Buddy Boy - do you even know your real name? You go by so many names: Boogs, Bugsy, Bright Eyes, Champ...sometimes I may or may not call you a jerk at 3am when you won't go back to sleep. I kid, I kid...maybe.
Your first month has been filled with so much! Mema came to stay with us for the second week of your life when daddy went back to work. Man, oh man, was I thankful. Your daddy left for work at 5:30, and I was sitting at the window waiting on Mema to get here. She wasn't supposed to be here until 8:30 so we could leave for your doctor's appointment. Luckily, she's habitually early and couldn't wait to see you, so she was here by 6:45. Whew! You had a doctor's appointment to check your weight gain - you were still in the 97th percentile for weight. We tootled around with Mema for the week - she was even sweet enough to decorate our Christmas tree for us!
Let me tell you - you were no joke on the second week. I was so thankful she was here to talk me off the ledge...there may have been a time or two I thought about dropping you off at a fire station. It wasn't your fault - you were having reflux issues and I was just plumb exhausted. We made 4 trips to the doctor in your first two weeks trying to get your tummy issues worked out. We thought it may have just been gas...then it was maybe mama's diet, then potentially you were eating too much. Once we ruled all of that out, Dr. Steele put you on Zantac. It seemed to help for quite some time! I left you for the first time on that Thursday night. I went to a women's event at Mema and Poppa's church. You stayed with Poppa for a few hours. I knew you were in good hands, but I was still a hot mess and so ready to get back home to you!
I tried for the first time to let you cry it out in your crib. I didn't want you sleeping too long in our room...I sat on the couch and cried watching you on the monitor crying your little eyes out. Needless to say, I didn't last too long and ended up scooping you out of the crib for snuggles. 2 weeks is too young for cry it out, anyway :)
We went to Phipps that Friday night with Mimi, G, and Uncle Coco, Aunt Katie and your cousins. They sat with Santa, but you were just a little too young to sit with him and all of those germs. So we watched Harrison, Millie Kate and Henry tell them what they wanted for Christmas. No worries, you'll get to do it next year!
Mimi came to stay with us on week 3. We loved having her here! She cooked for us at night, which was a huge help to mama and was greatly appreciated by your daddy. I think he was getting sick of frozen pizzas and burritos. She went to work during the day, but we sure looked forward to her coming back here at night. She helped daddy give you baths at night - you love bathtime!
Since Mimi was here snuggling Grant, I was able to show Coop a little more attention :)
That weekend, we took your first trip to Alabama for the Sneed family Christmas. We stopped by Bass Pro Shops to see Santa before we headed to Alabama.
Your first month was such a learning experience. I was so worried about getting you on a schedule. I didn't read any books before you were born, thinking I would wing it like I did during the pregnancy. Well, during your second week I started freaking out and started speed-reading books and completely overwhelmed myself. I just knew you were never going to sleep through the night, since you weren't doing it at two weeks old (how many two week olds sleep more than a few hours, anyway?). I was torn between getting you on a schedule or not, waking to feed or letting you sleep, making you sleep in your crib and letting you sleep in our room. I had so many meltdowns that your daddy and to help me through. I finally realized that it's not the end of the world if you fell asleep in my arms - these times are fleeting and I'll never get these days back. So if I want to sit and snuggle with you on the couch during nap time, I'll sit and snuggle with you on the couch. There are still days I wonder if I'm doing the right thing - I only want what is best for you. But the way I look at it, you're new at this baby thing, I'm new at this mama thing. We'll figure it out day by day together.
Your little personality hasn't really started to shine yet. You do get pretty angry when we take your food away (you are your mother's child), and you are constantly moving those little arms and legs (you get that from your daddy - he doesn't like to sit still either). Your baby acne was pretty rough for weeks 2 & 3. Your Uncle Cale threatened to get you Proactiv for Christmas, but you were still the cutest baby we knew! Your eyes are still trying to focus on things. You will randomly go cross-eyed and sometimes have one eye that wanders. Your poppa calls you Lizard Eyes. After reading this paragraph, I feel the need to tell you that your family really does love you.
You're currently nursing for about 20 minutes on each side every 3 hours. Your naps are pretty solid, but you like to fall asleep in someone's arms (books call it "sleep prop", but I call it loving snuggles :D). We stopped waking you up to feed you in the middle of the night at week 2. We stayed up to feed you at midnight, then you usually woke up around 4 hungry again. By the end of month one, your last feeding is at 10:30, and you usually wake up at 3:30 to eat. 5 hours by 4 weeks? This mama isn't complaining. Our goal is to have you sleeping 12 hours by 12 weeks. How about you help your mama out and get to working on that, eh?
Heavens, this makes my heart melt.
First time that Millie Kate was able to hold you. She loves you so incredibly much!
Johnny Bravo, baby!
These last 4 weeks have contained lots of tears, laughter (if we don't laugh, we'll cry), snuggles and love. Our lives have changed more than we ever could have imagined, and we wouldn't trade it for the world. Cooper, on the other hand, is dying to go back to how things used to be :) He'll warm up to you soon enough though, I promise!
I've seen your Pepa looking like this more times than I can count.
Gooooo Dawgs!
Happy One Month, Buddy Boy
No comments:
Post a Comment