One Month

 

How in the world has a month gone by since we first met this little guy? I felt like my pregnancy flew by, but these days with little Will are flying by at a rate of speed that I didn't even know was possible. He has absolutely turned our world upside down and inside out, and I think we are amazed every single day how much we are in love with him.

So what is he up to these days? Mostly eating, sleeping, and going through diapers in ridiculous quantities. He is starting to stay awake more these days, and tends to have about an hour in the morning and sometimes 2-3 hours in the evening that he is wide awake and really alert. 

We have started  tummy time, and the pediatrician warned me that he may not like it, but he really doesn't seem to mind. He already has a super strong neck, so he's doing really well with it and likes to show off his skills.

Little boy is also becoming quite the chunky monkey, and putting on some serious weight. At his one month visit yesterday, he was 8 pounds, 4.5 ounces, which means he gained a whopping 1.5 pounds in 2 weeks! He is now 10-25th percentile for weight, still 3rd percentile for length (20 inches long), and 75th percentile for weight for length! So it looks like the first three weeks of eating every 2-2 1/2 hours has paid off, and we are finally getting out of the preemie clothes and starting to wear more newborn, and even some 0-3 months outfits! Gowns seem to fit him the best thought because he's a little on the short side still, and most anything with legs just hangs off of him. 

Speaking of his eating "schedule" (and I use the term "schedule" very, very loosely), he starting spacing his night feedings to 3 hours during his third week, and this week...get ready for it...he has been giving his momma 3 1/2- 4 hour breaks at night! Woo hoo! I feel like a new woman! His actual eating times still vary day to day, but last night he ate at 9:15 pm, 1:30 am, and 5 am. He actually has been pretty consistent with that 5am feeding, but usually follows that up with another feeding at 7:30 or 8. During the day he still eats every 2 1/2-3 hours, but I would much rather have those shorter breaks during the day and the longer stretches at night, so hopefully he is liking this new pattern as much as his mommy is!

I can finally tell who he looks like, although I know this will continue to change, probably on a daily basis at times! But right now, he looks almost identical to my brother, and considering people have always told us how much we look alike, maybe that means he kind of looks like me? Maybe a little?

The top picture is of my brother, the middle one is (obviously) Will, and the bottom is of me and my brother.

We've also enjoyed some of this early spring-like weather and have gone on several walks around the neighborhood. And despite the stink eye he's giving his momma in this picture, he really does like his stroller rides!

He also still loves holding his hands and his Mamaroo swing. And we have to admit, the Mamaroo really is as awesome as we heard it was. This was actually the one thing on our registry that Hunter cared about getting, and it has been great!
 

And you've probably noticed, but he has taken to his pacis pretty well. There are actually two kinds that he likes equally well, and the wubbanub (the one with his little friend attached) is helpful if we have to give him one in the middle of the night, because the weight of the little bear helps to hold it in his mouth a little more. We got it as a gift, but I'm thinking we might have to get another one for back up purposes!

In the sleeping world, we couldn't ask for a better sleeper. He takes great naps during the day, and the few times that we've ventured out of the house, he has slept like a champ in his car seat. At night, he wakes on his own to eat and goes back to sleep on his own almost immediately after I put him back in his crib. There has been only one night so far (knock on wood) that he couldn't seem to get comfortable, and I finally just got up and held him from about midnight until 3 am. But I think his little tummy must have been hurting him, because that has only happened once.

And yes, he's in his own crib. The first two nights we were home, we had him in a bassinet in our room, but he's been in his own room (with a video monitor) since then. As much as I love being around him and knowing he's close by, I do think it's the best thing for us and for him to be in his own room, and I feel like the longer we would have waited to make that transition, the more difficult it would have been on all of us.

Thanks to the great recommendation from my friend Jessica, we use the Miracle Blanket to swaddle him in at night. Little boy is apparently a hot sleeper, and we quickly learned that unless we want to constantly change his soaking wet (from sweat) blanket throughout the night, he only needs to be wearing his diaper when he is swaddled. During the day, I just put him down in whatever he's wearing that day, and might wrap him in a very light blanket (like the Adan + Anais swaddles) depending how cool or warm it feels in our house.

One thing we've learned about having a little boy is that you can't have quick enough reflexes to always block the TT stream. Both Hunter and I have gotten sprayed several times, and he almost always does it while he's getting a bath. I've learned that it's best to keep him covered with a washcloth while I'm bathing the rest of his body. Yesterday, I had one of my prouder moments as a mom as he doused the room at the pediatrician's office. Awesome, Will. That wasn't embarrassing at all. But I was assured that he definitely wasn't the first one to do that, and he wouldn't be the last. That makes you feel even better about the germs that are in a doctor's office, huh?

We can't get over how fast he is growing and changing, and I just wish I could slow down this time with him. Although I still have nearly two months, my return-to-work date is approaching much faster than I would like for it to, so I'm trying my hardest to soak up every moment we have together right now!