My Dear Caroline! This past month your father and I have embarked on an incredible journey with you joining our little family! Words cannot describe the happiness and love you have brought to us already! Along with the joy you have brought us, it has also been one of the most challenging months we have faced as well!
I already get sad to see how much you have changed since you were born! From day 1, you have always been an alert, bright eyed baby and as you got bigger and older, you have not missed a thing!
Your one month appointment isn't for another week but I had you weighed at a breastfeeding support group and you were 8 pounds 11 oz! Woohoo! I know you are also growing in length as well because your newborn sleepers are becoming too short!
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| We started tummy time! |
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| You were baptized! |
Challenges:
- Breastfeeding was much harder than I thought it would be but I was determined.
- Our first night home was ROUGH! Between our challenges with breastfeeding and us not knowing what we were doing, we barely got any sleep! You have always liked to snuggle and that first night all you wanted to do was sleep in our arms!
- My C-Section has made things a little more difficult than I thought it would be. As much as we take walks throughout the day, I am ready to be more active and get into shape!
- Keeping our home picked up has been difficult! I try to do this when you are sleeping but that isn't always easy!
- When you were about 2.5 weeks old, both your dad and I started getting sick with a sinus infection! Having both parents sick makes it more difficult to take care of you!
Successes (these may be simple but I have to celebrate the small successes!):
- We were able to really get the hang of breast feeding at about 1.5 weeks! Woohoo!
- I have showered every day since you were born! This may seem ridiculous but it makes me feel more human! I usually grab a quick shower mid-morning when you are down for a nap and I just bring your monitor into the bathroom with me!
- I was able to complete my thank-you notes by three weeks!
- I try to venture out a couple times a week wearing real clothes and doing my hair and make-up. This also makes me feel more human!
- At about five days old I realized you weren't getting enough milk. Once I started feeding you more through nursing and from pumped milk, you start sleeping A LOT better! From that point on, you usually sleep for about 4-5 hour stretches at night, wake up for a feeding and to be changed, and then go back to sleep for another four hours! We have been very blessed that at night, you don't wake up every 2 hours!
- Having you has made your dad and I even closer and has made us work more together as a team. We have settled into a routine when it comes to feedings, changing you, when you wake up in the middle of the night, etc.
- Our first road trip. You pretty much slept the whole way. We would stop every couple hours so I could feed you. Even when you were awake in your carseat, you were still very happy!
Your month of firsts:
- Pretty much everything, you slept through!
- As soon as you are in the car, you fall asleep!
- You slept through your first lunch out with mom and dad!
- Your first walk in your stroller!
- And through your first time at church!
- And your first visit to my office!
- You also had your first road trip for your baptism in Missouri! You traveled really well and met so many new people!
What I couldn't live without:
- The first few nights at home you loved to be swaddled. Luckily we had some Swaddlers given to us that we used!
- The Medela Pump In style Advanced. I really liked the bag we got because the pump is removable and not built into the bag.
- Aden and Anais Swaddle Blankets-we actually have never swaddled you in these but they are the perfect weight and are super soft! We use these all the time!
- Mult-use pads-these have saved your sheets and mattress from accidents and spit up multiple times!
- Old school cloth diapers-We use these ALL the time and have a few in each room. These serve as burp cloths, wiping up spit up, when I am nursing you, etc. We pretty much use these for everything. I don't even hardly use "burp cloths" because these are so much bigger and work so well!
What makes You, You!
- When you eat, you hold your hands as if you are praying!
- You have never liked sleeping on your back but have always liked sleeping on your side! In fact, your second day home, when you were put down on your back, you rolled to your side!
- Your crazy hair that we love! As much as I try to tame it, there is no point because it always goes back to spikey!
- Your BIG blue eyes! You have been so alert since the day you were born!
- The cooing noises you make when you sleep and eat!
- The smiles you make when you sleep!
- You love to snuggle with me! You can always find a place on my chest to rest your head and I could sit with you like that all day if I could!
- You love to be propped up and look around at things. We often wonder what you are staring at sometimes and what you are thinking!
- You also love to look at your black and white pictures, faces, and bright colors!
- We know you are hungry because you are constantly sucking on your fist or on a few fingers!
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