8 Week Update

We had a great Memorial Day Weekend. We had some good family time and good BBQ. It doesn't get better than that, right?  But I was acutely aware that the holiday was not just an excuse for a party--it's a solemn day to remember the sacrifice of so many heroic people and animals who serve our country.

Preston got to visit with a lot of Kevin's family that haven't seen him since he was born, so that was a nice treat. Everyone kept saying how tiny he is. We feel like he is soo much bigger! But I guess most just aren't used to seeing 8 week old babies, so it's shocking when you actually see one and realize how small babies are.

I think Preston may have gone through a growth spurt this weekend. He nursed for way longer than normal. He would nurse for like 40 minutes every 3 hours! And he was also way sleepy. He slept almost entire days it seemed, other than nursing. But even then he wouldn't wake to nurse and would sleep well beyond his normal feeding times. One night he slept for 7 hours--I woke up in a panic that something was wrong with him or I had slept through his cries to eat. I actually had to wake him as my boobs were giving me the signal they could not wait one second longer. So after seven hours of straight sleep I woke him to nurse, then we went straight back to bed and slept for another 4 hours before waking and nursing again. He never sleeps THAT well.

I think Preston and I may also have a case of Thrush. I'm having painful symptoms on one of my breasts and he has a very white tongue that can't be cleaned off and has been a fussy nurser for the past few days. I just noticed all of this a few days ago. I'm sure we'll get it cleared up in no time though. I got some calls into my OB and his Pedi today.

My new fav thing about motherhood: When Preston is nursing I loove watching his little feet and toes move and wiggle around as he is nice and relaxed and enjoying a good meal. For some reason I think it's so precious to watch his little feet all propped up on the Boppy, nice and relaxed softly movin' and a groovin'. I love all these small moments in time that will never be again. I want to soak them all in!

I don't know if it's because Preston is demanding more milk from my body, or if things normally change around 8 weeks, or if it's because I changed up my nursing/pumping routine, but it seems my milk supply may be a little low for the last week. My poor boobs feel as flat as they can be and when Preston nurses he is fussy and pulls off every few seconds and I don't hear a lot of swallowing--so I wonder how much is in there. This is one of the most difficult things about breastfeeding--how much are they getting?! But some of this could be attributed to thrush. So I'm going to make sure he eats every 3 hours during the day and make sure I'm getting in two good pumping sessions every day to keep my supply where it needs to be. I'm hoping this too will level out soon.

I realized this weekend I'm still up two pounds from pre-pregnancy weight. I weigh around 113#, but I feel like I weigh more. I have a nice ( not so nice) pooch of soft fat on my belly that will hang over a pair of pants if I choose the wrong pants.  I don't love it. I wonder if this typically goes away or if this is just part of the deal after pregnancy. I want to start working out to get rid of it, but I don't want to lose anymore weight anywhere else. Does anyone know the best way to do this? It seems cardio would slim me everywhere, but an ab workout would just strengthen the muscles below the fat...hmm...what to do, what to do..

Kevin and I were so productive this weekend. We both got a lot of things on our "lists" accomplished. Feels good! Thank you three day weekend! It is already getting so hot around here, which is not awesome, but at least it's no longer cold. I sure do hate winter! Things are pretty great around here. We're adjusted to having to live our lives in three hours increments but we're no longer feeling like we have to spend a lot of time couped up in the house because of this. We get out and do what we want or need to do for the most part, we're just a lot more conscious of time these days and his nursing schedule.

Preston is wonderful. He is so handsome. I can't believe he is already two months old! He goes in next week to start his first round of vaccines. Big appointment! We are still doing physical therapy and chiropractic adjustments, but I'm hopeful this will all come to an end fairly soon and we will just have to continue to watch his head shape. My prayer is that it will start to reshape itself once he can roll himself over to his belly, so he can more safely sleep on his stomach which won't keep his flat spot flat from continued pressure from laying on his back.

Oh, a first!  He sucked on his thumb for the first time this weekend. As one of my mother-in-laws who is a dental hygienest pointed out, this isn't great for a baby's mouth as a long-term habit, but it was sooo cute!!

Things are awesome these days. Of course, there are still really rough days, but that's to be expected. Love lovin' on our sweet family of three. Kevin and I have big plans for Mr. Preston every step of the way. We are not going to be parents of the time or of the culture. We are choosing to be different.  I can't wait to see them all play out in his life. :)