Leo - 1 Month Old (Plus some CNC updates, as if anyone cares about anything but Leo now!)

It's really hard to believe that Charlie and I have been parents for a solid month already!! Our little fussy pants now weighs 10 lbs 12 ounces! (I measured him, which is sort of hard, but by my calculations he is 22.5 inches long)

Leo is doing great so far. Our only real hurdle has been acid reflux. The day before he turned one month old he was diagnosed with GERD, which is acid reflux disease. We had a really rough few days where he would refuse to eat after he burped midway through his bottle. The acid is literally burning his little throat...so sad. Dr. John started him on infant Zantac. We have seen a slight improvement but real results will take 1-2 weeks. The medicine tastes like Peppermint and he HATES it, but it will be worth it to not seeing him throw his little head back in pain when he is eating. This was the day he was diagnosed.

From Leo - 1st month

Otherwise, Leo is really a great baby. He can now focus on our faces, move his head to follow a toy or sound and hold his head up for brief moments. We are starting to hear some coo's and getting a few smiles that don't seem to be gas (though he has LOTS of gas, so that's hard to say!!). He's only peed on me twice, but he did manage to squirt poo clear across the room and on Charlie during his first week home. He also pooped all over himself during diapers changes for both grandmothers. Leo absolutely LOVES bath time, he gets this total look of calm on his face when we put him in the warm water and he never fusses until you take him out. He also loves tummy time and is really soothed by classical music.

From Leo - 1st month

The big question I get is "how is he sleeping?. He sleeps great, just not very long yet. Usually he sleeps in 2-3 hour stretches before he wants to eat, every once in a while we will get a 4 hour stretch, but that is not the norm yet.

We are still exclusively on breast milk, but he now gets it all via a bottle. He has struggled with his latch since day 1 due to a high palette. Then to make it more difficult, he gets snuggled up next to me and wants to fall asleep. Around his 3 week growth spurt, he would start eating, fall asleep 10-15 minutes into the feeding and then wake up 30 minutes later screaming with hunger. It was a really frustrating cycle for him and me. But, if we gave him a 4 ounce bottle he was happy as a clam. After 2-3 days of this I gave in to what he needed and started pumping exclusively, giving him all of his feedings via a bottle. In return, Charlie and I had a MUCH happier little Leo (and a happier Mommy). It was a tough decision for me though. I had all these "breast feeding visions" in my head. Like most women, even though I had heard how hard it could be to breastfeed, I believed in the back of my mind that it would come naturally and it would be this beautiful easy thing in no time. Geez was I wrong!! When I finally put my preconceived notions aside and looked at what Leo truly needed the answer was quite clear. Needless to say, it was an emotional few days. Pumping has turned out to be a little bit of a pain some days (it's hard to hold him while I am pumping) but, like anything, you adapt and make it work for you.

Leo has been with Charlie and I many places. He's been with us out to eat, grocery shopping, and most importantly, Leo attended his first Astro's game. On Labor Day, we ventured out as a family to the Juice Box and watched the Astros win a ball game. Really only Charlie and I watched the game, Leo slept through the entire thing except when he woke up to eat. I think this kid could sleep through anything. We were in a fairly loud section as the announcers were literally right behind us, the train went off for a home run, and a ball came right into our section; Leo hardly stirred thorough any of it!

From Leo - 1st month

Now, for the part no one really cares about, Charlie and I :) We are tired, but having a blast being parents. Charlie bought me a new car when Leo was about 3 weeks. It's a beautiful charcoal grey Nissan Maxima. The car drives like a dream, and I just LOVE it. It's also much easier to get Leo in and out of for me than the Xterra was. Charlie had a minor injury to his toe last Thursday and had to have the entire nail removed (ICK!!) That's really about it for us, our entire world is revolving around our new little guy.

Here are a few more pictures of Leo. Enjoy!

From Leo - 1st month

In my car seat. My acne is starting to clear up now that Mom switched me to California Baby soap

From Leo - 1st month

Officially fitting into 0-3 month clothes. Thanks Auntie La for my way cool outfit.

From Leo - 1st month

Chicken Head! What funny hair!

Leo's First Professional Photo Session

As many of you know, my father is a professional photographer(www.photographybymarks.com). The day after we came home from the hospital I had him over here to take some pictures of my little prince. Here are a few from the session:



Isn't he adorable??

Doctor's Visits & Leo's First Play Date

Leo has been to the doctor a few times now and as of Friday was finally up to his birth weight (well one ounce off, but close enough)! Dr. John gave us his blessing to let Leo sleep as long as he wants to at night without waking him up for feedings. The last two nights Charlie and I have gotten 4-5 hours up uninterrupted sleep! We are praying that it isn't a fluke! Leo has also grown almost an inch; he's got long legs like his daddy.

Here are some pictures taken yesterday, 2 weeks and 4 days:

From Leo - 1st month

From Leo - 1st month

Leo also had his first play date on Friday with Drake (Niki & CJ's son) who is 1 week younger than Leo. Aren't they a rowdy group? :)

From Leo - 1st month

We are trying to have daily tummy time, and Leo's head is already getting much stronger. His appetite is also increasing and we are moving up to 4 ounces on his bottle feedings. He loves to have Goodnight Moon read to him at night and his favorite songs so far are Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Zippity Doo Dah , Tomorrow (from Annie) and the Foot Song (This is a song Charlie made up about Leo's toes and feet. He sings it when he is trying to releive Leo's gas.). He is such a joy and Charlie and I are still in awe that he is here and he is ours.

A lot of people have asked how Cooper is adjusting to the new arrival, and we are happy to report that so far he is doing well with Leo. He is of course curious, but we have forbidden him to sniff or lick Leo and he is doing well with staying clear of the little one. I am sure that will be next to impossible to control once Leo is mobile, but for now, Cooper seems content that we are at home more with him. Cooper doesn't even stir when Leo is screaming his head off.

The Delivery and Coming Home

So our little man is FINALLY here. We arrived at the hospital on Tuesday morning for the C-section at 8:45 am and by 10:42 Leo was with us. It was so surreal to walk into the OR knowing I was moments away from meeting my son. Here is my final Belly Shot:

From Belly Shots

The C-section went great and there were no real complications. Now, everyone I knew that has had a C-section told me I would feel some pressure during the procedure. So there I was, laying in this ice cold room, waiting to feel something going on in my abdomen. Charlie was peering over the drape so I told him I couldn't feel a thing and asked if they had started yet. He told me no, they were still prepping me, but I could tell from the mischievous look in his eyes that he was lying! Sure enough, a few minutes later I heard Leo's first cries. The doctor had to use forceps to get him out though - he was jam packed in there!! They even tried using a vacuum, but his head was too big and the seal kept popping off.

The first thing I said when I saw Leo, was "Look at all that hair!!". The second thing i noticed were his perfect little pouty lips. It was literally love at first sight.

He measured in the 90th percentile for length and weight. All of his initial tests showed nothing less than a perfectly healthy baby boy; talk about a blessing!

We stayed at the hospital until Friday the 14th. Leo did lose a bit more than 10% of his body weight at the hospital (at discharge, he was down to 7 lbs, 15 ounces. the majority of his weight loss happened the second day he was here, he had amniotic fluid in his tummy and was not very interested in eating), so we were ordered to see our pediatrician on the following Monday. Otherwise, everything looked great. It was so exciting to bring our son home.

The first weekend went well. We were very lucky to have Charlie's parents here to help with meals (For those of you that don't know, Charlie's mother, Tami, is an EXCELLENT cook). My parents came by on Saturday to take Leo's first professional pictures (which turned out quite adorable!) and a number of friends came by to visit the newest member of the Schreiner family.

Charlie and I are just in heaven. Of course, we are sleep deprived, but it's all worth it. Leo is amazing and it's fun to watch him growing before our eyes each day. We know we are blessed to have our little bundle of joy here in our arms. Welcome home Leo!

From Leo - 1st month

From Leo - 1st month

From Leo - 1st month

Baby Leo Has Arrived!!

Today, August 11th, 2009 at 10:42am, a beautiful, blonde, bouncing baby boy entered this great big world! Baby Leo weighed in at a healthy 8 lbs, 14oz and measured 21 inches long. The delivery went smoothly and our new mommy and daddy are completely thrilled with their little bundle of joy!

Take a look at this face- Cyn and Charlie did a nice job with this little guy!

Those are definitely cheeks that need to be pinched, don't ya think?

Hope you all enjoyed these pics as much as I did! There will definitely be more pics and details to come from Mommy!!

With Love (on behalf of Mommy Cynthia, Daddy Charlie & Baby Leo),
YAuntie LauraY

40 Weeks Pregnant - We are having a baby!!!

So, I guess my first lesson as a new mommy is to listen to my instincts. We went to the doctor today for my 40 week appointment and met with a different doctor since mine was out of town. Alas, there was no cervical change yet again. I told her that we were concerned with Leo's size and that we would really like an ultrasound to check on it. She was a bit resistant and I pushed, telling her that it would make me feel a lot better to have a grasp on his size. She then agreed to the ultrasound.

Thank goodness we listened to my gut and pushed for the ultrasound! Leo is measuring over the 90th percentile. Based on his measurements, his estimated weight is 10 pounds 6 ounces!!! Now, keep in mind, those projections are usually a pound off and can even be more, but the point is that this baby is a monster!

They think that there is likely a chance that he simply can't get himself into the birth canal to create cervical change because of his size. With all the strong contractions I have had he should be lower than he is. We could try an induction, but I would only have a 20% chance of success and would likely end up in a c-section after 2 grueling days. So, we are having a scheduled c-section at 10:00 am on Leo's due date!

While a c-section wasn't what I had hoped for, I am totally at peace with it. With his size and my body this seems like the best option for both him and I. We are still in a bit of shock that our big day will finally be here tomorrow, but we are so so so excited. I will finally get to hold Leo in my arms, see his (likely chubby) little face and tell him how much I already love him. Charlie has been dying to finally meet him and keeps telling me that he gets 9 months of holding him now since I already had my 9 months.

We will post pictures and delivery details as soon as possible. That might be tomorrow, but most likely Wednesday. For anyone that wants to visit us, we will be at Memorial Hermann in the Woodlands.

Thank you to everyone for your love and support! We are so excited for y'all to meet Leo!

39 Weeks - No Induction...

We had our 39 week check up this morning and there is still no real change to report. He's a bit lower, but there is no cervical change, so we are a no go for a 39 week induction. For now, we have been told just to sit tight and see if he comes on his own. If I hit 41 weeks they will induce then.

The great news is that my weight is holding steady, my swelling is minimal, my blood pressure is normal and Leo is still moving around like crazy. We are both healthy as can be. Of course, it would have been wonderful to have him in my arms tomorrow, but he will be here before I know it.

The other great news is that today is my last day in the office! Yippee! Maybe a little more R&R is what Leo needs. Charlie's parents will be arriving in Houston tonight and will spend their time between now and baby between us and other family members in the Texas area. This way they will be close by and able to be with us the day Leo arrives. (For those of you who don't know, Charlie's parents live 12 hours away in a town with no airport, getting to Houston is no small feat)

So, for now I am a bit disappointed, but also excited to have a little more time to myself . I know that he will get here right when he is meant to. If it's like most things in life, I'll understand why it happened the way it did once it's all done.