Milam - 3 Weeks

Milam,

You are now 3 weeks old!  You weight 10.75 pounds (84%) and last I measured were 22 inches long (83%).  I actually have a baby scale so weighing you is pretty easy.

This week hasn't been that eventful.

You understand for the most part the eat-play-sleep routine.  I'm a big stickler for routine because that's what I like so it works for us. You wake up and we change your diaper, you eat, then you look around for a bit, then it's nap time again.  All of this happens in one hour.  So, if you wake up at 11 and eat then you are ready for bed again by 12 or less.  Also, you are able to fall asleep without being fed and sleep every nap and your entire bedtime in your crib.  We just put you up like we're going to burp you, pat you on the back, and you fall asleep (usually).  You sleep on your tummy (you can hold your head up VERY well and you can roll over so there's that) but we have an Angel Care monitor so we all sleep soundly at night.  During the day you typically (not always) take a one hour nap, another one hour nap, a 2-3 hour nap, and then another one hour nap before you're ready for bed.  You start your day anywhere from 6-8 (preferably not in the 6:00 hour) and go to bed for the night between 7-8.  It is HARD to keep you awake in the evenings.  If it were your choice you would go to bed every night at like 5 or 6.  At night you don't have any wake time anymore (most nights).  You cry, we feed you, and you go back to sleep.  Some nights you'll go 3.5-4 hours but typically it's 3 between feedings.  Your longest stretch is usually the second and third one.  The closer we get to morning the less likely you are to sleep a long time and getting you settled in for the night can sometimes take awhile.  Your sister was sleeping better than you at this age BUT she also screamed from 7-11 every night for 6 weeks soooo...you win some you lose some.

Your dad and I are still trading off feedings so that's nice. (Although he was only home from work for one week so getting the hang of things has been a bit tricky...it's nice that my mom and step dad help so much since they only live a few streets over.)  I nurse you first thing in the morning when you get up.  When you go down for your first nap I pump and am usually able to get enough for two more feedings.  I pump every time you down and usually twice before I go to bed for the night.  So, the only time you nurse is the morning and the rest of the day you are bottle fed.  If we run out of milk then you get formula but I've been doing pretty well lately because I can get two feedings from my first pump of the day.  I'm just not one of those people who likes breastfeeding.  I wish I was.  You're a much better eater than your sister and you never drew blood like she did but goodness you are messy.  Milk dribbles out of your mouth sometimes when you eat (bottle or nursing) and if I cared enough about nursing I was see a LS but I honestly just don't.  You don't hurt me and you get plenty so I don't worry about it.  You burp and spit up the most when nursing.  You burp and spit up the least when drinking formula from a bottle.  Don't know what that's about but it doesn't seem to bother you as of now so again I'm not too worried about it.  Your sister had really bad reflux so hopefully you don't.

The mean mug.  I was dying.

You hate your car seat and don't tolerate it for long while you're awake.  You SCREAM as loud as you can, start profusely sweating, and give yourself terrible heat rash in the process.  It is the worst.  You don't take a paci.  You only cry for a few reasons and it's really rare for you to get to that point - You're hungry, you need to burp, you need to go to bed, you want to see better.  That's it.  So...so far so good!  Well, or you're in your car seat :)  Compared to Georgia you are so easy to figure out.  You do a pretty good job at self soothing through your sleep transitions for the most part.  I can hear your squirm occasionally but you mostly just put yourself back to sleep.  You grunt allllll the time.  You make so much noise when you are awake.  You don't comfort eat.  If you're not hungry then there is no getting you to eat.  You also will not eat if you need to burp.

I really write most of this for my benefit.  IF we ever want a third kid it is helpful to look back on.  I look back on your sister's all the time to get a frame of reference for you and really enjoy it.

I took your picture this week at night so it's not as good.  Sorry, dude.