Giving Up on Sleep

Life in the Keller household is slowly migrating away from survival mode (at times). Amy and I are still sleep deprived, but learning to cope with the bags under our eyes. I have even learned to catnap at red lights on my way to/from work. Hey, it is only slightly worse than those people who text while driving!

Evan still has not found his sleep/wake routine yet, but we have at least managed a few nights of sleeping in the same room together. He occasionally puts up a fight about going back to sleep after feeding. Other times, he completely sacks out. We just take turns rocking him back to sleep. I think I am going to wear out the floor from walking around in circles with him – the only thing that seems to work sometimes.

Amy let me off the hook for a few hours last week to attend fire department trainings on a donated burn structure. I think it only made me more tired, but it was nice to get out and put the gear on again.

Grandma and Grandpa Long briefly stopped by yesterday to get a quick “baby fix”. It was Dan’s first time meeting and holding Evan. They headed back north this morning, but there are rumors that we are going to see them again soon.

Check out the picture of Amy holding Evan (left). I would like it noted that I did not dress him that day…and therefore am not responsible for the fact that his pants are on BACKWARDS!

Except for the shortage of sleep epidemic that seems to have permeated into the Keller household, we are doing well and continuing to adjust. Evan had his two week (and 3 days) doctor appointment yesterday. He officially weighed in at 7 pounds, 14.5 ounces. He might have actually weighed more, but he dirtied and spit up about 1.5 ounces in the waiting room! Regardless, the doctor was pleased with his weight gain. All other body parts continue to check out just fine.

Evan has now decided that nighttime is the best time to cry and scream. If Amy even thinks about moving or trying to put him down after night feedings, you might as well break out the earplugs. He DOES NOT like to go back to sleep after those feedings. It takes a combination of walking around the house, attempting to swaddle him (he is Houdini with his arms), and rocking him in the swing before he will calm down enough to stop crying. Needless to say, most of these activities are at the expense of sleep for mom and dad.

Last evening, Evan got to meet his cousin Carter for the first time. Actually, he slept through the entire encounter, but the rest of us enjoyed a nice home-cooked meal at my parent’s house. Carter is now eight months old and growing like a weed! It is amazing how interactive and playful that he has become. I look forward to the day when the two of them can start playing together.

Our plan for the weekend: nap as much as possible!

Don't forget that you can check out the latest pictures of Evan on Picasa.

Settling In

The dust is finally starting to settle around the Keller household as we are all beginning to find our routines. I started back to work yesterday, which means that Amy is managing Evan’s needs all on her own during the day. She survived yesterday with even a little energy to spare. Needless to say, this is going to be a busy time for her.

Amy had her two week postpartum doctor appointment yesterday afternoon. Everything checked out fine and she is recovering more everyday. While she might not be ready for jogging yet, not much else slows her down.

Evan is continuing to grow back towards his birth weight. He is scheduled to visit the doctor on Thursday afternoon for the official weigh-in. We are crossing our fingers. The unofficial scale still shows him around 7 pounds, 11 ounces, so we still have about 6 more ounces to go over the next 3 days.

We are still trying to figure out this whole sleep/wake thing. Now Evan likes to stay awake after his middle of the night feedings. Amy and I are probably going to be caught up on the last eight seasons of CSI before he starts sleeping better.

Oh, apparently I have turned another year older today. The birth of our healthy son is the best present that I could ever ask for!

Still in Survival Mode

How can someone so little require so much attention? For someone who is supposed to be sleeping around 20 hours a day, we sure spend most of our waking (and sleeping) time focused around caring for this little ball of joy.

Seriously though, we are all doing well. The household is still mostly in survival mode (necessities only – showers can wait). However, we have been able to sneak a few moments of sanity – a family trip to Babies R Us, a walk each evening, a homemade meal, and even an entire movie for Mommy and Daddy! These moments remind us that the world is still rotating outside of our baby cave.

Amy is recovering from her surgery a little more everyday. She can no get in and out of bed and stand up from a chair without help from someone else (which makes a HUGE difference). We have ventured a little farther with each of our evening walks. Tomorrow is the big test for Amy, as I will be going back to work. I know that she will do great taking care of him on her own. Besides, I’m mostly the cheering section anyhow.

Evan is continuing to thrive. While it is not the official pediatrician scale, the lactation consultant weighed him yesterday at 7 pounds, 11 ounces. He is almost back to his birth weight. He continues to eat regularly and make plenty of dirty diapers (which I now know is important). We think that he might be a little confused about daytime and nighttime, but we are working on that flip-flopping the two. Last night, we were actually able to capture three whole hours of uninterrupted sleep! I never thought that three hours would sound like heaven.

Everyday is a learning experience for us. New ways to bath the baby, new ways to hold the baby, and new ways to sooth him to sleep (that’s an important one). I am trying to use every free minute to catch up on my reading of the parenting books. Nothing like a little late night cramming (just like college).

Happy 3rd Anniversary!!

I want to wish my beautiful wife a happy anniversary. It was three years ago today when we exchanged our vows and promised to love and honor each other. I could not be more proud of the family that we have become. Amy and I have an AMAZING marriage and an indissoluble friendship that is the foundation of our marriage.

These past three years have been filled with challenges and joys. We spent the first six months of our marriage commuting between two small houses, unable to move in together due to space limitations. Then, it was off to our first home together…if only for twelve months. After two months of a long distance relationship, we moved into a tiny temporary apartment in Louisville. The crux of our challenges was moving in with my parents (who were gracious to house us) for eight months while we built a new house.

We are finally settling into our new home with the addition of our beautiful baby boy. Things seem to finally be coming together. However, through it all, we have kept our sanity and sense of humor. Our relationship has grown with each of these hurdles and challenges.

I am blessed to share another anniversary with my wife and look forward to many more.

Home at last!

We are all home now and starting to get settled into our routine. Evan is doing excellent! He dropped almost a pound from his birth weight, but he managed to gain 3.2 ounces over the weekend. The doctor hopes to have him back to his birth weight by the time he is two weeks old.

Nothing can quite prepare new parents for the hectic, sleep-deprived routine that ensues once you bring the baby home. Plenty of our friends and family warned us about the tumultuous schedule that newborns necessitate (I often think that they even relish the thought of sharing that pain with someone else…the “sucker effect”). However, the crazy sleep schedules and poopy diapers are all worth it once you hold that little bundle of joy in your arms.

We were fortunate to have Amy’s mother, June, stay with us for the first few days. She helped keep us sane by feeding us, keeping the house clean and the laundry washed. She even gave us a few extra breaks for quick naps. Her extra help really allowed us to settle into our routine rather quickly.

The Rozek Clan (part of them) is visiting now. When we called them with the word that we were ready for Round 2 of guests, they immediately started packing the car and were en route only a few hours later. Needless to say, there is no shortage of arms to hold little Evan. There is currently a waiting list!

Like all other new parents, our schedule now consists of feedings and diaper changes every three hours (until he is back to his birth weight). Because he stays sleepy 90% of the time, the administrative functions of changing and feeding often run at least 60 minutes each time. That leaves less than two hours for sleep. After taking care of a few items for ourselves, we are usually left with about an hour and a half for sleep before it is time to wake and repeat. Short of the military or fraternity hazing routines, I am not sure much can prepare you for this deprivation except parenting itself.

We are still trying to keep up with the pictures and emailing them to friends and family. Unfortunately, we are running a little behind (some things just get triaged). I have managed to post about 60 pictures of Evan on Picasa. When you have a minute, stop and take a look.

Again, thank you for all of the well wishes and supportive comments from our friends and family. They (and Evan’s cute face) are what keeps us going during the waking hours. We cannot wait to get out soon and show him off!