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one month as of October 5, 2018
It’s incredibly hard to wrap my mind around the fact that she’s one month old. Our days have been mostly the same, but it’s been such a treasure spending this time at home with her. I’m admittedly not cut out to be a stay at home mom and I know that in the very near future, I’ll be back at work and thriving, even while missing this girl like crazy. For that very reason, I have been intentionally slow over these last four weeks. I have welcomed every sleepless nap, smiled through every disgusting diaper blow out, held her way too much, and been away from her the least amount of time possible. These are days I’ll never get back and I don’t want to have a single regret when November rolls around.
Here is how things are stacking up after the first four weeks.
Height + Weight: Polly weighed 8 pounds and 5 ounces at her two week check up, but I’m guessing she’s in the nine pound range at this point. We joke that she’s a piglet and her face and belly are nice and round after a month of nursing. She was up an inch from birth — 21 inches! — but I’m not sure if she’s any longer today than she was two weeks ago.
Clothes: She can still wear newborn clothes as long as they aren’t footed and we have a few preemie sized bubbles that still fit perfectly.
Sleep: Josh & I are definitely used to formula fed babies, so it’s weird not to be sleeping 7-8 hours stretches at this point, but after a week of really hard work we’re all sleeping better. The last week or so, we’ve been getting at least one four hour stretch and several more three hour stretches. I’m starting to put her in the bassinet for morning naps, but in the afternoons we like to snuggle.
Schedule: For the last week, we’ve been using a Mom’s on Call Eat-Play-Sleep Schedule, adjusted for her age. Even when we aren’t perfect, it has definitely helped us all get a little more sleep and feel much more in control of our day. I’m using the MOC Scheduler App, which automatically adjusts for their age, each week.
Health: Polly is perfectly healthy! We visited the doctor at two weeks old (we go back for her two month checkup next month) and everything looked fantastic. She does have a small umbilical hernia that we’ll be watching over the first year, but I can already tell it’s smaller than it was a few weeks ago.
Crying: She doesn’t cry much unless she’s overly hungry or she gets gassy in the middle of the night. She’s generally happy, so when we hear a cry, we know she means business!
Likes: Polly likes to nurse on time. Josh likes to joke with her that nobody ever wants to feed her, because she gets down right irritated if the boob is late. Ha! She also loves being swaddled or worn in the sling, sleeping skin to skin, and smiling at her big sisters.
Dislikes: She isn’t a huge fan of the car seat, but we have seen some improvement over the last few weeks. She hates having her diaper changed and if we don’t lay a blanket down on her changing mat, she gets so upset if it’s too cold.
Milestones: She was holding her head up almost immediately, but I remember her sisters doing that pretty early, too. She gave us the first social smile on her three week birthday and gave me a single syllable laugh after nursing her yesterday morning.
Places She’s Been: She’s been to her doctor twice and mine once, we’ve made a few grocery and Target runs, we went back to church last week, and she’s seen her first movie (even if she did sleep through most of it!).
Special Moments: Is it cliche to say that every moment has been special. I’m still a little overwhelmed thinking about having her here and we are seriously so giddy about every single moment. I have had a few frustrating moments where I admitted to needing help, but for the most part, I just want to hold her and eat her face every second of every day!
Mama, Daddy + Big Sisters: Josh has always been a baby hog and he’s adapted to parenting a tiny baby just as easily as I knew he would. He has taken almost every middle-of-the-night shift so that I can sleep, he happily changes the grossest of diapers, and loves to take her for golf cart rides when I need to shower. He’s trying hard to make her a daddy’s girl, but I vowed not to let that happen again!
The girls are adjusting so well, even if their reactions have been the opposite of what we expected. Ella is completely obsessed and comes straight in from school to take a turn every afternoon. It is such a huge help that she can easily hold and carry her — having an extra set of capable hands is great. Sophie is equally helpful, but in a different way. She is my errand runner, always volunteering to grab things for me or to keep me company while we’re nursing (all the time). I’m loving the dynamic of having three daughters and can’t wait to see their relationships change and grow in the coming months.
- Pello Pillow | We have a Dock-a-Tot, but this is a completely different kind of floor pillow. My mother-in-law bought this for us and it has truly been a game changer. It cradles Polly perfectly for awake time, has loops all the way around the outside to hook links and toys to, is perfect for helping with tummy time, and will be just as comfy as she grows up (trust me — all three girls fight over this spot!).
- Ollie World Swaddle | We were gifted this swaddle blanket and I’ll be sharing a full review on the blog next week, but this is definitely our go-to swaddle for the middle of the night. The fabric is completely different from other blankets we’ve tried and the velcro seems to be inescapable. We can untie the bottom to change her diaper without removing the swaddle and it makes late night nursing sessions even easier. It’s a little pricier than other blankets, but is well worth every penny. Use this link to get 10% off all products at Ollie World.
- Dohm White Noise Machine | This is the noise machine that Josh & I have been using for years, so we registered for a second one for Polly’s nursery (if she ever gets one?!). For now, we like having a second machine to move around the house and I’m already contemplating this travel version for our Disney trip next month.
- Binxy Baby Hammock | This grocery cart hammock was another item gifted in exchange for our review, but we’ve already used it several times and it makes grocery shopping a dream. We used it for our first Target trip and I laid her in it to sleep, but just this morning we used it to hold her infant carrier and I think that was even easier! It fits every cart perfectly and is much safer (and space saving) than putting the carrier in the cart itself. Use this link for 10% off any Binxy Baby purchase!
- SkipHop Diaper Caddy | If I had to choose one favorite product for myself this month, this caddy would be it. I added this one to my registry on a whim, but it makes moving around the house so much easier. It keeps diapers and wipes, nursing supplies, books, water and snacks for mom, and remote controls within arms’ reach!
I was completely inspired by Victoria’s monthly recap format, so I’m swiping it for baby girl!
