3 By 3
I can't believe my sweet little Starfish is 3 weeks 3 days old already. Time is flying by. She is growing so fast, as she snoozes in her bouncy seat right now she looks like a chubby little baby doll. I am so glad that she's getting enough to eat from breastfeeding to be growing so well. That makes me feel good, especially since we had such a rough start with it.
At her two week check-up last week the pediatrician was pleased with her weight gain. When she was born she weighed 7 lbs 15 oz and then four days later she had lost (which is normal) 12 oz and weighed in at 7 lbs and 3 oz. Well, at that check-up last week she weighed in at 8 lbs and 1 oz! The doc said she was spot on with her weight gain which made me so happy.
Our next appointment isn't until she's two months old. So she'll have plenty of time to gain even more weight before her next weigh in.
Life with the little Starfish is getting a little easier each day. I'm learning her cries and what it is that she wants. I am also learning to watch for little cues in her body language to clue me in to her needs as well. Aside from a couple of nights that her schedule was a bit out of whack as a result of an overnight trip to her grandparents' house, she's been sleeping really well through the night. Most nights we get our last two-hourly feed done by 10-11pm and then she will sleep between 3-5 hours before waking and wanting to eat again and then will settle back down for another 3-4 hours before morning.
She isn't always spazing out at bath time anymore and even diaper changes aren't triggers for complete meltdowns all the time. She has her moments still, but those two things are getting calmer and most pleasant all around.
Funny story from this morning. I heard my angel crying out, intermittent cries that she gives when she wants attention before a feeding. It'd been 4 hours or so since she last ate so I knew those "gimme attention" yells were soon to transition to full on "feed me now" cries. So I opened my eyes and threw off the covers. I noticed that hubby was already out of bed, which isn't uncommon. Some mornings he leaves earlier than others for work when he needs to drive further to a job site.
As I took a few swigs out of the ice water that I keep by my side at all times now I heard daddy talking softly to baby girl. "Aww, how sweet" I thought to myself as I slipped on my pajama bottoms and flip flops. I figured he was telling her goodbye before he left for work. But as I entered the nursery I realized quickly that he was not ready for work yet. I suppose he heard her waking up before I did and decided to go tend to her to let me sleep. (He's the best, by the way!)
It was kind of a good thing, however, that I entered when I did. He thought she was fussing because she needed her diaper changed and proceeded to start that task, in the dark mind you, and got himself in to a bit if a pickle. She needed to poo and pee but hadn't quite gotten there yet, that is until daddy removed her diaper. Cool air is the perfect "go" button after a long warm sleep period. And while he was cleaning up the back end of her business she opened the gates on the front end and he hadn't even realized it because it was so dark in the room.
I was watching the two of them do their diaper dance and then realized that the pad under her looked two toned like it would be when wet, so I turned on a lamp and illuminated the situation a bit. I didn't want to swoop in and take over, daddy was doing a good job and I want to make sure he gets to do things like this to bond with her as well. But after I grabbed a clean pad to replace the dirty one with, he decided to bail out and wash the poo off the soiled pad while I finished up with the diaper change.
We do make a pretty good team when it comes to taking care of our Starfish together. He's really patient with her in the evenings when she's more fussy than she's been all day. He snuggles and cuddles with her and gives mommy a break. He can usually get her settled down at bedtime if she's a little rambunctious. And the look on his face and hers as they study each other is just about the most heartwarming thing ever.
Anywho...here's your baby picture fix for the day. The one above is her last week at 2 weeks 2 days. The one below was taken yesterday at 3 weeks 2 days (and it makes me laugh every time I look at it). She's quite the character and loves making funny faces for mommy.
At her two week check-up last week the pediatrician was pleased with her weight gain. When she was born she weighed 7 lbs 15 oz and then four days later she had lost (which is normal) 12 oz and weighed in at 7 lbs and 3 oz. Well, at that check-up last week she weighed in at 8 lbs and 1 oz! The doc said she was spot on with her weight gain which made me so happy.
Our next appointment isn't until she's two months old. So she'll have plenty of time to gain even more weight before her next weigh in.
Life with the little Starfish is getting a little easier each day. I'm learning her cries and what it is that she wants. I am also learning to watch for little cues in her body language to clue me in to her needs as well. Aside from a couple of nights that her schedule was a bit out of whack as a result of an overnight trip to her grandparents' house, she's been sleeping really well through the night. Most nights we get our last two-hourly feed done by 10-11pm and then she will sleep between 3-5 hours before waking and wanting to eat again and then will settle back down for another 3-4 hours before morning.
She isn't always spazing out at bath time anymore and even diaper changes aren't triggers for complete meltdowns all the time. She has her moments still, but those two things are getting calmer and most pleasant all around.
Funny story from this morning. I heard my angel crying out, intermittent cries that she gives when she wants attention before a feeding. It'd been 4 hours or so since she last ate so I knew those "gimme attention" yells were soon to transition to full on "feed me now" cries. So I opened my eyes and threw off the covers. I noticed that hubby was already out of bed, which isn't uncommon. Some mornings he leaves earlier than others for work when he needs to drive further to a job site.
As I took a few swigs out of the ice water that I keep by my side at all times now I heard daddy talking softly to baby girl. "Aww, how sweet" I thought to myself as I slipped on my pajama bottoms and flip flops. I figured he was telling her goodbye before he left for work. But as I entered the nursery I realized quickly that he was not ready for work yet. I suppose he heard her waking up before I did and decided to go tend to her to let me sleep. (He's the best, by the way!)
It was kind of a good thing, however, that I entered when I did. He thought she was fussing because she needed her diaper changed and proceeded to start that task, in the dark mind you, and got himself in to a bit if a pickle. She needed to poo and pee but hadn't quite gotten there yet, that is until daddy removed her diaper. Cool air is the perfect "go" button after a long warm sleep period. And while he was cleaning up the back end of her business she opened the gates on the front end and he hadn't even realized it because it was so dark in the room.
I was watching the two of them do their diaper dance and then realized that the pad under her looked two toned like it would be when wet, so I turned on a lamp and illuminated the situation a bit. I didn't want to swoop in and take over, daddy was doing a good job and I want to make sure he gets to do things like this to bond with her as well. But after I grabbed a clean pad to replace the dirty one with, he decided to bail out and wash the poo off the soiled pad while I finished up with the diaper change.
We do make a pretty good team when it comes to taking care of our Starfish together. He's really patient with her in the evenings when she's more fussy than she's been all day. He snuggles and cuddles with her and gives mommy a break. He can usually get her settled down at bedtime if she's a little rambunctious. And the look on his face and hers as they study each other is just about the most heartwarming thing ever.
Anywho...here's your baby picture fix for the day. The one above is her last week at 2 weeks 2 days. The one below was taken yesterday at 3 weeks 2 days (and it makes me laugh every time I look at it). She's quite the character and loves making funny faces for mommy.
Comments
Starfish needs showing off, and she is definitely a very pretty baby.
Liked hearing about N8 and his daughter. It's so important to have a good dad for girls, as much or more so as for sons.
Cheers.
This is a classic baby photo. A keeper for when she has her own child.
Best wishes on this new adventure, the ultimate adventure.
I have been following you since 2007, you and your blog gave me a little extra hit of confidence because a few months later, my husband I ended up at Schneider School. Here we are five years later, still at it as owner operators.
Thanks for so generously sharing your life and times