The First Two Weeks - Almost Perfect
The title of this post perfectly describes our first two weeks with Kellen. That being said, stay tuned; I’m writing this post having already experienced most of week three.
Two-Day Checkup
Just a day or two after bringing him home, Kellen was scheduled for his two-day checkup - his first outing.
The only thing notable to report was a touch of jaundice, as is common in newborns. Our pediatrician felt the level of jaundice was high enough to warrant several blood tests throughout the following days. The best advice he could give us was to encourage Kellen to eat as often as possible in order to flush the jaundice from his system. If the jaundice wouldn’t subside on its own, he would require additional treatment. While this was somewhat disconcerting, by the end of his first week, the jaundice had subsided and was no longer a concern.
Not-So-Sleepless Nights
Overall, Kellen has been a great sleeper at night. He wakes up, or we wake him up, every two-and-a-half to three hours for feeding, he eats, gets his diaper changed, then sleeps for another three hours. Aimee and I alternate taking care of his feedings at night, leaving each of us with around five hours of sleep at a time. Not bad at all.
In High Demand
Kellen was in high demand his first week or so, receiving visits from most of his new family, including two sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and his great-grandmother.
No Crying Zone
Kellen was fairly easy to please and seemed to be quite happy his first two weeks. Other than a little fussiness to let us know when he was hungry, the only times he’d cry were when it came time for a changing or at bath time. During diaper changes and bath time, you’d think we were torturing him, but once it was over, he was back to his usual happy, little self.
Bright-Eyed & Bushy-Tailed
While he spent his first few days mostly with his eyes closed, even when “awake”, Kellen has grown more and more wide-eyed. He’s been content to spend an hour or so at a time simply sitting with one of us, or in his bouncer, looking around at whatever it is he sees at this age. My understanding is that he’s not yet able to focus on objects more than 8-10 inches from his face, but whatever he’s seeing, it seems to interest him.
New Nightly Ritual
Making Kellen’s bottles for night and following day quickly became one of my nightly chores, right after putting him to bed for the night… or rather, until it was time to eat again.
Abuela’s (Grandmother) First Babysitting Gig
Abuela Becky came over to babysit one day so Aimee and I could get out of the house and take care of some errands. After being cooped up in the house for over a week, it was nice to get out together.
All His Parts
Kellen’s first “official” photo shoot was to capture all his adorable, little parts - his hair, his ears, his feet, etc.
This is one of my favorite photos. I love the scale of his little hand to my finger. He’s got a strong grip too!
Back To Work
Toward the end of Kellen’s second week at home, it was time for me to go back to work.
