Not even a stir

We just got two phone calls on the house line during nap time and Lewin didn't stir at all. He has come such a long way. If the phone rang like that a year, or even 6 months ago, it would have taken me 20 minutes to settle him down to sleep again, if he even fell asleep again. Still, I unplugged the phone after the second call. I am not that stupid. 

Changes are coming

After breakfast, Lewin ran into the living room and began playing happily by himself. He is starting to do more and more of this, which is great considering the big changes that are coming to this house. Hopefully this will continue.

A pain in the bum

Lewin and daddy paid a visit to the dermatologist today. We have been battling diaper rash on and off for a very long time.  It seems like it will clear up completely and then bam, it is back with one missed diaper change.  We have tried quite a few different creams and ointments and I don't think we could change his diaper any more frequently than we are right now. It doesn't seem to matter what we do or what we put on there, he just seems to have some poopies that burn his little bottom.  Sometimes it is cleared up by the next change and other times it takes days.  And sometimes all it takes is him being in the dirty diaper for a few minutes.  Poor little guy. 

The dermatologist gave us a few new creams to try and we all have our fingers crossed that these will be a little more effective.   We are also supposed to try some diaper free napping.  Yikes, I don't think that will go to well.

We have tried eliminating different foods from his diet with out any success either. 

Here's hoping we find a solution soon. 

Signing

We started teaching Lewin sign language a long time ago.  It took a while for him to start understanding and using them, but he has really taken off with them now.  The other day we made a list of the signs he knows and uses and we came up with at least 30.  The exciting thing now is that he has done a few combination signs.  It is not often but a few times he has signed "more crackers" and " more bicycle ride, " which of course I love. 

"Mama"

It has been a long long time.  Part of the reason we started this blog about Lewin was to keep a journal of his life, or part of it anyway.  The problem is that since it had been so long, there was so much to update, and the post would be huge! The task seems unachievable. There is no way to make an entry with everything that has been going on in Lewin's life, but my goal now is to post something short every few days and maybe we will be able to caught up on stuff a little bit.  

So here goes.

Lewin has been saying "Mama" and "Dada" for maybe just over a week now.  He is coming a little late to talking but we are not really concerned yet. But what was special about today was that while Melissa and I were lying in bed this morning we heard "mama, mama," over the monitor.  Usually we hear some fussing and then crying and then Melissa goes in and gets him.  There was some fussing and crying this morning too, but to hear him calling out for Melissa with out him being lead to, was amazing. 

First Weekend Away

Yes, it has been a long time since we have updated. Sorry.

We are all settling back into our regular routine after our first weekend away as a family. We all had a great time at our annual winter get-a-way with a great group of friends. We went to Waterville Valley NH again this year. We all like it there because they have both cross country and downhill ski trails at the same location. Lodging is just a short walk from the nordic center and there is a shuttle bus to the downhill center.

Although Lewin put up a bit of a fuss each time he was put into the ski pulk, he seemed to like being towed around enough that he fell asleep every time. Dan loved being able to go skiing and bring Lewin along. Melissa got to go downhill skiing after a two year break. One morning, Lewin had company in the Chariot. Anna Z, who is 18 months, seemed to enjoy the pulk also but didn't fall asleep quite as quickly as Lewin. Pulling 60 lbs. around in snow that was getting quite slushy was a lot of work.

Lewin did great the whole trip. He slept well in the car, in the pack and play, and in the Chariot. He got to play with the big kids a bit but also played by himself. He did lots of smiling and was very goofy. He did really well with being around lots of new people and he got comfortable with everyone fairly quickly.

Hopefully we can get some picture of the trip up soon.

More fun with food

Lewin is quite the fan of orange veggies. Sweet potatoes, squash, and carrots are huge hits at the dinner table. Peas have also passed the test, though they were received with far less enthusiasm than the others.

"Solid" food success!

After a few less than stellar attempts at cereal (first brown rice, then oatmeal), Lewin Coady downed his sweet potatoes with gusto. We'll keep working with sweet potatoes for a few more days, then move on to squash...or maybe peas...

That's one hefty sack o' potatoes

Lewin took Dad to the weekly lactation clinic at CDH today for a weight check. Our boy tipped the scales at 16 pounds 7.6 ounces. He also charmed all the ladies with his gorgeousness...

Lewin's First 'Cross Race

Lewin attended his first cyclocross race yesterday. Dan raced (and is racing) at Gloucester. In true New England style, it poured practically all day and there was a driving wind. Should the weather do anything else for 'cross? Are there pictures? I wish, but the wind and rain were too much. The little toot took it all in stride. He ate, slept, ate, slept...and got to see some truly muddy riders.

Perhaps next time we'll put more weight in the weather forecast...

Wednesdays are sweet

Right now, Melissa is working four days a week and is home with Lewin on Wednesdays while Dan works feverishly on the addition and tries to squeeze in some training laps at Ed Hamel's on Glendale Road. The days are pretty mellow and usually involve taking a walk or two, nursing and napping. The day isn't all easy, but it's wonderful nonetheless.

Rolling...

It has been a busy few weeks for the boy. We have been to Vermont to the Chu's annual summer BBQ and bike ride. Everyone had a great time. Dad and Lewin also went to Duxbury for an afternoon to visit Gamoo at the rehab center where she is recovering from breaking her foot. It was a beautiful afternoon and we were able to go out into the courtyard where Gamoo gave Lewin a bottle.


We also went to the lactation clinic where we were able to weight Lewin and find out that he is now 16lbs. .4oz. That is a big boy.
Lewin is becoming a pro at tummy time and he can now roll over from his belly to his back, both directions.
At the end of August we went to Halifax for the annual Coady/O'Brien cookout. It was kind of chaotic but every once survived. Lewin got to meet his cousin Hayden (would wanted to hold Lewin after he saw the photos of his sister Hope holding Lewin)

and got to hang with all the other Coady kids who are a bunch of goofballs. Lewin's aunts and Uncle could not keep their hands off him.

Some day Natalie, some day.




Lewin also got to meet his great aunt Allie (Dan's Godmother) who came all the way down from New Hampshire to meet Lewin. Thanks Allie.

Been a while

Sorry everyone that it has been a month since our last post. As most of you probably know, Melissa is back to work (4 days a week for now) and Dan is keeping Lewin busy with trips to Northampton Lumber and to one of those large chain home stores, as we are in full swing with the addition. We are all very busy. Lewin had his 4 month pediatrician appointment today and everything, including the shots went really well. He is now 15 lbs. 5 oz (50%), 26 inches long (90%) and 41.5 cm head circumference (50%). For those of you keeping score. We promise to do a better job posting in the near future. We need to get better at getting Lewin to take naps in his bassinet (soon to be crib) so that we can get some chores done during the day and then have some free time to relax, and post during the evenings. For now here are a few recent pictures.

Mom Goes Back to Work

...and Lewin and Dad have a wonderful day together! No anxiety for Melissa since the boys are so good together. Returning to the office on a part-time schedule (for a few weeks while everyone adjusts to the change) felt a little strange, but that was probably related to the momentarily light workload.

As much as Melissa enjoyed her return to the office, getting home and holding her little boy felt wonderful and she loved every moment of the four hours between the time she got home until the time he went to bed (which flew by!).

Smiley Coady

Although this picture is a few weeks old, we have been having lots of this lately. It really makes a huge difference when he smiles back at you.

 

Melissa is to returning to work part time next week so we are all about to enter a new phase. I will be responsible for Lewin from around 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM 3 days a week. Yikes! We will try to post an update next week about how it is going.
DC

Thumbo!

We have contact! Thumbo is in Lewin's mouth. Hooray!!

Still Growin'

Lewin and Melissa continue to go to the Monday afternoon lactation clinics at Cooley Dickinson Hospital for the free weight checks and breastfeeding camaraderie. At age 10 weeks 5 days, Lewin weighed in at 12 pounds 15.4 ounces. He's weighed naked (no cameras, please) and the diaper that was removed immediately before he hopped on the scale was soaked. If Melissa had been a few minutes faster, he probably would have topped 13 pounds! Oh well, soon enough...

Auntie Moe and Cousin Hope

Lewin loves it when family visits him! Auntie Moe and Cousin Hope met Lewin for the first time last Thursday/Friday when they made the trip from NJ. We loved seeing them and had a wonderful time. They arrived late Thursday PM, so our fun time together was limited to Friday. The weather cooperated beautifully. We enjoyed a nice afternoon at Look Park followed by dinner at Antonio's and dessert at Tasty Top. We're already looking forward to the next time we see them, and introduce Lewin to Rafe and Hayden.

Lewin (age 9.5 weeks), Hope (age 4) and Maureen

Maureen and Hope returning to Kiddieville on the Look Park train.

2 Month Check-Up

Lewin went to see Dr. Jennifer this morning for his 2-month check-up (even though he's 9 weeks old today). Everything looks great and he was a champ during his first round of vaccinations. He even gave Dr. Jennifer a smile! He measured 24.25 inches (90th percentile for height/length) and weighed 12 pounds 8 ounces (75th percentile for weight...also, he gained 3 ounces since Monday). His next check-up will be at 4 months (early September). Dr. Jennifer, who was concerned about Lewin's sluggish weight gain immediately following our return home from the hospital, no longer has any worries. In addition to being given the green light to stop setting a middle-of-the-night alarm, we've also been given the ok to feed on demand during the day too. Even better, we learned that it's ok to jog (yes, at least one of us is going to start jogging...) with Lewin in the jogger stroller and to use the front-facing carrier (instead of the Maya wrap/sling).

We followed our trip to the pediatrician with a walk along the Manhan Rail Trail. We started at the parking lot off Ferry Street where the City of Easthampton recently built a beautiful new bandshell and walked to the south end of the rail trail (at South Street). We're looking forward to the City's upcoming repair of the trail so we can walk the full lenght (all 4.2 miles...).

We Must be Doing Something Right

Lewin and Melissa went to Cooley-Dick yesterday for the weekly informal lactation clinic and weight check. The little man tipped the scales at a whopping 12 pounds 5 ounces, a 12.3 ounce increase since last Monday (see weight chart). With his steady weight gain, Paula (CDH Lactation Consultant) gave the green light to stop setting an alarm to feed Lewin in the middle of the night. Melissa had messed up the alarm (wishful thinking?) on Sunday night by inadvertently skipping the 3-ish AM feeding. Lewin slept from about midnight until 5:45 AM when he started fussing (and woke up Melissa). Last night was pretty much a repeat...and there was much rejoicing!

We go to the pediatrician tomorrow for Lewin's 2 month (gasp!) exam. More details will follow!

Bath Time!

Lewin's first bath went probably as well as could be expected. We were given a tub by a friend and had waited patiently until little Lewin's umbilical cord stump fell off. The tub was the regular kind of plastic tub where you filled a few inches of the bottom of it with water and the baby reclined in it with only a few inches of his body in the water. The top 1/2 to 3/4 was out of the water and in the cool air. The parenting books we had been reading gave us lots of bath time tips to help keep the baby warm and calm during bathing. I think we did pretty well considering it was our first time. Some fussing, a little bit of crying, but no wailing. We got him cleaned and dried and then breathed a big sigh of relief.

The problem was that Gamoo (Lewin's Paternal Grandmother) had shown us this other style tub that she had seen online. We were very intrigued. It was what they called a "European" style baby tub, that was more like a bucket than a regular tub. The baby sat (or you held) the baby upright in this bucket and the water came up to the babies shoulders, keeping the baby warm. It seemed very womb like. All the reviews that we read online were extremely positive.

We decided to go for it, knowingly paying $25 for what was basically a 5 gallon bucket. Was it worth it? We will let the pictures and video tell the story. Do you think he looks relaxed?

Lewin's second bath went 10 times better than could ever be expected. If your baby does not like the traditional style bath, don't think twice about getting one of these they are great. Lewin has since taken quite a few baths in his Prince Lionheart WashPod, all which went amazingly well. Our buddy Joel likened them to Japanese soaking tubs.

It was not very difficult to use at all and it didn't take much to hold his head out of the water. Because he is kind of floating, cupping my hand under his chin was all it took to keep him steady and out of the water.

And yes, there were a few bubbles, but not from bubble bath.

Easthampton Bear Fest 2009

Lewin, Grandpa [Parsons], Dan and Melissa walked into town on the beautiful afternoon of Saturday June 12, to view the recently unveiled bears on display as part of the first Easthampton Bear Fest. The trip also included lunch at Antonio's and dessert at Mt. Tom Ice Cream. Mt. Tom's is locally famous for clever flavors you won't find elsewhere. Melissa enjoyed lavender. Dan tried their chocolate stout (chocolatey and good, but not very stout-like). Grandpa enjoyed Heath Bar coffee crunch frozen yogurt.

The bears were cool, too.

Double Digits!

Lewin continues to gain weight at a healthy pace. He checked in at 10 pounds 7.2 ounces during the CDH drop-in clinic on Monday afternoon. Do you want to see Lewin's growth charts?

Following our visit to CDH, Lewin made a few new friends. We visited the Roszko family. Lewin met Steve, Kathryn, Oscar, Brooke, Johan and Chloe (ok, Johan and Chloe are cats, but they count too!). Brodie was napping so Lewin didn't get to meet him but will some day soon. Maybe at the NCC NAP Youth Cycling Series at Look Park. Lewin would just be watching, of course, but the Roszko boys may race. We all enjoyed the visit and thank Kathryn and Oscar for whipping up a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies!!

Lewin's Birding Life List

We have decided to start Lewin's Birding Life list. That is, as you might guess, a list of birds speicies that one has seen throughout their life. We will hopefully be updating the list on a regular basis. You can get back to this post and list at any time by using the Life List link under My Links in the left had sidebar. The rules are that if we see the bird and say to Lewin "look Lewin, a Yellow Warbler," then that counts as Lewin "seeing" the bird. It is not our fault, nor do we feel that he should be penalized, if he decides that sleeping in more important.

Nap time!

Sometimes the only thing that will help Lewin settle down is some serious cuddling with his Daddy. That, and resourceful use of the Boppy!

Park Hill Road

Lewin has now enjoyed two walks up Park Hill Road in Easthampton. For those who aren't familiar with the area, it's quite possibly the prettiest part of town. Mostly preserved agricultural land that is being revitalized (Echodale Farm, Park Hill Orchard), the hill has an amazing view of Mount Tom. It's also a prime area for birding due to the mix of fields, orchards/forests and wetlands (i.e. a massive beaver pond).


Melissa and Dan especially enjoyed the fresh local strawberries grown at Park Hill Orchard!

Lewin's Growth Charts

Here are a couple charts showing Lewin's growth since his birth. As shown in the key, Lewin's statistics are in blue. They are plotted against the National Center for Health Statistics 50th percentile data in red. That is essentially the "average" weight/height figures. 50% of the "reference population" would fall below those figures, 50% would be above.





These charts should automatically update when we enter in more growth data. I have added a link to this page on the left in the My Links section so you can come back to this page to get updates on his growth. It took me forever to figure out how to produce these graphs from a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is a piece of work too. Here are some of the formulas that are used, =if(A2,sum(DAYS360(R2,A2,)/7),S2), =if(A2,SUM(B2+(C2/16)),S2), =sheet1!b2. Spreasheets are amazing.

With his head held high...

It seems like something that happened practically overnight. Lewin has started showing real strength in his neck and is holding his head high and steady...most of the time. It's a great relief for the parents to not feel like they're holding a bobble head.

Grandpa Coady

Lewin enjoyed not one, but two visits with his Grandpa Coady (aka Richard) this week. Richard and his friend Sandy arrived in western MA on Thursday, but didn't meet Lewin until Saturday due to Lewin's busy schedule. They were also able to spend time with him on Tuesday.

Three generations of Coady men.

Lewin thanks his Grandpa Coady and Sandy very much for the incredibly soft teddy bear and super cute outfits he will look forward to growing into. At least Lewin is taller than the bear!

Even the Cats are Giving Lewin Gifts...

Lewin received not one, but two gifts from the cats this evening. Scarlett gave her gift first. This was very much a surprise since she has never before presented any hunting trophies. Itty wasn't going to be one upped, so he quickly brought his contribution up from the basement. Dan dutifully released both mice to our yard, rewarded both cats with nummies, and closed the basement door.

Gamoo!

Lewin met his paternal grandmother ("Gamoo") the other day. Dan's mother, Rosemary, drove out from Halifax, MA to meet her newest grandson and to visit for the afternoon. I'm not sure who enjoyed the grandmotherly cradling more, Lewin or Rosemary!

Great Auntie Janet

Lewin met his Great Auntie Janet (Melissa's mother's younger - and only - sister).


Janet traveled south from Springfield, Vermont to meet her first grand nephew. Lewin thoroughly enjoyed her visit and looks forward to seeing her again soon!

Another Walk in the Park

Another Monday, another walk in another park. Following Lewin's weekly weigh in (he's up to 9 pounds, 1.6 ounces...a 10.6 ounce increase since last Monday...our boy is turning into a championship eater), the family ventured across the street to Child's Park (http://www.childspark.org/). Melissa and Dan enjoyed a picnic lunch and then all enjoyed a couple of loops of the park. It's not a very large park, but it is quite beautiful and well maintained. We especially enjoyed the blossoms in the rose garden. Yes, we stopped to smell the roses.

Lewin Cried...

... and we let him. It was so hard. We felt like such bad parents. He had just finished nursing. I changed his diaper and burped him. We held him, rocked him, held him and bounced on the exercise ball. We gave him a pacifier. We gave him our finger to suck on. Nothing was calming him down. I swaddled him. Then I swaddled him tighter. He was still crying. He had been awake for most of the afternoon so we were pretty sure that he was really tired and just not falling asleep for some reason. Many wise parents have told us that sometimes you just need to let baby cry a bit. All the books we had read said that if all of baby's needs have been met and he is still crying that sometimes you just need to let baby cry.
Up to this point we have been able to comfort him within a reasonable amount of time, but not this time. I put him down in the middle of our bed & laid down next to him. I put my hand on him, talked to him and let him cry. It was only 5 minutes but felt like for ever...

[EDIT] This was a post that was written up the other day and we did not get around to putting it up until today. Lewin loved having his guests today and his mood was not affected negatively in any way by said guests. We will get around to making an entry with some photos of Lewin's recent visitors.

A Walk in the Park

Lewin, Dan and Melissa took a lovely walk in the park (Look Park; http://www.lookpark.org/) on Memorial Day. This was Lewin's first trip to the park and we chose quite a busy day for the visit. It was also an absolutely beautiful day. Great temps, blue skies, lots of sunshine...though not for little Lewin. Given his nearly albino heritage, we're keeping our boy out of direct sunlight as much as possible until his skin toughens up a bit. Besides, neither Melissa nor Dan wants to deal with a baby suffering a sunburn!

In the gazebo (that's usually in the middle of the 'cross course).

Lewin Surpassed his Birth Weight!

On Monday, Lewin, Dan and Melissa went to the lactation drop-in clinic at Cooley-Dickinson Hospital (where Lewin was born) for a weekly weight check. Lewin checked in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces. Success! After a couple weeks of "mediocre" weight gain, our boy gained 12 ounces in one week. Apparently all this nursing is paying off.

Big Days

Sorry, we forgot to let everyone know about a big milestone in Lewin's life. Our baby boy is growing so fast. He lost his umbilical cord stump on Friday morning. We apologize for not making this announcement sooner.

Also Lewin attended his first barbecue today. It was just up the road at our good friends Ross and Ashley Krause. It was their second annual Memorial Day Weekend Party. Lewin did very well. Although he did not fall asleep during the 5 minute carriage ride to their house, he did sleep for most of the time we were there. There were a few minutes of fussiness when we first arrived but our good friend Steve rolled him back and forth in the stroller until he fell asleep. But not before he got to meet Gus and Owen. Owen was born 2 days before Lewin, but in a different hospital and Gus was born the day before at the same hospital as Lewin. Gus' due date was the same as Lewin's.

More Pictures

We have been receiving requests for more Lewin pictures and updates. Lewin is doing great. We will try to give more details soon, but for now here are some more pictures.

Lewin, Mom and Dad during a walk in the neighborhood maze across the way. This was on one of the really warm days during the week but we got out early.

Dad with Lewin in the Maya Wrap sling. This was the first time we were able to get him into it and to get him to settle down. It is now one of our and Lewins favorite. It is quite versatile and womb like, which we think is why Lewin likes it. It is great to be able to get some stuff done around the house and still be holding Lewin close to us. Dad is a little more fond of it probably because he had not already carried Lewin on the front of him for 9 months.

The result of carrying Lewin around in the sling.

Lewin doing what he does for a big part of the day. I think we have turned into those kind of parents that think that every little thing that their baby does is cute and need to take a picture of it.

Lewin's First Walk

Lewin, Dan and Melissa took their first walk as a family on Wednesday, May 13. It was a short walk around the neighborhood, but enough to get some fresh air and stretch Mom and Dad's legs. Lewin slept pretty soundly the entire time. The walk was marked by a sendoff from a baby catbird in the driveway and was protected by an Air National Guard flyover. He was pretty tired after his walk and took a long nap.

Some more pictures

Lewin with his going home from the hospital outfit on. We had packed up all this diapers and had put those bags in the car. As soon as we got him dressed he made us aware of how silly we had been to have not kept the diapers around!

Lewin when we got back from the hospital.

Lewin just hanging out.

Lewin and Dad relaxing.

Night One

We are relieved to report that Lewin, Dan and Melissa survived their first night together at home. The night was not without excitement.

Mr. Itty Bitty valiantly defended the household against an intruder (i.e. a mouse) by capturing and bringing it upstairs while Lewin was nursing. Dan quickly closed and barricaded the door to the room while he and Itty corralled the little beast. No harm came to anyone, including the mouse. Dan released the mouse to the perils of the night. The coyotes Dan heard in the middle of the night probably weren't interested in the treacherous little morsel.

Lewin gave Dan his first hands-on experience with uncontrolled urination. Dan was about to start the post-diaper change dressing routine. He reached for the first layer and noticed that it was wet, as was the next layer and the fresh diaper. We believe this was the result of improper appendage positioning during the final diapering stage. We will learn.

This morning we all awoke to a beautiful sunny day. Blue skies, fluffy white clouds. All is right with the world.

His Name

Lewin is an English name and means "dear" or "beloved friend." We think it is just perfect for our little man. It also happens to be the name of one of Dan's great uncles (maternal), which is how the name came to our attention.

There were good reasons to choose Daniel as the middle name. Both Dan and Melissa's father were given their fathers' first names as their middle names. Also, Dan's maternal grandfather was named Daniel.

Edit: From Rosemary/Gamoo/Lewin's Paternal Grandmother
"Lewin was also my mother's beloved grandfather's name. He was Lewin the 1st. My mother's brother, Lewin the 2nd was named after Lewin the 1st. Now baby Lewin would be the the 3rd with the same name. I vaguely remember my great grandfather who would be baby Lewin's great, great, great grandfather."

Lewin, Melissa & Dan are now home!

I was able to caught the tail end of a sneeze!

And for for all you parents who are yelling at their computer monitors "get that baby to a breast," don't worry. We figured that out right after this video was taken and Lewin feed good and long.

Pictures of Lewin

Lewin Daniel Coady

Lewin Daniel Coady - May 6 2009, 8lbs 4.25 oz. 11:15 pm


Melissa soon after we got settled into the birthing room. Mild contractions had begun. Notice how I got the clock in the background to help document.



Grandma and Grampa Parsons (or what ever Lewin decides to call them) stopped by for a visit.