Month 1 Week 2: Growth spurts?

B is finally napping after what feels like an eternity!  He's been feeding almost every 2 hours or less since last evening.  Argh.  Our next weigh in is not till early Jan, but his 6 weeks photos reassure me that it's not just my hands getting tired from carrying him around, he IS getting chubbier!

Month 1 Week 1: My amazing new job

At work, we just launched our last campaign of the year "The Amazing Everyday." While I've missed the team and our hive of activity, everyday has also been amazing in my new job at home aka motherhood.  The past few weeks have been quite a blur but my live-in helper and (virtually live-in) parents have helped transform many potentially difficult and dreary days into simple yet amazing ones.

Mommy lessons:

1. Happy mom = happy baby. Don't forget to take care of yourself! Nap whenever he does. Leave him with other helpful hands in between those marathon feeding sessions or let him cry just a tad longer so you can take a quick snack, shower or face scrub    
2. The 5 S system. Forget the 6Ms and 4Ps from biz school, learn how to calm a crying baby by simulating the womb environment via Swaddling, lying on his Side (left) or Stomach, Shushing sounds, Swinging and Sucking 
3. Breast is best BUT it comes with lots of blood, sweat and tears (plus round the clock nursing and pumping sessions)!  Don't let the "breastfeeding nazis" guilt you into thinking you're a bad mom if things go awry or you need the occasional relief bottle from being a lean mean milk machine

Baby milestones:

1. Just when we thought we cracked his cries, he added baby talk sounds like the pre-poop "aaaah" whimper.  And speaking of poop, the oil-on-cottonbud-up-the-ass trick works to help get all that "curried yogurt" flowing ;P
2. Who's your mommy? He distinguishes sounds and scents, tracks with his eyes, and (mostly!) calms down now when we bathe him or change diapers 
3. Tummy time progress! He lifts his wee head and turns side to side on his own.  It tires him out though esp. as his head seems to have grown faster than the body (newborns develop top down). Over time, as he gains strength and practice, this should get easier ... and fun!