Quinn at Six Weeks

Quinn is six weeks old already! Everyone told us that life went very quickly with a new baby, and that babies grow up so fast, but we didn't entirely believe them. We've been focusing on just taking each day as it comes, but the days have passed very quickly. And now our baby is six weeks (and three days) old!

Six weeks doesn't seem like a terribly massive milestone, but it hit me the other day that he's already halfway to being three months old. And that means it isn't too long until he'll be fitting into his 3-6 month clothing--which right now, looks enormous.

That said, Quinn has already grown out of most of his newborn clothing. All of his newborn vests and sleepsuits are packed away, and we're on the verge of doing the same with his tops and trousers. At the moment, he seems to be putting on about a pound every fortnight, making him 10lbs 3oz at his last check on Tuesday. And although it's incredibly difficult to get a baby to stay still long enough to measure his height, he's gained about 6cm since he was born, putting him at 58cm.

It's really strange looking at pictures of newborn Quinn, since he's changed so much since then. In addition to stretching out and chunking up, his hair is definitely lighter, and it has a sort of auburn/blonde tint to it. I'm convinced his eyes are a little lighter as well (they were almost navy blue when he was born) but it'll be a while before we know exactly what colour they end up.

As well as growing out (really, you should see his little belly) and up, Quinn has been making some exciting (well, to us) developments in terms of movement. If you lie him on your chest he can lift his head up for a few seconds at a time; we've tried lying him on his belly on his playmat to see if he'll enjoy doing the same thing there, but he's not such a big fan of the "tummy time" every leaflet and website insists is essential to his development. He prefers to practice lifting his head when he's lying on us, not a mat.

Quinn doesn't like being carried or held like a baby, except when he's feeding or very sleepy. His favourite positions are sitting up on our laps, facing out so he can see everything, or lying along your forearm, with his head at the crook of your elbow. I really need to get a picture of this as it's impossible to explain, but we call it "Flying Baby" as we often walk around the room holding him like this when he's being fussy.

Talking of being fussy, Quinn has graduated from the stage where he's happy to just sit in your lap and be played with (allowing for much time in which mummy can eat her lunch, watch TV, read books or just rest) and now prefers to be walked around the house during the times when he's not feeding, sleeping or playing with his toys. He will still last about 20 minutes just sitting up on your lap (and it's entirely possible to type emails around him, honest) but this baby likes to be on the move.

Quinn has started to figure out how to hit the toys hanging from his bouncy seat and playmat, but he'll only play with them for 5-10 minutes at a time before he gets upset. We've determined that the reasons for him becoming upset are generally due to him a) forgetting how to hit the toys, b) deciding that he wants to hit one that he can see but is entirely out of his reach and not understanding why he can't hit it, or c) focusing on something that is not attached to his mat or chair in any way (for example, a door handle on the cabinet next to him, or the ceiling light) and getting similarly frustrated that he can't reach it. If you move him to reach said object, he will get even more upset because he must do it himself. When he does get upset about his inability to reach said toy/doorhandle/ceiling light, he lets out the saddest little noises that aren't entirely cries, and honestly sound like he's arguing with his toys. And then it takes a while to calm him down again after he's argued with his toys. But still, it's worth it to see the concentration on his little face as he reaches up to hit one of them. Sometimes we just sit and watch him.

Aside from hitting his toys, Quinn also likes being tickled--unless he's upset, in which case he hates it. He doesn't laugh yet, but he smiles a lot, and I think he tries to laugh as he makes some very amusing noises.

He's become a very smiley baby, and sometimes we discover that he's woken up from a nap and is just looking at the patterns on his moses basket and smiling at them. Better than that, he's started obviously smiling at us, as if he's happy to see us. Sometimes he still smiles at entirely random things (like a blank wall, or a lamp) but we're definitely getting deliberate smiles now, which is fun.

Other things Quinn likes? He likes to look at anything shiny or reflective, including a picture of a penguin that we have propped up on his changing table. We put it there temporarily, but it provides an excellent distraction when he's being changed. He doesn't mind his nappy being changed, but he hates having anything pulled over his head, or getting his arms in and out of tops.

Quinn likes being carried around in his carrier, although he often screams when he's being strapped into it. He's undecided about his pram--he'll spend some time looking around himself quite merrily, then go to sleep, and as long as he stays asleep, he's happy. On several occasions, however, he has woken up and decided he no longer wants to be in the pram (a good twenty minute walk from home) and he'll just scream all the way home, no matter how quickly we walk. Sometimes his unhappiness isn't even because he's hungry--he just doesn't want to be lying down any longer.

Quinn loves bath time, perhaps because we have a Tummy Tub that allows him to sit up and look at things. After all, that is one of his favourite activities! He hates being taken out of the bath, naturally.

Quinn does not like being undressed, but if you catch him in a good mood, he won't make too much fuss. If you wake him up in a strange location and take all of his clothes off and lay him on a set of scales or press a stethoscope on to his chest, he'll probably scream and pee everywhere. So far, Quinn has peed on every item of clothing possible, several changing mats, two sets of scales, a muslin, two walls, a couple of towels, the living room carpet, and a medical student. And us, of course, but that's a given. He's quite prolific at this hobby.

We've recently discovered that music seems to calm Quinn, to the extent that we played some Apocalyptica to him the other day and he stopped crying for a full four minutes. (I tried this in the pram the other day and it did not work, so it's a bit hit and miss). Mostly we just sing nonsense songs to him.

I'd like to say that Quinn has a routine now, but every time I verbalise that thought, he changes his routine. For the most part, Quinn goes to sleep in his basket sometime between 9-11pm each night after I've fed him. Typically he wakes up once, around 5am, and comes into our bed to feed, before falling asleep again. He then usually feeds around the time Simon leaves for work, about 8am, but he doesn't always go back to sleep again. He normally has a morning nap of about 30 minutes sometime between 10 and 12 which allows me to shower, get dressed and do a couple of chores. He's usually pretty alert until the afternoon, where he often goes down for a longer nap, lasting between 1-2 hours, any time between 1 and 5pm. Unless he's skipped his afternoon nap, he'll normally be awake all evening until bedtime.

Given that I've used the words typically, normally and usually a lot in that paragraph, Quinn isn't exactly predictable. He's had days where he's refused to nap for more than 15 minutes, or days when he's stayed awake for seven hours straight. If I take him out in the pram or the carrier, he'll often stay asleep the entire time he's in that, resulting in a nap at a really odd time of day. On days like today, his afternoon nap has only lasted 30 minutes.

A woman from our antenatal class told me that her baby feeds every three hours, on the dot. It made me realise that I really don't know how often Quinn feeds. Maybe every two hours? Sometimes it feels like it's more frequent than that, maybe because I don't get much done between feeds. He typically feeds less at night (unless he's gone to bed early, or not fed much that evening, or he's just being fussy), and I guess he feeds for 30 minutes at a time? He's growing, so I figure whatever he's doing, it's working for him.

Quinn's First Two Weeks

Finally home approx. 36 hours after Quinn was born, and all very tired.

Daddy somehow found the energy to make dinner, and thus we entered the continuing saga of "How to eat left-handed while nursing a baby (because he will want fed as soon as dinner is ready)."

To begin with, he slept all the time, anywhere. You could cuddle him or take pictures and he'd stay asleep.

He hated getting dressed, or even having his nappy changed. It was honestly a shock the first time he didn't cry when we laid him on the changing mat.

We ended up co-sleeping a lot in the early weeks.

A LOT.

But he would nap in his bed during the day. Sometimes for a couple of hours!

But sometimes he just prefers to sleep on us.

Then he hit two weeks and suddenly became very alert. No longer would Quinn lie happily on your lap--he had to be sitting up and looking at everything!

[Note: I wrote this post when Quinn was 3.5 months old, but I thought it would be better to have all of Quinn's photos in chronological order, hence this blog post being stuck back in August.]

Quinn Elijah Brand

Quinn Elijah Brand was born at 1:37am on Monday the 4th of August, weighing 7lbs and 4oz. Here are just a few photographs from his first day with us.

And one last bump photo, taken at 40 weeks & 1 day. Contrary to what everyone said, my bump did not suddenly get huge in the last few weeks...in fact, it was still measuring 35cms when we went to the hospital to be induced. But in spite of all the worries about Quinn being too small or not developing properly, he has been perfectly healthy and happy.

Although he is extremely cute, Quinn doesn't allow his mummy much time on the computer, so further updates on our labour and Quinn's first few weeks may be a little delayed. But we promise we are taking plenty of photographs!

21 Weeks

How far along? 21 weeks & 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: I've actually gained 5lbs! Finally. 
Maternity clothes? Definitely. I only have a few tops that still cover my stomach, so I think it's time to invest in some maternity tops.
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: Better this week, but I'm struggling to go out in the evenings as I start to feel drained about 6pm every night. I can stay awake, but I don't really feel like doing much.
Best moment this week: Technically this happened last week, but since I didn't do a blog post, I think I can count this here ;) Our best moment was definitely getting to see our baby again at our 20-week ultrasound! It was really exciting to see it moving around (not doing somersaults like last time, but it was kicking its feet) and seeing how it was growing. It sounds weird, but it's pretty cool getting to see its bones and heart valves and stuff like that. 
Movement: The baby is getting more and more active, and I actually got worried that it was being too active at one point, but apparently that's not something to be concerned about ;) Sometimes it kicks me quite hard, and at least twice we've felt it having hiccups. Pretty exciting!
Cravings/Aversions: I've been craving sweet things this week, which is actually good as we still have tons of Christmas chocolate left ;)
Gender guesses: You guys can keep guessing, but we already know! ;)
Labor Signs: None, although I did have a dream about going into labour last night, so clearly it's been on my mind.
Belly Button in or out? Still in, but I don't think it'll stay that way for much longer.
What I miss: Having more than two pairs of jeans to choose between ;)
What I am looking forward to: Buying baby things! I've managed to hold off buying too many baby things until now (everything we've got so far can literally fit into a plastic carrier bag) but now that we're more than halfway there I'm starting to peruse the clearance rack in the Baby section of Tesco for tiny t-shirts ;)
Weekly Wisdom: It is totally acceptable to delegate floor sweeping to your husband so you don't hurt your back. 
Milestones: Over the last two weeks, we've had a lot! 20-week ultrasound, hearing the baby's heartbeat, buying some baby clothes together, finding out the sex of the baby, deciding on a name, and my bump has officially got to the stage where nothing I wear will hide it. A pretty exciting couple of weeks, all in all :)

We're Pregnant!

In case you didn't already hear the news, we're expecting our first baby around the end of July! We were too early at our first scan (just eleven weeks) so we're having another one this week so we can figure out our official due date. Not that the baby is going to be born on that day, but it still gives us something to count down to!

For now, we'll answer all of your nosy questions. Some we've already asked, some we'll sure will come up soon. Simon's answers (given while playing the NHL14 game on the PlayStation) are in red.

1. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?
Rachel: Nope. We will hopefully be able to find out at our 20-week scan, but we've not decided if we want to tell everyone, or keep it a secret. We're not a big fan of gender-specific clothes/toys, plus, everyone is having so much fun telling us what sex they think it is (something that we don't entirely understand, but hey ho) that we don't really want to spoil that fun ;)
Simon: No. But we'll find out. And then not tell anyone.

2. Do you want a boy or a girl?
Rachel: We don't really mind. Maybe when it comes to our second child we'll decide we'd like to have a baby of the opposite gender, but at this stage we're just excited that we're having a baby!
Simon: Yes.

3. Where will you have the baby?
Rachel: We haven't decided yet, but providing that we remain low-risk for the rest of our pregnancy, it'll either be the birthing centre at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, or a home birth. If we end up being high-risk, we can choose between the Royal and St. John's in Livingston--we'd probably go with the latter simply because I know a lot of women who have given birth there, and my mum has worked there for 25 years and knows a lot of the nurses, so I'd feel more comfortable in that environment. Really, that's what it comes down to--wherever we think we'll be the most relaxed and comfortable. We have plenty of time to decide!
Simon: In a place. Preferably with food.

4. Have you decided on any names?
Rachel: We only have one boy's name we both really like, so that may end up sticking. For girls, we have a handful we both like. Once we know if the baby is a boy or a girl we'd like to decide on a name so we stop calling it "the baby". We're probably not going to tell anyone the name before the baby is born as people love to give opinions, or tell horrible stories like, "Oh, you like Timothy? My great uncle was called Timothy and he was a White Supremacist who was put in prison for arson and murder" which will ruin the name.
Simon: Yes.

5. Are you going to move house?
Rachel: We specifically picked a property that had enough space for at least one child, or not more, because we've both moved house a ridiculous number of times in the last four years and would like to stay put until we've saved enough to actually buy a house of our own. Our second bedroom is currently a study and dining-room, but the rooms can be rearranged to make a children's bedroom eventually. For the first six months, we're probably going to keep the baby in our bedroom to make night-time feedings easier.
Simon: No.

6. Are you planning to breastfeed?
Rachel: Yes. It's cheap, doesn't involve all the fuss of sterilising bottles (especially if we're out of the house) and we think it's the healthiest option for our baby. We plan to breastfeed for the first six months, and then we'll see what seems best after that point. Since I'm at home 24/7 anyway, we don't need to worry about expressing milk or switching to formula when I go back to work, so we're pretty flexible.
Simon: Yes, yes, I am.

7. Any opinions on nappies?
Rachel: About a year ago, I loved the idea of cloth nappies. Now that we're six months away from actually having a baby, and already absolutely shattered, we're not sure if it's something we want to do straight away. One of my main reasons for liking the idea of cloth nappies was how cheap everyone claimed it was, but disposable nappies actually seem pretty cheap right now. Maybe we'll try cloth nappies when the baby is older, but for now we're going with disposable ones as it seems like the least stressful and time-consuming option for new parents.
Simon: They're probably useful. 

8. Are you going to buy a car?
Rachel: Since neither of us can drive and we'll be paying for zillions of nappies, it doesn't seem like the most sensible option right now. We accidentally rented a house that is on the most frequent bus service in Edinburgh and we live within three miles of the largest Tesco on the planet, a branch of our bank, two primary schools, two pharmacies, our doctor's practice, two parks, a library with an excellent children's programme, and at least five bakeries (no, I'm not kidding, and most of them are on the same street), so right now we're really happy with being car-less. It means that I automatically tick the "is participating in regular cardio-vascular exercise" box with my midwife, and will hopefully inspire me to get out the house and run some small errands once the baby is here. If we end up buying a house that's not close to as many shops or not on a decent bus route, we'll look into learning to drive and getting a car, but right now saving up for the baby and a mortgage deposit are our priorities. (Also, an off-shoot of this question: if we decide to have the baby at the birthing centre or hospital, we'll take a taxi. Another benefit to living in a city!)
Simon: Ha. 

9. Is Simon going to be at the birth?
Rachel: Definitely. He's going to go to birthing classes and all that stuff too. No pacing outside in the waiting room for him--especially if we decide to go for a home birth.
Simon: Yes.

10. Are you going to have an epidural or a natural birth?
Rachel: Shockingly, there are some options in between those two, like gas and air or TENS or water birth. We've decided that we don't want an epidural (it tends to lengthen the birth, and limit the positions you labour in, and there's a higher chance of needing forceps, etc) but we're not fixed on anything in particular right now.
Simon: I might have an epidural. Rachel won't.

11. Are you going to decorate the baby's room?
Rachel: The baby isn't going to have its own room to begin with, and after that we won't be able to decorate because we don't own this house. We'll probably put some pictures up.
Simon: The baby has its own room?

12. How have you been feeling?
Rachel: Pick up a copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting. Looking at all the symptoms listed for the first three months. Aside from heartburn, I've had every one. And wonderfully, I progressed from all-day nausea to random vomiting at around 8 weeks. I sway between feeling fine aside from some back ache and morning nausea to throwing up and not wanting to get out of bed. I'm hoping this eases off after 14 weeks, but we'll see how it goes.
Simon: Fine, thanks. How're you?

13. Would you like some of this baby stuff that's in our attic?
Rachel: We're not sure what we need right now, as several family members have offered to buy things for us, and there are a couple of things we'd like to buy new, simply because we're planning to have at least two children and will definitely get a lot of use out of them. We're definitely not going to turn down any clothes or small toys! We have a ridiculously small amount of storage space in our house, so please don't be offended if we turn something down that we won't use until the baby is older--we probably just don't have space for it right now.
Simon: Maybe. Ask Rachel.

14. Bassinet, Moses basket, crib, co-sleeping?
Rachel: We're going to use a Moses basket on a stand when the baby is small, then probably a cot. We're not against the baby being in our bed if it's being really fussy and it's the only way we get some sleep.
Simon: It's going to sleep in a basket.

15. Are you going to wear your baby or use a pram?
Rachel: Both. Baby-wearing seems useful for grocery shopping and travelling to certain places where taking the pram would be awkward, but we're definitely planning to get a pram--preferably one that can convert for various age stages.
Simon: Both.

16. How are you going to keep up with your writing when the baby comes?
Rachel: I don't have a fixed plan in place, since we don't know exactly how our lives will change once the little one gets here. Working from home will definitely be easier (and cheaper) than going back to work and having to arrange childcare for a little baby, but I don't mind putting my writing aside for a season if it's what's necessary. My books will still be there when I come back to them, but the baby will grow up fast!
Simon: Rachel will do something. (Rachel: This sounds like he doesn't care, but really he just doesn't have an opinion on something that's largely my decision).

17. How are you going to educate your child?
Rachel: Since this baby hasn't even passed the end of the first trimester, this isn't something we've decided on just yet. We're still not sure where to give birth to the baby yet, so education is a little while off ;) We're not ruling anything out--public, private, homeschooling, etc. It really depends on what suits our child best.
Simon: Belt. (Rachel: Actually, one thing we both agreed on early on is that we don't want to use physical discipline on our children).

18. Are you going to have a baby shower?
Rachel. Yes! One of my friends has offered to plan this, and I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun. I like the practical idea that Americans have of giving you baby paraphernalia before the baby gets here. Then we know what we actually need to buy ;) On that note, if you'd prefer to cook us some meals to stick in the freezer for the post-birth days, or get us something super practical like nappies, we're all for that. We'll be needing more than just cute outfits!
Simon: Yeah, it'll probably get dirty.

19. Would you like to hear this horrific story about my sister's ex-boyfriend's cousin's traumatic birth experience?
Rachel: Seriously, we heard enough horror stories before we even got pregnant. I think we might actually be immune to them by now. The same goes for any story involving projectile puke or poop. People love to tell those stories to childless women, I've discovered. It didn't put us off!
Simon: Only if I can fall asleep.

20. Are you excited?
Rachel: Yes! It felt a bit surreal to begin with (we didn't think we'd get pregnant so quickly) but we're definitely excited. Occasionally I get worried or stressed out about all the big decisions we need to make, but Simon is pretty good at keeping me calm, thankfully.
Simon: Mhm. (Simon: He is excited, really. But he also got a new video game today, and he's known about the baby for quite a while now. We can forgive his current lack of enthusiasm!)

We have exhausted all the possible questions we could come up with, but I'm sure you'll find some more! ;)