Dexter's Diggs: one month

I'm a bit behind on posts! Wrote last week on the 23rd, MJ's actual one month, now we're already at 5 weeks, yikes!

We survived the first four weeks!

How that happened I don't know. It went by so slow yet so fast and is a complete blur. It's been a bit rough with breastfeeding, waking up every 2 hours at night, only 1-2 hours in between feedings, a baby who doesn't like to sleep, can't be set down, 24 hour fussiness, and possible colic!

I read on all these other blogs how their babies who are the say age at MJ are just so content during the day, sleep 4 hours at night, eat every 3-4 hours, and are happy all the time. This is SOO not our case. I admit, I'm very envious but that's just not the kind of baby we have. I like to call Madden a High Maintenance baby.

"Hi I'm One Month!"

This seriously has been one of the hardest things I've ever done! No one tells you just how hard breastfeeding is. I've contemplated quiting multiple times. Particularly at the wee hours of the morning barely being able to keep my eyes open enough to feed him. I admit, I've even giving in and gave him formula a handful of times but then I feel guilty, plus it smells horribly and I can't image how it could taste remotely good in any way. He currently eats every 1-2 hours during the day, if he takes a really good nap (which is rare) then he will last longer. At night he usually wakes up every two hours, some nights on the dot! As much as I constantly struggle with breastfeeding, we have our good days. I love the closeness. Having him cuddled to my chest, snuggled in between my arms. Being able to watch him eat, knowing I am giving him that nourishment. And I know these moments won't last forever, they'll go by so quickly and I'll wish the opposite of what I do now.

Weight: 8lbs 14 oz (as of August 18th)
Length: 21 inches (as of August 6th)
Diaper Size: Newborn disposables until he fits into cloth
Clothes Size: Newborn and 0-3 months. He is quickly outgrowing his newborn clothes in length, I think this is the last week for them
Hair Color: Brown
Eye color: Dark blue gray

One Month Facts:

You lost your umbilical cord at exactly one week.
Your first outing outside the house was the mall
We gave you your first bottle of pumped breast milk when you were 2 weeks 5 days old, you took it like a champ!
We try to feed you one bottle every day, usually from daddy.
Grandma and Grandpa Dexter watched you for the first time when you were just short of 3 weeks old so mommy and daddy could get out of the house for a few hours, for the first time!
Grandma and Grandpa Gorsh watched you on Saturday so we could go out to eat, for our second outing.
Besides eating, sleeping, crying, peeing and pooping, there's not much else you do currently.
You love being held - It's seriously the only way you will sleep. No matter how long you've been sleeping, as soon as we put you down within 5-10 minutes you will be awake screaming. You sleep the longest when you lay on either one of our chests, tummy to tummy.
You LOVE to cry! The last two weeks you have become Mr. Fussy Pants, most nights you have a fussy period in which you are wide awake and crying from 6:00pm until 11:30pm.
Mommy and daddy called the pedi for the first time thinking there might be something wrong with you since you all of a sudden became so fussy all the time. They think it might be something in my diet OR it's just colic. We're hoping it's neither and just a phase since your growing so fast but I'm trying to watch my diet by excluding dairy, caffeine and anything spicy which is hard and a pain. We also give you gas drops and colic drops but I'm not so sure they do anything.
You Like Making Noises - Mainly while sleeping. You grunt. You fart, so much so that you wake yourself up multiple times a night. You whimper. You giggle and it's seriously the cutest thing EVER. You cry. Yes you even cry in your sleep, as soon as I look at you to check if it's real, you're still passed out.
You're starting to like baths. Daddy is in charge of those and you seem to like it.
You sure love to eat! You get so worked up when you're hungry you have his little cough you do. I'm convinced you have your fathers metabolism since you still need to eat every 1-2 hours.
You have a love/hate relationship with tummy time. Sometimes you just lay there content and eventually fall asleep, other times it just pisses you off so much you scream bloody murder.
You like your car seat and stroller. We can usually calm you down with them and you almost always fall asleep in them.
Car rides usually always put you to sleep within minutes and you usually will stay asleep as long as your fed.
The same is for walks. We try to go on a 20 minute walk every day during the week. You usually fall asleep right away and stay sleeping for another 20 minutes after we get back.
You hate being swaddled unless your really fussy and overtired then it helps settle you down. You usually fight so hard to get free. You like to have your arms up near your head and your hands available for your mouth.
Unfortunately you're not a huge fan of your swing right now either.
You hate being put down. You make it extremely difficult for mommy to do anything throughout the day, as soon as I set you down you cry which then turns into a scream. I'm extremely lucky if I even brush my teeth by time your dad gets home from work.
You usually have two periods throughout the day when you are content and awake, they last about 20 minutes.

Funniest moment:
Daddy was giving you a bath the other night, (which you are starting to like as long as we keep pouring warm water on you) he had yet to learn to put a washcloth over your penis even though you've peed in the bath before. But that night you peed everywhere, it was like a little hose going off. From over on the wall to at daddy to in your own face. Daddy tried to be quick and cup his hand over the stream until he thought you were done, which you weren't and you ended up peeing up your nose and in your own mouth. I'm sorry for that! Trust me I won't let him live it down and I'm sure he's learned his lesson so cover your junk up from now on.

I finally found a way to hold you and be hands free!! I was actually able to style my hair for once :)

Thank you Moby Wrap!