From May 7th, 2013
Well it has been over 3 weeks, 23 days to be exact and there is a lot that we have learned about Mr. Hunter Ray.
Overall he is a really good and very happy baby. We learned early on that he cries when he gets cold and that remains true. He also, of course, cries when he is hungry and when his stomach hurts.
Physically, right now, we think he still looks like me, or my brother. He does remind me of Kevin everyday and I am looking forward to looking through some of Kevin’s baby pictures when I visit next week. He has Josh’s nose and his eyes are still gray. His hair is close to my natural color but it looks like it has a reddish tint. I am very curious to see how his hair and eyes turn out! He does not have a freckle on his body but maybe this is normal for newborns. The rest of the hair on his body is very light blonde. You can hardly see his little eyebrows and his eye lashes are long and light brown. He has adorable lips and smiles from time to time. We think he is just now developing a social smile and is just beginning to smile at us.
When Hunter is falling asleep or waking up, he blinks a bunch and jerks a little, almost like a twitch, between being asleep and awake. He will often smile as he is falling asleep- these are the biggest open mouth smiles we have seen on him so far. He has a bit of a giggle that we only hear when he is sleeping, so far anyway. Hearing it will make anyone smile- it’s adorable!
Hunter doesn’t mind taking a bath or a shower. He lost his umbilical cord on May 1st and it has been fun seeking him experience water. He really likes it, except when he gets a chill. I think it is soothing for him.
Hunter has his own schedule and right now eats about every 3 hours. He starts around 7 AM for his first feeding of the morning. I wake up at this time and will stay awake unless it was a long night. He eats again at 10AM, 1 PM, take a long deep nap in the afternoon and eats again around dinner time. Then again around 9 PM and finally wants about 2 bottles, or a long breast-feeding around midnight. He will wake up about once or twice in the middle of the night- typically around 3:30 AM and will want to eat then too. I provide all of his milk but do both bottle feeding (through pumping) and breastfeeding. He will take either and I am not sure if he has a preference. The bottle is definitely easier however pumping is time-consuming too. I pump about 4 times a day and it has been a challenge keeping up with his growing stomach! When I got discouraged or overwhelmed, Josh told me that God will provide and lo and behold, the next day I was able to make more than I needed and froze 2 bags! Breastfeeding is not easy, it takes up the largest majority of my day but it is worth every second. I am grateful that I can provide that for my son.
I know why there is such a thing as maternity leave- this is a full time job and I am dreading heading back to work full time in July. But I do count every second of maternity leave as precious and try to enjoy every second possible.
Hunter loves his swing and naps there during the day. I need to try having him nap more in his crib so he gets more used to it. Oftentimes when he wakes up in the middle of the night, I fall asleep with him in a recliner until he wakes at 7 AM. I love holding him and falling asleep but I also don’t want to encourage any bad habits.
Our son has soft skin, seemingly large feet, a lot of fine hair that is still growing long and getting down his neck. His ears a perfect and he has a strong tight grip. He has been trying to hold up his head since his first week. He roots while feeding and isn’t patient when you are burping him.
To me, he has lit up my entire world. I will never be the same and am proud to be called mom. I want to give him a wonderful life and couldn’t be happier that Josh and I are in this journey of parenthood together.
life, love & little boys 