I Survived!

Last night was the first time being away from Carter for an EXTENDED period of time (more than an hour or two running errands). Mike and I were in Rochester for Amy & Wil's wedding - so Grandma & Papa babysat...for 13 hours!

Of course I knew Carter would be just fine. Apparently all he did was eat and sleep, so after I got home and fed him at 1am, he wouldn't sleep until 4am! But I couldn't even be upset because he was just laying there with his big eyes WIDE open, not crying or fussing at all. I would have absolutely loved it if I weren't so tired myself. Thankfully, after he finally fell asleep at 4am, he slept until 9:30am!

Carter is also outgrowing his preemie clothes, but the "Newborn" clothes are still HUGE on him! The best fit are Childrens Place "Up to 7lbs" - I'm so glad we bought those when they were on sale. I'm sure VERY soon I'll be talking about how he's outgrowing the newborns!

Due Date

Today is Carter's official Due Date and he's already 6 weeks 2 days old!

6 Pounds!!!

At today's weight check, Carter was up to 6 pounds!!! Now, I think he cheated a little because his diaper was quite wet when he was weighed, and the nurse just says "About 6 pounds" (I think they're used to weighing in pounds, not ounces)...but still....GOOD JOB CARTER!!! All that eating is really paying off.


Mmm..I found my thumb!


Guard dogs, or waiting for lunch?



Can we go for a walk now?

Play Time!

When he's not eating or sleeping, Carter has been enjoying tummy time and playing with his new toys! He also sat in his swing the entire time we ate lunch today (I'm hoping he will get used to this, it's so much easier eating things like corn on the cob when you have two hands!).

1 Month Pics

One Month!

Wow!! As of tomorrow (August 13th), Carter will be 1 month old! I can't believe it! It seems like he was just born yesterday, but at the same time, it's also been the longest 4 weeks of our lives...mixed feelings! Enjoy the video!!


Make sure you have your volume turned on!

Chunky Monkey!

Carter had his weight check at the doctor today, and he's up to a WHOPPING 5lbs 1oz!! That means he put on 8oz (1/2 pound!) in just 4 days! We go back next week Friday for another check and one round of shots.

Carter enjoyed some tummy time today - and is trying SO hard to roll over.

Uncle Jon & Aunt Tammy brought me a turtle from Mexico!

Sleeping!!!

We decided to try putting Carter to sleep in his carrier (propped up in his bassinet) at night...and it worked!! Saturday night he slept there from 1:30-6:45am. I was supposed to wake him at 4:30 to eat but figured the sleep was better for both of us. Yes, many people say to never wake a sleeping baby, but since he's so little we have to. Then last night he slept in the carrier from 1am-8:30am, only waking up at 4:30 to eat!! Let's see if we can keep this up.

On another note, I have to cut back his formula because he is sleeping too much during the day...I have to wake him up to eat after 4 hours!!

Mema & Papa came to visit Sunday

Ready to watch (or sleep through) my first Bill's game!

My First Bath!

First time trying out my swing...not too sure about it yet...


Meeting my Uncle Mike! Though since he lives far away, next time I see him I might be walking already!!

First Pediatrician Appointment

After a very restless night last night (after not sleeping at all, I finally gave Carter a formula bottle at 4am, which he proceded to puke back up til 5am making me afraid to lay him down for fear that he may puke again and choke)...Carter had his first pediatrician appointment today!! Doctor says everything looks great, but Carter has lost 2oz since leaving the hospital instead of gaining 1/2 oz each day. So I have to supplement his feedings with formula and bring him back on Tuesday for a weight check. Come on little man, pack on those pounds (er, ounces) like you did in the hospital!!

Sleeping? And Pictures!!

We may have figured it out!! Carter likes to sleep in his own "room" in his crib, not in the bassinet next to mommy and daddy. Last night after giving up on getting him to sleep in the bassinet, I put Carter in the crib and he slept perfectly!! He slept from about 1:30-4:30am, woke up to eat, then back to sleep from 5:30-8:30am. Tonight will tell if this truly will work...I sure hope so!!


This morning the visiting nurse stopped by to check on Carter and so far everything is great! He did lose 2oz (down to 4lbs 9oz) - she said it could have been the scale - but she was going to call the peds office to see if they are ok with it or want her to stop back next week (i'm guessing they won't worry about it til his first doctor appt on Friday).

We then had to leave Carter alone with Papa for about 1.5 hours to go fill out paperwork at Social Services to try to get Carter health insurance since my insurance through work doesn't cover ANY doctos in Niagara county. What a headache..and we still don't know anything.

Great-Grandma Rose ~ Joshua calls himself Carter's Big Brother

Snoozing

All Mixed Up!

Carter is beginning to get back to his 3 hour eating/sleeping schedule (with a few "snacks" in between) - but he definitely seems to have his nights and days mixed up, and also seems to have some "mommy attachment". Even if he is sound asleep, Carter wants to be held by mommy. If I put him down - he wakes up. However, if Papa, or someone else is holding him and he falls asleep - he can be put down for awhile without any problems!

This isn't a huge problem except during the night. For the last 2 nights he's hardly slept at all unless I'm holding him (which means no sleep for me!) Finally last night I slept for about 1.5-2hrs in the recliner because I could cuddle with Carter at the same time. Luckily at 8:30am he was sound asleep so I passed him off to Papa so that I could nap for 2 hours. Mike certainly does what he can to help, but I try not to make him get up too much during the night since he needs rest for work.

Besides the lack of sleep (which was expected) - we are simply LOVING life with our little guy!

(pics to be added later)

I'm Home!!

Today was such an exciting, but exhausting day! After an anniversay breakfast at Bob Evans, we picked Carter up from the hospital. He seemed to enjoy the car ride home, and was quickly bombarded when he got here.

My goal of keeping him on the 3 hour feeding schedule was very quickly ruined. I think all of the new voices and people holding Carter was a bit overwhelming for him, as he barely slept all day and became quite fussy! At 11:45pm he finally settled in, just in time for us to have our "anniversay cake" before it wasn't our anniversary anymore (btw, it was still delicious!)

Here are some pics of Carter's first day home...more to be added later. Also, while I will still update the blog at the request of many...it may not be quite everyday now that Carter is home.

Getting buckled in

Here we go! Yes, hospital policy said I still had to be wheeled out with him even though I was discharged over 2 weeks ago.

So happy to be home

Uncle Jon & Aunt Tammy (Carter's newest aunt!)

Proud Papa

Aunt Jen, Justin, & Joshua

Just Chilling

That's what Carter was doing today while waiting for us to pick him up on Sunday. Everyone in the NICU keeps commenting on what a great baby he is and that he has really progressed quickly and is ready to go.






Speaking of leaving the hospital...we know that many of you would like to come visit Carter once he's home, and we would love to have you!! However, we do have a few rules/requests necessary to keep Carter safe and healthy since he is even more susceptible than a typical newborn to getting sick (and will be back in the hospital for even just a cold or fever):


* Please do not visit if you, or anyone in your immediate family is sick or has even the slightest sign that you may be getting something...even just a little sniffle.
* Wash your hands/use hand sanitizer immediately before you visit with Carter (here at our house, even if you just did so at home 10 minutes earlier!)
* Visit in small numbers (Carter is not allowed in public/around large groups of people for 2 months)


We can't wait to see you all!!