Week 3 - Movin on Up

My intention was to get this post up on Thursday, but, as I am learning, there are so many other things that take precedence with my time, so it has turned into my weekly picture post. Oh well...the info is still the same.

The boys seemed to "grow up" right before my eyes this week. For Jacob, he completed the move to his new room this week. He no longer sleeps in the crib at night, but sleeps in his big boy bed. He's done it for a week now and has done great. It is a little disconcerting in the morning to hear the pitter patter of little feet as he 'escapes' from his room in the morning-something we'll have to get used to. I think he really enjoys the freedom to get in and out of bed as he pleases. After nearly a year of waking early and waiting up to 30 min. for Mom to come rescue him from bed, he is up and running on his own schedule now. The rest of his clothes that hadn't been transferred from the nursery, were moved too. He seems happy in "his" room.

As for Luke, he moved up to size 1 diapers on Thursday, proof he's getting bigger. Of course, I can tell he's putting on weight as I carry him around and dress him. Some of the newborn clothes don't fit already. Several nights this week, he has had a stretch of over 3 hrs between feedings. Yes, the 2-3 hr stretches still occur, day and night, but any longer stretches are welcomed and encouraged. We had a day or two of power feeding (every 2 hrs all day), so I think he may be in a growth spurt. He also has a bit of the baby acne, a sign he's releasing unneeded mommy hormones. His awake time has increased dramatically too. Thursday was night and day from Wednesday - being awake for multiple 1-hour stretches during the day instead of minutes. He wants to be held a lot, which can be hard sometimes, but we are managing. He'll have to learn to be entertained on his own, we're working on it. Finally, during tummy time, he rolled to his back a few times-accidentally, I'm sure, but it shows his growing strength. Go here for the rest of this week's pictures.

Yummy-licious

Yummy-licious - one of many new words/phrases that Jacob added to his vocabulary while Mia and Papa were in town. After eating some oatmeal Mia had prepared for breakfast one morning, Jacob announced that it was "elicious." I have no idea who he learned that word from because I always say things are "yummy." Delicious sounds like such a 'grown-up' word. After saying things were "elicious" for a few days, he eventually combined the two words and now anytime he eats or drinks something he likes, he says "Mommy, its yummy-licious. " It really is quite adorable. Another word added to his vocabulary - kolache. He was introduced to them for the first time by Papa (who knew they made some without eggs), and like his Mommy, he was hooked.

Happy Birthday Jacob and Daddy

This post was intended for yesterday (on my boys' actual birthday), but it didn't happen. So...here it is, a day late. Yesterday Jacob turned 2 and David turned another year older. Since I wasn't on my game enough to have the presents wrapped or a cake made, we put off celebrating the birthdays as a family until today. That means I better get started on the cake and present wrapping! We did celebrate Jacob's birthday with a little party with extended family on Saturday, so we have a few pictures from that celebration.

Jacob had his 2 year checkup on Friday and he is doing great. Definitely meeting all the "milestones" set for a boy his age. He stood tall at 34" (I think he is actually taller, I don't trust how they measure height for kids 2 and older, actually expecting them to stand tall against a wall...yeah right) which puts him in the 50th% for his age. He weighed in at 30.5lbs which puts him in the 90th% for weight. We've got ourselves quite a solid kid.

Luke had his 2 week checkup yesterday, and he "looks fantastic" according to his pediatrician. He weighed in at 9lbs 3.6oz which is 50th% for weight for a 2 week old baby, is 21.5" tall (again, not sure I trust this height measurement either) which is 75th%, and his head was 13.8" which is 30th%. So his measurements are all over the chart - but he's perfect to me!

Week 2 - So far, so good

This week was a great one for the boys. After 3 days on the phototherapy bed, Luke's belirubin levels dropped so we were able to discontinue using it. Thankfully, he only fussed a few times, so it wasn't as painful for me as it could have been. Standing by and watching your baby upset is hard on any mother, but especially one only a few days post-partum. Luke also got his first bath at home. Of course, that wasn't a highlight for him, but it was needed. His hair looks even more blond with a reddish tint when it's clean. He continues to sleep a lot and eat well. Up until the last few nights, he seemed to actually have his days and nights on track (i.e. going right back to sleep after eating at night, and being up for a few minutes after eating during the day.) Hopefully he's just going through a phase right now, and he'll get back to "normal" soon.

Jacob had a wonderful time with Mia and Papa, who basically took care of him this week while I tended to Luke. They took him on outings and long walks everyday to get him out of the house (which he LOVES) and spent hours outside playing with him in the heat. They were such troopers. Things will be pretty boring for Jacob this week in comparison, now that Mia and Papa have gone home. I'll try to work my way up to giving him some fun-filled days, but for now, I just need to get myself into a routine. I'm on my own for the first time today-wish me luck.

Jacob is doing remarkably well with Luke - showing no jealously (yet) and wanting to kiss and hold him all the time. We'll see how long this continues as Luke starts to be awake more and taking up a bit more of my time. Go here for the rest of this week's pictures.

No more Phototherapy

Good News! Luke's bilirubin levels dropped again, so we were given the all-clear to remove him from his stay on the lights. We are so relieved - 1) because he has gotten past this medical issue, and 2) we can finally hold him when we want and show him off a bit. He continues to sleep well in his "new" bed, thank goodness.

Baby Luke Has Arrived!

Finally, some pictures of the Haeberle brothers are ready to share! Luke Joseph Haeberle made his entrance to the world at 7:51am on Monday, July 7th weighing in at 8lbs 7.7oz and 19.25 in long. So far, he is a great eater and sleeper (sleeps much much more than Jacob did, and falls asleep easily, without much help from us.) We came home on Wednesday afternoon and Jacob seems very happy to have Luke home with us. He is always wanting to give him kisses and asks to see him. He gets very excited when Luke actually opens his eyes, which isn't often yet. Though Luke doesn't cry much, Jacob seems very concerned when he does and lets us know immediately. What a good big brother.

Due to high bilirubin levels (which causes jaundice), Luke has had to spend almost all of his non-feeding time at home on a phototherapy bed, so we don't have nearly as many pictures of him at home with us as we would like. We will wean off of the bed by Sunday afternoon, so I hope to have lots more pics to share after then. I just want to hold him all day! Pray that his levels continue to decrease so that we won't have to go back on the bed next week.

In other Jacob news - he pee-peed in the potty for the first time yesterday-yay! It was fairly unprompted too, so we'll see how that goes. Go here for the rest of the week's pictures.

23 months - week 2 - Last Only Child Week for Jacob

The last week of Jacob-only pictures has arrived! In about 14 hours, our new little boy will be here, and he will be sharing the picture spotlight with Jacob. I seriously doubt this child will get quite the picture load that Jacob got, but I'll try my best to capture some pictures each week to keep a good record of his growth, just as I did with Jacob.

Jacob has been playing with and doting on his baby doll a lot this week, so perhaps he has a premonition of what is to come. Perhaps we'll find out tomorrow when he gets to meet his new little brother for the first time.

Jacob had a bit of a runny nose this week which I think attributed to a bit of a cranky mood - not exactly what I was hoping for with the last few days of just Jacob and Mommy time. Oh well - we still enjoyed ourselves and cherished the last few days before Daddy was off from work and our guests were in town. Speaking of guests, Mia and Papa arrived yesterday, and Jacob has already become accustomed to having them here. He has constant attention and is soaking it in. He seems happy and will be in great hands while we are at the hospital for the next 2 days. Go here for the rest of this week's pictures.