5 weeks

Since last week Liam has had some big changes, the biggest being meeting his auntie Cindy!  They've hit it off incredibly well and I'm sure that if she could, Cindy would find a way to smuggle him back to Washington with her.  Heck all the grandparents would love it if she did and I wouldn't be surprised if there is a huge conspiracy going on behind our backs as I type this :)  Since she's been here Cindy has rocked little man to sleep every night except tonight, has stolen about 4 million kisses, and changed more than her share of diapers.  She even babysat for a few hours today so I could get a massage and haircut, I haven't enjoyed either in months so this was much appreciated! 

In other news, Liam is smiling even more than before and he reserves the biggest grins for his daddy.  They have a bit of a tumultous relationship right now since Liam is refusing to allow his dad to soothe him.  I tried explaining to him that his daddy loves him and it's ok to let someone other than mom and auntie to help him calm down, but he's just not having it.  Guess those grins are helping keep keep Dominic from feeling too sad because he still comes home at lunch to hang out with us for an hour or so.

We tried out his Bumbo this week too.  He was certainly able to sit up on his own in the seat but was pooped out within a few minutes and got upset with us.  I think we'll keep trying for shorter periods over the next week or so and he'll be able to sit with us through dinner pretty soon.

We finally got Liam's birth announcements ordered today.  I looked a ton on etsy and finally settled on seller announcingyou.  I don't want to spoil the surprise for everyone so I'll post the final after I get them sent out and they've arrived.  Luckily I have the 150+ address labels printed and ready to go so I just need to stuff a few envelopes and we're set.

Here is a shot of the little guy to tide you over:

and I can't forget our first child Eclair

1 month pictures

Here is a reminder of his 0 month picture:

and here is Liam Christopher's 1 month onesie picture (he is wearing the same sized onesie in both these pictures)

A few outtakes

This last one just makes me laugh everytime I see it :)

4 weeks

I can hardly believe it's been a 4 weeks since Liam was born. 

We've settled into a bit of a routine around here with liam sleeping 3-4 hour stretches at night and playing for an hour or two twice during the day.  Play time around here includes tummy time on the activity mat, swinging in the swing, talking with mom or dad, watching and listening to scout in his crib, and just looking around the house.  Unfortunately we're still struggling with getting little man down at bed time but I'm really hoping that resolves itself in the next week or two so we're not so exhausted when I go back to work.  Since Dominic has been back at work I've discovered that Liam loves his Moby. We've stuck to the hug hold so far but I'm excited to try out the rest. This really is the easiest way for me to tote him aroud during the day because it keeps the weight off my shoulders. 

Milestones:
-Liam smiles at us occassionally.  You can't really 'make him smile' you just have to wait for it, but he does it AT us instead of just in his sleep now.
-He's still a boob man and hopefully will be for the first year of his life.
-Andrea visited today and we weighed him, he's at 10 pounds 2oz!!!
-Still wearing his NB and 0-3m clothes, although a few of the NB onesies are a bit snug and will be retired very soon.
-Eclair just ADORES her new brother.  She is extremely protective but occassionally gets a bit irritated at his crying.
-We went on our first family walk around our neighborhood.

Here are my 4week belly shots...still making progress but I noticed the shrinking has slowed down a bit.  I as at 144 pounds when Andrea was here on Monday.

3 weeks old, a peak into our day

Here is the partially finished projects from the birth.  I say partial because I think I'm going to put Liam's Name and birth stats below the longer one (that heart is his cord that Jessica dried when she did the placenta, how wonderfully thoughtful!)  Should I write something on the placenta print mat as well or just leave it?

Liam's 2 week appointment

We had Liam's 2 week check up at Dr. Daley's today.  He was doing GREAT, all that boobie milk has paid off!  He's at 8 pounds 14oz and is at 21.5in per their measurements (he was at 8#1oz and 20in at their office when he was just under 24hrs old).  I was beyond thrilled because this means no more getting up every 2-3 hours at night unless Liam wants to. No shots today, we'll start those at his 2 month check.

Easter Saturday and Sunday

We celebrated a little early around here so that Mary and Gina could join us for breakfast and see Liam in his cute little outfit.  Around here that means a trip to Mimi's cafe and hot chocolate!

The easter bunny certainly was good to little Liam, he got this adorable basket filled with goodies only a baby would love.

But that's not all, he got several outfits from nana and papa and My Pal Scout (it is programmed to say his name and play songs he likes!) and a few other toys from grandma and grandpa.  I'd say he's spoiled and he's not even 2 weeks old!

We finished the day off with a shot of Jack Daniel's which is a Jensen family tradition, we have pictures of us toasting Hailee just after her birth as well

Quick updates, bullet style

1. Nana and Papa (Mary and Tim) came with Gina for a visit with Liam.  He had a great time hanging out with them and we appreciated the extra help with feedings, cleaning, naps and meals.

2. Liam switched over to his BumGenius on 4/2 in the morning.  He was through with the meconium and that means we didn't need to lube up his bottom with olive oil anymore so we made the switch.  They fit him pretty good, he's currently around 8 pounds, maybe a little high in the rise but I'm sure that will remedy itself soon. 

3. Liam's cord fell off March 30th which means he was 1 week old.  It looks like he's going to have an innie right now but there is a little part at the top that may stick out a bit.

4. Liam LOVES bath time and we love the PUJ tub.  He's used it in the kitchen sink and the bathroom sink with success in both.  I think the best part is that his tummy and most of his chest stays covered with water which keeps him comfy and cozy.  I definitely think the tummy tub will be a good investment for the future since it keeps him covered too. 

5. I weighed myself again a few days ago and I'm right around 145 which is down another 5 pounds....I have done NOTHING to accomplish this.

6.  We're working with Liam to get him to bulk up.  He was down to 7#8oz at his one week check with the midwife and since that's 11% we needed to get him to gain.  I'm suspicous that maybe he wasn't actually 8#7oz at birth (less than 24 hours later at Dr.Daleys he was 8#1oz) or that with all the different scales we're not getting consistant readings because he seems like he's at least as big as he was.  In any case, on Tuesday after the appointment I started feeding him every 2hrs round the clock.  I also started pumping before our feeding sessions in order to get my supply up and to slow the letdown for Liam.  He had a tendency to be fussy at the beginning of feedings and we interpreted this to be related to the high flow of milk since it seems like my supply is more than adequate.  I'm guessing he's getting at LEAST 2oz at each feeding and likely more like 3-4...that's 24-48oz a DAY!  His follow up appt is this Wednesday and we'll know for sure how things are going then.