Monday, May 2, 2011

we've set up shop...

in our bedroom, in the pack-n-play.
we knew we wanted cullen sleeping in our room, right next to our bed.
at least for his first few months.
also, since i am nursing every 2-3 hours this is what works best for us.
it's so convenient to be able to reach over from bed and grab cullen to feed him.
it's also convenient for middle of the night diaper changes.

**since i'm getting comments about how i'm feeding my baby i thought i'd let you know why he has to be woken up to eat every 2-3 hours.  because his doctor said so!  his bilirubin levels were high which cause jaundice.  his levels have gone down but he still has a little bit of yellow pigmentation on his skin and eyes.  the way he passes the bilirubin is my feeding and excreting.  the bilirubin should all pass within 2-3 weeks, once we have gotten to that point i will be changing his feeding schedule.  it will be a schedule he chooses and i'm sure he will go 3-4 hours instead of 2-3.
until then he will be eating every 2-3 hours.  

here is our set up...


in the pack-n-play we have:
diapers
wipes
lotion
hand sanitizer
booties
hat
burp clothes
extra changing table covers
paci's
extra jammies
2 blankies
it's so nice to have anything i need in the middle of the night within reach.

night time...
we now sleep with our tv on ALL night.
i need it for light and middle of the night entertainment.  
there is NOTHING on between 3-5.
i've gotten smarter though and started recording shows to watch over the hours when nothing good is on.
last night i watched the new episode of desperate housewives although i can't really remember what all went on.
i have to set my alarm every 2-3 hours to wake cullen up to feed him.
i have a feeling if i didn't have to wake him he'd sleep through the entire night.
once he's awake it takes anywhere from 20-40 minutes to feed him and then it's right back to sleep.
or diaper changing time.

we start our days anywhere between 7 and 9.
i think we all prefer the later.
and ellen is a great way to start the day ;)
btw, ellen is my new favorite show!

time for feeding now, this sweet baby is waking up...

53 comments:

Daisy said...

He is soooo precious!! congrats and enjoy every minute.. it flies by! and the newborn stage was definitely easier than a 3 year old haha

S said...

So sweet! Jealous over here!

It's A Love Story said...

OMG! so cute!

Cole said...

That close up picture of Cullen is fabulous! He is such a cutie pie!

Zara said...

What a cutie! And smiling already :-)

Amanda @ New Adventures said...

He is adorable!! Looks like a good set up you have there :) I'm new to your blog so I'm a little late but Congratulations on beautiful baby boy! Love the name Cullen!

Megan said...

You've got a great set up there! And your little boy is just too precious!

Brittany Nolan said...

he is so so so sweet!!!

Inna xoxo said...

Ive told you once, ill say it again, hes the cutest baby ever! Im in LOVE! gahhh!
xoxo Inna

Miss V said...

Sounds like heaven to me! That is one precious little boy! So happy for you and your little family! xoxo

Mrs. Mama said...

he is so sweet... i cant get enough of that! Elli slept by our bed for her first 5 months of life. We JUST transitioned her to the crib a couple weeks ago :)

Lindsay said...

It looks like you are adjusting to your new role perfectly! Congrats again girly!

DCWorking said...

Ha ha thats so funny, I NEVER watched Ellen till I was on baby leave! We still watch it & dance with her every morning we can! Congrats!

californiadreamin said...

He is so sweet, and girl, I am agreeing 110%, ever since I've become a mama, Ellen is my favorite! Always makes me laugh

Carol {Everyday Delights} said...

Such a little cutie! And it sounds like you guys are doing great!

LWLH said...

That face is toooo cute!

Anonymous said...

Ahhh you may want to think about waking him up to feed him. I know new moms think that babies have to eat every 2hours but they really don't! And if you keep doing that he will form the habit of wanting to eat all night long! Trust me NEVER wake a sleeping baby and trust me he WIlL wake to eat!

Jen said...

Sounds like you already have a great schedule and routine down; good for you! He's adorable :)

Amber said...

We plan to have the same set-up with our pack-n-play in our room. I'm so glad it sounds like y'all are settling into a nice routine and I can't wait until we have one of our own! :-)

mrs.mfc said...

What a cute little face :) :)

Unknown said...

Great routine!!! Cullen is so precious. He even smiled for us! Oh & Ellen... I love her show so much, I youtube it. That bad!

Sarah said...

You have a great little set up... we had Emmaline next to us in the bassinet for about 2 weeks.. but she is a LOUD sleeper.. makes noises in her sleep.. so she went to the crib shortly after 2 weeks... I missed it but each baby is different and you have to figure out what works and stick with it.... I feel for you girl.. waking in the night is no fun at all.. we woke Emmaline every 5 hours after she turned 1 month and go from every 2.5 to every 5 felt like a full nights sleep at that point!

Megan Ashley said...

He is just too sweet and adorable! I love the set up, so convenient!!!!

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't wake him up to feed him (especially during the night). He will let you know when he is hungry!! Training him to wake up every 2 hours is a hard habit to break when they get older. If he will sleep most of the night now just let him be. You'll be better off when he gets a little older and when it gets harder to get them to sleep.

Miss E said...

What a doll! So happy you all are doing well. And I'm totally running to the nursery now to grab the items you mentioned for the pack n' play in our room. This little girl will be here in the next week so I need to be prepared :)

Michelle (michabella) said...

GAH!!! I love him. I am so impressed how organized you are!!! I am sure that is all a HUGE help! Looks like you are doing great 'momma'! <3

Jillian said...

My goodness could he be even cuter!!!! he looks so tiny in that first picture.

Melissa @ i carry your heart said...

We had to wake up Azalea every 2-3 hours at night for the first couple weeks because she lost so much weight. they didn't really tell us when to stop. we stopped sometime during the 3rd week and she would sleep about 3-4 hours on her own. last night she slept for 6. it was heaven!!

Elizabeth said...

He is such a cutie! It sounds like you are doing an awesome job mamma!!

Blogging Blondie

Kelly said...

What a sweetie, Annie!! Glad you're finding what works BEST FOR YOU AND BABY C! :-D Hope you find time to enjoy some pretty weather that we've got going on here today!

carrie1 said...

Ugggh.... I don't have kids yet, but I am sure that is one thing that will irritate the crap out of me is when people tell me how to do something.

But looks like you all are doing great! =)

Gwen said...

He is so precious Annie!!! I can't believe how much he's changed in such a short time. Keep up the great work Mommy! Only you know what's best for your family and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. =)

Ashley said...

I've heard of so many people waking up that often to feed their babies! Looks like you have a set up that works for you... anything to keep things flowing as smooth as possible. (: You have such an adorable little one too!

Angie said...

He is so sweet and cute!

I think you are so smart to have everything right there. It makes everything so fast and easy.

Soak up every second...it flies by!

SG Journey & Memories!!! said...

Annie,
He is getting more and more adorable by the day & do not worry about people's comments just you know whats better & no need to explain glad to see the updates I cannot wait for my BaBy Boy due in July

Mrs. H said...

OMG, he is the cutest thing I've ever seen. He trully is a beautiful baby!

The Rest is Still Unwritten said...

He's such a cutie!

I would do what your doctor says girl and don't worry about what other people say. Everyone thinks that they are the best mother in the world and know everything!

My nephew had the high bilirubin levels. They thought it was jaundice but it was something in his liver. My sister had to change his formula and feed him constantly as well. After about a month and half or two, he was fine! He's now almost 3 and very healthy!

Hayley said...

People need to mind their own business.

You're doing great, Annie! Motherhood totally agrees with you! He's so precious, it almost makes me baby hungry!

ALMOST. I said almost!

Sarah said...

Girlfriend.. this is YOUR blog... you should not feel like you have to justify ANYTHING you do with your little man... One thing I have learned is everybody has opinions on everything you do.

Like I posted earlier.. I woke E every 2.5 hours for the first month for the very same reason, and then after that we went to every 5 hours...

your doing the right thing.. keep it up... I also would wake her when she was young to feed her ofter if she wasn't feeling well or when both me and hubs were sick to keep the antibodies up..

your doing a great job momma!

Shari said...

That picture is darling! Don't let other people question your mommy duties. Not their business.

katie + bret said...

still loving little Cullen in that dream pic!

Unknown said...

He is so stinkin' cute I could just eat him up!!
You keep doing exactly what you are doing - you are doing a GREAT job :)

Katie said...

That is an adorable picture! I have no idea how you are doing everything! I feel like I would be so lost with my first little one...New follower!

Anonymous said...

Such a cute picture!!!

Meg said...

Girl, it sounds like you've got a routine down pat. I love that you have TV recorded. You should try getting your favorite TV show on DVD (I have both Friends and Sex and the City), that was you can cue up your DVD before bed and have that playing in the middle of the night. Have fun girlie.

Lori said...

Ok that pic is the cutest ever!! I love hearing about your routine! It sounds a lot like mine did when Sav was just born! Annie, I hope and pray that he will sleep through the night for you once you dont have to wake him to feed. My little one has slept through the night twice in 11 weeks! It is exhausting! But I think we might be making a lot of progress now. I still record sooo much because I hold her a lot when she naps which means a lot of TV! I record a lot of Lifetime movies!

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

Aw, he looks all snug!!! That last photo is too cute!

Kristen said...

smart on using dvr for those late night feedings! Our tv was always on when baby Riley would wake up to get fed... sadly I got stuck watching endless episodes of Married With Children! UGH!!!!

KW said...

Good job momma. Do what the DOCTOR says and not what everyone else that thinks they know it all suggests. I will tell you you'll get nothing but advice from now on whether you want it or not! Youre his momma, you know whats best!!! He is precious and you're doing a great job! Aren't baby boys the best?!??

Marian said...

Dying over that last image of Baby C!!!

Holly said...

So cute! :D
I love Ellen too! :)

Suzy said...

Ignore their comments and follow the doctors orders! We had to do the same thing with Charlie and we haven't had any problems getting to sleep in longer incriments. You are doing what is best for you and your baby! Keep up the good work Momma!!! Everything will fall into place when it needs to!

I hope mommy hood is treating you well! It's amazing and exhausting all at the same time! Thos precious babes are worth all the pain and suffering we as mommy's endure!

P.S. He is as cute as ever! LOVE ALL THE PICS!

Sierra said...

Aww, he looks like he is smiling Annie! I love it and glad you found a method of recording shows and watching them late at night. I think I would do the same. :)

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