More pictures

I'm pretty tired to write much. Just wanted to post a few pictures from the last few weeks.

Things are going a little better. We think that Chase is doing a little better - sleeping a little more, crying a little less. However, sometimes we just think that we're a little better at coping with it. Not quite sure. One nice thing is that no matter how difficult he is during the day and in the evening, he sleeps really well at night. If I didn't wake him up for a nighttime feeding, he'd probably sleep all night!

He's still a skinny little guy. Not exactly sure how much he weighs, but we think it's less than 9 pounds still. He seems to be growing longer though! I'm trying to feed him more and monitor how much he's getting to fatten him up a bit. But if he's anything like me as a baby, that won't happen for a while.

Chase sitting up on the couch.

Wide-eyed.

For some reason the Chicago Bears pacifier is one of the few he likes. Daddy is happy.

Making faces at Mommy.

Chase started smiling (not just because of gas) a couple of weeks ago. But it's hard to capture with the camera! Here's a sort-of smile.

Chase...sleeping?? Mommy's happy!

Ross said, "Take a picture of me...This is my life." (Rocking Chase so that he stops crying while Maggie plays with his feet.)

All clean!

I don't know about this being-in-the-real-world thing!

I thought this drawing captured quite well the looks that have been plastered on Ross' and my faces at various points throughout the last two and a half weeks. It's been a hard couple of weeks since Chase's birth. He's pretty colicky, which basically just means that he cries for a few hours every evening (and sometimes during the day, too) for no apparent reason. Every day is a new experiment in comforting him or getting him to sleep. So far we've found that he likes car rides, the sound of the clothes dryer, a "sleep sheep" that makes nature sounds, and nursing. Other than that, we are experimenting with nighttime baths, the baby swing, the front pack carrier, and a pacifier. All of these things work some of the time and not others. At least we know colic usually only lasts for a couple of months...

Chase and I both had doctor's appointments this week. Chase went in for his first pediatrician appointment. He has grown about a quarter of an inch, and is back up to his birth weight, plus a couple of ounces. Everything looks to be good with him. He's eating constantly so he should be a tubby in just a little while (ok, probably not. He's really skinny.)

My doctor's appointment was about my leg. Now it's not only numb, but it's starting to hurt A LOT. My doctor thinks the pain is probably a good sign that the nerves are healing, but he's not sure. So, he gave me a referral to a neurologist, who I am going to see next week. Who would've thought that the worst thing about the few weeks after the baby came would be a painful leg? The good news about my doctor's appointment was that they made me weigh myself, which I told myself I wouldn't do for a few more weeks, and I've already lost 28 lbs.! I was actually surprised. Looks like I have about 10 more to go. But I'm in no rush.

Once again I have to say how great Ross is with Chase. He's a great dad, and it helps so much that he offers to take Chase when I need a break. He is so tired, and I feel bad because he is back in school five days a week and at work four days a week. I even had to buy him some Visine earlier this week because his eyes are so red from lack of sleep.

And with that, I hear Chase crying again. More pics to come soon!