1 month old!

O. M. G. How has it been one month since our sweet little angel was born? Here is a quick run down of our month:

Week 1: Our first week as parents. Minimal sleep, trying to figure out breastfeeding, crying because of minimal sleep, figuring out how to do everything for Elle, and Casey and I growing a million times closer all because of one sweet little brunette girl.
End of week 1: SURPRISE! My appendix decided it didn't want to be a part of Team Sarah's Body anymore and I had to make a trip to the ER followed by a lovely appendectomy. There is nothing like pushing a baby out, except pushing a baby out followed by major surgery. Ouch.

Week 2: My mom and Aunt Karen came in to help with Ellie while I was in the hospital. Got to FaceTime with my sweet girl while I was in the hospital which was awesome because I missed her SO much. Came home from the hospital and spent the rest of the week recovering and taking care of Eleanor with the help of my mom.

Week 3: Mom went home and Casey went back to work Elle and I are on our own for the first time! We made it through the first week with no major issues except one day of cluster feeding and Ellie being a little fussy during the days.

Week 4: This week was SO much better thanks to a little thing called BabyWise! If you haven't heard about the book On Becoming BabyWise you need to check it out IMMEDIATELY. (Like now... go ahead, we'll wait). BabyWise is basically a schedule for your baby. The whole concept is that babies need and want structure so you give them just that. Right now Eleanor's schedule is: 1. I wake her up from a nap and immediately change and feed her. 2. When feeding is done we play for a while. This may include a walk, bath, tummy time, or running errands. 3. Playtime is over and Elle goes down for a nap. 4. Repeat every 2.5-3 hours from the beginning of each feeding. The only time her schedule is different is night when she doesn't get playtime and we sometimes go 4-5 hours between feedings. This schedule is working out great and it's so much easier to plan our day when I know when she's going to be napping and when she needs to eat.

Today Casey took off from work and we ran errands and had lunch at Jason's Deli. It's so nice going out to eat with her now that I'm not terrified that she will scream the whole time. We also went by Baby Gap and found some jeans and a jean skirt! LOVE! What 1 month old doesn't need a jean mini skirt?

And now some Ellie updates:

Likes:
-Casey's shoulder (also a Mommy favorite)
-Me singing silly songs and tickling
-Breastfeeding. So glad she's a good eater!
-Violet, her sleep time puppy
-Her SleepSheep in the car set on creepy whale noises.
-The ceiling fan in the living room, aka: Mr. Fan
-Watching Riley and Zac
-Sleeping on Daddy's chest
-Pacifiers... sometimes.
-Her butterfly bouncy chair

Dislikes:
-Naptime during the day
-Sleeping without being swaddled
-Being held like a baby
-Being changed
-Baths
-Having clothes changed
-Tummy time
-Not being strong enough to move herself where and when she wants

Overall she's a very happy baby, just opinionated like us.

I can't believe it's already been a month. We are so insanely happy!


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Stationery Card

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The Naptime Blues

I seriously HATE when Ellie can't get to sleep when she goes down for a nap. She's so frustrated because she's tired, but for some reason she just can't get to sleep. It makes me so sad to let her cry sometimes but usually it's only 2 minutes and she's out. It's when I come and get her after 5 minutes of crying and she is still so upset that I can't stand. Hoping nap time gets a little easier as time goes on.




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Pajamas

It's amazing to me how quickly things that didn't used to be pajamas become sleep clothes when you have a newborn and are getting next to no sleep.

Striped Henley and plaid flannel pants anyone? At least they are kind of color coordinated...


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Out, about, and now worn out

Today Elle and I went out by ourselves for the first time! Our day began at 6am with me showering (gotta shower before Casey leaves for work) and then getting her ready. We were out the door by 9:40 and made it to my doctor appointment by 10:15. I was actually early! After the appointment we trekked down to The Nurtured Family to find a baby carrier. I had no idea there were so many types of baby carriers until I posted on Facebook asking for recommendations. Fabric slings, ring slings, wraps, backpack carriers - holy crap! I tried on several and ended up going with a Hava ring sling. It was the easiest to take on and off and super comfy to wear. Ellie really seemed to like it and I can't wait to try it out around the house. After making our purchase we headed home and both fell asleep in the recliner. A nap was definitely needed- going out with an infant is lot of work!

Things I learned today:
- getting out of the house really isn't that bad, it just takes time and planning.
- people are SUPER opinionated about the type of carrier they like. I'm sure I will be one of those people soon.
- nothing is better than a sleepy baby laying on your chest.

Now off to start dinner and wait for Jackie and Megan to get here!



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Ellie's Birth Announcement!

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First day!

Today is my first day with just me and Ellie and I was really nervous about it. She woke up around 3am and wanted to be held the rest of the night so she and I slept in the recliner that Casey's parents gave us (THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT- IT IS THE BEST THING EVER!!) until Casey left for work around 7:45.

This is how I found our sweet girl in the playard after I finished eating breakfast.

Most of the morning we've just been sitting in the "wonder chair" (recliner) and watching Good Morning America and nursing. So far so good!

The good: It's going pretty great! She's even cluster feeding today and I've still been able to Skype with Jennifer, do some of Casey's laundry, AND eat!

The bad: How the heck do you go to the bathroom with a fussy baby? Do you put them down and let them cry while you are in there? (I hate letting her cry...) Do you .. hold them while in there? I just really, really don't like to let her cry because she gets SO upset.

Oh well - Adventures in motherhood!