6 Weeks Old!

It's crazy to think that if I hadn't had a c-section, I'd be going back to work tomorrow. Instead, I get 8 weeks off... and I'm thankful for it! Josiah is 6 weeks old today and doing great! He's been a pretty happy boy today. I think it's because he's finally getting enough to eat. I discovered this weekend that this mastitis was not only crazy painful, it has also taken a huge toll on my milk supply. It's dwindled to less than half of what it was... and half of what he needs. So I'm pumping around the clock and he's getting some formula too... hopefully I can get my supply back up and we won't need so much formula, but it's really for the best. He does so much better with bottles, and honestly, so do I. I am sad to stop directly breastfeeding, but also relieved because of all the difficulties & pain we've had. He has been so much more content all night and day today. We're still trying to figure out if dairy has been an issue for him or not... but so far the milk-based formula seems to agree with him, so maybe it's not.

Mike and I even got to go out for 2 1/2 hours tonight. Grandma & Aunt Stiney came over to babysit so Mike and I could go visit Carletta in the hospital and pick up a replacement part for my breastpump (since Shelby ate the original). The timing worked out just right so we also got to go have a quick dinner at El Loro, and I even splurged and finally had that margarita I've been waiting for! :) It was a refreshing break!

Little Cutie

Josiah's dressed & ready to join Justine in Hawaii! (Too bad he'll have to wait until we can all go... maybe sometime next year)

ouch

If you don't know what mastitis is... consider yourself very blessed!

What's in a Name?

I have had this written since before he was born, and just realized that I never posted it!

------ Josiah Michael Wellington ------

“Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did--with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.” 2 Kings 23:25

As we considered a name for our son, we wanted something rich in meaning that would be a declaration for his life and our prayer for his character. Not only is it about who he will be, but it will also testify to the significance of the time and family that he is being born into. We found out that we were pregnant about a week after losing Mike’s uncle, Moe. In the midst of loss and grief, we knew the Lord had already begun creating this new life to bring about joy and new beginnings in our family. We also found out just 2 months before he would be born that his Grandma-D would be battling cancer. Again, the anticipation of his birth was a source of hope and joy in the midst of uncertainty.

We prayed long before he was conceived that God would bring a baby into our lives at His perfectly ordained time. It’s more than just the fact that we were ready for a child, but we knew this would be a life that belonged to God and would be used by Him to impact the world around him. The time into which he would be born would determine the friends he would meet, the culture he would impact and the purpose he would serve.

Josiah has several meanings: “the Lord will save,” “the Lord heals,” “the Lord will increase,” “the Lord supports,” and “fire of the Lord.” While we have no idea what course of life the Lord will take Josiah on, we do know already that the Lord is increasing our family. He is bringing healing, both physical and spiritual, to those we love. We pray for our friends and family who don’t yet personally know the saving grace and love of Christ and we know He longs to offer salvation to them. God has given health and support to Josiah already in the womb and we know we will continue to depend on His support all of our days. It is our prayer that Josiah would have a powerful impact on his world and on our family for the glory of God. Fire of the Lord refers to God’s power and His all-consuming glory. We pray that Josiah would see God actively at work in his life and that He will be a living testimony to that power to all that know him. Finally, in Biblical history, Josiah was a righteous king who sought to please the Lord in all that he did. He was committed to worshiping the One True God in the midst of a culture that hated God and was full of idol-worship. He was bold and courageous in his faith and He took a stand for truth amidst great opposition. What a tremendous namesake.

Michael, of course, has special significance as it honors both his father and his maternal grandfather. (Not to mention a great-uncle and several cousins.) Michael means “Who is like God?” and we pray that as Josiah grows, he will find that there truly is none like God and he will one day choose to entrust his life to Him.

Finally, Josiah will carry on the Wellington name, which means “from a wealthy estate.” While we would love to think that he will always be financially prosperous, we believe that more significant is the true wealth he is born into: that of a loving family, a new heritage of followers of Christ, and the wealth of spiritual blessings that God has prepared for him.

Sleepy Shopper

Sometimes our outings go well...and sometimes they don't :) Today was a good day. We went to the bank, Target and BRU and Josiah didn't even know we left home! He slept the whole time...that's a very good thing! I still couldn't find a cute preppy outfit for him to wear to Kenny's wedding though... and it's only 2 weeks away. Do they not make collared shirts in 0-3 month size?

Little Sounds...

If the video isn't showing up on here, you can follow this link to see it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_xUJCjqsu0&feature=player_embedded

One Month Old!

4 Weeks Old

I love this little boy. The first few weeks have definitely had some challenges, but don't get me wrong, I LOVE my new job. I love how he likes to cuddle after he's got a full belly, and the new happy sounds he's starting to make. I love his little feet and hands and I can't help but laugh every time he gets spastic right before he eats. I love how he props his head up on his fist and looks like he's just kicked back enjoying life while he nurses. I love how he sleeps with his mouth wide open and how cute he looks in his pj's. I can't believe 4 weeks have already gone by.

I'm already starting to think about how hard it's going to be to go back to work 4 weeks from now. Thankfully, it's only 2 days a week, and it's temporary, but it's going to be harder than I thought. Sometimes it feels like no one else knows what he needs like I do, but I know he'll be in good hands with his daddy one day and his grandma the other. I'll definitely miss him though!! But we have 4 more weeks to enjoy before I have to deal with that anyway!

For the First Time

It's been a week of "firsts" for us.

Josiah got his first bottle. We had planned to introduce it soon, since I'll be going back to work 2 days a week when he's 8 weeks old. But Wednesday, it actually happened in an "emergency." I'll spare you some of the details, but let's just say my digestive tract has not been flowing well since surgery. I'd heard this was common, but was not prepared for just how bad it could get. Well nature finally called, and it was the most difficult, excruciatingly painful, slow thing I have EVER experienced. While I was stuck (literally) in the bathroom, it was well past Josiah's dinner-time! I contemplated attepting to feed him on the toilet, but was in too much pain. I tried holding it and managed to feed him on one side long enough for Mike to get home and then I just couldn't take it. So we thawed some of the milk I had pumped and frozen, put it in a bottle for Mike to feed him, and after just a couple of attempts, Josiah gulped it down! We've given him one more since then and he has no trouble switching back to the breast. This boy just loves to eat! Meanwhile, Iam still having major issues and all the foods I need to eat for my sake are exactly what I've been told to avoid for Josiah's gas/reflux! Nothing has happened since that horrible experience Wednesday, and though I've taken Miralax and stool softeners religiously,I'm getting really nervous!

Josiah went to church today. He did great... drifted off during worship and slept right through Pastor Scott's sermon! Everyone was excited to meet him and Pastor Chris even introduced him during announcements.

Josiah went to Grandma & Grandpa Wheatley's house for the first time. Justine and Grandma watched him while he napped so Mommy & Daddy could nap too! There is no shortage of willing arms to hold him there!

Mommy fit into non-maternity clothes for the first time this weekend.




















Now I just can't wait until I can say that Josiah slept through the night for the first time! Hopefully one day soon!

So Far So Good!

Here's a picture of his poor belly yesterday. But, Josiah has had a GREAT 24 hours! He slept well last night and all day today! He's basically been eating, a few periods of awake time and then slept... several 2 1/2 hour naps today! He still seems gassy after he eats, but I've been trying to really keep him upright for a while after he eats and we've started him on the Zantac and cut out the Nystatin, and so far, so good! I definitely didn't expect today to be a good day, so it's been an awesome surprise!

Poor Baby

We appreciate your prayers for Josiah (and for Mommy & Daddy too). In the past week, we have noticed that he's gotten so much fussier and seems to be in a lot of discomfort and pain for several hours of the day. He'd typically been quite content after eating, happy to just stare around and then goes to sleep well.... but not in the past few days. He's been so uncomfortable and his belly has been super bloated. Well, I called the pediatrician, and we went in today. When she saw his belly, she was quite concerned at how tight and distended that it was so she had us go down immediately for x-rays of his abdomen. That was quite traumatic for Josiah (and for me, as I had to stretch out his arms and legs and hold him down while they strapped him down and did the x-rays... and then had to redo them because one didn't turn out) The great news is that there was nothing abnormal on the x-rays.... except that he has a ton of air/gas in his digestive tract. So we are treating him for acid reflux and for gas.... with medicine and by me being on a very strict/bland diet for a while. His crying has definitely been for a reason. Poor boy is soooo uncomfortable. It's really sad. The medicine will probably take a few days to kick in, and we have some other options to try to help in the meantime... but I think we're in for a rough few days at least. The worst part is seeing your baby in pain and not being able to do much for him. It was a hard day to say the least. But he's had some good spells tonight... it just seems to come and go. The doctor did tell us to stop the thrush medicine immediately because it can cause gassiness in babies and his mouth looks fine now... so maybe that's been a big part of the problem. Please just pray that he'll feel better soon and that we'll get through this tough time.

In fun news, he now weighs 9 lbs 13 oz! He gained 15 oz in just 8 days! All this nursing is definitely not in vain. He's getting plenty of nourisment!!

Guessing Game

Some moms make it look so natural and easy... I guess I'm not one of those! Whenever Josiah cuddles or makes cute faces in his sleep or sweet sounds when he's eating, I know it's worth it, but this is definitely hard work! And everyday is a new day... just when I think I'm figuring him out, the next day is totally different. The last 24 hours, he seems to be on a milk-binge! He wants to nurse constantly... I've heard that babies hit a growth spurt around 3 weeks, so hopefully that's it and it'll go back to "normal" soon. Even so, it's going pretty well. Hopefully this thrush will be gone soon, thankfully it's starting to improve a little bit.

He has been doing really well during the middle of the night. He doesn't sleep for long stretches, but he does go right to sleep after each feeding and that's a blessing. During the day... not so much. I'm pretty sure he's suffering from some bad gassiness, because about 30-45 minutes after eating, he gets really fussy and seems to be in pain. So this means he's not getting much sleep during the day (and Mommy isn't either) but we'll get through it. When it hits, nothing seems to console him well other than nursing... but that's not always the answer either. He definitely prefers to be held and bounced or walked, but that only lasts for so long if he doesn't get into a deep sleep. The swing, baby-bjorn, sling, bouncy chair... he either wants nothing to do with them or they sometimes soothe him temporarily.... very temporarily. The carseat works well if we go for a drive or a walk in the stroller, but even that doesn't help for long if he's having bad gas pains. Poor boy.

His crying spells definitely don't last long, but just when he's almost asleep, it'll hit him again and we have to start the soothing process all over again. And then other days, he's just fine and hardly cries at all. So I don't know. It's really not so bad, it's just unpredictable enough that I'm not real comfortable going out anywhere. He has been sleeping for almost 2 hours right now though... so that's great! :) Meanwhile, Shelby is enjoying having my lap all to herself.

3 Weeks

Well, I know I haven't updated this in a whole week, but I have a few good excuses! Besides the fact that I am 3 weeks into parenthood and it's extremely busy and demanding, my computer also got a nasty virus, and I haven't had time to get it fixed yet. So tonight I'm using Mike's computer while Josiah is sleeping. I have about 20 minutes before he's ready to dine again at Mama's Milk Cafe, so I thought I'd write an update.

Josiah is doing great. He is gaining weight well (he was 8 lbs 14 oz on Wednesday)... gaining about 1.5 oz per day! He's been so good this weekend... sleeping well and being very content when he's awake, and of course, eating lots. Each day we learn more about his needs and the cues that he's getting sleepy, and we've been able to soothe him and keep him relaxed until he falls asleep. Swaddling is key! If we catch him before he's overtired, we can even lay him down in his bed while he's still awake and he'll fall asleep on his own. He's pretty funny when it comes to eating. He's so spastic! He shakes his head like crazy and pushes away with his arms and head, so I have to practially force him still to latch on, but once he's on, he's quite the vigorous eater! And he's no gentleman when it comes to making digestive sounds. He's all boy: noisy, and not shy about passing gas! :)

Mommy is having a bit of a rough time. Breastfeeding is much harder than I ever imagined. We've had several bumps in the road that have made it a quite painful experience for me, so we're trying hard to get past them in hopes that the pain will decrease and I can continue breastfeeding him. We have thrush (it's very minor in Josiah, but I have a lot of pain) and it's the kind of thing that we have to completely wipe out so we don't pass it back and forth to each other. The newest pain this weekend is a milk blister (plugged milk duct) which causes extreme pain when feeding and even between feedings. The blister was likely caused by the thrush, so I'll be calling my doctor in the morning to see if there's additional treatment I can get besides the Nystatin the pediatrician prescribed so we can get this cleared up. I'm thankful Josiah is still getting plenty of nourishment, but we have to get this pain under control for my sake. We're still using the nipple shield because of his high-arched palate, and at this point, that's the least of my worries. I'm open for tips... so far I've heard to use ice chips, vinegar soak, saline soak, black tea bags, lansinoh cream and heat compresses. Fun times. I'm thinking maybe I need to go back to taking the Percoset that was prescribed to recover from the c-section! Ha! Anyway, we may just have to start introducing a bottle with breastmilk soon so I can at least get a break for one or two feedings a day.

Well... the little man is waking up and sounds hungry, so I guess this is it for now....

:) Melissa

Fun at 2 Weeks

Josiah is 2 Weeks Old today! Yesterday he got some good Grandparent time in... and you know they enjoyed it! We bought him this little bouncer chair last night... and it's sooo worth it! I've had him in it twice today when he's awake and alert and he's pretty content to just sit there and watch the world around him! Today is my first day at home all by myself and so far it's going pretty well... it's busy, my hands are constantly full, and the hours seem to be going slow, but we're surviving! I'll be glad when Mike gets home in an hour though! Well, Josiah is almost asleep, so I better go...