Time is flying by over here. How this little peanut is four weeks old already is beyond me. At his 2 week appointment, he weighed 10 lbs, 3 oz (That's a whopping 1 lb, 9 oz more than his birthweight!) and has only gotten bigger since (he carries the majority of his weight in those cheeks!)
Cullen is one of the most chill babies I've ever known. I truly didn't think Avery was all that fussy as a newbie but seeing how calm Cullen is, perhaps I was mistaken! (Good thing Avery came first and I didn't know any better!) During the day, Cullen is completely content being held, lying in his swing or stretching out on the floor. No daytime swaddling necessary for this cool dude!
Cullen has had clogged tear ducts
in his eyes since he was born. During the day they aren't too bad as I
can wipe them frequently but when he wakes up in the morning or after a
nap, they are pretty crusty and he isn't too fond of me digging around
in them to clean them out...
He's an efficient little eater; unlike Avery, whom I would consider a 'marathon man' when it came to nursing, Cullen fills up quickly and continues on with his day (a 'sprinter' for sure). At night, he wakes up hungry 3 or 4 times but after a diaper change and a quick feeding, he's back in a deep sleep and I'm usually back to bed within 20 minutes. It's glorious! Cullen is also very good about enjoying his meals on-the-go. Many of his feedings during the day are interrupted by Avery's 'urgent' need for a snack or Play-Doh.
I told Cullen when he
was in my tummy that he would have to be pretty tolerant and able to
go-with-the-flow in order to survive around here with an such an active
big brother and thankfully he took my advice. He doesn't get worked up
about much including the noise, constant kisses and squeezes, and 'sharing' (a.k.a., being buried in toys) that comes along with having a big bro like Avery. (I'm sure the 'getting worked up' part will come in good time :)
Our family was hit
hard with a nasty stomach bug this past week and I think I can now
safely say that Cullen is the only one that was spared (Thank goodness
for all those awesome breastmilk antibodies!) After being sick myself, I
prayed that poor tiny Cullen wouldn't have to suffer like that and am so thankful to say he's healthy as can be.
Miraculously, both boys are currently on the same sleep schedule. (why I speak these words out loud, I don't know...) When Avery goes down for
his nap, Cullen also takes a 2-3 hour snooze. He takes this snooze on my chest, which I fully embrace and use as my 'excuse' to nap as well ;) It's a nice little alone time with my sweet snuggly babe (whom I can watch growing bigger and bigger by the minute), but I obviously get nothing done during this time. Oh well, I know all too well that this phase will not last so I'm taking advantage of the down time while I can!
At night, when Avery goes to bed around 8/8:30, Cullen is ready to fill
his tank and turn in as well. It's sort of surreal to have some time in
the evening to spend lounging with Justin as our boys are both snuggled
in their beds sleeping. I wasn't expecting this scenario for months!
He's so strong! He can hold his own head up to look around and even enjoys tummy time (for about 15 minutes). He's also so serious! I know it's just because he hasn't really figured out smiling yet and concentrates really hard on everything he sees but he has such expressive eyebrows that make him look like such a grumpy old man sometimes :)
We have been so blessed by our amazing friends that have been bringing us meals during these last few weeks. I'm not even joking when I say that we are surviving solely on the food they've given us - without it, we would probably be eating frozen pizza or cold cereal for every meal. I've said it before and I'll say it again: It truly takes a village.
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Cullen's cute hair has started to thin out and his hairline now recedes dramatically while the hair on the sides
continues to grow. He pretty much looks like he's balding :) |
