Gaining, breastmilk, wedding, and bonding

We went for a 1 month check up yesterday at the pediatrician's office. Graham weighed in at 7 lbs 1oz! The doctor said to continue giving him the higer calorie formula for another two weeks but that after that he could go back to a regular ratio. Other great news on the Graham front is that a dear friend of ours is pumping and giving us breast milk for him- so far enough for one bottle a day. I am very grateful to God for providing my son with the good nutrition and immune-boosting power of breastmilk despite my decision to stop trying to induce lactation.

We took Graham to a wedding this weekend. It brought back memories of when Josh was an infant at Grammy and Grandpa's wedding. He was oohed and ahhhhed over quite a bit. I had accidentally left my hot sling (baby carrier) at the house, so I facebooked and found a high school friend in Austin who very generously loaned us her sling and her wrap. Her wrap is a Moby wrap. It was very fun to use! I'm a fan. Toward the end of the reception Graham's diaper leaked big time. He peed all over me and all over the floor! Oops! It reminded me of when Josh was a newborn and his diaper leaked right in Jason's lap making it look like Jason was the one who had the accident :-) Except now the joke was on me. Needless to say we made a fairly swift exit at that point.

Josh and Lillie continue to bond with their new little brother. Lillie's first words each morning when she sees Graham for the first time that morning are, "Oh, he's so cute! Graham is so cute!" Josh has started recruiting Graham to play on his "team" whenever a game is going on. Josh's current obsession is with "Binocally" or known to most as Monopoly. Josh plays a 4 yr. old version of the game- just rolling and trying to get around the board first. (no money passed out, no buying properties, etc.) He will give Graham the play by play. "Graham, we rolled a 6! Graham, we made it past the policeman! Graham, we're about to win!" I'm fine with Josh's Binocally obsession in part because he is teaching himself addition. He'll say, "I rolled a six and a two. That's eight, right mom?" Tonight the game was Jenga. Josh and Graham were on a team, Lillie played by herself, and I played by myself. Not too surprising- Lillie came in third :-) And that is just fine with her. She does not have the share her brother's highly competitive attitude- which is nice!

Graham's Personal Trainer and Singer/Songwriter

I'm guessing not many 4 week old babies can claim that they have a personal trainer. Graham's trainer's name is Lillie. Her new favorite Graham-related activity is teaching him to roll over. She pushes his little legs and bottom to one side and helps him roll side to side. If he even attempts to turn his head or his shoulders in the same direction she is pushing him she stops and claps and cheers for him. So cute.

Josh is Graham's personal singer/songwriter. If Graham is fussing or even just happily hanging out, Josh often busts out with some original lullabies or other fun songs. Yesterday he was singing, "Graham, you have a birth mom and a forever mom. Your forever mom is my forever mom. You can live with us forever." Love it!

Josh has also assumed the role of tutor. Tonight he was telling Graham that God made him and everything around him. Then he said, "That's just the facts, Graham. And you when you get big you can teach our next new baby the facts." I had to clarify and ask what next new baby Josh had in mind. He said that when Graham gets big we'll need a new baby in our house and then we would be a six family. Whoa, partner!! Slow down there :-) We've only been a five family for three and a half weeks!! But it sure has been a sweet past few weeks!

Our Growing Boy!!

Well, adding the extra quarter of a scoop of formula to a 2 oz bottle has made more of a difference than I thought possible! Mr. Graham weighed in at 6 lbs. at the doctor's office yesterday! That means he gained 11 oz in a week. Not too shabby! The thicker formula did make him a bit constipated and so now we are giving him a 1/2 oz of prune juice twice a day. But that is not a big deal. He sucks down that prune juice with no trouble at all. I was so relieved when the nurse proclaimed him a 6 lb baby. And he has even started taking 3 oz at a feeding on occasion. I'm so grateful for this little milestone.

Sadly, No More Lactating For Me

I have been very worn out trying to fit in the 8x a day of pumping that I'm supposed to be doing to help bring in my milk supply. Graham has been fighting the SNS device. I've been forgetting to take my milk supply meds and herbal teas. It was just a such a challenge. Then last night I talked to an adoptive mom who had given it 4 weeks with her first child before calling it quits. Then with her second child she stuck with it and somewhere between 3-4 months she really noticed a big jump in her milk supply. Just to hear her talking in terms of months and not weeks was almost all I needed to help me cross the line mentally. I felt like maybe I could buck up and give it a try for another week or two, but I feel pretty sure I won't last for several more months of using that SNS device. This sweet mom gave me the name of another doctor who has a webpage with protocols for inducing lactation. He recommends that every feeding be done through the SNS. Unfortunately since Graham is so tiny and we're working hard to get him to gain weight, I can't let him use the SNS for more than a couple of feedings a day. Then with Jason going back to work tomorrow and having to travel for work off and on for the next three or four weeks, it just all adds up to the conclusion that it is time to embrace having a fully formula-fed baby.
All that to say, I am so grateful that I gave it a try. I will always remember the sweet moment that my friend Emmy came over and we got Graham to latch on for the first time. I am so grateful that I was able to bond with him in that way over the last couple of weeks. It was worth the effort.

Comments From Josh

Josh had asked if Graham could watch a video with him on Friday during rest time. I explained that Graham is too little to watch a video, but that he could sit and look at Josh while he watched a video. So we propped Graham up in the Boppy next to Josh. Josh just rubbed and patted Graham's head and was talking to him. It was very sweet. Then I heard Josh say, "Graham, when you get bigger you'll have to go away, but we will come and visit you every day." What?!?! I said, "Josh, why do you think Graham will have to go away?" He said, "When he goes to live with a different family." I said, "No sweetie. Graham is my son just like you are my son. He will always be in our family forever." Josh said, "Oh, okay." So then that afternoon we were at the post office and a friendly elderly woman was oohing and aahhing over Graham. I like to try and bring some attention back to Josh and Lillie sometimes when that happens, so I told her that Graham has two doting big siblings. She looked at Josh and Lillie and asked if she could take him home. My very literal, black and white thinking son said, "No. He belongs to us because we adopted him. But maybe you can come and visit."
Well, from the post office we went to Braum's for milk and ice cream. When I opened the door to unbuckle kids I was met with an unpleasant smell. I asked if someone had been tooting. Lillie quickly called out, "Not me!" So Josh said, "Maybe it was Graham." I laughed out loud. I can't believe that poor little Graham is only 2 weeks old and already getting blamed for stuff. Later I told Jason in front of Josh what Josh said. Then I told Josh, "Now Josh, be honest. Were you the one who tooted?" And he smiled very sheepishly and said, "Okay...."
Good times.

How Sweet Is This?

Here is a taste of what's to come when this boy really starts smiling! Jason was holding him and we managed to catch him on camera smiling while he was falling asleep! We took him for his two week appointment today. He now weighs 5 lbs and 5 oz. So he is slowly but surely inching up the scale. The doctor recommended we make his formula a bit thicker (a tad more caloric- an extra quarter of a scoop per ounce!) to try and help the boy gain some weight. He did have to get his second PKU stick done today as well. This may have been more upsetting to Lillie than to Graham. She was very concerned about why he needed a pinch and a band aid. She and Josh wore their big brother and big sister shirts to support their little brother on his trip to the doctor.