Charlevoix and other things

We have ventured north for a week away from Grand Rapids into the waters of Lake Charlevoix. Okay, we're not really in the water but we're next to them at Grandma Judy and Grandad's lakehouse.  Patrick seems to be adapting well to the new place, I was of course worried (I worry a lot these days) he'd have trouble sleeping or be disoriented, but he is doing well.  We've only been here going on our second day but the sun has been out and it's been perfect.  Yesterday we were down by the water most of the afternoon, Joc and I even went for a run/walk yesterday morning.
Speaking of exercise, i've been anxious to get back into working out now that i have my figure back (ha!). So, like a good nurse/patient, when my doctor said to start run/walking after 6 weeks, I decided now (4 1/2 weeks post delivery) would be the best time.  (c:  At least I didn't go all out and run a 5K ok?  Joc thought she'd like to try running again, I'm a touch skeptical as she finds running "boring", but I'm supportive in her efforts.  I'm encouraging biking though, as she enjoys that activity more, but maybe she'll learn to love running like me.  Who knows?  My back has been really sore too, from holding the ever growing PJ.  So I threw in some ab and back exercises yesterday.  I feel a touch sore in the legs today so I know it was ok and everything else seems good too.  I find my posture is horrible these days and when I'm feeding PJ I'm hunched over.  I need my muscle mass back, pronto!
My baby is growing like a weed!  I was uploading photos to shutterfly and facebook and looking back on his birth photos... what a pudge he's becoming!!  He's filling out everywhere.  I love it!
On another note, the crying is better.  Taking the advice of many people, I'm feeding him almost every time he's crying and it's cut back on his screaming spells.  I'm living by the "you can't spoil a newborn" mantra for another month or so.  I'm nurisng him to sleep and making sure he sleeps much of the day so he's not overtired.  So, it's improving.  Thank you for the help!
Finally, I'm trying to decide about a type of electronic babybook for the little dude.  I saw a commercial awhile back where a dad set up an email account for his child and sent him emails along the way of life so when he gets older he has many of his memories.  Joc created the patrickjude.blogspot.com blog but I want one where I can write to patrick about his growth and development.  So, I'm either creating an email account or a blog that I'll write to him and maybe in a few years, create a book... I probably won't link it to this blog as it'll just be for PJ but it's something I'm tossing around.  We did buy a babybook for him but in the digital era, for a digital native baby... I say, why not?

Happy July friends!!

It's not all roses

Patrick has been doing a lot of crying lately.  We haven't quite figured out what causes it exactly but we're troubleshooting it.  These are the times I wish he would just come out and tell us what's the problem.
Last night, as he screamed so hard his face turned red, his cry was silent and he was sweating from the exertion I thought I had it figured out- overtired.  He's a decent nighttime sleeper and he usually sleeps until about 8am, which is really to say we sleep until 8 am.  But he has been staying awake much of the morning, we try to get him to sleep around 9 or 10 but if he falls asleep it's only for 10-20minutes.  Then he has a breakdown (crying/screaming/hard to console) around 11 or 12, once we get him to sleep he will sleep soundly only waking to eat then going back to sleep through most of the afternoon.  This is why I thought he was overtired, thus the breakdowns.
On facebook, someone recommended ColicCalm and after reading about it and seeing it's all natural and soothes gas, colic, GERD and hiccoughs I thought, "what the hell?"  But so far, I'm not convinced it's any of those problems.  It's not like he screams for hours... maybe 30 minutes to an hour... we take turns, Joc is excellent at rocking the screaming baby.  I'm a sucker, I give him the boob and it soothes him to sleep but he only eats for a short time before falling asleep.  So he's essentially using me as a pacifier... which I'm borderline okay with until he's a little older.
Basically, I haven't figured my baby out... he's 4 weeks old and I still can't determine why he gets screaming like he does.
Other thoughts I've had:  overstimulation (we put him on the activity mat and let him stare at the toys), milk supply (but he's gained 3 lbs since birth so I know he's eating plenty and many times I have just fed him and then he gets to screaming), boredom (but from what I read, this should subside once we pick him up and talk to him), frustration (maybe he's ready to move and he's not able to?), gas (but the simethicone and the ColicCalm are for this and I can't say I've seen a direct coorelation between giving him the stuff and him calming down), illness??? (We took him temp once because he was so hot to the touch but it was normal... could he have an ear infection at this age??).  Above all, maybe he's just in a fussy stage right now and needs to cry... I shouldn't complain as the books I read on uncontrollable crying talk about a baby who cries for hours, yes hours, at a time.  I pray, hope and cross every finger and toe, and knock on every wood surface in my house, that he never screams for this long.
So, this post is to basically tell you that Patrick, as much as we love and adore him in our lives, can drive me nuts too.

A few pictures

PJ makes the funniest mouth faces, I can hardly wait till he can smile and interact more. 

Just having some play time on the activity center... he does tummy time but usually starts crying after a few minutes... I would too if I couldn't quite pick up and hold my head, soon very soon!

Just me, Patrick and Cooper chilling.  Cooper used to be a staple on my lap, and for a few weeks she didn't sit there at all.  But most recently, she has resumed her lapdog status, especially when I'm feeding PJ.  She's warming up to him, they'll be best buds I just know it!

oh baby!

Patrick is 3 weeks old as of tomorrow, he's getting bigger every day.  His face has filled out, cheeks starting to plump up, his legs, arms, hands and feet are even pudgier.  He's also fussier and cries easier these days.  Yesterday, I was reading about how to sooth a baby- the 5 Ss according to a pediatrician who made a video and wrote a book and is retired and wealthy I'm sure.  (swaddle, shake (but not as in shaken baby), shhh noises, suck and one other that I can't quite recall...)  It's hard to listen to his cry, but sometimes I think he's just learning his voice and letting it out feels good.  He's also very good at fighting sleep and he's not the biggest pacifier fan, especially when I try to give it to him.  I can almost hear him saying, "i know that's you ma, i can smell the milk on you!  Now, whip it out and let me calm myself down".  I'm a sucker, I usually comply.  Which makes me read about babies who use their mom's breast as a pacifier.  From what I can gather, it's up to the mom whether that's the role she wants to take on...apparently I am a willing participant.  My nipples are complying for now... Joc can get him to take the pacifier... I can't stand to see him gag and scream for those precious few moments before he takes it and falls soundly to sleep.  Then, you have to look at the consequences to the pacifier.  Again, from what I read (because sometimes that's all I have to go on people!), it's safe to let your babe use one (as long as breastfeeding is going well) until 4-6 months of age.  That's the key time to remove it from his life and he "shouldn't" care (according to these nice folks who write all these books).  So, for now, we'll use it when he can stand it... so that we can sooth him.

And then I sit back and think about life for Joc and I now.  I mean, look at this blog.  It's become all about the baby.  Is this what my life is now?  People drop by to visit and Joc and I talk about Patrick the whole time... he does this, he likes this, labor was like this, breastfeeding is good... We try to ask about them, to remember what made us friends in the first place... but we always come back to Patrick.  A few of our friends are coming in from out of town over the 4th, we were gonna get together at a house here in GR and have a cook out, bonfire, hang out.  Now, the plan is to go tubing down the river (sounds like a ton of fun, would love to do this, it would be great to get some Vitamin D... I can almost feel the river pulling my tube down stream, the cold beer in my hand, the sun warming my face and arms... ahhhh) and then have food then go out downtown.  "Can't you get a babysitter?" ummm.. for my 1 month old child who eats about every 30-45 minutes?  Probably not a good plan for us, even though I'd love to.... We passed on the tubing, but  they are going out Friday night instead, so Saturday we can bring the pack n'play, and hang out till later.  Still, it's the stuff you have to think about like, even if I have a babysitter, my boobs are still gonna need to be pumped... not sure how that would work on the river (c: even if I get a babysitter and work out the pumping on the river, I have a few too many beers, and get home a little too late, I'm still gonna have to wake up with PJ over night and in the morning and function... which I haven't had a few too many in about a year now so I'm not sure how I would recover... I can tell you Joc takes a half to full day to recover from a stupor.  It's just not a good plan...
Maybe in 3 months, when P's into a schedule and eating more consistently and he's older and leaving him will be easier because we'll be back at work.  Maybe in 3 years... but then I might be pregnant again or have another newborn...
Is this what life has become now for us?  It's good, we are very much enjoying this life... but sometimes, just sometimes, I miss the freedom that we had when it was just us and Cooper (who I can throw in the kennel for half the day without worry).  But then the other days, I don't miss the freedom, I don't miss spending the money on ridiculous amounts a food or drink at a restaurant.  We just have to get to know this life a little better and appreciate and recall what we had... but love what we have now.  I wouldn't trade Patrick for anything, not even that delightful trip down the river. (c:

He's arrived!! (finally!)

I won't bore you with all the gorey details, but Patrick Jude Gable Hodack has arrived!!  We were induced on Thursday afternoon, it was a long and drawn out and often times painful (anywhere from 2/10 for the little, early contractions, to 8/10 for full out labor... and that was with an epidural!)  I was on a pitossin drip for the majority of the time, off  here and there when there were heart rate decelerations on the baby monitor.  I had my water broken, multiple attempts to place a catheter through my cervix to open it, and too many hands up my vagina to check my progress.  It wasn't the funnest thing I've ever done... but the end result is pretty great.  And, it's sorta true what they say, you forget the bad to remember the good.  (I can still easily recall the bad but it's still pretty fresh, give me a few months.)
So, the official statistics:  born 6/3/2011 at 23:40 (everyone in the room thought he'd arrive after midnight but once I got down to the business of pushing, it just progressed nicely), he was 8lbs, 3oz, 23 1/4 inches long (he had a cone head that has since gone away and we think that gave him the extra 1/4 inch so we don't even report it usually).  He has been a pretty good baby, we had some latching issues on the first night but now we're getting by fabulously.  He already had his first pediatrician check up, was back up to 8lbs (had discharged at 7, 14) and is doing splendid.
I'm feeling pretty good.  Someone asked if I missed being pregnant, and I said, "heck no!"  I can wear my old clothes (pretty much... i'm still deflating but I can wear my comfy clothes...), I can see my feet (which have deflated as well from a +4 or 5, seriously, edema to scant of none), I can shave my legs by bending over completely without any discomfort, I can lay on my belly (although my breast now are too full and tender to do this just yet).  I wasn't the biggest fan of pregnancy but I'd do it again for the little guy.
So, I'll try to update the blog with occassional pics and events... life should get even more exciting from here on out! (c: