one week

i cannot believe it's been over a week since daxon came into our lives.  looking at pictures, i already feel like he's changed so much.  we are getting to know each other, and i may not always be loving it, but i sure as heck can't stay mad at that sweet little face.

here are a few things we know so far:

-daxon hates being undressed.  whether it's for a clothing change, a diaper change, or a bath, he is not happy about it.  as soon as you get him all put together again, he's totally fine.

-daxon does not like the bath.  he screamed blood murder the entire time we bathed him.

  

-when he's awake, he's very alert.  not that he can see a great deal, but he looks around constantly, taking everything in.  a friend of mine once told me that alert newborns tend to grow up to be very smart.  

-he likes motion.  we discovered this the day we brought him home.  he was in a full scream fit until i sat down in the wheelchair with him on my lap in his car seat.  as soon as the wheelchair started to move...silence.  he likes the swing, and the car, too.

-he likes white noise.  at our first appointment with his pediatrician, we were very nervous, cuz we had no idea how he would do.  he was a champ, even though he had to be stripped down to his skivvies for the entire appointment.  well the office has loud white noise piping through its sound system, like muzak for babies.  we need to get him a white noise machine for his room.

-he has mixed feelings about pacifiers, which is fine, cuz so does mommy.  

-we seem to be very lucky in the sleep department (knock on wood).  he gets his last feeding at 8pm, which means he usually goes down for bed between 8:30-9, depending on how long he nurses.  i try to keep him up and eating as long as possible so he gets a really full belly.  the past 4 nights, he's then slept until 1or 2am, then gets up every 2-3 hours after that.  i'm hoping this continues, and that the additional feedings continue to stretch out.  our first few nights at home, we were up every 1.5-2 hours, so this is an enormous improvement.  

-he breastfeeds like an old pro.  his latch was perfect the very first time in the hospital, and continues to be spot on 95% of the time.  i have to readjust him a few times, but for the most part, he does awesome.  i am so grateful for this.

-i am a little worried that he may have reflux.  after he eats, he often gags, though he rarely burps or spits up.  he gets the hiccups a lot, and occasionally when he's really wailing, he arches his back and today it even seemed like he was kind of grabbing at his throat, but i may be imagining this.  i am going to keep an eye on it and possibly call the pediatrician.  

-i'm not going to lie and say i feel great.  i am still very sore, and am actually kind of concerned that one of my sutures has opened.  i think i am still bleeding more than i should be.  i am trying to take it easy, but that is really hard for me - i have never been good at relinquishing responsibility.  my mom was with me last week after matt went back to work, and even though she offered to clean and cook, i still ended up doing a lot of things myself, and i shouldn't have.  today, i have done much better and let matt do pretty much everything.  it is hard, and i feel like a lazy poop and keep apologizing and thanking matt, but i know i need to do it in order to be able to give daxon the care that he needs.  

-i have had a few total meltdowns and felt like i couldn't hack it as a mom, but for the most part, i feel like i'm doing pretty well.  being a mama is an amazing thing.  i am learning so much from daxon everyday.  already he is making me a better person.  he's a happy little boy (unless he's naked), and i could just sit and stare at him for hours.  i never knew my heart could be so full.