First Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! Pretty soon, Max will be buying ties for his Daddy on Father's Day, but this year.....

He took a nice long snooze and Daddy opened his cards and toasted his son with a bit of bourbon. Max and Mommy promise that next year we'll be up early to make Daddy breakfast and celebrate in style....

Chillin' In My Crib

Look At That Face!

Am I the luckiest woman in the world, or what?! Watching a baby nap....it's good for endless hours of entertainment!

I still can't get over how tiny he is....and the fact that we created this amazingly beautiful, peaceful (well, most of the time!), perfect human being.

Max makes the best faces when he's starting to wake up. I'm convinced that he knows how cute he looks, and lets his little personality shine through. He might be (barely) three weeks old, but he's a charmer :)

Our absolute favorite "Max face"....raised eyebrows and all! We are so looking forward to watching more of his little personality emerge with every new day!

I'm Growing!

Max met with the lactation consultant again today (actually, he just tagged along for the ride while Mommy and Daddy had a little chat with her about the pros and cons of The Great Breastfeeding Debacle).

Fortunately, Max didn't have to perform at all this time. He just sat in his car seat and listened to us ask questions. He did have a big weigh-in though, and our little guy now tips the scale at a whopping 7 pounds! We sure THOUGHT that his clothes were fitting him differently! And sure enough, that's why! Max was starting to feel humiliated by having to wear preemie clothes, so he started eating more and now he fills out his "newborn size" clothes quite well!


Lactation Lady had some interesting feedback about Max's looooooooong crying spells every evening. Ummmmm.....maybe he's still hungry???? Wow....Mommy and Daddy missed the boat on that one. We thought it was gas. Apparently babies sometimes like a bigger meal once in a while, and now that he's getting bigger, he's going to need more and more. Duh, right? Well, just like we never really prepared for anything other than a natural childbirth (and got a C-section), we never really prepared for formula feeding (and ended up with formula supplements and The Great Breastfeeding Debacle). Sorry Max...your parents are rookies. But we'll learn these things together! Lactation Lady also mentioned that maybe the reason why you're waking up every two hours at night (other than the fact that you're a baby, of course) when you used to be able to go for longer, is because you're.....drum roll please....still hungry!!!!!! Wow. 2 points for Max. 0 points for Mommy and Daddy thinking you're just restless and over your Co-Sleeper.

Max says: Screaming my head off makes me exhausted!!!
LOVE the arm across the eyes...this kid is ALL personality! Look at the belly on our little 7-pounder! He loves to sleep like this...even though it worries me that his head gets tweaked like that, he seems perfectly comfortable!
Daddy knows that "skin to skin" is a great way to calm Max down....and it works! Max loves being held, loves being close to us, and is usually best soothed when he's skin to skin with Mom or Dad. Who can blame him? ;) Here he is, chillin' with Daddy for a nap...

He's Official!

Max received a very important piece of mail today....his Social Security card! I felt very "parental" holding my son, who now has an official government number that will follow him for the rest of his life. From insurance info to college apps to his marriage license.....welcome to the world of bureaucracy little guy!

Nana Nancy and Auntie Katie!

We were so lucky to have Nana Nancy and Aunt Katie come to visit us from San Diego! Aunt Katie just graduated from eighth grade, and now they're on a road trip up the CA coast this summer.

Max loved meeting more of his San Diego family, and Sean and I were so thankful for having two extra sets of hands around to hold Max. Nana Nancy helped out with Max's very first "poop explosion" (Sean gets the honor of diaper duty most of the time, but my son saved this one just for me! Oh my god....do I take the diaper off first? Do I take his shirt off first? There's poop EVERYWHERE!!!). Katie learned how to hold a floppy newborn who likes to be JUMPY. Oh....and we had crispy tacos and homemade guacamole....exactly like Nanc used to make when we were little!

Milk Machine

Some of you may have noticed that I've been posting quite a bit more at night lately. Why? Let's just say that babies are eating machines. And pooping machines. And just when you think the cycle is done, it starts all over again.

Due to some minor issues in the hospital, we were supplementing Max's breastfeeding with formula. Breastfeeding has now become a HUGE issue, and we're really committed to figuring out how to get it right. I say "we", because it's been wonderful to have Sean supporting me every step of the way. He pays attention to every word that the lactation consultant says, and sits right next to me when I nurse to help get Max into the right position or just provide moral support.

A few days ago I went to see a lactation consultant at a new parent's center that we had joined, and I was less than pleased with her feedback. Anyone who suggests to a new mom (who is incredibly sleep-deprived) that the only way to increase her milk supply is to take on the Olympic challenge of the "Triple Feed" should lose her boob license.

So today we went to see a new lactation consultant...someone who works with the hospital where I delivered. Someone who sat and talked with us for two hours, answered all of our questions about all things boob related (and some other things too...like C-section recovery and dry skin on babies). She was so supportive and non-judgmental, and we came up with a great plan for the next week. Oh, and did I mention that meeting with her was FREE??

But I digress. What I wanted to say was that part of the new plan is that I nurse Max during the day and we give him his formula supplement through this little tube that I actually put in his mouth WHILE he is nursing. It's an all in one thing. And at night, or as many times as possible during night feedings, Sean will give Max a bottle while I go pump.

So tonight, as I'm sitting here pumping (wow...TMI for you guys, huh?!) Sean and Max came by the pumping station (AKA our guest room) to say hello on their "burp walk". This is what they shared:

Daddy Lesson #1:

Max learned how to get a couple extra milliliters of formula in. While I was feeding him, I noticed that his belly was hanging over his diaper. He had a "formula belly". I loosened his diaper, allowing him to fall in to a slight formula stupor and making room for just a few more drinks.