I feel like a horrible mom for not having blogged yet about Hudson's 4-week old visit to the doctor, or his 5 and 6 week milestones. Such is the life of child #2. I knew better than to swear that I'd never be that mom that did all the stuff for the first child, and then let it slide for the second. I knew it would naturally happen, and thus it has. But at least late is better than never.
Hudson visited the doctor for his one month well visit a few weeks back. His stats:
- Weight - 10 lbs. 13 oz. (75th percentile--one ounce shy of 3 lbs gained since leaving hospital, over 2 lbs gained since birth!!)
- Height - 22-1/2 inches long (75th percentile--he'd already grown 2-1/4" since birth!!)
- Head Circumference - 15 inches (50th percentile)
Summary: No wonder the kid is ravenous all the time--he's growing RAPIDLY, which is wonderful considering his reflux. His head is also significantly smaller than Cooper's was at this age. Funny though that Cooper was so much stronger with head control, and had rolled over by now, whereas Hudson is still bobbing around like a bobble-head doll. I foresee more tummy time in his near future...
For weeks the poor little guy was plagued with the worst case of newborn acne. You can kind of see it in these pictures from 6/15. Almost looks like freckles on his cheeks. The top of his head was COVERED in pimples, and not just the small, white bumps. He also had it all over his neck and chest. It was quite unbecoming, and so hard to leave it alone. I think it was brought on by it being hot, and the fact that being a newborn he has no ability to sweat. Poor guy. But that has all finally subsided.
Check out those cheeks (6/26)!
At 6 weeks old Hudson has noticed the toys hanging from his bouncy chair. One morning he suddenly stared at them, then started to kick and squirm and coo at them. I was able to get him to do it on video a little later. In case it doesn't embed in the emails that get sent from this blog (apparently videos have not been sending :( !), I'm also including this link.
Hudson coos at toys
Cooper and Hudson are still learning how to get along with one another, something that I'm sure will never change, but will just evolve over time. I mean, do siblings EVER really get along until they're adults? ;-) Last Sunday after scolding Cooper for the millionth time for hurting Hudson (pinching him, pulling his arms and legs, patting him way too hard, etc.), I asked him why he continues to do these things to his baby brother. He said, "I'm just frustrated. I just want him back in your belly!" Wow. He said that again a few days later when I was nursing the baby and couldn't play with him. Having a sibling is an adjustment for Cooper, and having a second child is an adjustment for Nathan and I. Oh, and apparently 3-1/2 is like the WORST time to have a sibling for an only child. From what I'm reading online in blogs and forums, we are not alone in this, and it's all normal behavior for his age. I just wish he'd be as sweet to Hudson as he was before the baby was born. I know, give it time.
This afternoon Cooper and I were playing, and then Hudson woke up, so I decided to try to show Cooper ways he can play with the baby. Let's just say Hudson is not the biggest fan of Cooper, either. The picture says it all. Nate says Hudson and Brody (our dog) are going to form the "We're afraid of Cooper" club. They both seem to be on the constant lookout for our Tasmanian devil emotional oldest child.
It's nearly impossible to get a picture where the two of them both look at the camera. This time Hudson was calmed down, but Cooper moved. Still cute though.
And then a few minutes later, Hudson was about to drift off to sleep. It's more of a coping mechanism when his brother is around, I think.
Hudson at 6 weeks old (6/30)
While Hudson's reflux continues to be challenging at times, like today since I messed up giving him his medicine at the wrong feeding interval, he is doing much better. Still not as great as I'd hope, but at least he can sleep on his back most of the time, and isn't in pain from the burning all the time. He does continue to spit up A LOT, and has lots of bubbles and upset stomach. I've never known a baby to have so many burps after each feeding. Today at church another mother was in the mother's lounge feeding her baby. She finished up, put the baby in her carrier, and left. Meanwhile, I was still sitting there trying to get Hudson to burp, as I'd been doing for a good 10 minutes. I was so jealous of that mother for a moment, being able to just feed and go. But then I remembered all the babies in the world with much worse problems, and was thankful for my little burpy, spitty, otherwise healthy little guy.
Hudson does smile here and there, but still doesn't smile a lot. I'm wondering if it's because I don't smile at him as much as I should (read exhausted and stressed out mommy), but I'm working on that, trying to greet him with a smile every time he wakes up, by smiling at him while I'm nursing him, and smiling and playing with him more.
Hudson prefers me whistling over singing. I don't have the greatest singing voice, but I didn't think it was that bad. The other night Hudson was fussy before bed as I was putting on his pjs, and I was singing to him softly. Then I started whistling Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and he immediately stopped crying, looked right at me, and listened intently. He prefers high pitches to low ones in whistled songs, singing, and even talking.
Hudson also continues to try to suck his thumb. I think once he finds his hands, the pacifier vs thumb battle may come to an end, thumb winning. But for now I continue to offer the paci, and he likes it pretty well, as long as he can't find his thumb. Just went in to check on him since he was making some spitting up sounds while sleeping. It wasn't spitting up, it was paci out, thumb in. Time to be thankful for a self-soother and leave it at that.
Lastly, I was thinking Hudson isn't a great sleeper, but this week he's seem to have improved as I've re-read the "sleep lady" book, and reminded myself of a few things as far as getting babies to sleep on their own. Reading the part about 6 week old babies, I realized that his sleep patterns are not only completely normal, but they are exactly on track for what she suggests to aim for at this age. The only setbacks we have are the nights when he has a bad belly ache, and neither he nor I can help that. Comes with the territory. I am thankful for a baby who already does well going to bed drowsy, but awake, and being able to fall asleep on his own. That didn't happen with Cooper until he was almost a year old (totally my own fault). This go-round I was much wiser, and I'm trying to get off on the right foot. It seems to be working thus far. The other night Hudson slept from 9 pm to 2:30 am, a 5 hour stretch. I had gone to bed at 10:30, so I'd gotten a solid 4 hours of sleep, and felt AMAZING the next day. Hasn't been repeated since, but I think it's not far on the horizon. Here's hoping.
Meanwhile, I just can't get enough of my snuggly little baby who loves to be swaddled and held. Trying to savor these newborn moments.
