Baby H: One Month of Mark

He...

[+] weighs 9#1 according to our most recent doctors appointment which is much better than our super accurate home measuring skills. J has a food scale that we place a wooden cutting board on and then top with our baby. Ha! His birth weight was 7#3, two day was 6#10 and two week was 7#6 so we're definitely on the upward trend and embracing the chunk.

[+] is just starting to flash us gummy grins every once in a while and I absolutely adore them. Granted it's usually because he's either milk-drunk or making a mess in his diaper but regardless, swoon! He's also just starting to find his voice and we'll get an occasional "coo" when we least expect it.

[+] consistently eats every 2-3 hours and takes between 4-5 ounces each time. Our pedi told us to wake him during the day to make sure he's getting enough but then allow him to sleep as long as he'd like at night. Unfortunately for us he sticks pretty close to that time frame even during the night. We got a few nights around week 2 where we got a 6 hour stretch (!!!) and now we're usually getting a 4 hour stretch but dang, we're all a bit tired.

[+] thankfully takes a bottle really well. He had his first one in the hospital due to some low blood sugars that required supplementing and we've been continuing to use them ever since with no nipple confusion or any of that other nonsense that people worry about. We use Medela and Tommy Tippee bottles and he takes to both equally. He switches between getting breast milk and Similac for Supplementing formula and eats like a champ with both.

[+] sleeps in his rock n play most of the time. We try and put him down in it in his room during the day for naps but sometimes he ends up sleeping elsewhere which for now is alright as long as it's not every time. We moved him out of our room during the night around 3.5 weeks because it seemed like everyone was waking everyone else up during our short stretches of sleep. Between Mark's grunting and little noises, normal noise when we shift positions in bed, the dog finding a new place to sleep there was a lot of waking up going on. Thankfully the transition went well and some day we'll start attempting putting him in his crib.

[+] attended his first wedding with mom and dad, has been to numerous football parties and helped some of our good friends find out their little one will be another boy to add to the clan. He can't wait to have another friend this spring.

[+] is still wearing all newborn sized clothes but I think we're going to start retiring them fairly soon. He has long limbs and feet that I think might outgrow outfits faster than his weight will dictate. He's also still in newborn size diapers and we've found to prefer Huggies and Up & Up brands.

[+] still fusses quite a bit on occasion especially when being put down or in the last few hours before bed (see pictures below!). He is definitely a high-needs baby and requires more from us than other little ones his age but we're taking it day by day and learning what he likes and doesn't like. Some days are better than others but as is life in parenthood I suppose.

[+] has nicknames Marky, Monkey, Nuggie and Chunk-Chunk.

[+] likes: being upright (hello gassy baby!), baths, car and stroller rides, staring into space or at lights, Irish Lullaby, daddy's chair-lift hold

[+] dislikes: changing clothes, being even a teensy bit hungry, initially being swaddled (but then loves it once he's bundled), tummy time, gas and belly aches

I...

[+] absolutely positively love this baby boy. Sure those first few days at home were some of the worst with Mark being inconsolable most of the time, screaming his head off and not knowing what to do to make him sleep but as the days and weeks pass by it's getting so much better. I've loved him since the moment I laid eyes on him but each day my love for him grows.

[+] am still battling with breastfeeding. In fact there are some days (and certain feeds) where I straight up hate it. Yep, I said it. I hate breastfeeding. It seems like we've been dealing with one thing after another and I can't catch a break. First it was not having milk while also having a super hungry baby who hated me for not filling his belly. Then it was a super badly cracked nipple on one side that required 72 hours off nursing and exclusively pumping to jumpstart the healing process which only partly did the trick. Now it's possible thrush with toe curling pain when he latches on initially and shooting/needle like pain between feeds that often keeps me awake at night. Add in a baby that sometimes fights feeds by pulling, turning his head, flailing all his limbs, and screaming when I try to fix his latch and I'm often in tears while feeding him. I hear that it gets better around 6 weeks and I have a doctors appointment to hopefully cure the infection so I'm not giving in yet but dang, something needs to change soon because I don't think I have it in me much longer.

[+] am down 22 lbs from my highest pregnancy weight which was a total gain of around 36 lbs. I still have 14-ish more to lose but at this point I'm not thinking about it any more than this. I know with breastfeeding the weight will come off a bit easier and to be honest, getting back to the gym is #500 on my list of priorities right now. Having a one month old while being in med school with a husband who works full time doesn't leave much time or energy to get workouts in and honestly, I'm okay with that. Sure I'm extra soft in the middle and would love to have a 6-pack immediately but hey, that's the benefit of having a September baby. Bring on the sweaters and scarves and comfy clothes for winter, I have 8+ months until summer time.

[+] wish more of my regular clothes fit, regardless of what I just said above. My mom did gift me a pair of Gap jeans in a size bigger than what I usually wear just so I could feel somewhat normal and wouldn't have to wear my maternity pants but I am longing for a bigger wardrobe sometime soon. All my tops fit great and I'm pretty close to getting into my old jeans so I know only time will help and I'll be there soon.

[+] start back at school officially this week which should be yet another adjustment period. Thankfully I was able to pretty much take the entire month off minus a few items and I'll still have to make-up more things before the end of the year but I'm very glad I've been able to be home during this time. To say I'm not a bit stressed about the workload while also being a mommy would be a lie but I know it'll all work out in the end and it makes me that much more thankful for all the help we have.

Mark baby, we are so thankful for you and the way you've changed our life in the last month. I still can't believe you're here and out of my belly some days but then other days I can't remember life without you. You are cranky and fussy and sometimes very hard to deal with but then you instantly calm when we pick you up, give us a big grin or sleep peacefully in our arms and we just can't believe how much we love you. You've taught me so much already about being your mommy and while we're far from having everything figured out I hope you know I'm always trying my best and will be here for you no matter what. I love you sweet boy, thank you for making me a momma.