I started writing this at 11:00 pm last night as I was feeding Josiah one last time before laying him in his crib. I was able to pump on one side while feeding him and was just waiting for him to sleep so that I could pump the other side and go to bed...
I was just about to tell you guys how much better everything has been and the new (much better) sleeping routine that Josiah has- how he's been going to sleep around 11 every night and only waking at 4 am and 7 am, and how much that extra sleep has helped me get through the days... and then he did the total opposite. Just as he finished eating and seemed in a deep sleep- just as I was about to stand up and place him in his crib- he suddenly woke up and spit up all over himself. Well, now he was wide awake. So I tried to comfort him and rock him back to sleep, but he got the hiccups, which disturbed his sleep even more. Finally, he calmed down and I attempted to feed him some more. But just as he started to fall asleep, his bottle ran out of milk, waking him up again! I tried to walk around with him and rock him, but at this point my breast was becoming really engorged since I now had been unable to pump for 4 hours. I woke Jesse up at midnight and asked for his help. So he rocked Josiah while I pumped, but every time he moved positions, Josiah woke again. At 1:00 am, I finished pumping and took Josiah back from Jesse so he could return to bed, and finally got him to sleep and in his crib by 1:30.
I crashed in bed and fell fast asleep. It was short-lived, though, and Josiah woke up crying exactly 2 hours later. I woke up, fed him again, put him to bed, and pumped once more before returning to bed at 4:30 am. This time, I got even less sleep because Josiah woke up again at 5:45 am. I fed him and pumped again, but this time he wasn't going to sleep afterwards. So I ended up grabbing my blanket and pillows and sleeping with him on the couch the rest of the morning. He still woke every few hours to eat again, but at least he slept in between feedings.
The recent sleeping schedule aside, he has been sleeping so much better. And, for me, being able to sleep from 10 or 11 until 4 am is HUGE! It makes such a huge difference in my energy throughout the day. And because of this, even pumping every 2 hours doesn't feel like as much of a chore. And, because of that, I am able to enjoy my time with Josiah all that much more. I can sit there and hold him in my arms and stare at his sleeping face without worrying about the clock and how soon I need to pump again.
Furthermore, since the last time I wrote, Josiah turned 1 month old...
It was really hard to get a picture of him, and, in true character, he got his clothes dirty before I was able to take a picture of him in them. This time it was just drooled milk, though, not spit up. That's gonna be his trademark characteristic, though!
... and then another week passed and he's now over 5 weeks old! The time is flying and I am daily watching my baby boy grow before my eyes. I don't know how big he is right now. He hasn't been measured since he was 2 weeks old, and I won't be back to the doctor's until he's 2 months old. But I'm guessing he's approaching 10 lbs now. I can definitely feel the difference. In addition to being bigger, he's also been awake more throughout the day, coos and makes other noises more often, is transitioning into 0-3 month size clothes (although they tend to be wide and short on him since he's so skinny and long), and (the most exciting thing of all) he has started smiling at us!!!
The first day he smiled at me was on Wednesday, September 23rd, the day after he turned 1 month old. I was holding him on my lap and tickling and talking to him and he smiled in response to me. This was the first time that he smiled in response to us and not just because of gas or in the midst of falling asleep. It just melted my heart! I got all teary eyed as a flood of proud emotions ran over me. Then Saturday night, September 26th, Jesse called me into the other room all excited because Josiah had smiled at him. I was able to witness it as he smiled again, and I even had a chance to grab my camera and catch it. I love these pictures!... And Jesse got teary-eyed too, saying it was such an awesome experience.
That's all I can think of for now. So here's a few final pictures:
3 comments:
Finally checked out your blog tonight and really enjoyed all the pictures. Josiah is a real cutie! New parenting can be really exhausting. Hope you will start getting more rest soon. Hope we can get together soon and meet our new grand-nephew.
Aren't the smiles awesome?? Even at 13 months, Evie's smiles still melt my heart! Evie was really long and skinny for a while too. I found that the packaged onesies (usually 3 or 5 packs) that Gerber makes fit her the best and Circo brand was usually the worst. Carter's line for Walmart and Target three packs are also long and skinny.
He is so sweet! I'm trying to prepare myself for the sleep deprivation...is that possible? :)
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