Getting Big: 1 Month

I'm not sure how to count the months--by the actual day (24th) or by weeks (4 weeks)?  I'm so excited my lil man is getting big, that we'll go with 4 weeks for now.

Lil' C is still little!  He still fits into his newborn outfits and size one diapers have to be cinched on.  To my despair and best efforts (literally killing my chest!) he is not gaining a ton of weight.  I always figured I'd have a chub, but perhaps this is still to come...he must have his dad's metabolism.

He still ADORES his hands.  From the first few moments of life he seems to have quite an attachment.  Most of the time they frustrate him because he can't seem to keep them in his mouth.  He also seems to like gouging his face and eyes with them, which I haven't figured out how to stop him from doing.  You would think it'd hurt! He's been able to put them in his mouth since about two weeks which I was pretty impressed!  Since about day 3 we've never been able to swaddle him with his arms by his side.  His hands had to be swaddled up by his face, and at about two weeks he's been strong enough to bust his entire arm out, so now we just swaddle him from the arm pits down.  His little hands are always so cold and wet when I get him in the night from being sucked on.

He's figured out he can move his head back and forth to avoid us using the nose bulb--hence, here comes the first rebellion and shying away from what we want him to do.  It was so much easier when he could only lay there!  He's usually congested at night and always scares mom because he sounds so congested breathing, snorts and has tons of boogers (sorry if that's TMI). We've put a humidifier in his room and used saline nose drops but it only seems to help marginally.  I hope once the air quality in stupid Utah gets better that will help.

We think he's going to be right handed, because that's the one he swings around more.

He seems to really like car rides and sleeps the entire way to and from Grandma's house (about an hour).

He's quite active and alert.  I thought he'd only be a bump on a log--but he loves being awake--especially when there is light to look at.

He can hold his head up for what seems like an eternity.  I heard at a month it'd only be to about a 45 degree angle and for a few seconds, but he'll go forever!

He loves to be swaddled on mom in my wrap--and sometimes that's the only way I dare cook or clean so I don't have to stop every few minutes and console him--because of course once I start something that is when he wakes up!

He's on a pretty good 3 hour schedule during the day.  We're trying to follow the eat, activity and then sleep schedule which he can do most of the time, but that milk sure seems to make him tired.

He also seems to like to sleep when it's time to eat!  Sometimes it takes me an hour to get in a full feeding and I'm exhausted afterwards because I have to sit and tickle and tickle him to wake up.  It's more like swallow, sleep, swallow sleep.  But, almost a sure fire way to wake him is to just set him down.  If he's hungry and gets set down he will scream!  I can't wait until I can just feed him when he seems hungry--because he likes to sleep right when it's been three hours.

He is also our little squeaker.  He makes sooo many squeaking and squawking noises.  He also likes to grunt a lot which is hilarious.  When he does cry--which thankfully only seems to be when he wants to be held or eat, but those are easy remedies--it's more of an angry yell than anything like "how dare you!".  He also seems to always say "GEE!" when he's winding up and makes these big bursts of air.

He makes THE cutest faces when he's sleeping.  He seems to practice all of his facial expressions when he's napping.  He is smiling more and more when he's awake and I just can't get enough.  I was able to catch this on camera, although it doesn't do it justice.  When his eyes are open and he's smiling it melts your heart!

He loves to have his lips pursed when he's starring off.  I have yet to get this on camera, but it's adorable. 

He's gone a few stretches of four hours during the night, and even five hours the last two nights.  I on demand feed him at night, because I don't want to wake him and encourage him to be up at night.  

He's a voracious eater too!  I feel like he just goes and goes!  If we give him a bottle--which we do every once in awhile since we've had thrush and other 'fun' issues, he gulps down 4 ounces.  

He seems to be liking baths more--at least at first.  After a minute or two though, once the cold air has hit him he's ready to be done!

He still HATES getting his diaper changed--has from day one.  It's almost as if when he sees the changing table he gets upset.  Not even putting a binki in works--he is so upset he can't keep it in.  I think it's a mixture of being naked and exposed.  We even got a wipe warmer to see if that would help.  I'm afraid he's just going to have to get used to it.

I've always said he's a good baby--however, the older he gets the more he seems to want to be held, and the last few nights he's had crying fits from about 11pm-1am which he hadn't done before, he was only crying when it was time to eat.  During the night, I used to set an alarm, but he is my alarm.  He's almost on the dot for 3 hour feedings.

His favorite place to sleeps is on his belly on our chest.  We sometimes spoil him and do this when he can't be consoled, but try not to make it a habit and place him back in his crib once he seems sleepy enough.

At first I was anti-binki...but we've given it to him when nothing else works and he seems to be using it more and more and so he is more and more hooked!  The very thing I didn't want to happen.  Ug.  Guess you have to give up some battles and ideals.  You can think all you want when you're reading parenting books, but when the rubber meets the road it's a whole other story.

And this may be too much info (are you still even reading this blogosphere?) but because this is the only thing I've managed to write so far about him and I've yet to purchase a journal for him--I'm going to make it thorough!  I guess becoming a big boy means big poop because he had his first blowout yesterday--which I hear is pretty lucky to have made it a month.

I'm so torn.  I love seeing him get bigger and I just can't wait to see what things stick with his looks (will his hair be curly or straight, will he get any darker, will his eyes stay blue...??) but at the same time I want him to stay little forever.

I so thought infants were boring and always said that I wish they'd come out at the toddler stage.  But it's so true that it's different when it's your own.  I just love loving on him and holding him.  I love that he'll let me cuddle him.

I feel like this month has flown.  I haven't missed work at all (which I wondered if I would) and love being at home with my beautiful little boy!  When he was still in the bassinet, I would roll over and look at him, and then look at Claudy and just love being in the middle of a C &C sandwich.  I feel so content and so blessed to have such amazing boys in my life.