6 weeks old!

 

 

My smiley girl!

    Happy six week birthday, Abby Kate!  I can't believe you are six weeks old already!  It's been a rough six weeks, but you are so worth it!  After we got used to feeding you formula and got your weight loss under control, you started screaming all day long. After the third day, I couldn't take it anymore and called the doctor. They asked me a bunch of questions about you, and finally suggested I bring you in for an exam. They checked your eyes to see if maybe you had scratched them, they checked for urinary tract infections, they poked and prodded and finally figured out that you are sensitive to the milk proteins in your formula. We switched to a special kind of formula, and within a few days you were back to your happy self.  Hopefully we can just enjoy getting to know each other now, and the worst is behind us.

Our Peanut is growing up fast!

   Today we went for your "two month" checkup, which is a little early, but they wanted to keep an eye on your weight, so we scheduled a little sooner. You weighed ten pounds today, which is at the 50th percentile!  You were about 22.5 inches long, around the 65th percentile, and your head was 15 inches, also at the 50th percentile.  What a nice average sized baby you are!  You seem so much bigger than the tiny baby we brought home just six weeks ago.  You had to get three shots today, which made you very unhappy. I managed to wait until the nurse left before I cried a little too.  It was just heartbreaking to see you so sad!
   You're eating between 3 and 4 ounces of formula at a time, about every three hours during the day and every four hours at night, which mommy and daddy appreciate.  You have outgrown most of your newborn sized clothes because your body is so long, and because your cloth diapers add a little "fluff" to your bum.  You're mostly wearing 0-3 month sized clothes now.  You are getting much better at holding your head up and looking around for a few seconds when we hold you upright, and you are starting to gurgle and coo at us when we talk to you.  The most fun thing has been that you are starting to recognize our voices and faces, and smile when we talk to you.  Nothing beats your happy little face! 
   We've started a bedtime routine in hopes that you will begin to learn that nighttime is for sleeping, not playing, and that you will slowly learn how to go to bed.  I'm not rushing that part though. I like having you right beside me at night!  We give you bath and put on clean diaper and PJs, you eat one last time, and we read a page or two out of a children's bible that was mine when I was little. Then we sing whatever hymn pops into my head and "Jesus Loves Me", rock a little, then I put you in your bassinet in your room. You don't love to sleep in your crib yet. I think you like the cradled position that your bassinet keeps you in. Usually you sleep there for three or four hours, then we bring you into our room when you wake up to eat and keep you with us until morning. 
   I know that I still have lots to learn about how to be your mommy, but we seem to be surviving so far, and I know that you have lots to teach me!  We love you so much, Abby-girl!