I don’t even know where to start with this sweet baby boy. If you read our Q+A last week, you’ll know that finding out I was pregnant was a huge surprise. I was anxious during my pregnancy about having three little ones so close in age and how I would be able to make that transition from two to three. I have actually found the transition from two to three much smoother than from one to two! It may have to do with the fact that Ford is the sweetest, most cuddly, happiest little baby. His brothers are crazy over him and so are we. He’s just what our family was missing!

Height/Weight

I think Ford is about 15 pounds and 26 inches long. We don’t go back to the doctor until four months, so this a very rough estimate.

Sleeping

This was the most FAQ from you all! Ford’s been sleeping not great, but not terrible either. It’s been manageable, but I’m so ready for more sleep. At night, he typically goes down between 7:30 or 8:30 (depending on if he needs to go to sleep before or after we get the big boys down.) Usually, he will sleep until about 3 am. I’ll nurse him and he goes back to sleep until about 6 am, nurses again and then will sleep until his brothers usually wake him up. The past week or so he’s been waking at 1 a.m., 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. and I’m tired! I think he’s hitting the four month sleep regression early. From the beginning, he has typically only woken up twice during the night and I am thankful for that.

During the day, he’s a pretty good napper. He loves his Merlin’s sleep suit, so most of his naps are in his crib when we’re home. He does pretty good getting cat naps while we are out, too.

Personality

Ford is the happiest, easy-going baby out of all my boys. He is so content, smiles as soon as you look at him and is a busy little babbler. I think the third baby has to be easy-going because there is so much going on! Even as a newborn, he hardly cried and was quite content cuddling, watching his brothers play and just being loved on. Around two months, he started to be very alert, rolling from his tummy to back, giggling and babbling. He is just the happiest, sweetest thing.

Schedule

I’ve never really had a schedule in place with my babies. They eat when they are hungry and sleep when tired! Some days Ford sleeps late, some days up early – just depends on how much he was up the night before, etc. I try to make sure he gets one crib nap a day, usually right around 2 pm when the big boys go down for their naps. That way I can have a little peace and quiet and get some work done!

Nursing

I went into nursing Ford with the same expectations that I did with the other boys – if nursing works, great. If not, we will try something else. He latched almost immediately after he was born and so I have continued nursing him unless he takes a random bottle. I pumped twice a morning for his first month of life using the Hakka pump, so I have a small stash saved up. I never did that with William or Henry, so it has been nice having a little more flexibility! He nurses about 6-8 times/day and I’ll use the bottle if Caleb and I have a date night or event to attend. We’ve always used Comotomo and Ford likes it just as much as his big brothers.

Travel

We took our first trip as a family of five to San Diego when Ford was about two months old. He did great on the flight – I always say this is the easiest time to travel with kids! We have a few more trips planned this fall and hoping he eases into traveling just like his big brothers.

Milestones

• Those first smiles are the sweetest!
• Ford is just so happy – you smile at him and he starts laughing/giggling back at you. He’s so interactive.
• I always cherish those newborn photos – seems like so long ago.
• Our parents threw a Sip & See for Ford – it was so special!
• Ford took his first flight at 2 months old
• Rolled from tummy to back

Must-Have Baby Items:

• My friend Jill told me about the Hakka pump and it’s 100% my favorite baby item. I wish I knew about it while I was nursing my other babies. Basically, it suctions on to the opposite side you are feeding from and “catches” the milk. I was able to store a small stash of milk by doing this when I was feeding Ford. I used it twice in the morning for about a month. Super easy to clean, too.
• Hands down, favorite swaddle ever (no pun intended)
• We used the Dock-a-tot with Henry and loved it just as much with Ford, too.
• One thing that I didn’t use with the other boys is a carrier. Ford does okay in it, but sometimes it’s just necessary (ie: walks, grocery store, the Zoo and the airport)
• About 1.5 months in Ford was trying to get his arms out of the swaddle, so we decided to switch to Merlin’s sleep suit. It works wonders!
• Uppababy MESA, VISTA and MINU continue to be our go-to strollers – VISTA for walks and MINU for everyday and it’s the best for travel.

Cheers,

Stia, Jean and Katherine