Rolling Over

It's about 5:15 am local time here in California, and Sean just rolled over for the first time! I'm keeping him on East Coast time while we're out here, which means his "7:30" feeding and morning play time actually start at 4:30! I just put him down for some tummy time, and the next thing I knew, he'd rolled himself onto his back! I think he startled himself a little when he did it because the look on his face said "What just happened?!?" But when I smiled back at him and told him he was a good boy and I was proud of him, he must have realized he did something good, because he then broke out in a HUGE grin!

While it might still be a little while before he's rolling over regularly (or knows what he's doing when he does it), it was still amazing to see!

First Airplane Ride

Last week, Bryan, Sean, and I flew out to Southern California for our first trip as a family. While at the time, I was nervous (What if he cries the entire flight? What if we forgot something important? How will we handle his eating/sleeping schedule and the time change?), it wasn't that bad. But traveling with an infant does introduce a new layer of complexity. No longer can we just throw some clothes, socks, and undies in our small carry on bags and head out the door. We have to think about where we're going and what we'll need for Sean when we get there. Everything else is secondary.

For instance, since there is not a crib at Grandma Leslie's house, we had to bring the Pack 'n' Play so Sean would have a place to sleep. It took me three tries to get it packed up correctly in it's canvas sack, which then took up about 90% of our largest duffle bag. We also needed a car seat so Sean could safely (and legally) ride around town. So, out came the large suitcase, where the car seat base took up about 70% of usable space. And then we had to make sure we had diapers, wipes, swaddling blankets (Sean still won't sleep without them), pacifiers, Baby Bjorn, diaper rash ointment, and all the other baby "stuff." And, being the overly paranoid worried prepared mom that I am, I also had to make sure we had a our baby first aid kit (We can't forget the nail clippers! If his nails get too long he'll scratch his eyes out!! And the booger sucker! Even though we've hardly used it at all, if we don't have it he'll get a giant killer booger and stop breathing! And the Baby Tylenol just in case! Oh, and here is the 6 page list of all the pediatricians within a 15 mile radius of Grandma's house because what if he gets sick?!?!). (Have I mentioned that Bryan is an awesome husband and dad who totally humor's me in my maternal paranoia preparedness?). So, once all that was packed, we had 10% of the duffle, 30% of the suitcase, a small carry-on, and a shoulder bag to pack the clothes, toiletries, etc. we'd need for our week-long trip.

Once we conquered the logistical and spatial reasoning challenges of packing, we left for the airport, and ran into "Infant Traveling Challenge II:" How to get our large duffle bag, large suit case, small carry on, shoulder bag, car seat, and baby from the car (In the economy parking lot) to the terminal. Deciding we'd finally reached the critical mass of baggage to make it worth paying $3 to use a luggage cart for 15 minutes, Bryan went off to go get one. Only to find that the rack was broken. On to Plan B: figure out how to schlep all this stuff ourselves. So, I put on the BabyBjorn and strapped Sean on, and grabbed one rolling suitcase and the car seat. Bryan had 2 rolling bags and the shoulder bag, and off we went.

After checking in, we got rid of the two largest bags at the baggage check, and headed to security. The unusually friendly TSA agent who checked our tickets and IDs suggested that I leave Sean in the carrier to go through security. He said often baby carriers make it through with no trouble, and why take him out if we don't have to. So, I followed his advice, and made it through security with no problem! It couldn't have been easier! We grabbed some dinner on the way to the gate, and then took turns holding Sean while the other ate...just like we do at home.

After we boarded the plane and got settled, I started feeding Sean. I'd read that it's a good idea to nurse babies on take-off and landing because the sucking and swallowing helps keep their ears from hurting. It worked like a charm. By the time we'd reached altitude, Sean was sleeping with a full tummy. He woke up again three hours late for his next meal, but other than that, he slept peacefully the entire way. When we got to Grandma Leslie's house, it was late (10:00 Pacific Time, so 1:00 am Eastern Time). We put Sean right down and bed and he slept through the night.

While we were out in California, Sean was a big hit with all of Bryan's family. He did lots of smiling, flirting, laughing, and giggling for everyone. We just kept him on East Coast time for the week, and that worked really well. At the end of the week, the plane ride home was just as uneventful as the ride out. Sean slept the entire way. All in all, Sean is a great traveler, and adjusted really well to spending a week in a new place with lots of new people. And now that we have our first "big trip" out of the way, I think we'll be much more confident and prepared for our next trip.

A World Traveler?

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Originally uploaded by psycling

We enjoy traveling so it seems like a good idea to get Sean a passport. Not wanting to deal with getting a baby's photo taken at a typical passport photo place, we decided to do it at home.

If you ever find yourself in this situation (needing a solid white background for someone who can't sit up), then I recommend using the bathtub. It was Sara's idea and it worked perfectly!

So here's the photo that will be on Sean's passport. It will be valid until he's 5 years old :-) Now we just need to start exploring the world as a family.

Welcome to the World Beautiful Boy!

Sean was born on Sunday, August 20 at 11:18 am. Though he was not due until August 2, looking back on it, I should have known that his birthday was imminent. The weekend before, I went on a bit of an organizing frenzy. While the urge to organize, and clean, and make things right for the baby hit really early on, this was different. As we were out running errands to get things ready for the nursery, Bryan could hardly keep up with me as we ran from store to store, department to department. But it didn't occur to me that this was the "burst of energy" that typically precedes labor. After all, I wasn't due for 3 weeks, and everyone kept saying that first babies are usually late. I was sure I had at least three, and probably closer to four weeks before the baby came.

That crazy energy dissipated just as quickly as it appeared, and by the end of the week, I'd had it. By Friday evening, I was in tears, because I just couldn't do it any more. Working full time at that point in my pregnancy was more than I could handle, and Bryan and I started trying to figure out a way for me to cut down to part time until my maternity leave started. It never occurred to me that I might actually just have the baby!

Saturday, July 19 started out as a fairly typical weekend in the Payne household. Bryan and I slept in and enjoyed a leisurely morning before jumping into the "baby prep" activities that had come to fill our days and evenings. Shortly after noon, I noticed I was "leaking." I assumed I was leaking urine, as all the books say that starts happening in the last couple of weeks of pregnancy. I even joked to Bryan that I needed to borrow some of Thea's incontinence meds. It didn't occur to me that it could be amniotic fluid...after all, I wasn't due for another 2 weeks, and I was firmly convinced this baby would be late. So I thought nothing of it, and went about my day. It was just like any other Saturday, other than my odd compulsion to set up the Pack 'n' Play, where the baby would be sleeping when we brought him home. As the day went on, I began to suspect that I was leaking amniotic fluid, but I kept putting the idea out of my head. It was too early. It couldn't be amniotic fluid.

That evening, after spending the day working around the house, preparing for Baby, Bryan and I decided we needed to get out, and figured it was finally time to buy some curtains for our bedroom. So off we went with our Bed, Bath, & Beyond 20% off coupon in hand. But we realized we were starving so we decided to stop for dinner before our little shopping trip. We were leaving Willy's after a dinner of burritos, chips and salsa, a tiny, almost imperceptible trickle became more of a gush. At this point, I was willing to acknowledge that maybe it was amniotic fluid after all.

Not quite sure what was happening or what we should do, I called the OB emergency number while Bryan was filling up the car with gas. Her advice was to go in to labor and delivery to get checked out. It's amazing how calm and collected we were at this point, probably because both of us were still convinced it was a false alarm. We went home and while Bryan put the car seat in and finished packing our partially packed hospital bag, I fed Thea and changed into some dry pants. As Bryan was loading up the car, I saw some of our neighbors outside walking their dogs (she was 35 weeks pregnant at this time), and I handed them a key and said "I think my water broke but I'm not sure, so we're going to the hospital. It's probably a false alarm and we'll be back later tonight, but if not, would you mind letting Thea out later this evening?" They readily agreed, and wished us luck, and off we went.


When we got to the hospital, our check in was quick and easy. All my info was already in the system from our earlier visit, and within 30 minutes they had me in a triage room. The told me my water broke, and after a quick exam, found that I was 1.5 cm dilated and partially effaced. They admitted me to the hospital around 8:30 pm, and Bryan and I started trying to wrap our heads around the fact that this was really happening. Once we were admitted, the doctors said they were going to induce my labor, because once your water breaks, if labor does not begin within a few hours, both baby and mom are at risk for serious infection. I really wanted to avoid the pitocin if at all possible, so they agreed to give me a few hours to see if labor would begin on its. By 3:30 am, there were still no contractions, and by 4:00 am I was hooked up to the pitocin. The contractions started almost immediately, and as I'd heard from others they were intense! Though still hoping for a natural child birth, I knew it would be much more difficult with the pitocin, and made the decision that if I did need pain relief, I would get an epidural.

By 7:00 am, the contractions were about two minutes apart, and lasting for about 45 seconds. They were really intense, and breathing through them was not working. I was starting to get nauseous, so much so that I made Bryan eat his breakfast in the bathroom because the smell of it was bothering me. The nurse came in and told me I was about 4 cm. I realized that I could not handle several more hours of this type of contraction, and decided it was time for the epidural. I felt the relief almost as soon as it was placed. On the advice of the nurse, Bryan and I both settle din for a nap, as we'd been to excited to get much sleep overnight.

I woke up at 10:00 feeling quite a bit more rested. A few minutes later, the nurse checked my cervix, and told me I was fully dilated and effaced and ready to go! I was shocked! She adjusted my position to allow me to labor down a bit while she called the doctor and started getting things ready to go. Around 10:45 I started pushing. I'd heard lots of stories about how epidurals numb you so much you don't feel enough to really even know when to push or how to go about it. But fortunately, the epidural did just what it was supposed to do for me--it numbed the pain, but still allowed me to feel the pressure of the contractions, so when the time came I could feel that it was time to push, and go with it.

Bryan was wonderful and actively involved in Sean's delivery. Because of the epidural, I was completely numb from the waist down and couldn't move my legs. When it was time to push, the nurse held one leg while Bryan held the other. He coached me through the pushing, and was able to see Sean's head as he was crowning. Around 11:00, the nurse told me I needed to stop pushing and sit out a few contractions. It seems that Sean was almost out, but the doctor wasn't there yet. Around 11:15, the doctor was there and ready to go, and after only a couple pushes, Sean arrived 11:18 am. He weighed 7 lbs 1 oz, and measured 20.5" long. When Sean was born, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. I never would have known this if Bryan hadn't told me the next day. The doctor very calmly unwrapped the cord and, within a few seconds Sean let out a nice healthy scream. I was none the wiser.

After Sean was born, the doctors laid him on my stomach while they wiped him down, and Bryan cut the cord. It was amazing. I was holding my son for the first time! One nurse then wiped Sean down and swaddled him, while another nurse wiped me down and the doctor finished stitching me up. When we were all clean, the handed him to me, and I put him to my breast and fed him for the first time. He was amazing and knew just what to do. With Bryan at my side, I held Sean and fed him, and we both gazed down at him, taking in the moment, and wondering in amazement at our new family.

After Sean had his first meal and Bryan and I had some time to spend together with Sean, Bryan went out to the waiting room to usher in the proud grandparents and uncle. I had tears in my eyes as I joyfully introduced my mom and dad to their new grandson. Everyone took turns holding him and welcoming him to the family. I will never forget how wonderful it was to hold him for the first time, to see Bryan become a father and meet his son, to see the love and pride in my parents eyes as they met their first grandchild. Truly, it was one of the most amazing days of my life!

Welcome to the world, Sean! You are our Beautiful Boy!

Big Milestone!

Sean slept through the night last night! Needless to say, Mom and Dad are ecstatic! I guess the next few days will tell if this was a fluke (he was exhausted beyond belief from hardly napping Friday and Saturday) or the beginning of a trend (PLEASE let it be the beginning of a trend!!!).

He got his last night time feeding around 10:30, and at 5:30 I woke up to a puddle of milk and a still silent baby monitor. Being the excessively paranoid and worried mom that I am, I immediately ran downstairs to make sure he was still alive, because 7 hours of sleep seemed too much to hope for! But, he was sleeping away, as peaceful as ever. So I just went back to bed. At 7:30, I went down stairs to give him breakfast (my boobs felt like they were about to explode at this point), and he was still sleeping. But, I woke him up anyway.

We're working on getting him on a pretty rigid schedule so it will be less of a shock to him (and Bryan and I) when I return to work in a few weeks. So, from now on, there will be no futzing around with feeding times and nap times. Hopefully, by the time I'm heading back to work, we'll have all the kinks worked out of his schedule, and he'll be regularly sleeping through the night!

2 Months

Dean Sean,

The day you were born was one of the most amazing in my life. You surprised us by arriving a couple of weeks early, so we were only somewhat prepared. Yeah, we had all the stuff we needed...diapers, crib, clothes, blankets, etc., but we hadn't fully wrapped our heads around what it would mean to bring you home. To be honest, I'm still not sure I've been able to do that.


Just an hour or so after you were born, you had your first visitors. Your Grandpa Boyd, Grandma Connors, and Uncle John all came to see you in the hospital. The next day, Moe and Debby came to visit. You had everyone wrapped around your finger from the moment they met you.

After bringing you home from the hospital, it took a little bit for us to settle into life as your mom and dad. From the very beginning, you were a very hungry little boy, and it took a few days before my milk came in enough to satisfy you. Those were some rough days (and nights) as you seemed to feed almost constantly. Initially it seemed like we would never sleep again, but over time, you began to sleep for longer chunks of time between feedings. Now, you're regularly going 6 hours between feedings at night. Now, I just need to learn how to get to sleep after you do!

When you were a couple weeks old, your Grandma Leslie came to visit, and not surprisingly, she completely adored you! She brought you all sorts of gifts, but the most special ones were the two quilts she made. One of them is the jungle quilt we use for tummy time, and the other is the lion quilt that is hanging up in your nursery.

A little later, your Grandpa John came to visit. He was completely silly and doting over you. He just loved holding you and walking with you and talking to you. He also brought you a gift, who has been named Benny Bear. Benny Bear is still sitting in the living room. When Thea first met Benny, she did a very good job of "protecting" us from him. Fortunately, she soon realized that Benny wouldn't hurt us, and now Thea is friends with him.

You started smiling early on, and it is so wonderful to see your face light up when I come to get you in the morning. When I pick you up out of your crib to feed you, I'm usually greeted with a big grin! It completely melts my heart!


You are such a wonderful little boy, but your are growing so fast! I can't believe how fast the time is going, and I'm loving watching the way you grow and change! But looking back on the little boy we brought home from the hospital...


...it's amazing to me what a big boy you've become already!


Love,
Mom

Our Little Champ

Yesterday, Sean went to the doctor for his 2-month check up. The Dr. E. said he's doing really well.

The Stats:
Length: 24" (up from 22 at 1 month)
Weight: 12 lbs. 4 oz. (up from 8 lbs. 15 oz. at 1 month)
Head Circumference: 15.5" (up from 14" at 1 month)

This puts him in the 75th percentile for length and weight. He's obviously hit a growth spurt, because at his one month check up, he was only in the 25th percentile. I think it's fair to say that this kid's not starving!

Sean also got his first round of vaccinations. He did remarkably well...much better than mom! There's a new combo vaccine that combines 3 vaccines in one, so that made for one less needle prick for him. Our little champ hardly cried at all...can't say the same for me though.

The doctor thinks that Sean is big enough and old enough to not need a middle of the night feeding, and to be able to soothe himself to sleep. So, we're working on that, and again, he seems to be doing better with it than I am.

Looks like our little Champ is doing great! We couldn't be more proud of him!

I Love Mommy

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Originally uploaded by psycling

This has become one of my favorite photos of Sean! I love the big smile on his face as I kiss his head. In the background, you see the giant Polar Bear, named Benny, that was a gift from Grandpa John.

Attack of the Storm Troopers

We woke up this morning to find Storm Troopers running through the streets of our neighborhood.


It turns out that one of our neighbors works for the Cartoon Network, and they were filming a commercial for their upcoming Star Wars Storm Troopers animated series. It seems that the premise was to have the storm troopers running through a neighborhood as kids played (if you look closely, you'll see one of the "neighborhood kids" getting run over by a storm trooper), but they wanted a place that looked different and unique. Seems our neighborhood fit the bill.


It was fun to watch all the action. Lots of equipment and staging. But what was also really great was seeing all the neighbors come out to check out the action. There were kids running around and playing, dogs (including Thea) walking and barking at the people in costume, and people just generally hanging around and chatting.


The actors playing the Storm Troopers were quite friendly (the one in green even tried to get Thea to come say hi, but to no avail, given her terror of anyone in costume), and they were more than happy to pose for a picture with us and Sean. Someday, he'll realize how cool this picture is!

Random Parenting Thought of the Day

I was taking a walk the other day with Thea and Sean. As I bent down to clean up after Thea, it hit me: As a dog owner and parent of an infant, my life revolves around poop. As my neighbor put it, "I'm either picking it up or wiping it off."

Pleasant, huh?

Daily Sean

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Originally uploaded by psycling

Grandpa John visited this past weekend. Now it's official, Sean has met all of his grandparents and there's no doubt that he's going to be spoiled by each one of them!

First Bath: A Photo Essay

Sean's First Bath

Sean's tub, all set up, complete with rubber ducky!

Sean, getting ready for his first bath!

Sean wasn't very happy when we first put him in the tub. I think he was cold, because once we started wetting him down with warm water, he was much happier. Then he peed...a lot!

As he warmed up, Sean thought maybe this bath thing wasn't so bad after all!

Then the water cooled off, and Sean started getting unhappy again!

Once he was wrapped up in a towel and warm and dry, he was much happier!