BIRTH STORY:
This birth story will be short because it was so uneventful (just the way I like it!). I had my third scheduled c-section set for January 23rd and the little guy waited patiently for that date without any signs that he was going to come early. Dane's parents came to town to help us out (and meet Cael of course) so they watched Eben and Bode while we were in the hospital. Eben and Bode didn't seem to mind that we left and had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa. When we got to the hospital, I made it very clear to the staff that I wanted to prevent what happened with Bode from happening with Cael's birth (needing to be put under anesthesia because of an epidural gone bad). The Anesthesiologist decided to do a spinal block AND an epidural and everything was perfect. I felt great, Dane was right by my side, and I wasn't nearly as nervous as I had been with the other boys. I was thankful to be awake during the whole procedure - hearing Cael cry, seeing him soon after he was born, getting pictures of him during and after, and feeling relatively normal when all was said and done (drugged up though of course). Eben and Bode came to visit that evening and they handled everything so very well - no one got emotional and they were both very interested in Cael and super sweet. Introduction: success.
Other than having a baby, one of my biggest excitements this time around was having 2 nights in the hospital alone with Cael - no other responsibilities - just me and our new baby. Well, as wonderful as that sounded, it was everything but the reality. Nursing was going great (which is huge because I had major issues with Eben and quite a few issues with Bode), but my darn milk took forever to come in and Cael was PISSED. In fact, he was up the entire second evening crying and I about lost it. The nurse came in, I cried, and she decided to have him brought to the nursery for a couple of hours so I could sleep. Best.decision.ever. I was refreshed, Cael was still pissed, but soon after my milk finally came in and he became a happier baby. But then it was time to go home, back to the chaos. Here is a pic of him right before we left the hospital:
Cael's first two weeks were EASY...of course, when I have help he is easy. He napped pretty much all day long and woke up about one time per night, sometimes I even needed to wake him. After the two week mark he began to have issues. Gas issues, his first cold (those darn older brothers won't get out of his face!), mixed up day/night, and troubles going to sleep and staying asleep. He is probably the "toughest" newborn we have had, but realistically Eben and Bode were dream newborns, so he had a lot to compete with. Cael absolutely isn't colicky or anything, he just doesn't go to sleep and stay asleep very well at night and it's been exhausting - it usually takes me 2-4 hours to get him down for good. He is also a tummy sleeper (which makes it tough at night because I won't let him sleep on his tummy at night), a cranky shopper, and doesn't like his car seat. And the GAS is ridiculous. I really don't think he would wake up much at all at night if he didn't have this issue. He grunts a lot and I often finally just pick him up to bicycle his legs - and when I do, it is as if his whole body deflates...just crazy. Other than those few things though, he is really great. Things could be a gazillion times worse so I really can't complain. And I know how short-lived this is...all of this will pass and will be replaced with different types of challenges. Here is a pic of Cael at one month:
He just started smiling around 6 weeks old, which sure makes things even more fun. He has grown SOOOO FAST and I am convinced that he will be tall like his biggest brother, Eben (we will find out his 2 month stats on Friday). He is the most amazing napper in the planet if he is on his tummy and will take a 3-5 hour nap in the afternoon when his brothers sleep as well as many shorter naps throughout the day. His big brothers absolutely adore him, giving him hugs and kisses literally 20 times a day, trying to play with him (being a little rough with him at times) asking to hold him frequently, and talking about him a lot. We are really looking forward to Cael being able to interact with them more.
Cael - we love you to pieces and, although we had forgotten how tough the newborn stage can be, we wouldn't change anything about you because you are who you are and we are so thankful to have YOU in our family.
