Chunky
The Christmas holiday meant a lot of hard-to-believes in my house. It’s hard to believe Gavin turned 2 months old on Christmas Day. It’s hard to believe today is his one-month anniversary from coming home from the hospital. It’s hard to believe I celebrated my birthday with him at home. It’s hard to believe he was able to celebrate Christmas with both sets of grandparents, opening gifts under the Christmas tree. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This month has been full of hard-to-believes. Heck, we’re winding down a year of hard-to-believes, but here we are.
Over this past month, my writing in this space has been limited, a very unfortunate hard-to-believe. I can’t count how many times I’ve thought, I should blog about that. Because this space has been my journal. I’m not keeping track of moments in any other space (well, I have a Flickr folder devoted to photos, but written moments have been disappearing from my mind). And since I haven’t blogged in a while, I feel like there are so many things I have left out and forgotten. I hope to change that in the coming weeks as I transition to a new schedule. For now, I’m sharing another post filled with random photos and updates.
My parents are staying with us. My mom arrived almost 2 weeks ago. My dad arrived on Christmas Day. They leave later this week. The upside of their visit is my mom has cooked for us almost every night (and walks the dog every day). Not only has she crafted amazing meals for us, but she’s made enough for an army, so we’ve frozen the left overs. I’m pretty sure we won’t need to cook for ourselves until April. The downside of their visit is they are staying in our second bedroom, i.e., Gavin’s nursery. We’ve made lots of progress in terms of getting things for Gavin’s nursery, but haven’t had the time to do anything with it, nor felt it fair to invade their limited space. So, I still owe you (and myself) an update with photos of a completed nursery!
One of my postpartum posts was all about the disappointments of breastfeeding. I was overwhelmed by the supportive responses I got to that post. It seems like every mother has their own story that involves their own version of challenges. And everyone who isn’t a mother knows a mother who faced obstacles of her own. While I’d like to take the time to talk about my experiences in more detail, for now, I’ll tell you my story ends on a happy note. When I sat back and thought about all the reasons I wanted to breastfeed, a majority of them had to do with me and had nothing to do with Gavin. Once I was sincerely convinced that Gavin was a happy, well fed, healthy and growing baby, and would continue to be exactly that if he was a 100% formula baby, I dumped the pump and haven’t looked back. I’ve been happier, felt more balanced, spent more time with Gavin, cherished every moment I get to feed him, cherished every moment Sweets gets to feed him and cried much, much less! I will write more about my thoughts soon, but to get an idea of what I faced, let me direct you here and here. These blog entries are written by others, but almost verbatim echo my thoughts.
And yes, I’m quite certain Gavin is healthy and growing. Let’s take a quick walk down memory lane. When he was born on October 25, he weighed 3 lbs 12 oz. After 5 weeks in the NICU, he came home on November 28 weighing 5 lbs 14 oz. In his first week at home, he gained almost a pound and was up to 6 lbs 11 oz. Last week, Gavin weighed in at 8 lbs 1 oz. That’s right, he’s gained over 2 lbs since he’s been home. I call him my chunky monkey these days – it’s fitting, isn’t it?!
How has he gained this much weight? First, his pediatrician told us to put more formula in the bottle than what he could eat and let him eat until he’s not interested in eating more. Our little porker has quite the appetite. We’re now feeding him double what he was eating at each feeding when he came out of the hospital. We’ve also figured out his eating patterns and developed a schedule that works for everyone. He eats every five hours (except one interval of 4 hours), which means he sleeps at night for 4 hour stretches of time. I begin his feeding routine at 11 pm, put him down around midnight. I usually have to wake him up around 4 am for his next feeding, put him down at 5 am and then we sleep until 9 am. It’s a pretty sweet deal when all the moving parts work together.
I know I’m exceptionally lucky that we’ve found this schedule that works for all of us. It’s a good thing that we’ve managed to find an actual schedule that works for us, because even though Gavin is only 2 months old, I’m going back to work after the first of the year. There are lots of reasons for a return after only 2 months. Part of it has to do with my company’s minimal maternity leave and our desire for me to not take a ton of unpaid time off. Part of it has to do with my loyalty to my company (they have a very busy January and would be hurting without me). And part of it has to do with my company’s willingness to let me work at home full time through the end of March, when Gavin will be able to begin daycare. Oh, and speaking of daycare, we found one that’s a bit more expensive than we had hoped, but looks to be a really wonderful fit for us otherwise!
One of the things I really haven’t talked about at all here (because it’s not my story to tell) is that I’ve been traveling in parallel with a number of good friends who gave birth around the same time as me. My brother’s second child was born 2 months before Gavin, so our family has been all about the new babies (and Gavin has gotten lots of gender-neutral hand-me-downs as his female cousin outgrows them). A dear friend whose original due date was 2 days before my original due date also gave birth to a very premature baby, so we spent weeks heading to different NICUs to take care of our little boys who were experiencing pretty similar journeys. And I’ve more recently reconnected with a woman from our birth class whose son was born a couple weeks before Gavin and who also had a c-section when she was hoping to experience a birth without intervention. Kind of like the support I felt from that breastfeeding post, it’s been incredibly helpful to be engaged with other mothers going through the same thing as me.
I think that’s the end of my updates and thoughts for now. I’m sure more will surface. And I will hopefully become a bit better about jotting them down. I hope you had a fabulous Channukah, Christmas and any other holiday you might or might not have celebrated over the past month. Oh, and in case I forget, have a wonderfully Happy New Year’s!
December 28th, 2010 at 7:37 am
Holy crap, Gavin is mega, super, fantastically cute! Wonderful to hear your family has gotten into a working routine and that YOU are doing well. Happy New Year to you and yours! If you would, give Gavin kisses on his munchable cheeks from me.
December 28th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Gavin has grown so much!! The changes from one month to two months is wild. I am glad you had a holiday filled with family and support. I think spending to with the little man and living the experiences is probably more special than recording them at this point. Happy holidays and happy new year to you and your family. Give Gavin a squeeze from me!
December 28th, 2010 at 9:30 am
He is both adorable and perfect. :) So glad he’s doing well! And so glad YOU are doing well!!
December 28th, 2010 at 9:49 am
He’s beautiful! What a happy, healthy-looking baby. I’m so happy for you guys!
December 28th, 2010 at 10:03 am
I’ve been thinking about you guys! Merry Christmas!!!!
Gavin is adorable! So glad you checked in and I love all the photos :)
December 28th, 2010 at 10:31 am
I am so happy you are all doing so well. He is adorable! I love that he is getting bigger. When my babies were tiny I was always so nervous until they got a bit chunky. Then I could relax and enjoy it all more. I know people say this, and I used to roll my eyes, but it really does go so fast. Too fast. Enjoy every moment with him as a baby because one day you are going to be looking at pictures of your friend’s beautiful baby with old kids like I have and wonder how in the world the kids got so old so fast. My “baby” is almost 7 and I just can’t believe how quickly time passes.
I’m so happy you came to a decision about breastfeeding that makes you happier. I found that once I stopped trying with my twins I enjoyed them so much more and was less tense around them. That had to be better for them than any health benefits they might have gotten from the breastmilk.
I love all the pictures. Beautiful!
December 28th, 2010 at 10:47 am
I want to gobble him up, he’s so cuttteeeee! And I’m glad he’s happy and healthy and that you’ve made some decisions that have helped you become more and more happy and comfortable with your new wee one.
And I’m just gonna throw this out there. Cowgirl formula fed all her babies. And with this last one? The joy that she gave ME for being able to feed him from the very beginning was a gift for both me and the little one.
December 28th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Oh, he’s so gorgeous. I can’t believe how quickly he’s gone from not even 4 pounds to chunky monkey. So happy things are going so well for you guys! Happy New Year!
December 28th, 2010 at 10:59 am
You’re here!!!
He is SUCH a cutie (duh). I just love those month onesies. So fun! I kept wanting to pick a favorite photo of the little guy, but they are all so so precious. Love the ones with him and Sweets though.
It’s completely understandable you haven’t been around these parts. I’m looking forward to your new schedule that includes more posting :-)
December 28th, 2010 at 11:01 am
omg LOOK at him! what a chunky little bundle of awesome he is! i love love love all these photos -- he’s such a handsome guy, and i’m so thrilled to hear how well everything’s going for you guys. thank you for the update!!
December 28th, 2010 at 11:08 am
It’s so great to hear an update and see pictures. Yay for chunky monkey! He’s adorable, Nilsa. I’m so happy for you and Sweets (and SoMi!). Enjoy.
December 28th, 2010 at 11:57 am
Yay, I’d been hoping for an update. It’s amazing how different he looks from 1 month to 2 months. I’m so happy to hear that things are going so well for your family!
December 28th, 2010 at 11:57 am
One of those FFF entries is me! Based on a comment I left on your site! :-D
Glad to hear that you found a resolution to the breastfeeding situation and that you are happy with it. We did the unofficial home version of a weigh-in yesterday, the ‘stand on a scale and then stand on a scale holding the baby’ method, and Olivia weighed just over 11.5 pounds! At her 2 month appointment she didn’t even register on the growth chart, and if that weight is correct, she’s smack in the middle now. As far as I’m concerned, formula does a body good!
December 28th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Oh my gosh, he is just so cute! I am glad that he is going well and that you’ve found a schedule that works for you. I really see you in that last photo of him. What a cutie -- I love the cheeks!
Thanks for bringing us up to date! I have been thinking of you 3 and hoping things were going well!
December 28th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
I was just thinking of you the other day, wondering how you all were doing. Looks like it was a very Merry Christmas indeed at your house!
He is so adorable and growing like a weed (such a strange phrase, now that I type it)--which means however you’re doing it, you’re doing it right!
December 28th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
It makes me so happy to read this. I’m so glad he’s doing so well and you’re feeling better and happier and less stressed. He’s gorgeous and looks like a little happy boy….just like you wanted. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
December 28th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
Oh, Nilsa, he’s so cute! And he looks wonderful. I’ve been thinking about you and Sweets a lot and it’s great to know things are going to well.
December 28th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Gavin looks so handsome! I cannot believe how big he is getting already. He looks SO cute in those photos.
December 28th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
OK, I’m gonna be totally honest here, I started reading your post but then got caught up in the absolutely adorable pictures of your baby boy and the words just all sort of jumbled together. Aggghhh! Nilsa, the pictures melt my heart. Especially the one of Sweets, Gavin and SoMi.
No worries, I did manage to go back and reread your words. I am so glad that Gavin is growing, happy and that you’ve all found a schedule that works for you.
Miss you and Happy New Year!
December 28th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Awesome photos. He’s growing so fast. 2 months old already.
Here’s to a Happy and great 2011 for you and your family.
December 28th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
If I ever am reincarnated, I want to be Gavin in the 4th photo down.
So comfy. So snuggly. So adorable.
December 28th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Gavin has grown so much! I’m very glad you were able to figure out what works best for you and trust your mommy instincts to be your best for him. You are truly a blessed family.
December 29th, 2010 at 8:12 am
So happy to read this update! And I am so so happy that you found peace with the breastfeeding/pumping thing. I was there a few years ago with Maggie and it was really tough. But I realized- like you said- she was FINE with whatever I fed her. SHE DIDN’T CARE! I was the one who was obsessing over it. And once I saw how much happier she was when I stopped fighting what was obviously not working anymore, I was happier. And um, at nearly 4 years old, it’s pretty obvious I didn’t do anything ‘wrong’ to her ;) heh
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your little one!
December 29th, 2010 at 10:50 am
Yay chunky monkey! I’m glad that you finally figured out the whole breastfeeding thing and what will keep you sane. I’m sure that is fairly important when a newborn is around. :-)
December 29th, 2010 at 11:13 am
What a beautiful post. And that little man of yours! He’s so beautiful, Nilsa. I’m so glad he’s growing and your family is adjusting. I think you’re pretty amazing.
December 29th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Hooray for a wonderful update! And pictures! I can’t wait to see him again this spring.
December 29th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Oh, my goodness, he is just STUNNING. I’m so glad that you are all doing well -- looks like his first Christmas was very merry!
(Also, I right clicked to open the links you added in a separate window -- no photo copying attempted, I swear). :)
December 29th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! He is an adorable little monkey, that one. You think he’s big now, just wait! ;-)
December 29th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
HOORAY! You are back!
LOVE the 2nd to last photo of Sweets and Gavin. OMG Precious. That little grasshopper is really growing into his features and body!
Xoxo!
December 30th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
Seriously LOVE those little wrinkles on his thighs! He’s grown so much this month!
Babies sleeping on your chest are THE BEST!
December 30th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
Wow. I cannot believe how much he has grown. Go Gavin! I loved this update and understand how busy you are. Thanks for the photos and happy holidays!
January 3rd, 2011 at 7:47 pm
I’m late to this post, but the pictures are adorable and I hope you’re doing well being back at work! Thinking about you. Glad you enjoyed the holidays with your chunky grasshopper monkey. :)
January 4th, 2011 at 9:55 am
I cannot wait to meet Gavin. And hug you. And Sweets. This post just makes me so incredibly happy. He’s a handsome boy and he looks like you (at least to me). I’m glad things are going well, that he’s growing, happy, healthy, that you’ve all found a balance that works for you and that life in general is just awesome! Sending hugs and love as always. <3.
January 4th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
Gavin is absolutely adorable! His little pouty lips kill me.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
Those last 2 pictures are AMAZING. Happy New Year to you and your perfect family!