6 weeks!

It's really amazing how much John has changed in 2 weeks.  He is growing so quickly.  I don't think I'll ever stop saying that.

We had his 1 month check up at the pediatrician.  His stats were: Head 15cm, 50th percentile; length 22 7/8 inches, 90th percentile; weight 10 lbs 14 oz, 75th percentile.  He grew 2 inches and 2 lbs in 1 month!

Other milestones include:

Sleeping 2 nights in his crib.  He did great both times.  He has even taken a nap once in his crib, but he still prefers to be held during the day.

He does not like his ring sling any more.  We borrowed a couple other carriers and he really seems to like the Beco.  Plus I feel like he is more secure in it.

He is so much more vocal.  He is constantly making noise.  He coos and ahhs to just about anything in front of him.

He loves peek-a-boo, especially if you rub a soft blanket across his face.

He smiles so much more often.  He gives one sided smirks, full on open mouth smiles, and tiny little grins.  His personality is really starting to show.

He still is a very calm baby.  He only gets upset when he is over tired or hungry.  He still does well in the car, during bath time, and playing on his playmat.

He has started to like the rock n play and the swing.  He still only likes his swing for about 15 minutes, but he watches his toys.

We borrowed a bouncer from Ooma, and he loves it.  The up and down bouncing and vibrations keep him calm so I can shower.  Sometimes he will even go to sleep on his own in the bouncer.

He had his first play date to the zoo!  He slept almost the whole time, but I really enjoyed spending time with the other moms.

He has officially out grown his newborn clothes, which have been packed away.  I really hope his 3 month clothes can make it until September.

He is staying awake for longer stretches, but that also means he is starting to get cranky when he is tired. 

He made his first trips out of the city.  We went down to my parents house for him to meet the rest of his cousins, and some more Aunts and Uncles.  He still has more to meet.  We also went to Dan's parents house to visit with his side of the family. So glad he has such a large family that are smitten with him already.

Daddy took John to his first gym for iFAST's 5 year celebration.  Daddy was so excited to show John all the fun toys.

We are really enjoying having John around, watching him grow and learn every day.  He is slowly getting more independent, so we are enjoying every moment we can together.

4 weeks

I know it's cliche to say, and I'm sure it won't be the last time, but where did the time go?  Wasn't it just yesterday we were celebrating leaving the hospital together? Staying up all night in the glider taking shifts with Dan?  Going to the first Peds appt, first time to the store?  Didn't Dan just go back to work last week?  Didn't we just have our meet and greet party?

Here is what John has mastered in the past 4 weeks:

He can recognize and follow my voice and his toys.

He loves his playmat and tummy time but still doesn't like his swing or rock n play.

He loves being outside in the heat.  He sleeps his best wrapped up like a burrito where he is slightly sweating.  He is such a little heater when he sleeps.

He can now see from my arms to the ceiling to watch the fan, or across the room to watch the light come through the curtains.

He has always had a strong head and can lift and turn his head from side by side on his own.  In fact, I rarely need to support his head when holding him if he is awake.

His legs are very strong and he loves "standing" on mom and dad while stretching his legs.  He always gets a look of pure astonishment every time.

He is sleeping fairly well in 3-5hr stretches.  He still prefers to sleep on us and its always a rush to get as much done as possible anytime he is laid down asleep.  He will typically last 15-30min.

He loves the car and jogging stroller and will fall asleep pretty quickly in both.

He goes from content to starving in 0.2 seconds and is not happy about it.  We have come to laugh at his food anger issues that I'm sure will only get worse.

He is a water baby and really enjoys his bath time with Dad.  I'm so glad they have this time to bond.

He fights going to sleep so hard but Dan can always calm him down and get him to sleep.  He sleeps his longest after Dan puts him down.

He can take breastmilk from a bottle and did really well when Grammy and Uncle Jared watched him for 2.5hrs while Dan and I went to our Spanish class.

He has a love hate relationship with his pacifier.

I think I've taken a million photos of John already and I've started taking videos to capture some of John's cute noises and milestones.  Stay tuned for those!

Many Faces of John

Everyday we end up laughing at all the funny faces John makes.  It's so hard to catch them all but here are a few we've managed to catch with the camera.

3 Weeks

Part of me can't believe John is 3 weeks old, but at the same time I have a hard time remembering life without him.  We are still spending our days in 2-3 hour stretches filled with sleeping, cloth diapers, laundry, nursing, walking, singing, and rocking.  John does really well if he is awake or asleep, but the transitions are what he struggles with.  He fights sleep and hates waking up.

A typical day he wakes up around 7, has a diaper change, nurses, and goes back to sleep until 9 or 9:30.  He will nurse for 30-40 minutes after a good nap, or as short as 15min when he is cluster feeding.  On a good day, this morning nap lets me get a fast shower, dressed, moved downstairs, take care of the dogs and make coffee.  If I'm really tired, I nap too.  John is usually gets a few diaper changes, cluster feeds, and plays until 12 or 12:30 when he reluctantly goes back to sleep and I try to get my coffee intact before it gets cold.  John will go in a sling so I can eat, clean up the kitchen and give the dogs some attention.  John is back up around 2, gets yet another diaper change, feeds, has another diaper change, feeds again before going down again around 3:30 or 4.  By this time we are all tired so the dogs take a nap and I grab more coffee while figuring out dinner and work on laundry.  We are starting stroller walks with the dogs 2-3 days a week.  He's gone as far as 1.5 miles before getting tired, but usually we just make it to the field for the dogs to play before he is ready to eat again.  John will sleep until 6 or 6:30, and we are both ready for Dan to be home. He will get another diaper change, eat, and fuss until Dan gets home.  Dan takes John while I finish up dinner and just as we are sitting down to eat, John is ready to eat.  Around 8 or 8:30 we get John changed into his night diapers (prefits with cover), sleeper, and swaddle before nursing to sleep.  At this point, John is down for the count, especially if we can get in a sleep feed around 11 when I head for bed.  During the night, John will sleep until 2-3am when he gets a diaper change and feeds.  He is usually fussy so he moves into bed with me where he will sleep until 6:30-7 and we repeat!

John has started tummy time to work on lifting and turning his head. He does really well and lasts for about 5min.  He has started following me with his eyes, or his rattle ball.  Occasionally I can get him to grasp the ball and he will lift it around, but only with his left hand.  We had our first big spit up in his swing and I've been peed on more times than I can count.  John has been nicknamed Super soaker.  I think his bladder is bigger than his stomach.  John does really well with his pacifier and we started working on a bottle.  Dan and I are starting weekly date nights this week!  It will be our first time we are both away from John, but his Uncle Jared is set to watch John with either Grammy or Grandpa this first week.

I am doing pretty well.  I have cabin fever by the end of the week, and love that our parents are visiting so much on the weekends.  I'm not healed up yet, but some days I feel back to normal and start itching to get a work out in.  I haven't lost any more weight, but the weight is shifting around. I have 1 pair of jeans I can button up now but most of my shirts still don't fit well.  I head back for a checkup next week.  I haven't slept more than 4 hours straight since May and am dealing with the lack of sleep better than expected.  I also am getting really good only using 1 hand and becoming ambidextrous.  It helps having such a fun little guy to keep me company.  These last 3 weeks have been so wonderful and I am soaking up every snuggle, silly face, and sleep smile I can.

Stroller love

This past week we broke out the jogging stroller for some walks around the neighborhood and around the outlet mall.  John did great and sleeps really well while riding in it.  The dogs do fairly well and get better each outing.  It is so nice to get out and enjoy the summer while letting the dogs get some energy out.

First Bath

John has turned into a super soaker and after two diaper changes in 5 minutes resulting in John giving himself a shower, we decided it was time for his first bath.  He was really confused at first, then he was cold and cried for a couple seconds, but he loved being rubbed on and the water being poured on him.  First bath was a success!  Hopefully the many more he will receive will be just as easy.

Happy Independence Day!

My first holiday!  Mom and Dad took me to see the guitar exhibit at the Eitlejorg Museum.  It was my first trip downtown, my first time in the ergo, and first time being worn by Daddy.

Open House

In order to give us time to welcome John home and to adjust to life as a family of 3 (or 6 including fur babies) we decided to have an open house for people to stop by and meet John.

Our Mothers organized enough sweets to give everyone a sugar high on top of the baby fever.  We had a great turnout and John did so great meeting his great grandparents, great aunt and uncle, cousins, aunts, uncles, and family friends.

1st Milestone

Saturday morning John reached his first milestone! He lost his cord stump.

Now John has a cute little belly button for us to kiss.

Baby sounds

A good friend recommended taking video to capture some of Johns expressions and sounds.  Here are two videos of John, one asleep, one wide awake.