The Siberian American: Anthony Update: Months 1-4

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Anthony Update: Months 1-4

A few days ago on Instagram I asked whether y’all would prefer to read an Anthony update or a travel post, and Anthony was the clear winner. One of the (many) reasons I have barely blogged since Anthony was born is I’ve really struggled with how much to share about him online. I keep having this idea in my head of Anthony’s future employer googling his name and finding a post about how much he pooped as a one month old (this is a moot point because I don’t put our last name on my blog, but it’s how I think about it). Still, I really want to share this sweet time with y’all, so I am going to start to write a more about him. If there is something I don’t share but you want to know, send me an email, and I’d be happy to tell you more in a more private setting.

Anthony-three months
At some point in time, I had wanted to do monthly updates on Anthony, and that obviously didn’t happen, so I’m going to combine all four months in this post. It’d be a super long post if I went over everything that has happened, so I’m taking a then and now approach.

General Thoughts
Time is so weird after giving birth. Anthony turned four months on February 20, and I am amazed we are already a third of the way through his first year. Then again, it feels like he has been part of our lives forever. It’s such a crazy feeling.

Who Does Anthony Look Like?
Then: 
When Anthony was born, he looked a lot like Christopher. There were several features that were definitely mine (like his long fingers and toes-so cute to see on a newborn!), but if you look at Christopher’s newborn photos, it almost looks like the same baby.

Anthony-one month
Now:
Anthony is definitely a mixture of both of us now. The feature of mine people always comment about is he has my eye shape. One thing I think is interesting is Anthony does not have much hair yet, but so far, it’s light brown. For some reason I always thought his hair would be dark brown, like his dad. Obviously, it will still change a million times, but Chris was born with dark brown hair, so it was a little surprising to me.

Anthony-a few days ago
Milestones
Then: 
One of the things that really surprised me was how early Anthony started giving us social smiles (around six weeks). He also started laughing a little before three months.
Now:
He has recently started rolling tummy to back and is babbling constantly these days. It’s so fun to hear all the different sounds he makes.

Anthony-one month
Sleep
Then:
I mentioned it in my last post, but Anthony has never really been a good sleeper. When he was born, he had his days and nights flipped. Around two months, he had his first five-hour stretch (which counts as sleeping through the night), but it has only really happened once or twice.
Now:
Here’s the detailed version of how sleep is going currently. Long story short, he’s waking up about every hour and a half right now.


Eating
Then:
I’m hoping to share a little more about this later, but I feel like people always tell you how great breastfeeding is for a baby and how natural it is, but no one really talks about how hard it can be. Those first few weeks were so hard, and I wanted to quit about a million times because of how painful it was. We later discovered Anthony had a tongue tie, and fixing it made things so much better.
Now:
I still pretty much exclusively breastfeed (I do pump every once in a while), and it’s going well for the most part, though Anthony is much more distracted these days. I’m still dealing with a pretty major oversupply problem four months in, which is pretty frustrating, (I deal with clogged ducts multiple times a week), but I’m hoping to continue as long as I can.

Anthony-two months
Likes
Then:
Anthony has always liked music, and it’s still one of the best ways to calm him down. He has also always loved riding in the car and going on walks. One of the best toys for him has been a Baby Einstein Musical Toy. It can usually calm him down when he’s upset, even now.
Now:
Since about two months, Anthony has loved spending time kicking and playing on his Fisher Price Kick n Play Activity Gym. He loves playing with his hands, and walks and car rides are still his favorite parts of the day. He also loves when people talk to him.


Dislikes
Then: 
Anthony has always hated being swaddled and even broke through those Velcro SwaddleMe swaddles as a newborn.
Now:
Sleep and naps. He used to be a big napper, but he’s really fighting them these days.

Us on Valentine's Day
Other than the sleep, this is such a fun age! It feels like every day Anthony is learning something new, and he’s such a happy baby. Hopefully I’ll have the time to share a post like this every month from now on, but I’ve learned not to make any promises with how unpredictable our days have been lately!

13 comments:

  1. Oh he is so cute. You know what they say, The days are long but the years are short.

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  2. I love that family photo of you three! Look how proud you two are. <3

    And I'm so glad you shared more about Anthony. I totally understand how difficult it is to know how much to share about your children online. Though, of course, like you said - it helps that your last name isn't on this blog. But I am glad you shared more! He is such a cutie and he has grown and changed so much in these four months! I really do hope he starts sleeping better for you SOON! And that your over supply levels out!

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  3. He is so adorable! I loved reading this update. I have no idea what a newborn is like so it's great to learn from those who are learning before me. I hope breastfeeding works out a little longer for you, but don't give yourself too much grief if it works out better in everyone's favor to find other solutions! Evvvveryone has an opinion on these things and this is just a reminder to do what is best for you in all situations!

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  4. He is such a gorgeous baby. Those bright eyes are just stunning!
    Poor momma with the clogged ducts/oversupply. That has to be painful :( I hope things get better for you!! Same with the sleep situation!
    You guys are doing such a great job, though!! He's the cutest!

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  5. I struggle with the same thing with the girls- how much to share on the blog and my public instagram. I definitely do the monthly posts because I want to make sure that I remember everything that was going on, but one of the reasons that I haven’t been doing as many weekend posts is because our whole world revolves around them now and I don’t want to over share. Anyways, Anthony is seriously so precious! And I totally agree with you about breastfeeding! They put such an emphasis on it now, but I feel like nobody tells you how hard it can be! We ended up changing to exclusively pumping after a couple of weeks because it was painful and crazy with both girls. It’s a whole lot easier now and Chris can help out! Addy fights naps so much too and it’s so tough to watch them be tired when you know that if they’d fall asleep they’d feel better! Hopefully Anthony figures it out soon!

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  6. He's such an adorable baby! It looks like he's grown and changed so much already in four months. I often wonder when I become a mother how much I would share. It's hard for our generation because we're really the first group of parents that have social media as part of our parenting.

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  7. He just looks so happy! I love seeing pictures of him!

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  8. I love him in his lil navy blue sweater, he looks like a lil ol' man. So stinkin' adorable! :)

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  9. Anthony is so expressive!! It's hard to believe he's only a few months old because he seems so aware of everything going on around him!! I also love how cozy he always looks in his sweaters. I definitely wish I looked that cute when I'm all bundled up! ;)

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  10. He is so adorable! I had those same feelings about blogging about the boys. We made the decision not to share their names online for that and also just safety purposes (I watch too many lifetime movies). I know it's different for everyone and every parent knows what's best for their children, but for me, my blog felt empty without them because they are my life. Sierra~Beautifully Candid

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