Emma: Week 7

Smiles are hard to capture on camera!

This has been a great week for us! We have started to get a little bit on a schedule - the most important thing that I did was placing Emma in her crib during her naps so I can get things done and relax. She did great and I'm so excited!

My postpartum visit when well. I'm 6 lbs below my starting pregnancy weight and I fit into all of my clothes, yay! (This must be due to my pregnancy belly was all baby and breastfeeding is great exercise.) The episiotomy was still a little red, so the doctor said to take it easy for a few more weeks. Emma was well behaved and slept the entire time; there was a screaming baby in the waiting room that tried to wake Emma up. Since I had my pap, I don't have to return until next year, although the doctor did mention that maybe we should have another baby right away since Emma is such a good baby --- i don't think so, we can wait a few years for baby # 2!

 

Emma's highlights:
+ sleeping great: 4 - 6 hours. I feed her at 10pm, putting her down to sleep around 10:30. She wakes up in the 2am and 6 am hour on a regular basis.

Giving something the stare.

- Sleepy in the mornings; Emma will take a few good naps in the morning until around lunchtime.
+ Afternoons are filled with playtime, tummytime and being alert.
- She loves her bouncer; I usually put Emma in this while cooking and she will look around in the kitchen, allowing me to be hands-free to cook.
+ Size 1 diapers; 0 - 3 months clothes. The clothes fit great and we have retired the NB clothes.
- Will reach for & grasp onto things, including clothing, hair, toys.
+ Follows us with her eyes around the room, making sure we aren't too far away.
- Will take a pacifier but isn't too attached to it.

Tummy time!

+ Has crazy wild hair in the back, that will spring up after brushed down.
- She talks a lot, especially when you start talking to her. Emma will listen to what you have to say, then give her own opinion on the matter. She is saying more & more consonant sounds: GU, KAH. Her volume has also increased!
+ We bought her more clothes this week; she has to be well dressed!
- Feeding every 2 - 2.5 hours during the day; I'll have to ask the doctor when she'll start to spread this out.
+ Smiles a lot and it's not when she's pooping! Emma has a serious face when she goes to the bathroom.
- I did notice this week that her head is much steady during tummy-time and doesn't "rock" back & forth. She seems to have good head control. 

I love being with Emma all day, although I'm usually exhausted by the end of the day.

Emma: Week 6

Emma's Highlights:

- Still wearing size 1 diapers and 0 - 3 months clothes.
+ I quit my job this week and will be staying home with Emma, at least for a little while. I'm excited!
- Mostly Emma has been saying vowel sounds only but she has said "GU" to both myself and Greg.
+ Emma and I went grocery shopping by ourselves this week; let's just say that I was hurrying through to avoid an upset baby.
- Greg gave Emma her first bottle; she loved it and gulped down 4.5 ounces very quickly.
+ Emma is sleeping great at night and will sleep 3 - 5 hours at a time at night.
- Mornings are her sleepy time, she is very active in the afternoons/evenings until about 8pm, when things start to wind down.
+ Nighttime is daddy time; she likes to like face down on Daddy.

Starting next week, Emma and I are going to start a daily routine throughout the day. Emma will be going with me to my 6 week postpartum visit.

Emma: Week 5

 Emma turned one month this week. She has been so much fun! Emma loves playtime; she has just started to grasp and reach for things: our fingers, pacifier, toys. She also seems to be more attentive and will give us smiles when she sees us. Emma "talks" all the time and will have conversations with us. Tummy-time is going great; she doesn't enjoy it for long, but she lifts her head like a pro!

We went to Savannah for St. Patrick's Day and Emma was awesome at the parade. She slept pretty much the entire time. I'm not going to lie - I was extremely nervous and thought that we would have to leave early. Emma had a mini-meltdown on the way home; we were stopped in Dublin for gas, food, and feeding her. It lasted 1.5 hours. I will mention that this is the first time that Emma spent the night in the same room with us - we are happy in the decision that she has slept in her crib from day 1 because she is not a restful sleeper. Emma was moving and talking in her sleep the entire night; Greg and I just looked at each other and started laughing.

Emma now wears size 1 diapers and 0 - 3 months clothes. She is still sleeping great - usually up to feed around 2 AM and 6 AM.

Emma: Week 4

Time is flying by & Emma is more & more alert each day. During this past week, Emma has started to "talk" and is interacting with us a little more. She has given both Greg & I smiles as well.

* Emma went with us to vote for the Republican primary and got a sticker - she slept the entire time.
* Still wearing NB diapers and clothes, although I have put her in a few 0 - 3 month clothes. (She has gone through 2 large boxes + 116 NB diapers. When she runs out, we are going up to size 1.
* Big news: we went to get weighed on Wednesday: Emma weighed 8lbs 9oz, gaining 12oz in a week. We won't go back to the doctor until late April, for her 2 month check-up!
* Pumping is going well - I'm just pumping once a day, in the morning, to start building up a supply.
* Sleeping is going well. Emma slept a 5 hour stretch one night this week, but mostly she sleeps 3 - 4 hour stretches.
* Her awake period is lasting longer and longer, although some days she sleeps for longer stretches than others. She can be awake for several hours at a time. 

Emma is a very easygoing baby. I can lay her in the crib, while she is awake, and she will chill and look around for about 15 minutes. Over the weekend, we took her to Athens, where we walked around downtown before heading to dinner. I had to feed her once, in the truck; she never was fussy and slept through our dinner. She enjoys playtime and looking around at everything.

Greg and I are looking forward to taking Emma to Savannah for her very first St. Patrick's Day parade!

Emma: Week Three

This picture is one of my favorites; it was taken Friday, March 2, while Emma and I were playing. Greg was on the way home. This was the first time that she was actually interacting with her toys. As soon as Greg pulled in the driveway, I ran outside, letting him know that she was "playing" and he was able to play with her for a few minutes, until she became tired.

Emma has been much more active this week, especially during the last part of the week. This is the second week of me and Emma during the day, and I love it! This week I have noticed a lot more changes in her; she is "talking", looking around at everything, and will really hone in to your face if you are talking. Emma is definitely a Daddy's girl and LOVES to sleep on Greg's stomach at night, before we go to bed.

Emma's night-time sleeping has been going great - she sleeps 3 - 3.5 hour increments before I wake her up to feed her. Breastfeeding also seems to be going well; let's hope that her weight has increased! (Emma is not the best at burping, so we are working on that this week!) I'm going to start pumping next week so that Greg can give her a bottle every now & then.

We have taken Emma on a walk this week and she seemed to like it, except for being hungry towards the end of the walk! She went out to eat on Saturday (Buffalo's), and slept the entire time. And, we also ran errands around town: Target, BBB, Toys R Us, Sam's, and Emma did great. Greg and I aren't afraid to take her out - my milk is helping to build immunities and this is honestly the best time to take her out since she sleeps most of the day.

Emma: Week Two

Emma was baptized at one week old; Aunt Stacy was able to fly to Atlanta for the weekend and Uncle Andy had the Sunday off. She slept through the entire 15 minute ceremony and didn't make a peep when the water was poured over her head. She was baptized at the Catholic Center @ UGA. Emma wore the gown that Stacy & I wore. We had a nice Sunday lunch at the house with family - Emma might have been a bit traumatized by all the people because she was wanting to feed every hour, instead of every two hours.

* Breastfeeding: I hope it's going well. She feeds at least every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night, and on demand.

* Nighttime: Sleep is a lot better the second week; she is sleeping in 3 hour increments. I'm trying to take all of the nighttime duties since Greg is back at work but he has been a great help & has gotten up several times throughout the night. Thanks, hun!

* I discovered that if I take a shower in the morning, I am able to cope much better throughout the day.

* Emma loves her bouncer seat and will also lie down on the activity mat to nap and look around.

* For some reason, her favorite room in the house is the kitchen - the lighting is probably best in there. She LOVES to look around at everything, with her lips puckered.

* Emma has tons of expressions; I know that Mom has tried to capture every one.

* Most of the time, Emma is sleeping throughout the day. She will wake up for about 45 minutes a couple of times during the day.

MD Appointment: Emma weighs 7 lbs 13 oz (25th percentile), 22 inches long (95th percentile) and head circumference is 35 (25th percentile). The doc wants me to bring Emma in next week so that she can be weighed - she's not up to her birth weight just yet (1 oz away!) and the doc wants to make sure that Emma reaches it next week. Her next appointment will be in April, for her 2 month well check-up.

Emma: Week One

Emma was born on Sunday, February 12 & we brought her home on February 14, Valentine's Day. Here are a few things that we learned about our daughter:

* She doesn't like to be swaddled. The first night home, we strapped her into the Halo Sleepsack and it was hilarious to see her fighting to get her arms free....she succeeded.

* Sleeping at night has been erratic at best; this first week, Greg and I listened out for every peep and we got up a lot during the first few nights.

* Emma goes through A LOT of diapers, about 10 - 12 per day.

* Pacifier: Emma uses her pacifier sporadically throughout the day and most of the night. I think that we are going to try NOT use the pacifier at night since she wakes up every time it falls out of her mouth.

* Wearing NB diapers and clothing

First MD visit: Emma visited the Doctor when she was 4 days old. No jaundice and a good bill of health. She has dry, cracked skin on her feet & hands - the doctor was surprised that she didn't have the dry skin on other areas due to Emma being late. She screamed during the rectal thermometer and pooped when the nurse was checking her vitals. She weighed 7 lbs 6 oz.