The goings on of our family.
On Monday Xander got his first real bath, not just a sponge bath. He wasn’t too sure what to think about it. He didn’t like the scrubbing or the rinsing, but was pretty calm about just sitting in the nice warm water.
Later in the day the weather finally cooperated and got nice and sunny so we all went out for a walk. This was mainly a chance for me to stretch my legs, Xander slept through the whole walk.
This month is passing so fast! Amazing that Alexander is already two weeks old. Today he had another check up which went well. 7 lbs 1 oz — he’s already past his birth weight. He measured 20.25 inches today too. We’ve been able to see that he’s changing so fast. It’s been great to be off work so that I can be here for these first few weeks.
Hard to believe it but Alexander is a week old today! He’s such a calm baby. Alert and aware when he’s awake. He doesn’t cry much. Sometimes when he’s frustrated about not getting to feed as fast as he wants but he immediately settles down. Last night he pretty much slept through the night in three hour stretches interrupted by feeding and changing. It worked very well. I can’t help with the feeding end but I can take care of the output. I changed him once last night and when we got to bed Alexander got a look almost like a grin when he audibly needed to be changed again. I ended up with three changes and Kate got one last night. Even then, though, we helped each other out with spraying off the cloth diapers and such. So we all got to sleep pretty well. I’m up earlier but then I usually do get up first. Alexander and Kate are still sleeping.
On Tuesday Alexander got his new baby check-up and that went fine. He weighed in at 6lbs 4oz and is doing great. Everything looked good. Kate got to nurse him while we answered questions. That was new for both her and Alexander. No pillows, just a clutch hold but they managed fine. He takes the whole going out process very well. No fussing when he goes into the car seat. He sort of sits there and is alert and calm. The car seat makes him look really tiny!
Yesterday the doctors signed off on releasing Kate and Alexander! We got to leave and get home by lunch time. It was very exciting. Kate was very eager to get home. It actually surprised me how fast it all happened.
Pretty soon Alexander got strapped into the car seat for the first time. I’d already taken most of the things downstairs. Then the nurse checked to make sure he was secure, put Kate in a chair and off we went. I pulled the car around and we were off! Alexander slept during the drive for the most part. Kate found the ride a little rougher than she’d expected and was glad when it was over. At home she waited in the hall with Alexander for a second while I went in and quickly took the dogs into the yard for a break then brought them in and crated them. They went crazy when they saw Kate! They’ve been very upset that she’s been gone.
Poppy got released first and greeted Kate, then McCoy. While they were focused on her I’d brought Alexander back out of the bedroom (still in the car seat) and took him out and put him in the pack-n-play bassinet. They hadn’t really seen him but once he made a noise they were right there, standing on their hind legs to see. Except Poppy isn’t tall enough. They acted quite happy/excited and were eager to smell and greet the new member of our family.
The first night started out hard. Alexander was upset and didn’t want to sleep at all or really nurse. Having not slept for the past few days we were also tired. At one point I ‘woke’, talked to Kate but didn’t have any memory of that! Finally Alexander filled his diaper and then everything improved. I paced with him and he fell asleep. Kate was able to get some rest for a few hours and things have been much calmer since.
Except Poppy. She is a nervous mother hen. When I paced with Alexander she followed me back and forth acting worried that I might drop the baby. 🙂
Alexander Tecwyn Williams was born this afternoon at 12:38 PM. He’s 6 lbs 11 oz, 19 inches. Both mother and baby are doing great. He’s alert and nursing well. On to the pictures!
Today’s the day! We have to be at the hospital in less than an hour, though the actual cesarean doesn’t start until noon. Alexander should be born shortly after noon but it takes a while longer to get me all stitched and stapled back together.
