Abby’s Saturday // Two Hundred And Thirty

Highlight of the Week

Little Mr. Leander Roxas continues to do amazing.
And to prove it, we had a follow-up doctor appointment this week to check his weight & make sure that he is gaining & growing. To give you some context, newborn babies are born & weighed, and then typically lose around 5-10% of their birth weight within the first 48 hours. The goal (especially for exclusively breastfed babies) is always for them to regain that loss by the first week. So, Leander was 6lbs. 13oz. when he was born, and at his first pediatrician appointment 24 hours later, he was down to 6lbs. 10oz. On Thursday, he had his “one-week check-up” (which, he was technically 9 days old for) and he weighed a whopping 7lbs. 14oz.! The little hungry hippo gained over a pound in his first week of life!
Needless to say, that little bit of news has put Mama on Cloud 9. All I can remember is the fog that was Braelynn’s first few weeks & how she did not gain weight fast enough to satisfy her doctors & how we had to keep going in every 24-48 hours for weight checks. That, combined with her not nursing successfully (which was obviously why she wasn’t gaining weight) made for some of our toughest days. We weren’t sleeping – it was hard. Leander’s pediatrician is super happy with his weight gain over his first week of life & we don’t have to go back in to see the doctor for a month! And, with it being the middle of winter & sick-season, the further we can stay from the doctor’s office, the better. I am beyond thankful!

Yes, This Happened

• Derrick’s parents made the trip down to visit us & meet Mr. Leander this week! They weren’t able to stay long, but it was fun to have them come & meet their newest little grandson (plus, Braelynn was in her glory with them here to dote on her!) We celebrated Christmas with them while they were here too, since we aren’t sure when the next time we’ll be traveling up to see them will be. It was a fast & furious 24 hours, but I’m so thankful that it was able to happen!
• Anytime we pray as a family (mealtimes, before bed, etc.), Braelynn wants to pray too. One night last week, as we were praying before dinner, she started out by saying the same usual things (she pretty much just repeats what she hears us saying), but then she ended by saying, “And please let us wake up tomorrow morning to lots of snow. That’s a good deal.” And her eyes popped open & she was done praying! Braelynn wants snow in the worst way!
• Leadner had his first visit to Grandma’s house this week (we went over after his pediatrician appointment). Part of the reason for the visit was so that he could meet his Great-Meme & Great-Grandpa (who live next door to my parents) and the other reason was so that Braelynn would be occupied & Mommy (with the help of Auntie Ellen) could take some newborn photos. Well, the kid is already a photographer’s child – he was simply not in the mood for picture-taking. We did get a handful of images, but it turns out that taking newborn photos of your own child is infinitely harder than it looks (I didn’t even attempt to take Braelynn’s newborn photos 3 years ago – our first few weeks were so rough – Auntie Ellen took her & did her newborns while Mommy rested). The little snuggle bug just didn’t want to be put down – period.
• Leander also met Aunt Dawn, Uncle Paul, and some of “the cousins” just this morning! It’s been a busy, but an absolutely wonderful, week!
• Derrick took Braelynn to Kennywood last night for some Holiday Lights, Round 2! It has been unseasonably warm, so he thought it would be fun (& make her feel special & loved) to go do something different with just her & Daddy. They had a marvelous time & ruled the park! They said the park was pretty much empty & in the hour & a half that they were there, they were able to ride just about all of the open rides. It did start raining (which would explain the low attendance), but by that point, they were on their way out of the park anyways.

Feeling Blessed

Braelynn still remains a bit shy around her brother. We have progressed though, from not wanting to be within 3 feet of him, to kisses on the head. And then, spontaneously on Thursday night, she asked if she could hold him. We jumped up & instantly made it happen!! She held him proudly for all of about 15 seconds & then stated that she was done & we could take him back.
I won’t lie: I was definitely nervous to have Derrick go back to work, leaving me alone at home with the 2 kiddos. But, it really hasn’t been too bad (except for the marker that got on our couch – does anyone have any good couch cleaning solutions?) Braelynn has been a big helper to Mommy & (for the most part) a good girl. Like I said at the beginning, our week not only brought days with Mommy at home alone with both Braelynn & Leander, but we also had an outing to make with Leander’s one-week check-up. I was so nervous, but we did it! All 3 of us got ready in the morning, ate breakfast, bundled up, and went to the doctor. I won’t lie: especially after getting the good news of how much weight our little guy gained, I basically felt like super-Mom on Thursday afternoon!