One Month!

*So Matthias is seven weeks old already but I had been jotting down all the relevant info as it was happening for his one month post. Better late than never is my motto!*

First off, the whole experience of having a singleton is really special and I am very thankful we were blessed with the opportunity to do so.  Fellow twin moms had told me how great it was going to be and it has definitely lived up to it. That said, having two toddlers in addition to the newborn means that time is flying by. I feel so behind on household chores as well as things like thank you cards and personal correspondence. Waking up this morning I was just remembering how fast this time goes by and how fleeting it is.  If it takes me way longer to get stuff done, that is okay because I am still in survival mode and ultimately I want to focus and prioritize on eternal rather than temporal things.  Some day the laundry will be folded and put away in the same day it is washed but for now I want to enjoy my young children and my husband.  All that to say, I am learning to be more flexible and to not create false standards of holiness for myself.

Matthias meeting his older brothers for the first time.  We got it all on video. Abraham repeatedly said "I love baby brother.  I want to kiss him."  And he has not stopped wanting to hug and kiss his baby brother.

First day at home and trying his swing for the first time.

Matthias was born with a thick head of dark hair.  At the hospital we could already see that he had light roots and sure enough within the first month it has lightened up quite a bit.  He had sparse eyelashes when he was born but they have grown in nicely within that first month as well.  I wonder if his hair color will end up being lighter than his older brothers based on what we see right now.  It is pretty cute because he also has very thick hair on the outside of his ears. He has the cutest dimple on his left cheek.  His eyes appear to be very blue already so we shall see if his eyes stay that way.  Since he looks like his papa's baby pictures and is already much bigger than Big Man Winston was at the same age, we affectionately call him Little Beef. 

Five days old-- sunbathing for his jaundice.

From the get go he was a fantastic eater with no latch issues.  The Lord answered my prayers on that one. My milk also came in within 48 hours which was a huge blessing since it took more than five days after our twins were born.  Post-partum complications such as hemorrhages can delay lactation so I was thankful that I just kept Matthias continually latched and my body did what it was supposed to.  Matthias was slightly jaundiced but not nearly as bad as the older boys were and some time in the sun plus lots of milk completely cleared it up within ten days. He had an issue with having days and nights mixed up in the first week but we got that figured out pretty quickly. He liked to cluster feed and would eat continuously in the early evening hours.  We have had a fair amount of the witching hour issues in the evening as well but nothing nearly as difficult as the colic issues we had with the twins.  He is a super cuddly baby boy so a lot of his fussiness issues are cured by holding him and just loving on him. It is a win-win situation.

At his first doctor's appointment with his pediatrician, Matthias was four days old and weighed 8 lbs. 14 oz.  At the home visit with the nurse (program funded by the hospital he was born at) when he was eight days old, he already weighed 9 lbs. 2 oz.  I was excited to see how quickly he was regaining his birth weight.  At his one month appointment, Matthias was just 3.5 weeks and already weighed 10 lbs. 4 oz.  and was 23 inches.  Matthias was only in newborn clothes for about two weeks and then he he was clearly too big for them.  He graduated into 0-3 month clothing and size 1 diapers from there.  It was a very bittersweet feeling for me.  I was so happy he was gaining and growing like he should but I wanted him to stay little for a while longer.  It is all such a contrast to our twins.

Proud Papa and Little Beef

3.5 weeks--so strong already!

Classic Matthias Stinkeye

We are so thankful for this beautiful baby boy!  He is a wonderful blessing!

Matthias' Birth and Hospital Stay

As promised, I finally went through the photos of Matthias' birth and our hospital stay.  I realized that with an approximately 36 hour stay in the hospital with a singleton there are a lot less photos to share than with the four day stay we had with the older boys.  Eric and I commented how much more mellow the whole experience was this time.  It has a lot to do with the fact that we were second time parents (really third time parents?) this time around and had a singleton.  We really got to soak in the whole experience with Matthias' birth and it was an immense blessing.  Hope you enjoy the pictures.  I know going through them made me already nostalgic even though it was only just over five weeks ago.

  

Last belly shot--39 weeks and 6 days based on my official due date.

I was obviously in between contractions here.

Meeting my beautiful son.

He got a lot of kisses.

I was so happy. 

Healthy 9 lbs. 4 ozs.

After his wipe down and eye ointment.

Good morning!

Those sweet little cheeks!

Meeting Grampa Guddat

Meeting Aunty Ally

Proud Papa

Grandma and Grandpa Sybrandy arrived that afternoon

Proud and happy parents

In his going home outfit--it says "Awesome Brother"

Ready to go home for the real adventure!

Matthias' Birth Story

Our little Matthias is a month old today!  Oddly enough for having had a baby so recently, it feels like the time has been much longer than that.  I think it is because we cannot imagine him not being here with us. He brings a huge sense of joy and completion to our family so it is hard to remember that he was not here just a little while ago.

Matthias is doing great and is growing like a weed.  I need to get cracking on his one month update but I finally just now got his birth story done.  The birth story has been added to the blog's pages near our description but you can also click here and check it out.  Just please be forewarned that it is novella length and it actually could have been even more detailed if I had not shown restraint. I have been piecing together the story of his arrival for the last three weeks but it is hard to finish a writing project with three kids two years old and under.  I was really hoping to get through some photos of his birthday to add to the blog tonight still but I am already barely making the midnight cut off.  Matthias went to bed about an hour ago...finally.  I think I should join him.  Hopefully I can add some photos here soon and you can enjoy his birth story for now.