Age: 1 month
Height: 21.85" (67%)
Weight: 10lbs 12oz (75%)
Milestones: Jacob is able to hold his head up really well, especially when being held or laying on someone's stomach. He just recently started reacting to laughing, smiling and kisses. He loooves kisses from his mama, and I think a real smile will come very soon!
Sleep: Up until 3 days ago, Jacob would only sleep at night when being held - as soon as we would lay him down, he would start fussing - so Josh and I had been splitting the nights (4 hours each) on the recliner holding him. During the day, however, Jacob would nap in several different spots, including the Sleep & Play Rocker from Emma, but never the pack & play (I don't think he likes being flat on his back). So 3 days ago we decided to really commit ourselves to getting him to sleep in our room in the Sleep & Play Rocker at night, so we started a bedtime routine (bath, PJs, feed, book, rock, bed) and swaddling (which I
thought he hated) and he is finally sleeping independently! Some nights are better than others, but it's so nice to sleep in my own bed with Josh!
Eating: Jacob is eating like a champ! He eats about every 2-3 hours during the day, and 3-4 hours at night. About 2 weeks ago he started fussing really bad during feedings, which I originally thought was a dairy allergy, so I cut out as much dairy as I could (milk, yogurt, cheese, etc.) The fussing continued, along with what seemed like choking, so I then decided it was an over supply and/or fast letdown issue. I started pumping 1-2oz before each feeding and that has helped tremendously! I'm now trying to decide if I should continue to avoid dairy, or slowly re-incorporate some and see what happens. We'll see.
Clothes size: Officially in 0-3 clothes. Thank goodness because I didn't have many newborn outfits!
Diaper size: Size 1
Best Moment: These few weeks have been such a blessing, so it's really hard to narrow it down to 1 best moment. But, if I HAD to list only 1 - it would be 2 nights ago when he slept 12 hours (9-9) with only 3 feedings. That morning I thought to myself, "he's not a newborn anymore." And sadly enough, he's not! He's officially a 1-month old!
Worst Moment: I still laugh thinking back to our first night home from the hospital - how dumb Josh and I were! We literally laid Jacob down in his pack & play and just thought he'd go straight to bed. No rocking, no white noise, no swaddle, no bath, no nothing!!! Needless to say, we didn't sleep AT ALL that night and Jacob was probably wishing he was still in the hospital nursery. HAHA! We've definitely learned from that experience. I also want to mention that his 2-week growth spurt was pretty terrible, too. No one ever told us about growth spurts, so when Jacob was suddenly eating every hour and SCREAMING between feedings, Josh and I were really freaked out! We spent 48 hours nursing constantly, and didn't get any sleep. Thankfully we survived, and are anxiously awaiting his 6-week growth spurt. :)
Teeth: None yet, thankfully! Not sure how I feel about breastfeeding with teeth?!?!
Looking forward to: Taking Jacob out more, introducing a bottle so I can get out more, my 6-week check-up so I can start working out, and general growth!
This first month has taught me so much about myself, Josh, our relationship and life in general. It has definitely been much harder than I ever imagined, but so much more rewarding! Even after a night of screaming and crying, I look at Jacob and can't help but smile. He's the best thing that's ever happened to us, and we are so so so glad to have him! As precious as this first month has been, we're definitely looking forward to the future - when he will start laughing and smiling and cooing. This first month has been alot of "giving" without a lot of "getting", so I'm really looking forward to getting a little back from him (I hope that doesn't sound selfish).
The dogs are adjusting really well, I don't think they're even bothered by the crying anymore. You can tell Maverick is very protective over Jacob, always sitting next to him and kissing him. Schatzi is a little more reserved and timid, but she's starting to warm up to him and I think she'll be a great big sister when the time comes. I can't wait til Jacob is old enough to interact with them, it will be fun to see the dogs' reactions then! So many people told me that the dogs would be pushed to the back burner after Jacob arrived, and while the amount of attention and lovies they receive has decreased, I still love them so much and try to give them as much attention as I possibly can. They're sleeping on either side of me as we speak.
Overall, I'm just thankful we survived the first month! I love my husband so much, and am sooo thankful for all his help, support and patience. The hormones running through my body are out of control, and unfortunately he receives alot of the backlash, but I seriously could not do this without him. Hopefully as things "settle down" and I get into more of a rhythm and schedule, I'll be able to blog more about day to day happenings.
Love,
Kate
