6 Weeks Old!

I actually started this as a "One Month Old" update, but never really got around to finishing it! That is the way my life seems to go lately...its been very hard to find time to write, and especially to finish writing! And it really doesn't help that I am so long-winded! So I just decided to add on to what I had.

I can't believe how fast these weeks have gone! Jacob is exactly 6 weeks old today! I know every mother says it constantly, but really, where does the time go? Before I know it, it will be Jacob's 1st birthday~ I'm already telling myself to grasp on to the days and weeks because I know they will disappear in a flash! I will be so sad when all Jacob's sweet little newborn mannerisms fade away...all the cute sounds he makes, the way he cries, I even think the "startle reflex" is cute! But, at least I can look forward to all the new milestones that are to come, like the cooing and babbling and smiling and laughing! (Though we do get some smiles out of Jacob every so often already...I have yet to really catch one on camera, but its soooooooo cute!)

I can really see how much Jacob is changing from week to week, and even day to day...usually parents have a harder time noticing the growth of their kids than other people because they're with their kids constantly, but I really can see how much bigger he is, all the time! He seems huge to me sometimes! For awhile now he's been grown out of all his sweet, tiny little newborn clothes and newborn-size diapers, and though it was very much expected, it makes me sad!

One thing that really impresses me about Jacob is how strong he is! Very early on we noticed he was very good at holding up and supporting his own head and looking around...of course his head is still a tiny bit wobbly and in need of support, but he amazes me with how strong his neck is and how good he can hold up his own noggin! And his legs are SO strong and getting stronger all the time...he works really hard to push off with his legs and when we hold him up so he's "standing," he can bear what seems like almost all of his weight on his legs...we can be barely holding on to him and he's practically supporting all his own weight! So we have ourselves a Little Mr. Strongman! Am I going to have an early crawler/walker? (I sure hope not! I vote for immobility for as long as possible, please!)

I am very pleased and extremely lucky to report that this little guy is still very much in the habit of sleeping longer stretches at night. It really is just complete luck as I haven't done much to put him on a regular schedule or anything yet, and I'm not really following any particular method. I'm pretty much just feeding him on demand for now. And though its not as pronounced as when he was brand new, he really is a little eating machine sometimes! I am usually too groggy to pay attention to the exact times he wakes up to nurse at night (or I don't even bother putting my glasses on and therefore can't read the alarm clock), but there's been a few times where he's slept around 6 hours straight. Woohoo! I really hope Jacob follows in his big brother's footsteps and continues to be a good sleeper!

I'm also so glad to say that Jacob's clogged tear duct in the one eye already cleared up, all on its own, 2 or 3 weeks ago. I felt so bad with how often his eye would just be gunky and nasty, which was pretty much all the time, even though I was constantly cleaning it! I never realized how much work the tear ducts really do to keep our eyes clean!

Though Jacob has a mellow temperament a lot like Tommy did as a baby, Jacob is different than Tommy was as a baby in a few ways. Thomas had a full head of hair at this age, and Jacob's is a little bit more like old man hair! Every time I bathe Jacob it seems more of this hair in the front falls out, making him look a little like he has a receding hairline. And then, he has this long fringe of hair in the back at the nape of his neck, kind of like a little mullet! I think he's so handsome though. =) Jacob isn't incredibly fond of his bouncy chair, whereas Thomas practically lived in his bouncy chair for several months. I also didn't think Jacob liked pacifiers at first, whereas Thomas was a binky baby from day one. Jacob didn't like the Soothies, which is what Thomas always used. So I tried a couple different kinds of binkies and found one kind that Jacob seems to like pretty well. One thing Jacob does seem to like, most of the time, is his swing! I didn't have a swing with Thomas, so I was really excited to get one for Jacob. Most of the time he likes it and will go to sleep in it easily. And he's started watching the little mobile above the swing...its so fun to watch him now that his vision is improving and he is able to see things better. Its especially fun when he watches our faces and studies them. I always wonder, what is he thinking?

Even though he likes his swing pretty well most of the time, I really think Jacob just loves to be held more than anything! He'll go to sleep in my arms easier than anywhere else, and if I keep holding him he'll stay asleep for what seems a loooooong time! In fact, at night when I wake up to nurse him, I often end up just sleeping for hours in the glider while holding him. Its not always on purpose, sometimes I just doze off. Yeah, I'm not exactly getting the most quality sleep these days, since I seriously am sleeping in the glider most of the time! But I think I'm often hesitant to get up and lay Jacob in his bassinet again because he often wakes up when I do. Plus, its just fun to hold and cuddle my sleeping, curled up, cozy little guy!

Jacob is also a great nurser. Nursing has been going well in general, for which I am sooooo grateful. With Thomas I was in serious pain for the first two months, and it was hard to cope with...I remember crying sometimes during those first weeks because it hurt so bad, and wondering if it would always be painful. With Jacob I've had very little discomfort at all! And he's a quick nurser...it seemed like Thomas took forever to nurse when he was a newborn, but Jacob has always seemed fast! But it could also have a lot to do with the fact that I'm experienced this time around. I'm so glad nursing is going well, because I knew that just because it went well with my first baby didn't mean it was going to be the same with my second. So I'm incredibly happy that its not only going just as well as the first time, but better!

One of the sweetest things to see is how affectionate Thomas is with Jacob. Tommy can't hardly pass by Jacob a single time without stopping to give him a kiss on the head! And Tommy loves giving Jacob his binky...of course, like all toddlers, Tommy can be a little over-helpful or over-enthusiastic sometimes! Jacob can be fast asleep and perfectly happy, and Thomas will find his binky and try to shove it in his face! Or Thomas will try to bounce him in his bouncy chair a little too hard, or push his swing too fast, or he goes to give Jacob a hug and kind of smothers him sometimes...but we know his intentions are good. He really does love his little brother! Sometimes I feel bad, because I don't want to discourage Tommy from being affectionate or attentive to Jacob, but we often find ourselves having to say (especially when Jacob is sleeping), "Tommy, just leave him alone!" But he's a great big brother. Thomas does seem to throw worse tantrums than I think he used to and some things are often "the end of the world" to him, as I always say, but he has never shown anything but love and affection toward Jacob. If there is any sibling envy behind his tantrums, I'm much happier that Thomas is taking it out on his parents rather than his little brother! Though I by no means want to wish away any part of Tommy & Jacob's youth, I'm so excited to watch them together as the months and years pass. It will be so fun when Jacob is a little older and I can see them playing and interacting together more, and hopefully becoming best friends!