Jude celebrated his 5 week birthday this past Sunday, and Mommy and Daddy are still in awe of what a miracle new life is! He is a growing boy, and we love all his extra rolls (and chins!). We wanted to share some updates on how our little guy is developing and how we are learning new things every day.
Most importantly, Jude is a very healthy little guy. He eats every few hours during the day, and what a blessing it is that breastfeeding is going perfectly. I am so grateful to have those feeding times to bond with him and know that he is getting all the nutrients he needs to grow and develop. He weighs in at just around 11 pounds--a big growth from his 7 pounds 12 ounces at birth. My arms definitely feel the change. His little umbilical cord stump is yet to fall off--we are quite excited to see his cute little belly button and to give him a real bath when the time comes.
We have to thank Jude for being such a great sleeper. At 3 weeks old, he would sleep 6 hours straight, wake for a quick feeding, and then sleep another 2 hours. Now, at 5 weeks old, Jude sleeps 8.5 hours straight at night! He takes a huge feeding right before bedtime and another one when he wakes up. We are truly lucky parents to be able to get a full night of sleep. I know it gives me the energy and patience to be a better mommy to him during the day. Let's hope this routine of his sticks around. This is him napping in his favorite "Touchdown" position. At night, he loves to be swaddled.
We are using gDiapers with Jude and are loving how cute they are. We do have some problems with leaks but are still happy with our choice to use cloth diapers. They are very soft, stylish, and easy to use. We also love how friendly the company's staff and website are--it helps us to troubleshoot any problems we have with the diapers. http://www.gdiapers.com/
We spend our days going for walks, reading books, listening to music, changing diapers, having tummy time, going out, and chatting. Jude is a great little "talker" and loves to explore his voice. He also likes to be read to. Right now I am reading Grapes of Wrath out loud to him. I started the book on my due date, got through most of it before he was born 13 days later, and am now finishing it with him. I assume any language exposure is good at this point. We also read Dr. Seuss and nursery rhymes to mix it up a bit.
Jude is also just starting to smile and is making great eye contact. His smiles are usually immediately followed by some sort of bodily function (spitting up, burping, or passing gas), but sometimes they are initiated by Mommy and Daddy's silly voices and faces. Each day, we learn something new about our little guy--what his expressions mean, how to soothe him best, and a new way to show him how we love him.
Collin and I are loving this adventure together. It is so joyous to find new ways to support one another and demonstrate our love in new ways through this change as our family grows!
