Leo at 3 Weeks Old

Leo is 3 weeks old today. The past 3 weeks have been so wonderful. Thursday (2 days ago) was my due date and I was thinking about how strange it seemed that I should have still been pregnant for almost 3 more weeks past when Leo was born. It seems like he has been apart of our family forever so it was hard for me to imagine him still being in my tummy.

For the first few weeks after Leo was born, he had a really hard time staying awake during feedings. I was told that it is really normal for babies born early to not be able to wake up on their own. His weight dropped down to 4lbs 13 oz, which is a bit more than normal. So the pediatrician recommended I wake him up to feed him every 3 hours and if he couldn't stay awake for the whole feeding, then to feed him with a syringe. We did everything we could to help him stay awake. We turned on the air conditioner and took off his clothes to help him be more alert. And I ended up using the syringe to put drops of milk in his mouth for most of his feedings. After 2 weeks, he was able to stay awake a little longer. And now at 3 weeks, he stays awake for the whole feeding and is back to his birth weight. I no longer have to wake him up, I can just let him wake up on his own and let me know when he is hungry.

Life with two kids has been fun and hard. I was so scared to leave the house by myself with both boys for the first time. But I think I'm getting the hang of it now. Dallin absolutely loves his little brother. He likes to help me change his diaper, feed him his bottle, and check on him when he is crying. He often peeks over the edge of the crib and asks Leo, "Ok?" He especially does this if he hears Leo crying. Sometimes when Leo cries, Dallin says, "I know..." with the same tone that I use when trying to comfort Dallin. I took Dallin with me to one of Leo's pediatrician appointments and Dallin was very concerned about Leo. Dallin doesn't like the Dr.'s office because he associates it with shots and pain, so when the Dr. was holding Leo, Dallin started to have a melt down screaming, "No! No!" He pulled on my pant leg to get me to move towards Leo and he kept reaching up towards Leo trying to get to him. I think he thought Leo was in pain and was just trying to rescue him. It was really sweet.

But even though Dallin loves his brother, it has been hard on him not getting as much one on one time with me and Tyler. I think he has been a little sad sometimes and I'm still trying to figure out how to take care of both boys at the same time. I think as I adjust more, Dallin will too.

Leo is a very easy and happy baby. He mostly sleeps all day and night, but when he does wake up, he is very alert. He has the most beautiful eyes and he seems really curious as he looks around the room. We all love to cuddle with him and hug and kiss him. He has brought so much joy to our family.