1 Week Update

Today baby Jackson is 1 week, 2 days old. We brought him home from the hospital exactly a week ago.  Jon and I are definitely still in the "getting-to-know baby" stage, and every day we learn more and more about our newborn son and how to take care of him.

• When baby has a good night, we all have a good night (and a much better day!). Jackson definitely has good nights and bad nights, but we haven't figured out what happens differently on the good nights so we can replicate them. 
• Except-- we have found out he loves his Soothing Giraffe that makes white noise. He sleeps so much better when it's on! We attached it to his bassinet and turn it on to help him fall asleep at every nap and nighttime sleep.
• Everyone told us to adjust our expectations significantly about the level of cleanliness of our home. They were right! Housework is so low on my list of priorities right now I consider it a win when I fold a basket of "adult" laundry (of course Jackson's laundry gets put up right away!)
• I seriously don't know how single parents do it. Jon and I are a unified team and I still feel like there is so much to do and so little sleep. At night Jon and I take turns with his feedings. For one I go solo with the feed/burp/diaper/swaddle/put back to bed routine. For the next one Jon takes charge and hands me the baby so I can nurse in bed while half asleep, then Jon takes the baby and gets him ready for bed. I look forward to those feedings when I don't have to get out of bed!
  
• As you can see, I have an amazing husband. He is a very attentive father, and so patient with baby Jackson. A few days ago Jackson pooped directly onto Jon's bare chest and Jon cleaned up Jackson first, wiped the poo from his chest, then laughed it off. What a dad!
• Jackson loves to be swaddled. He doesn't enjoy the process of getting swaddled, but once it's on he is a much happier baby. If the swaddle isn't tight enough he will work his hands out (especially the left one) so it's up by his face. Then once his hand it out he gets very upset and fussy until we re-swaddle him with his hand in. Silly boy. Since leaving the hospital we've been using these SwaddleMes with velcro tabs that are so much easier to use than a receiving blanket.
• Jackson has an incredibly strong suck reflex. Besides using it in the obvious place, he has also attempted (unsuccessfully) to suck on Jon's nose, my chin, and Jon's nipple.
• Everyone has asked me what color his eyes are. They are a beaitiful blue-gray. I know most baby's eyes change color after a few months, but I would be so happy if his stayed like they are! Getting photos of a newborn with his eyes open is really hard! I realize that most of our photos of Jackson are either of him sleeping or crying. I guess these days he does a lot of both. I'll keep trying to get good open-eye photos. I am trying to book a photographer to take some good baby portraits of Jackson without spending  an arm and a leg. I may have waited too long to get "newborn photos", but hopefully I can find someone to take baby photos in his first few months.In the meantime I'll post a few of the open-eye photos I have.

 July 8

I love this family photo!

July 9

Jackson's hands startle him. He likes to bring them up in front of his chest/face and make spastic movements with them. It reminds me of an orchestra conductor. Apparently this is normal and explains why he is so much calmer in his swaddle.