Smiles

Kane has recently started smiling at us. He has always smiled in his sleep, but these days he is interacting and engaging with us. It is the most amazing thing to watch his face light up when you talk to him. He is definitely able to see and track objects and faces better every day. He is very interested in lights and bright colored objects. We can't wait to see what the next couple weeks will bring as far as connecting with our little guy.

Future best buddies

This week Kane and I went to visit the Flowers' for the first time in a while. Its kind of cool to see how much these little guys change in just a week. It is nice to have friends that are going through the same experiences and be able to compare notes. Mack is 3 weeks older than Kane which is quite a bit at this point in their lives, but soon enough they will be causing trouble together. I don't know if the Wenatchee valley is prepared for another generation of Hoglunds(Duncans) and Flowers, but here they come!

First road trip

We took our first road trip to Seattle on Saturday. It was quite the experience. We woke up nice and early (4:30 a.m.) so we would have time to get all three of us ready to head over the pass by 6:00 a.m. Of course we were out of the house by 6:30! The passes were snowy and needless to say we were stressed the whole way over. It is amazing how things change when you have precious cargo in the car. Kane slept the entire drive over, which was very convenient.
It was a great day in Seattle. We went to the Audi dealership and got my car serviced and went and looked at pianos for Brandon. We tested out the stroller in the mall and the Baby Bjorn at REI. My how things have changed. Shopping and spending the day in Seattle is not the same with a new baby. Navigating the mall, feeding him bottles, and finding bathrooms to change diapers were the highlights of our trip. We are such rookies! Kane did great spending most of his time sleeping and checking out the sights. We have the best baby!!!
We had planned on driving home that day but things did not go accordingly. The mountain passes were snowy and we didn't want to drive over late at night so we got a hotel room. We were very unprepared to stay overnight. Brandon and I had no clothes to change into or anything for that matter. Kane on the other hand had three different outfits, blankets, socks, hats, diapers, wipes, bottles, etc. The night actually went fairly well and the passes were clear on the way back home. It was a memorable first road trip and next time we will be sure and plan for the unexpected.

Bath time

Kane loves to take a bath! The instant he hears the water running he quiets down and becomes very alert, even if he is upset. We have found that laying a wet washcloth over him helps him feel warm and secure. He splashes and tries to put his wet hands in his mouth to suck his fingers or thumb when we pour the water over him. I think he feels like he is back in the womb! I hope that his bathing experiences are always this pleasant.

Lazy boy

Kane and I went on our first walk yesterday with Grandma Duncan (Ha that sounds funny!) in our fancy stroller! It was a beautiful day but Kane missed it because he slept the entire time. I can't wait for him to get a little bigger and stronger so we can go running with the jogging stroller and eventually ride behind my new bike. Maybe by then he will enjoy being out and active as much as I do.
This week Kane has been sleeping a little better. Last week we broke down and started giving him a bottle of breast milk to settle him down before bed and he enjoys this because he doesn't have to work to get a full tummy. No offense but he is a LAZY feeder and falls asleep less than 5 minutes into breastfeeding. It has been quite a struggle to breastfeed our little guy and make sure he is getting enough. I have tried everything to keep him alert while nursing! We undress him down to his diaper, tickle his feet and neck, rub him with a wet washcloth, and constantly talk to him. If it was up to Kane he would permanently be attached to me for comfort whether he was eating or not. This just doesn't work if we want to get anything done and may be a little awkward later on in life! Every day I love him a little more if that is possible and I can't wait to watch him grow up.

The first four weeks

Looking back at the last four weeks all I can say is "WOW, what a ride!" Brandon and I have always been very stuck in our own routine, enjoying the ability to go and do what we want when we want.  It is amazing how much a baby can change your whole life. Kane has completely flipped everything upside down and we wouldn't go back and change it for the world. We are realizing that we would give everything up to make his life perfect.
Along with all the excitement there have been some very stressful and frustrating days. Kane dropped from 7 pounds 2 ounces to 6 pounds 3 ounces in his first week. He was having trouble latching on to breastfeed once my milk came in. We visited the doctors office four times to get weight checks and I spent most days feeling like a milk cow. If I wasn't breastfeeding I was pumping. Luckily we have great doctors and we visited the lactation specialist and got everything turned around. With a nipple shield and perseverance, Kane was 7 pounds 10 ounces at his two week appointment!


  

It was amazing to see how much Kane changed from birth to four weeks old. He is brighter and stronger every day and is a pretty laid back baby. We are beginning to realize that Kane pretty much runs the show.  He loves to sleep next to me in bed (even though I swore that would never happen) and get up at least every two hours for a snack. He has settled into a routine of taking a nice long nap in the late morning just so he can play all night long. We are very lucky to have our parents helping us out. Kane goes to grandma Sue's house in the morning while we get out of the house and workout.  Four weeks has gone by so fast and that is why I have started this blog. I want to remember all the little things that seem to slip away as time goes by. 

Bringing home a baby.....

We had no idea what we were in for, but we were ready to leave the hospital and bring Kane home on January 14th, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.  Seems kind of crazy now but we were miserably uncomfortable at the hospital. The first night at home went as expected with little sleep and overprotective, nervous parents. Brandon woke up several times in the night wondering if Kane was making normal noises or if something was wrong. I couldn't help but check on him after every little squeak or grunt. Despite our concerns Kane was alive and well the next morning and we survived our first night alone as parents.

Happy Birthday!

Friday the thirteenth began like any other Friday with Brandon and I thankful it was the end of the week. Throughout the day I had been feeling "flu-ish", but brushed it off thinking I might be getting the stomach flu that Brandon had been dealing with days earlier. I left work at 10:00 a.m. to meet with Dr. Pitts, my OB-GYN for my weekly appointment. I told him I was ready to meet my little one and was disappointed to find out I was only dilated to 1 cm and 50% effaced. After leaving my appointment I went to the gym and ran 5 miles before meeting up with Lynsey to run errands. By 2:30 p.m. I was ready to go home and rest because my stomach cramps were wearing on me. Who knew that soon enough our lives would change forever.

Kane Lewis Hoglund was born January 14th, 2012 at 12:55 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. Brandon and I arrived at the hospital around 6:00 p.m. on Friday the thirteenth with questions of whether I was in labor or just having false contractions. It took just 6 hours and 55 minutes from the time we headed to the hospital to the time we met our first child. Labor went very smoothly considering I only had to push for about 25 minutes once I was 10 cm dilated. We were blessed to be accompanied by my mom and sister and Brandon's mom and sister during labor and delivery. I remember the first moment I saw him I knew I was in love. The thing that really stuck out to us was he never cried or made a sound until minutes later. He was born with one eye open and peering around quietly at the world. He was perfect and he was all ours.