Month 2

She loves: diaper changes, her changing table, cooing, playing in her crib, playing on her play mat, bath time and running water, being held, laying on her belly with daddy, milk, kicking her legs and waving her arms, music, rubbing her face on blankets, listening to other people and watching kids play, watching Seth, and the car when it's moving.

She does not love: falling asleep on her own, being held like a baby, the paci (most times), waiting to eat once she realizes she's hungry, being somewhere where she can't kick her legs, and not being able to poop.

- Started the month ONLY sleeping with mama. Hopefully by the end of the month there will be new news.
- We had to go to the doc again because of that dern umbilical granuloma. The doc was shocked that it was still there. He applied more silver nitrate and we hope that it's the last time. She was 10 pounds and 12 ounces at 1 month 3 days. Doc suggested putting aquaphor on her horrible "baby acne".
- She still has a major fussy time in the evenings, but it seems to be getting later (much to my disappointment...mama is tired by 12:30 and she still hasn't fallen asleep)!
- If she can't poop at every feeding, she gets upset.
- Mornings are her happiest times.
- To help her sleep alone, I'm trying to get her to "attach" to a lovie. Something that will help her self soothe. First, I tried a little bug lovie from a former student. One with a head and then a blanket attached. The head was a little big and she couldn't get comfortable with it. Next, I tried a tag blanket that my sister's MIL made. It is so soft and she looooves it! She rubs her face in it and tries to eat it! Here's to hoping it helps her sleep!
- Started really trying to get her in the pack n play. At 5 weeks, she sleeps for about 30 minutes after her late evening feeding and then is awake until the "dream feed" time. I try 3 times to lay her down and if it doesn't work she gets in bed with me (I can only take the crying and lack of sleep for so long).
- We went to wickes for Christmas with the Curtis fam. First time for the cousins to meet! She was wonderful during the drive there. We only stopped once halfway to feed her. Lolly got her to lay down in her pack n play on the first night and she slept 6 hours total in there!!
- She did a real smile at Lolly on Dec. 26. And she did really well around all the noise!
- She started making noises and trying to talk. She already seems very bossy! :)
- Made a trip to Russellville and met Uncle Glenn and Rachel, Linda and Knoxx for ther first time. She was extremely fussy with an upset tummy.
- We think she has baby eczema. Cetaphil has worked wonders on it.
- She makes this puff noise while she's sleeping and starting to wake up. She sucks in her bottom lip and then blows it out. It's so cute.
- She's still the queen of facial expressions.
- She lets me swaddle her at least once at night. It's a fight, but the swaddle and the paci are the bomb.com when they can be used.
- She is awake for much longer periods and is getting less and less fussy.
- She still nurses 15-25 minutes total and still takes both sides every 3 hours. She has some 4.5-5.5 hour stretches at night.
- She did her first little coo/laugh on Jan. 4 when she was holding a burp cloth and Andrew tugged on it and jiggled it. Ahh! She hasn't done it since.
- It's like taming a wild beast to get her to wind down at night. She is a night owl for.sure. She flails her arms and kicks those legs while trying to climb up my chest.
- She has found her tongue and hands. She makes this clicking sound with her tongue and sucks her hand...and won't keep and paci in.
- One night she slept for almost 5 hours (it was amazing) and went 7.5 hours between feedings!
- I had my Dr appointment with Dr Hinton. She said everything was good. I loved showing off Claire!
- Meme came up again to help me take down Christmas and keep Claire while I went to Walmart. It's strange to be in the house without Christmas decor because that's all I've known with a baby! Our living room seems empty without the tree, but also...good riddance!
- The day she turned 7 weeks, she slept for 6.5 consecutive hours. (This was after 3 other good nights.) It was like wrestling a pig to get her to go to sleep, but totally worth it. It was between 11:15-5:50.
- Her 7th week was an amazing sleep week!
- She hit another "leap" and wanted me all night. I did not take her out of her swaddle, but we did spend the night on the couch.
- She makes many noises now. There is a difference between happy and angry, and there is a distinct whine and cry. She loves talking while laying on her back and kicking. I love figuring her out!
- During the 8th week, I started stretching feedings as long as possible. The goal is 4 four hour stretches as soon as possible.
- When she eats and when she sleeps on me, she rubs me with her little hand. I melt every time.
- She was extremely fussy one day, so I put her in the bath much earlier than normal to try and relax her. She pooped in the tub. :)
- She might fall asleep at an appropriate time at night (around 9), but she won't stay asleep. She usually stays asleep after 11:30. Any tips are welcome.
- She has started rubbing her eyes when she's tired. She also likes to rub her face and head into a blanket while falling asleep.
- Started sleeping in her crib at 8 weeks. She cries for about 10 or less minutes. We've calmed her by patting her or rubbing her belly. She slept 8.5 hours the second night, but that's not a nightly occurrence. On average, it's 6.5 hours a night.
- She continued to do well in her crib!
- She's had 2 blowout diapers. One while daddy was holding her. :)

Claire Bear, we are so in love with you. We melt every time you recognize us and your little eyes light up. We are thankful for you every day.

Mama

Top Products

These are the top ten things that Claire and I could not have lived without during our first 10 weeks. There are many more things that I loved having, but I was trying to stick to a theme here...

For baby:
1. Cetaphil. I had a million things of lotion given to us from baby showers, and I was so thankful, but I haven't used them. When Claire got the horrible acne/eczema the only thing that helped rather than hinder was cetaphil cream (not lotion). Now I put it on her every night.

2. Deluxe fold up baby bath. The back can be adjusted to sit up or lay back. Her bottom is raised off of the tub floor, but she can still soak in warm water. Best of all it folds up for easy storage.

3. Gowns and ZIPPER footed pajamas. Gowns for the first month of constant diaper changing. Once she outgrew gowns, I was so thankful for PJs with a zipper so that I didn't have to fool with buttons in the dark.

4. Nose Frida. Please know that I first thought this was the most disgusting product on the market. However, when you have an extremely snotty babe, you'll do anything. I used the bulb syringes from the hospital daily, but they would only get the boogs on the surface. I watched 5 YouTube videos on the Frida and was convinced that her snot would not get into my mouth (there's a filter). I bought it, used it, and never looked back. I suck her nose every morning and some nights. I get so much out EVERY TIME. She cries at first, but then she realizes she can breath and it's all good. **side note: I use saline solution probably once a week to help loosen things.**

5. Car seat liner/blanket. We got the Eddie Bauer brand from target. You attach it to your carseat and then it zips over the babe. This ensures that she's always warm and cozy. It's also an easy reminder to others to keep hands off of her. It comes off easily and is machine washable.

6. Gripe water and gas drops. Just get them. Gripe water was so nice for those weeks of constant screaming when I knew she wasn't hungry, or dirty, but she wouldn't fall asleep. The gripe water just gave her some flavor and would calm her for 1-30 minutes depending on how fussy she was. Gas drops helped so much for the times that she would eat, but not burp. If she didn't burp, there was no chance of us laying her down.

7. Crinkle toys, light up toys, and music toys. All of these are wonderful distractions.

8. Plain white socks. I bought a couple of 4 or 6 packs from Walmart, I think garanimals, and they were $1. White socks match every outfit and the 0-6 month size stay on her feet but aren't too tight on the chubby legs.

9. Bouncy seat/swing. She doesn't like either of these things for long, but it is a life.savor to have something to safely put her in when I need to get things done!

(Our first time to eat at the table without someone holding her.)

10. "Next size up" items. Sister has moved up in diapers and clothes sizes faster than I expected. It was nice to already have size 1 and now size 2 diapers ready in her closet. It's also been nice to already have an assortment of 3 month and 3-6 month clothes to fit this growing gal.

Mommy products:

1. Nursing SPORTS bras. I feel like nursing tanks and bras are a given for breast feeding moms. The sports bras are my favorite because you don't have to snap anything back, and they are comfortable to sleep in.

2. Baby feed app. This app keeps track of how long she eats and which side I need to start on. I can also keep up with wet and dirty diapers.

3. "The baby sleep solution" by Suzy Glordano. It's tips and tricks to get your babe to sleep 12 hours by 12 weeks and so far it's working for us.

4. Boppy pillow. I Breast feed and I use this pillow almost every time. It ensures that she's properly latching and that her entire body is turned towards me rather than just her head. It also gives my arms a break.

5. Diaper stations. We had one in almost every room. Great for quick changings.

6. Breast pump. I love nursing and hope to do it for a year. It's nice to be able to give a bottle every once in a while though. It's also nice to get some relief if I feel engorged, but it's not time to feed her. I have the Madela pump n style and then use Dr. Browns bottles.

7. Hand sanitizer. All day every day in every room.

8. 2 car seat bases. We have one in each car and it's so nice. One came with the carseat and we got the second at the Deal Depot in NWA for a discounted price. We also hope/plan to get 2 booster seats.

9. Camera. Yes, iPhones are handy and I take plenty of pics with mine, but having real pictures from my real camera are memories that will be great quality. Not every pic has to be posed, but we all know that camera pics are way better than phone pics.

10. A good water cup with a straw. You'll be the thirsty all the time. Don't waste water bottles. Also, we all know straws just make water easier to drink.

(And one bonus tip: Tucks, feminine wipes, stool softener, panty liners and pads. Just have a station in the bathroom. You can thank me later.)

I hope this helps any new mamas and if you're already a mama, please share your top things!

Month 1

- Milk came in on day 4 and would choke her (still does some times)
- Slept in her pack n play for 2 1/2 consecutive hours on night 3 at home  and 3 hours on night 4 at home (5 days old). She would either sleep with me in the bed or on the couch during the other times. Occasionally she would stay in the swing, but no longer than 20-30 minutes.
- I was very emotional the first few days at home. Very.
- In hospital she started going 3 hours between feedings and sometimes 4 at night.
- Went to the pediatrician the Wednesday after she was born. Of course it was right when she needed to eat again and she was being stripped and touched so she wailed. She is still 7lb 11oz (her weight when we left the hospital). Her complexion and heart and lungs are great. Her hematoma on her head is looking better and should go away completely. Her umbilical cord has a vein that bleeds a lot. He said he was going to do something to make that stop and it ended up making it bleed worse!
- She loves her car seat! She really loves riding in the car and looking out the window (most of the time). She doesn't love getting the straps tightened.
- Meme stayed for the first 4 days and lolly and papa came for the next 4 days.
- Mama's whole family came to see her on her one week birthday and she was a champ at being passed around (especially from cousin to cousin). Everyone loves her, obviously.
- Umbilical cord fell of at 1 week. Hallelujah! It stunk...seriously. It left an umbilical granuloma. Still waiting on that to go away.
- Goal for week 1: sleep away from mama for 1 sleep cycle. Goal for week 2: try 2 sleep cycles. At one month, we aren't doing so good with these goals...
- Newborn photos and her first bottle from daddy at 10 days old.
- As of 12/3 she had projectile spit up twice. Once after BBQ chicken and after chicken artichoke pasta. (I have no idea if it's really food related...)
- Sometimes she doesn't nurse from the left side and when she does it's a much shorter period than the right, so I pumped the left a few times. I got 4oz in 10 minutes. I only pumped once in the morning and she nursed the rest of the day just fine. (I only did this twice.)
- She loves to hold up her head all the time when she's awake.
- Has to burp after eating.
- at 2 weeks she sleeps from 12ish-4ish and 5ish-8ish in her nap nanny.
- At one month it's the same time frame, but with mama..Uhg.
- Has had days where she is just fussy if she's awake. She doesn't seem to be pooping if she's super fussy so I'm guessing it's related. Nobody likes it.
- I was down to my pre-pregnancy weight by 2 weeks, and all swelling was down by 1 1/2 weeks.
- At 3 week appointment she was up to 9lb 7oz and 21 in! The doc was impressed with how well she's eating and talked about how strong she is! The hematoma on her head is still there, but much smaller! She had an umbilical granuloma left on her belly button that he put silver nitrate on and said it should be gone in a week (it wasn't).
- At 3 weeks we started gas drops after afternoon and evening feedings to see if it helped with the "witching hour" and uncomfortableness.
- She loves to be cheek to cheek. Sometimes she will just rub her face against my face.
- Wears 0-3 and some 3 month clothes.
- Had her first blow out poopy diaper at 3.5 weeks. It was after having an ounce of pear juice because she was having troubles. (Cried every time she tried to poop and there might be a spot of "harder" poop in the diaper.)
- At 3 weeks 4 days she hit some sort of spurt. By her late afternoon feeding she wanted to eat between 1.5-2.5 hours instead of 3 and a couple of nights she ate every hour! She also only wanted to sleep with me. The longest she lasted by herself was an hour and she was grunting and fidgeting the entire time. She was extremely fussy and gassy. I read about a 3 week growth spurt and a friend suggested the app "the wonder weeks" which talked about a new leap that babies go through called "changing sensations". The description for this leap is exactly what was going on. (Praise the lord for these pieces of information because I was almost in shambles after 2 sleepless nights.) We are still currently trying to get out of this. She has gone back to eating at 2.5-3 hours during the day and 4 at night.
- She hates to be swaddled. Any tips on how to make her content in a swaddle are welcome.
- When I try to put her down, she startles herself awake. It's very frustrating. Tried to put her down in a swaddle and she grunted and fidgeted to get her arms free. When she couldn't, she wailed.
- First bath in the actual bath tub at 3.5 weeks.
- Hematoma was completely gone by 3.5 weeks!
- Nurses for 15-25 minutes. She usually does equal time on each side, but sometimes goes significantly longer on first side.
- She cannot/will not poop and nurse at the same time, and she poops almost every time.
- Spit up quite a bit after having a Cajun chicken sandwich for lunch and manicotti for dinner. She also ate extremely fast (it had been almost 6 hours).
- Newborn clothes and diapers are a no go. Sometimes we still force them on, but they are extremely tight.
- She scratched herself on her nose and it started bleeding. Saddest

My sweet Claire,

I am so thankful for you. You have challenged me and blessed me in ways that I can't even describe. You are so precious. Even when I am extremely tired and frustrated, I look at you or listen to your noises and all is right in my world. You are better than anything your daddy and I could have dreamed up. We can't wait to continue to watch you grow (and sleep), but we will miss all of these precious newborn snuggles. We love you baby girl. We love you with all of our hearts.

Love, 
Mama

(The Hematoma)