Dayton ~ 1 Month

Our baby is one month old. One month has come and flown by...like always. This month has been one of the best and most exhausting of our lives. We cherish every second we get with our little man, but I would be lying if I pretended like being a new mommy isn't hard sometimes. Less sleep, crying baby, messy house, recovery, soreness, fried nerves, etc. Honestly though, I wouldn't change a thing. I know some new mommies have a really hard time, but I feel like overall, we've been able to cope and handle things really well. Having a very content baby helps!! Our little man is just the sweetest and I love him more and more every day. I love being a Momma. It's the best feeling in the world.

In one month we've gone from having our baby, bringing him home, learning how to nurse, change diapers, swaddle, rock to sleep, cuddle, sooth and everything else that entails having a newborn to watching our newborn grow into a baby. I still cannot believe how much he has grown in just 4 weeks. He's gone from 6 lbs 11 oz when we brought him home to 9 lbs 9 oz. Yikes! His face has filled out, the plates one his skull are less noticeable, his legs look thicker, his arms are more "fatty", and he has the cutest little belly. Love.

My favorite part of all? His cuddles. Recently, one of his favorite places (and mine!) is up on my shoulder and chest. His head rests on my shoulder, one hand is curled up on my chest, the other arm holds onto my arm, and his little legs are curled up under him on my tummy. Melts. my. heart. I could snuggle with him in that spot all day every day. I'm so glad my baby loves to cuddle. When his little face is nestled against my neck and I can feel his tiny breaths...heaven. There is nothing like being a Momma.

Happy 1 Month Dayton. Mommy and Daddy love you!!

1 Month Update:

Size: 9 lb. 9.6 oz. (We weighed him on Sister Beth's home scale. Ha!)

Hair: dark brown - He had a full head of hair when he was born, but most of the hair on the top of his head has fallen out and tiny little hairs are growing back.

Eyes: dark...blue? brown? sometimes I can't tell.

Teeth: None

Food: Little man is still doing great with nursing, which makes this Momma very happy. He is taking between 4-5 oz each feeding from what I can tell. Little man eats every 2-3 hours. We're still trying to establish a routine, but Dayton seems to keep having growth spurts. Some days he's on a 3 hour schedule, other days he's starving and wants to eat every 2 hours. At least he's eating...a ton. At night, the hubs gives Dayton his 9 pm bottle of pumped milk. So far, so good.

Sleep: Dayton loves his sleep just like his mom and dad. He is taking 1-2 hour naps after each feeding during the day. We have established a pretty good day and night routine though. Eat, awake time, sleep, and repeat during the day. At night he is sleeping from 9:30 pm (after his bottle) to about 2 am and then from 2:30-6 am. After he is finished eating at 6:30, I put him down to sleep right away to continue sleeping until about 9 am. He is definitely a sleepy baby!

Size:  We have officially switched from newborn clothes to 0-3 month clothes. He was just getting way to big for his newborn clothes. My baby is getting big! He still wears size 1 diapers.

Words: None.

Development/Activity: Dayton is much more alert, looks around the room, will look directly at me and is starting to look at daddy. Dayton still grunts, growls, and squeaks but we are starting to hear more of his voice when he coos. Precious! Recently, he has started gripping onto my arm with his hand and the other day he grabbed the side of his infant tub and was holding on tight when I tried to pick him up! This baby is strong!

 

Temperament: Dayton is still very happy and content. He spends about 10-15 minutes on tummy time every day, likes to be propped up in his boppy, and loves to lay in some one's arms during his awake time. He cries when he is hungry, sometimes when he's getting his diaper changed, and a little when he is fighting falling asleep. That's it. Happy baby, happy Momma.

Likes:  Dayton loves car rides, stroller walks and runs, laying in his swing, and snuggling on our shoulders. He also like to watch the fan, lay on his boppy while I'm working in the house or folding laundry, and snuggling. If he's being held, he falls asleep almost immediately. He also like having at least one or both of his hands up by his face.

Dislikes: Dayton likes to be swaddled, but he doesn't like his arms laying down by his side in the swaddle anymore. Sometimes if he's really sleepy, I can get his arms in the swaddle, but if he's awake at all he will lay there and grunt, growl, and fight until his arms are out of the swaddle. Then he'll fall asleep right away. He also still hates getting his diaper changed before being fed. When he wants to eat, he wants to eat now! Hmmm...sounds just like his Daddy.

Small Moments: The one thing I love about being a Momma is that Dayton knows I'm his Momma. When he's crying or fussy and I pick him up, he calms down. I love that. I love that I get to be his source of comfort. When I hold him and he smells me, he's calm. He likes to snuggle in my arms. It's nice to feel needed by such a precious little thing. I never knew I could love like this.