8 weeks

i start all of these updates the same {or similar} way: "it's hard to believe ..." BUT it is hard to believe how much our little dude has grown over these past weeks - he's officially outgrown all of the newborn sized clothing, and now in 3 month sizes though they're a little big in the legs. his cheeks kill me. levi now coos and says "goo" {so now i keep saying he will someday be the CEO of Google}. he's more alert, tracking objects and faces with his eyes. it melts my heart when hubby sits next to him and plays the guitar during tummy time, or makes up a song and sings to levi about "milkies".

he's also growing more interested in his bouncy chair / rocker where he hangs out with his "friends" aka the animals hanging overhead. now that the weather has been better, we've been getting out for more walks, and trying to get a schedule going for our day. it pretty much starts around 6am - 7am, and then he snoozes every 2 hours for 30-45 minutes until the afternoon when he naps for 1-3 hours.

these last two weeks have been a bit challenging as levi's periods of fussiness seem to have increased - and a few really difficult overnights with him waking every 1-2 hours to nurse and/or waking because of gas. we've tried gripe water, gas drops, and now trying some probiotics to see if it helps. we also have to burp him frequently. he's just a gassy guy. i've also cut dairy out of my diet completely to see if that helps at all. so far, i can't tell - but i'm going to give it a few more weeks and then see how he responds to it. these past few nights, he's done better - and last night he slept in his longest stretch so far: 7.5 hours. i almost cried.

even bleary-eyed in the middle of the night, i can't help but smile when i see this little guy who needs his mama. it's a feeling that is hard to describe, and i wouldn't trade it for anything.

xoxo,

PJ

PS: hubby dressed levi for the day ... cracks me up mostly because he's wearing little socks that look like high tops and a  onesie that says "mommy rocks" {and he knows how i feel about the cheesy onesies ...}.

PPS: it was extremely windy today, hence the hand on the head and the fly-aways. but levi's facial expression in the second photo is my favorite.

6 weeks

 

it's hard to believe that baby L is now 6 weeks old. these past weeks have been some of the most challenging and rewarding weeks of my life. you mamas know what i mean by that. i wouldn't trade these weeks for the world. and i wouldn't complain if L would sleep for 7 continuous hours overnight.

L is starting to sleep for longer stretches at nighttime (5.5 is the most so far ...). he's also starting to do a late morning / early afternoon nap that gives this mama a nice little break to shower, get dressed, and eat a meal with both hands. he's developed a case of baby acne, or some sort of a rash which makes his little face look so sad. i hope it goes away soon :( he started smiling more this week, which just cracks me up. it's adorable! he also has been doing more "giggles" in his sleep, which just make me so excited for the time that he's going to actually giggle while he's awake and entertained with something. he's still growing and eating like a champ. papa has still been doing a few bottles a week, and L chugs it down pretty well. he's a pretty gassy baby, so we're still figuring out how best to help him with that. poor little guy. now that the weather has been warmer, we have been trying to get out for a little walk every day. and although i have my go-ahead from my midwife to start working out again, i've given myself two more weeks to get L on more of a schedule.

in partially related news, i've officially reached my halfway point of my maternity leave. it's crazy to think that i've got to go back to work in 6 weeks when all i currently want to do is watch L every waking moment so i don't miss anything. this will be a difficult transition, i just know it. good thing i've got a few more weeks to figure out my feelings.

xoxo,

PJ

5 weeks

Little L turned 5 weeks old this week, and I cannot believe how much he's changing. He's starting to "talk" more - he's always been a grunter and squeaker, but now it's turning into more of a cooing noise. It's adorable. He still isn't fond of having his diaper changed, but before and after, he's starting talking on the changing table. He's also thisclose to smiling, and his papa saw him make a little coo and do a half-smile yesterday while this mama missed it. Oh, well - I know there will be millions more to witness, and I just can't wait. We're still working on the sleeping-through-the-night business as there are some good nights where he'll sleep for 4 hours, and some bad nights where he's up every 1.5 hours to nurse. We're figuring it out. And I'm just so grateful that I still have 7 weeks until I have to go back to work - though I know it's going to just fly by. Also - I've discovered he likes having his hair brushed, hence his crazy 'do after Thursday's bath.



 

xoxo,

PJ

easter 2013

 

this year, we celebrated easter for the first time as a family of three {four with lennon}. we took L to church for the first time and he got to meet more of our friends and family. although it's super distracting taking a newborn to church, it's important to Hubby and I that we introduce L to church and teach him the importance of faith in our lives. hopefully this is something that L will incorporate into his life as well. i find myself overwhelmed with the responsibility to teach him about love and faith; also blessed that this is something that i get to share with him.

after church, we continued the celebration of easter with dinner, a family nap, and then opened easter baskets from both sets of grandparents. although L didn't get any easter candy {mama did, so i guess he got to taste some cadbury chocolate} - he did get some new toys, a few outfits, and a book about easter from Hubby's parents.

it was a special day made complete by L wearing his very first "outfit" put together by mama - a white button down, cardigan, and pants. this prompted our first easter family photo {see above}.

i will just make one more comment about how husbands suddenly become 10x more attractive when they're holding your baby?? dang.



xoxo,
PJ

4 weeks

 

our little dude turned 4 weeks last thursday. i cannot believe how fast these past weeks have gone. i love taking these weekly photos because it's fun to track how much L has changed. he's starting to fill out more, and his cheeks are starting to get bigger - i can't help but kiss them 100x a day! it's so fun to watch him discover things, respond to voices and track with his eyes. he really likes the sunlight and the sound of mama and papa's voice. he loves to be swaddled for night time sleep {although there's not much night time sleep happening}. he's not so crazy about bath time or snot sucker time. he loves hanging out on the changing table and looking at the face of whoever is changing him. he's gassy a lot and poots and burps almost as loud as his papa. he gets lots of hiccups and makes an adorable little whimper sound after he lets out a huge burp. he purses his lips when he's pooping.

his eyes look blue now, but we wonder when they settle on their color if they will stay blue like papa's or change to green like mama's. L still nurses like a champ and eats 10-14 times a day. he took his first bottle from dad on the day he turned 4 weeks and did great! we've also introduced the paci, but L still isn't crazy about it, and doesn't like to take it from mama. he loves to sleep on grandpa's chest for little snoozes; grandma works her magic when L is mister fussy pants. he grunts and squeaks so much that one of his nicknames is "squeaks". L doesn't love tummy time, but tolerates it enough to wiggle around and bob his head up and down with lots of encouragement.

these are the things i want to remember about these first weeks with our little dude.

xoxo,

PJ