One Month

One month with my last baby! It went by SO FAST, even if the nights seemed to crawl on. She's so gorgeous and sweet... such a snuggler. I am so sad this month has already gone, but also so excited to see her grow and interact.

Likes: 

Being held. She won't tolerate being put down for more than a moment.

Baby carriers... obviously assist with the whole being held thing.

Eating. She is a great nurser and has eaten from bottles and boobs from day 1, no problem!

Sleeping pressed against momma in bed..... can you see the trend here?

Pooping when dad is holding her. :)

Dislikes:

Being put down. Ever.

Diaper changes, baths, or outfit changes. Honestly, its cold. I don't blame her.

Being gassy, which is every night from about 3AM on.

The car seat.... no one can hold her when she's in the car.

Schedule:

WHAT SCHEDULE? With a toddler in tow, there's really no way to make a consistent schedule happen right now. Frankie's daycare was closed for our first two weeks home because of a Covid breakout and then because of weather. Now that my c section incision has healed a bit, i try as much as I can to wake up when Frankie wakes up for school. Some days are definitely harder than others, but its just a cycle of eat, sleep, diaper, eat sleep diaper for now! Grateful for the moments where Daniel takes her for an hour or two so I can sleep without having a baby attached to me. I know that the insanity of this month will make way for nap schedules soon, so I'm just trying to focus on her adorable tininess and remember that it goes QUICK!

Features:

Ohhhhh the dimples! She inherited her dad's cheek dimples and I absolutely love them. She's got that same fluffy brown hair her sister did. We'll see if it falls out like hers. She's got those slate gray eyes that will probably transition to brown. She is the squeakiest baby ever! One BIG difference between Lark and her sister is weight. Lark was born 6 lbs 3 oz and never really lost any weight. She's now over 8 lbs and 12 oz..... she got big FAST. She is going to bust out of her newborn clothes any day now. She has the most gorgeous shaped eyes and the longest lashes! I just can't wait to watch her grow.

Milestones:

I got my first eye contact smile on the last day of this month!!

Lifts head while on tummy

Focuses on faces

Firsts:

Being held and fed by big sister.

Snow day

Grocery store trip

Visit with Aunt Grace and Uncle John

Birthday party for big sister

Everything is a first right now, but we're staying in a lot because of the cold weather. Next month, we will get out a little more.

Challenges:

The challenges of having a toddler home and a newborn and also recovering from major abdominal surgery are REAL. I was in a lot of pain for the first two weeks and Frankie was home... we had to stay at Susan and Mark's our first night home from the hospital because a winter storm knocked our power out. Frankie's daycare being shut down because there's a Covid surge happening (Omicron variant). Then getting more than 8 inches of snow and being snowed in for a few days (Grace and John were here, thank goodness!). I definitely felt the burn in a big way and had some moments mourning the loss of my quiet time at home with Lark, like I'd had with Frankie. No one cares as much when you have your second baby... especially not your first baby! Hahaha

Also, Lark is probably suffering from reflux. She spits up SO MUCH MORE than I remember Frankie doing and with such force it comes out of her nose often. At night, we are going through several outfits and I am sleeping with a bath towel under us that usually needs to be changed once a night. Cosleeping is absolutely terrifying, but.... there is no sleep without it. She refuses to be away from me. I'll keep trying the bassinet and the cosleeper thing, but.... so far, no luck.

Thoughts: 

I'm so glad I will never be pregnant again. Having a newborn and toddler, although a challenge, is INFINITELY better than having a toddler and being pregnant. Infinitely. 

I am also so proud of my body for producing plenty of milk for this big girl. I have a nice stash of frozen milk put away for when (if) I do return to work and days we get sitters. I'm at around 60 oz and hope to keep going by pumping at least once a day for the next two months I'm off work. 

Now that the baby part has begun, I am trying my best to soak in every single moment and not sweat the small stuff. This is, of course, easier said than done during a global pandemic with no childcare options and the possibility of having to quit working for a few years, but I'm trying! She is already SO much bigger in one short month. It wont be long before she's rolling over and smiling and moving into her own room (hopefully). So while the nights are challenging and the days Frankie is home too are hectic and it feels like we will NEVER get out of the house again..... I know that isn't true. Its a phase and it is SUCH a short phase. She's only a newborn for a TINY time in the grand scheme of our life together.