Caleb Asher: One Month

I have a feeling these month birthday blogs will be horribly late now that I have two babies in my house.  But, better late than never right??  Well happy one month to Caleb on November 27!

The Stats:

• Weight:  12 pounds 10.8 oz (98%); he gained about 2.25 pounds in just over 2.5 weeks.
• Height:  22.75 inches (80%); we know this one was a little off because Caleb would NOT straighten his legs.
• Head:  15.75??  I cannot remember this one
• Diaper Size:  1 or 1-2; ready to move up to a 2
• Clothing Size:  3 Months or 3-6 Months
• Next Appointment:  2 month well visit   

The Developments:

• Routine:  We are again using the Baby Wise method so Caleb is on a 3 hour cycle of eat/play/sleep from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm.  As soon as he is comfortably and consistently sleeping through the night we will move to a 3.5 hour schedule because we have to wake him for every single feeding right now.    He has slept through the night a few times; sometimes with the help of a paci sometimes without.
• Eating:  Well, one month of breastfeeding down; I feel like everyday I continue nursing is a big accomplishment.  I would like to make it three months at least and in that time I may decide pump and bottle exclusively.  I never knew the second stint of breastfeeding would be so hard---I think its just the combination of a lazy kid and having two kids to contend with.  Although I would love to breastfeed Caleb a year like I did Addison, that may not be a realistic goal.  So, three months and then take it a day at a time after that.
• Verbal:  Caleb has just started to coo consistently.  He makes the funniest face just before a sound comes out.  he also seems to only talk when its quiet so...he may not be talking too much since Addison runs her mouth all the time :)  I hope all the grunting he does all night long turns into coos now!
• Motor Skills:  He tries so hard to roll over (back to tummy) already even though he is far from being able to do it.  He is gaining great head control but its slow and steady progress.  Caleb is funny---he will lay on his tummy with this head down and look so serious as if he is building himself up to move his head.  Then he carefully picks it up and slowly turns all the way to one side then back.  So. Carefully.  He has begun hitting at his toys when he plays on his back with his play mat.  
• Witching Hour:  The witching hour seems particularly hard for Caleb.  From the time he goes down for his late evening nap (after the 4:30 pm feeding) until he eats at 7:30 pm he drifts in and out of sleep and fusses off and on.  Addison had trouble at the same time too.  Hopefully he will get into the groove soon and start sleeping better at that nap.
• Personality:  Overall Caleb seems to be pretty laid back and honestly a little lazy.  Just like his big sister, he seems fairly content just observing the world from a far.  Caleb is most fascinated with his big sister; he cannot keep his eyes off her.  He really has a very sweet disposition

Happy Thanksgiving

For as long as I can remember, my Thanksgiving holidays have been spent in Mississippi (I affectionately refer to it as Gambrell Manor) with my Dad's extended family.  Since little Caleb Asher is only 4 weeks old, we knew flying was not the best idea so for the first time I was unable to spend the holiday with all my cousins, aunts, uncles, brother, grandmother and dad.  We did however have a memorable day thanks to my wonderful mother (and all her cooking), my husband and some dear friends.

My mom went above and beyond in cooking a fabulous meal for everyone to enjoy.  I am certain my tiny kitchen with sub-par equipment was frustrating but she persevered and the result was too delicious to describe.  I regret not getting any pictures of the spread but I was busy feeding Caleb when everyone was just digging in and I forgot.

Two very interesting events made this Thanksgiving particularly memorable:

1. The Turkey Juice Extraction:  Due to my sub-par kitchen equipment, my mother was forced to cook the turkey in a too small and too flimsy pan.  As such, when it came time to extract liquid for gravy our CREATIVE juices kicked in.  Instantly Matthew and I thought of siphoning the liquid but it was my problem solving husband that figured out HOW to make it happen.  So...Matthew took one for the team, burned some taste buds and.....siphoned the turkey juice.  It was worth it not only for the amusing video but also because the gravy was delish! 
2. The Explosion:  Just before it was time to dig in, my mother, friend Amber and I were all standing in near the stove when we heard a LOUD explosion.  In bewilderment, we all looked at each other and then looked at the oven where the sound was coming from.  We opened the oven and what to our wondering eyes should appear----A PYREX GLASS BAKEWARE dish full of dressing exploded!!!  There was dressing and glass all over the bottom of the stove!!  I have no idea what cause it but it was at least a 30 minute clean up job, not including all the time it took to keep the three little girls we had running around out of the clean up chaos.  Luckily, that was one of two dishes of dressing so we did not miss out on this traditional item.  So random though.

I am particularly thankful this year....here are just a few things I am thankful for:

• A loving and supportive husband
• Two healthy children (and a relatively easy pregnancy this year)
• A wonderful extended family who has encouraged and supported me/us throughout the pregnancy and birth of Caleb
• A mother who was willing to give up HER thanksgiving to step in and help my family (and cook thanksgiving)
• A mother in law who gave up her life for TWO weeks (including the week we had Caleb) to care for not only Addison but Matthew and I as well
• A sister in law who gladly and without hesitation found alternative childcare for her daughter since I stole her mom for 2 weeks (she watches my niece 3 days a week); I know this was no easy feat I imagine
• Friends who cooked meals for us the past several weeks (this was a bigger blessing than I can explain)
• A wonderful school for Addison filled with loving teachers
• Our home
• Matthew's job
• ....And so much more

 New puzzle from Mia

 She is saying "SHH" because she is probably tired of me saying "CHEESE"

 When she says "cheese" for pictures, this is the face we get.

This is what we call the Daddy Face; she makes this face at him all the time.

 This is what we call the Mommy face; she does this just for me :)

Prepping to extract the juice! 

It worked!

The kids table; Addison with the two oldest Peacock girls.  She thought she was SUCH a big girl sitting with them.

Chowing down!

Caleb, the youngest attendee...dreaming of turkey...maybe next year little guy.

 Alyvia Peacock just chilling while we ate.

Catching up on the latest news on Nick Jr.  I love it when they sit like this together

Addison pretending to eat while Piper Peacock Actually eats :)

Caleb Asher: 2 Weeks

Today Caleb had his two week well baby visit and I am not sure why, but I was so surprised by the stats.  I don't think I have enough confidence in my mothering abilities or something.  I get nervous every time one of my kids has a check up because I always think it will reveal something I have done wrong!  Maybe NOW I will have confidence :)

The Stats:

• Weight:  10 lbs 5 oz (91%); I guess I can stop worrying about how FAST he eats now because clearly he is getting enough
• Height:  22 inches (91%)
• Head:  14.5 cm???  (46%); this is the biggest difference between Addison and Caleb.  Addison has always been in the 90's percentiles with her head---maybe we wont have trouble fitting things over Caleb's head like we do hers!!

Other Fun Facts:

• Routine:  He is on a 7:30 am to 7:30 pm schedule right now where he cycles through EAT/PLAY/SLEEP every three hours until the 7:30 pm feeding when he goes down for the night.  We wake him at 11 PM and then allow him to on demand feed throughout the night.  He usually only wakes up one time between the 11 PM feeding and the 7:30 am feeding.
• General Personality:  I would liken him to his big sister; pretty laid back so far.  I know this is subject to change.
• Eating:  He is a MUCH faster eater than Addison---I hope this doesn't mean he will take a long time to sleep through the night :)  He never seems hungry when its time to feed him, but we do it anyways.  Once he sleeps through the night consistently THEN we can think about stretching the time between day time feedings.  
• Developments:  He tries so hard to lift his head and does really well already!!!  He has rolled to his side a few times too.  He's still not awake very long yet, so there is not too much to report on the development front yet.
• Congestion:  Caleb has been congested since he was born.  Today the doctor said babies born in this area at this time of year tend to have congestion issues right off the bat.  Its scary sometimes when he gets all choked up from the drainage, it is so sad.  As a side note, Addison has had a stuffy nose since we brought Caleb home from the hospital---it snowed that day.  So I attribute it to the weather change; the doctor agreed.  Addison's seems to be getting worse so we may end up at the doctor soon.  LOTS of saline nasal drops are going on around this house!

We love Caleb so much already, he is such a sweet little boy.  Big sister sure loves him too, but is having some difficulties adjusting.  I know this is temporary but when you are living it, it sure seems permanent.  I will do a post on Addison soon----hopefully :)  Ya know, in all my spare time

Introducing....

...CALEB ASHER GRANT to the Grant Gang!!

The Stats:

• Birthday:  October 27, 2011
• Weight:  9 lbs. 6.7 oz
• Height:  21.25 inches
• Time of Birth:  8:55 PM
• Apgar Score:  9

The Story:

October 27 was quite a crazy day even though we all thought the induction would take a long time---boy were we wrong.

• 5:15 AM:  Headed to the hospital...after stopping for some dunkin donuts :)  I enjoyed one last fun lil breakfast with my love, Matthew
• 6:00 AM:  Arrive at hospital; we had to wait to be checked in because they were short on nurses, yikes!
• 8:00 AM:  Got into room and waited for the midwife to give us our plan
• 9:00 AM:  First exam revealed I made no progress since the office visit 3 days before.  3 cm dilated and 60% effaced.  She decided petocin was the only way, I doubted my ability to go epidural free right away.  We started off slow since the plan was to hold off on epidural as long as possible.  The midwife just KNEW she would deliver our baby since it was my second one AND the first one was so big; she was convinced it would be fast!
• 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM:  Upped the petocin every 15-30 minutes.  Very minimal pain to me.
• 2:45 PM:  Exam revealed little progress--3-4 cm dilated, 75% effaced and -2 station.  She decided to break my water (which was SO weird by the way---my water never broke with Addison because her head blocked everything).  
• 4:30PM:  Exam revealed little progress again--4 cm, 80% effaced, -1 station.  We realized we maybe in for another all nighter.  Knowing that and knowing I was already a generally more tired person than when we had Addison (chasing a young toddler will do that to you) we started to consider an epidural.  The pain is manageable but---contractions were finally getting intense.

***Here is where it gets interesting, but a bit graphic.  Stop reading if you don't want to be grossed out**

• 6:00PM:  Although they did not check me yet, I asked for the epidural.  It was ALL back labor and I knew I could not endure it all night AND push.  I realize now----I was in transition, the most painful part of labor.  At the time, I did not think we had gotten to that part yet so I THOUGHT the worst was yet to come.
• 7:00PM:  When the anesthesiologist arrived I complaining that I thought I needed to GO to the bathroom (and not pee).  I mentioned it several times but they all kinda ignored me so we did not push it.  THEY DID NOT CHECK MY PROGRESS.  As soon as the epidural was in, Matthew ran down the street to get us a movie from Red Box since we were assured nothing was progressing fast.
• 8:00PMish:  For those of you who do not know, when you have an epidural you have a catheter in place, but that is just for urine.  So I asked the nurse could you do the other bathroom with an Epidural in and not know it.  She laughed and said no, then she went about her business.  Matthew returned with a movie and I told him I REALLY need to go to the bathroom.  When the nurse returned I complained again about it.....so.....she checked and I had gone.  She was puzzled since this never happened to her before.  Scratching her head she decided to check me.....HE WAS CROWNING!!!!!!!!
• 8:15PM:  Nurse said not to move since they were worried he would come right out on his own.  The midwife JUST came on the floor and happen to check in on us first, good thing!!
• 8:45PM:  Start pushing.....5 pushes later.......
• 8:55PM:  Matthew says "IT'S A BOY!!!!!" and gives me a high five :)

Caleb had a little trouble clearing his lungs since he came out so fast, so he was VERY blue for a while when he came out; they had to suction him.  After the suction, he was fine!

All in all it was a great experience.  In the end, the nurse and midwife agreed, I was actually probably ready to push at the time I got the epidural.  Oh well, he probably came out faster with the epidural in.  And did I mention how ridiculous I am for worrying about his size???  Just goes to show, it's a guessing game.

We love our little Manna from Heaven, Caleb Asher and big sister does too.  We anticipate the first few months to be challenging with two children so young, but in a few months routines will even out and we will all learn how to be a family of four.  Please continue to pray for us as we make this transition over the coming weeks and months.  Please remember Addison specifically as you pray, she is still a baby herself and this is an emotional time for her.  So far, the tears have been minimal thanks to my wonderful, compassionate  understanding, loving and patient husband.  His mother is also here helping and let's just say I know where Matthew gets all the qualities I just listed.  I am so grateful.

More stories and pictures of Caleb and big sister Addison soon.....

41 Weeks, Induction Day

I am back tracking a bit here so that we can compare the tummies at the time of induction.  Manna's birth story is coming up next!

Manna 41 Weeks

Blessing 41 Weeks, 4 days