first comes love: Wesley [1 month]

I can't believe I'm already back with my first monthly baby post! It seems like it was just yesterday that I was writing these about Simon, let alone pregnant with and giving birth to Wesley. But alas, our sweet Number 2 is already one month old and growing right before our eyes. To keep with the theme of his pregnancy updates (as well as my sanity whilst raising not one, but TWO little boys), I am going to continue writing about Wesley in survey-style. His first four weeks sped by like nothing, but they were exciting and wonderful nonetheless. Let's get started with what we've been up to during Wesley's first month!

Size: As expected, Wesley was born fitting into newborn size clothing and diapers. It's been fun dressing him in some of the same outfits and pajamas that Simon wore and showing big brother his baby photos comparing the two of them. Wesley is still in the newborn size, but Daddy thinks that Baby is beginning to outgrow some of his jammies. Size 1 diapers will be in rotation this next month, and we will begin using cloth once all of our disposables are used up.

Health: According to our home scale this boy weighs a whopping 10.4 pounds! At our 2-week well baby visit he hadn't gotten any taller, but his head size had increased by half an inch. Wesley is quite a gassy, little thing and toots all the time. He grunts a lot when trying to toot or poo, which wakes Eric in the early morning hours. Baby Boy is trying to hold up his head and has very strong abdomen/trunk muscles. We have to keep two steady hands on him at all times, otherwise he'll try to fling his body forwards or backwards like a little baby ninja! Wesley is also starting to grab at things, mostly when he's impatiently waiting to eat. He's gotten a couple of good fistfuls of my hair.

Feeding: This kiddo is a champion eater. I was able to get him to latch within his first hour of life, and since then Wesley has never stopped. Our postpartum nurses complimented me on how easily nursing came for both of us, which was made successful partly because I'm a second-time mom, but mostly because I was determined to introduce breastfeeding immediately. It seems like I have to burp Wesley during feedings more often than I remember having to burp Simon, but again Wesley is very gassy. He sometimes has bouts of spit up that leave me soaked, and I'm not sure what it is that I eat that contributes to this since I haven't been consuming a whole lot of dairy (the usual culprit). It doesn't happen so much that I'm concerned, just curious. Either way, Wesley is nursing so well, and his weight definitely shows it!

Sleep: We've been co-sleeping since Day 1. I wasn't sure if it would come naturally again like it did with Simon, but I've been careful and comfortable. Wesley and I have done lots of skin-to-skin, and I closely monitor his breathing, which has been regular and normal. His gas grunts and early morning fussiness disturb and wake Eric, who it seems is an even lighter sleeper than before. Sleep also comes for Wesley while babywearing, which we started with our Tula carrier and infant insert. I also rented a ring sling carrier from my local babywearing group, and then purchased my own new wrap-converted ring sling to wear Wesley out and around the house. We also got the swing fully assembled and set up with batteries, so Wesley has started to nap there as well.

Milestones: Eric and I are trying to fit in tummy time for Wesley when we can; on his play mat, on our bed, on our chests. While flat on his tummy on our bed, Wesley figured out how to roll over onto his back! We moved him to his play mat where he did it again, but of course he became camera shy when I tried to get the event on video.

Likes: Wesley is always soothed by us patting him on his back. He likes to sit with/be held by his big brother, who is always so eager to be my helper and take care of Baby when we're home without Daddy or I just need an extra hand.

Dislikes: Little Bear is not a fan of being buckled into his car seat. He cries while being safely secured and swaddled but quickly calms down when we pick up his infant seat to leave. The car ride always puts him to sleep, thank goodness!

Social: We were lucky to have lots of delicious meals delivered to us during our first few weeks home with Wesley. All of our kind visitors got the opportunity to hold Wesley, and he was content with meeting so many new people. He will mostly tolerate being held by anyone who isn't Mommy or Daddy until hunger strikes. Simon always jumps at the chance to hug, kiss, and fawn over Wesley, who is seemingly comfortable with having an excited big brother in his face. Baby also doesn't seem to mind having a curious doggy in his face, either. Courage's introduction to Wesley has gone extremely well, and he's calmed down and gotten used to our new addition even faster than he did with Simon.

Other Updates: Sharing the holiday season with both of my boys was absolutely wonderful. Our family included Wesley in all of our Christmas traditions including the Auburn Festival of Lights Parade, seeing Santa, and looking at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve (we drove through the neighborhood this year instead of walking--it was very late and terribly cold). We were lucky to spend a lot of time with extended family during the holiday season, especially my Uncle Chris and Eric's Aunt Sam. My Uncle Chris visited from New Mexico in early December and got to meet Wesley and see Simon for his second time. Aunt Sam visited during Christmas with her friend, Chad, and was also excited to meet Wesley. We enjoyed our annual Christmas Eve dinner at Pappy's house and Christmas morning breakfast at our house. Simon was excited to help unwrap the few gifts we had for Wesley under the tree and in his new stocking. It was a magical holiday celebration with our new little one, and I cannot wait to experience everything the rest of the year has in store for us with Wesley.