Ian's First Month

Ava sitting next to Ian during tummy time.

Ian napping.

I was supposed to post this on January 22, when Ian actually turned one month old. But that didn't happen, for the obvious reasons.

Ian's first month was, in my opinion, a very typical first month for a newborn. He ate. He slept. He pooped. A lot. We brought him home on Christmas Eve (thank goodness Santa was prepared!), and the first couple of weeks were good, with the exception of him getting his days and nights mixed up for 4-5 days. The first week or two at home is relatively easy if you ask me because babies sleep so much. Ian woke up to eat and then went back to sleep immediately after a good burp. We had to wake him for most feedings. This was great because it allowed for Stefan and I to give some extra TLC to Ava, who still really didn't get what was actually happening to her world. Things got significantly more challenging for us when Ian hit two weeks and started spending a considerable more amount of time awake. We were instructed by the doctor to keep Ian at home with the exception of doctor's appointments until flu season passed, so one of our biggest challenges has been dealing with the cabin fever - especially for Ava. After a week of being at home and in the same surroundings without any change of scenery, we all get a little crazy. My weekly outings to Walmart, Target and Publix on the weekends are treasured errands and I am sure to take Ava with me. Stefan understands my predicament and offers to watch Ian so us girls can get out of the house for a few hours. Although it's just Target, it is incredibly refreshing to just be out and about.

Ian is gaining weight very rapidly. I'm not sure what he's up to now, but my guess is about 8 pounds. He hit a growth spurt at 2 1/2 weeks, but it doesn't seem like he's ended it. He just keeps eating and eating and eating. Right now, he eats 3 ounces every 2.5 hours (every 3 at night), and this is a lot more than what an "average" baby his weight eats. They say babies should eat about 2 to 2.5 ounces for every pound in a 24 hour period. This means Ian should be eating about 16 - 20 ounces every 24 hours, and that's if he weighs 8 pounds (and I'm not sure he does). But he's taking roughly 25 - 27 ounces a day. He'd probably drink more if I let him. Stefan very graciously gives Ian his late-evening bottle so I can get a shower and a jump start on some sleep. Even with two middle-of-the-night feedings, I am still able to get about 6 hours of sleep, which is awesome in my book. We are experimenting with different strategies to see if we can get it down to one middle-of-the-night feeding, but so far, nothing has worked. He's just so hungry, but his little tummy can't handle more than 3 ounces at a time. Unfortunately, I was unable to continue breastfeeding beyond the first two weeks. It was very difficult for me to let that go because I really enjoyed it and Ian seemed more content with his meals when he did nurse. Plus, it was cheaper! But I found that we were beginning to go down the same path with Ian that we did with Ava. I nursed Ava for 5 months, but it was a horrible struggle for both of us and a lot of things got better with Ava once we switched her to formula at 5 months. So when I saw the same things happening with Ian, I immediately switched to formula. I wish I could say I have no regrets about it, but I do. I really wanted breastfeeding to work with Ian. But he's fed and nourished, so I have to get over it.

The only major frustration I have right now is diaper changes. Those of you with boys already know what I am talking about. We can't go one day without at least one or two clothing changes due to accidental squirts. As streamlined as we've made the diaper-changing routine, we can't seem to escape the day without one complete wardrobe change. We've tried everything. Pee-Pee Tee-Pees don't work. Yes, they prevent mom and dad from getting a face full, but they don't prevent Ian's clothes from getting drenched. We tried using some gauze pads when we were caring for Ian's circumcision, but he soon started to leak right through those. We even tried washcloths, but those didn't work for two reasons: 1) they were large and interfered with us cleaning the rest of his bum and applying diaper rash ointment, and 2) he eventually started to leak through those, too. When we start a diaper change, it is a race against the clock to see if we can get his old diaper off, his bum cleaned and dried, and a fresh layer of diaper cream (or tush paste, as we here in the Blum home refer to it) applied before he pees. We are usually successful, but those one or two times a day that we're not, it's very frustrating. Especially when one of those times is during one of his middle-of-the-night changes. Anyone with advice, please chime in.

Ian is focusing on my face and objects that are held in front of him. He can hold his head up briefly if I have him on my chest or on the floor for tummy time. He HATES being naked for any period of time, which makes bath time not so much fun. Speaking of baths, we give him his baths every three days in the evenings. Sometimes, if we miss a day, we'll give it to him the following morning and Ava "helps" by standing next to me on a chair and swooshing the water around in the bath tub. He's had a little infant acne and a slight issue with cradle cap. He still wears covers over his hands because he is violent with them when they go uncovered. If I leave his hands free for five minutes his face is scratched to pieces. I hope this ends soon. He loves his pacifier and his swing. As a matter of fact, I can't keep him in his swing for longer than 10 minutes unless I want him to go to sleep. He loves being held. I want to eat his feet they are so adorable.

Ava wants nothing to do with him for the most part. She does talk to Ian on occasion, but it's from a distance. When he cries, Ava says, "OK, baby." As in "It's OK, baby." When she goes to bed, she says, "Night-night to baby." When she sees him, she says, "Hi guy!" And when Ian sneezes, Ava says, "Baby sneezie!" Otherwise, she avoids him. Ian had his picture taken on Sunday for his birth announcement, and although we tried several times to get one of Ava and Ian together, we couldn't get her close enough to him for a decent shot. I hope this changes over the next six months, or family pictures are going to be impossible. One afternoon last weekend, Ava woke up from nap and I went in to get her. I put her down in her room and expected her to play for a minute while I put away her laundry. After a minute, I realized she was gone. I went looking for her, and found her at Ian's crib, talking to him through the bumper. He was sleeping, but Ava was having a conversation with him. It was a funny and sweet moment - the beginning of the brother-sister bond.

There are days when I don't get a chance to go to the bathroom until 4 p.m. There are days I forget I have a dog. There are days when I feel like Super Mom and others when I feel like the most incompetent woman in the world. There are days when a meal is a luxury. There are days when I am so exhausted it is physically painful. But I try to love the adventure and memorize the moments before they pass. Sometimes I catch myself trying to memorize the pitch of Ava's laugh or the pitiful squeal of Ian's cry. They will grow up too quickly. I will do my hair and wear makeup again. I will dust off the skinny jeans and eat at restaurants again. But I will never have this again. So I am trying to enjoy this time.