where without having to actually sew it myself. I wanted both of our nurseries to be soothing with just a bit of color which is where the orange accents come in. In contrast with the black crib I think it turned out quite well.
As you continue turning to the right around the room, you can see the orange toy chest and our sitting area. The toy chest was actually built for me by my grandfather to house all of my Barbies when I was a kid. A little refinishing and paint and it now will hold toys for my boys! The adorable horse pillow was a gift from some sweet friends and since we rarely change diapers upstairs, his changing pad is sitting low on the toy chest.
One thing I was itching for in this room since it is smaller than Caden’s is storage space. You might remember that in his room we (by we I mean my Uncle Mark and Dad) built these built-ins along an entire wall housing baskets for ample storage. So in this room double function was a must – in comes the ottoman. Not only will I be able to lounge and lay comfortable in the oversized chair and ottoman but it opens to house all of his blankets etc. The orange cylinder on the side table turns on to various settings to give off a dim glow which will be nice during night feedings once he is upstairs.
Next to his crib is his cozy elephant chair. Caden has a blue hippo so naturally, Baby E had to have one too.
His shelves house some family pictures, belly pictures, a cross given to him by a dear family friend, crochet stuffed animals (used to be Caden’s – oops!) and of course the artwork his big brother made for him.
This is the dresser you can see in the far left of the picture when you are walking into the room. I changed out the hardware to alternate the colors in his room making it a little more fun. Also, you can see that all the drawers are stocked with clothes by size. I mention this because in a moment I will show you his closet which has no clothes in it because I found I don’t hang them until they are a bit bigger. (6 months or so). So yes, he has clothes – no worries.
The top of his dresser houses some classic children’s stories and adventure books that were my mother’s. Caden actually has some in his room too that match his color scheme and serve as a door stop. You will just have to come over and see the lamp because I love it. It is abstract and not obvious at first, but the base is made out of the ABCs! Once a teacher always a teacher.
This room’s “building project” was minor but involved putting shelves in the closet. More function remember? (I still want to put crown molding in as well around the room but it can wait). So once the shelves were in (thanks Dad) in came the bins and labels to keep it organized and neat. Again…he has clothes…I just don’t hang them yet.
If you noticed, on the back of the oversized chair there was an orange blanket. Norma who you may have noticed leaves me wonderful feedback often made these amazing blankets for Baby E. Norma and her husband Herb have been in my life, well, forever. They are very, very, very dear to me and have been so supportive throughout my life and in preparation of each kiddos’ birth. Norma made a blanket for Caden too that he still likes to snuggle. The blue blanket (notice she matched it to the zig zag in the bedding) is for baby and is the perfect size for covering him in his carseat, swing, etc. Then, she went above and beyond making us an oversized orange blanket for the room. So cozy!
On his door for now is the precious diaper wreath my sister in law Jess made me for my shower. I knew I wanted to use it more so I swapped out the shower invite for a letter I covered to make it more nursery friendly since the shower was over. She did such a great job I had to keep showing it off.
So all in all it is done. It is more than ready for him and we have an additional few months after his arrival if there was anything we just had to do or change. Baby Kaz II’s room has a completely different feel to it than Caden’s which I love but it is equally as soothing, comfortable and cozy. I am grateful that we have been able to make such wonderful spaces for each of our boys. Caden just loves his room and bed and I hope that E grows to feel the same way. Hopefully you feel like you got a good peek around the new baby nest!
Repeat Offenders
Remember this picture?
That was one from when I was roughly 6 months prego with Caden.
The dogs wanted my belly, I wanted to sleep and well the image itself just shows all the true beauty of pregnancy. How do you like that exposed “gut”? Well…some things never change.
(except that in that picture I was actually wearing makeup and not yet the size of a house)
Even at 39 weeks, these dogs want to snuggle this baby bad. I tried to tell them that I don’t even have enough room for him anymore so them trying to make room as repeat offenders isn’t really helpful. Know what else isn’t helpful?
Caden’s sick.
I never thought I would say it, but I just can’t go into labor today. Caden got a vomit bug overnight (his first one ever 
) so this is just not a good time for me to have to leave and to bring a new baby home. Ay yi yi.
Peek-A-Belly
Yes, I am still Pregnant.
No, you don’t need to ask me.
Although, my sister in law said she needed to hear it directly from me the other day and I thought you might too and then that would be that . So here it goes. “No, I’m not in labor.”
This is what I like to call “Peek-A-Belly”. What you see here is my massive belly clothed in a white shirt hiding my son’t face as he desperately tries to climb up my legs and look up at me. The poor kid can’t look up at me from this angle though because there is a belly in the way. All I can see is a blonde mop and all he can see is a white basketball. Sometimes he thinks it is funny…sometimes not so much.
Let me be cranky for a minute. (I have this right because I am huge and pregnant-so there.) I am grumpy. Kind of. I am the size of a house. For sure. I know I have been Baby E’s house for the past 39 weeks now, but now I am actually the size of one too. I hurt. My hips are locked up because there is a baby locked into the lowest parts of my pelvis. So I shuffle. No, I did not have this much pain and discomfort with Caden. Yes, I actually do have a very high threshold for pain especially when there is a purpose to it. My belly is rarely round. He spends so much time attempting to find comfort in the no room he has left that my belly is usually flat on one side, pointy on the other (thank you knees and heels) and then he switches. No, it isn’t cute. I try to take warm baths but I get cold because my belly sticks out so far. The other day I thought I was uncomfortable because my shirt was too tight (they all are) but it turns out it was just that my skin is too tight. Fantastic. At least there aren’t stretch marks? I’m not hungry…but I am hungry…but there is no room for food…but nothing sounds good…but pizza sounds great…but I’m not hungry…I mean I am hungry but I can’t eat. How was that?
I have stopped calling anyone. In fact, I think I have gone into hiding. No I am not in labor. Yes I know you thought he would be here already. No I don’t know when he is coming, only he knows that. Yes I look like I could “go” at any minute – thank you. No I don’t feel particularly great. Yes, you will be informed. No I don’t think its funny. Yes, he does have to come at some point. No, I’m still not having twins. Yes I know you are excitedly waiting. No I am not in labor.
Can’t I just ask you a question?
So, as you can see I have gone into hiding. There is just no point otherwise. You see, I can only have this baby if I am relaxed and he feels safe and ready. So, getting my blood pressure up with the twenty questions game that everyone would surely love answers to doesn’t help a whole lot. I actually am pretty relaxed until I talk to someone. So I quit. Disclaimer from the Grump-Monster: We very much appreciate your excitement though and are glad so many are waiting for him to come!
Instead, I will show you some pictures from a fantastic celebration my sister in law threw for me and Baby E at the beginning of October. (I kept forgetting to post it – sorry. ) I resisted and resisted since we were having another boy and I feel bad that our dear friends are always contributing to our family. Then, Jess suggested a “diapers and wipes” sprinkle with a wish list of other items and I decided that it would be nice to take a little time to celebrate this little man too. She did a WONDERFUL job and it was just the small, intimate group of friends I needed for a little support and encouragement. Baby E came out with quite a loot which actually did make me feel relieved in a way that he too had some new things just for him. Thankfully Jess and Nonna were able to capture some pictures since I showed up with a dead battery-so unprepared.
How stinking cute is this pumpkin that Jess had my brother carve for table decor?
Helping Mommy unwrap E’s gifts and break them in of course.
Entry table with Baby Kaz II’s baby book and taffy pop treats. (What a great idea!)
Diaper Wreath on the front door with the invite! This now adorns E’s nursery door.
Brother, what brother? It’s all for me right?
Jess wrote about the shower too if you want to check that out and some more snapshots. My niece and nephew were a hit and everyone was so impressed with the delicious food Drew and Jess cooked and all of the treats! A million thanks to them again for giving us some time to remember that I am pregnant and this baby boy is already so loved!
I have no other real “baby news” because I am a rebel and canceled my appointment this week. My doctor was out of town (like she was when Caden was born) and I didn’t care for the doctor they had me scheduled to see to cover her. So, I decided why have someone I don’t like examine me and tell me things I already know (I can feel what’s going on thank you very much) so I just canceled it until she is back next week. So I am continuing to find projects to finish and outings to go on with little man and one day people, one day you will get “the call”. Until then…
“No, I am not currently in labor.”