Four weeks.

I’ll do an official “One Month” post on the 18^th but today marks four weeks of Hanna Lu in our lives and that’s four weeks of our lives being infinitely better than they were. Unfortunately last week I fell ill again, but it was determined, finally {we sincerely hope}, that it’s a blood clot that I’ve been battling {they can cause fevers}…I’m currently on two types of antibiotics and blood thinners and a whole lotta desire for this ordeal to be over so that we can fully enjoy the sleeplessness and our beautiful baby. Thankfully, my step-mom was here helping us out/helping us to live {the woman knows how to feed people and watch a baby} and for that we are eternally grateful.

Anyway, on to happier things! I’ll be doing just once monthly updates after this so this is Hanna Lucy’s last weekly update, though I’ll stick with a picture a week for sure {I just love to see those thighs!}.

Not the clearest of today's bunch but at least her brow isn't furrowed the way it likes to be. And do I notice new thigh rolls on the left?!?!

How old: 4 weeks old

Weight: She clocked in at ten pounds and ten ounces this morning. Little bit is still a weird eater. It could be that “forceful letdown” thing but for the past few days she’ll have a feeding or two a day where she angrily cries and pulls off, then gets on again. She’ll repeat the process until she falls asleep if I let her but it’s so pitiful to see/hear her cry and I worry that it’ll cause her to dislike nursing. I ran it past the pediatrician briefly today and she said it won’t turn her off of it and to just keep an eye on the behavior. I’ll keep trying to pump for a minute or two before baby eats.

Likes:

·      Eating…sometimes.

·      Staring at people.

·      Staring at lights/windows.

·      Staring at a purple ribbon that’s part of a card that hangs on the wall above her changing pad.

·      Baths.

·      Being “worn”…but for a not-long time.

·      Driving…for a time and as long as the car is moving.

·      Making the cutest little face where she rounds her lips and seems to arch her brows; at least I like it.

Dislikes:

·      Eating…sometimes.

·      Those few cold moments after getting out of her bath.

·      When she’s settling in for a good sleep, she makes a very sweet little “ah” sound.

Milestones:

·      Baby girl saw her first cherry blossoms last week. We weren’t down there long and she was ready to go home and eat the moment we arrived but she saw them!

·      She has been doing some “tummy time” on her playmat for the first time. She can almost scoot forward, which seems odd. She lifts up her head and also turns it from side to side, though she rests it right after. There is a bout a two-minute appreciation of this exercise and then HL is ready for something else. She also enjoys the same playmat on her back, but I want her to get the time flipped over for her muscle development and head shape.

·      Someone got her very first bathrobe! 

The face belies her true feelings towards he duckie robe. I think I'll be forcing her to wear it until it fits as a shirt, I think she's that stinkin' cute in it. Says an overly biased mother.

     Thank you Lola!!!

·      We think we might be seeing some actual smiles…they come when she’s in a staring contest with me and they’re not complete smiles but I love them. They'll never be camera catch-able, I'm sure.

·      Hanna Lu will also make an almost laughing sound in her sleep and maybe half smile at the same time…SO CUTE.

Sleep and eat:

·      Hanna Lu is eating every one and a half to three hours.

·      Some feedings are way shorter than others; she’s efficient and other times she’s either not ready to eat or peeved that it’s coming out too fast…same issues as earlier.

·      She has been sleeping in one of those Velcro-baby-straight-jackets instead of being swaddled in a blanket…she seems to fight this a bit less? Maybe because it’s not as stretchy as a blanket can be.

·      She is still a loud sleeper. My step-mom, Hanna Lu’s Lola, is SO gracious and will let us have the baby sleep out with her, and I’ll get up and go out and feed her…this has been tremendous because sometimes it’s hard to sleep with those crazy sounds she makes and with another ER visit in our recent history, this extra quiet sleep is amazing.

·      When she’s fixing to wake up, HL will often get really loud/fussy for about an hour while remaining asleep…should I let her sleep through this? She doesn’t come out of it really upset or that fussy, so I figure that even if it’s a light sleep it’s a sleep and I should let her be.

·      I’ve done the white noise machine during her naps a few days now and it seems to go well…but we haven’t given it a try at night yet. I also don’t know if we could handle the “heartbeat in the womb” sound {or any of the others, for that matter} that the baby seems to favor. What we can abide by, though, is the fan and I think it might be time to start having the fan on at night anyway {despite the next two days’ predicted cool weather} so maybe that can help drown out the baby sounds.

·      HL falls asleep best while eating, though she can be lulled to sleep while being held; neither of which are truly sustainable but I don’t believe we’re anywhere near getting to the point where we try to full-on teach her how to do it alone. Though I’ve read/heard that quickly waking baby as she’s put down to sleep and allowing her to re-fall asleep there in her crib is a good technique. I’m just way too scarred to give that one a try.

Miscellaneous:

·      Hanna Lu definitely has her witching hour towards the end of the afternoon/early evening/through to midnight sometimes. We work through it together and having the extra set of hands has been a true Godsend. I do think she’s just overtired/processing the day’s events {though she still sleeps for a lot of the day [on a good one], what gives?} and I’ve read to preempt the signs of tiredness but sometimes she’s just not ready to eat and that’s truly the best way for her to go to get there so we’ll have to just try different things and be glad that she’s adorable.

·      Someone has an Easter dress to wear and if she’s good then the Easter bunny may just deliver her some goodies {goodies that a one month old might enjoy}!

xoxo, natty ♥