Third time around and the first month of having a newborn is still not any easier! The sleep deprivation is real y'all! Plus throw in the fact that I'm several years older and chasing around 2 other littles...whew!
That being said, I am soaking in all the newborn snuggles and taking advantage of spending as much time with him as I possibly can because I know this phase will be over in the blink of an eye, and we can never get that time back. Plus, we are done having kids so this is our last newborn phase. Aaaand, as I keeping making abundantly clear, I'm never doing a voluntary major surgery again! I don't know how women just keep having more and more c-sections that it's no big thing!
All that being said...
We are so happy to have had our little man home and healthy with us for the last . He certainly completes our family perfectly!! Isaiah Jae, you are an answered pray and our cherry on top. We love you to the moon and back!
Happy
One Month Isaiah Jae!
One Month Highlights:
-We did a whole lotta nothing the first couple of weeks, just trying to adjust to being a family of 5. Luckily, Daddy had off the first 3 weeks (starting from the day Mama was admitted to the hospital) which was a life saver! He took big sisters out many mornings while Mama and Isaiah stayed at home and just snuggled.
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| I wasn't kidding about getting ALL the baby snuggles! |
-Isabella is absolutely in love with you and wants to hold, kiss, snuggle and just be around you all the time!! Aubrey is pretty indifferent about you, but don't be offended, that's just her personality and age : )
Despite being in the same jammies and similar cray cray hair, these are different days!
Even when it's Mama's turn to snuggle, Isabella wants to be right next to us so she can sneak kisses on top of your head, and say "hello my handsome man!" (which is totally cute b/c she's the only one that says that!).
-You love to sleep and Mama loves to take pictures of you sleeping!! I can't get enough!
-The 3 weeks Daddy had off were AWESOME! He snuck in some cuddles as well! He was a master diaper changer in the middle of the night which helped mama out so she never had to get out of bed for a feed! Once Daddy went back to work, he put ear plugs in to get a decent night sleep, and mama was on her own (although Daddy and Mimi said every night to wake him if it was a rough night).
-When Isaiah was 10 days old, we got out as a family for a bit of time. We went to RT Jones library which was hosting a petting zoo, and while Mama and Isaiah were in the car eating most of the time, it was still great to get out in the fresh air for a little bit!
-When you were almost 2 weeks old, we went out to brunch,and then to a park so Big Sisters could run around and play. You did fantastic and slept the entire time in the car seat while we ate, and then you slept the entire time in the Boba wrap while we were at the park! But boy was it hot!!
-We weren't outside a ton partly b/c walking was hard in the first couple of weeks for Mama, and it was just stinking hot!! BUT, one morning it was a bit cooler (or at least bearable) and we played outside while Daddy went out with Uncle Nick. You slept contently in the bouncy while Big Sisters rode bikes and scooters, and played bags : )
-We celebrated 4th of July with a party at home, with family and the Leflers. It was a fun evening with great food, and fireworks in our culdesac before it got dark (although you missed these entirely because you were already fast asleep in bed).
-We weren't able to get you circumcised in the hospital (long, frustrating story), so we had to schedule several pediatric surgery appointments to get it done. Luckily we found the one pediatric surgeon in atlanta that does them as in office procedures without anesthesia, and were able to get it done when you were 2 1/2 weeks old. You did great during the procedure, and aside from being (appropriately!) irritable/fussy for the next 2 days, you did really well overall.
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| Sleeping soundly in the waiting room...you have no idea what's about to happen! |
-Each week that went by, you opened your eyes more and more and had a little (*little*) bit longer of awake times. I just love seeing you wide eyed, as if you are taking in this whole new world with everything you have!
-You hated your first bath (and every one since!). Simply put. So it was quick and to the point. You pretty much screamed the entire time, but quickly stopped once we wrapped you in the towel and snuggled you with your paci.
-You love to be swaddled, but you also love to sleep with your arms up by your face, or behind your head. Cutest thing ever!
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| We found a new swaddle that allows your hands up just like you like them!!! |
-Per the pediatrician request, we did not have many visitors the entire first month (for infection reasons). But the ones who did come to see you soaked in all their snuggles!
This was when you were 6 days old. Anter Stine came over and told Mama to lay down and close her eyes to take a nap. Hallelujah, it was a good one. She had not problems laying on the couch snuggling you the entire hour!
-When you were 3 weeks, Mama took her first outing with the 3 of you, although Mimi and a bunch of other people who could help were there. We went blueberry picking which was fun but super hot! You slept in the boba wrap on Mama the entire time. After the hour and a half we were there, we both were sweaty but had a good time!!
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| You are hiding behind the girls...all tucked away in the boba : ) |
-Also at almost 3 1/2 weeks, Daddy set up your crib in your bedroom (yes, for once Mama wasn't as on top of all the baby preparations, and you were the one to come unexpectedly early!). While you still slept at night in our room, Mama put you in your crib once a day for a nap, when Big Sisters napped. You look SO tiny in that huge crib!!
Sleeping: Well, Isaiah sleeps like a newborn which means it feels like he sleeps all day, and rarely sleeps at night : ) He has a period of being more awake which lasts anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes (that started around 1.5 or 2 weeks old) in the morning, usually after the 8 or 9 am feed. Otherwise he pretty much sleeps all day with the exception of eating every 2ish hours. The first couple of weeks he slept super hard in the afternoon/early evening, usually between 4 and 6 pm but in the last week or so, this has become his more fussy period. We just have to give you extra snuggles, but Daddy's football hold is usually the best, although Mimi has been taking you outside on the screened porch where it's warm and snuggling you there while Mama cooks dinner.
Since you sleep a lot in general, you spend a lot of time in the pack in play or portable infant bed that sits on the coffee table in the living room. The pack in play is still in Mama and Daddy's room but you are a pretty noisy sleeper, so it won't be long before you get booted to your own room : ) You are usually up every 1.5-2.5 hours during the night to eat, and for the most part are easy to put back down once you are done. However, the last couple of nights have been super fun bc he has been awake a better part of 11:30 pm - 2am and did not want to be laid down!
Eating: Breastfeeding this time around has been much easier in the sense that I feel comfortable in what I'm doing. Isaiah latched on right away once I was able to see him in the NICU the afternoon he was born. He did a great job eating in the hospital, and the lactation specialist kept urging me to use a nipple shield but he just hated it. However, the day after we got home, my nipples were cracked and bleeding and I knew we needed to give it a go. We used the smallest size we had (16 mm) and he did great. I hated using it by week 2, mostly because we had so many different doctor appts and it was just a PAIN to take and use in public. Also, we only have 1 which is annoying to take up and down stairs various times throughout the day depending on where we are. Several times during week 2-4 we tried going without, but Isaiah just couldn't latch and got frustrated, so we kept on using it.
The best part about breastfeeding this time around is not having to pump at all! Knowing I will go back to work when Isaiah is about 15 weeks, I knew I needed to have a freezer stash as back up, which I assumed meant pumping at least twice every day. However, at the recommendation by a friend at work, I got a silicone "hand pump" (which is very misleading because it just suctions onto the breast that he isn't eating on) and it has changed my life! I have only had to pump (for comfort) two or three times since we've been home from the hospital, and have a huge freezer stash! I haven't really kept track, but I think on average I get about 12 oz every day just using this thing (and the first 2 weeks it was closer to 16 oz daily)!
You are getting 10-11 feeds daily with the occasional day of 12 (gheesh, that's exhausting!).
Isaiah Loves:
-Daddy's football hold
-Eating!!!
-Being swaddled
-Elephant paci
-Being snuggled and held
-Swinging...sometimes
-Being put in your bed or pack-n-play in the dark with sound machine on after the 6pm feed (you just get so unsettled and overstimulated if we keep you with us during that time)
Isaiah Hates:
-Diaper changes
-Getting dressed
-Being put into the carseat (but he does fine once in the moving car)
-Baths
One Month Stats:
Weight:
Birth: 4 lb 7 oz
Day 2: 4 lb 4 oz
Day 3: 4 lb 5 oz
Day 4: 4 lb 7 oz
One week: 4 lb 12 oz
Two weeks: 5 lb 7 oz
Three weeks: 6 lb 5 oz
Four weeks: 7 lb 3 oz
1 month: 7 lb 3 oz (almost 2nd percentile; although corrected age this is almost 50th percentile)
Height:
Birth: 17.5 in (I totally think they didn't stretch him out appropriately!)
2 weeks: 19 in
1 Month: 20.25 in (about 2nd percentile)
Head circ:
Birth and 2 weeks: 12.5 in
Wearing:
-Premie or newborn diapers
-Premie clothes fit excellent right up until the end of the month, and then the onesies with footies started getting a bit short. However, the onesies without footies still fit you the best.
-You also wear some newborn things but they are still big on you
Isaiah's
Firsts this Month:
-Bath at home: around 2 1/2 weeks (we had to wait til the umbilical stump fell off)
-Celebrating 4th of July
Weekly Pictures!
