Life is good

I'm sooooooo enjoying this sweet little thing ;o) Jonah is just the best baby, and has been so easy so far! He's a good eater, sleeps very well, and just loves to be snuggled, but is generally quite content to be left alone, as well. He seems to particularly like being swaddled, so long as I don't fold his legs up lol! And he prefers to have his hands by his face, but is okay with them being by his sides. He's having some major issues with reflux, but the swaddling seems to help that a little. Not a lot, granted, but maybe his moving around makes the reflux worse? Poor little thing eats very well, but is loosing about half of each feeding, so we are spending a whole lot of time nursing. It could be SO much worse! I'm actually loving this, even if it means that I can't get *anything* done these days.

Poor little Noah is being really good with him, but I can tell he needs a litte extra attention. He's really not the jealous type, but he doesn't get why I'm not holding him so much. I think he kinda misses me, and is a little ticked about it. Instead of being a mommy's boy, whenever things aren't going his way, he starts yelling about wanting his daddy. Yeah, I feel bad about that...

Oh, at Jonah's 2 week checkup, he was up to 7 lbs, 4 oz! The doctor was quite happy with that - seems he was just wanting him to regain his birth weight by then, and Jonah surpassed it by 4 oz! Little piggy ;o) And he already has "man hands" lol! His fingers are long, like my other children, but his fingers are thick. I'm not sure what that's all about, but it's cute. And he just *loves* having his little head rubbed... He'll stop eating just for that lol! And his sweet little head feels like a peach, so soft and fuzzy <3

Ah, this little guy just melts my heart!




Oooooh! (My favorite of the faces he makes)


Ahhhhhh!


This is a wonderful swaddle wrap - it's just perfect for Jonah! He doesn't seem too impressed with snuggle socks, and he's too long for blankets. This is a nice happy medium, I just wish it wasn't brown... Shows every last bit of spit up that comes it's way.



I think I'm going to do some reverse engineering and make about 3 more of these. It would be so much easier to just buy them, and they aren't expensive at all ($12, I think), but I love variety, and have some cute knits that would be just perfect!

Jonah is 9 days old!

Do you know what that means??? It means he has outlived Max, and that's a load of stress off of me!!! Woohooo! Those small "victories" feel so wonderful ;o)

Jonah is such a sweet little guy, and is doing quite well. I feel slightly guilty about scheduling him to be born so early - he just seems a little "under done". I don't really know how to explain it, other than he just seems a bit younger than the rest of them did when they were first born. Not really in a bad way, just kind of interesting, I suppose. He is amazingly calm and snuggly, which is a refreshing change from the others, too lol!

I was commenting that I wasn't nearly as engorged as I had been with the other kids, and Adron started laughing and said it was because Jonah nurses all night long... I had no idea! He said that this morning he thought Jonah was snuggling just a bit too close, and he wanted to make sure he could breathe, so he moved him. Of course, he realized that there was quite a good reason for the closeness when he heard the slurping sound as Jonah was pulled off my breast lol! Had I been awake, I would have had a FIT! I'm sure it's the reason that nipple is tender today, too. LOL! Oh well, nothing better than a kid that knows how to keep himself happy and full, huh!

Yesterday, he found his thumb <3 It was just the sweetest thing - I've worked very hard to make sure none of my kids were thumb suckers, but it's still sweet to look at :o) I had tried giving hm Soothie pacifiers, but they were causing a problem with nursing. I think they are too hard, relative to my breasts, and caused nipple confusion. I pulled out the Mam they gave us at the hospital, and it seems to be ok. It's softer and flatter, more like the real thing, I guess. He doesn't like it as much as the Soothie, but I'm hoping that maybe next week, after nursing is better established, we can switch back. Anyway, here's a couple pictures I took last night:

Settling in.

I got to go home Sunday afternoon. We stopped at our favorite local pizza joint on the way home, and my favorite server was there :o) I'm not really sure I'm really ready to be home yet, though... Sunday was ok, I was really tired, and didn't do a whole lot. Yesterday was hell, though.

I'm really trying not to be a spoiled brat, but it's so frustrating when I'm this tired and uncomfortable, and I can't get the help I need. I had asked Adron to heat up the oven so we could reheat our leftover pizza, and an hour later he was still sitting there. I finally got up and did it myself, and made pb&j sandwiches for Ellie and Noah. I had spent the entire morning trying to get Jonah to nurse, and it wasn't going very well at all. I finally pulled out some milk I had pumped and heated it up. I poured some in a little medicine cup, and slowly dumped it into Jonah's mouth. After about 1/2 oz., he finally decided to latch on! I was so relieved! Have I mentioned that Max never did nurse, and I always had to feed him with a little cup or a syringe? Yeah, I was a little freaked out about Jonah being the same way. I know he'd nursed fine before that, but still. I don't think the little man adapts well to change. Once the pump was primed, he hasn't had any more problems nursing, thank goodness.

I spent the majority of the day in my room crying for no good reason. Jonah slept most of the day, and barely woke up to eat (another Max flashback), so I hardly saw him. I don't think I've ever experienced such intense post partum depression this early on. Thankfully, my OB already had me on an antidepressant, knowing that I have issues with depression in the last 8 weeks of my pregnancies. I haven't been taking the full dose, as the lower dose was working just fine. Last night I upped my dose to the full level she had prescribed, and today is so much better. I'm still on the verge of tears, but it's not so bad.

Of course, I had to get up this morning and wash our sheets and blanket. The little prince has quite a knack for puking all over the place, so I slept in a puddle and woke up rather soggy this morning lol!

Today he's making up for all that sleeping yesterday - he was awake and alert for a whole hour this morning, and has nursed several times, staying awake between some feedings! That's exciting - Max never woke up to play. Of course, now that he's napping, I want to crawl back in bed, but my sheets and blanket are still in the washer lol!

Here is the little man just now - he wouldn't settle down until I tucked the blanket around him lol! Might wanna wear some shades to look at this picture ;o)

Enjoying a little quiet time :o)

I'm not sure I've ever spent this much time alone at the hospital... And, oddly, I've enjoyed it! I love it more when I have visitors, but being able to do nothing is kinda nifty, too ;o) Of course, I think that's largely because Jonah is such an easy baby so far, and I don't feel like I need a break lol! A couple of friends have said they were going to stop by today, and I'm really looking forward to seeing them! I got a whole lot more sleep last night than I had been getting, and was able to sleep late this morning. I think that's the best part about the 2nd night - the nurses aren't required to bug me as much lololol! I felt kinda bad, though - the audiologist came in to check Jonah's hearing, and I slept through the whole thing.

My milk has come in, and I've got plenty of it. I'm thinking about aksing for a pump, just to relieve a bit of the pressure. I know, I know. Pumping increases milk supply, compounding the problem, but in my experience, a little pumping prevents a lot of blocked ducts and/or infections. I've always joked that I have enough milk to feed quadruplets, but I don't really think that's an exaggeration lol! It's such a blessing to be able to nurse and not have to worry about having enough milk.

Just like Ellie and Noah, Jonah seems to have issues with reflux already. Poor little guy started projectile vomiting last night, and it's getting worse. As long as he gains weight, I suppose it's fine, but it really seems to bother him. He doesn't complain much at all, even when I know he's starving, but I've noticed that he starts fussing a little in his sleep right before he spits up. I am not looking forward to having to give him meds for it in the coming months, but I'm sure that's what is coming. This is what he looks like when he's about to spit up:





Did I mention that he's the closest thing to a bald baby as I've ever had? I am so tickled lol! The other kids had a lot more hair than Jonah does, and his hair is much lighter than rest of 'em, too. It looks like it might be a light strawberry blonde - there is definitely a bit of red in it :o) And it's so fluffy! I beleive Ellie's hair was like that, too, so I hope that means he'll have curls... His eyes are a fairly dark blue, but they are VERY blue. Or so I thought - until I was looking at him today, and noticed that the ring around his pupils looks just a touch brown. That is exciting!

I'm feeling a little guilty right now - I usually don't need pain meds beyond what they use in my spinal block, but this c-section has been much more painful than the last ones. The dr that looked at my incision today said that it's looking a little red around the edges, so I'm on an antibiotic. An infection would certainly explain the extra tenderness and pain... Anyway, I still feel bad asking for pain meds at all, other than naproxen for the cramping. I know that whatever I put in my body affects Jonah, too, but I also realize that a mommy in pain won't heal nearly as quickly as a mommy that isn't hurting, so I have to justify the meds by thinking that I'll be much more able to take care of Jonah, as well as the rest of the family, if I allow myself to heal.

I have managed to get a little bit of embroidery done today - I'm working on a gown for Jonah's 40 day blessing. The majority of the embroidery was done before I had him, but there's still a lot left to do. I'm using 2 shades of blue for the knot work, and I've got a pretty green that I'm going to use to embroider vines just above the hem. I'm planning to put more trinity knots between the sections of the vine, too. I know the stitching isn't as neat as it should be, but this fairy batiste is so soft, and not at all tightly woven, so it's hard to make everything even. I'm going on the theory that no one is going to be looking at it that closely lol, and if they do, I really don't think it matters that much :op





And here's the little man on his daddy's lap:

He's here!

I am just totally head over heels for this little guy, too!!! He is incredibly sweet, very laid back so far, and refuses to curl into a fetal position lol!

Introducing Jonah Mathias - 7 lbs even, 21" long :o)





And here's our obligatory family shot lol!



I love that this pic looks like a party ;o)

I'm enjoying this little man so very much - everything went so smoothly, anesthesia was the best I've experienced, and Jonah seems to be just perfection! He sleeps well, eats very well, doesn't cry much at all, and loves to be snuggled =) Can it get any better than that?

Oh, and I knew that *something* had to go wrong - and it did. I ended up having my IV put in 4 times before it was all said and done lol! I'll take it - everything can't be flawless, right? Plus a couple of major differences of opinion on the hospital's newer policies. All in all, just enough to make me feel like balance has been maintained, but nothing horrible at all!

I hope my nurse comes in soon so I can try to get some sleep tonight...!

It's the big day!

So, I thought this was going to be a super happy, upbeat post, but things haven't gone according to plan...

Poor Adron is sick! We don't know if it's a stomach bug or mild food poisoning, but he feels horrid. Which, is the source of my own problems...

I didn't get to sleep last night. Well, I did, but just in 25 minute increments, because of Adron's tossing and turning. The house is trashed (baby clothes/diapers everywhere), I have a ton of stuff to do before going to the hospital this afternoon, and I am freaking exhausted! I went to bed around 11:30, I think, and woke up around 3:45. I stayed in bed until about 4:15 when I finally gave up and got in the shower. I've had a headache for 4 days now, largely due to tension and sinuses. So, I REALLY need to sleep. For goodness sake, I'm not gonna get any rest for the next 3 nights in the hospital!

The problem is that I can't sleep comfortably on the couch - puts a crick in neck every time. And I'm not at all good with sleeping in my chair. That puts my neck AND back out. So the only option is the bed, but since Adron feels icky, he's taken that over, and I'm screwed. I am so frustrated by this that I'm in tears. Why on earth can't HE sleep in HIS chair??? He has no problem doing that every evening while watching tv. And the ONLY place I am able to get any sleep right now is in the bed.


But I'm so excited about Jonah being born today! It's going to be fine, even if I *do* have a complete nervous breakdown due to lack of sleep...

It's kinda like a roller coaster ride...

I can't believe we are almost there! Right now I feel like I'mn on a roller coaster that is slowly going up to the top of the biggest hill, *just about* to head down the giddy, wonderful descent! There's no stopping now, no turning back,but I'm really not sure I'm ready lol!

Yeah, I know, it's a little late for that, but knowing that Jonah is scheduled to be here in 3 days is a little scary! Usually, I'm just fine going into the c-section. Nervous, sure, but not really worried about things. This time, however, I am totally freaked out and afraid that I'm not going to survive it. I know it's a totally (mostly) irrational fear, but it's still there. I know I have a great doctor, love her surgical tech, and the nurses at this hospital have been amazing for all three kiddos I've had there so far. I don't know if I'm just more aware of my own mortality, or if it's the gravity of knowing that I would be leaving behind FIVE motherless children. Then again, it could be something else entirely. I know that I've always had that tiny tinge of "what if", but nothing as strong as this. I know that there's always a chance something could happen to me, naturally or otherwise, but I just keep thinking of all the "routine surgeries" where the patient doesn't make it for one reason or another. Hmmmm... On 2nd thought, maybe it's stemming from watching an episode of Nip Tuck with Adron where the patient died as a result of the anesthesia interacting badly with her antidepressants. Granted, my OB is well aware of the meds I'm on, but maybe that is what's bothering me.

Whatever happens, I know it's in God's hands, and that I have zero control over it :o)

::Shaking that off::

On to happier things lol! I finally went shopping for Jonah!!! I didn't have a comeing home outfit or a hospital photos outfit for him yet. He is SUCH a 6th child lol! It's not for a lack of intention, but when I lost my ability to sew for him, it totally threw off my plans lol! So, Saturday, while Audrey was at cheerleading practice, I went to Gymboree and found some cuuuuuute little things for him! I'm not at all sure what he's going to wear for pics, or home, for that matter, but I've got something to choose from now lol! I managed to pick up 2 long sleeved rompers, a tee shirt, a polo, a pair of jeans, and a long sleeved onesie for less than $60! Everything I got was on sale - and I was delighted that there was a line with whales on it lol! Is that warped? Heehee! Then a friend of ours gave us a darling little outfit for Jonah that has planes on it :o) Love it!









I also ordered 3 Bravado nursing bras from Mothersville - they have them on sale for $22! Eek! What a deal! now I just pray that I like the way they fit.... I need to buy some prefold diapers and a couple of Imse Vimse wool covers, too, once I have some $$$ to do so. I really hope that I'll be able to use cloth on this little guy - Noah's bottom was more sensitive to the moisture from the cloth than to the chemicals in the disposable diapers, so I had to quit CDing when he was 6 weeks old. Talk about being bummed out! And I had sewn up a bunch of yummy sherpa dipes for him, too!



I loaned out the rest of my cloth dipes, but I don't think they are coming back due to an unfortunate incident (I promise I'm ok with it ;o) ), so I'm just going to wait and see if Jonah's little bottom can handle cloth before I go out and buy more.

In other family news, Noah is sick. Grrrrrrr. Last February, he wound up with a stomach bug that lasted the typical day or two, but threw up for another 2 weeks. Couldn't keep ANYTHING down, short of giving him Zofran. The pediatrician wasn't concerened, but I was freaked out! The poot kid went from 23 lbs to 18 lbs, about 20% of his body weight! That is a whole lot of weight for a tiny little guy to lose, and I was seriously concerened about it damaging his heart!!! I think he's got sinus drainage this time, as he's not actually heaving, just kinda "spitting up", and it's all clear. I gave him a slice of bread this morning, and he kept it down, but he couldn't keep down the powerade I gave him. Last night, he was so pitiful when we were eating dinner! I felt horrible for him, so I had Adron start the "Cars" movie for him to watch while we ate. He ended up coming in the kitchen, getting his plate off the counter, and begging for "back-boney and tees"! It was so sad!!! I am half tempted to give him a little bit today for lunch to see if it'll stay down, but I know that he'll prolly never eat it again if it doesn't. Last year, we thought he was over it, and fed him hotdogs, which promptly came back up. Now he won't eat them, and they used to be his favorite thing. I've been giving him Pepto to help coat his stomach, but I think he needs something to prevent the vomiting. And the darn pediatrician isn't going to agree. I know my child, I know that he hardly ever gets sick, and I know that when he does, it takes a very long time for his stomach lining to heal. I can't imagine having to clean up puke for the next 2 weeks, when I will hardly be able to take care of a healthy toddler on top of a newborn and a c-section recovery. Ugh! Anyone wanna come help??? LOL! I'm kidding - I wouldn't do that to any of my friends!

Guess it's lunch time - I am hoping to get back on here before I have Jonah. I've done a lot of scrapping in the past few days lol! I need to post some LOs!