8lbs 10ozs

Marley gave us a little scare yesterday. Enough for us to take him into the doctor's office.

Let me go back to a couple weeks ago, at his last doctor's visit. I was convinced that Marley had gastroesophageal reflux. He was spitting up a lot (especially when I laid him down on his back), arching his neck and back after and during eating, and nursing for long periods of time - all signs of reflux. The doctor prescribed Zantac, but Marley's symptoms seemed to improve so I never picked up the prescription. Plus, he was still eating and gaining weight, and he wasn't especially fussy.

Yesterday morning, however, was a different story. He woke up to eat around 4am and I laid him back down around 5. Less than an hour later, he was awake and crying. He wouldn't stop and none of our normal methods of soothing him were working. He especially didn't want anything to do with his pacifier, which was very unusual.

I called the doctor and got an appointment for 9:30. I have a cold and was worried that I had passed something along to Mars. But, the doctor found no signs of infection and Marley's lungs sounded clear (big relief!). So, it looked like the most likely culprit was reflux.

I wish I would have trusted my instincts the first time around. I feel awful that the reflux had to get so bad before we treated it. The poor baby was exhausted when we got back from the doctor's office. He'd been crying all morning and hadn't eaten since 4am. We finally got him to eat around noon (while he was still sleeping).

Now, Mars takes Zantac twice a day. It seems to be helping - at least he hasn't had any more scary crying episodes. It sounds like reflux is pretty common in babies and that most will grow out of it within the first few months. I sure hope so!

8 lbs 4 ozs

Marley got another shot yesterday. Swedish Home Care finally came and gave him a synagis shot for RSV. We've been going back and forth between his doctor, SHC, and the insurance company since he came home trying to get this taken care of. Initially, Premera denied our claim, saying that he wasn't eligible. But when we appealed, they overturned the denial saying that they made a mistake and looked at his date of discharge rather than his date of birth. That was a stressful experience!

Mars is 8 lbs 4 ozs, now and becoming more and more alert every day. He's noticing things around him and staying awake for longer and longer periods of time. He's also latching on for most of his feedings, which is such a relief to his mother:)

Here Mars looks at the mobile over his changing table (sort of). Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Marley had his two month doctor's appointment this morning. His Grammy C held his little hands while he got six vaccinations (three shots), and he hardly even made a fuss. What a good baby! His weight is in the zeroith percentile: 7 lbs 13 ozs. And his length, 21.5 inches, actually made the chart: third percentile!

We have LATCH ON!

Mars and I have been working so hard at breastfeeding since he came home from the hospital. To practice, I always offer him the breast without the nipple shield at the start of each feeding session. Then, when he gets frustrated, I put on the shield. For the first couple of weeks, he reached frustration really quickly. Most of the time he didn't even try to latch on or suck.

About a week before his due date he started to become more interested. He would try for longer and even move his mouth like he was sucking (although he wasn't forming a seal). Last Friday, three days after his due date, Marley latched on! He nursed for about eight minutes and, I swear, I held my breath the whole time.

I was so relieved and excited! But, then we couldn't do it again. I spent the rest of the weekend trying to figure out what we had done. Just when I was feeling like it must've been just a fluke accident, he finally latched on again on Monday night. Then for a third time this morning.

So, I'm willing myself to have patience - even though I feel like we should be able to get it every time now! I have to keep reminding myself that it'll happen eventually. We're just going to keep practicing. Good thing we have lots of opportunities since Mars eats about eight times a day!

Happy Due Date, Mars!

Today is Marley's official due date! We thought we'd celebrate with a new site. For those of you who haven't been following our story, here's the brief version - with videos!

After nearly seven months of uneventful pregnancy, I was put on bed rest due to signs of preterm labor (still no known cause). I stayed home with my feet up beginning December 1, thinking that this was just a precautionary measure. Sorry, no video available. Trust me, it wasn't that exciting.

My water broke at home on December 11, 2007 at 2:00 am. Marley James Franklin was born 21 hours later at 11:02 pm. He was 8 weeks early at just 32 weeks gestation and only 4lbs 5.6oz/17in. This is Marley 36 hours after he was born. He was bruised and swollen and had just gotten his CPAP off. We were extremely relieved that he was doing so well.

Once he had lost his water weight, things were starting to look better (in the head region, at least). But here, at 3 days old, Mars reached his all time lowest weight.

Mars took his first expressed breast milk from a bottle at 6 days old. Before this, he was getting his nutrients through an IV and gavaged breast milk fed to him through a tube in his nose.

Mars continued to eat and grow, bringing us that much closer to going home. Here he is at one week old. Looking very snazzy wearing some of his first clothing!

Mars got his first bath at 11 days old. He loved having his hair washed in the warm water! He still enjoys a good bath!

More eating and growing! Mars got most of his meals in the hospital through a gavage. Here he is at 4 weeks old. The goal was for him to take ALL his feedings orally - not an easy task!

Mars was discharged from the hospital on January 13, 2008. He weighed 5lbs 14oz. We were so glad to finally have him home!

Life at home has been wonderful! Jeff and I have been lucky enough to both be able to stay home. Jeff's been working part-time, mostly from home, and I'm on full-time leave until September. Today at just over 7lbs/20in Marley's a happy, healthy eight week old .