Train potty

I'm leaking milk onto my clothes, which don't fit quite right. Laundry seems to have exploded more than ever before and I'm scrubbing various stains out of many of my ill-fitting outfits more than I remember before. Sometimes, if it's been a few hours since I've nursed you, just thinking about your little face will make me let down. These boobs are not my own right now but I know they are your source of growth and nourishment, so I'll do my best to own them.

Notables from this past week:

Porter is smiling already!! I turn to mush when I see that gummy grin and love this milestone since it feels like, 'Hey, this kid might actually like me a little bit.' It's nice to feel loved by this little creature who is so loved by us! It seems early to see smiles at 4-5 weeks but I'll take it...never gets old.



He's still sleeping the same at night, up twice usually and back down without much fussing. I'm going to try using the co-sleeper instead of the MamaRoo now just because carrying the swing up and down the stairs every day is a hassle. And it's probably time that Porter starts sleeping relatively flat, I guess, but I sure hate to mess with a good thing. So we'll see, I promise nothing and still don't think P will sleep in a swing until high school either way. Daytime naps range from epic 3 hour stretches to just cat napping all day long for 10 minutes. Still looooooves to be held or worn for all naps and he's pulling the 'my eyes pop open as soon as you put me down' trick, no matter how tired he must be. So any nap that lasts more than 5 minutes in the swing or the Boppy is a big success in my book. If I held him or wore him all day he might sleep non-stop, he seriously loves it that much, and swaddles really help him snooze, too.









(got a Wubbanub pacifier and he loves it! So do I.)




Still nursing well but I had my first clogged duct last weekend and wanted to die from the pain. I actually thought it was quickly turning into mastitis (would have been my fourth time total with the Big M) but somehow I massaged the clog out and forced Porter to eat non-stop in addition to pumping. Something worked, thank goodness, but I sort of forgot how painful the clogs can be. I wish I knew what caused them for me----nothing really obvious, that's for sure.

I guess he's eating maybe every 2-3 hours during the day but I'm not tracking it at all. I'm trying to pump each day but many times the hours slip away and I just can't seem to work it into the routine consistently. Meh. Whatever. Not a huge priority at the moment, I suppose.



Porter still has acne but it's a little better this week and so far he doesn't have cradle cap. I know I'm severely biased but I think still think he is the most beautiful, handsome little fella out there---even with his pimples! He seems to be changing by the day, and is really coming into his own. Definitely not Truman's clone anymore! He's all Porter and it's fun to imagine what he'll look like as he gets bigger.

The best comparison I could do for 5 weeks---totally different, right? T v. P.


It's still pretty early to report on his personality but overall he seems extremely content and happy, especially if we are holding him/carrying him around. He will stare at windows and ceiling fans for a few minutes if I have to leave him alone but usually that doesn't last for long, and then he's like, 'Where did everyone go? I'm lonely! What am I supposed to do when I'm awake?' or something. P-man is not too crabby in the evenings anymore, and I find that we can usually fix the fussies with a swaddle, nursing/pacifier, and being held. SO much easier than a few weeks ago. He still screams as if the car seat is a torture device but the last two times in the van seemed a little less traumatizing. Allll about walking everywhere we can because the Ergo is 10000x more pleasant than the car seat! Bath time is hit or miss and he seems to love diaper changes for some reason---but really, he only freaks out in the car seat and sometimes if he's been awake/soaking it all in for too long and becomes overstimulated. Love this happy baby!! Even if he is cross eyed at times and this picture is a little blurry.


Before he let us have it for putting him in the seat


We haven't even had to use our secret weapon for our previous fussy babies: Dave Matthew's 'Two Step' and the iTunes visualizer were both in heavy rotation for Truman and Cecelia at this point. I still laugh when I think about Nate putting the co-sleeper directly in front of the TV at the duplex, blasting DMB, with the psychedelic visualizer flashing from the screen...such a hilarious sight to see my baby blankly staring at the boob tube at one month of age. But it worked to calm him down, and you better believe we will pull out all of the stops again if needed!

(at his one month appointment---no shots but even that didn't make him too angry. The car ride to and from did, of course).


Now that my mom is gone and it's just me with the kiddos during the day, I can see that Cecelia is going to be the most 'needy' child and the one who demands the most of my attention. Porter is easy compared to his two year old sister right now! But that's another post for another time. ;) I know this could change and hopefully it's just a phase but having three kids in general is not particularly overwhelming for me. There have been so many awesome moments when I feel like, 'I totally have this Mom of Three thing!' I mean, I was even brave enough to bake cookies with all three kids alone----bold move, indeed. I only had to raise my voice three times which is insane.


 But when Cecelia is inconsolable for some unknown reason, Porter needs to nurse, and Truman is whining about me providing him with the incorrectly colored drinking cup it's reeaaalllllly challenging to maintain my composure. Especially when it's been an off day for all of us and then the evening comes and we are all just OVER IT. Luckily there is plenty of coffee in the mornings, cold beer in the evenings, tomorrow is a new day, and kids are incredibly forgiving when mommy briefly loses her freaking mind.









So yeah, it's going pretty well so far with three kids and no other adult helpers during the day! A few rough patches here and there of course, but I'm typing this while two out of three kids nap, after a fun morning with this crew, and it's a Friday. So life is (currently) good;)






Life with three! Baby wearing and refereeing brawls in the bathtub.


First time to the Wisconsin State Fair also deserves it's own mention in this post. He slept 99% of the time we were there so he missed out on some great people-watching and didn't even get to see his first cream puff. Sad.











Attempted cloth specifically for this photoshoot. Will have to re-do it at some point because P was not happy about showing off his dipes. And CC's legs are obscenely long!!


And also, tummy time is seriously hilarious. Fatigues in about 10 seconds. Heavy head!







(Truman took this one and Porter's little hands under his chin make me laugh)


Because I don't remember anything about the early weeks with my other kids...
Cecelia at 5 weeks: she was spitting up huge amounts and was growing quite a bit, almost ready for 0-3 month outfits. Porter has not been a big spitter at ALL which is really appreciated and he has been in his 3 month outfits for a solid few weeks already. She was 10lbs 2oz at her check up which is just a little less than the boys, and I remember being shocked by that since CC seemed to much tinier than Tru! I had just done my first two nights alone with both kids, since Nate was out of town, and I survived with the help of my in-laws in the evenings. I think I could probably handle all three kids alone overnight now, too, since those 4:40-7:30 pm hours are already the WORST and I am on my own with those twice per week anyway. I didn't write about her nighttime sleep but I have a feeling it was pretty similar to the two wake ups Porter is boasting right now, too. And then it got really really horrendous so I just hope Porter doesn't follow suit with that sleep regression stuff.

Truman at 5 weeks: I was still forcing the kid to wear newborn clothes for some reason and I forgot about his little fall from a bouncy seat before this! He was just getting his acne and my mom had just left from a visit, so I was feeling kind of down about everything---specifically like I was NOT good enough at getting Truman to sleep. HA! He was on the verge of smiling, was sleeping really well with two wake ups around 3 am and 6 am (woah, even better than P), and I was kind of shocked at how often I had to nurse Fatty McGee. I was just coming to terms with feeding on demand and letting go of the concept of a 'schedule' with anything in life. Ah, to have just one child again with the energy to overanalyze it all.

So that's it! My boy is rocking the 5 week mark, for sure. And this post goes to show you that even though I thought there were nothing to report, I still managed to make this lengthy in words and included tons of pictures. Go figure.

Mister man is four weeks old today! He will be ONE MONTH on Monday and it's quite the paradox to feel shocked that it's 'only' been a few weeks with him, but shocked that he hasn't been with us forever. Because pregnancy seems like a different lifetime at this point and I can't really remember a day without my Porter on the outside.

Except sometimes I forget that I have three kids and feel slightly panicked, like I have to count heads to make sure we aren't missing anyone (and one of them is totally immobile, so I know this will only get worse with time). A few days ago I got really excited about taking Truman and Cecelia to McDonalds for dinner as a special treat with Mom here. After I told her my fabulous and carefree idea, I remembered that I also have a newborn who hates the car seat and is sometimes very fussy in the evenings. Oh yes. An evening out for a meal is a much bigger feat than it was four weeks ago! (It turned out fine, aside from hysterical crying by the baby and Cecelia at the end of the event. Happy Meals, french fries, and an ice cream cone means this was still a big win!)

I also catch myself calling Porter 'Tru' or even 'Sister' sometimes. Sorry about that, sweet third child of mine. It's okay, sometimes I call Nate 'Henry'. I'm losing it, obviously.

(duh, mom)


Porter has been a lot better in the evenings lately. I can feel myself relaxing a little bit more each day that passes because we are falling into a new sense of normal that feels a little less chaotic. He will still cry occasionally but we can usually find something that calms him down before The Blood Curdling Protests begin. Usually he just needs to eat, have his diaper changed, be swaddled, given the pacifier, and get walked around/carried a bit and he is out like a light. He could still flip a switch and get ridiculously angry and overstimulated at any time but the past week or so has been significantly more peaceful than the week prior. YAY for less fussiness! And yay for baby wearing because if I thought it was an important tool while juggling a newborn and a toddler, it's even more crucial with a preschooler, a toddler and a newborn. It's either wear the newborn or grow two extra arms in order to survive daily tasks at this point;)

Of course, little man still tweaks in the car but luckily we haven't pushed him to his limits in that torture device of a car seat too often. It's quite sad to hear him screaming until he sounds like a creature from a different world but I really don't know what else to do, aside from step on the gas and pray that we don't hit every red light on the way home from whatever excursion seemed like a good idea before the crying started. Let's hope this phase passes soon (like, tomorrow!).

(before the inevitable tweak-fest)


Porter is a really good sleeper and a fantastic eater. Still posting big numbers on the sleep scale with two wake ups per night, usually 3-5 hour stretches. Still loves his MamaRoo for all sleeping activities but I'm noticing that he can soothe himself to sleep a little better now and doesn't always need to be held or nursed to sleep. That's big time!! He sleeps a lot during the day with solid naps ranging from 1-3 hours in length and is now awake for a good hour at a time and is mostly content/very alert when he isn't snoozing the day away. I just realized that he is probably old enough to start looking at toys and we found Truman's old dangly elephant rattle thingy that went above his changing table----baby brother loves that elephant, too! Interacting more with him is fun and he's even flashed a few grins at us. Without gas that follows, so it feels like a 'real' smile even!





He's nursing very well, usually from both sides, with less and less coughing and popping on/off as we go along. No real schedule for feeding him but I'm guessing he averages about every 2-3 hours during the day for a session, sometimes more in the evenings, and still pretty efficient with about 10 minutes on each side. He needs a little more help with burping than I remember doing for the other kids and his old man farts are amazing, too. He'll grunt around and seem very antsy until he can burp or poop but after that he usually sleeps like a dream----I love how hard he has to work to get his tiny GI system moving. Newborns are so freaking adorable and helpless and pathetic at times!

(Lol. Stink face)


When I remember to practice tummy time, Porter rocks it and seems very strong to me. I had Nate give P his first bottle just yesterday and he gulped down 2 ounces like it was nothing. Whew! I figured he would do well with it but I'm glad Porter is officially nothing like Cecelia when it comes to bottle acceptance;) I'm pumping daily now and working on growing that freezer stash while on maternity leave.

Mister man has baby acne already, it comes and goes and looks worse when he is crying or after a feeding. I've heard that doing a 'breast milk facial' can help so you better believe I'm slathering him with milk since I figure it can't hurt! Plus if he pulls off the breast during a let down, he gets sprayed in the eyes anyway so I might as well push it a little further to battle the baby zits.

(also a bit cross eyed sometimes...)




He's seriously huge, though. I don't know but he is definitely a lot bigger than my other kids were right now. Last week he was about 10.5 pounds and I have yet to weigh him this week---but the 3 month clothes fit perfectly and have for at least a week or two. We finally finished off our newborn diapers because they were a little bit obscene, lacking modesty for our chunker with 'barely there' coverage in the thigh and belly region. Slow down, Porter-man!!

(These are size 1s but can we please talk about that round little belly?!?!)


(even seems kind of big next to big sister at times...who is working hard to avoid smothering him with aggressive hugs)


(obsessed with collared rompers for this child. OBSESSED)


Another notable is that my mom is still visiting us but her seventeen-day trip is coming to an end this weekend. I cannot even imagine how sad we will all feel when she flies back to Colorado. There really aren't words to describe how amazing it's been to have her here---seriously, so freaking awesome, we've been incredibly fortunate to have her here for so long. I know I can handle the kiddos without her but it's just 100x easier with her here and I'm going to miss the crap out of our GoGo! Like, woah.



Reading back over Truman's four week post had me smiling all the way through. Man, he was a chill little (fat) dude back then! He loved being out and about, so he definitely beats Porter with the ability to be in the car seat without hysterics. He had taken a bottle like a champ, was sleeping about 3-4 hour stretches at night, and hated baths. I was falling in love with being Truman's mom and shocked myself by the type of mom I was becoming. I couldn't have predicted that I'd go with the flow, without imposing a schedule right away. I didn't know that I'd feel most comfortable with T sleeping in our room instead of his crib in the nursery. I just had no idea what it would be like to be a mom and after four weeks, I realized that I was totally obsessed. It certainly helped to have an 'easy' baby to get us going down the path of parenthood!!

Then Cecelia's one month post (didn't do a four weeker) made me realize that she really was a pistol, even back then. She hated all pacifiers, rejected the bottle from the first try, hated her car seat, and didn't like to sleep anywhere but our arms. Ah, yes---my little lady knew what she liked, even back then! She was also sleeping the same as her two brothers at this age---about a 3-4 hour stretch, meaning two night time wake ups. This scares me because Porter could still take a major turn towards the HORRIBLE SLEEPER department like his big sister did. It seems like she was a lot more fussy in the evenings than Porter is right now though. And she didn't have baby acne until about 5 weeks, which was the same asTruman, actually---so Porter is ahead of the pimple curve on that one, I guess.

I think overall, having Porter as our third child means that these first weeks have been sweeter and more cherished. There's not as much time to overanalyze every small decision we make with him, and we are just going with the flow since our perspective has changed over time. He only sleeps in his swing? Okay, so what? He won't sleep in there when he's starting school. He likes to be held? Done and done, I have no problem snuggling this sweet baby while I can. Sure, it's totally different having a newborn when there are also two other children to divide my attention. Porter *has* to be a little more chill because he isn't the focus of our entire world like Truman was as a baby, and he isn't quite as demanding as Cecelia used to be (ahem, still is?). He may have to fuss around a little bit more and wait his turn for mommy while I tend to his older siblings, but he really doesn't seem to mind too much. Basically, he is a great third child/baby of the family already;)



So yeah, the combination of this being our third baby along with having mom here to help for the past two weeks has made for a really awesome transition…so far! I'm not naive enough to jinx things by claiming this is a walk in the park because it's more like run while wearing a blind-fold: quite unpredictable, definitely stressful at times, and worthy of an alcoholic beverage in the evenings.

But (excuse the mushiness and optimism here) Porter is a wonderful baby and we cannot get enough of those chubby, pimply cheeks. I don't know how my heart made room to love another baby THIS MUCH but oh, I could just burst when I see these three little monsters of ours. It's wild. We have three kids and life is crazy but pretty freaking fantastic.

Porter P seems to be aging at a rapid pace now and I swear I just wrote his four month post yesterday. He is five months old and that seems impossible on all fronts: in one way it seems like he's been here forever and should be much older, and in another sense it feels like his birthday couldn't have possibly been five WHOLE months ago. Again: Time is a wicked beast, isn't it?







It goes without saying that I am completely obsessed with Porter, possibly even more so with each passing day. This is a SUPER fun stage of babyhood for me in general, since we are settled into a sort of routine, sleeping a little better, and he isn't mobile or naughty just yet;) Adding to the general fun of five months, is the fact that Porter might be the happiest baby in the history of ever. For real. He smiles his face off, will laugh at us when we make a funny face or sound, and he's extremely ticklish. His happiness definitely rubs off on the rest of us because how can you be sad when this little chub is grinning back at you?









Porter is also really into blowing raspberries, squealing, and drooling buckets of saliva this month. He needs a bib most days and I guess he is 'teething' but I'm not expecting an actual tooth to pop until six months----when the other two kids got their first teeth. P is putting everything in his mouth (i.e. clothes, toys, my hands, etc) and is really focused on reaching for objects. I love when babies get this super serious look on their faces as they aim their pudgy palms at something in front of them. Love it. He enjoys gnawing on our (albino, very aged) Sophie the Giraffe and still loves his play yard with dangling animals for added delight.





(very advanced, checking his social media)


He isn't rolling over yet, but just like his siblings he is mastering the side-roll. Porter actually did roll from his tummy to back for the first time this month, but it was totally on accident since his heavy noggin tipped his center of mass a little past the balance point one day in the kitchen. He was as shocked as I was when his bald head smacked the hard wood. Sorry, buddy! P can sorta kinda prop sit but usually he just goes right for his toes in the mouth when he is sitting on our laps or on the couch. He's discovered his feet and apparently they are just as tasty as his hands!



(picking out his first Christmas tree was the highlight of his week, obvi).




Porter took his first triple bath with his crazy siblings, using the Bumbo seat like CC used to do. I forgot the secret trick of using very little water in the tub to prevent Bumbo flotage, so I had to hold him down the entire time while praying he didn't flip out of there somehow. But subsequent sessions have been much less scary. He also sits in his (new to us) Boon highchair now during some meals, instead of always sitting on my lap. And seriously, this kid wants FOOD NOW. We haven't done any rice cereal or oatmeal yet and I think we'll probably skip that stuff again and head right to veggies once he hits six months. Because, again, I like to do things the same between all kids, I guess. But I'm sure Porter would love to get a nibble of real food right now as he stares down every bite we take and reaches for my drinking glass all of the time. I find it hilarious when he watches one of the big kids eating and Porter will open his mouth like a tiny baby bird, as if to say, 'Feed me that food now, dudes.' He might be a big eater when the time comes. I picture two teenage boys eating us out of house and home in our future!





(already a teenager here)


These two!


His diet consists of breast milk and formula still, and Porter is all business when it comes to his bottles. Do not mess around and remove the rubber nipple from his mouth until every ounce is finished, guys. He will make you pay for that nonsense. We'll start with my favorite and preferred method to feed my baby: nursing. Porter will nurse before bedtime and falls asleep while doing so, which I seriously love. Then in the middle of the night, I will nurse him back down once and sometimes twice when he wakes up. I'm sure he would prefer that I make him a fatty bottle at those 3 and 5 am wake ups but nope, sorry buddy. Not usually at least! I am pumping once a day now and sometimes I skip it all together, so my supply is obviously dwindling like crazy now. I only get about 2 ounces when I pump and therefore it's kind of silly to invest the time and effort into setting up the pump, pumping, and washing it all after for just two measly ounces that get mixed into a formula bottle anyway. I've been saying that my goal is to have Porter get breast milk until six months and I suppose as long as he is nursing at night, he could go without the pumped milk during the day. We will see, but my supply is finally taking the hint that this child is rarely nursing. Still so crazy that my baby prefers bottles with a passion!

Don't play, mom.


Don't you dare stop this part of your day, Porter.


Hard to be sad about minimal nursing when he is this happy (and healthy):


As for his bottles, he is like clockwork and will squawk for a bottle every three hours on the dot. He drinks 6 oz at a time, and it usually works out to have a bottle around 7:30, 10:30, 1:30, and 5:00. Then he still gets a dream feed bottle before Nate goes to bed around 10:30. He will nurse to bed before that bottle around 7:00 or 7:30 and then wakes up usually once but sometimes twice a night. I mean, the kid is far from starving and I really do think he is happiest when fed and full. He doesn't spit up a ton, considering how much he will drink, but this month he had a little cold for a few days and was congested and sneezy. He did spit up more when he was so snotty and it seemed like he didn't want to eat as much, either, but luckily that didn't last too long. Porter is fat-n-happy, wearing 9 month outfits and size 3 diapers. He is probably about 16 pounds at this point and has the best rolls. Not as huge as Truman was at this age but not exactly tiny, either.







(oh yes, another first---Thanksgiving! He did great on the day trip to Chicago).


Porter isn't a fantastic napper just yet, but it seems like he is figuring out the concept of sleeping somewhere besides my arms. He wakes for the day around 7ish and needs his first nap by 9:00. That first one is usually a quickie, maybe just 30 minutes or so and sometimes we are out and about in the car or Ergo for this nap. Then he will take a longer nap around 11:00 or so, but usually he wakes up in his crib after 45 minutes and needs to be rocked back down. I will do this a few times during his nap which is not ideal but whatever, I guess, and I'll give up after 1:00 and will let him wake up for good. Then he needs another power nap in the evenings, usually around 4:00 or 4:30. Again, this one might be in the Ergo as I prepare dinner but sometimes he will allow a short crib nap at this time. So all in all, naps are fine but not awesome---would really love it if Porter could sleep for longer than 45 minutes without being snuggled/rocked, but I can't complain too much since I love his cuddles;)







Reading back over Truman's five month post and also Cecelia's, I learned a few things: I should probably pull out the exersaucer, my kids are never big rollers at this age, and Porter miiiiiiiiight be a better sleeper than his siblings were at this age. Way to go buddy!! He is also the only one getting formula and refusing to nurse so I definitely feel like he owes me FANTASTIC sleep in return. We're getting there and with his extreme happiness, I know we have it pretty freaking good over here with this babe. Also, I think all three babies look really similar but are also their own little people. And they are all disgustingly cute at five months. I still catch myself calling Porter 'Truman' because their big bald heads are twin features.









But I don't know, I see a bit of CC in Porter, too.


And seriously, Porter loves his older siblings so much already and will smile at them as soon as he notices they are in the room. The feeling is mutual because both Truman and Cecelia love to be all up in Porter's biz. These outtakes from my five month photoshoot say it all. Both of the bigs demanded to be in the pictures and we got some great 'real life' shots.









Yes, they love him so much we had to continue the sibling shots in our bed.






Porter, you are simply awesome and we love watching you grow. Keep on being your happy self, buddy. Love you so much.

Mommy