For Natalie: One Month Old

Well, Natalie, I got a little premature with my timing and thought you were a month old on Friday, but then I realized that only made you four weeks old. You're NOW one month old, and I cannot believe this month has flown by so quickly. It seems like yesterday that I was still waiting to go on maternity leave. I only have eight weeks at home with you, and that makes me sad. I wish I could stay home with you forever! You are so sweet, and I'm afraid I'm going to miss so much once I return to work.

You are approximately 22.5 inches long now and are about 9.5 lbs. This is the weight we thought you were going to be if you came at or after your due date. You are definitely not sleeping through the night. We wake up at least three times in the middle of the night, usually only twice for a bottle. You're showing a little bit of personality now and I have to "nestle down" with you to get you into a deep sleep. Your deep sleep usually lasts as long as you're in my arms, and then you're indignant as soon as your little body hits the pack-and-play surface. This results in one sleepy mama whose arms are always falling asleep. I've fallen into the bad habit of letting you sleep on my chest for a few hours each night. While this isn't a problem now, I hear it might be a problem when you won't sleep for your caregivers without being held. We took the newborn napper off of your pack-and-play with hopes that you would prefer sleeping flat on your back and swaddled. You are slowly outgrowing your swaddle me wraps and get really mad if you can't have your hands. You like to suck on your middle finger (haha) and thumb. I let you sleep with a pacifier because it's going to be much easier to rid you of that than of your fingers! So far, you've not given me a genuine smile. You have fleeting sleep grins and gas grins. Just around the time I get really excited to see a smile on your face, I smell your diaper. ;) I'm hearing true smiles come around 5 weeks, so I am really looking forward to that. I cannot wait to be silly with you and to hear your sweet baby giggle. You get really cheeky around 2:00 in the morning. I can't really explain it, but it's like you turn into a little ham. You bob your head around and play "keep away". You also purse your lips and pant. It almost sounds like you're lamaze-style breathing. I know you're not in distress, so it's funny. You also grunt like a little piglet. The sounds you make in the middle of the night take some getting used to. Sometimes you have happy little squeals, and then there are other times you sound like a little monster. It's cute. I will probably never be in a deep sleep again!

You accidentally cooed for me the other day. When I tried to encourage you to do it again, you started to cry. Too much stimulation! Maybe another time. You like your play mat and your bouncy chair, but you have not shown too much interest in the toys yet. I always have to start you off before you notice them. In the mornings, we have a bit of play time after your first feeding and diaper change. So far, I've read a couple of books to you, sang to you " Good morning to you" (to the tune of "Happy Birthday"), and tried to play with your toys. You are in love with the ceiling fan.

You are wearing 0-3 month size clothing now. You were in newborn attire for only a week, and then you had a growth spurt. You are really tall like your daddy and are in the 95th percentile for height. I didn't catch what percentile your weight was, but you are the ectomorph body type with long piano fingers and long toes. I hear that means you'll have a great metabolism! Good for you! Mama's jealous!

I tried breast feeding you, but my milk had problems coming in due to all the medication I was given when I was induced. We rented a hospital grade pump and you had about an ounce of my milk a day for the first two weeks. I wasn't able to keep up with your demands! We finally just transitioned you completely over to formula. You don't seem to have a problem with it. You're eating about 3-4 ounces of formula every 3-4 hours. We are thankful to have Similac coupons! You are not a great burper. Daddy and I take turns burping you because you sometimes take upwards of ten minutes to give us a good one. Sometimes the good ones turn into explosions.

You are a GREAT cuddlebug, though. We love to cuddle with you! Most of all, we love you!! :)