One Month Update

A look back over Collen's first month...

August 22, 2010 - The day this handsome little man came into our lives

Week One - Jaundice issues and breastfeeding frustrations

Week Two - Spending more time awake and still struggling with feeding (mom, not Collen)

Week Three - Showing his personality and settling into a routine

Week Four - Developing more of his personality, and he started smiling!

It's hard to believe it has been a month since we first met Mr. Collen. The anticipation and anxious feelings that accompany labor and delivery are still so fresh. I miss being pregnant. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE that Collen is here, and I adore every single second I have with him, but I miss those little jabs and kicks and the giddiness I felt each time I felt a little nudge. Pregnancy is so amazing, and it's something that will never fail to astound me.

But, now he's here! And we grow more and more in love with him every day. Collen's one month check up was today, so we got an update on weight, length, and head circumference. Here are

Collen's stats as of one month:

Weight: 10lbs 14oz

Length: 22 inches

Head Circ.: 39 cm

Percentile: 60th%

Sleeping: Collen loves to sleep. He takes several naps during the day, and once we put him down for the night (usually between 9:30 and 11), he will sleep his longest stretch, which is usually 4-5 hours. Then, he will wake up to eat then go right back to sleep for another 3 hours. If I work it out right, I can usually get 5-8 hours of sleep at night. Every night, I could potentially get 8 hours of sleep, but I spend a lot of time watching him sleep, or just lying awake. It takes me a while to get back to sleep.

Eating: We are still breastfeeding (yay! I stuck it out!), and it is going very well. We finally got the hang of it, and the pump has become my new best friend. If I want to go anywhere during the day, I will be sure I time it so that I can pump out a bottle's worth before we go. That way, I can nurse him before we leave and then we have a reserve bottle for while we are out. We usually aren't out too long, so having the bottle buys us about a 3-6 hour window (depending on when I nurse him and if I'm up and ready to go before nursing). We've worked out a routine that works really well, which has helped me stick with it. Collen's obviously getting enough since he's quite the chunky one.

He is a growing boy, and a big one for his age. Someone today asked me if he was two months old. I sheepishly looked at him and said, "No....he's only a month old. He's just a big boy." I later told Collen that it was okay to be a big boy because his brother was big, too....and when he was 3 months old people would ask me if he was 6 months old. It's just how our boys grow, and that's just okay! :)

At one month, Ayden was just about the same size, although he weighed a little less (Collen is a bit chunkier...). It's neat to see how similar they are in their growth pattens so far. Developmentally, they have hit the same milestones right around the same times as well. Collen and Ayden both have their unique qualities and appearance, but you can definitely tell they are brothers. I hope that continues.

I have to say, our first month with Collen has been much calmer than our first month with Ayden. We didn't suffer from the new parent jitters, and we haven't let ourselves get worked up over little things (aside from the jaundice and the nursing, but those quickly resolved themselves). Surprisingly, I did not have many emotional moments - or baby blues moments. I have been very mellow considering the circumstances. I've had to talk myself into being calm because I know that I have the potential to become a nervous wreck. I could let myself live in fear and worry myself ragged, but I'm determined not to stress myself out. If I'm stressed, Collen will be stressed, and I don't want that. He needs me to be relaxed and able to soothe and comfort him.

All in all, this first month has been great, and we have certainly enjoyed getting to know Collen and learning all about him. We absolutely love and adore him, and we are amazed at all he has brought [back] into our lives. We anxiously anticipate the months and years ahead with Collen, and we can't wait to spend every day watching him grow into the young man he is destined to become!

*NOTE: I tried to fix the spacing several times, but blogger wanted to be hardheaded today. Sorry it all runs together!