4 months and growing.....



Mr. Handsome~ 4 months old

Time is going way too fast :(  Four months ago today I became this handsome boy's mama, and I have enjoyed every minute of it!!!

So here's what my little one has been up to.....

Eric is sleeping through the night for the most part.  I think he only woke up once during the night last week.  He also falls back to sleep on his own once he finishes eating, before I had to make sure he was all the way asleep before I could lay him back in his bed.  He is still getting mommy milk with the chubby cheeks and leg rolls to prove it.  We'll find out how much he weighs when I take him for his check-up on Monday.  He still wears 0-3 month clothes and 3 month clothes.  I started putting him in 3-6 month pajamas only because he is getting so long, I thought he was going to poke his feet through his 0-3 month pajamas.

He loves his play mat more and all the toys that hang from it.  He smiles at himself in the mirror.  He rolls over from side to side, and can almost get himself rolled over onto his stomach.  I'm sure he will accomplish that before too long.  He is sitting up better with less support, and loves sitting up so he can look around.  Eric has found his voice, cooing and laughing all the time.  He is a very happy and laid back baby, only fussing when he is hungry or overly tired.

Rylie and Liam love their little brother and Eric loves when they interact with him.  He gets lots of love from his brother and sister.  I hope that the three of them are always close.

I love watching how Eric has changed and grown.  It's hard to believe he will be my last baby baby, and I'm trying to hold onto these tiny moments.  I know he will be running around with Rylie and Liam before long.  We couldn't ask for an easier baby, I feel blessed to have him and that I get to be his mommy.


Mama's boy!!



Eric @ 3 months old

What the heck....where is the time going? Our Eric is 3 months old today, and he is changing so much!!!  I don't have an updated height and weight, because he doesn't go back to the doctor until 4 months, but he definitely has some chubby cheeks and a couple thigh rolls!  He smiles and laughs when I say, "Mommy is going to eat your cheeks!!!" and give him big kisses on those sweet chubby cheeks of his!  He is a great baby, very easy going and happy, unless he is hungry.

We just got back from our first vacation as a family of five, I'll share how that trip was in another post, but Eric slept through the night both nights we were in San Diego.  He was great at Sea World and slept through his first trip to the beach.

Eric is still being fed only mommy's milk, which pleases me to no end not to have to give him formula.  He has had breast milk longer than his brother and sister, not because of favoritism, but because for some reason breast feeding is just working this time around.  Maybe because I'm more experienced, I'm more patient, or simply because my milk suppliers are producing more milk than I could with my other two.

On a good night, Eric sleeps from about 10:00pm to 2 or 3 in the morning before waking up, then will sleep til about 7am.  Just don't ask about last night, that was a different story.  I have learned to take each night as it comes, and be happy with the sleep I do get.

Our Mr. Handsome is a very happy baby, he smiles all the time and has found his voice.  He loves when we talk to him and has started to laugh.  When I tickle him under his chin and cheeks he lets out the biggest laughs!!  He smiles most at the ladies and was stuck on watching the girls gymnastics and swimming during the Olympics!  He holds his head up well and sits up with some support.  He still isn't fond of tummy time, but he likes his play mat with all the toys on it.



I love those chubby cheeks!!!!


Mommy loves you Mr. Handsome!!! You are such a blessing to our family!

Mr. Handsome is 2 months old



Eric~2 months old~He just woke up and was surprised to see the camera!

Wow!!! It's hard to believe our handsome Eric turned two months old yesterday!!  We feel truly blessed to have such a great baby!

Eric pretty much sleeps through the night only waking up around 2am and 6:30am.  He really isn't on a set bedtime yet.  Last night we couldn't get him to sleep until 11:30, but the night before he was asleep at 9:40 pm.  We are trying to get him to stay awake more in the afternoon/evening so he falls asleep at a decent time.

Eric is getting the chipmunk cheeks on breast milk!  Coupon collectors are proud of their food stock pile, this mommy is proud of my breast milk stock pile!!! I am happy that he is growing on what I am making for him, and that he hasn't had any formula.  We will get stats on his weight when he goes Thursday for his check-up.

Eric is smiling and cooing all the time! He loves for us to sit him on our lap and talk to him.  He is a very happy, easy going baby!  The other night he laughed when I was rocking him to sleep.  His smiles melt my heart especially at 2 in the morning when I'm exhausted, it makes being sleep deprived worth it.  His little smiles are like him saying, "Thanks mommy."  He is also holding his head up and will make little fists to lift his upper body up when doing tummy time so he can look around.  He likes his swing and looking at himself in the mirror.

I made it through my first week back at work, even though I hate being away from my littles, I have the outlook that for now working full time is the way it is and I just have to pray that they are safe when I am gone and make the most of every minute that I am with them.  I am already looking forward to some vacation time I have in August!!!

I love watching Eric grow and seeing how much he has changed since he was born.  He already has a cute little personality and sweet demeanor.

Mommy loves you Eric!!!!

Eric at One Month Old

Our baby boy is a month old already!!! I can't believe how fast the time is going, I'm enjoying every minute with him, even at two in the morning!!!

He went to the doctor today and weighs 9 lbs. 12 oz., I guess breast milk is doing a baby good!!  It does make me feel good that I am still able to make enough milk for him.  I'm not going to put any expectations on myself, but as long as I can make enough milk to keep him happy, I'm going to do it!

It was funny because we were toward the end of his appointment, and his pediatrician said, "He looks great, by around two months he should start holding his head up more and smiling."  At that time I was holding Eric over my shoulder.  Eric then lifted his head, looked right at the doctor and smiled at him!  The doctor smiled back and said, "Or he will do it now!"  I guess Eric was thinking, "I'll teach that doctor to say I can't do something!"

Eric is sleeping pretty good for being a breast milk baby.  He only wakes up twice during the night, and he goes about 5 hours between his bedtime feeding and waking up for the first time during the night.  He eats around 8:30 at night, goes to bed between 9:30 and 10:30, and wakes up for the first time between 1 and 3 am.  I really couldn't ask for any better as far as his night time sleeping and eating goes.

He is a great baby!! He only fusses if he is hungry, tired or dirty.  He smiles all the time and loves it when we talk to him.  Being up at two in the morning is all worth it when I have his sweet smiling face staring at me!  His sister and brother adore him, and they are pretty much adjusted to having a new sibling.

I knew my heart was longing for another child, but I had no idea how much my heart would be filled with completeness and love has it has been by having Eric.  The saying is true, "Even if I never met you, I would miss you."  Eric has completed our family in such an amazing way, and I am in love with being Rylie, Liam and Eric's mommy.  I definately feel so blessed to look at my husband and our three children, seeing my life is turning out better than I could have ever expected.

3 weeks as a Mommy of 3

                                              ~Eric @ 3 weeks old 5~29~12
It's hard to believe our little guy is almost a month old.  It's amazing how much he has grown and changed from this:

The last 3 weeks have been exhausting, exciting, challenging and amazing for different reasons at one time or another.  Being a mommy of three has given me a whole new outlook on mommy hood and life.  I couldn't imagine a moment without my three littles, but the way daily life happens has certainly changed as far as parenting goes.

Rylie and Liam have adjusted well to having a new little brother, and of coarse some days are better than others.  Liam still has a hard time dealing with that he has to share us with another sibling.  We take time and special attention to make sure he knows how much we love him, and we make sure to give him one-on-one attention in all the craziness.  I will take him by himself when I have to run errands or do something special just him and I, and my husband does the same.  Rylie is doing pretty well and loves her new brother.  She understands more than Liam when her requests can't necessarily be meant "right now."  We also spend one-on-one time with just her as well.  We think it's important to give each child individual time when we can so that they don't feel any less important than another sibling or feel like they aren't getting enough attention because of another sibling.

It is more challenging when it is just me with all three kids! One mommy + 3 kids = some chaos!  I am figuring out how to best meet all of their needs in a timely manner, keep Rylie and Liam's fighting to a minimum, keep my sanity, and be the best mommy I can be for them.  I do have to give loads of credit to my wonderful husband!! He is truly the best hands~on daddy and I am very thankful to have him.  There is no "my job or your job" when it comes to caring for the kids, well except for the producing breast milk part, that is a "mama job", but we just tag team when it comes to taking care of the kids, and we try to spend equal time doing things for each of the kids so it's not only one of us caring for one child or the other.  I couldn't ask for a better husband and daddy for our littles!!!!

Eric is a great baby, he is pretty quiet except for when he is hungry or has poo in his diaper.  He really only wakes up twice during the night to eat.  For a couple of nights though he was not wanting to go back to sleep after eating.  He was staying awake for the few hours after eating up until his next feeding.  This made for a tired mama and baby.  Then he was sleeping more during the day and not wanting to sleep well at night.  Last night I tried something a little different.  When he would wake up to eat, I switched from changing his diaper after he ate to before he ate.  I noticed he wakes up more during his diaper change, perfect for getting ready to eat, not so great for trying to get him back to sleep.  By doing this, he would get sleepy while eating and he was able to get back to sleep quicker.  We slept much better last night!  We are also trying to keep Eric up more during the day for better sleep at night.

So overall we are making it as a new family of 5!!!  We are learning and growing as our children grow.  Each challenge is a learning experience, and while all of our children have the same parents, our three children are anything but the same.  We are always learning the best ways to deal with and bring out the best in each of their personalities.

                                                    Eric @ 1 week old~newborn picture
Well I better get back to my littles, I wanted to update on how Eric was doing and how our new family of 5 is adjusting.  Eric's birth announcements will be mailed out soon, I was waiting on his newborn photos to make the announcements so I'm a little behind, but I will share the chosen announcement once they get mailed out to our family and friends.

~Jamie
            (the blessed Mommy)

Eric's Birth Story & the last 2 weeks

It's hard to believe our baby boy turned two weeks old yesterday.  He is a great baby and very laid back.  He has been a great addition to our family!  Rylie and Liam love him and have accepted him as well as could be expected.  I'm getting used to less sleep. I thought I didn't sleep well when I was pregnant, I forgot how much less sleep a newborn lets you have.  He is pretty good though during the night, usually only waking up twice to eat, he just has trouble getting back to sleep after those feedings.

Now to take you back two weeks ago.  It was Tuesday May 8th, and I had gotten up to get ready for work and take the kids to school.  I felt pretty good, I was disappointed that my original due date had come and gone with no baby, as well as finding out the week before that I was not dilated despite all my contractions.  I went into work to start my shift and my charge said I made her "nervous" being past due and working.  She said she had enough staff and told me I could go home.  Home?, nope I was going to walk and get the baby out.  I ran home real quick to change into walking clothes.  My husband had been sleeping because he worked the night before.  He asked what I was doing home, and I told him I was going walking to get the baby out.  I got a thumbs up and a look of good luck.  I don't think he actually thought my walking was going to get the baby out!  After walking for a while I was having more contractions and pelvic pressure, I really didn't think anything was happening because remember I was having no signs of labor the week before.  I waited a little longer and decided to go to the hospital just to check my progress and the baby.

I got to the hospital about 10:30 in the morning.  I was really just having pressure and dizziness from all the walking in the heat, the contractions weren't that bad.  I waited in the triage bed for about an hour before anyone came in to see me or get hooked up on the monitor.  See the hospital just started this new charting system and they were trying to figure out how to get me in the computer.  Once they figured out that issue, I was hooked up on the monitor(our baby boy was sounding great) and the nurse checked for dilation.  I was quite surprised when she said I was dilated to 3, 70% and 0 station.  I knew it was early but thought if I did more walking, I would dilate more.  After she talked to my doctor, the verdict was for me to walk for an hour and be checked again.  I had to get to 4 cm and have closer contractions or I would get sent home.  I was not going home without a baby!!  I didn't call my husband because I wanted him to get sleep and there was still a chance I could get sent home and I didn't want to wake him for nothing.  I did tell my mom what was going on and she insisted on coming to the hospital, even though I told her nothing would decided until after I walked.

I ended up walking almost 2 hours because my nurse was with another patient, I kept walking until she was ready to check me in hopes I was dilating more.  The nurses were surprised all the laps around the unit I was doing and said I was a woman on a mission.  Once I went back to triage, the nurse checked me and I was between 3 and 4 cm dilated, but my contractions weren't regular.  She decided since all the walking and her checking me might have helped the contractions that she would watch me for an hour or so. After that time she checked me again and I was 4 cm dilated and having contractions every 3 to 6 minutes.  She called my doctor and he gave the orders for me to be admitted!!! It was baby time and time to call my husband to let him know what I was up too while he was sleeping.  It was now around 3:30 in the afternoon.  He was quite surprised when I asked him if he was ready to meet the baby that day with a reply of  "oh sh*t, are you serious?"  He was getting stuff for the kids together, getting ready and heading to the hospital.

My doctor had decided that since my contractions weren't consistent that he wanted the nurse to start Pitocin.  I was tolerating my contractions pretty well and knew that Pitocin could make the contractions intolerable very fast.  I requested my epidural first before they started the medicine.  Did I need it? no, but I didn't want to feel Pitocin contractions either.  By the time my husband got to the hospital I had my epidural and was relaxing.  The epidural was more painful than the other two, and it worried me she said the pain I was feeling was from her accidentally hitting the bone.  After about an hour, the Pitocin was started, I hadn't dilated anymore since triage.  At around 7:00, my new nurse came in and checked me, she noticed I was scratching alot and offered me some Benadryl to fix the itching that was most likely from the epidural.  I was checked again, had no change in dilation and the Pitocin dose was increased.  At 7:45, I was talking to my cousin Sarah, trying to stay awake from the Benadryl, and I noticed I could lift my left leg and I was feeling more of the contractions and pressure.  My epidural was wearing off.  The nurse checked me around 8:00, I was dilated to about 6 and while I was changing positions, my water broke!!  She checked me again, after my water broke and I was an 8!!!  I was feeling lots of pressure and pain.  She called my doctor, who replied, "I only live 10 minutes away."  It wasn't too much longer, and I told my husband to go get the nurse because I had to push!!  The nurse came in and said I was 10 cm, ready to go, but not to push because the doctor was on his way. 

                                    ~I had not expected my epidural to wear off
I had never felt such a strong urge to push or so much pain with the other two, because those times my epidural worked through the delivery.  I was to the point to tell the nurse to get any doctor because I couldn't keep from pushing anymore, when my doctor walked in.  He shook my husband's hand and leaned up against the counter.  I then asked, "Can I push now?"  He said, "Oh yeah, we were waiting on you."  I replied, "I'm ready, I was waiting for you!"  It took two pushes and our baby boy was here!!!

Eric Richard-Hays Fitzgerald was born May 8th, 2012 at 9:06 pm, weighing 8 lbs, 0 oz and 20 1/2 inches long!! He was beautiful and our family was complete!!  In another post I will explain how we came up with his name.

~He kept peeing on the nurse!!

After delivery, I had some problems with hemorrhaging, which got me a shot in the thigh and another IV that took three tries to get.  It was all worth it for my baby boy!!  We got to go home the next evening and Eric has been doing great since.

                                                     ~Proud grandma
I experienced things this time around that I never had before.  I actually felt what it was like to feel my son come out of me and the urge to push to do that.  I had never had an allergic reaction to the epidural before or hemorrhage.  I am happy my last labor and delivery went overall pretty well and I am thankful for our healthy baby!!