Jackson was 4 weeks old this past Monday. So this post is a little late (as tomorrow he will be 5 weeks old). But... in my defense, we are still on vacation. We left on Friday, April 20... so blogging hasn't been top on my priorities... at all. But I'm going to have a lot of mini posts for this vacation so I figure I should at least update with his weekly post.
Daddy was carrying Jackson down the hall when we saw him staring at the mirror. We took him over to the mirror and he was so interested in himself! What a pretty baby!
Daddy was able to spend a lot of time with Jackson. He is such a little snuggler. It's hard to put him down (so most of the time we don't).
Jackson had another visit with the lactation consultant to check his progress with the frenectomy. We received a B+ on our technique, which apparently is much better than most mommies and babies after the procedure. I think it comes pretty naturally to Jack and me how nursing is supposed to go. We're still learning, but he's catching on to a proper latch quickly. He is gaining weight, which was our primary concern. He had two weight checks this week and he ended up being 7 lbs. 10 oz., so he has surpassed his birth weight.
Some more friends stopped by to meet Jackson. In the picture there is Viv holding Jack and Candace and her little boy, Carter. They brought us a delicious meal and spent lots of time holding baby Jack. Viv is due with her second baby in August. It's so much fun having friends with babies. We have a group of wives who used to meet weekly to dish on marriage and life in general. Of the original group of seven there are now four babies (Viv's second will make five). It has been so much fun going through the first few years of marriage with these ladies and now motherhood. Two of the ladies have moved away and another and myself will probably be moving in the next year. It's sad to leave friends behind.
Here is Jack's official 4 week picture. My mom's couch doesn't have much cushioning on the armrest so I had to use a soft blanket to help prop Jack up. He is definitely getting bigger! He fills out his onesies much more now, but he is still wearing newborn clothes. His cloth diapers help fill out the bottom of the onesies, but if we put him in a disposable diaper there's a lot of space. He is much more alert and is tracking our movements. As he has met lots of people this week (to be part of the Michigan vacation series of posts), he has proven that he knows his mommy and daddy. He will turn his head towards our voices when others are holding him. He is also more calm when we are holding him compared to others.
I won't write much about meeting family and friends in Michigan yet, but one milestone Jack did have this week while in Michigan was reaching for an object! We put him in my mom's bouncer an there are little animals hanging from the top. He loved to stare at the animals and on Saturday, April 21st he reached for the animals and was able to bat at them! We caught it on video as he did it a few times. He is growing up so fast!
He doesn't care to be swaddled when he sleeps anymore, but he still likes to sleep on people. I know I spoil him with this as he's never spent an entire night in his sleeper. Generally even during the day when he naps he's sleeping on someone. When we return home I plan to try to get him more acquainted with his sleeper. I won't let him "cry it out" yet as he is still super young, but he does need to learn to be on his own some. I just love having him snuggle with me so it's hard to leave him be when he whimpers.
His random flailing limbs have calmed down a lot. He will still have some uncontrolled lurches, but he seems to be more deliberate with his arms and legs. Just one more aspect of his newborn-ness that is ceasing. While I am thankful he is growing and is healthy, it makes me sad that I will never have my newborn baby back. He will only keep getting bigger from this point forward. I hear that parents love every stage more than the last... so here's hoping I embrace each stage as it comes! He is definitely still my little baby, but he already seems so much bigger than before!
