I hope you’ve had a great weekend. We spent the weekend with friends, enjoying the sun and luxuriating in the very mild temperatures Washington State is having right now (yes, we feel very lucky when we look at the heat wave elsewhere in the US).

Jamisen met his first puppy this weekend, Cookie, an adorable addition to Team Breakfast Cookie. He seemed to be interested by what was in Jamisen’s diaper. =) And while the babies played, Erin (the brains behind Baker’s Breakfast Cookies) and I read and relaxed. I’m reading the new Ann Patchett book, State of Wonder, and can hardly put it down. Her writing is so nuanced and the storyline is unique, with widely drawn characters and a likeable protagonist. If you’re reading anything fantastic, I would love to get your recommendations.

Jamisen continues to rock my world – his little smile absolutely makes me want to walk over hot coals, his cooing takes away all tiredness pain and his little hands and feet make my heart melt like hot butter. His Daddy is an equal great fan (as are his grandparents). These are some of the things that have made the transition to parenthood (and working Mommyhood!) easier.

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That’s right, Jamisen is 1 month old! Can you believe how fast time has gone by already? It’s funny – the nights are long, long, long and the days are mostly short – unless he’s crying and then they’re long. I’m sure all the other parents out there reading this understand that. =)

Thank you to everyone that posted and commented on Jaminsen’s immature digestive system. Something we did is working – but I’m not sure which thing because I threw the kitchen sink at it. I’m off dairy, all gassy veggies, all beans and soy (on the plus side, no dairy means that I’m losing weight like  nobody’s business). Jamisen is on anti-gas drops at every feeding. I’m feeding him upright. We’ve switched Probiotics and lowered the dose.  I’m strictly following Le Leche League ‘best practices’ for breastfeeding. I’m drinking enough Chamomile Tea to turn me yellow. Jamisen is going to baby chiropractic and baby craniosacral therapy. And something in that whole mix worked because he is no longer a gassy baby.

What is new and different is that now that the gas is gone, the reflux has appeared. It was always there (looking back at my notes) but was masked by the obvious clenching of little legs and fists when he was feeling bloated and unable to figure out how to fix it. Though he is gaining weight like a champ (15 ounces in a little over a week!), he is spitting up a minimum of 3 times per feeding and cries when he does, has the classic wet burps and bad vomit breath and gets  hiccups a lot every day. Our Pediatrician had us elevate his bed, keep him upright for 30 minutes after every feeding (did I mention the long nights?!), stay off the dairy and soy, try soy formula at one feeding per day and burp him many times in a feeding but Lil Man still wasn’t getting relief so we are trying Baby Zantac for him this week. I have promised my (Doctor) Father (Jamisen’s very proud Grandpa) that I will not leave Jamisen on Baby Zantac indefinitely but for now, I’ll do anything to let this little guy get some rest and relief. And, as usual, it takes a village so if you have any suggestions, chime in! I want to hear them.

I love being a Mom so much. I’m already lobbying Chris for a second one – I know Jamisen will appreciate having a little baby brother or sister. PS – Can’t get enough of Jamisen? He has his own Twitter account where there are lots of updates and photos daily. Follow @bramblebump here.

It will come as no surprise to anyone with children that our entire lives have shifted with Jamisen’s arrival. We are both tired and euphoric, all the time, and every day brings exciting new challenge and joy. I’ve been taking Jamisen to work with me a few afternoons and so far, it’s been highly inefficient but when your tummy is the size of a golf ball, ya’ gotta wake up to eat a lot. It probably doesn’t help the efficiency that my grasp of the English language seems to have diminished greatly along with my sleep.

Working from home has been a bit easier (missed the home set up post? Click here to see it) because all of the bag o’ tricks (swing, official changing table, lots of different clothes, all kinds of swaddling clothes, four kinds of pacifiers) is at home. I’m still getting to know Jamisen so I don’t always know what to do when he screams so having a multitude of options to try and soothe him has saved me on more than one occasion.

Sometimes, he does scream inconsolably and I don’t know what to do. It seems that our little guy might be a bit gassy. I’m going to eliminate dairy from my diet; we have two kinds of gripe water; lil man is on baby probiotics but if anyone has any suggestions on how to relieve his pain, I’d love to hear it. There’s not a lot worse in life than hearing your child cry in pain and not be able to fix it.

There is no doubt that this lil man, gas or not, is exceedingly loved by everyone in his life. Grandma and Grandpa are especially delighted with him. In fact, I’m pretty sure they don’t notice if me and Chris are in the room when Jamisen is there. We’re okay with him being the show stopper though; he’s the show stopper in our lives too.

Home office is officially set up! Jamisen loves working with Mom.

I can’t get through a day without a warm cup of tea (I’m that way at the BB office), my multiple laptops, the iPhone close at hand and yes, lil’ man right beside me all the time. It’s been a great couple of days working from home.

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I just couldn’t help myself and had to see Mr. Jamisen Louis again on Sunday before heading to Easter dinner with friends and family. It was such a joy witnessing the happy little family with their new baby boy.

This has to be my favorite picture of all time. Look at his tiny little fingers!

Big yawn!

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