Grandparents Week

So I did it.  On Saturday I went to 3 different places with little Dex and Kyle only accompanied me on 2 of them.

About to embark on our first outing

First off Saturday morning there was a Relief Society Teacher training thing that the presidency put on.  I figured since it was a small group of sisters, close to home that it would be a great opportunity to test him out.  He did a pretty good job.  Cried for a bit, but once he was nestled in my arms a certain way he was perfectly content for a while.  This of course though limited my eating of the brunch abilities.  But he did a great job.
Then Kyle came with me to Walmart.  After taking a wonderful and needed afternoon nap.  We bundled Dex up for the true test of the night.  Driving to cousin (or cousin once removed to him) Mariah's house for his first game night.  He didn't like getting into the car but we survived the hour trip.
At this game night my Aunt Georgeanne, Uncle Rand, and cousin Zach were there.  They had finished the Salt Lake Century ride just a little bit before.

Aunt Georganne holding and watching Dex

Getting ready to play Munchkin

Here we played Munchkin, Yamslam, and Monopoly Deal.  Munchkin took a while because half were learning, and the other half were still brand new to it.  So figuring out the general rules, Yamslam was Mariah's new one, and it is similar to Yahtzee...but I liked it better.  After Monopoly we were all exhausted.  Dexter had been on best behavior.  My aunt watched and played with him for the first long while, and after that he slept soundly.

Sunday I stayed home for the last time.  Next Sunday I'll at least be going to sacrament (next week's post will be exciting).  Somehow Kyle was the exhausted one though.

Zonked out

So this week has been a bunch of rain.  This meant not too many walks and outdoorsing for us this week.  Hopefully we'll keep the sun and warmer weather though.

A thing that we've noticed with Dak is that he loves being on the changing table.  Not being changed, but just lying there.  He'll coo and caa for quite a while.

Chilling on the table in my cool diaper

So on Monday, Kyle's parents came up.  It's the first time that Grandpa Hansen got to hold and see him.  They've been helping me out around, and just enjoying spending time with their new grandson.

Sleeping in Grandpa Bruce's arms

Also, I have figured out one reason to the gassy/burpy problems.  I do stuff to try and help, some of it sometimes works.  Some don't.  Can I just say I love the internet to help try and figure out stuff.

And lastly, my favorite time is this time....

What he loves to do...second to eating

Remember how I said he didn't like being swaddled.  Well I've learned to love it.  Why...

Not swaddled = 2 hours between feedings at night

Swaddled = 4 hours between feedings

Can you guess why I like it?

Markers...but not the coloring kind

This past week marked a few things.  I've now lived in Utah for a year.  Kyle of course is just over that cause he moved up a few weeks before I did.  However, a year mark for him means a raise at work.  WOOT!  This is especially exciting for me because I hope to use the extra money to move on up to the south side.  Well really just down the street in the southern direction.  I'm pretty tired of living in the basement....though in truth I've been tired of living in it for about a year.  Also...yesterday Dex is 4 weeks old.  4 weeks also marked when I could drive again. :)  I also walked for 2 miles straight with Kyle and Dex.

Well last Thursday I got out of the house...by myself.  There was a RS presidency meeting so I took the opportunity and went.  Kyle does the evening feeding so it was easy just to leave them.  When I returned, Kyle was so happy to have me back to help out though.

Can't recall anything exciting happening over the weekend.  Just that it was good and all.

His happy face right after eating.

Monday though...was awesome!  Heavenly Father blessed me.  Little Dexter was being a happy, not as gassy baby.  Also, right after I called the lactation consultants to beg for help...he ate correctly (and has continued to).  Doesn't stuff like that happen.  Right after you ask for help, the issue gets resolved.  I'm really okay with that though.  Dexter also was playing and just chilling.  I also heard him do some of his first coos.  It was just the day I needed.  Just a small break and showed me how I could go into the real world again.

Going out and about in public (the real world) with Dex has been on my mind.  He's a good baby, but has gas issues.  These range from screaming for 30 minutes after to screaming up to 2 hours.  They aren't usually continuous, but are frequent. They are also really loud and really hard to calm him when he has them.  Being held and walking around is the most calming, but hard to do anything else while your doing this.  Calming though doesn't mean not crying, just slightly less hysterical than it started at.  So to help me during the day I made my own Moby style wrap.  So far today, it's helped.  He falls right asleep in it.

Dex chilling in the new carrier

This weekend I am stepping out into the real world with Dak.  We'll see how I survive.  There's a relief society teaching thing and a family game night.  It'll be interesting.  

Tomorrow is also Dexter's 1 month birthday.  I will celebrate it by eating homemade ice cream.

Mother's Day Weekend

So on Friday my mom left.  : (
It was so great having her here, and I really appreciated all that she did.  My house got vacuumed, laundry done, dishes were always cleaned, and had great home cooked meals.  She also changed diapers, and held him a lot.  She enjoyed spending time with me, and of course little Dexter.

Saying her goodbyes to Dexter

While she was here she of course took tons of pictures of the cute baby.  These along with all the photos that have been taken were put onto a cd and given to the grandmas for Mother's Day.  The family photos and some froggy ones of his are on the photos website.

Saturday was Kyle doing a bunch of chores and errands.  We even got a small date night and watched Tron: Legacy.  I loved spending time with just Kyle.

Sunday morning I got a small present from Dexter.  He slept for a good while, and I was able to sleep in my own bed.  He also made me not cringe when nursing him, that was my favorite from him.  There'll be more on that later.  Kyle made me breakfast.  Oatmeal and muffins.  It was delicious and nice to have a hot meal.

MMmmm food, that I didn't cook.

I also got surprised with a bag of Dove chocolates.  My favorite!

Later that day we also had visitors.  Trevor and Danielle got to meet Dak!  They got to stay for quite a while. We talked, ate homemade ice cream, and they obliged Kyle in learning how to play Munchkin.  This is a new game that Kyle got.  He's been dying to play it, but you need at least 3 people.  But there's only 2 of us who would be able to....Dexter is just a little too small unfortunately.  It was slow learning and going at first.  It has potential though.

Aunt Danielle cuddling with Dexter

Sleeping again, but with Uncle Trevor

As you can see Dexter slept a lot while they were here.  Dexter has a funny thing that he does while waking up.  When he starts to come out of his sleep, sometimes up to 30 minutes before he really wakes up, he farts. Like not little toots.  Loud ones, and yes not always just farts.  I think it's pretty hilarious though.  I can be in the front room watching tv and know when he's starting.  And over the course of many minutes, with a few in between are grunts then loud POOFFFFTT sounds.  When he sleeps he also hates to be swaddled.  I thought they were supposed to like this?  If we swaddle him he growls at us, and will even start to get really mad and frustrated until he gets those arms free.  So how does he like to sleep...like this...

Touch Down!

or

Hands have to be out at all times

  

I'm also recovering pretty well.  I can go on walks up to a mile now.  We just take a stroll around the block, and added in the cemetery this last time.  Still can't drive, lift anything but him, and still get sharp pains on the one side.

Even with these setbacks, the one thing that is frustrating me the most is nursing him.  This is supposed to be a nice moment, one where there's bonding.  Instead I'm trying not to curse each time...and he eats frequently.  I know that there's usually some pain or discomfort expected at first, when latching on usually.  My problem is throughout the whole thing.  He's a biter.  And when he's not biting, because they say they can't bite and suck milk out at the same time, he's using the gum and tongue to pretty much bite.  I took a breastfeeding class so I try to get him to have the good latch like we learned, and my aunt even gave me some good advice.  However, this is the most frustrating.  At his 2 week appointment the doctor also gave me some guidelines, and it's helped a bit.  I have to use something that at least makes me not so sore.  There are good times every now and then, hopefully they start coming more often.  Maybe I'll just have to take longer to get used to it.  So I just needed to vent, and if you have any advice or have dealt with this...let me know.

Also...I'm in need of some wardrobe vamping.  Are there any styles or types of clothes that are easier or you like better when nursing?  Or any favorite clothing or shoes in general?

I'm a Survivor

Well he's still alive, and I am too so I must be doing something right.  I'm actually doing pretty good.  He's a good baby and only wakes up 3 times or less at night.  I actually feel like I'm getting more sleep now than those last few months of when I was pregnant.  A plus is that I fall asleep a lot easier than I've ever done.  Most of the pain from my c-section is gone too.  Every now and then the left side hurts.  Sneezing, coughing and laughing are still not fun though.  

Kyle, I, my mom, and little Dexter try to take a daily walk.  It's real nice just to get out of the basement.  It also has finally...FINALLY turned spring up here.  The trees have buds on them and green stuff is coming out again.

More Dak Attacks have happened, and I have finally been on the receiving end too.  We've also got to give him a bath a few times.  The first two he was not fond of.  We had a ward member drop by during one of them, and I'm probably sure she could hear him screaming from the street.  This last time though he enjoyed just floating in the water.  

Chilling in the tub

This weekend it was just Kyle and I.  My mom had gone back to Vegas.  We didn't do too much, just adjusting to life.  Dexter also had his 2 week checkup on Monday.  He's already grown an inch!

Well time is short...so that'll be it.