Hounded for Pictures!

   It's been five weeks and we've found out that we know very little about babies. That is OK. We're learning as we go. We've also discovered exactly how unpredictable they can be. Jeez! We get a great sleeping Max for three days then POW! We're up every 90 minutes either feeding, burping, holding, gliding, or walking with him.
   Last night was a long one. Poor Abby - I so want her to get a good night's sleep. She was up, at a minimum, every two hours. I attempted to steal Max downstairs and bottle fed him so, hopefully, she would get three to four solid hours. Nope. Then she reciprocated and nope - no sleep for me either. I'm beginning to wonder whether babies make you a  lighter sleeper.
   We've been "dogged" for some pictures on the blog - and yes we're trying to keep everything up to date - but finding time to write something classy or funny, or poignant has escaped along with some of the hours of sleep we used to have! So without further ado, here is a collage of recent pictures - within the last week. Wow, it has been an amazing five weeks!

Napping with Mormor

    Funny how we have so few pictures of Max when he's letting us know we've disappointed him somehow. I wonder, is this because we're too protective of these situations or are we just frustrated enough that we don't want to bother? Hmmm....

    I've learned how dangerously sharp baby fingernails can get! I've also learned to burp him with either mittens on him or a sleeved shirt on me! (OH! - Shirts are good to catch remnants of his lunch he no longer wants.)

    He's sleeping in a wrap from our friends. Yes, the hole is designed into the garment. No his gas is not THAT dangerous. Yet.

    Notice some "remnants" of lunch on his shirt. Thank goodness they wash out of clothes!

    Notice how much he's grown between the two pictures. In the first picture he was 11 days old. In the second, he's 36. WOW! Oh - by the way - his lungs and vocal cords have grown with the same tenacity!

    This was my attempt to get a good picture with him, Autumn, and Sam. Yeah - nice try! This was the best pic of the five I actually took. At least they're not licking him like they usually do!

   Yeah buddy! Future volleyball player in the house! Chillin with dad's volleyball! Hopefully he'll like (love) the sport enough that he'll want to play with his old man!

   Well - that's all for now. Yes - we'll keep updating!  - M&A&M&A&S

A Dozen Days In....

   Max received his first check-up yesterday and was carried from the office by a glowing dad and mom after receiving great news. He has grown 1.25 inches and gained 1 lb 2 ounces in the past 12 days. These numbers must be good because mom and dad were told that his growth is in the 90th percentile and his weight gain is in the 95th percentile. There must be something magical in that milk!

First Bath

      A gift we received was the "Whale of a Tub" (Thanks Mary!). Abby was SO EXCITED that we were given permission from the Dr to give Max normal baths! Our first attempt occurred last night. Max did not it enjoy it so much and I think Abby's eagerness wore off pretty quickly. But - good news! Max was probably the cleanest since the hospital! (Those nurses just have those special skills!)
   So, of course, as soon as he is toweled dry he decided pee! Here are a couple more shots:

 

    One of the issues with breastfeeding is that children poop a lot more often than if they were on formula. Poor Max's bum is very red and very sore! We're using Boudreaux's Butt Paste after every diaper change which the Dr tells us is just almost as good as a prescription. We're hoping so!
   Along with the bum issue, the area the diaper covers is a little red too. We can't leave that area to open air. Abby has found that when she does, quite often a fountain will appear! This area gets baby moisturizer after every bath!
   Here are a couple more pics of Max since the last blog update:

    Max has been a joy! Seeing him grow and interact with things around him has been fun and entertaining! But all can't be perfect. He does not want to go to sleep or rest from 8 PM to midnight-ish. The Dr says this is normal and that most newborns share this late-evening energy trait. So he has the most energy during the time of day when we have the least. It is a struggle because no matter what we do he will cry a lot. We'll get him calmed down for 10 minutes - then 5 minutes of crying. The latest the cycle has continued is ~11:45 (last night).
   We're doing fine, we both stay calm, we just feel really bad because we don't know what to do. Ah-well - we'll get the hang of it!

Thanks Liz for the safe car seat!

   I just want to take a moment and say thank you to all! We've appreciated the calls, letters, gifts, and support from everyone. Much of what Max wears, uses, and travels in are from friends and family! Thank you so much!