William: 3 Year Dr Appt

3 Year Stats

Weight: 31.8 lb (usually between 32-33 lbs when we weigh him at home) (52%)

Length: 38.2 in (70%)

Eating: William is still a good eater! He eats what we eat for the most part, we usually don't have to make a special meal for him. His favorite food is hot dogs :) He eats more veggies at daycare than he will for us at home, but he's got peer pressure there. 

Naps: William is still rocking an afternoon nap each day. He eats lunch and then we have some quiet time & watch a show (Rescue Bots, Octonaughts, PJ Masks, Paw Patrol) before putting him down about 1:30/1:45pm. He sleeps about two hours, getting up about 4pm. He is quiet when he wakes up, so sometimes we don't know that he's awake and go into his room to find him playing in his bed.

Bedtime: No more crib! Bret took the front off the crib so now William has a big boy bed. William goes down for bed by 7:45pm. We read a few books, say our prayers, and sing some songs as he gets tucked in for sleep. During the week, William gets up about 7am and on weekends about 8am. His morning demeanor wavers, he is either up and ready to go or acts like he could sleep another hour. He takes after his mom and his dad, it seems.

Undies: No more diapers at this house! William wears size 3T undies all day & pull-ups for nap and nighttime. But he is getting better and better at waking up dry!

Clothes: William has switched over to 3T in shirts and pants. Some of his 3T pants are even a little short. He is apparently tall (not sure where he got that from!).

Favorites: William is always moving! If he can skip or run instead of walk, that's what he will choose. He has an amazing disposition and is a happy little guy. Now that he's big, he can play with the other big kids. He's getting better and better at his scooter & riding his tricycles. He is like his dad and wants to be outside as much as possible. I try to get him outside as much at the weather will allow.

Dislikes: William likes to be independent. He wants to be able to do everything on his own. When he needs help, Bret has taught him to try one more time. If he still can't do it, he tells us, "I tried, but I still need help." This has been working so far! Other times, he thinks he needs help to do something we know he can do. We tell him to try his best and usually he figures out a way to do it.

Development: He is definitely at or above where he should be in speech development. He went from saying just one or two words to speaking in 5 or 6 word sentences. We can understand 95% of what he says. When we don't know what he is saying or what he means with his words, he is very good to repeat himself or try to say it a different way. William has good coordination as well. He plays well and can stay focused when he is on his scooter or kicking a soccer ball. We have harped on him enough that he always holds our hands in parking lots & busy areas. When he colors with crayons or markers, he switches between his left and right hand so we aren't sure where he's at with that yet. Same with eating. I ask him to help me in doing his laundry. He puts his pants away in their drawer & finds matches with his socks. Trying to train him!

Looking Forward To: I am looking forward to seeing how William's speech development and recognizing letters. He is getting better at knowing his capital letters and sometimes even the sounds they make. Bret and I have discussed starting PreK next fall.

Dr. Appt: Clean bill of health and development from Dr. Nash! He has his sensitive skin & need to be sure to put sensitive lotion on him nightly. No shots at this appt besides his flu shot.

According to our doctor, what we need to be working on between now & his next appointment (3 year appointment): 
-Have conversations and explain things to William wherever we are (at home, in the car, at store)

-Reading books (done!)

-Exploring his environment

-Practice gross and fine motor skills

-Reward good behavior & discourage bad behavior (redirection or brief timeout suggested)

-Offering choices to William so he can practice making decisions instead of just telling him how it's going to be

-Brushing teeth (should have first dentist visit soon)

 

showing off his muscles

William: 18 Months

18 Month Stats

Weight: 25 lbs 10 oz (I was shocked at this, I thought he'd be closer to 30 lbs!) (70%)

Length: 33 in (71%)

Head Circumference: 18.75 in (57%)

Eating: William eats like a man, for the most part. He eats pretty much anything we put in front of him (still no green beans!). He will have his whole portion and ask for more. He is great about eating fruits, but we need to get him to eat more fresh veggies as well. We give him squeeze pouches that are veggies purees, so he's getting some but not the real deal. His favorite thing to eat is tortillas, we can give them to him with any meal and he will be happy. In fact, we usually have to delay giving him any tortilla so we are sure he eats the other food on his tray ;)

Bedtime: Bedtime hasn't wavered over the summer. He still goes down for bed by 7:45pm. He (knock on wood) has always been a great sleeper, as soon as we got him to sleep in long stretches. Because it's summer and we don't have to rush to daycare, I get him up in the morning between 7:30-8am. It goes back and forth, he is either up and ready to go or acts like he could sleep another twenty minutes.

Naps: Just one nap a day for Will. He starts getting a little grumpy around 11:45am, but then perks back up for lunch. He eats and then we have some quiet/calm play time before putting him down about 12:30/12:45pm. He sleeps for a solid two & a half hours, sometimes three! He is quiet when he wakes up, so sometimes we don't know that he's awake and go into his room to find him playing in his crib.

Diapers: Size 4s & overnights 4s 

Clothes: William is fully into his 18 month clothes. There are a couple 12 month shirts he can wear, but getting them over his head is difficult and they are a little short on him. 12 month shorts/pants are a no-go for sure! I'm sure we will be into the 24 month/2T soon enough.

Bret and I went through all of his clothes (we have some all the way through 5T) and got it all sorted and organized. This kid has a lot of clothing!

Favorites: Being on the go is definitely a favorite. When we were at his 18 month appt, the nurse said, "Man, he just doesn't stop!" Nope, Will is always moving! If there's something happening, he wants to be part of it and won't be happy until he is. That said, he has an amazing disposition and is a happy little guy. But he knows when it's naptime/bedtime and you better let him have it ;) He loves to eat as well. There's not too much he hasn't liked that he's tried (green beans, of course) and he loves his afternoon snack after his nap. He likes to watch and play with big kids at the park. He thinks he's big like them and wants to do all the fun stuff they can do.

Dislikes: William does not like not being able to do something on his own. He will try and try before whining and asking/yelling for help. Other times, he thinks he needs help to do something we know he can do. We tell him to try his best and usually he figures out a way to do it.

Development: William is working on coordination and speech development. He can get up stairs very easily now, crawling. Going down the stairs is a different story. He thinks he should be able to just step like we do, but that doesn't work out so well. He is learning to sit & scoot or hang on to an available railing. I make him walk as much as possible when we go places. He walks & holds my hand (which I love!!) in the parking lot from car to building and when we are inside of places that don't have carts. He hasn't started pulling away too much and I let him know he has two choices: hold a hand or be held; he usually chooses to hold a hand. He stacks his toys and throws a ball (working on promoting the left-handed throw!). He moves from standing to squatting to sitting and back very fluidly and doesn't have problems ducking under tables or moving around objects. He uses a fork and spoon when eating, though sometimes he just holds them and uses other hand to feed himself. He has started to prefer to have his food given to him in bowls or plates instead of just on his tray. I'm thinking he wants to be a big kid and that's how big kids eat!

Words he can say: dada, mama, shhhh (he does this when Bret is sleeping during the day), Nemo, ball, hat, truck, baseball, basketball, down, let's go!, snack, Pop Pop, Nana, Papa, nana (banana), night-night, bye-bye, belly, toes, doctor, a variety of animal sounds (woof, baa, neigh, eee-ahhh, moo, quack)
*He understands so much more than he can say. We can give him directions or as him questions and he will comply. He likes to get Bret's shoes for him when he's getting ready for work, he's gotten good at finding the matches.

Looking Forward To: I am excited for the rest of the summer and having fun together. I try to get out of the house with him at least once a day. It makes me feel better that we aren't being noisy for Bret to sleep and the change of scenery is good for both William & me.

Dr. Appt: Clean bill of health and development from Dr. Nash! He has his sensitive skin & a little excema so we are sure to lather him with sunscreen anytime we go out & have cream for any itches he gets. She said that he is right at average or above average for his measurements. She will be able to better predict his future height at his 2 year appt. No shots at this appt and he won't need any until December (besides the flu shot), then he's done until kindergarten!

According to our doctor, what we need to be working on between now & his next appointment (2 year appointment): 
-Continue to support coordination & gross/fine motor skills and his language skills
-Listen to music & sing to him
-Read book (check!)
-Keep discipline brief (quick time outs for tantrums) and be sure to give choices to avoid behavior
-Eat together for family time and to model utensil skills
-Allow for expression of feelings and recognize/name them ("I understand you are mad right now. What can we do to help?" "You are smiling so you must be happy!")
-Model, model, model- he's watching us all the time and mimicking everything we do

Paging Dr. Brown

William: 15 Months

15 Month Stats

Weight: 23lb & 10oz (64%)

Length: 32 inches (80%)

Head Size: 18.5 inches (56%)

Eating: Everything! But, for real, nothing is really off limits. William had a couple Doritos and loved them (although I wasn't crazy about him having it). Bret gives him SMALL bites of a donut on Sunday mornings (that's our donut day!). Will doesn't have a lot of sugar as we don't give him juice, cookies, or much desserts. At this time, blueberries, strawberries, and yogurt drops are his desserts. He drinks ultra-filtered whole milk and water throughout the day. We do need to get better at giving him a variety of vegetables. Hopefully, during the summer we can get to some farmers' markets and get some fresh food for him!

Bedtime: William is maintaining a good 7:40pm bedtime right now. We have a bedtime routine down of starting a sippy of milk and pjs about 7pm, playing with low lights in his room, saying bye to Bret if it's a work night, brushing teeth after he drinks his milk, one last diaper change, a story, and prayers. He cuddles with his blanket on our laps when he is read to. Then, it's into the crib with one blanket to cuddle and one to cover up with. He is doing great at night! I wake him about 7am on weekdays and let him sleep in on weekend (& spring break), but get him up by 7:40am. I think during the summer, I'll just let him wake whenever he wakes, not go in there to get him up. Especially with just taking one nap now.

Naps: We are currently in the middle of transitioning to one nap a day. He has been on this schedule at daycare almost from day on, but taken two naps here at home consistently. I guess we aren't as exciting as daycare, nothing to stay up and watch. It makes for a long morning, but Will goes to bed about 12:45/1:00 and sleeps between 2-3 hours. He even fell asleep on me which hasn't happened in a long time. I try to keep him busy in the morning to wear him out!

Diapers: Still rockin' size 3 & moved to overnight diapers for nighttime sleep

Clothes: Will wears 12mo shirts & pants (moving out of onesies for the most part), although the neck hole is getting a little tight over his head and the pants are getting a bit short. In sleepers, he has moved up to 18mo. I wanted to be sure they weren't too tight on him while he slept. I did get out all of his 10mo clothes and wash them so we are ready for them now! I love looking at the fun clothes he has so wear!

Favorites: I am so thankful for his Aden & Anais blankets (like these)! He loves them so much!! When he is upset about anything, they comfort him almost more than Bret or I can. He also knows they mean it's time to get cozy and go to sleep. He will get them from his crib and bring them to us, letting us know he is sleepy.

He also loves household items more than his toys. His current favorites are the broom & dustpan. He had a meltdown when I took them away from him so we could get him in the stroller and go for a walk. He likes to imitate Bret and I cleaning (Dr said this is great!). He also enjoys the silicone baking pans to be worn as hats and the old tried & true, the half-full water bottle.

One of our favorite thing he has started doing is stamping his feet when he gets excited! It's like he cannot contain his excitement and has to let it out somehow. He does a little dance next to us (if we are holding what he wants) or next to they object/toy that riles him up. Usually it has to do with food, William's great love.

Dislikes: Diaper changes are not a favorite of Will! I usually try to have something ready to distract him so get the deed done. When he doesn't get his way, sometimes he throws whatever is in his hands and/or has a mini-tantrum. We do our best to ignore him & say, "You're okay, buddy, that's just not a choice right now." Again, distraction works wonders for this!

Development: William is working on communication. He says: dada (most said word!), mama, nana (banana), na (snack/food), soe (shoe), ha (hat), oof oof (woof woof, when there is a dog), and signs 'more' and 'all done'. When it's time to eat, all we have so say is, "Let's eat, get to your chair" and he runs to his high chair and smacks it until we lift him into it. He understands most of what we say to him, asking him to do/not do things. We need to point out colors, the names of random things (environmental print), and count things as well.

He recognizes more and more people, in person and in pictures/videos. He loves to FaceTime with Mila & Nellie. When he hears the FaceTime ring, he runs over to my phone to watch the video of them pop up. They always make funny faces and silly noises to get him to smile. I love that they can see each other even with miles & miles between us!!

William is a rock star walker. Walking wasn't fast enough, so he wants to run everywhere he goes! His balance is great and he moves over uneven surfaces pretty well. Will is almost always carrying something in his hands/arms, but doesn't let that slow him down.

Looking Forward To: I am looking forward to summer break with William! I know it will be a lot of togetherness & I may even regret saying that. But he has awesome grandparents that {thankfully} love watching him and give me a break from the non-stop William Show.

According to our doctor, what we need to be working on between now & his next appointment (18 month appointment): 

-teaching him the names of body parts (he has nose and eyes pretty well; and belly!)

-independent play (which he will do, but he likes someone to be in the room with him)

-can introduce crayons, but encourage them to be used on paper as opposed to being eaten!

-consistent with rules

Upcoming milestones to watch for: 

-indicate what they want by pointing & grunting instead of crying

-waving "hi" and "bye" consistently

-continuing to imitate our actions (e.g., doing housework, cooking, laundry)

-understand what "no" means

-expanding vocabulary

*Dr. Nash gave William a clean bill of health and said he is doing great in all his development areas!

outtake :)

the table is now a chair, it gets flipped daily

a little tow nail clipping with your milk

Life is fun!

slides are beginning to be exciting, not scary

Twelve Month Dr Appt

Twelve Month Dr Appt

Today was William's twelve month appointment. He weighs 21lb 8oz (53%). He was measured at 20in long (52%).  His head measured at 18.25 around (58%). Will is comfy in the "normal/average" zone with all of his measurements!

She listened to his heart & lungs and looked in his eyes & ears, which are all great. Except that Will has an ear infection in his right ear. He hasn't shown any signs... or we just passed them off as teething fussiness. He's on antibiotics for the next ten days that should clear everything right up (going back Jan. 2 to check him again). Will was not excited to show Dr. Nash his teeth, but he loved the light she had. Crazy that he didn't have any teeth at his 9mo appt, but he has six teeth full in and three more poking through now! With his red hair, fair skin, & sensitive skin gene from his mama, William has patches of baby eczema all over. Dr. Nash told us to stop using his J&J after bath lotion and use Cetaphil instead. She also wrote him a prescription to help clear up the redness. The eczema does not seem to bother him, but I'm sure the dry skin can't be comfortable.

Because Will is a year now, no foods are off limits. He can have whole milk now (organic/non-hormone is recommended). He still needs dairy, but it doesn't have to all from breastmilk/formula. It can come from yogurt, cheeses, whole milk, etc. Will is enjoying eating table food with us and is right where he needs to be developmentally.

Count 'em: FOUR shots today! He has tree vaccines and his flu shot booster. Plus (this was the saddest of it all), they had to draw blood to check his levels and check for anemia. Two nurses and Bret & I had to work together to hold him still so they could get two vials from him. In true William fashion, he was upset while it happened & but was smiles again as soon as it was over. He has such a pleasant demeanor!

According to our doctor, what we need to be working on between now & his next appointment (15 month appointment)

-cuddles, love, and snuggling :)

-reading to William each day - language development!!

-encourage talking & praise William for trying to communicate

-start talking about and naming different body parts & animal sounds

-maintain a bedtime routine & putting baby to bed when they are awake so they can self-soothe

-encourage independent play for William as well as playing with others, promote sharing & kindness

-be consistent with discipline; most of the time distraction can be a discipline took; time-out (one minute for each year of age)

Upcoming milestones to watch for:

-respond to his name and possibly understanding a few words

-pick up, shake, throw, and bang objects together

-may show preference for one hand, but will usually try both hands on and off (Bret is still hoping for a lefty)

-starting to understand the meaning of "no", try not to overuse it (use redirection instead)

Nine Month Dr Appt

Nine Month Doctor's Appointment

Today was William's nine month appointment. He weighs 18lb 9oz (32%); weighed closer to 19lb on a different scale last week. He was measured at 28.5in long (61%).  His head measured at 17.75 around (54%). Will continues to stay out of the "watch zone" on his weight. He's still on the small side, but he's still going strong!

She listened to his heart & lungs and looked in his eyes & ears, which are all great. Will did not want to show Dr. Nash his gums/non-teeth, but he loved the light she had. His Dr recommended Tylenol or Motrin for any pain and suggested staying away from numbing things like oragel. Will has been a snotty mess the last couple of days and his gums are a little puffy, but he hasn't been any more irritable than usual. Not sure when those teeth are coming!

Dr did told us to continue three square meals a day with solids. Grains and fruit for breakfast, fruit and veggie at lunch, and a protein and veggie for dinner. But continue nursing/formula as that is there he is getting most of his nutrients now and for the rest of his first year.

No shots today! But flu shot next month and three shots at the 12 month appt :/

According to our doctor, what we need to be working on between now & his next appointment (12 month appointment)

-cuddles, love, and rocking :)

-reading to William each day!!

-encourage the babbling, cooing, & squealing Will does each day -- work on consonant sounds (mamama, dadada, bababa, gagaga, etc.); imitating the sounds we make

-start talking about and naming different body parts and animal sounds

-maintain a bedtime routine & putting baby to bed when they are awake so they can self-soothe

-be consistent with discipline; most of the time distraction can be a discipline took

Upcoming milestones to watch for:

-standing on own and cruising along furniture

-recognizing voices & faces beyond just mom and dad

-recognizing self in a mirror

-work on stacking blocks & putting objects into a cup

-clapping & passing toys between hands

Next Appt- twelve month appt in December

Six Month Dr Appt

Six Month Doctor's Appointment

Today was William's six month appointment. He weighs 16lb & 6.5oz (20%). He was measured at 27.25in long (73%).  His head measured at 17.25in around (65%). Will is out of the "watch zone" on his weight! We've been trying to fatten him up with a supplement of formula each day and now solids.

She listened to his heart & lungs and looked in his eyes & ears, which are all great. Will showed off his leg strength by kicking almost the whole time he was being examined and his Dr said he is so strong. William rolled over while she was talking to us and did his attempting to crawl movements. Will isn't sitting on his own yet (something to work on), but she said it might not be long 'til he's crawling around. He already does a little bit of an army crawl to get himself closer to toys. 

No teeth yet, but he may by the next time he has a well-baby check up. His Dr recommended Tylenol or Motrin for any pain and suggested staying away from numbing things like oragel. She also said that some kids drool and have terrible pain along with teething while others just get teeth like it's a normal day. I'm hoping for the latter!

Dr did suggest working toward three square meals a day with solids. Grains and fruit for breakfast, fruit and veggie at lunch, and a protein and veggie for dinner. But continue nursing/formula as that is there he is getting most of his nutrients now and for the rest of his first year.

Will had two shots today to keep updated with his vaccinations. Bret wasn't able to be at him 2- or 4-month appointments, so he was not used to how they are given. I prepped him before the appointment as so what we were to do (hold him still/down while they gave the shots in his thighs). Both of them (Bret & William) did better than I thought! Will cried until the nurses left the room, then he was okay again. One of the nurses had to come back for something and he started crying again, maybe he thought she had another shot to give ;)

According to our doctor, what we need to be working on between now & his next appointment (9 month appointment)

-cuddles, love, and rocking :)

-reading to William each day!!

-encourage the babbling, cooing, & squealing Will does each day -- work on consonant sounds (mamama, dadada, bababa, gagaga, etc.)

-reaching and grasping for objects in his range and moving toward things out of his range

Upcoming milestones to watch for:

-sitting up on own & keeping head stable while sitting

-moving fluidly from laying to sitting

-bearing weight on legs when in a standing position (Will LOVES his jumpers & jumping on anyone holding him)

-recognizing voices & faces beyond just mom and dad

-recognizing self in a mirror

-first tooth/teeth (on average, comes between 6-9 months)

Next Appt- nine month appt in September

Four Month Dr Appt

Four Month Dr Appointment Update

Today was William's four month appointment. He weighs 13lb & 9oz (13%). He was measured at 25.5in long (61%).  His head measured at 16.75in around (78%). Although he's a little on the small side weight-wise, William is healthy and progressing right along!

She listened to his heart and lungs, which are great. Will showed off his neck strength and his Dr said he is so strong. She continued to be impressed with his legs as well. 

William's arms are now unswaddled for his naps & night sleep. He goes down with a pacifier, but he generally spits it out soon after laying down. We put one of his thin blankets over him to both keep him a bit warmers and for him to entertain his hands before he falls asleep.

We have been given the OK to start solids within the next few months. Bret & I decided to wait until I am on summer break to start down that road. Rice cereal & oatmeal are expected as the baby foods. I am debating on skipping them and going right to veggie purees. I read French Kids Eat Everything and this is what they do in France. The rice cereal & oatmeal don't really have any taste or any nutritional value, it's just to get the baby used to using a spoon and eating something simple that isn't milk/formula. We are thinking that starting with veggies is better. More on that later!

According to our doctor, what we need to be working on between now & his next appointment (6 month appointment)

-cuddles, love, and rocking :)

-reading to William each day!!

-tummy time 15-20min twice a day to continue to strengthen neck muscles; eventually this will help get him into the pushing off and crawling position

-Will passing objects back & forth between his left and right hands

-encourage the babbling, cooing, & squealing Will does each day (this is hilarious!)

-following objects across the midline & turning toward noises

-reaching and grasping for objects in his range

Next Appt- six month appt in June

Two Month Dr Appt

Two Month Doctor Appointment Update

Today was William's two month appointment. He weighs 11lb & 11oz (25%). He was measured at 23.5in long (60%).  His head measured at 16in around (78%). William is healthy and progressing right along!

She listened to his heart and lungs, which are great. Will showed off his neck strength and his Dr said he won the two month neck award for being so strong. She was impressed with his legs as well. 

I am continuing to breastfeed William, average 2.75-3 hours. I am trying to keep him on a 'Babywise' schedule. He is in bed at night by 8pm (feeding starts around 7pm), waking around 2am & 6:30am. We have been dealing with a 5am wake up for the past couple of days, which is not fun for this mama. Usually it happens if he wakes closer to midnight instead of 2am. During the day, he stays awake from 45-75min at a time & sleeps from 45-60min. His naps on his own are not very long. If I hold him for the whole nap or to finish his nap, he sleeps great! I have started instilling a new routine for naps: I get the room dim & his noise machine on, he's swaddled up, and I hold him for 5min (no bouncing, no rocking, I sing him songs or say prayers), then I put him in his crib. Most of the time he's upset when I lay him down and he cries himself to sleep (the most he has gone is 25min, with me listening on the other side of the door {or jumping in the shower to distract myself}). We are working on this as a routine for naps. This is instead of me rocking him to sleep for half an hour. 

According to our doctor, what we need to be working on between now & his next appointment (4 month appointment)

-cuddles, love, and rocking :)

-reading to William each day

-focusing on objects within 12-18 inches of his face (he still sees only black/white, but colors should be developing in the next months)

-tummy time to strengthen neck muscles

-putting objects in front of him to practice grasping

Next Appt- April 20 @ 3:40pm

(Pre-shots)

(Post-shots; "get me outta here!")

(Scooby Doo bandaids; I had to take them off as Bret wouldn't, more cries)

Three Week Dr Appt

Today was William's three week doctor's appointment. He weighs 8lb & 6oz (up from 7lb & 1.5oz at his first doctor's appt); in the 28%. He was measured at 21in long (up from 19in); in the 79%; the nurse said the hospital measurement could be a little off as infants are so scrunched up right after birth.  His head measured at 14.75in around; in the 81%. William has been cleared for regular baths instead of sponge baths! His doctor recommends about 2 baths a week.

I am continuing to breastfeed William, average 2.5-3 hours. I am trying to get him on a 'Babywise' schedule. He is going to bed at night about 8pm, waking around 11pm, 2am, 4/4:30am, & 7am. During the day, he stays awake from 45-75min at a time & sleeps from 1.5-2 hours. He is swaddled in a heavier, zipped swaddle at night & a lighter, non-zip swaddle for daytime naps. The most difficult thing right now is getting William to sleep without nursing him to sleep. We don't want him to be dependent on food to go to sleep and for him to learn to self-soothe himself to sleep. He's so young to get him on a rigid schedule, but any training we can do now with the self-soothing will help him/us down the road with naps and getting to sleep at night.

According to our doctor, what we need to be working on between now & his next appointment (2 month appointment)

-cuddles, love, and rocking :)

-reading to William each day

-focusing on objects within 12 inches of his face

-tummy time to strengthen neck muscles

(first time in the stroller & first time at Target!!)

(baby burrito)

Next Doctor's Appointment:
February 25th @ 3pm

First Doctor's Appt

William had his first doctor's appointment this afternoon. He weighed 7lb & 1.5oz (down from 7lb & 11oz at birth). His circumcision is looking good. We change the gauze/Vaseline on it every time he is changed. When it is healed, we can give him his first official bath. Until then, it's sponge baths only. 

He has been mostly breastfed so far. His Dr (who fully supports breastfeeding) said its hard to know exactly how much he is eating while breastfeeding. Between now and his two-week appointment (Jan 7), William should gain a half ounce to full ounce each day. He has been feeding every 2 to 4 hours and sleeps almost immediately afterward each time. I have also been able to pump breast milk to start building a back up for William. 

Other than that, we just have to keep him healthy and fever-free!

Next appointment:

January 7 @ 2:30pm