Monday, April 12, 2010

Brian has arrived!


And what an easy arrival it was - the c-section went great, Brian came out kicking and screaming, a healthy 7lbs 6ozs and 18inches long. He is a very sturdy baby and so strong - he has great head control for a newborn. He scored a 9 and a 10 on the Apgar testing so is very alert and responsive. Any noise startles him and he lifts his arms into what we like to call the karate chop - straight up and out. That must have been what was banging on my tummy all those months! Stephen and I really enjoyed our uninterrupted time with the baby in the hospital. Of course Cliona came to visit with Dana and Dave - and is already protective of her little brother. Dave called Brian a little chicken or some other pet name and Cliona immediately reprimanded him for calling the baby names - cute!

We arrived home on St. Patricks day to the aroma of corned beef and cabbage - Mmmmm... thanks Dave! Brian was wearing a cute little Paddy's day outfit from Lara and looked quite the wee Irish lad. That weekend Gk, Kerry and the girls came up to meet Brian - and Dana and Dave came down to visit. It was brilliant to have everyone here to celebrate his arrival - the weather was nice so Brian even got to sit outside for a little while in our new gazebo that Gk and Stephen put up. The girls all had a turn holding and feeding the baby. He is so mellow and sleeps most of the time that the first couple of weeks were easy. Brian wakes quickly - he goes from fast asleep to screaming baby in about 5 seconds. But he learned quickly that before he gets fed, his diaper gets changed. So he wakes, screams, stops completely while his diaper is being changed and then cries again until he is being fed.
Now Brian is 4 weeks old and likes to stay awake in the mornings and between 7-9pm. They seem to be the best times to try tummy time or let him stretch on his activity mat. No matter how fussy he is the stroller and the car calm him down and put him to sleep. He also likes to be wrapped and rocked to calm him. He has had a couple of growth spurts - I can't keep up with him so we give him the odd bottle of formula to keep him full and happy.
Brian went on his first adventure to San Diego for Easter. He was really good and Cliona had a great time with her cousins. We went to the Greenhalls for their annual easter egg hunt/brunch and had a great time. It was nice to be out and about again. Just after we got home Brian started to focus on our faces. His Nan and Grandad arrived on April 6th but that's another story....

March Pics
April Pics