A.B. Kagledom

Sorry for the lack of posts. Finding time for the computer is more difficult with two.

Matthew gave the cold to Simon. Simon gave the cold to Adlai. Adlai gave the cold to me. We're all better now and non-sick Adlai is even managing to stay awake a couple of hours more. Or maybe he has decided a one month old has no business sleeping more than eighteen hours a day? Or maybe yesterday's alertness was a fluke and he'll continue to sleep his life away. Here he is awake...

While awake he has done some new things... He noticed his hands a few days ago, he can almost control his head, and he can put all of his weight on his feet while pretending to stand. He took his first look outside yesterday (awake) and enjoyed the sky contrasting with the big trees. He looks more like a butler and less like a banker. Next month we fully expect him to look like a baby.

Thursday we gave him his first official bath...

He cried until we got him into the water and then he quickly relaxed and enjoyed a warm soak. It is nice to have two water loving boys. Simon started his Saturday morning swim lessons this morning and Adlai will start (with a parent) in two months.

Last but certainly not least, it is time for the official boppy photos!

Happy One Monthaversary, Adlai. Time really is flying...

Posted by kagledom at 02:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Did I mention that Adlai hardly ever wakes up?

It's like all that complaining we did about our lack of sleep with Simon has come back to bite us in the arse. Sure, it is nice to continue life as if there isn't an infant in the house but I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that he is supposed to eat every now and then...

Posted by kagledom at 02:19 PM | Permalink

Adlai has his first cold and is congested and coughing. Simon had the cold and now has what appears to be a minor ear infection. Both boys had some trouble sleeping last night and we are all very very tired. Alas, Adlai continues to grow and do new things. He is already a big fan of ceiling fans, thinks his mobile is funny and endlessly fascinating, is smiling and almost laughing, grabbing for objects, and trying to suck his thumb. A few nights ago we tried inserting a pacifier into his wee mouth and he was very pleased; we're not using it regularly but it is nice to have a solution for moments when he wants to suck and our fingers are not free.

He still sleeps between 18 and 20 hours a day. He's usually awake around dinner time and after we wake him up in the morning for some milk. He doesn't like to eat more than every two and a half to three hours but we're still waking him every two hours (during the day). Keeping him awake for those feedings is really difficult and waking him up after he has fallen asleep at the boob is next to impossible. Unfortunately for him, he hates having a soiled diaper and he hates having his diaper changed but he poops before, during, and after most meals. And, in the middle of the night, he usually poops right after his diaper has been changed. The other night I was up for two hours just feeding him, trying to wake him up to finish eating, and changing him over and over and over and over.

Sleep calls. Kagledom out.

Posted by kagledom at 09:12 PM | Permalink

Thanks for coming tonight... Oh please, sit down. Thank you. Thanks. Enough. Quiet down everyone. Thank you...

I know I am just 3 weeks old which is why I appreciate your confidence in my ability to help lead this great country of ours.

As you know, my platform consisted of solving the global warm milk crisis, making sure no baby is left in a crib without a mobile, and heating every room where diaper changes occur. I'm so glad we're all in agreement that these problems can and should be solved.

That is why I, Adlai [ADD-LAY] Bernard, take this oath to lead...

Hooray! I won!

Posted by kagledom at 10:55 AM | Permalink

First, we are pleased to report that Adlai, the wonderfully easy wee one, has outgrown all of his newborn clothes and fits perfectly in 0-3 month attire (he's getting very long) and the tabs of his diapers no longer cross (he's fattening up). I continue to wake him every two hours or so during the day to feed him and he isn't always pleased to see me but once we get a good cry out of him (via standard diaper changing torture), he takes the offering of warm milk without fuss. Yesterday he woke up smiling and cooing but hasn't performed these tricks since. Also, his belly button scabbed over and stopped oozing so we didn't take him back to the doctor. We're waiting for the scab to come off before he gets his first bath (we also still need a wee bathtub or a large bowl to bathe him in since our sinks are very very cold).

And now on to the complaint department...

This morning was sign-up-for-fall-preschool-morning - a bizarre ritual carried out this time of year throughout the Bay Area. Matthew, dutiful Dad that he is, intended to wake up at 5:30 am to wait in line outside the preschool office until 8 am so we could make sure Simon has a spot in the mornings, Monday thru Friday, starting in late August. Unfortunately, Simon chose this morning to wake up at 4 am and spent until 5:30 with Matthew not sleeping. Meanwhile, Adlai was doing his "poop-eat-poop-eat-poop" routine for an hour and a half until 5:45 at which point Matthew needed to leave and Simon did his "I'm going to keep you up and wake up the baby and make sure you know that I'm not happy about being awake or alive" routine from 5:45 to 8:15 am at which point Matthew returned and saved the day by taking him to preschool. We called the preschool at lunch; Simon is managing to stay awake and hasn't tormented anyone.

AND?? After being told by the preschool office that waiting in line early in the morning is standard practice, the line wasn't even very long.

To end on a nice note, our Las Madres friends have brought us two wonderful meals (and more are coming) to keep us properly fed. Since I still have 15 pounds (!) to lose (after already having lost a fast 20), I’m grateful for the healthy yet decadent diversions from the quick-prepare meals we have been making for ourselves over the past three weeks. Hooray for good friends.

Posted by kagledom at 12:23 PM | Permalink

The storms just keep on coming and we find ourselves at a loss for what to do. Friday, the day of the big storm, we lost power on and off for a few hours until it finally went off and then back on a few hours later. We ordered pizza. We had an afternoon picnic on the floor by candlelight. By Saturday we were at a loss of what to do (besides the obvious - movie watching) so we took the boys to the mall to run free. Adlai turned just about every female head in the place and that was a lot of heads; the mall was packed. Today the rain hasn't started so we met a friend for coffee, went to the farmers market, and walked with Simon as he rode "Purpose" around the block. Adlai has been around the neighborhood a few times now in the Bjorn. He doesn't like having his legs separated by the carrier but falls asleep almost instantly while smooshed; he doesn't complain for long.

Adlai has been enjoying looking at things. He will stare at patterns and faces for a long time but is not interested in the toys, movement, and lights of the bouncy chair or the swing. His expression fluctuates between happy, bewildered, interested, and worried. He has some great worry lines on his forehead which give his worried look added fun. He has the Rubenson dimple on one cheek and he seems to be getting larger by the moment (even if most of the people at the mall assumed he was a preemie). He poops at EVERY feeding - sometimes before AND after - which is really annoying in the middle of the night.

Adlai appears to prefer cuddling and sucking on our fingers to most everything else. He snores. He sleeps from around 11 am to 7 pm and 10 pm to 8 am. He has been waking up to eat every two to three hours at night and we've been waking him to eat every two hours during the day. At night he sleeps in a bed next to Mama and during the day he is asleep in our arms or in the car seat.

Simon has been filling his sleep chart with sticker after sticker for uninterrupted sleep. Despite being stuck inside, he has been really tired so his bedtime has shifted to no later than 7:30 and he has even started sleeping in. Several times each day we wonder if he will ever stop challenging us and stop being so angry and stop accidentally falling and start listening. We implemented the "1 2 3 Magic" discipline routine after Adlai was born and, besides giving us a plan, it hasn't started to help. He remains, however,very attentive and helpful when it comes to Adlai and is taking big brotherhood very seriously.

Posted by kagledom at 01:23 PM | Permalink

Adlai Bernard surpassed his birth weight this afternoon by 0.4 ounces. He now weighs 8 lbs. 2 ounces so we don't have to return for more weighings. We may have to return to the doctor early next week anyway because his belly button isn't healing despite Dr. K's attempts on Monday (and today) to help it seal itself.

In other news... while we were at the doctor's office, Adlai found the curly black blood pressure machine cord fascinating and tried to grab for it several times.

Posted by kagledom at 02:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We Kagles brought in the new year with an impromptu celebration using decorations from past birthdays. Simon was pleased with yet ANOTHER reason to celebrate and we are pleased to report that we were all sound asleep at midnight.

Adlai is doing well. He still sleeps a heck of a lot which isn't so photogenic of him. (If we took photos, our photo album tour would be: "here he is... sleeping and here he is... sleeping and here he is sleeping... "). He has developed a slight case of infant acne, is holding his head up a bit more, and is smiling a bit more (but not intentionally). He seems to really enjoy putting weight on his legs while we pretend he is walking.

Simon is OK. He fluctuates between insanely sweet and incredibly angry. He has been very tired and I'm starting to suspect that the anger has something to do with being away from friends during this holiday break. He starts school again tomorrow and I'm sure he will be thrilled to be away from us. He has managed to outgrow all the outfits we purchased just a few weeks ago and now wears a size 5 shirt and size 4 pants.

While Simon is getting larger, I am happy to be shrinking. I'm too small for maternity garb but too large for my regular pants. When I get back down to a normal size, there will be a celebration. In the mean time, I'm enjoying being able to tie my shoes and chase after Simon. I'm also now back to being cold all the time after being too hot for months and I'm asleep within minutes of hitting the pillow (pregnant me had trouble falling asleep).

Matthew hasn't been sleeping as well (he takes the first night baby shift once I'm passed out) and has developed a cold.

Posted by kagledom at 05:22 PM | Permalink

We went to Adlai's first official checkup this morning. He is a healthy baby boy but doesn't weigh enough (he is a few ounces short of his birthweight) so we must return on Thursday for a weighing. In any case, he has grown quite a bit over the past two weeks...

Weight: 7 lbs 14.0 ounces - 27th percentile
Height: 21 inches - 74th percentile
Head Circumference: 35.6 cm - 23rd percentile

We'll be fattening him up until Thursday.

Posted by kagledom at 02:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Adlai sleeps most of the time. In fact, he slept for six hours in a row last night, ate, and then was out for an additional three. When he is awake, however, he enjoys sucking on our fingers, nursing, movement, being held, and, just today, focusing on interesting objects.

Boy, that toy looks like fun...

Posted by kagledom at 08:39 PM | Permalink

We made it through an entire day without using any form of electronic entertainment to capture the attention of Simon AND we still managed to shower and keep Adlai fed. This may not seem like a big deal but, trust me, it is a turning point in our ability to function as a family of four. If we can keep this up through the weekend, we can fool ourselves into believing that our lives are back to "normal" again.

Simon changed his first diaper this evening. The options were eat cinnamon toast or change a poop and he opted for the poop - THAT is brotherly devotion. We gave him the toast anyway.

Simon is also very interested in feeding Adlai. We haven't quite managed to explain why his boobies don't work as well as Mama's. Here he is ready to take one for the team with the Kagledom pumping bra...

Adlai isn't doing anything new. His blotchy skin has gone away and he looks darker than infant Simon. He is also looking less like a roman soldier and more like a little banker - a very squishy banker.

And, finally, I'm in charge of Adlai at night and Matthew is in charge of Simon. Guess who's getting more sleep? Hooray for team newborn!

Posted by kagledom at 08:43 PM | Permalink

In just under an hour Adlai will be an entire week old. I'm not quite sure we're having fun but time is definitely flying. Over the weekend we had a nursing crisis and I spent somewhere near 12 hours a day trying to get Adlai to latch. This created a couple of problems: first, as I sat and tried and tried and tried, Simon felt completely abandoned by his Mama; second, well, let's just say there was a lot of pain and suffering and blood and sweat and tears. I turned, of course, to my trusty pump which caused more pain and suffering and a lot less sleep. On Monday, we bought a shield to help protect me from the pain and help Adlai latch and we've been fine since. But holy cow is having a newborn at Christmas annoying when you need help and no one is available. Since yesterday things have been much better around the Kagle abode. Simon has been less angry today (though he is not entirely cured) and Adlai is eating every two hours instead of every three to five. I'm not sure if the kid was so frustrated he was no longer interested or if he is just really that tired.

On the positive side, all that hoping and wishing may have paid off because Adlai is a good sleeper. He has already figured out day and night and will sleep from the time Simon goes to sleep to around 9 am. Last night he woke every two hours but, the two nights before that, he spoiled us with nighttime sleep in three to five hour chunks. This good sleeping is actually not all that healthy for newborns so we were torn... wake him up and get less sleep ourselves or let him sleep and assume he knows what he is doing? Monday he was weighed and he is progressing within the normal range for weight gain so the nurse told us not to worry and to appreciate the gift of a sleeping kid.

To celebrate the Christmas holiday, we went out for traditional Christmas Eve sushi. We opened the restaurant and our waiter was also our sushi chef and our server. A Christmas tree glowed in the corner, the Christmas music wasn't the annoying kind, and we all enjoyed the food. This morning Simon and I awoke to a little bit of Christmas sent here by Grammy and laid out in the night by Matthew. Simon and I decorated the wee tree and opened the stockings and gifts over waffles, milk, and cookies while Matthew and Adlai slept in. It was a quiet day but, with the nursing crisis over and more time on hand for Simon, it turned out to be a very nice Christmas after all.

Updates: Adlai lost his cord stump this afternoon so pretty soon we'll see what he thinks of water. And he has spit up a few times since the last post but the amounts are relatively insignificant. Was Simon spitting up so much because he ate so often?

Posted by kagledom at 06:10 PM | Permalink

We took the boys to Chuck E. Cheese this afternoon for a bit of playtime. Adlai was alert through most of the experience and received lots of attention from people amazed (and aghast?) that we would be out and about with a 4 day old. Good ol' Chuck has a sketch machine and the staff insisted we take a photo on them...

New Stuff:

We're starting to see a few sleeping smiles from the wee one. He slept five hours in a row last night and he has slept most of the day away (making us very nervous about this evening). He falls asleep in the car and enjoys sitting in the car seat (!). We went clothes shopping for him this afternoon because he is way too short for the 0-3 month outfits and seems annoyed by the fit. He has, so far, not spit up. Ever. Is this normal? It seemed Simon was vomiting on us from the very beginning. We only changed Adlai's clothes this morning because it seemed he shouldn't be wearing the same outfit for more than two days in a row.

Simon has been a terror all day long but his anger is directed toward us and, since we were able to get him into bed for the night at 7 pm, we think it may just be that he is exhausted. Adlai doesn't cry a lot but he gets really angry when we change his diaper (did we mention he poops a lot?) and when he is trying to nurse and Mama's boobs are, well, like rocks (this should go away in a day or two). It is possible Simon is being awakened by all the action in the middle of the night. We're not sleeping much over here.

He's awake! And now we will be all night as well...

Posted by kagledom at 07:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Writing is going to be unpredictable over the next week. Everything is well. Everything is 1000 times easier than the first time around. We are professionals! OK, maybe not but It is nice to feel like we know what we are doing.

Adlai Bernard is a good baby. I know we're not supposed to compare the boys to each other but as long as we don't do that in front of them it is alright for now, correct? Besides looking exactly like Simon at the same age, Adlai and Simon are different. Adlai hates a soiled diaper while Simon could have cared less. Adlai is also a "normal" eater (so far) none of this every hour on the hour, nursing for an hour stuff. He gets right down to it and can have an entire boob liquidated in 10-15 minutes flat. He went in for his newborn checkup this morning and had lost exactly 10% of his body weight (which is normal). We're doing "so well" that we don't need to go back in for a follow-up; we decided to schedule a weighing for Monday anyway (just in case).

Simon has been wonderful. From the moment of labor, Simon has been nothing but thrilled. He said "High five!" when we picked him up from school and told him we were going straight to the hospital to have a baby. We took Adlai to Simon's school yesterday afternoon so Simon could show him off and BOY did he show him off - making every friend and adult look with adoration at his younger brother. The only issue so far seems to be patience - he asked if we could teach Adlai to walk this morning and wanted to play ball with him this afternoon. He wants to touch Adlai all the time and Adlai isn't appreciative of the icy cold hands on his face.

I'm still sore in places (mostly at the site of my two preventative shots, the epidural, the saline drip, and, of course, my poor boobies) but doing fine. I'm just so thrilled those few hours of the most excruciating pain of my life are over. I'm also really happy not to be carrying around all of that extra weight. Of course, Matthew and I are both extremely tired. All is well and as it should be.

More news later when there is more time! Flickr photos are being updated.

Thanks for all of your emails and comments; one of these days, we'll respond.

Hava

Posted by kagledom at 04:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)