6 Weeks

This week I am finally learning that there can be more to life than holding an adorable little baby. I am learning that the world does not stop turning, even though yours feels like it does. I am learning that it is okay to put down the baby and do some stuff around the house. I am learning... I am learning...

Okay, so I will admit that the first 5 weeks I held MA nonstop. Well, MJ and I both did. I am learning that she is just fine to sit in her bouncer seat in the room with us while we clean. I am learning that she does not need us to hold her every minute and nor does she seem to want to. She is such a good baby.

We went to the doctor on Monday. MA weighs 10 lbs. 2 oz. and is 21 3/4 inches. She is getting so big. She is almost fully holding her head up. It gets wobbly, but she can do it for quite a long time. She loves car rides. She sleeps so peacefully in the car... and in her swing. It must be the motion. When we go for walks, she sleeps until you stop the stroller. She is too funny.

MA, 6 weeks old

1 1/2 months already... I just cannot believe this. She gets bigger and bigger everyday. Her personality also shows everyday. She is awake more throughout the day and she now fights sleep, like she is going to miss out on something fun. She smiles so much and is overall a very, very good baby. She really only gets fussy when she is hungry or tired. Can't ask for anything more than that!

5 Weeks

During this past week, MA has become more active. She is awake more during the day. I also think she then becomes more stimulated. Yesterday, she was playing and just started crying for no reason and I think it is because there was just too much going on around her. She quieted as soon as I picked her up.

Having a child is definitely most scary but rewarding thing that I have ever done. I look up things online constantly, like how to soothe baby gas and how much she should be eating. I worry that she is not eating enough, then I worry that she is eating too much. I worry she is sleeping too much and then I worry that she did not sleep enough. And then, when I am good and exhausted of worrying, I just look at her and she gives me this huge ear to ear smile - and it makes it all worth it.

I am learning that you cannot call the Dr. for everything. It is trial and error. We learned this week that if we do tummy time after we eat, that we push out a lot of gas. So, this has been helpful in the bellyaches. We also learned that if we put a contoured changing pad in the bassinet, that she does not flail around as much and sleeps more peaceful.

There is still a lot to learn... and there always will be. We need to learn how to conquer this stupid baby gas (I really hope MA reads this when she gets older!) and we need to learn how to get more rest throughout the time. With time, this will come. In the meantime, I need to stop and smell the roses. The time is going by way too quickly and if I don't remind myself of that, it will be March and I will be going back to work.

Already, these past 5 weeks feel like a huge blur.

MA, 5 weeks old

4 Weeks

Holy cow, it's been almost a month since MA was born. I just cannot believe how time has flown by. She is getting more and more alert everyday. Actually, as I type this, she is lying in my lap watching the computer screen. She really likes the computer screens and televisions. I think it's probably the bright lights that she is seeing.

This was a good week. We found out that she really likes car rides and sleeps the whole time. We went on a trip to see some family, about 2 1/2 hours away and she only fussed once, to eat and get changed. She is finally big enough to wear in the baby carrier, and she really really loves that! MJ put it on yesterday and cleaned the house so that I could take a nap. LOVE HIM!

Today, it's a beautiful day out, so I plan on pushing MA around the circle in her stroller. She has a little congestion going on, but the Dr. said that it is normal. Still all that crud that was in her I guess from when she was in the womb. We go to the Dr. again 2 weeks and if she still has it, I want to ask about it. 6 weeks seems like a long time to have that going on. In the meantime, we got a humidifier for our room and that seems to help her. If it persists though, we may call the Dr. I hate to see my little lady suffering.

We bought MA a halloween costume the other day. She's going to be a cute little ladybug. :)


I can't believe how much she has grown over the past 4 weeks. Everytime I pick her up, she feels more solid than the last! She's such a happy baby... I love her to pieces.

MA, 4 weeks today.

Three weeks

Well, this week flew by. We went to the Dr. on Wednesday and learned that MA now weighs 7 lbs. 6 oz. So, I guess all of her eating is doing something! She is also 21 1/2 inches long now. She is too tall for her Newborn clothes, but too skinny for 0-3 months, so her outfits look a little silly right now.

Friday, we had quite the scare. MA was making this squealing noise when I would lay her down to change her. At first, I thought she was beginning to laugh. Then, it looked like she was having difficulty breathing. I sat her up, consoled her and called the Dr., who said that it sounded like normal infant congestion and to only be worried if she stopped eating or began to run a fever.  Well, our thermometer is a piece of garbage that takes forever to get a reading. MJ stopped on his way home and bought a "guarenteed accurate" one touch thermometer. Well, we took MA's temp both in the armpit and behind her ear. Both said she had a fever. So, at 2am, we brought her to the emergency room.
Well, we got there and they took a rectal temperature, that was 98.6. So, a pointless trip to the ER, but we learned that MA is perfectly healthy.

Yesterday, we took MA to get newborn photos done. She actually tolerated that pretty well. I was impressed to find that she stayed awake the whole time. She's the best baby...

I cannot believe she is three weeks old already.

Two Weeks

It has been two weeks since MA came into this world. Two weeks ago, our lives changed for the better. Two weeks ago, our daily lives became consumed by another living creature. Two weeks ago, I could not imagine loving so much... but two weeks later, I would not change any moment of it.

I am excited to go to the Dr. on Wednesday, because I'm fairly certain MA needs to be either at or well beyond her birth weight. She is eating like a tank and feels heavier to hold. Her naps are becoming shorter and she is eating more. Last night, we had a great night. We woke up at 12:30pm, 4am, 7am and 9:30am to eat. She is able to fall asleep after eating. I do rock with her after she eats, or we walk around the house. Once she's asleep, MA will sleep soundly in the bassonet (most nights) until she is hungry again.

She has quite the personality at such a young age. I think this is the most shocking to me. She is smiling and making goofy faces. They are usually accompanied by a poop, but not always! She loves to cuddle and have "tummy time" on our chests. She picks her head up pretty far and holds it for awhile. She also has been rolling from her back to her side since we brought her home from the hospital.

I have a feeling that she is going to be a real handful - but I wouldn't have it any other way! She's a beautiful little girl, and I can't wait to see what the next two weeks, months, years bring. I just want it to go a little more slowly. Everyday seems to fly by!

MA, two weeks old today.

Slave Driver

MA is my slave driver, haha. Overall, she's a good baby. She is beautiful and loves to cuddle. She also loves to sleep, but has been more awake more often. Unfortunately, it's usually in the middle of the night.

I read somewhere that she is likely to be going through a growth spurt. I believe it. She goes through these moments (that sometimes last hours) where she will just eat everything in sight.

The other night, I nursed her on and off for almost three.hours. Then, she drank two oz. of pumped breastmilk. Finally, she fell asleep into a deep slumber.Breastfeeding is much harder than I anticipated. I knew it would be a struggle and I knew it was a commitment, but sheesh! Each day is getting a little easier though. I am glad she is.eating more - She should be back to her birth weight in no time!

Finally!

Well, as you can probably tell from my lack of posting, MA is finally here! My water broke at 4:00am on 9/12/2011. The look on MJ's face was priceless when I woke him up. He actually had to stand in the hallway for a second and ask me if it was real or if he was dreaming. What no one tells you is that when your water breaks, it never stops coming out! For that, I am grateful that I was walking into the hospital at 4:30am and not in the middle of the day!

When we got to the hospital, I did not have regular contractions. They admitted us and put us in the room to get the contractions going. They had me walking around the hallway to help. Around 10am, they became more prominent and by noon they were painful. The doctors said that my body was doing the labor on its own and they did not think I needed any medication to help, at this point. Around 2:30pm or so, I was finally at 4 cm. dialated. I gave in and got the epidural around 3pm or so. From then on, the contractions just got stronger, but with the medication, I was able to get some rest.

Finally, around 9:00pm, they checked me again and I was 9 cm. They wanted to give some medication to help the contractions along, by MA had other plans. They gave me Pictocin and then decided that they were going to have me do some "practice pushes." Well, halfway through the first push, MA's head started to appear. It only took a few more pushes and at 10:00pm, MA was born.

It was beautiful, shocking, exhausting, energizing and confusing, all at once, but I would not change it for the world. MA is the best baby. She has a great personality already and it is only getting more prominent every single day. She is pretty content, as long as she is fed and changed. She has beautiful black hair and loves to cuddle. We love her more than life itself.

 MA, four days old.

MA, 1 day old, at the hospital.