I can’t believe that Ripley is over one month old! I’ve been in some kind of time warp since he was born – the days go ridiculously fast and he changes on a daily basis. He was born a big guy, but everyone tells me that it’s a good thing because he sleeps more. He is now sleeping between 2 and 4+ hours at a time. The trade off is that he may eat very frequently when he is awake, sometimes every hour. If he is having a growth spurt he will feed for a very long time and if he isn’t he might have shorter sessions.
In between all that he requires more than 10 diaper changes per day and sometimes clothing changes if he spits up. Heck, I need to change too sometimes. The bottom line is that if I ever want to get anything done I need to be very efficient and Speedy Gonzales fast. If it takes me a long time to respond to emails or accomplish anything now you know why!
Look at how much Ripley’s face has changed in one short month! He looks like a different baby. In the first couple of weeks his poor little face was swollen and puffy and he could barely open his eyes. His face is no longer swollen and he can now stare at your with his big beautiful eyes.
| One Day Old (March 4th) | One Month Old (April 3rd) |
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Here are some highlights of our first 4 weeks together:
WEEK ONE
The first week was surreal. Sean and I got to know Ripley and how to work as a team to take care of him. He slept a lot. We realized from our doula that he was sleeping a little too much and not eating enough because he was being kept too warm. You check your baby’s temperature by their neck, not by their feet or hands…those can be on the cold side. So after reminding and telling Gramas not to overheat him he started to eat a lot more. I regretted cooling him down at first because he was suddenly a voracious eater!
We started with Ripley sleeping in our bed with us but I could never sprawl out and get comfortable and it’s literally impossible to cover yourself with the blanket and make sure that the blanket isn’t covering the baby’s head. We now put him in the Arm’s Reach Mini Co-sleeper. It’s very easy for me to pick him up in the middle of the night, feed him and put him back to bed.
I still had energy for the first few days after giving birth, but once the adrenaline wore off I was exhausted. My Mum was a big help as she made me meals, brought me water (you need A LOT when breastfeeding) and kept our place tidy. It allowed me and Sean to just focus on bonding with Ripley.
We took Ripley out for walks which is important for everyone to get some sunshine. We are practicing attachment parenting and take him in a sling as often as possible. I really really like the Moby Wrap because there is equal weight on both my shoulders. Sean likes the Native sling. We do take Ripley in the stroller but when he is in a sling he can see our faces better, interact, and has a better view of his surroundings.
It was during the first week that Ripley started to smile. I understand that this is something that all babies do even though it’s not yet expressing a happy emotion, it’s to allow them to communicate.
WEEK TWO
I really needed to get out of the house so we decided to start making brunch plans with friends. I was nervous to take him in the car at first but got over it because I liked getting out to socialize with the world again. Ripley was very good and I quickly figured out how to change him in the public restrooms, in fact we have now changed him on our laps in our Mini Cooper – you need to be flexible (literally!).
I fed him in public for the first time at a mall, in the FOOD COURT! and it was a bit overwhelming but you gotta feed the baby and need to get over any modesty. Thank goodness Sean was there to help me out. 
In order to help keep my bewbs under wraps, I bought a nursing cover and some nursing tanktops that allows me to whip em out quickly.
WEEK THREE
We made a video of Ripley just hanging out. He is starting to talk to us more and OMG the SMILES! It just melts your heart! Almost as much as his farts make your eyes water.
WEEK FOUR
We started Elimination Communication and he potties in his Baby Bjorn toilet. We put him on the wee toilet after he wakes up and after he finishes eating. It cuts down on diapers and is supposed to help with potty training. It isn’t any extra work because he hates sitting in a wet diaper so we are constantly changing him anyway.
I think I am enjoying Ripley that much more now that he is alert and I can play with him. He seems to love things with stripes the most. He is just now noticing Lucky Cat and Funston. He loves music and I’ll dance with him which he seems to love. I am getting ideas on how to interact with him and track his progress with the book “Your Baby’s First Year week by week.” So far he seems pretty normal although his neck strength seems to be more advanced than others his age. We actually took him to a child psychologist because I wanted to ensure I was doing all the right things for his brain development. It turned out to be a waste of money because she just wanted to talk about issues that Sean and I might have that we would project on Ripley. She did say two things which have stuck with me: 1) When your baby is looking at you, don’t watch TV or text or be on your computer because it confuses them. Be in the NOW and interact with them. They will be tired of the stimulation soon enough. 2) Don’t chase your baby. They get bored or over stimulated pretty easily and if they look away to watch something else, let them, don’t keep calling their name to look at you.
In conclusion, I think that Ripley is the best thing that ever happened to me. I adore him more than any cute puppy or kitten pic and despite all the puke on my clothes, dry hands from all the diaper changes, sore nipples, and lack of sleep, he is my favorite.
Here are a few more things that I could not have lived without the first month:
Electric Nail Filer – we were too timid to use scissors or clippers. This works amazing!
Fisher Price Papasan Cradle Swing – we borrowed this from Souris and it allows you to get things done. It’s a real life saver.
Cloth Diapers – we use these as burp cloths. They are all over the house and trust me, you need them all over the house
Onto Month Two!
