Andrew's First Week

These 10 days have really flown by! I really am loving having a family of four, despite the fact that I am sleep-deprived, still working hard at breastfeeding, and struggling to keep a busy almost 2-year-old occupied. I am convinced that Leah & Andrew have a conspiracy going to keep me from getting any sleep. Inevitably, each afternoon I will coordinate things perfectly so that they are both getting to sleep at the same time. But then-- Andrew will wake up wanting to have one of his daily "cluster feed" sessions & then get fussy & I'll end up with only an hour or less for a nap. Then Leah will wake up, and nap time is done!

Andrew also seems to have his days & nights mixed up. He sleeps really well during the day (even with all the noise & activity going on around him) but then at night for some reason he gets really gassy after he eats & I can't put him down without him starting to cry. So I'll get up, burp him & rock him, and as soon as I lay back down, he starts at it again. I have managed to get in at least 2 2-hour sleep periods every night, and I'm not completely exhausted during the day, but I'm still pretty tired! It helps to remember that Leah slept through the night at 11 weeks. Only 9 to go!

We are still really struggling with breastfeeding. Things seemed to be going really well. I'm not sure what happened, but he just suddenly started having trouble latching on. One night we worked with him over an hour and he still would not latch on. It was as if he just completely forgot what he was doing! So I pumped & gave him a bottle. I have since been trying at least 10 minutes or so each time I feed him to get him to latch on. If he doesn't, I try not to get frustrated and just give him a bottle. I remind myself that it worked for Leah, it can work for him, too, as much as I hate the thought of being attached to that pump for the next year of my life. And, bottles seem to make him really gassy and it ends up taking an hour or more for him to get settled. He does so much better when he will nurse.

I am determined to not give up. I have an appointment with a lactation consultant at his pediatrician's office Monday. Until then I'm going to keep trying every time. When he does nurse, it is so satisfying to me-- the success makes having a newborn seem not so hard, and actually rewarding. I can provide exactly what he needs to grow & thrive from my very own body. As a stay-at-home mom, there aren't many tangible "goals" to work towards-- it's not like a regular 9 to 5 job where I have specific duties & tasks and at the end of the day I can look back and say I accomplished at least one of my goals. My goals are more long-term: raise healthy, well-rounded children who know Christ and seek to serve Him. It's not really a measurable goal. So when I can see success in breastfeeding or in sleeping patterns, it is something that makes me feel satisfied as a mother.

His first sponge bath at home. As you can see, he was not a fan! He really doesn't like getting his diaper changed at all. Oh, and I've been "sprayed" twice now-- gotta get used to those little boy diapers!

Playtime! Leah declared this playmat "mine." Poor Andrew will have no toys of his own... She did manage to let him play some without trampling him too badly! He's still so sleepy all the time we haven't had a lot of "tummy time" or play time, but we get in about 20 or 30 minutes a day!

He sleeps so soundly in this bouncer seat! It was the best $5 I ever spent!! Of course, his sister likes it too...

The picture on the right is of Brett (on the far right) and his twin Brian (on the left). Now, try to tell me his son does not look like him!

23 months old-- almost to 2!

I thought I'd keep up with Leah's monthly updates at least until she's 2, so this post is just for her-- the big sister. Leah seems to have definately hit the terrible 2's. I know part of it is that she's still adjusting to a new baby brother, but mostly I think she's just learning how to test mommy & daddy to see what she can get away with. "No" is her new favorite word and she tries it all the time-- sometimes even when she really means "yes." She gets in her little brain something that she wants to do, and she is going to do it no matter whether she knows she will get in trouble or not! She teaches us patience every day, and reminds us of both the discipline and grace that God himself gives to us.

Leah talks non-stop now & uses a lot of complete sentences. Sometimes it is just so funny to hear what she has to say! In the morning when I get her up, she will say something like, "Where Daddy at?" and if I say "Daddy's sleeping" she will respond "I was sleeping too." It's so fun to actually be able to carry on some semblence of a conversation!

She is still sleeping fairly well at night, although now that I'm not getting much sleep at night I'd love for her to sleep past her usual 6:45 am! Her naps are usually only about 2 hours or less now. I've been struggling to find things to keep her busy this past week since I've been home-- I'm not really up for much active stuff-- I'm not really ready for a trek to the park where I have to chase her around & help her with everything-- so we're really kinda stuck at home and often she gets bored with her same old toys. I try to give her some sort of creative outlet every day, and go outside (even just to run around in the yard), and of course there's always "Elmo movie"-- she would gladly watch Elmo movies all day long if I let her!

She really does seem to have adjusted well to her baby brother and makes attempts to "help"-- getting me diapers & throwing the dirty ones away. She loves to kiss him (esp. when he's trying to sleep) and wiggle his fingers. She gets very concerned when he cries-- and that's the only time she really whines about not getting attention. She did want to have a bottle when he had one, so I obliged and she lost interest fairly quickly. She also had a meltdown when I put Andrew in her crib for just a second.

We're going to attempt the switch to the toddler bed probably this coming week, although I dread it-- it is already in her room now & she loves to sit on it to read her books but so far has balked at the idea of sleeping in it. We moved the rocking chair out of her room, so she is no longer rocked to sleep, and now she has her very own table & chairs that she loves to sit at to look at her books! She does still love her books and often "reads" them out loud-- her own version, of course!

It's hard to believe she's almost 2 years old! She's still my sweet, cuddly little girl, who loves to give hugs & kisses and loves to snuggle on the couch. I can barely remember when she was as small as Andrew (which reminds me every day how quickly time flies and reminds me to enjoy every day with him!).

We set up her new table & chairs in the living room before moving it up to her room, so here she is playing at it in the living room. And when we moved the love seat over during Grandma & GRandpa's stay, she loved looking out the window behind the sheer curtain! (And yes, those are shorts on her head!)

The first few days...

Andrew is an incredible baby-- so easygoing, so peaceful. These past few days have been a whirlwind,adjusting to our new family of 4. I am so thankful to have had my mom and dad here for several days to help out with cooking,cleaning & taking care of Leah. I have managed to catch 4or 5 hours of sleep a night, although not consecutive of course. The sleep deprivation is starting to set in and I know it will get worse, but right now he seems tobe such an easy baby. He cries only when he's getting his diaper changed or when he has an upset tummy. He does seem to have his nights and days mixed up, though, and seems fussier at night. He sleeps peacefully for hours during the day, in his bouncer, with his big sister running around like a crazy woman.

Breastfeeding this time around has been so much easier and I'm actually starting to enjoy it! He has had some issues with latching on, but most of the time he gets it after a minute or two. I have had some soreness because of the first few rocky days trying to get him to figure everything out. Right now, his feeding schedule is very sporadic. He only eats about 5-15 minutes each feeding before falling asleep or just acting as if he's finished. Sometimes, then, I'll burp him & change his diaper and he'll eat a little more. Sometimes, he'll fall asleep and be content for 3 hours. Sometimes he'll want to eat again in an hour. I'm working on getting him to get a full feeding each time so we can get on a schedule, but right now I don't really know what a "full feeding" looks like for him. He may just be really fast!

He does have a hard time with burping, which is the cause of his fussiness at night. I have had to set my alarm for every 3 hours at night in order to wake up. Usually he is just starting to stir right when I'm getting up, but he doesn't really cry when he's getting hungry. Although pumping was great with Leah, I'm thankful that I don't really have to do that much this time around-- it would be so difficult with Leah to have to give attention to nursing & the pumping both.

Leah's adjustment is going as I would have expected. She had her fair share of tantrums and melt-downs the past week. It was really difficult in the hospital, probably because she really did not understand what was going on, why Mommy was in bed and who this new baby was that was getting all the attention. She has honestly gotten better the past couple days since Grandma & Grandpa left, maybe because now there's not as much going on, or she's starting to realize that Andrew is here to stay. She really wants to love on the baby, and her idea of that is sticking her face right up next to his and basically laying on top of him. He doesn't seem to mind, though. She did get jealous when people would hold the baby, but that seems to be subsiding and now the most difficult thing is when I'm trying to feed him-- she wants to sit on my lap and tries to climb all over me (making the latching on of the nursing baby even more difficult!).

She has been saying "no" and testing our patience a lot more frequently-- we're trying to give a little more grace and a little more discipline-- I can't imagine what her perception of this whole situation is. I try to put her to bed at night with her normal routine, and when the baby's sleeping, pay extra attention to her. So far it hasn't been too difficult, but then, Brett hasn't gone back to work yet! As long as he continues to be a good sleeper, I'm optimistic about handling them on my own. I try to encourage Leah to help with the baby all she can-- she loves to watch us change his diaper, and will get the necessary supplies. She helps cover him with his blanket. Each time she sees him, she says "baby!" but we can't really get her to say his name much, although she does know it.

I have my moments of being overwhelmed or discouraged or exhausted, but so far it seems easier this time around. I remember thinking how HARD it was to have a newborn, but give me a newborn any day over an energetic 2 year old! Newborns at least sleep... Right now Sarah has taken Leah for the day to have some fun and get out of the house and it's been relaxing to just have one. I am thankful to have more support close by this time, as Sarah has already offered to take Leah some afternoons-- it's so helpful to both of us!

Andrew's Birth Story

He's here!! Monday, July 19th @ 1:00 in the morning, Andrew John Cody made his debut. Here's the gory details:

Sunday morning, the 18th, I was feeling okay, but just not 100%-- I had a slight stomachache, but no real contractions. Then, about 2 that afternoon, I had what I would consider the first contraction. I still wasn't really ready to call it real labor-- I remembered what contractions felt like, and I knew that was it, but it was just one, and it wasn't really measurable. I had another around 4 or so, and then they started picking up. By the time Brett got home from church around 6, I was ready to admit that I was actually in labor. Knowing how quickly Leah came, I didn't want to take any chances getting to the hospital late. So we went ahead and sent Leah to Brett's friend Steve's house for the night.

Contractions were coming about 7 or 8 minutes apart by this time, and quickly getting more painful. I could still walk and talk through them, so I was still not really ready to go to the hospital. Brett was eager, though, because he wanted to have a chance to get settled this time and not have to be so rushed! So we waited until about 9:30 or so, when my contractions were still about 7 minutes apart or so. Dr. Fisher was on call-- the dr. that delivered Leah that I had hoped would be there! She actually advised us to wait a little longer before coming in, but we went anyway, and were sent to triage when we arrived.

At first check, I was dilated maybe 1 or 2 cm. I was so discouraged because the contractions were definately regular and definately more painful! They couldn't admit us until I was a little farther along, but suggested I wait a couple hours to see where it would go. I chose to just lay in bed & watch a little TV. 2 hours passed fairly quickly, even though the pain was picking up. The contractions were more painful than I remembered. They checked me again after the 2 hours and I was already up to 5 cm.! They were able to get me to a room and by then I was requesting the epidural.

I got to the room about midnight, and when they checked again, I was already at 7 cm. They sent for the epidural, but 30 minutes later I was pretty much fully dilated and there was no chance of getting that epidural on time. I was definately in a lot of pain but determined to get that baby pushed out! Dr. Fisher had been called away to an emergency C-section so she couldn't make it and another hospital dr., Dr. Watson, had to do the actual delivery. She was great, though, and Dr. Fisher came by later, she herself even bummed that she didn't make it! I think it took maybe 4 or 5 pushes and out came the baby-- fast and furious!

It still didn't seem real as they placed him on my chest-- I couldn't believe he was actually here. This time we had the camera in the delivery room so we got to take lots of pictures during his first few minutes of life. He weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz. (more than a pound bigger than Leah-- that extra week really added some weight!) and was 20 inches long. He's perfectly healthy and beautiful. We still don't know who he resembles more, although he has my nose. Though he looks a little like Leah did, he definately has his own look and characteristics, and he definately looks like a little boy!

There are more pictures on our family website!

Here I Am Again...

I am 3 days more pregnant than I've ever been. :-). According to the dr. this morning, I haven't made any progress, as far as dilating. Of course, I left my 38 week appt. with Leah quite disappointed because I was only a fingertip, and then she was born 2 days later, so... Dr. Fisher mentioned she was on call all weekend, and that would definately be good with me! Monday or Tuesday I noticed he definately "dropped," for whatever that's worth. I've slept much better this past week because he's in a different position, and I can breathe better. I also have the burst of energy they say comes when it's almost time. I've been using it to clean & get other things done, although there's not much I can do to finish Andrew's room.

Yesterday I got to go to the huge Kids Exchange Consignment Sale they have twice a year at the Fairgrounds. I always spend at least 3 or 4 hours there, looking through rows upon rows of toys, clothes, and all sorts of baby stuff. This year I didn't have quite as much time, but I really did rack up! I got a bouncer seat for Andrew (all we have is a swing & I wanted something to keep upstairs & downstairs both), a nice boy blanket, some receiving blankets, a changing pad cover, and several items of clothes for Leah, including 2 pairs of jeans and 3 pairs of pj's for fall. I wished I'd had more time, but then again, I might have spent way too much...

Then last night, Brett's work threw us (and 2 other girls he works with who are pregnant) a baby shower at K & S Cafeteria. We had a good time eating (Leah esp. enjoyed her spaghetti as you can see in the picture), and then we got way more gifts than we thought we would. They all pitched in together and got some things off our Target registry: a humidifier, a baby thermometer, some sleepers & receiving blankets, and some diapers-- all things we were still really needing!

So between the sale & the shower, I think we have absolutely everything we need. (Well, I don't have any diapers yet!) We have been so blessed with gifts of clothes & cheap furniture and everything, even though it is the 2nd baby... I hope he knows, now that he has everything he needs, he can come any day!

38 weeks!

I have made it full-term-- only 16 days till my due date. I am trying to get out of my head the fact that at this point with Leah I had only 4 days left (not that I would mind that, I just don't want to get my hopes up-- Leah was fast & furious, just like she is now; this baby could be much more laid back). I saw Dr. Fisher today (the same one that delivered Leah) and, though she didn't give me any reason to believe he's coming sooner (I am a "fingertip" dilated), she said she was on-call Monday, so she could have a repeat performance.


















It's getting quite uncomfortable to do most anything these days, especially sleep, and carry my toddler around. Of course, the record-setting heat these past few weeks has not helped (I am convinced it is only this hot because I am pregnant!). I'm still feeling decent, though, and haven't really had any Braxton-Hicks, unless you count the strong back pains I get every once in awhile.

Andrew's room is still not ready, although we pretty much have everything we need. We still have to sell the couch that was in the former study, and then switch out the furniture that's in Leah's room, which will require some more painting (Brett's job, not mine!-- Leah's new furniture will be all white. Right now just the dresser is white, the bed is half-done, and the bookshelf not even started.) I'm still not as worried about getting it finished before his arrival, because I know we won't be spending a lot of time in there when he's still newborn.


His clothes are washed & hung up or put in his dresser (and he has a ton). My bag is [mostly] packed, including Andrew's stuff, and Leah has a bag packed for whoever comes to get her when we head to the hospital. His bassinet is all made up. Bottles are washed (although I hope to not have to use those). And we're trying to keep the house clean!

















This is the only decent picture I got from fourth of July. We had a few people over to our house for a cookout Sunday. Leah mostly enjoyed the cake.


Leah got a new haircut (thanks to Sarah & her patience), which I think makes her look a little more feminine and cute, and also more like me! She seems to be talking tons more lately and also have a lot more energy. We have also been having to go through a "cry-it-out" phase at nap time-- she screamed & fought it about an hour the other day, even though I know she was exhausted. (I expected this to happen after the baby, but I don't know why it is happening now-- it's mostly only if she's gotten a 10-minute cat nap in the car that she thinks she doesn't need a nap.)






















I still don't know how much she is understanding about Andrew's arrival, but I am trying to prep her a little every day. She loves to go around saying everyone's name in the family-- "Mommy," "daddy, "Leah," so I have added "Andrew" and she will now say it without prompting every once in a while ("An-ew"). She will also say "no" when asked if she's a baby, and "yes" when she's a big girl. I know she will love to give kisses and hugs to her baby brother-- my main concern is the jealousy she will experience when I'm holding him, and how much she'll try to get away with when I'm unable to stop her.
















This is how much Leah loves "fruffs." We dog-sat Sarah's dog, Sam, recently, and Leah constantly followed that dog around saying "Hi, Sam," "Hi, Sam," kissing her, commanding her to eat and sleep, and even taking her shirt off-- perhaps to be like Sam?