Lifes Little Lustings: one month

Novemeber 2, 2012

I CANNOT believe a month ago, our baby was born. Actually, its been a month and a half now that I am getting around to posting this! Seriously, I am baffled that I have had a newborn for that long now. Where does the time go? Really. I think it has gone right out the window because having a newborn is super exhausting and time-consuming. Holy moly. So before you know it, BAM! A month of your life is gone. But it has definitely been worth it. I will not be one of those who just raves about the great, and perfect moments of becoming a mom. I will be honest. Brutally honest about our journey thus far...

Rilynn came home and was literally the perfect baby for the first week. She barely made a peep. She ate some, slept alot, pooped. Little did I know that that was just par for the course and that things would start to change within a week or so...
By week two, what I thought was our routine, changed. Completely. I have been following Babywise but I think maybe I tried to follow it a bit too religiously, which in turn just stressed me out when she didn't follow the guidelines. I am now ready to burn the book because I quickly realized she is her own person and will fall into her own routine on.her.own.time. I just try to keep some boundaries and hope for the best. And for the record, Babywise is still a great book with lots of information, but needs to be used as a guideline, not a manual!

Rilynn is still a great baby. Really. We have no colic thus far, and she only fusses when she is in distress of some sort- whether she needs some TLC, a diaper change, or has some gas. It has just been exhausting for me to get used to being up every couple of hours around the clock and dealing with her now alert states (She is awake?! What do I do with her now?!) and getting her to go back down for naps when she is obviously tired.

She is precious. She has her daddy's lips, my eyes, and my mom's, grandmother's and uncle's stork bite on her neck. I love that the birthmark skipped my sister and I and still showed up down the line. Genetics and heredity can be quite amazing. She looks a lot like many of my newborn pictures and is starting to really notice the world around her. She is still too young to really give us much feedback on her thoughts of this world, but I think she likes it thus far and is starting to feel at home.

In her alert states, she just gazes around and makes the cutest little squeaks and coos. She isn't too fond of her play mat yet, and tummy time doesn't last too long unless you count the endless naps on our chests- her fav. She seems to enjoy Copper's endless supply of kisses on her ears and feet, and is really an UP baby. She loves to be able to sit up and look out at the world.

Two days ago we discovered the swing at a friend's house. No, we never invested in one... and you would know she LOVED the thing. Luckily, our friends' baby is too big for it now so they let us borrow it. She has been sleeping in it since we got it home and it has actually averaged me an extra 2+ hours of sleep each night. I hate not having her in her crib like we have been so good at doing, but she would squirm and wiggle nonstop- I am assuming because she didn't have that secure, snuggled feeling in there. With the swing, she is confined in a little cushion and I love that I can rest assured that there is no way for her to roll in it. So for now, whatever works!

Today, we went up in our Dr. Brown nipples from a Preemie size to the Size 1s. Initially, they were too much for her and she was drowning in milk. She is a big girl now and no longer needs them. Bittersweet. She is also starting to fit in some of her 0-3 month clothes, not just her newborn sizes.

She loves her bath, but hates getting out, even when I have heated up the room and taken her towel from the warm dryer.

She was a little ladybug for Halloween. Even if her costume was just a pair of polka-dot jammies, she wore them proudly to our friends' house and slept while her friends Will and Avery played. She looked pretty presh, as did Cop.

Speaking of Copper, he has grown fond of Ri. He knows she is here for the long haul and has adjusted to her cries and wimpers and our constant attention for her. He still gets to sleep with us, so he seems pretty happy. He actually seems concerned for Ri when she is really upset and he goes to the car and looks for her when I come home from taking her on outings. He will wait for me to pull her carseat out and then gets on his hind legs to see her. I know, sweet!

So that is life right now! Slowly adjusting but she has been a super easy baby, and it has been a precious time. I just stare at her and take it in, knowing she will be all over the place in the blink of an eye. I cherish my mornings lounging on the couch, watching Live with Kelly, fire going, with Copper at my shoulder and Ri in my arms. I could stay there for the rest of my life.