Going Wireless

And I'm not talking about computers or phones. Me and the little fella are now totally wireless. He is breathing on his own, and totally unattached to any oxygen tanks and I am now a pump-free momma. After a little work on transitioning, he has given up bottles, making feeding time a lot less work for me. Being off the oxygen means we can walk anywhere without hooking into another tank. Beckett already seems to love being around everybody all the time and not just hanging out upstairs. It felt strange at first to wander outside of that 3 foot radius that the tubing allowed! Needless to say, I am THRILLED on both counts. He is doing great, healthy and gaining weight just fine...currently at 8 1/2 lbs. Today was his due date, which seems crazy to me, since he's already been with us for almost 7 weeks. It seems ages ago already that we were in the hospital. He's been a real trooper through all of this and we are so grateful to have him as a part of our family. We still have some restrictions...no kiddo visitors, and no going anywhere indoors where there are lots of people. Going outside is okay though, thank goodness.
Sometimes I look at him and think, I can't believe he's here...! There are some amusing things about babies that I'd forgotten about that Beckett has reminded me of...

• I love sweet sleepy baby grins.
• I love sweet sleepy baby chuckles:)
• I love the cute little grunty noises lil' Beck makes. (When you stroke his head, he sighs and grunts on cue, he's very vocal!)
  
• I love soft baby feet.
• I love the way he smells.
  
• I love the downy feather soft baby hair.
• It cracks me up when he tries to eat. When he's searching around, he looks like an angry, one-eyed pirate. Then he finds the food, and he's like a scary, starving pirhana. The urgency is hilarious.
• Projectile poop. I swear I don't remember this one with Asher. If you're timing is off, watch out!
• The incalculable fountain of pee. It could happen any time and go anywhere. Ah, little boys. Again, timing is everything.
• The absolute peace on a sleeping baby's face.
• I love snuggling with my sweet Beckett. He nuzzles as close as he can then falls asleep, happy as can be. Love it!
  

Bath time (still with the O2). We're still trying to convince him that bath time is fun!

Since my blogging is lagging a little, I'll just post some pics to do a quick update!

Pics with G-ma and pa Reitz while still in the hospital.

Pics with G-ma and pa Pettit when they were visiting a week or so ago.

My boys...

(This one was at the zoo...one of the few things we can go and do until May-ish. All the flowers are blooming!)

P.S. This is a picture of a beautiful and delicious cake that my friend Melissa made for us...so cute!

At Home

I am relieved to be able to say that our Beckett has finally come home. We were expecting at least a 4 week stay, and were pleasantly surprised when the Doctors told us he could come home after nearly 3 weeks. Bringing him home hasn't been without it's stresses though. He came home on oxygen, which is helping him to thrive until he can do a little better on his own. The idea of having him hooked up to a tank all day gave me anxiety at first, but we're slowly getting the hang of it and are adjusting to a newborn with baggage. It could be much worse though, and I'd rather have him here than in the NICU any day. He's getting bigger too...already he's up to 7 lbs. 5 oz. and gaining. Asher was thrilled that he was finally able to meet his new little brother. Asher's first comments were: "Look Mom, look, He came out!" (As if I didn't know this part...so funny), he also said that "Buckett" needs milk and toys. What a very intuitive brother he is already. It's been a bit crazy trying to keep Asher at a safe distance though...a healthy, term newborn would be tricky enough, but a premature newborn is even harder. My 3 year old petri dish means well, but its hard for me not to try to keep him from grabbing his hands and kissing his cheeks. All in all, we are adjusting, doing well, and enjoying our new family of 4. Having all my boys home and under the same roof is such a treat.

One extra bonus during all this craziness is that Corey took the BAR exam. Studying for the thing was a nightmare for all of us. He was gone all day long studying like mad, and we are SO relieved it's done. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for him to focus on the exam with all the delivery and baby issues going on. What a trooper. And I love having him as a dad and husband at night instead of a student. I don't think I actually knew what I was missing until now, which is probably a good thing. Beckett's initials spell out B.A.R., which is NOT the reason we named him what we did, but it was kind of a fun coincidence, so we let it be. It will be a little reminder of some of what was going on when Beckett was born.
Asher has been what I would consider a totally normal 3 year old under our current circumstances, which equates to him being sometimes naughty and trying. We are doing a LOT of "time out." It's as if his vocabulary tripled overnight and he is a little grown-up. The other day he said to me, "Hellooooo mom, do you hear me?" Huh? What's with the attitude?! I guess he's got a mind of his own and he is asserting that. Sometimes I am just trying not to laugh while disciplining him and playing authoritative mom. He also looks HUGE to me now that Beckett is home. Funny how your perspective changes.

All the boys at home together.


Asher was fascinated by Beckett's little feet.


I think Ash would spend all day doing this if I let him, but I'm still too protective!
He sure does love his lil' bro.


Chubby cheeks chillin' on Dad.

P.S. I have so many amazing friends who have helped me out (and are continuing to do so!) throughout all of this. A few of my fabulous pals sent this to our family a few days back. Chocolate covered anything is the perfect way to make someone's day. Might I add that they tasted especially delicious at 2:30 in the morning. Mmmmm. Thanks so much, we loved them!