James: One Month!

 

The first month with James and as a family of four and mother of two has definitely had its ups and downs. The first week in particular was a little rough. Our little guy had not pooped since the day he left the hospital and this caused some unnecessary concern with the pediatrician and led me on a roller coaster of emotions. I was all concerned that something was wrong and it made me lose confidence in myself as a mother. Needless to say, after taking James to this pediatrician 3 times, we have now found a new pediatrician. I did not have a problem with this doctor with Zach, since we came to him when Zach was 9 months old. But seeing how this office handles newborn care, no thanks, see ya.

After the rocky first two weeks, things got a lot better. Our little man still does not like to poop that often. He will go a week or longer without having a BM! Zach was the same way when he was younger, so it must be something with my kiddos! James is a very happy and content baby. He really only fusses when he is hungry. Boy, when this boy wants to eat, nothing can stand in his way! He will also do a little whine to let us know that he is tired and will go to sleep. Besides that, he really does not complain that much, unless he wants a little attention or a change in scenery.

Zach has adjusted to the role of big brother with so much enthusiasm and joy. He loves to go up to James and say, "Hi baby. Hi baby" and kiss him many times. If James is lying on the floor, he likes to lie down next to him, talk to him and hold his hand. He gets excited if I suggest him reading a book to James and will run and get him a book. He also loves to share all his toys with James and I will find various toys stuffed in James' blanket or lying on top of him. He is such a sweet and kind big brother. Sometimes Zach is a little too eager and is still learning the word  'gentle.' James has received a few minor battle scars as a result of his brother being a little too loving. I think James is going to grow up to be a tough kid with having his brother around.

James is definitely starting to lose the newborn appearance and look more like an infant. He is filling out his clothes more and I even see some rolls beginning to form on his thighs. He is also getting to be more alert and active. He likes to lay on his back and kick his legs. He can track objects and noises. He will lovingly look back at you when you are talking or singing to him. He has even started to say "Ah goo" and  have some social smiles here and there. He really is a sweet and precious little boy. 

Eating
James is strictly nursing (besides the 3 bottles of formula I gave him in the hospital because they would not discharge us unless he had a wet diaper and the 2 days that I used formula to top him off during his first week to get him to poop). He nurses approximately 8 times a day. During the day he nurses every 3 hours, unless he asks for it sooner. He tends to be more hungry in the evening and will sometimes eat every 2 hours. At nighttime, he goes anywhere from 3-4 hours between eating. He definitely knows when he is hungry and there is no fooling him when myself of others are trying to stall him.

Sleep
James still sleeps a great deal during the day, although is getting longer stretches of being awake. He is most awake in the evening (which is also when I felt him kicking the most in the womb). After his big brother goes to sleep, it is his awake time, which is kind of nice because it allows for dad and mom to have some one-on-one time with him. He usually has his last feeding between 10:00-11:00 and will go to sleep (if he's not already asleep by that point). He usually wakes up to eat at 3:30 and then again between 6:30-7:00. He goes right back to sleep after eating in the middle of the night. There have been one or two nights where he has been awake, but I still put him down and he just is content looking around for a bit before falling asleep. Right now, he likes to be swaddled, held and sometimes rocked to sleep. Since he is a newborn, I am taking all the baby snuggles I can get, but soon I will start to lay him in his crib for naps. I don't want any bad habits forming, like what happened to his brother, and making napping and sleeping extremely difficult. He does like his pacifier to sleep, although doesn't seem as attached to it as Zach. He is still sleeping in the Rock N' Play sleeper in our room. Big brother is still occupying the crib. We are starting to make a plan for when to move big brother out and the little peanut into the crib. 

Play
James enjoys laying on his back and kicking and looking around. He enjoys the occasional rattle or toy being shown to him or placed next to him to look at. He likes being included and having people around. If I have him in his bouncer in the other room he may fuss, but if I bring him into the kitchen where I am preparing dinner with Zach, he is happy and content watching us. I think I will bring out the play mat soon and let him explore that. 

Likes: Eating, sleeping, mom, having a change in scenery/ view, our headboard, picture frames, the 'football' hold

Dislikes: Being hungry, pooping

Size
**We have been having some trouble adding James onto our insurance. Thanks to Obamacare, we have had to jump through several hoops. As a result, I had to cancel James' one month appointment so I do not have any stats. Hopefully the insurance will get worked out this week and he will go to the doctor within the next couple of days.

Weight:
Height:
Diapers: Size 1
Clothing: 0-3/ 3 months
Nicknames: Jamesy, Jamesy Boy, Little Buddy
 
Milestones
Lost umbilical cord: 6 days
Pooped [this is a big deal with all the stress that we were over during his first week]: 16 days
Started social smile: 3 weeks
Saying Ah-goo: 3.5 weeks

A Note from Mom
Little James, you are such a sweet little boy. Honestly, before you were born, one of my biggest fears was that I would not be able to love you as much as I love Zach or that you wouldn't be as cute as him. I hated having those fears and didn't want to compare the two of you. Everyone kept telling me that your love just multiplies and that I would love you as much, and they were right. The second you were born and placed in my arms, all those fears disappeared and I haven't thought of them since. I loved you so much from your first breathe of life. And you are just as cute as your big brother. I may be biased, but I think you two are the two cutest little boys I have ever seen.

You are such a precious and sweet little boy. So far, you are very easy and chill. After I am doing feeding you, you are fine just lying down or being in your bouncer and watching your big brother and I play. Your big brother loves to include you in our play. I look forward to the day (as I'm sure Zach is too) of when you two can actually play and interact with each other.

You have brought to much joy and love into our lives. We are so thankful that you are here and a part of our family. We love you, sweet Jamesy Boy!

One Month Pictures

 

21 months old

Our sweet little boy is 21 months old! He is quickly approaching 2 years old which is so hard to believe. He is at a fun age where he is such a little sponge and is soaking up so much information all the time. He is also at a trying age. We are learning that our little boy has quite the strong will and some anger issues at times and is very persistent. We are working on having him obey his parents and saying yes.

He became a big brother at 20 1/2 months and LOVES it! Any time I have his little brother on the floor, he goes over, lays next to him and holds his hand. He gives James at least 30 kisses a day and loves to get right in his face and say, "Hi baby!" He is such a sweet big brother, and it just shows what a sweet boy he already was. 

Eating
Zach goes through spurts of being a really good eater and a really picky eater. He always seems to be interested in whatever we are eating or drinking, so we try to be very careful of what we are consuming around him. He usually only gets water or milk to drink, but there have been some occasions where we have mixed in a little bit of juice with his water or chocolate milk with his milk. He still has never had a sip of soda and we are keeping it that way for a while. He loves his carbs (bread, pasta) and fruits (favorites: watermelon, pineapple, oranges/clementines, grapes, apples, applesauce). He is really picky with proteins. The only consistent protein I can get him to eat are Hebrew National hot dogs. Occasionally he will eat ground beef if it is mixed in with pasta. He does not like chicken or any other form of meat that is just offered to him in pieces. Thankfully he has started liking peanut butter and will eat it on apples or bread, or even by the spoonful. He also enjoys cheese. He has become a little sweet-toothed baby and loves lollipops, cupcakes, cookies and his favorite Joe-Joe's (Trader Joe's version of Oreos). He will ask for Joe Joe's all the time and one time Justin told him they were going to the store and he said, "Buy Joe Joe's!" We try to limit how many sweets he eats, but we do let him indulge in a little from time to time.  

Sleep
Oh, sleep. I think I need to just accept the fact that I have an extremely. early. riser. and that might not change. Ever. Zach did have some good chunks of time of sleeping through the night and waking up at 7:00/7:30 in the morning. It was so luxurious. For the past month or so, he has been waking up at 4:00 in the morning and not going back to sleep on his own. He will then proceed to still wake up at 5:30/6:00 in the morning. Because he wakes up so early, his nap time and bed time have been experimental lately. Usually he goes down for a nap at 1:00 and will sleep at good 2-2 1/2 hours. However, he has been getting tired (and cranky) earlier so we have put him down at 11:00. It goes day by day to see what time he wakes up and what his mood is like. He usually goes to bed at 8:00, but with his earlier naps, we have been having some meltdowns around dinner time, so we are also experimenting with his bed time. Some nights he goes down at 7:00 or 7:30. I am trying to find something more consistent to see what works best for him. He has climbed out of his crib a couple of times. With his little brother now here, Zach's transition to a big boy bed will happen in the next month or so.  

Play
Our little boy is a non-stop moving machine. He is constantly on the go. He loves to have someone to play with and is not independent at all. If he wants you to play with him, he will come over, grab your hand, say, "hand" and will lead you over the activity that he wants to do. Or he will come over and say, "Up, please" and expects you to follow him. I am trying to encourage more independent play, especially now with a newborn in the house. He loves trains and got a train table for Christmas. It has been a wonderful investment and has provided many hours of entertainment already. He is very well-rounded in his play and enjoys many activities. He likes arts and crafts like playing with play doh, painting, watercolors, drawing, and shaving cream. He enjoys lots of different sports: hitting his baseball off the t, playing basketball, kicking a ball and playing catch. He has also learned how to catch a ball. He loves going down his slide that his Aunt Jen got him. He likes to roll trains and other stuffed animals down the slide or slide down into his tent/ ball pit. He is also very musical and likes to drum on his drum set, play his guitar and xylophone. He likes to sing and dance. He has a Go Fish Guys DVD and will sing along and mimic the dance moves as he watches it. He also loves playing outside, going to the play ground and going to Catch Air (indoor play place). He also loves to help out in the kitchen and will want to help me cook dinner or bake.

 Zach's favorite place to go and play is Catch Air. An indoor play place with slides, ball pits, jungle gyms, etc. In the morning if you ask him what he wants to do or where he wants to go and will always answer, "Catch Air!"

Dad has officially become his primary love object. He is always asking for Dada and wants dada to do everything with him. It does break my heart a little bit, but I suppose it transitioned at the perfect time with me being so occupied taking care of his little brother. If I had to lose my title to anyone, I'm happy that it is his dad. 

Favorites
Food: Joe Joe's
Book: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" "How do Dinosaurs say Good-Night?" "Little Blue Truck" "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed"
TV show: Chuggington, The Hive, Baby Einstein, Go Fish Guys DVD
Song: "This Little Light of Mine" "Touch your Finger to your Nose" "Stay"-Taylor Swift (sorry dad!)
Word: "Up, please" 
Place: Catch Air
Pacifiers- We have to hide them during the day.
His brother 

Speech
Zach continues to grow and grow in his speech. He consistently says 2-3 word sentences. He has some good manners in terms of using the word "please." Although he thinks that if he says please he will get whatever he is asking for. Just recently he has started to pick up the word, "thank you," although I have been working on it for months. He can pretty clearly communicate what he wants or his able to show us/point to it. He has also become very vocal in what he doesn't want, saying "no." That has made meal times a little more difficult if we ask him if he wants to eat this and his response is "no" every time. 

Size
Weight: 30 lbs. (Estimate- have not been to the doctor)
Height: 28 inches (Estimate- have not been to the doctor)
Diapers: Size 4
Shoes: Size 6/7
Clothing: 2T pajamas although those are getting very tight, 2T shirts, 18-24 month/ 2T bottoms 

Milestones
Catch a ball
Sing along with songs
Use a fork and spoon to eat
Climbed out of crib a couple of times (big boy bed is just around the corner)
Car seat forward facing (20 months)
Became a big brother: 1.3.15