About Me/Milestones/Measurements:
- Has dark blue eyes with a grey ring around the iris. Mama thinks he may end up with hazel eyes
- Has lots and lots of sleep smiles. Mama and daddy are waiting to see his first real smile!
- Will roll onto his side when on a flat surface
- Went through a couple growth spurts! Can drink from a bottle and we started supplementing him with formula after 2 weeks
- Becoming so much more alert!
- Is the sweetest baby ever who captures everyone's heart he meets
- Makes the most adorable cooing noises when nursing on mama. He made them since coming home from the hospital and it melts my heart
- Sleeps at least 5 hours at night
- Snores and grunts!
- Looks for mama and daddy when he hears their voice
- Newborn fits perfectly and will probably only fit for another week
- Just about outgrown newborn size diapers
- Weighed 8 pounds 3.5 ounces and measured 21.5 inches at his one month appointment
- Mama and daddy left him with Grammy D for the first time at one month
- Still sleeping in the rock and play
- Has a strong neck! Can turn side to side and loves lifting his head. Since coming out, he has always wanted to be looking around
- Finally starting to latch onto my breasts without the nipple shield. A huge accomplishment!
- Had only one colic night when mama ate chipotle and chicken fajitas. Gripe water helped!
- Both ears have passed the hearing test, but not at the same time
- Was scared by a loud fart (his) while nursing
- Loves his activity mat and doing tummy time in his crib
- Loves his dragon toy - the noise of the wings flapping always catches his attention
- Loves his hands and hates being swaddled and not being able to have his hands by his face
- At just about one month discovered his tongue and loves kicking his feet
- Has some serious mean mugs with his daddy's eyebrows! But loves having his head rubbed since mama rubs his head and plays with his hair while nursing
- Loves his newborn Avent pacifier and sleeping on mama and daddy's chest. We are guessing he may be a tummy sleeper!
- Loves looking in the mirror
- Loves car rides and walks with his mama, daddy and friends
- Hates wet diapers and being cold
- Cries when he is taken out of the warm bath water
Dear Benjamin,
You are hands down the best thing that has ever happened to me. Every time I look at you, my heart warms and I feel so at peace with the world. You've been the best gift I have ever received in this life and I can only hope that I can show you love, the way you've effortlessly have shown me. I love all of the little noises you make and playing with your baby duckling hair while you nurse. There is nothing else in this life that I want more than to be your mother. Every day your dad and I are in awe of how sweet you are.
Mom Life:
The first two weeks after delivering Ben were the hardest days of my life. I had an easy pregnancy and delivery, but the worries and sleep-deprived nights are something I wasn't fully prepared for. When we came home we initially tried to place Ben in the bassinet, swaddled. After a few failed attempts we finally brought up the rock and play, which Ben took to instantly. I remember Chris and I asking the nurses to swaddle Ben in the hospital because our attempts weren't working.
Breastfeeding has been such a love-hate experience for me. I tried not to go into motherhood with any expectations about how breastfeeding would be for me. I knew it was different for every woman. Worrying about how to position Ben, if he was getting enough to eat, what things should I stay away from, can I pump - how much should I pump, how to store and heat and use the pumped milk... it all was so overwhelming. I would just cry and make new milestones for myself because I knew that my goal was to provide my son with as much breast milk as I could produce. I feel like I stayed in bed for the first two weeks of Ben's life for the most part because it was truly one of the only places in the house that I felt comfortable nursing. I would stack a few pillows next to me and nurse him in the football hold position. I was too nervous to try the Boppy - I wanted to stick with what had worked rather than rocking the boat. Ben had issues latching and staying latched so I was given a nipple shield and it was a life saver. We bought a few extra pairs because it became annoying having to wash it over and over and would get lost in the bed sheets.
