Cole Carlson: 7 weeks

I'm a little late posting Cole's one month update so 7 weeks will have to do. Cole is such a great baby and is a constant reminder that God truly knows what we need in our life. Brett and I thought we'd only have the girls but I can't imagine our life without our little boy. Although we have sacrificed a lot for our family of five there isn't anything I'd change.  I know that I always would have wondered what we'd missed out on if we didn't have our little Cole. Brett and I are so excited for our future with our girls and boy. Our experiences as parents doubled with the addition of the possibilities of football and hockey games and all that having a boy brings! So, here is what Cole has been up to these first 7 weeks of his life:

• He weighs in at 8lb 3 oz most recently. He's 20 1/2 inches long. 
• He is finally outgrowing his newborn clothes and is wearing mostly 0-3 now. 
• He still does the "newborn stretch" when he arches his back and draws his legs up when you pick him up. I can't get enough of it. 
• He is eating about 2.5-3 ounces of breast milk every few hours. Some days he's eating an ounce here and there when we are busy running around. He is the slowest eater. We tried breastfeeding but he would want to nurse for an hour or more at a time and I found it so stressful with trying to take care of the girls too. So like with the girls I'm pumping and it is working for us. 
• Up until this week he wouldn't really take any nipple other than the ones that go on the little bottles of similac formula. He will now drink from the advent bottles that we have. 
• He is sleeping pretty well. He's usually up between 2:00-3:00am. And then again between 5-5:30 am. 
• For the first 5 weeks he was only pooping every 4 days or so. Now he's pooping four (or more) times a day!
• He is smiling! And cooing! He has the cutest little smile. He loves to look at himself in his little mirror and smiles all the time. 
• He always stops to listen when I sing him songs. I like to believe that he recognizes them from when he was in the womb. 
• He had his first round of breathing treatments last week as he had a little cold. 
• He loves to be swaddled or bundled in a blanket and your arms. He is also now sleeping in his crib in his room and has been doing great. 
• He is rarely ever crying. He only cries if he wants changed, is really hungry, or has a little tummy pain. 
• His hair is lightening up some but it is still very brown. His eyes are still pretty dark but they are definitely blue. Part of me wishes that he will inherit some of my hazel genes.