Elliott: Four Months Old

I think we can say at 4 months we have a real happy baby! Elliott has never been a big crank for me, but now she is seriously smiley, and not just for me.

Elliott still enjoys being out in public (the store or on walks in town). She is also very into her routine at home. It's more when we are at gatherings/parties when she gets cranky from overstimulation, although I think we might be nearing the end of this phase just from her attitude the past week. In public, there are distractions but no one is up in her business. She also is much happier if she is being held while you're standing (I think it's a control issue, wonder where that comes from?) Elliott still really likes the outdoors, and when the weather has cooperated she sits pretty content in the shade for a while (which means we can get yard work done!).

We've grown pretty accustomed to singing, she and I. I love singing to her and Elliott smiles loads and it is my favorite. Music is a big part of our routine.   She has had a few giggle fits and they are pretty funny! We've also tried to incorporate a little more 'play time.' She holds toys (rattles and Sophie) really well and is getting pretty good with dexterity! She can even take her pacifier in and out of her mouth and pass it from hand to hand. It's adorable to watch her eyes get wide with concentration. Also, she is constantly putting her hands in her mouth if she doesn't have a paci or toy to put in there.  It's really funny to watch her stare and move her hands slowly as if she is inspecting them with intensity. We rolled from front to back just 3 days before her 4 month birthday and can go both directions. Honestly she can almost go from back to front too.

No big changes on the eating front other than she is eating more at a time. It's not uncommon for her to eat both sides. She still spits up about once with each feeding, but pretty much only as she burps. Overall, this is much more manageable now that we've been on meds for a while and she's getting stronger, although we are phasing off of the Zantac. She is still getting happier each day because of it. She hasn't gotten many bottles the past week or two, but I give her about 3 oz when she does take one, though it takes some back and forth for her to get it down.

About the bottle thing... Remember when I said I had to work for two weeks? Yeah. That happened and it didn't go so hot. Basically, Elliott hates everyone that isn't me. I've never known a kid to have separation anxiety so young, but that is 100% what it is. She would scream bloody murder until I walked in the room like it was night and day. She wouldn't eat for anyone. No, I don't think it means I need to 'leave her more.' She will grow out of it, but this is why I stay at home. It is her personality and I don't blame her for not loving strangers.

Bedtime is still about the same, although she has been fighting me this week - head to bed about 7, nurse (if she is hungry), play music. Although a lot of times she doesn't fall asleep on her own, laying with her usually works eventually. She is a real cuddler. She searches for me with her hands, feels my face, to make sure I'm there and also I think to distract herself from sleeping. She's also still into holding my hand when she's tired which is pretty lovely, too. We have kicked the bassinet to the curb. She and I both get more restful sleep when neither of us have to move at all. (The only issue with this is that she doesn't like to be woken up for diaper changes so we have changed our sheets about 5 times in the last two weeks. We are on to the baby dry diapers now). We don't swaddle at night anymore because I thought she was getting too hot. She still sleeps great so no negative change because of it. We do loosely for naps. All naps happen in her crib, and we follow the same routine as above, except I have her in the rocking chair and she doesn't nurse to sleep unless she is overtired and super pissed. Most naps average about an hour or hour and a half :) Elliott stays awake for 1.5-2 hours between naps typically. She is easily the crankiness when she's tired, but most of the time goes to sleep pretty easily as long as she is not over tired. If it takes me 15 minutes to get her down, that's a long time. She knows being in her nursery, with music on and lights off, that it's time to sleep. I've tried putting her in her crib at bedtime but it hasn't lasted long yet. I'm not going to push being full time in the crib. We are set with crib for naps, so it will happen when she's ready.

Most carter's 3 months clothes have been put away and we are on to 6 months. And I've noticed that 3-6 month clothes for gap and old navy are even larger than carter's 6 month! I still have a few 0-3 month dresses out in those brands. I think for the most part she is average baby size, and very proportional. We have been in size 2 diapers for over a month and should be good for a while in them.

I still think she is the cutest little peanut and am loving watching her grow.

Elliott: Three Months Old

Where the hell did this month go? Didn't I just write last month's post? Time is seriously flying..

Elliott is growing into more of a little girl every day. She is so strong that I can pretty much cart her on my hip (sigh). The girl loves sitting up, and if you hold her hands while she lays she will pull herself up to a sitting position. She does well in the booster seat! I suck at doing tummy time, but I'm sure if I pushed it she'd be on her way to rolling over. When we went to the doctor at 11.5 weeks, she weighed 11 lb 5 oz with a diaper on and was 23 in long, so she's going at a great pace. Right now we are wearing a mix of all sizes 3-6, 3 month, and even some 0-3. We won't be in any 0-3 or 3 month for much longer though. 

Breastfeeding is the way to go, man. After I got through the first two months, it has been a breeze. I'm lazy, it's convenient, and Elliott loves it. We are still on an every 2-3 hour schedule for the most part and I follow her lead completely. When she gets a bottle, it's usually 3 oz, although she's been a bottle fighter as of late and we are lucky if she take one ounce. She may fall asleep after eating (either with a bottle or boob), but if her schedule doesn't work out then I can get her to sleep by swaddling and bouncing with a little effort. We are already halfway to six months and it makes me sad thinking about giving her solids, aka big girl food. 

I had noticed around 6 weeks that Elliott was spitting up a lot. It seemed to get worse, so I tried everything: keeping her upright, burping more, unlatching during let-down, giving her pumped milk, changing my diet, changing feeding frequency. No factor seemed to make much difference. And to top it off, she was getting more colicky every day. It was clear she was uncomfortable or in pain, the poor kid! One morning she puked 7 times within half an hour after eating, so I finally called the doc. Dr. Murphy prescribed Zantac and it is like we have a new baby. I also put her bassinet mattress at an incline and make sure she is almost always sleeping upright. She spits up minimally in this position, but mostly it keeps the acid out of her throat so it doesn't burn. She's much happier. She will smile all day long and pretty much only cries if she's been awake too long. Even though she's still a bit colicky and the volume of puke is still pretty high, I'm so glad she feels better. If we are at home in our own environment it's pretty breezy to deal with.

Elliott has always been a five star night sleeper in my opinion, and that has only gotten better. Bedtime is about 7:30 on a typical weeknight and she sleeps for 12 hours pretty much regardless of bedtime. She gets changed, swaddled, and fed in the dark while in bed. I play lullaby music and she conks pretty easily. I've started just keeping her in our bed during this period. She sleeps like a rock and it starts the night on a great note. I eventually get up and use this time to get other things done. Sometimes she wakes up if she senses I'm not there but she goes back to sleep easily if I just lie with her. When it's time for us to sleep then I move her to the bassinet. During the night I can give her a pacifier and she will soothe herself, but since she started the meds she only really wakes up when she's truly hungry, so the pacifier doesn't work as much. She never cries at night (never has), but I sense that she's awake, feed her, and she sleeps easily. During her 12 hour sleep period, she wakes 3-4 times. I've gotten used to bed sharing because I fall asleep while nursing her and often don't wake up till the next session. Although it's much more difficult to keep her inclined in our bed without taking up a bunch of space. But don't talk to me about her sleeping in her own room. I know I will have separation anxiety and wouldn't sleep well with her not next to me. Not worth the battle- good thing she is only 3 months and I feel like I have plenty of time.

I've never felt sleep deprived since having her, that is for sure. (Yes, I still nap with her about once a day). She naps in our bed, on me, or in her crib, we don't have a set place. I should probably work on more of a regimen, as I can really tell she greatly prefers to sleep with me next to her (though not necessarily holding her). She has been having 2-3 short 45 min-1 hour naps with one long nap in the middle of the day (anywhere from 2-3 hours).

We still aren't really into toys, but I keep her pretty occupied when awake. In the morning she is super happy kicking on our bed while I either sleep longer or slowly wake up. Elliott is happy on the floor for a good while most of the time. We also got a bouncer which has been great; she sits on the counter and watches as I do dishes or clean the kitchen, I bring it to the laundry room or office if I'm working, and she sits in it while I shower. It's nice that it's so easily movable and she does seem to love it most of the time. She also still does the mamaroo (and even better now that she's on the Zantac) although I'm convinced she'd like the plush version better. Elliott hasn't been in the k'tan carrier as often this month, but she still is content in it. Now when we shop, she is often awake and just looks around. She really does love to be out and about. She's been to another wedding, cheer practice, and church and has behaved wonderfully at each. I'm actually glad she does better in extra social settings than when she's bored at home!

However, she is not a car baby. She cries more while in the car than anywhere else, easily. Although I think she likes Andy's truck better because she can basically stare out the rear window from her seat. Diaper changes are also hit or miss. Thankfully she still loves the bath and now that she's stronger I can easily bathe her by myself (Andy always rushes us). She doesn't love to have her clothes changed, although now that I don't put her in many tight onesies, she does much better. She also loves music and dancing! Overall she is more talkative and has started to babble.

Elliott has gotten a fair amount of time away from me this month. Both of our parents have watched her a few times now, also Kayla, otherwise just Andy. She is still definitely a mama's girl, but hopefully now that she is feeling better she will not be a terror for everyone else when I'm away. I'm pretty certain she has screamed bloody murder for at least part of the time every instance that I've left her. I have two weeks of work starting next week, so she will get a big wake up call I think. I love that she needs me so much but I also don't want her to be miserable whenever I'm not by her side.

For the most part, people say she is a mix of both of us in the looks department, though we've had a few see more of me or Andy in her. We haven't really examined baby pictures to tell. She does have Gschwendtner ears but no other features really stick out. Right now she has my exact blue eye color. We are leaning more toward Andy's eye shape, and possibly nose, and my mouth and chin.

She just gets better and better every day! I still spend too much time staring at her and she will probably develop a complex from me constantly telling her she's pretty.
 

3 Months Later: Why My Labor Was Perfect

No, this is not a sappy post. 

My labor with Elliott was pretty much picture perfect. I couldn't have dreamed of a better first delivery. These are some off the reasons why I think it went so smoothly, so for the next one I can reference and duplicate. Many are self explanatory.

1. I didn't have to be induced.

I know most people can't control this, but thankfully I didn't have any medical reason for induction, and could hold off on delivering for as long as I wanted. My body and baby were ready to go just 3 days after my due date. I had a long enough labor as it is, and I'm pretty sure being induced would only add to that. Not to mention I was always scared my body would be stubborn and counter attack pitocin and I'd end up with a section. Remind me of this when I want the convenience of an induction with baby #2.

2. I had the best nurse ever.

I had great nurses throughout my stay in the hospital, but I only really remember the ones during my labor. Samantha was my nurse for the actual delivery and she might as well have been called Saint Samantha. She had the greatest bedside manner and talked me off the epidural ledge at the end when I was losing it. She was the greatest coach and I'm glad she was the one there with me through the worst (and later the best!) part of it all. I still can't believe she was only a PRN L+D nurse because that girl deserves a medal or something. And this was one thing to happen completely by chance, it's not like a bunch of nurses lined up and I got to pick mine.

3. I had the best doctor ever.

I can't say this enough. Dr. Emm was always understanding and respectful, so would be okay with any route I took for delivery. However, our philosophies lined up pretty perfectly anyway. She is really laid back and trusts the labor process. But even more so, she really made me feel like a priority. She didn't pass me on to anyone else just because she wasn't on call. When I was dying at the end, it took her four minutes to get to my room from the time Sam told us she called her.  She came to the hospital a little early to break my water (I was at a 9) and was there with me through the whole pushing process. She will definitely be delivering all of my babies and I will be devastated if for some reason that can't happen.

4. I did a lot of squats.

I am generally in decent shape but I was not all about exercising during pregnancy. The only things I held myself accountable for were stretches and squats, and I was pretty good about following through, especially at the end of my pregnancy. I had always learned that squats help the baby get low, but after delivery I also read an article about squats strengthening pelvic floor to push out babies very quickly. Elliott was out head to toe in one push so that can't be coincidental, at least not entirely.

5. I didn't have an epidural.

Technically this should have no bearing on a successful labor, but hear me out. First of all, I feel like moving around was key to get things to progress. I'm convinced it would have been days if I couldn't walk the halls. An epidural would have made that pretty impossible. Also I am still more scared about the numbness and random side effects of epidurals than a giant needle going into my back. Plus, remember when I said Elliott was born in one push? I'm pretty sure being in pain motivated me to get that done more quickly than if I had been numbed. I'm still kind of shocked that I made it without one, but then again I am pretty stubborn... 

6. I got lucky.

I'm pretty convinced that much of pregnancy and labor is just sheer dumb luck. I accepted early on that things wouldn't always be in my control and really tried to psyche myself up for anything. I prepared myself for various scenarios, but always continued to work toward my ideal vision anyway. It worked out anyway. But even if it wouldn't have, I would've gotten over it. We still have the cutest, cuddly baby!

Day in the Life: Summer 2015

Thursday, July 16

Elliott is 12 weeks, 2 days old

1:45 Elliott is stirring awake. I try to give her the paci but she spits it right out. I pick her up, lay her in our bed, and start nursing. She immediately conks and I follow.

2:45 Stirring again, but I'm pretty sure she's just gassy. Try to give her the paci and end up just waking her. Oops. My boob puts her to sleep in a few minutes.

4:45 She stirs again. Another no-go on the paci. A quick nursing session and we both are asleep by 5.

6:45 The beast is stirring again. I ignore her. Too many wake ups tonight.

7:37 Elliott is awake. Another turn down of the paci, so nursing it is. 

7:45 Shocked that she fell back asleep and isn't just up for the day. I start this post. I need to pump but know that if I get out of bed she'll wake up. I check social media and send some emails.

8:35 She's awake for the day. We cuddle a bit and I finish sending my cheer emails/texts.

9:00 We get out of bed and head to the kitchen. I give her her medicine and grab my pump parts. 

9:05 Time for a diaper change. I pump while Ell kicks on the floor. I update this post.

9:15 She's getting antsy so I call it quits and bring her out to the kitchen. I pour a bowl of cereal and start eating while a bagel cooks. I need to pump a few times today so my supply needs to be on point. I put her down to put away the pumped milk and butter my bagel. At this point she is over it.

9:30 Take her back to bed to eat and hopefully sleep. She nurses but perks right up, so we just sit in bed for a while. I watch last night's episode of Flipping out. She pukes a bunch. 

10:30 She's cranky again and I know she's tired. I change her diaper and put her in clothes. I bounce and rock her and eventually she goes to sleep.

11:15 She's awake too early. But she plays for a bit. Eventually she's over it.

11:45 We go out to the kitchen and I grab a few raspberries. We step out on the deck for a few. I head to the back to change her diaper and start the nap process again. I swaddle and rock her but she's not having it, so we make our way to the porch.

12:00 The breeze calms her down. After 5-10 minutes she has swayed to sleep. I head into the couch. Send a few texts, go through the Carter's selection online, and update this post.

12:30 For whatever reason she will not stay asleep today. I lie with her and she drifts again. We go in and out of sleep together.

2:00 Andy pops in for a quick few. We get off the couch and I eat the rest of the raspberries. Put her in her bouncer and get some chips. 

2:15 I head to the shower. She sits in her bouncer on the floor. 

2:39 I'm out and dressed. I change her diaper. We walk out to get the mail. It's pretty lovely weather so we sit on the porch a bit.

3:15 She's ready to eat. I wrap her in a blanket and feed her on the couch. Bounce her to sleep.

4:00 Another cat nap. She's happy so I put her in the MamaRoo. Andy is home and goes to shower. I flip through a cheer magazine to finalize my supply order.

4:15 I head to the computer while Andy is on baby duty. Send emails, update a few spreadsheets, and get everything ready for cheer tomorrow.

5:10 Andy is bugging me to take her since she's fussing. I head to the couch to feed her. She's not ready for another nap but is happy now that she's full. I put her in her bouncer and we head to fold some laundry.

5:30 Shes over that pretty quickly. She must want the other side so I go to feed her a bit more.

5:50 I decide to brown some meat for tacos. That's a quick process and the food is ready. I take it to the couch and eat while holding her.

6:20 I pass her off to Andy so I can clean up from dinner and get some things done. Do the dishes and put away a few laundry items. 

6:40 Elliott is really ready for bed at this point since she's been up so long and didn't have the greatest naps. I don't want her to go to bed just yet though. Andy changes her into a sleeper and we sit for a bit on the deck. She loves being outside.

7:20 Elliott and I head to the bedroom. I swaddle and feed her and she falls asleep easily. I hold her a bit before putting her down on our bed. I start to read my book.

7:49 Her eyes are open. What is with the cat naps today! I start bouncing her to sleep, not working, I try feeding her, not into it. We head to the nursery and I play some music. Finally she's asleep and I put her on our bed. I stay there for most of the evening to ensure she stays asleep, although prep a few more things for cheer tomorrow. Eventually I sleep:)

It's hard enough to take notes, let alone pictures...

Elliott: Two Months Old

Another month in the books! Elliott is still a great baby. This month she has started to bring out a bit more personality. She is happiest when she is busy and doesn't sleep as much during the day. She will smile a bunch when awake which I absolutely love. She really likes to be held facing out so she can see. She also is constantly searching for her hands to suck on. One thing that melts my heart a little is when she's sleepy, she searches for my hand to hold.

Breastfeeding is much, much improved. We are officially out of the painful stage and have moved on to only occasional discomfort. A month after her tongue tie revision when she was still not getting it, I I took about 3-4 days off of nursing. We gave her mostly bottles and I would nurse just here and there when I needed.  That did wonders for my healing and I think it did train her a bit to latch deeper. She also started to take a paci during this time! We still aren't perfect, but we are really getting there. I never thought I'd see the day where nursing didn't hurt! The spitting up has definitely increased probably due to her getting more food. She is also super duper gassy, so we live on gas drops and I've learned to burp her as much as possible. She still does one side most of the time but eats frequently, still going every 1.5-3 hours through the day, longer at night. Thankfully she eats efficiently and usually doesn't take more than 10 minutes.

Elliott is a near perfect kid during the day. She rarely has fussy periods that aren't easily fixed. Evening is definitely the witching hour. I'd say about 6 is when she gets fussy and needs the most attention, but it's still really doable. Bedtime routine consists of diaper/clothes change, then she gets swaddled, I turn on the lullaby music on her bassinet, and I feed her in the dark in bed. She almost always fall asleep easily with this routine. If I stay in bed with her she sleeps wonderfully. My old self would hate this, but we have pretty much accepted at least partial bed sharing. She will still sleep in her bassinet, but since she's been spitting up more she always wakes up! And conveniently she spits up right after I set her down, even if I hold her upright for 20 minutes after a feeding.  Although it's still really important to me that she sleep in her bassinet, if she has trouble going down I will just keep her with us in bed. She is so fidgety in her sleep thanks to gas (we should buy stock in gas drops). The swaddle is definitely a must in the bassinet because of that. We have weeks where she sleeps with us constantly and others where she's in her bassinet all night perfectly so it just depends on how her evening goes.  I keep telling myself that if Landry's happy disposition has anything to do with bed sharing then we may not be in trouble after all.

She goes mostly 3 hour gaps in the night with one longer period usually. And at night she doesn't ever get upset, she just starts to wiggle and root for her hands to signal she's hungry. Andy is hardly ever bothered. And she is super duper great about falling back asleep no problem in the middle of the night. If I'm awake more than 20 minutes it's my own fault. I'm working on transitioning to her crib for at least 1 nap a day. She hasn't lasted in there for more than 45 min to an hour but we will get there. Blackout curtains and lullaby music help. I am in zero hurry to transition to crib for night time, and won't even consider until she's consistently waking up one time or less during the night.  

She loves the sound of running water, so now she sits in the bathroom when I shower. This might be her favorite time of day because she's always happy in the morning, plus it's bright and a nice change of scenery. She also likes being outside. We have had a few afternoons by the pool and she is calm hanging out. The water she is just okay with. She does much better driving in the car, and if she is upset putting her window down usually does the trick. Elliott still loves the bath and hates getting her clothes changed. She has started to really enjoy lying on the floor or bed and kicking away. She likes to look at ceiling fans. She is spending more time in the mamaroo when awake and has even put herself to sleep in it a few times. Elliott absolutely loves the k'tan wrap! Not only does it make running errands easy but if she is upset it almost always does the trick. She will sleep in that thing no matter how much I move or make noise. Super heart love it. I just got out some of her 'toys' so we will see how she likes them. 

She has moved on from loathing wet diapers, so now we can go all night without changing unless we need to. We put cloth in the rotation and I'd say we are using them about half of the time. She is almost always in cloth when I change her, although at night it's easier to keep her in disposables since we go so long between changes. Andy only changes her to disposables for the most part. The washing is not hard or time consuming, it's only the leaking I have to perfect, but I'm getting the hang of it! It really is surprisingly easy.

Elliott is getting used to some time away from me thanks to cheerleading. And Andy is getting the hang of being with her alone. She did amazingly well on her first overnight trip to Chicago. She has also been to two weddings and done great there, too. So, she seems to be a social baby which is great. We haven't had to rely on sitters yet. I'm saving that for when I really need them, since I can cart her with me almost anywhere I need to be. She is my responsibility (a responsibility that I love). Plus with nursing it's a million times easier to keep her with me because I'm a slacker at pumping. We only have maybe 10 oz of milk frozen now.

After 6 weeks off from the doc we know that she weighs 10 lb 3.7 oz and measures 22.5 in. She jumped a little on all her growth percentiles so we know she is doing great! She is pretty much out of all newborn clothes. 0-3 month and 3 month fit perfectly but we can get away with a few 3-6 month things too. 

We just love her to pieces and I think I tell her she's beautiful about 80 times a day.

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. 

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.