Theo - One Month

 
Theo is now one month old! So far he has been such a joy. He has surprised us at almost every turn. By that, I mean he has been very different from Paul -- he was born a little early and fast, for one thing, and while I wouldn't consider newborn Paul a fussy baby, Theo has barely fussed at all. I think maybe he was used to all the noise and activity at birth from hearing all the goings on while still in the womb.

He is so unperturbed by loud noises, by little hands and faces checking him out, even mostly unbothered by hiccups or gas. He is a very gassy baby and spits up pretty often. We've had twice weekly projectile spit up, most likely due to some seriously overactive letdown on my part. I always feel so bad when he latches on and starts choking and gagging and pulling off. He looks at me like he just doesn't get why I'm doing this to him. It's gotten a little better and I hope it will only get better with time. He sleeps well at night, usually in 3 hour stretches, and goes back to sleep quickly without much (if any) noise. Some nights he doesn't poop at all, which is awesome because it is much easier to change wet diapers when you are only half awake!

Snoozing in the swing.

Go Gators!

Theo takes great naps in the day, usually in the swing. I need to transition him to his crib for naps, but I think he misses the noise when he's alone in his room because he doesn't like it in there much. He sweats a lot so we haven't swaddled him since the first week. Because he is always warm, he gets upset in his car seat or the stroller sometimes. Sometimes I think he's peed through his diaper but it's really just sweat! Poor guy! I hope it cools down soon. It's still hot here most days anyways!

A wonderful fruit basket we received from Michael's office!

Sweet brothers.

Such a sweet face!

First trip to the pediatrician!

Just look at how proud he is. Paul absolutely adores Theo and has really adjusted wonderfully to being a big brother. You can tell when people see Theo and talk about how cute he is, Paul shines with pride. He's very good with him at home and will bring him a blanket or lovey if he thinks it necessary. I am so grateful to my mother-in-law, who picks Paul up at 7 on mornings when he doesn't have school, and keeps him until 12:30 or so. This is really made a huge difference for all of us, I think. She also keeps my niece Lily, who is the same age as Paul. Paul calls her his best friend and they love to play together! It's win-win -- Paul gets out of the house, gets to play with Lily and spend time with Mimi, and I get to sleep in with Theo and spend some precious one on one time with this new little guy. I also use this time to do chores around the house! It really keeps me sane, has helped me heal quicker and kept everyone happier. I really am proud of how well Paul is doing! A big part of this too is how much extra time and attention Michael has been giving him. He has really taken over with Paul, getting him ready in the morning, taking him to school and taking over Paul's nightly routine, which really started earlier this year when I broke my ankle. Michael is an amazing dad! He really knows how to take care of Paul, which I honestly struggle with a lot. He's so full of energy, which is something I have been lacking for quite a while now!

Love these guys! We played a lot of games together in the first week or two.

First trip to the park. Paul was so excited to push Theo!

Found his thumb!

Paul wore this onesie when he was four months old. Theo is three weeks old here. He now weighs 11 lb 5 oz, so he has gained 3 lb from his birth weight in 4 weeks, although he lost some in the hospital so really he's gained even more. He's wearing size 1 diapers and 3 month clothes. I've already had to put away newborn clothes and a few 3 month clothes and as much as I love to see him grow, it made me a little sad.

I love that crazy hair!

Theo was born with some thick, light hair, but it has only continued to get thicker and lighter!

It's so soft!

I just love those little baby toes.

Such a sweet little face.

So I'd say we are adjusting pretty well to being a family of four. Some things are hard, for sure, and we still have a ways to go before life feels normal again. One thing I have struggled with is going stir crazy! I don't want to be stuck inside all the time! I have taken the boys to the park by our house a few times. This goes really well when we meet friends for a play date -- Paul gets to play and run like crazy and I get to have adult conversation for a little while. I've taken both boys to Target and this felt like a huge accomplishment!

Theo's first big outing was to a pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful day with actual fall weather so he was able to wear his cute pumpkin outfit. He did great.

I carried him around for most of the time we were there.

I just love that little nose!

First trip to McGuire's. Yum!

Go Gators!

Morning cuddles.

Seriously can't get enough of this face!

Theo is such a welcome addition to our family! I want to give a little background for his names -- we chose Theodore partly because we love "Theo" and partly because it means "God's gift". I won't say that we dealt with infertility, because we didn't, but we hoped for Theo for a long time. It took a lot longer because I nursed Paul for so long, and I think if I had weaned him earlier we would have had a baby a while ago. But, I had faith in the process and felt like I was doing the right thing for Paul, so we continued on, and I'm glad that we did. Theo came at the perfect time for us, and I can only see that clearly now that we are here. As for his middle name, Knox is a family name for me. My grandmother's maiden name was Knox and I hear about "the Knoxes" all the time when the family gets together and talks history. My grandmother gave my mom Knox as her middle name, and we were happy to pass it along to our own child. 

So that's it for the first month! I can't believe how fast time has gone, and how easily Theo has fit right into our family. We all love and cherish him and truly appreciate his easy-going nature. I can't wait to see what adventures we will have together as a family of four!