Owen's Newborn Pictures

Oh how I love these pictures. My sister came over and took pictures of Owen when he was about a week old. What a sweet baby!! Just try not to gush too much, I dare you.

Maternity Pictures

I realized that I haven't posted my maternity pictures on the blog yet, so I figured now would be a good time. My next post will be pictures that my sister took of Owen when he was a week old, so it will be a good before and after. Enjoy!

3 Weeks

This week has gone by pretty fast and Owen grows more and more every day. We had a rough start to the week this week. Owen had his first big growth spurt and he decided that he needed to eat every 1-2 hours for a couple days. I would wake up, feed him, change his diaper, and rock him back to sleep which would take like 40 minutes, then I pump, and by the time I go to lay back down he was ready for another feeding. He was pretty fussy during this time, which is understandable because I am sure it was a pretty uncomfortable time for him. I ended up getting real sick from not getting any sleep so it was especially hard to get through those couple days.

He has learned how to use his vocal cords. Thankfully he usually only cries real loud when he gets changed or when he is ready to eat. He has a cute cry, but it's still sad to see him like that. I had some Dr. Pepper at dinner last night and I don't think he can process caffeine very well. Poor guy, he was up for hours on end and he just couldn't go to sleep, no matter what I tried. I went to go give him another bottle to see if he was hungry again and I ended up spilling the whole thing all over our bed as I went to give it to him because I forgot to screw a lid on the bottle. It was at that point that I realized I needed to get some sleep and enlisted Gabe's help to watch him while I rested. Luckily he didn't have work today so he was able to get up and help. Thanks Gabe!

He makes a lot of noises while he is sleeping or laying there. He wakes up a while before his next feeding and just keeps his eyes closed and wiggles and squeals. I think next week we will move him to his crib because it wakes me up every time he makes a noise, and all the sleep I can get would be wonderful.
He is such a strong boy and always busts out of his swaddles. I went and bought him one of those swaddle wraps that are velcroed around him so he can't squirm out. It has been helpful for the most part, he seems to like it because then he doesn't accidentally smack himself in the face when he is waking up. But... sometimes he finds a little hole where the top meets the bottom and he sticks his hand out and then tries to get his hand up to his face which bunches all the fabric up around him. So we have to keep an eye on it, but he looks super cute all bundled up in it.

I feel like three weeks is when I FINALLY started to get the hang of things. I'll be honest, it was a super hard transition for me. I really thought before Owen was born that it would be so easy to still do everything I was able to do before he was born. I thought that I would have no problem finding time to cook, clean, eat, shower. I figured that babies sleep all the time, and I just had a very superficial view of how easy things would be. But it turned out to be a lot more challenging than I expected. I have no idea what I am doing, I'm a first time mom. I do my best and I learn more and more every day. I am learning what he likes and doesn't like, and how to balance everything in my life. I would say that I am some what of a perfectionist. I like to be good at the things that I do. I like things to be done a certain way. It has been very humbling to realize that I can't always control things and it is perfectly fine. There are more important things happening right now, and that is what I should focus on. Thankfully we have a very sweet boy who is learning as well and is very forgiving with me. I haven't figured out how to get ready and dressed every day, or how to get the dishes done without worrying so much about waking him up, but it will come eventually. We are so incredibly blessed to have Owen in our family and he has brought so much love and the spirit into our home. He is the cutest boy we have ever seen and has quite the personality, which will be fun to see come out as he gets older. We sure love this boy and couldn't be happier!

One week old

• He is a good little eater; he eats in about five minutes and then falls asleep.
• He gained back his birth weight plus more by five days old. I swear, he gained another ounce last night. We are on our way to having a chunky baby!
• He seems to be on his way to learning how to turn over; he likes to turn on his side when we lay him down.
• He hates diaper changes. Which is unfortunate for him, because he goes through a lot of diapers!
• He is such a brave guy. He hardly cried when he came out and usually just fusses when he is upset. We took him to get tested for jaundice where they prick his foot and squeeze and squeeze until they get a certain amount of blood, and he stayed asleep and only raised his eyebrows as a reaction.
• He makes so many faces and we could just watch him for hours. He never ceases to amaze us with his cuteness.
• I can’t stop kissing him.
• He loves to have his hands up by his face. I know he was that way in the womb because I could always feel him punching me.
• He had his first sponge bath the other day. He wasn’t the biggest fan, but he loves getting a lotion massage afterwards.
• He loves sucking on daddy’s finger and it is one of the cutest things to watch while he sucks and just stares at dad in the eyes.

Happy one week little Owen, we love you!!!

Introducing....

Owen Michael Dickes

Born July 7^th 2012 at 2:41 a.m.

7 lb. 1 oz. 19 inches long

He has been the sweetest baby and Gabe and I just sit and stare at him, having a hard time believing that he is actually ours. He is absolute perfection sent from heaven.

38 Weeks

How far along?   38 weeks

Total weight gain:   +30

Maternity clothes?   Same as always. I stay in my yoga capris most of the days, nice and comfy. As you can see, I am popping out of my normal clothes pretty well.

Stretch marks?   Nope.

Sleep:  Is probably similar to what it will be like when the babe arrives. Although I have been lucky these last few nights, I’ve been so exhausted that I sleep pretty good except for waking up due to uncomfortable-ness.

Best moment this week:   Finding out that we didn’t have to be induced at 37 weeks. He can come out whenever he wants now, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Miss Anything?    Oh yes, lots of things. I miss being able to do things in general. I thought it was funny the other day Gabe and I were talking about how most people say things like, “We need to do (such and such) before the baby gets here because we won’t be able to afterwards.” While we are the opposite and say things like, “I can’t wait until the baby gets here because then we can do (such and such.)” Bed rest hasn’t allowed us to do hardly anything, so we are even more excited for him to arrive!

Movement:   Yep, although I can tell that it must be getting very cramped in there. Lots of bumping and pushing movements. I can’t believe a whole baby fits in there!

Food cravings:   Ice cream and yogurt have sounded very good lately. I am very much looking forward to eating frozen yogurt, I have realized that I like it more than I thought I did.   

Anything making you queasy or sick:   Oh not really anything in particular.    

Gender:   Boy!

Labor Signs:   Mmmm hmmmm. I’ll save your ears by not telling you everything, but there have been a lot more signs that labor is getting closer. I have been able to experience real contractions starting this last week… fun stuff!

Symptoms:   I’d say labor signs are a big symptom. Haha this question is getting harder and harder to answer.

Belly Button in or out?   Half and half. I’m both surprised and glad that my belly button hasn’t fully popped.

Wedding rings on or off?   Still off. I am sure that it would still fit just fine, but just to be on the safe side. I’d rather be careful than have to get it sawed off or something horrific.

Mood:   So sleepy and super anxious for the big day. It’s crazy to have no idea when it’s going to happen. I hope it comes soon.

Looking forward to:   Meeting our sweet baby for the first time. Finally seeing what he looks like. Playing with his little feet that have been grazing my belly. We have so much to look forward to!