Monday 3 June 2013

17 days old!

Well, Daniel Tobias is now two and a half weeks old! How time flies once they are skin side! Feeding is going great, he is a natural just like Christopher, and a very hungry boy! He feeds on average every 2 hours, more often sometimes.

I was discharged from the midwife on day 11. Daniel was back to birth weight at 5 days old, then up 9oz at 11 days old! So I reckon now he's up to almost 11lb by now. Very chunky boy! And now out of newborn clothes already!

Daniel has already attended his first funeral. When he was just two days old we had the sad news that a friend of Jonathan's gran, who sort of became a surrogate gran for us, and saw her most weeks at my in-laws, passed away. We were planning to go over later that day, so he missed out seeing her by just a day. :( Robert was quite fond of her, but is still too young to really understand death. He has however since been asking if certain people are going to die (like me, his daddy, Christopher, and Daniel).

Today was the first day that I've not had anyone around to help out with the boys. It's been a peaceful day so far, and very relaxed. I'm hoping it continues! And that the boys enjoy outdoor activities while I sort out more washing. It definitely helps that my first day solo has been sunny, and productive, it always makes me much more cheerful!

Something that needs mentioning here before I sign off, is how the older boys have taken to their new baby brother. Christopher absolutely adores his baby brother. He comes up regularly, saying "me beh-bee gish uck" (me baby kiss hug) and gives him a gentle hug followed by a kiss on the head. By regularly I mean at least every half an hour when he's around. He also starts to sing twinkle twinkle little star whenever he cries, and occasionally waves at him and says "ey-oh beh-bee bwuvvah!" When he can't reach him for a kiss and a hug.

Robert on the other hand doesn't seem to think much of him particularly. The early days were filled with more hugs than later days, so I think Daniel was somewhat a novelty which has since worn off. He still has hugs on occasion, but they seem to be mainly when Christopher has asked, as a way of not feeling left out. I think it is somewhat of a personality thing rather than an age thing, as I remember him being similar when Christopher was a baby. He is however, playing with his dolls a lot more, and even for the first time ever, nursed his doll! (Granted for about a second, and as a game, but still! This coming from the boy who would look at me reproachfully when I suggest he nurse the doll himself, saying "mummy, I don't have milk in my boobies" before insisting that I be the one to nurse the doll. He would cry as the baby, then say "oh no, the baby wants milk AGAIN!" Lift the doll out of the bouncer, nurse it for a second, put it back, then run off, only for the doll to "cry" again, and he runs back saying "the baby wants milk again? I just want to go and play!" Whenever Daniel cries, Robert suggests he wants milk, which I guess in the early stages is actually somewhat accurate!

Something I am thankful for at the moment is Daniel's tolerance for just a warm pair of arms at the moment, unless he is hungry. He will settle down well when cuddled unless he is hungry, which also makes the sling a godsend. We also co-sleep at night, and he actually sleeps really well at night, often going 3-4 hours or more between feeds which is a long time for my boobs!

I'm still waiting on Jonathan to edit the photos we took of Daniel in the first week to post photos here, but I will say: he is the spitting image of Robert as a baby!

3 comments:

  1. That's what I reckon, he looks soooo like Robert to me in his photos so far! Also, I am not sure it's age OR personality for the way Robert is about Daniel right now - Arthur was like that when Nathan was born (Matthew was much like Christopher is), and then Matthew was the same way when Benjamin was born. Both of them were just 3. Nathan was somewhat disinterested when Samuel was born, though happy enough, and the older two (and Benjamin) were excited and happy constantly, asking to hold/see/kiss/help, etc. I think I remember Benjamin being eager but just getting on with life when Elijah was born (he and Nathan weren't yet 3 when their next-but-one brother was born). Since a few babies back, I've sort of expected the child who is 2 kids above the new baby to have some apathy and maybe some issues, just because that seems to be the pattern regardless of personality. I'm expecting the same from Samuel when this baby is born, but we'll see - he's the most happy and easy-going of the lot of them! ;)

    Arthur took some months to get back to "normal" about the new baby, and I guess the others might have too, but it was Arthur who particularly had some behavioural challenges during that time. Then after that he was 100% back to normal. :) Funny how it was only with that baby, and not with the one directly below him, or ANY of the subsequent babies, and as you know he's the most thrilled and involved of all the boys about new babies now! :)

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  2. Great to hear that things are going well. Enjoy this special time with all your little boys!!

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  3. So glad to hear that all is going well. Love your daily isolated on fb too! I also agree he looks like Robert! And awwww, three brothers. What love!

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