Ah, I just love the fall season! Even though it doesn't quite feel the part yet, fall is such a beautiful season. The changing colors, the crisp air, the delicious smells, the holidays... I love it all! It's at times like these when I'm happy to live in Virginia, a state where we are able to experience all four seasons pretty equally. :)
Brooke is 30 days old today! I absolutely cannot believe she will be a month old tomorrow. She has gotten so big, though, and has changed so much! She's still sick, which isn't fun at all, but hopefully she'll kick this thing for good SOON.
She was 4 weeks on Saturday, and she finally was able to get her first REAL bath in her baby tub! I bathed her while Ryan recorded. (Man, she's going to love us when she's older.) Her umbilical stump came off in two steps.. half after 2 weeks, then it had to heal again before the rest came off. It took a while, but she now has a pretty new belly button!
Well, I'm sure what you REALLY are here to see are pictures, so I won't disappoint. :) These all were taken yesterday, even though she's in two different outfits... babies, you know, they get messy. :)
Snoozing... so she wouldn't have to last night! ;-)
I've been seriously MIA lately, haven't I? It's honestly been a pretty rough week! Ryan and I passed a stomach bug back and forth to each other last week, and Brooke finally caught it last Saturday. Not fun. Since then, I've gotten it again a couple of times, but I'd rather be sick any day rather than see her sick. She was finally doing really well yesterday, but she's sick again today. Ugh! Poor baby. All added up, we got roughly 5 hours of sleep last night, total. Yep, guess who definitely needs a nap today?!
Ah, but I wouldn't trade any of this for the world. :)
Even though she's sick, I have to say, I have THE world's most beautiful baby. She's so amazingly precious! She has the biggest eyes, longer eyelashes than I do, (at 27 days old, no less!) and the absolute cutest features. She has such a fun little personality, and I love how it's developing more and more each day. She's so curious, inquisitive, and playful. She's a happy little baby, and has started to coo at us, and various toys/objects around the house. (talk about making my heart melt) She just loves looking at everything around her!
I can't believe she's 4 weeks old tomorrow. Wow. Where does the time go?!
Our morning walks definitely start the day out right, and this beautiful weather is an added bonus. :) We're still getting out and walking 3 miles a day, 5 days a week. (15 miles/week! Yeah!) I'm actually really curious to see what I weigh at my 6 week check-up, so I'll know how much progress I've made, and how much I still have to go. Maybe I'll post a picture.
Brooke's birth announcements came in the mail yesterday, (so cute!!) and I was able to send out a few today. Problem is, I've found that I didn't order enough!! I ordered some more today, though, so I'll be able to send out the remaining announcements probably no later than next Wednesday. So, I'll have to hold off on posting it.
Hope you all are doing great! Enjoy the weekend! :)
Life has been busy, but wonderful over here. Well, aside from the pink eye that I somehow got from who knows where. Pediatrician's office on Monday, maybe? Good news is that Brooke didn't get it! She had a clogged tear duct, which is pretty common for her age, but thankfully she didn't get what I had. Which is great, because it hasn't been fun.
On the exercise front, my Mom and I have walked 3 miles for 5 days in a row this week! Now that the weather is changing, it's even more refreshing. :) Once we get the hang of our 3 mile route, we'll bump it up to 4. The next thing I'm really anticipating, though, is being able to work my abs again, (my favorite thing to work on!) but I'm not allowed to yet. Did you know that your ab muscles seperate during pregnancy? Yeah, I didn't either. Mine are still 3 finger-widths apart, so I can't do ab exercises until they are under 2. Hopefully by my 6 week appointment I'll be good to go!
One exciting thing I've done this past week is order Brooke's birth announcements!! :) I had them done by this wonderfully talented woman, and Ryan and I are so, so happy with them! If you need announcements, I'd really recommend her! I'll be mailing them out sometime next week, and then I can post a picture of them here after I know everyone has gotten them. :)
Well, Ryan and his friend, Ian, are on their way home from the Penn State vs. Buffalo game up in PA. This was the second game (out of five) that he has been to this season thanks to the tickets I got him for his birthday back in May. :) (He still thinks I'm a pretty cool wife after that one!) The next game he has tickets to is on October 6th, which I'll be able to go to! :) Now that I have a pump, I can start stowing away some milk so that her grandparents can watch her while we're gone that day. It'll be the first time we leave her, but she'll be in very capable hands. :)
Well, Brooke's 2 week check-up was yesterday, and it went very well! They weighed her, and she now weighs... are you ready for this?... 8 LBS, 10 OZ!! I knew she was growing, and easily had to be back over her birth weight of 7 lbs, 12 oz, but WOW! She's definitely eating like a champ, that's for sure. :)
Her next appointment isn't until 2 months, but that won't be a fun one for her. Lots of shots. :-( I'm not sure who will cry more, me or her.
Thankfully it seems like she got past her growth spurt, and wanting to eat every hour of the day. (Thank you, God!) Last night she slept in HER room for the first time, too! I moved her bassinet in there, though, because she's not quite sure what to do with all of the room in her crib yet. :) She slept pretty well! She slept 3 hours, then 2 hours, then 1. (but we were ready to get up by then anyway) It's nice to reclaim our bedroom, and I think she enjoys her own room, too. It's warmer, and quieter for her.
I got SO MUCH done yesterday! We ran to the bank, the drycleaners, and the pharmacy. (for some eye medication for Brooke) Not to mention, all of my thank you notes are done now, (something that had been looming over my head!) bills are paid, my house is (mostly) clean, paperwork has been organized and put away, flowers have finally been watered, (poor flowers) etc etc. I finally felt like my old self again, getting things done AND getting it all done with my baby girl in tow, to boot. It sure feels good. During her first week home, I wondered how I'd ever get anything done. :)
Time is already flying, but I sure am enjoying it all! She already doesn't look like a newborn to me anymore, and she is changing every day it seems.
For those of you who have babies/kids, when did you first start getting portraits taken? I have a drawer full of coupons for different portrait places, but I'm not sure when I should start having them taken.
Why, oh why, could my baby not sleep for a 5 hour stretch at night forever? :) Last night was by far the worst night, as far as sleep was concerned, since we were still at the hospital. She slept for one 3 hour stretch, then 1 1/2 hours, then was up every. single. hour. thereafter. I'm pretty sure she's going through a growth spurt. If she's not sleeping, she's eating, and since she's not sleeping much, that means she's eating A LOT!
Brooke was 2 weeks old yesterday! It somehow has flown by, yet it seems like she's been here forever. I can't believe how much she has changed in such a short amount of time! We have her 2 week check-up tomorrow, and she should be back to her birth weight. Honestly I think she must be over it!
The three of us have had a great weekend, aside from my lack of sleep. PENN STATE won last night, which meant it was a very happy night for us. Then today my Redskins won, which makes it a great football weekend all-around. :) My Aunt, Uncle, and two of my cousins came by to see Brooke for the first time today, too. According to my Aunt, Brooke looks just like I did as a newborn. :) My Mom pulled out pictures of me as a baby, and sure enough, she looks EXACTLY like I did! I'll have to scan a few of those for comparison's sake. :)
Brooke is starting to fuss, so let me just add a few quick pictures of her!
Well, time sure flies when you have a baby to care for. :) I can't believe tomorrow is Friday already!
My days have mainly consisted of walks, way too many feedings to count, a shower, possibly an errand, soothing a fussy baby, entertaining an awake baby, fixing dinner, (if we don't have one coming to us that day, courtsey of our church) and getting things done around the house. She "grazes" roughly every hour from 4 PM till bedtime, per her wonderful pediatrician's suggestion, in order to get more uninterrupted sleep at night. It seems to work! Last night she slept from 9:45 till 2 AM, then again from 2:30-4:30. Of course, she fussed from 4:30 until I finally got up at 6:30, but that's still pretty fantastic!
My Mom has been going walking with me every day, and we've had to start going in the early morning to avoid the blazing heat and humidity! Today we walked 3 miles. :) It feels so good to be active again!
Newborns apparently gain between 2-2 1/2 pounds and grow 1-1 1/2" in their first month of life. Well, Brooke has grown OUT of her newborn-sized sleepers (the ones with footies) in length! When she stretches out, she couldn't extend her long legs all the way, so we had to move up to 0-3 month. Can you believe it?!?! I knew she wouldn't be in them long, but I didn't think it'd take just under 2 weeks!
Speaking of the little cutie pie, here's a picture :)
Well, Brooke is letting me know it's time to eat! Hope you all are doing great. :)
Is it any wonder why I absolutely adore my little girl? :)
The three of us took our first stroller ride around the neighborhood last night. It feels so good to get out of the house! Since last night, I've decided that a daily walk is definitely in order. I'm so excited to get back into shape, I can't even explain it. Though I have to say, I'm pretty amazed at how quickly my body is already slimming down without too much effort on my part. Yeah!
In other news, our AC died last night. It's currently 78 in our living room, and the sun isn't even hitting our townhouse just yet. Our landlord is calling around to see if anyone is even open to come repair it today, since it's a holiday. Yep, gonna be a fun day! :)
Well, we're settling into a little routine over here. As much as you can with a newborn, of course. :) It takes some getting used to with a first baby, because it completely changes life as you know it--in good ways, and in challenging ways, of course. She's doing well at night, though, and is sleeping in about 3 hour spurts. Not too bad for a week old, if you ask me!
I just took some video of her while Ryan is holding her. She's so precious. I am absolutely amazed at how different she is already looking. Her little cheeks are getting fuller, and her arms and thighs are starting to plump up. She's pretty adorable, if I may say so. :) One week, and one day old. It seems like the time has flown, yet it seems like she's been here for a lot longer than that!
Breastfeeding is going very well! Grace asked about it, so I thought I'd mention it. :) My milk came in the day after we got home from the hospital, (thanks to Grandmom's iced tea recommendation!) and she has been a happy camper ever since. I was completely against using formula, but by the second day in the hospital, she was always fussy because even though she was eating, her little tummy never felt full. I was told that if I went ahead and fed her, then offered her some formula, it wouldn't delay my milk coming in. Knowing that, we decided to give her a little formula during the second night at the hospital, and then the first night we were home. It helped her sleep better. I'm happy that I won't need to use formula anymore, though, because it is so much harder for her little tummy to digest!
I prepared for breastfeeding by reading The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by the La Leche League. If you're planning on breastfeeding, I would really recommend it! It's very long, but chock full of useful information. I'm so glad I had that knowledge before she got here, because it has been a real help. One thing they said that I believe now is that breastfeeding shouldn't be painful if you're doing it right. The only times it has ever hurt have been when she wasn't latched on well. You just have to break the suction and try again until it feels okay.
We went out and bought Brooke a bouncy seat on Friday evening. (We got the Fisher Price Rainforest one) She is SO wiggly and squirmy, so it's really perfect for her. She's a very strong, active little girl. You really don't know what your newborn will enjoy until they're already here, and you can figure out what they would benefit from. Once she's big enough, she is really going to LOVE her jumperoo, too!
Well, little miss Brooke has the hiccups, and is ready to eat, so I need to run. Just wanted to let you all know how we're doing! Have a GREAT weekend!
