Reed is 1 month!

Stats: At Reed's 2 week appointment, he weighed 6 lb., 11 oz. and was 21 inches long. By one month, he is up to 8 lb., 4 oz. We're working on adding meat to those bones!

Milestones: This month, we've just been getting used to life as a family of three (plus Tex). His first outings were to Target and HEB while Grandma was here. Momma and Daddy also got their first night out to a charity event in Dallas with Grandpa while Grandmama and GrandMike kept Reed. It was nice to get dressed up and have a date night again!

Behavior: Reed is such a good baby! He is so easy-going and only cries when he needs something. He definitely got his Daddy's personality. Hopefully that means he'll continue to be laid-back and chill. :)

Sleep: His first night home was a little rough, as he tried to figure out night vs. day. Fortunately, though, that was the last we really fought bedtime. He is such a great sleeper! We will put him down after his 8 p.m. feeding and have to wake him up to eat in the middle of the night to eat. Keep it up, bud!

Clothes: This little guy is in newborn clothes and diapers, and it looks like he'll be in them for a few more weeks. My favorite outfit is his camo overalls and blaze orange onesie. It's a little big (so he can wear it longer!) but it just makes him look like such a little man. We also love his elephant jammies and star sleep sack. They're just so cozy.

Food: Feeding has been the biggest struggle for us. I started nursing him exclusively for about the first three weeks, but we had a hard time getting his weight up. At his first doctor's appointment at three days old, he weighed 6 lb., 9 oz. Dr. Myers told us we needed to get his weight up, but at that point, we were ok to stick with nursing. At his two week appointment, he was only up two more ounces and still hadn't reached his birth weight. The next day, Reed and I met with the lactation consultant at the hospital to see if we could get his weight up on breast milk alone. His weight still hadn't budged, so she recommended introducing formula. 

I had a really hard time giving him formula, thinking that I had failed by not being able to provide enough for him. But in the end, I wanted our little guy to be healthy, so we started supplementing with a little less than half formula and the rest pumped milk. In just three days, his weight shot up to 7 lb., 6 oz. - more than half a pound! He is getting 8 feedings a day, at 2-3 oz. each.

Likes: Reed loves his puppy brother and daddy, especially. Tex will sneak a slobbery kiss of Reed's hair as he sits in his swing. Reed doesn't really react, but we like to think he likes it. :) Daddy is sometimes the only person who can make Reed happy, usually by humming and giving him back pats. They really are two peas in a pod!

Reed also loves his monkey pacifier, swing and sleep sheep. All of these put him right to sleep.

Dislikes: His biggest complaints are during bath time and when he gets cold. I'm pretty sure his disdain for baths comes from being cold. Maybe warmer water will help?

Here he is at his first bath. Not happy until he got his jammies on!

 

Favorite Moments: Some of my favorite moments this month were his first walk to the park (the day you came home from the hospital), time with Grandma and meeting his new friends and family.

Meeting Aunt Erin and Cousin Katelyn a few days after he was born. They were on an awesome Disney Cruise (planned before we knew about him) when Reed was born. Reed can't wait to meet his other cousins, Kyle and Alek!

The Hill kids with their kids...

Meeting Cara Beth Connell. Their daddies pledged KOT together, their mommas worked and played together in college and their parents have been dear, dear friends for years. We are excited for them to be second-generation buds!

Reed's bestie, Everett James Wardlaw. Everett was born just six days after Reed. Their daddies were in KOT together, and their mommas had so much fun walking through pregnancy together. What a blessing it is to see these two boys finally with us. We've been waiting for them for what seems like forever!

Most Challenging: Feeding has probably been our biggest challenge. Next to that, we're trying to adjust to little sleep. It seems like everything is more emotional and stressful when you're only getting sleep in 2-hour spurts... This time will pass all too quickly, though, so we're trying not to wish it away. More and more, I believe the Lord is using this time to teach Erik and me to be selfless and work together as a team more than we ever have before. It is a refining time that will pay dividends later.

Looking Forward To: Smiles! It will be fun to watch Reed start to discover his surroundings and respond to us. We're excited for all of the fun developments as he grows!

Here are some more of my favorite photos from this month.