Coming home, meeting family, and feet : the first 3 weeks

 

 I am realizing I have not been nearly as good a photographer this time around (3rd child syndrome?), so I apologize that I am missing a lot of pictures of grandparents holding Cooper!  I am hoping they have some on their own cameras and I can get them sometime.  Anyyyyywayyy, Cooper had lots of family and friends come to meet him in the hospital and once we were home and it has been so fun sharing our miracle with everyone! Babies are so amazing.  As you can see from the pictures, his two big brothers absolutely ADORE him.  Adore.  They are always seeking to kiss, eskimo kiss, hug, and hold him.

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Cooper is growing like a weed!  At his 2 week appointment he was 9 lb 4 oz and 22 inches.  Big boy!  The doctor said "well, this isn't your first rodeo... he looks great, just keep doing whatever you're doing!" It is nice having a vote of confidence from your pediatrician :) 

He is such a sweet baby and sleeping well, minus the first night when my milk came in and caused him tummy issues.  He is by far the best napping baby I've had (wahoo!) and his nights are pretty good too (he is doing a 4-5 hour stretch currently).  He really, really likes his crib and does NOT like the swing we have (aaaaahhhh).  I just borrowed a swing from a friend to see if its just our swing or swings in general.  Luckily, since he is a great napper, the lack of a swing option isn't too bad.  He tolerates the car seat pretty well - you just have to keep driving.  He is a great nurser and eats every 3 hours during the day.  He has a fussy period in the evenings, but he is asleep for the night sometime around 9.  We've discovered gripe water is a great tool during his 'witching hour' - when he starts to fuss we put just a drop on his tongue and it distracts/calms him/helps him grab his pacifier to soothe.  I am so glad I've got a sweet hubby who comes home and teams up with me in the evenings!  Newborns are sweet but very tiring :)

Cooper also finally had his first bath after his umbilical cord stump fell off... he disliked the washing of his neck/ears, enjoyed the water, and disliked being taken out of it :)  He tolerates the washing now but still hates when I get him out!

Feet... some may remember my post about discovering Cooper would have a birth defect of his right foot.  Two ultrasounds seemed to confirm a clubfoot and I read everrrrrrything about clubfeet, researched our nearest pediatric orthopedists that would be the ones to treat him, and even talked to a specialist in Memphis about it.  The doctor in Memphis, Dr. Kelly, was the nicest man.  I called and asked his secretary for a referral for a doctor in Nashville and she went and asked him... then goes, "wait a second, he wants to talk to you!"  I was completely surprised that this pediatric orthopedist was taking a moment out of his day to talk to a perfect stranger 2.5 hours away from him.  He was so kind and encouraging.  At the end of our conversation he said, "and I have to tell you... just because two ultrasounds showed it, there is still about a 20% chance his foot will be fine".  Well,.. lets just say I didn't hang any hope on that.  Matt, on the other hand, was always reminding me "maybe his foot will be fine, you dont know!"  (yeah, right, ok honey... :) ).  Well, you can guess where this is going... Cooper was born and we look at his feet and... look at his feet... and... they look fine??  I got an "I told you so" from Matt.  hehe  I probably asked every attending nurse in the room that night for their personal opinion (his right foot - the one in question- looked perfect, his left looked a little smooshed - which, turns out was just from how he was crammed in my right ribs) and then obviously made sure the pediatrician who checked him out int he morning knew our story and could professional confirm what we already knew: his feet were just fine.  I'm not sure if I have words to explain how this whole experience has made me feel... but suffice it to say, I've been humbled in more ways than one.  Lots of humility, gratitude, and even a little guilt.  Never before have I been so aware of sweet little feet!   I love to touch them, rub them, kiss on them :)  What a journey and what a miracle.

I finally made my first trip to the store (Walmart) with all three children in tow: all three boys behaved perfectly and it was a great first experience!  Whew!  Besides the doc, two trips to a store, and trips to grandparents' homes, we've been major homebodies so far.  This is mostly because I am avoiding sickness... bah!  At his 2 wk checkup I asked the doctor, "my previous ped recommended keeping them home from crowds until 6 wks, is that what you recommend?" to which he replied, "uh, can I tell you to stay home until April?? (hahahah)"  It is a really sick year and RSV is on the rise currently, so we're trying to be really cautious.  Although 6 weeks seems like forever, we're already at 3 and coasting along, so I'm sure we'll make it through our cabin fever stage!  In the meanwhile, I'll be taking us out in small doses to keep sane - followed by hand washing, sanitizer, and maybe even clothes changing (what my pediatrician told me to do!).

So, how am I feeling?  So good.  Tired at times, yes... busy, you betcha... but my moments of gratitude and abundant joy overwhelmingly outnumber the moments of feeling overwhelmed.
I think this picture sums it up - and the best caption I could think for how it makes me feel is, "my cup runneth over!"  Life is so good.