Three Months Old!

Hi Family and Friends!

I turned three months old on Saturday! Oh my, how time is flying! As you've been reading on mommy's blog, I've been working really hard trying to gain weight. It's hard being a growing boy, but it's paying off. I went to see my favorite doctor today and guess what? I reached my goal of gaining one pound in ten days and I now weigh 9.9 lbs!! You know what this means, right? During my next weight check, I'll be double digits!! Whoo hoo!! Mommy and I will continue on the same feeding schedule and go back to the doctor in two weeks.

I'm really cute. In fact, I get cuter every day. Putting on all this weight makes me a happy baby. I like to smile and make noises now. Here are some fun things I'm doing now that I'm three months old:

• I like to sleep 10-10.5 hours every night. I love my sleep. And I now lay flat in my crib and don't need to sleep in my car seat anymore. 
• I love to look at lights. They are so intriguing! It doesn't matter if they are on the ceiling or from a lamp, I love to stare at them! 
• I've always liked to eat my hands, but I've now learned that I have five fingers on each hand! I like to put my fingers in my mouth and drool all over them.
• When I'm on my activity mat, I love to grab the toys that are hanging down. 

• I'm making a lot of sweet noises now. Mommy says I sound like an owl because I say, "hoo, hoo, hoo" - always three times in a row. 
• I like to talk to my mommy and daddy. And whenever I talk, they make silly faces trying to get me to talk back. 
• I love to smile when I wake up first thing in the morning or from naps. You'll see a picture of me in my crib that mommy took when I woke up earlier this week (you'll have to excuse it being off-center...mommy was hanging over the crib looking silly just to get me to smile)! 

I'm excited to move into our new house this weekend. Mommy keeps telling me how much I'll like my new room. I'm also excited for the month of December. I have so much to be thankful for and I can't wait to spend my first Christmas with my whole family! I'll leave you with a bunch of cute pictures of me =) Until next month...

Love,
Ethan

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love Pa and Gigi!

Ethan's First Thanksgiving! It'll be so much fun celebrating all the "firsts" this year! We spent Thanksgiving down in Tennessee with Eric's dad, stepmom, and family. Ethan did great in the car - slept pretty much the whole way there and back (it was a 5 1/2 hour trip each way). We felt like Ethan definitely knew he was out of his normal routine while we were gone...he would wake up in his pack-n-play and just look a little panicked and confused. But, overall he did great and adjusted well to all the change we threw his way. He got to meet some family for the first time - his Aunt Heather, Cousin Eli, Aunt Lauren, and Uncle Michael. They just loved him! Everyone was such a big help feeding him bottles, holding him, playing, etc. Cousin Eli wanted to know where and what Baby Ethan was doing at all times!! So cute! Just another reason we are so thankful to be back closer to family. Ginka bought him a "My First Thanksgiving" outfit back in September thinking it would fit by now - haha - boy were we wrong! So instead, I laid it on him like a blanket just so we could at least get a picture of him in it!

I'm a little turkey!

We came back Saturday which gave us all day today to unpack, get settled in, and get ready for the week. We also got a surprise visit from Uncle Jeffrey, Cousin Jayden, and Uncle Dave! Uncle Dave got some great cuddle time in - everyone couldn't believe how different Ethan looks. They can definitely tell he's gaining weight! Makes me one proud mama! All Jayden wanted to do was "love" on Ethan - most of the time he's really gentle, but we got a couple funny pictures of him patting his head. Poor Ethan, look at this pitiful face!!

These sure don't feel like love taps!

Such good uncles!

You talking to me?

We have a big week coming up! One, the Hoosiers play North Carolina on Tuesday!! Ethan loves to watch Indiana play basketball. Two, we go back to the doctor on Thursday. Their goal was for him to have gained one pound in ten days. I'm almost positive he has - this kid has been pounding down every ounce we give him! Well, almost every ounce. There's only so much room in that little tummy of his so we have a lot of spit up now =) Three, we are moving into our new house on Saturday!! Thankfully, the majority of our stuff is still packed from North Carolina so we won't have too much to pack up. It's just the process of getting it from one house to the next! Papaw and Ginka (and mommy!) are a little sad, but we keep reminding ourselves at least we're not 15 1/2 hours away like before. Ethan has a great new room to move into and we will definitely post pictures soon!

Thanksgiving 2012

The Road To Getting Plump!

My first IU game - 11 weeks!

Ethan had another weight check this week and now weighs 8 lbs. 1 oz. He stayed on tracked gaining an ounce a day. While the doctor is pleased he's gaining weight, she pretty much said we need to be more aggressive and start implementing formula mixed in with breastmilk. He is still very underweight for his age and the formula should really help in getting him plump in the coming weeks. We definitely got the sense of urgency from our pediatrician during the appointment - but we're on the right track and we will just keep on keepin' on! I couldn't ask for a better set of doctors and nurses that see Ethan...he is getting the absolute best care possible and they've been such a huge help in guiding me in the right direction. Today was the first day we increased the number of ounces in his bottles and he seems to be handling it pretty well. I've only been spit up on a couple times =)

A little blurry, but look how cute
I am at the doctors - no wonder the
nurses love me!

Oh, so last post I mentioned that we had started putting Ethan down in his crib for naps which was exciting since he'd never laid flat before (we always held him during naps or put him in his car seat). Well, my little man is doing awesome and we have definitely established a naptime routine. After we're done feeding, Ethan gets to swing while mommy pumps, then we change his diaper, read a book, swaddle, rock for a couple minutes and he goes straight down. He'll nap for usually 45 minutes-1 hour (and by that time I have to wake him up for the next feeding). Next thing to conquer is transitioning him out of his car seat at night. Honestly, he'd probably do just fine right now if I would try it - I just need to pull the trigger!


We are going back to the doctor Monday for another weight check - we will continue to go every week until we've reached our 'goal' - which is for Ethan to be on the growth charts and to be at the weight he should be for his age. I feel like I have nothing else to write about except him eating - haha! But, that's our sole focus and we're so proud of our little guy!

Weight Check!

We saw another positive gain at the doctor's appointment today. He gained six ounces in six days and is up to 7 lbs. 9 oz. The doctor is encouraged by his growth as he's keeping with the normal standard of one ounce per day. She wants me to keep the increased feeding schedule for one more week before we make any changes. We'll go back next Wednesday, check his weight, and then see if we can slowly get back down to the average six feedings a day. As you can see in the picture on the right, this is the closest he has to 'fat rolls'!! He's trying!!

I think I mentioned before how we can tell a major difference in Ethan's demeanor now that he's full =) I've actually been able to put him down for solid naps and get stuff done around the house, shower, etc. Before, anytime he would fall asleep for a 'nap' (15-20 min) it would either be in my arms or maybe in his swing. Now that we're able to put him down successfully, we are trying to transition him from his car seat in the crib to just laying flat in the crib (you know, like a normal baby)! Today was a HUGE SUCCESS!! After I fed him, we played for a bit, got him swaddled, rocked him, and put him down in the crib flat. And he took an hour long nap that I actually had to wake him from for the next feeding. The best part? I actually took a nap too!! =) We are still letting him sleep in his car seat at night - we have to start off slow and we will work our way up!

Weather permitting, we are going to take Ethan to his first IU football game on Saturday! He's been tailgating and now has graduated to an actual game! It's supposed to be sunny and 64 - and it's a big game for the Hoosiers so we are very excited! He also gets to play with Uncle Jeffrey, Aunt Kristen, and cousin Jayden who will be in town too!

Operation Gain Weight!

Ethan has one goal and one goal only: gain weight!! We had a doctors appointment Friday where we learned that he only gained three ounces in the last month. This was definitely surprising considering we had been noticing Ethan's cheeks and tummy filling out. At this age, babies are supposed to gain approximately one ounce a day - going by this standard, Ethan should be 9 lbs. Friday, he weighed in at 6 lbs. 10 oz. After a long consultation as to why he might not be gaining weight, the end result was this: plump this guy up as quickly as possible! The doctors put me on a strict feeding/pumping schedule that would (hopefully) result in 8-10 feedings a day. I had been doing six feedings a day with him eating every 2 1/2-3 hours so I've definitely had to step it up. In the couple days I've been doing this increased schedule, I've only made it to 7 feedings because, well, I'm exhausted! However, we got GREAT news during his check-up on Wednesday. In five days, he gained nine ounces and is now up to 7 lbs. 3 oz! They were so encouraged by this jump and Ethan seems to be responding so well with the increased amount of food! This poor boy was just hungry!! His whole demeanor has changed now that he has a full belly. Before, he was so fussy in between feedings and would fall asleep for a "nap" 20 minutes before it was time to eat again. Just in the short time I've been feeding him more often, he is so much more content, happy, and satisfied. I've been able to actually put him down for a nap in his crib - hallelujah! It's amazing what you can get done when you don't have a baby attached to you! =)

During his appointment on Wednesday, he also got his two-month shots. They administered one orally and three through a shot in his thigh. Poor little man doesn't have any meat on his bones so they had to use special tiny needles (and she still stuck a vein and blood was everywhere...eekkk)! Ethan did great - cried really hard when they stuck him, but stopped the minute she was done. He held me finger the whole time and just looked at me like, "what are they doing mommy?? HELP ME!!" Naturally, I had a couple tears stream down my face - I just hate hearing him so upset. But, I picked him right up and cuddled him in his favorite blanket and he was happy again. He was asleep before we even left the parking lot!

Starting with the two-month appointment, the doctor will tell you where your child ranks height/weight wise compared to other children of the same age. Most moms brag that they child is in the 90th percentile in height or 75th percentile in weight, etc. Ethan? He's ranked in the third percentile in both categories! Hahahaha. We've got some major catching up to do - but again, we saw lots of positives come out of the increased feeding schedule and we are moving in the right direction! We go in for a weight check on Tuesday - keep your fingers crossed for another big gain!