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Friday, November 25, 2011

Going Solo

This week marked the beginning of my solo expedition with Harrison.  Daniel went back to work this past Sunday leaving the baby and I to fend for ourselves!  Its been quite the adjustment (massive understatement.) Since the holiday season is upon us, not only is Daniel heading back to work, but he is now working 6 days a week with approximately 12 hour days. I know its been really hard on him this past week not being able to spend as much time with his little boy as he wants, and I think we are both counting down until the end of the holiday season when Daddy gets to be home with us more!

While Daniel has been working, it has left a lot of time for Harrison and I to get to know one another.  And have we ever.  My little boy is definitely coming out of his shell and making his personality known.  He makes his needs known, but not in the typical ways one would expect from a newborn.  Not one to cry loud and shrill, he is more of a whiner.  This has been easy on the ears, but difficult not to laugh at now and then.  His little churbling noise he makes when he either has a wet diaper or is hungry is sometimes hard to take seriously and he is constantly making me laugh.  Another behavior that has made itself known is his distaste for diapers and his love of doing his duty out in the open.  More times than I'd like to admit I've been peed and pooped on already.  There was even an incident that involved wiping down the walls... ick. 

Other than his lack of concern regarding his bodily fluids, I have been blessed with a very good baby.  Most nights we are in bed by 10:00 pm and he will wake me up around 3:00 am to be fed, changed and soothed back to sleep.  On my lucky days he'll sleep until 8:00 am. On my not so lucky days he wont go back to bed, but we do enjoy a solid afternoon nap together.  This has been most appreciated since I'm on duty at nights too, since Daniel has to be up by 4:00 each morning.

Harrison is also showing development in his vision.  He is now tracking objects and enjoys playing with his black and white toys the most. By playing, I mean staring at them while you hold them over his head, but he seems to have fun with it! His eyes are becoming less and less "cross-eyed" in appearance and he is now able to focus on faces.  His stare is so intense, sometimes I wonder if he's looking into my soul.

While 90% of the time Harrison is a calm and content little boy, there have been periods of "mommy is going to rip all of her hair out."  I have been very lucky this week to have had my mom available to come help.  Even if its just so I can catch a quick nap, take a shower or have someone to talk to for a little bit, the visits have been a lifesaver and I'm incredibly grateful!

With week 1 alone down, I'm starting to get more of a handle on this Mommy role and it is my hope that each week will only get better.  I am having so much fun watching him become his own little person!

First Thanksgiving


First bath!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Welcome Home Harrison!

It has been a almost one week now since we brought our little Harrison Daniel home from the hospital and its already been quite the ride!  We have definitely experienced our ups and downs thus far as new parents, but the love we have for our little boy overwhelms those downs and makes everything worth it.  It has been so much fun watching him grow and seeing the subtle changes in his appearance even after just one week.  He has such a personality and has captured a permanent spot in his Mommy and Daddy's hearts. 
Since coming home we have limited visitors to Grandma and Grandpas, Aunts and Uncles in an attempt to limit his exposure to germs until his immune system has had a chance to ramp up some.  This has also been nice in that we have been given the opportunity to create somewhat of a routine for ourselves.  Harrison's true gift since coming into this world has been eating.  This baby eats more than any baby I've ever met.  He easily downs 3-4 oz every feeding (I didn't think their stomachs were even big enough for that...) and rarely spits up.  Since I'm trying to breastfeed it has made things a little stressful.  Okay, a lot stressful.  There's nothing harder than knowing that as a mom you're not able to supply enough food for your baby.  Because he is such a big hungry boy we have had to do some supplementation with formula so that he's not hungry all the time.  I keep reminding myself that there's nothing wrong with doing this and by doing so I'm not failing at breastfeeding.  It is my (strong) hope that soon we will be able to ween him off the formula completely.

Other than the highs and lows of feeding, Harrison is such a well mannered baby.  He rarely cries (unless hungry of course)  and has even been known to sit in a wet diaper without a peep.  We now check his diapers periodically just in case since it clearly doesn't bother him the way we think it should :).  Knock on wood his sleeping habits he's currently keeping don't change.  He easily sleeps 3-4 hour stretches at night only to wake up, eat, and be back asleep 20 minutes later.  What an angel!  He definitely got his mother's appreciation for a solid nights sleep and his father's appreciation for a solid afternoon nap.

Daniel and I are looking forward to the new experiences we will have a new parents and sharing those experiences with you all!  Here is a pictures of our little Harrison to leave you with!

Harrison Daniel Herrera