I'm just so in love with this baby!
As of Thursday, our baby Joel is one month old. He has been doing quite well. With rare exception, he is an angel baby. He sleeps well, getting up once or twice a night. When he's awake, he's generally content, unless dirty/hungry/etc. And he just love snuggles!
The biggest challenge so far has been breastfeeding. It's been an interesting adjustment, particularly because I haven't really had anyone in my immediate circle who has exclusively nursed. As I was adopted myself, my mother unfortunately doesn't have experience of her own. So it's definitely felt, at times, as though I'm floating along like jetsam.
We had some challenges right at first, figuring out how to
latch properly, and then overcoming the bruises Joel gave me during the
process. Fortunately that resolved quickly.
I guess the biggest adjustment has been figuring out how to nurse in varying degrees of public. I've never really paid a whole lot of mind to the issue, but now I'm neck-deep in it. To tell the truth, James has become my greatest champion, encouraging me when it's been difficult, cheering me when it's been awkward. I've discovered that our society is very strange with its views on breastfeeding. But I've slowly gotten more comfortable with it, both functionally and emotionally, and Joel is flourishing.
At his two-week appointment, Joel weighed in at a stout 9lbs, which actually made us and the doctor question his original birth weight (7lbs 12oz). It's pretty unlikely that he'd have grown that much so quickly. Regardless, it was nice to confirm that he is growing and healthy. We weighed him again this past week, and he was up to 10lbs!
Joel is a very expressive little boy. His most common facial expression is a furrowed brow. His smiles are coming more frequently as time passes, but they are still pretty rare, and therefore, rather precious.
I love watching James interact with the baby. It is very sweet to watch them snuggle. But James also enjoys dancing, jiggling, and--against my protestations--tossing baby J. It's clear that Joel knows who his daddy is, and their relationship is adorable.
Life with a baby is challenging at times, but incredibly rewarding. I love being a mother, and I just love this sweet little one. He is truly a blessing in our lives!
