O N E M O N T H
Be still my mama heart. My baby girl is one month old (plus a week today), and I can't fathom where exactly the time has gone. It feels like we just got home from the hospital with our tiny bundle. Truly, it's been the sweetest, hardest, most wonderful, and challenging month of my life. And it's just beginning. Husband and I are so very excited to watch Greer grow, but it's also so very bittersweet. Babies don't keep, my friends, but I sure am trying!
Greer's first month has been full of milestones and changes. She is constantly growing, adding more weight, length, and chub to her sweet little frame. I don't want to forget any bit of this season of life with her. Everything feels so special, so extraordinary.
From her first Christmas and New Year's to her first bath, this girl has had a full first month. She's stolen our hearts and given us the sweetest glimpse of the love the Lord has for His children. We are smitten, make that over the moon, with our girl.
Greer has been such a wonderful baby, and I don't say that just because I'm her mama. She's so mild-natured and tender. She's patient for such a tiny babe and calm as can be. Her tiny features make me swoon and I could snuggle her all day long. I miss her when I sleep and when she sleeps. It seems impossible to get enough of her, those baby coos, smiles, and little fingers wrapped around just one of my fingers. I'm biased I know, but this girl of mine is just so beautiful, so lovely, so perfect!
G R E E R @ 1 M O N T H
weight: 10 lbs || ( 74th percentile)
birth: 7 lbs 3 oz
height: 22 3/4" || (95th percentile)
birth: 20 1/2"
head: 14 3/4" || (61st percentile)
birth: need to find that out
E A T
From the beginning, Greer has been a great eater. She latched like a pro from the get-go and nursing has come easy to her ever since (praises for that!). I think if I let her, she would feed all day. Her appetite is huge, and her weight gain proves it. She eats every 2.5 to 3 hours and sometimes at night she'll go 4 hours in between feedings. We're working through the method found in Baby Wise to get a feeding/sleeping schedule down.
She tried her first bottle at 4 weeks old, and she did exceptionally well with it. We discovered that she needs a preemie size nipple for her bottles because she just a ravenous eater at times and the smaller nipple allows less milk to drip at a time. Since her first bottle, we've tried two more. She still prefers to nurse, and I do too (less to clean up, ya'll!).
Greer was given a pacifier at two days old. Since she latched so well, we weren't concerned with any issues from introducing it so soon. We decided giving her a pacifier so soon was best because she would get so fussy in between feedings. It worked and continues to work really well for her. She does't suck on it all of the time, but if she has trouble falling asleep after nursing or is just feeling unsettled during her wake time, it's great for calming her down and she uses it to soothe herself.
S L E E P
Our girl is a mediocre to great sleeper. In those first few weeks she napped so well. Those naps are becoming shorter and shorter the older she gets. And typically her best nap is the second one in the morning that leads right up to her noon feeding.
Nighttime has been interesting as far as sleep. She is snoozing in her pack n' play next to our bed. However, we think she doesn't like it. It doesn't help that our sweet girl has acid reflux, causing her to grunt and wake herself up. She also has to sleep at an angle to help keep the reflux under control. It only helps so much, which results in not very sound sleep for her. From the beginning, Greer has not liked being swaddled, not a single bit. For this first month we used a Halo sleep sack that allowed for use to wrap her body and one arm, while keeping the other arm out. If she didn't have the startle reflex we wouldn't bother with a sleep sack at all.
On a good night she'll sleep for 2ish hours in her pack n' play, nurse, back to sleep in the pack n' play again for another 2ish hours, nurse, then the home stretch before she's up for the day she sleeps in either my arms or her daddy's. We're working on this predicament and are looking at transitioning her to her crib. Especially since her long length is now making her just as long as the bassinet feature in the pack n' play.
Greer sleeps through most noise during the day, which is great for getting things accomplished during her sleep time. She loves to nap in her swing (where she sleeps best). And she loves to sleep in my arms or her daddy's, nestled really close to our bodies. Recently, she has loved sleeping on a blanket on our bed. And has been able to put herself to sleep without any help from one of us. The boppy (covered with a blanket) has also been great for cat naps in between her first morning feeding and second feeding of the day. The tilted angle is really helpful for the reflux.
D E V E L O P M E N T / P L A Y
While there isn't a whole lot of play going on at this stage, she has been keeping longer wake hours. Greer is starting to respond to Pete and I with smiles, a lot in the morning after her first feeding. She's so bright-eyed as the sun comes up and those smiles are just the best. You can tell that she is starting to see more clearly, and she easily recognizes Pete and my voice and smell.
She has gotten some tummy time by sleeping on our chests occasionally, however she's not much for sleeping on her belly. Maybe it's a breech baby thing?? We'll be working on more tummy time during the second month.
Her muscles are already so strong. She's been lifting her head up since she was born, and those neck muscles have gotten even stronger since. Her little legs and arms also pack a powerful punch. She loves kicking and punching them about when laying on her back during her wake hours.
R A N D O M
- She loves the theme song to Parenthood (Forever Young - Fast Version), it calms her right down.
- In the beginning she had her nights and days backward. I think we've fixed that for the most part.
- Her umbilical stump fell off at 2 weeks and 2 days in the middle of the night.
- Her first full bath was two days after her umbilical stump fell off.
- At a week old she no longer fit in newborn diapers. She started in size 1 diapers and has stayed in those since.
- As far as pacifiers, she really loved her wubbanub, but lately has taken a liking to NUK pacifiers.
- She has a "witching hour" when the sun goes down. It's like she knows the day is over and she is not a fan. Luckily, this isn't ever day, but when she gets it, it can be really bad and last for hours.
- She lost the newborn hair on the very top of her head around 3 weeks. The hair on the back and sides of her head is still there and growing. And recently, there have been signs of new hair growing back on the top of her head.
- She loves her carseat and going for car rides. The vibrations must be soothing.
- She also likes going for walks in her stroller.
- Her first outing was to Target (you know, showing her one of mama's favorites).
- Little bit has had a head cold, and we're still working through it.
- She has acid reflux, and the pediatrician put her on Zantac to help. She takes the medicine so well.
- She had her first snow (just a small one; snowstorm Jonas was technically after her one month)
O N E M O N T H P H O T O C O L L E C T I O N
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