Hanging out in James' crib - don't worry, this baby won't get a blanket in his own crib until he's almost 2 (that's what I ended up doing with James because I was so terrified of him suffocating in his sleep)!
Growth & Feeding
Not sure what his weight is, but he continues to look like he weighs plenty! And my arms are getting stronger, so that's always a good thing. He's outgrown 0-3 month and in 3-6 month clothes, and uses size 2 diapers/double-stuffed infant inserts (disposables for overnight/cloth during the day). Breastfeeding continues to go well, much better than we could have ever dreamed. Samuel continues to nurse every 2-3 hours during the day, 20-30 minutes per session. I don't know if he will ever space out his feedings any further (it sure would be convenient if he did), but I realize that my body may be maxed out on milk production, and to get the amount of milk he needs, he may just need to be a frequent feeder. I'm okay with that! I am just so grateful that we have miraculously been able to exclusively breast feed to this point (13 weeks yesterday - James was withering away and finally was supplemented with formula at 8 weeks), in spite of my known hypoplasia/IGT. And I'm a big believer in waiting until 6 months to start solids, but Samuel sure was looking intently at Stuart's dinner last night! I can't wait to see what his favorite foods will be. I know it will be here and he'll be chowing down on food other than milk before I know it!
Evening snuggles after big brother has gone to bed - it has been cold here lately!
Sleep
This dude is a good sleeper! He's been sleeping through the night - 9-10 hours - for several weeks now. He sleeps in his crib overnight with white noise (and recently a humidifier to try and kick this little cold he's got). His little bedtime routine consists of lotion (eczema has reared it's ugly head this month... boo!), diaper change, PJs and nursing. I do mostly still nurse him to sleep at bedtime, though sometimes he wakes as I lay him in his crib. He usually has no problem going right back to sleep on his own. He goes down around 9:30pm. Recently we have tried laying him down at various earlier bedtimes, but he always wakes up about 30 minutes after going down. We think that means he's just not ready for an early bedtime yet. Maybe he just enjoys the quiet evening time after James goes to bed. ;)
At nap time, he is in his crib now, though he remains relatively flexible if we need to get out of the house, and can fall asleep in the carrier (Ergo is the favorite these days) or his car seat. It takes him longer to fall asleep when we're out, though, so I try to be home for the majority of his naps during the day so he can sleep in his crib. At nap time, our routine is to bounce on the yoga ball or rock in the rocking chair for a brief moment in the dark and sing a song. Then, down he goes wide awake. If we catch the window of time when he is sleepy, but not over tired, he goes right to sleep within 5-10 minutes. If he's really over tired, he will fuss for a bit, but usually has no problem going to sleep. I would say average wake time these days is about 1 hour 20 minutes (though that changes all the time at this age!).
Sweetest smile during big brother's nap time one afternoon (watching Gilmore Girls with mama).
Typical Day
Before now, there has been no typical day. Just this past week I feel like he has been a little more consistent with his wake time... And I really think that's what falls into place first as a routine forms! He usually wakes up around 8am (+/- 30 minutes). We follow the eat/play/sleep pattern for our kids, and it works really well for us. Both boys have seemed really happy to wake up and eat first thing! Then playing - tummy time, watching his mobile, snuggling with mama or brother, singing songs, reading books, stroller rides or heading out to run errands. I start watching him closely about an hour after he wakes for signs of sleepiness, and usually I see an eye rub or a yawn between 1 hour and 1 hour 15 minutes (again, this could change next week! It increases as kids get older). I make sure he's got a clean diaper and he goes down for his nap roughly 1 hour 20 minutes after waking. I really try to catch him before he gets too sleepy (which can happen in just a few minutes) so that he goes down easily. He sleeps anywhere from 30-60 minutes typically, and then the whole cycle starts again. He usually goes through 5 cycles like that during any given day, with a longer wake time in the evening (2.5 hours-ish).
Milestones
I've gone back to work! Just a few shifts so far, and they've gone well. Samuel is taking a bottle pretty well and I've got a decent little stash of milk for him while I'm gone. 14 hours is a long time to be away, but pumping has gone okay at work. My colleagues are awesome and help me make sure I get to do it when I need to. I don't pump as frequently as I would usually nurse him at home, usually only 3-4x/shift. Stuart has even brought Samuel to see me at work a few times and I've been able to take a break and nurse him in the middle of the day. A huge blessing to me and to calm my anxiety about breast feeding and being away from my babe for so long!
Samuel has found his hands! He loves to hold them together (my brother "Uncle Matt" calls that "security hands"), look at them and put them in his mouth. Sometimes he catches just his thumb and sucks on it. Maybe he will be a thumb sucker like his big brother.
He's out of the swaddle! We took it away a couple of weeks ago during nap time and he adjusted pretty quickly to that - cold turkey. The first day or so it took him about 30 minutes to fall asleep and some naps were short, but by day 3, naps were normal again! Then just at the end of last week I took it away over night, and the first night he fell asleep and stayed asleep until 5am! Then the next night he slept until his normal wake time around 8am! He's a total rock star champion sleeper.
Samuel has gotten really good at nursing. He totally self-latches sometimes as I'm getting everything ready to feed him, and he'll just pop on and start going! Such a big (hungry) boy. Sometimes he notices me watching him while he's eating, so he will pop off to flash a big smile, then pop right back on and keep going. It's just amazing to me how strong and self-sufficient he seems to be (ha.. hardly self-sufficient, I know, but compared to a fresh newborn who has no idea how to nurse properly!).
Likes
Eating!
Songs You are my Sunshine and Hello (from library story time - has English and Spanish verses)
Watching his mobile
Watching the fire in the fire place
Watching the ceiling fan
Snuggling with James
Being tickled around his neck
Bath time (in the bathroom sink), especially getting his hair washed
Dislikes
Saline drops and nasal suctioning (again, boo that cold!)
James screaming or throwing a tantrum (sometimes Samuel even cries because it's so loud and overwhelming)
Staying in any one place too long (during play time, I try to move him around and change it up every 10 minutes or he gets bored and fussy!)
This next season of babyhood is one of my very favorites! I am so excited to see his little personality shine more and more.
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