Friday!

Click to enlarge pictures.

Alex and I have had a fun week with Nana. We've been out in the car a few times and we even went out to lunch yesterday at It's Only Natural. I almost felt like a regular person!

Alex is becoming more aware of what's going on around him. He still spends a lot of time looking up at light fixtures and mini-blinds (with the light coming through them) but he also seems to notice more when you speak to him. We had him weighed yesterday and he had gained up to 8 lbs 3 oz, from his birth weight of 7 lbs 6 oz. Soon he'll grow into the 0-3 month size outfits and his wardrobe options will increase greatly!

In other news, I am wearing pre-pregnancy jeans today for the first time in many, many months. So my wardrobe options just increased greatly, as well!

I hear someone calling from downstairs so I will just leave you with these pictures today. They are outtakes from our home photo session for the birth announcement. Even among the best ones, we didn't get a slam dunk picture so we may try again later... but these are pretty cute!

Surgery Update

I met with the surgeon this morning about my gall bladder surgery. He was very pleased that I had been able to avoid another attack over the weekend by following a no-fat diet. In fact, he suggested that I wait and have the surgery when Alex is a little bit older, and things have calmed down for Marty and me somewhat.

So right now I am going to try to continue controlling the gall bladder with my diet, and then have the surgery (hopefully laproscopically) in about two months. But if I have another bad attack before then, they will need to go ahead and do the surgery.

Cross your fingers for me that I can control this... I really hope we can wait until Alex is a couple of months old before I go back to the hospital for another procedure! And goodness knows, an extremely low-fat diet is not going to do me any damage!

Guess what Alex did today?

He had his first bath in his tiny little bathtub! Ever since he came home from the hospital he's only had sponge baths... so this was a new adventure for us.



I don't think he looks very sure that I'm going to manage to keep his head above water.



Look, you can see his little belly button! So cute.



It was over pretty fast and tonight he is nice and clean. Nana took great pictures, too!

Quick Update

Together at last! Nana and Alex meet for the first time.

We've had a big week. On Wednesday evening, we took Alex out to dinner for the first time, to Friendly's. Well, that sundae I had came back to haunt me later. At 1:00 AM I woke up in agony. It was like the worst hearburn of my pregnancy... except about ten times as bad. I was sick all night and went to the doctor first thing in the morning. The doctor sent me straight to the emergency room (Marty stayed home with Alex) and after a day of testing we found out that I have bad gallstones.

Apparently this sometimes happens after pregnancy, but I had never heard of it before. I will most likely have my gall bladder removed in the next week. I'll meet with the surgeon on Tuesday.

Marty's mom was scheduled to arrive today, but when she heard about the excitement we were having on Thursday, she changed her ticket and came in late Thursday evening. Thank goodness! She has been a wonderful help! And I know Alex was glad to meet his Nana a little early.

I am feeling a lot better and I'm trying to keep the gall bladder under control with a no-fat diet over the weekend. Lots of fruits and veggies. But my energy is way down and this whole thing has complicated a lot of things that were getting better, including the nursing. But the priority right now has to be getting myself healthy again so that I can take good care of my little boy. We're doing everything we can, and the good thing is that he is healthy and well-fed and loved.



I missed his two-week pediatrician appointment because I was in the emergency room that day, but Marty took him and learned that he had regained his birth weight of 7 pounds 6 ounces. Go Alex!

Two Weeks Old

Looking at the light coming in the nursery window.

Alex is two weeks old tonight. I know it must sound strange, but he seems to change every day. Today he looks to me like he has more hair. I don't think he's put on much weight yet, but we'll find out tomorrow at his two-week checkup.

Last week was all about figuring out how to just take care of him here at home. This week we are fine-tuning some of the things we learned, and also adding some outings into the mix. So far this week, Alex has been to the grocery store, the hospital (for a new moms' support group), Dairy Queen, and Friendly's. Tomorrow we are going to the pediatrician and I think on Friday we may go to the mall. I plan to go there and walk until the weather gets warmer, so I want to find the easiest way to get in and out with the stroller.


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It's been great to get out and about, and I am glad we could do that while Marty is still off work. I think I'll feel a lot more comfortable taking Alex around myself once we've been out with Marty. Luckily, we've had great weather ever since the end of the blizzard on the weekend.

We sleep in shifts right now... and it's my turn to go to bed. So I'll stop here with a couple more pictures from this week. Click to enlarge.

Just a few pictures

Hello. For some reason, I feel like I haven't been to Raspberry World in days.

All is well here. We are enjoying taking care of Alex and learning his newborn ways. He got his birth certificate yesterday and lost the stump of his umbilical cord last night, so he is well on his way to becoming a "real boy" (we still lack the Social Security Number). And tonight he will experience his first New England blizzard!

Besides that, he's a sweet little bundle of love. See?



(He scratches his face sometimes with those sharp little fingernails. I've clipped them now, though, so his face has cleared up.)

Sorry the pictures don't have larger versions, not possible today. I hope to upload a bunch of pictures to the gallery sometime soon and there will be plenty of bigger ones there for the grandmothers who like to print them out.

Here are a couple more from the last few days:





Thank you for all the nice comments and emails. We feel a bit like our world has been turned upside down, but in a very good way!

Due Date

Alex celebrated his due date today by going to the pediatrician for the first time. According to the doctor, he is doing great! It was his first trip out of the house since we got home. Ours, too.

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of days.



Here he is waking up in his own bed for the first time. His "bed" is a Pack-n-Play in our bedroom with a bassinet feature. He's slept in it both nights since we've been home. He likes sleeping wrapped up in a blanket like that (in the hospital, the nurses wrap up all the babies that way). We call it "burrito baby." I think Marty must have learned to fold it from the nurses at the hospital, because this was a great burrito. The adorable kitty blanket with the crocheted edge was made for Alex by a friend from home. Thank you, Beth!



Playing with Daddy. The monkey was dancing to a Bob Marley song. We played a Bob Marley CD during labor and when we were staying in the hospital after Alex was born. We play it in his room a lot too. We read that babies like reggae because the heavy beat reminds them of the sound of the heartbeat in the womb. Plus, we just like Bob Marley.



A chair full of boys! This one's for those who have been wondering about Ziggy. So far, he hasn't paid much attention to Alex. This is about as close as he has ventured to him, and even then, he mostly just pretended Alex wasn't there. We make sure to take time with Ziggy and give him treats and love, but things are pretty hectic around here right now. There certainly aren't many laps, and we are spending a lot of time upstairs as well. But Ziggy still comes and sleeps at the foot of our bed every night, so I think he knows that his place in the family is safe.

I told Marty tonight that looking at the pictures we've posted, people would think I never hold my baby. As you can probably guess, I am usually the one in charge of the camera around here. We'll try to do better about taking pictures of Alex and me, as well. Of course, in these early days when the main activity is nursing, I don't really think I want to put pictures on the internet! But here's one of Alex and me from the hospital.

Home.

Click to enlarge photos.

We are home.

All three of us are very tired (the boys are napping right now) but we are very happy to be home. Well, I think Alex is. I know Marty and I are.

I will post details as soon as I'm able -- in the meantime, here are a few pictures. The one above shows Alex in a common pose, looking quietly at the world around him. It was taken in the hospital.

Here he is this morning, dressed for the first time:



And a few more pictures from this morning as we were leaving the hospital, and one showing Alex's first nap at home.



Thank you all for the wonderful comments. Marty and I are so grateful for everyone's good wishes.

We are so glad to have our little boy at home.

(And the "big brother" is doing fine.)

Guest Post II

Susie warned me that uploading the picture could be tricky, but thanks to Amanda, the picture is up.


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Thanks for the code Amanda, and we'll see you tomorrow!

Marty

Guest Post from a Proud Papa

The news that the whole (raspberry) world has been waiting for...

Alex was born last night at 8:00pm EST. He weighs 7 lb 6 oz (3350 grams) and is 20.5 in (52 cm) long.

Mom and baby are doing great. Dad is hanging in there too.

And, in my completley unbiased and objective opinion, he is absolutely adorable.

Marty