Liam Grows {1 Month}

1 Month!

{as of 7.13.13}

1 Month Stats:

Weight: 10lb, 2oz {54th percentile}

Length: 22 inches {69th percentile}

Head circumference: 15 inches {88th percentile}

Clothes:

Some of Liam's newborn onesies and sleepers are getting kind of snug, but the pants and shorts he has are still pretty roomy. He still fits in newborn diapers, but we are just about out of them and does okay in the size 1 diapers, so I think we'll be moving to those today. My baby is growing up already! :)

Health:

We had Liam's 1 month appointment yesterday, and everything checked out perfectly! He has had some newborn acne and a little bit of cradle cap, but nothing that won't resolve with time. :)

Diet:

Liam is breastfed all the way. I am very lucky to be able to say that my first month of breastfeeding has gone incredibly smoothly. He got the hang of it right away in the hospital and has done well since then. We started the bottle with pumped breast milk between weeks 2 and 3 and has done great with that too. It's nice to have someone else do a feeding here and there, and it's especially convenient when we're out and about, so I don't have to worry about finding a good spot to nurse him. Plus, it's just nice to have a break from a feeding every once and awhile.

Sleep:

Overall, he does pretty well in the sleep department. He typically falls asleep while he eats, and I hope that gets better soon because it interferes with the feed-wake-sleep cycle that I'm trying to accomplish. He is pretty good about taking a nap after most of his feedings, but there's usually at least one during the day where he's pretty awake until it's time to eat again.

At night, he generally goes every 3-4 hours between eating. I try to change his diaper before I feed him, just in case he falls asleep while eating, but he usually goes back to sleep fairly quickly anyways. 

As I mentioned in Friday's post, I am going to start working on sleep training. This includes sticking to a schedule, achieving a feed-wake-sleep cycle with each feeding, and getting Liam to fall asleep on his own without any sleep props {i.e. rocking or nursing to sleep}. I'm not sure how I feel about letting him "cry it out" yet, so we'll probably hold on that part of it...at least for now.

Baby Gear Love:

 On a daily basis, we use the Rock n' Play sleeper, the Diaper Dekor diaper pail, Aden + Anais swaddle blankets and burpy bibs, the Boon lawn drying rack, Avent bottles, Avent Soothies pacifiers, and the Britax B-Safe car seat and B-Agile stroller. I had registered for this bathtub, but I quickly realized after using it for the first time that I don't feel comfortable with the newborn sling for fear that he will wiggle his way off of it into the water. I ended up buying this bath sponge this week to put in the tub...it keeps Liam in one place without having to worry about him squirming around. He seemed to love it the other night at bathtime! I am also loving my Medela Freestyle breast pump because it's small, very portable, and allows me to pump very efficiently. Oh, and I really, really love my Kate Spade diaper bag...it was an excellent purchase!!!

Likes:

Liam loves being held and will almost always eventually fall asleep in your arms. When he's awake, he loves to look around...he's taking it all in! He seems to like his car seat and stroller because he usually falls asleep in it...unless he's really hungry. This kiddo likes to move!

Crying:

Liam cries when he's really hungry, especially when we delay a feeding by a few minutes with changing his diaper or when I try and run to the restroom before starting to nurse him. He has had some tummy troubles over the last week or so where he arches his back and seems really uncomfortable after eating. We started giving him gripe water as needed, and it seems to help. I think he loves the sweetness of it!

Milestones:

It has been a big month with lots of firsts...car ride, bath, doctor's appointment, lunch outing, walk in the stroller, bottle, and holiday {4th of July}.

Social:

Boy, have we been busy this month! We wasted no time in venturing out of the house...we went out to lunch with my mom at only 6 days old! We have taken Liam out to eat many times {breakfast, lunch, and dinner}, to Target, to the park, to the canal downtown...really all over the place! He travels well and seems to go with the flow, and for that I am sooooo thankful!

Postpartum:

At one month postpartum, I have to say that I am doing very well. My pain post-delivery was minimal, the bleeding is just annoying, and breastfeeding has gone very smoothly. I think I did experience a couple days of "baby blues" back around weeks 2-3, but I'm happy to say that I'm doing much better now. I have lost all but 8 pounds of the 40 I gained during my pregnancy, and I'm starting to fit into my pre-pregnancy pants and shorts again. I am looking forward to working out more over the next month, especially getting back into running {just waiting for the all clear from my doc at my postpartum appointment on July 26}!

TJ and I also enjoyed our first date night out! We celebrated our anniversary a month late since Liam decided to be our anniversary present this year. It was the perfect night, and we really enjoyed a few hours just the two of us. Thanks again to my mom for watching Liam!

~~~~~

Liam,
I can't believe you've been with us a month already. Some days it seems like you've been a part of our family forever, and other days it seems like just yesterday that you were born. Daddy and I love watching you grow, and it seems like you're changing a little bit everyday! We are so anxious to see you smile, and I know you will just melt our hearts all over again when you do! Thank you for bringing so much happiness and joy into our lives. We love you!!!
love always,
your mama

Friday Thoughts

Just a few random thoughts for your Friday...

{one}

Liam had his 4 week birthday yesterday...I can't believe he'll be a month old tomorrow! I think time really has flown by, and it is so fun to see how he's changing everyday. He is definitely chunking up a bit, and he's much more alert. It will be so fun when he starts interacting with us more!

{two}

Since Liam is now at the 1 month mark, I am going to start working on sleep training him. I read On Becoming Babywise while pregnant, but I haven't been able to incorporate all the ideas during Liam's first month. I don't want to be super strict with the schedule, but there are definitely some benefits in following the feed-wake-sleep cycle and getting your baby on a fairly predictable schedule. I am starting with trying to get a consistent wake time in the morning as well as bedtime in the evening, with regular 2.5-3 hour feedings throughout the day. {Although Liam has put himself on a 3 hour schedule on his own over the last month}. Probably the biggest thing I want to work on is getting him to self-soothe by putting him in his crib while he is still awake. We have been rocking him to sleep quite a bit, and as much as I love that, it's not practical for the long run. I want Liam to be able to fall asleep anywhere without any "sleep props." For you other mamas out there with newborns, I have been reading this website A LOT over the last few days...it has a ton of great information and helpful tips!

{three}

I have been able to workout a little more this week than I have in the past couple of weeks, which makes me very happy. It's amazing what 30 minutes of exercise does for your mental sanity! Hopefully, exercise will be easier to fit in once we get further along with the sleep training. It's also  nice to take an afternoon walk with Liam, as long as it's not rainy or too hot {which has been often here lately}.

{four}

We've had our newborn pictures back from the photographer for a couple weeks now, but I have yet to share them with you. I am still trying to decide exactly which ones I want to frame, and I think I'm finally getting closer to making some decisions. I might check out some frames at Micheal's this weekend, then hopefully I can get at least a few prints ordered. I'll do a full post on the pictures in the next week or so, but, for now, here are a few of my favorites...

{five}

Tonight, TJ and I are heading out on our first date night since baby! My mom is going to watch Liam while we enjoy a nice dinner outside at Noah Grant's in Zionsville. We're thinking of it as our 4 year anniversary celebration since we didn't get to on the actual day, thanks to this little guy... :)

{linking up here and here today}

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Liam Grows {3 Weeks}

3 Weeks

{as of 7.4.2013}

Weight:

We won't be back at the doctor's office for an appointment until next Monday the 15th, but I'm guessing he's somewhere in the 8 lb range. 

Clothes:

He's still fitting in all of his newborn clothes, jammies, and diapers. I think I'll be able to start putting him in some 0-3 month outfits over the next several weeks! 

Health:

Still spitting up some, but other than that, he's doing great!

Diet:

100% Mama's milk! My mom gave him his first bottle this past week, and it was a success! Actually, TJ and I had tried giving him a bottle last week using the Medela one that goes with my breast pump, but the slow flow nipple was not slow enough. Liam was almost choking on the milk because it was coming out so fast! So far, he is doing well with the Avent bottles and typically gets one bottle of pumped breastmilk daily. 

Sleep:

He usually goes 3-4 hours between eating at night. Sometimes there's a long stretch of 4-5 hours, but that's not the norm yet.

some of his awesome post-bath hair

 

Baby Gear Love:

The Rock n Play, Aden + Anais swaddle blankets and burpy bibs, cloth diapers for burp cloths {I always have at least one of these with me!}, and our Britax car seat and stroller {we have the B-Agile}. I also found that he'll take a Soothies pacifier...we had tried one of the Nuk orthodontic ones, but he wouldn't have it. I'm very thankful that we found one he likes...as much as I love him, I don't want to be his pacifier! 

Likes:

Eating, being held, riding in the car or stroller {unless he's super hungry...then he cries}

Crying:

He mainly cries when he's hungry...he definitely lets us know that he's ready to eat. Unfortunately, he's also started fussing more in the evening and sometimes after he eats. He'll arch his back and cry as if his tummy is bothering him. I don't think it's colic {he definitely doesn't cry for 3 hours a day}, but it sometimes takes us a bit to calm him down and get him more comfortable. I bought some gas drops but haven't used them yet. I'd rather not give him medicine unless he really needs it. I'm hoping this will get better over the next few weeks...I hate seeing him look like he's in pain! 

Milestones:

First bottle from Grandma

First trip to the airport to meet Uncle Joe!

First Holiday! {the 4th of July}

my boys :)

Social:

He finally got to meet his buddy, Jack! {technically, they're second cousins} Jack was born on March 15 so they're 3 months apart. I can't wait to watch these two grow up together!

the grandmas with their grandsons

a visit from Grandma Sharon {TJ's mom} and Great Grandma Helen

4 generations

Postpartum:
  Overall, I'm doing well. Weight-wise, I'm about 10lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight. I really want to start working out daily, but am struggling on where I want to fit it into my day. I know I could just stay up after I feed Liam at 6 or 7 am, but I'm usually still pretty tired then and want to sleep a little bit more. Any advice from all you other mamas out there? How do you get your workouts in?  

Liam Grows {2 weeks}

2 Weeks!

{as of 6.27.13}

Weight:

Liam had a weight check this past Tuesday, and I'm happy to report that he's back up to his birth weight, 7 lbs, 9 oz. I thought that he might be a little more than that, but I guess he's happy staying a little peanut! 

Clothes:

Still all newborn clothes and diapers 

Health:

Other than spitting up, he's doing great!
{P.S. anyone have good tips for dealing with spit up? It's so frustrating!}

Diet:

100% Mama's milk!

Sleep:

Over the last 4-5 days, he has started to stretch out the amount of time he sleeps at night. He's now going at least 3-4 hours between feedings at night, and he's even had a couple times where it's been 5 hours! I know at this age he's not supposed to go more than every 4 hours, but I figure a couple times here and there won't hurt anything. Plus, the extra hour or so of sleep for me does wonders! 

Baby Gear Love:

Still loving our crib, the Rock n' Play, Aden + Anais swaddle blankets...really all the same stuff as last week!

Likes:

Eating, sleeping, and pooping...that's all he does these days :)

Dislikes:

He really only cries when he's hungry or if he's overtired

Milestones:
Not a whole lot new this week...we hung out at home a lot other than a couple errands here and there.

Postpartum:
 I'm still feeling great. As of last Thursday, I only have about 12 lbs to go to my pre-pregnancy weight. However, I'd like to lose about 20 more pounds...I wasn't at my ideal weight prior to getting pregnant, so I'd like to get there with the help of breastfeeding and getting back into walking and running.

what are you lookin' at?

Have a great day!