10 Weeks Old!

He's pretty insistent on bringing back the overall trend. I think he could do it.

How old

10 weeks

Sleep

Hart is doing AWESOME with sleep! This momma is so happy! He goes down around 8:00, and sleeps until 6:00-7:00. He does wake up about twice a night to politely request a pacifier adjustment, but has completely self-eliminated any night feedings. YAY! His naps have fallen by the wayside, but that's something we're working on. He takes his morning nap like clockwork, but he's really fighting that afternoon nap. I wouldn't mind, but instead of napping, he's really into screaming. If he wants to stay up and hang, I'd be cool with that. Stay up and scream? No thank you. We're working on it. He usually is only asleep for 1 hour in the afternoon (when he had been doing 2), but maybe that's contributing to his stellar night sleep. Either way, I won't complain. 

Did I buy the next size of this bear sweater because I love it so much? And do I fully intend on buying subsequent sizes up until 24 month because animal ears on babies are way too cute? No comment.

Highs

Celebrating Mother's Day! We celebrated the Saturday before and I am SO glad we did (see 'Lows' for explanation). We stopped by Snooze, as per usual, and were upset by the wait time, as per usual. Luckily, I'm all about the stroller walks, so we walked around the mall and Whole Foods, and our table was ready quicker than we thought! Jon and Hart sat together and made faces at each other all breakfast, which was adorable. Then, we headed to Boulder! Hart ate when we got there, and after we walked around the Farmers' Market. It was so nice, and big! It spanned a whole block, and had tons of produce, local art/jewelry, and food! We decided on gelato for lunch (sweet cream with dark chocolate bits), local lavender honey as a souvenir, and a walk by Boulder Creek to eat our gelato. Jon took pictures of Hart and me on this really cool wall, so we decided this will be our Mother's/Father's Day traditions (until he's old enough to say no)! It was a great day, and so fun walking around Boulder with Hart.

Do you think he'll let me hold him like this when we take our 18th Mother's Day photo together?

Lows

I started to come down with the symptoms of mastitis on Mother's Day. I just felt awful all day, had a mild fever, was exceptionally weepy, and felt drained. We had planned to walk around IKEA (the Mother's Day dreams I have...), but I just couldn't. Jon had to stay home the following day because I was having such a tough time. My body hurt, my fever was high, and I really couldn't care for Hart the way I normally would. I also noticed a red, hot, sensitive patch on one of my breasts, and, thanks to the guidance of Lauren, finally admitted it was more than just a cold. I called my doctor on Tuesday morning, and the minute they heard my symptoms, they called in a prescription. After taking just one dose of antibiotic, I felt world's better and like I could climb a mountain! It's amazing how quickly that infection can affect you, and how quickly it can turn into an abscess that needs surgery to remove. I'm glad I was able to get on antibiotics quickly enough. I'm still dealing with moderate pain, but it's less painful than the early breastfeeding days so it's hard to care too much.

Eating

Going great! After a lot of consideration and discussion with Jon, I decided a week or so ago that I want to exclusively breastfeed - meaning no pumping/bottles. It was stressful for me to pump because I never knew how much he should eat, and he always ended up with an upset stomach from sucking in air or spitting up a ton. Plus, I've committed to stay home with him, so why not? This is my job, and I'm totally loving it! I got a really great nursing cover that makes me feel a ton more comfortable to nurse in public, so that helps. Another thing is that he only eats 4-5 times a day, so I might as well savor it while I can. This way I'm confident he's getting as much as he needs because he is able to eat until he's full. His growth is right on point, and he's chunking up quite well, so I'm happy with the way things are going.

He has very strict feeding times that he does NOT like wavering from. Some of his fussiest days have been when we eat an hour earlier or even eat too close together. He eats at 7:30, 11:00, 2:30, 6:00 and a snack before bed at 7:30. We're gradually moving to four feedings at 7:30, 11:30, 3:30, and 7:30, but we're letting him dictate that as he's able to go longer between feedings. A good feeding schedule is very vital to good sleep, so I'd say we're doing good on that front. I'm super lucky that he just fell into a schedule all on his own, without any guidance from me, at 10 days old. It's been smooth sailing since. (Knock on wood!)

Milestones

Definitely some stronger "holding up the head" abilities happening over here. I was getting concerned because everything I was reading was saying he should hold his head up for brief periods of time during tummy time, and even attempt to hold up his upper half. Well, this guy thought tummy time was a great excuse for a snooze! He rarely even tried, so I thought his muscles probably weren't developing at the rate they should. Well, on Monday, I plopped him on the floor for tummy time and he picked his head and shoulders right up off the ground!!

The actual moment! He didn't even face-plant!

Jon was home, so it was really special that he got to experience one of these "firsts." Now, Hart's super into holding his head up. It's kind of devastating because now when I hold him on my chest, he wants to look around and he won't snuggle under my chin. I'm already missing that limp newborn neck that couldn't squirm away from me!

He's also turning into quite the chatterbox, but only if you chat back. Jon and Hart spend a lot of time "ooh"-ing and "ahh"-ing at one another. Hart is really trying to replicate/impersonate those noises, which is adorable. I'm pretty sure he said "hi" to me the other day, but I could be wrong.

Looking forward to

I always look forward to the weekends because Jon gets more time with Hart (and me of course). We had Jon's cousin, Jordan, over Thursday and I entertained a fussy Hart while Jon cooked, and then I put Hart to bed while Jon hung out with Jordan. Going to bed, we realized Jon barely even saw Hart that day. Needless to say, we take advantage of family time on the weekends. It snowed here yesterday and will gradually warm up until it's around 70 on Sunday. Hopefully we can squeeze in a park date with Happy.

Oh! I'm going to make Hart a mobile! I've read that mobiles can be bad in the crib because it stimulates the baby instead of lulling them to bed. However, we have these little stuffed animals lined up on the ledge of Hart's crib, and he stares and chats with them until he falls asleep on his own. We think a mobile might give him something to do while he's falling asleep. It also might keep him entertained when he wakes early in the morning! There are tons I'd love to buy, but they look super easy to make.I also found a super cute knitted bonnet pattern that I want to try out for Hart. I figure if this turns out, maybe I'll start selling them! Etsy, here I come!

This week's Tessie-ism

So, if you know me well, you know I slept with a stuffed husky, Dakota, until I was 20 - at which point I switched to a teddy bear. It's less weird than you think. I use it as a pillow. Stop judging. Dakota now is one of the animals that entertains Hart on his crib ledge. Needless to say, I take "comfort objects" incredibly seriously. Not that I will push it on him, but I want to give Hart lots of options. This sweet little pupper is from my Aunt Suzanne, and is the most adorable because he's just the right size for Hart right now! He comes with us on walks and adventures to get dad from work. I usually rest him on Hart's legs in the car, and he is AMAZED when the puppy MOVES (his legs are kicking), keeping him entertained. Plus, sometimes his arm snakes around the puppy and I find him holding the little guy totally unprompted. 

Seriously not posed. HE DOES THESE CUTE THINGS ALL ON HIS OWN!

I'm also really into this "traffic jam" quilt from the Little Unicorn. It's incredibly soft, and gets softer with each wash. Something that I actually look forward to washing?! Okay! It currently is over Hart's dock-a-tot for easy washing (that dock-a-tot cover is a beast to put back on), so he sleeps on it every night. It also accompanies us on nightly walks because it's 4 layers of muslin so it really cushions his straps, and we can easily cover him if it's chilly. I plan to use this for adventures outside when it warms up and we find a good patch of grass and shade to hang out in. Notice our puppy friend came, too?