I am still waiting for someone to pinch me and tell me I am dreaming. This whole past month feels like dream, even though I do a little less dreaming these days.
I am not sure how I am going to photograph/update Miles each month. I have a had whole month to think about it and haven't made a decision. So for the first few months, it might be a little all over the place until I find a rhythm I am satisfied with. I know I want to include Bee each month tracking his growth, but other than that, I'll figure the rest out as we go. I plan to track Miles growth/changes in photos and summary as I did for Harrison for the first 36 months. Having two at home now I might not get the posts up the day of each month (the 13th), but hopefully soon after that.
Are you ready? So here we go.
Sleep: Comparing Miles to Harrison, Harrison was a way better sleeper at this age. Not to be a downer on Miles as a sleeper, but Harrison was trained from the NICU and woke or we woke him up every four hours to feed him. It's a different story this time, he rules the roost. It's fine by me, I wouldn't have it any other way as long as I got to bring my baby home with me when I left the hospital. It honestly still feels surreal after having experienced what we did with Harrison.
During the day Miles has fallen into a routine of awake time from anywhere between 8 and 10 am in which he is very bright eyed and wants to look around. In the afternoon/evening I haven't figured out a pattern yet, but I am not sure he has either. At night he sleeps swaddled for about 3 hours between feedings. During the day feedings are every 2-3 hours, evenings every 1-3 hours. I've tried not swaddling him and he squirms and is vocal unless he is wrapped in his cocoon. We are still in survival mode as I referred to in the last post. I should nap, but I don't, there always seems to be too much to do.
Feeding: I have been exclusively breast feeding Miles since birth. He is growing at rate that has even surprised his doctor. I meant to blog about his latest weight check at his three week appointment. Miles tipped the scale at 7 lbs 5 oz and grew more than a half an inch. So apparently my body is doing it's job providing for him, however it's exhausting. Nursing is a touchy subject. I want to continue to breast feed him for as long as I can, but it's exhausting and I feel tied down to the house. I am a private person (I guess the blog doesn't prove to be a good example), but I am not a public nurser, nope; I am a car feeder. Getting out has been challenging and it seems once I get to where we are going it's time to eat again. I feel like a failure if I turn to formula, even just for a feeding or a two a day. Ugh. I felt the same with with Harrison. And it's not just the feeling of failure, it's a feeling of guilt for wanting to get out and do some things when my real job is to just be a mom right now.
I pump when I can. I skipped two whole days these past two days prepping the house to list it for sale (another post to come). I have about 15 bags of milk stored in the freezer. I felt a sense of guilt as I took two bags out to be defrost for this evening. He eats so frequently in the evening, we usually end up bottle feeding him around the busiest time of the evening so dinner/play/bath time flows as smoothly as it can in our household. He does great bottle feeding. The first few bottles were a challenge, but has since caught on. He is also more alert for bottle feedings vs. nursing. Nursing, he is a sleeper on the job and it takes 3 times as long, most days it doesn't bother me, but other times we need to get rolling and he just snoozing away. He gets a lot of feet tickling to keep him going. Right now he eats about 2 oz a feeding during the day and 3 oz feedings in the evenings and at night, my guess is as good as yours I am usually half asleep.
Personality: I think Miles is still figuring out what Miles likes/doesn't like just as much as we are. Some days he will take a pacifier, some days he won't. Some days he screams during bath time, other days I think he would prefer to just in in tub and chill out. One thing for sure, he like his vibrating chair. It's on a timer, the minute that things stops, he's awake protesting you turn it back on. I am also discovering he is more snugly than Harrison, he likes to be held and knows the second you put him down. We haven't used the swing much...but both times he has been in it, he hasn't been impressed.
Witch hour (or more the hours) has returned. That's the evening fussy time. It's when holding, cuddling, feeding, burping, bouncer chair, nothing works. Most nights he turns the switch on, but once in a while he gives us a break, I REALLY like those evenings. :)
Appearance: I nick named him flaky and I catch myself calling him that often. I should probably stop before it becomes a habit. Harrison never had cradle cap or baby acne. I credit the incubators at the NICU for his hydrated smooth skin. Different story for Miles. Baby acne appeared about a week ago. It isn't all too bad, a little on his cheeks. However his skin is another story. His poor forehead and eye lids, and scalp is so dry. He hasn't advanced to cradle cap yet, but I slather him in lotion twice a day. Everyone says he looks like his big brother and we agree.
Size: I mentioned he has grown over a half an inch since his birth and put on at least a pound since then. He has own grown most of his preemie stuff. Some stuff that says up to 7 lbs and up 5-9 lbs still fits. He fits almost perfectly in newborn outfits now, the sleepers are still baggy length wise, but he filling them out in every other direction. He has some adorable 0-3 month clothing, I decided to have him try on an outfit yesterday and he drowned in it. By next month he will probably be out growing it. They really do grow like weeds don't they?
How's the rest of the family?
How is Momma doing: I feel more in control and that things aren't all over the place as they were in the first few weeks of mothering two instead of one. The last couple of days have been a bit of a pot hole on this road. Harrison has been sick (that is why this post is a late and many photos short). Remember how he had 14 ear infections in just over a year? Well this is ear infection 15. It's been almost a year since the last one, so we shouldn't complain. However ear infections make him so sick. He threw up last night, had diarrhea tracked through the kitchen, dining, room, living room, up the stair case, and through the bathroom this morning (just 10 minutes before the Realtors were to arrive) Ugh again. I cleaned him up and he spent most of the morning watching Mickey before he puked again. He is really needy and honestly I don't mind, I like the fact he wants to be snuggled and wants to held. What I don't like his seeing is his temperature rising, hot flushed cheeks and sick eyes.
This momma planned to work out and get her body back. Though honestly I am surprised it came back to where I am now without step on the treadmill. I did dust it off most recently and have full intentions of using it soon. I am determined to fit back into work pants by the time I return to work in January. Also another touchy subject, the return to work. There was no way we could afford for me to stay home after Harrison was born, especially with medical bills, etc. Not that we are wealthy rich now and far from it almost doesn't make sense for me to return to work paying out more than $1, 200 a month in childcare. At this point my decision is still to return to work, but between Doug and Is conversations, that hasn't been etched in stone yet.
On the photography side I planned on taking off until January with the exception of taking a few photos in between of some close friends. The inquiries have rolled in, in the last week, actually 7 requests in the last 3 days. I haven't returned any e-mails or phone calls because I don't know yet if and when I start up again because I feel like I really haven't had a break. I am probably driving people away but my lack of response and I feel bad. A couple of years ago when I started this business I never knew it would be what it is today. A part of me absolutely loves it and a part of me feels like with this second job, my work is never done. It's more of all work, no play.
Hows Harrison's Doing: Harrison is making me pretty proud these days. He's helpful, brings me Miles diapers, plugs, clothes; he is eager to help in anyway that he can. Harrison is still fascinated with poopy diaper changes, he's there for everyone of them he can be there for. Last night he got to feed Miles for the first time and he made me proud, he did a really good job. He lost a little focus when Doug brought out the camera and he asked for it to be put away. Yep, still not a fan of the camera. I got the notion to let him try to feed Miles the last 2 days I bottle fed Miles. Harrison got out his bottle at the same time and fed his toy baby a bottle. Harrison likes it best when Miles is awake. He will run to me and say, "Awake, Miles awake!" The other day during dinner Miles was in the swing and his eyes went in the motion of the swing opening and closing. All though dinner Harrison would repeat when looking at Miles, "Eyes opened, closed, opened, closed, opened, closed," etc. I feel like he is transitioning well overall to his role as a big brother.
How's Daddy Doing: He is getting about as much sleep as mommy. Daddy is getting up every morning to go into work early. Mommy gets Harrison ready and daddy comes back home, picks Harrison up, takes him to pre-school and goes back to work. It's overtime with the holiday season. It kind have makes me a scrooge around Christmas because I never get to see my husband and the kids never get to see their dad, it's like a single parent role from the end of October through the middle of January. Daddy doesn't like this anymore than Mommy does. The best thing is, though we are together for the holidays, something we didn't have for the first 8 years we were together.
With Miles arrival and Violet puppy, well being a puppy...We are spending the Holidays this year in town, no distance traveling for the Kelley's this year. Thanksgiving we will head to my parents house and for Christmas, I am traditional in that Harrison needs to wake up on Christmas morning in his own bed, in his own house. I have to say as scoogie as I can be about the holidays, I am finding myself already in the Christmas Spirit this year. I think (I know) I can credit the 3 year old we reside with. Last week we watch Frosty the Snowman together as a family for the first time along with Polar Express. Last night while under the weather Harrison watched Once Upon a Mickey Christmas and Twice Upon a Mickey Christmas. I almost pulled out National Lampoons Christmas Vacation the night. But if I watched it before Thanks Giving I would break the tradition of watching it for the first time on Thanksgiving evening.
I haven't officially done his one month photo session, but I did pull out a hat and snap a few of these between a diaper change and feeding on his official one month. He decided quickly he didn't want me to take many, so here is a couple... I snapped before he shouted, "no more." I wanted to try again today, but home with Harrison home sick and our meeting with the Realtors it obviously didn't happen. I promise when I do get to the photos, it won't be a month until I post them like it was for his newborn session.
Notice how he looks so different in each shot. I hadn't noticed until I put them all together.
What I am looking forward to most next month: A smile.
The house needs some work...but it's move in ready for now other than some paint and new appliances the rest of the updates will be done later on. It will be part of making this our home. The home is a 4 bedroom 4 bathroom and just over 3,000 square feet. Its about 1,000 feet more of space than we currently have. There is plenty of room for us to stretch out in. The sun room is amazing and hopefully with make a future studio for photography. 
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