Three weeks already!

Our beautiful Preston is three weeks old! It seems like just hours ago that my water broke and we rushed to the hospital, and actually seems like last week that we realized I was pregnant.

Overall, things have been great, but as some of you know, we've been having some sleep issues. That is to say- Preston doesn't like to do it at night. We've tried everything- a warm water bottle to simulate being held, (he sleeps fine when we are holding him!) rocking, singing, the sling, vibrating machines for his bassinet mattress, you name it. We've devoured a book called "Happiest Baby on the Block" which relies on the "5 S's" -Swaddling, Swinging, Shhhing, Side/Stomach position, and Sucking. We're taking him outside during daylight hours, etc... nothing works, so we've figured this is just going to be a baby who prefers to be up at night. (Please- don't let this be the case when he turns 16...) Don't get me wrong- we aren't striving for a schedule- just a few hours of rest when it's dark out!

A typical mid-morning snooze in the swing:



Unfortunately, I think some of this is related to tummy trouble that Preston seems to have developed and appears to be worse in the evening. He will often pull his legs up and strain or grunt while he's crying, and occasionally spits up after eating, especially if he hasn't burped. We've been using a tonic called Gripe Water, along with infant Mylicon, which seems to help tremendously, and I've also cut all dairy out of my diet for the past few days. I'm giving it a week to see if that helps, but it's been difficult! I love milk, but I love this baby boy much more, so it's a small price to pay if it keeps him comfortable. I'm meeting with a Lactation Consultant on Tuesday to see if it's something obvious with our breastfeeding, as well. HOWEVER- as I write this, I have to say the past two nights, we've gotten at least one three hour stretch, which we were absolutely thrilled about. Let's hope it's a new trend!

Because of this, many of his visitors haven't seen his eyes open! So I thought I'd post some pics to show that his lids really do work and why these are some of our favorite moments with him:

"Hi Everyone!"


Doing great with tummy-time!


Ruby and Preston are getting aquainted:

She is doing really well with him! Not that we were worried, but it seems that she is interested and protective towards her new baby brother. Sometimes, she'll get up and come into the nursery when we are awake with him at night and other times, she'll lay in front of his swing or papasan seat when he's in it. I do believe her feelings are slightly hurt, but alas- she is now just a dog.

So many people love him- what a luck boy!
With his Godmother, Aunt Natalie:


With Great-Grams:


Four generations of Erbs!


He also seems to do great when we are out in public- I'm not sure if it's the noise or movement, but he loves to be taken out and about! Yesterday, we packed him in the sling and went to our local Farmers market, where he snuggled against my chest the whole time. Last night, we went to dinner- he did great! And this past week, he has been a shopper-in-training, making trips to Jefferson Pointe, Target, the regular mall, and Babies R Us. What a trooper!

Keep checking back here as I am trying hard to update this blog as much as possible- when I have a free hand!