Happy 1 month, Josiah!

This may have been the fastest month of my life. It is nearly unfathomable that our little man is 4.5 weeks old. When I take the time to really look at him, though, there is no doubt he is growing and maturing. He loves to look intensely, be it at our faces or the ceiling. His head control is terrific and getting stronger every day. He enjoys tummy time significantly more than Sarah ever did, especially when it gets a little extra gas out of his belly. Josiah is a snugly bundle of joy- we are so thankful for this month getting to know him!

Weight: 12 lbs even (96%)
Length: 24 in (99%- they tell us this actually means he is off the chart)
Head: 15.25 in (I think this was 64%, but it isn't written down and I don't remember for sure)
Heart rate: 148 bpm

Nursing: Josiah is a champ! He eats like it is his job and he wants a promotion. The first few weeks were tough for me, but we are doing really well now. I am so thankful for the lactation consultants at Cape Cod Hospital. Their advice was reasonable, personal, balanced, and so very kind. You would think that nursing Sarah for a year would have thoroughly prepared me for round two, but I guess it goes to show that every little one is different!

Sleep: Josiah has been difficult to figure out on this front. Since we were in the hospital it has been a challenge for him to settle down. And when he does settle down, he has a hard time staying settled. He does sleep, it just takes him a long time to get there and he seems to need a lot of help. This goes against most of the parenting theory that we really believe in and that worked so well with Sarah. We so very badly want to "train in the way we mean him to go," but we have found there is a point where he just needs sleep and we have to fairly evaluate the situation. Josiah does doreally well settling down at night now. I am thankful for this! His duration isn't really extending more than 3, sometimes 4, hours, but he is nursing a little faster and does tend to go right back to sleep. Strange but true: he only likes to sleep with his head to the right. To ward off an uneven flat spot, we have to regularly prop him facing left!

Prayer: This is a super specific, practical request. We are praying for, and invite you to pray with us, that we would find Josiah's "sweet spot" between not ready for bed and overtired. When we put him down we never can tell if he is too tired or not tired at all. We have studied all the lists of sleep cues and read back through all of our books and just can't seem to pin him. We are believers that good sleep is foundational and we want deep rest for Josiah. It is a valuable skill to learn! We are tired, but hopeful that we can teach him even the simple skill of sleeping, with God's help. And if he truly is colicky, as the doctor implied, we have hope that in 2 or 3 months we will all rest more peacefully.

Schedule: No real by-the-clock schedule yet, though I do like starting our day around 7am when possible. We are following the Babywise feed, wake, sleep routine and tend to be at about 3 hour cycles. Somehow he seems to consistently eat 8 times a day, no matter how many crazy variables are thrown into the mix.

Physically: Josiah still has a head full of blonde fuzz. Sarah loves to rub it! His eyes are blue, but maybe getting a little darker.  His skin has is still peeling a little.

Next appointment: Monday, July 9- he will get shots!

I'm a month old!

Sarah enjoying the fish tank at the doctor's office. For once the doctors had someone else to torment!

First bath!

Sleepy smile :)

Where is Josiah?!

Sweet moment getting to know each other.

He is the real deal.

Sweet sleepy boy!