10 Weeks Old!

Instead of a two-month check-up, John had a 10-week check up--not a bad thing, really, but it's hard to see where he fits in the growth charts.  Today he went to the doctor; today he is 10 weeks and one day old (two months and 9 days). 

He weighed 14 lbs, 3 oz.  From what I can tell, if he were two months, he'd be in the 90th percentile for weight (very close to what Jacob was despite being born three weeks earlier..).  For height, he was 23 1/2 inches long--probably 75th percentile (in contrast to Jacob being 25 inches and completely off the chart!).  I guess I just have big babies. 

Besides that, he has ptosis (a droopy left eyelid).  He went to a pediatric opthamalogist last week, but everything seems to be fine with his vision.  We have to go back every two months for a while to make sure he is using his left eye as much as his right.  He also has a tendancy to turn his head to the right side (not connected to ptosis, I don't think), so now I have to purposefully turn his head 10 times to the left after every diaper change.  I hope I remember.

Life with two kids is going very well; at least I can say that most days.  John has almost settled into the eat, play, sleep pattern where he eats every three hours.  He doesn't do this in the evenings, but the morning and afternoon are usually on this schedule.  He also has been sleeping a good 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours stretch at night; sometimes I make it with only having to get up once during the night (if he wakes up twice, I'm up feeding him at 5 or 5:30). 

I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of my little chubby guy...

In Jacob's big boy bed!

One billion dollars (think Dr. Evil)

It's hard not to be thankful when you get smiles like this!

Mommy's Little Helper

Jacob has figured out that he can reach almost anything as long as he can pull a kitchen chair nearby.
He can talk to his brother in his crib...















or he can climb in the crib himself...

sometimes I worry about Johnny's safety!

 

Occasionally I find him in the cutest places!  I think he was washing his hands....

then he picked up a sponge....

so I gave him a pot to clean! 

Lately he's been obsessed with putting on his swim diapers.  This day I guess he decided one was not enough!  He put on every single one he could find...

 And sometimes one really wouldn't be enough!

 

One thing is sure, this kid makes me laugh just as much as he frustrates me with his constant mess-making. 

Three weeks comparison!

When I realized that John was wearing the same shirt Jacob wore around three weeks, I decided to stage a picture to show their similarities and differences.  Jacob appears much older because he was born three weeks later (at 42 weeks instead of 39).  He was already smiling and everything.  John has yet to give us a good smile while awake...he does make pretty cute ones when he sleeps, though...

Here's.....Johnny!

 John Michael Zylstra was born July 7, 2011 at 8:08 am.  This experience was nothing like the first.  We arrived at the hospital at 6:00 am and had a baby two hours later.  I was given staples instead of glue, and my arms didn't shake at all like they did with Jacob.  I also knew what to expect in terms of recovery, and because last time so much went wrong, this time has seemed like a piece of cake.  Imagine calling major abdominal surgery a piece of cake!  The only thing better about last time was I got to hold Jacob in the OR recovery room while this time I didn't get to hold my son until two hours after his delivery.  Thankfully, they asked Larry to hold him skin-to-skin on his chest which he did for about twenty minutes before coming to check on me in the recovery room.  Here is a picture Larry took of Johnny in the nursery. 

 On Saturday, two days later, my mother-in-law brought Jacob to meet his new brother.  Here is our first family picture.  Please ignore my hospital look.  We also went home that day!  (Jacob stayed with Larry's mom for almost two more days...thankfully!)

Now we are getting used to being a family, and Jacob is slowly getting used to his little brother.  So far he has only made him cry once...

Here are some pictures we took of Johnny when he was one week old!

We've also started our own version of tummy time...well, we've done it once!  This was my sister-in-law Karena's idea for getting him used to being on his tummy.  (She's a physical therapist!) 

So far Johnny is an excellent baby and really just sleeps, eats, and poops!  Right now he's been sleeping way too long, so I better go wake him up and feed him.  Usually he wakes up every two to three hours to eat, but he LOVES his mid-morning nap. 

I'm sure I'll have more to come very soon! 



Quick Jacob update!

Jacob's life has been turned upside down over the past few weeks.  First, we moved near the end of June to a better house in Santa Nella (the home of Pea Soup Anderson's restaurant...pretty well-known if you drive highway 5 from northern to southern California).  We love our new house, and Jacob did pretty well with the transition.  One thing we have here is grass!  Jacob has loved playing in the sprinklers with daddy.  Here are some pictures/videos!

Jacob got to spend a lot of time with his cousins over the past couple of weeks, too!  He loves his cousin Tijs (8 months older), his Auntie Amy, and his little cousin Charlie (7 mos). 

The most exciting/tramautic thing in Jacob's life right now?  Jacob became a big brother on July 7.  He loves his baby brother Johnny, but he gets a LITTLE too excited when he sees him.  He has a lot to learn about being a good older brother. 

Jacob also got a visit from his Auntie Deb who stayed with us two nights to help out!  He had a great time with her.  She and her family live near Boise, so Jacob got to wear his cousin's Boise State jersey! 

Three more weeks! (20 more days!)

It's strange that I only have three more weeks until the baby arrives...maybe scheduled C-sections aren't that bad!  It's also strange to think that if this were Jacob, I'd still have six more weeks left!  I can't imagine that.  I don't think I'd make it.  Maybe it's because I'm older, or maybe it's because I'm caring for a VERY active toddler, but this pregnancy seems harder. 

Here's a picture of the belly...not the best, but it's the best I can do with a timer.

Jacob is excited for a brother or a sister, too!  He's already practicing.  I didn't tell him to do this; he did this on own!  He has no idea that his life is about to be turned upside down! 

Enter your guesses?

I know it's still 50 days away, but I am starting to think about the new baby's arrival, especially if it's a boy or a girl.  I go back and forth.  I usually think it's going to be a girl, but I'll take a boy, too! 

Here is where you enter your guess!