3 Weeks Old

It is hard to believe that Dallas is three weeks old today. Time is really going by fast and he is changing every day. He is already in a size 1 diaper and has pretty much outgrown all but a few newborn outfits. He eats very good and spits up very little. He can down a 4 ounce bottle in a matter of minutes. I am happy to not have the cloud of doom in the world of weight gaining over my head. No need to calorie count for my little man. He gained 1 pound in a week! Now that, my friends, is an eating CHAMP!!

While his eating is very good but inconsistent, every 2-4 hours, his sleeping at night is not so good. I have come to the conclusion that he either does not like his bed, does not like the quiet or does not like laying flat on his back. Maybe it's one of these things or a combination of all three. I am not sure, but I am trying to figure it out. He falls asleep great after eating while I am holding him in an elevated position. However, as soon as I lay him down in the crib, rinse out the bottle and make it back to lay down in bed, he is awake. WIDE awake. During the day when I put him in the boppy or the bouncy chair he usually stays asleep, just not when I lay him down. (Maybe he just has me wrapped around his little finger). So, I ordered a crib wedge that should be in by Tuesday. I am praying it comes in sooner. Last night I buckled him into his bouncy seat and sat his chair in his crib. He slept a little better. I also played some soft music, so hopefully all of these changes will make a difference. I do have to say that sleep deprivation the third time around is not as bad as the first. I guess I have God to thank because in the last 3 months of my pregnancy I wasn't sleeping good and have gotten used to functioning off of about 3 hours sleep. Sleep is so overrated!

I, on the other hand, have seemed to calm down a little. You would think after having 3 children, one a micro preemie, bringing home Dallas would be a piece of cake. I felt VERY overwhelmed at the beginning. More than I ever felt with Lauren. In fact, with Lauren, the doctors had told me that I was the calmest preemie parent they had seen. I can only say it was because God did amazing things during that time. I felt like with Lauren she pretty much did come with a manual. The NICU doctors and nurses did an amazing job preparing us for bringing her home, plus I had the luxury of calling the NICU if I had a question and my pediatrician was GREAT about getting back to me very quickly! Since Lauren had about 3 appointments per week, plus was getting early intervention in our home 3 times a week, I felt that if something major developed someone would catch it. With Dallas I am the one responsible if something goes unnoticed. So, I have come to the conclusion that I just need to enjoy my healthy baby boy and not worry so much about the things that could go wrong. God is in control not me (and that's a good thing)!