Getting to Know Jack

Well, we are coming up on almost 12 weeks of life with Jack (on the outside of the womb).  :)  Crazy how time flies.  I think everyone has said it but in some ways time has flown by and in other ways it feels like the kid has always been around.  Like it's hard to imagine that there was a time that it was just "Jason and I".  Weird because it was just Jason and I for over 4 years of our married life.

Anyways, I feel like it's been such an adventure getting to know this little man.  You are given this little baby and really he's a complete stranger.  You have to learn how he ticks, his disposition, his personality.  We are learning that.  Sometimes we're a little slow (poor guy) but we're figuring you out kid.  :)

Jack in his puke.  Lovely eh?  :)

First of all, he loves his food.  I mean LOVES his food.  Don't all babies?  Something that I'm figuring out though is that just because the books say he'll do something or my friend's babies who are similar ages are doing something doesn't mean that Jack will do it.  He nurses often.  He pretty much nurses every 2 hours during the day.  In the evening...every hour.  If we are out and about and he's in the ergo he can go a little longer.  There was a time where he would be crying his brains out and Jason would say, "Is he hungry?"  I'd reply with a "No!  He can't be...he ate 2 hours ago...he still has an hour left."  Yeah, babies don't work that way.  Just because the books and docs say that they should eat every 3 hours at this age doesn't mean that HE will.  Anyways, when I started feeding him more often he was a LOT happier.  Poor baby.

Ah!  He's grown so much already.  He's so tiny!  :)

I'm not really sure what "type" of baby Jack is.  He's my first baby and the only other baby that I've spent a considerable amount of time with is my 2nd to youngest brother and I remember him SCREAMING a lot.  So in comparison Jack seemed not so bad.  He does get worked up occasionally but that can always be cured by nursing...ALWAYS.  I'm realizing though that Jack is probably a more high maintenance baby.  He's sorta on this every other day cycle.  One day he's pretty good, next day fussy, next day good, next day fussy.  He also does NOT like to be put down.  Especially on the fussy days.  Not only does he not like to be put down...he doesn't like you to sit.  He wants you up and moving.  So, rather then kill my back he ends up doing a lot of nursing.  In the end it's the most soothing thing for both of us.  It makes it a little bit difficult for Jason though...obviously.  :)  I will say that he's getting much better at entertaining himself.  As long as he's in a good mood he'll play on his play mat a bit or go in his swing.

Sleep.  Oh sleep.  I'm sorta on the wall about what I think in general about babies and sleep.  Other then I think that they should do far FAR more of it.  :)  Jack is a decent sleeper.  He slept in a co-sleeper in our bed for the first 9 weeks or so.  It was very easy to put him immediately back to sleep and so he ended up practically sleeping through the night at 7 weeks.  Once we transitioned to his own room though he began waking up more.  Hard on us all.  We've gone back and forth...move him back into our room...keep him in his.  We aren't "cry it out" type of people.  So, I get up and honestly he's genuinely hungry.  He chugs his milk like there is no tomorrow and always goes right back to sleep.  I can't complain much because he knows night time as sleep time...he just likes to wake up twice or so for some food.  The thing that I've found the most shocking about the whole sleep thing is our openness to co-sleeping now.  We don't technically co-sleep.  Jack wakes up at 6 am to eat and he sleeps in our bed until about 9 am.  I understand it a bit more though.  I've read some very interesting, convincing studies on co-sleeping.  Jack sleeps SO well when sleeping with me too that it makes me wonder.  Why does he sleep so well?  Is there some sort of "design" behind it?  Who knows.  But we don't co-sleep because I don't sleep as well with him in bed.  Anyways, just some thoughts I guess.  :)

So, that's our Jack for you.  Loves to eat, loves to be held, loves to sleep...as long as he can wake up and eat a couple of times. :)