This past weekend was Miles’s first Easter, and true to tradition we dyed some eggs and went to Easter brunch with the family. Even though Miles won’t remember this Easter I had to make sure that he looked good. Owen and Miles both sported polka-dotted bow ties. Miles doesn’t have much of a neck right now so at first he wasn’t a fan of the tie because it was almost in his mouth :). But eventually he fell asleep and he slept through most of the brunch and only woke up to get fed.
Owen enjoyed finding his Easter basket and Easter eggs at 3 different houses this year. I think he was the most excited when the eggs had candy in them. It was so much fun to watch all of the cousins get so excited to find Easter eggs, and next year Miles will get to join in on the fun.
This year brought some changes to the way we celebrated Owen’s birthday. In the past we’ve hosted one big party with both family and friends. These parties were fun, but they took a ton of planning and were too big to really talk with everyone. So this year, because we didn’t have a lot of time to plan, we decided to have a small family party and a separate kid party at a venue. We kept the family party really simple this year. Owen wanted a Black Panther super hero theme so one trip to Party City for some plates and napkins and we were all set.
For the kid party Owen invited 20 of his friends and cousins to celebrate at X-Cel Gymnastics. They took the kids through a small obstacle course of sorts then into a bigger room that had a trampoline, ball pit, bounce houses, and a cargo net. After singing happy birthday and enjoying cake Owen said that “it was the best birthday ever!” I can’t believe that he is already 5.
When Owen was the same age as Miles he looked very similar, but he sure acted differently. Owen cried a ton when he was a newborn and Miles seems to cry just when he needs something. Owen also liked a binky more than Miles does. They do, however, both eat a ton and throw their arms up when they sleep. I hope Miles keeps being as calm as he has been.
Miles, like Owen, looks nothing like me. So I have my fingers crossed that Miles will at least have green eyes. As of now they are still dark blue.
Owen has continued to help out a lot. He really helped me when Miles had his first public “blow out”. When we went into the bathroom to clean Miles Owen handed me a diaper and tried to keep Miles calm as we changed his outfit. Owen also tends to stop what he is doing to rock Miles when he is crying.
Well, it’s time to get back to burping, bottles, and bum wiping :).
At just about a month old, Miles has some adorable (and not so adorable) things that he does that I don’t want to forget. One being when he eats, usually about halfway through a bottle, he says “ooh”. It is quite adorable, and you can tell he is happy. He also has this sideways smile when he is sleeping that makes me think we are doing something right. Of course being a newborn he sleeps a lot. While he sleeps he moves his bottom lip in and out a ton, which is pretty funny to watch.
Now for the not so fun things. His nose gets clogged every night shortly before bedtime that makes it hard for him to breath, and because his nose is so small we can’t use the NoseFrida yet. I’m hoping that once the weather warms up that this problem will end. Also, every time I put diaper cream on him he pushes out more poop. It’s a vicious poop-cream-poop cycle that is resulting in an unavoidable diaper rash.
Life with 2 boys has been a change of pace. It is going to take a while to get the hang of things. Especially trying to leave the house. We’ve only done it twice so far, and it took a long time just to get out the door. The challenge isn’t just getting Miles in his car seat, but making sure that we have all of the necessities that he and I (pumping necessities :/) will need.
First walk as a family of 4 around the neighborhood.
With Owen I nursed him for about a month, tried to pump for the next month, and after eight weeks we switched to formula because I just wasn’t producing enough for him. Owen did fine with formula, and switching allowed me to feel a bit more like myself again.
This time around the pressure is still there to nurse, but after about a week it was too much for me. Miles would just hang on without eating and I was really sore. So I’ve been pumping about every 3-4 hours, and he has been getting mostly breast milk and occasionally a little formula. This has proven to be a good plan for him so far, and he has surpassed his birth weight. He eats a lot so I’m not sure how long I will be able to keep my supply up. My goal is at least 8 weeks. I have been taking Moringa powder to try and keep my supply up, but I’m not sure if it is doing anything (though it was recommended by the lactation consultant at the hospital so I thought it was worth a try). I find it best to add it to a smoothie or some yogurt. In a hot drink it doesn’t dissolve and you have to continually stir it.
Pumping every 3-4 hours is not an easy task, especially late in the evening. Instagram and Facebook get old pretty quick, so if you have any good podcasts to recommend I’m all ears.
Having 2 boys with such a big age difference has proven to have its perks. With Owen jumping around the house and being loud, Miles can pretty much sleep through anything. And Owen has really grown up in these past couple of weeks. When he wants to he has been a big help. Now we just need him to stop having so many tantrums.
One week ago today Miles Tyler made his appearance. Right after my doctor’s appointment I got home and started to have painful contractions. After timing them out for half an hour I decided this was it and made sure to get my last “normal” shower in before he arrived. After making sure all of the last minute things were added to the hospital bag we ate a quick lunch and headed to the hospital.
The timing for traffic was pretty much the best we could have asked for. No snow or rain and a little before the lunch rush. We made it to the hospital in about half an hour (yay for not having the baby in the car). Once we got to the hospital they put me in a triage room and gave me 2 hours to walk around before they would re-check my labor progress. That was a long time to be stuck in a boring room and worrying that I would be sent back home. I walked around for as long as I could while having contractions and then spent time in the room. In between contractions, to try and take my mind off the pain, we took advantage of the hospital wi-fi and started watching Working Moms.
Thankfully when the doctor came back in to check me I had made enough progress to be admitted. We were then moved to a (much larger) labor and delivery room, and we spent the next four hours there. Once I was able to, I got an epidural which was a scary experience while having contractions. Being in pain is awful and with an audience of nurses and doctors it made it even more uncomfortable. But the whole staff was very nice while we were there. After a few hours of contractions I was dilated enough to start pushing. Luckily, I didn’t have to push for too long and, unlike Owen, Miles was born in the delivery room instead of the OR.
Miles arrived at 6:01pm on Friday March 1st. He weighed in at 7lbs 15oz and was 21” long. He has a full set of dark brown hair and dark blue eyes much like his brother did. Since he was born we’ve had a few doctor appointments and he is healthy :). Owen has proved to be a great big brother, and he is always willing to help. He has even sung a few songs to Miles. It was such a sweet experience when Owen met Miles for the first time in the hospital. He seemed so proud and grown up.
It’s odd going to bed every night wondering if I’ll go into labor. Last week we had a false alarm with a few hours of contractions that fizzled out. The contractions woke me up, but they weren’t that painful so I figured that it was a false alarm. The same thing happened with Owen and I went into labor about 5 days later. Now at almost 39 weeks, it could be any day now. My hospital bag is packed minus some toiletries and phone chargers that I will throw in before we leave.
To prepare Owen we have been reminding him that he will be staying with family for a little when mommy has the baby. He has his Big Brother sticker and the Birthday card he made all ready to go :). I think that I’m most excited to see Owen with his new baby brother.
My nesting has been in full swing for a few months now, but I finally feel prepared after my Baby Sprinkle last week. I have all of the baby clothes washed and organized. We also have the Pack ‘n Play up and diapers and wipes all ready to go. I think we are as prepared as we can be. Just need Miles to make his appearance :).
