4 weeks

This chunky monkey turned one month old yesterday!   It has been a tough week around here, so I'm a little late with this post and it's going to be brief.  If I wait until I have time to give details, they may not ever get posted.  (As evidenced by the post I've had "pending" for a week now, that I've decided is no longer relevant enough to post.) In any case, I just had to post this quick comparison of NB (above) and LO (below) both at 4 wks.  As a small frame of reference, NB is in a 3 month onesie, and LO is in a newborn (much smaller) onesie.  I think the differences in their faces is obvious, but you can also see the differences in the way their arms and bodies fill out their clothes.  It is just wild to us that NB nurses less often and for about a third of the time that LO did and clearly he is winning the weigh off at one month. 

Other changes this week were a few more and, possibly genuine, smiles.  There was definitely more sweet cooing.  Of course that was balanced with an increase in NB's overall fussiness and resistance to sleep, but that is to be expected at this age.  In general, though, he's doing really well. 

LO, on the other hand, has had a really tough week. I expected this week to he tough and for things to be more stressful between weeks four through six, but I didn't expected that to be coming from LO more than from NB!  Well, LO was not to be outdone.  He has had some regressive behaviors that have been cute and kind of funny.  For instance, he asked to be swaddled and let me cradle him like a baby last week.  He has adopted our activity mat has a favorite toy and lays under it to "play." He also continues to have really gentle and loving tendencies toward NB.  He asked to hold him this week which we allowed with much supervision.  He also pats, "burps," kisses, holds hands, and swings NB many times a day.  It is just so exciting and beautiful to see them together.  I am really encouraged by that and look forward to watching their relationship develop more as NB can respond more to LO.  

For as many positive developments as LO has had toward NB in the past week, he has had at least as many trying and emotionally draining behaviors toward DH and me.  I'll save the details for a separate post, but let's say he has been moved to his toddler bed for the last two nights.  A move that we were hoping would wait until NB several months older, but was necessitated by LO finally climbing out of his crib.  LO has also regressed/escalated in his tantrum throwing.  

We are so grateful that my mom has been able to be here this week to help with these curveballs. I hope to devote a separate post to the fun stuff she and LO have done together, but we would not have weathered this week nearly as well without her. At this point we are nearly half way to NB's 5th week, but there is still no telling what the next few days might bring!