4 Weeks Old

Parker turned 4 wks old yesterday and I think we are in a good groove now. Last week and the beginning of this week were a bit rough at night, but the day time was great! Now we've got the day time and night time going well.

His first few weeks of life, I felt like if he wasn't sleeping or eating, he was crying. I think that was more about us learning how to get him back to sleep. He definitely needed a paci. Now I've learned that he really likes to be bounced back to sleep in your arms, like while walking around. He goes to sleep pretty quickly this way. He is not a big fan of the bouncy seat though, go figure! He does like the swing though and often naps in it.

This was an attempt at catching a smile, which he now does from time to time.

Last week and the beginning of this week, I was having a hard time getting him back to sleep after nursing during the night. He might fall asleep for 45 min after nursing and then wake up crying. Sometimes it wasn't his fault- a leaky, wet diaper might be to blame, or him scooting off his memory foam wedge, etc. For the past couple of nights though, we've been in a groove, a good groove.

My friend Kathryn suggested that I start swaddling him, b/c I had stopped that a few weeks ago. So I did that, along with giving him nightly baths. So far, he's been sleeping better at night with that little cocktail, so we'll keep doing that.

What Parker Does All Day-
Well, besides sleep and eat, he is starting to notice things more now. He definitely likes to look at things with contrasting colors, like dark and light. He loves to stare at the blinds when they are closed, but light is coming through. I remember all my kids doing this at this stage.


He also likes to stare at this topiary, above the chair I nurse him in in the living room.


Physically- He's a strong little guy, just like his Bubba Chase was at this age. Chase rolled over at 2 wks old, and Parker did about the same. I remember just minutes after Parker was born, I was burping him over my shoulder and he just lifted his head off my shoulder and looked around. It was so strange to see a minutes old baby doing that!


He's getting really big and has outgrown his newborn diapers and most of his newborn clothes. He fits so much better in all of his clothes now, since he's less curled up. I weighed him on my scale and he weighs 9 lbs, which is probably pretty accurate.

What Else- Well, in the first 3 wks of Parker's life it snowed 3 times here! That is really, really crazy for how far south we are. It usually only snows here once a year, if at all. Luckily I had bought this JJ Cole Bundle Me car seat cover before he was born, since he would be a winter time baby. It keeps him really, really cozy and I never have to worry about him getting cold. I highly recommend one of these for any of you who will have a little baby in the winter.


And the zoo of course! The snow hadn't even all melted yet before we headed to the zoo yesterday. We had to soak in the sunshine, which we hadn't seen in weeks, but it was a chilly day.