Caleb's First Month

I am new at this whole blog thing, but I have been inspired to write one by my cousins Corey and Alison, because I love reading about what is going on with their kids and especially seeing frequent pictures of them. So, here goes nothing...

Caleb Steven Conrad was born on Sunday, November 25, 2012 at 8:28 pm. He was 6 pounds, 7 ounces and 20 inches long. He was 9 days early, which I was very happy about, because I had been having a lot of back pain for about 5 weeks. It was amazing to see him and hold him for the first time.

Caleb being born!

                                                   

Our first glimpse of Caleb

       

Getting to touch and kiss Caleb

 

Caleb getting weighed

 

Just a few hours old and very alert!

 

First family picture

 

 

My parents and Rad and Jen were able to go with Caleb to see him get cleaned up and weighed and measured while Steve stayed with me in the OR. 

 

Grammy & Grampy admiring Caleb

 

Uncle Rad

 

Auntie Jen

 

Caroline and Corey also came to see Caleb that first night, which was really nice.

Aunt Caroline

 

Uncle Corey

 

We then had lots and lots of visitors the next day. It was nice to see everyone, but I did get a little overwhelmed and by 8:00 Monday night, I was exhausted. That's also when they told me that Caleb's weight had dropped to 5 pounds, 15 ounces and that if he lost much more weight, they would want to try to supplement with formula. That freaked me out, but luckily I had an amazing night nurse that night who helped Caleb and I with the breastfeeding and everything started to go smoothly after that and he started to gain weight again. By Tuesday night, he was up to 6 pounds even and then by Wednesday night, he was 6 pounds, 3 1/2 ounces, so we were definitely on the right track. Our stay in the hospital went well, except for the fact that there was always someone coming to check on either me or Caleb, so it was hard to get a lot of rest. But, the nurses were really nice (with one exception) and we were well taken care of. Steve stayed in the hospital with us every night and he did go to work for a few hours each day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday so he could spend more time with us at home instead.

Caleb and I were discharged on Thursday afternoon, so then we were on our own at home, which was a little overwhelming at first. Our first night home went ok. Caleb slept fine in his pack and play for 2 1/2 to 3 hours at a time. The second night did not go so well and he was up quite a bit.

First time in the car seat

Welcome home Caleb!

Meeting Cody and Kylie for the first time

 

First night at home

 

Steve's parents came to visit us that first weekend so they could meet their new grandson. Alison, Heath, Tyson, and Westin also came to visit that weekend so we could meet Westin and they could meet Caleb. It was so fun to see the two babies together, since Westin is only 6 days older than Caleb. I am so excited for them to grow up together!

2 happy grandpas!

Happy Grandma!

 

 

Caleb and Westin, only 6 days apart

 

 



 

We went to visit the pediatrician when Caleb was 9 days old and he had gained half a pound so he was 6 pounds, 15 ounces, which is really great, because the general rule is that babies should get back to their birth weight by the time they are 2 weeks old.

First pediatrician appointment

Steve was home with Caleb and I until Caleb was 2 weeks old and then he went back to work. The first day he went back to work was tough for me emotionally, but we survived and we are now in a routine, which is great. At first, we didn't venture out of the house much, but we did go to my parents' office for lunch and then we made a big trip to visit Steve and work and then to visit my office in Woods Hole.  Since then, we have become much more comfortable going out and our trips to the office for lunch on Wednesday are one of the highlights of our week.

Some of the other highlights of Caleb's first month are: taking a trip to Newport for 2 nights with lots of my relatives, having Nana & Grandpa come for a visit, and Christmas.

Family picture in Newport

 

Caleb was very popular with his older cousins in Newport

 

Nana just loved Caleb and would hold him every chance she got

 

Christmas Day with Grampy

 

Christmas with Mommy

One of Caleb's Christmas outfits

 

One of my very favorite pictures ever!

 

What a cute Santa baby!

 

We took Caleb to get pictures taken at Sears 3 days before Christmas and that was quite an experience. The photographer got one picture before Caleb started screaming and I then had to feed him in the photography studio. Then we got the pictures, but afterwards, Caleb had his first big blowout in his diaper and we had to change his clothes in the studio as well. The results came out pretty well, though. Here are a few samples:

 

 

 

 

Well, I think that's enough information and pictures for my first blog entry. I will close with Caleb's one month stats and a few more pictures:

 

Weight: 9 pounds, 7 ounces

Length: 22 1/2 inches

Head: 15 1/4 inches