Four Weeks Old -- With Pants!

Today Zane is 4 weeks old! I guess I can't quite say a month until August 15th. If I count months by four week chunks, then he would be 13 months old at his first birthday! He's doing great with lifting his head, and is still generally a cheery baby. We had a cranky week at week 3, but now he seems back to being a pretty good kid. I think I got to be a better burper, and that has helped us out a lot. We sleep pretty well at night, with about 3 or 4 wake ups for feeding. I stay in bed for a long time, and I generally get enough sleep that I don't usually need an afternoon nap. This morning on the bathroom scale he weighed 10 pounds! He looks longer, too.We like to sing together, and do some exercises on one of his lovely quilts. Yesterday evening we read our first baby book together! I had been reading to him from Archaeology magazine, just to have him hear my voice, but now I'll try introducing baby books. I was amazed that he actually paid attention to one! I have also introduced pants! He's been lazing around in PJs all day for long enough. Plus, he is now big enough to finally start fitting into some of his clothes that people gave us.

I noticed a change in myself: I was in a store where a baby Zane's age started to wail and cry, and for the first time ever my urge was to pick it up and cuddle it, not to run away from the infernal noise. I guess I'm a Mom now!

I managed to get a nice set of Zane's footprints, but alas, the hand prints were too hard. How do you get a baby to unclench his fists?
I took a photo of Zane this week that reminds Michael and I of a picture of Zane's cousin Riley when Riley was about 6 weeks old in 2005.














Zane on his frog quilt:
Hello to friends and family!

Three Weeks Old

Zane is three weeks old today. Yesterday his Social Security card came in the mail, so he is a bona fide member of society! It's fun to see mail come addressed to Zane Xavier Gibson.

In preparation for his big 3 week birthday, Zane had his first bath yesterday. He wasn't totally filthy, as I'd been washing him with a washcloth, but his last belly button scab fell out, so now he is eligible for immersion baths. I was a little nervous, but it worked out just fine. He may even have liked it! Here's a video of the beginning of the bath:


In general life is going along pretty well. However, we seem to have ended a sort of two week honeymoon where he hardly ever fussed or cried. Now he does. We've had several instances of downright crankiness and refusal to sleep or be comforted. I think it's gas, and I've been trying to do a better job of burping him. So far, today is going well, knock on wood. Unfortunately, he also seems to have developed a dislike for his car seat, so taking him out has become a bit chancy. Maybe if he keeps going in it, he'll outgrow whatever objection he has.

Some photos from the week:
A nap with Mommy, 18 days old:
Visiting with Auntie Laurie, 19 days old:
JoJo says, "Hey! This is covered with bunnies! Isn't it for me to sit on?"

Two Weeks and a Bit

Zane is now 16 days old. We are maybe starting to settle into some patterns of life. Thank heavens my Mom was with us for the first two weeks to get us going. I think I would have starved to death without her. We all miss her very much and not just for the housework! I wish we could all afford to stay together. Sniff.

Yesterday we had a bit of a restless night and morning, but a good day. Last night we had a good sleep night, but Zane was mostly awake from 9am to 4:30 pm. He'd doze off but not stay asleep. He is a great puzzle that is perhaps not solvable! Just lovable. Zane is such a miracle baby, that even when he's restless or cranky, he does it quietly. No screaming or real crying. We hope our luck holds...

As for me, I just realized that I've run up and down the stairs several times today, and I no longer get out of breath or tired. I think I must have recreated all of my blood that I lost. My belly is almost back to normal, but I have loose skin and probably some fat to work off. And a lot of muscle tone to get back. I'm not in any hurry, and I'm pleased that it doesn't look like I have much to do. Hurrah for all of those workouts right up to a week before birth!

Zane 12 days old.

Making my favorite "Ooooo" face. Unfortunately, it usually heralds gas.

Two weeks old. Is that a real smile? He had just finished nursing.

The Chrysalis, 15 days old.

Zen Zane, 15 days old.

Zane is Growing!

We just came back from a checkup, and Zane has gained one pound since he was born 12 days ago! That's pretty amazing. I think 9 ounces is average. He also seems to be taller, but length measurements are harder to get consistently. When he was born they said 18, at his first checkup they said 19, and now he's at 21. I suspect he didn't really grow 3 inches, but he's definitely bigger. We also had to get a shot and a blood draw, which were very traumatic. Mommy got peed all over. He's so exhausted he is sleeping, which is why I can do more photos!

Zane 8 days old, asleep on Michael:
One week old, wearing his Elvis collar PJs. And yes! His eyes are open!
One week old, ready for bed.
More precious Grandma time, 9 days old. Grandma is leaving on Saturday. Yikes!
Zane sleeping like a baby, 11 days old:

ZXG 2009 Turbo Model

The ZXG 2009 Turbo model baby: Zane Xavier Gibson, born 2009, and if you've ever changed a diaper on a baby who has decided he's not done pooping, you know Turbo. Zane and Xavier both start with the same long A "zay" sound.

Looking back at my first few posts, I don't think I mentioned anything about how our labor went. Here's what I sent out in some e-mails:
I labored at home for 44 somewhat mild hours, and then in the hospital for 5 intense ones. I was lucky to have no major complications and I managed to do it without any drugs. Michael and my Mom were awesome helpers. I’m having a very fast recovery, and our baby already has a round head and is a champion breast feeder and sleeper. I’m very proud of all of us!
If anyone wants the gory details, just let me know and I'll e-mail you a more thorough report.

It is very easy to take photographs, and very hard to find the time to go through them and post! Here's a round up!

One day old in the hospital. Wiggly toes and unwrapping the Baby Burrito:



Two days old, belly time:


This may look like a photo of a man ecstatic to be a Dad, but really Zane has just let fly with a Turbo charge from his butt. Four days old.
Resting with Grandma Diann. Five days old.
More photos are on the camera, so hopefully I'll get time to bring us up to date. Zane is 12 days old today!

Introducing Gibson 2.0

Revealing Gibson 2.0!

Zane Gibson! (Middle name coming soon)

Born 00:56am 8/15/09, 6 pounds, 13 ounces, 18 or 19 inches long, APGAR score of 9!

Already stylin'.

A Mom's-eye view of post-prandial naptime.

Science Project: Complete!

Our son was born at 12:56 am on August 15th! He is 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and 18 inches long. He doesn't have a name yet, but we've got the list winnowed down. We'll have it by checkout on Sunday morning (hopefully).

Pictures later, but that's the news for now!

A Little Bit of Weather

Last night at midnight, I started having some contractions. This is a pre-labor or false labor at this point. I rather think a pre-labor. Had some all through the night, about 20 mins apart, then during the day they've been occasional and of varying intensity. Sometimes enough to make me get quiet and wrinkle my brow.

My Dad and stepmother were visiting as well as my Mom, and we were all talking about global warming. My Mom made the comment that weather is just changes in pressure. I said, I think I'm having some weather here! So now I'm calling my little contractions a little bit of weather.

Anyway, I'm thinking the weather report is for a baby sometime this weekend. I had some other signs during the day that also point to impending "real" labor. We'll see! I got this fortune cookie fortune yesterday, so it seems imminent ...

Official Due Date

Today is my official due date, which really doesn't mean much. Only 5% of women actually deliver on their due date. It's just a nice line to cross -- now I really could go into labor any day now!

For all of you who keep asking if there's a baby yet, thanks for all of your thoughts and wishes. Believe me, we won't keep it a secret and we'll let you know! Most likely I'll have time to let people know here that I'm going into labor. Later, when we have collected ourselves mentally and physically, we'll send out an e-mail announcing The Bean's arrival and his name.

Meanwhile, I'm just waiting .... waiting ...

Baby Dreams

Still no baby, but I've been having some weird dreams. Lord only knows what they say about my psyche.

Dream 1 from last week: I dreamed that Michael and Mom were both gone somewhere, and I had an emergency super fast labor on the bathroom floor. I gave birth to a chimera that changed shape from a pegasus to a unicorn (ouch) to a bunny. I ended up with a full grown JoJo bunny baby on my chest.

Dream 2 from last night: I dreamed that Michael and Mom were both gone somewhere, and I went into labor, but this time I somehow got my self to the hospital. The labor and delivery weren't in my dream, I just remember being at home, and Mom and Michael came home. We were chatting and I said "Oh! I forgot to tell you! I had the baby! Shit, I forgot him at the hospital!"

Obviously, if Mom and Michael are not around when I go into labor I can't be trusted!