First (Real) Bath

Up till two weeks ago, Javi was getting sponge baths. This kept his little umbilical cord from getting wet, and potentially infected. But it was also meant that he was pretty cold: we would use a wet washcloth and pour warm water over each part of his little body we washed. So, he always felt cold, like when you get out of a warm pool or shower, on some part of his body. I think this contributed to his not really liking baths. He would complain loudly about being bathed. A couple of weeks ago, we got out the baby bath tub to give him a real bath, as his cord stump has fallen off and bellybutton healed. When we first lowered him into the water, he looked very perplexed, but overall enjoyed the bathing experience much more this way. So it looks like bath time will be a much quieter experience going forward.

First real bath in his little whale tub (thanks, Katherine!)

All clean!

Thanksgiving

My sister, dad, and dad's girlfriend, Katherine, visited us for Javi's first Thanksgiving. Since our hands are literally full most of the time these days, we skipped the cooking and bought dinner from a great local barbeque place. The food was great -- Hector and I have both been converted to smoked turkey -- and the company fantastic. Mainly we just hung out around the house, but we also went on a number of little outings for lunch and walks. It was the most we have gotten out with Javi; the timing of feedings makes going on an outing more of a logistical equation than we are used to. But we made it out to the downtown mall for strolling and, one day, for lunch and out to the countryside for lunch at a local brewery with lovely views of the mountains. We also did a bit of shopping -- my father and Katherine got us a rocking chair to help put Javi to sleep, which is a welcome tool as he has been fighting sleep (at least during the day; he actually sleeps quite well at night). 

In addition to Thanksgiving, we celebrated my father's birthday, which fell just after Thanksgiving this year, with spaghetti and meatballs and apple pie, cooked by my sister who was all around a really great help with Javi and household stuff. 

In all the commotion of heating up dinner and feeding Javi so he would let us eat (which he did, at least for a little while), we forgot to take pictures of us gathered at the table for Thanksgiving dinner. But there was plenty of food and wine and lingering at the table -- and pacing around the table with Javi in arms. But we did get some photos of the visit.

After a (non-Thanksgiving) dinner

Javi, Me, Michelle, and Dad over morning coffee

Michelle with sleeping baby

Dad tickling Javi. I'm pretty sure there are some photos a lot like this of dad and me when I was a baby stored away in a family album somewhere.

Katherine getting to know Javi

Today is Javi's 7 week anniversary.... wow! It feels like yesterday when he was the miracle coming out of Jen.
He is sleeping better and better. Each night this week he gave us two four-hour sleeps. Last night, for the second time in the week, he went five hours between feedings. That is great!
I finished teaching yesterday, which means I will have more time with him and with Jen. I was so looking forward to that. It's been stressing to have so many professional duties when all I want to do is have Javi in my arms. No fair.

Can you believe those cheeks! 

Today, like yesterday, Javi and I went for a walk around 7:30am. It was chilly, around 30 degrees (-1 celsius), but I put on a gift from our friend Caroline, whose beautiful boy Jack grew up in the colder climates of Boston and Spokane. Javi looks so sweet and warm... perfect. He stayed awake for the first half of the walk and slept the second half. Wise decision.

He is ready for the outdoors

This morning, around 7am, Javi and I went for a walk around the neighborhood... it was great. By the end he was sleeping. His nights have been much better, giving us 3 hours between feeds. That allows us to actual go into deep sleep and, again, have dreams. Isn't strange that for weeks one may go without dreams? But dreams require REM sleep, which sometimes is accessed quickly, but most times it requires at least three hours of sleep. Unsurprisingly, our most vivid dreams occur close to the mornings, the ideal time for REM. That is, unless you are a new parent.

Yesterday, Jen went back to the gym for the first time... here she is... getting ready (Isn't she beautiful?)

We are doing two things here: FIRST: Javi is live-performing the famous painting by Edvard Munch "The Scream". We work on the expression for awhile. I think he got it. SECOND: Javi is also expressing his first feminist idea, albeit with an ironic twist (thanks to Denni:). 

Javi is probably 10 pounds at this moment... on his way to 11. That's a guess. After a doctor appointment on his one month, he was given the two-month appointment. So, one full month without seeing the doctor. That is, of course, good news. He is progressing great in every sense. His next appointment is the 18 and we'll keep you posted on his weight and such.

I am posting today, again, trying to catch up. Javi is doing great, gaining weight like a champ, and becoming more clearly alert, intelligent, and curious. Last Friday, on his six week, he smiled. He did it first in the morning to his mom. He smiled at me in the evening... it was fantastic. He smiles when he is happy, when he just fed, or when you are smiling at him. Yes, he still cries, whines, weeps, and whimpers, but at least he also smiles. There is balance in the universe.

Beginning of a smile

terrible picture, but beautiful smile

the blissful end of a smile... more of a grin

It seems forever since the last post. Jen's mom, lita Nancy, left on November 3. We were busy after her departure. I was teaching and Jen was mostly dealing with Javi alone. Everything was fine, but time flew. Work was so busy that I spent nights working... and I was already so tired. This had a snowball effect. Jen was left to deal with a very criey baby, who wanted to feed every five minutes.... wow! talk about unsustainable! For me, the worst ended on November 14, and after that I was able to help Jen as much as possible, but she was exhausted. It takes a village, no question about it and I wasn't there for a few tough, tough, days. It took a couple of days for Jen to regain her strength... by the weekend she was back to her normal and beautiful self. Meanwhile, Javi, well.... he was crying, pooping, sleeping (barely), and vomiting. He was giving the joys of parenthood a bad name:) Yet, he was also gaining weight (yay!), becoming more and more alert to the world (wow!), and beginning to look more and more like a baby, not only Mr. Magoo (Jen's reference... check Mr Magoo in youtube.com.. pretty funny!).

Photo taken on November 20, 2012 (one month and two days). Look at the attentive way in which he looks at the camera. That's the mind. And the photo speaks about the body.... perfection!

Week 2

Week 2 and 3 flew by in a flurry of feedings (mainly Javi's, but also our own attempts to feed ourselves) and doctor appointments. As of the last of these, Javi has surpassed his birth weight; he was 8 lb. 1 oz. and had grown a couple of centimeters. His head is also much bigger, and he already looks quite different from when he was first born, at least to Hector and me.

My mom was here last week, getting to know Javi and helping Hector and me around the house and with baby burping and soothing. She taught us the grandma Dennehy baby hold (over the shoulder), which Javi really likes. We were so busy with doctor visits, feeding Javi, giving him his medicine (for a variety of small things: acid reflux, a couple of superficial infections), and occasionally feeding ourselves and sleeping that we did not take very many photos, but here are a few:

Mom ( or now, 'Lita Nancy) with Javi

The Betty Dennehy baby hold

baby and me

funny faces with papa

 At the end of the week, we did get out for an outing more fun than the doctor's office. We took Javi on his first visit to the farmer's market, a weekly routine for Hector and me. It was sunny, if a bit chilly. Javi bundled up and slept through the visit.

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Mom and me at the farmer's market

Javi enjoying the outing

Jen

I am writing with a brain in bliss, oxytocin running wild, after having held my baby for 30 minutes of peaceful wonder. Jen is in front of me, beautiful and smiling, having a bit of coffee and a great scone. Nancy by my side, an all to happy lita. In the background, Gillian Welch and, now, Neko Case.  

It is not as if parenting has gotten suddenly easier. We are trying to figure out the feeding. Jen is not quite producing enough, so, we are also using a breast pump every second feed and we are supplementing with a little of formula. This just began yesterday when we were able to get a hand on a rental breast pump from the hospital. Thursday, Javi went to his weekly check and though wonderful in most ways, he is not gaining weight; hence the extra-measures. All of the things we have to do in addition to breastfeeding take time and, since Javi is feeding between 9 and 10 times daily, and each feed may take 60 to 75 minutes, Jen is a bit run down, as I too am. With the supplement formula, he has stopped crying for hours, but that doesn't mean that he wants to go to sleep without being held. So, we spend a lot of time with him in our arms and that, you parents out there know, is both tiring and incredibly wonderful. 

We are tired, but also quite happy. 

Morning bliss

Breakfast. The pulled out chair is Jen's, who is taking the photo

Time flies when the baby has difficulties sleeping. The first few nights were rough. Javi is awake and screaming during the first half of the night and begins to relax around 3 or 4am. Jen and I were exhausted. But things are already improving. Yesterday, we went to the pediatrician for Javi's first check up and everything went great. He is as healthy as he can be. Also, and very importantly for us, he gained more than 2 ounces since the hospital, which means that though he is crying a lot and had fed sometimes for almost two hours in a row, he is actually not starving. He is gaining weight and thus he is getting food. Yes!
Yesterday, Jen's mom, Nancy (o 'lita') arrived to give us a needed hand for the next couple of weeks. That is such a blessing as she right away took some of pressure from us, holding Javi and giving him comfort and love while we could just relax.
On recommendation by the Dr. Ranney, yesterday we began cluster feeding around 5pm, hoping to get Javi very satiated by 10 or 11pm and hoping that he wouldn't be unhappy for the first part of the night. Cluster feeding is basically feeding him around every 2 hours, instead of 2.5 or 3 hours apart. It worked. After the feeding that ended around 10pm, he was crying very loudly still and I tried everything. On recommendation by his pediatrician, the last thing I tried was swaddling him and tried to put him to sleep like that (he has hated the swaddle, so, this seemed a long shot to me). At the beginning he cried even harder, but after a few minutes of voicing his disapproval, he began calming down. Round and around the house for an hour, he was sleep, soundly, by 11pm. I put him to bed and he stayed sleep. Wow! That worked!
All night Jen fed him every three hours or more, instead of every two, and each time Javi went to sleep promptly and he never cried for food. Last night was, in other words, the first night in which we got a sense that parenting is sustainable. Before, we had our doubts:) Jen took on all the feeding and, except for a couple of times where I got up to change him, Jen allowed me sleep. What a difference! This morning, I knew what day of the week it was:) As importantly, Jen is feeling great too, as she took a couple of good naps yesterday. Hector.

Nancy helping us burp our little fellow. That's a happy baby and a happy lita. 

Coming Home

Our stay in the hospital was very nice (other than the hospital food). We got a lot of help from the nurses and doctors on how to breast feed and generally take care of Javi and myself. And, as you can see from the lovely picture of Hector in one of the earlier posts, the hospital room was very nice, with a beautiful view of the hills, where the trees are beginning to change color.

We came home Saturday afternoon and settled in quickly. Saturday night was a bit rough, as the nurses predicted. Javi was hungry and up frequently and my milk has not yet come in. This is what the nurses told us was to be expected. So, Hector and I were up most of the night and Javi cried much more than he has before. Hector and Javi hung out this morning together so I could sleep in and get a bit of rest. Then we all had a really lovely Sunday morning, enjoying some sunshine (Javi has a teeny bit of jaundice so we are getting him sunlight as we can.) We took a walk this afternoon and are all looking forward to naps.

Hanging out in the hospital

Beautiful smiles (okay, probably gas).

Dressed and ready to head home.

On our way.

Sunday morning, enjoying the sunshine in a great bouncy chair borrowed from future pal Eleanor.

Jen is writing a longer post. This is a very quick press release. Javi went for his first walk around the neighborhood.

He slept most of the time.

It was sunny and beautiful. 

Good times:)

It is official. We have a birth certificate and it says Javier Oliver Amaya-Petersen. Ok. Javi.
The day has continued uneventful, except for visits from our friends Brie, Marty, Jon, and Pam. Of course, we also had all the nurses, lactation consultant, well, people come and go. Javi seems to be getting the handle on sucking, latching, and sucking, and latching. He is right now awake, on his mama's arms, who is singing to him a classic song by Mercedes Sosa ("Duerme, duerme, negrito, que mama esta en el campo, negrito":). He, with is hiccups, is keeping rhythm.

It was a sunny day in the afternoon. The view is great! And the landscape behind is not so bad....

Javi enjoys the sunshine as well. He is nice and alert when he is awake but also sleeps very well. When he is gassy is kind of looks like he is smiling at us.

Yesterday was great. Overnight, Javi was taken by the wonderful nurses to a room with other newborns. That allowed us to sleep between feeds and we were able to sleep one 4.5 hour block and a 2.5 hour block. It felt great. Although yesterday's feeds were not necessarily successful (the baby probably got just a little bit of colostrum), today, around 7:30am, he had a nice long feed. It felt closer to what it should be. Jen is not yet producing milk, only colostrum, but all is part of the process. Javi is wonderful. The skin is incredibly soft... wow!
Although Jen and Javi are strong enough to be discharged, we may stay until tomorrow morning at the hospital and take advantage one more night of the wonderful nurses. One extra-night of ok sleep is probably a good idea.

Jen and Javi this morning, October 19, in the recovery room. I took this photo so that you would have some sense of the space. This is the part of the room where we stay. The stripy couch at the back becomes a bed and that's where I sleep. In addition, there is a second area with a more medical feeling and a nice bathroom with a shower (no jacuzzi here:). Now, the best part is the view. We are a bit higher up, and you can see the beautiful hills around Charlottesville, with the beginning colors of the fall. 

Daddy in training

Yes! he is nonchalant. Yes! he is like 'Whatever'!. Here is Jen, the mighty, introducing..... ratatata,  Javier (Javi) Amaya-Petersen. What a vision!

Our son was born at 12:10am, on October 18, 2012. He weighs 7 pounds and 11 ounces and measures 20" 1/8. He has a fuzzy but almost bald head of dark blonde or red-hair (we don't know for sure). His eyes are dark, but it is hard to tell whether they are dark-blue or dark-brown

Our beautiful son one minute after birth

After his first bath

Here he is being measured. All is perfect

9 months and counting

In Durham, N.C., with Jen's sister

In the Blue Ridge mountains, probably out last hike for a while.

The nursery is (almost) done