Zeke is 1 month old

And just like that, Zeke is already 1 month old! The first couple of weeks with a new baby seem to creep by, then things settle into some sort of a normal routine and start to fly by.

• Zeke is doing really well on our eat, play, sleep routine. He is nursing every 2.5-3 hours during the day (usually 3 hours, except evenings, it's closer to 2.5 hours). He is a gassy baby, just like the others have been. The milk comes out a bit fast for him right now, so he gulps a lot of air. We spend most of his awake time burping or bouncing to try to get the air/gas out before the next nap. He takes gas drops with his feeds and probiotics once a day. He's also been to the chiropractor a few times and I've been able to see a noticeable difference in his comfort level in the few days after an adjustment (which is VERY mild. He's always really relaxed). 

• Naps aren't great, but pretty much as expected this 4th time. He will go right to sleep once he's swaddled and bounced a bit. Sometimes he wakes up right when he's put down and will whine a minute and go to sleep. Sometimes he wakes up and cries and needs more snuggles. He will sleep about 45 minutes, then needs help going back to sleep to finish his nap. For a week or so, he would take the pacifier some when he's trying to finish his nap, but now he won't. He will suck on my pinky, so that's better than nothing.  I usually end up having to wake him up at the 3 hour mark to eat. Awake time is around 40-50 minutes right now before he's ready to sleep again.
• Zeke started sleeping in his own room this week, since we got Mae moved to the 'big kid' room. 
• He does get a bit fussy in the evenings, which is common. He really likes to be worn in the baby carrier and will take a little nap before his bath and bedtime feed. 

• He is going to bed around 8:30. He does have trouble staying asleep and usually wakes at the 45 minute mark (like his naps). Jared is the sleep master and gets him back to sleep and puts him down after a bit. He is waking to eat 2x/night, usually sometime around midnight or soon after and then again around 4, give or take an hour either way on those. One night his first wakeup wasn't until 2:30! He wakes for the day around 7-7:30. He is having some other wakeups from gas or just sleep cycle issues and needs help going back to sleep, which is frustrating!!! One night he woke up at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30, but only ate 2 of those times. Hopefully he can get that worked out in the next month. 
• I just moved him up to a size 2 diaper and 3-6 month clothes a day or two before he was 1 month old.
• I'm thinking he's 12 lb now. He is really getting chubby thighs and arms now!

• He has really started looking at things a lot this week. He loves to look at the fan and any kind of light. Mae can give him a good startle when she goes in for a mouth kiss. 

• Zeke tolerates a little bit of tummy time each day. Arabelle is so ready for him to be able to get on the floor and play with them!

• He absolutely HATES the car seat, just like the other kids did. He pretty much screams the whole time and will occasionally doze for a few minutes when he's tired of hollering, then get right back going. I hate it, but there's nothing to do about it, so we just keep going. We aren't on the go that much, so he just has to deal with it. 

• Aunt Kay made Zeke his beautiful quilt in navy, gray, and red and I LOVE it! I'm looking forward to taking his picture each month on his quilt. 

• We have had A LOT of help in the last month while we transition to a family of six. Things have gone so smoothly and we couldn't have done it without all the help from our family and friends! 

Happy 1 month baby Zeke! 

One month

Zeke is one month old today! He has already grown and changed so much. Hoping to share his one month pictures and details soon.

Mae is 1 month old!

It's amazing how fast and slow a month can go by! It's already hard to imagine what it was like before Mae was a part of our family.

For the first couple of weeks, Bo seemed to forget about her, but now he is always telling me "Don't forget Mae" when we are heading out the door. Arabelle, of course, still always wants to hold her.

• Mae is nursing pretty much every 3 hours during the day, except for the evenings, when I'll nurse her every 2 hours. She's fussier in the evenings and it settles her, plus I try to tank her up for the night. The milk comes out a bit too fast for her still, so she ends up gulping a lot of air in and is a pretty gassy baby. I am always burping her or bicycling her legs to help ease her tummy pain. She can make some pretty loud noises. ;) We give her gas drops and Gripe Water often to help. She gets a belly full in about 10-15 minutes, with a burp break in there. 
• She's sleeping between 3.5-5 hour stretches at night. Usually the longer stretch first, then a bit of a shorter one (3.5-4 hours). She's feeding 2x during the night right now. She usually goes to sleep around 9:00, sometimes earlier and sometimes later and starts her day at 7:30. 
• We are following the eat, play, sleep routine. Naps are a bit all over the place. Her awake time is around 40-60 minutes and she falls asleep quickly, but 5-10 minutes later, her eyes pop open like she's taken a 2 hour nap. I spend a lot of time trying to get her naps extended. She sleeps swaddled and would sleep really well if I'd hold her the whole time. ;) She's still sleeping in our room for now.
• She's in a size 1 diaper and 3 mo. clothes. I bet she's around 11-11.5 pounds now. She's chubbing up!
• This week, she has started focusing on things more, like her toys on the play mat, the ceiling fan, and people's faces. She definitely still has her startle reflex. Bo tends to test that out daily. ;)
• She doesn't mind a few minutes of tummy time, but gets tired of it pretty quickly. When she's over it, she pushes up really high and screams. Good practice on her arm strength! 
• She's given me a few smiles the last couple of days, which I love, especially at 2am. :)

Sunday afternoon, I laid Mae on the pillow to go get her swaddle blanket for her nap. She dozed off a few minutes with Daddy. :)

Pushing up strong!

Mae is definitely in her first "Wonder Week".

New sensations bombard your baby inside and out, and he is usually bewildered by them. Some of these new things have to do with the development of his internal organs and his metabolism. Others are a result of his increased alertness—his senses are more sensitive than they were immediately after birth. So it is not so much the sensations themselves that are changing, but rather the baby’s perceptions of them.

We love the Miracle Blanket.

Baby toes!

I plan to take her picture each month in this chair with her quilt Aunt Kay made for her (Isn't it beautiful!?). I love looking back at Arabelle and Bo's monthly pictures and I know I'll enjoy it with Mae too. 

Mae has grown and changed so much in one short month! I think we're all enjoying her cuddles and looking forward to watching her grow!

Happy 1 month Mae!

Mae is one month old!

A detailed update with lots of pictures will be up in a few days. Until then, here's the latest picture of our growing girl!