Flashing The Birdman and Good Poops

On July 1, 2012 we were blessed to welcome 6 lbs and 5 oz of Declan James goodness into the world. Unless you have been hiding under a rock in some remote, third world country, you've seen at least one or two of the millions of pictures Matt has posted. (Even Lydia, who has been in third world countries noticed.) What you haven't seen is the other son Matt and I brought home. World, meet the Birdman.

About twelve hours after bringing Declan home we noticed him-- the alter ego-- the Birdman. He strikes every three hours or so and doesn't leave until he gets a bottle. The Birdman is relentless; he sucks anything in neck's reach until he hones in on his enfamil filled query. Binkies (or pacies, depending on what part of the country you're from apparently), fingers, arms, even Matt's nose. (That last one was actually pretty funny to watch.)

I blame the Birdman for very little peace in the Dunham household the past two weeks, but I also credit him with the near two pounds Declan gained in two weeks' time. Well done, Birdman.

Life has been pretty crazy since bringing Declan home, but we wouldn't trade a moment of it. Everything has changed. The way we sleep (or don't sleep), the way we eat, the times we relax (and don't)-- they're all different. Even the things we talk about are drastically different.

For example, before Declan I, for some reason (and I'm embarrassed to admit this), hated to say the word "poop." I hated it. I blushed every time I had to say it. I would use code words like "number two" and "the p word."

This morning, upon hearing that Declan had a normal bowel movement, I exclaimed to Matt "Good poops! Good poops!" That's the best way to describe how my life has changed.

The reason I was so excited for "good poops!" was because Declan's tummy had not been taking well to Similac formula. The poor guy was in a good amount of pain after nearly every feeding. We tried switching to a sensitive stomach version, different burping positions, and even diluting his bottles with a bit of water. In the end it was a little karo syrup and enfamil that did the trick. Maybe only Declan was more excited than I was.

So that's what's mostly been going on with the Dunham family. Declan flashes me the birdman to indicate he's hungry. Mom and Dad respond accordingly. Sleep. Process. Repeat. Praise the Lord!