2 months!

 I feel like I just did a 1 month post on Shepherd! How can it be that my baby 2 months have passed since he joined our family?  I get really sad thinking about going back to work (even though I am super excited for my new job) in 4 weeks. I want to stay home with both of my babies! :)

Weight: 12 lbs

Length: 24 inches

Favorite moments: I really am enjoying nursing him. Sometimes we just have sweet little moments...we just look at each other and smile. Its so sweet having him smile and coo at us!

Least favorite moments: None this month!
Milestones: Sleeping more through the night! (5-8 hours)  Playing with his toys
It is kind of funny that he is in the 75 percentile for height and weight...and Inara had never really even been on the growth chart at all :)

He is having more awake time and actually started "playing" with some toys on his play mat and his bouncy seat. It also seems he has just discovered his hands and he has continued to imitate our faces.  He is super snuggly and prefers to be held all the time.  Even though he appears to be a mamma's boy, he is able to play by himself for awhile.  He love, love, LOVES to be warm.  When holding him he will try to bury his face, basically in your arm pit to get warm.  He sleeps super soundly in his car seat because he is warm and cozy, and if you put him in the sun...instant happy baby. I am pretty sure he would never wake up if we kept his room like 90 degrees.  He is like his mamma it seems!

He is such a sweet baby and loves to be snuggled.  He is so sweet and social already.  He will cry if we leave him in a room by himself and often just sitting next to him helps him calm down...my sweet baby just doesn't want to be by himself.  And it appears he has a little girl-friend already :)  My friend's daughter Marley is pretty much obsessed with him...its so sweet!  His favorite thing is to be swaddled and in the swing. He could sleep for hours there.  It makes it hard to have him sleep in his crib because he will only sleep for like 45 minutes in his crib...something we are working on.

I just love our little guy so much!

I thought I would take some pictures after a bath and he would be super happy

It quickly changed...

to super cranky!

 

Ahhh! Happy now with my bippy :)

Newborns are WAY different than preemies!

Ok, so birth story to come later! Promise! But right now we need some help/advice with Shepherd.  Having a newborn is a million times better than driving to the NICU multiple times a day...buuuuuttt it is also a million  times different having a newborn at home than a preemie. Justin and I just need a little bit of help. So please leave a comment with ANY advice you might have.

Ok here's the deal. The past few days at home have been pretty good. Shep has been sleeping for the most of his naps in his crib with only a little bit of help (some rocking, using pacifier, or re-swaddling) during nap time.  He has a little bit of awake time before his nap. During his awake time sometimes he lays on the mat, sometimes he is held, or lays in the boppy. He has been eating about every 2.5 to 3 hours and nurses for anywhere from 25-40 minutes. And then...the night comes! Oh night time, how different he becomes.  Last night he ate at 8pm, 10pm, 1230a, and then again at 2am. Each time he would nurse not just suck for comfort and he would do it for about 30-40 minutes.  By the 2am feeding I was sooo sleepy.  He had essentially be held for 4 hours and wouldn't stay asleep in his crib. I asked Justin if he could just hold him while he sleeps so I could sleep for a few hours. Justin tried, but he continued to cry. He didn't have a dirty diaper and didn't want the pacifier....he wanted me.  In order for me to get ANY sleep I had to put him in the bed with me.  I really am not pro co-sleeping in our family, but it was either that or I freak out because of no sleep.

So here is my question. Is cluster feeding a real thing? How long did it last for your little one(s)? How did you manage it/change it/make it through?  Any tips on him not being dependent on ONLY me for comfort?
His PCP at his check up today suggested feeding him every 2 hours during the day and then giving him a bottle of formula before bed. Does that seem reasonable? HELP! :) Really I'll take any advice. Like I said, we are brand new parents and this whole newborn thing is totally foreign to us.