It’s been an entire month since the day we welcomed our beautiful little boy into this world. There are moments where I think, where have the past 30 days gone? And then there are moments- usually when I’m in the moment – where I think it’s taken its sweet time. I know I always say this, but watching Grayson grow up so fast is a wonderful and heartbreaking thing. I absolutely love to see him develop and grow into such a strong and determined little boy, but at the same time, I wish I could keep him little and so dependent on me forever. One thing is for sure, he is changing every single day and sad or not, it’s been a joy to witness this little man become who he was created to be.
Where do I begin…
I guess I’ll start with his physical growth.
We knew early on that G would be a little squirt. In the womb, he always measured small and always in the 20-25 percentile. When he was born, he weighed 6 pounds 3 ounces and measured 18 inches long. At his one month, he was 7 pounds 8 ounces and 20.5 inches long. It’s taken a little longer than expected to get his weight up because he had a little catching up to do, but now we are growing like a weed.
We have finally outgrown our premie clothes and are now even bypassing the newborn clothes. Actually, we are in this weird transition where some of our newborn clothes are getting tight (length wise) but the 0-3 months are way too big. Lately, we’ve just been hanging out in our diaper because it’s much easier.
Grayson is full of personality! One minute he is totally chill and just likes to sit back and stare and the next minute, he is climbing all over his mommy and daddy. I knew this little guy was going to be an active one just by the way he moved in my stomach all those months, but Grayson seriously surprises us by how advanced and determined he is. I mean, the kid was rolling from tummy to back at 10 days old. Well, that is old news now and he is desperately trying to roll from back to tummy. He’s not quite there but I swear any day now. Geesh, I am going to have my work cut out for me.
Nursing is going well! He had the latch down right away and there are times we still struggle with staying focused for the entire 15 minutes so I am still pumping after each session and feeding him any excess milk he didn’t get. We do still supplement formula from time to time but it’s down to about an ounce at a time. We really leave it up to him if he wants it or not. Sometimes, he’s still hungry after we nurse and he will take the formula and other times, he wants nothing to do with it. I’m hoping we will eventually ween off completely in a few weeks. As long as he continues to gain and at a good pace, but like I said, he had some catching up to do.
Speaking of formula, that has been a bit of a challenge to figure out what he will take. I was giving him Enfamil Gentlease but we noticed that he spit up a lot immediately after we fed him. I talked to his doctor and he said it could be a milk allergy or intolerance so we changed to a soy based formula the other day. He had absolutely no spit up or vomit so I was thinking it was the winner. Well, unfortunately, G didn’t poop for 2 days on the soy formula. I put him back on the milk based and he pooped right away. He also vomited right away too. Ugh, so now we are back to square one.
What else can I tell you about this little guy?
He loves his bath time now! It took a few baths, but Grayson would sit and hang out in the warm water for hours if I let him. He is also okay with water, even if a little gets on his face. Grayson also loves his wubba nub, his Rock n’ Play and his Boppy lounger. We are looking to invest in some kind of swing or bouncer because this kid is in need of more activity in his life. He still is not the biggest fan of being swaddled even though we keep trying. I found that when I do swaddle him and he actually stays in it, he sleeps much better. The problem is getting him to keep his arms in. We’ve already discovered his hatred for the sleep sacks, but maybe we should give them another try.
Grayson also loves to be outside! We try and get out for a walk at least once a day and I’ve found that if there is a day when we can’t get out, he goes a little stir crazy, just like his mama. We are currently working on getting a routine down with feeding, playtime and naps. I’ve heard good things about the Mom’s On Call program so I downloaded to app and we’ve been trying our best to stick with it. Somedays are better than others and we often skip naps or need to adjust the feeding times, but I think the more we stick with it, the easier it will get.
Sleep has been what you’d expect, or rather, what I expected it would be. His current bedtime schedule goes like this: bath time is at 8 pm, we play and do tummy time at 8:30 pm, we eat (we call it our gluttony eating) at 9:00 pm where he gets nursed and a bottle. It’s a big feeding but he usually takes it all and then passes out shortly after. He is usually up every 2-3 hours so between 11:30 and midnight and then again at 3:00 am. He wakes for the day between 5:30 am – 6:00 am. I would love to eventually eliminate that 3 am feeding (it’s the worst!) but right now, he seems to still need it, so we are sticking with what the little guy wants. After all, he is the boss!
Mommy Updates
Overall, I’m feeling great! Aside from being a little sleep deprived, my body healed quite well in the last four weeks. My hormones have also seemed to settle down a bit, as I’m no longer experiencing those crazy night sweats anymore. My wrists/hands still bother me but definitely not as bad as they were. I’ve been pumping and giving G bottles at night in an effort to give my hands a break. Nighttime was the absolute worst for the pain, and I would wake up almost in tears after some of those late night feedings. By giving him pumped bottles at night, it cuts the feeding process in half meaning we both get more sleep and my hands are so much better in the morning.
As far as exercise, I’ve started to slowly incorporate more but nothing is routine yet. We do try and walk every single day and on the days when we can’t, I will do a quick 20 minute at-home workout while G naps. It’s nothing crazy, just some sit-ups, push-ups, squats and planks but I’m trying to regain some of my core muscles. They are definitely weak. I tried to hold a plank for the first time last week and could barely make it to 30 seconds. I did get the chance to go to the gym last week when John was home and ran/walked 3 miles, which felt pretty good. I think all of the hill walking we’ve been doing with the stroller will really come to my benefit when I actually start running again.
As much as I love exercise and it’s an important aspect in my every day life, it’s also not as vital to me at this point. I knew I wanted to get back into a routine as soon as I could, but motherhood is teaching me that my idea of a routine is not at all for my own gain. This time is all about Grayson and even though I do try and take a little time for myself, he consumes so much of my time and energy. I will wake up one morning and think, “I’m going to do a 30 minute workout today,” and then Grayson won’t nap or he needs a little extra attention and my plan goes out the window. Before, I didn’t do well when sometime screwed up my routine but now, I can easily let it go. Just holding my precious baby is much more healthy for the both of us at this point than me getting in a 30 minute workout. So we value our walks together and the times when we can get out and move, but I would much rather be spending time with him. And in those few times he does sleep during the day for a long period of time, I take those opportunities to get things done around the house or catch up on work. After all, I am working from home and also need to focus on my job. I know that once John’s job calms down a bit, he will be home more and able to take over baby duty, allowing me a little more time for myself. Until then, it’s G’s world and I’m just living in it! 
Well, that is where we are at after a month with our little love child. Grayson has truly brought more joy into our lives than we ever imagined. It’s so true what they say, a child fills a hole in your heart you never even knew you had. He was beautifully and wonderfully created and I honestly feel so lucky to be his mom.
