New Weigh In

Everett got weighed again today by Grandma H at work. He was a super baby and gained 1 oz per day for the past week! He's now at 8 lbs, 6 oz! Yay for the E man!

Christmas and Blessing

Here are some pictures from Christmas and Everett's blessing.
Brian and Everett with the first stocking:
Everett found a nice sleeping spot during present opening:I pulled out Brian's baby pictures to see if Everett really did look like him. See any similarities? It's even more striking in Ev's earliest pictures.Everett had his blessing today. Ev wore a 112 year old gown passed down from his great great grandpa Hammond (the first Elton!).
Here are the McPhersons after Everett's blessing:The Hammonds after Everett's blessing:And the tiny Hammond family too:

Getting bigger!

Yesterday we had the big family picture session with Brian's kin. I think the pictures will come out nicely and the proofs should even be ready before we leave town.
In other news, we stopped by Grandma H's clinic this afternoon and got another weigh in. Evy boy is now at 7 lbs, 15 oz! That's four ounces in four days! He also seems to have figured out, as of yesterday, how to suck more efficiently while nursing, which is very encouraging for the process of losing the supplemental bottle.
And now for some pictures!
Here is Brian's mom's old bassinet with butterfly mobile. It's set up in the living room and Ev tried it out last night. He found the butterflies fascinating.Here's a shot from yesterday's photo shoot. Ev with his doubly great grandpa George (don't you just love his adorable Gap dress shirt?):Brian chatting with Everett on the living room floor:Just Everett being unbelievably cute after a great night's sleep:And here's a funny situation. Brian was pacing the room with Evy last night and I noticed that Nora was pacing with him (helping!). Then Brian started walking in circles around the house and Nora continued to follow without fail. Silly dog who loves her boy....

Some pictures

Just a quick update with some pictures. Here we have Brian with his favorite dog of all time, Nora. He said that she is an "appropriately sized lap dog."Next, we have Everett meeting his great grandma and great great grandpa!And finally, just a shot of the Ev man:

We made it

We are now in the land of ice and snow....lots of big, fluffy, neverending snow! Everett did wonderfully on the trip and would promptly fall asleep as soon as the car started moving. Despite several setbacks, everything went well. Brian had his interview and Ev and I hung out with Hayley in uptown. We even went out to a cute little Indian restaurant and Everett kept drifting in and out of sleep in his carseat on the table. The weather was perfect for the entire drive and we weren't even slowed down much by traffic in Chicago. We couldn't have asked for a better trip...but we are very happy to be done driving for three weeks now. We're trying to make the rounds about town today and make sure everyone gets a peek at the little guy before Christmas.
And in GREAT weight news: we took Everett into Grandma Hammond's clinic this afternoon for a weigh in. He's at 7 lbs, 11 oz!!!! Yay Everett!!! So he took an extra week, but he is back to his birth weight! Now he's almost plump enough for Christmas dinner. :)

Leaving today!

Just a quick post - our new little family is leaving today for leg 1 of 3 of our long trek north. We're heading to Madison tonight, taking advantage of the one-day break in bad weather forecasted for Chicago (and hopefully not getting stuck in rush hour (which I think should be called rush 5-hours) for too long. Tomorrow morning, we'll go from Madison to Minneapolis where Bri will go to his interview and I'll visit with Hayley. Then, tomorrow afternoon, it's on to the northwoods. I probably won't post again for a while, so Happy Holidays for now!

To the awaiting fan club:

I know you've all been anxious to hear how the 2 week check-up went, so here's the news! Ev has continued to gain weight! Hooray! He has gained 5 ounces in the past 6 days (and that's immediately after a huge wet diaper and a poopy explosion!) We are to continue supplementing, but I am feeling much better about the whole and not so worried about keeping such a strict schedule. We're still on the schedule, but I'm not as uptight about it now. Now we just need to have him continue to gain weight (we will have to take him in to the clinic in WI for checks every few days) and eventually cut out the bottles, and then maybe we'll start thinking about easing ourselves off the shield...one challenge at a time here... Oh, and he's also gained nearly two inches!!! Long lanky boy...
Now it's time to get ready for our trip north!

Mean mommy...

...gave baby Everett her cold! I tried to avoid breathing on and kissing him (impossible) and was hoping my body would quickly create some antibodies that he would get in his milk, but apparently, we failed there. The saddest thing is to hear him trying to breathe while he eats. Poor little guy! It will be interesting over winter break when he meets all his aunts and uncles....I think we'll have a "no touching the baby's hands or face" rule. I know he is irresistibly kissable, but poor little thing doesn't need any more colds. After our next feeding, I think we'll set Ev in his bouncer in the bathroom while mommy takes a hot, steamy shower...
I'm starting to freak out a little about how much we need to pack and when we'll need to leave to get to Minneapolis on time this Thursday. We have 8 oz of frozen milk, so hopefully we won't have to give him too much formula (or any!) on the drive by including a couple of stops for nursing. I'm planning to stop and visit with my friend Hayley while Brian is at his interview (yay!!!) and then we'll continue on to WI. It's going to be a loooong day.
Well, that's all for now! Back to watching the Today show and listening to people scraping the ice off their windshields outside. :)

Milestone #2

The first real bath! Not exactly planned, but after a diaper change gone awry (and an outfit, undershirt, blanket, and changing pad cover to the laundry basket!), we tried out the baby tub. He loved it! Until we got to washing his back, that is. Brian kept squeezing out a washcloth on E to keep him warm while also scrubbing all parts of baby and I kept his head out of the water and washed his hair. And now he smells like fresh clean baby! Yummy!
And a picture from this morning, pre-bath. Doesn't he look like he's gained weight???

1st attempt at public feeding

Today we had to make a trip to Target and Sam's Club and it ended up taking longer than I anticipated. Soooo, we got to stop at Starbucks and make our first attempt at a public feeding. It didn't work well because someone kept sleeping. We think he may have had some sensory overload because he slept the entire time we were out. As soon as we got home, wide awake. I convinced myself that he would wake up if he got hungry, and as soon as we got home, he spent a good 45 minutes eating pre-bottle. As long as he keeps gaining weight, I'm happy!

New pictures

I have a cold. And it royally stinks. But it didn't stop Ev and me from running some errands today! First we had to deal with a flat tire in the wind chill of 10 degrees (I know, I know, that's nothing but it still made my fingers cold!). Then we were off to the bank to deposit birthday checks and get a roll of quarters. Then mosied on over to the McDonald's drive-thru to get mommy some lunch. We then proceeded on to my work to show off the cuteness of the little guy to my officemates. They enjoyed that, except for the one who really wanted to see the baby and wasn't in the office...oops! After that, it was time to go back home for continuation of our feeding routine. Ev has been an absolute angel for the past day or so. I've had to wake him up for his feedings - I know that that is utterly wrong, but I want a fat baby! I'm hoping that he's been so sleepy because he's going through a growth spurt....wouldn't that be nice? We go to the pedi on Tuesday, so we'll get a weight update then.
In the meantime, here are some new pictures!

Here is the little guy in his uncle Jakey's super old SF 49ers outfit! He wore it for a whole hour or so before we had a diaper issue and he changed into a different outfit.
And here's the happy part about having to give Everett bottles - daddy/son bonding time! Whenever Brian is home, he gives our Evy boy his bottles while I pump.

And here's one of me and Everett having a little chat about literary devices...yes, we actually have had one of those in which I explained onomatopoeia after saying "hiccup" to him. Please ignore my my red nose and darkly circled eyes. :)

Milestone #1!

I forgot to write: Everett lost his umbilical stump this morning! (Just as exciting for everyone as it is for Brian and me, I'm sure!) Now he has a real nuppa!

Hooray for Everett!...and mommy!

We took the Ev man in to the doctor this morning (which was no small feat for me!) to get a weigh in so we can see how the little guy is doing since starting his new feeding routine. Well, he's done wonderfully! He is at 7lbs this morning! Still 11 oz off of his birth weight, but we have until Saturday to gain some more. He has his two week check-up on Tuesday, so hopefully we'll have a nice fat baby by then! Of course I'm not expecting him to continue gaining 3 oz/day, but I'll be happy with 1! While this schedule does make me a veritable zombie, this weight gain gives me some of the strength I was starting to lose. We're already starting to get enough milk for each 1oz feeding which means no formula, so that's more incentive to stay in my zombie-like state of being. And since I'm trying to find the positives around here, I must boast that I think I'm looking pretty good for ten days postpartum:
Oh, and here's one of my favorites from our little living room christmas photo shoot:

Gifts from Tri Club

The Purdue Triathlon Club surprised Brian tonight with several very thoughtful gifts tonight.

In addition to several very generous gift cards to Wal-Mart and Applebee's, they also made up some cute shirts for the little guy. The one on the left says Purdue Triathlon on the arms and the back references a triathlon put on by the club, "The Boilerman." The one on the right is a turtleneck onesie that has a picture of Brian on it (in case you couldn't tell).

Not happy

Well, you got all my happiness, now you're stuck with my crying too. After having troubles with Everett latching correctly and seeing a lactation consultant to fix that, our follow-up appointment was even worse. Everett still has not gained any weight, and has in fact, managed to lose more. Despite all of his frequent nursing and adequate wet diapers, it turns out his ineffective sucking has deprived him of calories. He's down to 6lbs, 10oz. So, obviously, something has to be done. We are now on a strict schedule of every two to three hours, nursing for a half hour, pumping for 15 minutes, and then feeding him what was pumped plus the evil formula until he has been supplemented with 1oz per feeding. We also have to go in to see the pediatrician again this week (goodbye insurance!) to see if he gained anything. I opted out of using a supplemental feeding apparatus for fear it would just frustrate me every time and we're going to use the drop-in bottles we got at the baby shower. I'm hoping that Ev's poor sucking didn't do too much damage to my supply and I'll be able to supplement at least the majority with breastmilk. I have to keep myself from thinking about how my baby was starving and think instead about how it's good we caught it right now and can work with it instead of having to go to the ER or worse. Also, Brian now gets an opportunity to help feed Everett, which he looks forward to. It's going to be a rough 24 hours (at least) for me and I just need to try and not cry myself sick in the meanwhile. I know it will get better....it's just hard right now.

Super Daddy of the Year

For those of you who know my dear husband well, you might understand my slight trepidation that our baby would end up dropped, stepped on, or misplaced within the first week of life. However, I have to be the one to tell you, Brian is so naturally good with Everett, I must eat all my words. Yes, there were some things he had no idea about, but learned very very quickly. He loved the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD and when Everett fusses, he will promptly swaddle him up tightly, turn him on his side, shush in his ear, then flash me the proudest grin ever when baby immediately settles. Bri's also been amazingly helpful at night. I never knew that we could work so well together until we suddenly had a little guy waking up every two hours. Even for the tiny things he is there to help, like burping Everett while I switch sides. He is also more than happy to take care of nighttime diaper changes so I can go straight to sleep after nursing. Brian has taken this whole week off (besides classes, a test, and working on a big final project) to stay home and help me with all the new duties.
On another happy note, I finally remembered to put my ring back on! Yay! I missed my pretty sparklies. My birthday was a very calm day. I spent almost all day home with my cutie pie and Brian only left in the afternoon to work with another guy on their project. When he got back we made a trek out to Target, got glared at by the judgmental old check-out lady for taking Everett out in public so early, and had a wonderful dinner delivered to us by someone from church. Today our out of the house trip consisted of bundling up really well and walking across the parking lot to Ace where we picked up a slightly bigger christmas tree than last year (slightly bigger family!). We're going to get it all decked out this evening and I will be sure to take some pictures. Here are some pictures from today:

Brian got Everett dressed this morning all by himself while I took a shower -
Here's our little doll sitting in his bouncer -
And the proud daddy with Everett in the sling -

Happy Birthday to Me!

Obviously, I got just what I wanted for my birthday this year! Besides, I'm pretty sure they don't make gift receipts for babies... :)
Yesterday, we received a DVD of Happiest Baby on the Block from Brian's mom. Bri was convinced that Everett cried all the time...until we watched the DVD! He then realized that our little guy is pretty content. He does, however, still have his days and nights switched around. Happily, the DVD did show us a few tricks for calming a crying baby and we tried some out last night when Ev just wanted to be up and awake and moving. Brian was absolutely wonderful last night and took Everett out, put him in his sling (also from his mom!), and walked around the living room/read a book TWICE while I got some sleep. We're not totally unbalanced here because I also had to get up a few times to feed him during the night. And Brian can't really do that. :)
We have a follow-up appointment with the lactation consultant today, but I'm waiting to hear back from her because Everett's been doing so well, we might wait until Monday to follow up. It's amazing how well her advice has helped. I look forward to feedings instead of being ready to cry, and Everett is pleased to finally have some real milk instead of just colostrum.
We are savoring every moment with this beautiful little guy and love staring into his big eyes. Last night (after Brian elatedly swaddled Everett using the tips on the DVD), the cutie was wide awake and just looking at everything. Brian took this opportunity to start reading The Lorax to him while he sat in his bouncer. (The bouncer, by the way, is amazing! It is where he spends all of his daytime naps and where he sits when he is awake and we are not holding him.)
Brian left for the lab to work on a big bridge project and Everett and I are sitting here watching the Today show (thank goodness for TiVo!!!!). This afternoon, we plan to get out of the house by possibly going to the lactation consultant follow-up, and finding ourselves a little christmas tree! I know it will only be able to be up for two weeks, but we MUST have a tree for Everett's first holiday season! I also need to find some new bras (huge!). Brian also picked up a little space heater yesterday because our bedroom gets cold at night if we keep the door shut (to keep cats out).
Anyways! It's time for Everett's lunch!

Doing Great!

Just a quick post to say that things are great here at the Hammond house! We went to see a lactation consultant yesterday and got to sit down with her one-on-one for an hour and a half! It was really great. We learned some new tricks, got some new tools, and breastfeeding has now become a happy instead of painful task. Everett is doing wonderfully and had two four-hour sleeping times last night! We were very happy to get more than an hour of uninterrupted sleep. Even though one of those sleeping times consisted of him lying on my chest sleeping....shhh...don't tell the doctor! :) We go back to see the lactation consultant again tomorrow to make sure things are working out.

Today we went to the pediatrician for a check-up since our little man lost so much weight in the hospital. He is now at 6 lbs, 13 oz (so small!!!), but the dr. seemed pleased. He has the very slightest tinge of jaundice, but nothing to be concerned about. He was an angel while the dr. manipulated all his limbs, just looking around the room. Now we just need to plump this boy up for our Christmas dinner! :)

And here is some proof that I am a bad listener and don't always try to sleep while he's sleeping. Oops. Guess it's time to try and catch a half-hour nap!

We're home

Just wanted to quickly post that we're home and learning how to take care of our little boy. This morning, I felt like I was cramming for a test trying to read over a section about latching on while I quickly ate some cereal and Brian held Everett in the sling. Last night was....miserable really. We're having some issues with latching on properly, which is causing me some pain. We didn't really get to see the lactation consultant before we left the hospital because she doesn't work weekends and by the time she came in on Monday, we were being discharged. So this morning, Bri called in to the center where we had our childbirth classes and scheduled us an appointment to meet with their consultant at 3. It stinks that we'll have to pay for something that should have been free, but what can we do about it now? If we can figure out this one issue, life will be much much better. I'm leanring how to use my boppy pillow too (hence being able to actually type this)...thanks again Britt!
Thank you everyone for the messages here, on facebook, and through email. The whole thing is an adjustment and a half and a bit painful at times, but this little monkey is definitely worth it all. I look at him and still cannot believe that 1 - he was actually in my belly for so long (and that he fit!), 2 - he's actually mine to take care of all the time (in a good way), 3- he's so stinking cute! I know that everyone thinks their own babies are the cutest thing ever and I am definitely one of them. He just looks like perfection to me. Nothing can compare to when he looks me in the eyes and watches me talk to him. Anyway! Enough of my mushiness! (Emotions go off the wall crazy, btw.)