Yesterday was Grayson’s 12-week milestone. Next week, he’ll officially be three months old. They have been the longest and most labor-intensive months of my entire life, and yet, they’ve also flown by. I can’t believe I’ve been a Mom for only three months, and already I know my son better than anyone else in the world.
Here’s the lowdown on the past few weeks in the Velez house –
Sleeping – Just shortly after Halloween, Grayson started sleeping for consistent 5 and 6 hour stretches. That same week, we decided to start putting him in his crib, and this must have just clicked for him, because he’s been sleeping soundly in his crib ever since. We start every night with a bath around 8:00 or so, and he gets a bottle after his bath and typically goes down for the night between 8:30 and 9:00. I think our saving grace is the Kiddopotamus Swaddleme wrap, which keeps him swaddled at night. Almost every night except for one or two, he doesn’t wake up again until 2:00am (a few lucky nights it was 3:00), and I go into his room and feed him. He falls asleep eating, and doesn’t usually make any noise until around 7:00 or so. I guess we’re one of the lucky ones, because I spoke with an acquaintance at a baby shower yesterday whose baby is just a few weeks older than Grayson, and she said her son is still sleeping in a bassinet and waking up every 2-3 hours. I guess I should be thanking him every morning when he wakes up that his Momma and Daddy are finally feeling like normal human beings.
He takes a good long nap in the late mornings, usually from about 10:00 to Noon, which is which I get housecleaning, laundry and whatever else done. All naps are taken in the swing, where he seems to nap the longest. The swing is downstairs in our family room, which I can see from the kitchen and still get lots done. He typically takes another nap in the afternoon about 2:00, but the afternoon nap always varies.
Eating – During the day, I try to keep him full, so he eats every 3 hours. He’s still nursing well, thankfully. I had a minor freak-out last week because my milk supply had dwindled, and the thought of not being able to feed my baby anymore made me panic. I immediately upped my water intake and started taking fenugreek tablets, which has seemed to help quite a bit. I have to drink 5-6 bottles of water each day in addition to my morning coffee, so I feel like I’m going to the bathroom every hour, but at least I’m home and have the ability to do that. The fenugreek tablets smell and taste just awful, like a weird maple syrup gone bad, but if they’re the reason my milk supply has gone back up, then I’m OK with that.
Playtime – Once he’s been fed, he’s typically an absolute joy to be around. I can usually get a big toothless grin by blowing raspberries at him, or sticking out my tongue. He tries to copy me, and sometimes he succeeds, but usually, he just gives me funny faces. We’ve started to play a game where I gently lift his arms forward when he’s laying on his back, and he tenses them up and pulls up his head simultaneously. It’s a good way for him to work on his muscles since he absolutely detests tummy time. He’s also really responsive to lights and music, so I really hope he grows up to be musically inclined in some way. (A Mom can dream, right?)
When I was still pregnant and during the first few weeks he was home, my Mom kept telling me that when she brought me home, she often wished she could’ve been pregnant for twelve months instead of dealing with the first three months. Honestly, I’d have to say I agree. I had a great pregnancy though, so I can say that. I’m looking forward to experiencing his other milestones. Pretty soon, he’s going to figure out how to roll over, and he’s slowly starting to discover his hands, which typically go directly into his mouth. (So will everything else, haha.)
I’ll leave you with a short video I took this morning when I went in to get him. It’s my favorite time of day, because I love watching him stretch after I take him out of his “baby straightjacket.” 🙂 (And don’t pay any attention to my high-pitched Mommy babble, heh.)
It is such a relief to get into a little bit of a zone with parenting, isn’t it? And the swaddle? Our saving grace. I believe we were more attached to it than Happy. What a beautiful, beautiful boy, mama, and what a lovely job you are doing.