finola: one month!

Dear Finola,

What a month we have had together...so much different than my first month with your big brother.  Not that one experience was better/worse than the other - both have had their beautiful moments and  challenges.  The difference was that I was not scared this time around, or anxious about doing everything right, or nervous every time you cried.  I felt confident and much more capable, and for that I am thankful.

Your personality:  You have been such a sweet baby.  Rarely crying except when hungry...oh, and during an occasional diaper change.

Your facial expressions are priceless.  No smiling yet...just wide-eyed looks of annoyance and sometimes horror.  Or peaceful, gassy, unintentional grins/eye-rolls.

Your relationship with your big brother:  Um...you tolerate him.  He loves to "uuuug" you and "eat your nose" and poke at you.  You only sometimes scream when this happens.

You love to eat:  breastmilk, clearly.  That is all we've given you so far.  Breastfeeding has been pretty good so far.  You have latched well from the start, although you tend to choke a bit and sputter during the let-down.  You are a "snacker" - or maybe just an efficient eater?  I say this because it doesn't take you long to eat...but you eat frequently - every one to three hours.  During the night you are waking up every 2-3 hours to feed.  I get about 6 hours of interrupted sleep per night.  I handle it okay because I know somewhere between 6-8 weeks you will start sleeping longer at night.  Looking forward to that!  :D

us after an on-the-go feeding session

You sleep:  Anywhere...everywhere...but mostly in your crib.  On your tummy.  Just like mama and every other baby in the 80's did.  It is how you sleep best and we go with it.  Almost from the start you have slept in your crib, which has been convenient for me during the night {changing table and nursing chair all right there!} and makes me think sleep training you is going to be a LOT easier.  I can put you down awake and you fall asleep on your own.  I don't have to do any rigorous, time-consuming wind-down process.  This is helpful especially since I am just getting used to handling both you and your big bro all day long!

asleep on the tummy time mat

You love wearing:  Sleepers and lots of little girlie dresses.  Dressing you has been SO much fun!  Girlie clothes for babies are adorable and it is awesome to put you in the sweet outfits we've been given by so many people that love you.  Oh, and a few that I purchased, too!   You have pretty much grown out of all your newborn clothes - but thankfully we have lots of cute 0-3 months dresses to don the rest of the summer!

We call you: "Girl" or "Sister" Well, I call you those.  Cormac calls you "Beeeeeebeeeeee."

You love to:  Sleep. Yep, that is about it at this point.

You look like:  Most people say me...although I still say all newborn babies look like wrinkly old men.  Your Gramma swears you look exactly like me as a baby.  You have wispy sandy blond hair and barely visible bleached blond eye brows and lashes.  When you are mad your face turns bright red except for where your eyebrows are, which become a glowing white.  I'm afraid you have my normal eyelashes which will require mascara and an eyelash curler someday - not your dada's long, naturally thick ones.  Sorry, girl!  Speaking of hair, you have the "Ford V" hairline, just like your brother.   Except right now it looks like you have a scary receding hairline because your hair is thickest right on the crown of your head and nonexistent near your forehead.  I think you will have my fingers and toes - kind of stubby.  Your eyes will be blue - we can already tell.

your tuft of blonde hair

your super-blonde eyelashes and nonexistent eyebrows

Mama feels:  GREAT!  Well, besides being sleep-deprived and inundated with hormones which sometimes make me a little crazy.  No baby blues this time around, and my recovery from the natural birth was a LOT easier (no tears or episiotomy.)   I am very excited to start running again and eventually hitting the gym when you are a bit bigger.  I have lost all but 10 pounds of my 36 pound weight gain.  I am super happy with that, since I haven't worked out yet, or limited my calories at all.  I have quite enjoyed eating whatever sounds good - nursing mama excuse and all. Maybe all that working out while pregnant with you has paid off?  :D

Not that this first month hasn't been hard.  Super hard.  The interrupted sleep is not fun.  Juggling two babies under two all day is quite the challenge, as it seems one of them needs to be held or fed at every moment of the day.  Preparing dinner is pretty much impossible, since they are both very awake and sort of fussy at 5pm when I try to accomplish dinner prep.  I've burned quite a few things.  I've had to become okay with every room looking a little messy (or a lot.)  It gives me twitches, but I am learning to deal.  Nope, it is not easy...but the newborn thing is definitely easier.  You really don't realize how easy having one baby is until you have two.

Your health/measurements:  
Weight: You weigh a whopping 10.2 pounds!  You still look dainty, but have fattened up quite a bit.  Nice work, girlie! You are a very efficient eater. Height: 21.5 inches (up from 19.25 - you were mis-measured at the hospital)  Head: 14.5 inches.  Everything else checked out great at your one month appointment - hurrah!  Oh, and you didn't even scream or cry at all while the doctor poked and prodded you.  I'm so not used to such good behavior at the doc's office!

This Months' Memories:

• You were born!  Kind of a big one.  I will never forget that adventure together!

fresh out of 'the oven' 

• Your Gramma and Grampa came to visit for a week!  They loved holding and cuddling you - especially Gramma, who has been over-the-moon about you being a little girl.  We did lots of fun things...but mostly you just slept through it all.  

napping on gram

• You were baptized!  Such a special day - you became a child of God!  You wore my baptismal gown from when I was a babe, and used the blanket my mama used with me.  

Milestones/Accomplisments:
You do "baby pushups," move your head around, and will scoot sometimes if I put my hands behind your feet when you are on your tummy time mat.  You seem pretty strong, swinging your head around like a battering ram when you are alert and being held against someone's chest.  You flipped over a couple times from front to back - but I'm pretty sure that was unintentional!  Other than that, pretty much you just sleep and eat, both of which you are quite good at.

baby lips

sleeping on gram

I see a lot of similarities between you and your bro.  Check out the photos below.  Same lips, hairline, and eye color.  Cormac's hair was a little darker.  Your nose is more turned-up, and you has the most pale, almost transparent eyelashes and eyebrows.  But you definitely look like siblings!  I envision two little blond, blue-eyed terrors in my future!  ;)

where are my eyebrows???!!!

future handsome dude

My girl...I love thinking about all the fun we will have together in the future doing girlie things.  I am very thankful now to have a daughter - despite my previous inclination for another son.  I am hoping you grow up to love shopping, drinking lattes, cooking, wine, and home decor.  Of course, you will probably be a tomboy -- but I will still be excited if you love climbing mountains, canoeing, camping, and basically just doing anything outside...because I love all those things, too!

You are an angel.  I hope you grow to be intelligent and kind and love Jesus.

Love, Mama + Dada

g

PS: Here was Cormac's one month update -- who says you shouldn't compare your children???  ;)