one month old

Cole is now officially one month old, and today he had a check-up at the pediatrician. Tony and I had bets on what his weight would be, and I won because we were abiding be Price is Right rules, and Tony's estimate was over the actual amount. Cole now weighs in at 10 lbs. 4 oz., though he literally tried to tip the scale by pulling on part of it. I had to let him hold my finger so the nurse could get an accurate measurement. He's also grown 3/4", and is now 22 1/4" tall...well...22 1/4" long is more like it since standing is still out of the question. However, he's working hard on developing those neck muscles and he can hold his head up for longer stretches every day. He's also stretching out his legs and kicking and pushing off a lot more. He takes his exercises very seriously.

This first month has been exhausting, frustrating, and amazing as we've tackled new things together. The hardest times have had little to do with Cole and more to do with my own health issues. I'm getting better though and that's a huge comfort.

Family begins arriving tomorrow. Tony's parents are flying in from Green Bay to stay for a week, and my family will be here this weekend as we celebrate Cole's baptism on Sunday. It will be interesting to see how Cole reacts to his popularity...and we'll definitely be keeping a close eye on the grandparents to make sure no one tries to take off with him.

To celebrate his great check-up and to savor our final quiet moments for awhile, I took him for a walk this afternoon around the apartment complex. Last time we went for a walk, Cole slept through the whole thing, but today, he was wide-eyed the entire time. He stared back at me and would acknowledge when we passed under a tree or when he heard an airplane. He's becoming more aware of his environment and I love seeing his reactions. The best part was he had his longest sustained smile ever and was still smiling when I got him back upstairs. Tonight, as I'm cleaning the apartment before family arrives, I've got a bit of extra energy and I know exactly where it came from...seeing my one month old's gummy grin.

first 3 weeks

These first 3 weeks have been full of firsts. Much of it has been documented with the digital camera, and some with the camcorder, but some of it I'm sure will stay etched in memory without the visual aids. Cole is thriving and growing like a weed. I'm eager to see what his height and weight will be at his next check up on 11/17. Initially he had lost 1 lb. and 2 oz. from his birth weight, but he regained it plus 3 oz. within the first week and a half.

Breastfeeding is going well which is a huge relief. I've heard so many horror stories involving soreness, bleeding and other unpleasantries. I'm grateful that the nurses at the hospital helped us get off to a good start. It's tricky because it requires coordination on the part of mom and baby. It's a team effort between 2 people that just met! I feed Cole every 2 1/2-3 hours during the day and 3-4 hours at night. Over the weekend, he was hungry every 2 hours, but kept falling asleep mid-meal which made the nursing session take a full hour. I'm trying to get him back to 3 hour, focused feedings today...wish me luck!

Cole's first sponge bath was a success, and this past week he had his first real bath...something I was a bit nervous about, but we all survived it. His umbilical cord stump had fallen off Tuesday night. I had joked with Tony that now that his "tags" are off, we've got to keep him. Bath time was a shock to Cole at first. He wasn't sure what to make of the water, but then he started to like it. By the time I was done, his patience was dwindling.

Another nerve-wracking task to tackle was trimming his razor fingernails. The trick is to do it just after he's been fed and is groggy. I'm a pro at it now...a good thing since I have to do it about twice a week...to protect him and us from nasty scratches.

We also took Cole out for his first non-doctor visit adventure, and broke in his stroller during the indian summer weekend we had 11/1-11/2. He's not too fond of the car seat initially, but he fell asleep in the stroller and was pretty content. I wish the weather hadn't turned cold so quickly because I would've liked to have taken a lot more walks.

Well, that's all the news for now...it's taken me all day to finish this post because I can only write in 5 minute intervals. :)