Today I am 4 weeks old!
To my Mother’s delight, I can now breastfeed exclusively in the cradle hold! Big victory. I stopped needing the shield a few days ago, and now I want to eat all the time!
I met my Grammy, Heidi, and she spoiled me and the parents for 10 days. I’m pretty sure Mom forgot how to change my diaper because Gmama and Dad changed me so much. Speaking of which, I got real good at peeing on them (and my clean diapers, and the walls, and the carpet…) while they changed me. I even got Gmama right on the forehead! #igotaimyall
My cord stump fell out, and to celebrate Mama and Gmama gave me a bath! Which I loved. Not. I cried the whole time. But I looked really cute in my flower.
Gmama and Mama took me grocery shopping but I don’t really remember because I slept in the cart the whole time while they debated over what kind of stuffing to get. Another day, however, they took me to Michael’s and I had a mini meltdown and mom had to nurse me in the car. I figure it’s giving her good practice for the future. You’re welcome, mom.
I had lots of tummy time and my neck is getting super strong. Sometimes when my parents are trying to burp me I like to fling my head around and pretend I’m going to jump off of them. Makes them nervous, keeps them on their toes.
We also went to Target and my Mom put me in the ring sling…with the help of the nicest stranger of all time who saw that mom was struggling to put the sling on correctly. This woman, Brittany, helped her get the sling on and gave her some helpful pointers. Thank goodness, cause my Mom was really riding the struggle bus.
It was a brief meeting, but I also got to meet my Grandma, Liesl – daddy’s mommy. I’ll get to see her and Papa John more at Christmas! I also got to meet “Crazy Uncle Matt” and he said in the future that we’ll hang out, have a brew and that I’ll help him pick up chicks like Peyton Manning in the United Way sketch.
I’ve taken a liking to waking up at 2, 4 and 6am. I’d wake up, get changed, nurse for about 30 minutes and then mom would reswaddle me and get me back to sleep. I live a pretty cushy life, but Mom on the other hand was not sleeping much. I’ve had pity on her though and have only woken up around 1:30 and 5:30 the last few days. Then I’ll wake up around 7am again and Mom will cuddle and nurse me until she gets motivated enough to get out of bed. I usually reward her with involuntary smiles and other cute faces. She seems to appreciate that…at least from what I can see with my eyes that only see a few inches in front of my face.
This week is also an exciting week because I get to meet my Uncle Mike, Aunt Rachel and cousin Sophia…at my baptism! I am getting baptized on December 7. We can’t wait for family time and for me to receive the Sacrament of Baptism!
A word (too many) from Mama:
What a few weeks we’ve had a here! Call me cliche but…I can’t believe that JP is 4 weeks old and how much he has grown already. It’s hard to measure because he hasn’t really hit any official milestones, but each morning he seems a little bigger and his face looks a little older. There are other small things, like he’ll lift his head up more, or respond to my voice by moving his eyes my direction. And I just can’t believe it! I’ll miss my tiny guy, but I’m really looking forward to the exciting moments ahead as he grows.
Also, I had no idea that Josh wrote his blog post on the birth experience. I’m so glad that he shared his perspective as a father. We like to tease that Josh has a heart two sizes too small because of his hard exterior…but nothing is further from the truth, as you can see in his writing. He’s given me alot to think about from his words, but more than anything, I am just so grateful to have as kind, thoughtful and loving husband as Josh. He’s an amazing father (he changed ALL the diapers last night when I wasn’t feeling well) and it’s such a joy to experience falling more in love with each other and with JP every day. Not that it’s all gumdrops and sugar cookies, but we find it’s more helpful to focus on the positive.
Another great blessing. My mom was with us for ten glorious (GLORIOUS) days. And those ten days passed way, way too quickly. She was so helpful, kind and understanding…and basically spoiled us rotten with all the meals and helping out with keeping the house tidy. Seriously, she is the best. She has mastered the art of always answering my questions and offering helpful tips without giving an overwhelming amount of advice. She’s also so overjoyed with JP, and that makes my heart happy to see how much she loves him. She so generously watched JP one night so that Josh and I could go to dinner and see Mocking Jay. It was a much needed break, but by the time the movie was over I was missing JP and just wanted to see him again! It was perfect timing, too, because he was getting hungry and the syringes weren’t cutting it anymore. It was so great to have her with me as JP and I ventured out of the house for some of the first times together…I felt too nervous to attempt that on my own. Now I feel that I could manage if I needed to go somewhere with him, but I’m still hesitant. But I’m feeling the need to get out and at the very least get a little exercise. But now the weather is turning and so it’s even harder to motivate…so we’re working on that. Slowly. Which is ok. But back to the main point…which is that my mom is amazing.
Also…Yay for the breastfeeding! We had a doctor’s appointment while my mom was here, and JP’s weight was GREAT. He was gaining more grams per day than the doctor hoped. Since JP is (obviously) non-verbal at the moment and cannot even express in body language that he is happy, having the doctor tell me “good job, mom” and affirming that I am indeed nourishing my baby gave me a huge boost of confidence. I just needed to know that he was getting what he needed to keep hanging in there.
Overall, I feel like we’re getting closer to hitting some sort of stride. It’s amazing how challenging (and LONG) those first few weeks can feel, but now that they’re behind us, it doesn’t seem so bad. It’s easier to see the big picture…and thinking about having other kids isn’t as overwhelming because I have a sense of what living with a newborn is like and what kind of trials can arise. I think mornings are the toughest part right now. Sometimes it’s just hard to get out of bed and start the routine all over, because it can be monotonous (and like I said, I’m not getting out much so there’s no break from the cycle). JP is actually pretty good with bedtimes, and we have a pretty decent routine for the evening hours…with which he usually cooperates. Bless him.
Anyways, that’s enough rambling mom stories for a 4 week post. I hope you’re having a blessed Advent!
a dillightful adventure 
He has filled out so much! And, I must say, looks a lot like you did in this pic when you were a baby. Give him kisses from Grammy… I miss my JP snuggles. Mama loves you.