Levi's first month has been all about learning who he is and what he likes. We quickly discovered that your second baby is not exactly like your first baby (which sounds like a big duh, but we fell into that way of thinking without realizing it).
I was blessed with a couple of weeks with the help of family who took care of Isaac inside and outside of our home, which really allowed me to spend time with Levi and figure out who he is. Figuring out what works best for his tummy, how he likes to sleep, what makes him happy when he's awake.
The second biggest part of the month was figuring out how to manage a toddler and a newborn. Isaac has been an excellent big brother so far. He is so proud of Levi and tells everyone he sees "I have a new baby brother!", even people who already know this fact.
We started out breastfeeding and although it was tough for the first 2 weeks, it seemed to be going well and getting easier. Then we went to his 2 week well check around 2.5 weeks and found out he still wasn't back to his birth weight. We determined Levi just wasn't very efficient at nursing so I started pumping and supplementing with formula when I wasn't producing enough. In the one week between that appointment and his next weight check he gained 15 ounces. Seeing the number on the scale (9 lb 3.2 oz at 24 days) was a welcome site to this mama's eyes. Even though I'm no stranger to pumping (I pumped exclusively for 2 months for Isaac), it was considerably more difficult this time with 2 kids. For that reason and other issues that we are working out, Levi is now totally on formula. I had quite a bit of mommy guilt about this, but as long as he is healthy, happy, and growing, that's all that matters to me. He is a little piggy and drinks 4 oz every 2.5-3 hours.
Levi is a sensitive little thing. For most of his first month he has been generally fussy and not content. Every now and then he seems super calm and happy and we enjoy the moment while we can, but most of the time we are trying to figure out how to keep him calm and content.
We are big fans of the swaddle. Levi has a strong startle reflex and wouldn't ever sleep if he wasn't swaddled. I ordered a Miracle Blanket after he would always fight to get his hands up by his face in the aden + anais swaddle blankets and we are now huge fans of the Miracle Blanket. Love it! We also use a SwaddleMe occasionally and have a Halo Sleepsack with swaddle that we used with Isaac and will use when Levi grows into it.
Levi can still wear a few newborn clothes and is also wearing Isaac's hand-me-down 3 month clothes that have been washed and shrunk over time, but our new 3 month clothes are still way too big. He wore newborn diapers for about 3 weeks and now fits well into size 1s.
We brought him home from the hospital and said we did not want to raise a baby who has to sleep in a perfectly dark, quiet room like Isaac did. That lasted about 2 weeks before we started putting him in a separate room to nap with a sound machine and walking around like stealth ninjas so the floors wouldn't creak under our feet. I'm still determined to not make it completely dark when he sleeps, but we'll see what happens when he starts taking short naps in a few months.
He likes to only be up for 40-60 minutes at a time then sleeps anywhere from 40 minutes to 2 hours, mostly shorter naps throughout the day and maybe one long nap per day. He goes 4-5 hours for his first stretch at night, then 3-4 for his second stretch. He sleeps very well once you get him to sleep, but he is a champion sleep fighter and often pops his eyes open right as you think he's fast asleep.
Levi is not a fan of the swing (yet, hopefully). He loves being outside.
Rodney has given Levi a nickname of Biscuit, which he also used to call Isaac as a baby. I call him Tater Tot a lot. We often call Isaac Tater, so it seemed natural for L to be Tater Tot. Other nicknames: The Levinator, and Vi.
Our favorite baby items this month:
new discoveries...Miracle Blanket, My Brest Friend pillow, gripe water
returning favorites...Rock n Play
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