Leah's Sixth Month

It's been a while since I blogged.  I plan to catch up eventually but for now we will start with the present.  Yesterday Leah turned six months old!  Can you believe it?  I am shocked and saddened by how quickly time is passing.  Yet, at the same time it is hard to remember life before she arrived.  With each passing week her personality is shining through more and more.  She is a sweet natured little girl that loves to snuggle but that also has a bit of a sassy side.  I love being her Mommy!

 Her six month checkup was postponed until next week so I will update her stats after that appointment.

Stats:

Weight: 14 lbs. 14 oz. (as of May 15)
Height: ?
Clothing size: 3-6 months
Diaper size: 2

Leah continues to reach her developmental milestones right on time or a little ahead of the curve.  She is a determined child and I love to watch her master new skills.  She loves to learn and is always so proud of herself when she figures something out.

Milestones:

• Leah can roll from tummy to back and back to tummy.  She has been doing this for a while but as of this month she can roll to her left and her right.  Previously she favored the left.  As you can imagine she is quite mobile and loves to roll all over the place.  Sometimes she manages to roll herself up in a blanket.

Baby Burrito

• Leah loves bath time!  We started bathing her in her rubber ducky tub and she has so much fun.  She likes to suck on her wash cloth (sort of strange), play with her little ducky, roll around and kick and splash.  Bath time is guaranteed to cheer her up no matter how tired and cranky she may be.
• Leah is an affectionate child.  This month she really seems to enjoy receiving kisses and hugs and has also started giving them.  There is nothing better than a big sloppy open mouth kiss on the cheek or nose.  She also likes to give mommy hugs before she leaves for work.
• This month Leah battled her second ear infection.  It took 2 rounds of antibiotics to knock it out.  She continues to be an easy going patient and willingly takes her medicine. 
• Leah also got her first stomach bug this month.  She was sent home from daycare on a Thursday afternoon after vomiting.  She proceeded to vomit off and on for the next 2 days.  She was kind enough to share the virus with Mommy and Daddy.  We were all very grateful when it passed.
• This month Daddy had to go to Atlanta to complete his last rotation of medical school.  Mommy and Leah flew to Atlanta to visit him for 3 days and 4 nights.  She was a perfect traveler and seemed to enjoy the flight.  More on this in another post.

Leah and Mommy at Stone Mountain

• At the end of the month Leah started eating solids.  So far she's tried rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and carrots.  Sweet potatoes are definitely the favorite.  She will tolerate carrots if Daddy is present (via FaceTime) to cheer her on.  She loves sitting in her new big girl high chair.

• Leah started sitting while we were in Atlanta.  Previously she could hold herself up for a few seconds at a time.  During that trip something clicked and she began holding herself up for longer periods without toppling over.  

This little girl has forever changed our world.  She is such a little joy and the perfect addition to our family.  She has her Daddy's outgoing, friendly spirit and her Mommy's quiet determination.  We are having so much fun watching her grow and seeing glimpses of the woman she will become.

Leah's Second Month

I'm a little late with this post but in my defense, I still have a hard time accepting the fact that it has been over 2 months since Leah joined our family.  My baby girl is growing up way too fast.

Her stats:

Weight: 11 lbs. 1 oz. (58%)
Height: 23 inches (75%)
Clothing size: 0 -3 months
Diaper size: 1

Milestones:

• On the first day of her 2nd month, Leah lost her umbilical cord stump and we could finally give her a real bath.  She seems to really enjoy her bath time.
• Leah started smiling this month and I must say it totally melts my heart to see that gummy grin.  Her personality is starting to come out and she is such a joy to be around.
• Leah also started "talking" this month.  She makes all kinds of noises and tries very hard to carry on a conversation.  She is particularly chatty in the mornings.
• Leah got her first cold when we got back to Maryland after spending Christmas in Lousiana.  For 3 days Scott and I took turns sleeping on the couch with her propped up on our chest.  This was the only way we could position her so that she could breathe.  It was an exhausting few days but we enjoyed the snuggle time with her.  Of course I got sick once she started feeling better.
• Leah got her second cold toward the end of the month.  This time she spent a couple of nights sleeping in her "new" swing.  She continues to suffer from nasal congestion just like her Mama.  We finally invested in this little gadget which helps a ton.

• We got our first snowfall of the year but Leah didn't get to enjoy it.  Her big sister Dora, on the other hand, had lots of fun in it.

• Leah had a few nights during this month where she slept 6+ hours.  However this still seems to be the exception not the rule.  She usually wakes up once to eat and then immediately goes back to sleep.  She naps very well during the day (most days).
• Speaking of sleep we started putting her in her crib awake and allowing her to fall asleep on her own this month.  The first few days were rough but she quickly got the hang of it.  Now she rarely fusses except at night.  
• Leah started going to church and Bible study with us.  
• Leah got to meet her Grandma Nancy (Scott's Mom).  She came to visit us for a week to spend time with our little monkey.

Month 2 was a lot better than the first month.  I think we all felt more rested (including Dora) and we started to establish a rhythm.  Leah is an easy going baby (most of the time) and we are so grateful God entrusted her to our care.  Scott went back to work the second week of January and I really enjoyed my time alone with Leah.  I got to know her so much better.  I finally feel like I can distinguish her cries and figure out what she needs (most of the time).  I thought I would be ready to go back to work when maternity leave ended but I am not.  I love hanging out with her during the day.  It is exhausting and frustrating some days but it is also so much fun to watch her discover new things and so rewarding to be with her.  We love her so much.

Leah's First Month

Our first month with Leah flew by!  It was a month of firsts for all of us.  Scott and I have learned a lot...including daily showers are sometimes a luxury rather than a given and taking a nap is sometimes more important than eating breakfast.  I am so grateful Scott was able to take time off from his rotations to be home with us.  He was a HUGE help around the house and it was great bonding time for the 3 of us...well really 4 of us; we can't forget Dora.

Her stats as of her 3 week doctor's appointment:

Weight: 9lbs (59%)

Height: 21 inches (63%)

 

Leah is a sweet baby and we have enjoyed lots of snuggle time with her.  She has an impressive set of lungs and will quickly (and loudly) let you know if she is not happy.  She loves her crib and sleeps well most of the time.  She nurses really well...as evidenced by her impressive weight gain.  She usually eats every 3 hours during the day and will go 3.5 or 4 hours between nighttime feedings.  She tends to get fussy after 7pm and will sometimes eat every 2 hours from 7pm until 11pm.  After the first couple of weeks we noticed she was really gassy and miserable late at night (11pm - 3am) so I decided to cut out dairy from my diet.  That seemed to make a huge difference.  So far that seems to be the only thing that upsets her tummy.

She is surprisingly alert for a newborn.  We noticed in the hospital that she could already track our faces.  She can hold her head up for a few seconds during tummy time.  She's not a huge fan of being swaddled and likes to keep at least one arm out at all times.  

She enjoys bath time. We had to stick to sponge baths during month one because her umbilical stump remained intact for the entire month.  She enjoys music and is one of the few people that appreciates my singing voice.  

Leah had many visitors this month including two from out-of-town, her Pawpaw (Scott's Dad) and her Aunt Jen (Scott's sister).  She loved taking naps in Pawpaw's arms and Aunt Jen had a special knack for quieting her as well.  She loved all of the attention.

Dora has been a very good big sister from day one.  She learned very quickly that she can't "give kisses" to Leah...which if you have met Dora you realize is a huge accomplishment.  Dora was initially very concerned when Leah cried and insisted on being close by for every feeding.  

I guess the novelty has worn off because this is how Dora tends to sleep at night...especially the restless nights.  She does still go into Leah's room unattended to check on her if the door is cracked or she will stand outside the door and stare at us until we assure her everything is ok.  I know they are going to be best friends when Leah is older.

We took our first family road trip this month to Baton Rouge, Louisiana (1,163 miles) to spend Christmas with Scott's side of the family.  We took our time and Leah seemed to enjoy riding in the car on the way down...the way back was a completely different story.  We spent 2 nights on the road on the way to Louisiana and were able to reconnect with some of our friends from Dominica, John and Briana.  And we got to meet their little boy, Beckham, for the first time.  

Leah and Beckham

I think Leah enjoyed her first Christmas.  She got to meet her Nanny Moo and her uncles Chris and Keith.  She got lots of new toys that she can't wait to play with.  Scott and I got to take lots of naps while Leah snuggled with her grandparents...which was the best Christmas present we could have received.

Becoming a mother has challenged me in ways I never imagined and it is completely overwhelming at times...or maybe most of the time.  I am so grateful for this little gift and look forward to getting to know her better.  She has changed so much in just one short month and I am trying to remember to soak in each moment.