Oliver 6 Months:

So, no 5 month post for Oliver, but here is his 6 month update!

Sleep:

• Still no real nap schedule, but he is definitely awake more during the day.  He typically takes on long 2 hour nap and then a couple 30 min naps.
• Doing really great!  Pretty much sleeps through night.  Occasionally, he will wake up once in the middle of the night, but he is usually easy to put back to sleep.  No complaints here!

Feeding:

• Pretty consistent schedule of eating 5oz 6 times a day.  He has been getting cereal once a day and has started to really love it!  Starting green beans soon.
• He is a great eater, and we haven't had the spit up issues we had with Mason.  Thank goodness for no acid reflux with Oliver!

Weight and Length:

• No dr. appt. just yet, but we will find out in a week.

Diapers and Clothes:

• Still in size 2 diapers.
• Definitely in 6 month clothes! Some 9 month clothes fit him as well.  He is a tall chunky baby, and I love every single roll!

Personality/likes:

• He is such a happy baby!  He smiles and coos constantly when he is awake.  It is so easy to make him smile, and we are loving every minute of it!
• We got a door jumper that he has started to enjoy.
• We have entered the "everything has to go into my mouth phase" and the drool has gotten out of control!
• In LOVE with his big brother!  Oliver will just watch him and smile.  It is the best
• He is trying so hard to crawl...he has the rock and the scoot and down!

Oliver: 4 months

Sleep:

• No real nap schedule, but he is definitely awake more during the day.  He typically takes on long 2 hour nap and then a couple 30 min naps.
• He has been doing really well in his crib.  We don't use his swing near as much anymore.  He usually sleeps from about 9-6.  He will wake up once or twice, but we can give him his paci, turn his sound machine back on, and then he's out again. 

Feeding:

• Pretty consistent schedule of eating 5oz 6 times a day.  We will be starting cereal this month though.
• He is a great eater, and we haven't had the spit up issues we had with Mason.  Thank goodness for acid reflux with Oliver!

Weight and Length:

• At his 4 month appointment he weighed 15 lbs 10 oz and was 25 1/2 inches

Diapers and Clothes:

• He has moved on up to size 2 diapers.
• 3-6 fit him the best.  He has no problem fitting into most 6 months as well though.  Some 3 months will fit, but they are usually a little too short.

Personality/likes:

• He is such a happy baby!  He smiles and coos constantly when he is awake.  It is so easy to make him smile, and we are loving every minute of it!
• We got a door jumper that he has started to enjoy.
• We have entered the "everything has to go into my mouth phase" and the drool has gotten out of control!
• Loves to be on his playmat.  It has a piano for him to kick, and he will just kick like crazy to make the music play. 
• He likes to stand and sit up straight.  He likes to hang out in his Bumbo.
• In LOVE with his big brother!  Oliver will just watch him and smile.  It is the best!
  

Oliver: 3 months

Sleep:

• He is still sleeping through the night without getting fed.  He did have his 3 month growth spurt though, in Chicago, in a hotel.  He was eating like every 2-3 hours all night and day long.  Fun times!  Thankfully, it only lasted 2 days!
• Since getting in to our house has taken a lot longer than anticipated, we have set up the crib in the living room of our apartment.  It's beautiful and I think it will be the next design trend!  Nursery in the living room!  He starts out in his bed and sleeps from about 10-3 in it, and then usually winds up in his swing to sleep until 7.  No complaints, but we are going to really try and get him only sleeping his bed.
• He sleeps pretty good during the day, and now he is starting to stay awake longer to play!  He is finally starting to stay awake for longer and longer stretches during the day.

Feeding:

• During the day he is eating every 3 to 4 hours.  He still typically has 5 5oz. bottles a day

• He loves to eat and is not spitting near as much as big brother did!

Diapers and Clothes:

• He is still in size 1 diapers.  We were given lots, and are trying to use them all up before we move him to size 2.  They fit well and are only getting slightly snug.  My baby has lots of rolls!
• 3-6 fit him the best.  It is funny to me that Mason was wearing these clothes at 6 months, and Oliver is fitting in them at 3 months.  Oliver is really long, so he needs the onesies to be longer.

Weight and Length:

• We won't officially find out from the Dr. until his 4 month appt.
• My guess is he weighs around 14lbs and maybe 24in.

Personality/likes:

• He is such a happy baby!  He smiles and coos constantly when he is awake.  It is so easy to make him smile, and we are loving every minute of it!
• Loves to be on his playmat.  It has a piano for him to kick, and he will just kick like crazy to make the music play. 
• He likes to stand and sit up straight.  He likes to hang out in his Bumbo, and since the door jumper is in storage somewhere, we will probably buy a new one so he can jump away.
• In LOVE with his big brother!  Oliver will just watch him and smile.  It is the best!
  

Oliver Jude- 2 Months

Sleep:

• It has definitely gotten better!  He is sleeping most nights from 9:30 to about 6:30.  Occasionally he wakes up around 4:30 or 5, but he will go back to sleep with a little help.  He is still sleeping in his swing a lot, and he will also sleep in his rock and play sleeper.  We told the dr. and she isn't concerned.  She said love the fact that he is sleeping and not eating at night anymore, and the rest will come with time!
• He sleeps pretty good during the day, and now he is starting to stay awake longer to play!  He is finally starting to stay awake for longer and longer stretches during the day.

Feeding:

• During the day he is eating every 3 to 4 hours.  He typically has 5 5oz. bottles a day
• At night there are times when he likes to stick to every three and a half hours and times that he will go a little longer.  As he gets older he goes longer at night.  
• He loves to eat and is not spitting near as much as big brother did!

Diapers and Clothes:

• About halfway through the month he moved to size 1 diapers.  We were given a ton in this size, and I actually don't know if we will even be able to use them all before he gets too big.
• 0-3 fit the best.  He is too long for most newborn, and a lot of 3 month clothes are too big.  He has clothes that are everywhere from newborn to 3 months that he can wear though.

Weight and Length:

• He weighed 12lb. 2oz. and was 23 1/4in. at his 2 month appt.

Personality/likes:

• He is such a happy baby!  He smiles and coos constantly when he is awake.  It is so easy to make him smile, and we are loving every minute of it!
• Loves to be on his playmat.  It has a piano for him to kick, and he will just kick like crazy to make the music play. 
• He is more alert and aware of his surroundings, and he loves to look around and take it all in.
• In LOVE with his big brother!  Oliver will just watch him and smile.  It is the best!

Oliver- Month One

Sleep:

• This kid is not a great sleeper!  If he is being held or in his swing, he will sleep wonderfully for hours.  However, if you lay him down, he will instantly be awake and crying.
• We are working on it, but he does not like to sleep alone!  Thank God for the swing!
• He sleeps pretty good during the day, and now he is starting to stay awake longer to play!

Feeding:

• During the day he is very consistent about eating every 3 1/2 hours.
• At night there are times when he likes to stick to every three and a half hours and times that he will go a little longer.  As he gets older he goes longer at night.  
• Breastfeeding isn't quite as successful as I had hoped.  I mostly just pump and my supply isn't enough for Oliver; therefore, he gets formula.  He typically always feeds from a bottle.  He is a champ though when it comes to eating!
• He is now at about 4oz. every feeding.

Diapers and Clothes:

• He is still wearing newborn sized diapers and probably will for a few more weeks.
• Clothes are newborn as well.  I love that he is still small enough for newborn sizes! 

Personality/likes:

• Loves to be held, be in his swing, and cuddled.  Doesn't care to be laid down anywhere when he is sleepy.  He wants company when he sleeps I guess.
• He is starting to watch people a lot more, and he has even smiled at us a few times.
• Not a huge fan of tummy time. However, he is actually pretty good at holding his head up and looking around when he wants too.
• Generally he is a very happy and content baby!  Doesn't take much to please him, and he doesn't really cry or get fussy very often!

We are in love all over again with this sweet little boy!

Oliver's Birth Story

I can't believe Oliver is already 3 weeks old!  I want to have some of the details of his birth written down before I forget everything.

Similar to Mason, we scheduled an induction for Oliver's birth.  It made sense for us because it meant I could give my school an exact date for my sub to start, I had Mason all taken care of with grandparents, and my Dr. was going to be out of town for a couple of days leading up to my due date.  The induction meant everything and everyone was taken care of, and that really put my mind at ease.

On October 7th we had to be at the hospital at 5:30 AM.  We delivered Oliver at a different hospital than we did Mason because my Dr. had moved her practice since Mason was born.  It didn't take long to get all signed in, in a room, and hooked up to monitors.  We started with one nurse, but she left at 7.  The labor and delivery nurse we had the rest of Oliver's birth was amazing.  All of the nurses we had were really beyond wonderful!

Nick went a little overboard with the pictures, in case you can't tell.  I told him people would never guess this was our second baby with the way he was snapping away!

My Dr. came in at 8:22 (Nick was taking notes, haha) to check on me, check on the pitocin, and break my water.  She said she would be back at noon to check on me again, and she predicted we would have our baby boy by 2!  I had told my nurse that I would probably get an epidural since I had gotten one with Mason.  She said that as soon as my Dr. broke my water she was going to go ahead and call it in because my contractions would extremely more painful after my water was broken and with how the pitocin was.  I am so glad she did!!  Once my water was broken, my contractions were so intense and so close together.  I only had to wait about 10 mins for the epidural and it kicked in within 10 mins.   I have been pretty fortunate that with epidurals I still have a lot of sensation and can feel quite a bit, but I am not in pain. The nurse checked me at 9:25 and I was 5 cm.

Around 10:45 I told my nurse that I felt a lot of pressure, and I actually felt like I needed to push.  I knew it was early, but I also knew something didn't feel quite right.  She went ahead and checked me at 10:52, and we were shocked when she said I was at 10 cm and ready to push.  She called my Dr. right away, and then she got me all set-up to start pushing Oliver out.

I could still slightly feel my contractions, so I  knew when I was supposed to be pushing.  I pushed through like two contractions, and then I made eye contact with my Dr. and told her I wasn't having a contraction but I had to push anyway.  I felt so much pressure that I couldn't wait for a contraction to push again.  She said she was ready and to just push as I needed to.  I felt so much more for Oliver's birth than Mason's.  It wasn't so much pain as it was discomfort, but I could tell what was going on.  A couple of pushes later and Oliver Jude Santowski was born at 11:15 AM.  Much before any of us thought he would be!

Our healthy baby boy was born at 11:15 weighing 7lbs. 1.5oz and measuring 20 3/4 inches.  We were in love the minute he was born!

Once he was cleaned up, Nick went to the waiting room to go get Mason.  He was incredibly sweet, and the first thing he said when he walked in was, "Where's my baby brother?".

The entire day was just perfect.  We feel so blessed to have two wonderful, healthy boys.  Welcome to the world Oliver Jude!

38 Weeks with Oliver Jude

How Far Along: 38 Weeks…the countdown really has begun!

Baby Size: Watermelon…around 6.5lbs. and close to 19-22 inches

Gender: BOY!…Oliver Jude

Maternity Clothes: Whatever is comfortable at this point. I put on comfy clothes as soon as I get home from work everyday!

Sleep: It has been surprisingly good this week!  I have actually been able to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep.

Best moment this week: We took Mason to Build A Bear and made dogs for him and Oliver.  He loved every minute of it!  He can't wait to bring Oliver his puppy to the hospital.  He even picked a happy birthday shirt for him to wear.  Plus, he named each of them the other's middle name.  So his dog is Jude (Oliver's middle name) and Oliver's dog is named Rhys (Mason's middle name).  How sweet is this kid?!

Movement: Still moving a lot considering how little room he has.   He moves pretty much all day and has hiccups at least once a day.

Food Cravings: Nothing in particular, I just tend to get really, really thirsty.

What I miss: I am so over people telling me I look huge/I'm about to pop/They can't believe the baby isn't here yet/There is no way I will make it to my due date/etc.   They aren't compliments; they are actually pretty mean!  I really don't need everyone telling me how big I look every day...I'm fully aware!

What I am looking forward to: Oliver's birthday, of course!  Also, getting my body somewhat back to normal...I'm over the swelling!

Milestones: Lungs are ready to breathe real air, and he is considered full-term!

Pregnancy Symptoms: Period-like cramps, contractions but they are by no means consistent, and the insane pressure in my pelvis because he has dropped. Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed my pregnancy and can’t complain a bit; I truly feel blessed with how well this pregnancy has gone!

Belly Button: It is a slight outie…I can’t wait to have my normal belly button back!

Dr. Update: Everything still looks awesome!  I am dilated 3cm and about 70% effaced...she said  if there is much more of a change it will most likely mean that I am in labor!! We are scheduled to induce on October 7th.  My dr. feels like I am already progressing and won't make it to my due date, and this way I can everything arranged at my school and have a place for Mason.  He will be 6 days "early", and I'm just hoping he will wait until then so everything will be taken care of and prepared!