A Month of Spud
May. 28th, 2007 10:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
teleribIt's been a good month.
He's a good baby. We haven't yet had the first explosive diaper, the first all-nighter, or really any of the other unpleasant "firsts." He's a little fussy and would prefer to be held all day and all night, but will sleep in his crib - just less soundly and for not as long as in his sling.
He's starting to have wakeful periods. He makes eye contact during feedings and appeared to focus on a stuffed toy when it was held up for him, and tracked it (briefly) when I moved it. He's a strong little boy, and can easily turn his own head and even roll onto his side. He wears a onesie pretty much 24/7. He drools much less when feeding, except towards the end when he's sleepy.
The "rooming in" in a co-sleeper didn't fly. His pooping problems make him fuss - not usually cry, unless he's also hungry, but make grumpy noises - and it was keeping me entirely too much awake. We haven't removed the co-sleeper yet, in case the next developmental stage or two requires frequent but brief nighttime soothing.
Breastfeeding is still a rocky road - the record so far is about four minutes of nursing with the nipple shield in place. He doesn't want to open up wide to latch, for one thing. But mostly, when he's awake and hungry, he's also mad because he's trying to poop. He'll take a bottle then, because it's easy - and it does soothe him and seems to make it easier to poop. But learning to breastfeed is apparently too hard. He has had a few periods of non-fussy hunger, and the breastfeeding attempts made then have gone much better. Hopefully, he'll outgrow the dyschezia soon.
We have time. I can shower and get things (like this post) done. The main stress comes when two things seem to need to get done at the same time (like pumping and feeding) and there's only me around. Making appointments - like his doctor - is a little stressful, but I'm just allowing an extra 30 minutes to get ready, and that seems to help greatly. He interrupts frequently - he needs attention roughly every two hours for about an hour, although sometimes we get a respite of a three-hour nap. But honestly, there's little going on here that can't be put down when need be.
We haven't gone out much - the Dear Spouse is hesitant about that. I have taken him on a jaunt to the bank and Target, which he happily slept through, crying only as the car pulled into the driveway. But a long trip to the grandparents' is planned for the upcoming month, and I hope to attempt a restaurant sometime soonish. We might even try a nearby SCA event. (I get to make him tiny garb!) We have had folks over for a cookout and for a picnic, and that all went reasonably well. I have hopes of resuming gaming soon, even.
He's growing quite adorable and getting bigger. I've definitely warmed up to him - he feels much more like my baby now, instead of a baby that I'm watching for some indefinite time. I like to pick him up and snuggle him for no good reason, which I don't do with other people's kids. He's the Spud, Monkeyface, Señor Pupi, and Mr. Fussy. He makes an array of cute little faces and hand gestures, including Zen Pooping, Captain Kirk, the Godfather, Tai Chi, and Evil Mastermind.
Happy One Month Birthday, Spud!
He's a good baby. We haven't yet had the first explosive diaper, the first all-nighter, or really any of the other unpleasant "firsts." He's a little fussy and would prefer to be held all day and all night, but will sleep in his crib - just less soundly and for not as long as in his sling.
He's starting to have wakeful periods. He makes eye contact during feedings and appeared to focus on a stuffed toy when it was held up for him, and tracked it (briefly) when I moved it. He's a strong little boy, and can easily turn his own head and even roll onto his side. He wears a onesie pretty much 24/7. He drools much less when feeding, except towards the end when he's sleepy.
The "rooming in" in a co-sleeper didn't fly. His pooping problems make him fuss - not usually cry, unless he's also hungry, but make grumpy noises - and it was keeping me entirely too much awake. We haven't removed the co-sleeper yet, in case the next developmental stage or two requires frequent but brief nighttime soothing.
Breastfeeding is still a rocky road - the record so far is about four minutes of nursing with the nipple shield in place. He doesn't want to open up wide to latch, for one thing. But mostly, when he's awake and hungry, he's also mad because he's trying to poop. He'll take a bottle then, because it's easy - and it does soothe him and seems to make it easier to poop. But learning to breastfeed is apparently too hard. He has had a few periods of non-fussy hunger, and the breastfeeding attempts made then have gone much better. Hopefully, he'll outgrow the dyschezia soon.
We have time. I can shower and get things (like this post) done. The main stress comes when two things seem to need to get done at the same time (like pumping and feeding) and there's only me around. Making appointments - like his doctor - is a little stressful, but I'm just allowing an extra 30 minutes to get ready, and that seems to help greatly. He interrupts frequently - he needs attention roughly every two hours for about an hour, although sometimes we get a respite of a three-hour nap. But honestly, there's little going on here that can't be put down when need be.
We haven't gone out much - the Dear Spouse is hesitant about that. I have taken him on a jaunt to the bank and Target, which he happily slept through, crying only as the car pulled into the driveway. But a long trip to the grandparents' is planned for the upcoming month, and I hope to attempt a restaurant sometime soonish. We might even try a nearby SCA event. (I get to make him tiny garb!) We have had folks over for a cookout and for a picnic, and that all went reasonably well. I have hopes of resuming gaming soon, even.
He's growing quite adorable and getting bigger. I've definitely warmed up to him - he feels much more like my baby now, instead of a baby that I'm watching for some indefinite time. I like to pick him up and snuggle him for no good reason, which I don't do with other people's kids. He's the Spud, Monkeyface, Señor Pupi, and Mr. Fussy. He makes an array of cute little faces and hand gestures, including Zen Pooping, Captain Kirk, the Godfather, Tai Chi, and Evil Mastermind.
Happy One Month Birthday, Spud!
