Friday, May 22, 2015

Elliott: One Month Old

Our little sweetie has been with us a month. Even though it seems like a year ago that we were in the hospital, the weeks have gone by so fast. I seriously can't imagine people who only have 6 weeks of maternity leave! She's a pretty great kid and we have developed a nice routine.


Elliott is still sleeping most of the time. She sleeps, I change her diaper, she eats, and falls asleep. Repeat. She is pretty much attached to me and sleeps on me often. I try to only bring her into our bed for one stretch each night so she at least learns some separation, although this doesn't always work. Maybe it's just my head but she seems to sleep more soundly when she's with us, although she doesn't always sleep longer. I know I sleep better with her by me. She is a bit of a restless sleeper. She will stretch and grunt often but can usually put herself back to sleep if we wait it out. When I put her down she automatically moves onto her side to sleep. Elliott likes to bury her face if possible. 


Her schedule typically goes as follows: She usually has wake ups at 11, 12, and 2. Between 10 pm and 3 am she is the most restless and requires the most attention - go figure. This has really been more of an issue the last few days since she's coming out of her extra sleepy period of life. She would nurse all night long for comfort if I let her. She is not interested in the paci but if she's awake her hands are likely searching for her mouth.

After the 2-3 am wakeup she sleeps her longest stretch, usually until 6 or 7 am. Her next wake up is usually around 9. When I put her back in her bassinet for that late morning nap, I use that time to shower and do chores. I can swivel her bassinet so I can see her if I poke my head out of the shower. So far she hasn't woken up during any of my showers (tomorrow she will surely scream now that I've said that).

For lunch we head out to the living room. She mostly naps on me the rest of the day, but gets at least one or two stretches in the mamaroo. The mamaroo is hit or miss. She has to already be sleeping to go in it, and needs a blanket. Sometimes I can get a good hour or more out of her, but most of the time it's just a half hour stretch which is okay. We have been using the ocean wave setting recently. Either way she sleeps absolutely superbly during the day (unlike the night time). If she doesn't fall asleep while nursing, usually walking around, bouncing, or rubbing her back will do the trick. More recently she's been awake after feeds so I don't think she'll be dependent on nursing to sleep moving forward.


Breastfeeding is going okay. During the day she gets what she wants in 10-15 minutes, but night time is longer. She only needs one side. She has always seemingly had a good latch, but the second week was pure torture. I dreaded feeding her and would pretty much cry or scream with each latch. It looked like she literally took a bite out of me by the end of that week, so I knew something was wrong. I went to the lactation consultant and she was surprised I hadn't given up due to my current physical state. She said that I was doing everything right, but thought Elliott may have a tongue tie. She got us an appointment with a pediatric dentist that day and he confirmed that she had both a tongue and lip tie. Thanks to a quick snip with the laser that was fixed. Since then, things have been improving slowly. Things are still not great though and I am not healed. Hopefully that won't be too much longer because it has been rough. I have a small freezer stash from the first week, but otherwise I haven't pumped much as to give my boobs as much break as possible. She has had 3 bottles and although it takes some time for her to adjust, she has taken them okay. My supply seems to be fine so I don't think I will have any problems as long as I am motivated to pump. I know she's getting plenty because we are going through diapers like mad men.


Elliott is a mama's girl. She's obviously with me all the time and is comfortable with me. I'm also patient with her and typically know what she wants. We are already BFFs. She will hang with dad most of the time too as long as he is feeling patient and can devote his attention to her. I haven't left her at all yet but I have an overnight trip planned in two weeks which will be interesting (for all 3 of us). 

Now that she's awake more I try to let her "play" for a short bit before eating and sleeping again. This mostly consists of laying her on the floor and letting her be, which she enjoys. She needs a break from me sometimes. Occasionally she will sit in the mamaroo if she is wide awake and can look around (she likes the light shining through the window). Peanut, Nugget, Girlfriend, and Mama are a few of her nicknames.


Everything that we do is baby-led for the most part. If she wants to eat, I feed her. We don't follow a super strict schedule. At this age I know that she cries instinctively out of need and not to manipulate me. I pretty much give her what she wants and for the most part she's a super easy baby. We have only had maybe three nights when she was fussy to the point where we were wiped. I think that's pretty great for being a month old, and she eventually wears herself out.

Elliott enjoys being in her nursery and will sit and look around. She also likes mirrors. She seems to really enjoy bath time, which we do every 2-3 nights. She even enjoys being wrapped up in a towel when we take her out. Car rides are typically not her fave and she often cries during them. She still doesn't like to have a dirty diaper and will cry if she pees while awake (it must scare her). Once we start walking to the nursery she perks right up because she knows what's coming. We have been using all gifted diapers up until now which has been nice. We have one big box of newborns left and she will definitely be ready for size 1.  I plan to start putting cloth in the rotation during the next week. Newborn clothes fit just right but 0-3 month are still a bit baggy.

We have gone on a handful of adventures and she has been great on all of them. She has done well in a carrier so far because she can sleep close to me. One of my biggest goals is to not keep her too cooped up. I figure the more that we take her out with us, the more socially aware and flexible she will be. Obviously this is done within reason and we plan in advance, but so far it has worked out fine.


Elliott has always had a full head of hair and if any has fallen out it has been minimal. I think it's even gotten longer. She smiles and sometimes even chuckles in her sleep which is my favorite thing ever. I kiss her a million times a day. We just can't believe we have this cute, little thing forever. 







Thursday, May 21, 2015

Nursery Reveal

I told myself that I wouldn't buy any baby clothes until after the shower, but decorating the nursery was what I got to indulge in. I started buying things literally a day or two after finding out we were having a girl. I really didn't need to buy too much though.



The oak furniture was gifted to us when we moved in. At the time I really didn't want any more hand-me-down furniture, but this set was so nice that we couldn't pass it up. We've had it in our bedroom ever since, but I've always envisioned it to be moved to the nursery. It's kind of whimsical in a sense. Our bedroom can handle bigger pieces of furniture and is designed in a more contemporary style, so a move always made sense to me.

We have a dresser with mirror attachment, chest, and two nightstands. We didn't quite need all of it in here, but there are so many opportunities for storage!! But hey, kids have a lot of stuff :)



The one bump in the road was that the set obviously didn't have a matching crib. I'm not set on having everything match exactly, but it was going to be tricky to get something that "went" with all the pieces. Oak cribs are hard to come by these days! I found this crib on Pinterest like a year ago, but it turned out to be tricky to order when it came time to buy, and there were no other options that I thought would work. We ended up getting it from a Lowe's affiliate store (ATG). It's not 100% matchy but goes just fine. I actually kind of prefer it this way. It will transition to a toddler bed, day bed, or headboard/footboard for a double bed.



The glider is KACY brand purchased through Babies R Us. It ended up being one of those online purchases that we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best - it ended up being perfect. It is a comfy glider with lots of support, and I love that the color can go with either gray or brown tones. Definitely a good buy.



As far as the decor items, the artwork was actually made at my bachelorette craft party. I had seen something like it on Pinterest and it turned out to be something I'd actually use. The colors from these canvases actually inspired the whole room (yes, they need a few touch ups). The poms and lanterns I got from Etsy. I wanted several so they looked substantial enough. I really like how it turned out. Pretty much everything else I got from Pottery Barn Kids. In the past I have run into problems matching colors when I buy things from different places. And they had things that I liked and wanted. The curtains, crib sheet, pink basket, heart pillow, and ikat pillow are all PB. The purple bins are RiverRidge Kids bins I got from Amazon.





The two wooden frames were actually purchased at Pier 1 probably 2 years ago. I got them because they matched the furniture set pretty well, but never ended up getting around to hanging them. It's perfect because they are lined with burlap fabric which goes with everything in here.  The printables are quotes from Winnie the Pooh that I just made on my computer. I couldn't find any printables in colors I liked and I didn't want to spend money on them, so I just made some. We also got a wooden letter from Hobby Lobby and sprayed it purple. Baby girl's first initial!



The changing pad was made from hobby lobby fabric and I have some extra if I ever get around to making some pillows.


The layout is functional and the room feels much bigger with furniture actually. I'm happy with the space so far! It has been easier to decorate an entire space at once, unlike the rest of the rooms in our house which we have just slowly pieced things together as we go.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Day In The Life

Thursday, May 14

Elliott is 23 days old

2:21 Baby girl is stirring next to me so I start nursing. I still find it to be a bit painful so I start this post to distract myself. Check IG, FB, and feedly. We are already on our second wake up and she only went to bed 3 hours ago.

2:34 She's done eating but I want to make sure she's really out before handing her off.

2:51 I turn on the vibrate to her bassinet and lay her down. She wakes immediately so I lay her next to me. No luck. She starts really squirming which is a sign of a wet diaper. I check her and hand her off to Andy to change.

3:14 She falls asleep on my chest. I leave her there to not risk a wake up. 

6:02 Almost 3 hours! She's stirring so I nurse her.

6:28 She's having sweet baby dreams in her bassinet. I decide I'll get up and shower while Andy is still here.

6:30 Andy's alarm goes off and ruins that idea. She's awake so I don't fight it. We go to the kitchen and I lay her on the floor while I get breakfast and take it to the bedroom. I change her diaper.

6:55 I finish my cereal in bed just as she starts rooting. I swaddle and start feeding her.


7:00 She's not into it, which is fine because I'm trying to find other ways to put her to sleep besides nurse. We cuddle and she goes in and out of sleep pretty instantly.

9:12 I wake with a baby next to me. I broke my rule of only bringing her into bed once a night, but oh well. I go change a poopy diaper.

9:26 We are back in bed swaddled and it's time to eat again (nursing is seriously all I do).

9:54 If I'm going to shower now is the time. She's good and asleep so I put her in her bassinet and swivel it so I can see from the shower (seriously awesome feature).

10:09 I'm done and she's still snoozing. I collect dirty dishes around the house and fold and put away a load of towels from the dryer. I move over a load and start one. 

10:20 Still sleeping. I go to the kitchen and put away some dishes I cleaned last night. Do random pick ups.

10:27 Elliott is stirring. She's obviously making a messy diaper so I give her a few minutes before changing her.


10:39 Someone wants to eat again. As you can tell we are on no schedule and she eats whenever she wants. 

10:54 She grins while she puts herself to sleep on my belly. I think about how lucky we are to have such a cute baby. I turn on the tv to watch the end of last night's Nashville episode. Then I move on to Jimmy Fallon.

11:35 Andy is home for lunch. I get dressed and move E out to the mamaroo. I get strawberries, a few slices of pizza, and some brownie I made last night.

12:05 Take out the compost. Sit at the counter with Andy. Update this post. Change Elliott's diaper.

12:20 Andy has the baby while I clean up the kitchen and start the dishwasher. I hang some clothes from the dryer and move over a load.

12:35 It's time for baby girl to eat lunch. I sit on the couch and nurse while on my phone.

12:52 She's out. I start sorting through a pile of papers I've collected since her birth. 


1:28 Turn The Talk on tv while she snoozes on my lap.

1:55 She's stirring and I know she needs her diaper changed. Do that before deciding to go get the mail. Grab the k'tan from the car, load her in, and off we go. Sort the mail into piles on the counter.

2:15 E is hungry again. Feed her and see I missed a call from our insurance man. Call him back while she eats. Turn on Chain Reaction.

2:40 She's off and snoozing. We both take a nap on the couch.


3:44 Elliott is fidgeting and needs a new diaper. 

3:54 We are back on the couch and she's ready to eat. She nurses while I get on my phone.

4:03 She's asleep. I turn on Tangled. 

4:28 I put her in the mamaroo while she sleeps, grab another brownie and do some thank you notes for baby gifts.


5:01 Finish up notes just as she wakes. Time for diaper change! 


5:06 Pick out an outfit for tomorrow since we have errands to run. Refill and organize the diaper bag while she wiggles on the floor.

5:12 She wants to eat again. Browse on my phone. Andy arrives.

5:33 Hand her awake to Andy while I start dinner: grilled chicken, rice, and veggies. I prep that while putting away the clean dishes from the dishwasher. I fill the sink and start doing the dirties.

6:00 Elliott starts to fuss so I figure she wants to eat the other side. Do so and she's still awake.

6:33 She's not sleeping so I put her in the mamaroo so I can eat. She sits content for a bit but eventually starts to gently fuss so Andy takes her. She calms easily.

7:10 She is still fighting sleep a bit, thankfully she isn't cranky. I take her from Andy since she's been awake for 2 hours. Nurse her for a few minutes.

7:28 Baby is conked on my chest. I love it. She faded in and out for a while before staying out.

8:33 She's fidgeting. I take her to her room to change diapers and get a new sleeper. 


8:42 She starts to fuss probably because she's tired. I start feeding her while Andy makes some popcorn. 

9:05 The baby is sleeping and Andy is finishing his popcorn so I hand her to him so I can address all the thank yous.

9:20 I finish and she's fussing a bit because she's fighting sleep. I feed her and it only takes a few minutes for her to doze. We watch TV and I try to keep her sleeping.

10:35 Still sleeping. I fall asleep with her on the couch.

11:15 We wake. Andys changes her diaper while I brush my teeth. Feed her in bed.

11:43 Put her in her bassinet. Update this post.