What it is, Ya'll!: January 2011

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Baby Lovin

I have a feeling that my blogs are going to be a lot shorter/fewer now. ;)

I love being a mommy and love this new life that we have as a family. Jake is super adorable and already smiling! We havent mastered what makes him smile but it's usually after he looks at us. He has the cutest sleepy giggles and is a great baby. We have more good/smooth nights than not and he's usually a happy and content baby all day. We really could not have a better baby... I guess it helps that I love him so much.

I don't go out much with him during the week though because it is so gross and cold but today we were out for over 3 hours and he just slept. The other weekend we got his passport photos so we're just waiting on his birth certificate now and then we'll buy plane tickets to home! About a week ago his umbilical stump fell off so cloth diapering has begun! I can say that breastfeeding poop likes to stain but other than that it hasn't been bad. I've even been pumping in the mornings so Paul can give him a little bottle in the evenings which is really cute to watch. We've been looking for a mobile to help him fall asleep but they all have creepy looking stuffed animals as the swinging part so while we were looking for a baby gift for our neighbors we found a musical star dome that puts stars on the wall/ceiling, changes colors, and plays classical music and nature sounds. Perfect. It even worked last night! Sometimes Jakob gets himself all excited and antsy when we put him down and ends up wide awake but last night this calmed his excited state and he fell asleep! In his crib and not our bed! So proud. :)

Tuesday is his one month checkup... holy cow. Time has flown. I'll be curious to see his weight and to hear what the pedatrician has to say about it. We think he's skinny but he eats and has dirty diapers all the time so we don't think there is a problem but confirmation is always nice. Yesterday while we were out shopping I noticed an American woman asking for stamp ink to stamp her child's feet and just like when we were looking, the store lady was clueless. It's just not something they do around here. So Paul told her what we used and where to find it and then we ran in to her again at the grocery store! We chatted there and found out she is married to a post doc at the University, has 2 small kids, and is from Oregon. She invited me to an english speaking playgroup and I might start going once Jake is a little older if I dont have a job.

Anyway, things are running pretty smooth around here and we are so blessed to be where we are in life. I just hope that we are able to come home and share it with family soon!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Welcome, Jakob!!

Jakob Ragnar Erickson made his debut Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 3:45pm and he is perfect! 4200 grams (9 lbs 4 oz), 52cm (20.5 in) long, and 35cm (13.8 in) head circumference.

The whole experience at the UniversitatsSpital Zurich was amazing and I wouldnt trade it for anything. My labor started very quickly at 8am (luckily before Paul left for work) and by noon labor was halfway over and we were at the hospital. Not once was medicine suggested and the midwife very quickly found things that worked for me. I wasnt hooked up to anything and was drinking water through it all. Paul was there the whole time and was able to cut the cord. Jakob was immediately put on my chest for skin to skin and breastfeeding was introduced but he had been sucking on his bottom lip so long in the womb that we had to use facial massages to get him to feed correctly. The hospital does rooming-in so your baby is always with you next to your bed and by the 2nd day the nurses slowly start handing the baby reigns to you. My labor went so fast and my water broke so close to the end that I never got the b strep meds so they watched Jakob a little closer in the beginning but he was perfectly fine.

We stayed at the hospital for 4 full days and got amazing meals, great help and advice, and even got some good sleep. Since breastfeeding takes some time they would encourage it as long as you were rested. So at night when he needed more they would give him glucose water and I could sleep. He barely fit into his coming home clothes because his feet are so big but he fit perfectly in the baby bjorn and rode the tram like a champ. Before we left the hospital though the nurse who we had gotten close to did some last things with Jakob and he thanked her with a huge projectile poop and as she was cleaning herself he relieved himself all over the medical supplies. lol At home a midwife came for the first few days to keep checking his weight and other things and even teach me some exercises to restrengthen my abs. All of this amazing-ness is covered completely by basic insurance and I am so incredibly thankful. Jakob got a bath before we left the hospital which meant his little 3 day old legs were swimming in a sink full of water. They dont wait for the umbilical stump to fall off here so he's already had another bath at home and loved it. His little legs were kicking around and he didnt make a sound. Of course he had to pee on mommy afterwards but it was worth it. :)

He already has visited Paul's lab to meet everyone and today we went to the Mutterberatung. It is a place where people can bring their kids to get basic checks for weight and height and ask questions and it's free! So Jakob has not gotten back up to his birth weight but he's still gaining. I think we're starting to see a little schedule which I would very much enjoy but we'll see. A couple people have made us dinner which we are so thankful for. The days I've cooked were not fun but I've almost mastered the napping! Can't wait to take him to FL to meet everyone!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Great times and more to come... anytime!

So today is the day we've been looking forward to for 8 months! We had a checkup today. Everything looks great and Jakob is an estimated 3.7 kg. They'll only let me go 10 more days so Im doing everything in my power to help him come. This includes 3 loads of laundry today which equals 6 sets of 4 flights of stairs. We are more than ready and are so excited!

My family was here for 2 weeks and the time flew by SO fast. I wish they could have stayed another 2 weeks. We did a few day trips around Switzerland, visited Lichtenstein, went to Davos for some skiing in the Alps for 2 nights, had a huge American Christmas meal, and watched the fireworks show over the lake. It was a great vacation and I loved it all. We are so thankful that we had family here to celebrate Christmas with. Next Christmas though we would love to celebrate it in the states.

Here are some pics from the holidays!