I have to admit- I took the photos for this post at 8 weeks, and planned to write it for awhile… but I’m actually putting it together at 10 weeks, so a) I will be commenting here and there on whether the points are 8 or 10 weeks, and b) this shows what life is like with 3 kids!
How big is Dean?
We had a check up at 6 weeks and he was just shy of 10 lbs, and at 10 weeks he is just over 12 pounds, so I assume at 8 weeks he was about 11. This is a little bit bigger than Liam and MUCH bigger than Marina, and my arms can feel it! This guy has a good chance of being my biggest kid of all. I can tell is already a bit longer as well, and has grown out of all his newborn clothing, so we’re starting on 3-6 month clothing this week.
What is his eating and sleeping schedule like?
Up until 8 weeks, he really didn’t have much of a schedule, and we really weren’t tracking or trying to get him on one either. We were in Tahoe for 2 weeks and everything was loosey-goosey, so it wasn’t until we got home at 9 weeks that we started to get him on a schedule, and this is pretty much where it’s at now at 10 weeks. I found creating an “Eat, Play, Sleep” schedule with Liam was really helpful, and I referenced the one I wrote up in this post for Liam several times with Dean, and it helped me understand how to get Dean on a schedule as well. Dean has consolidated naps more already than Liam had, but I think that’s probably because with so much going on at home, if I am able to get him in the Snoo or a crib for a real nap, he’s happy to have it.
I should also note here that we again had to force a pacifier on Dean at around 7-8 weeks. We tried earlier with the MaM pacifiers that Marina liked, but he didn’t take to them, so we switched to the Tommee Tippee ones that Liam has (still). I think they are more similar to the nipple and our Como Tomo bottles, so it was easier for him, but I prefer the shape of the MaMs for orthodontic reasons, so I tried those first. Anyway, after lots of forcing, he takes it now which truly helps to get him on a more predictable schedule and give me a small feeding break.
What is his demeanor/personality like?
The first 2 weeks I thought he was difficult, but he has now morphed into the easiest baby. He does still like to be held, but now with the pacifier and set naps, we have reduced a lot of the fussiness that we had before. He eats slowly which allows him to fully digest, so we don’t have a lot of the gas and throw up issues that Liam had. He is not extremely smiley, but if you sing songs and give him soft touches, he puts on a huge smile that lights up his whole face. Plus, he loves his mom’s face ;)
How am I feeling physically?
This is the least activity I have done for a pregnancy, and I’m fine with it. Now that I know I will get back to a good, strong place eventually, I am stressing less about it. I am still up 10 lbs to my pre-pregnancy weight, and I plan on holding onto at least 5 of them for the next 6 months to breastfeed as much as I can. I also have barely done any cardio so far because I really need to work on my pelvic floor, so have been doing standing ab workouts, arms, and a bit of leg strength so as not to lose the strength I have, but still work toward a strong future body.
A note: The fact that Dean is sleeping 7 hours at night is AMAZING. For both my sanity and my health. However, Marina has definitely been affected by the new baby and all the changes in schedule with school, camp, dropping a nap etc., and has not been sleeping well at night at all. For 3 weeks straight she was waking up screaming in the middle of the night, and she lost confidence that she was able to go back to sleep. So we had to completely re-sleep train her with all sorts of rewards, and as I write this we have now reached 3 full nights’ sleep in a row. The irony is not lost on me that my newborn sleeps better than my 4 year old…
What products are our baby saviors right now?
I always have this question so I included it, but honestly it’s the same as the last two times. Pacifier, hat, sound machine, dockatot, stroller. I will say that Dean seems to like the Snoo more than Liam. Although we have it on weaning mode, whenever it gets to it’s highest setting, Dean quiets right down. But honestly all I can think about is purging items that I will soon no longer need. 4 years and 3 babies later, I can’t wait to free my house of a lot of baby things for good; like bathtubs, bassinets and stained newborn clothing. There are always too many things coming in, so it will be nice to finally feel good about things going out!
