The 11th Week

This week marks the last week my baby boy is considered a newborn.  By Saturday, he will be officially considered an infant.  It makes me sad and happy all at the same time.  One blog I've read describes these first 12 weeks and "The Longest Shortest Time."  I couldn't agree more.  While I was living it and so overwhelmed by all the stress and sleeplessness and feeling the heavy weight of the new responsibility I had undertaken, time felt endless and I wondered if I would ever make it through and now that we're here, I wonder where the time went. 

This week he has really started to wake up to the world more than ever before.  He's really discovering his hands and doesn't want to play with much else.  He gets his thumb alone in his mouth probably 50% of the time.  He's beginning to get distracted by people and things while nursing.  Ben can't really sit next to us while Finn eats anymore, because once Finn sees Ben, all he wants to do is smile.  And let me tell you, a smiling boy is not a nursing boy.  He's actually been so distracted while eating that I'm really looking forward to taking him to Lactation Support Group this afternoon, just so that I can weigh him and make sure he has still gained weight this week.

Ben has gotten him to take a rattle in his hands several times.  I think its a bit to heavy for him to shake, but he is at least gripping it well.  I've seen some improvements in Tummy Time as well, though it's hit and miss.  I think my timing needs to be better.  It appears that Finn can't be too hungry or full or sleepy in order to have success during Tummy Time.  Can anyone tell me when that would be???

He has been in the habit this week of waking up at midnight, 3am and 5am.  These nights are really exhausting for me.  If he only wakes up at 2 am and 5 am, I do much better.  However, that being said, last night he did the 3 wake-up routine but for the first time I got him to take his pacifier without me having to hold it in his mouth for 15-20 minutes while he fell asleep.  He sucked on it right away and kept it in his own mouth until he fell sound asleep.  This released me from having to do the soothing him back to sleep routine of rocking him and walking with him and patting his back.  The pacifier did all that for me.  I felt a little guilty about it and figure I'll probably have a stubborn little boy in a couple of years who will resist giving it up, but at this point, I'll trade that for a little sleep now!