You turned 1 month old on Friday, Finn! Parabéns!

Finn Developments: Sweet Finn, you have grown so much and so beautifully in this first month. Here are some of your stats.

Weight: 9lbs 11oz (up 2lbs)
Height: 55cm (up 4cm)
Clothes: Basically out of Newborn and into 0-3 months.
Diapers: This week we moved you from Newborn to Size 1.

This month we have really gotten to watch you start to “wake-up.” 

You are having more awake time and I am just in love with your beautiful blue eyes. They are so bright and clear. Stop-you-in-your-tracks.

The baby acne on your face came and went pretty quickly, although it seems to be coming back again. Your skin went through a bit of a flakey stage but that has passed with the exception of your forehead still being a little dry. Your complexion seems so light and fair – your eyelashes are almost impossible to see they are so blonde. And although your baby hair is pretty light already, I have a feeling that when it falls out and grows back in your hair will be super blonde as well. One funny development is that the little “nibble” spot on your ear has evened out a ton and it’s hardly even noticeable now! Your dad and I are not thrilled about this — we totally adored it!

You are tracking objects and people and turning to sounds. Your neck is also getting a lot stronger and you love to practice holding it up and moving it around during tummy time. You’re feeling much sturdier, stronger and chunkier! 

I am thankful that you are a pretty calm, easy baby, but I have to say, you’re not quite as easy as your brother was. You generally cry only when you’re hungry, tired or are struggling to go to the bathroom but every few days you’re a little tougher and it seems like you struggle a bit with digestion. Thankfully you love the paci and between that and a good swaddle, you are normally pretty easy to soothe. I wouldn’t say that you love bath-time or diaper changes just yet but after a couple weeks you stopped crying through it which is an improvement.

Otherwise, you enjoy being snuggled, strolling and riding in the car. You still have the amazing new-baby smell and I am praying it stays with you for a long while.

Schedule: We have gotten on a pretty consistent feeding schedule with you. I haven’t tracked naps yet but after each feed we play with you and then put you down for a nap whenever you seem sleepy (sticking to feed, wake, sleep cycles). We have you eating every 3.5 hrs during the day then feed once at night on-demand.

8:00 am First morning feed.
11:30 am Lunch feed.
3:00 pm Snack feed.
6:30 pm Dinner feed.
9:30 pm Last feed of the night.
10:30 pm Bedtime for all!
4:00 am Night-time feed (although lately more like 4:30 or 5:00 am!).

The hardest part about being on a “schedule” vs. a routine are the mornings. As you push your night feed out later you naturally want to sleep later as well but I try to at least get us up before 9am so that we can stay on/around schedule each day.

Eating: As seen above, you are feeding 6 times each day and are pretty good about it. My body has regulated my milk supply more so it’s less messy than it was at the start, but if the let-down is really strong then you will struggle to latch at first and we’ll both get all wet. This is usually just once or twice a day though so we’re improving! You spit up after almost every feed but somehow you’re not quite as messy as Colt was so I’ll take it!

We have given you a bottle a couple of times with no problem. Personally I don’t love the bottle but we are trying to keep it in the rotation so that we don’t have to struggle with it later. I have only pumped once and it was to dump (after a big, fun night out with friends…!) but we still have over 40oz frozen and some in the fridge because I use these guys on the opposite side during the night and morning feeds. Although I realize that the milk is not balanced (probably all foremilk?), for the number of times that you take milk from a bottle I think it’s fine. Plus it gives us a little back-up emergency supply without me having to pump!

Nursing hasn’t been too hard this time around and at this point most of the discomfort has passed so I am able to enjoy it more and more quickly than I did with your big brother. I also enjoy it because it is our designated time together. With Colt, I was totally focused on him all the time but now, with my attention divided, I appreciate having set time that is just for you. That being said, I do sometimes have to nurse you while playing with or feeding your brother but we do what we can!

Sleep: I am very grateful to have a good sleeper on my hands – I can’t believe we have been blessed in this way twice in a row!

You nap in between each feed for some varied amount of time but are more consistent with your sleep at night. After my parents left we decided to kick your dad out to the guest room (only for week nights – so that he can get some uninterrupted sleep!) and you have been upgraded into bed with me! You are well barricaded from me and the edge but it makes it so much easier for me to get you for the night-feed and help you get back to sleep afterwards. But don’t get too used to it! This is VERY temporary!!

Mom: Sweet Finn, I am absolutely loving being your mom. The reality of being a mom to 2 is certainly a new challenge, but man, what a blessing. You bring so much joy into our lives and I fall more in love with you every day. 

Physically I am feeling basically fully recovered, although I still have a little sensitivity involved with recovering from the delivery. I feel like my body took a couple of weeks to get back to normal and while it’s definitely not exactly how it was before, I am totally comfortable with where I am.

Family Life: In the past couple weeks (since the last post) we have enjoyed so much special family time. My dad joined my mom for the final few days of her visit and they absolutely loved getting to spend time with you and your brother.  

Fun and chaos at home!

Outing to Shopping Cidade Jardim.

 Colt talked Dad into taking him for a ride on the pink pig.

Strolling to the park before dinner out!

Lunch with friends & family at Praça São Lorenço.

A full-family affair, getting Colt his second haircut. 

We were also excited to celebrate your dad’s 33rd birthday! His birthday was the day AFTER my parents left so it was our first day as a family of 4 and per our tradition, we started the morning with special birthday breakfast. 

Then you and I met up with him for a wonderful birthday lunch at Manioca.

That afternoon I started baking your dad a birthday cake. Half-way through I realized that I needed eggs so I took you and your brother out for our first solo-mission grocery run. It’s much easier to walk to the grocery store (less than a block away) but we don’t have a double stroller so I strapped you on and put Colt in the stroller and, success!

That night we stayed in and ordered sushi and savored being a family of 4!! (And we celebrated your dad big that Saturday with a night out with friends!)

The rest of the month was just full of the everyday highlights – not the least of which is watching you and your brother interact. Colt has been so INCREDIBLE with you we can hardly believe it. He is so sweet and so very gentle with you. He loves to hold you, look at you (“See Finn! See Finn!”) and help comfort you with a paci when you’re crying. He gives you sweet pats on the head or back, plays with your feet, points to your eyes and nose and always gives you kisses. He helps with your diaper changes and your bath and is always quick to bring you his favorite toys! 

I was worried that your brother might get jealous of our time and attention being split, and he was a little tough on us the first couple weeks but I think that was due more to all of the changes in his world and less about you. But, your dad and I do still try to get some time with each of you alone. While my parents were here I tried to go downstairs and play with Colt just like I used to and the first time we did it felt really special. We rode the scooter all over the complex, picked flowers and had a great time.

Sweet Fincher. You are a light and a joy in our lives. You are a blessing from our God in heaven. I thank God for you every day and am praying that He will draw you to Himself, that you may have true, full life in Him. What fun this first month has been. I love you!