Hard to believe that we’ve all survived one month already, but here we are, and I’ve got to say–
This baby gets cuter every day.
(But I’m a little biased.)
Quick Stats:
Height: about 22″
Weight: 10 lbs.
Eye Color: blue (and we think they just might stay that way)
Clothes Size: She’s starting to outgrow a lot of the newborn clothes (and has definitely outgrown NB diapers), and is wearing almost exclusively 0-3 month clothes
Who She Looks Like:
Basically everyone has decided that she looks as much an equal blend of both of us as like neither of us (if that make sense). I know she definitely doesn’t have my mouth, and the fact that she has any hair has Matt written all over it. I’m also getting excited because her eyelashes appear to be getting a little longer every day, so I have high hopes that she might have inherited her daddy’s gorgeous long, dark eyelashes and not my stubby blonde-ish ones. Things she definitely has gotten from me: her hands (complete with long, piano-playing fingers), the separation of her big toe from the rest, and possibly her eyes.
Likes:
- Looking around when she hears her mama’s voice
- Having her hands up by her face
- Getting a fresh diaper (I think she’s dainty and can’t stand it when the messy diaper is touching her)
- EATING
- Staying up for several hours at a time during the day (she has stayed up for 5 hours straight on multiple occasions)
- Holding her head up and looking around (she’s had an incredibly strong neck from the beginning)
- Kisses (sometimes)
- Being held
- Hearing Daddy sing to her (and listening to Mom play the piano)
- Smiling and chuckling softly to herself right as she drifts off to sleep (and sometimes, the little laugh startles her and wakes her back up, which is hilarious)
- Bath time
- The sound of the blender, vacuum, shower, and lawn mower
Dislikes:
- Getting her clothes changed
- Being put down for naps during the day
- Taking the binky if she’s even the least bit hungry
- Getting kissed if she’s even the least bit hungry (and she’ll let you know by screaming and trying to latch onto your nose)
- Tummy time in general
- Having her arms swaddled down
Milestones Reached:
- Rolled over from stomach to back at 4 days old (but doesn’t do it as much anymore now that she’s bigger, but she still can)
- Has slept at night for a 5-hour stretch (woo hoo!) at least once (maybe more, but I don’t remember), and sleeps regularly at night for 4-hour stretches
General Thoughts:
As far as sleep goes, Raven’s kind of funny–she doesn’t really like to sleep much during the day (we’ll usually get one really long 3-hour nap out of her and maybe a couple 20- or 30-minute stretches), but she actually does pretty well at night and will sleep for 3-4 hour stretches throughout, so we definitely can’t complain about that. We’ve also gotten lucky in that she doesn’t spit up very much, and when she cries, it’s usually for a reason. She’s extremely active and strong for her size overall, and we’re honestly thinking she might be able to roll the other way (from her back to her stomach) within the next month if she keeps up the rate she’s going.
She’s taken to breastfeeding like a champ for the most part (although her latch isn’t quite there some of the time and I have to intervene), and I was pleased with how well nursing went from about day 2. I had heard so many horror stories about how hard and awful breastfeeding is for so many women, and so I had literally been praying for weeks before her arrival that I would have a good experience with it and that I would be able to feed Raven that way exclusively. I feel really blessed that those prayers have been answered, and I really enjoy nursing a lot of the time–I find it to be a good built-in bonding time between me and Raven.
So, even though I’ve had some complications from my end with my body, Raven is developing perfectly and bringing us so much wonder each day.
Can’t believe how time has flown—one month already.
Holy smokes.
