Last Sunday Max turned one month old. It is crazy how fast this past month has flown by. Ben and I were actually just talking last night about how much he has grown and changed in the last month and just how quickly it has gone by. With Mikayla that first month seemed like an eternity, but with Max it has gone too fast. Maybe it is because we also have a very active four year old to look after!
Grow with me owl at 2 weeks.
Grow with me owl at 1 month
Max is quite different from his sister. While she was always pretty laid back he is a little more high maintenance (although he is starting to come out of this phase). He definitely cries more than his sister ever did and he is a lot bigger than she ever was! He is a chunky monkey and eats like a pig!!
Max loves to be held, and during the day actually sleeps better in someone’s arms or in a baby carrier than he does in his crib. At one month he is starting to get in somewhat of a sleeping routine. He usually takes a mid-morning nap, an afternoon nap and an early evening nap before calling it a day around 9 or 10. He sleeps pretty good at night and most nights gets up to nurse 3-4 times and goes right back to sleep. On rare occasions he likes to have a party around 3 or 4am! He will often have a crying spell right around dinner time, which has made for some interesting meal times!
We started Max in cloth diapers after his umbilical cord fell off (around two weeks). We only have 11 at the moment so we alternate between cloth and disposable, but mostly cloth during the day. I am also breastfeeding Max and it is going much smoother than with Mikayla. I had a low supply with her and seem to have an abundance with him!
Max’s first cloth diaper!
At around two weeks, Max rolled over for the first time (belly to back). He has been doing it pretty consistently since then, but absolutely hates time on his tummy. As soon as you put him on his tummy he starts screaming. We keep trying, but so far he just seems to hate it. Which is ironic because he loves to fall asleep on your chest where he is essentially on his tummy! He also has really good neck control (both of our kids have had this). He can hold his head steady for several seconds and is even able to lift it up when on his tummy. That is when he isn’t screaming.
He is starting to enjoy playing on his back. He will occasionally "talk" with us making small cooing sounds. And he is starting to smile some, smiles that are not your typical gas smiles. He also has more periods of wakefulness than he did two weeks ago.
We took Max up to the hostel for the first time last week when the kids were there. They were absolutely in love and almost knocked us over when we got to the gates. They all wanted to see him and said what a beautiful baby he was. I don’t think he will be short on people who love him. He handled the interaction like a champ, slept right through it! 😉 There are also some cultural differences between raising an American infant and a Swazi infant. The biggest is the way we bundle up children. For us Max is sufficient in a long sleeve outfit with pants, a lightweight blanket and maybe a hat depending on temperature. In Swaziland they bundle their babies up until they are sweating – thick wool blankets and at least three layers of clothing in 80 degree weather! We often get scolded because Max is not bundled up appropriately! Just one of the many differences we are finding.
Mikayla is in love with her brother and has been a great helper this past month. She is on "diaper duty", helping to take care of dirty diapers and pick out his outfits each day! She loves to snuggle with him and hold him on the couch. She even seems oblivious to his screaming. Yesterday he was crying really loud and Ben was talking to him to calm him down. Mikayla told Ben to that he was being too loud. When he asked her if Max was being loud too she said no!
Max was born with three distinct birth marks. One on his forehead that looks like a triangle, one on the crown of his head and one on the back of his neck. All three are still very visible, although the forehead triangle is starting to fade some. Ben likes to refer to this one as the arrow to show "white people’ where to feed the baby!! His eyes have bounced between being brown and blue, but within the last week they are consistently blue so we are thinking we will have two blue eyed children.
We are starting to get into a pretty good groove and it feels completely normal to be a family of four! We head to the doctor next week for a six week check up and some shots. Anxious to see how much my (not so) little boy weighs!
