I wasn't going to do these monthly updates this time around, but then I looked at Timmy's and Joey's and they were a lot of fun to read. I'm glad I did those, so let's see if I can do it again with Baby # 5! I'm already over a week late with this one, so I'm not off to a good start. The photo above was taken right at one month though.
When I read Joey's one-month update, I realized I could probably just copy and paste it for Thomas, changing very little. He is just as fussy as his big brother was, and he really keeps me on my toes. What works for soothing him one day doesn't work the next. I'm constantly rotating through all my tools and tricks, trying different combinations and seeing if I can wear him down. Sometimes nothing helps, and I can't even get him to nurse.😢But he sleeps well enough at night, so I am grateful for that. I can put up with just about anything if I can sleep at night, especially when I know this is all so temporary.
He sleeps in bed with us, which is a departure from the way I did things with the other kids. I have finally gotten the hang of nursing while lying down, and I'm so glad. It's much more restful for me, and I cherish having him snuggled against me belly to belly and feeling his breathing. I'm going to start trying to at least have him sleep the first stretch in his bassinet next to our bed.
He started smiling just about the one month mark, and that was a balm for my weary soul. He is very smiley on the changing table too, just like Joey was. He likes it there so much I'm never in any hurry to move him when I'm done changing him. Not until he starts "grumbling" and I know he's had enough.
We took him on his first beach vacation last week, and it was so nice getting to share him with family members who were all eager to get their hands on him. My mom definitely spent a lot of time loving on him, and she had the patience to hold him through all his fussy times too, giving me a much-needed break. And as I told somebody today, if you're going to take a baby to the beach, it might as well be an itty-bitty one who's not crawling around and trying to eat the sand. The sound of the ocean was very nap-inducing for him, and if conditions were right (i.e., not too much wind or too little), he'd snooze next to me on a towel and it was so peaceful.
We've talked a little about what to call him. He doesn't seem like a Tommy to me, and Tom seems too grown up. Strange because I have a Timmy and a Joey, who I also call Joe just as much or more. Thomas seems too formal, but it is what continues to roll off my tongue and everyone else's. So Thomas it is, at least for now. Annie was Annalise her most of her first year, if I remember correctly.
Speaking of Annie, she has been very helpful with Thomas, and she'll take shifts carrying him around the house when he's restless, and playing with him. She seems to be getting a feel for how to pass time with him until his next nap.
Thanks to Joey's post, I can predict that the worst of his fussiness will be over by two months. I really hope so!
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