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.
