5 months

This week we had another big first in Kane's life. I was in Portland from Monday to Wednesday for work and we spent two whole nights apart! Granted he did have his dad, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, and cousins to take care of him and keep him company. I had been dreading the trip for months but we officially survived and from what I heard everything went just fine.
We went to our first Mariners game with Kane for our 2 year anniversary. He did really great at the game and we enjoyed ourselves even if the Mariners lost....big surprise.
In a couple weeks Kane will turn 6 months old. He is now figuring out the places and people he knows and those he doesn't. As soon as something or someone is unfamiliar the bottom lip comes out to warn us that he is uncomfortable with the situation. When holding Kane he grabs and pinches our arms or anything he can get ahold of for that matter. He is eating veggies for dinner most nights. So far he likes the sweet potatoes and squash the best, but he will eat peas and green beans after a few disgusted facial expressions. Things have definitely been more interesting around our house.

4 months and counting

A lot has happened since my last blog. Kane had his 4 month appointment and he was 15 pounds 12 ounces and 25 7/8 inches long! We went through another round of shots but Kane took it like a champ. He is growing normally and is as healthy as can be. He gains new skills every week and we have enjoyed watching him practice his new tricks. Kane is now rolling from his stomach to his back and likes to lay on his side. When laying on his back he grabs his fat little feet. We have to be on our toes because Kane is now reaching for everything and putting it in his mouth. Its probably a good thing he isn't mobile yet or we would be in big trouble. He is drooling so much he soaks the front of his shirts. Kane is growing a very interesting head of hair. It is blondish-red, fluffy and standing straight on end which makes for a good laugh.
Another new experience has been introducing rice cereal with a spoon and formula in his bottle. The look on his face was priceless when he tasted his first food other than breast milk. He was sooo disgusted and started gagging. Now we are in the swing of things and doing quite well with the spoon all things considering.
I recently had my first Mother's day and it is weird because I can't imagine my life without Kane. We spent time with family and friends and had a great day.

Almost 4 months

Kane will be 4 months old on May 14th! New things happening in Kane's world include lots of slobbering, laughing, grunting, and yelling just to hear himself. He is sitting up very well in his Bumbo seat so he can keep an eye on things. He has many talents like sticking his entire fist in his mouth just like Aunt Lynsey. Kane chews on everything making us think he will be getting teeth soon....that should be fun!

Things are changin'

Kane is changing right before our eyes. He is growing into a little boy with his own personality traits and I am excited but also sad in a way. Kane can go from happy and smiling to hysterical in seconds and is very impatient when it is time to eat. He laughs and giggles when we tickle his chubby legs and tummy. We have figured out his different cries now including the I'm mad, I'm starving, I'm whining, I'm hurting, and I'm a big faker cry.

He is outgrowing everything including clothes, socks, towels, and blankets. Kane has discovered his hands and constantly stares and plays with them in front of his face. It may be a bit premature, but we have recently started sitting in his Bumbo and reaching for toys. We figured we would start now because he is getting bored with laying all the time. He is very curious these days and likes to stand and look around. We are truly blessed to have our little man to entertain us every day. 

Easter and more...

This past Sunday Kane celebrated his first Easter. We made a day of it with church, brunch at Aunt Angie's, and dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Duncan's. It was a fun filled day with food, gifts and Easter egg hunting. I can't wait until Kane can run around and hunt Easter eggs with his cousins.

Things are changing in little Kane's world. He has discovered his hands and stares (cross-eyed) at them and practices new cool moves he can do with them. He is more talkative and lights up when he hears our voices and those of his grandparents and aunties. Sometimes Kane will yell just to hear his own voice and to see if we are listening. He is beginning to realize that we are wrapped around his little chubby finger. Luckily we have settled into a routine for the work week. Everyone is making it to work and daycare on time and in one piece. Kane is doing great at daycare and he loves spending time with his dad in the mornings. Our little boy is going to be 3 months this Saturday and we can't believe how much we have all changed.

    

New schedule

I have been a lazy blogger, but there are so many new things happening in our crazy lives. I went back to work on March 28th for 6 hours a day and it was a very traumatic day for Brandon and me. It has been hard to get used to our new schedule. I start work at 6 a.m. and Brandon starts at 7 a.m. so we are all up at the crack of dawn, even when we don't sleep so well at night. Kane has been going to day care each day around 6:45 in the morning and I pick him up around 1:30 in the afternoon and I can hardly stand it! I am still very sad at work without him and I wonder what he is doing a lot. They assure me that he is doing great and behaving himself at day care so far so I am a proud mama.
I can't believe how much Kane changes every week. He is starting to smile and talk more and throws a laugh in every now and then. He also throws in a big pouty lip when necessary. He is very curious about the world around him. I catch him sucking on his hand and fingers more all the time. He is very busy and I have a feeling we are in for it later.

2 months

 

My little boy is getting sooo old! Kane just recently went to his 2 month doctors appointment. He weighed 12 pounds 3 ounces and was 22.5 inches long. He has gained 5 pounds one ounce and 2 inches since he was born. He is definitely filling out nicely. I realized I have become a typical first time mom. I was prepared with a list of questions to ask the doctor to make sure everything we have been experiencing is "normal". Turns out that despite a slow start he is developing right on track. It is amazing to see how much he changes every week. He definitely has Brandon's coloring with blue eyes and reddish-blonde hair and when they are together they look like twins. He has some of my features and only time will tell what will change next.
One of Kane's favorite things to do is shower with his dad. He gets comfort in the warm water and being held close. We know one day he will be embarrassed but for now we are going to cherish this time.
Kane is cooing and smiling more every day, which makes our hearts melt. He has the sweetest little voice when he can force it out. He is staying awake more during the day and unfortunately continues to be restless at night. I am getting used to getting up every 3 hours but I'm sure that will change when I have to go back to work next week.  Luckily I will be off at noon then later I can transition into full time hours. I am going to miss spending all my time with my little guy.

To sleep.....or not to sleep

Kane has settled into somewhat of a sleeping routine these days. He is usually up around midnight, four and then is ready to rise and shine around seven. I told him that we could sleep in on the weekends but he isn't having it. One of my favorite things is watching Kane at night, waiting in his boppy lounger for his bottle with bright and excited eyes because he knows what is coming. I would prefer it happen only one time a night though! I am waiting for the day when he sleeps a little bit longer periods of time. I really can't complain too much though because he is the best baby in the world....in my opinion.

7 weeks old

Kane is becoming more alert and interactive each day. We love our time in the morning where we sit and talk about all sorts of things. He blows spit bubbles and works so hard to get little sounds to come out. Kane has great facial expressions and wide eyes that tell exactly how he is feeling at any given point in time. Every day he spends time on his colorful play mat looking at the different animals and colors hanging above his head. When it comes to "tummy time" Kane gets a little upset. He doesn't like being stuck face down! He is able to lift his head and has twice been so furious that he rolled from his stomach to his back. He is very advanced you know!
Kane loves to eat and is growing like a weed. He is around 12 pounds right now and has grown out of most of his newborn clothes. It is sad to have to put clothes in storage that he has only worn a couple of times. He is wearing a lot of his 3 month old clothes and has grown into bigger diapers. Kane will be 8 weeks old on Saturday and I'm glad we are to this point because things seem to get easier every day. I will probably regret saying that....

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.