Happy Halloween!

Calum was a cow for Halloween. He had a skeleton outfit that he wore during the daytime, but I changed him into his cow outfit that evening… for a very brief amount of time. He did not care for the costume. The skeleton attire went over better with him- of course it is made like his sleepers (more comfy).

The cow costume was a little big. I ordered a 0-6 month costume. Calum is big for his age, so I know there is no way most any child in that age range would have been big enough for that costume. Rip off!

We stayed home on Halloween. I was recovering from my appendectomy and wasn’t allowed to drive or tote him around- not that I really felt like getting out anyway. So, my mom came over to help me with Calum and to keep me company.

We had no trick-or-treaters. I was very disappointed. I thought since we now live in a neighborhood that we would have some and I was really looking forward to it. I guess because we are in the back and our closest neighbor is never home, they just didn’t come our way. I will have to develop a better plan for next year.

Damon's pumpkin:

This was an attempt to make my pumpkin look like the monkey on many of Calum's sleepers.

Balloons are Fabulous!

When I came home from my surgery, there was a knock at our front door. My sweet friend, Danielle, and her family had sent me a get well goody basket. So sweet!

Calum loved the balloons that came with the basket. He would stare at them, talk to them, and pretty much break his neck to look at them from wherever he was in the room.

One night we tied them to his foot (very loosely). He loved it and quickly discovered that shaking his leg would cause them to move. For several days after that he tried to shake his leg to move other things- like the hanging toys over his play mat. I think we accidentally conditioned him to think that leg shaking would make cool things occur. Oops! Glad it only lasted a few days.

We tied them to his pack-n-play where he sleeps, but he couldn’t handle the stimulation. He talked to them and never went to sleep, so we had to take them away.

Anyway, balloons are apparently the best gift ever as far as Calum is concerned.

Why Do We Even Have An Appendix?

On October 28^th I developed some pain in my abdomen (I swear this story is really too much like my birth story experience with bladder stones! Jeez!). Throughout the course of the evening it got progressively worse, but was nothing unbearable. It started in my back. At first I thought I had just pulled a muscle or something, then as it got a little worse I thought it was my kidneys. By the time I went to bed it was under my rib cage, in the front. It was uncomfortable, but again, nothing extreme.

We went to bed and around 1am I woke up in serious pain. I was curled up in a ball and really hurting. I was also shivering uncontrollably. I got up and went in the living room and turned on our electric logs to try to get heat quickly. It wasn’t quickly enough. It was odd pain. It was bad, but it was not the sharp, stabbing pain like I had with the bladder stones. This was more of a nauseating, constant ache. At that point it felt like it encircled my entire abdomen.

Finally I got Damon up and filled him in. He said we should go to the Emergency Room, but I was in so much pain that the idea of having to haul myself into the bedroom to get dressed, and then to have to ride to the hospital was too much. I really just didn’t want to have to move. I wanted immediate relief.

I ended up calling my mom around 2am. She headed our way to watch Calum while we left. Between that phone call and her arriving at my house, the pain let up- a lot! It was weird, but I felt much better by the time she got there. I ended up staying home and going to bed. Sleep was wonderful.

By morning I felt so much better, but I noticed when I would pick Calum up that it hurt in my lower right side. Nothing bad, just something noticeable that kept catching my attention. Damon was scheduled to work the rest of the week, so that Monday was the only day I had child care available, so I decided I would go get it checked out. I had promised my mom I would anyway.

I headed to the ER around 10am. I got back quickly (the perks of having a husband who works there) and was seen fairly soon. They were going to do a CT scan, so I had to drink some gross fruity concoction- two whole bottles. It didn’t seem too bad at first, but it got worse as I drank it. Funky aftertaste for sure! I pretty much just gulped them down.

I ended up waiting over three hours for my scan. Apparently there was a lab issue. Anyway, had my scan finally around 4 or so and was taken back to my room. I still had the pain- thank goodness. I was worried after all that waiting that it would be like when you take the car to the mechanic. It makes that noise all the time, but once you get there it goes away. Well, it didn’t go away. I really felt like it was probably nothing though, so when the doctor came in and told me it was my appendix and that I would have to have surgery, I was shocked.

I didn’t realize he meant right away. I was there alone. Damon couldn’t head to the hospital until my mom got to our house to watch Calum. Damon’s mom came down to keep him after that, so my mom could come out to the hospital too. I was out of surgery and in a room around 10:30pm. They did it laparoscopically, so the pain wasn’t bad. I am glad I didn’t have to have the big incision in my side.

I went home the next day around 11am. The recovery from the pain was fairly quick, but I wasn’t able to pick up the baby for several days, so I had to have help. That was odd. I really appreciated the help, but I felt badly that someone had to stay will me, just to pick up and move my baby around. I am glad I am better now.

It’s interesting that my brother and I both had to have our appendix (is the plural form of the body part “appendices” too?) removed in the month of October- but 8 years apart. Also, his was awful, as it ruptured and caused infection. Mine was just inflamed, but was removed before it had the chance to rupture.

I am glad that it is over, and not something I will have to experience again.

Daddy's Birthday Card

Damon’s birthday was October 25^th. I decided Calum and I needed to make him a card. I got the idea from a friend’s blog (Thanks Kellee- even though I didn’t ask before I stole the idea!).

The card involved paint and hand and foot prints. I waited until I had reinforcements- a day when my mom was visiting.

The first footprint was a complete failure, so we had to start over. The second footprint was great. The handprint was hard. Calum keeps his hands in fists and apparently wasn’t overly coerced to open them for paint! We got the handprint, but we all had white paint on us before it was accomplished. It was too funny!

Here are pictures:

Calum and Friends!

I have pictures of Calum with several people, but many times I have forgotten to take pictures of him with his adoring fans. Here are the ones I have.

This is the only picture I have, so far, of Calum and his Nana (my mom), because she doesn't like to be in pictures! I am determined to get another soon!

Calum and his MawMaw (Damon's mom):

Calum and his Great-Grandmama (my grandmother):

 Calum, listening to his Great-PawPaw whistle:

Calum and Erin:

Calum and Brittani:

Calum and Danielle:

Calum with my cousin, Holly:

Calum with my cousin, Kara:

Here he is with my Aunt Terry:

One Month Old!

Calum turned one month old on Wednesday, October 10^th. He seems to have changed so much since he was born, but I know we really are just getting to know him, his personality, likes, and dislikes.

Calum eats every three hours. He is already drinking 4 ounces per feeding. He came home drinking 75ml (less than 3 ounces) and he now takes about 130ml (over 4 ounces). He is a growing boy! His pediatrician says this is okay- I guess because of his size. I knew the amount would increase, because he received just IV fluids for most of his NICU stay. They were gradually increasing the amount of milk he drank during the last two days he was there.

We have started having one less feeding a day- that is at night. He will sleep for one long period at night- about 5 hours- so instead of eight feedings in a 24 hour period, we are now doing seven. He is on a schedule and does well with it.

We are working on getting Calum on an eat-wake-sleep cycle during the daytime, but this is proving difficult. Sometimes he wants to sleep all the way from one bottle to the next- after eating you can’t keep him awake for anything. Sometimes he wakes up thirty to forty-five minutes before his next bottle and is hungry then. But, overall, we are getting better with this and it is working well.

I am also working on putting him down at set times for naps. He goes down for his nap while awake. Although I love holding my baby, and can easily hold him until he falls asleep, this was causing a lot of issues, including a very fussy baby- all day long. Hearing your baby cry himself to sleep is absolute torture, but he is getting better with it and I have found it makes for much better days for us all- when it works. I have found a couple of times that he will get so wound up by crying that he can’t calm enough to fall asleep. On those occurrences, I can pick him up and within about a minute he is calm and sound asleep. Sometimes I put him down and he babbles to the ceiling fan until he falls asleep- no crying at all. Most days this works very well. Structure is hard to accomplish- very hard- but it seems to have great payoffs for everyone’s attitudes. Calum is a lot less fussy throughout the day.

Other info about Calum:

Calum is receiving just breastmilk. He is being bottle-fed. Being in the NICU did not lend itself well to establishing breastfeeding, but our system seems to be working well. Another thing Calum picked up in the NICU is a love for his pacifier! Goodness knows he does love it! Better a paci than his fingers. I can take the paci away at a later time, but sucking those fingers would be a hard habit for us to break.

Calum came home from the hospital wearing 3 month clothing and size 1 diapers. I had to pack all his newborn clothing up and I still need to take the newborn diapers and exchange them. He is already too long for some of the three month outfits.

Calum does not overly care for his baby swing right now, and out of all the bouncy, vibrating, lounger type seats we have, he LOVES the one we got at the consignment sale the most! He doesn’t even like for it to vibrate or play music. He just likes to sit in it. Go figure!

He gets the hiccups about five times a day- seriously! He gets them very often and keeps them for extended periods of time. This is nothing new. He had hiccups all the time before he was born. I remember wondering when I would feel hiccups and then I realized I had been. People kept telling me they would be short and fleeting. Not his! His would always last about 20-30 minutes. They still do. Luckily they do not make him angry. That would make for some pitiful days. He really doesn’t seem to notice them.

Calum, like many babies I am sure, loves to stare at the ceiling fans, light fixtures, and the columns in our great room. The other night we were eating dinner and Calum was in his bouncy seat on the floor near the table. He started crying. I picked him up and he kept crying. I switched his position and cradled him in my arm, where he was looking up. That did it- he stopped and proceeded to stare at the chandelier for the next twenty minutes, until I moved us away. As much as he likes the fans and other fixtures, the chandelier is his favorite.

Here he is, on his one month birthday!

Our friend, Danielle, took this picture when she came to visit:

Baby Pictures (up to 1 month)

We enjoy going for strolls around the neighborhood.

 Daddy dressed him...

A friend gave us this onesie!

I love this picture!

Sleepyhead:

Getting ready to take a bath:

Calum loves bathtime! Here he is, showing me his mouth...

All the fresh air, from our walk on a cool afternoon, just tuckered him out.

My cutie pie:

I love cuddling with my sweet boy!

Mommy and Baby Pictures

One day, a couple of weeks after Calum was born, I actually got ready! I fixed my hair and put on makeup. This was rare and because of that I decided I needed some pictures with my little bundle. Damon took some pictures for me and a few turned out really well. Several were really cute. Here are some he took. I was very pleased and excited to have some pictures with my little man.

Two Week Check-up

At his two week well baby check-up on September 25th, Calum was very well-behaved. ;-) We waited a long time, but finally were called back. Calum didn’t have to have any shots at this appointment, and he didn’t have to have his heel pricked, because they tested him twice in the NICU, which was a relief. I was so glad because listening to the babies cry while we were in the waiting room was horrible. I can’t imagine how I will feel when we go back at two months and he has to get a ton of shots!

Calum weighed 10 pounds, 2 ounces. That was a gain of 18 ounces in two weeks! Everything you read and hear says they want babies to gain back to their birth weight by their two week appointment. We clearly had no trouble there. He may have never lost any of his birth weight. You also read that newborns should gain between a half ounce and a full ounce every day. Well, we met and surpassed that goal as well.

Calum measured 22 inches in length, which was a gain of ¾ of an inch since he was born. He did not like being measured. He was fine until the nurse stretched out his legs to get an accurate length, which prompted some screaming. It seemed very sudden and it was over about as soon as it had begun. I realized throughout the duration of the visit that ours was not the only baby who protested being measured. It apparently is not a favored procedure among the babies.

Calum seems to be doing very well. Two things to note were his eyes and his belly button. Calum has had goopy eyes since he was born. His eye lashes get matted and he gets a lot of sleep in the corners of his eyes. His doctor says it is common with some babies and that his tear ducts haven’t opened completely yet. They should correct themselves by one year of age, though most do so earlier. I just clean his eyes a few times a day with a warm washcloth and we massage the inside corners of his eyes to help his ducts open. Nothing to be alarmed over, thank goodness.

Calum also hasn’t lost his umbilical cord yet! When he was in the NICU, the IV in his head was causing an irritation on his scalp, so it was moved to run through his umbilical cord. Because of this, his cord was cut very short and apparently that causes it to take a lot longer to dry out and fall off (not sure why, but that is what the doctor reports). We are still waiting…

Calum will go back around mid-November for his two month appointment and will get his first set of immunizations. I do not look forward to it, and I am sure if Calum were aware of it he would not be too thrilled himself.

Here is my little guy at his appointment:

Baby Pictures (first 2 wks)

We have taken many pictures since we brought our little man home. Here are just a few from the first two weeks.