Growing Pains

Our little guy is getting bigger and bigger every day and I'M the one suffering from growing pains (physically and emotionally). I haven't cried yet, but I know those tears are on their way!

Reagan had his 4 month check-up Friday afternoon. He weighed in at 18 lbs., 1.3 oz. (82nd percentile) and was 26 inches long (72nd percentile). Dr. McCormick and Dr. Bhavsar were both so complimentary of his attractive looks (haha), friendly personality, alertness, and his fabulous growth completely on breast milk. They gave him his 3rd book (he gets one for every well check-up appointment, which I think is awesome) and we discussed his little patches of eczema on his face, as well as when to start feeding him solids. For the eczema, I'm supposed to hydrate it daily with Vaseline (which I've been doing) and he should grow out of it sometime. It's apparently a very common thing. The food part makes me sad. I've been enjoying the freeness, convenience, cleanliness, and did I mention FREEness??? of only breastfeeding him... especially since he's had more than adequate growth and has had no sickness since birth (gotta love those antibodies), but apparently he needs more iron than I can provide him with now. We've been told to start him on rice cereal 1-2 times a day, and then fruits and veggies (pureed) after he gets that down. First time with rice cereal was tonight, and he LOVED it! I had to pry gently remove the spoon out of his little hands a few times because he wanted to be in control.

Teething on his vibrating strawberry while waiting for the doc.

Post-shots.  Drowsy and ready to go home.  Only cried for 5 minutes!

A few little things he's doing now...
Rolling (front to back was FINALLY accomplished about 2 weeks ago)! He rolls EVERYWHERE. It's his fun mode of transportation... and he can go from one side of the room to the other by simply rolling. He's our little Roly Poly. :)

Jumping (SUPER high) in his Jumperoo. I'm fairly certain the kid would blast off into outer space if the thing wasn't tethered down.

Giggling at his sweet big sister Rubix, his daddy, and sometimes his momma. I've told Richard that Reagan has already figured out our roles as parents. I'm the nurturer and Richard and Rubix are here for entertainment!

Grunting to indicate his dislike for something (or simply to show he knows how to make the noise).

We love our little man and can't wait to see all the fun things he has in store for us! (We'll shed some tears along the way, I'm sure, but it's well worth it to see him grow up!)

First "solid" food.

Have Baby, Will Travel

Before Reagan's arrival, many people told us, "Having a baby will change EVERYTHING!" "Get your SLEEP before the baby comes!" "Things are so much easier with the baby INSIDE of you." Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah... So far, having the baby hasn't changed EVERYTHING or totally interrupted our sleep. However, we realized this past weekend that traveling was MUCH different than when he was in-utero!

Richard's office gave him his birthday (Thursday, November 4th) off, so he took the following Friday off and we made it a long weekend. Thursday we went to the zoo because he'd never been before, he got free admission for his birthday and Reagan was free. We only had to pay for me! Unfortunately, it rained. We were able to stay for about an hour, but then it started to pour and the baby got cranky, so we left.

Here are a few photos we snapped while there:

The stroller ended up getting soaked through, but he lasted a while before getting upset.


Intent on NOT smiling with Daddy in front of some mixed monkey exhibit.


Silly boy loves riding in the carrier with his Momma!


Thursday evening we went out with the Clarkfam for dinner at a burger joint where it's hip to be square. Richard got a free cupcake and we had a good time.

Friday we headed down to Miami for the night so we could visit the Coral Castle, which Richard had dreamed of visiting for many moons. What should have been a 4.5 hour trip turned into a 5.5 hour trip because of a little boy who cried wolf from the back seat. "Crying wolf" in this case meant that he screamed his little head off, making us think something was truly wrong, when in fact, he was just in need of a good stretch. The only song that could calm him down was "When and Who and What did he do?", a children's Bible song about Genesis 1:1 we learned on this CD.We stopped at a Cracker Barrel on the way down, bought a bluegrass CD, and let Reagan dance in the car for a while. He LOVED it! We eventually got to Miami and checked into our hotel. It was sweeeeeeeet and we got a good deal on it!

Enjoying the luxurious accommodations with Daddy.


Thinking about Cuban food with Momma.


Making sure nobody separates him from his beloved wiggly bird.


The night in the hotel was comfortable for us, but our poor little guy was up every 2 hours because of a combination of whatever I ate (tasted great, but the flavor stuck around for a while and my tummy was upset) at the Cuban restaurant that night, it was unseasonably cold, and he wasn't at home in his own bed (pack 'n plays are no substitute for a crib)! Thankfully, Richard had the sense to suggest and ensure that we brought the swing, our saving grace! We were eventually able to get him to rest for about 3-4 hours straight in that and woke up with only an hour to get ready, pack our things, and check out before getting charged a late fee. We ended up going slightly over the time, but the staff thought Reagan was so sweet they didn't seem to care! As Richard says, we got the "Cute Baby Discount".

The Coral Castle was interesting. It was Richard's special birthday trip and he was giddy, snapping pictures right and left. I won't make a detailed post on the actual castle because you can read about it at the website I liked above. Here is our family there. It was chilly and Reagan wasn't thrilled about the amount of layers he was in because he had more trouble bending his elbows, thus his face. (I'm sure he'll enjoy our trip up north for Thanksgiving in 2 weeks!) I had to bump up the color so you could see us better since we were in the shade. All those things behind us are the sculptures a 5' tall, 100 lb. guy built on his own out of coral for his lady who lived back in Latvia. A little creepy? Yes. A little romantic? Maybe. Explainable? Not really.


Our trip back ended up taking over 6 hours because of stops to feed ourselves, the baby, stretch, and do a little outlet mall shopping to get Richard a new pair of RED shoes, believe it or not! "When and Who and What did he do?" stopped working on the long ride home, so I ended up in the back seat showing Reagan clips from Yo Gabba Gabba on Youtube, using Richard's iPhone! Thank you, Apple! He especially liked this one.

And that was our trip! Sunday we went to Richard's favorite burger joint with a bunch of friends, and then we were back to life as usual. The electricity has been acting faulty, so we got it checked out. Over $600 to repair our messed up meter box. Stinks, yes, but hopefully it will save us money on electricity since we were operating on only 1 of our 2 wires coming into the house. (And if we hadn't caught it sooner, we could have had a burnt down house! YIKES!)

Reagan's started teething, we think, and wants to gnaw on everything in sight. We've started giving him an ice cube in a mesh thing meant for making solid foods more baby friendly sized. He's learning how to use it and seems to like it. However, he does NOT want us helping him hold it! He's an independent 3.5 month old!


And here is one final picture. Our happy boy with his toys!

Time Flies!

3 months. It's been 3 months (and 2 days) since our sweet little Reagan entered this world. He brings so much joy to our lives and it's amazing how I've forgotten what life was like before he arrived.

Here's a little update on the kiddo.

Weight: 16.5 lbs My arms get sore holding him, and he's in constant motion lately. I spend most of the day moving him from one place to another (since he can't do anything but roll for now), keeping him content.

Likes: Looking at himself in the mirror, watching shows with real people in them (Biggest Loser is a favorite), taking long walks through the neighborhood (while being pushed in the stroller), riding in the car, playing with the toys on his jumperoo, swinging in his little lamb swing, and "talking" while furrowing his brow at you.

Favorite toys: his own hands and light-weight textiles. His "Bunky" (Bear/Monkey rattle lovie blanket he has) is always with him.

Latest fun activity: He'll pull on his index finger from one hand until he loses his grip and moves his arms slowly apart in the shape of an arch.


We've been really busy this month and will continue being so until the holidays are over. After 2 long weeks and 4 coats of paint, we finally completed painting our guest room in Behr's "Bird of Paradise" (a lovely orange). We mistakenly bought 2 gallons of paint without primer and didn't realize it until we could still see through it after 2 coats! Essentially, we could have put water on the wall and gotten the same results. So, back to Home Depot we went (and got 2 more gallons and painted 2 more coats, but this time with the paint-with-primer). Our house is slowly, but steadily, becoming ours. We've got bright, cheerful colors in Reagan's room, our living room, and now the guest room. Can't wait to paint the hallway, guest bath, master bedroom, and kitchen! Our house will be such a happy, bright place after we're done with it. The previous owners picked fairly neutral colors, so we're enjoying "turning up the [color] volume"!

Other than painting, we've been going to fall parties, and Reagan has worn two "costumes". For the first party, he was "Baby Moses". We wrapped his diaper in a neutral fabric, and placed him on a pillow in a basket. Easy!


For the second party, we simply put him in his cowboy onesie. We haven't officially decided on his real Halloween costume, but we'll take pictures, for sure!



I consigned some baby items in the Jumping Jeans Consignment sale this past weekend. Sold all 8 of my things. It will be nice getting a check in the mail (and having that much less clutter). I helped fill some other people's pockets and grabbed some cute clothes, a talking/singing puppy, and a musical table for when Reagan starts pulling up on things while at the pre-sale on Thursday (for 20% off). I volunteered for 3 hours Saturday morning and had a blast! Richard got to experience half a day in my life while he watched Reagan on his own. There were some tears, laughter, and at least 1 nap.

I guess that's all for now. Looking forward to two more Halloween get-togethers this weekend and Richard's birthday celebration next weekend!

Since Mid-September... Reader's Digest Version, I Promise!

So much has happened in the last few weeks.

September 17th-27th: Richard's family came to visit. This was the first time Papa, Grandma, Uncle Shawn, Aunt Susan, and cousin Samuel got to meet Reagan. We spent a lot of time together and everyone got to hold Reagan (even Samuel)! Here are a few pictures from our time together.









September 28th: Reagan rolled over from back to tummy in his crib for the first time. I snapped a picture at 4am, while he was screaming to be picked up and fed. (Felt guilty for letting him scream while I took the picture, but he'll thank me later for documenting such a momentous occasion, I'm sure.) :)


September 30th: I visited a great consignment sale and grabbed a bunch of adorable clothes for Reagan for... $26.75! Can't believe the steals I got! Check it out. My favorite is the Turtle sweater and pants.


October 1st: Reagan's 2 month well check up went... well. :) He measured 23 inches long (that's 2 inches of growth in 10 weeks), putting him in the 78th percentile for length. He weighed in at a whopping 14 lbs, 13.7 oz (gained 6 pounds since birth), putting him in the 99th percentile for weight! Atta-boy! He also got 3 shots in his tender, chunky thighs. Both of us did well--I didn't watch the needles sticking him, held him tight when all was done, and he only cried for about 5 minutes after the fact, then fell asleep in the car on the way home. Here's a picture of him outside of the doctor's office while we waited for our car to be pulled up (complimentary valet is awfully nice for a momma with a car seat in tow)!


October 2nd: Reagan attended his first sporting event with Momma, Daddy, Candace, Derek, and Veronica. He was happy for most of the event... until he got hungry. After eating, he slept peacefully through the 3rd period. Sure does pay off to make sure there is always noise when the baby is sleeping. No need to tip-toe around this kid!

October 4th: Reagan rolled over for the second time in his crib, during his morning nap! We still have yet to get him to do it outside of his crib, and while we are watching, but I'm so proud of my little chunk!


October 5th: I cleaned out the pantry. It was gross. Boring as it may seem to you, I was delighted at this before and after shot! :)
BEFORE


AFTER

Life as we know it...

Things are quickly changing in the Smother-bode. Reagan is becoming less and less like an accessory every day. Up until this point, taking him places was much like toting another bag. Richard and I each had our purses, the diaper bag, and Reagan in the car seat. He would fall asleep in the car on the way to our destination, and stay that way for at least 3 hours until hunger set in.

Well, I noticed things change in a dramatic way last night. Reagan stayed awake the whole car ride to church, and stayed awake the whole service. He started leaning forward in his car seat during the ride and once we go to church he wanted out. He was smiling and interacting with people more. He did really well, and only had to be taken out for a diaper change and quick feeding. This is exciting and sad at the same time! I looked at him in his swing the other day and noticed how big he's getting already. He has slept 7 hours 3 out of 4 nights this week, which I'm grateful for, but it's just another sign that he's growing up. I've stepped on and off the scale with this little chubster and he's at least 14 lbs. now, at 2 months! Yikes! I think he's going to out grow both of us! My baby won't be a baby much longer!

The Great Sleepathon, Nights #6, 7, and 8

I know I said I'd only write about our first week of sleeping, but the 8th day was very important to include. So, please forgive me for adding one extra day!

Night #6: Reagan didn't eat well because of his tummy troubles, so after about 1/2 an hour of crying, he ate again, then settled down. However, he was up about every 2 hours and grazed in his eating throughout the night. This made for a VERY tired momma the next day (Labor Day)!

Night #7: We used our Labor Day holiday to get a few things at Wal-Mart and paint our living room.

BEFORE:



AFTER:

Because of the paint, we had to contain Reagan to his room with the door shut. We quickly realized that his room was too warm with the door shut (ventilation isn't so great in there), so he got to hang out in his bassinet for the night. Our cute little nearly 14 lb. baby looks HUGE in the bassinet! It's amazing how much room he takes up in it! He slept well, only waking up to eat after about 4 hours each time.

Night #8: TONIGHT was amazing! I went through the routine, put Reagan down, Richard and I said goodnight and kissed him. He went to sleep within 10 minutes, with just a few whimpers! We're really getting this thing down!

The Great Sleepathon, Nights #4 & 5

And we have... SUCCESS! :)

Well, Reagan has really caught on to this whole sleeping in his crib thing really fast! I had read an article on Parents.com about how to get your baby sleeping in his crib in a week, and we've been able to do it fairly successfully in less than a week! Either he's a really good baby, or we're just that good!

Night #4 (Friday): Reagan cried for about 1/2 an hour, I went in, changed his diaper, fed him. (He hasn't been eating well lately because he's been having tummy aches and gets upset while he's eating, so he'll graze sometimes throughout the day. I've been giving him gripe water, but it doesn't erase the tummy aches all together... just eases it for a while after taking the medicine.) After I put him down, he whimpered for about 3 minutes, then he was out! 4 hours of sleep, a feeding, and another 4 hours of sleep! This kid's a champ!

Night #5 (Saturday): Reagan was so tired after we'd been with friends playing cards for the evening. No crying, whatsoever. A few little whimpers, and he was out! Just like the previous nights, he slept 4 hours before getting hungry again each time and was easy to put down when he woke in the middle of the night.

Rubix is grateful to have us back to herself in the bedroom. She'd been a little mopey the last few weeks once she got used to Reagan being in here with us. I think she's pretty happy he's got his own bed now and his crying over the monitor piques her interest a little.

Oh, and one interesting tid-bit. Reagan's starting to develop a slight quirk in his bedtime routine. He has a little odd obsession with his striped crib bumper. As soon as he's put down in the crib, his left arm stretches out, and he begins poking and staring at it. Odd? Yes. Unexpected? Have you met his father? :) I love my family!

The Great Sleepathon, Night #3

Well, we went through our bedtime routine last night, and after about 20 minutes of crying, and a diaper change, Reagan got quiet. I cheered, and told Richard our time was going down, so that was a good thing. I didn't think it could be this easy... and it wasn't. Reagan was lulling us into thinking he was done so we'd be calm for what was to come next. 20 more minutes of straight crying! Thinking something might be wrong, I went to check on him. He got silent when I picked him up. (So neat that I can have this effect on him!) He was dripping in sweat, but that was because of the crying, kicking, and screaming. I held him so he could cool off and calm down in the fan. Then, while I was holding him, he started acting hungry (which was weird, since I'd fed him only 2.5 hours before (and he doesn't usually get hungry for about 3.5-4 hours). I felt like a bad mommy for letting him cry all that time!

After he ate, he went down for another hour of crying (with me checking on him periodically, to make sure he was truly okay). I nearly caved in because I felt so bad that he was crying. However, I knew that he was well fed, had a clean diaper, and would calm down as soon as he saw me. This meant he was testing me! I almost got him and put him in the swing in our room, but right when I was about to, he calmed down and fell asleep (whether from pure exhaustion or the realization that he was not going to get out of that crib, I'm not sure).

He slept for 4 hours straight, ate, was changed, and was back in the crib and asleep within 5 minutes for another 4 hours! When he woke up this morning, he got another diaper change, ate, and has been sleeping for about 2.5 hours so far! HOORAY! We will accomplish this with less crying tonight, I'm SURE! :) (Well, at least, I hope for Reagan's poor little lungs, we do!)

The Great Sleepathon, Night #2

Well, here in the Smotherman household we take pride in our ability to learn quickly what is expected of us. Reagan has stepped up to take on his new responsibility of sleeping for longer periods of time (and in his own room).

Last night we had church services, so we didn't get home till 9:30 or so. Reagan was screaming from hunger the whole ride home, so the routine changed a bit. No bath was needed, since I'm only bathing him every 2-3 days to avoid drying out his skin. First thing he did was eat. Then, it was off for a diaper change and a good lavender bedtime lotion rub-down. The bedtime music was played on his cd player, the monitor star projection was turned on, and lights were out for bedtime. All was well for about 5 minutes. Then, the crying began. It went on for exactly 25 minutes (babybix.com is AWESOME!), and then he was SILENT! Richard and I crept into the room to see that he was, in fact, ASLEEP. We did a silent cheer, and I went to shower.

After getting out of the shower, I heard Reagan crying again. He'd only been asleep for about 1/2 an hour. :( Thinking I'd rejoiced too soon, I went to check on him. Wet diaper. He was perfectly silent as soon as I picked him up, and just stared at me while I changed him. Back in bed he went... to cry for another 30 minutes. But then... SILENCE :) and he was out for 4 hours this time! HOORAY! I woke up, fed him, and we both fell asleep. When I woke up in the rocker 1.5 hours later, I set him gently down in his crib for another 3 hour stretch! HOORAY! Then, after his morning feeding, we both went back to sleep for another 3 hours! HOORAY AGAIN!

Hopefully tonight there will be a little less crying and a lot more sleep had by both of us, but I'm so excited about our progress thus far! :)

The Great Sleepathon

Yesterday began our journey toward what I like to call the "Great Sleepathon". What is a sleepathon? Well, according to the Smotherman dictionary it is a lengthy, deep sleep enjoyed by both baby and parents! Like a marathon, you have to train to be successful at a sleepathon. So, we began training little Reagan for his participation in this esteemed event last night.

First, we introduced him to a routine. Bathe, dress for bed, eat, go to bed in the crib awake, and sleep all night! Reagan shook hands with the routine, but quickly chose a different one of bathe, dress for bed, eat, go to bed awake, cry a little, pretend to be asleep, cry a lot, scream a lot, sweat a lot, get 2 diaper changes, cry more, scream more, get picked up by mom, get stripped down to the diaper because he was sweating a lot, get another diaper change, hang out in the swing WIDE AWAKE, get into bassinet awake, cry, eat some more, go to bassinet asleep (and wake up for one more feeding 4 hours later).

So, our first attempt was not quite as successful as I had hoped. Tonight, we shall try again! I'm starting to track our activities, diapers, and feedings on babybix.com, hoping this will help me keep up with everything. I can even print charts to show the doctor at his next appointment! Now, that's my kind of organization. :)

Reagan's Birth Story

Tuesday, July 20th, I started feeling contractions throughout the night. They weren't terribly painful, but I figured things were getting started. Richard took Wednesday, the due date, off work because we thought it would be THE DAY. We ran some errands around town, hoping the contractions would get stronger and closer together. No such luck. We went to Bible study that night, answering questions about why I was "still here" over and over. I was tired of answering questions, tired of being pregnant, and just plain tired.

Richard went to work Thursday because I figured nothing was going to happen. My contractions were randomly spread out during the day, but started getting closer together when he got home. We went to Popeyes for dinner around 6:30, then went to the mall to walk. We walked for about 2 hours, leaving just about the time the mall closed. My contractions were about 5 minutes apart at the mall, so I went home and started pacing through the house, hoping to keep them going. Rubix followed me as I paced, and I called my mom to let her know that I was pretty sure tonight was the night! However, shortly after calling her, my contractions started coming further apart. I sent her a text message to get some sleep and tried to do so, myself. The contractions continued, mostly 5 minutes apart, but randomly 7-9 minutes apart. I was frustrated because in order to go to the hospital, we were told they had to be 5 minutes apart for an hour.

Around 2:00 Friday morning (July 23rd), I woke Richard up and we called the doctor. She told us to come on in. We quickly packed the car and I called my mom. On the way to the hospital, the contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, and by the time we got into the triage and I was hooked up to a monitor, they were coming 1.5-2 minutes apart. The nurse said she thought I would go quickly. I was already 5cm dilated when we got to the hospital. I was worried because I needed to have 2 doses of penicillin 4 hours apart before delivering because I tested positive for Group B Strep (not harmful to me, but could cause blood disease and blindness in the baby if I wasn't treated before delivery). The first penicillin drip started around 4:00am, before we left the room. We told the triage nurse the baby's name, and that it was a secret. She promised she wouldn't say anything.

When they wheeled me over to the labor and delivery room, I was surprised to see my brother, Justin, sitting on the couch in the room. He beat us in there! The couch is where he would spend the entire day, resting on the pillow I brought for myself. Around 5:30am, shortly after arriving in labor and delivery, I met the man I will always be grateful to and never forget--MARK, the anesthesiologist! This man gave me such a good epidural that I felt NOTHING my entire delivery. I couldn't even feel the pressure of the contractions! He made this one of the most enjoyable, relaxed, and memorable experiences! I'll certainly be asking for him the next time I give birth at TGH!

After the epidural was administered, my Granny and parents arrived. The doctor didn't want to check my progress again until after 8:00am, to ensure that she didn't break my water before the second penicillin drip was administered. I was so excited I couldn't sleep. I spent hours just talking with my family, so relaxed because of the epidural. When Dr. Lynch finally came into the room to check me, I was 7cm dilated and she broke my water in the process. When they sat the bed back up, I felt my arm getting squished against something, which I quickly found out was my leg. I hadn't even realized they had moved it until they sat me up and I could see it! Thank you, Mark!

Dr. Lynch left to perform a C-section and said she'd be back to check on me when she was done. I was turned on my side because the baby wasn't facing the right direction completely. Another dose of penicillin was administered and she returned around 1:00pm. (Our family spent the time from the last check till then talking with the labor and delivery nurse, Monique, who was really sweet. She wasn't supposed to be our nurse, and was just subbing while our nurse was busy with another patient. However, she asked if she could stay with us because she enjoyed talking with us so much.) At 1:00pm, I was 10cm dilated and told we were going to start pushing. Since I wasn't feeling any pain or pressure, it was a bit surreal that we'd already reached this point.

Richard was by my side the whole time. Between the pushing, we were talking about the weather, joking around, and laughing the whole time. My family sat outside the door on a gurney (when they were supposed to be in the waiting room--don't know how they got away with that) and listened to the whole hour and a half of the delivery. They were worried when they heard me gasping loudly between pushes because they thought the epidural was wearing off, when in fact I was just trying to breathe because they'd made me hold my breath the whole time I was pushing. Dr. Lynch did tell them to turn off the drip so I could at least feel pressure. I had to receive oxygen at one point because I'd been pushing for so long.

Reagan Milton Smotherman arrived at 2:28pm on Friday, July 23rd. He weighed 8 lbs., 13 oz. and measured 21" long. Richard and I were sobbing like crazy, so happy to meet our sweet little man. Rubix met him Sunday, July 25th, and fell in love immediately. We're all doing well and adjusting quite nicely! This next year will be an adventure for all 4 of us!