Baby Girl Emma: One Month

This is long overdue, but is an update for Month One of Little Emma's life!  

Baby Emma celebrated her one month "birthday" a few weeks ago already (where is the time going?!), but I am finally getting around to updating the blog!  You may have noticed that I am choosing not to use a nickname for my little love here on the blog.  I brainstormed for weeks on what to refer my sweet girl as here on the blog, but nothing felt right.  I want to use her name because I love it, and because nothing else fit the way I wanted it to!  She will probably be referred to by lots of nicknames, but I won't be keeping her name a secret here - it's just too darn pretty to do that!

What's new? Baby girl is starting to look at us like she can really see us, which is exciting!  I think we are getting close to a "real" smile here soon, we get lots of sweet little ones as Emma falls asleep.  I've heard her giggle to herself on her way to dreamland a few times too, might be my very favorite noise in the world.

Stats: Emma had a 2 week appointment, and was doing so wonderfully that she won't be seeing her pediatrician again until she is two months!  Her most recent weight was 7 lb 14 oz, but she is surely over 8 lbs by now.  She is eating like a champ despite a few breastfeeding challenges (to be discussed later, promise!), and getting so big so fast!

Hair: Her little rocker hairstyle has been put to rest, and we now brush her hair to the side, which makes her look so very sweet.  Some parts of her hair are growing in a very pretty golden red shade, so it should be interesting to see what color she ends up with!

Eyes: Beautiful deep blue, but I don't think they will stay this color.  I have brown and her daddy has pretty green - blue would be a shocker!

Clothes: She is still rocking newborn!  Within a few weeks she may be into 0-3, but at 1 month she still has a little room in her newborn onesies and outfits!

Sleep: Emma is doing wonderfully at night!  She has been getting one four-hour stretch between feedings at the beginning of the night, and then three to three-and-a-half hour stretches after that until early morning when she's up.  Sometimes she will go back to sleep after her 6-7am-ish feeding which is nice for me to get some more zzz's!  During the day, she gets two really good naps, and one shorter one before she starts her "witching hours" around 6ish until she finally goes down for the night.  We are still rocking/bouncing/cuddling her to sleep almost every time, and this is something we have got to try and work on!

Feeding: She is a little guzzler!  She loves to eat, and I think she'd eat all day if I let her.  She goes every three hours throughout the day (sometimes 2 1/2), until early evening when she likes to cluster feed every hour-and-a-half for a long stretch of time before she goes to sleep for the night.  We did have some breastfeeding struggles that I will share about soon, and we are still working on resolving them but luckily they did not seem to affect my supply or Emma's weight gain.  I started pumping around week 3 1/2, and Emma got her first bottle a few days after.  I pump once after her morning nursing session, and once while she is getting the bottle.  I am accumulating quite a frozen stash, which helps to ease my mind in case I am unable to pump as much as I need to once I go back to work.  More to come on pumping and breastfeeding soon!

Likes: Emma adores getting her hair washed, she makes the most adorable little face, and almost seems to turn her head for Daddy to get the water all over her little head.  She also loves sleeping on our chests, getting bounced to sleep by her Daddy, and lying on her changing pad!

Dislikes: She doesn't like going number two.  She almost always goes while nursing, and fusses right before.  She is also not a huge fan of getting her clothes put on!  

Mama Update: I am doing so much better than I ever would have thought I would be if you asked me at a week-and-a-half postpartum.  No one can quite prepare you for how hard the first month is, and how quickly you'll feel better because in the thick of it?  I was terrified that I would never feel the same.  I will share my "baby blues" experience, but I am happy to report I am feeling much MUCH better now!  Loving on my little lady, and getting used to this whole motherhood thing!

Milestones:

1.19.14 - 1 month old!

Nicknames: Shmoop (something I started calling her while she was in my belly, and just stuck once she popped out!), Pretty, Little Love, Princess Girl, Buns