Catching up and settling down...

Eli is now 3.5 weeks old...time is passing quickly! It seems like he's been with us always and already, we can't imagine life without him. He is such a GOOD baby! He hardly complains and is sleeping well at night, waking every few hours too eat. We have had some weight gain issues. I was nursing and he dropped a pound in the first 5 days of life due to latch on issues. It's normal for babies to lose 5-7 % of their birth weight in the first few days, but Eli had lost 13 %....not good! He went from 8 lbs 3.5 oz to 7 lbs 3 oz. Needless to say, I was quite shocked and very concerned. I saw a lactation consultant and got the latch on 'issue' fixed. He began eating MUCH better and slowly putting weight back on. I took him every few days for a weigh-in and even went and did a weigh-feed-weigh. That's where you weigh him, then nurse him, then weigh him again and you can tell how much breastmilk he took in (pretty cool, huh?). At the time, he was taking in nearly 3 oz! Granted, it took him FOREVER (and I do mean that!) to eat...on average, it took an hour...yes, an hour for him to nurse. But, it was worth it as he began gaining weight ounce by ounce. We took him for his 2 week check up last Thursday (even though he was already 3 weeks by then) and he was back up to 8 lbs again. Our pediatrician wanted us to do one more weigh in just to be sure Eli was still gaining. This past Monday, I took him in for that weigh in and he was still only at the 8 lb mark. I was so bummed. I had this feeling he just wasn't getting enough milk from me anymore, so that evening, we began supplementing feedings with formula. I began pumping so I could see how much milk he was getting from me. My feeling was right....for some reason, my milk supply has decreased. On average, Eli's eating 3-4 oz now at every feeding and I'm only producing about 1.5 oz. Yup, do the math and you see that's not enough for a growing boy. So, for now, he's getting 1/2 breastmilk and 1/2 formula at each feeding until I decide to set aside the whole pumping thing. I took him in today for another weigh in and PRAISE THE LORD...I'm very relieved and happy to report that Eli's now a whopping 8.6 lbs!!! The pediatrician says he's doing great.

Jadyn is doing great with Eli. She loves her baby brother and is constantly giving him kisses, and is now bringing his pacifier to him. She'll walk up to his bassinet, stand as far as she can on her toes and try to see him in there. It's the cutest thing! :) She even loves to 'bounce' him in the bouncer and swing him in the swing. We have to keep an eye on her so that she doesn't 'bounce' him right out of there! haha! She'll be 20 months old in a few short days...20 MONTHS, people!!! My baby girl is getting so big! She's mastering all kinds of things these days. We've had to lower her crib mattress as she was on the VERGE of mastering how to climb over the rail (and heading for the concrete floor below!). Now the rail is up to her eyes! Haha! Try and get out of that! (Not really!) She's also mastered (ahem) how to take her clothes and diaper off and smear the contents of said diaper in her crib. (Nasty! Mommy is NOT happy with that one!!!). So, nap time now has to be done with a diaper on backwards so that our genius keeps her diaper on and the sheets stay clean! On a more prouder note, she's also starting to count 1-2-3 and is speaking more clearly on her words. Today, we were having lunch with daddy at his work when we heard the phone ring in the other room. Jadyn piped up, "Hewo?" It was sooo cute! Wherever we go, she wows people with her beautiful eyelashes and cute personality, taking only a mere few seconds to wrap them around her pinky. She'll blow you kisses and tell you 'tank woo' whenever you give her something. (Have I mentioned she's adorable???)

I'm getting more comfortable as a mother of 2 and learning through trial and error was to be more efficient and effective with taking care of them. Today, when I took Eli to the pediatrician, I put Jadyn on my back in the Ergo carrier so that she would be, ahem, contained and so that my hands would be free to take care of Eli. Let me just say that that doctor's office of staff thought that was the NEATEST contraption having her on my back like that! Jadyn loves to be close to mommy and was as happy as a lark in there. I kid you not that there were probably about 10 people in that office that came to our room in there to see us. Hahah!

God is good and as I look at my husband and children daily, I cannot help but think at how blessed I am. As we are slowly settling in and even more slowly finding a routine, I look forward to having quiet times with the Lord (as I already should be...), having time to scrapbook, make bows, have playdates, run errands, WORKOUT!, and serve the Lord in whatever capacity I can.

This is probably long enough, so I'll wrap up for now and leave you with the picture below. :)