Month Two

     Oh Abby, this month has been wonderful! Last month, things were a little hectic as you cried constantly. Thankfully, this month, things have gotten a bit better! I am able to enjoy you much more!

Family Fridays!

Sleep:
     Cousin J told me about the book she read and the schedule that they put baby A on recently and how wonderful it has been in helping them. I know that Abby is a little too young to put on a schedule, but I thought it would be better to start working towards it now, rather than wait and randomly begin new things one day. So, I started the schedule J told me about: we eat, play, and then sleep. It has actually been helping a lot! I decided to start this routine when I noticed that you were a bit more wide-eyed after you ate (you used to fall asleep right after you ate, sometimes even while you were eating). We started playing in your activity gym once you finished eating, and then once you got a little fussy, I'd wrap you up tight and rock you to sleep. Worked like a charm! You fell asleep much faster that way!

     And then a few days ago, we went to dinner at a friend's house, and I noticed that she put her son down while he was still awake (She'd swaddle him, give him his pacifier, and lay him down), and he'd magically fall to sleep on his own. Just to prove that it wouldn't work, the next day I gave it a shot with you... and it worked! What?! I was amazed. Of course, it wouldn't work twice... I just got lucky that time. So, I tried it later that day again, and it worked... again! Shocking! It has worked every time for the past few days! I am forever indebted to my friend Jacqueline for this little tidbit of wonder! I even tried it at night for our bedtime, and while you were awake for just a bit, you fell asleep without crying. This is the best thing to ever happen to me!

Growing:
     Everyone has been commenting about how amazing it is that you are able to hold your head up already. You haven't been having much tummy time yet (we're starting that now), but I think that you've strengthened those neck muscles by hanging out at mommy's shoulder. You really liked that spot during your first month... not so much anymore, but thankfully, the result is strong neck muscles. You like to look around and explore everything around you.

     You also like exploring when you are playing in your super cute activity gym. You are finally able to grasp the little birds hanging down from the gym. You hold on and shake it back and forth with your strong little fingers! It is adorable! While you play in your gym, mommy reads to you, and you seem to love it. You play for about 20 - 30 minutes and then you begin to get a little fussy and uninterested in the gym and mommy's stories; That's when we get ready for your naps or bedtime.

What to Expect:
     Mommy has been reading What to Expect The First Year, and it's definitely been a help! I was wondering how to talk to you, and how to play with you; and of course, I turn the page, and there is a whole section all about those very things. I've learned that I should read to you, so I read to you from the book (and we learn together); I've learned that I should narrate everything I do to you so you can begin to get used to language and conversation; I should talk with you and not at you (I should ask you questions and pause to let you answer, and expand upon whatever cute little noise you make. Yesterday at the grocery store, you helped mommy pick out everything at the store, you were such a big help). I also learned that I should give you your space, this was a new idea to me. I shouldn't constantly be in your face, while that is a very good thing, I should allow you to explore the world around you and become aware of and used to your own body, and how to entertain yourself. And I learned that I should sing to you... no problem... your daddy and I do that constantly already! We sing old songs to you, and we sing make-up songs about what we're doing with you, and how beautiful you are!

     Another thing I've learned is that I should imitate you. When you make cooing sounds I should make them back to you, setting a foundation for you imitating language. What's great is that this month you started making noises other than cries! It's been so great! I love it! It takes me by surprise every time you do it. You've only make the cooing sounds a few times, but it's been wonderful! I love that we're getting to the stage where you can make sounds and get my attention through noises other than crying. And of course you're usually smiling as you coo, while is all the more adorable! And, you've been smiling a whole lot more this month as well. You have such a gorgeous smile! And while those smiles tend to come mostly after you poo or spit up all over mommy, they are beginning to come at other times as well. But, even when you spit up all over me, when you smile afterwords, you melt my heart and I don't seem to care that I'm soaked in stinky spit up any longer.

Week 7 & 8

Eating:
     Speaking of spit up, you still are spitting up quite often, at least once a day, sometimes twice. There doesn't seem to be much I can do about it. Whether I burp you or not, if you're going to spit up, you're going to spit up, and that's that. Sometimes you have a big burp, and then quite some time later you spit up... while other times I don't even burp you, and you don't spit up at all. I've decided to stop trying to figure it out and not stress about it. I'm still tracking it though so I can see how often it's happening.

     You eat less often now, instead of 10-12 times a day, you average 6-8 times a day. Instead of eating almost every hour, you've moved to every 3 hours or so. And within the last few days, your schedule has changed a little more. You have started sleeping through the night, so we get up anywhere from 6-8am and eat and play and take a catnap. You tend to eat more often in the morning, every hour or so, then take a big nap in the early afternoon. Then you eat every 3 hours or so until bed time, with another good nap squeezed in there as well. You have been going to bed around 8-10 each night. (Notice how long of an uninterrupted chunk of sleep this gives mommy! Heck yes!)

     Abby, you are such a joy. Mommy and Daddy are so excited that you've begun smiling so much! We have such a blast singing and dancing with you and watching you react. You are one loved little girl! And I can't wait to see what month three brings! We love you!

   

   

   

One Month Pictures!

I smiled and they got the perfect shot of me! Mommy was VERY pleased with me!

     Now this shot was a little more irritating. First, they took off my clothes, and my friend Hez was there... thanks mom! Then, they kept moving me all around, and I showed my distaste by immediately changing positions, HA! To counteract that, they shoved that black fabric up between my legs to hide girl parts, like that was super comfortable! I could tell I was going to have to do something really outrageous to let them get the hint... so... I felt a bit of gas coming... and I pooped on her precious black blanket... not too much to make a scene, but enough to show them that this whole set up they had going on was NOT okay with me! And to give it a little extra punch, I started screaming! Thankfully, they wrapped their little ridiculous game up quickly after that! Ha! That'll show that crazy mom of mine to never try that again! 

Must Haves

There are a few things I have come to find that are "Must Haves" for me as a mommy, and for baby Abby.

Mommy:

     I always seem to be in such a hurry lately! I can never get anywhere on time anymore, as if I did a great job of that before I had Abby! That means I don't get to spend much time getting ready anymore. I have to have products that allow me to not spend much time but give me at least some semblance of being put together! Therefore, I find that these products are must haves for me! I have gone through so many different mascaras in my life it's ridiculous! But this kind I have settled on. I've even tried other Cover Girl mascaras after using this one, but I've gone back to this one. It has the best volume without having to coat my lashes 20 billion times! For a natural look I just put one layer on, and for a more punchy look, two layers. And while the first layer is drying, I put on some face color.

Cover Girl's Lash Blast Mascara

     For that I use Bare Minerals All Over Face Color. I use Bare Minerals for all my other make up and I am just in love. It all started many years ago when I was working at Curves. One of the ladies that came in to work out was in her sixties and looked ridiculously amazing! My co-worker and I commented on how beautiful her face looked, no wrinkles what-so-ever, smooth smooth smooth! She mentioned that she used this make up! Immediately we set a date to go to the little boutique down the street and pick some up! And so my love affair with Bare Minerals began! My skin was so blotchy looking from bad teenage acne days, that I'm still trying to recover from. But this make up seemed to take care of my problems and yet I didn't feel like I was being weighed down by my make up. The must have of the bare minerals for me is the all over face color. I trade off between the Warmth and True. Warmth is basically a bronzer type color that is perfect for summer time when you want that beach-y tan look, and the True is a sheer pink-ish sparkly color that is also great for summer when you want a bit of color and rosy cheeks. It makes for a very easy quick way to give myself some color without taking up a lot of time.

Bare Minerals All Over Face Color in Warmth and True

     My next Must Have is a hair accessory, but I cannot find a picture that will let me download it, so I had to take a picture of my own. Earl Reid designs these hair pieces that are so great! I got mine at the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival (Which, if you've never gone, you need to go!) a few years back and at first I had some buyers-remorse. But a few months later, I became attached to this thing! I use it all the time! You can put your hair up super quick and yet it still looks great because the hair piece is so pretty.

     He does have another one that looks more like a comb and you can do SO much more with that piece! I'll need to get one next time. My mom has one, and I borrow it every time I go over to her place, I think I even used it for my wedding at the last minute. If you go onto his website he even has how-to videos on using them. It's so great! This is definitely my go-to when I have run out of time and I only have a few minutes to do my hair.

http://www.ereidjewelry.com/

Baby:

     Long before Abby was even born, my dear cousin sent me a package of these Aden & Anias blankets. I was super excited! She said they were the best! And Grant's cousin Jennifer confirmed that for me. I love these blankets for several reasons. One, they are light weight and very large! Plus they have a very slight stretch to them so I can make sure to tuck Abby in super tight! I also love that because they are so big I can use them for so many other things. I use it to cover her car seat when we go outside, and it's so big that it overlaps the car seat and drags on the ground if I don't tuck it in. I also love that they have such fun designs (there are so many to choose from!) I really want to get more, and I'd like to get the ones below! Super cute!

Aden & Anias Blankets

     My other go to is the pacifier from the hospital! Love it! We dropped them so many times in the hospital I'm pretty sure my nurse was thoroughly irritated with the volume of "we need a new pacifier" calls she got from us. O well. Thankfully they sell these in stores now so I wasn't having to "drop" them just to stock up. Of course right when the lactation consultant walked in at the hospital she pointed to Abby, who was being held by someone else, and said, "No pacifier!" And I completely took her advice... not. It wasn't really even advice, it was more of a command. And I don't take anyone's commands, so there! Plus, as a side note, she pretty much sucked as a lactation consultant anyways, so I wasn't going to listen to anything else she said! I love this... not necessarily because of the brand, but rather because it gives my ears a rest. And I know you're not supposed to use a pacifier simply to quell the baby, but sometimes, ya just gotta! I mostly try to use it just when she wants to suck but isn't necessarily hungry. But it's also super cute to watch her suck when she's napping and she doesn't have the pacifier in her mouth!

Pacifier by Avent

     

That's it for this week, I'll post more as time goes on and more things prove themselves to be Must Haves!

First Photo Shoot

     On Monday, July 4th, my good friend H came over to do a photo shoot of Abby, she was only 6 days old! Here are some wonderful pictures that she took... she did such a great job!

Enjoy!

     If you're looking for a photographer to shoot some pictures of your precious little one, let me know, b/c H would love to help you out! She did such a great job! I can't wait until we schedule Abby's next session!

Month One

     Welcome Baby Abby to the world!

     You were born on Tuesday, June 28th, 2011 at 7:15pm via Cesarean Section, weighing in at 7lb and 5 oz, and 19 inches long. Your head and chest were both 13 inches.

     Although your birth story was a little scary and hectic, your first month on this earth has been wonderful and such a joy! Your first two days were a little harder because mommy was also recovering from surgery. I had a hard time getting up from the hospital bed, and getting back into it. The first few steps (to the bathroom of course) weren't that bad though, I was all hopped up on drugs! When the drugs wore off, however, the pain began to set in. Therefore, those few days in the hospital were somewhat of a blur; everything was happening so quickly, and it was hard to begin to actually digest what had actually happened. Thankfully, you were such a precious little one and very patient with mommy as I was trying to deal with all the pain.

     Right after you were born, once I was finally wheeled in to the recovery room where you and daddy were, they gave you to me and put you to my breast and you immediately began to chow down; good news! There was colostrum all over your little mouth! It was a beautiful moment surrounded by family. We stayed in the recovery room for an hour or so while they got the postpartum room ready for us. They gave you your first bath, and your family took turns coming in to see you. But mostly that hour was spent staring at you and taking in your beauty!

     We finally got to our postpartum room and we got situated for the night, and we tried breast feeding again before we went to bed. It was a late night as all your family was there to visit you and meet you for the first time. We were up every few hours or so to eat. But for the most part, we had to set an alarm, and daddy had to wake up and bring you to me so you could eat b/c you did not wake up on your own to eat. Good little sleeper! The first night was a little hard and tiring as the nurses continued coming in and waking us up to take our blood pressure and check our heart rates. The doctor even came in at 2:30am to check on me and give me my instructions. Needless to say, mommy didn't get much sleep that night.

     The next day was spent lounging around the ridiculously small room that was super hot (I think the AC was broken). We had more visitors, and all agreed that you were just the most beautiful baby!

     There was only one problem... you wouldn't pee. You pooped and pooped, but you refused to pee. The nurses gave you a 24 hour limit, but they didn't say what would happen if you didn't pee within those 24 hours. 24 hours came and went, and you still hadn't peed. The pediatrician came in to visit you and checked you out to see if there was a problem. They decided to give you 36 hours instead and hope that you would relieve yourself by then. I had been cleared to leave the hospital the next day, but the pediatrician said that if you had not peed by then, that you would have to stay. We talked about the options of what would happen if you ended up staying, I didn't like any of them.

     Later that evening, as daddy was holding you (you spent most of your time cuddling in daddy's arms in the hospital), he said he thought you might have just peed. He got up to change your diaper and thankfully, you did! You peed! I immediately started crying; I didn't realize how stressed I was about your pee! I had been so calm, but I guess inside I was beginning to really worry that we would have to leave you behind at the hospital, and that thought was very terrifying! I was so happy that you were perfectly fine and didn't have any problems! Who knew one could be so excited about pee?! Mommy and daddy did a dance of excitement!

     We were all able to go home the next day at 3pm together as a family. We went to your grandparents house for the night b/c you had your first doctor's appt the next morning. You other grandma came over, as well as your aunt C and uncle D, and we all held you and fell more in love with you as the minutes passed. You were so quiet and peaceful.

     The next morning we went to your appt at 10:30am. That was the first time we experienced trying to get out of the house with you; my goodness, what a feat! Forget about getting yourself ready, there's no time anymore, it's all about baby; it's okay though, you're precious enough! I was a little worried because although you had peed at the hospital the day before, you had yet to relieve yourself again. However, right when we undressed you to put you on the scale in the office, you decided that was prime time to show your skills! You peed all over daddy as he was holding you. Whoops! Thankfully the very nice nurse cleaned up your mess.

     You weighed in at 6lb and 15 oz and 20 inches long. And we had a great discussion with your pediatrician.

     Once home, Nomi Sarah came up to help mommy and daddy for the first week. She helped out so much by cleaning around the house, making sure that we were all fed, and holding/playing with you. We watched together as the trial of Casey Anthony progressed and the verdict was read, it was quite surreal. Everything was going smoothly until.... that night.

     Monday night you decided that nothing would do... you just wanted to scream and scream and scream at the top of your lungs. It really scared mommy. No matter what we did, nothing worked. You just screamed. I was so worried that something was wrong, or you wanted something but I just couldn't figure it out. You screamed the entire evening, for several hours. And the next night produced the same thing: cries. Nomi Sarah took you to the back room to hold you and let you cry, while I sat in the living room with daddy and cried on his shoulder.

     I was worried that you might have colic. I read and read and researched, but I decided that you didn't have colic because eventually, after those first two weeks, I was able to find certain positions to hold you in that would calm you down. That was very relieving! We think that it was just gas; we got you gas medicine as quickly as possible, and that seemed to help!

     You are such a good sleeper. I have to set my alarm each night in order to get up to feed you, b/c you do not get up on your own (for the most part). We get up every 4 hours to feed, and change your diaper, before you drift back off to sleep! During the day you eat every 2 hours or so, and sleep the rest of the time.

     You have no problem peeing now! You pee all the time... although there's only one problem... you prefer to pee when you don't have a diaper on... you like to pee right when we take your diaper off. You then proceed to pee all over the changing table... we can't get a diaper on you fast enough. So no changing table cover for now, no need, it would just get soaked every time we changed you!

     We took you to your next appt with your pediatrician when you were one month old. You weighed in at 8lb and 6oz and you were 21.75 inches long. Your umbilical stump had fallen off after 3 weeks, but there was a little piece still intact on your belly button that would just not fall off. It kept bleeding every time it was nicked by your diaper or clothes. Thankfully, right as we took off your clothes at the appt, it fell off! Yah! You peed on the scale again, thankfully you waited until you were actually on the scale this time, rather that pee in mid air. We talked to your doctor about your crying, and she gave us some tips. We also discussed how much you were spitting up, A LOT! You weren't just spitting up a little here and there, you were having gushes of regurgitated milk flowing from your mouth after most feedings. But she seemed to not be too worried about it, so I also try not to worry about it as well.

     After the first three weeks, you began to calm down again to your peaceful little self. You still would cry a lot, but mommy could find ways to calm and sooth your little tears. Although you spent most of your time in the hospital with daddy for the first few days, you quickly began to cling to mommy and prefer me when it's time to go to sleep. Daddy was very willing to hold you and love on you, but you wouldn't have any of it. You  cried until mommy finally came to get you and rock you to your slumber. I'm hoping that changes at some point, so that I can get some cleaning done or even take a shower during that time... trust me... you want a showered mommy, considering how close we have to be all the time!

     Thank you Abby for a beautiful first month. We are trying to treasure each moment with you, knowing that these times will be but a memory soon. You should know that your mommy and daddy love you very much, and that your daddy was such a wonderful helper for mommy and you when you were born. He did pretty much everything for us since I couldn't get up and get around myself. It is amazing to experience falling in love with someone all over again... especially since it comes at a time when there is a new addition to the family, and your love grows for another. It's beautiful to know that your heart still has room to grow in love for your original love as well.

     Happy one month Abby, we love you!