Baby A.J. - 1 Month

I can't believe my little baby is already a month old!

Weight: He weighed 7 lbs 7 oz at birth. At his first pediatrician appointment when he was 3 days old he weighed 7 lbs. At his one month appointment on November 15, he weighed 10 lbs 12 oz! This boy gained almost 4 lbs in 4 weeks.
Length: 21.25 inches at birth and 23 inches at 1 month
Diaper size: Size 1 he grew out of newborn at around 2 weeks old.
Clothing size: Newborn

Nicknames: Bub bub, munchkin, baby, little guy, cranky pants, child, little one

Health: We had a small hiccup his first night. He was having a lot of trouble breastfeeding his first night. He ended up having to go to the NICU to have a tube put down his throat to suck out all the amniotic fluid he had swallowed during labor and deliver. Poor little guy, but after that he nursed so much better. Other than that, he's very healthy. We're very blessed.

Sleep: He's a pretty good sleeper. At first all he did was sleep and just wake up to eat. As the month went on, he would have more and more alert time during the day. I think we got lucky because he quickly started taking his longest stretches of sleep at night. At first he would wake up every 2-2.5 hours to nurse. Now sometimes we'll get a 4 hour stretch followed by 2.5-3 hour stretches. On average we get up 2 times a night to feed him. Jack and I have a nice little routine down where he gets the baby and changes his diaper and then brings him to me and I nurse him in bed. Usually the little guy will fall asleep while nursing and Jack will come get him, swaddle him and put him back to bed. Granted, there are the nights a couple times a week where we'll be up with him for 1-2 hours trying to get him back to sleep.

Diet: All breast milk! Breastfeeding is hard at first. I really struggled with it the first few weeks. I would say at around 4 weeks, it started getting MUCH easier.

Baby Gear Love: Swing, bouncy chair, aden + anais swaddle blankets, glider, boppy, baby connect iphone app

Loves: Sleeping on mama or dada's chest, dozing off in my lap after a nursing session, starting at black and white images, staring at faces, being held, being carried in a carrier, baths, being swaddled, napping in his bouncy chair, nursing

Hates: tummy time after a couple of minutes, being taken out of the bath, mommy or daddy dressing him, car seat, when mommy tries to get the boogers out of his nose

Milestones: He did roll over from tummy to back for the first time at 3 weeks, but hasn't done it since. I think maybe he gained too much weight to be able to do it again.

This little guy has rocked my world and in a good way. There were moments of frustration, but overall he makes me so incredibly happy. I can just stare at his cute face all day long! He makes the funniest sounds. He has his sheep sound that makes me laugh every time he does it. He also does this piggy sound when he's hungry. He starts panting and his mouth is opened wide and his head shakes back and forth. I call it his piggy face. 

He looks a lot like his daddy. His dad and I love his chubby cheeks and square head. We love when he purses his lips. We love the little squeaks and coos he makes while sleeping. I love when he falls asleep after nursing and uses my boob as a pillow. We love the way he stretches. His one arm will go up and he looks like a little super hero. There's just so much to love! 

1st time taking a walk with the dog 10/20

Newborn Must-Haves

Newborn must-haves by taders on Polyvore

I always enjoy reading what other moms have found to be helpful to them in surviving the first few weeks with a newborn.

These are the items that have gotten me through the first few weeks with with my new baby boy.

1. Stroller frame: We have the Chicco Keyfit 30 car seat and the Chicco stroller frame to go along with it. It's been nice being able to use this for walks until we decide what kind of stroller will suit our family. We also like to take it with us when we go shopping or out and about. That way the car seat doesn't come in contact with a shopping cart. I'll push the stroller and Jack pushes the cart. It's very handy, lightweight, and folds/unfolds very easily.

2. SwaddleMe swaddle blankets or any other type of swaddle blanket: We like these because it's quick and easy to get him swaddled which is especially nice for the middle of the night. Plus, he hasn't been able to break out of it yet.

3. Nail scissors & baby nail files: Newborn nails are razor sharp. I like to keep them trimmed so he isn't scratching his face up or my boobs when he's breastfeeding. Mittens can work too, but I just hate to keep his hands covered all the time.

4. Newborn hats: Probably not terribly important if you have a summer baby. I like to make sure he's nice and warm. It's hard to find hats small enough to fit a newborn's head. I found the carter's newborn size fit well and this LovedBaby hat as well.

5. Aden + Anais swaddle blankets: Yes, these things are as awesome as everyone says. They're super soft and large plus super adorable. They're great for swaddling, using as a blanket, draping over the car seat, and they make cute backdrops for photos.

6. Bouncy seat and swing: These have come in so handy during these early weeks. It's nice to have a safe place to put the baby for naps. The bouncy seat is nice because I can carry it from room to room. The swing has been in our bedroom and some nights he spends part of the night sleeping in the swing.

7. Nursing pillow: I like this Luna Lullaby Bosom Baby nursing pillow. It's much more plush and larger than a boppy. I keep this one by the couch and use it for nursing on the couch. The boppy isn't big enough for me to use on the couch. I do use the boppy in my glider though.

8. Cloth diapers for burp cloths: I like these OsoCozy Birdseye flat unbleached diapers. They are large, soft, and absorbent. I have one handy for all feedings. I like to tuck it into my bra or nursing cami so I don't get breast milk all over my clothes. Breastfeeding can be messy and it's nice to have these handy. I have 12 of the unbleached and I ordered 6 more of the bleached ones. I found that the unbleached ones are softer, but they have to be prewashed 4-5 times before you use them.

9. White noise machine: I really like this Marpac white noise machine. It just sounds like a fan blowing. We have it in our bedroom right now since that's where he's sleeps at night.

10. Glider: I have the Little Castle Blake Glider special ordered from Buy Buy Baby. I love it and think it was worth every penny we spent on it. It was the only place I felt comfortable breastfeeding for the first couple of weeks. Now I breastfeed some of the feedings in it and it's nice to use to rock him to sleep.

Other items I've found useful:

• Waterproof burp pads: I like these American Baby Company Organic Waterproof Quilted Lap and Burp Pad Covers. I have four right now. I put one on the changing pad so I just have to wash that instead of the whole cover. I also use one for the bed when I nurse in bed. These are also nice because they don't wreak of vinyl like other ones. 
• Nose Tweezers: These Pigeon Baby nose tweezers have come in handy to pick out his little boogers. It's so much easier than a bulb syringe, in my opinion. I haven't tried the syringe actually... I'm too scared! So I use these tweezers instead. I've also heard just squirting some saline helps to loosen the boogers and then the baby just sneezes them out. There is also the Nosefrida but that thing sounds gross to me. 
• Carrier: I have the k*tan and like it. It's nice to let him nap in it while giving me two hands to do things around the house. 
• Lamp Dimmer: This Lutron plug-in lamp dimmer has come in really handy. I have one in the bedroom and one in the nursery. It's really nice for middle of the night feedings. You can dim your bedside lamp instead of having it too bright in the room. 
• Baby App: I like this Baby Connect App. It's actually a bit addicting keeping track of his nursing, diapers and sleep. It's mostly useful to help me remember what side I should start nursing on. 

So there you have it! What has helped me survive the early weeks with a newborn. I'm sure as he gets bigger, this list will change. Stay tuned for new mama must-haves.