One Month Baby Update

How has the time already come for Brayden's 1 Month Update? Four weeks...FOUR weeks have passed since his birth and that thought blows my mind!

Getting used to having a newborn in our household has been an interesting change. Both Jason and I are (errrr.....were) so used to our own thing and having a baby in the house has really changed things around (as I assumed they would)!

For a comparison, here's Brayden with the same Mickey on the day we went home from the hospital - he was 2 days old.

Here's a few stats:

Height: 22 inches (we measured this on our own) - up from 21 3/4 inches at birth
At his 2 week appointment, he was in the 75th percentile for height.
Weight: I attempted to measure this but was unsuccessful. At his 2 week appointment, he weighed 8 pounds 9.5 ounces (up from 8.2 at birth)
He was in the 50th percentile for weight at his 2 week appointment.
Clothing: Some newborns but mostly 0-3. He has outgrown most newborn sleepers length wise. We tried 3 month clothing this week but it still swallows him.
Diapers: Still newborns - we attempted size 1 this week and they also swallowed him but I'm sure it won't be that way much longer!
Nicknames: Bray, Sugar Booger, Little Turkey, Tootle Bug, Sweet Boy

Likes: Eating, his play mat, me singing to him...I can't for the life of me figure out why because I have a terrible voice...but he LOVES the "Hot Dog Song" (from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) and "Jesus Loves Me".

Like I mentioned, this kid loves to EAT! His hands crack me up - they are CONSTANTLY by his face. He sleeps with his hands by his face, puts them in his mouth when he's hungry, and holds them by his face while eating. I was told by my mom that I did the same thing as a baby. I still sleep with my hands by my face, actually! 

He also makes snorty noises when hungry so we call him our snorty pig.

Speaking of eating, we do have to supplement on the occasion as it's hard for me to keep up with his appetite.  I also received a pump for free from my insurance company, so that's come in handy...it's nice that others can give him a bottle, too!

Dislikes: Being hungry, upset tummy, waiting (for anything), having his arms swaddled inside the Halo sleep sack (see: hands always by face), and having a dirty diaper are definitely major ones! He also doesn't like being wet like after a bath.

We affectionately call these "Scrunchy Face" and "Pouty Face"...oh this kid!

Bray enjoys baths but not the drying off part. He relaxes so much while in the water but when it's time to take him out to dry off...watch out!

His newborn sleep stage didn't last long...like maybe a week. He did NOT get the memo that newborns were supposed to eat, sleep, and potty...repeat. He does take naps throughout the day, but this kid is SO alert most of the time!

Since his 1 week update, he's discovered the lights on the ceiling as well as ceiling fans in various rooms.
He also loves his musical play mat!

One thing that's surprised me about him is the strength in his neck. Even the lactation consultant commented on how strong he is! We've done tummy time a few times but need to make it a more consistent part of our routine.

It didn't take him long to figure out that all he had to do was kick his feet to hear music from the piano. I wouldn't be surprised if this kid has some musical talent in him - Jason's entire family does.

I'm in LOVE with this newborn Mickey Mouse sleeper, by the way...and super sad that it barely fits him anymore. Those Mickey feet, though...adorable.

He is still sleeping in our room next to our bed - I can't move him to his room just yet. Speaking of sleeping, he is sleeping so well at night which I'm super grateful for. He wakes us up about once every three and a half (sometimes four hours) for a diaper change and feeding. The whole process of eating/getting him back to sleep does take about an hour each time which makes for sleepy parents the next morning (as it's broken sleep). However, I know it could be much worse - I have NO clue how people wake up every two hours to do all of that - major props to you (seriously)!

Jason's been excellent with helping out as much as he can - he will take Brayden in the early morning hours or stay up late with him so I can get some sleep and that is MUCH appreciated!! It took about three weeks for the whole "OMG I can't function anymore" stage to kick in but I simply told Jason how I felt and he was happy to help (thank you, Jason)!! I also felt as if I was getting sick over the past week, so the extra sleep helped tremendously!

Madalynn remains his protector and can often be found by his side or somewhere near him.
It's so sweet!

In just four short weeks, my baby has changed SO much and it makes me happy but makes me sad at the same time. I've said it since day one and I'll continue to say it...I wish time would just slow down...

Nichole Nordeman recently posted a song to her facebook that describes EXACTLY how I feel. To all the mom's out there, it's worth a listen, just have the tissues handy!

I can honestly say that I am loving the newborn stage. I've never been a "baby person", so this surprised me from the start but I truly do love it (apart from the sleep deprivation).

I'm excited to see what the next month has to hold for our little family! :)  Thanks for following along!