Mini-break!

We took Sean on a mini-trip to Washington DC on Thursday to see the Nationals win against the Red Sox at their new stadium. We met up with Thom John's friend Nathan and Uncle Peter. Friday was busy - first, we met up with Sean's new friends, Kais and Jude, who belong to Mazen and Andrea. Then we revisited our old neighborhood in Silver Spring, took a whirlwind tour of the Newseum in DC with Uncle Peter, and later met up with Aunt Rachel to stroll around the Mall and grab some dinner. Sean did great - he was a champ in the stadium, at the hotel, in restaurants, and on the Metro!

Shading the boy from the sun:

My, how times have changed:

Sean was mesmerized by the stadium lights:

On the Newseum terrace:

At the WWII Memorial:

Mag3 Renal Scan

Sean went for another test on Thursday at Cooper University Hospital in lovely Camden, NJ. He got an IV and a catheter and had to lie still for 45 minutes while a machine took images of his kidneys. He did the best he could - the first five minutes or so were all smiles and flirting with the nurses. Then he cried for nearly 10 minutes and then he slept for the rest of the test. Poor baby.

We're going to see the pediatric urologist on Wednesday to hear what he thinks of the results.

Here is Sean swaddled and strapped down in the imaging machine. I got to sit right next to him, but took a break to get this photo.

Cleared!

I went to my doctor on Tuesday and I'm fully recovered from the birth and cleared to do whatever I want - especially run!! I've run 2 miles a couple of times this week and feel super! I can't wait to sign up for some fall races.



Here's Sean wearing the medal we earned together at the 2008 Philadelphia Distance Run last September - I was nauseous through the whole darn race and Sean was the size of a blueberry.

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Sean's losing his newborn hair - but only on his left side.

Uncle Peter called Sean's 'do a "newborn mullet"

Beach!

Sean visited the beach for the first time today to dip his toes in the Atlantic.

Trying to get to the water before the storm does:

Noooo!! Bring me back in August when the water is warm!!

Happy Father's Day!

The Rattle

Sunday afternoon

After a lot of fussing and crying today:

Unfortunately, this didn't last very long. Here's hoping for a good night of sleep. :-)

One Month!

Sean is one month old!!

Today at the pediatrician's, he weighed 9lbs 12oz, and measured 23.5 inches!

Some of the things Sean can do:

-He has pretty good head control.
-He loves to straighten out his strong legs and stand up (with a little help).
-He is still the hiccuping champ.
-He is working on grabbing objects with his little hands and has recently started pulling mommy's hair just for fun.
-He can focus on our faces.
-He can smile and even giggle a little.

Pesky kidney

Yesterday the pediatric urologist analyzed the ultrasound photos taken of Sean's kidneys and bladder last week and was not pleased. There is still a lot of fluid in Sean's left kidney. So the doctor ordered more tests to determine what's causing the fluid back-up.

Today we went to the hospital to get an in-depth look at Sean's bladder to see if Sean has reflux, meaning that urine in the bladder goes back up into the kidneys. This test involved Sean getting a teeny tiny catheter inserted to fill up his bladder, and then pictures and movies were taken while he relieved himself to see what his bladder is doing during urination. Sean was such a brave boy! He only cried when the doctor held his legs still - the boy likes to wiggle and kick!

Sean promptly fell asleep after this test, only to be woken up by a blood test, which involved a technician sticking Sean in the heel and holding his leg still while squeezing out teeny tiny drops of Sean's blood. Again, the boy does NOT like to be held down!

We later went to the urologist again who determined that neither Sean's bladder or urethra are the problem. Also, Sean's blood test came back normal, indicating that his kidneys are functioning normally. So, it's off to get a renal scan next week to get a better look at what's going on.

Moorestown 8K

TJ ran the Moorestown 8K on Saturday - he got a PR! I think Sean brought him lots of luck.

Sean "cheering" his head off as Daddy runs by:

Hiccuping, tummy time, and cleaning up

Tummy time:





Hanging out with Sean on Friday morning:

His specialty:

Note to Self...

Generally (and I use that term very loosely since we've only been doing this for three weeks and change), having a fussy, wide-awake baby one day leads to a peaceful, sleeping baby the next day.

Additionally, excessively kissing and hugging said sleeping baby usually wakes him up and makes him surly - so don't do it... too often.

ps-I know the rules, Sean was only sleeping on his tummy for the photos.

What a Champ!

We had two doctor's appointments today - one at the hospital to get an ultrasound done of Sean's kidneys and the other at the pediatrician's. Sean did very well at the ultrasound - he was pretty wiggly for the ultrasound tech but didn't cry. We'll meet with the pediatric urologist next week to discuss the images and see what actions, if any, need to be taken.

Sean finally surpassed his birth weight! He weighed in at 8lbs 11.9oz at the doctor's today and measures 23 inches long. Our current regimen of breast milk/formula is very successful and we'll continue that.

In other news, the breastfeeding gods have decided to rain down more misery on me - I have mastitis. :-(

Am I chubbier yet?

The other one.

We've been getting a lot of questions asking how Pepper is handling Sean's arrival. I think he's doing pretty well so far.

At first, Pepper was definitely feeling the change. Despite all the visitors and my dad and Thom John's mom taking Pepper for loads of long walks, Pepper definitely noticed that less attention was being paid to him. One night during Sean's first week home, while everyone was relaxing in the living room, Pepper was sleeping in the kitchen. On the bare floor. In the dark. This never happens - Pepper likes to be in the mix, he likes to sit on people's feet. Pepper only sleeps in the kitchen when the sun is warming the floor.



Slowly but surely, Pepper is coming to accept his new position in our family "pack." Although Pepper is still scared of the stroller, he seems happier now that I take him and the stroller out for short walks. And now it seems that Sean had made Pepper's "check-list" of things to look for. Every so often Pepper looks around the house to take stock of everything and everyone. He checks to see where Thom John is, where I am, where his bed is, where his various toys are, and now - where Sean is.

Sorry Pep - Sean is not quite ready to play fetch with you yet.

Plus, Pepper is loving that Sean eats formula now since apparently infant formula is one of Pepper's favorite foods - who knew?