One Month Old

I should know by now that time goes faster than I ever imagined when it comes to my children.  How in the world is my firstborn two and a half years old and how has a month already gone by with our littlest love?  The first month of her life has been truly incredible.  Of course it was (and still is) overwhelmingly exhausting, but without breastfeeding and postpartum issues life was a lot less complicated this time around.  Harrison has come around to being a big brother and we are head over heels for our little family.  Happy one month my sweet Harper Ellen - I love you so.

Likes: 

Halo Sleepsack - we use this every night and she sleeps like a champ as long as her arms are out of the swaddle.

Swing- we recently purchased this and it's perfect for naps -- it definitely helps to keep her asleep.  Big brother likes to swing her while she's in it, which is sweet, but he tends to swing her as fast as he can, so you gotta keep an eye on them.  

Eating- girl can eat!

Snuggling 💜

Pacifiers

Sleeping

Dislikes:

Being woken up for a diaper change
Being hungry
Being gassy
Tummy time for too long
Losing her paci

Schedule:

I am feeding on demand, so there is no set schedule, but she tends to eat every 2-3 hours during the day, cluster feeds in the evening, and goes about 3 hours between night feedings.   She tends to nap most of the afternoon, but is alert and taking in the world in the mornings and before bedtime.  Sometimes it feels like she's permanently attached to me, but that's alright with me.  

Features:

Harper is a chunker!  She is currently 9 lbs and 1.5 oz and this breastfeeding mama is proud after all the weight gain struggles we had with Harrison during his first month.  She has a head full of dark hair and her eyes started as a dark, dark green and are starting to lighten up.  She has a stork bite on her left ear, just like her brother, and the sweetest double chin.  She's perfectly scrumptious and I could just stare at her forever.  

Milestones:

Grasps fingers and clothing
Drinks from a bottle
Focuses on objects
Lifts head during tummy time

Firsts:

Well, everything-- welcome to the world!
-Restaurant
-Brewery
-Car ride
-Family visits

Challenges:

So far we've been lucky.  Our biggest challenge is balancing two kids - how in the world am I ever going to take them both out in public alone?!  I want to make sure she's getting adequate snuggles, but I also need time with my little man, so the balance can be difficult at times, but we are doing the best we can.  She's been such an easy baby and I am so grateful for her good health and calm soul.  

Thoughts: 

It's true; your heart really does grow with love for your second child.  The moment she was placed in my arms I knew she was meant to be ours and was everything our family didn't know we needed.  She makes me want to be the best possible version of myself - I want her to see me as a strong, brave, and good person who is forever her cheerleader.  I want her to be accepting of everyone and always choose kindness, and I hope she learns that from the examples we set as parents.  Thank you for making our world brighter Harper.  

Big brother got in on the action!