1 month

William turned 1 month this past wednesday. I can't believe it has been a month already. Each day is a blessing and a challenge in its own way. I've been trying to find time to blog about the trials I've faced as a new mom but ...well, finding time to blog isn't up there on my list of things to do. Feeding William is definitely number 1! Over the past few weeks he has had days where he would eat every 1-1/2 hours since we are doing the 'on demand' feeding. He tends to cluster feed at night and even eat every hour from 7-10pm. It seems to help him sleep a little big longer at night. He definitely has some nights where he only goes 3-4 hours but there have been 8-10 nights so far where he has gone 5-6!! Those nights make mommy very happy! Its amazing what an extra hour of solid sleep will do for one's soul :) I guess all that feeding paid off because William had his 1 month appointment on 8-19-11. He weighed 9lbs 4.4 ounces & was 21-1/2 inches long. His head is 37. He went from being as big as 10% of babies his age to being 25-50%! yay!
He also had his 2nd round of Heapatitis B shots. This did not make him happy but I fed him directly afterwards to calm him down. ...food always makes him happy. He has not turned down the boob to-date.
I spoke to Denise (the nurse practitioner/lactation consultant) about the gas he has been having (perfectly normal but she suggested doing bicycle legs more with him to work it out). I think this gas has been keeping him from taking naps in the past couple of weeks. I've been amazed at how little this little baby sleeps during the day! I wish I would have blogged about it at its worst because I would have let out a lot of frustration into this blog. However, its been better this past week (knock on wood). He gets up around 6am and usually falls asleep again after his 2nd morning feeding (around 10am). He typically naps again around 3pm. ...of course, I mean "nap" as in over an hour. He sometimes takes cat naps right after a feeding (he passes out for 10 min or so) but will wake up after I try to put him down and he gets really really upset. Maybe gas? maybe he just wants to be held? Can you spoil a newborn? everyone has their own opinions on this topic. Its so overwhelming and confusing. I don't want him to be spoiled in anyway but if he's screaming his head off, I'm definitely going to pick him up after a few minutes. Poor baby.
A few things that our sweet boy is doing right now -
1) Pushing up and turning his head from the left to the right. He's actually been doing this since his 3rd week. The Dr said he is "advanced" because he pushes up using his shoulders and not just lifting his head. Ahhh, our son is advanced - no surprise there. haha. I kid.
2) Smiling! This is my favorite. The feeling I get inside when I smile at him and he smiles back is indescribable. My heart is warmed by that sweet grin. He smiles very often after he eats and he also loves to smile at his daddy when he talks & plays with him. He also still does that "involuntary" smile in his sleep sometimes. Its also really cute but not nearly as adorable as when he directly smiles at us. love it. He started reacting with smiles about a week ago. Ive been trying to get it on video but its nearly impossible! I'm going to keep trying.
3) He follows an object when held about 6 inches from his face and concentrates on it. He's been doing this since about 4 weeks.  

Being William's mommy has been such a blessing & an incredible learning experience for me. Here are a few things I wanted to share (that i've learned) over the past month.
1) It is amazing what babies can do with their waste. During his first week at home, Will shot a poopie across his changing table (about 2 feet). I just stood their in 'awe' and then snapped out of it to clean it up...and get 'on guard' as he started to pee across the changing table as well. it was hilarious. I chose laughing over crying. ...one of the smartest things you can choose to do as a mother. And I learned to keep a wash cloth close by to keep that little peepee covered. (thanks Jenny).
2)  Its a lot harder during the day than I ever imagined. I think its because he very rarely naps. I've had some rough moments (especially if I'm sleep deprived). I've cried a few times and wondered if I am going to be able to do this "mommy thing" well enough. I thought newborns slept after eating but this is very rarely the case for little Will. This may be because he has gas or because he sleeps so well during the night sometimes. Its hard to say what exactly causes it but I really have to work with him to get him to nap. I stuff him with food and rock him. Most recently I've discovered that he will nap if I put him on his stomach. I know this is a "no-no" but I've found that it works really well. He will sleep for over an hour if he's on his stomach but will only cat-nap for 15 minutes before he wakes himself up if he's on his back. The Dr. said it was ok if he naps on his stomach as long as I'm awake and check on him frequently. She explained that the fear of SIDS is more common when babies sleep on their stomachs because they sleep harder & longer. Its also more dangerous for babies when they can't pick their heads up & turn them but William can do that so its less worrisome. However, I'm still not going to put him on his stomach at night because he's sleeping well enough in the pack & play bassinet. Plus, I'm too scared to put him on his stomach at night until he can completely roll over on his own. I have a feeling that will be awhile. He's sleeping for around 4-5 hours on the first leg at night. He eats somewhere between 2-4am and then wakes up again 2-3 hours later. All in all, I've been getting about 6-7 hours of sleep since I sometimes pump in the middle of the night too if it has been more than 4-1/2 hours since he's eaten - since I have a lot of milk at that point.
3) There really isn't very much time during the day to do "other things". I wonder how stay at home moms manage to keep the house clean & get dinner on the table! Not to mention, running errands and that kind of thing. I've started a list of things I want to get done each day. I got this idea from Kelli and so far, it really helps me feel like I've accomplished something. I know taking care of William and feeding him is my greatest accomplishment but it helps me when I've completed 1-2 other tasks each day. Some days I'm able to do more and some days I just can't do anything except take care of him! How will I ever go back to work and still take care of all of these things!?!?! Ahhh. The thought of it stresses me out. Yikes.
4) I knew I would love this little boy before I even met him. I knew he would change my life in every way imaginable, that he would be the greatest blessing I've ever known - but what I didn't realize was that it would be those things plus, so much MORE. Feelings that I can't even put in words. My love for this little boy runs deep through my veins. I adore him with every ounce of my being. I thank God for giving me this angel and for giving me the strength each day to take care of him - even when its harder than I ever imagined.