Hayden's 1st Thunderstorm and Mommy's Millionth Panic Attack

I. Hate. Severe. Weather. I'm living in the wrong section of the state. I grew up in East Texas, and I don't ever recall being constantly worried about tornadoes or wind damage or anything. Granted East Texas has had its share of severe weather (Rita, Ike), but I don't remember any of that growing up.

Something unhinged in me when I moved to Ft. Worth. If David Finfrock (schmuck) is on my TV, I'm hiding in my closet with a laptop (to check the radar, duh) and pillows to put over my head in case my roof gets ripped off. I realize this is unhealthy and a little psycho, but that's me. When I was pregnant I told myself I didn't want to pass this fear on to my child and that I needed to toughen up. Well, let me tell you how that plan is going-- NOT WELL AT ALL.

Last night I was minding my own business after Dancing with the Stars when Pete Delekus (also a schmuck) comes on and starts talking about severe thunderstorm watches. I immediately break out into a cold sweat and start checking the radar like a fiend. This also launches a barrage of questions to Clark, "What's worse, a watch or a warning?" One would think with my fear of all things severe weather, I would know this. I DO, but I want Clark to say, it's a watch, calm down. Well, I kind of calm down (after asking Clark if I should get in the closet. His response: silence). Then, Pete Delekus tells me Tarrant County is going to be under a severe thunderstorm warning. YIKES. Plus he's pointing to those ridiculous, upsetting spinning circles on the radar. Hayden by this point is getting his "night night" bottle and couldn't careless.

Now, as I'm sure you all know, Hayden hasn't exactly let the Sandman take over at night time, and I try to go to sleep when he goes to sleep. So, if that's 9:45, I'm in bed at 9:45. Well, last night Hayden goes down with relative ease (yay!) at 10. I try to get in bed too, but I can HEAR Pete Delekus in the living room talking about high level and low level shears (whatever the hell those are) and I'm starting to freak. Apparently the main concern with this storm was hail, not tornadic activity. Still, hail scares me too. Last thing I need is grapefruit size hail busting through all my windows and landing in Hayden's pack n play (see...irrational fears, I know). So, I spend the next hour and a half getting up checking the radar. Hayden and Clark, meanwhile, sleep soundly. The storm goes more north and we get rain and thunder. Hayden continues to sleep. Mommy stays awake in case she need to make a quick getaway to the closet. Then, Hayden wakes up at 11:45 wanting to eat (last bottle 9:30). No sleep for Mommy. Ugh. I think this severe weather season lasts until May. Fan-freaking-tastic.

In other Hayden news, the witching hour has moved. 4- 5:45. Awesome. I purchased one of those sleep slacks/super swaddlers to try during the night. Well, Hayden doesn't like having his arms glued to his sides. I do think he startles himself awake sometimes, but startling himself awake is much better than him screaming bloody freaking murder when I bind his arms down. So, I bought a sleep sack with arm holes. He seems to like this. I also tried the swing, which results in fussing in the swing. Sigh. Last night was better, except for the 4am - 5:45 time period. Let's hope tonight is okay too!

I do think the little guy is going through a growth spurt. According to the super accurate Wii Fit, Hayden weighs 8lbs. He also fits into one of his 0-3 mos onesies. I don't think he can wear ALL 0-3mos clothes yet, but there are somethings he can wear! Yay!! Pics to come (Clark is better at the pics thing than I am).

Tonight the Baylor Bears play San Diego State in the Final Four of the NIT (lame, but still). We will be cheering them on and I expect all of you to do so as well. Hayden will be for sure.

Sic Em!

Sunday Morning Snuggles #3

MARCH MADNESS!

Sleep deprivation has set in, but it can't quite dampen the excitement that each new week brings. Hayden is beginning to become much more aware of his surroundings. So what do we do? Dangle as many things in his face as possible. See exhibit A and B below. No wonder so many American kids have ADD. I mean look at this. This is the Baby Einstein Discovery Center AKA ADD making machine. I'm pretty sure the CIA/ATF/FBI use similar tactics when trying to force criminals into submission, such as, blaring the same music over and over and blinking crazy lights. Just imagine if you were stuck in a room with objects the same size of you swinging at your face. This is my new hypothesis of the cause of ADD in America. It's the one common denominator that continues to pervade upper-middle class American childrens lives...ridiculous things like below. But the kid loves it. So until there is a double blinded placebo controlled study disproving my theory I guess I'll continue to let him frolic in this playland that looks like some pot-smokers happy place.

For all the women who read my blog; I was able to experience first hand what it feels like to be pregnant thanks to the good people over at Baby Bjorn. And, come on girls its not that hard. This is a contraption every man needs. Just strap on your tyke and you can have both hands free to do all the honey-do's around the house, like mow the yard, change the oil all with baby in tow. Ok, I really didn't do all those things because my back hurt. Carrying a baby is hard.

That's all folks. Daddy daycare has officially begun. I don't know if that's going to mean more posts or less. The material for my bi-weekly posts is running low. Enjoy your week and the spring weather.

3:30 AM - 6:00 AM = The Witching Hour

I have a pretty great baby, if I do say so myself. He's extremely cute (again, I certainly think he is). He rarely fusses, and when he does, you can usually figure out what he wants. Mainly crying means he's wet himself or he's hungry. Neither things are difficult things to remedy. He eats every 3 hours or so, which is very manageable. He gets a bath at night, around 9 or 9:30 and he really enjoys it. Then he gets his night time bottle, and off he goes to dream land. He'll sleep for 3 - 3 1/2 hours until his next bottle. Mommy gets up, changes him and feeds him again. He falls asleep with relative ease and sleeps for another 3 hours.

Then the wheels fall completely off. Some demon takes over my angelic, perfect baby and refuses to let him sleep. Clark gets up and feeds him, then tries to put him down. Devil Hayden will then wake up an hour later, crying. He's not hungry, so that's not the problem. He's not wet. Is it gas? Who knows. As soon as Devil baby gets picked up, he's fine. This god-awful vicious cycle lasts until his next feeding at 6. He'll sleep for short bursts of 20 - 30 minutes then he's up again. I thought, should we change his formula? This makes no sense b/c any other time he eats he's completely fine and no gas problem. Even God's gift, Mylicon isn't fixing the problem during the witching hour. We've clearly entered an alternate universe if Mylicon can't solve my problems.

Now, I realize that newborn babies are not expected to sleep through the night. I don't expect him to go down at 9 pm and wake up at 7 am potty trained, walking, talking, composing symphonies, solving complicated mathematical equations or painting self portraits. I mean, I'm reasonable. 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep during this devil time would be outstanding. So what's next? A baby xanex or a baby ambien? Unfortunately, I don't think those drugs are available (but how freaking awesome would that be if they were?!), and if they were, I believe CPS would get involved immediately if administered. Also adult xanex or adult ambien does not seem to be the solution either. Something tells me I would be dealing with the whole CPS issue again if Clark and I just loaded up on Ambien so we could sleep and let Devil Hayden scream. So, to the 3 or 4 people who read this blog...any suggestions? Because Clark and I are barely making it. How do we exercise the demon that's obviously possessing my otherwise cherubic child?

Please note the time this blog was posted as evidence of just how desperate we are. Also note the complete lack of humor.

Humpday Happy Hour with Hayden #2

Welcome again. It's a special Humpday. Honestly its not really a humpday at all. Tomorrow signifies the end of an era. Medical school is officially over tomorrow. What an adventure it has been. I couldn't be more relieved its over.

It's springtime and that can mean only one thing. BASEBALL!!! Thats right folks opening day is just around the corner and spring training is officially in full swing at the Meador household.

Hayden is more than likely gonna be a lefty. I know this because I bought him his first baseball and it has a strap and I'm gonna strap it to his left hand and when he outgrows it I'm going to duct tape a baseball in his left hand. We all know even the most mediocre left handed pitcher makes the bigs and the big money. So, I've already determined that Hayden is gonna be a left-handed pitcher during baseball season and a deep snapper during football season. Deep snappers have the sweetest gig in the NFL. They only play a dozen snaps a game and get paid 3/4ths a million a year. Pretty sweet gig if you ask me.

As always I'm very excited about baseball season kicking up and especially excited about opening day, which to me is the greatest sporting event of the year. I have already promised H that he will always get pulled out of school to attend opening day. I wonder how many times it will take me writing a Doctors note to the principal's office saying, Hayden has come down with Baseball Fever and is too sick to attend school for fear of it being contagious, before they catch on.

Here's a quick funny video I took of H working one out.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week. I know I will. Monday starts Daddy Day care here at the Meador's. I'm excited for all the adventures that will bring. Until next time, keep looking up 'cause thats where it all is!

What I've Learned... One Month Edition

Well, it's been a whole month since Hayden graced us with his presence. I can't believe an entire month has gone by. So, I thought I'd fill all of you in on all the nuggets of wisdom I've accumulated in an entire month of mommyhood.

I've learned that this book, is by far, the best book ever: Seriously, every Mom (who has a sense of humor like me) should read this book immediately. I laugh out loud every time I pick it up. Clark is getting real tired of me reading passages of this book outloud. So, please, someone else read it so you can laugh with me. I really should have come up with this book myself, but I was too busy crying through one too many hormonal jags to write a coherent sentence, much less write an entire book. Plus, I think to write a book like this you need something called "perspective." I barely have enough perspective to write a blog entry on Hayden's first month of life, so I don't think I'm qualified.

I've learned that the Wii Fit can be adequate exercise, even if you look like a complete jack ass doing it:

I was attempting to "ski" during this portion of the game. As you can tell by the size of my ass, it ain't working. Also, I think my mom and Clark almost peed themselves laughing at me. After this event the Wii Fit declared me "unbalanced." I did not know the Wii Fit also tested your mental stability. Very upsetting, and P.S. I didn't need a Nintendo product to tell me I was unbalanced.

I've learned that Mylacon for Infants is nectar from the gods. Seriously:

The above picture is photographic evidence of a happy baby on Mylacon. No gas, no screaming, just pure contentment. The trick is pumping your child full of this stuff so you can avoid gas of any kind. I'm pretty sure if someone took a blood sample from Hayden today his BMC (Blood Mylacon Content) would be around a .15. I've also learned that my lame attempt at prosecutor humor is unfunny and only 2 people will get that joke and 0 people will laugh at it. Also, Mylacon is not paying me for this endorsement. They should call me though.

I've learned that Hayden cricks his neck like this everytime he sleeps and he makes weird noises while he sleeps:

I've also learned that the neck crick and weird noises do not mean he is dying. In the first 4 weeks of his life if that kid made a weird noise I was convinced it was the symptom of some fatal illness or it obviously meant he was choking to death. None of these things have proven to be true. As far as I can tell he is completely disease free. Also it is apparently completely normal for babies to have longer periods of wakefulness/alertness as they get older. The first time Hayden was alert/awake for 2 hours (which was last week) I was sure there was something wrong with him. "Why isn't he sleeping?" "Why is he staring at me like that?" "Why is he crossing his eyes?!" My mom assured me this is normal. Apparently kids don't sleep 16 hours a day until they go to college. And the noise he makes is "cooing" and supposed to be cute. Well, sure it can be, but it also keeps Mom awake at night. The neck crick thing is just Hayden's deal. I think when he was in utero he was scrunched up (okay, I KNOW he was, I could feel it) and he just prefers that position. So, when he hangs out in his swing or carrier he scrunches up his legs like a frog (knees to armpits) and cricks his neck over to the side. Most people stare at him and ask me (in a very judgmental tone) if that's comfortable. I guess it is to him, so lay off him.

I've also learned my kid loves the sound of the vacuum cleaner and the rap stylings of T.I. Hayden especially likes it when mom sings along with T.I. How can I tell that he likes it? He's sleeping and not screaming. Generally, this is a good indicator of what my child likes or dislikes.

I've also learned that my kid spits up like a champ and gets a big kick out of peeing on us. I've learned that going out in public is not the frightening, vomit-inducing (on Mom's end) endeavor I imagined it to be in the first week of Hayden's life. We've been to dinner several times, out to Target, to the salon, etc and Hayden is perfectly well behaved. Love him. Of course, I get a lot of "how old is he?" from older women, usually asked in the same judgmental tone I mentioned earlier. The people who ask these questions are under the impression that a baby should not be taken out in public until they're 5 for fear of them coming in contact with, *gasp* GERMS. Well, there are germs in my house, so I figure it's cool if he's exposed to some Target germs, or Sushi Axiom germs. Besides it's not like I'm letting him lick the floor in these places -- he's safely snuggled in his carrier. I also frown upon strangers sneezing directly on him, so I think we're cool. So, suck it judgmental people. My kid is fine.

I've learned Clark and I have great friends:

Kristin came by to visit Hayden and she's just one of many visitors Hayden's had since his birth. She also came bearing gifts, like some really great lobster pants that I can't wait for him to grow into! Over the past 4 weeks our friends didn't allow us to starve by bringing us dinner almost every night for 2 weeks. We are so grateful to everyone who called, came by, cooked for us, or listened to me cry over nothing, answered a frantic email, or just provided an hour or two of adult conversation.

I've also learned that I can do this, kind of. I am no pro, don't kid yourselves. I still look at him like, "what now?" More tears are sure to be shed, but I know I can keep him alive. I've made it 4 weeks at least! Hayden has his one month check up this afternoon, so I guess the pediatrician will let me know just how good of a job I'm doing keeping him happy and healthy.

Sunday Morning Snuggles #2

-Happy birthday little buddy, you're 1 month old!

This was a picture I took of H the other day right after I swaddled him up. I think H no longer stands for Hayden but rather Houdini. Each time I swaddle him up I try harder and harder to make it tight and break-free proof. Each time no luck. It is impossible to keep this kid in a swaddle.

Great week at the Meador's. I found out I will be doing my residency here in good ol' Fort Worth at my number 1 choice John Peter Smith Hospital Family Practice Residency. I'm very pumped about this. The uncertainty about the future was starting to drive me crazy, and the frightening prospect of having to try and sell our house, buy a house, find kelly a job and move all by June was very nerve racking.

Hayden has had a lot of visitors this weekend. He got to meet all of his cousins on Friday night when my step-sister and her husband and 4 girls came down to meet Hayden. They loved him. It was fun getting to see the girls and going to dinner. It's crazy for me to think that I was there when they were all born and how freaking big they are getting. I'm definitely getting old.

Emma and H

Emma, Karly, and Chrissy with H

Saturday brought more excitement and more visitors, The Souths and Uncle Jason, to watch the Baylor Basketball game. Baylor whipped up on Virginia Tech. Hayden was more interested in his lady friend, Edie.

Closing Thoughts

So, what a month it has been. I've been a Dad for one month and one hour. What a rewarding adventure it has been. I love this little guy. A lot of big changes in my life this month, fatherhood being the biggest and the realization that I now have a job as a real doctor. Its kind of a lot to swallow. Lots of responsibility. Now I'm no longer concerned with just passing classes and gettitng through school, I'm concerned with peoples lives and the most important is this 7 pounder in my lap. A quote I heard from a great philosopher, bull-rider, spouse of Jewel, and star of this seasons Dancing with the Stars, Mr. Ty Murray concerning bullriding, "You are never ready, it just becomes your turn." I heard that and I thought DAMN thats how I feel. I dont know if you are ever truly ready to become a Dad or to become a doctor, it just becomes your turn.

Check in again Wednesday! Less seriousness and more humor!

Humpday Happy-Hour with Hayden

--YAY!!! Grammy's here.

Welcome to the 2nd edition of my blog appropriately titled Humpday Happy-Hour with Hayden. It's Wednesday a big week for the Meador fam. Grammy is in town for spring break. St. Patty's day came and went, not sure what we celebrated but man what a cool holiday. I never thought I'd be one of those dads that would want to go nuts and dress their kids up in ridiculous costumes for holidays. Well I am. I was real disappointed when I couldn't find a good St. Patty's shirt his size. Oh who am I kidding I really wanted a Leprechaun outfit. Oh well maybe next year. This poor kid has no idea. I already have his Halloween outfit picked out. He is gonna be a garden gnome like the one from travelocity.com. Then Im gonna set him in the bushes to scare the kids. Anyways I digress.

So, this week is big for dad too. I found out I will be employed come July 1. Won't know where exactly until tomorrow at noon. So, to remedy the anxiety that goes with not knowing for certain where you might land through this whole match process this Happy-Hour required something a little stouter.

The Dogs and baby are getting more and more comfortable with each other. Here is Sophie babysitting for the first time. Sophie loves her baby brother. He looks like he is screaming bloody murder in this picture, but he's not. He just really hates tummy time. For those of you unfamiliar with tummy time. It's basically baby weightlifting. By placing them on there stomachs they are forced to lift this massive bowling ball of a thing called their head using only their little neck muscles. Hayden does 3 sets of 10. Next week is the bench press.

Sam is still uncertain about this baby thing. In fact I think he pretty much thinks we were nuts for bringing this little crying squirming thing we call Hayden home. He acted the same way when Sophie came home. He'll turn around.

Tonight was Baylor's opening round matchup vs. Georgetown in the NIT postseason basketball tourney. Georgetown came out firing and jumped out to a 10 point half-time lead. Dad and Hayden had their doubts about their Bears posting a 2nd half comeback as Georgetown shot 79% from the field in the first half. But riding on the back of Kevin Rogers' alleyoop dunks (watch sportscenter) Baylor steamed ahead for the first postseason win in 59 years. And the masses rejoiced. Hayden then asked if Kevin Rogers could be his dad. It took some doing but I do whatever the boy wants.

That's all folks. Check in Sunday for more!

The Reinforcements Are Here!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Please pass Hayden a green beer -- okay, a bottle of green formula will work just fine.

On Sunday, my mom (my reinforcement) showed up to have a week full of Hayden (and help me out). It has been so amazing to having her here. Of course my house is so clean you could eat off the floor and all my laundry is done before I even THINK about putting it in the dirty clothes basket. Plus, she loves hanging out with Hayden (who wouldn't, though?). I think one of the neat things about bottle feeding is that everyone gets to bond with Hayden and feed him (okay and it gives me a break).

Monday was another Mommy-first. Mom and Aunt Katy babysat while I went to the gym for my first post-baby workout. Hayden and I have been taking mile long walks for the past two weeks, but this was the first time I got to go back to the gym, by myself, and REALLY work out. Well, do some real cardio. The weights are going to have to wait until I get cleared at my 6 week check up. It was GREAT. I loved going back and it made me feel human again!

Today was a big step for Hayden. We drove ALL the to Dallas to Aunt Katy's apartment. I was very nervous about this venture. First, I was nervous about driving on the freeway with Hayden in the car with me. I don't like trusting my child's life to the lunatics driving on I-20. Luckily, we made it all in one piece. This also marked the first time I folded up the stroller and took it around as well. We went to Dallas to look at a wedding venue for Katy's wedding. We looked at the Red Museum in downtown Dallas. It's a nice venue and Hayden enjoyed getting strolled around.

Mommy was very worn out after this venutre. Hayden definitely has his days and nights mixed up. He's not screaming during the night or anything, but he's WIDE AWAKE. Last night he was up from 2:30 - 6:30, when Mommy finally threw in the towel and laid on the couch with him. My mom helped out a lot and sat up with him from 5 - 6. This helped Mommy and Daddy get some sleep. Hopefully his internal clock will reset very soon. I think he's also making up for lost time when it comes to eating. He's been attacking the bottle since we got home from Dallas. He's wanting to eat almost every hour!

Well, tomorrow is Daddy's bi-weekly blog post. Mommy will check in again soon. The next time I post, we'll know where Clark is doing is residency. We're REALLY hoping to be staying here in Ft. Worth!!

Sunday Morning Snuggles #1

This is my inaugural blog entry. Long time reader of blogs first time poster. Daddy is gonna try to make bi-weekly posts into wiki-hayden. My blogs will be unique as to not be confused with the sarcastic cleverness that resides in my wife's posts. Mine will usually be of lower intellect, diction, and with many more pictures.

SUNDAY MORNING SNUGGLES #1

-weekend wrap-up

I was very excited for the weekend. It was off to a great start with a half-day of work on Friday, a huge Baylor victory over the Longhorns on Friday night. Hayden is now officially undefeated in his life against the longhorns. After all the excitement of the big game we had to prepare the little guy for bed because he was going to need his beauty sleep in preparation for his newborn pics on Saturday.

Newborn pics. The right of passage every baby must endure. Oh the embarrassment for the little guy. Numerous pictures in numerous poses and in the nude. Only 3 weeks old and already a nude model. And not just any nude model but one that will pee all over you. Whoever started this tradition needs to be shot. Seriously why couldn't the tradition be to take pictures in diapers. I guess its not enough to worry about getting spit up so we might as well worry about the fire-hose too. Well H was cruising through his pictures. Snap after snap looking like a little stud. Like nothing could distract him from his Zoolanderish blue steel pose. I knew it was only a matter of time. In a span of oh about 5 minutes he peed on the blankets, spit up on mom, spit up on dad, and peed all over the bed. I will take the blame for the last one. If you all don't know it is imperative that you point the wee-wee down. Otherwise the diapers don't work. Took me awhile to figure this out. I thought we had faulty pampers. But I'm on top of it now. Well except for that mess up. But through all that trauma, trauma to me that is, I am very excited to see the pictures. I think they will turn out awesome.

Saturday Hayden learned cusswords. Daddy tried to use them infrequently as he watched his Baylor Bears fall to the Mizzou Tigers in the big 12 championship. I tried to get him to do the ear-muffs. Saturday night we ventured out for the 2nd dinner out at Chadro's italian/mediterranean the site for Kelly's friends birthday party. We are getting pretty good at this going out thing. Maybe we can stop being hermits soon.

Sunday early am:

Welcome to your third week of life little buddy. This AM Hayden turned 3 weeks old and apparently Hayden was pissed he didn't get a birthday party. This night was the most challenging of all. I finally gave up on the whole sleep thing and turned the coffee pot on at 6:30. H and I spent the morning snuggling on the couch watching sunday morning infomercials. Its amazing the things Chuck Norriss is marketing now.

<-- Now you want to sleep

I bet you're tired. Go ahead and yawn -->

--Look forward to the Wednesday edition of Dad's blog: Humpday Happy Hour with Hayden

Sic Em Bears!

Well, Hayden was obviously on to something when he made the "horns down" sign a couple of days ago -- he just had his sports wrong! Tonight Baylor beat Texas in the semi finals of the Big XII Tournament. Daddy was so happy -- Hayden slept through all of it of course. Which is kind of a good thing considering some of the language Daddy used during the game. Mom was happy too, but she's always cautiously optimistic when it comes to Baylor sports. Art Briles should consider talking to Hayden about his sports predictions before the 2009 football season starts.

Daddy had a half day at work today, which was so exciting. He brought Mommy lunch which was really nice and also brought home a Wii Fit. One could think that Daddy is trying to tell Mommy something about the baby weight, but truth be told, Mommy has been nagging Daddy for a Wii Fit for quite some time. Daddy's suprises didn't stop there. He kept Hayden all afternoon while Mom went to get a pedicure and a manicure! This was the first time I've been out of the house on my own since Hayden was born. I was excited to go somewhere by myself -- and a mani/pedi is just what the doctor ordered! I was kind of sad leaving Hayden though. This is the freedom that formula gives you! I think Hayden and Daddy had a good time without me though ....

I was also sent on an errand to go to Babies R Us and buy Hayden a St. Patrick's Day outfit. Unfortunately, they were all too big. Even though Hayden is packing on the pounds, he's still just a little guy. 0-3 mos clothes are entirely too big on him. Oh well, maybe next year H-Bomb.

Tomorrow we're having our friend Emily Parker Mulkey take Hayden's newborn pictures. I'm so excited! Emily does GREAT work -- go check out her website: http://www.emilymulkeyphotography.com/.

Here is what Hayden and Daddy were doing while Mom was out and about. Daddy says they were "watching golf." Hmm...

The Results Are In!

Today Hayden had his version of the Biggest Loser, except in reverse. Okay, so it's not like the Biggeset Loser at all -- b/c we wanted him to GAIN weight. Plus there were no pushy trainers involved or unflattering tank tops. So basically the only thing this appt had in common with the Biggest Loser was the scale and the weigh in. So, my metaphor was lame. Whatever.

I have been VERY worried about this weight issue, so I had lots of anxiety going into the appt. Of course today is FREEZING outside, so I bundled Hayden up in a onesie, jacket, pants (first time to wear pants, folks), socks and a hat and we headed to the doctor. I only mention his outfit b/c this was a weigh in and as soon as we got there I had to strip off all his clothes. Hayden LOVES this, let me tell you. So, we strip him down and head to the scale which is at the front of the office. The nurse was there, the office manager, a couple other nurses and Dr. V, our pediatrician was there with another patient. So when we put him on the scale and the number flashed up 6.03 everyone cheered! For those of you who are terrible at math like me, that's a 4 oz gain!! I've never been so excited in my life! Dr. V told us that typically babies put on about a 1/2 oz to an ounce a day, so this was HUGE. It proves that H-bomb can put on weight!

So, what does this mean for me and breastfeeding? It means I'm D-O-N-E. Stick a fork in me. I'm over it. It was super hard for us. I know it works out easily for some people, but me and Stinky weren't down with it for some reason. It was pretty much a constant struggle for us. He had a hard time latching, he would lose interest and fall asleep, etc. This usually resulted in me crying and Clark wanting to pull his hair out. Plus, the weight gain on the formula confirmed what Dr. V thought -- that maybe my milk was low calorie, which you can't do anything about. I'm a little disappointed, b/c I wanted it to work so badly. However, I'm glad he got 2 1/2 weeks worth of my milk, which is better than none. Plus, I can say that I gave it a good college try. What's most important to me is that Hayden is healthy and porky. That didn't happen on the breast milk, it happened on the formula. So the formula is way to go. Suck it, La Leche League! :)

Oh, and we don't have to wake him up every 2 hours anymore. Yay!

A Few Pics...

Here are some recent pics...

Notice the "horns down" he's sporting. Baylor was set to play UT in baseball tonight, but it was rained out. Oh well, Hayden was prepared. Sic Em!

Daddy and Hayden before the doctor yesterday ...

Mommy and Hayden before the doctor appointments. Hayden looks thrilled...

He's Just a Little Guy!

Yesterday was the doctor appointment day from hell. Hayden and I had 3 doctors appointments in one day. First thing in the morning Clark and I bundled Baby H up and headed back to the hospital for his second newborn screen. The lab pricked his heel and took a bunch of blood to screen for some diseases. He's already had one newborn screen to check for a lot of those illnesses, so I think we're in the clear on that. Hayden did great. He only whimpered, no crying! He left the hospital with a big, adult sized band aid on his baby heel. So sad!! Then, we went next door to my doctor for MY 2 week check up. The doctor checked out my incision and told me it was healing nicely. I was also cleared to start driving again -- yay! I can also lift Hayden's carrier now. Let me tell you -- that thing is HEAVY. So, I think I'm going to play the c-section card a little longer and let Clark carry that thing. We had a bet when we were leaving the doctor's office that I couldn't carry the carrier all the way to the car without switching arms. Needless to say, Clark won that little bet. I barely made it down the hall. I wanted to try to make it to the car, but Clark said he felt like a jerk walking beside me while I was lumbering around, obviously struggling with the carrier, while he looked on and laughed.

Now on to the not-so-fun appointment. Hayden had his 2 week check up with the pediatrician at 2. One of the main things they're looking for at this appointment is to see if Hayden has gained his birth weight back. Well, little H has NOT. Hayden weighed 7lbs at birth. Yesterday he weighed 5lbs 15oz. Boo! This led to many tears being shed by Mommy. Did Mommy wait to cry, with some dignity, in the car? Oh, of course not. As soon as I saw the number on the scale, the tears started. Yay hormones! Hayden has lost nearly 15% of his body weight in 2 weeks. Needless to say, this isn't good. I've been exclusively breastfeeding, so the doctor suggested I start supplementing with formula. So the plan of action right now is to wake him up every 2 hours to breastfeed THEN give him a bottle of formula afterwards. This made for a very exciting night, let me tell you. I set my alarm every two hours and got some one on one time with H Bomb in the wee hours of the morning. Hayden takes after his mother in that he really enjoys his sleep, so he is NOT a fan of being woken up and forced to eat (this is where he differs from his mother, b/c I enjoy eating entirely too much).
Of course, my question is why isn't he gaining? He seems to eat fine when I breastfeed him. The doctor said it could be the milk I make just isn't very high calorie. Well, great. We go back on Thursday morning to see if he's gained anything. She said she wants to see him gain an ounce to 2 ounces by Thursday morning. If he has gained -- great, we've solved the problem and Hayden will get more formula (which he seems to like just fine). If he hasn't gained, then we're going to start looking at "metabolic" reasons for his inability to gain weight.
It goes without saying that I really hope this is a low calorie milk issue and not something more serious. So please pray that H porks it up between now and Thursday morning at 9:45.
Of course, this makes me seriously question whether this child really came from me or not. He looks NOTHING like me and now he won't put on weight? That is not a Kelly characteristic at all!!
The rest of the appointment went fine. He was examined by the doctor and got a good report. He's grown a half inch in 2 weeks and his head measures normally. Oh, and his belly button finally fell off. I was VERY glad that happened on Daddy's watch, because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have handled that well either!

Hayden at 2 weeks and My First Blog!

I've resisted the whole blog thing for quite some time, but I decided once Hayden made his arrival it would be the best way for everyone to keep up with us.

Hayden was born on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at 8:26 am. He was 3 weeks early and I was very ready for him to be here. I was not one of those girls who loved being pregnant. In fact, I pretty much hated it. I didn't think there was anything "magical" about my feet swelling, getting up 60 times a night to pee or being unable move my fat butt from point A to point B. However, I did like feeling Hayden move inside of me and watching my skin jump when he would kick. Other than that, pregnancy is pretty much overrated.

I was so excited to meet him. He was perfect!! He weighed 7 lbs even and was 19" long. Of course, he looks nothing like me and looks exactly like his father. To be honest, I was excited about that. I was not a cute baby or cute kid. So, Hayden looking like Clark was really Hayden's best case scenario. I just hope he likes Harry Potter so we have something to talk about. :)

Our first two weeks at home have been good, but challenging. Newborns sleep something like 18 hours a day and eat something like 8-12 a day. Sounds easy right? Not really!! Those 18 hours of sleep are not consecutive my friends! As tiring and taxing as it is sometimes, it's totally worth it when Hayden makes a funny face or makes a funny sound.

This weekend was a big Mommy/Hayden milestone. Clark and I went to dinner with our good friends Jason and Kassidy at one of my favorite places -- Sushi Axiom. I really, really missed sushi while I was pregnant so I've been looking forward to this dinner for about 9 months. I was very nervous about going out in public with Hayden at this point. Hayden isn't on any kind of schedule right now. For those of you who know me well, not having a schedule is pretty much the worst thing imaginable. I wanted so badly to go out, but I was afraid that Hayden would pull one of his "cluster feeding" stunts and I'd be forced to whip my boob out in public. Hayden however, was a champ! He ate before we left and we were able to enjoy a 2 hour dinner with friends! Hayden didn't stop there!! On Sunday we went to Babies R Us, Target and the mall! Woohoo! It really makes a world of difference being able to get out of the house.

This week is week 2 of being on my own with H-Bomb (as Clark calls him) while Clark works. Hopefully this will be a good week and I'll be able to shower every day!