Progress!

Things feel more do-able around here now. We have a definite routine (although parts of it are not totally ideal, it does include Porter sleeping for 4 - 6 hours at night regularly) and life seems to have settled down. Things I am happy for right now include:

Porter has transitioned well to his crib. The cradle got old sooner than I thought it would, and he actually seems a little more comfortable in his crib anyway. He also naps well during the day in his crib (most of the time...). We are working on making his room more of a 'fun place' and not just a place he is banished to when it is time to sleep. This is kind of hard since it is sooo small - there isn't even room for a chair. But I've started practicing infant massage in there (he is not so sure about this) and read him some books as well.

"Breastfeeding" is going well. I put it in parentheses because I am actually not breastfeeding him, rather I am pumping and he is bottle feeding. This has been a really good change to make. Porter was a slow lazy eater and we would spend so much time nursing everyday (sometimes as much as 8 or 10 hours!) and still not get everything he needed. It was frustrating and I would regularly sit there and cry while I was nursing. It also makes it easy for BCH to feed him, and for me to be able to be away from him longer than if I was exclusively breastfeeding.

Porter seems happier. I never thought I would be so consumed with the mental status of a 7 week old, but he just seemed so frustrated and upset for most of his first weeks of life. We tease him, but it really is a tough life being a baby and adjusting to the world. He seems to have finally found his stride and we are so happy to see him enjoying things more.

We both get so much time to just hang out with Porter. I feel so lucky that this is the case for us. I still have 5 weeks left of maternity leave, and then BCH will be taking paternity leave and being his primary caretaker at that point. We spend most weekends and evenings just hanging out at home with him, loving him and interacting with him as much as possible. We have had some amazing moments that make the not so fun ones a bit fuzzy. Nathan seems to enjoy interacting with him more (even though he doesn't do 'tricks' yet, as he has requested) and I hope to see even more of that as Porter gets to know him better.

We got birth announcements done this weekend. This has been one of the little things that has been nagging me for a while. I have been anxious to share our cute boy with friends and family, and finally got some of his newborn pictures back so we could make announcements. Now I just need to address them and get them out!

Brandon. He is just awesome! He is the best parent (not that I had any doubts about this) and just loves spending time with Porter - even doing the not so fun things like diapers and meltdowns. He cleans the house more than I do, and has been so great during my not-so-happy moments. Somehow he functions on about the same amount of sleep as me (occasionally more but quite often less) and then goes to work everyday. It can be hard to stay home all day with Porter, but I honestly don't know if I could function everyday like Brandon does. He is amazing.