Four Months Old!

Ezra is growing up! He is a smiley, happy boy almost all of the time!  He used to sleep really well and would sometimes sleep 5-6 hours during his first stretch of the night.  However, about a week before he turned 4 months, he started waking up more during the night.  It makes for a tired momma, but it isn't too bad.  He is still sleeping in his crib beside my bed.  He does go right to sleep at night, and after I feed him or comfort him a bit (with his pacifier and/or his lovey) he goes right back to sleep. I think he might be working on some teeth...and/or we are going through the 4 month sleep regression.  He is so sweet though! There's no way I could ever be upset with him!  I just adore this "little" guy!  He is now 20 lbs and wearing 9 and 12 month clothes.  He wore an outfit on Sunday that when Jonah wore it, he was already walking!!  Jonah was a big, fat baby, but this guy is just plain BIG.  I can't wait to see how he turns out, but for now I'm willing to wait.  I love having him as a baby and I'm totally enjoying every second of it!

Starting to Sleep Alone

Ezra is almost 2 months old...and he is starting to sleep by himself now.  I have been co-sleeping with him up until now, because it is much easier on me.  However, he has started to sleep almost all night, so I thought it was probably time to get him used to sleeping on his own.  So, last night Jesse brought his crib into our bedroom.  I still like having his close by.  I'm not quite ready to put him in a different room just yet.  Anyway, he slept in his crib in my bedroom last night and he did pretty well!  He was able to sleep from 10:30 until around 4.  I fed and changed him, and put him back into the crib.  After that, he went right back to sleep until around 6:30.  At that point, he seemed like he was having a little gas pain, so I kept him in the bed with me until we woke up at 8:15.  Overall, I was very happy with his ability to sleep in his bed all alone.   Tonight, we will try again.   He actually seems to sleep better when I put him to bed around 9:30.  I think I will try that this evening.

Ezra's First Fourth

My littlest boy is just the sweetest thing! Not that Jonah wasn't sweet (and maybe it was just that I'm a better mommy now that I've had some practice, I don't know) but my little Ezra is just sweet as sugar! He is a cuddly little sack of potatoes!  He coos and his little eyes just light up! It is very easy for me to make him smile! I'm loving my time with him.  I'm certain that I will look back on this summer and my heart will be full of sweet memories of time with my newborn AND my two year old.  He's pretty sweet too...when he wants to be!

Sweet Ezra

I can't even believe just how much I love this little guy! He is just the sweetest thing! It's amazing how much you can love something that just eats, poops and sleeps!  But he is so special to me! It is also hard to imagine loving another child the way you love the first...but I definitely love little Ezra!

He is very calm and happy most of the time.  The only time he fusses at all is when he needs to burp or is gassy.  Oh, he also fusses for a dirty or wet diaper.  At least, it seems that way.  He will get a bit fussy and I'll change his diaper and he will be all better!  This is a little strange to me, because Jonah never fussed because of his diaper.

He is a good sleeper.  He has typically been sleeping for a good nap in the morning and a long nap in the afternoon and/or evening.  I've been trying to make sure he stays awake in the later evenings, and I think that has helped him sleep longer at night.  The night before last (6/22), for his longest stretch of sleep he slept from 11 pm to 5:15 am!  Last night he slept good, too.  It was from 10:30 to 4.  He can stay awake for a long time without getting fussy.  I think he was up for between 2 and 3 hours last night and was never fussy at all.

He started taking a pacifier a little more.  He still isn't crazy about it.  He didn't like the "soothie" ones at all (the kind the hospitals usually give out), but I gave him an Avent brand one and he likes it much better.  I still try not to give it to him too much.  I want to make sure it doesn't take the place of mommy. :) At this point, he is growing like a weed so, I don't think it is hurting him any.   I weighed him on our home scales the other day and (at 5 weeks old) he was over 13 lbs!   He wears 3 month sized clothes and some of those are kinda smallish on him.  They don't fit very well over his massive head and his huge, cloth diaper booty.

He has already rolled over from belly to back. The first time was at 3 weeks old!  He also is really strong and can almost roll over from his back to belly.  He seems to prefer to sleep on his side, so he always rolls from his back to side when sleeping.

Ezra's already shown me his first REAL smiles!  He started that at 4 weeks old! I know babies smile as a reflex from birth, but at 4 weeks, he started cheesing it up for mommy's goofy high-pitched voice.  Oh, and also for ceiling fans.

4 Weeks ALREADY!?

It's hard to believe that 4 weeks has past since I had Baby Ezra!  I have really been enjoying spending time with him!  He is so sweet and a very good baby!  He sleeps really well and most nights has been sleeping good.   Typically, he sleeps from 11 to 2.  I feed him at 2.  Then, he goes right back to sleep and wakes back up around 5.  Then he usually wants to eat again around 7.  I've been getting enough sleep!  There has only been 1 or maybe 2 nights that have been hard.  Ezra sleeps next to me in the bed.  It is a much better arrangement for me, because I can feed him and barely wake up.  Jesse doesn't like it much, but he wears earplugs and sometimes goes to sleep on the couch.  Pretty soon, I will try to get him to sleep apart from me.  I'd like to wait until he starts to sleep longer at night.   It's hard on me to get up out of the bed 3 times a night!

Everything has been going well with staying home alone with Jonah and Ezra.  We have a little routine going now and things seem to be clicking.  Jonah gets a little bored staying home and doing the same things every day, but not too bad.  We wake up, I change diapers, some days I put makeup on and even brush my teeth (LOL), we all get dressed, we eat breakfast, Ezra naps, we play and watch some recorded movies or TV from the DVR, we go for a walk around our neighborhood, we play more, we eat lunch, we get ready for nap, Jonah naps, Ezra and I hang out, if Ezra sleeps then maybe I can get some work done, I prep for dinner, and then Jesse comes home.  Its working pretty well so far!

I feel so much better than I did after I had Jonah.  I'm not sure why, but I really had some hormonal issues after Jonah was born.  Looking back, I may even have had Postpartum Depression.  I'm not sure, but I didn't feel like myself for a long time.  I know that I am enjoying Ezra more than I enjoyed Jonah as a baby.  I know that sounds bad, but I think it was stressful and I was hormonal.  Things were difficult.  I was constantly mad at Jesse.  I felt very lonely and bored.  This time I have Jonah here to keep me company and things are much less stressful.  I'm getting plenty enough sleep and Jesse and I have been getting along great!

Ezra's Birth Story

Warning: This post contains personal, pregnancy stuff that might gross some people out.  I plan on writing what really happened without mincing words.

I really wasn't in a hurry to have Baby Ezra.  However, when my due date came and went, I finally started to get ready.  On Friday May16th, I drank 4 cups of raspberry leaf tea in hopes that it would help contractions begin.  I had drank it earlier in my pregnancy, but stopped because I noticed that when I drank it, I would have really strong Braxton Hicks contractions.  Anyway, I planned on drinking a lot if I was still pregnant in the next few days.

However, on Saturday May 17th. I woke up and was getting ready to head downstairs to make Jonah and myself some breakfast.  As I was walking down the hallway, I felt a slight trickle of water on my leg.  It felt a lot like when my water broke with Jonah. I went to the bathroom to check things out.  Sure enough, I had a watery discharge that was bloody.  Then, I lost the mucus plug.

I yelled down the stairs to Jesse (who was down there with Jonah) to tell him what happened.  I was excited and a little nervous.  I really didn't want my water to break early, like it had with Jonah because I thought that pretty much guaranteed that I would have a c-section.  I was hoping that it was just the bloody show and not my actual amniotic fluid.

I called Dr. Chamberlain's office and got their call answering service.  A nurse was going to call me back. I made Jonah and I some french toast for breakfast.  As I was eating, the nurse called and told me to go to the hospital.  As I was getting myself ready and packing last minute things, Jesse took Jonah over to his Nana & Papaw's house.

We headed to St. Mary's and while we were in the car, I started having some small contractions. We got to the OB floor around 11 am.  They put me in room 3049.  My nurses name was Heather.  Heather checked my cervix and said that I was about 1 cm dilated and about 70% effaced.  She gave me a test to see if my water had broke.  The test was only supposed to take 15 minutes in the lab, but she had some holdup waiting for stickers to label it or something.  It ended up taking around 90 minutes!  My water had broke so they called Dr. Chamberlain.  He was doing a circumcision at Cabell Huntington Hospital, but said he would be there soon.  We waited and waited.  Meanwhile, my contractions got stronger and stronger.  Heather hooked me up with a heplock IV (and it took them 4 tries to get my vein because I was dehydrated and hadn't had anything to eat or drink since breakfast!)

At around 4 pm, Dr. Chamberlain finally arrived.   He checked my cervix (felt like he was checking my tonsils!) and said I was almost 100% effaced and 2 cm dilated.  However, he said the baby was WAY up high.  He hadn't started to descend at all.   So, he said I could labor for about and hour and see what happens.  They let me be disconnected from the monitors and I just paced around the room.  My contractions were coming pretty strong.  Jesse started timing them and they were coming around every 90 seconds and lasting for about 45 seconds.

After an hour, Dr. Chamberlain said I was 4 cm dilated but the baby was still way up there.  He broke my water with a hook.  Even though it was broke a little, it hadn't broke all the way.  So, he did that and it gushed out.  The water contain meconium.  I decided that a c-section was okay with me at this point.  The baby wasn't moving down and it was going to be a long labor with meconium floating around my baby.

So, they prepped me for the c-section.  The wheeled me into the OR at 6 pm.  The nurse anesthetist was so nice but it took him forever to get into my spine.  He had to try in 2 different places.  The nurses were all so helpful and nice.  Nurses really are special people! Dr. Chamberlain even played "Butterfly Kisses" on his cellphone. Ha!  So, they finally called for Jesse to come in.  The c-section medicines made me shake uncontrollably, but he held my hand really tight.

Then, at 6:39 pm, sweet Ezra was born!  I heard him cry and then Dr. Chamberlain said, "How much did your first baby weigh?"  I said, "7 lbs, 6 oz" and he says, "Well this one is the prize-winner!"  They took Ezra over to dry him off and do his checks.  He weighed 9 lbs, 9 oz!  He was 22 inches long and his head was 38 cm in circumference.  I said, "I only gained 30 lbs!" and Dr. Chamberlain said, "Well you lost 25 today!"  Ha!  (FYI: I really didn't lose 25 lbs).

They put Ezra on my chest in the OR.  They took us back to my room so I could go through the recovery process.  I put Ezra to my breast and he immediately latched on!  It was an awesome experience!  Amazingly, I felt so good about my choice to have a c-section.  I still feel really great about it!  My emotional state after having Ezra was 1000 times better than after having Jonah.

Sarah, Jay, Caylan and Carly came to visit us really soon afterwards.  Jesse and I were starving, so he drove over to Chipotle and got us some late dinner.  My first meal after having Ezra was two steak tacos and they were delicious!

The next day in the hospital, a different nurse came in my room.  She said, "I just wanted to tell you that I was in the OR with you during your c-section.  Your uterus was really, really stretched out and thin on the bottom."  She said that I would have probably got myself into trouble if I had tried to have Ezra vaginally.  She also encouraged me to make sure I had a c-section with any future babies (as if any doctor would sign up for that after 2 c-sections).

He's ALMOST here!

Ezra will be here soon!  I am currently 39 weeks and 4 days pregnant.  I was the same when Jonah was born!  I haven't had any real clues that Ezra will be coming soon, but a few things are happening that make me think that he might be coming fairly soon.

I have been feeling really good! The end of this pregnancy has been a lot easier than last time.  With Jonah, my ankles and feet were really swollen!  Sometimes my hands and even my face might have been a little puffy.  I couldn't fit my fat feet into my shoes.  I can remember having to unlace my tennis shoes before I went out for a walk.  I wore flip-flops every day to school.  This time, I've only had a tiny bit of swelling maybe a couple of times.  I have felt pretty good and my blood pressure has been very close to my normal range.

I've gained a little more weight this time, but not a lot more.  This morning on my home scale I was up to 148.  So, I've gained about 30 lbs.  I think with Jonah, I gained more like 25.  I know I have less muscle this time, though.  I'm going to have to get out and walk and move more after this baby comes.  I might have to get a 2 baby stroller or something.   I'm going to try to get Ezra comfy in a wrap.  I have a Moby wrap that Jonah hated....and honestly, I wasn't crazy about it either.  It was hard to get him in the thing, especially in public.  You'd have to drape 4 yards of fabric in a parking lot.  I found it to be a little stressful.  I also have an Ergo. I found the Ergo challenging because I seriously could NOT buckle the back without someone to help me.  So, if you are out by yourself, you'd have to ask a stranger for help!  I kind of wish I had a ring sling or something like that.  Seems like those would be easier.

Jonah has been such a good boy lately.  I guess he always is, but I'm so thankful to have him.  He will pull me by my finger down the hallway to get his milk before night-night.  I will hold him for a few minutes while he drinks it.  When the milk is all gone, he gives me the cup.  Then sometimes I'll ask if he is ready for night-night and he says "yeah."  He gives me a hug, and I lay him in the crib.  I give him his stuffed fox, Roxy and put the quilt over him.  He sometimes reaches up and hugs my arm and says, "Bye, Ma!"  Then I walk out the door for the evening.  Lately, he's been doing the exact same thing for naptime, too.  This will make things a lot easier for me when Ezra is here.

Jonah is a good eater too.  He will eat a lot of different foods that I'm not sure a typical toddler really eats.  He will eat chicken breasts dipped in sour cream or homemade ranch.  He likes hamburger dipped in ketchup.  He loves breakfast food.  He will scarf down french toast, pancakes, granola, and scrambled eggs.  He likes to eat the veggies out of my salad and likes them best dipped in ranch or vinaigrette dressing.  He likes sunflower seeds and nuts.  He likes the fermented pickles that I buy and even olives.  I never really have to make something special for him, he usually just eats whatever we are having for dinner.  He likes spaghetti, taco salad, casseroles..  He will try pretty much anything on most days.  He can have picky days though.  He likes sweet stuff best, of course.  He likes crackers, chips and cookies.  I think his favorite thing in the world is raisins though!  He calls them "ree" and he asks for them all of the time! He calls cookies, "kee" and crackers, "cah."

He has been saying a bunch of new words lately.  He usually only says one syllable of words.  He will try to communicate something but unless you know his "slang" then it is pretty much impossible to tell what he wants.  The other day, we heard him say "Go way, bee!"  when talking to a bee on the back deck.  He does say a few sentences, but not many.  

He can recognize all the capitol letters of the alphabet.  He knows most of the lower case too, but some of those are a little confusing.  ha!  He has a hard time with b and d mostly...and different fonts can cause him some problems too. For example, if the lower-case t has a curve at the bottom, he will call it a J.   He can also tell you the next letter of the alphabet for the whole alphabet.  So, sometimes I say A, and he says B....and then I say,"What comes next?" and he will go through the whole alphabet.  Sometimes I hear him saying the alphabet in order to himself.  

Just recently he learned to count to 10.  He is really interested in anything that has to do with counting right now.  He loves it.  I will count to 20 and he will say (and sign) "MORE!"  So, I just do it over and over again.  He just sits there and listens.  When he goes up and down stairs, he always wants to count them.  When he sees two of something, he says, "two!"

He has been "reading" a couple of sight words.  I started with the word "Go," which is one of his favorites. (ha!)  I would write it and sound it out and say it.  He would just say "G" and "O" for awhile.  After a few times of doing that, I wrote it on the driveway in sidewalk chalk the other day and he said, "GO!"   He has consistently recognized it since then.  At my mom's house on sunday, he got out a letter puzzle. He pulled out the letters, G and O and placed them next to each other.  It said, OG, but he said "Go!"  haha.  It was so cute.  He also has recognized the word Ball at least once.  We are still working on that one.  Ball and Car are the next words that we will be adding.  :)

I'm a pretty proud mommy to say the least!  I know this blog is about my pregnancy with Ezra, but as I get closer to having 2 babies, I'm feeling a bit sad about my big baby growing up.  I wanted to take a few minutes and write down these memories of Jonah before his brother comes along.  I can't wait to see what Jonah thinks about him.