One Month

Hugo is six weeks old! How? I’m just going to go ahead and join ranks with every other mother blogger who’s ever written and say, “Weren’t you just born yesterday? / Haven’t you always been here? / Where does time go etc etc etc?”

These past six weeks have been a total dream (punctuated with a few overly hormonal crying spells, a lot of fluids, and a pair of mastitis episodes. Let's just keep things real life here, shall we?)

When I was pregnant I worried about the transition to two kids. I had a difficult time going from zero to one, and wasn’t sure how I’d manage the logistics and emotional weight of adding a whole other human to my list of responsibilities.

It turns out that I shouldn’t have worried. Not one bit. While it is true that dinner most nights is outsourced, my three room apartment is a perpetual disaster, and I have yet to leave the house without forgetting some vital piece of baby equipment, things are going really well. 

This guy! He is the easiest of babies. He sleeps! He willingly sits in his bouncy chair! He believes that most of life”s problems can be solved with a pacifier and a cuddle. Best of all, he does not have colic! So, he makes babyhood feel like a walk in the park. 

Also: his sister! Her exuberant and interminable love for her “brudder”, her willingness to share parental energies and attention, and her patience with me have conspired to make this major transition smoother than I could have expected. 

So, month one! You’ve been a treat. Now, what’s up with Hugo! (I feel it should be noted that his sister calls him HEgo and the neighbours call him Bubby Dadu, and I call him Gozie. We all call him adorable.) 

Growing :: One Month and Two Weeks

5.8 KG or 12.7 pounds (though how many ounces that is, I have NO idea, but suffice to say, big.)

59 cm (he’s grown 6 cm since his birth day, can you believe that?? Cell division like holy cow!) 

Learning :: Smiles!

Hugo gave up his first ever smile to his big sister way back in week one? Maybe two? And it was probably a gas smile or something, but I’m one for reading signs, and I’ll take that as a sign of sibling harmony to come, okay?

Since then he’s been real life social smiling for the past couple of weeks, and now, at six weeks, he’s officially throwing gummy smiles all over the place. It’s the best. Really. Especially since there’s an emerging dimple on his right cheek.  

Eating :: Milk. 

So much. SO SO MUCH. Which accounts for his impressive weight gain. But then again, that’s partially my fault since my super power is MILK and I’ve been trying to manage an oversupply situation. Not necessarily related: Does anyone smell cabbage? 

Sleeping :: Just fine! Mostly. When he's touching a human. Though we do have the occasional night of fussy wakefulness, which usually heralds the onset of some serious rocket toots and then everything is alright again. 

Without any prompting from me (because if there’s one thing that I can’t do it’s consistency), Hugo has settled into a lose rhythm. He’s waking up at 7 AM, going down for two quick cat naps in the morning (usually at 9ish and again at 11ish) and then after lunch he’s been taking monster naps. He’s down for the night around 7 or 8, and wakes about every 2 or 3 hours. Though a few nights he’s shown promise by powering through four or five hour stretches! And then I wake up and declare EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!!! 

Also, my mum just demonstrated that Hugo can put his own self to sleep. Soother. Crib. ZZZZZzzzzzz. (I'll never have the fortitude to keep this going, however, so for the sake of sleep, she should probably just move in here, I think.)

Enjoying :: Mama Time

We had some quality time together, Hugo M Bear and I. With his sister away in Singapore with Mr. Chef and my mum, we hung out for three days doing not much more than napping in the golden afternoons, watching pirated DVDs and cooing at each other. Second (and subsequent) children never get that intense one-on-one attention that firstborns enjoy, so these few days were a lovely, peaceful treat for both of us. I’m telling you, I did not cook or clean one bit, and it was like being on the most delicious vacation.    

Loving :: 

Milk. His hammock. His bouncy chair. His sister. Feet jiggling and leg bicycling - this always elicits some nice smiles, and the occasional toot. Snuggles. Especially of the Mama variety. Napping the afternoon away curled up on his grandmother’s chest. The pacifier / soother / dummy (about which I have mixed feelings, but I’m thinking that HAPPY BABY wins out over hippie parenting dogma.) 

Loathing :: 

Burps and rocket farts (please see oversupply issues as mentioned above.) Hep B injections (oh, MY did he ever scream!!!) But that’s about it. This guy! He’s easy to please!

And now for a million Hugo pictures:

FYI I was inspired to structure this post thusly after reading Berlin By The Bay, which is a great little blog.