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

thoughts on motherhood: part one

let me start by stating: mothers rule.

before becoming a mother {just a little under a month ago}, i had no idea about the amount of anxiety i would experience about every. little. thing. i've spent more time googling things these past few weeks than i have in the past year. nipple confusion? acid reflux? baby poop colors, textures, and frequency? baby hiccups? baby lip quiver? when to introduce a bottle to a newborn? i'm not being dramatic. on top of the googling, i've been reading various philosophies about sleep training newborns and babies. phew.

i found myself worrying about whether or not L would have nipple confusion if we introduced a pacifier. or when we introduce the bottle, if he will like the bottle more than the breast. it all came to a head at about three weeks postpartum. i was sleep-deprived and emotionally exhausted. not only was i adjusting to this new life with our little guy, but i was spending my *spare* energy worrying about things that may or may not ever happen. in reality, L is on the fence about the pacifier, we still haven't introduced the bottle, baby hiccups are common, and his poop is normal. after an epic meltdown, i felt a weight lifted from my soul - and each day since then has been better.

L eats like a champ and latched on just after he was born, and has been consistent with eating ever since. but since i'm the only one able to feed him, means that he's attached to one of my boobies every 1-3 hours, 24 hours / day. i find myself in this strange state of exhilaration and exhaustion. i do think it's a incredible that my giant boobies have finally been put to work {and man, are they a workin'}.  i love the little grunts he makes when he eats, the way his little hand finds a place to rest hooked around my shirt, and the face he makes just after a marathon feed {i call it "milk face"}. i'm so grateful to have this experience and to bond with my little boy in this way. is it work? yes. but to me, it's worth the sometimes sore nipples and multiple sleep interruptions.

as far as the anxiety goes about doing everything "right" ... one of the best things i've read so far from the baby books? "do what feels natural". i feed L when he shows signs of hunger, without concern for whether or not it's been an hour or three since his last feed. when he's restless in his bassinet, i cuddle him in bed until he calms down and sleeps. i'm not interested in debating the hot topics {breastfeeding on demand, co-sleeping, etc.}. i'm learning to trust my instincts. i'm learning what L responds to and what he needs to feel loved and secure. after all, isn't that what it's all about?

xoxo,

a new momma

i know that breastfeeding is a hot button to press in the motherhood world. i would like to say that my own process has led me to have no judgement for those who have not enjoyed or been able to breastfeed. i am simply sharing my opinion about this topic -- my first and only experience with it.

38 weeks ... and our little dude's arrival

So, I totally expected to be one of those 41 weeks and still pregnant ladies. But our little dude had other plans! He decided to make an early appearance into the world at 38 weeks. Birthing was one of the most powerful experiences of my life, and I'm so grateful that I was supported by Hubby, my mother, our doula, and our midwife. I still get emotional thinking about how it was up to me to labor and push and finally deliver this little person into the world. Although my delivery didn't go quite as I planned, at the end of it all this tiny little perfect person was placed on my chest and the first words out of my mouth to Hubby were "he's just so beautiful".

He's two weeks old now, and I've already had a few meltdowns about how he's growing up so fast. I'm working to savor every moment I have with him, even if it's at 3am and I'm exhausted. Oh, and cluster feedings? They are no joke. Hubby has become quite the expert swaddler and diaper changer - also rocking it out at 3am. I'm impressed!

Here are a few photos from birthing day and the last two weeks that our Levi has been in the world.







xoxo,

PJ