So far, he's a pretty chill baby - he really doesn't cry or fuss unless he's 1) hungry (which I'll get to more in a minute) or 2) being changed and a cold, wet wipe comes into play (but even then, he is sometimes okay with it).
Hunger. Jackson could eat a lot, and seemed to be hungry frequently, but Cole is my eating machine. He LOVES to eat, but you can't blame him - he's got to keep up that 9.5lb frame somehow! Breast feeding has gone surprisingly well - Jackson was too impatient to figure it out, but Cole is more patient and actually even latched on briefly in the delivery room at the hospital, and after some lactation support there, we fell into a good routine with him. That said, he's needed much more milk than I could produce, and we had to start supplementing with formula right away. I've been breast feeding or pumping since we came home, but he's a bit lazy when it comes to breast feeding, and I have to constantly work to keep him awake. After eating for 40 or more minutes, he falls completely asleep but is still hungry and is rooting minutes later, so we always have a formula bottle teed up to top him off. I think he's eating ~2+ oz every 2-2.5 hours during the day. The nice thing is that he's not picky - breast feeding or bottle, formula or breast milk - as long as he is eating, he doesn't care.
After a rough first night at home where he didn't want anything to do with his crib (which Jackson was fine with at night from day one) and we took turns holding and rocking him throughout the night, we borrowed a sleeper from our friend Natalie and he's since loved to sleep in our room in that. Since we started using that, we've fed him around 11 p.m. and have had to wake him around 4 a.m. to eat again, before he returns to sleep until between 7 and 8.
We may get a few hours of awake time with him during the day, especially in the morning, but for the most part, he sleeps nearly all. day. long. (Jackson was very alert and very awake for a newborn, so having a baby that literally sleeps the day away is new to us.) We often have to wake him to eat during the day as well, to ensure we're getting enough feedings in, knowing that he's going so long overnight without eating. Of course, I know the great overnight sleeping and the sleepiness during the daytime won't last forever, so we're enjoying it while it lasts.
He will sleep pretty much anywhere in the daytime, but because we didn't get much time with a snuggly Jackson (while he loves cuddling now, as a baby, he only wanted to cuddle and/or sleep in our arms or on us for his first few weeks), we're enjoying all the sleepy snuggles for now, and are enjoying holding him for many of his naps. Otherwise, he's in his sleeper or bouncer. And surprisingly, this a.m., I put him down in his crib to swaddle him and ended up leaving him there as he was asleep and appeared content, and he's been napping for over an hour, so perhaps his dislike for his crib is a thing of the past. We'll see...
Jackson sort of ignored Cole the first day or so, but has since come around, and loves to turn the bouncer music on when Cole sits in that while we eat dinner. He has even started giving him very gentle kisses, which is just too cute. He has also been pretty understanding when it comes to things he wants or needs - he realizes that mommy can't pick him up right now (he has even reminded me when I've forgotten and tried to pick him up) and has been willing to ask daddy for things that mommy typically could have helped with. As a big bro gift, Cole got Jackson some play doh and play doh tools, and Jackson LOVES them. He's spent hours playing with play doh over the last week, so I'm sure that has helped him appreciate Cole a bit more.
All in all, things are going well and we are enjoying some good rest for the time being. It's been great having Corey home last week and this week, and we are getting into a good routine as a family.
Cuddling with Grampa Kent and Gramma Linda in the hospital
First trip in car - on our way home to see big bro!
On the way to our first check-up
Takes after mommy
He slept through the entire game yesterday...poor kid missed all the excitement. Hard to see it here, but he often looks like a grumpy old man when he's sleeping. (Notice how nervous daddy was...this was at the beginning of the game.)
Those cheeks and lips! I just can't get enough.
Brotherly love.
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