One Month

I couldn't resist posting this one...this is exactly how she came into this world one month ago




We celebrated Sophia's first month of life on Wednesday. I wanted to wait until after our one month doctor's visit Thursday afternoon to share a little update about Sophia's first month.

Sophia now weighs nine and a half pounds and is just about 22 inches long. Our pediatrician says she's growing perfectly...she's even putting some weight on those scrawny little legs of hers! Dr. Miller looked at Sophia when she walked in the room and said how she looks like a true baby now, not that little newborn she saw just two weeks earlier. I can only imagine how much she'll grow before her two month check up!

Life with Sophia is slowly starting to become more routine. We have been able to get her on a more reasonable feeding schedule of about every two to two and a half hours instead of the every hour (especially during the night). She's sleeping more easily in between nighttime feedings (hallelujah!!) and is starting to let us put her down more when she sleeps. Although I will say, she is still incredibly stubborn and frequently will scream her little lungs out unless someone holds her while she sleeps. Her daddy enjoys spoiling her and gives her lots of cuddle time in the evenings :) Speaking of crying, Sophia is a rather content baby and really only seems to cry if she's hungry or has a dirty diaper. At either one of these times she demands attention immediately...and her food can never arrive at her little mouth fast enough. After a month of struggling to keep Sophia awake while breastfeeding (which contributed to her frequent nighttime feedings and our lack of sleep), we've learned that pumping and giving her milk in a bottle usually works best. She's even starting to grab onto the bottle while we feed her which makes us so proud. She's taking between three and four ounces at a feeding (such a little piglet!)... when her little belly is full we're all much happier. It only took us a month to figure that one out (hey, we're new parents!).

Sophia still isn't very interested in her bouncy seat or swing. She's most content in her car seat and she loves going for car rides. She loves lying on her back under her playmobile and watching the lights and mobile move. She's starting to enjoy tummy time more and more and is picking up her head. She has such strong muscles - she loves kicking. We're convinced she's going to be a great little athlete :) We read her lots of books and she loves looking at the pictures. Sophia is starting to smile although they appear randomly and are gone before I have a chance to grab my camera.

Sophia and I went to our first playgroup last week. She enjoyed being held by the other mommies and even spent some time on the floor with another little baby. It was such a nice time for me to chat with other moms, both new and veteran, about parenting challenges and what to expect in the coming months. This week we'll be going to a special class called "Brain Games for Babies" where I'll have a chance to learn new games to do with her to help with her development. I'm so thankful my mom's agency has all these wonderful free classes and groups - it's always nice to get out of the house a little each day. We're also busy preparing for her baptism next weekend.

We are completely in love with our little girl and continue to feel more blessed to have her in our lives. It's been a wonderful, exciting, sleepless, and sometimes challenging first month with Sophia Grace...we look forward to all the milestones and "firsts" that her second month of life will bring!

Supermom

If Supermom were a real life action figure, I'd want to be her. I'd want a fancy cape with a big red "S" on the back and I'd most certainly want all the magical powers that came along with the role...you know, things like calming my crying baby with one gentle look, changing a diaper simply by wishing the foul poop smell away, putting a balanced dinner on the table with the twinkle of my nose, getting all the laundry done with the snap of my fingers, and closing my eyes for just five minutes and waking up feeling as though I've gotten a full night's sleep.

Yes. I wish I was Supermom. And a month ago I was convinced I could be. Unfortunately, I am not. And that became very apparent yesterday.

Anyone who has had a newborn baby enter their life for the first time knows the challenges that come along with the little bundle of joy. You get sent home from the hospital with this sweet little baby who you love more than anyone else in this world. You are prepared to do whatever is necessary to take care of this little baby and to make sure its life is absolutely perfect and that all of its needs are met. While I was still pregnant with Sophia, I imagined what life would be like with her these first few weeks and months home. I knew there'd be lots of diaper changes, lots of feeding, and very little sleep. What I wasn't prepared for was exactly how those seemingly dauntless tasks would affect me personally, both as a mom and as a human being.

Throughout the past (almost) month, I had managed to wear myself down to the point of pure exhaustion. Yesterday morning I realized I was more than just tired as everyone warned me I'd be with a newborn to take care. I was physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. Everyone around me had seen it coming and had noticed the gradual breakdown. I was determined to ignore it and go on thinking that I was Supermom. Certianly I could function on no sleep, isn't that what new moms were supposed to do? And who needs food anyways? I didn't want to admit that I was feeling overwhelmed. I felt like a bad mom. I felt so inadequate in my role as a new mother. I didn't want people to think that I couldn't handle taking care of Sophia. I watched as so many other moms around me went about their lives with their babies and they all looked so perky and wide-eyed. I wanted a strong dose of whatever they were taking to put a little spring in their step. But I digress...back to yesterday morning. Sunday night was the breaking point. Sophia slept for an hour and a half before deciding her time would be much better spent awake, camped out at my boobs for a good five hour long feeding. On and off she'd eat and nap, eat and nap. I'd attempt to lay her down during that napping period only to have her wake up as soon as her sweet little head hit the bassinet. I watched as Dave slept soundly, through all the crying and fussing. For eight hours he slept and slept.

When I woke Dave for work on Monday morning everything hit me. The fact that for nearly a month I hadn't gotten more than three hours of sleep in a night. The fact that Sophia eats like a bird, but a hungry bird who wants just a bit of food every hour. The fact that Sophia will only sleep if someone holds her. The fact that I absolutely dislike breastfeeding but am bound and determined to stick with it because it truly is what's best for her. All of these things combined together left my feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and so discouraged. Not to mention the fact that I stopped taking care of myself the moment Sophia entered the world. It's amazing how I went from this pregnant woman who couldn't stop eating to this new mom who couldn't remember the last time I ate something or had a drink of water. It wasn't until yesterday morning when I realized my milk supply was so low that I understood the importance of taking care of myself. All of this was enough to send the hormones raging and the tears a'flowing. This certainly wasn't the way I wanted to start my week.

I am so thankful I have a husband who is willing to put aside work and spend the day taking care of Sophia so that I could take care of myself. Dave spent yesterday working from home, holding Sophia in one arm and responding to emails and drafting documents with the other. I got nearly three solid hours of uninterrupted sleep in the morning. I ate a big lunch and pumped my body full of liquids. I napped on the couch while Dave fed Sophia bottles I had managed to store away. I even made it to the gym where after a nice long walk I felt refreshed. Dave even helped out with the night shift last night so that I could get longer stretches of sleep in. What a difference a day can make. My milk supply is already back up and I woke up feeling more energized and refreshed today. I think I may just have figured out what all those other mom's were taking - sleep and food! Such an easy remedy for an exhausted mama.

I absolutely love being Sophia's mommy. I love the simple things about life with her - even the diaper changes, the midnight feedings, and her fussy times when she lets out the sweetest cries. I know that every new mom has to adjust to this new routine... this new way of life. I know I'm not the first (or last) new mom to reach this breaking point of pure exhaustion. I realize now that it doesn't make me a bad mom. It makes me human. Actually, I'm pretty sure it's my right of passage into motherhood. Motherhood isn't always glamorous but it's always worth it - the good, the bad, and the downright challenging moments, too.

On closer look, I think all moms are Supermoms, just without all those fancy powers. We're all just trying to get by with little sleep, an ounce of sanity, a few prayers and some faith, and a whole lot of love.

3 Weeks & A Very Irish St. Patrick's Day

Yesterday marked three weeks since Sophia's birth...oh how time flies!







Of course, with a last name like Irish, we just have to celebrate St. Patrick's Day today. Sophia received an adorable Ireland Rugby Jersey purchased for her in Dublin by our friend Sam. Oh how I wish I had a big old green bow to accessorize this outfit :) She also got a special 1st St. Patrick'd Day bib from her grandma Irish. While she usually hates when I put a bib on her, she sat still long enough to snap a few pics this time!

Oh so Busy

Excuse the lack of blogging these days but life with a newborn is busy, especially with daddy back at work. So what exactly do we do all day long? Well, Sophia still eats about every two hours, she naps for about an hour in between, and of course I change about 12 dirty diapers a day (one for each feeding). In between all that eating, sleeping, and diapering we manage to get in some play time. Sophia is learning to love her swing and bouncy seat and I'm enjoying being able to put her down for a few minutes. She loves being held, especially when she's sleeping which makes for very unproductive days (if only the laundry could clean itself!). Sophia also enjoys a few minutes of tummy time each day on her zoofari playmat that her Aunt Katie got her. She enjoys spending some time on her back underneath the lights and toys on the playmat, too. When daddy comes home from work, Sophia enjoys having long conversations with him and telling him all about her day with mommy. She's starting to vocalize more - rather than having those soft baby coo's, Sophia has these rather loud grunts that let us know she's really content and really has something important to say.

Sophia continues to grow before our eyes. At her two week checkup last week she was already 8lbs 1oz and 21.5 inches long. She's still a little peanut but her cheeks are getting all nice and chubby so we're certain she's getting enough to eat. I already packed away her newborn clothes which made me a little sad but she has a whole closet full of clothes to grow into and growing she certainly is :)

As for me and Dave, we're managing. We're loving every minute we have with our sweet baby girl but we're definitely feeling the new parent syndrome. We're both exhausted and sometimes overwhelmed but we've been reassured that in the coming weeks life will settle down more and we'll feel more established in our role as parents. I will admit that Dave is the patient one, often coming to my rescue in the middle of the night when the sleep deprivation takes over and I just can't handle another minute of crying. He's been incredibly supportive and helpful - he even let me sneak out to the gym yesterday, a much needed break and mommy pick-me-up. We work well as a team and I am so thankful to have him. I have such a deep appreciation for single parents now - I don't think I could manage without him!

A few pictures of playtime with mommy...

Introducing Sophia to her crib


She's not so sure about this whole crib thing

Mommy and Daddy's bed has much more room than that crib!

She's always so curious

I love her content face

The First Two Weeks

It's hard to believe that Sophia Grace is already two weeks old! I know every parent says that their kids grow fast but goodness, she changes on a daily basis. She's definitely gaining weight and growing longer by the day. She's finally settling into more of a routine of eating and sleeping which makes her mommy verrrry happy :) Anyways, now that I have a few minutes I wanted to share a little more about the past two weeks since Sophia's arrival, starting with her birth day.

Labor and Delivery
I really enjoyed being induced. I am so thankful for the way that everything turned out because I don't think labor and delivery could have gone any smoother. One of my biggest fears throughout my pregnancy, aside from something going wrong, was the actual labor and delivery part. I think every woman is fearful when it's their first. I can happily say that my labor and delivery with Sophia was quite easy, mostly painless, and rather quick. I've been told that I was blessed with a pretty easy delivery considering she was my first. We arrived at the hospital at 6am, started the Pitocin at 6:30am, broke my water at 8:30am, and started the epidural at 9:30am. I progressed rather quickly which caught us all off guard. I labored for an hour before getting my epidural - I had wanted to hold out longer, thinking that 5cm sounded like a magical number to finally beg for the epidural but my wonderful labor nurse, Sandi, told me that in her 28 years as a labor nurse she'd learned that there was no magic number. She told me it wasn't too soon to want comfort and I happily agreed. My mom and Dave were with me throughout the day and I'm sure they were happy to see the pain end when the epidural began working because I was a much happier and friendly person :) Sandi told us that she thought baby girl would arrive by 3pm so mom and Dave headed out to get some lunch quick before the final pushing stage began. We began pushing at 1:20pm and shortly after my doctor arrived. Another perk of being induced: you know your doctor will be the one delivering your baby. I absolutely love my doctor and she did a wonderful job of keeping me focused yet distracted during all that pushing. My mom helped me count my pushes while Dave provided the physical support while pushing. Nurse Sandi really does know what she's talking about when she makes predictions because at 2:54pm Sophia Grace finally arrived. It was all so surreal - I was mid-push when they told me to stop, open my eyes, and and meet my daughter. There she was with a head of dark hair, wailing away as she entered the world. It was a pretty remarkable moment and I'll never forget the overwhelming love I felt for her when they placed her on my chest. What happened after that is a bit of a blur. Everyone tended to Sophia as they cleaned her up while Sandi and my doctor tended to some bleeding complications I was having. Thankfully, all ended up well and I could finally enjoy some time with my new family.

Hospital Stay
We were fortunate to have delivered at an amazing birthing center where the nurses really did make the first few days of parenthood a lot easier. We were a bit overwhelmed at first with all the visitors and I was having a difficult recovery from the bleeding complications after delivery so having the extra help certainly was nice. We were hesitant to send Sophia to the nursery the first night but the nurses informed us that all the other babies were there as well and that we'd really want our sleep. They were absolutely right! We spent two days in the hospital recovering, getting to know our baby girl, and working with a lactation specialist. While we enjoyed our stay at the Columbia Center we were quite eager to get home when Friday afternoon rolled around. On our way out the door, the nurses said, "See you in a few years". We laughed. Let's just see how we do with the first one.

Coming Home
Walking into our house with Sophia for the first time felt incredibly surreal. Dave brought her in and put her carseat on the kitchen table and went back out to get the rest of our stuff from the car. I just stood there watching her for a few minutes before I burst into tears. Oh yes, the baby blues are a very real thing. Dave came in the house asking me what was wrong and I told him absolutely nothing...everything was so perfect now that she was home. I think we had a good first-time parent moment, crying over our sweet baby's car seat before reality set in that she was staying with us forever.

Settling In
We're still settling into life with Sophia. The days and nights go by far too quickly. She keeps us busy with all the diaper changes and the feedings. I wish I could say that I love breastfeeding and that it's going really well but the truth is that it is an incredibly difficult thing to master, for both me and Sophia. We're slowly starting to find a pattern in feedings and things are becomming easier. She's feeding nearly 12 times a day which keeps me busy (and leaves me feeling starved oddly enough) and sleeps in between (mostly). Sometimes she'll sleep as much as two hours between feedings, other times it's just an hour. I'll take what I can get! Dave has done a tremendous job of supporting me through the breastfeeding and helping out with extra diaper changes and lots of cuddle time in the evenings so that I can get an hour or two of sleep before the long night begins. Dave headed back to work this week which added a few challenges but Sophia and I are enjoying our time together, just us girls. I've attempted to venture out of the house with her on my own, making a quick trip to Target earlier in the week and yesterday to my mom's work where she spent some time while I went to the dentist. We've had so many visitors come meet Sophia, including both of her Godparents this past weekend. Overall, she's a pretty good baby. She certainly has a strong set of lungs on her but thankfully, they only come out when she's hungry or needs her diaper changed. She has her mommy's personality already but everyone says she looks like her daddy. Aside from my nose, she has mostly Dave's features at this point - his dark hair, his long skinny legs, his ears, and her face looks identical in shape to his when he was a baby. We can't wait to see how she changes as she continues to grow.

We certainly feel blessed each day we have with Sophia in our lives...it already feels like she's been a part of our family forever.

Life with Sophia

Life with Sophia Grace is absolutely wonderful. I do wish I could add a few more hours to my days, however, so that I could write more. There is so much I'm eager to share about Sophia and the past week and a half with her and I promise I'll find the time in the coming weeks. Daddy headed back to work today and we're still trying to get Sophia on some sort of a schedule. Our days seem a bit chaotic at times and I'm not entirely sure where all the time goes but life at home with Sophia is absolutely wonderful and beautiful. She continues to grow before our eyes and she's developing such a sweet little personality. Sophia had quite the busy weekend, meeting both of her Godparents and venturing to church for the first time. We're looking forward to her two-week doctor's visit this week, celebrating her Grandpa Anderson's birthday, and having her newborn pictures taken. Speaking of pictures, here are a few recent ones of our sweetpea until I can post more.

Such a little snugglebug


Cuddle time with daddy before he heads back to work


Twelve days old

Sophia Grace

Our sweet Sophia Grace arrived on Wednesday, February 23 at 2:54 pm. She weighed a nice little 7lbs 2oz and was 19.5 inches long. Of course we're a little biased but we think she's absolutely perfect and beautiful. We keep asking ourselves how we got so lucky to be her parents.

There is so much I have wanted to share over the past week about Sophia's birth and adjusting to life at home with a newborn but my time with Sophia is so precious (as is my sleep!) that I can't justify spending more than five minutes at the computer. I know many people are eagerly awaiting updates and pictures so I hope these will hold you over until life at home with Sophia gets a little more settled.

I will share that Sophia is doing well. She is almost back up to her birth weight after dealing with some jaundice. We've worked out our breastfeeding issues and she's successfully latching...she has her daddy's appetite that's for sure! She is finally settling into somewhat of a pattern and is finally letting us sleep in longer intervals - this mommy doesn't function so well on 30 minutes of sleep at time. When she's awake she is so alert - her big eyes just stare at us when we talk to her and she follows our voices so well. She's incredibly active and loves when we break her out of her swaddle so that she can use those long, tiny fingers of hers to scratch at her face or latch onto our fingers. While we're incredibly in love with our little girl I will say that the past week has certainly had it's highs and lows. Being a first time parent is incredibly overwhelming and it's something that you really can't be prepared for until it happens. But when it happens, it is truly amazing how life changes and how you just know what to do and how to do it. We feel so truly blessed to have our healthy little girl in our arms finally and we can't wait to watch her grow. Speaking of growing, she's already a week old today. The pictures don't do her justice - she's changed so much since her birth day.

We look forward to sharing more about our sweet little girl in the coming days but until then, we'll be savoring our last few days with daddy home from work and continuing to adjust to life as a family of three!

Two days old


Getting ready to leave the hospital


Cuddle time with daddy


Three days old...a little tummy time


We could watch her sleep all day


Bathtime...looks like mommy could use a shower, too!


One week old