Reid - 1 Month Old

Reid is 1 month old!!

I'm not going to sugar-coat and say that it's all been wonderful this past month. In some ways, it has gone by very fast and in others, it hasn't. Overall, I'd say it's been a pretty tough month! Just being real, folks. The upside is that Reid seems to be regulating and evening out a bit (aside from the screaming bloody murder for over an hour last night...ugh!). He has cried less and been less fussy this past week than he had been for the 3 weeks prior.

Shaun has been asking me to get all of this down in writing so that we "remember" for the future. It has occurred to me this past week that I would usually tell my new mom friends and family that the first 6 weeks is the hardest. Even though I seemed to have suppressed those memories, I'm sure that was true with Pierce and Reid has not been different. The good news is that we're more than half-way there!!

Pierce is a great big brother and has adjusted really well. He wants to watch me with every diaper change...even gets teary if I do it without telling him. He sweetly doles out hugs and kisses regularly and is not affected by the crying. The hardest thing for me is my patience with Pierce during the day when I'm going on little sleep. He wants my attention and so much of the time I am nursing or holding a fussy baby. I know that Reid will continue to get easier and we will strike a balance. Sleep deprivation has been the hardest thing for me. I can endure intense labor without pain relief, but going days on end with so little sleep has taken its toll on me. Thankfully, I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel!


At Reid's appointment this past Tuesday (4 weeks), he weighed in at 9lbs, 15 oz. He's gained over 2 pounds in a month! He's a great eater and wants to nurse every 2-3 hours. He has suffered from a lot of gas the past few weeks, which I know is a big contributor to his fussiness. I'd say he's an average spitter, about the same as Pierce was.

Right now, we're just going with the flow as far as his sleep goes. Some nights are really good with 3-4 hour stretches of sleep, and others, we're up for 2 hours because he's fussy/gassy after he eats. He's been in his crib at night since our first day home from the hospital (we did this with Pierce as well) and I am trying to get him napping in the crib more during the day (as opposed to the swing, which he loves!). I have also started putting him down drowsy, but awake and he is learning to put himself to sleep. I know this will be key when we really get down to strict sleep training.



I forgot how much there is to teach a new baby, like sleeping on their backs in a big, cold crib. They just don't like it! He'd much rather be sleeping on/next to me or in my arms and will often wake up from a deep sleep as soon as I put him down. And his little body is so new and just trying to get used to everything. We have had some really sweet moments when he's awake and content. Those have been happening more lately and I think he's on the verge of smiling, which I'm really looking forward to!

We are so very thankful for this precious gift from God and rely on Him for grace as we all get used to this new normal!!