You, Me & Baby C: 1 month+ How Times Flies!

While this month has definitely been a rough one due to dad's medical issues, it's also been awesome to watch Dom grow up. It's a strange dichotomy but we believe Dominic has brought so much light & life to a difficult time. We have to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been there for us in these last 6 weeks. The prayers, cards, gifts and meals are so incredibly appreciated. "Evermore, Thanks." - Shakespeare.

SLEEPING & EATING: Dominic usually eats every 3-4 hours with the exception of some nights where he will go up to 5-6 hours (thank you, baby!) He sleeps very well but the party animal loves to be awake from 9pm until midnight or 1am. While I'm still mainly nursing, I do pump so that Nick can take that "midnight witching hour." I then handle the other feedings. While I read books about what to expect after the baby was here, I totally underestimated breast feeding. I'm very lucky that Dom loves to eat & latches like a champ. I was not prepared for the pain associated with the start of it all. Bless my closest friends for their many text messages with words of wisdom at all hours of the day & night. Also, a visit with the lactation consultant changed my world. I just needed to tweak a few things & now I cherish the quiet time with the baby (most of the time.) He is so sweet :) I'll admit, since I've started pumping, I still get sore, but we have come leaps & bounds from those first 10 days.

TEMPERAMENT: We were blessed with a calm & happy baby. He only cries if he is hungry or wet. Though if you try to put him to down for bed between 9pm and midnight, he will definitely let you know who is boss. He takes after his mom with his (lack of) patience... if you make him wait to eat and he becomes very vocal! Dom is very alert & likes to watch what is going on in the room. One time Lilah came up near his face & Dominic looked stunned. It was hilarious to see him notice Lilah for the first time. Surprisingly, he is so used to Lilah's bark from hearing it during the pregnancy that it doesn't even phase him.

MILESTONES: Since about week 2, Dominic has had a very strong head & neck. He will "be-bop his head around" as we like to say. He can pick his head up and switch from side to side while lying on his tummy. He can also semi roll to the side, which amazes us. At 4 weeks he started taking the occasional bottle & moved from the bassinet in our room to the crib in his nursery. He'll now make eye contact and will pay attention to the books we read him. Lights mesmerize him as well :)

LIKES: include eating, a warm bath and playtime with daddy and Gram Sam. He also loves snuggling on me after a nursing session. He adores his swing and will sleep in it for hours & hours during the day.

DISLIKES: include coming out of the bath, most diaper changes and having to wait to eat.

ADVENTURES: I've (slowly) been learning to get out of the house with the baby. Boy, that has been one of my biggest adjustments! Right now our trips are fairly short & mainly involve the grocery store. We visited GG at the rehab hospital and also met friends at the Arboretum one afternoon. We have lots of fun things planned for the coming weeks including the Arboretum, Ben & Becky's wedding and the Texas State Fair.

VISITORS:
Curcios: Granddad & Omi visit quite a bit. Dom adores then & we really appreciate that they always come armed with treats & meals. They're the best! Seeing them frequently definitely makes us feel like we made the right decision to move back & raise our kids near family.

Polek Sisters: Lyd & Cam visited when Dominic was a week old. Cameron stocked our fridge with meals and made us oodles of cookies. Lydia was the diaper changer extraordinaire. Nick & I felt like we had a live-in chefs & au pair during that time! It was so special to watch them both with the baby. While we weren't expecting to see them again until November, circumstances changed. They both visited a second time in October to visit dad. They spent long days helping mom at the rehab hospital but it was so nice to watch them cuddle Dominic in the evenings.

Gram Sam: Of course, our favorite long-term house guest has always been my mom. We do always seem to have these stints together because of medical reasons, both mine and dad's. The silver lining to all of this is that Gram Sam has lots of time to cuddle with the baby. He just gazes at her with adoration as she talks to him, tells him stories and sings him songs. He is definitely going to go through withdrawals when she leaves! When he is fussy, we'll hand him to Gram Sam and her soothing voice immediately calms him. In the midst of taking care of everything going on in her life, she also manages to wake up for diaper changes in the late night & early morning. She'll sneak in more loads of laundry then I can count (clothes appear magically folded on our bed) and she'll take him for bottle feedings to let mommy and daddy get some sleep at night.

MOMMY & DADDY: We are doing very well! I'll admit that I was very worried about what sleep deprivation would do to our marriage. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! Having this baby has brought NC & I even closer together. I couldn't ask for a more patient, wonderful husband. I'll never forget how Nick brought in tea for me and a pillow/blanket for him while I nursed Dominic in that first week. I was in tears and just totally wiped out. That cup of tea and companionship is something I will always remember (sigh, happy heart.)

growing up bit by bit