Tummy time = nap time

We've been letting Gabriel periodically have his tummy time in his pack n' play. Looks like he's working out those neck muscles really well :)

Gabriel Relaxing

Here is a quick video of little Gabriel relaxing in his crib and enjoying his mobile, which was donated by his cousin Lydia...thanks Lydia!

Happy 1 month!

Gabriel is 1 month old today. Wow...where have the days gone? We can't believe it has already been a month since our little boy entered the world. He is doing well and continues to grow every day. He now weighs 9 pounds, 5 ounces and is 21.5 inches. He's gained almost 2 pounds since his birth! Our Pediatrician says Gabriel is in the 50th percentile for weight, length and head circumference. Right where we want him to be. He also had his first shot today...the first Hepatitis B from a series of 3.

Gabriel is starting to make good eye contact and seems to actually focus on your face if you talk to him. He has really good head/neck control. Although we still need to support his head when we pick him up, his head bobs less and less every day.

Baby Pictures

The photographer who shot our maternity pictures a few weeks ago came by the house today for a newborn photo shoot.

Here is a sample of one of the pictures that she took of Gabriel. More to come soon.

First sponge bath

The nurses at the hospital bathed Gabriel for us during our stay. We definitely had an experience giving him his sponge bath tonight. The only time he really cries is when we change his diaper or unwrap him from his blanket - most likely because he gets cold. He didn't care too much for the bath we gave him as he cried the whole time. His "manhood" was exposed out in the open a little too long and decided to give Aunt Sylvia a "bath" too. Luckily Nana Sandy was there to shield the rest of his pee from saturating the carpet.

First night - sleeping beauty

Well, we made it through our first night with flying colors. Gabriel is such a great sleeper! He slept 4 1/2 hours straight during the night. Jenelle had to go check on him at one point to make sure he was okay because he didn't wake us up to nurse. We hope this is going to be a continued pattern.

We're home

It's nice to be home again and sleeping in our own bed. Gabriel didn't make a peep on the car ride home from the hospital. We have great support from our families and they welcomed us with the usual support and love.

We're going home - September 5th

A typical stay in the hospital post-delivery is 48 hours. We had to extend our stay just a tad to make sure Jenelle and Gabriel were well enough to leave. Baptist Beaches has a great nursing staff that took exceptional care of Jenelle and Gabriel. We ended up staying in the hospital for 5 nights. The night before we were supposed to leave we were notified that Gabriel had jaundice. His bilirubin levels were pretty high so he had to receive photo therapy for about 17 hours (which meant he had to stay in the nursery) and we had to supplement his feedings with formula to make sure he was receiving enough food to "poop it out". After Gabriel was cleared to be discharged with the jaundice under control, Jenelle had several readings of elevated blood pressure. We then had to stay an additional night to ensure her blood pressure was fine. Mom and baby are doing just fine now - Gabriel is now breastfeeding again and Jenelle's blood pressure is being monitored.

Welcome Gabriel!

After 38 weeks and 5 days of brewing in the womb and 8 hours and 45 minutes of labor...Gabriel Steven Montesinos entered the world on September 1st at 3:45am. He weighed 7.64 ounces and was 20.9 inches. What a special experience this was! I am normally not the one to post on the blog, but wanted to show my appreciation. Steven has been so great in helping me get through the pregnancy - from making me meals, to doing laundry, to cleaning and making sure I get my rest - I cannot thank him enough for his support. He was such a good "coach" during labor and did everything he could to make sure I was comfortable.