Our handsome little dude is 12 weeks old today and I think Mark and I are beginning to figure this whole parenthood thing. I can't believe how quickly the time is passing by already. I look back to pictures of the day Luke was born and can't believe how much smaller he used to be. So much has happened since my last post. Here's a little run down:
As of 2 weeks ago, Luke unofficially weighed in at 11 lbs. I would say that around week 6 we turned a corner in regards to nursing and have not had the need to supplement feedings for about 2 weeks now. To anyone reading this who is having trouble breastfeeding or is preparing to begin that journey, hang in there. I read somewhere that although it is one of the most natural things for a mom, that doesn't mean it's easy by any means. If it is important to you, give yourself grace, find some support, and don't beat yourself up over it. And if it ends up not working for you, that's ok too! Mentally, it took me a while to get there with the supplementing. I know that there is nothing wrong with formula, but I wanted so badly to do it all myself. I had to set aside what I wanted and do what was best for him. A happy and healthy baby is a fed baby.
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| Already best friends |
We welcomed Lucy into our family about 8 weeks ago. The group that we adopted her from guesses that she is a Plott hound mix and probably around a year old. I was extremely protective of Luke for the first several weeks but Lucy has proven herself to be a loving and gentle soul. She is a sweet girl with a lot of energy but knows how to take it down a notch when she is around Luke. She is already extremely loyal, does well off of a leash, and just wants to be as close to her humans as possible. Ironically, we brought her home on the same day that would have been Lilo's 12th adoptaversary. She really is the perfect dog and often times reminds me so much of my sweet girl. I look forward to watching Lucy and Luke grow up together.
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| The many silly faces of Luke Man |
It has been so much fun watching Luke grow over these past several weeks. Luke is full of smiles and laughter and likes to tell us stories when we talk to him. That smile melts my heart every single time. He really is a happy and easy baby for the most part. He loves to play on the floor and discover new things, like if he kicks the poles on the activity mat all of the toys attached to it move around. He is also really enjoying toys that sing and light up. In the past week he has made great strides with tolerating tummy time and is gaining more strength in his neck each day.
Speaking of Luke's neck, several weeks ago a friend from college, who happens to be an awesome physical therapist, was kind enough to share that she noticed that in most of Luke's pictures he is tilting his head to the left and asked if he tended to do this often. After talking with her more, we came to the conclusion that he had torticollis. This is most likely due to the way that he was positioned in the womb and results in the muscles on the left side of his neck being shortened and tight. We have been passively stretching his neck daily and will be starting physical therapy soon to help correct this. We have been reassured that he will be perfectly fine once we treat the underlying cause. I know that making suggestions and offering advice to another mom can be a sensitive subject but I am so grateful that she shared with me her concerns.
Mark and I both went back to work 4 weeks ago. I am so thankful that we were able to spend 8 weeks together as a family to bond and share this special time together. It was a huge help to have that extra support. For the past 4 weeks I have been working half days and I have been fortunate to have been able to bring Luke with me. He spent a few hours each day in child watch with some of the most loving ladies. They played with him, comforted him when he cried, and loved on him like their own. It was during this time that we learned he loves to sit in the swing and bouncy chair (both of which we have since purchased for home.) I am extremely thankful for this positive experience of leaving him with someone and that I was able to slowly transition back to work. They were all very sad when they heard that he wasn't going to continue coming to stay with them in the mornings. I promised him that he will be back to visit.
Since we've been back to work, Luke has been sleeping for 4-5 hour stretches at night. Praise the Lord! We have been working on transitioning him to his crib. He will sleep the first half of the night in his crib and then, after eating, he will sleep a few more hours in our room in his rock-n-play. We are hoping to fully transition him to his crib in the next few weeks as that will be much better for his neck. In the meantime, mom and dad need sleep.
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| My handsome little dude |
While sleeping at night has been pretty smooth, little dude fights his naps later in the day. Through trial and error we can usually put him down for at least one afternoon nap. We have also discovered that he is extra fussy anywhere between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm or better know as the witching hour. I had read about this and it's a real thing. We try lots of different things during these bouts of screaming to no avail but thankfully they usually don't last more that an hour and they do indeed pass.
Some other notable memories are Luke's visits from Grammy, Grampy, Auntie Kelli, cousin Zander, and Great Grammy and Grampy, Luke and Lucy's first trip to the beach, and celebrating my first Mother's Day.
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Finally, I start back to work full-time tomorrow. This will be the longest I have been away from Luke since his birth. I will miss my little dude so incredibly much. I have been struggling with the thought that I will be missing out on so much during the day and only having a few hours each morning and evening with him. I struggle to figure out how I will get anything else done when all I will want to do is spend time with him once I'm home. I know that it will all work out and that we will fall into a new routine as a family. I'm thankful that I have a job that I enjoy and amazing co-workers that I am surrounded by all day. I pray that I will be able to be a good wife, mother, and worker while still making time to nurture friendships that are important to me. I will take it one day at a time and seek the Lord's strength and wisdom. My prayer is that I will glorify Him in all that I do.
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| I've been blessed beyond all measure |
Motherhood certainly comes with its challenges of trying to balance all the things and I am exhausted by the end of the day but I wouldn't trade this crazy adventure for anything in the world. Somehow my love grows more and more for my family each day.
Speaking of Luke's neck, several weeks ago a friend from college, who happens to be an awesome physical therapist, was kind enough to share that she noticed that in most of Luke's pictures he is tilting his head to the left and asked if he tended to do this often. After talking with her more, we came to the conclusion that he had torticollis. This is most likely due to the way that he was positioned in the womb and results in the muscles on the left side of his neck being shortened and tight. We have been passively stretching his neck daily and will be starting physical therapy soon to help correct this. We have been reassured that he will be perfectly fine once we treat the underlying cause. I know that making suggestions and offering advice to another mom can be a sensitive subject but I am so grateful that she shared with me her concerns.
Mark and I both went back to work 4 weeks ago. I am so thankful that we were able to spend 8 weeks together as a family to bond and share this special time together. It was a huge help to have that extra support. For the past 4 weeks I have been working half days and I have been fortunate to have been able to bring Luke with me. He spent a few hours each day in child watch with some of the most loving ladies. They played with him, comforted him when he cried, and loved on him like their own. It was during this time that we learned he loves to sit in the swing and bouncy chair (both of which we have since purchased for home.) I am extremely thankful for this positive experience of leaving him with someone and that I was able to slowly transition back to work. They were all very sad when they heard that he wasn't going to continue coming to stay with them in the mornings. I promised him that he will be back to visit. 
