2 Months

Dear Lucy,
You're two months old now! While you're still so new, it feels like your birth happened years ago. It took a bit, but we've finally settled into a new normal. Admittedly the first few weeks were incredibly tough; I had a hard time understanding everything and my life was completely flipped upside down. I had so many paralyzing fears about you... how to keep you safe and happy while at the same time retaining a little bit of myself. But we made it through!

You are my everything. All the decisions I make are based around you. It's humbling to put someone else completely above yourself, but there's nothing I wouldn't do to make sure your needs come first.

You are a lot more interactive than you were a month ago -- you are great at making eye contact, tracking, holding your head up, putting weight on your legs, and the best of all -- SMILES and COOS! I absolutely live for your smiles. My heart melts each time you flash that gummy little grin. You love to eat, look at lights, listen to music, enjoy car rides and shopping, and bounce around on Mommy's lap. You even like diaper changes now! And I think you like bath time too, though you won't admit to us. You dislike all your recent indigestion, tummy time, being harnessed into your car seat, and having your nose suctioned. Recently we have discovered you are really happy when being held by men!

You're growing pretty fast now. I already miss your curled up newborn lump would feel against me, but now it almost feels like you're hugging me when I hold you, which is equally awesome.

You're a decent sleeper for being two months old, but I selfishly wish you'd progress a little more, especially as I head back to work this week. I am very nervous to not be with you every minute of the day, but I know you and Daddy will have lots of fun in the morning and then you'll get to meet new people at daycare in the afternoons. I am going to miss you with every ounce of me. We haven't been separated for 11 months. But I hope that it will make our times together even more special.

I love you so much, Buggy Lu!!

Lucy at 8 Weeks

Weight: A little over 11 pounds

Medical Issues:    I think she may have a touch of cradle cap on the top of her head. She gets so dry and flaky there. She also had some really painful gas episodes this week -- screaming her little head off for 15-20 minutes at a time. I've attributed the cause as the fenugreek herbal supplement I was taking to up my milk production. So needless to say, I've stopped taking it. I'm still working on overcoming some breastfeeding problems. Hopeful to have it semi figured out by the time I return to work January 3. 

Sleep:  Lots of patterns emerging the past two weeks. She's down for the night around 10 pm and sleeps anywhere between 4-6.5 hours for her first stretch. It gets shorter each stretch after that, with the final one being SO noisy. If she'd take a decent nap, they would be around 12:30 pm, 2 pm, 5 pm and 7 pm. 

I'd love to try transitioning her to her crib, but I'm really afraid it's going to be a huge flop. 

Clothes: 0-3.  Trying to get as many outfits in as possible because I have a feeling this size will be short lived, even though she just started filling them out.

Social:
Trips to the hospital for various appointments and to visit my coworkers. Also our work Christmas party.

Baby Gear Love:
Target Scented Wipes -- They have a great scent, aren't overly wet, and are a soft cloth material. Plus they're cheap!

Crying:
Same old.  Mainly cries when hungry, overtired, or gassy.

Milestones:  Tried out the Bumbo just to see how she'd react. While she has great head control, she seems too wobbly. We'll keep trying it for a minute or so at a time. She's also started to lick while rooting. Before she'd just kind of open mouth whatever she was rooting on. We're excited to have our first Christmas with her! Granted she won't know what's going on, but it will mean a lot to us.

Lucy at 7 Weeks

Our little Lu is 7 weeks old already! She's already changed so much; it breaks my heart that she'll never be this little again. Though I hear from other moms that they all thought their baby's current age was their favorite... until the next age. While I'll really miss the little newborn reflexes and snuggles, I can't wait for her to hug me and giggle and play. I stare at her all the time -- I know every mom thinks this, but I just can't believe my beautiful my daughter is. I'm so blessed to be her mom. In those early weeks, I was so sleep deprived, hormonal, anxious, depressed and scared I felt like she was a crazy little alien in my house. Now I can't imagine not being with her, not feeling the warmth of her head against my cheek, not hearing her little cries. 

Weight:  She gets weighed again at the breastfeeding support group and lactation consultant Wednesday. She's a little over 10 pounds now.

Health:   Her health is fine, but I'm worried about her slow weight gain. I have come to the conclusion that I've let her latch go bad, which has resulted in low supply, which has resulted in her feeding all the time. While I work to up my supply, I've had to supplement more. 

Sleep:  We're getting anywhere between 4.5-6 hour stretches right now. I was hoping we'd see an uptick after our first 7 hour stretch, but no go. I also attempted to transition her out of the Rock N Play back to the PNP bassinet in hopes of someday getting her to her crib, but she wasn't having it after about 20 minutes.  Now that her tummy is getting full, she's taking better naps in the daytime.

Clothes: Officially in 0-3! 

Social:  The usual running of errands, hospital visits, and dinners out. She generally does pretty well out in public, though hates to be harnessed into her car seat. 

Milestones:  First diaper blowout. Consequently first time Mom giving a bath solo. Santa! 

Lucy at 6 Weeks

Weight:  She was 10 lbs even Wednesday when she was weighed at a breastfeeding support group meeting, though she was 9 lbs 12 oz at the dr's office Monday.

Health:    I sometimes suspect she suffers from reflux, so she has a pedi appointment tomorrow. She was having a few fussy days where she was cluster feeding all day and waking up from a nap screaming, but she's been better since. I feel like a paranoid mother because her symptoms could just be general newborn things. 

Sleep:  We got our first 6.5 hour stretch the day she turned 6 weeks, which is TWO hours better than her best stretch. Then she went another 3.5 after her feeding. I'm crossing my fingers it continues. Even if she has some setbacks, at least I know she's capable of it. I wish I could figure out what prompted it, but it just could be she was ready for it. 

Clothes: Growing out of newborn for sure. Some of her 0-3 is still huge on her, especially any pants I've tried on her, but it seems like we have some inconsistent sizing with her Carter's stuff (fleece vs cotton sleepers) which could account for that. I think she may be growing out of her size 1 diapers too. 

Social:  Not too many outings this week, but we had dinner at Aunt Teia's and we went to a breastfeeding support group too. We did dinner and errands Saturday night per usual. I'm really happy she travels well, and every time we come back from an outing, I feel better mentally -- like I'm a normal person again! Wes said a couple rolled their eyes at me while I was BFing under my cover at Target last night. But I'm not concerned. I'm feeding my baby. Completely covered. They can suck it. 

Milestones:  Social smiles! And sleeping through the night! My favorite milestones ever to this point!! :) 

Lucy at 5 Weeks

Weight:  Last Tuesday at her pediatrician appointment, she was up to 9 lbs 8 oz, which is almost a whole pound in a week! 

Health:    Her jaundice is almost gone, so no more bloodwork and no full blood panel! We don't even have to go back to her doctor until her two month appointment. Such a relief that the health problems are slowing down. 

Sleep:  We're making improvements here. I think she's finally getting the hang of day vs. night. She will go about 2 3-4 hour stretches with another morning one. I've been trying to keep the room really dim during the middle of the night feedings, which has been helping in keeping her from getting too alert. I've been trying to pinpoint when she wants her bedtime to be. Sometimes it's 7:30; sometimes 8:30, and sometimes 11. Think we're still figuring that one out. 

Clothes: Newborn and some 0-3. Newborn is getting a little short on her, but she's still kind of swimming in her 0-3 clothes! Hopefully she catches up soon, because all of her Christmas outfits are 0-3. So we'll be waiting to meet Santa until they do. 

Social:  The visitors have slowed down, but we've been making more outings. I'm feeling a little more comfortable in taking her out, even with nursing in public (with a cover), but I wish I had ten hands. I don't know how moms with multiples do it! We've one out to dinner a few times and shopping a few times. I even did my first solo grocery trip with her. She's a pretty good traveler, usually falls asleep in the car seat and is lulled back to sleep in the stroller and with lights and ambient sounds. 

Baby Gear Love:
Summer Infant SwaddleMe - We tried these out for the first time last weekend, and I'm finding it a lot easier than a manual swaddle or the Halo swaddle. 

Crying:  Mainly cries when hungry or overtired. Cries during most diaper changes and baths. 

Milestones:  She turned a month old! I also think she may be starting to social smile, but I can't quite pinpoint what triggers it so I can never repeat it. Hopefully soon though. I can't wait to make her smile as much as I can! 

1 Month

Lucy at 4 Weeks

Weight:  We're back to birthweight (plus an ounce) at her appointment Tuesday, so 8 lbs 12 oz.

Health:    She has had three heel punctures in the lab to monitor her bilirubin levels. Even though she was under photo therapy lights for three days during her NICU stay, it's still lingering. If it's not gone down by enough, she has to have a full blood panel. :( 

Also, she had an ultrasound done last week to look at her sacral dimple, which is sometimes a marker for spina bifida. While she doesn't have spina bifida, they did discover a cyst in that area. It could be nothing to worry about, but they'll keep evaluating it during her exams. 

Oddly enough, her health problem that landed her in the NICU is but a memory for us. Since she's been home, her lungs sound so much better, and her breathing seems to be typical of your average newborn.

Sleep:  Our biggest challenge right now. I feel like she's backsliding -- two hour naps during the day, but can't sustain longer than that during the nighttime. And sometimes she's not easy to get back down after feedings. I feel like I'm doing the right things -- swaddling, at a slight angle, dark, sleep sheep -- but she must get too hungry to stay asleep. I'm thinking about introducing a formula bottle to see if that keeps her fuller longer, plus it would allow me to get more sleep.

Clothes: Newborn and some 0-3. I keep her predominately in sleep and plays and fleece one-piece PJs. It's just a lot easier for diaper changes and clothes changes. She hates being naked and trying to pull a onesie over her head while she screams is more than I need. 

Social:  We get a visitor almost every evening (which helps my sanity while my husband is at work), but that's slowing down. We've taken her to Target, the mall, and McDonald's so far, in addition to her doctor's appointments. I took her out by myself at 3 1/2 weeks for some more appointments, plus we get to visit my coworkers at the same time. I also took her with me to my orthodontist appointment and a quick TJ Maxx run. I'm trying to gain more confidence going places with her. She seems to do pretty well in public (likes the noises and sights), and I know it's good for me to not sit on my couch for weeks on end. 

Baby Gear Love:
Carter's clothes - As mentioned above, one-piece PJs are the easiest for both of us, plus I'm nervous she'll be too chilly in anything else. 

Pampers Swaddlers - I'm afraid to try any other diaper, because these are awesome. Knock on wood, but we haven't had a blowout yet, and they really pull the moisture away from her hiney. 

Boppy Lounger - I registered for this at the recommendation of my friend Casey. I like that it keeps her close to me instead of putting her in another one of her containment devices. I wish they made them for adults! 

Wubbanub - I think they generally look pretty ridiculous hanging off babies' mouths, but I caved and got her one. She actually really likes it, and she's only ever given a crap about the cut Soothie she had in the NICU. Whatever makes her happy and content!

Crying:  Mainly cries when hungry or overtired.

Milestones:  First big girl bath at 3 weeks, first mall trip, first tummy time and activity mat and first Thanksgiving!