So Darn Cute

New photos up :)

playing doctor

such art skills :/

bathtime fun

new teeth coming in!

one of our many snow days this winter

From 6 months to 8 months to 13 months!

Summertime! Dressed up in sailing pants and suspenders 

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Boxes and blocks: James likes his wooden blocks! Plus, practicing standing on those strong legs.

swings at the Metropolitan/Central Park playground 

(and showing off his booties from Grandma M!)

Snowstorm hits NYC, and James heads out to experience the snow. His conclusion: boring. Sock munching, on the other hand, mmm yeah! Also, bath time is a new favorite activity.

Home after surgery! New high chair (hmmm, working on starting solid food maybe?), and enjoying some serious snow. James was immobile in his snowsuit below, so wrapped up in layers for the blizzard that he couldn't even twitch.

Pre-surgery: James in January. A visit from Aunt Liz, new clothes, new toys, new hand coordination skills and almost crawling skills and almost sitting on his own skills...

6 months

Out walking in the snow

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Riding out Hurricane Sandy! 

We had barely anything to worry about, with light rain, moderate wind, and no power loss or flooding. But James did enjoy a few extra days with Daddy at home, and cuddled up with blankets, toys, and tv.

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3 months!

little boy in a big chair

big smile and bigger feet

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And older pics from early weeks, back in the Brooklyn days 

   

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(past history)

August 5:

James is definitely growing... he's visibly bigger and more rounded out than a week ago. His crying sessions are abating, and he's back to his standard easygoing and calm comportment. He still stays up late at night, but isn't as fussy or noisy as he was last week, so bedtime is getting easier. His vision and coordination are also markedly improved; he entertains himself by staring at and reaching towards toys and objects that until a few days ago he barely noticed. He had a few excursions this week and stayed on good behavior while out in public :)

August 1:

We've gotten into a fairly established routine: James sleeps pretty solidly throughout the first half the day, and stays mostly awake the second half. We'd love to shift his schedule by a few hours (go to bed at 10pm instead of 1am!) but haven't had any luck yet. He still walks up every few hours, of course, but his early morning feedings are quick as he drifts easily back into sleep... evening meals are arduous and cranky. Apparently between weeks 6-8 babies cry the most, so at least this pattern should start to wane soon. We're not as fond of his "just because I feel like it and imma continue as long as I want" wails as we are of his hunger cries and dirty diaper complaints.

This does mean that Peter, who's back at work, needs a little extra sleep. Mom can take care of nighttime feedings but Dad still hears the midnight noise of a little guy that doesn't want to sleep yet.

He has been doing well with both bottle and breastfeeding. He can only directly breastfeed once a day or so, because he has vitamins and calorie supplements to add to his milk at most meals, but his dietary needs (rather than lack of strength) are the only reason now that he doesn't nurse more frequently.

He also has started scratching his face more often and giving himself rashes, so he now has snug socks firmly fitted over his hands. His face already looks better, but James definitely likes to be in motion. His arms and legs are long for his size... we've got a little monkey.

As of July 27:

James visited his cardiologist, and everything looks good. He's growing, the shunt put into his heart is stable, and he did great with a day-long outing to the hospital. He put up with the poking and prodding with barely any fuss.

As of July 22:

Our first days at home together have gone well! James wakes up twice throughout the night while one of us stumbles around to feed and soothe him, and we swap places for his morning feeds so we each get some uninterrupted sleep :) He has an abundance of blankets so he stays warm and snuggled no matter where he is: cradle, crib, or carseat. We are glad now that we have those options: the proximity of the cradle is appreciated in the middle of the night, but options in different rooms help us manage noise levels. He LOVES his carseat, so we place him in the seat and the seat in the cradle or around the apartment and he can sit upright and doze.

He got a bath at home yesterday, in a plastic bin on the kitchen counter. His musical mobile over the crib keeps his attention riveted, but we made him a second handmade mobile yesterday to put over the cradle. At his age he mostly sees black and white, so high contrast patterns and images dangle overhead for him to watch. His weight is still being closely watched - he's on calorie supplements until he grows a bit more - but he eats up to 70 ccs per meal at home so his appetite and strength are improving.

Peter starts the school year tomorrow, so we're enjoying this Sunday on our own :) James' first pediatrician visit is Monday, and he has a followup with his cardiologist at Weill Cornell on Friday. Beyond that, it should be a few months before he needs major medical attention again as he ramps up to surgery #2 in the fall.

As of July 17:

We requested yesterday that James begin an "on-demand" feeding schedule, allowing him to set the pace as opposed to the hopsital's policy of "feed every three hours, and be tube fed the remainder if he doesn't finish". So far, the 12-hour trial was successful so James will eat on demand for the next few days...hopefully culminating in discharge. While his doctors were skeptical about this plan initially, convinced that he wasn't eating because he was too weak, James has shown his personal pace to be set at a similar, but more flexible, 2 to 3.5 hour spacing and his meal size to range from 45-55 ccs. Since he'll be fed on demand once he's home, we're very happy with this plan.

As of July 14:

Bastille Day was a positive experience for James: he ate really well and completely finished a number of his bottles - some he even sped through in 20 minutes :)

As of July 12:

Yesterday, doctors were discussing a possible weekend discharge. James was sleepy today and didn't finish any of his meals, a bit of a setback, so it's likely he'll need a few more days. Still, the mention of coming home so soon is encouraging: it means that (assuming the slump today is just temporary) the end is very near!

Also, the NICU has gifted him with a NICU emblazoned onesie... not quite as luxurious as the Ralph Lauren sleeper he got at delivery, but we'll take all the freebies we can get.  He's gotten good at timing his pee so as to start peeing as soon as a clean diaper is unobscured within range; we're gonna need a lot of diapers if he keeps that up.

As of July 10:

Another small weight gain today, and solid performances in breastfeeding and finishing his bottle in multiple successive feedings. Doctors say he can start being fed the nipple every time he's awake, or even just stirring, and will go home as soon as he wakes up for every meal (i.e., until he stops sleeping through meals because his energy is too low).

As of July 9:

James gained 3 ounces since yesterday, a very positive sign and his first major weight gain! His nipple feedings are now increasing, and we'll start breastfeeding twice a day instead of once. He's off the diuretic (Lasix) and is being "cue" fed: whenever he's awake and wants to eat, he gets a nipple (as opposed to gavage) regardless of whether his last feeding was by nipple also. He recognizes hunger now and makes "hunger" faces, opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue, so he associates feeling full with sucking milk now and expresses his desire to eat. His sucker gets stronger each day :) Mom is feeling stronger and will start spending full days at the hospital with him to feed him more often; Dad has been doing a great job holding down the fort for 2 weeks.