The First Month

Weighing in at 10 lbs 11 oz and measuring 22.6 inches long at his one-month checkup on Monday, Reid has officially been declared a chunk! He landed right around the 75th percentile for weight and the 90th for length. I've actually had to pack away almost all of his newborn clothes already and even some of the 0-3 sleepers are getting too short if he tries to straighten out those long legs of his. That's right, our baby's not a newborn any more! 

While I love all that baby chub he's getting, it's sad to be once again folding up and storing away those tiny clothes, wondering if I'll ever need them for another sweet baby or if this is the last time one of my offspring will don them. Thanks to family, friends, and some good sales at Gymboree though, I am looking forward to the fun outfits hanging in the closet that I've been waiting for him to grow in to. 

To celebrate the end of Reid's first month outside the womb and the many many exciting ones that lie ahead, here are some anecdotes and photos looking back at the past four weeks, starting with our first night home:

Aunt Courtney came to visit the night we came home and met Reid for the first time. 

She and NaNa brought Caleb and Hadley home when they came to visit too. Caleb was much more interested in Reid this time than he'd been at the hospital the day before.

Proud big brother!

Checking him out

Sweetness!

My heart is full!

Hadley was happy to see Reid again too, of course. 

While they ignored me at the hospital for the most part, both of the kids were happy to see Mommy again when we all got home.

When I left the hospital, I was feeling pretty terrible though, struggling in particular with a horrible headache and some nausea. I'd had the headache for a couple days but was unsure of the reason until I mentioned it to a nurse right before we headed out. She revealed some new information that we'd unaware of before, suggesting that possibly I was suffering from an epidural headache, which meant that the spot where they gave me the epidural didn't seal up properly and the spinal fluid was leaking. This made sense when she explained that often you feel fine when lying down but the fluid drains from the brain when you stand up, causing the headache. She told me if didn't improve by the next day to head back up there to see if they could help me.

On the drive home, I was so miserable that I actually believed I was going to have to tell Dave to turn around and take me back. That night and the next day, every time I laid down the pain improved, but the longer I sat upright or stood the more intense it became. I am so thankful the nurse told us what to look for because otherwise I would have had no clue what the problem was and would have continued to suffer, thinking it was just lack of sleep or some other hiccup caused by all my body had been through with the delivery a few days prior. With the knowledge she imparted though, I knew to call my doctor to get some help, and his office told me to go straight to the hospital to have a blood patch done to fix the complication. Thankfully, Mom was able to take the older kids and back to the hospital we went.

After being given the run around and sent a few different places, we finally arrived in the ER room and I found out what was really involved in correcting the leak. The anesthesiologist had to do another epidural using blood from my arm to inject in my back to seal the hole rather than the numbing medicine used during labor. You can imagine my dread as I heard the news and they began the process, but I remembered that same Scripture that carried me through the delivery - HE had gone before me.

Finally, it was fixed but the pain was incredible in my back. I lay in the hospital bed for a long time before I felt like I could even get up to walk, much less go home. Once I was released, we headed to our house but I was stuck laying around for a couple days, barely able to get out of the bed to go to the bathroom. Even sitting up to try to nurse Reid seemed unbearable at times, but it had to be done.

The good part though was that Dave was off from work that week to help me, plus the kids stayed with Mom that night and the following day so he could focus on helping me and taking care of the baby. In addition, I got a little more time to finish off an Amish romance novel I'd started before Reid's arrival, and it gave me the opportunity to snap these pictures of our new little wonder:

We thought we might be getting a thumb sucker - like his Momma used to be! 

Sometimes he'd find his own thumb and other times, NaNa or I would help him. He'd be so content once he got a hold of it and slurp away. Lately though, he seems more satisfied with a pacifier. (I guess it all depends on what we help him latch on to.)

The days following our arrival home we received some special arrangements that helped brighten things up around the house and make it a little more cheery too. Mom sent me an arrangement in a cute giraffe vase, Grandma brought a small boutique and placed them in a vase I already had, and Dave's work sent some fruit from Edible Arrangements for us to enjoy. Caleb was a fan of all the flowers, but he and Hadley enjoyed the food one the most!

It was so nice the rest of the week to have the whole family back in the house and start forming our new daily schedule. Some things were a bit hard since I wasn't allowed to lift the kids and my back was still sore, but Dave was around to help, making it much easier. After the first week though, back to work he went. 

I wasn't sure how things would pan out at first and how I would juggle all three kids solo, especially since I still wasn't supposed to do much lifting, but in the end it all worked out. Mom came over to visit often during the day around lunch/nap time, helping to keep me much more sane and preventing me from having to lug my big girl toddler around too much. 

While we got out of the house on several occasions over the next few weeks, we spent a lot of time lounging at home, adjusting and watching Reid grow. When Dave would come home in the afternoons, he'd sometimes be surprised at how much he said our baby boy had grown while he was at work. They just don't stay little long enough!

As you can see from the pictures above, for the most part, Reid is a sleepy boy, which makes him pretty easy to tend. He wakes up for a few minutes to eat here and there, but he naps A LOT during the day. Reid is so easy going and quiet that I even forget he's in the house sometimes amidst the noise of his siblings. As he is getting bigger though, this sweet baby has been staying awake a little more to look around and let us play with him. Nonetheless, sleeping is definitely still his forte. There are a couple activities that are usually pretty sure to get him stirred up and wide eyed though - diaper changes and bath time in particular. While for both his benefit and yours I'm not going to share any photos of us diapering his little behind, here are a few shots from his first bath that he was not so happy about: 

Waiting for the cord to fall off, we had to "sponge bathe" him the first few weeks. 

It's chilly!

Hair washing is everyone's favorite it seems. Like my other kids did when they were newborns, Reid too calmed down at this point of the bathing experience.

Finally, the hooded towel.

This past Sunday, he graduated to baths in a regular baby bathtub, which turned into a family event. Caleb curiously was leaning over the tub watching as we got started on this new adventure, while Hadley charged right into tub getting in on what was happening. Seconds later, Reid had an "accident" in the water and we were trying to simultaneously juggle him, hold Hadley back, and get fresh water. It was quite a circus!

Look at that chub! A double chin and roll after roll on those chunky legs...Love it!

Caleb and Hadley tried to make sure Daddy was well groomed too. A great activity to keep little hands busy while Mommy bathed Reid!

Bring on the Johnsons & Johnsons

I liked that better, Mommy.

We have learned to do a lot of juggling and multitasking over the past few years, but it's gone to a new level these past several weeks. Not only are we outnumbered now, but the amount of lap space we have to go around is growing sparse. We've had to come up with ways to make sure that everyone feels included and snuggled, especially when they are getting sleepy or not feeling 100%. This has been especially challenging over the past few weeks as all three kids have passed a cold around - not to mention Hadley teething.

Visits from grandparents definitely help spread the love around, but we find other ways to get it done when we don't have the extra hands.  In particular, I love when two of the kids are napping and I can focus on the one that's awake, giving them a good dose of attention while the others snooze.  Hadley has recently gone from two naps to one, plus she is now napping before lunch while Caleb naps afterwards most days. As a result, this gives me some time with both of them individually throughout the day. I'm not getting done a lot of the things I'd normally do while they're napping, but the most important things are being taken care of. (Not to mention, it helps relieve some of the guilt factor that mommas face as they struggle to make sure everyone gets the quality time they deserve.)

Other times, all three of them need attention at the same time. Sometimes I get a headache and feel a bit nuts (especially around lunch time), but usually the storm is short lived and I get them all under control again soon. For the most part , just a little bit of adjusting to our normal routine remedies the problem easily, and occasionally the sweetest moments come out of these crazy times and we all end up cuddling together as Dave or I try to tend everyone at once.  For example, bedtime stories might look like the pictures below, with everyone plopped on the floor together instead of being snuggled in the chair so that everyone's involved and content:

We've made it through the first month! And, although sleep deprived at times, all of us have done pretty well so far. I'm trying to enjoy every minute of Reid's infancy, while at the same time am looking forward to the wonderful moments that will spring up as he grows and can do more and more. What a journey!

As for me health-wise, everything is going pretty well now. There have been a few mornings where the Lupus has flared in my hands and feet and times when my back and neck act up, but in general I feel blessed with how well things are going despite the lack of sleep which usually triggers all sorts of achiness. Thankfully, I also feel like I'm finally getting my body back to its normal self after all those months of housing our little one and can function much more efficiently. I've tried not go overboard while still healing up from the delivery, but it's great to feel like I can move again! This past Thursday, I went back to the OB/GYN and, while he charged me not to try to be Superwoman, he cleared me for normal activities once again. I loved feeling those sweet baby kicks from inside, but right now I'm really enjoying not being pregnant and feeling like me again.

Reid with Dr. Myers, who delivered him, at my five week postpartum check-up