Scarlett Pannebaker

Five Weeks

I almost didn't write this post because I felt like I didn't have much new to say but you know me--I can always ramble about something! :)

Truman is five weeks old today and like I say every single week, he's growing like a crazy man. His newborn clothes are officially too tight, but I'm not quite ready to pack them away. Therefore, poor little guy has to wear clothes that are literally bulging at the snaps but he really doesn't seem to mind and I'm sure by next week I'll be okay with packing the teeny outfits away for good.
(please note the gaping snaps at his legs, screaming for mercy)


His bruised forehead is basically back to normal now, just 3 days after the incident (which, by the way, thank you guys so much for the sweet comments on my last post. I'm glad I'm not the only mom who makes mistakes!). I wish I healed as fast as T-man, since my hand is still scabbed up after my fall a few weeks ago. Instead of a bruised face he is now sporting a minor case of baby acne that comes and goes throughout the day. It really started last week then sort of went away and now it's back again but it's really not too bad, I suppose. In fact, even though I'm a self proclaimed 'Picker' I have resisted the urge to pick my son's pimples after Nate reminded me that it's not worth scarring Truman's baby face. Nate's skin is fair game for me to pick and prod but I suppose I will leave poor Truman alone this time:)


I'm pretty sure T-man hit another growth spurt on Saturday and Sunday because the boy could NOT stop nursing, was pretty fussy for his mild temperament, and fought sleep like it was his job. Saturday night was another rough one for us as he would not go back to sleep no matter what I did and, of course, I had a mini-sob fest over my lacking skills as a sleep-inducing mommy. I'm sure it was a combination of my mom leaving, the fall, and lack of sleep but I felt much better on Sunday after two little cat naps and a whole day with my supportive hubby. I'm coming to realize that there really are good days and bad days being a mom of a newborn--sometimes I feel like I totally have this parenthood thing down and I can take on the world, and other days I feel incredibly under-qualified to handle the demands of my baby. Lucky for me, the bad days are few and far in between and I'm back to my happy self today. It sure will be heavenly to get my hormones back to a normal state after pregnancy, right?


Because the T-ster is a lot more awake and aware of his surroundings, we've had to be more diligent with encouraging naps during the day when he's obviously overtired and going into the nursery with all the lights out, curtains drawn, and a nice background of music from my I-pod seems to work (sometimes). He really enjoys rocking in his rocking chair and is a big fan of being held by mom and dad, so much so that it's getting to be a little challenging when we go to put him down. I used the Baby Bjorn to wear Truman around the house while he slept today and it worked for a little while. I have a feeling we've entered the stage of newborn-hood where Nate and I will be trying all of the tricks of the trade to soothe our baby, get him to sleep, and keep him entertained. And yes, Happiest Baby on the Block techniques are the bomb and we try them out daily!


Oh, and this is hilarious: I have my I-pod set up in the nursery and keep it set to my 'labor playlist' which did me absolutely no good while in the hospital but it's a nice soothing mix for T-man. I usually turn on the music when we do a diaper change or try to soothe him and the other day he was kind of grumpy, when all of a sudden....Two Step by Dave Matthews came on and you would have thought the heavens opened up for that boy. He immediately calmed down and I danced around with him to that song and it was hysterically funny to see his eyes glaze over in admiration. I told Nate that Truman has a new favorite song and so next time T got grumpy, Nate went to the nursery and played his tune while dancing around and sure enough---he showed Nate the 'eyes glazed' look within seconds and even started to bop his hand around to the music! Why is it so funny to me to hear him wailing one second then absolute blissful silence the next just with a few DMB notes playing through the air? Classic, I tell you. I hope it continues to work for us.

Of course, our tried and true method to calm T-dogg is still breastfeeding because when in doubt, he will always nurse. I felt kind of bad about resorting to the boob so often, wondering if maybe I'm teaching him bad habits about comforting related to eating. But after a lot of reading online (especially these two articles here and here) I feel okay with our frequent nursing and know it won't always be like this. I was also feeling down about not getting him to fall back asleep at night in his co-sleeper every time, thus resorting to keeping him in our bed after a feeding because that makes him happiest. Again, after some researching on bed-sharing I feel like it works for us right now, and I find that my mommy-radar is in high gear when he's next to me on the bed. I instinctively keep my hand around his back to protect him from moving around too much (which he never does just yet) and feel confident that I won't accidently roll onto my baby boy next to me. Even when I'm passed out asleep I am constantly aware of little man's every peep and since bed-sharing is sometimes the only way any of us sleep, we'll keep using this method as needed. But I'm still trying to get him back into the co-sleeper after nighttime feedings, giving him two chances each time and then on the third I keep him with us. I don't know why I feel like I have to justify myself with occasional bed-sharing and frequent nursing on this blog but apparently I'm a little defensive about these choices, huh? Maybe it's because I still can't believe how much I fit into the 'attachment parenting' category now that I actually have a baby, when I really thought we'd be all about strict feeding schedules and separate sleeping rooms when I was pregnant. I guess it just goes to show you that every baby is different and each family has to make choices that work for them.

Aside from a few crazy nights, Truman is settling into a pattern of nighttime sleep that makes me very happy. Since about 3 weeks he usually has his final feeding at 10:00, wakes at 3:00, and then again at 6 or 7:00 which I think is REALLY good for such a little guy, don't you? It's amazing how a 3 or 4 hour stretch of sleep feels like an eternity and I honestly don't remember what an 8 hour night feels like anymore. I'm sure the first time Truman skips that 3 am feeding and sleeps through the night I'll freak out and my boobs will be totally engorged, so it might not be as heavenly as I imagine:)

Truman is right on the verge of smiling at us and I think it might happen in the next week or two. He's grinning to himself more and more and I'm not sure it's just 'gas' anymore--it's almost like he is trying to do it on purpose (or maybe that's just me with wishful thinking). His head control is getting better each day with tummy time and being propped upright over my shoulder. And it seems like his eyes have a little more life to them each day as he scans the room and stops on our faces, studying us like, 'Oh, so you are those people who take care of me. Hi!' So yeah, he's growing up right before my eyes and I love watching him change into a little dude with tons of character.



(and I know I already showed off this onesie but then I put on a pair of pants over it and could not handle the cuteness of his stomach poking over the top of the waistband. Too much!)


Happy 5 weeks, buddy! And thank you for napping while Mommy typed up this whole post, you good little boy:)