2 Weeks and Growing

I'm writing this blog while our bean is sleeping, so it may be brief....

I can't believe we've survived the first 2 weeks and 4 days. It blows my mind how fast it's all going! Jackson has been an absolute blessing and is a really good baby. He only cries when he's super duper hungry or wants something to suck on. We weren't going to do a pacifier, but if it calms him down, we'll have to deal with the consequences later! (I also think he might become a thumb sucker b/c he keeps trying to shove his thumb/fingers/hand in his mouth when he's hungry or upset). Last night was a good night (he slept for 2 hours at a time without waking up), but other nights he wakes up every hour. He was requesting food every hour and a half, but now we're trying to keep him just eating every 2 or more hours. Jackson takes about 1 3 hour nap a day and it could be at any time (sometimes in the morning, sometimes at night, and sometimes in the middle of the day). I'm just trying to sleep when he does, but it's not always easy to sleep when it's like 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

As for eating...boy this kid can eat! I think he must already have gained 10 pounds since he was born. We've been doing the whole breastfeeding thing which is good for a few reasons: 1) Jackson likes it, 2) poopy diapers aren't so bad, 3) I've lost a lot of weight, and 4) I get to snuggle with my little man. BUT it's been hard for a few reasons too: 1) ouch in my chestal area, 2) he tends to fall asleep really easily, 3) he has started using my chest as a pacifier (especially when he's super tired), and 4) I feel more like a cow than a mom. We've started introducing him to bottles (just one bottle a formula a day) just to give me some rest b/c breastfeeding is so exhausting for me and plus I can get in a nap while he's taking his bottle. For the first week or so, he was eating every 2 hours and then he went for a few days every hour and half which was horrible during the night. BUT the doctor said we need to try to keep him eating just every 2-3 hours, so we're trying to limit him to just those times, which isn't always easy. I had no idea what to expect about breastfeeding, but it definitely wasn't this! I want to quit just about every time he cries, but once you start...it's hard to stop without feeling like you're harming the baby. I know it's the best thing for him to breastfeed, so I'm going to do it at least for a month, if not a little longer. Hopefully, we can make it another 2 weeks without having to add on too many more bottles of formula!

Jackson's personality is just so sweet. The boy LOVES to cuddle and I just adore him for it. He's also very alert and likes to spend time on our laps just looking around trying to figure things out. I swear he's going to be a smart one! The bean is also very strong. He lifts his head up a lot and for a long period of time for only being 18 days old. It's funny to watch him try to head butt us :0) I also should've known the boy was going to be a total wiggle wart. When he is awake his arms and legs are going about 100 miles a minute. I just know that he's going to be an Olympic swimmer or football player. He's also got quite a set of lungs on him and talks all the time. His squeaks are the highlight of my day and I just love the noises he makes! The only thing I'm still trying to get a hold of are his explosive diapers. OH LORD! the boy can poop. He sometimes wakes himself up with the gas he has! I swear one of these days he's going to blow a hole in his diaper! It is amazing his poops! I'm also trying to get used to being peed on or pooped on. I could've sworn I would never get hit...boy was I wrong! Within a few hours of being home, he had both pooped at me and peed on me. The first time he peed on his head, I balled like a baby. It was so sad seeing this little stream of pee hit him straight in between his eyes...it was horrible! BUT I learned quickly that that will not be the only time he will pee on his head :0)
His personality has earned him the following nicknames: Pterodactyl man, Frog man, cuddle buddy, poopie tail, wiggle wart, etc. etc. I have about hundred names I call him b/c he's just so sweet.

Anyway, as for my mothering skills...that's still up in the air. I feel about hundred times a day that I suck as a mom and that I'll never get a handle on what I'm doing. I worry that I'm not doing things "right" and I know I should realize that there is no right or wrong way to do things, but I just worry... If you measure a good mother by how happy the baby is, then I think Jackson is one happy little guy! He hasn't smiled at me yet, but he smiles in his sleep and that let's me know that he's at least happy in his dreams :0) I just hope that I'm giving him everything he needs and more! If how tired and exhausted my body is is any indication of how hard I'm working as a mom, then I'm working pretty darn hard!

Well, I should get going for now...I'll have to post pictures later. I haven't taken very many new ones, so I'll have to work on that for ya!