Elliott: One Month

We can hardly believe it, but Elliott is one month old already! In similar fashion to my pregnancy updates, I want to update once a month on Elliott to keep track of how he grows and changes. I think the categories will probably change each month to suite his needs, but we'll start with the basics: Eating, Sleeping and Likes & Dislikes

Eating: This little guy is a great eater, and always has been. We didn't see my midwife Tara for our 4 week appointment because I had an appointment with a lactation consultant (more on that in a moment) and we knew he would get weighed there and i/ had no other concerns. Well, he weighed in at a whopping 11 lbs, 5 oz!! Wowzers, that means that he has gained 2 lbs, 3 oz since birth. The lactation consultant dismissed any concerns of him not getting enough, or me not having a sufficient milk supply. Obviously, we are rocking the whole breast feeding thing! That being said, it hasn't been an easy journey. The first week was pretty rough, leaving my poor nipples pretty beat up. Then on Day 7 I was hit with a case of mastitis which knocked me on my butt for nearly a week. After we recovered from that I was still experiencing some pain from time to time with the initial latch, and all feeling painful in both breasts during feeding, and afterwards, for about an hour as well. The lactation consultant has determined that it's either ductal yeast, or Vasospasm (a form of Raynaud's Phenomenon) We're treating first for Vasospasm because if we treated for yeast it could make the Vasospasm worse. If this (a few different supplements) doesn't work then I'll go back and we'll likely treat for yeast. Anyways, back to Elliott. He's a great eater. Sometimes quite noisy, which is just plain cute. He certainly lets you know when it's time to eat, but I can't complain much because it's pretty much the only time he cries.

Sleeping: As I mentioned in Elliott's first post, we had a rough couple of nights at the beginning, but when we discovered the SwaddleMe blanket and the fact that he preferred his crib over his bassinet, things have been great since! I was just mentioning to Chris last night how interesting it is to me that he seems to know when he's going down for the night, because he always falls into a deep sleep at the last feeding of the night (which we usually finish between 10-11 pm) At that point we swaddle him and place him in his crib and I head to bed as well. He sleeps between 3 and 4 hours at this point, getting up anywhere between 1-3 (depending when he went down) We are then up for an average of 40 minutes to an hour. I feed him both sides and change him at least once (twice of he poops mid-meal- a common occurrence) then I re-swaddle him and put him back to bed. The past week or so, the back to bed part has been getting harder- he doesn't pass out while feeding like he used to, and needs to be cuddled a little before falling asleep. There have been a few nights where I'm up for nearly an hour and half with him. Thank heavens for iPhones- something I can do to keep myself entertained (aka: awake) with only one hand is key! Now, on the really good nights he won't wake up again until sometime between 6-7. On the not-as-good nights I'll get up with him once more before 6 am. No matter what happens, I try my best to get him back to sleep so I can snooze until about 9. Often that means bringing him into our bed to snuggle (if Chris has already vacated of course) The mornings that doesn't work and he's awake and ready for the day end up being my least productive mornings. (So tired!) A lot of cooking channel shows and/or Netflix are in order those days!

Likes:

• Being swaddled
• Being wrapped up in my moby wrap or ring sling (I love the ring sling for how easy it is to get him in there!) He falls right asleep
• Sleeping on Mom or Dad, preferably up on a shoulder
• Having his back patted
• Being burped (he goes into a happy little zoned out trance)
• His swing
• His carseat- it's the weirdest thing- he can be crying, but as soon as he's strapped in he calms down. Unless you walk away from him, then he gets mad that you're ignoring him!
• Daddy's banjo playing
• Daddy making funny noises - just in the last week he's started responding by seemingly paying attention to them
• Chef Michael at Home (who conveniently comes on TV at 9 am right when he's awake, happy and sitting in his chair)

Dislikes:

• Being dirty
• Getting changed (If only he would realize we're changing his diaper so he won't be dirty anymore...?) This one is getting better though- he only screams less than half the time now, where as the first couple weeks it was every. single. time.
• Bright sun in his eyes (though he loves the feeling of the sun on his body when he's getting changed)
• Soothers. Well, we've found one that he'll actually suck, but only if you hold it in his mouth, and only until he realizes no milk comes out of it.
• Ummm... sleep? Ha ha, I kid, I kid...

We're just entering a Wonder Week now, at about 4.5 weeks. He's been a little more clingy/needy the past couple of days- wanting to breastfeed more often in the evenings, and being a little more whiney/fussy even after being fed and changed. I'm looking forward to some of the changes that accompany this "leap." Some of the things parents have noticed with this leap are:

-Looks at something longer and more frequently

-Responds to touch differently

-Gives a social smile for the first time (SO excited for this one!!)

-Responds to odours more clearly

-Is more awake and "busy"

I can't wait to see how he changes, and how much more he interacts with us in the coming weeks! He already brings us so much joy, just by being him and doing so little. We can hardly go an hour without one of us saying "He's just so cute!" in response to a noise or a smile... or nothing at all. We are both just so smitten by him. I truly can't imagine life without him!!

Now... some pictures 

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Thanks for stopping by :)

~M