2 months old!

On Valentine's Day, Owen turned 2 months old!  I've been annoyed that the 14th doesn't fall on a Friday every month, because I don't always know how to answer the question, "How old is he?"  We had been going by the weeks, but then suddenly he was 8 weeks old, but it wasn't the 14th.  Stupid calendar.  So, now I just add an "About" before I answer.  About 8 weeks.  About 9 weeks.

But anyway here is his 2 month old picture. :)

The little stud was all dressed up in honor of his "b-day" and also for Valentine's.  The three of us went out to breakfast for the best pancakes ever and then had pizza for dinner.  Minus the cheese for me.

Hasn't he grown a ton since last month?

  

Ok, I guess you can't really tell from those particular pictures....but trust me, he has. :)  And look at those chunky little thighs! :)

~M, S, and O~

Got milk? Nope.

We've made a pretty major change in the Kendall household over the last week or so.  We've cut any and all dairy out of our diets (for the most part anyway).  Our choice to embark on this journey is 100% blamed on this guy:

Who me?

Over the past couple of weeks, Owen's sweet/happy little baby disposition had transformed into a fussy-I'm never happy-waaaawaaawaaawaaaa-you'll never make me happy sort.  His stomach would bloat way up, which had to make him uncomfortable, which led to non stop fussing.  Or we would feed him and he would be unhappy.  We would hold him and he would be unhappy.  He would lay down for kicking time and be unhappy.  He also had a slight rash/skin irritant, lots of dry skin, and he was spitting up more often.  (Disclaimer...I know babies spit up...but Owen doesn't really.  Spitting up for him is having a small amount of milky drool come out of his mouth after a feeding, like once a day.  And suddenly he was spitting up more than that many times a day)  After doing some research, I found that all his symptoms could be pointing to a possible dairy allergy.  And since he's on a 100% breast milk diet, he was getting the dairy proteins through me.  And the only way to help him out was to cut all dairy out of my diet.  Since we had a doctor appointment scheduled for 2 weeks later, I figured it couldn't hurt to cut dairy out, just to see if it made a difference in the little man.

And, no joke, within a day we could see a difference.  Mostly with Owen's belly not being bloated anymore and also his fussiness level went way down.  It can take up to 10 days for dairy protein to completely leave your system, so it will be a work in progress, but he honestly seems more like his old happy self.  About 5 days in I had a little bit of cheese for lunch one day (part of me thought maybe I was being crazy about the dairy), and just like that his stomach bloated up and he was Captain Fussy Pants that afternoon. (Gas drops also help a little bit when his belly gets hard) His doctor appointment is this coming Monday, so we'll talk to the doctor more about it then.  But until that time, I figure it is 150% worth it to cut dairy out of my daily food, if it makes Owen feel better.

Other than that, we haven't been up to too much around here.  Matt goes back to work next week and I have just under a month left of Maternity leave (boooo to that).  So, we're just trying to get in as much family time as possible....which pretty much means we've been stuffing our faces all around Madison.

***Congrats to my buddy Briana on her daughter, Isabel, who was born on the 8th!  Owen can't wait to try out his smooth baby moves on her! :)***

Here are some photos of the little man from the past week or so, since I'm sure that's why most of you check in with the blog anyway :)

Testing out the Baby Bjorn...took us about 10 minutes to figure out how to work it.

Napping with daddy...drinking half a bottle is hard work.

Ty Cobb and Suzie LOVE me :)

What's up ladies?  (I'm talking to you Isabel :)  )

Future Badger :)

Helping mommy with the laundry...such a good sorter.

Pound it.

Happy Valentine's Day!  The three of us went out for breakfast and then had pizza for dinner, like Matt and I have done every year for the past 10 years....only mine was without cheese.  Pizza without cheese sucks.

~M, S, and O~

***Weekly words of wisdom:  Guest wisdom from a friend..."How can Steph go dairy free if she's feeding the baby breast milk?"***

Handsome McSmiley

About two weeks ago, Little Mr. Owen graduated to his next baby milestone....smiling at Matt and I. :)  And can I just say, if I could have possibly melted anymore, I would be a puddle of liquid goo right now.  Matt too, though he'll hate me for sharing that.  :)

A day or so before, Owen had started smiling at his initial (O X K) blocks on the wall next to the changing table.  Yup, we were superseded by homemade art.  Matt got his little gummy grin to show first, by shaking his head really fast back forth and saying "OwenOwenOwenOwenOwen."  While Matt nursed his headache from doing that 56 times, I got Owen to smile at me by make my hand look like it was monster, while making "RaarRaarRaarRaar" sounds (in a baby friendly way) and then "Boop"ing him on the nose.  Yup, he really makes me work for it.

Capturing it on camera proved to be quite the challenge.  Here's the best one we got.

Hahaha just kidding. :)

Haha, that last one cracks me up. :)

We've also been working on getting Big O on some sort of a schedule during the day.  We're loosely following the Baby Wise Plan, which is "training" your baby to sleep on a schedule during the day that will help them sleep throughout the night.  The sample plan I found online wants you to put your baby on a three hour schedule.  Meaning that every three hours you do the following:

Wake up baby

Diaper Change baby

Feed baby

Lay down baby (or we call it "doing some kicking" because Owen loves to lay down on his play mat and kick up a storm)

Nap (about 90 minutes)

Repeat

The 90 minute nap doesn't ever really happen.  He either naps for about 45 minutes or 3 hours, there isn't a whole lot of middle ground.  But, otherwise we follow this the best we can depending on Owen's mood and also if we're at home or out and about.  And so far it's going well.  We've been doing it for about a week now and I think he's been sleeping better at night.  We usually put him to bed around 8pm (after feeding him) and then he sleeps until 12:30-1:00am, then its a diaper change and feeding.  Then another change and feeding around 4:00am.  Then he's usually ready to start the day around 6:45 or 7:00am.  When I'm up with him during the night, it's normally only for about 20-30 minutes too, so I'm not too exhausted during the day.  And he slept for his longest stretches ever, 6-7 hours three times thi last week!  :)

According to the baby books, this week Owen should also have been able to grab on to an object, when we handed it to him.  So we tried it and low and behold he grabbed the baby key set we offered him.  As long as we put it up to his hand, he'll grab on and then start shaking it.  Pretty amazing, huh? :)  I can remember my brother marveling at my niece doing this and Matt and I not being too impressed.  To which RJ replied, "Just wait until your own baby does it."  And yes, I can now agree, it is a momentous event. :)

We also finally found and signed Owen up for his temporary daycare.  We've had his permanent daycare set up for months, but he can't start until June 1st.  So, we needed to find a place for him from mid March (when I go back to work) until June.  We toured a center in town a couple weeks ago and thankfully they had room and it seeed like an amazing place.  He'll be one of three little babies, with a couple under 2 year old kids in there with him too. (All the kids are divided up by age, into different rooms).  Having found and nailed this place down has been such a relief.  I was getting worried that I would have to strap on the Baby Bjorn and bring him to work with me....hmmm now there's an idea. :)

~M, S, and Big O~

***Weekly words of wisdom: I wish I would have listened to advice from friends that Owen would only need 5 or 6 newborn outfits/pajama sets.  I went crazy and bought a ton (granted a lot were from garage sales) and he ended up wearing the same 4 or 5 pajamas the entire first 3 weeks or so....and then he had grown out of all his newborn clothes.  And it's soooo much easier to just dress him in cute little pj's instead of an actual outfit (though I do pull out the outfits a couple times a week).  Having to take pants on and off everytime he needs to be changed is a pain in the buttocks.  A couple cute pajamas and you'll be set.***

Newborn Photo Shoot

On New Year's Day Matt and I brought Owen to my friend Heather's house for his newborn photo shoot (He was 18 days old).  To say Owen pooped and/or peed on everything she owns would be an understatement, but she did manage to get some great shots of him, though he did everything in his power to prevent it (or so it seemed).  First he pooped all over a prop blanket and down the front of my shirt.  Then he peed on the next blanket.  Mix in a couple more pooping sprees and also that he wouldn't stay asleep, well we had an interesting afternoon.  However, Heather took it all in stride and was so patient with our little trouble maker. :)  Check out her amazing photos below.

***Warning....You are about to be bombarded with baby photos.  Set aside a good thirty minutes to enjoy them all.***

Sexy baby daddy raarrr :)

Crabby face and monster claws

A jaunty little gentleman :)

Baby Bell Blues

Quick lunch break, hoping to get the munchkin back to sleep

Success!

Ummm, is my baby Megamind?  Seriously, look at the size of that melon!

Future first word....Encyclopedia. :)

Aaaand we're awake again.

It looks like he's shouting...

...but he's just tired from all the hard work looking cute can be. :)

I didn't include my favorite picture, but you should see it very soon...

Also, I have to give my good buddy another shout out...Seriously, check out Heather's website to see more of her amazing photographs:  Heather Tyler Photography.

~Matt, Steph, and Owen~

Favorite Baby Items: 1 month in

It's funny that I'm going to write this post now, because Owen seems to be developing his own favorite things  list.  And he's only a week into his second month. (Ahhhh how is he 5 weeks old already?!).  I'll let him tell you all about those items next month. :)  But let's get this party started.

Top Ten(ish) Favorite Baby Items: The first month

1.  Far and away the most useful and valuable baby item may surprise/gross some of you out.  In the words of Micheal Scott, "To be delicate, they hang off me lady's chest."  Yup the boobs.  Breast feeding has been a blessing and a slight annoyance all at once, but the blessing side of it will always win.  I was sososososo happy that breastfeeding came easy to Owen and myself, especially after he was on formula for a couple days in the hospital.  But he made the transition to 100% breast milk without batting an eye.  He's also completely comfortable switching between boob and bottle for his one or two daily bottles.  The only complaint I have is having to pump a couple times a day...and I'm only complaining because the 15 minute sessions feel like they take 45.  Wow, my life is pretty rough, huh?
           1B.  Medela Breast Pump Though pumping annoys me, it would not be possible without my pump.  A friend of mine recently had to manually pump for the first few days after her baby was born...hearing that made me so thankful for my electric pump.  Matt and I actually stopped on the way home from the hospital to pick this bad boy up.  I had thought I could go without it for a while, but I definitely needed it as soon as we left the hospital.

2.  Dr. Boudreaux's Butt Paste  This. stuff. is. amazing!  Seriously, I am in love with it.  I had originally bought the all natural version, but ended up liking the original "recipe" better (much less sticky).  We slather it on after every diaper change and Owen's cute little butt has stayed diaper rash free. (We did have a tiny bit of diaper rash in his 3rd week, but it cleared up within a day after switching to the original paste). Love. It!

3.  Pamper's Swaddlers Diapers  The hospital used Pampers brand and though we had bought a box of Huggies Newborn Diapers at home, we very quickly went out and bought more Pampers.  I don't know if it was a little boy thing or what, but every single Huggies diaper leaked all over Owen.  Every single one.  And only a couple of the MANY Pampers we've used have leaked (and that was only because a certain something wasn't pointing down).
          3B.  Pamper's Sensitive Wipes We also had these at our disposal in the hospital and loved them.  We had some Target brand and Huggies wipes already at home, but quickly switched back to these once the other ones were gone.

4.  Dr. Brown's Bottles  (Glass bottles)  Though we only use one of these once or twice a day so far, I am loving these bottles.  Owen hasn't had a problem with excessive gas or problems with burping/farting, but he does have a problem with eating too quickly and then choking.  And these bottles have helped him slow things down a bit.  And the glass cleans up nicely too.  Once we need more than two bottles I'm going to pick up a few of the plastic versions for daycare.

5.  Our Nursery Glider  Yes this came from Walmart.  However, I 100% believe that if you didn't know that, you would never guess it.  And I use this bad boy several times a night, every night.  During the day not so much (I usually just nurse Owen in the living room on the couch) but at night it is wonderful to have.  More than once Owen and I have nodded off in it for a little mid night snooze.  Not so much on purpose,  more so because I'm exhausted....but it is very comfortable and well made.

6.  Nook Which I realize should be spelled NUK, but I like the look of Nook better.  Matt insisted this be on the list.  My original plan had been not to introduce the nook until at least 5 weeks, but the nurses in the NICU popped one into Owen's mouth on day one, so I figured there was no going back.  Thankfully he doesn't want it all the time, just sometimes.  Matt likes to use it a little more than I do, but whatever keeps Big O happy works for me.

7.  Burt's Bee Baby Bee Shampoo & Wash  I love love love the smell of this stuff.  We also use the baby moisturizer.  It makes the little man's skin extra soft and smellin' extra good.

8.  Nursing bras and nursing tank tops.  So helpful.  I got all of mine at Target and highly recommend them.  They seemed a little expensive at first, but I wear them every day, so I'm definitely getting my money's worth.  Like a few of the reviews say, make sure you buy a size up for the around size (if you're normally a 34 A/B/C/D/DD, buy a 36 size or two bigger than normal.)

9.  Long Sleeve Side Snap Baby Tees  These were wonderful during the first two weeks before the umbilical cord fell off.  They have the little fold over mittens too.  They were also an easy first step towards learning how to dress a squirming baby.

10.  Halo Swaddling Sleep Sack  This little number was invaluable in the hospital and once we got home during the first few weeks.  The fleece material not only kept Baby O warm at night, but we could also swaddle him up like a little burrito before going to sleep.  It has Velcro on one side of the swaddle "wings" so  it's very foolproof for keeping him wrapped up tight.

So, those are our top ten baby items for the first month.  Any items we didn't list that you couldn't live without?  Any items you think I should have had on my list?

~M, S, and O

1 month old!

Holy cats....how is our little peanut already 1 month old?

So, I realize the "1 month" sticker is supposed to be worn by the cute baby above, but we didn't have any white onsies.  Also, I thought the Hawaii onsie was a good nod towards a big moment 1 year ago.  Last January Matt and I were in Hawaii for our friends' wedding and it was on that vacation that we decided that we were ready to start trying to have a baby.  Low and behold, Owen is now in our lives. :)

The past four weeks have flown by...and I'm already having anxiety about going back to work in 8 weeks.  How do you leave your little boy (or girl) with an almost stranger for 9+ hours a day????!!!!!  I interviewed a possible daycare lady last week (we still need someone for  mid March to June 1st) and even though she was super nice, I left the place almost in tears.  I just can't imagine not being around him all day every day...and it's only been a month.  So in true Steph fashion, I drove my hyperventilating butt straight to Starbucks for a delicious coffee drink to make myself feel better.

Ok, moving on.  Owen and I made a solo (aka minus daddy) trip down to Chicago last weekend for a bridesmaid dress fitting (for mommy).  My best buddy is getting married this fall, so it was a fun day for all the bridesmaids to get together for the dress fitting and lunch.  The drive there and back went pretty well, though we made to make a poopy pants/screaming baby pit stop on the way home.  Nothing says class like feeding your screaming baby in a McDonalds.

Our friend's Judd and Allison welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world last week, so the three of us headed out for a visit.  Matt and Judd have been friends their entire lives...so crazy to think they're both dads now. :)

It's been exciting to watch Owen's personality begin to come out.  He seems to be kind of a goof ball and is definitly a very active kicker.  When he lays on a blanket or his floor mat, he will kick his right leg over and over again, which makes me think that's what he was doing in my belly too. :)  He's awake a lot more now during the day, so it's been fun to watch him watch the world around himself and start to take everything in. One more cute shot of my favorite little fella. :)

~M, S, and Big O~

***Stay tuned for a post about my favorite baby items so far, later on this week.***

Weary Traveller

This last weekend Matt and I attempted the unthinkable (to us anyway)....making the 4 hour trip to visit our Minnesota family with a newborn.  Owen was the victim in this endeavor.  His words, not mine, though I must say I agreed with him by the time we finally got to our final destination.  We planned to stop at our normal half way point for a quick diaper change and boob feeding, which actually worked out well.  Owen slept the entire first half of the trip, then screamed bloody murder in the bathroom as I changed his diaper.  Luckily he went right back to sleep as we got back on the road, but his happiness didn't quite stretch to the end of our journey.  About 20 minutes out he started fussing/shrieking for his car seat prison to be over.  Heading home was about the same.  All in all, a wonderful trip to see some family, but probably a little too soon for a three week old to be trapped in a car for that long.

Before heading to Minnesota, Owen had his three week doctor appointment;  he's up one pound from his birth weight and has grown an inch.  According to the "percentiles", he's tall and skinny for his age, with sort of a big head. :)  He's already grown out of most of his newborn clothes and is long enough for a lot of his 3 month clothes, but not quite big enough to fill them out yet.  He's growing up so fast already!

We've been working on tummy time and floor time with Owen too.  He's been able to move his head on his own since birth, so he does really well with tummy time, until he gets mad and wants to be flipped over so he can see more.  Floor time is also good for the puppies to continue to get used to their new little brother.  Ty Cobb is in constant older brother mode, always wanting to protect Owen and running over to him whenever he starts fussing and supervising every diaper change to make sure the baby is ok.  Suzie is slowly calming down about our new addition, but still gets a little excited whenever she's allowed to get close to him.

"Just play with me already!"

  No week would be complete without bath time, which Owen surprisingly seems to like, though he hates being naked for the second it takes to have his clothes and diaper changed most of the time. :)

And of course we have to make time to work out during the day.  Kettle bell workouts are a must for a newborn.

We also had Owen's newborn pictures taken this week, by my good friend Heather of Heather Tyler Photography.  (She also did our maternity photos)  Stay tuned for a post with some of those photos. :)

~Matt, Steph, and Owen~