12 weeks old-Planes, Florida, Steamboat, and milestones

Hello all. Time for another Peyton update. He is 12 weeks old...hard to believe it was only 3 months ago that I had him. He's growing and changing so much daily. He's had a very active life for only being 3 months old. Zack has been home for 5 weeks (went back to work today) so we've been able to do lots of things as a family. Who knows if we'll ever have that much time together again. So here's what Mr. Peyton has been up to.

We went to Florida at the beginning of June for 10 days to see friends and family. Peyton met his Grandpa, Great Grandpap, Great Uncle Ron, and Great Great Aunt Loretta. We had a BBQ to meet all the generations. Aunt Cathy and Grandma greatly enjoyed their time with him. He got to go in the swimming pool and LOVED napping in a chair on the porch by the pool. He didn't like the beach so much. We only stayed an hour because of how hot and humid it was. Aunt Cathy was nice enough to baby sit the next day so that we could go back to the beach. Grandma also babysat one day so that we could go canoeing. Those two days were the longest I've been away from him. He was great on the airplane, sleeping most of the time and perfectly content maneuvering through the airport in the Baby Bjorn. Not one bit of crying during travel. Oh, and while in Florida we took him off the reflux medicine and he's doing great.

We also went to Steamboat Springs for the 4th of July with Grandma and Granddaddy. Peyton got to see the botanical gardens and the 4th of July parade, which he actually watched part of (when he wasn't asleep in the Bjorn) and seemed to enjoy. He almost got crushed when the nearly 7 foot old man standing next to Zack passed out and Zack was holding him. It was a scary moment, but Peyton was passed back to me unscathed (and we think the man ended up being fine too). Peyton did sleep through the fireworks because they were passed his bedtime. Maybe next year. On the drive to Steamboat we had to travel over several mountain passes over 11,000 feet and he did great. At his 4 month appointment we'll need to see when it's safe to keep him at that altitude for any length of time. The same week as the 4th we went on our first camping trip. We went up to about 7400 feet near Buffalo Creek and did some roadside camping. Everything was good except Peyton wouldn't nap or eat well because there was so much distracting stuff around (flies, trees, wind, etc.) We used our backpacking tent and have since bought a family tent because it was way too cramped. I rated the experience a B+ and hope for an A once we try out the bigger tent.

Finally, we went in for a weight check today at the doctor's office because of the confusion about his weight at 8 weeks. He weighs in at a whopping 12 pounds 15 1/2 ounces. That's a HUGE gain in the last month. We double checked his weight last time so it was definitely a gain of over 2 pounds. That puts him back on the growth curve he was on initially. He's also started really laughing...almost a HA HA HA sound. Before he would try to laugh, but it was funny sounding. He makes us laugh so hard we cry when he does it. He's starting to push with his arms when on his tummy and is so close to rolling over. He rolls to his side constantly now, but doesn't make it all the way over. He's also starting to reach for things and play with soft toys. One of the PA's at the doctor's office thought he was 6 months old because of how he was holding up his head and sitting in my lap. He's constantly wanting to chew on things and started drooling a lot so we think teeth may be in the near future. He rarely cries, usually only when he's fighting going to sleep, but still is regularly in bed by 9:00 and sleeps between 6-8 hours straight. We couldn't ask for more.

Addendum to 8 week update

I forgot. At 5 weeks old Peyton got to go to his first Rockies' game for Daddy's birthday. He loved it. He stayed awake through 7 innings and loved watching the people walking around and the crowd noise. When they came around with the camera to film to crowd the people behind us and the people in our group got his attention and Peyton got to be on the jumbotron. He's a star!

8 week old appointment

Today Peyton had his 8 week appointment. It was the first time that we've gone to the doctor that Peyton was all smiles and noises other than crying. And then... Today was his first round of vaccinations and he screamed, but was easily calmed after it was all over and fell asleep on the way home. Then it hit him. The pain in his leg from the tetanus. He won't straighten out his leg or let us touch him without screaming the most blood curtling yell you've ever heard. Now he is sleeping, but will only sleep and eat curled up in a ball...it'll be a long night. Now that Zack and I are aware of what triggers the crying we've been able to limit it and so far he's not running a fever or having any other problems. Of course when he was screaming earlier and we didn't know why, I cried. I can't stand to see my baby in pain.

He weighed in today at 10 lbs. 9 oz. and was 24 inches long. If you follow the blog then you know at the last appointment a month ago they said he was 10 lbs. 8 oz. Us and the doctor agree that the past weight must have been wrong because he eats well and is otherwise healthy. We'll go back for a weight recheck when we get back from Florida just to make sure he's doing well. Otherwise he still has stomach issues so I get to try cutting things out of my diet now to see if it's something I am eating that's hurting his belly.

He's a very happy child mostly. He's started really having a personality. He laughs and smiles and coos. He's lifting his head pretty well, but still doesn't have a lot of rotational control...he looks drunk sometimes when he tries to turn his head unsupported. We play all kinds of games to help him develop his motor skills and his visual skills. He loves the outdoors. We spend time outside every day it's nice out, frequenting many of the Denver parks and trails. We go to Florida in a week, so Peyton will get to go on his first plane ride and Zack and I get to experience our first time traveling by plane with a baby...and packing.

Thanks for reading.

Connie and Zack and Peyton

One month checkup

Alright, so I'm a little late updating. A lot has happened in little Peyton's life in the last 2 weeks. It's amazing how much he has changed. Grandma came back for a visit, which was a huge help with Mommy's adjustment to going out in public with a little one. Now Peyton and Mommy go on outings every day, mostly to parks around town now that the weather is getting nice, to get some fresh air and exercise.

Peyton is now smiling and laughing and making tons of noises, especially in his sleep. The crying has backed off a bit except for 3-4 hours first thing in the morning and 3-4 hours in the evening before bed. Mostly it seems to be gas and possibly reflux, so we are going to start him on Prilosec and see if that helps. Otherwise he is happy and healthy. At his 4 week appointment the other day he weighed a whopping 10 lbs. 8 oz. That is a weight gain of 4 pounds in 4 weeks. He is definitely a good eater, but sometimes I think too good. We've had multiple episodes of projectile (and I'm not exaggerating) vomitting recently, possibly due to overfeeding and gas. Today we practiced the pacifier, which he has previously adamently objected to in place of eating, and he took it! Maybe it's because he now eats from a bottle at least once a day. He doesn't eat as well from the bottle as the breast, but he'll learn when I go back to work and he has to.





One last bit of news. As a gift for my birthday, Zack's birthday, and our anniversary, we are going to Florida for 10 days in June to soak up the sun, beach, pool, and visit with friends and family before I have to return to work. It'll be a great way to end my maternity leave.

New stats:
Weight-10 lbs 8 oz
Length-22 inches
Head-14 1/2 inches

Stats-2 week appt.

At Peyton's 2 week Dr.'s visit this is what they found:

He eats great-8lbs 1oz., 20 1/2 inches long
He's got great lungs-he screamed the entire visit
He clots well-they needed blood from his heel and he just wouldn't bleed.

That's our boy!

baths, vomit, pee, and sleep deprivation

Every day is different. That about sums it up. Some days we have a sweet, innocent little baby making cute faces and other days we have a screaming banshee. Some nights I get sleep in 3-4 hour segments and he'll go back to sleep immediately after finishing eating and others I'm lucky to get 45 minutes at a time and will be up for 2+ hours trying to get him to go back to sleep. Diaper changes are an adventure all their own. I can't believe how much a little itty bitty baby can poop and pee. 70 diapers a week from our diaper service is only going to make it half the week this week because little Peyton likes to wait until you get a clean diaper underneath him and then either poop or pee again. My lap has been peed on twice (once mysteriously it appeared all over me and his clothes, but managed to miss the diaper entirely-and that was a disposable). Of course how much comes out is related to how much goes in. Some days that is as often as every 45 minutes that he becomes so famished that nothing will calm his screams except a meal. That equates to an awful lot of poop and pee. Oh, and don't forget the occaisional projectile vomiting that seems like too much to fit inside his little stomach, usually because of hiccups that are so strong they push all the food he just ate out.

But we love it. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Yes, it's hard now that Zack is back at work and I have to learn to balance sleeping, eating, and personal hygeine with calming a crying baby, changing him, feeding him, and trying not to forget that the dog also needs food and to go outside. It's getting easier. I now know mornings are useless because that's when he's fussy. Afternoons I have all kinds of time to get things done while he sleeps. I know, I know, I should be sleeping when he is sleeping, but I never nested while I was pregnant and seem to be now. I have this unbelievable desire to clean everything and organize my whole house. I have the occaisional breakdown where I start crying because I can't calm him or I get frustrated by him not wanting to sleep at night. But I love him and can't imagine life without him when it's only been 2 1/2 weeks. Overall, life is good.

Connie

Update-Day 8

Current weight: 7 lbs 3 oz. Apparently he has no problem with eating as he has gained 1 lb 1 oz since his day four doctors visit (not sure if the doc's scale was right) and his initial loss to 6 lbs 2 oz. I do know this, he weighed in at 6 lb 7.5 oz at birth and now weighs 7 lbs 3 oz.





Billirubin - 14 on day four which is a bit high and slightly jaundice but expected around day four. Day six his Billirubin rang in a solid 9, showing that it was on the downswing and the jaundice is all but cleared up. It's a beautiful thing.





Connie is doing well. She is an amazing mom. She had a great teacher/mentor. As most know, it's hard to establish a schedule this early in the game, but with Me (Zack) returning to work in a week we're trying to get him as consistant as possible. When he sleeps we don't really want to wake him to feed, but we don't want to wait until he's crying due to hunger either. It's a fine balance that we have yet to master. Have we said how cute he is. . . precious.



The above photo is our, "Hey girl, holler back on my cell, I'm trying to catch some z's."

Thanks to all of you following the Peyton's blog. We really appreciate all the kind comments that you've shared.