It really has been a month since I birthed this baby! Since our family became that of four people. Since our simple lives (ha! riiiiight...with a two-year old?!) were turned upside down yet again by a baby.
Finley has already started to develop quite the personality.
- He is very demanding; when he decides he wants to nurse he wants it now, when he decides he wants to be held he wants it now, when he dirties his diaper he wants it changed now. Not in three seconds, NOW. And he screams to let us know.
- His screams are loud, and very dramatic. And they escalate rapidly to where he will lose his breath if not accommodated in time. As you can imagine, this is frustrating. Especially with a two-year old who is equally as demanding!
- He has a pretty serious case of infant acne, and I feel bad for him!
- He is a bright-eyed and very alert boy...doesn't really like to nap (oh me!) and loves to be held...constantly. And because of the screams, I oblige. You can't spoil a baby, right? RIGHT?!
- He loooooves his momma already. He can already tell us who he wants holding him. And it is usually me. I do have the goods, though.
- He still has beautiful blonde hair, and I love to rub his head...it is so velvety soft!
- He is solid, stout, and big. I look at him and feel like he is the size Keagan was at 3-4 months. It is quite amazing the difference between a preemie and a full-term baby. And these differences go well beyond size.
- He is starting to coo at me just a little. He loves to look at me and he will turn his head towards the sound of my voice to look at me.
- He is improving with being in the carseat, is beginning to enjoy walks, and is tolerating tummy-time.
- He wakes up every 3-4 hours at night to nurse. He used to be very difficult to put back down, but he is improving and crying less (we started him on Zantac due to reflux and obvious discomfort after eating...the night-time difficulty ceased immediately with the first dose.)
- He cluster feeds every 1-2 hours in the evenings...whew, it wears me out!
- He seems to enjoy the sound of his brother's voice, he generally will follow Keagan with his gaze and will quiet down if Keagan sings/talks to him. Keagan is really smitten with his Baby. He calls him both "baby" and "Fineeeee" and sometimes "Finn." He wants to kiss his Baby on the head, pat-pat him, and hold him. At bedtime, Keagan asks for his baby so we will lay him next to Keagan in his bed, and Keagan gently kisses and hugs Finn. The first night this happened, I cried. It was beautiful. I pray that these boys will love each other and be friends forever.
- Keagan does occasionally repeat what we say: "Hush Fineee." "It's OK, baby." And he will tell me that the baby is crying (in case I couldn't hear).
Even though having a newborn again has been difficult, I already cannot imagine life without Finn. We are starting to get the hang of this, even if somedays go by without a shower, or I feed my big boy whatever he wants (vs. healthy options) occasionally just to keep some peace. We are definitely still learning, but we will always be learning as kids change so rapidly!
Some random shots of our boy over the past month...
First "big-boy" bath...he really enjoys it until you get him out. Then he gets upset because he is cold. He typically pees in the tub, so two rounds of bathing occur.
A couple of days ago we went to visit Bama in the nursing home. I was apprehensive about going, nervous about how she would react to our visit. Poor Bama, she had no clue who we were but was pleasantly confused. She truly enjoyed seeing our boys and having someone visit with her. She loved to hold Finley and got a kick out of Keagan and all his energy. It was very difficult on Josh to see his grandmother this way, but I am thankful that we were able to go and bring her some happiness on that day even if she won't remember it. I got a bunch of pictures of her with her grandson and great-grandsons. I think they turned out really well. It makes me cry to think that she has no clue who these people are, I can only imagine how it affects Josh. I look forward to taking the boys back, though, and watching her face light up with having visitors and little people around.
