1 month old!

Happy 1 month birthday Noah! :)

This is mostly for documentation purposes because I don't want to forget everything as the days FLY by.

Weight: 8lbs 7oz

Noah is doing great. He is sleeping in 4 hour stretches typically and even has 5 hour stretches the past few nights! Last night I actually woke him up after it had been 5 hours because I had pumped and I thought if I don't feed him now, then he'll wake up as soon as I fall back asleep. He is wearing mostly 0-3 month clothes, the newborn sizes are getting a little tight on him.

He is still strictly breastfeeding or being fed breast milk. Here is our situation - he eats SO slow.

Like 45-60 minutes to eat 2 ounces!! When we introduced a bottle last week in preparation for working and I had to go to school for a day, he ate 3 ounces in 15 minutes! I had a hard time letting him have a bottle the first few days, but as it freed me up to sleep or get some things done instead of feeding for a whole hour, I was more in favor of the idea. It also was very frustrating when we'd feed for an hour and sometimes he'd only eat a little over an ounce! (And this was me trying to keep him awake the whole time.) Then one night I fed him and he was still fussing and acting hungry after only getting an ounce from me. I was so tired I went and got a bottle of breast milk and fed it to him, gone in a few minutes and he was satisfied. Since then we have been

alternating feedings between me and a bottle of pumped milk, but I have to say, I can pump and feed him in WAY less time than him eating alone AND he's getting more ounces during the day, which will make him sleep better at night.

I don't know if him being slow is because I had a reduction a few years ago or just because he is SLOW, but I do know he is getting enough food and growing very well, so however we have to do this, I'm happy that he is still getting breast milk.

He held his pacifier last week! I thought that was a huge accomplishment, lol! He grabbed it and waved it around. Now only if he could put it back in his mouth when it falls out. :)

He started smiling AT us two days ago! LOVE this! It isn't very often, just a few times a day and I have to really work for it, but when he does, it melts my heart. He has smiled in his sleep when he is falling asleep since he was born and even laughs in his sleep, but this is the first time he has smiled at us while making eye contact awake. So fun! (I caught him in a huge smile!)

We have traveled out into the world a few times just he and I, he even went with me to the dentist on Monday. We don't go out a ton because it is still easier to stay at home (and sleep), but we've gone to publix and walmart a few times and out to lunch once! (I also think pumping will be easier when we go places because when we went to walmart, I had to sit in the car and feed him for an hour before we could go in... he also only eats when in the football position - very uncomfortable - so its difficult in the car. I can pump in the car in 15 minutes and feed him at the same time!)

He loves his baths! I wish we had more to do in there so he could stay longer, but bathing a 1 month old only really takes a few minutes :) He hates getting out because its so cold.

The dogs also are doing great with him. They really weren't even phased by it, but lately Logan has been sitting by him and when he is squirming and fussing she'll go get close to him like she's trying to fix it. Its cute. Sierra just wants to be anywhere he and I are.

Logan

Sierra