Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Pictures of baby Ethan








This is my sweet baby Ethan. He's so adorable. My dad took these pictures when he was about 2 1/2 weeks old. He's now 4 weeks old. I can't believe a month has gone by already since I had him! He's getting more filled out every day and is already developing a bit of a personality. We are trying to develop a bit of a routine, but as I've come to realize, that's easier said than done with a baby. Just when you think you've got them all figured out, they change and there's a whole new set of challenges and experiences that you weren't prepared for. For example, just recently I thought I figured out all the reasons he cried; wet diaper, hungry, tired, hot, etc. Well, yesterday he was pretty fussy all day no matter what I did, and then I finally realized that he wasn't getting enough to eat, so I think he's going through a growth spurt and needs more milk now. But it was frustrating at the time because he wouldn't take a nap all day and didn't finally go to sleep until 12:30 last night. Luckily he slept really well and is currently still sleeping :) It's great once you finally figure out what they need! He's growing really well and goes back to the pediatrician in a month. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about the whole vaccine thing. My pediatrician is really great and strongly believes in letting the parent chose whether or not they want to vaccinate, which is nice, but now the decision is ultimately up to me. My husband doesn't really feel strongly either way, so he doesn't have much of an opinion. I guess I have a month to decide :)

I've slowly returned to work. This week has been an exception though because my husband has been working on my car and the past 2 days have been really icy outside, so I haven't been to work all week. It's been kind of nice though and I'm trying to enjoy the time off while I can even though I am starting to have cabin fever! I've been making dinner every night too, which is nice because I really enjoy cooking, but I don't enjoy it when I don't have time. We did figure out a way for me to only have to work 25 hours a week, which makes me happy. I thought I'd be able to handle more but I guess I didn't realize how much energy a baby can take out of one person! Not that he's difficult, but caring for a baby is certainly a job in and of itself. However, it is the most fulfilling and joyful job that I've ever had! I absolutely love my job working for Rachelle and it is the perfect job to have when you have a baby because I pretty much have all the freedom that I need to tend to my baby.

I think I've finally mastered the whole cloth diaper thing. It's really much easier than I expected it to be. I think my husband agrees. Granted, he's a newborn and washing the diapers is much easier now than it will be when he starts eating solid food, but still. I also feel much better about not throwing disposable diapers into the landfill. It's really not much more work. You just have an extra load of laundry to do every other day or so. The only downfall to me is that cloth is bulkier, so you need a bigger bag to carry them in when you go out. I'm sad because the diaper bag that my husband bought for me for Christmas is too bulky to carry around all the time (and it was expensive too!!) That, and Ethan doesn't last very long wearing a wet diaper without getting fussy because there's not that absorbant crap in them to wick the moisture away from their bum. He must be changed, and he must be changed now! Ah well, luckily the diapers we are using are cheap and washable, so it's fine! Anyway, that's been my life for the past month!

3 comments:

Tanja said...

WOW he is SOOOO cute!! I'm SO happy to her you and your new family is doing so well. Ethan is such a good name, too! miss ya girl!

Mama Red said...

I'm going to answer your question over here. First off, he is so cute! I love his longies!

The only carriers Silas liked to be in as a newborn were the Baby Hawk (mei tai) or the Moby. The Moby was his favorite. I put him in the ring sling once or twice, but found the Moby was the most comfortable for both of us.

I also like my Beco Butterfly, especially for wearing him on my back. But he needs really good head control for that. Oh also, the Hotsling wasn't good for us until he was nearly sitting up. Otherwise he slumped over.

It's pretty normal for them to want you to keep moving. We have the same issue. And still after two kids, I can't seem to get down nursing in a sling.

If you want to come over some time you can try out my Moby and see how you like it. I'd love to see ya! :)

Unknown said...

He is adorable! I used the Moby for everything with Phoenix. I was able to master nursing in the sling. I remember being at the science museum carrying him in the sling and nursing. No one knew that I was. They all thought he was fast asleep.

You will get there! Sounds like your doing great!