Annabel - One month
And just like that, Annabel turns one month old.
(Ok, one and a half weeks ago...somehow it took that long to get this written).
Even this second time around, I'm still baffled at how fast it goes. The days (and nights) often felt long, thanks to lack of sleep and constant feedings, rockings, and diaper changes. And yet here we are already.
Annabel has been a dream come true, in so many ways. For the most part, she is a very chill baby. The day after we returned home from the hospital, she napped on the couch while we vacuumed and did dishes and watched some TV. The noise didn't bother her, much to our delight. I guess growing up in a house with a loud older sibling means you naturally adjust? That, or we just got lucky.
She weighed in at 9lbs 4oz at two weeks, so I wouldn't be surprised if she's over 10lbs now. She's rocking an excellent double chin, and while she's still long and lean, she's got some sweet rolls forming on her wrists and thighs. Since her second week of life she's been in size 1 diapers and 3 mo clothing. All those sweet little newborn outfits...they only fit her for a hot second.
As long as this girl is fed WHEN SHE DEMANDS IT, she's a peach. Otherwise, oooh, the girl has a scream like no other. She first makes a weak little cry noise, and if I don't respond immediately with the boob it turns into a red-faced, eye-scrunched-closed scream. She knows what she wants.
Unfortunately for her (and ME), we had issues with breastfeeding from the start, thanks to a mild tongue tie. Her pediatrician was convinced it didn't need to be addressed, but after 2 weeks of intense pain, sores, and a lot of tears (from both of us) I went to a lactation consultant and her evaluation showed her tie was restricting her latch. She lost 10% of her birth weight within 5 days, and was clearly not satisfied after feeding, yet I couldn't bare to leave her at my breast for a minute longer. So I brought her to an ENT to have it clipped, and everything was uphill (slowly) from there. Hooray!
I don't recall the exact day where our nursing experience became pain free, but it was somewhere at the end of the 3rd week. Before then, I did some exclusive pumping and bottle feeding, and she took the bottle without any issue. To this day, she still gets very frustrated and unsatisfied with the evening feeding, so we often give her a bottle of another 2 oz or so (I pump every morning for extra). She zonks out nicely after it, so I'm glad it seems to help, But I'm unsure why she's so unsatisfied, because I have pumped immediately after she gets frustrated nursing in the evening and I produce another 2-3 oz easily. It's not like I'm empty. So, there's that mystery yet to solve, but we're getting by.
Now, our nursing experience is just lovely. I can look down at Annabel lovingly and feel all the feels a mother does, without grimacing and wincing and wishing she would go faster.
Like her brother, she prefers to sleep in arms or the swing. She will nap after her 4-5am wakeup/feeding in the bassinet in our room, but every time I try to put her down at night in there she wakes and cries and will have nothing of it. To ensure I get sleep, I've been putting her in the swing and sleeping on the couch. It's worked ok so far, but we're now at a point where I need to try harder for the bassinet.
Annabel has the sweetest little purr when she sleeps. She will cry out randomly and immediately settle, which I am guessing is due to gas? And she loves to sleep with her arms above her head, like her brother again.
She smiled at me last week and it seemed very intentional and reactionary...but she hasn't done it again since really, so who knows. She is starting to spend more time awake and alert, and locking eyes with us more often. Her neck is insanely strong, and she whips her head around so fast to see what is going on around her.
Carter just adores her, and insists on being in her face all the time. If she turns away from him he runs to her other side to continue looking at her. He delicately kisses her hair (the safe zone we've given him) and likes to show her when he takes off his socks or eats some cheese or reads a book. It's so incredibly endearing. Only on rare occasion does he appear jealous of her, and it's usually when I'm feeding her and can't tend to whatever it is he wants from me. We're all learning how to navigate those instances, and so far thankfully Daddy is an okay substitute.
Annabel has been out and about much more than Carter was at this age. Target a few times, happy hour, the grocery store, Culvers, church, even Chuckie Cheese's. She doesn't seem to mind the car (for the most part) and since she's still so sleepy it's been rather easy taking her out.
She searches for Jon when she hears his voice, and Jon oogles over her the second he gets home from work. Their infatuation is definitely mutual.
It took me a couple of weeks to remember that I get to accessorize her! And to be honest, her first days were spent in sleepers (albeit still super cute) for ease in my sleep-deprived haze. So I finally got to a point where I am picking out outfits and headbands and have so much fun! And a bit of stress, to be honest. It was so simple to pick out a shirt and pants with Carter. Now there are dresses and cardigans and what pants go with what tops. She has so many clothes, which doesn't help the morning cause. Not that I'm not grateful for that problem.
Our evening routine has been dismantled thanks to this girl. She's usually hungry right when dinner is ready, so more often than not I am on the couch nursing while the boys at the table eating. Actual bedtime is the worst, because Carter wants our (read: my) full attention and Annabel doesn't really allow for that. Occasionally we have lovely moments where she is calm and he is calm and we are calm. I hold onto those memories during all the other moments that aren't so pleasant.
All in all, she's the perfect addition to the family, and we couldn't be happier.
(Ok, one and a half weeks ago...somehow it took that long to get this written).
Even this second time around, I'm still baffled at how fast it goes. The days (and nights) often felt long, thanks to lack of sleep and constant feedings, rockings, and diaper changes. And yet here we are already.
Annabel has been a dream come true, in so many ways. For the most part, she is a very chill baby. The day after we returned home from the hospital, she napped on the couch while we vacuumed and did dishes and watched some TV. The noise didn't bother her, much to our delight. I guess growing up in a house with a loud older sibling means you naturally adjust? That, or we just got lucky.
She weighed in at 9lbs 4oz at two weeks, so I wouldn't be surprised if she's over 10lbs now. She's rocking an excellent double chin, and while she's still long and lean, she's got some sweet rolls forming on her wrists and thighs. Since her second week of life she's been in size 1 diapers and 3 mo clothing. All those sweet little newborn outfits...they only fit her for a hot second.
As long as this girl is fed WHEN SHE DEMANDS IT, she's a peach. Otherwise, oooh, the girl has a scream like no other. She first makes a weak little cry noise, and if I don't respond immediately with the boob it turns into a red-faced, eye-scrunched-closed scream. She knows what she wants.
Unfortunately for her (and ME), we had issues with breastfeeding from the start, thanks to a mild tongue tie. Her pediatrician was convinced it didn't need to be addressed, but after 2 weeks of intense pain, sores, and a lot of tears (from both of us) I went to a lactation consultant and her evaluation showed her tie was restricting her latch. She lost 10% of her birth weight within 5 days, and was clearly not satisfied after feeding, yet I couldn't bare to leave her at my breast for a minute longer. So I brought her to an ENT to have it clipped, and everything was uphill (slowly) from there. Hooray!
I don't recall the exact day where our nursing experience became pain free, but it was somewhere at the end of the 3rd week. Before then, I did some exclusive pumping and bottle feeding, and she took the bottle without any issue. To this day, she still gets very frustrated and unsatisfied with the evening feeding, so we often give her a bottle of another 2 oz or so (I pump every morning for extra). She zonks out nicely after it, so I'm glad it seems to help, But I'm unsure why she's so unsatisfied, because I have pumped immediately after she gets frustrated nursing in the evening and I produce another 2-3 oz easily. It's not like I'm empty. So, there's that mystery yet to solve, but we're getting by.
Now, our nursing experience is just lovely. I can look down at Annabel lovingly and feel all the feels a mother does, without grimacing and wincing and wishing she would go faster.
Like her brother, she prefers to sleep in arms or the swing. She will nap after her 4-5am wakeup/feeding in the bassinet in our room, but every time I try to put her down at night in there she wakes and cries and will have nothing of it. To ensure I get sleep, I've been putting her in the swing and sleeping on the couch. It's worked ok so far, but we're now at a point where I need to try harder for the bassinet.
Annabel has the sweetest little purr when she sleeps. She will cry out randomly and immediately settle, which I am guessing is due to gas? And she loves to sleep with her arms above her head, like her brother again.
She smiled at me last week and it seemed very intentional and reactionary...but she hasn't done it again since really, so who knows. She is starting to spend more time awake and alert, and locking eyes with us more often. Her neck is insanely strong, and she whips her head around so fast to see what is going on around her.
Carter just adores her, and insists on being in her face all the time. If she turns away from him he runs to her other side to continue looking at her. He delicately kisses her hair (the safe zone we've given him) and likes to show her when he takes off his socks or eats some cheese or reads a book. It's so incredibly endearing. Only on rare occasion does he appear jealous of her, and it's usually when I'm feeding her and can't tend to whatever it is he wants from me. We're all learning how to navigate those instances, and so far thankfully Daddy is an okay substitute.
Annabel has been out and about much more than Carter was at this age. Target a few times, happy hour, the grocery store, Culvers, church, even Chuckie Cheese's. She doesn't seem to mind the car (for the most part) and since she's still so sleepy it's been rather easy taking her out.
She searches for Jon when she hears his voice, and Jon oogles over her the second he gets home from work. Their infatuation is definitely mutual.
It took me a couple of weeks to remember that I get to accessorize her! And to be honest, her first days were spent in sleepers (albeit still super cute) for ease in my sleep-deprived haze. So I finally got to a point where I am picking out outfits and headbands and have so much fun! And a bit of stress, to be honest. It was so simple to pick out a shirt and pants with Carter. Now there are dresses and cardigans and what pants go with what tops. She has so many clothes, which doesn't help the morning cause. Not that I'm not grateful for that problem.
Our evening routine has been dismantled thanks to this girl. She's usually hungry right when dinner is ready, so more often than not I am on the couch nursing while the boys at the table eating. Actual bedtime is the worst, because Carter wants our (read: my) full attention and Annabel doesn't really allow for that. Occasionally we have lovely moments where she is calm and he is calm and we are calm. I hold onto those memories during all the other moments that aren't so pleasant.
All in all, she's the perfect addition to the family, and we couldn't be happier.
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