Lillian's 6th week

In honor of Mommy's birthday this coming Thursday and Mother's Day on Sunday here is Lillian sporting her favorite onesie!

Week 6 was definitely a growth week, not sure if it was physical or developmental but we could tell by how she was feeding/sleeping something was going on.

Sleep: On Friday night she had difficulty falling asleep after I fed her at 10pm so I ended up feeding her for another 10 min around 11:00. She was fine after that so I put her in her crib and went to bed. About 5 min later she started fussing so I got up to make sure she didn't need to burp and soothed her then got back in bed. She got fussy again so my mom got up that time to sooth her. She ended up patting her while still in the crib for about 15 min and Lillian was out. I had told my mom she usually wakes at about 3 to eat so of course my mom woke up at 3 and 3:30 and 4 waiting to hear her fussing and she never did. My mom was worried she had stopped breathing but she was okay.  Lillian finally woke up at 5 am and my mom fed her the bottle. Lillian then woke up at 7:30 which is her normal morning feed. If that was her schedule for now on I'd be happy but the next night proved wrong. She woke up every 3 hours and then would take about 45 min. to fall asleep. Seemed like she would be calm so we'd put her in the crib and then 10 minutes later she would start crying again and crying out at night that long does not work for two sleepy parents. It was a rough night but we made it and it could have been worse. We are trying to be better about sticking to her schedule during the day and so far it has helped as she is back to waking up just once at night, hopefully it continues.

Nursing: we made a big step forward this week. Lillian latched onto one of my nipples without the nipple shield and fed the whole time. I was so proud, hoping we can eventually quit using it all together, it would make nursing a lot easier. Her schedule now since growth spurt is over is every 3 hours during the day to eat and the last feeding is at 9:30 instead of 10 and she sleeps until 3:00 and then starts her day again at 7 am. In another week or two we will try to get her to sleep longer through the night.

I got my sling in the mail finally. It was one of those things online where it's free and you just pay shipping, except shipping is like $12. Totally worth it though because I am such a wimp and have no arm muscles. I also got a diaper pod and some baby leg warmers for $6 more. I thought it was too small the first time I used it but then too big the second time so I'm still trying to figure out if I am using it correctly. You wouldn't think it would be rocket science.

I had also got the same deal on a car seat cover. I thought it was something I could have just easily made but for $12 I wouldn't have to purchase the fabric or worry about making it so I am happy with that purchase as well. I didn't take a picture but its a similar grey fabric with white pattern. I don't know why but I like stuff to match even if I don't use it together. Our pack n play, stroller, and high chair all match too.

Other happenings this week: I got my first real smile this week from Lillian and it wasn't due to gas!! She was just sitting in her bouncy seat cooing so I started talking to her and she had this huge grin on her face when we locked eyes. Greatest feeling in the world! With the growth spurt this last week we have noticed a few other things:

-Lillian is a lot more aware of things and more alert.
-She loves looking at the lights.
-She will follow an object once you put it in front of her.
-she talks/coos more
-Still spitting up after each feeding, but not as much
- We did have one green poopy diaper this week and I read a couple of things that could cause it (too much foremilk, mommy diet specifically dairy, and some others I knew wouldn't pertain to us) but since it was only one I have not worried too much about it. But her poopy diapers have become fewer and far between which is nice but more loose. Again i read its normal for breastfed babies but will keep an eye out for any other issues and make sure she doesn't get dehydrated.
- Daddy has been good at making sure she gets her tummy time, although she hasn't been a fan of it lately.
- she still has a good amount of hair but i am noticing it thinning on the topsides of her head

Diapers

Don't worry this is not going to be a detailed description post on my daughter's dirty diapers. I basically had some thoughts and notes I have taken since becoming a parent and wanted to remember the knowledge and experiences for next time.

Lillian was born at 8lbs. 9 oz she lost about 7 ounces within the first week then gained back 16 ounces by her 1 month doctor's appointment. Her torso is long but she is so skinny so we started with newborn size diapers (i think they go up to 10lbs) for the first few weeks. Thanks to my mom (Nana) we have tons of diapers and wipes.

Sizes: On April 7th, Lillian was 2 1/2 weeks old, the inevitable happened, Lillian blew out her first diaper (newborn Pampers), of course it was in church and got all over her new dress. Later that day she decided to grace us with another blow out. At this point Kevin and I knew it had to be that the diapers were too small. We got home and opened a size 1 (Huggies) and it swallowed her tiny little booty and belly. We decided to use the rest of the opened newborn diapers and just make sure to change more often. Once we finally used all of those we tried a different size newborn (LUVS) because it said jumbo on it. I am still unsure if that description had anything to do with the size but they fit her much better and didn't leave red marks on her legs. About a week later those diapers got too small as well, luckily we only have about 5 left, but we went ahead and tried a size one again. This time we tried Pampers and they seem to fit her much better than the Huggies size 1s. Now at 5 weeks we love the Pampers Swaddlers. They have a color-changing wetness indicator and this netting layer so when she goes #2 it keeps her from having to sit in it and makes for easier diaper changes. 

Changing of Diapers: Speaking of diaper changes, Kevin is much better than me. I have been peed on a handful of times and daddy has maybe been peed on once. Apparently mommy doesn't learn her lesson easily. What would happen is I would take off her completely full diaper, close it up, wipe her and then open  the new diaper. Well between wiping and putting on the new diaper she would pee and it would go all over her outfit and the changing pad. This is really frustrating at 3:00 in the morning. Daddy shared his wisdom and advised to put a wipe against her leg or belly before taking off the dirty diaper and then take off the dirty one and put the new diaper beneath her before wiping (we think the coldness of the wipe is what causes her to pee). So far we have been incident free for about a week and a half!

Returning diapers: Since we still had unopened boxes of newborns we wanted to try and exchange them for a size up. We tried taking to Babies R US but they could only give us the sale price which was about half of the regular price since we didn't have a receipt. Someone had mentioned to me that Walmart will usually exchange diapers easily so I may have to try there even though I hate going to Walmart. If you have a package of diapers that were opened but baby grew out of them before they were gone, don't fret, you can always use them for gifts like a diaper cake or this:

Brands: I know that some people say certain brands are better for boys and certain ones are better for girls and then once they start getting mobile certain brands are better. I haven't had to buy any diapers yet but we love Pampers for now. Plus they have a points program called Gifts to Grow and some of the rewards are useful. Each package of diapers and wipes has a code for points and then each month there is a special code for additional points. Obviously by the first picture above we have lots of Huggies in the larger sizes to try out. What kind do you recommend? 

Where to buy: Like I said I haven't had to purchase any diapers yet but I do know one thing is never pay regular price. Diapers are always on sale somewhere and there are always coupons for them online or through your local grocery store. I have also been told that diapers.com has pretty good deals.

Lillian Week 5

Lillian is 5 weeks old today :( Daddy can't wait for her to be more active but Mommy wants her to stay little forever. Here is her week 5 picture. Thanks to Aunt Nina for my outfit!

 

I can tell she is growing and has become more alert and active. She gave me her first real smiles this week when i talked to her and I knew it wasn't just gas. And yes I do the cheesy baby talk but that's what babies like and i'll talk anyway I need to, to see that beautiful beaming smile! Daddy caught a picture of her reacting to my baby talk 

and here is a video of her smiling

 

Sleep: She is still sleeping well, about the same schedule she has been on. We are working on dropping her middle of the night feeding in these next few weeks. Right now she eats around 10-10:30ish depending on her schedule that day and then wakes up around 3.am to eat and then not again until 7 am. Its not bad for me and after her 7 am feeding we both just go back to sleep so even mommy is getting about 8-9 hrs of broken sleep. The last two days of her 5th week i have noticed she will wake herself up during her naps but falls right back to sleep within a minute or two. 

Nursing: We are making progress as far as latching without the nipple shield. She seems to only take on the left side right now but last night I only used the shield for about 3 minutes to draw out the nipple and then she continued to eat without it for about 10 minutes. This was big for us and Mommy is very proud. Lillian is still spitting up after each feeding. We decided maybe she was eating too much so instead of feeding for 15 minutes on each side i usually pull her off after about 12-13 minutes and that has seemed to help. She still spits up but its not as much. It was bad and Daddy nicknamed her Mount Vesuvius. We will be happy if she ever gets over the spit up. We go through about 4 burp cloths, 2 bibs, and 2-3 sets of clothes a day because she has spit up all over them. I am anxious to see how much she weighs at her next doctor's appointment because she does eat well and has good diapers.

One more last picture, I love when she yawns. It starts out with her making a O with her lips and then turns into this big yawn and makes me yawn every time. Just looking at this picture I have yawned twice. 

Nothing else really happened this week. Daddy did not have to work on Friday so we had a nice 3 day weekend enjoying our family and this awesome weather we have been having.

Lillian's week 4

Here is Lillian at 4 weeks old. She still seems small to me (not complaining i love how little she is) but is much more alert.

No real updates for this last week. Lillian continued to have difficulty falling asleep in her crib so Momma held her to fall asleep. She is also still spitting up after each feeding and having tummy issues. Hopefully it will get better soon. Lillian's "Nena" (Kevin's mom) bought her a swing and it arrived yesterday. She of course loves it. I put her in it today after a feeding and she did not make a sound. She did lay there for a good 30 minutes wide awake though so i felt bad just leaving her alone. That's when I decided to go in and play with her for a few minutes then I put her back in and she fell right to sleep. We are going to try and use it seldomly and not at night time so she doesn't get use to sleeping in the swing instead of her crib. I have been very thankful to have it though when Lillian is fussy because it has allowed me to get some stuff done without having to hear her pitiful heartbreaking cry. Here is Lillian enjoying her swing, she loves to watch the birdies fly around.

This was visitor week for Lillian, we LOVE having visitors. We are blessed to have friends and family that want to stop by and see Miss Lillian.

This is Mrs. Addie, we have known each other since we were born, our families attended church together.  

 This is Mrs. Erin she is mommy and daddy's good friend from Nashville and her husband Mr. Jordan is below, he is one of Daddy's best friends and Frisbee buddy. 

Daddy being sill of course. 

We also had some cousins come visit us and Mrs. Deborah from church come visit but mommy failed and forgot to take pictures. 

I'll leave you with this last picture of smiles from when we finally got outside and went walking around the neighborhood in the stroller. 

Lillian's Week 3

This was a good week. Lillian started to grow and Kevin and I learned a lot from this week.

Nursing: I had gone to see a lactation consultant this week to get some help on latching. We have been using a nipple shield and unfortunately Lillian is addicted. Well the LC didn't really do much. She watched me try to nurse without the shield and just told me some tips I had already read online. So  we were only there about 15 minutes hen came on home. The one thing I did get out of the appointment was after feeding her on each side just try and get her to latch onto my nipple to get her use to it again and it will be more drawn out since I just used the shield. We have been trying it and so far I have been able to get her to latch on a few times. She does really get much milk or last long but I'll take the baby steps so we can get rid of this thing. Other than that she has been eating well. She has gotten very gassy lately and spits up often. It's usually not a lot.

Sleeping: because of the tummy issues she has been having a hard time falling asleep. We had been letting her cry it out when she was fussy. But lately it's not just a fuss so we would try and burp her again or rub her tummy. Well, yesterday was an exhausting day for mommy. Lillian was in pain and just wouldn't sleep and mommy just wanted a nap and couldn't so daddy stopped by the store on the way home and got both gripe water and gas drops. We used the gripe water first and it kind of settled her down so at the next feeding I gave her the gas drops and it was like my old baby was back! She fell right to sleep after the next 3 feedings. I was so happy we could give her some relief. It was a little hard to wake her up for her night feeding though because she was so exhausted from not sleeping all day. That is the only issue we have had so far. We did get her on a schedule this week. She is eating about every 3 hours and then wakes up once in the middle of the night to eat. We went back to Atlanta to visit family last weekend so the schedule wasn't perfect and Lillian was either in her car seat or someone's arms sleeping. So This week we are going to try and stick to her schedule a little better. I have been using my friends blog The Journey of Parenthood for advice and this is where I got the schedule since it was kind of what she had already been doing except in 4 hour increments instead of 3 but 3 is working better for us now. We are using her 2 week schedule. If you are pregnant or have a child under 3 you should read her blog she was great advice and is raising her children in a godly way.

Doctor Appointment: We did go to the pediatrician this week. Lillian weighed 9 lbs so she gained back 14 ounces since her last appt. at 4 days old, and she was 22 inches long. We decided she has a long torso and little legs like mommy because all of the 3 months onesies fit but none of her pants fit. We have to roll the waist  every time. The doctor also pointed out she has a stork bite on the back of her head that will not go away but nothing to worry about, it's basically a birthmark. He said some babies have it on their forehead and it eventually fades but the ones on the back of the head and neck generally won't. I was thankful he pointed that out. He also pointed out two little white spots on the roof of her mouth. He called them epstein pearls and said they are normal as well and they are not thrush. That was our first appointment with the pediatrician here in Huntsville and so far I'm very happy with them.

Other happenings:

She started to get the baby acne this week but no cradle cap yet and doesn't look like she has lost any hair yet.

Lillian loves taking a bath but we quickly realized you must keep the water running or she gets fussy. The water isn't running on her or into her little tub just in the bathtub behind her. I guess she just likes the sound of it. Here is a picture of her first real bath after her umbilical cord fell off this last week.

Here are a few pictures from this weekend visiting family in Atlanta. We had a yummy belated Easter Dinner with Kevin's family Saturday night (sadly we didn't get to see two of our nephews though because they were sick) and Sunday we basically spent all day at church. My little brother and his fiance had a wedding shower and then after evening service there was a going away party for my parents who are moving after 28 years of being in metro Atlanta. Because of all the events Lillian got to see all her aunts ( & future Aunt Jill) and uncles on my side of the family. 

Nana and Papa

My side of the Family taking one last picture at our home in Lawrenceville, Georgia. 

Summary of Pregnancy

I wrote this a few weeks back but never posted. It's a summary of my view of pregnancy.

Posting semi weekly updates has helped me remember these last 9 months well and something I will always be able to look back on in the future for fun memories and knowledge for baby #2. However, I wanted to do one post of my thoughts on being pregnant after all is said and done. Here are the main highlights.

I was very blessed with an easy pregnancy. I read those books about what to expect and took great notes. To me pregnancy is like medicine commercials where they list out 100 side effects and you think why in the world would I ever take this medicine if that's what going to happen to me.  In reality those are just possible side effects. Totally worth it for the relief or in this case the miracle of a child. My pregnancy was a lot like the dad's young hot wife, I think her name was Skylar, on the movie What to Expect When you're Expecting. I had a total of about two weeks where I felt nauseous occasionally but never actually got sick. There were no smells that made me feel sick either which was good because I have a co-worker that ate food at her desk regularly that was usually some kind of steamed veggie and they smelled bad but never sickening.

I would get tired but I never felt exhausted. I made sure to get at least 8 or so hours of sleep each night and I felt good. That last month though I did get worn out a lot quicker so I tried to just make sure I didn't over do it. I noticed more of the aches and swelling that last month and the pressure on your bladder is crazy for the last two weeks but well worth it.

My favorite part of being pregnant was feeling her move around inside of me. It wasn't always the most comfortable thing but it sure was the coolest. And I loved having Kevin feel her. I was not a fan of people touching my belly but there were times where I wanted to be like "hey feel this it's so neat!"

As far as weight gain I don't think I did too bad. I weighed myself the day we found out at 6 weeks and only gained a total of 35lbs. I read they recommend only 25-30 but considering how picky and terrible of an eater I am I think an extra 5 is no big deal. Plus I did not workout once while being pregnant other than walking, which doesn't last long. I had many people tell me how good I looked  and that I was only carrying it in my belly. I know most of them were being honest but I'm sure they were also just being nice which was nice to hear often. The really good comments came from strangers, I had two incidents where I was asked how far along I was and I said 38 weeks and they thought I was lying or had a wrong date. They would say I figured you had a good month or 2 left so that was nice to hear.

One thing I am most thankful for during the last 9 months was that we never had any complications. Every time I went to the doctor it was quick and the same thing was said "you look good and she sounds great." This is huge! The stress of being pregnant alone is more than some should handle but to be told that something may be wrong or need extra attention would be hard to hear. I have many friends who handled their situations so well and I know it's because of their faith in God and the power of prayer from so many friends and family so I make sure to remember that daily as well.

Another great thing about being pregnant is how nice people are to you. You do get a lot of people that just stare at your belly which is so funny to me but in general people are so interested in you. Pregnancy is a good conversation starter. People will always tell you how their pregnancy was and want to know the gender, name, how far along you are etc. and I think that's what makes it easier for people to open up to begin with.

So for all the first time moms out there I unfortunately can't promise you will have it so easy but also note that all those horror stories you hear aren't always the case either. Everyone is different and each pregnancy may differ for the same individual as well. I realize I won't have the best advice since I didn't go through much but it definitely was an incredible journey and I am thankful God gave me the opportunity. It's funny the little things you miss while you are pregnant. I can now sleep on my back and stomach again, I can tie my own shoes, and I can roll over in bed and not get out of breath! With all that being said I have loved being pregnant.

Week One and Two of Lillian's Life

I realize I'm behind on week one but hey I just had a baby so cut me some slack. :) I don't plan on doing a long post for a weekly update. It will probably just be a cute picture and any highlights from that week. Our first week was pretty eventful so it may be longer than future posts. Here is Lillian on march 26th at one week old. This bunny was made by a sweet lady from church.

We went home to my parents house from the hospital on Thursday march 21st. Lillian's birth weight was 8lbs 9oz and 21.5 in. long. When we went home she was 8lbs 4oz. We went to the pediatrician on Sunday march 24th and she weighed 8lbs 2oz. and was 20 3/4 in. long. Not too bad, they always say to expect her to lose weight that first week. On Tuesday we decided to head home to Huntsville as a family so Kevin could get back to work. Before we left though we stopped by my old job to let everyone meet Lillian. We also stopped by my mom's office because everyone had heard so much about Lillian. She was one proud Nana showing Lillian off to everyone. After that it was time to hit the road! Luckily Huntsville is only about 3 1/2 hrs from Atlanta and Lillian LOVES the car. She slept the whole entire time and only whimpered once when we stopped for gas but was fine as soon as we were moving again. We did stop for lunch and that was when I fed her a bottle I had pumped in the car (thanks to my Medela pump in style it was a piece of cake to pump in the car). We made it safe and it was so nice for all 3 of us to be home together in one state.

Here is a picture of Lillian at two weeks old, ready for Braves Opening day!

Week two started that same Tuesday we traveled home. My mom actually drove up later that evening and stayed with us until Saturday. She was a huge help to have around. I am so thankful she took her vacation days to come help us out. Not only helping with Lillian, she took the middle of the night feeding so i could get a few solid hours, but also did a lot of cleaning and cooking for me and was just there to talk and give guidance so I didn't stress since Kevin was back at work. I know she hated to leave Lillian but I hated for her to leave too. My dad and PawPaw came to pick her up Saturday since she drove one of our cars here so I was glad we were able to get a 4 generations picture since we don't know when PawPaw would be able to see her again.

We will see how week three goes as I will be on my own until Kevin gets home from work. I am not too worried about it right now as I know my priority is Lillian first, then sleep and food for me, and if I can get at least one "chore" around the house done a day I think we will be okay.

Physical Features: Lillian has had great skin since she was born. none of that baby acne showed up until the middle of week two and that is still just around her nose only. She came out with a full head of darker hair and we started to notice this week its turning red like Mommy's!

Nursing: we are working on getting Lillian to attach (flat nipples apparently), still using the nipple shield for now but at least she is getting full feedings. I have fed her from a bottle a few times for convenience (i.e. the car trip here, middle of night feedings with my mom or Kevin) and it certainly is more convenient to feed from a bottle but I do love that special time only I can have with her when i feed her.

Schedule: She kind of put herself on a 3 1/2 - 4 hr feeding schedule but did have a few times where she would be hungry sooner so of course i fed her. we weren't really too worried about a schedule at this point. We are going to start working on that more during week 3.

Mommy's recovery:
I have been feeling good. Not too sore from the whole birthing process, I haven't hit any postpartum depression, and I'm getting better sleep than when I was pregnant. I do have to say it has been easy because we have had so much help but it also makes it easy/enjoyable every time I get to hold my sweet baby girl. When I left the hospital they had me on 600mg of Motrin every 6hrs, by about Saturday I had gotten down to 400mg and today I take it only twice a day and feel fine. I didn't want to stop taking it all together because I do notice some pressure still but did not want to take so much as it causes constipation (I know TMI but that is valuable info for any of my pregnant friends). I would also advise to listen when the nurse says not to lift anything over 10lbs for awhile, because I pulled Lillian, in her carseat, out of the car and think I pulled a muscle in my shoulder! It is really painful lol. I need to hit the gym! I did weigh myself once we got back to Huntsville and i can proudly say i already lost more than half the pregnancy weight by just giving birth! lol. I still have about 16 lbs to go. They say not to work out until after your 6 week check up so until then I try to be good about what I eat and I know it's helping shed some LBs just by nursing.

We did take Lillian to church for Easter so I will end with some pictures of her in her cute dress and our little family of three!