A Letter to Elise at One Month

Little Miss Elise, I can't believe you are already a month old. Time goes by so fast and you have grown so much! I look at you now and I can hardly see that newborn baby I was holding for the first time just a few weeks ago. On the other hand your presence feels so right and natural that it seems like you've been with us for much longer.  Daddy and I worked together for your photo shoot last night after Carter went to bed.  I wanted to get some pictures of you with your brother too, so I took more this morning.  Now there are so many pictures it was hard for me to choose my favorites, so there are a lot!

I know I keep saying this, but it's so true, you are the sweetest little girl! You love to snuggle and be held. If it were up to you, you'd be held at all times day or night. It doesn't have to be me holding you, it can be anyone. Although sometimes you want to suck and a pacifier just won't cut it. There are times you are desperate to nurse and nothing else will calm you. Then you will spit up a ton because you just wanted to suck and weren't actually hungry!  One day I was holding you and you kept fussing no matter which way I turned you.  Finally I put you in a position where you could see my face.  You immediately looked up into my face and stopped fussing.  We sat there really studying each other until you fell asleep.  Watching your sweet, little eyes take in every inch of my face was so sweet and I got tears in my eyes.

You still sleep in bed with us at night. Honestly we didn't even try putting you in the Pack N Play this past week. We have a good routine going and I figure we'll wait to try again until we're ready. With transitions like that at a certain point the timing just feels right. We're not there yet. One night daddy must've had a weird dream and rolled over slapping me in the chest, presumably looking for you. Luckily you were laying beside me on the side away from him so you were unphased. I told him to go back to sleep and he rolled over and continued to sleep. He doesn't remember any of it! In the morning after daddy gets up to get ready for work I put you in the middle of the bed and roll close to snuggle you. Usually I put my lips on your head, kissing you over and over until I fall back to sleep. Daddy always comes in to say bye before he leaves for work. One morning when he woke me up, I discovered I had slobbered all over your head in my sleep.  

You are still eating every 2-3 hours. During the day you would occasionally go 3.5 hours between feedings. The last couple nights you've gone 3 hours between most of your feedings and even 3.5 hours a couple times. It sure makes a huge difference in how I feel! You had a couple days where you only ate on one side during feedings and therefore were hungry every hour to hour and a half, but thankfully you are back on track eating on both sides during feedings. You have also gotten much better at eating. Before you needed a lot of support with me holding your head just right and holding my breast to put it in an optimal position for you. Most of the time now I can just throw my arm behind your head for support and you are able to do the rest on your own. That makes it so nice because I can multitask while feeding you. I'll read books to Carter or eat during the day and at night I read and type blog posts on my phone.

You broke out with baby acne pretty badly all over your face and head.  You also have it on your chest and back but it's not quite as bad there.  Compared to Carter at this age, you have a lot of hair!  It's starting to grow in longer along your neckline.  It is also looking a bit blonder and really looks golden when it's in the sunlight.  You are still wearing newborn clothes and newborn diapers.  The pants are a definite must, but you can wear some 0-3 month onesies.  Your newborn onesies are starting to get a bit snug around the belly area because you are starting to chunk up.  I'm loving that because there's not much cuter than a chunky baby.  My favorite is the little thigh rolls and you are starting to get them!  Your cheeks are also so chubby! Your eyes are so blue and I love it!  I really doubt that will change although I know eye color changes up until about 8 months. 

Sweet thigh rolls starting to develop!

 

I thought you preferred the bouncer over the swing because you would cry when you were in the swing.  One day in a last ditch effort to get you to hang out in the swing so I could make Carter's lunch, I turned it up higher so it would swing faster.  Suddenly you liked the swing, you just prefer when it's going so fast it appears it will throw you out!  Already a dare devil and with your wild older brother I'd say that's a good thing!  As far as toys go you like your activity gym, high contrast cards, black and white books, and mirror.  Your favorite thing to do is watch Carter.  You love it when he gets on the activity gym with you and he has a way with you, soothing you very quickly!  You also like to roll to your side and the nurse said she thought you might be an early roller at your 2 week appointment because you were so active and rolling to your side.  I've also been really impressed with your neck control.  You will lift your head up and hold it for quite a while!

We had an appointment at 2 weeks for a well check.  You were 7 pounds, 2 ounces and 21.1 inches at the time.  We didn't have a one month appointment so I attempted to get your measurements at home.  I know they probably aren't very accurate, but I wanted a frame of reference to get an idea of how much you have gained.  I stood on the scale with you and then without you.  According to it you weigh 8.6 pounds.  Then I measured you at 22 inches long.  Regardless of how accurate the measurements are, you are definitely growing!

Carter is still smitten with you.  Boy does he love you and he loves to take care of you!  He loves to watch you eat and really wanted to feed you himself so he fed you a bottle this past week.  He's figured out he's really good at consoling you by rolling you onto his chest and hugging you.  He prefers to do it in daddy and my bed so one day he wanted to carry you to our room.  He insisted that he do it himself without any help.  So I walked along behind him with my hand supporting your head.  He did such a great job.  At the end he started speed walking, I think because you were getting heavy and he was worried about dropping you.  When he's walking by you or laying by you he will say, "Carter careful," and then really watch what he's doing.  If you are crying in your car seat before we're in the car he will walk over and pull on your toys attached to the seat to console you.  In the car he'll talk to you to try to get you to stop crying.  The mirror by his seat that is there so I can see him plays music and he can reach it with his foot.  When you cry he'll say, "Carter help sissy with music!" and then he'll make the music play.  If he leaves the room and you start crying he'll yell back at you, "Right back sissy!  Carter be right back!"  If you are crying and he doesn't think I'm getting to you fast enough he'll tell me, "Mommy get sissy right now!"  Sometimes when you are eating he'll get impatient for you to finish so we can go play with him.  He'll even tell me, "Mommy, sissy all done!  Come now!"  He's so funny!   

Carter checking you out.

Size comparison.

Up until this past week I was shocked because you just weren't very burpy. You rarely burped after eating and had never spit up. You sure made up for it this week by spitting up after eating at least once a day!  Most the time I think you spit up because you continue to suck when you aren't hungry anymore.  There are times when you pull off and milk just pours out of your mouth because you were sucking but not swallowing!

I wrote about most of your firsts in your 1, 2, and 3 week updates, but I want to make sure they're also documented here.  I'm just going to do bullet points of some of your firsts since I wrote about them in more detail in the other posts.

• 1st walk in the stroller (to the library)- 3 days
• 1st dinner at a restaurant (Panera)- 3 days
• 1st bottle (with Oma)- 3 days
• 1st trip to the Children's Museum- 4 days
• 1st picnic at the park- 4 days
• 1st tornado/time spent in tornado shelter- 4 days
• 1st Easter (went to Breakfast with the Bunny at the zoo)- 2 weeks
• 1st bath/lost umbilical cord- 2 weeks
• 1st road race riding in the stroller (Aquarium Run 1 Mile Fun Run)- 3 weeks
• 1st trip to the aquarium- 3 weeks
• 1st storytime at the library- 4 weeks
• 1st long car ride (2 hours)- 4 weeks 
• 1st trip to the ballet (Dracula)- 4 weeks

Elise, we have had such a fun month with you.  You are the sweetest and cuddliest little baby and we are so lucky to have you as part of our family.  Carter has been such a great big brother and I know you will grow to love him just as much as he loves you.  When I look at your precious face I feel so full of love and so lucky to have 2 such amazing, sweet, and cuddly babies!  Nothing in this world could make me happier than being mom to you and your brother.  I love you so much, my sweet little peach!

Daddy took a picture of me consoling you in between shots.

Now on to daddy:

As I am sure you will find out early in life, you mother is the writer, I am not. But I will at least try and tumble a few sentences together!

Your birth was a complete whirl wind baby girl! Most of the labor was in the early morning and your mom was kind enough to let me sleep through it until about 6am. When things got serious, we got to the hospital, and just in the nick of time! Because about 30 minutes later, you were born.

From that moment on, having a second baby was new, but yet a lot the same. I for sure had more confidence in the things I was doing that involved you, but you also helped out significantly by being such a relaxed baby!

This first month has been such a blur, but such a wonderful and loving time. There is nothing like holding your newborn, and especially if your 2 year old son also climbs into your lap for snuggles!

We have such a wonderful family of four now and it is the most amazing feeling sweet Elise!