One Month Old!

I cannot believe that our precious baby Charlotte is already one month old!  It's strange... in some ways, I feel like she was just born, and in others, I feel like she's been here forever.  It's difficult to remember what life was like before she got arrived.  I definitely remember more getting a lot more sleep! 

Charlotte is such a joy!  She is sleeping and eating well, and really only cries if she's wet or hungry.  During the day, she eats every 3 hours, and she usually makes it 4 hours between feedings at night.  While she is nursing well, we have had a few speed bumps: She still seems to have her days and nights confused.  During the day, she is extra sleepy, and usually looses clothing privileges so we can wake her up.  During the night, she seems to completely forget how to nurse... it's pretty funny!  We are sleepy, but waking up to her sweet little face makes midnight feedings a lot easier. 

Charlotte is snugly, squeaky, and is still in newborn diapers and mostly 0-3 month clothing (a couple of her preemie outfits still fit).  She is still sleeping in our room in the bassinet part of her stroller.  She loves baths in the Puj tub.  She tolerates tummy time for a few minutes, and likes to watch the animals move in her play gum.  She likes to fall asleep on our chest, keeps her hands by her face, and is not a fan of her pacifiers.  Her best friend is her left hand, and she relaxes when given an owl lovie that has Michael's scent on it.  She still has lots of dark brown hair, a beautiful complexion and very dark blue eyes. Her startle reflex is still very strong, and she constantly wakes herself up if she is unswaddled.  She likes to squish herself down to the bottom of her bassinet, and still has lots of downy hair on her body... I think from being so early.  She weighs 7lbs 2 oz, and 20" long.  She is growing so well, and we love her so very much!!!

Here are a few sweet pics from Charlotte's first month:

She loves her owl lovie! 



Snuggling with Marmee



Cuddling with Daddy

April 16th, her original due date

Our little duckling

Baby's first bottle

First bath at home

Nap time!

First walk through the neighborhood

Happy Easter!

We have celebrated our first holiday as a family of 3: Easter Sunday!  Michael's Aunt Jackie and Uncle Robert invited the family over to their house for lunch after church.  Since Charlotte is so young, we did not make it to Easter services, but we were excited to see everyone to celebrate this special day.  Charlotte was due April 16th, and I didn't think she would need an Easter dress.  I wasn't sure if she would even be here yet!  Fortunately, Jackie gave Charlotte a beautiful pink dress at her baby shower, and it was perfect for her first Easter.  She looked precious!

Michael and I were excited to get out of the house for a few hours.  I felt like a bag woman!  We were only gone for about 2 hours, but I brought everything we might possibly need.  She had her stroller with bassinet, toys she can't play with yet, enough diapers for the next month, multiple pacifiers that she won't even take, loads of burp cloths and bibs, and several clothing options in case we had an accident.  I like to have options!  I'm not sure why I bothered with her bassinet... she was held by family the entire time!

Lunch was wonderful, and we were so excited to spend time with family. 

When we got home, Charlotte was exhausted, and she needed a little nap!  We had a great day!

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Easter surrounded by family and loved ones!



Charlotte's Newborn Photos

Today, Charlotte had her newborn photos taken by Summer Photography.  Summer came to our house for the morning, and did such a great job!  We had lots of fun, and several messes to clean up.  Let's just say that a 6-day-old baby girl diaperless on a white duvet equals a nice little mess!  By the end of the session, there were several casualties:  the white duvet, my poor mother's pants, the oriental rug in our living room, countless blankets, etc.  Fortunately, we had a new bottle of Resolve and lots of bleach!  Crisis averted!

I had no idea what to expect... Would she be fussy?  Would she sleep the whole time?  How would the photos turn out?  Charlotte did so well!  She slept almost the entire session, and was very easy to put into those hilarious little poses.  Three days later, Summer came back to take several family photos.  Unfortunately, Charlotte was a little fussy, but everything turned out great!

Here are a few of our favorites: