Emmett Elijah: One Month

It's hard to believe that our little guy is already a month old... where has the time gone? On one hand, these last weeks have flown by, but on the other, they have seemed eternally slow. The days are fleeting, but sometimes the moments crawl by. At other times, they go by so quickly that I wish I could stop time.

He makes us smile every day and we're beginning to see his own personality emerge. Emmett has more awake time during the day, is very alert, is beginning to smile and coo at us, and is not a good burper or daytime napper. He tracks objects we place in front of him and locks on to our faces too. This is such a sweet time of bonding with him! We're dealing with some reflux issues along with gas and fussiness, but now that we're on medication, a sensitive formula and have been introduced to gripe water, we have a much happier boy.

He is a hungry little fella taking about 4 ounces of formula at each feeding, with variations between 3 and 5. Some days he is a "snacker" and other days he eats really well. He's gaining weight like a champ and at his last check up he weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces. (We'll see what his official one month check up reveals!) At each feeding, we normally need to use the pacifier to calm him down because he acts like he hasn't eaten before, earning him the nickname "Barracuda" from his mama.

Emmett doesn't sleep really well during the day for fear he's going to miss out on something, but at night he has given us stretches of 3 to 5 hours. There's still not much of a routine, but we have noticed glimpses of one during the night with a late night feeding, one around 3:00/4:00 a.m. and one around 7:00 a.m. At least he seems to have his days and nights correct, right?! He still sleeps upright for the most part, although we're working on him sleeping in his crib or the pack n' play from time to time. He can also sleep through a room filled with people, but will startle at random noises when the rest of the house is quiet.

When he's fussy or we cannot get him to burp (and he's pitching a fit because we took the bottle out of his mouth) it is not unusual to find one of us walking around with him outside. As soon as he gets outside, the screaming stops and he calms right down and we can normally find some success in the burping department. It's amazing what a little fresh air and sunshine can do.

We've taken a couple of field trips to the store, the dentist and to Sanford, where he did really well for the most part. The car seat leaves much to be desired for him and we think it's because he gets so hot and sweaty in it. He definitely has a set of lungs and goes from 0-60 in no time. There is no in-between for our little guy.

Right now, Emmett is still able to fit in newborn clothes, although he can fill out some 0-3 month pieces as well. It won't be long until we're out of newborn diapers and on to size 1! We're quickly plowing through our stash of diapers and wipes and it won't be long until we find ourselves at the store buying more. We can go through 3 diapers in one change because his "pipes" work so well!

 Matt and I have been able to get out of the house for a wedding, church and a few errands from time to time thanks to both sets of parents. There is no shortage of help and we are so very thankful for that! I've even had some breaks during the day while Emmett has spent some time with his Grandma and Grandpa.

At one month, Emmett

Likes:

• The sound of running water
• Snuggling
• Eating (this boy loves his food!)
• His pacifier
• Being outdoors
• Sucking on his hands
• Laying on his tummy
• Baths
• Toys that play music (mainly his turtle and caterpillar)
• Being swaddled, as long as his arms are free

Dislikes:

• Being hot (this could be a problem with his love for being outside!)
• His car seat
• Having his diaper/clothes changed (but it's getting better)
• Lying flat on his back in the crib or cradle (we're working on this one too!)
• Sleeping during the day (I guess he inherited this from his mama!)

We are so grateful for our sweet boy! Glad to be coming out of the first-few-weeks-at-home stage, we're seeing how much fun we're going to have with him as we get better at parenting and learning more about our little man.

Emmett Elijah, we love you so much and are grateful to be your mama and daddy!  We thank God for you each day and pray that you would grow into a strong and healthy boy who loves the Lord. Happy One Month, sweet boy!