So I am a second time newborn mom.... my oldest is two and you would think that I wouldn't have forgotten how hard the first few weeks of life are..... but I did! So for those of you out there that need a "reminder".... here are just a few things I have noticed these past few weeks....
1.) Newborns sleep a lot..... just not when you also want to sleep! Maddox is doing great sleeping throughout the day but when I try to put him to bed at night..... you would think he just woke up for the day! (which I guess he kinda did!) I have tried many strategies to keep him up during the day.....I will be trying some more next week! I know I already mentioned this in the previous post.... but I miss my sleep! Thank goodness I know it comes back eventually.... but these first weeks are so hard!
2.) Newborns spit up a lot! I have been covered in M's spit up daily.... the worst times are when I am feeding him in the middle of the night and I can hear and somewhat see the projectile liquid erupting from his mouth. It gets everywhere!
3.) Newborns cuddle a lot! I absolutely love this and don't think I soaked this up as much with Z so I am determined to do it more with M.
4.) My toddler now looks like a child..... he is like a giant! His eyes are big, his feet are big, his attitude is big! When did this happen?! I will go to pick Zander up and he feels so heavy!
5.) Newborns cry as their only form of communication. (Now Maddox does smile more than I remember Z smiling at this current stage but in between the cute gummy grins... there are a lot of infant size "tears"....mainly bursts of cries that are full body endeavors...... all the way to his cute little tongue that quivers in his mouth as he is trying to "communicate" that he is either tired, hungry, or dirty)..... I have to remember those are his three basic needs right now.... if I have covered all three... I might just need him to have a moment to let his emotions run their course.
6.) Newborns go through a LOT of diapers!! Oh my goodness.... we have already gone through a couple boxes and he is not even three weeks old yet! So thankful that my 2 year old is potty-trained or we should buy stock in diapers!
7.) Newborn clothes get dirty so quickly but it takes forever to get a full load of their laundry. Maddox spits up a lot (see #2) but his outfits are so tiny that it takes at least a week to get a load of laundry for him. I have decided to wash his clothes in regular detergent to see what happens and have found no negative side effects.... but then what do you do with all the baby detergent you have??
8.) Newborns are pretty great when you go out in public! Maddox loves his car seat so you will probably find us out "shopping" or cruising around in the car since he sleeps or looks contently from his car seat. It is also pretty easy to take him with us out to eat.... since I provide all his food (i.e. breastfed baby)... he just sleeps in his seat while we make sure Zander, Zack and I are fed!
9.) Newborns have a really hard time holding up their heads..... Maddox loves doing this head bobbing thing when I try to burp him after nursing. I remember their heads/necks being so fragile at this point.... I am trying not to rush the countdown until he can hold his head up on his own.... I think its around the 3 month mark if I remember correctly!
10.) Newborns give you enough time to adjust to the new family dynamic... in our case....family of 4. Since they are not very mobile.... you can sit them down and they stay put. This has been especially helpful when Zander decides he needs to poop ASAP or I am trying to cook something. I simply put Maddox in his monkey chair (i.e. rock and play) and take care of whatever else needs to happen. I know this stage doesn't last forever and we will be worrying about "baby-proofing" our house all over again...the stairs, the cabinets, etc.
Until then..... I am going to enjoy the cuddles, the endless diaper changes, the lack of sleep, and our new family of four dynamic since I know each stage is gone too quickly and it makes you miss aspects of the stage the child or children just left! I am going to enjoy my 2.5 year old and almost 3 week old.... since they will never be this small again...
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| Both boys in their puppy pjs! |
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| Burke loves his newest family member! |
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| Burke turned 6 on the 10th! He got a puppy sample from his favorite frozen yogurt place! |
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| Maddox can sleep in any position.... during the day! |
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| Zander showing Maddox his toys! |
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| Daddy and Maddox time! |
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| Friends from work came to visit and bring dinner! They are the best! :) |
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| Love these smiles! |
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| Love these smiles too!! |
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| Maddox took his first bottle on Saturday.... I guess I will be going back to work in 2016 after all! |
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| Love this sleeping newborn! |
Megan, I'm so impressed that you have the capacity to update a blog and add pictures! : ) We're loving the updates. Yes, those newborn days are a bit of a blur... I think they have to be or you'd never do it again! : ) I hope you start getting some more sleep soon. I remember with Lauren 4-5 weeks was a turning point in the night/day confusion. Enjoy those newborn snuggles, they are pure heaven! xoxo, Emily
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