1 Month!!

Henry is officially 4 weeks old or 1 month old today..not sure if you count it still as weeks at this point or not. I can’t believe we have already hit this milestone! Time really is flying by. Every day is a new adventure and we continue to learn more and more about one another. I am still breast feeding but also supplementing with a little formula a couple times a day too. Breast feeding really has been the most challenging part for me. It’s not that it’s uncomfortable as I am actually pretty lucky and have had zero problems in that department. The biggest obstacle for me is not knowing exactly what he is getting in regards to ounces per feeding. My son is constantly hungry. If it was up to him I swear he would eat ALL day long! It makes me wonder if he is not getting enough breast milk but when I pump without feeding him I am getting a really good amount so I am certain that he is getting a sufficient amount. Plus he is having enough wet and soiled diapers each day and even more apparent is gaining some chubby cheeks! I guess I just have a hungry boy on my hands! We go in for his one month check up on Monday and will get all his stats. This will help me know exactly how well we are doing in the weight gain department. My guess is he is about 10 lbs now – but that is strictly a guess. The other hard part with breast feeding is Henry seems to have a sensitive digestive system and reacts to foods I eat fairly easily with a lot of gas. I am trying really hard to watch what I eat to try to limit this but it’s not easy. I feel so bad for him at times as I can hear his little belly gurgling and the sounds that come out of that little body are pretty outrageous sometimes! Actually I have a funny story on that note…So it was Valentine’s dinner and Chris made us seafood fettuccine and we sat Henry in his chair on one side of the dinner table so he could join us. As we were toasting a loud sound exploded from our son. Yep, he had to add is own toast and add a whole new level of romance. It was a nice reminder that things certainly have changed! LOL

Some other highlights in the past 4 weeks:
- Within hours of birth he was constantly cooing. Most babies don’t find their voices like this for a few weeks. Pretty incredible sound! He actually even laughs in his sleep...super entertaining in the middle of the night.
- At 12 days old he folded his hands together (in his sleep) and last night he brought his hands together again while drifting off to sleep
- During week 3 he started to focus on faces..I really love this part as we really seem to be connecting.
- During week 4 mom caught him on two occasions sucking his thumb..not surprised as he will suck anything you give him! He has caught my neck a couple times and I thought he might leave a nice baby hickey...so classy! ;o)
- He can hold his head steady when upright...very impressed with his strong neck
- He smiles a lot in his sleep…still haven’t had a big smile while awake but I swear I have seen a smirk or two and I think he has at least one dimple on his right cheek...can't tell if the left one has one too or not.
- He can lift his head briefly when on his stomach but still is not a big fan of being on his stomach unless he is laying on someone (especially mom)
- Henry has had two play dates already – Ayla & Jett...so looking forward to all the new babies on the way! We will have tons of little ones to play with, not to mention a wonderful support group for all the mommies.

Overall, things are going really well. I just need to get the sleep situation figured out a bit more (what new mom doesn't?!?). He still really likes sleeping on mom and it’s hard to get him down in his own bed. But, we are getting more and more hours each week of him sleeping in his bassinet. The daytime naps are a whole different story. He simply doesn’t like to nap unless mom naps with him and even so he tends to be more of a cat napper and I get 10 – 30 minute cycles. Which you can imagine can make getting anything accomplished a hard task. At this point getting us both showered and ready for the day by noon is a good day! However, the past 3 days he has gone down for a nap around 3pm for 2 straight hours...but of course it's laying on moms chest. But, hey I need some rest too so am getting a little snooze time as well. The whole napping during the day thing has been hard for me as I have never been one to lay around but my body really needs that extra time. Even 20 minutes makes a huge difference.

Here are a couple recent pics of our little monkey: