Keeping Up WIth the Smiths: Henry Mills is One Month Old!

Henry Mills, you joined our family on Friday, July 22, 2016 at 8:14am. You weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces and were 21" long. It was such a surreal experience having a planned c-section. It was so strange waking up, getting ready, and driving to the hospital knowing you were about to be born in matter of a couple of hours! You had quite the crew awaiting your arrival at the hospital. That's a perk of a planned c-section. Everyone was able to plan ahead and be here for your birth--what a special treat! The moment we all laid eyes on you, you stole our hearts, and you haven't stopped since! Now, onto the important stuff...

I can hardly believe you're already ONE month old!

Weight: You're a big boy! According to our scale at home you weigh 11.2 pounds. That's 90th percentile on the growth chart!

Length: You've grown lengthwise too! You're now 22" long--that's 75th percentile according to the growth chart!

Clothes: You're out of newborn clothes for sure! You're in mainly 0-3 months and in some things that run a little small, you can wear 3-6 months. The best part about the clothing situation is that we don't have to buy you any clothes. Well, we've bought you some things of your own, of course, but I'm pretty sure you're set for life when it comes to clothes, thanks to Chapman!

Sleep: I'm thrilled to report that you are completely opposite of your brother when it comes to sleep! You go down easily for naps. You take lengthy naps {for the most part}. You allow us to rock you to sleep. All things Chapman never was good at. You sleep well at night for the most part. It took some time, but we finally figured out you don't like to be swaddled tight. At first you would keep Mommy awake all night grunting and sounding uncomfortable. I finally realized it was because you can't stand your arms being pinned down. We tried several different swaddles, but as of right now we just swaddle you with a muslin blanket and you're able to get your hands free, which you love! We "dream feed" you between 10:00-11:00pm, then you generally make it to around 1:30/2:00am before waking for your first feeding. The last two nights you made it until 3:30 though! After that you'll sleep until around 5:00/6:00am, and then until around 8:00am. You wake up to eat and go right back to sleep, which I'm so thankful for. Overall, I think you're a good little sleeper--now, let's keep it up, brother!

Eating: You LOVE to eat {hence how much you've grown}! I am so proud to be able to say that you have exclusively nursed the entire first month of your little life. This is an accomplishment that I don't take lightly, because with Chapman, I gave up so easily. You eat anywhere from every hour, to every three hours. Right now I think you're growing, because you're eating more frequently. We did introduce you to a bottle just so you will be ready/willing to take one if/when you need to.

What you like/dislike: You love being held, playing on your play mat, going on runs with Mommy, lying/sleeping on Daddy's chest, napping in your Mamaroo, being on your changing table, and your big brother! You like bath time alright, but you HATE getting out and getting your jammies on. I can't think of much you don't like. You have the sweetest little disposition and you're so easy-going for the most part. The good Lord knew what he was doing when he gave us you!

Accomplishments: You're beginning to smile a little bit, and I've heard a few little sounds that sound like coos. You are starting to notice the toys on your play mat and trying to hit at them. You can lift your head pretty well, too. Overall, you're very alert!

Firsts: Being the second child, we didn't miss a beat at this thing called life. You've had your first babysitters (Grandmommy one weekend and DeDe one weekend) so Mommy and Daddy could have a date night. You've been to Target more times than I can count, and you've been grocery shopping with us too. You had your first Cilantro's experience, but you slept through that! You've already been to 3 birthday parties in your short little life, too!

I'll close with your first month in pictures...bear with me...I take a lot of pictures!

I can't thank our nurse anesthetists enough for this photograph...she captured you entering the world perfectly.