Carter: One Month

Our little Carter is officially one month! It seems like just yesterday when T & I were still just the two of us, waiting ever so patiently to meet out little bundle of love. I can't believe how fast this first month has flown by! We've been so lucky to have so many family members and friends who have dropped by to meet our newest little addition, cook us a meal, or watch Baby C so T & I could escape for a couple hours, that the sleepless nights are almost a blur in my memory...almost.

We just love how vocal Baby C has been this first month. There seems to be no end to how many little grunts come from his lips throughout the day (and night). We have learned that this typically means he is working on a toot (which he hasn't quite figured out), or trying to fill his britches. So far, he still has all of his hair, and we think that it has a slight red tint to it. Maybe he'll take after mom :) His chin features and blue eyes came from dad, but generally speaking, he doesn't look much like T or I when comparing photos of us at around the same age. Maybe that means he's a good 50/50 split of both of us.

Me (left) and T (right) when we were about 1 month old.

It's amazing how much Baby C has changed in the first month. We think the biggest changes have been in the last week or so when his little face has started to fill out, and he's started to become more alert. I told T that he may need to beef up his weightlifting routine, or I'm going to end up with better arm muscles after carrying around our little champion eating machine. We do not go a minute over 2.5 hours during the day, or there is a pretty serious showing of just how loud Carter's voice can get! Our nighttime routine has started to smooth out over the last week as well which is a good thing for everyone's sake. If it's bath night, our routine starts about 8pm with bath, then play time with Dad for an hour or so. Carter gets his PJs on (aka a long sleeve onesie most nights) around 10pm, then has his last meal of the night sometime between 10:30-11:30pm. After we struggle a burp from him (a near impossible feat), he gets all snuggled into his sleep sack and is off to sleep in the pack'n'play in T & I's room* until around 5am when he wakes up again to eat. Then, back to sleep until 7:30-8:30am before waking up for breakfast, and usually back to sleep after that until 9:30-10am.

This bath time stuff isn't so bad!

Just getting my hair done. No big deal.

So happy to be all spiffed up!

GOALS & STRUGGLES

Eventually, we should probably try to put Carter to bed earlier during the evening, but I am hesitant to cut into that initial long stretch of sleep since T & I rarely go to bed before 11pm. I don't want to end up with only 2-3 hour stretches of sleep between feedings when I could be getting at least one stretch that is longer. I would also feel sad for T, who sometimes (more regularly than we would hope for) doesn't get home until after 7:30pm and wouldn't have much of a chance to cuddle and bond with our little peanut before we put him to bed for the night if we made bedtime too much earlier. Any other mamas or papas with significant others who work late hours out there have any suggestions on a good bedtime routine that allows for time with the other parent who is gone during the day? 

*SIDE NOTE: The whole pack'n'play sleep plan has been a bit of a struggle between T & I. Carter usually does just fine sleeping flat on his back in the pack'n'play next to our bed, but T is continuously begging me to let him sleep in bed with us. We have a queen sized bed that doesn't have much extra room for a baby to begin with, and T tends to toss around at night (remember a few months ago when he picked me up during the middle of a dream??). I will allow an hour or so here and there of Carter in bed with us, but for his safety, and my sanity, I am sticking to my guns, and he will be sleeping in his pack'n'play until we transition him to his crib sometime after we get a baby monitor, and probably not until around the 6 month mark which is what pediatricians currently recommend. We'll take it day by day though, since T has been having trouble sleeping at night with all the grunting that Baby C makes in his sleep.

1 MONTH FAVORITES:

Stroller rides

Garages

Story time

Grunting

Visits to the Lake House

Being outside

Dancing with Dad

Bath time

Snuggling with Mom

Listening to music - mostly Country or Jack Johnson Pandora station

1 MONTH LEAST FAVORITES:

Tummy Time

Burping

MEMORIES & MILESTONES

Carter went on his first boat ride at 3 weeks with mom, dad, Grandma J and Grandpa T. 

We went nice and slow and waited until evening when the lake wasn't so busy and the temps cooled down. Our infant sized life jacket is still a little too big, but C didn't complain! We'll likely be enjoying many more boat rides this summer!

40 Weeks! Carter's official due date was June 3rd. He was 3 days away from 4 weeks by this point!

Grandma J and Grandpa T came to visit and we all went on the Okoboji Parade of Homes. Carter slept through most of it, but everyone else enjoyed walking through some fancy houses.

Carter helped dad celebrate his first Father's Day by hanging out at the lake house. Later, mom and Baby C surprised dad with a fancy new shaving brush so he could keep his whiskers under control to make sure his cheeks would always be soft for cheek kisses.

Snuggling with Mom.

Such a happy little baby!

Sometimes, we wish that time would stand still for a while and Carter would stay small and snuggly, but since we know this can't happen, we will look forward to the next month and new changes in our lives as the littlest man of the house continues to grow and change.