We had dinner this past weekend with some family on my side to celebrate Grandma's Birthday. We had a great time and got to show off Luke to my Aunt and Uncle. Luke was on his best behaviour which was in sharp contrast to earlier in the day.
On Saturday Mom went with Grandma to see a performance leaving me alone with both kids. Normally this wouldn't be anything special to write about. Alyce did very good for me. She played with some soapy water and cups in the sink up until nap time. Luke on the other hand was out of sorts. I can't describe how he was. Words like agitated, needy, hungry, and intestinal distress would be a good place to start. At the time I was very agitated with him as I only wanted a little break to decompress and he wouldn't give me longer than 5 minutes of peace.
Luke's issues are really just newborn stuff. He wasn't doing that on purpose or even to make me angry he just needed something and either I couldn't provide it or nothing could have given him what he needed. The real issue I have with newborns is that they don't give anything back. For the first few months they take, take, take, and don't give anything back. My Uncle Eric quoting a nephew on Saturday said it best, "Babies are very potato like". Over time Luke like Alyce will become less potato like. Once I get that first smile from Luke it will have all been worth it. However, until that time comes babies, especially your own are no fun. No offense Luke just saying like it is.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Crazy Hungry
Last night Luke was a crazy hungry baby. Typically Luke will go around 3 hours from the start of one feeding to the start of the next. With feedings including diaper change taking around half an hour it doesn't leave much time to do other things around the house. So if and when Luke decides to get hungry before time it can be frustrating.
Last night I fed Luke around 7:00. This was about 3 1/2 hours after his last feeding so he should be hungry. Grandma came over to visit and to my surprise Luke was hungry again at 9:00. This didn't present any real problem because Grandma got to feed Luke and I got some down time. Both of these two feedings were 4oz. each. After we said goodnight to Grandma it was 11:00 and past time for Luke to go to bed. Putting him down he started showing signs of hunger... again. "You've got to be kidding me." came from my and Mom's mouth. So I made up 2 more ounces and sure enough he took down the majority of it. So in recap Luke has consumed around 10 ounces of formula in a time frame where he should have really only eaten 4.
You would think that with that much in his belly he wouldn't be hungry again for three hours right? You would be wrong. Luke with his bottomless pit stomach woke up again at midnight and ate 2 - 3 more oz!
We thought with as much as he was eating he would surely spit some of it back up. Not a drop came out of him the wrong way. I can only assume that he is going through some growth spurt and he needs some additional calories. At his next doctors appointment I expect to see some significant growth. The silver lining to all of this is that the quicker Luke gains weight the longer he will last between feedings. Thus laying the groundwork for waking up only once a night or the holy grail, sleeping through the night.
Last night I fed Luke around 7:00. This was about 3 1/2 hours after his last feeding so he should be hungry. Grandma came over to visit and to my surprise Luke was hungry again at 9:00. This didn't present any real problem because Grandma got to feed Luke and I got some down time. Both of these two feedings were 4oz. each. After we said goodnight to Grandma it was 11:00 and past time for Luke to go to bed. Putting him down he started showing signs of hunger... again. "You've got to be kidding me." came from my and Mom's mouth. So I made up 2 more ounces and sure enough he took down the majority of it. So in recap Luke has consumed around 10 ounces of formula in a time frame where he should have really only eaten 4.
You would think that with that much in his belly he wouldn't be hungry again for three hours right? You would be wrong. Luke with his bottomless pit stomach woke up again at midnight and ate 2 - 3 more oz!
We thought with as much as he was eating he would surely spit some of it back up. Not a drop came out of him the wrong way. I can only assume that he is going through some growth spurt and he needs some additional calories. At his next doctors appointment I expect to see some significant growth. The silver lining to all of this is that the quicker Luke gains weight the longer he will last between feedings. Thus laying the groundwork for waking up only once a night or the holy grail, sleeping through the night.
Monday, April 27, 2009
One Of Those Nights
So last night was one of those nights. Every parent has them. They are the nights that if you tell people the story they ask "Why should we have kids?".
During the evening after Alyce was in bed Mom had just finished feeding Luke and she was settling down for a quiet evening. Luke had other plans. Luke decided that the full belly he had didn't agree with him. He thought it better to give the formula back to Mom rather than keep it all to himself. In the process of being a good sharer he covered himself, mom, and a throw pillow in formula.
After that event we got him cleaned up and all was well with the world, for a while... Later in the evening I was feeding Luke. The milk was going down just fine. Not even a complaint from his side. As I was walking over to change his diaper before going to bed he decided to share dinner with me too.
So here we are putting Luke in outfit #3 for the day. Three isn't where it ended either. Luke didn't like his third outfit during a late night feeding and promptly wetted all over it while Mom was changing his diaper.
For a 24 hour period Luke tore through four outfits, numerous wipes, and Mom's and Dad's patience. Looking back on it a day later it is quite hilarious. Every parent has this story. It is a medal only earned in the trenches of parenting.
During the evening after Alyce was in bed Mom had just finished feeding Luke and she was settling down for a quiet evening. Luke had other plans. Luke decided that the full belly he had didn't agree with him. He thought it better to give the formula back to Mom rather than keep it all to himself. In the process of being a good sharer he covered himself, mom, and a throw pillow in formula.
After that event we got him cleaned up and all was well with the world, for a while... Later in the evening I was feeding Luke. The milk was going down just fine. Not even a complaint from his side. As I was walking over to change his diaper before going to bed he decided to share dinner with me too.
So here we are putting Luke in outfit #3 for the day. Three isn't where it ended either. Luke didn't like his third outfit during a late night feeding and promptly wetted all over it while Mom was changing his diaper.
For a 24 hour period Luke tore through four outfits, numerous wipes, and Mom's and Dad's patience. Looking back on it a day later it is quite hilarious. Every parent has this story. It is a medal only earned in the trenches of parenting.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Cord Falling Off
Yesterday Luke's cord fell off. It happened before we put him to bed. Mom and I go to change his diaper and behold there isn't this hard black thing staring back at us. His cord falling off makes changing diapers so much easier. While it was on you have to make sure nothing catches on it and that you didn't mistake it for a diaper tab and rip it off. I've read that happens.
His cord falling off carries more meaning than just making our lives easier. It means that he is starting the 18 year path of complete separation from us. First he has to eat for himself, next he will be able to move without us carrying him, and eventually he will be heading off to college where the only thing he will need from us is gas money and a washing machine. It is awe inspiring to see this little person grow before my eyes and to know that I have a hand in who he is now and who he will be in the future.
Luke, you probably won't realize how something so insignificant as your cord falling can be so powerful until you have kids of your own. Even though you aren't attached to your mom anymore it doesn't mean that you aren't connected to your family.
His cord falling off carries more meaning than just making our lives easier. It means that he is starting the 18 year path of complete separation from us. First he has to eat for himself, next he will be able to move without us carrying him, and eventually he will be heading off to college where the only thing he will need from us is gas money and a washing machine. It is awe inspiring to see this little person grow before my eyes and to know that I have a hand in who he is now and who he will be in the future.
Luke, you probably won't realize how something so insignificant as your cord falling can be so powerful until you have kids of your own. Even though you aren't attached to your mom anymore it doesn't mean that you aren't connected to your family.
Food Intake On The Rise
Luke's food intake is really starting to increase. Last weekend he jumped from drinking 2 oz. a feeding to 3 oz. Then this weekend he jumped from 3 to 4 oz. He isn't taking in 4 oz. every feeding, but 3.5 oz. is pretty common.
During the day Luke is a pretty good eater. He drinks his bottles fairly quickly and doesn't have any spit up issues. One thing that is kind of interesting is that we don't always get burps out of Luke. I'm not really sure what we can chalk that up to. We use Dr. Brown's bottles and we give Luke infant gas drops. Perhaps one of those two things could be it.
During the night Luke is another story. While he still doesn't spit up or have gas he doesn't eat all that well during the night. He makes these little squeaks with every breath and at times can be really loud about it. I find that if I sit him up he tends to do better.
During the day Luke is a pretty good eater. He drinks his bottles fairly quickly and doesn't have any spit up issues. One thing that is kind of interesting is that we don't always get burps out of Luke. I'm not really sure what we can chalk that up to. We use Dr. Brown's bottles and we give Luke infant gas drops. Perhaps one of those two things could be it.
During the night Luke is another story. While he still doesn't spit up or have gas he doesn't eat all that well during the night. He makes these little squeaks with every breath and at times can be really loud about it. I find that if I sit him up he tends to do better.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
A Twinkle In Dad's Eye Has A New Home
In case you haven't noticed A Twinkle In Dad's Eye now has a new home: www.lukesworld.me. We are moving to this new address because baby Luke needs a real website name. We wanted to do something like LukesWorld.com but that was taken. Instead we can get www.lukesworld.me. .me is a domain for sites about people rather than .com for commercial entities. So in reality .me is really a better fit for a blog about Luke.
Coming in the future I am going to be doing some redesign to Luke's blog. I figure along with a new address I could put on a new coat of paint.
Coming in the future I am going to be doing some redesign to Luke's blog. I figure along with a new address I could put on a new coat of paint.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
The First Week With Luke
We made it one week with Luke! Things have been easier than the first time around. I give a lot of that to being a second time parent. A lot of the stuff that bothered me with Alyce don't phase me near as much with Luke.
Late night feedings are going well. Luke sleeps three hours at a stretch and it takes around 20 minutes to feed him and get him back to sleep. So if you throw out that lost time we are still getting around 6-7 hours of interrupted sleep a night.
Luke's weight is doing well. He left the hospital 8 lbs 1 oz and after one week he was back up to 8 lbs 4 oz. This weight puts him in the 75th percentile his height of 21 1/4 inches puts him in the 95th percentile with his head size coming in at the 50th percentile.
The only negative thing that has happened is that Luke has picked up a cold from Alyce. We think Alyce picked up this cold while in the hospital visiting Luke. We try our best to keep them apart but even that can fail. Luckily for the Luke the cold doesn't seem to be affecting him very much. He occasionally sounds congested but his appetite is strong and he is sleeping well. If any of those things change we will bring him in to the pediatrician but until that point there isn't much need to be the overreacting parent.
Late night feedings are going well. Luke sleeps three hours at a stretch and it takes around 20 minutes to feed him and get him back to sleep. So if you throw out that lost time we are still getting around 6-7 hours of interrupted sleep a night.
Luke's weight is doing well. He left the hospital 8 lbs 1 oz and after one week he was back up to 8 lbs 4 oz. This weight puts him in the 75th percentile his height of 21 1/4 inches puts him in the 95th percentile with his head size coming in at the 50th percentile.
The only negative thing that has happened is that Luke has picked up a cold from Alyce. We think Alyce picked up this cold while in the hospital visiting Luke. We try our best to keep them apart but even that can fail. Luckily for the Luke the cold doesn't seem to be affecting him very much. He occasionally sounds congested but his appetite is strong and he is sleeping well. If any of those things change we will bring him in to the pediatrician but until that point there isn't much need to be the overreacting parent.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Luke's First Bath
On Wednesday April 15th we gave Luke his first bath. Because his cord was still attached we couldn't place him in water. Since Luke is a fan of being warm and cozy he didn't care much for being stripped naked and wet. After washing his skin we then washed his hair with some warm water. Luke was a big fan of that and was quiet until we got him dry and cozy.
Some Initial Thoughts
Here are some initial thoughts of mine about our new baby boy Luke.
- Luke likes to be held. If he can't be swaddled then he wants to be held close. This is really nice as you can put him on your chest and he will quietly sleep there giving out the occasional squeak or coo. Not so nice when you need to get something done that requires two hands.
- Luke likes to sleep. The first night he was home he was up quite a bit from 12:00 - 3:00 a.m. but since then he sleeps for 3 hours straight at night and during the day. I would put his total awake time in a given day at around 1 - 2 hours.
- Luke likes to eat. I wouldn't call his appetite voracious but I would call it hearty. The one thing that will pull him out of slumber is an empty stomach. He gives some early warning signs to let us know that he is wanting food. His face will get red, his brow will furrow, and he will start to thrash about.
- Luke likes pacifiers. If we give Luke a pacifier when he starts working himself up over food we can nip his crying before it gets started. The whole pacifier thing is new to me as Alyce wouldn't have anything to do with them.
- Luke likes to poop. I've never seen so much poop come out of one child. The volume isn't very much but where he gets you is frequency. I would say every other diaper is poopy.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Bringing Luke Home
We got to bring Luke home from the hospital on Friday. In my opinion it was time to go. For a second time parent the nurses weren't doing a whole lot for us and I wanted to relax on my own couch and sleep in my own bed. The care we received at the hospital was great but if there isn't any problems there isn't much of a need to stick around.
Now that we are at the house things moved into high gear for me. There has been tons of things to do. The house while clean needed to be picked up and we were tearing through bottles like nobody's business. I don't remember using 8 bottles in a single day with Alyce, but if a baby eats every three hours then I guess you make 8 dirty ones in a 24 hour period.
One item that gave Mommy and I a lot of concern was our dog Jake. When we brought Alyce years ago Jake was incredibly interested in her to the point he was becoming aggressive. I think he thought that she was some sort of varmit and not a real person. That time around my parents took Jake for a week and my dad "Grandpa" worked his magic as Jake came back a different (and better) dog. Luckily this time around we didn't need to resort to extreme measures. Jake was inquisitive of Luke but after a few close sniffs while Luke was in his carrier Jake got bored an laid back down. A big sigh of relief from Mom and I followed.
Now that we are at the house things moved into high gear for me. There has been tons of things to do. The house while clean needed to be picked up and we were tearing through bottles like nobody's business. I don't remember using 8 bottles in a single day with Alyce, but if a baby eats every three hours then I guess you make 8 dirty ones in a 24 hour period.One item that gave Mommy and I a lot of concern was our dog Jake. When we brought Alyce years ago Jake was incredibly interested in her to the point he was becoming aggressive. I think he thought that she was some sort of varmit and not a real person. That time around my parents took Jake for a week and my dad "Grandpa" worked his magic as Jake came back a different (and better) dog. Luckily this time around we didn't need to resort to extreme measures. Jake was inquisitive of Luke but after a few close sniffs while Luke was in his carrier Jake got bored an laid back down. A big sigh of relief from Mom and I followed.
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