2 weeks
Nathan turned 2 weeks on Friday. I figure this is a good time to update.
For the record: He was born on Friday Feb 18th at 10:11am. 8 lbs 7 3/4 oz (we just say 8 lbs 8 oz) and 20 in long.
Nathan is a mini-me of Ed. He looks just like him. In fact I can't find one single feature that looks like me or my side of the family. His hair is black-brown and his eyebrows and eyelashes are so light blonde that you can't tell he even has them unless you look hard. His eyes were dark grey at birth, but they are looking a little more blue-grey now, which makes me think he'll have blue eyes (even though Ed and I both have brown eyes).
As of his doctors appointment on Tuesday he was back up to his birth weight, so he's likely 9 lbs by now (if his last gain is any indication). He has already outgrown newborn diapers, and wont likely make it another week in his newborn clothes. He's lifting his head a good deal, and has a surprising amount of neck strength. He has found his thumb twice, and smiles a ton when you hold him a certain way. When he's awake he LOVES to stare. Stare at you, stare at toys, stare at the ceiling. It's like he's trying to take this new world in. He loves when people sing to him, but unfortunately it doesn't really calm him down if he's upset (I've always sung to calm babies, so this is new for me).
Nathan is a very very noisy baby. He grunts and sighs constantly, even in his sleep. My favorite is the series of sighs he lets out when he's nursing. I really wanna record them. He also makes some great facial expressions, and makes them often (another way that he's just like Ed). Speaking of Ed, Nate has recognized Ed's voice since day 1 and often starts looking to find Daddy whenever he starts talking. He really loves his Daddy, and will settle down better for Ed than anyone (where as when Nate's really worked up I can only get him to settle down by nursing him). Oh and if Ed's settling him and Nathan needs to suck, Ed offers Nate his pinky and Nathan sucks on it like a pacifier (in fact, Nate wont take a pacifier), which I find kinda awesome.
As of right now he sleeps fairly well, but wont *fall* asleep unless he's nursed (or fed). He'll take breast milk from a bottle, but he definitely prefers the real thing. He's on a bit of a schedule, that he himself has created. Short version is he eats every 3 hours during the day and every 4 hours at night. Long version: He wakes anytime between 5:30-7 to eat then goes back to sleep. Feeds again around 9-10 and then stays awake, usually quite happily, till his next feeding around 12-1 then sleeps till about 3-4. I usually try to take a nap with him at this point, but it doesn't always work. Here's where it gets slightly more erratic. Between 6-11 he'll have a point in which he's awake for 2-3 hours, and during that awake time he likes to feed every hour for at least 20 mins each. This means that I spend 3 hours every evening pretty much attached to him. When he's not actually eating though, he gets Daddy time, which Ed really looks forward to. When he's done this "cluster feeding" (or as my mom calls it, "tanking up") he'll sleep either till a 10:00 feeding (if the feedings were earlier) or sleep through till 1-2 (if the feedings were later). For the most part I like his schedule, though every night I have trouble staying awake and alert for the 10 and 2 feedings.
As for me, I'm recovering extremely well from the c-section. At this point I can do anything as long as I don't do it all at once. The first week at home was really hard, but that had alot to do with his jaundice and the feeding schedule that we had to adhere to to help flush his system of the belirubin. The second week was MUCH better, though the lack of sleep was really catching up to me. I'm hoping now that we have a schedule, my mom's gone home, and Ed's back to work, Nathan and I can find a grove that works really well for us. We are already doing so well, just add in a little more sleep for me, and we'll be golden. I'm thoroughly enjoying getting to know my son, and I look forward to everyday. He's truly awesome, and I feel incredibly blessed.
For the record: He was born on Friday Feb 18th at 10:11am. 8 lbs 7 3/4 oz (we just say 8 lbs 8 oz) and 20 in long.
Nathan is a mini-me of Ed. He looks just like him. In fact I can't find one single feature that looks like me or my side of the family. His hair is black-brown and his eyebrows and eyelashes are so light blonde that you can't tell he even has them unless you look hard. His eyes were dark grey at birth, but they are looking a little more blue-grey now, which makes me think he'll have blue eyes (even though Ed and I both have brown eyes).
As of his doctors appointment on Tuesday he was back up to his birth weight, so he's likely 9 lbs by now (if his last gain is any indication). He has already outgrown newborn diapers, and wont likely make it another week in his newborn clothes. He's lifting his head a good deal, and has a surprising amount of neck strength. He has found his thumb twice, and smiles a ton when you hold him a certain way. When he's awake he LOVES to stare. Stare at you, stare at toys, stare at the ceiling. It's like he's trying to take this new world in. He loves when people sing to him, but unfortunately it doesn't really calm him down if he's upset (I've always sung to calm babies, so this is new for me).
Nathan is a very very noisy baby. He grunts and sighs constantly, even in his sleep. My favorite is the series of sighs he lets out when he's nursing. I really wanna record them. He also makes some great facial expressions, and makes them often (another way that he's just like Ed). Speaking of Ed, Nate has recognized Ed's voice since day 1 and often starts looking to find Daddy whenever he starts talking. He really loves his Daddy, and will settle down better for Ed than anyone (where as when Nate's really worked up I can only get him to settle down by nursing him). Oh and if Ed's settling him and Nathan needs to suck, Ed offers Nate his pinky and Nathan sucks on it like a pacifier (in fact, Nate wont take a pacifier), which I find kinda awesome.
As of right now he sleeps fairly well, but wont *fall* asleep unless he's nursed (or fed). He'll take breast milk from a bottle, but he definitely prefers the real thing. He's on a bit of a schedule, that he himself has created. Short version is he eats every 3 hours during the day and every 4 hours at night. Long version: He wakes anytime between 5:30-7 to eat then goes back to sleep. Feeds again around 9-10 and then stays awake, usually quite happily, till his next feeding around 12-1 then sleeps till about 3-4. I usually try to take a nap with him at this point, but it doesn't always work. Here's where it gets slightly more erratic. Between 6-11 he'll have a point in which he's awake for 2-3 hours, and during that awake time he likes to feed every hour for at least 20 mins each. This means that I spend 3 hours every evening pretty much attached to him. When he's not actually eating though, he gets Daddy time, which Ed really looks forward to. When he's done this "cluster feeding" (or as my mom calls it, "tanking up") he'll sleep either till a 10:00 feeding (if the feedings were earlier) or sleep through till 1-2 (if the feedings were later). For the most part I like his schedule, though every night I have trouble staying awake and alert for the 10 and 2 feedings.
As for me, I'm recovering extremely well from the c-section. At this point I can do anything as long as I don't do it all at once. The first week at home was really hard, but that had alot to do with his jaundice and the feeding schedule that we had to adhere to to help flush his system of the belirubin. The second week was MUCH better, though the lack of sleep was really catching up to me. I'm hoping now that we have a schedule, my mom's gone home, and Ed's back to work, Nathan and I can find a grove that works really well for us. We are already doing so well, just add in a little more sleep for me, and we'll be golden. I'm thoroughly enjoying getting to know my son, and I look forward to everyday. He's truly awesome, and I feel incredibly blessed.