Benjamin | One Month Update

10:17 PM

Benjamin, how has a month gone by already! These weeks have flown by and it feels like you have always been apart of our family.

Its hard to pick just one picture of my sweet little man

Height: Approx. 21.75 inches ( birth 20in)

Weight: Approx. 10lbs (birth 8lbs 3oz)

Sleep

Benjamin loves to sleep. He sleeps most of the day away and still sleeps pretty well at night. As far as sleep goes at night Benjamin wakes up about every 3 hours to eat and goes back to sleep quickly. The only time he really cries at night is if he has a bubble in his tummy and needs to be burped.

Benjamin sleeps so much during the day that I feel like I barely get to see his eyes. I know he is still in the sleepy newborn stage and this will change but it still amazes me at how much he sleeps!

Right now at night Benjamin is sleeping in the dockAtot which is placed in our bed. I originally tried putting the dockAtot in the packnplay next to our bed but he wouldn't stay asleep for very long. Sometimes during the night Benjamin sleeps next to me, but I try really hard to get him back into the dockAtot. He definitely sleeps better next to me. I have been trying to figure out the best swaddle for Benjamin. We started with just a traditional swaddle blanket but he busted out of that pretty easily, so I switched to the love to dream swaddle because he seems to like to have his hands near his face while he's sleeping. I used this swaddle for a little while but I think it kind of annoyed him because he would try to suck on his hands and couldn't. I decided to try the nested bean zen swaddle, which I used with Ellie, and he seems to be enjoying it. Occasionally he will bust one or both of his hands out of the swaddle but it doesn't seem to bother him if he does.

Eat

Benjamin is exclusively breastfeeding right now. From the moment he was born he has had an amazing latch! This boy came out knowing exactly how to nurse and out of all of my babies he is the only one who didn't make my nipples become sore! He is currently nursing every 3 hours, there are periods throughout the day where he might want to nurse more frequently but thankfully those times happen during the day and not at night!!

Development/Firsts

Benjamin has had a month of first:

10/01 first dr appt weighing 7lbs 12oz

10/06 umbilical cord fell off

10/09 8lbs 5.5oz 52.5cm

10/11 had his first bath and enjoyed the warm water

10/19 moves to size 1 diapers

10/21 started wearing 0-3 month clothes

10/22 noticed the hanging toys on bouncy seat

10/24 smiled for the first time

10/27 started smiling more giving me several smiles

10/27 used his voice to say “ha” a few times

I feel like so much changes each month of a babies first year. This month Benjamin has been doing lots of growing, pretty quickly outgrowing the newborn clothes and diapers. He had his first bath in the kitchen sink and seemed to really enjoy it. After crying for a moment after first being put into the water he calmed down and seemed to enjoy just floating in the warm water. He has enjoyed each bath he has had since as well. Benjamin noticed the hanging toys on his bouncy seat, it was funny to watch his eyes grow big and focus on the hanging monkeys. It just looked like his mind was going "What are those things?!?" Benjamin gave us his first smiles this month and his first attempt at a smile was at Ellie, so sweet to watch. She love him so much and loves and cuddles him as much as she can.

Dear Benjamin

You have come into our lives and changed it forever for the good. I can't believe you have been here for a month already. I feel like I say this all the time but time is going by too quickly and I wish it would slow down just a bit! You are so easy going and the only time I hear you cry is when you're hungry, have a bubble in your tummy or occasionally when you want your diaper changed. But your cry is so cute, you have this raspy quality to your cry that none of my other babies have had and it is so sweet to hear. (I know that sounds strange, but its true). You have started to smile and try to use your voice and it is the sweetest thing. You are growing quickly and have already gained almost 2lbs and have grown about 1.75 inches. You are getting so big, but still seem so tiny to me. You are happy and content to sit in your bouncy seat even when you are awake, but you love to snuggle and will usually fall asleep if I hold you. You sleep so much that I feel like I barely ever see your eyes, which are big and blue and beautiful. You have a cute underbite and a dimple in your right cheek that I have only seen on a few occasions. Benjamin I feel beyond blessed that I get to be your mommy. I can't wait to watch you grow and see who you become. I love you so much it hurts!

I love you forever

Love Mommy

One Month of Benjamin