3 Weeks at Home

Weeks with us: 11
Corrected age: 5 days (due date February 23)

As of yesterday, Rhys and I have been home for three weeks- it has gone by very quickly!

Since we've been home, Rhys has gained some serious weight. In fact this morning I had the bittersweet task of packing away his newborn clothes, since he has outgrown them. Here's a recent picture of his chub:

Thomas and I are adapting to being parents of a newborn- Which means we are zombies. Somehow, I am holding up a little better than Thomas, which is strange since I'm the one waking up to nurse. It's amazing how you don't begrudge that precious baby waking you at 3am, but if anyone else did...

This picture is from our first week home- Thomas and Rhys were both equally exhausted. 

I can't describe how wonderful it is to have him at home. I know this is something most parents take for granted, but I hope we never take our time with him for granted- it is so very precious. Rhys seems to enjoy spending time with us, too. He is quite the snuggle bunny. His favorite sleeping spots are on our chests or snuggled into my side on the bed. 

Here are Rhys and I enjoying some snuggles his 2nd day at home:

Thomas and I wanted to purchase a side-by-side co-sleeper, but as of right now we are borrowing a bassinet from a friend. Since Rhys has reflux, I kind of had to jerry-rig everything to get him in the right position. I have towels rolled under the mattress to keep him inclined, blankets rolled on either side so I can place him on his side after nursing, and a blanket rolled at the bottom so he doesn't slide down too far. Whew. 

This pic was taken after nursing (he always passes out)- I had to run into his nursery and grab some clothes, so I just laid him down quickly. Then, I had to snap a picture- his arms were just too chubby and had to be captured on film!  

As you can see from our pictures, Rhys is still on oxygen. Thomas and I believe his lungs are maturing, but we won't have a definite go-ahead to take him off oxygen until our appointment at the Pediatric Pulmonologist. Getting in at the Pulmonologist is like getting in to see the Wizard of Oz. We were supposed to have an appointment by March 5, but the soonest we could get in (after trying NUMEROUS practices) was April 8. Guess we'll be dragging around that tank a while longer!

Besides that, things are going very well. Rhys is eating like every meal is both his first and last- during the day he wants to eat every 1 1/2 or 2 hours, but usually he'll take one 3 hour stretch at night. We've had a few issues with his reflux and gassy tummy, but I believe they were from the fortifier we were using in my milk. We have since quit using the fortifier, and he seems much happier. I'm trusting that my body knows what it's doing, and he's getting just what he needs without anything extra. I think he looks pretty satisfied.