One Month

What a month it has been! Here is a very late introduction:

Aaron Martin

born November 23rd at 5:27 am

7 lb. 11 oz.
21 inches

Labor was fast -- 5 hours and only 1 1/2 hours were in the hospital! Recovery went well. I left the hospital as soon as I could the next day so I could enjoy Thanksgiving at home.

I was spoiled for a few days because he was so laid back (not at all like his sisters). I thought he was a champion at breastfeeding while we were still in the hospital, but his weigh proved otherwise. He was a very slow gainer. We did some weight checks at the doctor's office to monitor him. There were tears shed on my part as he very slowly gained weight. I tried and tried to get him to nurse more often but ultimately couldn't make him eat. Then we turned a corner. The past two weeks he has gained a pound and a half; he's gaining ground quite quickly! Despite his fast gaining, he's only in the 25th for weight compared to other babies his age. However, you can place your bet now to see where he falls next month...

We are blessed to have such a happy baby. Yes, we would be blessed regardless of his temperament, bit I am truly grateful to have a bit of an easier baby this time. He's generally not much of a crier unless there is something wrong. He likes to be held but doesn't demand it 24 hours a day. Naps don't happen much during the day without him being held yet. We're working on that -- he gave me a three hour break today while he napped! Now that he's gaining weight, I can't complain about his eating habits. He currently nurses every 4 hours or so -- sometimes more frequently during the day and often one stretch even longer at night. That doesn't mean I'm getting a lot of sleep though.

His major quirk is this: After getting u once around 2 or 3 am to eat, he wakes again around 6 to be held. He doesn't want to eat at that point. He's not ready to start his day yet either. He's just done sleeping in his bassinet and wants somebody to hold him while he sleeps. Go figure.

Chloe and Julia love having a little brother and seem to be adjusting well. There hasn't been many jealousy issues yet, but we've had a lot of company to entertain the girls. They rarely call him by his name; it's always "Baby Brother". Their favorite thing to do is read books to Baby Brother.

He was baptized December 5th in a very special gown. Kevin's great-grandparents made it for Kevin's dad's baptism. Kevin and his brothers were also baptized in it. Now Aaron has started the third generation.

It has been a long, crazy month with many adjustments (and many, many more to make). Look how grown up he looks today already:

To see his hospital pictures, click on: http://www.stjohnsmercyhospital.org/webnursery/sjmhc.asp

Choose November 23 and click on my name. From there you can click on "full details".

I'm sure there's more that could be shared, but that's all my sleep-deprived mind is thinking of right now. If anybody can figure out how to box up this present, I have a perfect last-minute present you can send my way -- a really good night's sleep!