I usually think of the three week mark as being a time when the newness wears off and reality sets in with a new baby. This is when they seem to wake up and we may enter a phase of very fussy evenings....but so far, so good for Wallace!
He is still a superstar nursing machine and stays latched on for at least 15 minutes or more per side. Many time he falls asleep at the breast but keeps sucking away. He doesn't spit up a ton but he has become super grunt-y when he has to poop, and still needs to be burped most of the time. He likes to cluster feed most evenings, switching from side to side, cat napping along the way, until it's my bedtime. He doesn't really like the pacifier anymore, I can't remember the last time he actually took it for longer than a few sucks here and there.
At night he will sleep for a solid 4-5 hour stretch at first, then it's anyone's guess as to how many other times he will want to eat. He's still doing well in the Mamaroo for nights and overall I guess I'd say he's up 2-3 times to nurse. For the past few days he gets super loud and grunts, wiggling around, at 5:30 am. I end up changing his diaper, nursing, burping, and un-swaddling him to try and get him to calm down. But both of these mornings I just come downstairs with him, let him hang out awake and happy for 30 minutes, and then he passes out for a long morning nap even before the big kids wake for the day. So he is definitely getting louder, especially in the early morning hours when he needs to poop or burp or move around, but sharing our bedroom with him isn't a big deal. I usually keep the kids in with us for about three months but Wallace will likely be with us longer due to the construction on the house, so I hope we continue our happy sleeping arrangements. Not too shabby at all, mister Ace-man!
During the day he is pretty content unless he wants to nurse or is tired but can't fall asleep. Best tricks of the trade include 1. Nursing, 2. Walking around with him in the Ergo. After reading old posts about the other kids at this age, I realized we had a huge toolbox for possibilities we'd use with fussy babies. Luckily, Wallace is good with nursing or walking. I got my nails done with mom and Cecelia this weekend, and Wallace woke up right when I left. He was very displeased that his milk bags weren't in the vicinity, so Nate popped Ace in the Ergo and went for a four mile walk with him. The baby slept the entire time on Nate and my husband is sporting some wicked blisters from wearing non-walking appropriate shoes. But he did say it brings back good memories of the other kids being this little, needing to walk around when mom is gone. Real glad this kid is so chill and usually easy to figure out. I keep saying, 'So FAR,' like the bottom will drop out with him, but as of right now he's still very laid back. Thank you, God!
He seems to be growing really well, wearing size 1 diapers now and starting to work some 3 month outfits into his rotation. I can't quite let go of the newborn outfits even though they are skin tight and sometimes difficult to get over his head. We don't have a doctor appointment until the one month mark so I guess I can verify that nursing is working well then, but if I'm going off of how content he seems to be? It's working just fine.
I'm pumping almost each morning while I can, and will get between 4 and 6.5 ounces in about five minutes. I don't know why but I'm really determined to have a bigger freezer stash of milk this time compared to last time with Porter, so I am doing my best to work pumping into the daily routine. I have a feeling this will be a lot harder with time but we will see!
Baby acne showed up right on cue at the three week mark, but it's not horrible just yet. He didn't cry at his last bath so maybe I should try doing that more often to keep his skin clean and dry, but nursing and wearing a baby in the middle of summer is just sweaty and sometimes gross!
We had our family photoshoot yesterday and Ace seriously rocked it so hard. He was asleep, then awake and happy, then needed to nurse two times but otherwise was down to stare at the camera and take in the chaos that surrounds him at all times. I can't wait to get the photos back and hope Porter's bad attitude didn't shine through in EVERY picture. #reallife
Currently my mom, dad, and Memaw are here for a visit with us. Memaw returns home tomorrow but my parents will stay until Friday, and it's SO FREAKING NICE to have the extra hands to help. Maybe that is why I don't feel totally beaten down during this postpartum recovery time.
Ice cream time!
Oh, and my eyes are officially not red anymore. It really did take a full three weeks for them to heal though. My butt is a lot better and I'm getting used to my breastfeeding boobs. Overall physical recovery is going much better now than it was even a week ago. I'm nowhere near my pre-pregnancy body or self just yet but it feels good to be inching in that direction, knowing that I want to breastfeed Ace as long as I can so the rest of the weight might need to hang on for several more months. Trying to embrace my new curves as they are temporary and important! ;)
Before family pictures, when I did my hair for the first time in weeks (months?) and applied makeup. No more red eyes!
Ace really does prefer his mommy right now, probably because he is such a stellar nurser and can smell me when I leave a room;) Again, since I have the help it's totally fine to sit on the couch and nurse the baby for hours on end. He usually naps at least one time each day for three solid hours and that one can be in the swing without issue, so I do get a break from constant baby tending.
The big kids are still enamored with their baby brother and still ask to hold him, give him kisses, sing to him, etc. I think Wallace is sort of in love with all three of his siblings by the way he looks at them when they talk to him. Also, he loves having his head rubbed and if I want him to go to sleep, I can stroke his nose and forehead and his eyes flutter shut. It's the sweetest!
New quilt from my mom! She's made one for each kid and this one is going to fit in his someday nursery perfectly. I'm going with black and white and geometric shapes.
The newborn sounds he makes are the most adorable. He loves to sigh and prefers to have his hands by his face at all times, but I'm still swaddling him at night despite his Houdini moves.
Porter, Cecelia, and Truman all at three weeks tell me stories of babies with fussy evenings (P and C) and a baby who could always be soothed by nursing (T). Sleeping stats seem to be consistent with every one of my kiddos at this point, but Porter was already having issues nursing for longer than 5 minutes on a side, which became a bigger issue when he decided to completely wean himself by six months. Also, both Cecelia and Porter already hated their car seats by now, but I admit that we haven't even tried it with Wallace in over a week so who knows!
One thing is for certain: we love this baby so much.
