Today Mason had on his Batman onesie and was in a very good mood. So I took the opportunity to take some videos of him for yall. Enjoy!
Mason prefers his hand over his pacifier. He will continually spit out the paci and stick his hand in his mouth. You have to hold the paci in his mouth to get it to stay there. Every now and then he will put it back in his mouth himself (you can see his attempts in the video).
Like I said, he was in a really good mood this morning. All smiles!
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Happy 1st Father's day!
We didn't do anything special. Just spent the day relaxing together as a family. Doug went and got groceries and we grilled steaks for dinner. It was a nice, fairly quite day.
So here is to you, Daddy! Your first of many Father's days. We love you and thank you for all you do. Mason loves you so much. The smile he has when he hears your voice or sees you face is precious. I pray yall's bond will strengthen and your love for each other will continue to grow. I am excited to see what the future holds for our little family.
So here is to you, Daddy! Your first of many Father's days. We love you and thank you for all you do. Mason loves you so much. The smile he has when he hears your voice or sees you face is precious. I pray yall's bond will strengthen and your love for each other will continue to grow. I am excited to see what the future holds for our little family.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Auburn's chew toy
Auburn has found one of Mason's pacifiers on the floor before and turned it into a chew toy. But this time she got a hold of the special, orange, NICU pacifier. I guess I accidentally knocked it off the couch and didn't notice. She was really quite, laying on the floor next to me so I knew she was up to no good. When I saw the orange pacifier, all chewed up on the the floor I about died. I literally shed tears. Mason loves those pacifiers and they came from the NICU. They are special and there are only two! Well, one now... :(
Yes, I am keeping it. I am sentimental to the chewed up pacifier.
Yes, I am keeping it. I am sentimental to the chewed up pacifier.
1st Day of Daycare
Monday (15th) Mason had his first day of daycare. It was more hectic than bittersweet. Getting up and getting ready went smoothly. Mason did really well and didn't fuss so I could get ready. He was asleep when we got to the daycare. Poor thing was relaxed, without a care in the world. He had no idea what was going on or even where he was. I hate I didn't get to tell him goodbye but there was no way I was waking him up.
The hectic part was with the daycare. When we got there the office managers were not there. So there was no warm welcome. We actually had another parent open the door for us and show us what room to go in. The nursery worker gave us some forms to fill out (the sleep/eat/poop chart and the medicine authorizations) and showed us where to put his stuff. Being my first day, I had no idea what to bring. I briefly explained what we brought and gave them directions for his medicine. With all the other parents dropping off their kids I didn't really get to talk to them. I felt like we were rushed and not given that special attention I was expecting.
When we left, I was a little teary eyed but was more dazed from the whole experience. I was sad to leave him but the stint in the NICU kinda helped made it easier to leave him. Unlike most mothers, I had already left my baby with complete strangers. I still worry because the workers at NICU, to me, are way more qualified to keep an eye on my kid than the nursery workers. So I am adjusting to liking/trusting the new strangers.
Later that morning, the office manager called me at work. I told her I was disappointed in her not being there and really felt unsure about the whole situation. She was very apologetic and talked with me for awhile to answer all my questions. I found out Mason's actual "teacher" was on leave due to a death in the family so they were keeping all the babies in one room and had substitutes for help. Right now I drop him off in one room and pick him up in another. I am not sure if that will change once she gets back or if that is how they do things. I get there early and pick up late so I don't think they are fully staffed at those times. She did a very good job of looking over his paperwork I filled out and asking for clarifications on important stuff they needed to know. That really helped put me at ease. After we went over some administrative stuff I offered to come by on my lunch to check on him and ask her all my questions.
When I got there, Mason was asleep so I didn't get to spend any time with him. I found out where his crib was, where his stuff went, and where to put his bottles. I had no idea what to bring so I just brought the daily diaper bag stuff. They thought it was the stuff I wanted to keep at the daycare so they emptied the entire bag into his bin. So I made a list of all the things I needed to bring to keep there and repacked his diaper bag. When I got home that evening I was stressed trying to get it all together. I even had to order a few extra things like diaper rash cream so I could keep it there. I went over his medical history and we talked about his medicine. I told them about his bad eating and burping habits and told them to use the gas medicine as needed (for his sake and theirs!). Since he was still asleep I didn't hang there much longer.
When I picked him up they were just starting to give him his bottle. So I took a seat and fed him. That helped me get use to the place a bit more and get to know the nursery worker. That was when I noticed the Auburn apparel she was wearing. It was great knowing a member of the Auburn family was watching Mason. Unfortunately, she is leaving for school soon so she will only be with him for a short time. When I went to change his diaper, he did the whole poop in every fresh diaper I stuck under his behind thing. We went through every diaper he had left - 3! I thought I was going to have to take him home in a dirty diaper but luckily another mom was there and she gave me one of her daughter's. Love how us mom's stick together! I really think she felt bad for me. She knew it was our first day and that I had no clue on what I was doing. Ha!
When I got home I was exhausted. The first week got better but that first day was a very long one. Glad it's over and done with. Now we can get use to our new normal.
The hectic part was with the daycare. When we got there the office managers were not there. So there was no warm welcome. We actually had another parent open the door for us and show us what room to go in. The nursery worker gave us some forms to fill out (the sleep/eat/poop chart and the medicine authorizations) and showed us where to put his stuff. Being my first day, I had no idea what to bring. I briefly explained what we brought and gave them directions for his medicine. With all the other parents dropping off their kids I didn't really get to talk to them. I felt like we were rushed and not given that special attention I was expecting.
When we left, I was a little teary eyed but was more dazed from the whole experience. I was sad to leave him but the stint in the NICU kinda helped made it easier to leave him. Unlike most mothers, I had already left my baby with complete strangers. I still worry because the workers at NICU, to me, are way more qualified to keep an eye on my kid than the nursery workers. So I am adjusting to liking/trusting the new strangers.
Later that morning, the office manager called me at work. I told her I was disappointed in her not being there and really felt unsure about the whole situation. She was very apologetic and talked with me for awhile to answer all my questions. I found out Mason's actual "teacher" was on leave due to a death in the family so they were keeping all the babies in one room and had substitutes for help. Right now I drop him off in one room and pick him up in another. I am not sure if that will change once she gets back or if that is how they do things. I get there early and pick up late so I don't think they are fully staffed at those times. She did a very good job of looking over his paperwork I filled out and asking for clarifications on important stuff they needed to know. That really helped put me at ease. After we went over some administrative stuff I offered to come by on my lunch to check on him and ask her all my questions.
When I got there, Mason was asleep so I didn't get to spend any time with him. I found out where his crib was, where his stuff went, and where to put his bottles. I had no idea what to bring so I just brought the daily diaper bag stuff. They thought it was the stuff I wanted to keep at the daycare so they emptied the entire bag into his bin. So I made a list of all the things I needed to bring to keep there and repacked his diaper bag. When I got home that evening I was stressed trying to get it all together. I even had to order a few extra things like diaper rash cream so I could keep it there. I went over his medical history and we talked about his medicine. I told them about his bad eating and burping habits and told them to use the gas medicine as needed (for his sake and theirs!). Since he was still asleep I didn't hang there much longer.
When I picked him up they were just starting to give him his bottle. So I took a seat and fed him. That helped me get use to the place a bit more and get to know the nursery worker. That was when I noticed the Auburn apparel she was wearing. It was great knowing a member of the Auburn family was watching Mason. Unfortunately, she is leaving for school soon so she will only be with him for a short time. When I went to change his diaper, he did the whole poop in every fresh diaper I stuck under his behind thing. We went through every diaper he had left - 3! I thought I was going to have to take him home in a dirty diaper but luckily another mom was there and she gave me one of her daughter's. Love how us mom's stick together! I really think she felt bad for me. She knew it was our first day and that I had no clue on what I was doing. Ha!
When I got home I was exhausted. The first week got better but that first day was a very long one. Glad it's over and done with. Now we can get use to our new normal.
Doctor checkup
I know, we have too many of these. The doctor appointment page in his baby book is almost completely full. Crazy!
So, this appointment was a weight check up. He was 10 lbs at the cardiologist on Friday and by this appointment (Wednesday) he was up to 10 lbs 5 ounces. The doctor was very happy about this! Unfortunately, his diaper rash was not getting any better so we got a new, fungal cream to try. The doctor was very happy to hear the good report from the cardiologist. He said he could definitely hear the murmur but was thankful it was not of any concern to the cardiologist. He did a "cucumber" check and said the circumcision healed very well. We are finally done with the Vaseline and gauze pads! Yay!
Of course, there is always a new concern when we leave a doctor. Ha! Mason is still gurgling a lot. It sounds like a coffee maker when it brews. Or someone who is very congested. The doctors listen to his lungs and do not hear anything there so they do not think it is coming from his lungs (which is a good thing). The new suspicion is it's fluid in the back of the throat. It's not causing him any discomfort or making things worse for him. So the doctors are going to keep a close eye on it. It does get better and worse depending on what position he is in and how well he eats. Not sure if this is something that will just go away or if there is something causing it to happen. Time will only tell. I am sure if there is a cause the doctors will figure it out and get it fixed. Like I have said before, they wouldn't let him go home if they thought it was something of concern.
So, this appointment was a weight check up. He was 10 lbs at the cardiologist on Friday and by this appointment (Wednesday) he was up to 10 lbs 5 ounces. The doctor was very happy about this! Unfortunately, his diaper rash was not getting any better so we got a new, fungal cream to try. The doctor was very happy to hear the good report from the cardiologist. He said he could definitely hear the murmur but was thankful it was not of any concern to the cardiologist. He did a "cucumber" check and said the circumcision healed very well. We are finally done with the Vaseline and gauze pads! Yay!
Of course, there is always a new concern when we leave a doctor. Ha! Mason is still gurgling a lot. It sounds like a coffee maker when it brews. Or someone who is very congested. The doctors listen to his lungs and do not hear anything there so they do not think it is coming from his lungs (which is a good thing). The new suspicion is it's fluid in the back of the throat. It's not causing him any discomfort or making things worse for him. So the doctors are going to keep a close eye on it. It does get better and worse depending on what position he is in and how well he eats. Not sure if this is something that will just go away or if there is something causing it to happen. Time will only tell. I am sure if there is a cause the doctors will figure it out and get it fixed. Like I have said before, they wouldn't let him go home if they thought it was something of concern.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Recognition
That first time your child not only recognizes your voice and face but they smile at you when they do... priceless!
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Mason's "Newborn" Pictures
Here are my favorites from our newborn photo session this past weekend.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaMmzRy3ZMWbCeA
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaMmzRy3ZMWbCeA
Monday, June 8, 2015
Random thoughts
So this is my last week of maternity leave. ALREADY! These 8 weeks have flown by! I just cannot believe it's over. I am thrilled to be going back to work but will miss my little man. By no means has it been the easiest 8 weeks of my life. I would almost say I would not want to ever relive those days but then I would miss out on all the great moments that were scattered throughout. The smiles, the snuggles, the play time. Those minutes were greatly outweighed with tears, screaming, and no sleep but they helped make it all worth it.
Speaking of tears, screaming, and no sleep... Mason has had a rough past few days. He has been so fussy and upset he has been sucking down lots of air. When he eats, you can hear the air going down. We kept giving him the Gripe water but it didn't help. He has been screaming, tooting, and burping for days! Last night we broke down and went to get another gas medicine. Please note this is the third one... This time we chose the classic gas relief drops with Simethicone. So far, it is working. He is much happier today and eating a lot better. We are crossing our fingers this last. If not, I guess we will be looking at food sensitivities and allergies. Boo!
Good news, we have graduated from the 4 ounce bottle to the 9 ounce bottle. Even though his little tummy has been gassy, he has been able to slowly increase how much he is eating. I really hope his belly issues aren't being caused by too much formula. That will open up a can of worms I am not ready for. Unfortunately only time will tell.
With my last off week I have decided to binge watch Entourage. I know I will not be seeing the movie any time soon but it's a great show. I have to work on my sleep schedule if I want to get through the entire show. Sleeping until 1 in the afternoon and going to bed at midnight is not giving me much time to watch. Mason has really thrown off my schedule. I have one week to get to sleep early so I can wake up early. Work hours are flexible but not that flexible. And daycare is not flexible... :)
As most of you saw, Saturday we finally got to do "newborn" pictures with Mason. I hated not being able to do them at the typical 2 weeks old. The tiny baby body curled up in a ball would have been precious. But I was more than happy to trade a healthy baby at home for those pictures. I called the same lady that did our Christmas card / pregnancy announcement photos. We had the photo shoot scheduled a week earlier but a stomach bug hit the house. I was not going to do that to the poor lady so we rescheduled. They were worth the wait. My poor baby was gassy and fussy the entire time but his 7 week old butt was too cute! I have only seen a portion of them but I am in love. The entire family did a great job and we will have some precious photos to cherish forever! I can't wait to get them on my wall!
http://annaschmidtphotography.pixieset.com/babymasonpreview/
http://www.annaschmidtphoto.com
Speaking of tears, screaming, and no sleep... Mason has had a rough past few days. He has been so fussy and upset he has been sucking down lots of air. When he eats, you can hear the air going down. We kept giving him the Gripe water but it didn't help. He has been screaming, tooting, and burping for days! Last night we broke down and went to get another gas medicine. Please note this is the third one... This time we chose the classic gas relief drops with Simethicone. So far, it is working. He is much happier today and eating a lot better. We are crossing our fingers this last. If not, I guess we will be looking at food sensitivities and allergies. Boo!
Good news, we have graduated from the 4 ounce bottle to the 9 ounce bottle. Even though his little tummy has been gassy, he has been able to slowly increase how much he is eating. I really hope his belly issues aren't being caused by too much formula. That will open up a can of worms I am not ready for. Unfortunately only time will tell.
With my last off week I have decided to binge watch Entourage. I know I will not be seeing the movie any time soon but it's a great show. I have to work on my sleep schedule if I want to get through the entire show. Sleeping until 1 in the afternoon and going to bed at midnight is not giving me much time to watch. Mason has really thrown off my schedule. I have one week to get to sleep early so I can wake up early. Work hours are flexible but not that flexible. And daycare is not flexible... :)
As most of you saw, Saturday we finally got to do "newborn" pictures with Mason. I hated not being able to do them at the typical 2 weeks old. The tiny baby body curled up in a ball would have been precious. But I was more than happy to trade a healthy baby at home for those pictures. I called the same lady that did our Christmas card / pregnancy announcement photos. We had the photo shoot scheduled a week earlier but a stomach bug hit the house. I was not going to do that to the poor lady so we rescheduled. They were worth the wait. My poor baby was gassy and fussy the entire time but his 7 week old butt was too cute! I have only seen a portion of them but I am in love. The entire family did a great job and we will have some precious photos to cherish forever! I can't wait to get them on my wall!
http://annaschmidtphotography.pixieset.com/babymasonpreview/
http://www.annaschmidtphoto.com
Friday, June 5, 2015
Kick, Kick. Kick
Mason has learned how to play with his toys on his bouncy seat. Since his arms can't quite reach them, I taught him how to kick the toys. He must really like doing it because he picked up on it very quickly. I caught him doing it all on his on and having a blast!
https://youtu.be/EsCDk7X-364
https://youtu.be/EsCDk7X-364
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Mason's 1 month checkup
Today Mason had his 1 month checkup with his pediatrician. Although he is over 6 weeks old, we are just now doing the 1month visit. His NICU stay delayed his pediatrician appointments so they are using his first visit after he was released as the starting point. It's a bit confusing but I just do what they say. As long as he is good and they are keeping up with it all I am good.
Mason was nice and asleep before the appointment. Unfortunately, I had to wake him up to change his diaper, wash his face, and put him in the car seat. The crying started around 11, continued as a ran errands and drove to the doctors office in Annapolis (appointment at 12:30), turned into screaming at the office (he hates being naked, which is required, and everything else they have to do at the appointment), and didn't stop until I fed him at the office at 1:15. It was a long afternoon. I felt like every time I got him calmed down they would come in and piss him off again. Ha! He did really good for his shot. Cried for about a few seconds then he was good. It also helped I had the bottle ready to shove in his mouth right after. :)
For his weight, we broke 9 lbs. unfortunately, the doctor was not quite satisfied in the weight gain from the last appointment to this one. So we are increasing the formula to 4 to 4 1/2 ounces. We will go back in two weeks for another weight checkup. She said he looked really good and very healthy, he just needs to gain more weight. When you think about it, he has gained 1 pound since his birth 6 weeks ago. That is not a lot. But he has had the odds against him with the NICU stay and then the formula issue.
For "snip snip" checkup, the doctor thought he was a bit more swollen than what they typically see a week after the procedure. We got a prescription ointment to put on it to help it heal better. He also has a little raw, broken skin under his scrotum that has been bleeding a bit. It's just from diaper rash that has not been able to heal and keeps being irritated from all the wiping of his stinky butt. The ointment can also be used on it to help that heal. We will also have a checkup on both of these parts when we go back in two weeks.
Unfortunately, we got a referral to a pediatric cardiologist. When he was born, the nurses mentioned hearing a bit of a heart murmur but it wasn't thought much of with his other, more life threatening condition. So when the doctor listened to him today, she heard it. I am not sure if his crying and screaming made it more noticeable or what. Since he had a heart/lung issue at birth she thought it would be best to have the cardiologist check him out and listen for the murmur. They don't think the PPHN will cause any problems and he already had an echocardiogram in the NICU that came out good. So hopefully this is only "just to be sure" and they don't find anything. The appointment is next Friday so we will know shortly.
Other than that, he is doing really well. He is a happy, healthy boy. Unless he is pissed off... Then no one is happy. :)
Mason was nice and asleep before the appointment. Unfortunately, I had to wake him up to change his diaper, wash his face, and put him in the car seat. The crying started around 11, continued as a ran errands and drove to the doctors office in Annapolis (appointment at 12:30), turned into screaming at the office (he hates being naked, which is required, and everything else they have to do at the appointment), and didn't stop until I fed him at the office at 1:15. It was a long afternoon. I felt like every time I got him calmed down they would come in and piss him off again. Ha! He did really good for his shot. Cried for about a few seconds then he was good. It also helped I had the bottle ready to shove in his mouth right after. :)
For his weight, we broke 9 lbs. unfortunately, the doctor was not quite satisfied in the weight gain from the last appointment to this one. So we are increasing the formula to 4 to 4 1/2 ounces. We will go back in two weeks for another weight checkup. She said he looked really good and very healthy, he just needs to gain more weight. When you think about it, he has gained 1 pound since his birth 6 weeks ago. That is not a lot. But he has had the odds against him with the NICU stay and then the formula issue.
For "snip snip" checkup, the doctor thought he was a bit more swollen than what they typically see a week after the procedure. We got a prescription ointment to put on it to help it heal better. He also has a little raw, broken skin under his scrotum that has been bleeding a bit. It's just from diaper rash that has not been able to heal and keeps being irritated from all the wiping of his stinky butt. The ointment can also be used on it to help that heal. We will also have a checkup on both of these parts when we go back in two weeks.
Unfortunately, we got a referral to a pediatric cardiologist. When he was born, the nurses mentioned hearing a bit of a heart murmur but it wasn't thought much of with his other, more life threatening condition. So when the doctor listened to him today, she heard it. I am not sure if his crying and screaming made it more noticeable or what. Since he had a heart/lung issue at birth she thought it would be best to have the cardiologist check him out and listen for the murmur. They don't think the PPHN will cause any problems and he already had an echocardiogram in the NICU that came out good. So hopefully this is only "just to be sure" and they don't find anything. The appointment is next Friday so we will know shortly.
Other than that, he is doing really well. He is a happy, healthy boy. Unless he is pissed off... Then no one is happy. :)
Monday, June 1, 2015
Grandparent visit!
This past weekend my mom and dad came up to meet little Mason. Although Mom was here for his birth, she didn't get to spend much time with him since he was in the hospital. They were both very excited to hold him and spend time with him. I don't have any fun stories of things we did on this visit. Our big outing was lunch and a little shopping on Saturday. We just hung out at the house and let mom and dad play with their grandson and grandpuppy. It was a great weekend that went by way too fast. I loved having them in the house with us. It was really hard to sit in the quite house after they left on Sunday. Mason has been a little extra fussy today. I think it's because he was use to being held and getting tons of attention all weekend long. I really hope to make a trip home before summer ends. Mason has a lot more family to meet.
Mom playing with Mason, Dad playing with Auburn
Auburn was super happy to have her buddy visit
Sticking close by her buddy in case he wants to play.
Eating lunch at Seaside
Thankfully Mason wanted to nap so we were all able to eat.
Auburn didn't want to be left out.
Dad playing with Mason on the new play mat they bought him.
Saying goodbye
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