Eight Weeks - 20 January

Dearest Cheeks,

You are 8 weeks old!  (Not quite 2 months, which is a strange concept, and we'll leave it at that.)

Smiles.  Somewhat purposeful movement.  Great appetite.  Sleeping in 3 to 4-hour stretches.

You spent a few hours with Telma Escobar (she is the Harkness girls' nanny) last week in the morning before she went to watch Shaila and Navya and it was lovely!  I was able to run a few errands and take stinky Yeti to get a bath.  We're going to make it a weekly thing - 3 hours in the morning, twice a week.  It'll be a great chance for me to have a little break, and we love Telma.  She has been Shaila and Navya's nanny for almost 2 years and I feel so lucky to have her help!

*It's funny to note that when I started your 8 week pictures you had a dry diaper, and by the end, you'd peed - blue line.

We love you so much, Elliot.

xoxoxo

Seven Weeks - 13 January

Elliot,  my sweet Cheeks!

You have filled out and I just love your rolls!  And your cheeks!  Forget about it!  :)  We continue on the breast milk and formula road.  As long as you're healthy, I'm happy.

You became a little more interested with your pacifier this past week, which was new.

You're awake more during the day, but your night sleeping habits haven't changed much - roughly 3 to 4 hour stretches.  You still sleep best when you're swaddled tightly and in your Rock N Play or in Momma's arms. 

You continue to amaze me, Small One, and I love watching you grow.

xoxoxo

Six Weeks - 6 January

Elliot,

You are six weeks old and so so sweet!

You continue to be very interactive - bigger smiles the older you get.  Especially when you're on your changing table; you love it up there.

You're stating to put on a little weight, especially in those cheeks!  You're newest nickname is Cheeks McGee; Cheeks for short.  ;)  You're still breastfeeding, but we have to supplement each daytime feeding with a bottle of formula.

You actually had your 6 week appointment today and Dr. Dana thinks you're looking fantastic!  You weigh 10 lbs / 11 oz, which puts you into the 50th percentile for weight.  You're about there for height (22 in) and head circumference (15 in) too.  You received your second Hep B vaccination as well.

We've been using your Rock N Play Sleeper a lot because you sleep so well in it.  We try for the Pack N Play at first, but once you wake up and I feed you, I find myself plopping you in the rocker.  You had your longest stretch of sleep to date the night of January 4th: 5 hours!  Thank you, sweetheart.

We love love love you.

xoxoxo

Five Weeks - 30 December

Elliot, 

You're 5 weeks old and we love you so much!

You're filling out more and more each week, which makes sense because you're eating more.  We've shifted from supplementing with 2 ounces to 4 on a regular basis.  Keep up the good work, buddy!  

This week you really started reaching for and swinging at the hanging toys on your play mat!  I don't think it was so much you aiming, but rather, waving your arms around and occasionally hitting the owl, bird, or squirrel.  I'm still proud.      

We started a nighttime routine: bath, bottle, bed.  It's been going well so far and you LOVE bath time!  I hope this means you'll love swimming, and lessons, because you're going to learn to swim.  :)

Sleeping is...ok.  You have a few good nights with 4-hour stretches, and then it's back to every 2 or 3 hours.  I'm thinking about getting you a Rock N Play sleeper; if give you a slight incline and parents love them!  We'll see...

We love you, Small Fry!

Four Weeks - 23 December

Elliot,

You are four weeks old!  It's hard to believe that a month has passed since we first laid eyes on you.

Your sleeping patterns haven't changed much - you're awake about every 3 hours.  You've had a few 4-hour stretches that your dad and I get very excited about!  Since your dad went back to work I've been sleeping in your room on the futon after your midnight waking so he can get some solid hours of  sleep.

Your eating habits haven't changed - breast milk and formula.  I still don't have enough supply to stop supplementing but I'm happy you're good at breastfeeding and bottle feeding.

You've filled out a little; you're less frog-like.  :)  Your legs are still skinny but your arms are starting to get little rolls, which I just love.  And you're getting little cheeks!

You continue to make the best facial expressions and are interested in everything around you.  And you smile, smile, smile!

You celebrated your first Christmas this week - your ONE MONTH birthday as well!  While it was wonderful for us to have you, Christmas didn't mean much for you this year.  Next year, I think, will be a different story...  Also, although we don't know her yet, your friend, Marlo Williams, was born on December 20th.

We love you, Small Fry!

Three Weeks - 16 December

Elliot, 

You're three weeks old!  You've moved into a bit of an awkward stage.  Your poor face has just broken out with baby acne, you have dry skin and you're quite gangly, with long skinny arms and legs.  (You look a little like a frog.  But the cutest frog ever!)  Don't worry son, your face will clear and you'll grow into your limbs.

Your umbilical cord stump fell off, which means we can give you a proper bath but have not done so yet.  I'm excited to see how you like the water.

You're still sleeping in our room in the Pack N Play and we're swaddling you with one arm out.  You wake up about every 2-3 hours at night to eat.  At night I'm able to fill you up with breast feeding alone, but during the day you need supplementation.  You eat a lot!

You are the sweetest little boy.  You love to be held and rocked.  You're very interactive and engaged - you look in the direction of voices and seem to pay attention and track.  (Maybe it's just me but I think you're pretty smart.)  ;)

Dad is going back to work this week, so it's just you and me, kid!  

I love you, Small E.

Two Weeks - 9 December

Elliot,

You're two weeks old!  You continue to sleep in the Pack N Play in our room, swaddled but with one arm out - you seem to like having your right arm super-manning above your head.

You're breastfeeding and drinking formula, 2 oz at a time.  I try to breastfeed first and follow up with a bottle if you still seem hungry, which you usually do.  We're getting better at breastfeeding but it's still pretty uncomfortable (read: painful) for me.

The diaper rash is still around but at the one week appointment your doctor demonstrated just how much Aquaphor we needed to be using.  We were putting it on thinly, like lip gloss, but we needed to basically frost your bum with the stuff!  (I ordered 2 big tubs from Amazon.)  You also spend about 15 minutes each morning without a diaper, which is helping with diaper rash too.

You make great faces and especially like to form your little mouth into an "o."  You like your changing table and the picture of Sandy Beach, although I don't know that you can focus on it yet.

You do not like tummy time and only tolerate it for a few minutes right now.

It's just you, me, Dad, and Yeti right now!  We're doing well.  Dad and I are tired, but we're managing.  The advice all new parents get, "sleep when the baby sleeps," isn't very realistic.  It's the only time I'm able to get anything done!  Dad still has a few more classes left for the semester, but he'll be done soon.

We love you very much, Small Fry!