I’ve decided I should continue the update process with some info about Miles every month as he grows older (now that’s enough talk of that). I couldn’t find a survey thing like for pregnancy so I’ve sort of made my own up and I’ll probably add to it as I think of things. I’m roughly basing some of the development on the milestones listfrom babycenter.com. Every time I say “milestones” I giggle because it has the name “Miles” in it.
Growth
Here are his stats from his 1-month well visit appointment: Weight: 8 lb. 14.5 oz. Head Circumference: 14.75″ Length: 22.5″
Development
Smiling
They say this doesn’t usually develop until around 8 weeks, but Steven spotted the first “real” smiles sometime during the middle of the 3rd week! He’s been flashing those precious smiles daily now and it warms my heart every time! Nothing quite like it. His eyes squint up and his nose wrinkles and those crooked lips bare his cute, toothless mouth and I just want to cuddle him up!
Neck Muscles
Here is another area in which Miles is wowing his highly impressionable parents. From day one he has been whipping that head around like Willow Smith! Doc said he could start tummy time right away instead of waiting until his 1 month mark so we’ve been killing it with our workout routine (well, by “we” I mean Miles).
Vocalization Miles is still shy in the conversation department. When he’s quietly laying by himself I will catch a rare coo or squack and I question for a moment if what I heard was a typical grunt or if it was real vocalization and I swell with mommy pride. I tell him way to go for “vocalizing. Like a boss.” I say dumb things like that because I’m a weird nerd and parents are supposed to make a fool of themselves in the pursuit of praising their children. Haha.
Visual
He likes to stare at his momma, which melts me like so many things he does. He especially loves to stare at me when he’s falling asleep in my arms. He will look at us and smile in response to our smiles and goofy faces and will occasionally track our faces and objects with his eyes, but he’s stubborn so he’ll only look at things if he really wants to. One thing that is infinitely adorable, is sometimes he’ll be looking at me and Steven will try to intercept his gaze and look at him but Miles will look to the side like he’s shy. It’s so funny and cute.
Response to Sounds
He startles at loud noises, but he still doesn’t really turn to look at you when you make noises to get his attention. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s simply stubborn. He seems to know when I’m using my “smile voice” but that’s about it. He also didn’t really respond much to sound when he was in my belly, which I find funny.
Memories
I’ve always been a very nostalgic person by nature, but being a mother has increased my nostalgia in multiples of a million! I miss everything! I’ll recall random memories from the hospital and Miles’ first couple weeks and miss it so badly! It goes way too freaking fast! I hate it and yet I love seeing him grow at the same time. Here are some of my most precious memories, in no particular order (and probably omitting other great ones by accident because I’m just rambling here)
Laying in the bed right after giving birth, I was confined to the bed, but I could watch the flurry of activity around me and try to mentally adjust to what had just happened and what was happening. I was in a glorious fog of amazement and was content to watch Miles with his daddy as they experienced some of Miles’ very first moments together. I was only a few feet away from the nurses and Steven as they performed all their customary procedures on our new squirmy bundle. Steven was amazing with him from the very beginning and I enjoyed watching him slide perfectly into the role of protective father. Watching him gaze down at Miles in wonder gave me a way to admire this new life from a distance. I could see the perfection reflected in his eyes and felt secure knowing he was there with him when I was farther away from my baby than I had been all year.
After the hum of activity finally died down and we had a moment of quiet, Steven sat in the corner with Miles, he was all clean and measured and wrapped tight and resting peacefully in his daddy’s arms. That moment could have lasted an eternity and I would have been totally ok with it.
During recovery in the postpartum room, there were several little chunks of rest (and dare I say, sleep) between nurse and family visits. We had the lights dimmed low or off completely and the TV on, but muted. Steven was asleep on the partner couch and Miles slept soundly in his plastic bassinet between us, wrapped up like a burrito. I would lay on my side, turned towards them and stare into the bassinet through the side while the light from the television danced on the features of my baby’s little face. I didn’t want to close my eyes. Even when I was so tired I had to close my eyes, I would frequently flutter them open for just a moment to remind myself that he was real and nearby. For the first week we didn’t have a bassinet or anything that would allow Miles to sleep in our room. After having him right beside us during our stay in the hospital, I was too anxious to have him in his crib. Plus, our video monitor was having issues and would turn off in the middle of the night. So, for the first week I would frequently bring him into our bed to sleep. It was so sweet to wake up in the morning to see him sleeping peacefully in his Halo sleep-sack looking like an angel of dawn. Seriously, those sleep sacks look like a little angel gown and when the swaddle part of the sack is splayed they look like wings. Cracks me up! We purchased a pack and play after a few days but there are occasional mornings when Steven leaves for work and I’m too tired to deal with walking back and forth, and I’ll let him sleep in Steven’s spot beside me. It’s still one of my favorite things to see in the morning. I’m so excited and terrified of him growing up. If only it didn’t happen so quickly! Sigh.
The photos at the top of this post were when Miles was 4 weeks and 1 day old.