2 weeks!

Where has the time gone?!? I can't believe he's already 2 weeks old, I know everyone says that, but seriously, I feel like my days fly by. By the time I change him, feed him, change him again, feed myself, try to swoosh him to sleep for an hour I do it all again and then it's time for Marc to get home. It's so funny, Marc made a comment this week, "Now I understand why all our friends go to bed at 8pm." We are also trying to get on that schedule, but it just feels like we have so much to talk about and so much to do when he gets home from work that by the time we look at the clock its midnight all over again.

Caiden is eating like a champ. I took him to his 2 week check-up yesterday and he weighs 9 pounds  5 ounces! He's already 6 ounces past his birth weight at only 2 weeks, I couldn't believe it. They say he should be at his birth weight by 2 weeks so he passed with flying colors. And I was successful in taking him to his appointment all by myself. This was the first time I've left the house with him by myself so I was nervous. And our pediatrician's office is the worst. You have to park in this HUGE, hot, underground garage, walk forever to the elevator, go to the 6th floor then sit in a waiting room with a bunch of toddlers playing with loud toys until they call me 20 minutes past my appointment time. Needless to say I dislike our pediatrician and the office and we are switching before his 1-month well baby check-up. Anyway, all went smooth and the minute you get that kid in the car he falls asleep and stays asleep until you take him out of his car seat and put him on the exam table. I was able to lug him all around the office with the diaper bag all by myself...what an accomplishment, haha.

My days look like this so far: Feed Caiden anytime between 6 and 8 in the morning (whenever he feels like getting up), try to be as quiet and make slow movements as possible so that he'll go back to sleep for a couple hours, and so I can go to sleep for a couple more hours. During the day he's eating about every 3 hours so when he wakes up usually feed him again. He typically doesn't like to sleep again after this feeding unless I put him in the stroller and go for a walk (and I've only done that once) so usually I'm just trying to talk to him or hold some colorful toys in front of him to get his attention. If I'm not holding him or giving him attention he'll usually cry. He doesn't like to just be left alone. Oh, and did I mention I've probably changed his diaper about 8 times by 8 am. He hates being in a wet or poopy diaper and he pees ALL the time. I swear I go through like 20 diapers in a day, I've been wanting to count but just don't have the energy for it.
After playing for a while it's time for him to eat again, and he'll let me know it. After this feeding I try to get him to take a decent nap so I can eat lunch, shower (if I'm lucky) and get some work done around the house, or try to take a nap myself (again...if I'm lucky). Then he's up again after 3 or so hours and it's time to eat again. This breastfeeding thing is exhausting, if he wasn't latching so great or if my milk wasn't so full then I would seriously think about formula. I always kind of thought I'd breastfeed for a year, but every three hours is so crazy right now. Everyone says it gets better but right now my head is spinning.
So I try to feed him right before Marc gets home so that he's nice and happy for him and then maybe he'll go down for a little nap while we eat dinner. That's always the plan, sometimes it works and sometimes we have a screaming baby in the background while one of us shovels down our dinner so we can go relieve the piercing noise. Around 9 or so I feed him again and our plan every night is to put him down in his bassinet right after that feeding and for us to go to bed. The past few nights we've been successful at attempting to go to bed but he doesn't want to cooperate. He will be wide awake and if you even think about putting him in his bassinet he will scream and cry. I try to walk and sway him back and forth as long as I can before my back wants to give in, give him a pacifier (which I HATE doing this early, but sometimes it's the only thing to calm him down) and when he's finally dozed off, as slow as a turtle, lay him in his bassinet and hold my breath that he doesn't move. Unfortunately this is usually 2 hours after he's last ate and he's going to be up again in an hour to eat again. So much for going to sleep right after the 9pm feeding. There have been a few nights where he has gone 4 or 5 hours in the middle of the night without waking up, which have been amazing. The pediatrician said it's okay to let him go that long at night but during the day you should feed him at least every 3 hours. So depending on how long he stays asleep we start that whole routine over in the morning.

Overall I think he's a pretty good newborn, despite the times when he's fussy right before it's time to go to bed he's pretty chill. My Mom and Dad left on Tuesday and we've been trying to adjust without them. It was a godsend they came when they did (2 days after we got home from the hospital and Marc had to go back to work), my Mom would pretty much take him after each feeding and burp him and coo him back to sleep in her arms and it gave me a chance to nap or shower. I was so sleep deprived for so many days after his birth that I didn't know whether I was coming or going half the time. Oh, and I'm almost done with his birth story, just a few missing details I need to get from Marc and it should be posted by this weekend. And we are still waiting for the rocker from Pottery Barn to complete the nursery. You don't know how ready I am for that thing, I'm so sick of sitting in bed and wrecking my back every night during the feedings. The chair should be in by the end of next week or so, then I'll take some pictures of the nursery.

Here are some pics from this week.

This is my hospital picture. He definitely has my chin.

This is the first toy I introduced, the ring o' links. He will watch them as I fiddle with them in front of his face. He's tried grabbing them a few times.

First sponge bath with mommy. Despite the look on his face he really loves it when you bathe him.

Grandpa and Caiden taking a nap

This is how happy he is in his car seat ;)

Grandma and Caiden

First walk around the Bay