One Week with Drake

Yesterday marked Drake's first week birthday and I have major mixed feelings about it! You always hear how amazing parenthood is but you definitely don't know the extent until you're in it. Derrick and I are obsessed with this kid. I love watching him grow and seeing him change but I also want to freeze time and for him to stay this small and cuddly forever. I already miss last week when he was so newborn fresh.

Here's his one week picture :)

My  mom stayed with us for most of the first week and it was a huge help. She would take him after his super early morning feeding and cuddle him so Derrick and I could get another 2-3 hours of sleep before starting our day. She also helped out around the houses so we weren't worrying about laundry, dishes, or meals. Today is our first official day on our own. Derrick took him out of the room this morning so I could catch an extra half hour before his morning feeding and we're planning on an adventure to Target and Panera today.

Derrick has been amazing. Seriously...Dad of the year. He has changed almost all of the diapers because I'm taking on all of the feeding. He gets up with us in the middle of the night to change him and scratch my nose when I can't move, he plays with Crosby so she doesn't feel forgotten, he cuddles Drake, and this morning he shooed me out of the nursery to do something for myself while he watched Drake. He wouldn't let me do laundry so blog posting it is :) We are so fortunate that he gets 12 weeks off with us. I don't know what I'd do without him!

Breastfeeding is HARD! Wow...it's hard. We're hitting our stride though. My milk came in quickly and majorly so we had a few rough days of difficult and painful latching. It was taking anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to latch before a feeding could even start. Feedings were usually only 10-15 minutes too.  I was frustrated and Drake was frustrated. Just over one week in and we are latching within 5 minutes and feeding for 30+ minutes at a time. It's still very painful to start because I'm so raw and cracked but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel where it will actually be enjoyable. I still dread it just a tiny bit every time but once he's on I enjoy the time to just be with him.

We visited the pediatrician twice this week and they were very happy with his weight gain. He was already up from his hospital weight loss at our first appointment and 2 days later he was up another 4 ounces. Derrick has been doing unofficial weights with him at home and we think he's up to birth weight. The doctor did a heel stick to test his bilirubin levels and it was heart breaking. They were slightly elevated so we had to come back two days later to do it again. They were down to normal levels and the second time around was much quicker. Derrick held him, thank goodness. I got to be the comfort when it was all over.  We got cleared to skip our 12 day appointment and come back for his one month check up so that was encouraging that we were doing well so far!

Derrick calculated his percentiles. He was 8 pounds even at birth which put him in the 56th percentile. For length I think he was in the 70 something percentile; however, his weight to length ratio puts him in the 8th percentile. We have a string bean on our hands!

We have some amazing friends and family! We have been so well taken care of with meals and visits. It's been so fun to show him off! Derrick's mom and grandma came yesterday and my family is coming next weekend. The whole family is just smitten with him. We may be biased but it's hard not to fall in love with that face!

So far, if he's not eating or getting changed, he is sleeping. We get about 20-30 minutes of awake time a day where he is just gazing around and we get to see those eyes. Now that we've figured out latching he's doesn't cry very  much either. We've heard two weeks can be a turning point so we shall see if he is a fussy baby or chill. For now, he's pretty chill. He isn't a fan of being woken up or being cold but the doctor told us to wake him for another day or two to eat. Then we can let him sleep as long as he will through the night. We have had a few pee and poop incidents :) Lots of pee on the nursery wall, several outfits ruined, all three changing pad covers in the wash at the same time, and new shorts for Derrick. Also, one blow out all over his NCSU blanket.

We're into week two...we shall see how it goes! Stay tuned :)

Introducing Drake Raymond Marcey

Drake Raymond Marcey arrived on October 22 at 1:06 AM weighing in at 8 lbs on the dot and measuring 21 inches long. He surprised us 9 days early and it was the best surprise we've ever had. I'll write out our whole story soon but for now, here's the newest member of the pack. He's pretty cute and we're pretty smitten <3

And we can't forget Crosby. She's been adjusting pretty well but I think the late night feedings are getting to her.

More posts to come! I tried to write this one 5 or 6 times though so the blog may be quiet but it won't be forgotten!

One Lamp Away from Done!

We can pretty much call the nursery done and I am very happy to check it off the list. We're waiting for a lamp to be delivered on Thursday but that's pretty much it! The art is hung, the floor is vacuumed, and the clothes are cleaned and put away.

We started out thinking we'd do an adventure/travel theme but it really morphed into more of just a bunch of things we liked. I think that's the best way for a room to come together...if you love everything in the room you are bound to love the room!

The paint color is Fog...I can't remember who makes it but but we got it at Lowes. The gem of the room is our glider/recliner. I LOVE it and frequently go in there to just sit and relax. You can see in that back corner the cord covers hiding the monitor cords. There is an extension cord hanging just out of sight so we're putting a tripod lamp behind the chair to disguise it even more and add some light to the corner.

This is probably my favorite corner of the room. I love the bookshelf and we threw down a cozy pillow and sheepskin rug to make it more comfortable to lay down and read. We've also got a few stuffed animals scattered around and a puzzle of dog breeds that framed on the wall.

The gallery wall above the changing table could use a few more art pieces but I didn't want to add just anything so we're leaving room to spread out. I do love what we have hanging including a "wolfcub" penant I found on etsy and a hopeful printable that says "You're getting very sleepy".  The caddy on the right is full of diapers and wipes and the basket on the left will be for laundry.

We got this felt airplane mobile on etsy and and I really love it.

Overall we're thrilled with the room! We'll also need to add curtains or a roman shade before he's really sleeping in there but we have time and I've been unsure what direction to go there. A talented friend of mine has offered to make a roman shade so we shall see! 

House-wise we feel pretty prepared, which is good. 16 days and counting til D-Day. 

37 Weeks

It's amazing the difference 30 weeks can make! Both in belly size and photo quality.

We hit 37 weeks yesterday which means we now have less than 3 weeks until D-day. The doctor said everything is measuring right on track, I'm not dilated at all, and to keep on keeping on. The past two days have been pretty rough on my rib pain...he's still sitting high and he's getting bigger so the stretch on my upper right side is pretty painful.

Work has slowed way down though so I've really been able to take it pretty easy during the day and I've got a pre-natal massage scheduled for next week!

The nursery is almost complete...we just need to hang the art and one carseat base is installed. I'm getting my car cleaned today so that we can install my base tonight or tomorrow. Our hospital bag isn't packed at all, I haven't had any braxton hicks, and I'm still playing pickleball. We're just riding the wave!

I think we're both anxious and excited for his arrival but I'm also not stressed about him coming. I figure, even if he's 2 weeks late, that's a drop in the bucket in his lifetime and I'll never have this kind of freedom again so I'm trying to enjoy it while it lasts. That being said, we're ready when you are Furnace!

October Baby Shower

We're almost 3 weeks from our due date which is absolutely wild. Once we hit 36 weeks last Wednesday it really felt like there was a real end in sight and Derrick and I have had an excited energy and a motivation to get things ready. I'm not having any signs of labor so I don't anticipate him coming anytime soon but with the weekly countdown below 4 it feels a lot more tangible.

Last weekend Nikki and Sabine threw me an amazing baby shower and it was our last weekend away from Raleigh until after the baby gets here.  It felt like a full circle moment because they also threw a wedding shower for us 6 years ago.

This little window pane was so cute and everyone at the shower left little notes of encouragement and hung them in the window pane. It was so cute and we brought it back for the nursery.

The food was adorable!

My lovely hosts! This family means so much to me and I'm lucky to have had them in my life for so many years. I love celebrating these milestones with them.

 

Everybody was so generous with their gifts! That's the most overwhelming part to me...everybody is so thoughtful and Derrick and I feel so lucky to have so much support and love. This little guy is going to be well loved when he gets here!

Family!

Both Grandmas are getting very excited! It is really crazy to think that the next time we'll see them it will be when the baby is here.

This crying baby mask greeted everybody at the front door and was hilarious. Derrick and I came back and hung it on Jack's door so he'd have a Halloween costume :)

Thank you Nikki and Sabine for an amazing baby shower! I can't wait for Furnace to meet you in a few short weeks!