Smiley Baby!

We have definitely seen our first smiles! Nate is a very smiley boy in the morning. Sometimes he gives a little smirk when I give him his paci, like he knows something that I don't. I can't wait to get the first picture of a smile!

This week I have gotten into the shower with my underwear on and put my wallet in the freezer. Oh the joys of sleep deprivation. Mostly Nate is still sleeping well but we had a failry long growth spurt lasting from Saturday until Thursday. He went from eating every 3-4 hours during the day to every 1.5-2 hours and every 3.5-5 hours at night to every 2-3 hours. Wednesday he seemed to spread out a couple of his feedings but then Wednesday night he was up every two hours and he was hungry. Then Thursday night he slept 4.5 hours, ate, and went back to sleep but I was wide awake for some reason. So frustrating! Yesterday we took a nice long nap on the couch together; Nate was sleeping on my chest. That has become one of my favorite things in the world.

I can see that he's gotten longer and his clothes are telling me that, too. He's out of his newborn clothes and has been out of his newborn diapers for almost two weeks. He's also gained weight; he's almost 12 pounds! Yesterday we went to Urgent Care for a rash that started spreading and with his diaper and onesie on, he was 12.0 pounds (he's weighed without anything on at his regular pediatrician's office). That means he's gained almost 3 pounds in 4 weeks. I don't think he looks more chubby than he should, I think he's just a long, healthy boy. I can't wait until the doctor checks his length at his 2 month appointment on August 5.

Anyway, Nate has had a rash on the back of his neck for a while now that I thought was baby acne. It started spreading to his shoulders and yesterday I noticed it on his upper arm in the morning. By the time I bathed him at 6 pm it seemed to be spreading to his lower arm and I saw some light red dots on his belly, as well. I called our doctor and she said that because it's on his belly and lower arms and because he's so young, we should go into Urgent Care. I guess baby acne usually doesn't go beyond the upper arm and chest. Turns out that the new light red dots I saw on his lower arm and belly were nothing to be concerned about; they are indicative of a very normal rash that will go away on it's own. But the rash on his neck and shoulders needs to be treated with an anti-fungal cream and cortisone. She also suggested that we use the cream on his eyebrows and leg folds because his skin is very flakey there.

The New Moms Group is going really well. I am getting so much information not only from the woman who leads the group but also from the other new moms. For example, I've felt like I know when Nate's hungry for a while now but never really paid attention to his sleep cues. At the beginning, he slept almost all of the time and had no problem falling asleep on his own. For the last few weeks he's been awake more often and now I'm noticing that he might be sleepy but can't settle himself down enough to fall asleep at times. Now that I'm paying attention to it, I know when he needs to sleep and I can help him fall asleep. He seems to be going to bed earlier and has been easier to get back to sleep at night after feedings. So now I'm calling myself the Sleep Nazi! Several books that I've read suggest that he should be getting 3-4 naps for a total of 6-7 daytime sleep hours. The most he ever gets is 3 naps and rarely does he get 7 nap hours but I try to help him get at least 5-6 hours. This, of course, is making it more difficult to get out of the house but I think that at this stage, sleep and a routine are more important than anything. I still feed on demand but he is falling into a loose pattern of his naps. For example, he generally takes a morning nap starting sometime between 9:30-10:30 am.

We've Got a Sucker!

Nate has definitely become a sucker, and very quickly! On Monday I noticed him sucking on his fists at times when he probably wasn't hungry. And he found his thumb again and sucked it for quite a while. Tuesday at the doctor's office I asked if I should let him suck his thumb or introduce a pacifier; she said the pacifier is far better because you can take it away, however some kids suck their thumb until they're 4 or 5 years old and end up having dental problems. Nate fell asleep with the pacifier last night and took it late this afternoon for a nap, also.

On Sunday, Nate's eye got crusty after he slept and on Monday, it was crusty several times with yellow mucous and he was stuffed up, which prompted the doctor's appointment on Tuesday. The doctor said that his chest isn't congested and he doesn't have an ear infection but she gave us a prescription for eye drops. His eye is a thousand times better today. He's still congested but looking much better than on Monday.

We took a baby massage class today. I learned some strokes that will help with digestion and gas. Also, massage is a great thing to include in a daily bedtime routine. I've read that we should have a well established routine in place by the time Nate's 3 months old. Nate's not on any kind of feeding schedule yet and isn't expected to be for a while but I figure we can do the massage whenever he's done eating each night and hopefully that will signal bedtime for him after a short while.

Tomorrow I'm starting a New Mom's Group, which I'm really excited about. It's an 8 week program and is intended to be instructional but is also meant to help build lifelong connections. I'll write more about it after tomorrow.