Happy two months to Zachary today! I can't believe that he's already two months old. I also can't believe that last Friday marked seven weeks that I'd been home from the hospital. It's hard to compare the 'length' of the seven weeks that I'd been home to the seven weeks that I'd been in good 'ol rooms 645 and 644. The whole experience -- hospital stay and post-hospital life -- still seems strangely long, surreal and sort of out of body. I remember with Matthew the first couple of months being a bit of a blur, so I try to realize that I'm in that weird newborn baby transition blur time right now. I do feel that the last week or so has gotten better. Life seems to have settled down a little bit. Nursing is definitely going more smoothly, Matthew has been so good with Zach and has really mellowed out quite a bit, and sleep is pretty good. I'm surviving well without naps, though I wouldn't complain if I could still get them occasionally.

I've been taking the boys out for walks pretty much everyday in my beautiful jogging stroller. I'd say my relationship with the Dreamer Ditto is a bit like that of a man and his hot rod. I take a lot of pride in it and enjoy telling people how smoothly it drives and filling them in on it's special features (even if they really don't care). I even had a guy at the store comment on it and ask where I'd gotten it. Yeah, it's pretty sweet. It's been great walking so much and really the only time I still feel the impact of bedrest is when I squat or kneel. My knees definitely are still suffering the bedrest aftermath. But for the most part, I'm feeling good and can't wait to start running again. This Saturday, Mike and I will commence the 'Couch to 5K' training program together. Should be interesting!

I take Zach in for his two month check-up on Friday, so I'll have details then on his stats. (weight, height, where he falls on the growth chart, etc.). We know he's doing well since he's filling in his 0-3 month clothes nicely and is outgrowing his newborn-size diapers!

So, Project Fat Camp Jenny is underway. Man! All of my running weight-loss was very much undone by pregnancy-meets-bedrest-meets-bulk-up-baby-101. So, I'm back where I started. I've got a good 40 pounds to lose, people. We'll get there, it'll just be slow-going. It's hard to find time to make healthier food and to get my walks (hopefully soon runs) in, but I'm bound and determined, so hopefully I can start shedding all those protein shakes that the nurses were feeding me...I do kind of miss those though. They chocolatey and fairly tastey!

Zachary is growing in the opposite - fatten up - direction! He now weighs approximately 8 pounds and is definitely nursing better...still room for improvement in that area, but at least my Mastitis issues have gone away. Thank goodness. Zach gave Mike a very nice Father's Day present -- his first big on-purpose-non-gas-related smile. He also cooed for the first time later in the day. He's also given me the gift of being a good sleeper at night. We get to bed around 11:30 usually and sleep for about five straight hours before his next feed and then we usually get a couple more hours before we're up for the day. So, while it is interrupted sleep, I'm getting about seven hours which is way better than a lot of people get with young ones. Zachary achieves this incredible sleep by pretty much non-stop nursing from 5pm-11pm. Matthew did the exact same thing from a month-old on. It's apparently their way of making up for lost time in the womb. So, my evenings consist of sitting, nursing, getting about a fifteen minute break once he's been burped, and then starting all over again. I don't mind it though if it means we only get up once during the night.

Matthew has been such a good big brother. When Zachary starts crying he tells him, "It's OK, Zachy. It's OK. Mommy's coming," and gives him little pats on the head or tummy. His toddler-'tude has also mellowed down a bit (or we really have gotten better at dealing with it). He's also been using the potty more. We have a Potty Chart where we put his well-earned stickers and once he gets a certain amount he picks a surprise from the Potty Bag. The surprises are, you guessed it! Small trucks and cars!

I've been teaching a four week session of Little Ditties toddler music class which has been fun. Mike took last Friday off and got to attend class for the first time . After that we (the Martin fam) went to the movie theater and saw 'Cars'. Matthew, of course, loved it and has been talking about it nonstop. Zachary, on the other hand, most have been bored, 'cuz he slept through the whole thing.

Why is there a crazy lady working at the Peditrician's office? That just doesn't make sense to me. I brought Zachary in yesterday for a weigh-in and Hep-B vaccine. (He weighs 7.9 which is the least amount of weight gain he's had in a week yet, but that's probably due to my illness slowing things down). So, he gets his shot and as soon as he's done, I'm about to pick him up to comfort him (he's pretty much done crying by the time she's got the bandaid on him though), when the Crazy Lady picks him up and kisses him on the top of the head....???? OK, I know my baby is very kissable and all, especially the top of his head as it is the best location for a whiff of his natural 'eau de bebe', BUT first of all she's not family or friend, she's a crazy lady nurse, second of all...WHAT WERE YOU THINKING KISSING A BABY IN THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE, LET ALONE A PREEMIE? So, she does this kissing, I stand there shocked, and then she says, "I haven't held any babies yet today, so I shouldn't have too many germs." Um. Uh-huh. To which I responded, "I hope not as you just kissed my child," and reached out to take Zachary from Crazy Lady. So, the doctors and nurses always tell you to keep your infant -- especially Preemies -- from germs and from strangers' touch, but how do you keep them from Crazy Kissy Lady nurses in the doctors office?!

OK, so God just really likes to challenge me (because apparently I can handle it even if I don't want to). So things went from bad to worse and yesterday (Sunday), I had a temperature of 103.5. It's amazing what a difference a couple of degrees can make. 101.6 felt like I'd been run over by a semi, 103.5 felt like the semi decided, "Oh wait. No. I'm not quite done. Better back over her a few more times." Thankfully, that was the fever spike, as this morning I had no fever just the aftermath -- sore all over, dizzy, and fatigued. Anyway, I am on the mend and am so glad that those antibiotics finally kicked in. Now we just have to hope that Zachary and I can successfully nurse before it's time to wean.

Just when you think things can't get any harder, you get Mastitis (or at least I do). For those of you lucky enough to not know what Mastitis is, I'll educate: Mastitis is a horrible-bad terribleness caused by breastfeeding issues, and I have it. Symptoms include: a lot of soreness in the nursing regions (trying to keep it non-gorey here, people) accompanied by body achiness, a fever (101.6 for me), dizziness, headache, chills and then hot flashes, etc. So after a six week vacation, I was back on bedrest today as that's all I felt up to doing. Luckily I was able to get the on-call OB to phone in for antibiotics. Hopefully, they'll start working REALLY soon. My temperature's already down to 99, so I'm sure I'll be feeling even better tomorrow. Thank GOD that today was Saturday and that Mike was home to take care of all of us. I even felt too weak to hold Zachary to burp him. Matthew was also a REALLY good boy today -- like a different child! -- so that was helpful. He was looking out the window tonight and said, "Woah, it's pretty. Look at all those pretty houses." Zachary has been a good boy too -- eating, sleeping, doing tummy time, and being all around very cute.

Today was a musical day. I played my flute for the first time in months. I love that, while I am rusty, it's definitely like riding a bike -- especially my concert and competition pieces that I worked up so much in high school. I'm sure it would not be an easy task for me to conquer a new Concerto today, but the ones that I know come back fairly easily, and I love that!

So, I taught my first toddler Music class today (not first ever, just first in quite some time). I decided to teach a four week session because: a. I miss it, b. I was very bummed when I had to cancel the last session due to bedrest and c. we could use a little extra money with all of our incoming hospital bills. Since my decision, I've gone back and forth between being excited to teach again and asking myself, "what the heck were you thinking?!" It may only be a 45 minute class once a week for four weeks and that sounds very reasonable, but come on! Somedays it's an achievement just to get showered and dressed!

Anyway, class did go well despite having an interesting morning beforehand. I was attempting to nurse one child (which is not going very well) and trying to calm the other during a meltdown-tantrum; I do believe that at one point we were all in tears. Oye. But we got through and class was good. Zachary cooperated by sleeping through class upstairs in his crib and Matthew did...OK with sharing me.

Speaking of our eldest. In a fit of toddler rage a few days ago (whilst he should have been napping), Matthew ripped apart a picture book from the bookcase in his room. Now, this was not just any book and, I'm convinced, this was not just any random ripping. The book our son chose to demolish was 'Will You Still Love Me' [I don't have an underlining option for the book title]. This book tells the sweet story of polar bear Polo who is wondering if his parents will still love him when his new sibling is born. (Sorry to ruin the surprise ending for you, but yes, they will still love him). We got the book for Matthew for Christmas and it pretty much makes me cry every time I read it (along with 'Guess How Much I Love You' -- another tear-jerker classic). When Mike hesitantly told me what Matthew had done to the book, I exclaimed, "he hates us!" So, is this little man trying to send us a message?! Loud and clear. Is it time to call Dr. Phil, I ask unto you?! :)

Zachary is a whopping 7lbs.4oz! Look out, Sumo baby! I was anxious to see how much he weighed today since we've been pretty much nursing all feeds for the last six days. Looks like he's eating and gaining just fine. (7lbs.3oz. was the minimum goal weight for today). Nursing has been getting a little bit easier though we're still having some issues (I'll spare you the gorey details). It's frustrating but I know it'll get better. Just seems a bit cruel that after you go through pregnancy and then childbirth you still have to go through the pain and frustration of figuring out nursing, which is not necessarily the instinctual process you think it might be. Oh well, such is life. Moving on...Matthew has been getting a bit more back into his mellow marvelous self (either that or we're just getting better at handling the tantrum-meltdown Matthew). He's still recovering from my whole hospital bedrest stay and gets very upset every time I leave. I went for a walk the other day and could hear him crying through the open windows three houses away. Sorry, neighbors.

By the way, be sure to visit our website http://mikenjennymartin.home.comcast.net Mike will get new pictures up tonight or tomorrow.

I caught my boys having a very sweet moment today. Zachary was down on the quilt for tummy time and Matthew had joined him (as he often does). Matthew was softly rubbing Zachary's head and whispering, "I love you, Zachary. Love you," and then kissed him on the top of the head. Life just doesn't get any better than that.

I wish to share a cute anecdote with you all. Here goes:

So, the other day we had a thunder and lightning storm. Matthew was a little freaked out, so without thinking I told him what my Mom used to tell me when I was little which was that the thunder was just the angels bowling up in heaven. (Yes, I'm Therese and can't even help myself. Slowly, but also freakishly fast at the same time, I am turning into Therese! OK, it's not a terrible thing. FYI, 'Crashing their garbage can lids' is also another good answer to the thunder question). Anyway, Matthew spent all afternoon asking questions about the angels "booming" [the thunder]. At one point he was looking out the window at the pouring rain (or so I thought), I asked him if he was watching the rain and he said no, he was watching the angels flying. Huh. I said, "but we can't really see the angels, right?" To which he responded, "Nope they're too far away." And then he asked where they were, and I said they were up in heaven with God. Then later in the day he asked where they were again, I repeated the afore-mentioned answer. And then he said "Where's Jesus?" (I gave the same answer) and then he said, "Where's Rachel?" [Rachel being my best friend from childhood and one of Matthew's absolute FAVORITE play-buddies.] "Uh...Rachel's at work, I think" [at a State Park]. Then Matthew said, "with Jesus?" So, MY question for you is: Is Jesus a park ranger up in Bellingham and we just don't know it?!

Happy my Due Date to one and all! So, now that Zachary can 'officially' be here maybe we'll start taking care of him and feeding him and stuff. Right. I celebrated my due date today by bringing little Zach back to the 6th floor to visit my amazing Labor and Delivery nurses. Those gals really were like family to me for seven weeks and while I don't miss rooms 645 or 644 I definitely miss them. They're like chicken soup for my soul -- phenomenal women -- and it was so great to see them. I thought it was very fitting that I spend some time on the L & D floor with my nurses on my due date! They were thrilled to see Zachary and how much he's changed since he came home with us a month ago. In four weeks he's gone from 4lbs.12oz to about 7 pounds. It doesn't sound like much but when you're that little, every ounce counts!