This month has brought with it quite a lot of changes in our little man. Not only is he starting to fill out and grow more and more with each day, he is spending a greater number of hours awake and aware of his surroundings. He has begun focusing on objects and responding to various voices.
Jack now weighs 11 lbs. 7 oz., which puts him in the 40th percentile for weight. He gained 2 lbs in a month! When I expressed my concern to his doctor over the rapid weight gain (and noticeable chubbiness), she laughed! She said that the only time that we are allowed to have 'rolls' in our lifetime is during the ages of 0-2. She said that he is actually a little below average in his weight and that he only appears chubby to me because I am used to having two little girls that always hovered in the 5-10 percentile! Jack is now 22" in length, which puts him in the 20th percentile.
Jack had his first bottle at about 6.5 weeks of age. This is the longest that I have taken to introduce a bottle with any of our kids, but with me having the summer off from teaching, I have not needed to give him a bottle. He fussed for the first minute (because it was something new), but once he realized what was in it, he gulped it down in no time. Since then, I have been pumping a bottle for him every morning that he then receives before his bath every night. It helps to fill him up when my supply might be a little lower toward the end of the day.
Our typical night-time routine with him is as follows:
1. After the girls are down for bed (at 8 pm), Jack gets the pumped bottle of milk.
2. Around 8:30 pm or so, he gets his bath. He loves that!
3. Once he is in his pajamas, I will nurse him until he seems full and satisfied. I usually put him in his crib between 9:00 - 9:30 pm. (Eventually, we will start moving this time up, but for now, it will usually buy me about 5-6 hours of sleep before he is hungry again. This is a welcomed relief from the every 2 hour feedings for his first 6 weeks of life).
As I mentioned, Jack LOVES his bath. If he is fussy, he calms down immediately upon putting him in the warm water. He often smiles and coos as I am cleaning him from top to bottom. And then he cries when I take him out and dry him off. I think that he would stay in there all night if I let him.
Around 6 weeks of age, Jack began reaching for objects that were hanging from his activity mat. Sometimes he is successful at touching them, but he doesn't usually grab ahold of them because he likes to still keep his hands in a fist position. I am working with him to open his fingers a little more.
Jack also started using his Bumbo seat a little more efficiently. By efficiently using it, I simply mean that he can hold his head up almost completely by himself. It is still a lot of work to support his body, but he will sit in it for short periods of time. (Never mind the purple color of it; we were gratefully given this seat by some of our friends when they longer needed it for their daughter. We used it with both of our girls and now Jack is using it and luckily he doesn't seem to mind the 'girly' color!).
In the last month, Jack has really started to use his swing. He didn't seem to care for it too much when he was a newborn, but he will gladly sit in it now and will often swing himself to sleep. In fact, I have been known to let him take a nap in there if he seems a little fussy and won't nap in his bed.
At 7 weeks old, I officially moved Jack upstairs to his crib to sleep at night. He no longer sleeps in the Pack 'n Play in our bedroom. I am happy to report that this transition has been very successful ... Right now, he will sleep for about six hours (give or take) before waking for a feeding in the middle of the night (usually between 3-4 am). After a quick nursing, I am often able to get him to go back to sleep for another 2-3 hours. I consider this to be pretty good for his age.
I am also working with him to take his afternoon nap in his crib at the same time that the girls take their afternoon nap. Most days, I am able to make it happen. I then use that naptime to catch up on odds and ends around the house and to start dinner preparations. Once I go back to teaching (in another month), I will likely use some of that time to do my schoolwork.
Jack's personality is really starting to develop. He seems pretty easy-going and mellow right now, and has lots of smiles for the people and voices that he recognizes. Even in the middle of the night, when this momma is tired and really doesn't feel like being too social, he gives me a toothy grin and I just melt. It is safe to say that he has me totally wrapped around his "fist-clinched" little finger.
And I'm not the only one that is smitten with him; his sisters love him so much ... In fact, Samantha asked me last night if Jack could sleep in their room with them!
No comments:
Post a Comment