Roller Coaster

 Not much has been going on in the new life of the Larsen three.  Ty has been a roller coaster of emotions and brings us along for the ride. If he's had a good day, he sleeps pretty well at night, often going at least 4 hours between feeding (we're working on extending this). Occasionally, though, he is a little stinker and nothing makes him happy. Below are our attempts to make him happy.

When I am worn out, Tim takes a turn holding him, usually bouncing him.

We bought a swing off craigslist to help keep him occupied during his meltdowns. 

It didn't work (notice the picture).

We noticed Ty likes lights, so we constructed a "light fort" under our dinner table to entertain. It works temporarily.

 Ty hates changing clothes, so sometimes when his clothes are a mess, we go the magical route and turn him into a merman. He likes it much better.

 We know Chompers is tired when he lays like this with his arms dangling down like a monkey:

And we finally get some rest!

Dad's Visit

My dad came to visit us and meet Ty last week. Though we weren't able to go full speed and show him everything, we did quite a bit with a newborn.

Ty liked Grandpa Tom

We went up to Rocky Mountain National Park on Thursday and had a picnic and walked a few of the easier hikes.

 We saw a LOT of elk that were shedding their winter coat and growing new antlers. (No moose spotted though :( )

 We spent the night in Estes Park and drove Trail Ridge Road the next day. There were some beautiful sights.

 Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in the country. We drove over 12,000 feet and crossed the continental divide.

 Ty was so good in his carseat for over 4 hours!

 Saturday we missed out on Dad taking us shooting because it was raining, but we walked around fun shops and ate lunch on Pearl Street in Boulder. Later I went with him to The Avengers while Tim babysat.  Sunday was a perfect day and we grilled bratwursts and chatted.

 Ty is not very photogenic, but Dad managed to capture a smile in our make shift family photo.

I was really excited to have my Dad come visit.  We hope he'll be back soon!

1 Month

This little guy is growing like a weed. Last week he turned one month old and we found out at the doctor's office that he has almost DOUBLED in size since birth.  Here are his statistics:

Birth: Weight: 5lbs, 13 oz

Height 18 3/4"

2 Weeks: Weight: 6lbs 15oz

Height 19 3/4"

1 Month: Weight 9lbs!

Height: 21"

We call Ty "Chompers" because he acts like a little pac man -aimlessly opening and closing his mouth if anything comes close. He chomps on his clothes when we pull them over his head and towels after we bathe him, but not only that, he will bite down then shake his head from side to side like a little puppy. We have found two hickeys on his arm from sucking. See below.

 

Ty also LOVES the outdoors. My good friend Lauren sent me a Boba wrap so I can "wear" him.  I put him in it to go on walks and he just looks around until he falls asleep. When he is fussy, we take him out on the back porch and he calms right down.

 

He is also starting to enjoy taking baths, but I think it is because once I take him out, I lay him down next to a space heater so he can warm up. The other day, Tim put him down after his bath, and by the time I got there, I found him sticking his feet up by the heater like in the picture below. It was so funny!

 

 The doctor has also been impressed by his neck strength. This is because Ty is not a cuddly baby. He is always fighting against us if we try to hold him close (unless he is falling asleep). He also likes to have his arms free so he can spread them out as far as they go. There is no successful swaddle for this guy. 

Nevertheless, we love him like crazy.

Mother's Day

It's a bittersweet Mother's Day for me as it's my first time as a mother, and also my first time without my own mom. I've missed her a lot lately as I learn to care for a child and wonder what her experiences were with us kids when we were babies. I know she watches over us and find comfort knowing I will see her again.  

Me and Mom in 2010

Ty is amazing and the best little gift.  I have found so much joy in being able to care for him.  I constantly find myself staring at his perfect little body with amazement and am so grateful to have him.

I am so lucky.

Below: Wearing the outfit from Ben and Kaitlyn (and making his chubby face)

 

For the Fans:

Wearing the cute forest animal outfit Aunt Aubrey and Grandma Diney got him.

Mommy sure loves this guy.

Grandpa Rod came to meet Ty this weekend

Looking up at Grandpa

Hanging out on the play mat TJ and Kristen got him

Firsts

 Ty is experiencing a lot of firsts these days, and we are learning a lot about him.

He has had a few sponge baths and his first real bath. He likes having his hair washed, but not his body.

 He got to meet Grandma Diney and loves spending time with her.

 We think she likes spending time with him too!

 We have received lots of wonderful gifts lately. Great Grandma and Grandpa Lotz and Aunt Marge sent the cute striped outfit-Ty's first time wearing a newborn-size outfit.

 Ty was in a good mood one day, so I tried taking a few pictures. They are not even close to professional, but the subject is pretty cute.

And out first big outing.  We went to Panera Bread for some lunch and Ty enjoyed sleeping in his carseat.

 
Yay for "firsts!"

Baby Ty

Some parents think their kids are cute because they're theirs, but Ty is actually the cutest baby ever. Though we're just learning and adjusting, Ty is a good eater.  In the hospital, they worry if babies lose more than 10% of their body weight.  Ty got close (8%) simply because he was so small to begin with, but we found out at the doctor's office yesterday that he is now ahead of schedule. He was back up to 5lbs 12.5oz at 5 days!

Even cute when he cries

 Glamor Shot

Already practicing yoga

 

I will now share the birth story of how Ty came into the world because I found it helpful to read others' stories. Do not feel obligated to read this. (Warning: there may be TMI)

I was feeling a little uncomfortable and crampy all day on Sunday. Around 5pm, I felt some water trickle out, but it wasn't enough that I knew what was happening. Throughout the evening, it just kept coming a little at a time. I called Mindy who told me to call my Midwife Marilyn who said I could go get it checked at the hospital then or in the morning if I wanted. Since I wasn't having contractions or anything, I asked if I could just get some rest at home and check it out in the morning. That night I almost went visiting teaching, but Tim told me not to because I might leak on their couches-so I opted not to go. In the meantime, Tim installed the carseat-just in case it was the real deal.

I woke up around 2am with more cramping, but still wasn't sure if it was contractions because I felt it so low and I had heard that labor pains were higher because the top of the uterus was pushing down. Tim and I had planned on having a natural childbirth (without an epidural or anything), so we attended classes and read books to prepare for labor (breathing, positioning, relaxing, etc). The one thing we learned was that a lot of the beginning of labor would take place at home and we should just relax to pass the time, because first labors are usually LONG.

As the "cramping" became more regular, I tried to relax and breath through them. Tim was sleeping on the couch because he was getting over a cold, so I got up and walked around trying to let him sleep, then took a nice, warm shower. As I was blow drying my hair and breathing through a contraction, Tim woke up. I told him to start timing them, but I kept having two in a row and we never got a good count.  We did know they were becoming closer together. As we got in the car at 4am, I called my Marilyn and told her my contractions were 5-7 minutes apart and that I was feeling good, so she could take her time, but on the drive, we realized they were only 3 minutes apart! 

At the hospital, we checked in, got hooked up, and I got in the bath at the hospital to continue "relaxing" and breathing through contractions. Tim was a great coach and counted as I breathed. After about an hour or two (I'm not sure about timing after this), I was feeling pretty miserable and felt like I needed to push. I got up and walked around and said I was ready for an epidural. Marilyn checked me and said I was already dilated to a 7 then suggested I go ahead and push in the tub if I felt like I needed to. (I thought it was a terrible idea because I didn't want to have a water birth, nor was she trained for it. She assured me he would not pop out while I was in the tub, and didn't mention the epidural again.) 

Before getting back into the tub, I began to throw up as Tim held the trash can for me. This is, apparently, a good sign meaning I was entering the "transition phase" (aka WORST part) of labor. My contractions came two at a time and Tim tried to keep my mind on breathing as I started pushing. After what seems like minutes, I told Tim to find the nurse or midwife because I needed to get out of the tub and push!  I was finally dilated to a 9, so I got out of the tub and onto the bed to start pushing at 7:30am. All I'll say about pushing is that it was crazy and scary, but I wanted that baby OUT!  He obviously wanted to come out quickly, too, because he was born at 7:55 am.

I was surprised at how overwhelming things are after he was born. There were several nurses and their policy is to have him spend at least an hour in mom's arms, but they kept checking him while in my arms and the midwife was sewing me up all while they were trying to teach me how to feed him. It was nicer once we moved to the post postpartum room and were able to have some quiet time, and even better now that we're home. 

I am still healing and taking it easy. Tim has been a HUGE help around the house and with Ty. I still look at him and wonder how he was grown inside of me and was still there on Sunday.  Now he is here and he is perfect. We definitely love him.