One Month

Blake is already one month old! And for comparison, I put together this picture of Jacob and Blake each at one month in the same outfit- I think it's amazing how much they actually look alike now! They have a few differences of course- Jacob has his distinct cleft chin, and you can tell Blake is slightly bigger, and perhaps has a bit darker hair. And although you probably can't tell, I think Blake's eyes are a brighter blue than Jacob's were, so I'm hoping his stay blue, unlike Jacob whose eyes turned brown after a few months, but we'll see. But since Blake was born he has reminded me more and more of Jacob.
All these other pictures were taken when Blake was 3 weeks old. And since everyone has been asking how things are going- they're going good and getting better/easier. Blake has started to fall more into a sleep schedule and it's nice that he usually falls asleep when we put Jacob to bed at night and also sleeps during at least a part of Jacob's naps during the day too. So it's nice to also have some breaks from both of them during the day and get alone time in the evening when Luke's home too. And although he does still sleep a lot, unfortunately it's usually not for very long at a time- or at least that's how it feels!
And the nights aren't too bad- I think I still end up feeding Blake every 3 hours or so but I feel like I'm usually getting enough sleep, so it's terrible. The only annoying part is when Blake decides he's not tired for about an hour usually around 4:30 am, and even worse when it's because his stomach is upset. But once he's been changed and burped enough, my solution is just to hold him in bed with me and once I fall asleep I'm sure he must fall asleep too. So it's still not perfect, but not bad, and I know it will get better soon.
So other than that, here's some other things about Blake:
*At 2 weeks Blake was 9 lbs 7 oz and 21 inches
*At 3 weeks Blake was 9 lbs 10.5 oz- growing great!
*He likes to be held and rocked- a lot. Especially by me.
*Swaddling calms him down when he's upset or tired and this is about the only time he'll take his pacifier too.
*Doesn't enjoy diaper changes.
*Loves taking baths.
*Usually cranky getting into his car seat but then is calm once we start driving.
*Currently experiencing a load of baby acne :(
*Gets fussy when he needs to burp, often has stomach pains, and spits up a lot too.
*Enjoys his swing and will sometimes fall asleep there- but only if he's swaddled and it's quiet.
*Happy being carried in my baby carrier- thank goodness, because my arms are permanently exhausted.
*Doesn't mind running errands (as long as he's not extremely tired, or else he'll scream...)
*Always waves his arms like he's punching something in the air.
*Seems to like music and being sung to.
*Beautiful bright blue eyes, dark hair and skin, and a perfect amount of chub.
*Even if he is a little bit more demanding at this stage, we still love this little guy!
And although Jacob has gone through a few phases since Blake has been born, he's doing a little better now. Jacob at first was showing a little aggression and developed his "angry face"- when he sees Blake he tends to ball his fists, show his teeth, and roar and scream. We can't really leave Blake to lie on the floor with Jacob around, and even when Blake is in the swing Jacob thinks it's hilarious to bang it back against the wall and laughs when Blake gets startled and his arms fly out. So we tend to be constantly reminding him to use his "happy face", not to be screaming, and to be nice and gentle with him. And so I would say half the time Jacob still is rambunctious around Blake, and the other half he's curious and tries to be gentle. He likes to lay down next to Blake and will smile and wait for him to do something funny- like spit out his pacifier, or sneeze 4 times in a row. Sometimes I just wish I could fast forward to when they'll be good friends :)
And Blake aside, Jacob has really grown up a bit in the past few months as well and I haven't really updated, so here's what Jacob's doing now:
*He's speaking in small sentences and is good at telling us what he needs- although he has become a bit more whiny lately too.
*He can say and identify most of the alphabet, can count to 10 but usually makes a mistake on at least one number still, and is practicing his shapes and colors but hasn't quite got them down yet- but he's constantly asking us what color things are.
*He's also gotten really good at singing songs with us and loves to sing fun songs with me, and helps sing songs at night when we put him to bed.
*He's good at playing by himself and keeping himself occupied, at least for a little while.
*He's learned to get water by himself at the fridge, climb up on the bathroom counter on his own to wash his hands or get things out of the cabinet(not good), and insists on sitting in a big chair now at dinner.
*He loves to play with his friends and always asks to play, or at least to go to the park or get out of the house.
*He still loves his Cars and Elmo movies, but now is also big into Toy Story, Ice Age and practically any movie that he can get his hands on.
*He likes to try and get dressed by himself and whenever we change his diaper he asks to sit on the potty too- but nothing yet.
*He's also backtracked on bedtime- he used to always stay in bed and go down really easily, but now he gets up a lot always saying he needs something, so that's been a bit more frustrating.
*He's gotten in a little bit more trouble lately as he's been testing us more, but then he laughs when he's in trouble, which is even more frustrating! But even though he can get on my nerves sometimes, overall he still really is a good kid and we try to make sure he knows he's a good boy and we still love him too!