Daddies are from Mars, Mommies are from Venus

We couldn't end the year without mentioning some of the differences we have noticed in our caring for Sean.  It's obvious that this Daddy is from Mars and this Mommy is from Venus.  We are different in the way we care and interact with Sean.

Mommy is gentle, nurturing and caring.  When Sean cries, she "runs" to his rescue.  Sean is a mellow baby and doesn't cry or fuss very often, but when he does Mommy tries her best to figure out why Sean is crying.  Is it a poopy diaper?  Is he hungry?  Is he tired?  Does he simply want to be held and comforted?

Daddy is also caring and loving with Sean, but unlike Mommy, Sean's crying (a little) doesn't bother Daddy.  And Daddy doesn't feel like he needs to "run" to Sean's rescue immediately.  One huge difference between Mommy & Daddy is that Daddy loves to play with and make Sean laugh.  There is no question that Sean thinks Daddy is funny and enjoys it when Daddy plays with him.

Mommy & Daddy take on different tasks in caring for Sean.  Mommy (mostly) feeds Sean, but Daddy also bottle feeds him.  Mommy holds Sean for endless hours.  Daddy holds Sean too, but doesn't feel a need to hold him nearly as long as Mommy does.  Both Daddy & Mommy gives Sean LOTS of kisses.  Daddy has been great at bathing Sean and trimming his finger and toe nails.

Both Mommy & Daddy enjoy talking to and singing to Sean.  Sean seems to enjoy it when we sing and talk with him. 

A little humor from survival4moms.com

1. The Bathroom Break - Mom holds on until she’s about to burst, then does her business in 30 seconds with Baby watching from the bouncy chair.
- Dad settles in with magazine and is MIA for 30 minutes.
2. Visiting Friends- Mom is concious that Baby’s bedtime is approaching so suggests it’s time to get going. She gathers and packs baby paraphernalia, puts Baby in clean diaper and PJs and prepares Baby’s milk.- Dad accepts another beer and heads off to the den to admire friend’s new technical gadget acquisition.
3. Baby’s Lunchtime- Mom preps a healthy balanced meal of pasta, cheese and fruit 15 minutes in advance.
- Dad wonders why Baby is particularly cranky at 2:30pm, then remembers he hasn’t been fed. He quickly tries to remedy the situation by giving Baby a fistful of soda crackers.
4. Nighttime- Mom pops up like a jack-in-the-box as Baby lets out the first wail. She springs to the aid of the crying baby and spends 20 minutes going through the getting-back-to-sleep routine. After 5 minutes back in bed she’s worried it’s too quiet and is up again checking that the baby is still breathing.
- Dad stirs and opens one eye as Mom lowers her weary body back into the bed and mumbles something useful like “What’s the matter with him?” before resuming his snoring.
5. Going Out - Mom dresses Baby, changes his diaper when he poops 2 minutes later, changes his outfit when he spits up 3 minutes later, changes her own outfit because said spit up travelled. She sets about packing the baby bag with 2 changes of clothes, bib, soother, toys, snacks, diapers, wipes, sunhat, sunscreen, … then sits to wait for 15 minutes for Dad to be ready.
- Dad has to go back for the camera when they finally get in the car and Mom asks him if he’s got it.

We love being Sean's Mommy & Daddy! 

Happy 2012!

Happy 6 month B/day Sean!

Today Sean turned 6 months old!  He is doing well.  Sean is a healthy & happy baby boy.

He now weighs 12 lbs. 4oz.  He's put on 10 lbs. since birth!  

We love you Sean!   Happy 1/2 Year Birthday!

Sean's First Christmas

Sean enjoyed his first Christmas!!

On Christmas Day, we headed to Uncle Stan's for a delicious lunch made by Aunt Linda.  Yummy! 
Sean loved all the attention by Uncle Stan, Aunt Linda, Cousin Stephanie, Great-Grandma Fran, Grandma Paula and Grandpa Sam.  Sean was held a lot and was awake for most of our visit until he peacefully fell asleep in Aunt Linda's arms. 

Cousin Stephanie helped Daddy change Sean's diaper.  We are looking forward to having Cousin Stephanie babysit Sean one day/evening when Mommy & Daddy want to get away for a date night.  :)

After Uncle Stan's, we headed to Avó and Avô's for Christmas Dinner.  Sean stayed awake for this visit too!  Again...more attention and holding from Tia Maria & Paixao (a family friend). 

When we arrived home, Sean was wiped out and fell asleep for most of the evening.

Christmas continued...

On December 26th, Avó and Avô celebrated their 47 year wedding anniversary and it was also Daddy's birthday!   "Happy Birthday Daddy!" 

We headed to Avó and Avô's to open Christmas gifts.  We celebrated Christmas/Anniversary/Birthday with Tia Valeria, Uncle Steve, Cousins Derek & Bryce and of course Avó and Avô.  Avó made a traditional Portuguese dish of Bacalao (a). 

From there, we headed to Grandma Harriet's and Grandpa Richard's for another delicious Christmas/Birthday dinner.  Thanks Grandma Harriet!   Dinner was "topped off" with birthday cake for Daddy made especially by Grandma.  

We opened gifts and Grandma Harriet & Grandpa Richard held Sean.  Sean was awake and loved the attention. 

Sean had a wonderful first Christmas and he is looking forward to 2012! 

(a)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the phantom island. For Portuguese dish, see Bacalhau. Bacallao (or Terra do Bacalhau) was a phantom island depicted on several early 16th century maps and nautical charts. The name first appears on a chart in 1508, but there are earlier accounts of Bacalao. Bacallao literally means "cod" or "stockfish".
According to Gaspar Frutuoso in his work Saudades da Terra written in the 1570s, the Portuguese navigator João Vaz Corte-Real was in 1472 granted lands in the Azores by the king of Portugal, because of his discovery of the Terras do Bacalhau. However, the work of Frutuoso is generally seen as not very reliable as it contains a great deal of misinformation.^[1] Also, Bartolomé de Las Casas wrote about Portuguese voyages of discovery to Tierra de los Bacallao.  This has led some to believe that Corte-Real reached the Americas a couple of decades before Columbus.
Off the northeast tip of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, there is a Baccalao Island; however, it was likely named after the mythical island.

Week 2 at Avó and Avô's

This week Sean stayed at Avó and Avô's for 3 days...Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday.  On Monday, he slept & stayed awake for most of the day.  On Tuesday, Sean slept most of the day.  On Wednesday, Sean laughed and played with Avó and Avô.  When Mommy arrived to pick up Sean on Wednesday, both Avó and Avô commented on what a wonderful day it was with Sean.  They said he was alert, laughing, smiling, playing...  It was a great day for all 3 of them. 

When Mommy picks up Sean, both Avó and Avô seem to be well rested.  Sean is a good baby and by Avó and Avô sharing the responsibility to take care of Sean, it helps them not to be too wiped out.

Prior to Mommy returning to work, Sean was eating every 2 hours.  For the last couple of weeks, he eats more like every 3 hours.  Sean is still gaining weight, but it seems likes it's taking longer.  He's over 11 1/2 lbs.  He is well and healthy. 

We continue to be extra cautious with him, asking visitors who want to touch or hold him to wash their hands. 

We are all over our cold.  The Egger Family is healthy and looking forward to 2012.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Sean's Mommy & Daddy

The End is only the Beginning

We finished reading a book written by two Pediatrician's:  Laura A. Jana M.D.  & Jennifer Shu M.D. 

They ended their book with parting insights/thoughts about becoming a parent:

• It seems like everyone's doing it.
• It's a guaranteed adventure.
• If you're lucky you fall right into your new role, but for most of us it takes a good bit of time, effort & patience.
• It has a way of taking over your life, but your find that you wouldn't want it any other way.
• It serves as a reminder that everything is always easier said than done.
• You are bound to run into obstacles along the way.  You will be the exception to the rule if you don't have days when you doubt yourself.
• Having faith & sticking with it always pay off in the end.
• People are going to judge you.  Regardless of what they think,  if you do your best and remain committed to learning new things along the way, you'll always have something to be proud of.
• Striving for perfection is great, but expecting to achieve it is a setup for failure.

Source:  Heading Home With Your Newborn - From Birth to Reality

Daddy, Mommy & Sean catch their first cold of the season

Daddy was sick with a cold last weekend.  Mommy & Sean felt great until Thursday morning of this week.  We caught our first cold of the season, stuffy nose, sore throat, cough...etc.  Mommy & Sean stayed home Friday.  Sean went to visit the Doctor.  Thankfully, doctor said it was "just a cold".  

Sean enjoyed himself at Avó and Avô's for 3 days this week.  Avó does the diaper changing and Avô feeds Sean.  They are working as a team and what a good team they are celebrating their 47 year wedding anniversary on December 26th. 

Work is going well for Mommy, but I sure miss Sean, but check in a few times a day to see how he is doing.

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

Sean receives his 2nd of 5 Synagis injections

Sean received his 2nd Synagis injection.  Sean has stayed healthy through the season.  Both Daddy & one of Sean's cousins were ill, but with frequent hand washing we were able to keep the germs away from baby Sean.

Mommy returns to work today.  It's been an incredible experience being home with Sean these last 12 weeks.  I will miss him, but I know he will be in good hands with his Avó and Avô.

Corrected Age Two Months (Post-Term)

Sean turned 2 months (corrected) on December 3rd.  Here is what we can expect developmentally in month 2. 

• General Behavior:  Different infants like different amounts of movement and play.
• Hearing:  Infants begin to show facial gestures in response to sounds or voices.
• Vision:  Infants can tell the difference between reds, oranges, blue-greens, blue-reddish purples, bluish purples, and white.  At this age they cannot tell the difference between whites, yellow and greens.
• Movement & Postioning:  Their head control continues to improve.  Infants will now hold small rattles in their hands for movement.
• Eating:  Infants may only require one nightime feeding.

Source:  Parents Guide:  Developmental Support of Low-Birth Weight Infants

Sean reaches one of his first milestones!

Tummy Time - We've been putting Sean on his tummy daily when he is alert & awake.  Minutes ago he rolled over for the first time from front to back!   Yipeeeee!!!!!  Way to go Sean!   Sean it now 2 months corrected (on December 3rd), so he's right on time for rolling over!  

Sean's Mommy & Daddy

When Should My Baby Start Roling Over?

In order for your baby to roll over he needs to have a strong upper body, good control of his head and neck, and be able to coordinate his arm and leg movements well. Most babies learn to roll from front to back first because front to back rolling requires less strength and coordination. Your baby may learn to roll from front to back as early as age 2-3 months. Rolling from back to front is a more difficult milestone and your baby may be 5-6 months before he starts rolling from back to front.

Tummy time and rolling over

Because rolling over requires a lot of upper body strength, it is important that your baby gets daily "tummy time” to help him develop strong muscles and good control of his neck. Babies that don’t get a lot of tummy time may take longer to start rolling over. Try to place your baby on his tummy when he is awake and alert. This will help him with rolling over and other developmental milestones. Tummy time should be supervised until your baby can roll over in both directions.

Source:  justmommies.com

Sean loves Daddy & Daddy loves Sean

I can't express what a blessed Wife & Mommy I am.  Daddy is awesome!  Sean was pampered by Daddy last night.  Daddy gave Sean his bath.  After his bath, Sean fell quickly asleep in Daddy's arms.  While he was sleeping, Daddy gave Sean a manicure (trimmed and filed his nails).  Prior to his bath, Daddy massaged Sean's legs, feet and arms. 

We weighed Sean after his bath.  He's at 11.5 lbs!   He's getting heavier. 

We had a good day with cousins Derek & Bryce yesterday.  They came over for  visit and then we all took a walk to the park (except for Derek, he ran - way to go Derek!)

Sean's Mommy

Being Sean's Mommy - sharing Sean with others

It's early in the AM, but I am feeling inspired to write.  I just laid Sean down in bed for his nap time.  Sean woke me up for his 6AM feeding.  After his feeding, I held him against my chest and he nestled his head in my neck.  He contently found his "happy place".  At that moment, I was filled with appreciation to God for giving us such a wonderful, beautiful and healthy baby boy. 

Being Sean's Mommy has been such a blessing in my life.  We have really bonded during these last several weeks at home and also when he was in the hospital.  I went to visit him every day in the hospital and as soon as I was able to hold him, I held him each day.  He clearly knows who his Mommy & Daddy are and I believe he feels our love.  We are filled with so much love for him that it feels like it pours out from us into our sweet baby boy. 

Mommy returns to work in just over a week.  I have been enjoying the endless hours taking care of Sean during the days.  It has been a huge joy and also hard work.  I think it can be hard at times because Daddy & Mommy are growing as parents and newborns are incredibly dependent.  And also because this is a new experience.  Eventually, it will become second nature for us.  It's already getting easier and more natural each day. 

I had a thought that came to me this morning as I was holding sweet Sean in my arms (I believe it was God speaking to me).  This is what He said, "I know it's difficult to know you will be leaving Sean and going back to work soon, but it's now time to share him with others (Avô, Avó, cousins Derek & Bryce) who will also love him very much and give them a chance to love Sean and get to know him."  God's words gave me peace.  Yes...by Mommy returning to work, this will give Sean's grandparents and cousins a chance to build a relationship with Sean.  They also want to get to know Sean and a chance to shower him with their love. 

Sean's Mommy