Geocaching

This morning, after everyone was fed, bathed, and dressed, we went for a walk to Clayton Park to do our first family geocache. I have never done it before but I can see how it could be addicting! Kai was pumped to go on a treasure hunt. Koen does SO well in the bjorn. Seriously, within 5 minutes now, he is asleep. Love it. Wish I could take pics of it but with both of our hands full, its getting harder!

(Please note that I found an old pair of my jeans that are low rise and therefore fit fabulously..woohoo!!!!)

I find it easier to do stuff with Kai if I just carry Koen around with me. I don't know how long my back will allow me to do it, but I can't just leave Koen crying as he is so comforted just being held. Gary does not mind the sound of a crying baby, I am the complete opposite.

(I'm thinking the boys look quite different. Kai was chubbier/rounder and darker...)

Then, my friend Terri, Steve and their son Noah came by for a visit and met Koen. I think Noah and Kai could be good buddies, especially if they appreciate each others toys:) Last night, Sam, Torie and Bennett stopped by and Kai was pumped to play with Bennett too. Seems like everyone likes Kai's trucks and power tools.

Now, Gary has taken Kai to Costco. I didn't realize that we didn't have any eggs left so I have a double batch of double chocolate chip cookies ready to go, I just need 4 more eggs..hopefully they get home soon!

This afternoon I went for a walk by myself to the liquor store to get some beer for the Superbowl tomorrow...I think I'll have one and I think its okay? May have to google it. All together I walked 5km today no problem, I love being outside!!!

The BioGaia drops won't be in until Monday...I hope they do the trick! Our laid back baby just has some serious gas pain. I know it will pass (pun intended) but its just hard seeing him in pain in the meantime.

When I told Kai he was going to be 2.5 next week, he just said `No, I'm two. I don't want the half'. That is how he talks all the time now. What a punk.

I just love having Gary home because we can each take care of a kid AND I can run out of the house whenever I want. Yay for weekends! Yay for spring break! Yay for summer holidays!

I need Gary

*If something doesn't make sense in this post its because I started it on Thursday and finished it Friday*

Gary was gone Wednesday night on a winter camp out in Manning Park. They were able to build snow shelters and weren't too cold in the crazy snowy weather. I have to say that without Gary to take Koen for an hour at night, I was exhausted. Koen likes to be awake from 9pm-1am and it is so tiring, especially since I am unable to nap during the day. Yesterday I kept him up more during the day and it made for a MUCH better sleep.

Koen has a very ridiculous belly button. Apparently it will look normal in a few years? I'm not sure why it's weird, could it have to do with his huge umbilical cord? Kai didn't realize it was a belly button and i'll leave it at that:)

I put him in cute big people clothes yesterday but then decided that a sleeper is easier and better and that's what I'll keep doing for the next few weeks.

Gary's mom did take Kai on Wednesday and boy, life is a lot easier without a toddler! I didn't realize how much talking Kai does. It takes a lot of energy to talk with, change, feed, and entertain a 2.5 year old! I went shopping and it was so easy with just Koen asleep in the car seat!

BREASTFEEDING

I've looked into Koen's tummy troubles and it may have to do with my foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. Basically, he is getting too much of the first milk that is more watery and full of lactose and not enough of the fatty hindmilk. I've been feeding him, then burping and changing him, and then offering him more (from the same breast) so he gets more of the fat to balance out the lactose. If he wants to eat more than once in a 3 hour period, I give him the same breast (that appears empty but isn't I guess!). So far, no puking in 48 hours and he is also way less gassy. I have also cut dairy out so I don't know which one it is due to. I would love to have a bowl of cereal sometime soon!

*after this post, he vomitted. grrrrrr*

SLEEPING

Okay, so once he is asleep for the night, he will wake to feed and then goes back to sleep nicely. This is awesome. Seriously amazing. I know what the alternative is like so I def. appreciate it! During the daytime, its harder to get him to sleep. If I put him in the bjorn, he is asleep in 10 minutes. However, I don't know if I want to have to rely on `props' to get him to sleep as that was what we did for Kai for 4 months. I also don't want to carry a sleeping baby for 2 hours at a time. He is def. way more alert during the day so he isn't just falling asleep anywhere anymore. However, he still really likes sleeping on his belly so maybe I will do that for naps and continue to put him to sleep in his carseat at night. Hopefully in a month or so, I will feel more confident letting him sleep on his belly at night.

2.5 YEAR OLD

Kai is testing me. Wow. He is tiring. And annoying. I love him and am so proud of him but boy, thank goodness this stage won't last forever! For everything I ask, he says he doesn't want it but two seconds later he does. He doesn't want to go anywhere and just wants to stay home. He says he's too tired to go play with Ani and yet when I get him there, he has the best time of his life. I know he's just trying to have some control over what's going on in his life but wow...so exhausting! I am so sick of changing his diapers but the idea of potty training while breastfeeding half of the day worries me a bit. I had planned on starting next week but now I'm thinking that if we waited until the summer, Koen will be on some solids (I won't be breastfeeding all day long) and Gary will be home full time...hmmm...what to do. I'm very happy that he has adjusted to Koen well and treats him nicely. Besides trying to poke him in the eye today, he is very gentle. Unfortunately, taking care of Koen makes it hard for me to play with Kai. We have discovered that playing volleyball or soccer with a balloon works well while I am feeding Koen. Also, we can play hide and seek or march around the house when Koen is in the bjorn.

I am so excited to have Gary back tonight at a decent time AND he is home all weekend! Woohoo! Two more weeks til I attempt to run folks, two more weeks. Oh ya, Koen has smiled while sleeping but yesterday he looked at me and smiled. Awesome. Love the dimples. He is going to have a very cute smile:)

Snuggles

*I added a couple more pics at the bottom*

This guy could just snuggle all day, this is def. his favourite way to sleep.

He went to the doctor today for his one month check up (although he's not a month old til Tuesday) and his weight was 11lbs 4oz and his height is just 21.75 inches. What a shorty...oh boy, I hope he doesn't have my genes for his height! It's so hard not to compare the two boys in regards to temperment and size and milestones etc. I'm really trying not to HOWEVER, Koen is def. smaller than his big bro was. Although, Koen was born a week earlier than his brother and he hasn't really reached the one month mark yet:)

Brag moment here, the doctor said his neck strength was that of a 2 month old:) The doctor also suggested BioGaia drops for his digestive issues. Has anyone used this? Thoughts? It's basically probiotic drops that contain the bacteria that exist in our digestive systems.

Isn't he yummy?

Nap attempt time.

Potty Training Advice?

Next week, Koen will be one month old and Kai will be exactly 2.5 years old. Wowzers! Koen has been in my life for a month already? Time is flying! Koen slept so well last night. I fed him at 4,6 and 8pm (tanking up for those Baby Whisperer types) and then just fed him at 12:30 and 4am! We lay him on his tummy for naps and he gets all his farts out that way, glamorous I know. I have taken milk out of my diet and it may be helping (I love milk and miss my morning cereal). He still naps downstairs in front of the fireplace but I'm thinking I'll move him to his crib soon for his daytime naps. I just like having him in front of me so I can keep my eye on him, rotate him, make sure he hasn't puked etc. However, Kai's wildness is not allowing him to sleep soundly and I don't want Kai to have to be quiet all the time. He does not sleep flat on his back, he sleeps in his car seat, the swing, the bjorn, or on his stomach. He won't sleep on his back probably due to congestion or his tummy problems. I would like him to learn how to so maybe we'll work on that. His cold is just about gone so that should make it easier.

(Kai asked, `Mommy, can I lay down next to the baby?'. I can totally trust him around Koen and even left them unattended to have a shower yesterday! He also said yesterday that he wanted Koen back in my belly. I asked why and he said so that Koen could grow some more.)

It's snowing. I don't care. I know its just for today. I am SO looking forward to spring/summer. I want to wear flip flops, shorts and tank tops. I want to go for walks and runs. I've decided to join a running group in a month or two. That way I am forced to run certain distances and will be able to do it at night with a group. Gary will be done with bball in about 7 weeks so he'll be around to watch the kiddos. Football starts up mid March too. Love it.

(Yup, Kai in spiderman undies. He has asked to wear them several times so we have let him. We are starting the potty training in one week! I am so, so nervous about this. It's just a huge commitment that I don't know i will ever have the energy for. Any tips?)

Today, the RESP lady came by. It's hard to know what to do because for both Gary and I, our parents helped us out a bit but really, we had to pay for almost all of it. As kids in my family, we always had to put away half of our money for university. Regardless, when a new baby is born, my dad gives us some money for an RESP so we put that in and now we also are making little monthly payments towards both boys education. Two seconds before the lady came, Koen puked again. We made it all the way through Monday without an episode. It seems to happen when he eats and then eats again 2 hours later without sleeping. I will figure this guy out:)

(Gary should be the mom. He can nap whenever and wherever he wants. I cannot. Sometimes I can nap for about 20 minutes but otherwise, my mind is always going and doesn't let me sleep! Gary's brothers and dad are the exact same...must be nice!)

Melissa asked if we were done with 2 or gonna go for 3. I always wanted 3 kids but after Koen was born, I said that we were done. Why? I don't know how I would be with 3 hyper boys (assuming the next one was a boy too!) and the first few weeks of recovery/newborn/breastfeeding are so tough. I know its just a few weeks, but ya. Also, getting back to normal will take longer each time. I def. feel like a complete family right now but I do ask Gary every day if we are done or if we should have a third. I know that we have years to decide but in my head, I just want to know if I am going through this newborn stuff for the last time or not. Does that make sense? I like that Gary and I can each take care of a kid and it just seems very manageable. We will see....won't be selling my baby stuff yet:)

Now, I must attempt a nap!!!

So let the sunshine in...

Face it with a grin, smilers never lose and frowners never win. That song must've been on one of our records growing up:) I love this sun. Beautiful!!!

Check out the cute lil dimple below!

Yesterday I went to Maria's wedding shower and it's just so awesome to think about all the fun that is ahead for her and Mark as the embark on this wonderful journey of marriage! I had Koen with me and he decided to vomit up his entire feed from 2 hours before. Gross. He did it again last night. He's such a content guy but he def. has a lot of stomach pains/gas as most babies do. I actually got a little teary eyed with him last night because of his vomitting. I just feel bad for him and his lil belly pain. His next dr. appt is on Wed so we'll see if he's gaining weight appropriately etc. I feel like he is growing but we will see what the scale says. I wish there was more to do for their gas pain but I know this stage will pass. After my C-section, I had incredibly painful gas so I can relate:)

Yesterday we took a family walk to Extra Foods and I had Koen in the baby bjorn which he liked. I just love getting outside and hope the weather stays sunny and maybe gets a little warmer??

(This guy def. looks like Kai but has a narrower head than him. It will be interesting to see what he looks like as he gets older! I wonder if a girl would've looked like Kai too?)

This morning in church, the worship pastor was praying and Kai had his hands folded and eyes squeezed shut but he whispered to me `Mommy, I'm done praying' and then he yelled out, twice, `AMEN!!! AMEN!!'. People all around us were giggling. I guess it was a long prayer:) He LOVES sunday school and I love that he loves it. They have story time, snack, colouring and singing. On the way to church he said,`My name isn't Kai anymore. It's Ani. I start with an `A' now'.

I just came back from the community sports class that we have Kai signed up for. Basically its six 2.5 year olds running around collecting balls and running into walls. Kai spent most of his time shooting balls into the bball hoop and I have to say, he's not bad:) The one thing that is concerning is that if there is another boy that misbehaves, Kai will copy their behaviour. He did it at the park yesterday (throwing bark mulch around) and at the gym today.

I had a chance to go clothes shopping again today...yup, 3 weeks is still too early to buy clothes. I don't like this stage. Wear maternity clothes? Buy clothes a size too big? Try to squish into your regular clothes? So awkward. Okay, I've got one hour before the next feed...time to relax!

We went shopping!

(Looking like a little old man. He slept in 2 four hour chunks last night!!! Woohoo, I feel so alive. We bought some Ovul type stuff for the gas and it worked within minutes).

It was so nice to get out of the house today. The reason I was hesitant to do so is because I'm not supposed to be lifting Kai at all. I have to lift him in and out of his car seat and into a cart if we are using one. I used the sit and stand stroller and it worked wonderfully with the two of them and maneuvered so well. We went to Extra Foods, Walmart AND visited work. I love my job and the staff there are not just colleagues, but friends. I love that Gary and I work at the same place, not only do we truly understand eachothers days but he can keep me up to date while I'm on mat leave:)

Kai has been a great brother. Not overly interested but very protective. He also asks if he can do things before doing them. Example; asking if he can lay his head down next to the baby's. He loves to put lotion on the baby and really wants to help out with everything. He shares his beloved Bubi with Koen and whenever Koen cries, Kai says `I think he needs more milk!'.

The one challenge with Kai has been his attitude towards doing what we say. I know he is adjusting to having a baby brother and recovering from a long sickness but he is driving Gary and I nuts. I think the greatest challenge for me is him always saying he doesn't want to do anything. If I say, `Let's go for a walk!'. He acts like he's dying...`I'm too sick. I'm too tired. Little boys don't need to go on walks' etc. Once we go and do the activity, he loves it and doesn't want to stop, but to actually get him out and going is tough. Physically, I don't want to push it by picking him up etc. Also, I'm not sure that time outs are working with him. He is in time out 2-3 times per day at least. He doesn't mind going to time out either. I'm not sure what privileges we can take away. TV? Snack?

(Looking up at the teddy bears on his swing)

I think that once Kai wakes up we'll go for a walk because the sunshine is out folks! Yippee!

The Chapman Household

So...my perfect, easy baby has decided that I am healthy enough to start making me work a little harder:) Maybe now that I stopped my cough medicine, he isn't as dozy. He is having WAY longer periods of awake time (yesterday from 5-11pm I believe?) but he did have a great night sleep only waking to feed at 2:30 and 6:30am!!! The major problem is that he is either:

a. Not going to sleep in a 3 hour cycle

b. Waking after one hour wanting to eat and not being comforted by anything but milk. He can't keep a soother in his mouth and I have no experience with a soother, will he learn how to use it? If we hold it in his mouth, we can hold him off for an hour or so.
I tried him in a sling today but all he wanted was milk. I don't want him to be a snacker eating all day long. Maybe this is a growth spurt? I don't know. Every kid is so different and when you think you've got them figured out, they change. I still think its weird that once a day (usually around 9pm when he's been up too long), he will vomit up his entire feed. Oh ya, his jaundice is totally gone and the nurse and doctor kept commenting on how strong he is.

Let's see...what's up with Kai? Yesterday he asked to hold his baby brother again so that was nice. He is very gentle with him and I'm no longer concerned that he will do something to hurt Koen. The other night I was checking on him in bed and he said` Can you get daddy? I wanna tell him sumpin (something)'. I said `What do you want to tell him?' and he said, `I wanna tell him that I wuv him'. Aw. So yesterday when he pulled on my leg and said `Mommy, I wanna tell you sumpin' I got excited for the sweet words that would come out of his mouth. Instead, I got `I wanna watch tv mommy'. Kai LOVES fixing things and gets his screwdriver and pliers out for everything. He also loves playing hide and seek although doesn't quite have it all down. If you say `I wonder where Kai is?', he will shout out `here I am!!!'...not the best hider. He loves playing any sport and I love that he isn't deterred by missing the net or the ball, dependent on the sport. He's still a little `off' from being sick for so long and I'm not used to his new eating habits. It's so strange that he isn't eating very much as he is usually such a pig.

Gary is completely immersed in basketball now and fortunately most games are at 8pm which means he can come home from 4:30-6:30pm each night. I saw my surgeon yesterday and she said my incision looks awesome and that I'm a great healer. Yay! She says I have to remember to take it easy but its hard when you have a 35lb 2.5 year old that needs to be changed, put in a car seat etc. Exercise wise I'm only allowed to walk and I can also start lifting some free weights too so that's where I'm at. I had bought a bridesmaid dress 3 days before having Koen so I couldn't try it on but I tried it on the other day and it fits so that is good!!! Wow, our lives our so boring right now but I don't think I could handle anything on top of the regular day to day at this point:)

(I just cropped it so you can see Kai's big hazel eyes)

Finally, breastfeeding. I am not one of those people that loves it. I think its cool that you can completely nourish a child for 6 months on milk alone. I think its great that its portable, cheap and very nutritious. However, I like my body to myself. Yup, I'm selfish. I was able to do it for 10 months with Kai. Not sure how we'll do this time around....I'll for sure do 6 months and I'd like to go all the way to 10 again but we will see. There's just something about being up at 2am, feeding a baby for half an hour, having them vomit it all up, while your husband is snoring and enjoying a wonderful 8 hour sleep.

Just me and Koen

Today I dropped Kai off at gramma's house for a sleepover. I have 24 hours with just one kid!! Freedom! I took Koen shopping and then we went for a walk. Koen is still an easy kid and is having a lot more awake time during the day. His transition from awake time to sleeping is not going as well (during the day) as he is so gassy but still, not a lot of crying going on! I'm trying to not let him cry because then he starts coughing (his cold) and then about once a day he vomits up his entire feed. Sleeping with this guy beside me is stressful. His night time breathing is the worst (due to his cold) and I keep worrying he's going to choke on his mucus or something. Gary passes out in 2 seconds and hears nothing:) We see the doctor again tomorrow to make sure his jaundice is okay and I'm going to get him to check his lungs again. Again, I cannot believe how easy he is. I'm sort of grieving Kai's newborn stage in the sense that it was so tough and I was miserable with his neediness. I guess that by experiencing his high needs, I can appreciate Koen's easy going nature so much more.

(I think we need to get him some new sunglasses...Gary thinks these ones are ridiculous. They just make me giggle).

So, the transition to two has been way easier than I thought. The main problem has been that everyone has been sick. Therefore, Kai has been WAY more irritable than normal. He still isn't really eating or drinking enough but he does play like he used to so that is good. I feel really good, just congested and coughing still. Gary's good too. Getting the kids dressed and fed in the morning is way easier than I thought it would be. Even getting out of the house, way easier than I thought! Yippee!!! Last night while feeding Koen I was thinking about hiking and camping with these 2 boys and I'm SO looking forward to it (in 2 years from now!!!):) I will be starting potty training with Kai on Feb. 3rd when he is exactly 2.5 years old. He asked to wear underwear for an hour the other day and did fine with it. I know he is more than ready and changing his diapers seems a little ridiculous at this stage. We signed Kai up for a sports class through the community center and yesterday was his first day. They sort of played soccer...what do you expect from a bunch of 2-3 year olds? Glad he could run around, he LOVED it.

(This guy loves tummy time!)

Thank you to everyone who brought us meals. We have been so blessed...we had food for 2 weeks made for us. Awesome. Gary made a couple meals this weekend so the leftovers should tide us over for a day or two. I'm not feeling in the mood to start cooking yet:)

Okay, this part below is a little weird but I'm really trying to document as much of this as I can because I want to remember all the stuff that happened during this time:)

This is my belly the night before the C-section. I had gained 35lbs all together. You would think that once you deliver a 9.5lb baby and a huge placenta etc that you would lose a lot of weight. NOpe. When i came home from the hospital, i had lost a total of 5lbs. They had pumped me up with lots of fluids I guess and my milk had come in.

Now, this picture was taken exactly 2 weeks post partum so that I can remember/appreciate the transition. I didn't take it because I'm proud of myself of anything, I just think its interesting what your body does. Your uterus increases its volume 1000X so it takes a whole lot of contractions (induced by breastfeeding) to get it back to its normal size. Someone looked at me yesterday and asked me when i was due. Hmmmm. As of this picture, I have 11lbs left to go. If I want to be pre-Kai weight, I've got 18lbs to go. Wow, that sounds like a lot. I can't wait to start some serious exercising! I just want to wear my regular jeans...

I'm so pumped for tonight....`House' season premiere!!! Woohoo!! Gary and I have been snuggling on the couch each night watching tv and he massages my feet. It's so nice to have that downtime together. There is nothing that I love more than a foot massage. Did I tell you that through the last trimester of my pregnancy, every Wed night was foot massage night? It was very, very nice.

Brothers

I feel a whole lot better!! I'm heading out of the house BY MYSELF as soon as Koen falls asleep. Do you know how much you can get done with 2 almost healthy adults in the house? Wowzers.

These guys never really interact as I've been keeping them apart. However, now that Koen is sick anyway AND Kai was game for holding him...here we go!

If you think Koen is jaundiced, he is. However, they are not concerned due to his huge weight gain...they will check him again on Tuesday to make sure he gained more weight.

These guys are going to be great buddies, I know it!

Could be a blondie?! Oh I hope so!!! I love this guy. He is so cute and so easy and we are so happy he is here. I am loving getting my body back to normal, nothing better than dropping 1-2 lbs per day!!! I've got 11 more to go. Now that I'm feeling better, I'm ready to start some serious walking. I'm not supposed to run til 6 weeks so hopefully I can wait that long:)

**Note: One should not attempt to buy new clothes 2 weeks after having a baby. One should wait a little longer and just suck it up in the maternity jeans a bit longer....**

And...

1. Gary is feeling about 75%
2. Kai ate dinner (woohoo!!!! must be better?)
3. My fever and chills are minimal but I am completely congested and feel like passing out (I'm off to bed in 2 seconds)
4. Koen had unbelievable amounts of mucus coming out of his nose today, so thankful he could sneeze it all out! I know its not really what you want to hear about but boy, it is very sad to see your little guy sick. I'm nervous that he may be too tired to wake to feed so I may have to set the alarm clock to actually wake up and make him eat.
5. I need us to be better soon because I can't do this much longer. I wish we could just all go to the hospital and have people take care of us...I would request Dr. Gregory House, although he would make me cry BUT he would make me better:). Maybe an amazing nurse/nanny would be a good option. Not trying to sound selfish but its hard to get better when you are taking care of others. We can do this. We can do this. We can do this. It can't last forever. It can't last forever.

Germfest update

Last night was probably the sickest I've ever been. Feverish, chills, aches, rapid heart rate, trouble breathing....today was a rough day. Koen now has a cold. A 13 day old baby should not have a cold. He had a check up today. He weighs 10lbs 2oz and is 21.5 inches long (that must mean he was much longer than 20 inches when he was born which makes sense since Kai was 22.5 inches long). I'm really hoping to get healthy soon. Poor Kai is on day 3 of not eating or drinking enough and taking tylenol every 4 hours. As long as Koen does not get a fever, we should make it through this okay. Have I mentioned that Koen is a super baby? He just eats and sleeps and poops. Is that what normal babies are like? Kai would take an hour of rocking to calm down and fall alseep...Koen, 2 minutes. Wowzers.

Germfest 2009

Wow. This super virus is insane. We are all (besides Koen) sweating, shaking, coughing, tired etc. Gary had to take Kai to the emergency room at 10pm last night because he had a temp of 103F and wasn't drinking anything etc. They were really good to him there, talking in 2 year old language for him (ex. looking for bananas in his ears etc). They doubled the recommended dose of tylenol and advil. I have heard so many warnings against giving too much so I always give the exact amount. Apparently when you are a 2 year old that weighs 35lbs, you need more:) Fortunately they were back after 1.5 hours. Kai is not himself. He just says he's so tired all day. We tried to go for a walk yesterday and after 5 steps he said he was too tired. That is not our energetic boy. All he had to eat yesterday and today was a popsicle and an applesauce. Gary was able to come home at noon today to take care of Koen (who may be in a growth spurt eating every 2 hours throughout the night and day...TIRING) so that i could nap for 1/2 hour.
Watching Treehouse all day long...

All this guy does is snuggle and sleep and eat and poop. I'm not used to such a cuddle bug! I'm really praying that he does not get sick because this virus is nasty. Tomorrow we are going to the doctor for his first check up...hopefully all looks well!! Well, time to get back into the recliner. I cannot wait to have a healthy household.

Sick

Gary was sweating all night and has been coughing up a storm with cold #2 in 2 weeks. He still went to work today. I am still trying to get over cold #2. Kai is currently lying on the couch with a cough which he's had for 10 days AND a fever of 101F. Koen appears to be getting by okay which is our priority. I have no idea how he's making it through this germfest of a house with us coughing on him all day and night. I'm sick of us being sick. I need summer. My poor little boy. When he said he didn't want any food for breakfast, I knew right away something was wrong. I'm not trying to be a complainy pants, just letting you know what the Chapman household is looking like right now...not pretty.

The Latest

There are no pictures in this post because the idea of taking pictures, uploading and then posting them is just too much for today:) Gary is sick now. Great. Usually he will do a diaper change in the night but I `gave' him the night off. He has a very busy week with bball pretty much every night. I don't know when he'll have a chance to rest up and get better. At least Kai and Koen are pretty much okay...phew!





Yesterday we went to church. It was our first real outing as a family! Kai was wonderful in Sunday school and Koen napped quietly in my arms and then drank the bottle that I had pumped for him. Our pastor (my bro-in-law) had us go to the front to pray for Koen and our family. It was def. a discussion when Kai was born because I grew up with infant baptism and Gary did not. It's not that I wanted the baptism, I just wanted something more official. Something where the congregation and family let their commitment be made known that they would keep us accountable and help us keep our child `on track'. Something where we would publicly profess our desire to raise our son in a Christian home and do our best to model Christ. Regardless, I guess whether it is publicly said or not, we know we do have support of those around us and we know what our intentions are.





I am feeling quite well. Tired though. Koen has been having forceful projectile vomiting at about 9pm the past two nights. The whole feed comes up. So gross. Then he is up for about 3 hours with extremely painful gas. He sort of settles when lying on me but I'm too scared to go to sleep with him on me because I don't trust myself asleep! I have given up dairy starting today to see if that makes a difference. It did for Kai. I can't believe the amount of gas and poop coming out of this kid, there is no way we are starting cloth diapers with him until it settles down. Seriously, over 10 poops/day. Gross. Let's also say that I'm pumping for half of the feeds for comforts sake. He is still not very alert which is kind of strange but we will see the doctor on Thursday and hopefully all is well.



(a baby announcement I made yesterday...not sure if I love it but not sure if I have energy to work on it more!)

I'm writing this post because I didn't want the post below it to show up right when you opened up this blog. If you are queasy, don't look!!!

C-section pictures

Just warning you....some of you may not want to look:) Once the head was out, Gary was allowed to take pictures. I just thought they were kinda cool. To anyone who thinks that a C-section is the easy way out...it is not. Also, recovering from a planned C-section is WAY better than going through labour and ending with an emergency one!

















(I def. felt how wide his shoulder/abdomen were during this part!)




















(It's a boy!! Then they wrapped him up and laid him on me for a few minutes))





(crying...)

Pics of Baby Koen

Today my sisters Jackie and Trisha took Kai swimming. Apparently he LOVED it and he came back saying he was a dolphin. He also may have put up a bit of a fuss when leaving because he was having too much fun....While he was gone, Gary and I took some pictures of Koen. Usually one of us takes pics and the other manages the lights. This time, one of us was always in the picture and Koen was a little fussy so I was a little flustered. I think we will take more when he is a few week older so we can see his big blue eyes:) Check out GC Photography for some of those pics. I will post on of my favs here.

By the way, I feel sooooo good! I seriously sleep 2 hour chunks at a time and get about 6 hours a night. This is sooooo different than last time and I'm just so happy about it! At night, Koen fusses for maybe 5 minutes after a feed, we swaddle him up, and fast asleep he goes. I cannot wait for nicer weather and a little more strength so I can take the kiddos for a walk in the double stroller.

One Week Old

Koen (pronouced Ko-en) is one week old today! Some students misunderstood his name and thought that we had named him `colon' because we are science teachers:)

He is still quite an easy baby. He sleeps for about 16 hours in a 24 hour period and the one hour he is up in each 3 hour cycle, he is just pigging out (about 4-5 oz per feed now!), farting...the usual. He hasn't been too alert yet but his most alert time is about 10pm. He naps in his car seat in the living room (where I hang out) and he sleeps in the bassinet beside our bed. I wonder if he's just super dozy because he was born early or if this is what he will really be like!!!

I'm feeling better. I went for a walk to the mailbox yesterday. Okay, so it was only 3 blocks, but i was just testing myself out. This morning Maria came by and we took the kids to the park. I pushed Koen in the stroller and it was no problem. There is no way I could manage Kai though by myself. Maria pointed out that he is quite a handful. I'm not sure if that's a boy thing or just a Kai thing. My cold is 50% gone, my engorgement is 50% gone, so I am feeling good. I feel so much LESS tired this time around. It could be that it's just been one week and the `fun' is just around the corner, OR, maybe an easy baby + toddler= easier than 1 fussy baby.

(Niece Ani brave enough to hold Koen)

I am slightly nervous about basketball over the next 2.5 months. I find the 5-7 pm hours a little challenging by myself but yesterday went okay so we will see. I CANNOT wait until bball is done. I'm so happy that Gary has an awesome assistant coach that is freeing Gary up to miss a couple games from the tourney this weekend. That means he will be home for dinner tonight!!!

We might try to take some studio pics of Koen this weekend but at this rate, they'll all be sleeping ones:) I don't think there is any way we can get a decent picture of Kai and Koen together, although, a few jellybeans might get us something that will do.

I think the hardest part is not being able to be active enough with Kai. He needs to get rid of a lot of excess energy, and right now, I cannot chase after him. Fortunately, family members have been taking him for about an hour a day to run off some steam!

Kai said that he was a truck too. Not sure how that works. Kai has been fighting a cold which fortunately makes him sleepy and want to go to bed. Is that mean? I'm sad that he's sick but I'm glad he WANTS to go to bed again:) Kai has adapted well. He is def. NOT gentle with the baby so I cannot leave Koen alone. He does not appear jealous at all and gets upset if my dad jokes about taking Koen home with him. So far....so good!

Well, 1-2pm is my nap time so I better use my time wisely while I can!