Home of Malones: Baby Brody : 1 Month

Weight: He hasn't been weighed since he was 5 days old, so I'm not sure. I can definitely tell he is putting on the lbs, but I don't know how much yet. His skinny little legs and arms are slowly developing some more fat on those rolls. Any of my friends know that I LOVE chubby babies, so I will be fattening this child up :) haha

Sleep: Since the day we brought the little man home, he has really only been waking up one time a night with just a few nights this month where I was waking up twice with him. The first couple weeks he was going to bed late, around 11pm or so, and then waking between 2-3am and then between 6 or 7am. Momma was having trouble staying up that late and we wanted to start getting him to bed earlier, so then we had a few nights of putting him down around 9:30pm and may wake up about 1230, then 4, then 7. So those were the nights we were waking up twice but we were both going to bed earlier.

Now, we have put the little man in his crib the last 2 nights which has been a big milestone. I had said all along that I wanted to try and get him in his own room around 1 month, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do it or not. So, two nights ago; we bit the bullet. It was amazing. We cheated a little because we put him in the crib when he was already asleep, but I didn't care. He slept from 9pm until 3am. I changed and fed him and then he slept till 630am. I was thrilled with this. Last night, we put him in the crib not fully asleep at 915pm and he soothed himself to sleep and didn't wake to 315am. I changed and fed him and he slept until 815am. It was like he knew it was Saturday and so kindly let Mom and Dad sleep in! I am so happy that we made the move and hope that it continues to go well. I know it helps both Matt and I sleep better as we are not hearing the sweet little grunts and soft noises he makes to put himself back to sleep after feeding.

Crying: He cries. He is no exception to the famous "witching hour" that I have always heard about. He seems to just be over tired in the evenings as he is not napping as well in the afternoon. I guess they just fight sleep a little more and then he gets a bit overstimulated or overtired. We have had a good bit of evening company over the last month, so that makes it a little more stressful when he is crying. Some nights are better than others and I'm slowly trying to get a read of what might be effecting him on those nights that he seems to cry for no reason. I've tried some new things these last couple of days and they seem to be making a more peaceful evening time, so we'll see if it continues to improve.

Likes: He loves his swing! I love his swing! It's amazing. I still can't believe it took us until he was 3 weeks old to put it together. He is loving his rainforest play yard too. I didn't break this out until he was a few weeks old too and he really does great on it. It is so fun to see him really stare at all the colors and figures and move his little arms around towards them. He's wonderful at bath time and enjoys his little massages Mom gives him afterwards. He also loves the boobies and can't get enough of them, but how can you blame him...he's a man.

Feeding: We came home from the hospital on a routine of feeding every 3 hours and that was great at first and then he really seemed to be cluster feeding more and more where he was hungry more often and I pretty much fed on demand. We are back to working on a feeding routine of every 3 hours and it has worked well again. He is eating about 4oz per feeding and sometimes up to 5oz. I'm breastfeeding, so it's not always easy to see exactly what he is getting; but when I pump and feed him a bottle, it is between 3-5oz that he drinks. We have still kept the 2oz pre-made bottles of Similac formula around too for times when he needs to be supplemented. Those times tend to be in the evenings and are getting less frequent. My milk supply seems to be pretty good and hoping it just gets better and better.

Milk drunk and I can't get enough of those pouty lips!

Milestones: He's got some great neck strength and does really well at tummy time. He loves his walks in the stroller and does good in his carseat. He's been to the grocery store and out to lunch and on trips to the new house with me to make decisions on paint and trim and shopping at Duh with me for house decor. He's also been to my corporate office to meet all my co-workers. We've had fun and tried to get out and about as much as we can. He loves to be outside and that seems to be a great evening cure to his whining time as long as we can stay away from the bugs.

Postpartum: I had my mom here for the first 2 weeks and my mother-in-law that lives close by, so I have had wonderful help and babysitters. My sister-in-law also came for 5 days and she was tremendous help and wonderful company. Having the help has been so nice because I have been able to get out of the house for a few hours during the day and run some errands and even get a manicure and pedicure! Matt and I have been able to have a date night and lunch outing and get comfortable with being away for a bit as a couple.

So far, walking has been my only form of exercise since he was born. I actually made it to the gym for the first time yesterday and got to clock 25 minutes on the elliptical. I have some workout videos that I am dying to do at home, but I am just trying to figure out the best time to work those in. I look forward to trying to get on a better fitness routine of sorts and work on toning back up a bit.

The first month with Brody has been absolutely amazing and it truly has flown by. I know that each month only gets better and better, but I really adore him being so tiny and cuddly. I feel certain that I will miss these times and the preciousness of all his sweet sounds and the way he fits perfectly on the boppy pillow while I breastfeed him. I love him so much and I love seeing my husband as a father to this beautiful baby boy!

Three generations of Malone's