Week 12

Isaac is already 12 weeks (and almost 3 months) old!

 

Cutting out the dairy 2 weeks ago seems to have helped cut down on Isaac's stomach pains, but he is still fussy in the evenings. I hear that is completely normal for new babies - I have learned that some mom's refer to evening fussiness as the "witching hour." I think there is still something more to Isaac's crankiness in the evenings - after all, he doesn't take regular naps during the day. From what I've read, babies should sleep about 16 hours a day, and on some days Isaac drifts to sleep for only 15-30 minutes once or twice a day, and never in his crib. Now that he is no longer the size of a preemie and almost 3 months, I am going to try and transition him to crib napping this week. We will see how that goes...

 

Crib Shot @ 2 weeks and 12 weeks:

 

Uncle Doctor Tom suggested that we get a mobile for Isaac's coordination and development, so his Godparents bought him one for his changing table and his daddy bought one for his crib. He just LOVES his new mobiles - he loves staring up and watching them move, and also listening to the music of the mobile in his crib. It's too cute to watch him light up and get all excited:

 

Isaac waking up:

 

From what I hear, most baby's enjoy car rides --- not mine! He HATES to be "locked down" in his car seat, he would much rather be in mommy or daddy's arms. Even when he gets worked up, he is still adorable:

 

He is also a very happy baby and smiles, laughs and plays. I think he is going to be a morning person like his daddy and mommy, because he is happy for most of the day until 3:30/4:30pm, when he gets overly tired and fussy. I hear that is typical for new babies, and hope that he grows out of it as quickly as he is growing up.

Uncle Tom bought Isaac a rug for his nursery, thanks Uncle Tom!





 Aunt Nadine and Emma sent Isaac some adorable Pumpkin Pj's

 

Antie Danielle bought Isaac his first Halloween costume - Sully from the cartoon Monsters Inc.

 

 Mommy wanted some 3 month family photos, thank for taking them for us Papa Rick!

 

Week 11

This past week Isaac's head strength grew to the point where he can now hold his head up for an extended length of time, his interest in playing - specifically, moving his arms and legs around, reaching for toys, playing with rattles, and standing with assistance- has increased, and he has also started to coo!

The poor little guy had some major stomach issues this week. Mom didn't realize that her cabbage and dairy intake would have any affect on him, and she ate cabbage salad, greek yogurt, decafe coffee, and milk. Isaac was extremely cranky all week long, and most especially between 4-7pm and every time he passed gas and when he pooped. It was so sad to see him strain and cry - it was evident that he was experiencing a great deal of pain. Mom has decided to try eliminating dairy to see if it makes a difference, and even thought it has been only 3 days now, he already seems like a much happier camper.



Our strong and growing little pumpkin

 

Playtime!



Thanks Aunt Nadine and cousin Emma for my adorable pumpkin outfit!

Our little football fan watches the games with daddy in style (ie his football rattle)



 

 Saturdays are boys days at our house - mommy works and daddy spends quality time with his son

 

A typical weekday with mommy & Isaac consists of Isaac sleeping in his Moby Wrap while mommy works around the house

 

 Grandma Carol, Mommy & Isaac

 

Samuel got to meet Isaac for the first time this week. He adorably asked if he could hold baby Isaac. This was the first of many play dates to come :-)



Week 10

Isaac held his head up for the first time this morning! He has been able to lift it up, but not keep it up for any length of time up until this point. I got it on video - check it out:

Baptism

Isaac was Baptized this morning, and we were so thrilled that we could share this special occasion with so many of our family and friends.

 

 My handsome boys looking sharp in their ties

 

 

Fun photo from the pews

 

Thanks everyone for coming to Isaac's Baptism

 

Isaac's Godparents: Alisa & Greg Powell

 

Grandma Lesli, Grandpa Rick & Aunt Deanna

 

 Grandpa Rick, Grandma Carol & Aunt Danielle

 

Aunt Deanna & Joe-Pa

 

 



 Grandma Lesli & Grandpa Rick

 

 Aunt Amanda & Uncle Tom

 

By the Baptismal Font with Father Vietor

Week 9

Weight: 9 lbs 7 oz
Length: 21 1/4 inches
Head Circumference: 15 inches

8 Weeks

8 Week Highlights

Our new Chariot Jogging Stroller that Aunt Linda and Uncle Morris gave us - and at 8 weeks Isaac is finally big enough to use it now!



Isaac in line with me (in his Moby Wrap) at the grocery store buying ice cream for daddy, and then swinging in his flying saucer when we got home:

Aunt Deanna and Grandma Lesli spending time with our sweet boy:

 

Great Gramdma Cora & Grandma Carol

Sleeping peacefully during tummy time:

 

Mommy with her little Kangaroo baby nestled inside his Moby Wrap:

7 Weeks

Our little angel is already 7 weeks old, and he continues to grow in size and personality. Overall,  Isaac is a very happy baby - as long as he is fed, dry and held.

 

Since he has filled out quite a bit in the past 2 weeks I have new outfits that I can dress him up in, and he spits up all over the place quite often, so he has plenty of opportunities for wardrobe changes (the poor little guy - it is much more fun for me than for him).

 

Isaac isn't the best sleeper, but what he lacks in sleeping time, he more than makes up for in his zeal for eating. I've been told that babies are supposed to sleep an average of 16 hours a day, but I highly doubt that Isaac gets anywhere near that. In the middle of the night, he wakes up every 1-3 hours. The nights that he wakes up hourly are rough, and it is amazing how rested I feel when I get those 3 hour stretches in. Who would have thought that only 3 hours could actually feel restful?

 

Our little guy is quite the cuddler - he loves to be held, and tends to cry immediately when we try to set him down. His pediatrician recommends that he hold him as often as he wants to be held to make him feel safe and secure, and wait until he is closer to 4 months before we "let him cry it out." And so we do hold him pretty much all the time. The Moby Wrap is quite a life saver for me- it allows him to feel comforted by snuggling up close to me, and it allows me to have my arms free to do things around the house with him. The Moby Wrap seems to mesmerize Isaac - as soon as I put him in the body sling, he calms down and either falls to sleep or silently looks around scanning the horizon with his wide eyes.

 

Below are some pictures we've taken in the past week:

 

He was being quite fussy, so daddy tried "Rocket Ship" with him for the first time tonight, and it certainly did the trick. He stopped fussing immediately, stared at daddy with his big eyes wide open, and waved his arms and legs. I think he likes the noise and the motion.

 

 

On Sunday, Great-Grandma, Grandma, Grandpa & Uncle Marky stopped by for a visit.

 

 

Uncle Marky got to meet Isaac for the first time.

 

 

Isaac dressed in his Hippo outfit

 

 

And he wasn't very happy about being set down for the picture.

 

 

Photos during "Rocket Time" with daddy

 

 

Such a sweet face!

 

 

Although he doesn't do it for too long in the middle of the night, here is proof that our little Milk Monster does in fact sleep!

 

Week 6

It is absolutely amazing to me just how much Isaac has grown in the past 5 weeks - you can visually see his growth! The photo on the left is of Isaac at 1 week old (the night before he was released from the NICU), and photo on the right is of Isaac in his car seat at 6 weeks:

We have learned just how much Isaac loves to be cuddled and held close to us in the past few weeks. When we try to put him down, he cries, and he is immediately placated the moment we pick him up and hold him close. This makes sleeping somewhat of a challenge, but everyone tells me that he will grow so quickly so to enjoy his cuddle phase while it lasts. 

Brennen and I switched rolls this week - he had surgery last Wednesday and was stuck in bed for the past week, and I was officially cleared by my doctor to be able to live my life as normal (in other works, I can work out for the first time in over 3 months!) Thankfully, grandma Lesli came in town to help take care of Brennen and Isaac. Not only did she take Brennen to his surgery so I could stay home with Isaac, but she also held Isaac after his feedings in the middle of the night so that I could get some rest, and she also spoiled us with her cooking. I honestly don't know what we would do without our mom's - they are amazing and wonderful! 

I started working at the salon on Saturday. I will be working 2 days a week this month - Monday's and Saturdays. Isaac will spend Monday's with grandma Carol and grandpa Rick, and he will spend Saturday's with his daddy. He enjoyed his first day with grandma and grandpa Howell on grandpa Rick's birthday this past Monday. 

In the past week we have received Isaac's Birth Certificate in the mail, completed Isaac's Baptism Class, and Alisa and Greg agreed to be his godparents, so we are officially all set for his Baptism. His Baptism is scheduled for Saturday, October 12 at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Phoenix. Morning Mass will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m., the Baptism Ceremony will directly follow, and then we are inviting everyone over to our house to celebrate with us and enjoy some refreshments. 

6 pounds 6.5 ounces

Isaac had his 1 month check up with his pediatrician this morning, and it's official - he is a growing boy!

At birth, Isaac weighed 5 pounds 4 ounces, dropped to 5 pounds 0 ounces at 3 weeks, and today at 5 weeks he is up to 6 pounds 6.5 ounces. He measured 20 1/4 inches in length, up exactly 2 inches from his birth measurements. He measures in the bottom 5% for infants his age, but he should technically be a new born baby and not compared with babies who are 5 weeks in age since he was born so prematurely. His doctor is pleased with his growth and progress.

Photo taken on September 6 - 1 Month Old

Isaac and mommy go on morning walks together

Isaac, all ready for Mass

What a sweet little face