Two Monkeys: Nicholas & Joshua Read

Nicholas has hit his 3 week growth spurt. How do I know? 5-7 hour feedings a few times this week was our biggest clue. I never knew about the constant feeding schedule. I thought that he'd be eating for 20 min., we'd change him, burp him and then we'd be free for 2 hours before the next feeding. Reality hasn't quite been that way. Growth wise, he's grown both in length and weight. His head seems bigger and he's developing fat underneath his chin and in his legs. Soon, they'll be big like drumsticks. We're anxious to get his weight checked out soon to see how much he really has grown. He's also been exhibiting what I call the 'angry baby syndrome'. This is where he'll be breastfeeding and an ejection of milk will come out causing him to moan and groan like an angry baby because the milk flow is too quick. I couldn't quite figure it out at first, but when I realized what it was, I was relieved to know that this is normal. It's q

As the clock hit 11:56 am today, Cam and I sung happy birthday to Nicholas as he is now 3 weeks old. It feels long and short at the same time. Since the day he was born, he's been a feeding machine. The only real cries that come from Nicholas is for food, which he's been happily gulping down every few hours. We celebrated his first Christmas with family and friends yesterday. I had bought him a Santa outfit that I thought wouldn't fit him a few weeks ago, but since he's stretched his legs out a bit and filled out with some layers of fat, his suit fit him just fine. Grandma and Grandpa Read paid a visit in the early afternoon and then we went over to my mom's. I love it when family is around because I have an instant flock of babysitters. The only thing they can't do is feed him unfortunately. The sleeping and feeding routine at night hasn't been too bad.  The worst of it was the first few days. We now tend to stay up until midnight-2 am and then try to g

It's been an amazing two-week journey with the arrival of Nicholas on Dec. 5th. Every time I go to update the blog, I am called to a feeding that can sometimes last hours. Nicholas is finally in his bassinet now, giving me a few moments to give an update. First off, I'll start with the birth story! Our little Nicholas finally arrived on Saturday, Dec. 5th at 11:56 am. He was supposed to be induced on Dec. 6, which also happens to be Saint Nicholas Day, but we were able to avoid the inducement as he decided to bravely enter the world early Sat. morning. I had a hunch that he was going to come on Sat. as I had some physical signs on Friday, including the loss of my mucous plug. Cam and I enjoyed our last night out by dining at New Mee Fung where I slurped back a mango shake with tapioca balls and devoured my wrap dish. We rented a comedy for the evening - Run Fatboy Run (very funny) and then proceeded to go to bed. Before I went to bed, I called the hospital to inquire what

We've now made it to the weekend and Nicholas is still very comfortable in the belly. He's definitely dropped even more this week and is getting a bit restless - even at night when he usually doesn't move at all. Cam and I are hoping that labor will start naturally tomorrow.  I have a yoga class in the morning and then we're going to walk a lot to hopefully get things going. Cam finished his last day of work today before he goes back in Jan.  We went out for a nice dinner tonight -  mind as well enjoy these carefree baby free moments while we can. I'm also getting very used to sleeping 9 hours a night. It's weird waking up knowing that next week, I may only be getting sleep in increments of 2-4 hours at a time. Thank god I can fall asleep anywhere.

We're now into December and baby Nicholas is now measuring around 8 pounds, has a full head of hair, and long legs. We went to our post date ultrasound yesterday to see what he was up to and everything is still looking great. I think he's itching to get out as his movements in the belly have been more forceful and you can see my whole belly shift as he gets comfortable. He's even begun to do some kicking in the middle of the night - perhaps he's telling me that he's ready for a midnight snack! After seeing Dr. Farrell yesterday, he recommended that if Nicholas does not arrive before the 6th, we'll be induced this Sunday due to my higher than normal blood pressure. I think I'm still in denial that I will have a baby in my arms by next week, but it really doesn't seem real. I've lived with him in the belly for 9 months, but to have a real baby in my arms - now that's completely foreign. We're completely ready for his arrival at least - his be