One Month

I cant believe my baby is one month old.  In some ways it is hard to imagine our lives without her, and in other ways it seems like she was born yesterday.  Each day I see her growing and changing, and it is going by way too fast.  In just three and a half weeks I will be returning to work :(  Even though she will be in good hands and I only need to last six weeks until summer, I hate the thought of leaving my baby. 

Weight: 8.7 lbs (according to my scale)

Length: 21 in

She is definitely filling out.  I notice her growing each and every day.  She used to have a lot more wrinkles and loose skin, she is now developing baby chub on her little chicken legs and arms. 

challenges: Sleep!  the most Em sleeps at a time is 3 hrs, and she only does that once a night.  Otherwise it is 2 hr stretches or less.  We are starting Babywise to try and help this.  Although both mom and baby are much happier being on a schedule (more routine than schedule), it hasn’t helped with sleep yet.  Lets hope month 2 gets better… otherwise going back to work is going to be even more of a challenge.  Gas has been an issue for my poor baby.  We are also still tying to get her to take a pacifier.  She hates them which makes me scared that she won’t take a bottle.  We will be trying that very soon.

triumphs: Breastfeeding has gotten much easier.  For the most part, it doesn’t hurt me anymore, and Em is gaining weight nicely.  The only drawback is that night time feedings usually last an hour.  Getting that shorter would mean more sleep for us both.

Em’s new tricks: Since she was born, Em has been really good at lifting her head.  Even right out of the womb she was lifting her head and looking around.  She also blows raspberries.  I think she is starting to smile at us.  She doesn’t do it all the time, but I am fairly sure that she smiles at us, and it isn’t gas.  She also giggles in her sleep.  It is so cute!

Things that I love: I love cuddling my sweet baby.  She is such a cuddle bug.  I love watching her blow raspberries, it cracks me up.  I love seeing her dimples when she smiles. I love her after milk face.  I love the way she stretches when I open up her swaddle.   She makes the funniest faces, and is just so gosh darn cute!

Things I have learned: Baby girls can have a period due to the drop in hormones they were getting from mom.  Breastfeed newborns don’t just poop… they shart… and it is loud.  If your baby cries when you put them in their car seat, start swinging the car seat, Em quiets right down. The noise of a hairdryer can quiet a screaming baby.  A good amount of wake time  for a newborn is 45 min.  It is ok if your baby cries, sometimes they need to release stress or burn off energy to fall asleep.  Don’t be too hard on yourself.  Try to take a walk every day, getting in the sun and getting out of the house will do you a lot of good.  Accept help whenever it is offered. Pray. When I see myself stressing out, worrying too much, etc, I pray.