Julian Still A Feather-Weight

Another trip to the pediatrition's office today for a weigh-in. He barely tipped the scales at 7 lbs. We were told to up the amount of feedings from 8 to 10 in twenty-four hour period. Neither mom or dad were happy to hear that they would be getting even less sleep than they already are. Is that even possible? Julian didn't seem to mind the news though.

Right Handed?

Julian has been favoring his right hand. Just 2 weeks old and he's already got a decent grasp on his pacifier.

This is what he looks like after a good feeding: passed out!

January 16, 2008

We are proud to announce that Julian now has a belly button as his umbilical cord fell off.

Julian also had what is commonly known as "tongue-tie", so we had his frenulum (that stringy piece of skin under one's tongue) snipped on Tuesday in an attempt to allow him to latch on better when feeding and not torture his mother. So far it has been somewhat successful but time will tell...

Julian is also getting to know his older sister (of sorts), Nika, who seems to have taken to her little brother and cannot seem to stop trying to bathe him with her tongue.

A Few Random Photos

Just wanted to post a few additional photos. He seems to be changing a little bit each day!

Settling Into A Routine

It's hard to believe that the human body can function on so little sleep. Since his birth, Dianna and I haven't had more than a few consecutive hours of sleep. Julian gets fed roughly every 2-3 hours, and the sessions (which include diaper changes) last roughly an hour, leaving little time for mom and dad to nap again before repeating the cycle. It is now Sunday night and Julian is 8 days old. The no-sleep cycle not only continues, but is becoming more irregular as a healthier Julian has an equally healthy and more frequent appetite. Dianna and I only exist to serve this very demanding creature.


Good thing for him he is so cute. (No bias here.)

Tough First Few Days

Julian was having a hard time feeding after we brought him home on Monday. He wouldn't latch well, and often wouldn't even take a bottle. His low caloric intake wasn't helping his body to reduce the biliruben levels in his blood. This was compounded by the bruises he recevied as a result of the suction used to assist in his delivery.

Monday morning he went to see his pediatrition and they immediately sent us to Steven's Hospital to have his biliruben levels tested. After running the blood test they contacted a service who would set up an in-home phototherapy bed and have a specialist come over to the house every day to weigh him and test biliruben levels. He neededed to be in the bed at all times outside of being fed and diaper changes.

Slowly but surely (after several sleepless nights and days) he began to eat more, gain weight and eventually his biliruben levels lessened. On Saturday the 10th the 'bili-bed' was removed. His mom and dad were very happy to have the giant night lite out of the house.

Family Comes To Visit

My nephew Ryan was anxious to hold Julian.

First Bath and a Proud Father and Mother

Dianna's labor lasted roughly 16 hours. Here he is with mom & dad and enjoying his first bath.

Julian Enters the World!

Julian Michael Joseph Shook entered the world on Saturday, January 3rd, at 9:35pm. He weighed in at 6 pounds 10 ounces. Dad got to help deliver him, cut the cord and hand him over to mom. A cakewalk compared to what Mom had to go through to get him that far.