I can't believe Bentley is 2 weeks old already! It feels like he was just born yesterday and like it was months ago at the same time. Here is what is going on with his life so far...
Sleeping: Our 2nd night home from the hospital, Bentley slept 7 hours straight twice. Of course I can't just enjoy the extra sleep, I have to wonder what is wrong because that is not normal. His bilirubin level was high, which makes babies extra sleepy. I tried so hard to wake him up to eat, but sometimes I just couldn't. After the bilirubin levels were stabilized, he was waking up every 2 1/2- 4 hours to eat. Sometimes he is a very restless sleeper and other times he can sleep through anything.
Eating: I was very determined to nurse Bentley and it started out good in the hospital. He latched on okay, and was getting better at it. But he liked to suck for long periods of time (as in 3 hours at a time) and so I gave him the pacifier because I couldn't stand that any longer. Then he would spend 20 minutes screaming trying to figure out how to latch on and it was driving me nuts. With the sleep deprivation taking a toll and Brynlee's bad behavior constantly, my tolerance was really low. Eventually I decided to just pump and give him breastmilk in the bottle. I did that with Brynlee, but didn't last very long because it is very hard and time consuming to pump and feed in a bottle. It also didn't help that John got sick (just like when Brynlee was born also) and couldn't help at all during the night and very little during the day. I have almost quit several times, but I am hoping to make it for a while anyway. It is very frustrating when I start pumping and Bentley is crying or Brynlee needs something, or both!
Likes:
Soft, warm blankets. Sometimes he will calm down instantly if he is wrapped in a fuzzy blanket.
Having his hands/arms up by his face most of the time. Sometimes he will only sleep if he is swadled and arms are down by his side. He also likes his hands by his face when he is eating, which is a huge pain because he can't control his arms and they are always pushing away the bottle or the burp cloth.
He likes it when we sing to him when he is happy and awake. Singing does not calm him down if he is crying though.
He likes mommy a lot. Sometimes he just needs to hear my voice or see my face and he calms down. Bentley likes Daddy to put him to sleep though.
He likes being held on our shoulder and his back patted. He liked that the most even right after his circumcision when I would think that position would be painful.
Looking at the fan when it is turned on
Likes a dark, quiet room for sleeping with the white noise machine on
Dislikes:
Diaper changes
Sponge baths
Changing clothes
Eye drops
Waiting more than 1 second for food when he is hungry.
Being too warm
His bilirubin levels were quite high when we left the hospital on Friday night, so were told to get the level checked the next day. They were still high on Saturday, so had to get them rechecked on Sunday. On Sunday the levels were a little lower, but still had to check again on Monday. Finally, by Monday his levels were stabilized and we didn't need to check anymore. I was actually quite surprised the doctor told me they were okay on Monday because he was still sleeping tons. The whites of his eyes were yellow and his pee was orange (classic signs of jaundice). Thankfully it all went away.
His temperament changes instantly. It is like a light switch when he goes from happy to crying or crying to happy.
Bentley was born with really long fingernails and I have had to cut them twice already. He has scratched his face several times when his hand mittens/socks fall off.
I caught Bentley smiling and laughing in his sleep several times. I see him smile in his sleep a lot, but the laughing is just awesome and hilarious to hear. I can't wait until it is a real laugh when he is awake!
He is a really gassy baby. It doesn't seem to bother him though. Whenever he cries he takes in a lot of air, so he has to be burped before he will eat or be happy again. Something always comes out of 1 end or the other. He poops a lot too. Usually after every feeding, if not before, during, and after.
He has already had a diaper blowout, but has not peed on me yet. He peed through the diaper (up his back) twice though.
He likes looking at Brynlee when she is close by, but I think he gets bothered when she leans over to kiss him and her hair gets in his face, or her constantly cold hands touch him. He does not like to be bothered when he is eating either.
Bentley developed an eye infection a few days after he was born. We are currently treating with antibiotic drops 4 times a day. It's really fun to try and get him to open his eyes, put the medicine in, and hold his hands down at the same time. All of that never actually happens at the same time, so I hope his eyes will still get better.
His umbilical cord fell off at 14 days old, but he can't get a tub bath until his circumcision heals.
He was circumcised on Monday, April 14th (11 days old). I had taken Bentley to the doctor appointment by myself and the doctor said I could stay in the room or leave. I knew I would be crying either way, so I would rather not look like an idiot crying in the waiting room while everyone stares at me. It was awful to watch. I seriously hate that we live in a country that does this to our kids. Bentley had his heel poked about an hour before the circumcision started, and I had not been able to calm him down since then. So after the numbing medicine was given, he was so exhausted from crying he was relatively calm during the procedure. He just didn't like being strapped down on a cold, hard board. His behavior changed a lot after the circumcision (changed for the worse), so I sure hope he will go back to how he was before when it heals.
Picture overload.....
We sure love this little guy!!! If I don't hold him for a few hours I feel like I am neglecting him and I sure miss his cuddly little body and cute face!
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