3 Weeks

3 weeks is almost a month. A month! Last night I looked at pictures from the day we brought him home from the hospital and I might have gotten a little weepy at how much bigger he is already!

The thighs! The cheeks! The arm rolls! Oh what's that? You're ready to eat again, kiddo? No surprise there.

He is still in newborn clothes, although those days quickly coming to an end. After he eats, he lays on my chest and lifts his head up to look at me, and makes a funny little OH with his lips as if to say "oh there you are! I can see you from here!"

He naps for 30 minutes or 3 hours. I never know which one. When I lay him down at night in between feedings - usually 10 pm, 1 am, 4 am & 6 am - I pray for the 3 hour stretches. When he is drowsy, I bundle him up in the swaddle and sit on a yoga ball with him laying tummy to tummy with me on a pillow and we bounce. His eyes roll back in his head, his cheeks twitch into a smile, he
coos a bit and he is out. The yoga ball is baby ambien. It requires patience though. He often looks asleep and as I tiptoe over to lay him down, his eyelids flutter open and he looks up at me as if to say “Nice try, Momma. Get back to the bouncing and butt patting, please.” 

He’s probably the only person in the world who has heard me sing a capella. When he’s old enough to tell someone about it, I’m going to have to stop. I realized I didn’t know any real lullabies, so for awhile he was being serenaded with Jason Mraz or Sister Hazel or whatever else I could think of. Then I remembered the CDs that my friend Kathryn had sent me (Q’s favorites, she said) so now I have some baby-appropriate songs to sing. He seems pleased with my selections.

He has started to have more fussy spells, as he becomes more alert and less newborn-drowsy.  Sometimes the witching hour strikes early morning and sometimes it’s right before dinner. He likes to keep me on my toes by guessing which one it is. Yesterday I popped him in the Ergo and walked around the house doing chores- it seemed to do the trick. And I actually got laundry folded for the first time in a few days, so it was a double victory. Sleeping baby AND a household chore done. I win!

My sister was here this week while Matt was working nights and was an absolute saint. She cooked us dinner every night and did the early morning feeding and would walk around the house with a swaddled Bo on her shoulder telling him stories. He loves his Aunt Katie, I can tell.

Teri visited us Monday and brought dinner & wine. Both much needed and appreciated. Anne came back on Thursday and hung out, chatting with me and drinking wine while I bounced a fussy baby for close to an hour. (Yes, it’s been nice to have wine back in my life. Especially during whine/wine o’clock at night.) Wino Em visited on Friday all the way from Raleigh.

We took a few outings: Starbucks, fro yo and grocery store pick up. All went well except the meltdown in the car on the way home from Starbucks. It was time to eat and Momma didn't get Bo a frappe.

I am very excited for Matt to have next week off again and for us to have a little more family time. Life is definitely getting harder as drowsy newborn wakes up and becomes more fussy, but we’re hanging in there with good support (and yummy meals) from friends and family, a few glasses of wine, deep yoga breaths and occasionally remembering to actually take a nap when he’s napping.