Claire @ 1 Month

Wow, that was seriously the fastest and simultaneously slowest month of my life. Claire is the sweetest little thing, and we love her so much! I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a mother, especially to this specific little girl. She just melts me.

Having said all that, wow, motherhood is not for the faint of heart! :) The transition, mostly emotionally and mentally, has been a lot harder for me than I thought it would be. It is just so overwhelming to realize that you are solely responsible for such a precious, helpless little baby. Combine that with little sleep and crazy post-partum hormones, and I have been pretty emotional. The first two weeks were the hardest--now, five weeks post-partum, I am feeling pretty good physically and emotionally. Thankfully, Sam has been so steady and calm through it all, which has helped me stay sane. Anyway, less about me and more about Claire!

Here is a little about Claire Sophia at 1 month old...

Weight: She weighed 8 lbs. 14 oz. at her two week appointment and 9 lbs. 9 oz. the next week when we met with a lactation specialist. We think she now weighs about 10 and a half pounds. She likes to eat, and is doing a great job packing on the pounds! :)

Eating: Claire has been a good little eater from the get-go. So far we have nursed most of the time and pumped and then bottle-fed here and there. Unfortunately, because of her latch, I am still super sore and having trouble healing, which has been really frustrating. Hopefully that resolves itself soon! She seems to latch on pretty well but then does weird things with her little tongue that result in some pretty raw skin for me. :/ No fun, but I'm glad she is getting enough to eat. I am grateful that nursing has worked out so far. On top of the obvious health benefits for Claire, nursing is convenient (not to have to make and wash bottles), and I enjoy the time it allows us to be together. She usually eats every 3 hours, sometimes closer to every 2 hours in the evening.

Sleeping: Claire has also been a good sleeper from day one. Generally, she will eat around 10 or 11 pm, then 3 or 4 am, and then 6 or 7 am. We have had some bad nights here and there where she's up more, but overall, she's been a gem! The first couple of weeks, we had the swing in our room, and that's where she slept. We didn't have it on, but I think she just liked the secure feeling of it. Starting around week 3, we got a little co-sleeper bassinet, and that is where she has been sleeping since then. We had a regular bassinet, but Claire will only sleep on her tummy, so I felt like I needed to have a better watch of her in order to feel safe to let her do that. The co-sleeper has been great. I can see her all night and love having her right next to me. I think we'll probably keep her here until 3 or 4 months and then move her to her own room around then. Originally, we tried swaddling her and putting her on her back, but she hated it. She would find a way to wiggle out of even the tightest swaddle and then flail her arms and legs like she was scared to death. Even if we managed to get her to sleep, she would startle herself and wake up.

Other fun facts about Claire:

• She is such a smiley girl! She started giving us smiles here and there as early as ten days old, and they have gotten bigger and more consistent as the weeks have gone by. She is most smiley in the morning and gets less so as the day goes on. So far, her grandpa (my dad) has been the most successful at getting the biggest smiles out of her.
• She has a love/hate relationship with the binkie. If she is tired, she usually loves it, but you generally have to kind of force it on her and remind her that she likes it. If she isn't tired or cranky and you try to give it to her, she either spits it out hard and sends it flying or gags dramatically on it and starts coughing. Funny little lady :)
• She loves the bath (although she hated it the first week or so)--it is a sure fire way to calm her down if she's fussy. Sam usually bathes her when he gets home in the evening while I get a little break.
• She loves to be bounced to sleep--on the bed, while walking around, or on the exercise ball. We spend lots of time bouncing away!

Some pictures of the 1st month with baby Claire:

1st day home from the hospital. Hanging with Daddy.

3 days old.

Getting ready for her bath. 10 days old.

2 weeks old.

2 weeks old. First time at Yia Yia and Papou's house.

She loves her Daddy!

Always sporting the serious face and brow. I was the same was as a baby. :)