Carry Me

For a myriad of reasons, this past week has been difficult.  I'm definitely still dealing with the physical and emotional after effects of not only having a baby, but traumatically at that.  Don't get me wrong - I am SO thankful for how God has brought us through to this point.  His provision has been more than I could ever dream of.  When Sarah is crying uncontrollably in the middle of the night, it just surfaces every feeling of inadequacy and helplessness that I've felt through this whole experience.

Luckily we're getting there.  Every day, it seems we learn a little more of Sarah's personality and needs.  I'm so glad I invested in the book, The Happiest Baby on the Block.  While I felt like I knew how to calm an unhappy baby, the principles in this book have been EXACTLY what Sarah needs to calm right down.  We live and breathe by the 5 S's he lays out.  If you're having trouble calming a baby, I highly recommend checking it out.  I'm fascinated by the idea that in some cultures colic doesn't exist and what we do here in the States that causes it.

Hopefully through some of the principles in the book, we can help nurture a confident and secure young lady.  I find myself thinking about what she is going to be like, what her interests are going to be, what she'll want to be when she grows up.  Those are some very special moments, cuddling and talking about the future together.  Sometimes, I swear she understands me.

Sunday we celebrated Sarah's two month birthday, and followed it up with a doctor's appointment on Monday.  She had several shots and she did NOT like that.  She was sore and swollen for about 24 hours afterwards.  Tylenol and gentle handling were definitely necessary.  It definitely hurt to hear her crying in pain like that.

Here's where we are at TWO months:

Height & Weight:  She weighed in at 5lbs 6oz and was 18.25" long.

Clothing:  She also officially is fitting in her Newborn sizes even better!  It seemed like over night her legs started fitting in the legs of her sleepers a little better.  Some styles are still too big, but there are several things now starting to fit better.

Diapers:  She's also firmly into Newborn sized diapers.  Occasionally still blows out of them.  My little girl has no problems in that department!

Eating:  She was eating about 2-2 1/2oz of breast milk and some formula (only twice a day) at her birthday.  She definitely doesn't like the formula.  Hopefully the doctor will let us come off it soon, and hopefully Mommy's milk will continue to be enough!  She strongly prefers the breast milk over formula.  Formula feedings are messy and lengthy.  Around Wednesday evening, she started eating anywhere from 2-5oz at a feeding.  We're pretty certain she's going through a growth spurt.

Sleeping:  Sarah sleeps in bursts of 2-5 hours at night.  We've only had a handful of nights that are 5 hour spurts, but we definitely enjoyed them!  We're closer to 3-4 hours on a regular basis.  Though, sometimes our night time feedings will take 20 minutes or well over an hour.  Depends on how she's feeling that night.

Quirks:  One of her favorite faces is putting her mouth in a tight O shape.  It looks like she's trying to whistle or give you a quick kiss!  Super cute!  She prefers to be swaddled and held most of the day.  Mom is going to try out a Moby wrap when she starts working from home again!  She's learning to hold her head up during tummy time, and is doing quite well.  She's also figured out how to wiggle out of almost every swaddle known to man.  The other day, she not only wiggled all the way out of it, but turned around in bed!  One of our favorite things is the Wubbanub!  It helps keep the paci in her mouth a little better, and it's not easily lost!  Love, love it.  We highly recommend the Wubbanub!

It's so hard to believe that her due date is only 4 days from now.  My how far we've come!  I never thought I'd be BACK to work before my due date.  I'm incredibly grateful for a company that values me and has helped work out a solution for this phase of our lives.  I will be working in the evenings in the office and during the day, I'll be able to work from home mostly.  Sarah will not have to go to daycare for her first year of life at the very least!  Hooray!!  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Nashville Ballet!

Here are a few pictures from this past week:

7/13/12: One of our favorite faces

7/16/12: 7 weeks old!

7/31/12: Officially 9 weeks old!

7/31/12: getting free of the swaddle


Comments

  1. Amanda, she's beautiful. I love reading the updates...and, don't underestimate your hormones that you still have coursing through you. They can pack a wallop for the first full year.

    We read 'The Happiest Baby On The Block' with Emily, too. She was VERY colicky for the first three months...screamed 6pm-12am every. Single. Night. Now, she's the neatest 8 year old I know. :)

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  2. I love the WubbaNub! So cute! She is one blessed little girl. So precious.

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  3. Something the SOZO ministry at my church does is a Trauma Prayer. Jim Banks is a minister (out of state where my church got the prayer) who has recorded it if you'd like to listen. It covers a whole gamut of things, and is 22 minutes long, so get comfy :)

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