Three Weeks into Motherhood

Here I am....three weeks into motherhood. And may I just say that MY KID IS THE CUTEST EVER! I know you parents reading will say, "Now, Kristen, he IS cute, but my children are the most adorable." You have that prerogative as their parent, but I have to stick to my belief that my little boy takes first place....at least he is #1 in my mind....and that's all that matters, right? *smile*

So....some updates!

• Nathan weighs, as of Friday, 7 lbs, 3 ounces. For those of you scratching their heads, I will clear the air and say, "YES, he weighed 7 lbs when he was born." The problem is that he lost a lot of weight the first four days of his life. Too much, to be honest. But now, he is perfect, healthy, surpassing his birth weight, growing like crazy, and eating like a little pig.
• I am visiting sleep more often now. Nathan usually sleeps 2 1/2 to 3 hours at a time each night, which is far better than the 1 1/2 to 2 hours he started with. Sometimes, he surprises me and sleeps 3 1/2 hours before waking to eat. Regardless, his sleeping hours are getting better, including his nap times, which is what we are currently working on.
• We have established a bedtime routine, which I am pleased with. Playtime. Bath time. Feeding. Then bed. Bathtime is interesting. His screaming is declining, which is great! But he still doesn't like being unclothed. I'm taking that as a very good thing!
• He is three weeks old and has been smiling for a week! Imagine that. I would have argued that newborns didn't smile until at least a month old before I caught a cute little grin from my two week old last week. And for the record, his smiles are THE cutest thing ever.
• Nathan loves to cuddle. He takes after his momma.
• It must be some sort of security blanket, but he MUST have his hands at his face. Even in his 4D ultrasound pictures, we had a rough time actually seeing his face because of his hands in the way. He hates being swaddled because he wants access to his hands and fingers. Cute.

I can't believe next week, he will be a month old. People always comment on how time flies and how quickly their children grow. Though I have never doubted that was true, I have been amazed at just HOW true that is. Best to take advantage of and cherish each and every moment. :)