2 Months Old

Ella is already 9 weeks old! I have a 2 month old daughter-that's crazy!!! I can't believe how fast time is going by and how much she is changing each day. She is so much fun! We are loving the smiles that are becoming more frequent and having her awake a little more often.

Ella & bunny at 8 weeks-I can't believe she is 2 months old!

8 Weeks-all stretched out!

Ella at 9 Weeks

9 Weeks

9 Weeks-all stretched out-feel are hanging off the chair now!

This has been a trying week so far because we are starting to let her try and self soothe a little when putting her down to nap. She used to be an excellent napper, but recently decided it would be more fun to stay awake with Mommy & Daddy than take a nap. So, we were constantly rocking her to get her to sleep (not that we minded the cuddling time) and it would take forever because she would fight it so hard or wake up as soon as we put her down. Since she wasn't getting good naps in during the day, she wasn't sleeping as well at night. I've been reading lots of books on sleep and decided we needed to try something different. We are instituting a combination of BabyWise, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, & The Baby Whisperer. I liked parts of each of these books, but didn't like all of the ideas in any of them to just go with one. Mark thinks I'm crazy for combining so many ideas, but I think a little from each of them is the way to go for Ella & me. We'll see how it goes over the next few days (and possibly weeks)...So far, it's been tough to let her cry, especially since she's one to cry very often, but I think it's working. She doesn't cry very long before falling asleep and if she does, then going in and reassuring her and giving her a pacifier makes it all better and she nods off quickly after that. The first 2 days of this, I balled right along with her. It's only been 3 days, and I'm already noticing a huge difference in her ability to soothe herself to sleep more quickly. Plus, because she's getting naps in again, she's sleeping better at night too!

Here's part of a smile! We are all a lot happier with more sleep!

Ella's Growth Stats

Here's another late realization; I haven't been posting her growth measurements from each well check. So here's the comparison info...

2 Weeks

Weight: 6 pounds 5 ounces (10%)

Height: 19 1/2 inches (25%)

Head Circumference: 32.5 (3%)

4 Weeks

Weight: 7 pounds, 7.5 ounces (10%)

Height: 20.75 inches ( 50%)

Head Circumference: 36 (50%)

2 Months

Weight: 8 pounds, 15 ounces (10%)

Height: 21 inches (10%)

Head Circumference: 38 (25%)

The doctor says she is on the petite side, but as long as she keeps gaining weight, we shouldn't have anything to worry about. I feel like she's grown so much when I look at her and can't wait to see her grow even more!

She has started to smile over the last couple weeks, which is so much fun and truly brightens my day! I have yet to capture her precious grin on camera, but as soon as I do, I will post a picture. She has also started cooing and making fun conversational sounds.

Watch Me Grow!

I wish I had been doing this from the very beginning, but I just started taking pictures of Ella next to her stuffed bunny to show how much she is growing each week. You can't really tell too much at this point (especially since the bunny isn't that big either), but I'm sure as she gets bigger, it will be more obvious. Here is Ella at 5, 6, & 7 weeks...

5 weeks old

5 Weeks-all stretched out!

6 weeks old

6 Weeks-all stretched out!

7 Weeks old

Ella looking precious & holding hands with her bunny

7 Weeks-all stretched out!

Ella's First Times...

We are past the one month mark now and have had a bunch of firsts...here's a few I've captured on film :) Life has been such a joy having little Ella in it. We are sleep deprived, overwhelmed (maybe that's just me), and clueless as new parents, but loving every minute of this new journey we are on.

Our first time in the sling...Mommy is still a unsure of how to do the whole baby wearing thing

An upclose shot of Ella snoozing in the sling...she "purrs" the whole time she's in it

First time in the activity gym

Trying out tummy time

First ride in the swing-doesn't seem to be a fan, but we will keep trying

First nap in the pack-n-play...slept like a champ!

First time in the portable swing-we like this one!

Our first snow storm!

Ella napped through much of our snow day :)

More snow pics

Our first real outing together

We went to MOPS at the church and were gone for a whole 3 hours!!!

What an accomplishment for both of us :)

Daddy & Daughter Day-Hanging in the swing (still not in love with it, but liking it more)

Our first trip to get coffee together

Ella looking too cute for words :)

Baby Ella Pictures

We did Ella's newborn photo session a couple of weeks ago (she was a little over 2 weeks old). Here is a slideshow of some of the photos. My sister-in-law also came into town to do some pictures for us, so there will be more to come soon :) Enjoy!

http://www.kadydunlap.com/EllaTufts/index.html

Worries & Fear

So I'm not really sure I should even be posting this, but thought it might do me good to just say it all and maybe then realize how irrational my thinking is when I reread this post later. Worry is something that has consumed me since becoming a mother. It's such a drastic change from the way I was as a pregnant woman. I think while pregnant, I found myself at my most confident stage in life and trusted that my body was taking care of my precious baby girl and she was well protected. Now that she's no longer inside of me safe and sound, I worry all the time. Is Ella too hot or too cold? Is she still breathing (this one consumes me)? Is she eating enough or eating too much? Am I going to produce enough milk for her? Is she happy? Am I boring her? Is she sleeping too much or too little? What about SIDS? Are we shaking her too hard when we rock her to sleep? Am I going to be a good mother? Will I know what to do for her when she's fussy or sick or in need? Is this bed too soft? Is she going to roll over and stop breathing? Are the people holding her doing it the right way? And so many more...The worry just sometimes doesn't stop and I feel like I'm going to go crazy with anxiety over her well being. It's hard for me to not have her in my arms (or super close by) 24/7 because of my worry and the fear I feel.

I know that most of these worries are completely irrational, yet I still find myself worrying about them on a daily, if not hourly basis. I'm hoping that most of this is just new mom jitters and/or hormones and will subside with time, but maybe I'm just crazy or still stuck in the "baby blues" stage. I never thought of myself as an excessive worrier/control freak until I entered into motherhood. I notice small improvements in my worry, anxiety, & fear each day, so hopefully those little gains will continue. I'm sure all the worry will never go away because I am a MOM now, and worry and concern is part of our new job, but hopefully it will not consume me so much in the near future. I want to be able to cherish each moment with Ella, but can't help but look forward to the day when I feel a little more "normal" and when I feel like I know more about what I'm doing as a mom and more of these irrational fears start to subside.

3 Week Recap

Wow! My baby girl was born three weeks ago! I can't believe it's already been that long since we were blessed with her presence, yet it also feels like she's been a part of our lives for much longer than that. I haven't been very good at staying up to date on this blog, but lack of sleep and round the clock nursing causes me to rate my priorities, which is sleep when she sleeps (or at least try to). So, instead of a play by play of each week, here are the highlights from Ella's first three weeks of life.

We had a bad run-in with jaundice during Ella's first week home. Ella's levels were so high, that we were worried she was going to have to be checked in to the hospital for phototherapy. Poor baby had to have her heel pricked for a blood test everyday for a whole week. She lost close to 10% of her body weight in less than 48 hours, became sleepy all the time, refused to nurse, and wouldn't potty (which is how you lower the bilirubin levels that cause the jaundice). We had to supplement with some formula to help her gain some weight back. After a couple days, her bilirubin started leveling out and she began to nurse more and potty frequently-all great signs that things were getting better. By the end of the week, she had put on a few more ounces and we were just nursing again. Yay!!!

My little yellow baby

On Ella's 2 week birthday, we had a small house fire! After changing her diaper, Mark walked into our bedroom to find a pillow on fire and flames leaping out of a electrical outlet. I heard him making a weird sound from the other room and went down the hall to see my husband trying to put out a fire with our new baby in his hands. I ran to get her out of the house and called the fire department. Luckily the firemen were able to put out the fire quickly and nothing but our wall and a couple pillows were damaged. It was quite the sight to see; me barefoot & only in a robe with my newborn daughter wrapped in blankets standing outside in the cold while my husband tries to put out a fire leaping from the wall without the use of a fire extinguisher. We've now had all the outlets checked for faulty wiring and should be safe from this point on :)

At Ella's 2 week appointment, she weighed in at 6 pounds, 5 ounces. Therefore, she gained over an ounce a day and had passed her birth weight (which was our goal by the 2 week mark).

Ella's first bath

Grandpa holding me for the first time (he was sick the first week)

Smiling as Daddy rocks me to sleep

Swaddled & Swinging in Daddy's arms

I love Daddy!

Mommy & Me

Sweet Kisses

Grandpa loves me! (I'm still a bit yellow, but looking better)

Nothing too exciting has happened during week 3, which is a nice change of pace. We did get to take our first walk outside yesterday because it was a beautiful 70 degree Austin day. Ella loved her carseat & stroller and slept the whole time. We took Macie to the park and just soaked in the beautiful day. I think getting out of the house is something I've needed!

Cozy in my stoller

Ready for our first walk & afternoon outside

At the park snoozing in the beautiful weather

Ella, Macie, & Mommy

We did take her in to get weighed because her feeding pattern had changed and once again, she's been gaining about an ounce and a half a day and weighed in a bit over 7 pounds. Her cheeks are starting to fill out and she doesn't look as much like a newborn. Apparently, she likes to eat!

What a crazy ride so far! I am so in love with my precious little angel and trying so hard to figure out this whole mothering thing. Parts of it come so naturally, and others are hard, overwhelming, and emotional. One minute I am in complete awe, the next filled with anxiety and worry, the next crying, the next in awe again; but it's all amazing and I wouldn't trade it for anything.