Baby J: Two Months

Once again I'm so crazy late with Baby J's 2 month update but having a newborn and getting through Christmas (we just had our last family dinner on Tuesday!) was about all I managed to do. And if I had the opportunity to nap I took it. Now it's New Years Eve and I am 110% positive I won't make it to midnight. Let's just say I celebrated Australian style... 

SLEEP: I was told that if the sleeping thing is going well to not talk about it but I am using this blog as a place to record Turtle's life so I am going to chance it. 

Bedtime is a bit of a challenge... I am trying to start some sort of routine around 8:30 Turtle gets a bath, daddy gets her ready for bed (well he towels her off, lotions her up and puts on a clean diaper and then hands her to me to actually dress) then I take her upstairs, give her a bottle and try to put her to bed. Sometimes she goes down awake and sometimes she falls asleep while eating but after about 5 minutes she wakes up and I go in, calm her down, feed her a bit more if needed and then put her back down. Then it happens all over again... Usually twice. 

Once she is finally asleep she does pretty well, waking up between 2-3:00am and then again between 6-6:30am. I'll take it! 

During the day Turtle is quite the cat napper and her preferred spot is still on top of me. We have to be in the car or stroller for her to nap for any length of time. I keep reminding myself not to feel trapped and to instead enjoy it because she won't be this small and snuggly for long.

SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENT: There isn't a ton happening on the outside but I'm pretty sure her little mind and body are going through some major leaps. At least they are according to the Wonder Weeks app. Turtle is focusing on things more intently, she holds her head up like a champ and she is already trying to roll from her front to her back. My hubby says she was super close in her crib one night and although I'm excited for it, I don't want her to grow too fast! 

FAVORITES: Turtle still loves to sleep on mommy and she prefers to be held upright while you're swaying. 

NOT SO FAVORITES: Still not a fan of either the mamaroo or the vibrating chair we have. She did seem to like my friend's swing so trying to convince my hubby that we need to invest in yet another baby product. Oh and she HATES her bucket seat. With a passion. And wearing hats. It's a pity too base she looks adorable in them. 

MY THOUGHTS: I can't believe I am lucky enough to be this little girl's mom! Yes she cries and can be quite fussy at this point but she can also be so sweet and cuddly. She has been smiling since day one (and it's not gas) and she is so so cuddly! And when she looks into my eyes it feels amazing and also a by overwhelming, and I just hope she knows how much I love her. 

It's crazy that in just a couple weeks our little lady will be 3 months old. People tell you it goes too fast but you don't actually realize how fast until you wake up one morning and that tiny baby has grown an inch overnight. Amazing. 

Enjoy your New Years Eve everyone, wherever and however you are celebrating, and be safe!

Baby J’s First Visit with Santa!

I started planning Christmas events when our little turtle was still in my belly and a visit with Santa Claus was pretty high on the list. She won’t remember a thing but I will never forget it. Plus we have a pretty cute photo as a reminder…

In all honesty there wasn’t much build up and it was over pretty quick. We were going to the mall one evening so I dressed Baby J in the only Christmas outfit we had at the time (a present from her Great Granny) and told my hubby that if there wasn’t a big line we were doing it. I mentally crossed my fingers and toes while listening to (and ignoring) my hubby tell me that it was completely unnecessary as the baby is all of 6 weeks old. Imagine my shock that quickly turned into excitement when I saw there was no line.

There were a few tears and of course turtle refused to smile but I am so happy that we managed to get a good one. She looks so unimpressed. Santa was great, he was very gentle and completely unfazed when turtle’s faced scrunched up (she has the best angry face), he waited patiently while I calmed her down.

I wonder if there will be tears next year…?

Baby J: One Month!

In true Sarah fashion this post is exactly two weeks late but better late than never right? The days and weeks are flying by so fast and I want to be able to look back and remember the little things. Hopefully I will manage to post her two month update in a more timely fashion but if history says anything... well we shall see. 

SLEEP: we were totally spoiled for the first two weeks because Baby J would be in bed from 10pm to 5 - 6am, waking up twice throughout the night. A dream sleeper for new parents. Turns out she was just breaking us in slowly. Now the longest she goes is 3 hours and she won't sleep past 6am in her crib. Thankfully my hubby takes her until 6:45 so I can get a bit more sleep. The morning is spent doing a whole lot of nothing as the babe sleeps on and off. On top of me. Every time I put her down in her bassinet or crib she wakes up within 10-15 minutes. So I cuddle her. She won't be this small for long and while I sit there watching Netflix for the third hour straight and dreading the question my husband will ask when he gets home (what did you do today?) I remind myself that she is literally growing every day and to enjoy it while I can. 

We don't really have any sort of routine yet but I am hoping to develop one over the next month or so. I know two months is still young and will obviously be flexible but it would be nice to have a general idea how the day is going to go. The only sure thing right now is that my hubby finishes work between 2 - 3pm and takes over for an hour or two while I sneak upstairs for a nap. He has only woken me up once so far when he couldn't get her to stop crying.

SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENT: At one month I think most of the development is happening inside Baby J's little body. The most noticeable thing right now is that she opens her eyes and has brief awake periods. I also feel like she is actually looking into my eyes now when I am feeding her. I imagine that she is thinking "so this is the person whose voice I have been listening to for all those months"... or I'm just exhausted and imagining crazy things. That's more likely. 

Oh and she has totally been smiling since birth! People say it's gas but it happens every time she falls asleep. What can she be dreaming about??

Baby J can hold her head up pretty well and the doctors noted how strong her legs are. I have nothing to compare it to so I'll have to take their word for it. 

FAVORITES: There aren't too many of these yet but Baby J loves to sleep on Mommy. She also loves to have her arms free and her hands up by her ears while she sleeps. 

NOT SO FAVORITES: She is not a fan of her mamaroo... that was money well spent. We are hoping she grows to love it but I'm not holding my breath. 

MY THOUGHTS: I am so excited for more of Baby J's personality to come out as she gets older. The other day she reached in my direction with one arm (total fluke, she was flailing around like a baby deer) and I am now so excited for her to reach for me. And to hear her giggle. I absolutely adore our cuddle sessions and can't even imagine that my little turtle is going to grown into an actual person.  Not sure if that came out the way I meant but hopefully you know what I mean. 

I missed my nap today. 

I am so in love with my baby girl and I still have to pinch myself to believe I'm her Mom. I can't wait to see what the next month will bring. 

Happy 1 month birthday Turtle, Xxo