Three Month Preview

So we are back from our Washington trip and I have so many photos to go through and want to spend some time writing about it but I had to share a little preview. Our beautiful little Matthias is three months old today.  He is officially no longer a newborn.  It makes this mama a little sad but I also know that he is thriving and growing which blesses my heart.  I did a little photo shoot with him today and am always amazed at his little facial expressions.  We love him so much and he is truly a gift. 

Baby Fitness

My aunt had gotten Matthias an Under Armour track suit. He looks ready to hit the gym.




We had a nice lazy day today. The boys took a three hour nap at Jason and Rachel's which was much needed. Tomorrow we will get out and visit some more family in the area.

Sleepy Baby

Matthias was in bed before 10 pm tonight. I am learning his little preferences and how to get him down without numerous wake ups or having to just lay down next to him. Celebration! Now if the older two would sleep through the night without any crying or wake ups, it would almost be miraculous.

Two Months!

Our sweet little nugget is two months old already.  I have come to deeply appreciate in the last couple of weeks what an easygoing baby he is. He is a very happy little guy and because he is a singleton I feel like learning his little baby language and meeting his needs is much easier. We are crazy about this baby.

Matthias's colic and witching hour issues seemed to pretty much resolve by 6-7 weeks. He did not have the discomfort cries in the early to late evening as frequently and we stopped using the gas drops on a regular basis.  He started going down for bed a lot easier.  Here is the amazing thing: he takes a pacifier.  Yeah, I know that is no big deal to all those moms that had babies who easily took to them but for me it has been a total game changer.  Let's say he starts to fuss an hour and a half after eating.  I was having to rock him, comfort him, carry him everywhere, try to get him to sleep and in general make him happy.  I noticed that when he was tired he would suck his hands and I knew he was not hungry so I just kept offering the pacifier until he took to it.  Now when he is tired, it is pretty easy to get him down since his sucking reflex is met.  It has really changed car rides and I think a big reason why the road trip to Southern California was so successful.

Hair all combed after a bath and a dapper little outfit.

Sleepy smiles right after waking up.

His first stretch of sleep at night is generally 4-6 hours and then another 3 after that.  This means 1-2 wake ups at night dependent upon how long that first stretch lasts.  He sleeps in a co-sleeper bassinet in our room which is really handy.  Matthias is a happy little guy first thing in the morning and likes to smile and coo while his diaper is changed.  He then will take a good long nap in the morning while I feed the older boys breakfast.  He has fallen into predictable eat, wake and sleep patterns and I make sure that he eats at least every 3 hours during the day.  He has grown to like his swing more now that he takes a pacifier and takes quite a few naps in there.  Matthias discovered the mirror at the top of the swing and smiles at his reflection.
 

8 weeks

 

He is not a big fan of tummy time but gets plenty of time to strengthen his neck by being held upright and being worn in a carrier.  He actually rolled over at 5 weeks and 6 days for the first time but has not done it since.  I felt bad because he was in the dining area which I can easily see from our open kitchen and the older boys needed to go potty.  He started crying when I was helping Abraham and Winston and by the time I got back was on his back and was starting to calm down.

At his two month appoinment he weighed 12 lbs. 13 ozs. and was 24 inches.  He is basically a tall baby and while at a heavier than average weight, is very proportional.  He outgrew the 0-3 month clothing because it was too short but there was still plenty of room around the belly.  He is currently wearing 3 month clothing which fits him like a glove and also 3-6 and 6 month clothing which has a bit more wiggle room.  He is still in size 1 diapers but as soon as I am done with the current package he is moving up a size.  His eyes continue to look very blue so I am pretty sure that will stick.  His hair has continued to lighten and his eyelashes also came in very blond looking.  I think he may even end up with some wave or curl in his hair.  

Two months to the day

He is a sweetheart and I think even from his pictures you can tell he is a happy and pretty mellow baby.  I am thankful that he is doing so well.  The Lord definitely knew my fears and heard my prayers.  After surviving colic and reflux with the twins I was very nervous to experience that all over again.  It is special getting to enjoy this newborn stage this time around. He is a joy and a treasure.  We feel so thankful that we get to be his parents. 

Comfy

I am trying to get back into the swing of things. Baby boy was a bit more fussy than usual. I had a hard time getting him to nap so I had to hold him. The dogs took that opportunity of me sitting for an extended period of time and climbed right up on or next to me. It was an overcast day and I appreciated all the snuggles. There is so much more that I could have gotten done today but I enjoyed having my wee babe in my arms. I know if I catch up on a bit of sleep that I can tackle my to-do list quickly.

Wordless Wednesday

Old Soul

Every passing day this little boy becomes more sweet and mellow. I think he looks like an old soul. He always seems to be thinking about and contemplating something.

The Temporal

I mentioned in an earlier post that Eric is gone for the next couple weeks.  The opportunity came up for me to go to Southern California with the children and visit family.  I am excited and happy to go but I am just really tired right now.  My older kids are getting up even earlier as they have not adjusted to the time change yet.  I am working with the baby to go down to sleep without me right there which means several plug-ins with the pacifier, shushing and gently jostling his bassinet.  Once he conks out he does really well but last night he did not go down until 12:30 am.  One of the older boys generally wakes up at least once during the night plus I am getting up with the newborn.  It is easy to feel weary in body and spirit.  It is easy to have pity parties.  Yet I am thankful because as a believer in Christ it forces me to distinguish between the temporal and the lasting. I feel like I have so much to do before I leave in a couple days.  It is all stuff that in and of itself is good and useful but as I was feeling frustrated tonight about feeling tired and not having gotten more done, I realized that it was all temporal. If the house is not as clean as I want it to be before I leave for my trip, it will still be there when I get back.  It just became so concrete that it is all really unimportant in the grand scheme of things.  It comes down to wanting to be perceived as organized and having it all together.  Guess what?  I don't and trying to make it happen is exhausting.

My family needs a happy, joyful mother and wife.  I got to talk to my husband for a little while tonight while he was at a job site and I was telling him about my realization.  I was actually chuckling as I told him.  Isn't it crazy how we can fixate on meaningless stuff?  I now think it is funny that I was worried about not being able to clean out the refrigerator before I left.  I am in a tough season right now but there is so much joy in it.  I get to snuggle and love on my kids every. single. day. and am married to such a kind, wonderful man. It is such a gift and I am thankful that the Lord uses these little moments to redeem me and make me more like Him. 

Matthias showing his papa his wiggles and giggles via FaceTime.

One Month!

*So Matthias is seven weeks old already but I had been jotting down all the relevant info as it was happening for his one month post. Better late than never is my motto!*

First off, the whole experience of having a singleton is really special and I am very thankful we were blessed with the opportunity to do so.  Fellow twin moms had told me how great it was going to be and it has definitely lived up to it. That said, having two toddlers in addition to the newborn means that time is flying by. I feel so behind on household chores as well as things like thank you cards and personal correspondence. Waking up this morning I was just remembering how fast this time goes by and how fleeting it is.  If it takes me way longer to get stuff done, that is okay because I am still in survival mode and ultimately I want to focus and prioritize on eternal rather than temporal things.  Some day the laundry will be folded and put away in the same day it is washed but for now I want to enjoy my young children and my husband.  All that to say, I am learning to be more flexible and to not create false standards of holiness for myself.

Matthias meeting his older brothers for the first time.  We got it all on video. Abraham repeatedly said "I love baby brother.  I want to kiss him."  And he has not stopped wanting to hug and kiss his baby brother.

First day at home and trying his swing for the first time.

Matthias was born with a thick head of dark hair.  At the hospital we could already see that he had light roots and sure enough within the first month it has lightened up quite a bit.  He had sparse eyelashes when he was born but they have grown in nicely within that first month as well.  I wonder if his hair color will end up being lighter than his older brothers based on what we see right now.  It is pretty cute because he also has very thick hair on the outside of his ears. He has the cutest dimple on his left cheek.  His eyes appear to be very blue already so we shall see if his eyes stay that way.  Since he looks like his papa's baby pictures and is already much bigger than Big Man Winston was at the same age, we affectionately call him Little Beef. 

Five days old-- sunbathing for his jaundice.

From the get go he was a fantastic eater with no latch issues.  The Lord answered my prayers on that one. My milk also came in within 48 hours which was a huge blessing since it took more than five days after our twins were born.  Post-partum complications such as hemorrhages can delay lactation so I was thankful that I just kept Matthias continually latched and my body did what it was supposed to.  Matthias was slightly jaundiced but not nearly as bad as the older boys were and some time in the sun plus lots of milk completely cleared it up within ten days. He had an issue with having days and nights mixed up in the first week but we got that figured out pretty quickly. He liked to cluster feed and would eat continuously in the early evening hours.  We have had a fair amount of the witching hour issues in the evening as well but nothing nearly as difficult as the colic issues we had with the twins.  He is a super cuddly baby boy so a lot of his fussiness issues are cured by holding him and just loving on him. It is a win-win situation.

At his first doctor's appointment with his pediatrician, Matthias was four days old and weighed 8 lbs. 14 oz.  At the home visit with the nurse (program funded by the hospital he was born at) when he was eight days old, he already weighed 9 lbs. 2 oz.  I was excited to see how quickly he was regaining his birth weight.  At his one month appointment, Matthias was just 3.5 weeks and already weighed 10 lbs. 4 oz.  and was 23 inches.  Matthias was only in newborn clothes for about two weeks and then he he was clearly too big for them.  He graduated into 0-3 month clothing and size 1 diapers from there.  It was a very bittersweet feeling for me.  I was so happy he was gaining and growing like he should but I wanted him to stay little for a while longer.  It is all such a contrast to our twins.

Proud Papa and Little Beef

3.5 weeks--so strong already!

Classic Matthias Stinkeye

We are so thankful for this beautiful baby boy!  He is a wonderful blessing!

Matthias' Birth and Hospital Stay

As promised, I finally went through the photos of Matthias' birth and our hospital stay.  I realized that with an approximately 36 hour stay in the hospital with a singleton there are a lot less photos to share than with the four day stay we had with the older boys.  Eric and I commented how much more mellow the whole experience was this time.  It has a lot to do with the fact that we were second time parents (really third time parents?) this time around and had a singleton.  We really got to soak in the whole experience with Matthias' birth and it was an immense blessing.  Hope you enjoy the pictures.  I know going through them made me already nostalgic even though it was only just over five weeks ago.

  

Last belly shot--39 weeks and 6 days based on my official due date.

I was obviously in between contractions here.

Meeting my beautiful son.

He got a lot of kisses.

I was so happy. 

Healthy 9 lbs. 4 ozs.

After his wipe down and eye ointment.

Good morning!

Those sweet little cheeks!

Meeting Grampa Guddat

Meeting Aunty Ally

Proud Papa

Grandma and Grandpa Sybrandy arrived that afternoon

Proud and happy parents

In his going home outfit--it says "Awesome Brother"

Ready to go home for the real adventure!

Matthias' Birth Story

Our little Matthias is a month old today!  Oddly enough for having had a baby so recently, it feels like the time has been much longer than that.  I think it is because we cannot imagine him not being here with us. He brings a huge sense of joy and completion to our family so it is hard to remember that he was not here just a little while ago.

Matthias is doing great and is growing like a weed.  I need to get cracking on his one month update but I finally just now got his birth story done.  The birth story has been added to the blog's pages near our description but you can also click here and check it out.  Just please be forewarned that it is novella length and it actually could have been even more detailed if I had not shown restraint. I have been piecing together the story of his arrival for the last three weeks but it is hard to finish a writing project with three kids two years old and under.  I was really hoping to get through some photos of his birthday to add to the blog tonight still but I am already barely making the midnight cut off.  Matthias went to bed about an hour ago...finally.  I think I should join him.  Hopefully I can add some photos here soon and you can enjoy his birth story for now.

Our Son Has Arrived!

With great love and joy we welcome our son, Matthias Theodore Guddat. He was born September 9th at 9:11 pm weighing 9 lbs. 4 ozs. and 20.25 inches. We had a great birthing experience at Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe, CA. Right now we are just getting settled into life with three children and remembering the sleep deprivation that comes with having a newborn. We are absolutely loving the experience of having a singleton. It has been so special thus far. I am definitely looking forward to writing out the birth story and sharing more about our little blessing.

Right after his weigh in, Vitamin K shot and antibiotic eye drops.

Middle of the night snuggles with papa.

The morning after he was born.

First photo with our new son.