Bennett Peter: 4-6 months

Poor second born, forgot to blog about Bennett at 4 and 5 months so we will just do a lumped together summary of what has been going on the past three months for this little guy. My friend of 4 kids claims that it isn't the first three months that are hard with a newborn, it is the 3-6 month range. I would have to agree! I kept wondering why he was so fussy when previously he was the happiest little baby. I realized, "Oh! You need an actual schedule now! I am not giving you any naps!" I was just letting him stay awake for however long he wanted. When I finally tried putting him down for naps at consistent intervals, it made a huge difference. Aren't I supposed to be smarter the second time around? 

Bennett's "Firsts": Rolling over belly to back, camping, laughing, trying food, riding a Merry Go Round

High of the Month: I love how he interacts with us now. I can tickle him and make him crack up. It is also fun how he laughs at Gwen. I know all babies like to be talked to, but it seems like he really likes it. Maybe he will be the extrovert of the family!

Low of the Month: Sleep... I am having déjà vu back to Gwen's baby days. Lots of pacifier plugs, bouncing to sleep, tip-toeing out of the room, etc. Last night I got 5 hours of sleep in a row for the first time in months! We started sleep training last night so here's to hopefully getting some better sleep soon. 

Eating: Still every three hours during the day and once overnight.We have had a rough go with his feedings the last few months. I am slowly transitioning to formula because I just can't keep up with him. I tried for awhile but it only resulted in a very stressed out and angry baby and momma. It has been frustrating and makes me an emotional rollercoaster. I feel like I don't have a choice which is what makes it hard. If I had it my way, I would keep breastfeeding for the full year, but it is better for him that I don't. I know once this is all over I will look back and wonder why I made it such a big deal, but for now it is a big deal to me. It has nothing to do with "keeping it fair" between kids, but more that I feel like I failed. Being a mom is hard guys!

Sleeping: It is funny that last update I said I wasn't worrying about a schedule. Well, I should have been! He loves sleeping on his belly. We have given up the swaddle and are hoping once he is sleeping better overnight to transfer him upstairs to his room.

Gwen vs. Bennett at 6 months: I prepared myself that no two kids are the same and that just because something worked with Gwen doesn't mean it will work with Bennett. Well, it is strange how similar they are. Really strange. Here are some of the striking similarities: huge spitters, small in height and weight, completely bald, no desire to roll over, nowhere near sitting up, fight sleep, "easy" as long as well fed and rested, and if refusing a bottle, go on a walk and then it will work. The only two differences I can think of are that Gwen looks identical to David (Bennett does not) and Gwen would sleep in her carseat. That's about it so far.

Facts for the Month: 

Loves: pacifier, swing, Ergo, talking
Hates: being overtired, hungry, Gwen smacking him

I don't have a whole lot of pictures because I just did a phone dump and its easiest to choose pictures from my phone. Here are a few from the last week:

Poor kid in the girl bib and purple Bumbo

Essential Oil Face Cream

I have started using essential oils and love them! It feels like a new hobby. As I learn and play, I have started incorporating them into our everyday lives.

The first thing I was excited to try with them was to make my own face cream. I normally just use whatever lotion I put on the rest of my body, but had been wanting specifically a lotion for my face. Problem is they are expensive and I was not willing to fork over that much money for a tiny container.

After researching on Pinterest how other people made their own, I married together all the recipes and ended up with this!

Ingredients

6 Tablespoons coconut oil
6 drops lavender
6 drops frankincense

Directions

1) Use a mixer to whip your coconut oil. I put the coconut oil in my Kitchen Aid for about 5 minutes until it was smooth and more like a cream.
2) I added the drops of essential oil to mix and again blended it together in the kitchen aid for a few more minutes to combine.
3) Transfer them to a glass container and you are done!

I chose lavender and frankincense because they are both known for benefiting the skin in so many ways. Many people like to add lemon to the mix. I decided against this because when using lemon oil on your skin, you can not be in the sunlight for 12 hours. Another good oil to use is tea tree oil which I think I will add in next time!

I have noticed a difference in the overall texture of my skin. It feels smoother than it did previously. Yay!

I got my cute little jars from Hobby Lobby. Other people use baby food jars as well! Just make sure it is glass! This recipe will fill one smaller jar. I doubled the recipe to fill the two shown!

Bennett Peter: 3 months

We reached the 3 month mark! 3 months is such a milestone. Babies get more interactive, I am generally getting more sleep, and there is a little bit more confidence. It seems weird that he was only born 3 months ago. I think back on when it was just Gwen and realize one kid was a lot easier than 2 kids. Ha! The buckling two kids in car seats kills me. So many buckles! I am going to chose not to think about what it is like with 3 kids, 4 kids, etc. We are going to get through this having 2 kids thing first! Bennett is an awesome baby. He is content, smiley, and easy. I'll take it!

Bennett's "Firsts": Cooing, reacting to being tickled (I think), getting shots, sitting in the Bumbo and hanging out in Kids Club!

High of the Month: He is so smiley! All you have to do is talk in a high pitched voice and smile at him and he will grin away. It is adorable and makes the harder stuff a lot easier. I like to believe he is thinking, "Thanks Mom for feeding me endlessly. Oh, and thanks for protecting me from Gwen poking my eyes out!"

Low of the Month: Hhhhmmm. I can't think of much. He really is pretty chill. He got his shots. I guess that is a low!

Eating: He eats about every 3 hours during the day. Overnight, he only eats once! Woo hoo! Only 9 more months of breastfeeding! It is a lot harder to be motivated the second time around! He spits up significantly after every feeding just like his sister. This is why he has a bib on in every picture.

Sleeping: He naps after every feeding and seems like he generally can stay awake for an hour before passing out. I am not worrying about a schedule though. He goes to bed around 9:00 or 9:30, wakes up around 4 or 5 then goes back to bed for 3-4 hours.

Facts for the Month: 

Loves: activity mat, boppy, people smiling at him
Hates: Still when Gwen steals his pacifier, being hungry

Here are the monthly pics:

His head bobbles slightly but is getting the hang of it!

Bennett Peter: 2 months

I have been a mom of two for two months. What?! I was thinking the other day about how Bennett will be eating solids someday and sit at the table with us and quickly realized that is only in 4 months, not 6 months anymore! Time is flying. According to Google, he can even start using the Bumbo in a month.

For the record, I still might Google things just as often this time around as I did with Gwen. Even though I have already had a newborn, who remembers how you did things? You are too sleep deprived. I literally have no idea when I am supposed to really put him down for naps. I have no idea when babies roll over. It is so bad! I guess I should read my blog posts I wrote for Gwen...

Bennett's "Firsts": First sick visit (nothing major). First time "sleeping through the night" a.k.a. 6 hours. He potentially really smiled at us for the first time and not just one of those sleepy grins. He also has worn cloth diapers for the first time.

High of the Month: Sleep! He sleeps so much better than Gwen did. He even did a 7 hour stretch one night. Most of the time is it a 5-6 hour stretch followed by a 3-4 hour stretch. What I think is so funny is that I am doing all the things you shouldn't do and he sleeps really well. With Gwen, I did everything by the book and she didn't sleep well. Babies do what babies want to do.

Low of the Month: He has a flat spot on the right side of his side. Gwen had one too but I never remember noticing it. We noticed his and it makes me sad to see it. He just favors that side of his head, but it still makes you think all those things like,"This is my fault" "His flat spot means I am a bad mom". Boo! Part of the mom guilt. I wish I could hold him more, but I can't binge watch "Cake Boss" and hold him like I did when Gwen was a newborn. We are trying to do more tummy time and position him on his side while he is awake to keep it from getting worse.

Something I Learned: You can have a cold come out your eyes. Bennett had gunk in his eyes and would wake up with his eyes completely sealed shut. When I called the doctor to see if we should come in or not, they thought it could be pink eye so we did. Turns out his runny nose and congestion was a cold and the mucous was coming out his eyes. Yuck. He got some eye drops and all is well!

Facts for the Month: 

Weight: 9 lbs. 4 oz.
Size clothes: 3 month
Loves: sleeping on the right side of his head
Hates: Zantac, Gwen stealing his pacifier

Here are the monthly pics:

Tummy time on the kitchen floor

Cross eyed baby

Sharing Dad

I will never understand how babies sleep the way they do.

Birth Story of Bennett Peter

Bennett Peter Schuchter entered the world on Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 2:29 a.m.!

On Monday, December 29, my mom and sister had come over my house in the morning to help me clean and organize. At this point in pregnancy, I was done with any physical labor. Since this was the hardest I had worked in awhile, I wondered if the cramping I felt was a result of overdoing it.

We worked for about two hours up until lunch and I kept telling my mom I just didn't feel right. We planned to go out, but instead I wanted to pick up food and bring it back to the house in case I took a turn for the worse. We got Panera and I couldn't eat any of it. My back hurt, I had cramps, and even though I was starving, I couldn't even take a bite. That should have been a tip off that something wasn't right :)

After a little bit more working, I was really tired and really wasn't feeling good. I had wondered if this was early labor. My mom asked if I wanted her to stay just in case, but I wanted to nap and didn't really think anything would happen. They left, I laid on the couch and drank some water.

Then things got interesting. I started having painless contractions 2.5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute for an hour. My OB's rule was 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute for an hour ssssssoooo I figured I should call. I talked to the nurse and she says, "Um, you aren't pushing are you?" I definitely was not, but she had wondered if maybe I was farther along in labor and had a high pain tolerance. I was flattered, but later I learned I have very little pain tolerance. She suggested I come into the office.

I called David and told him to come home from work. Next, I called my poor mom who just drove 30 minutes home, walked in the door, and I told her she needed to turn around to watch Gwen while I went to the hospital. Everyone arrived and we left for the appointment.

We got to the doctor around 3:00 and waited for a long, long, long time. I still was having regular, painless contractions and severe back pain. It was a constant aching that didn't go away no matter what.

We finally saw the doctor and she looks at me and says, "You just don't look like you are in labor." She was right. I didn't. I was only 2 cm. so she sent me home and said to come back when I can't walk or talk. This was frustrating. I was told the rule was the whole 5 minutes apart thing, but now it seemed a lot more vague trying to figure out when my pain level was sufficient enough.

After driving back home, I really wasn't feeling well. I never throw up. Ever. As soon as we got home though, I got sick. I think the back pain I was feeling was so severe I couldn't take it any longer (remember that "high pain tolerance" thing?). If this was going to be the rest of the evening and night, Gwen needed to go somewhere else. I didn't want to call someone to come watch her at 3 in the morning if needed. My mom took her and we were left to figure this out.

By this point, maybe around 7:00 p.m., my contractions had stopped. Now, I just had this awful back pain. I laid on the couch moaning in pain. By 8:00 p.m. the contractions were back at their 2.5 minute apart intervals. I could always feel them coming on, but it was difficult for me to tell when they were actually ending. It felt more like they were just right on top of the next one. Again, I was not in much pain from the contractions. In fact, I felt better with the contractions because it took my mind off of how much my back still hurt.

I called the doctor on call and asked her what to do. She reassured me that I didn't have to be right. I didn't have to have it all figured out and I was more than welcome to come in to triage. That is when my contractions completely stopped. I was so mad. Was I really going to go through 12 hours of this just to have it come to a halt? I didn't want to have to go through this again in a couple weeks if it really wan't labor!

I tried to sleep, but the back pain was awful. I would eat tortilla chips in between the waves of nausea from not eating all day. David kept asking if I wanted to go to the hospital, but I didn't want to. I still felt the pressure to know whether or not I was for sure in labor. I had decided I would wait and see if the contractions started again. If they did, we would go on in.

Around 10 p.m. they were back. Still 2.5 minutes apart and painless. We packed up all our things and walked out the door. Unfortunately my throwing up fun was not over (I will save the gory details) . After getting sick once more, we finally left.

I arrived up in triage at midnight. Since I was not having painful contractions, I kind of felt like I should be faking a little. I didn't want them to send me home! Luckily, they hooked me up to all the monitors so I could at least feel validated that was I was having contractions.

After 30 minutes of this, the nurse comes in and says that I definitely was having contractions. They were consistent, but not strong and were not doing anything. My doctor then comes in and says, "Since you are 37 weeks, I am not going to send you home. No matter what you will have this baby today. Unfortunately, you are going to need a c-section."

I freaked out. Not the news I was expecting! All along I thought we would go to the hospital just to be sent home.

She explained that a baby's heart rate should spike with each contraction. Instead, my baby's heart rate was dropping. When I was first hooked up to the monitors, Bennett had such a bad heart rate drop my doctor considered putting me under general anesthesia (knocking me unconscious) and getting the baby out as soon as possible. Not good.

Turns out I was not in labor. The baby was in distress.

His heart rate leveled out so she let me be taken to a labor and delivery room. There, she would break my water and see what happened. If he did well, I could be started on pitocin and go from there. If he had any more severe heart rate drops, it was off to get a c-section we go.

My water was broken and things didn't go well. His heart rate dropped and lots of nurses ran in. They began flipping me side to side and giving me oxygen trying to get his heart rate to recover. It did, but this showed us the urgency. I immediately asked for the epidural so I would be ready for a c-section rather than waiting any longer and risking general anesthesia.  

This is when the real fun began! With Gwen, I had no issues getting the epidural. This time, it took 45 minutes to an hour. I was having serious pain down my right side and the anesthesiologist could not figure out why. Each time the pain would shoot down my side, I would yell. It was awful. With Gwen, I didn't feel anything! Eventually it stopped and I could finally relax knowing I was ready for a c-section.

I was wheeled down to the OR and the doctor performed my c-section. By this point I was drained. It was the middle of the night and I was traumatized by how fast everything moved. Two and half hours ago I thought I was getting sent home for false labor, but instead I was having a baby via c-section. I was barely conscious during the surgery because I was so tired I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer.

Even though it was not what I wanted, I was happy to have our baby boy in the world safe and alive.

Bennett was born at 2:29 a.m. just two and half hours after first arriving in triage.

He was having some minor respiratory issues from not getting all the amniotic fluid squeezed out of him so he was admitted into the NICU. We were told he may spend 12 hours down there and then rejoin us.

What we learned is that once you are in the NICU, it is hard to get out of the NICU. He ended up spending 8 days. Respiratory problems turned into feeding problems and the poor little guy needed a feeding tube since he was not able to take all the milk from a bottle. Finally on day 6, he figured out what he needed to do to get out of there.

It was a rough 8 days, but once he came home all was well. Gwen is obsessed with him and adores being a big sister. She refers to Bennett as "bee bee" and simply "bee". It is so stinkin' cute.

We are blessed to have another child join our family. We love this little guy!

Bennett Peter: 1 month

Here we go! Monthly updates for Bennett!

With Gwen I did weekly updates for awhile, but since this is the second child and things are slightly more busy, one month updates seem the most manageable. I also fully intend to write his birth story. Once daily naps aren't necessary for my survival I will write it :)

Bennett's "Firsts": There are lots of obvious ones here: breathing air, diaper changes, etc. He also "watched" his first Super Bowl, was held by his great-grandparents, and peed on his own face. Poor little guy. 

High of the Month: Our little man coming into the world! It is fun experiencing a newborn the second time around. I Google less, worry less, and have more realistic expectations both for myself and him. When people ask how sleep is, I used to give some dramatic, pity filled response while Gwen was a baby. Now I say, "The norm. Up every 3-4 hours during the night. Could be way worse and it will get better." Not to say it doesn't feel like I got ran over by a truck in the middle of the night, but I am surviving and still experiencing joy.

Low of the Month: Breastfeeding issues. It isn't as bad as things were with Gwen, but I wish it was easier. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel as we approach 6 weeks... it has just been a tough 6 weeks. Lots of clogged ducts (ouch) and lots of pumping. For awhile feeding and pumping sessions would take an hour and half. Now things are down to about 45 minutes to an hour. I learned I have to sleep on my back to avoid clogged ducts for the time being. I don't like it, but I don't like clogged ducts even more so I conceded.

Something I Learned: You guys, changing a baby boy's diaper... goodness. It is NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING like changing a little girl's diaper. They pee everywhere. People warned me and I said, "Pfft. Whatever, you are being dramatic." No they weren't. It is like a fountain that sprays straight up to the ceiling and rains down on everything in a 3 foot radius. He pees on his face and everything else 2 feet past the top of his head. Not even kidding! It is crazy! I think I am finally to the point 5 weeks later where I don't get slightly anxious with each diaper change.

Facts for the Month: 

Weight: We find out next Monday!
Size clothes: Newborn
Loves: pacifier, Rock n Play, tummy time
Hates: gas, being poked in the eye by Gwen

Here are the monthly pics:

Our attempt at newborn pictures except he was wide awake the whole time!

Adorable little outfit

Big sister enjoying the baby gear

1 month photo shoot