4 months old!

* Measurements- Leah now weighs 12 lbs., 7 oz. and is 24 1/2 in. long. This is in the 50 percentile for babies her age (meaning she is very average). She got 2 immunizations today at her dr. visit and was still her happy self afterward. This must be the most content baby in the world!

* Sleeping- Her sleeping & eating schedule seems to have finally started to take place! She now sleeps all night, from about 8:30 or 9pm to around 5 am (then usually goes back to sleep until about 8). She takes a full 6 oz. bottle in the morning. She sleeps another 45 min. or so sometime between 10 & 11. Then she naps about 2 or 3 hours starting at 1. And another nap sometime early evening, around 5:30.

* Eating- She likes her bottle as soon as she wakes up and she finishes it off now rather than snacking most of the time, mostly thanks to a faster-flow nipple. Of course, we're traveling in 2 weeks & her whole schedule will probably be thrown off, but that's the fun of visiting family!

The doctor said we can start her on solids any time. We will probably wait till after Texas. Her high chair is set up & ready to go but she still is a little too small for it. She has sat with me while I'm eating and is always very interested in the process, even opening her mouth a little as if waiting for the food.

* Discoveries- She rolled over for the first time last Saturday, the 27th. This was after she'd had a really rough night with air in her tummy and cried for about an hour straight. The blown-up tummy might have helped her roll over, but she did do it about 3 times in a row, and she's done it once since, not to mention she even flipped over from front to back once yesterday! She's mobile now!

We caught it on video, too. It's not great quality, and there's no sound. This is actually the 2nd time she did it. You'll see it took almost the whole 30 sec. of video for her to actually get there. Press play.




- She is so talkative now! She makes all kinds of noises which I'm assuming is what she thinks are words, but of course it just sounds like strings of vowels to me. She sometimes sings to herself when she's in the car. She giggles when you kiss her on her face or swing her around (she's very adventurous!). It's the greatest sound in the world! She also craves for people to talk to her. She will start yammering to herself if there's no one around, and get louder & louder until someone pays attention to her.

Baby's 1st Christmas

Leah saw, did & experienced tons of new things this Christmas season!




A few weeks ago, Leah got to go along on the Cody Christmas Tree search. She watched as her mommy & daddy looked for the perfect tree.





















On Christmas Eve we went to a Candlelight Service at church. Leah got to wear a beautiful long dress given to us by our friends Ben & Sarah. Ben's mom made it & it looked amazing! The service was a great time to think about the true meaning of the season (Leah slept her way through it).


































We didn't wrap much for Leah, just a few clothes, although she got a ton from Grandma & Grandpa when they came Christmas afternoon. She did help Mommy & Daddy open her gifts.

But she seemed to be more interested in tissue paper than the gifts themselves.












Her Grandma & Grandpa Siegrist came to visit Christmas afternoon.










She got a dolly from her Grandma & Grandpa. I think she is wondering why it is staring at her.











On the day after Christmas we went on a hayride light show in Clayton. It was something different, for sure. It was a 30 minute ride through all kinds of different light displays, including a cool one with the nativity scene & one with a huge house made all out of lights. Leah seemed to be looking at them, but I think was too sleepy to care much.








After the light show we went to my sister-in-law Chela's fire station in Smithfield, since she was on duty. Leah and her Grandpa got to play on the fire truck.






What a great time she had on her first Christmas!

Mary pondered these things in her heart...

This Christmas I have been thinking a lot more about Jesus coming to earth fully man, yet fully God. It seems a little more real to me now that I've born a child of my own. Jesus came to earth as a newborn baby. I think about what Leah was like as a newborn. She required constant care-- feeding, diapering, putting to sleep. It's so hard to fathom Mary doing all these things for Jesus. She did all these knowing that her child was the Savior of the world. That her child was part of a much greater plan, one that would save all the people of the world. She may not have known exactly how that plan would pan out, but she knew that her child was God himself, in the flesh. What an incredible responsibility she must have felt!

To carry the Christ child was a blessing God had bestowed upon Mary, but do you think she saw it as a blessing when she was in that stable giving birth at such a young age, with perhaps no help at all? Do you think she saw it as a blessing when she was awake at 1 in the morning feeding this perfectly human little baby for the 8th time that day? Did she feel blessed when the newborn Jesus wouldn't stop crying (I don't know, though, would that be considered a sin)?

And then there's the whole idea that he was going to grow up and Mary would suffer. I'd like to share a portion of a blog I was reading written by Mary Beth Chapman, wife of the Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman. She says it better than I could say it:

"Mary, mothering the Son of God! She was human, she had a baby, and she raised that baby with the heaviness that she was to see him suffer and thus she too would suffer. I think when Mary was hiding things in her heart; it was a lot more than the reality of whom she carried in her womb. I am certain that she was hiding away the memories of first smiles and steps, as well as the first tears and tumbles. Knowing what was to come, did Mary have the opportunity to live differently as a mom to her little boy? I believe she did. I am sure that she watched him differently, taught him differently, and prayed differently. I can only imagine the discussions that she and Joseph would have when their son wasn’t listening, how they probably begged God to let the cup pass from them, but in the end yielding up the prayer we all hesitate to pray when it comes to our children…. Your will be done."

I can never imagine the type of suffering that Mary went through watching her son die. I hope I will never have to go through something like that. I can in no way even begin to compare myself to Mary. But the way she lived her life and the faith she exhibited even as she saw her own child dying is certainly something I would like to work on in my own life. And it certainly inspires me to cherish every moment with my child. Because she is not my own. She belongs to God. And I only have her for a short time.

Things I've Learned From My Baby Girl

1. Forgiveness-- I mean, really-- I can leave the kid crying in her crib for 5 minutes and yet the second I get in there and give her a bottle, she's forgotten all about it and gives me a huge smile!

2. Unconditional love-- I started to learn this when I got married, but there is nothing like a helpless little baby that totally, 100% depends upon you for all her needs to give you a taste of the love Christ shows for His children.

3. Joy in the little things-- She can stare at a stuffed red rooster that hangs from her play gym for 10 minutes straight. And her fists provide hours of entertainment. When was the last time I was amused that easily?

4. To take time to stop & smell the roses-- It can be so easy to get caught up in all the "stuff" I have to get done, but when Leah's giggling and smiling up at my face, I can't help but stop to enjoy it because I know that she won't be this small much longer!

5. How to laugh-- See if you can not laugh when this little girl lets out a giggle.

6. Trust-- If her mommy is comfortable enough handing her to some random person, than that random person must be okay and she can smile at them.

7. Looking cute really can get you what you want. :)

15 weeks old

- She finally seems to be developing a schedule. Unfortunately, that schedule still involves getting up at 4:30 or 5, but she'll go right back to sleep after she eats and then gets up again around 8. That's almost a full 12 hours of sleep. She'll take one nap around 10 or 11, and then she almost always falls asleep in her car seat in the afternoons on our way home from work, around 2 and will stay asleep for 2 hours or so.

- She has definately discovered her voice. She has learned how to communicate without crying-- it's more like a scream, and knows how to get her mommy or daddy's attention.

- She loves to "dance" to the music on her play gym. She kicks her legs around violently, almost in rhythm.

- She is laughing a whole lot more now! Everything is funny to her. She especially loves people to talk to her. Women make her laugh. Men just fascinate her-- she gets really quiet & just stares when she sees a new man. Also, we're in for a treat when she gets older if she continues to bat her eyelashes as she's learned to do, with her innocent little grin.

- She's suddenly become incredibly oral. Her hands are always in her mouth. She can take a small toy, grasp it in her hand, and bring it into her mouth. Surprisingly, though, she doesn't really care for her pacifier.

- There is nothing like the sweet smell of her little baby hair, the feeling of her little body after she's fallen asleep in my arms, or the sound of her contagious little giggle.

This is how she looks at her daddy.
He's in trouble.










You lookin' at me?

3 month Professional Portraits

2 weeks ago, Leah had professional 3 month & Christmas portraits taken at JC Penny. It's tricky to get her to smile, because she's so fascinated by the camera. But we got some great shots! I don't think I'm really allowed to scan them & make copies since I don't have the copyright, so I tried some of my own at home. I couldn't get her to smile either. Now I have to decide which to use for our Christmas cards!

See more on the photo website!

Three Months Old/ Thanksgiving

Leah at three months old:


* Measurements- I'm not sure her exact weight, since we don't go to the dr. this month, but just from standing on the scale with her, she is between 11.5 & 12 lbs. We are almost to the size 2 diapers, and still in 0-3 month clothes.

* Sleeping- I'm not sure if its from the holiday & change in her routine or if its because she's going through a growth spurt, but she's started getting up in the middle of the night again. Last night it was 1 am and 4 am. She's not really very good at naps, either. She'll have a sleepy day one day and then not sleep at all the next. She's still very unpredictable, and though I would love to get her on my own schedule, it might take a lot of tears, and I'm not sure I can handle that at work.

* Eating-She still eats rather sporadically, 2 or 3 oz. every hour or so, but she's getting there, starting to go longer between feedings.

* Playtime- She interacts more with her toys now. Her favorite is a star that attaches to her playmat that flashes and plays music. She sits and watches it like it's a TV and sometimes cries when the music stops.

* Discoveries- She has definately discovered her hands. She is determined to fit her entire fist into her mouth, and is almost successful. She can sit and look at her hands for long periods of time and finds them incredibly interesting. She also clasps them together when she's happy.

-She doesn't much like baths anymore. She's cried the past few times. Maybe the water's too cold/ hot? She still loves the changing pad, though-- it always makes her laugh.


Thanksgiving at my parents' house was a lot of fun. It was very relaxing and great to have the help with Leah. Of course she was spoiled by her grandma & grandpa, as well as her aunt & uncle. She got to meet her Great Grandma Pohl, also, and I'm so thankful for the time they got to spend together. She took her first trip to the beach and slept through it, since she hadn't slept all day. The weather was beautiful-- sunny and low 60's-- so it was a perfect day for lounging around and enjoying the company of family.












4 generations together













Leah's 1st beach trip, day after Thanksgiving

Things I Am Thankful For...

I am thankful for...

- My salvation through Jesus Christ and the hope of eternal life with Him.
- A loving husband who has also become an amazing & doting father.
- A beautiful daughter who makes me smile each and every day. She is healthy and perfect in every way.
- A family that loves each other-- including two parents who remain in love with each other after 28 years-- and is able to get along and have a great time on holidays.
- My own health, including the ability to play with and care for a quickly growing baby!
- A home that I can call my own, with a roof to keep me dry and heat to keep me warm (even if it does cost a pretty penny to fix when it breaks down, like last week!).
- Food to eat, clothes to wear, a car to drive, and even a few extra things to make life exciting!
- A job where I can make a little money and still keep my little girl.
- A church where I can worship freely (even if it does tend to be a huge source of stress for my husband, its Worship Pastor!).
- Friends

Happy Thanksgiving!

Working Mother

I didn't think I would be going back to work, but in the midst of quite a few financial "surprises" that drained our savings account, I was offered a position as the secretary at my church. I had heard it was available back when I was pregnant, and I thought if I had to work after the baby that it would be ideal. I knew the previous secretary had a young baby and brought him to work. So a few weeks ago I applied, and even though there was some debate about hiring me since I am a member at the church, last week I was offered the job and I started Monday!

So far it has been great. It's very low-stress, and though there is a few things that do have to get done (church bulletin, newsletter, Power Point announcements, etc.), it's not busy. I only work 9am-2pm Monday through Thursday. So I still have plenty of time in the afternoons to go home and take care of my household. Right now, Leah is able to stay in the office with me. Since she's not using her bassinet at home anymore, we took it to the office. She's been a little fussy this week and I've had to hold her a lot while I'm working, which really does slow down the work, but I think she has to get used to being away from home, in a different environment. She's never been a great napper anyway, so it's something I've been working on, even if it means putting her down in her bed three times before she finally stops fussing.

Eventually Leah will be able to stay in the nursery that is held at the church during the day. There is a preschool that meets here weekdays and they have a baby nursery. Right now, she is much younger than the other babies and they are also already full. They are trying to work out a plan to get another crib and another teacher so she can stay there (and for only $14/ day) but it may take some time. For right now I do enjoy having her with me, even if it does sometimes make working difficult. I just don't want to miss a moment of my time with her, even if she is just down the hall and it's only 20 hours a week!

In other news, Leah has started giggling! Yesterday, the 21st, I had her on my knee, bouncing her around like she was in an earthquake and she got this huge open-mouthed grin on her face and out came the cutest little laugh I've ever heard. It made me laugh so hard! At first Brett didn't believe me, but then she did it again. She loves to be bounced around, she loves it when people make faces at her, she loves to be talked to in a high-pitched voice. Seriously, that laugh made my entire week! As soon as we get a battery for our video camera I'm going to have to capture it on film.

Now that we've passed the sleepless nights and the uncertainty of the newborn days, Leah is so much fun and I can't get enough of her adorable smiles, her cute little noises, her sweet smell. I've always heard how eventually when you have kids you won't remember what life was like before them, and now I see how true that is. She fits into our life as if she's always been there.

Couldn't you just eat her up??! :)

Leah @ 11 weeks old (in photos)

She's slept through the night for 3 nights in a row. Well, it was 6 hours straight starting on Nov. 11th (and after she ate she slept another 4), and then 7 hours the 13th and 8 hours last night! It directly correlated with the day she started sleeping in her own room upstairs, in her crib, rather than the bassinet in our room. Maybe it's quieter for her, or maybe I just don't hear every noise she makes and get her up when she's not really ready. She has also started taking fairly long naps around lunchtime, and then another later in the afternoon.




She's just starting to notice her toys, and will laugh at the ones hanging from her playmat for quite a while. She unintentionally bats at them with her hands or her feet, and it seems like she's starting to learn that she is the one causing the rattling noises.











She loves tummy time and works very hard at holding her head up and trying to roll over. Once she even flipped over from her tummy to her back, but it hasn't happened again, so it was suprising even to her! She's very active on her tummy for awhile, but then tires herself out & falls asleep just like that.







Her eating habits are still pretty unpredictable, but we've moved up to the 9 oz. bottle because she seems to want more than just 4 oz. at a time sometimes. She still wants to "graze" every once in awhile, esp. late evening when she stays awake for 3-4 hrs. at a time, but as her sleeping patterns become more regular, her eating patterns are following suit. Since we got our new glider chair for her room early this month, she's been having most of her meals while rocking!








The changing pad in her room has magical abilities to make Leah the happiest baby in the world. (Either that or she just loves having her mommy or daddy looking down at her and giving her attention.) She's really started to find her voice and makes a lot of cooing and laughing noises. Her entire face lights up when she's happy and she can't open her mouth wide enough to express her contentment. This is the face that makes all the sleepless newborn nights worthwhile!

Leah's 1st Trip

We have just returned from a long weekend to Chattanooga for my best friend Elizabeth's wedding to Dan Thomas. It was such an honor to be her matron of honor. It was probably the most fun wedding I have been to in a long time! I told Elizabeth that day she looked as if she was part of a fairy tale-- the weather was chilly but beautiful, the fall leaves were the perfect colors, her dress & hair looked amazing, and everything seemed to go off without a hitch.

Leah was a trooper the whole weekend. We did a lot of running around getting ready for the wedding on Thurs. & Fri. and Leah just hung in there, barely fussing, sleeping a lot. She seemed to really love being around new people, in new surroundings. She slept like a champ in her pack 'n play (which inspired me to try her out in her crib now that we're home), even sleeping 6 hours Thurs. night.

Leah & I flew down to Atlanta on Wednesday. It was only an hour flight, and Leah slept the entire way. We got to the airport two hours early so I could get through security, etc., so I was able to feed her and get her to sleep before we ever even got on the plane. I ended up getting to sit in a row all by myself, since the flight wasn't full, so we had plenty of room to spread out. The flight attendants were also great. On the trip back from the wedding on Sunday, Brett drove the 3 of us. It was an 8 hour drive. Again, Leah slept for much of it. We stopped for an hour for lunch so she was able to eat & play some, then went right back to sleep. She only cried once, about the last hour of the trip & I got in back, fed her a little & she was fine. She is going to be a great traveler!

The Bed & Breakfast where the reception was held was really beautiful, set on a lake with the mountains in the distance. Brett & I got a room for Friday & Saturday night. We had a huge king sized bed, a jacuzzi tub, a separate sitting area & a small kitchenette. It made for a great mini romantic getaway after the wedding was over!

The beautiful bride & groom

Family photo

Elizabeth & me

Two Months Old

Leah at two months:

* Measurements- She's up to 9 lbs. 10 oz. She can finally wear most 0-3 month sized clothing, though she still wears a lot of newborn stuff.

* Eating- We are now thinking it is because she is incredibly social that her eating/ sleeping patterns have gone awry. The past week she is only sleeping 2 or 3 hour stretches, if that, and is up 3 times a night. When she eats, she only takes about 1- 1.5 oz. before she either a) is ready to play; or b) falls asleep and is no longer interested. Then in another hour or so, she's ready to eat again. She acts ravenously hungry but will only eat another ounce before getting bored again. Up to this point I have been "demand-feeding," i.e., feeding whenever she is hungry, but I am thinking now I might start trying to get her on a schedule. The dr. even mentioned it is worth a shot. It may take some tears on her part, but I think if I only feed her every 3-4 hours, she will eventually learn to eat more at each feeding. I'm also going to try keeping all her feedings quiet, as the TV might be too distracting for her.

* Personality- She is incredibly social. Even the doctor said she seems to be much more engaged than most babies her age. I have started taking a mom & baby exercise class at the hospital. The past two classes she lays on the mat and just smiles and "laughs" the entire hour. (I like to believe the cooing and huge open-mouthed smile she has is laughing; Brett, however, is skeptical.) I make faces at her and she gets a huge grin that fills her entire face. She can do this up to 3 hours a day! She especially seems to like looking at her daddy-- maybe its the facial hair, or maybe she gets bored with me.

- She seems to enjoy being naked, as long as she is not cold. Is this bad for her future?

- She did great with her two-month shots today. She cried while she was getting them, of course, but once she had a bottle in her mouth, she was fine and went back to her usual happy self. She's sleeping peacefully now, two hours after the fact. We will see how she feels tomorrow.

- I am beginning to fall more & more in love with her every day. The smiles and "giggles" make all the sleepless nights worthwhile, and I am learning to see each day with her as a blessing, because she is growing so quickly and I only have her a short while.

She is actually about 2 inches longer than @ 1 month!

Gardner-Webb Homecoming

Leah & I had a great weekend visiting some old friends at my college's Homecoming football game. Brett had to stay home because he was officiating his first-ever wedding. He was missed, but we had fun anyway. We drove down Friday night and came back Saturday after the game. I got to see Sarah & her family whom I haven't seen in over a year, and Mandy and her new beau, whom I haven't seen in almost a year and a half. And I haven't been back to Gardner-Webb since 2004!

Leah did so well on the trip. She slept most of the way there. She was a little difficult to put down at night. I think she sensed she wasn't in her usual bed, but she finally went to sleep around 11:30 and made it 4 hours before waking up again. At the game she slept for awhile (even through the multiple cannon blasts, cheering & loud noises-- we were winning!) then woke up & entered her cheerful, smiley mode. The trickiest part was the drive home. We had to stop twice on the way back-- once I had to go to the bathroom, so she woke up & realized she was hungry. Then another hour and she spit up all over herself. So then she was hungry again. A 4 hour trip turned into 6.5 hours. And there are not many baby-friendly fast food restaurants out there. I changed her once on the floor of a handicapped stall (right after I also pumped my hurting breasts-- where else am I supposed to do something like that?), and once on the bench of a booth. Now I'm going to research places that have family restrooms where I can pump, or at least restrooms that have changing tables!

Some fun photos from the weekend:

Routine

I had thought by the time she was 6 weeks, Leah would have some sort of daily routine. She does, somewhat, although it's not exactly the routine I would like. She is still eating every 2 or 3 hours, and rarely sleeps longer than 3 hours, even though at one point she was sleeping two 4-hour stretches at night. Here is our usual daily schedule, varying by about an hour or so:

7:30 or 8 a.m.: Wake up & eat-- Usually she's fairly alert after this feeding, although I like to try
to put her right back to bed so I can catch an extra hour of sleep. We have the rare sort of
baby that can lay in her crib awake for 20-30 minutes without fussing and just "talk" herself
to sleep. She's done this quite a bit lately!
10:30: Wake up & eat. Feedings typically take between 30-45 minutes, including a diaper
change halfway through to keep her awake.
12:00: Brett comes home for lunch-- Leah is typically in her "awake & happy" state, where she's
smiling & cooing and fun to be around
12:30: She wants to eat again. She's getting drowsy, but not really ready to sleep. If I have
plans to go somewhere, this is when I go, because she always falls asleep in her car seat. If we
aren't going anywhere, I'll put her in her swing or on her play mat and after a few minutes
she usually drifts off.
4:00: Wake up & eat again, then another "awake & happy" state before getting drowsy
6:00: It never fails, she's ready to eat again just as we're ready for dinner!
7:30: Evenings are usually when she does her "cluster feeding"-- she'll eat only about 1.5 oz (a
typical feeding is about 3.5 oz.) and then get drowsy & fall asleep. As soon as her head hits her
bed, her eyes pop open & she wants to eat more. She'll eat more, fall asleep. Repeat the
process. Ocassionally she'll be fussy during this period (usually when I'm here by myself with
no help!) and want to be held the rest of the evening.
9:30 or 10: Her usual bedtime. This is when I put on her pajamas. Eventually we'll add in a
regular bathtime & story here, but for right now, we're working on getting her to take a full
feeding, because it seems the more she eats, the longer she sleeps. She usually falls asleep
after 2.5 oz., though, and then we go to bed shortly after she's asleep.
2:30 or 3: Usually I keep the room dark & quiet during this feeding, so she can distinguish that it
is night. Typically I don't have much trouble getting her to go back to sleep right after she
eats. The key is to put the diaper change in the middle, since it wakes her up long enough to
eat more, and then she gets sleepy again.
5:30 or 6: This is the hardest feeding for me, because I'm just so tired & I want to hit her
"Snooze" button.

I've read that by 3 months babies can typically sleep through the night. Right now that seems like a faraway dream, but I am hoping that we are establishing good habits now that will set her up to start sleeping longer. I know she can do it, because she already has. The one thing I really want to change in her routine is getting her to eat more at each feeding, so that she's not hungry again in an hour. I know she has a small stomach & I don't want her to get too full, but I know she is capable of holding at least 4 oz. at this point. So we will continue to work on that, and continue to maintain her routine so that before we know it, I will be sleeping more than 3 hours at a time!

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

I am already starting to see how quickly babies grow. Leah still doesn't do much more than eat, sleep, and poop, but she is starting to be awake a lot more often. She's smiling for real now, in recognition to people's voices, and it always makes me smile! This milestone has got me forward-thinking to the next milestones, like sitting up and laughing and eventually crawling. Trust me, I am in no hurry for her to get there, but it made me really think about her future and all that we have to look forward to. It also made me think how relatively easy the decisions Brett & I have had to make in raising Leah have been so far, and how much harder they are bound to get as she gets older. Right now it is so easy to focus on the day to day-- making sure she is fed and clean and well-rested. It seems hard now. But I can imagine it will be a different kind of challenge as she grows.



Before we know it, we will be faced with the responsibility of sharing the Gospel with our daughter. Sure, that's really an everyday responsibility that we will live out in our daily lives, but there will come a day when she will have questions, and we will be her primary source of information. We will be the ones that will model Christ to her. And then before we know it, we will be making decisions that are so much harder than whether we should wake her to feed her or let her sleep during the day, or whether we should bottle or breastfeed. We will be helping her make decisions about the friends she should spend time with, the activities she should participate in, whether she should date. We will be the ones that will model honesty and purity and humility in relationships.


I can barely fathom the idea of Leah as a teenager, and then as an adult, making her own decisions and becoming the person God is already shaping her to be. But I know it will happen before we know it, and what an awesome responsibility Brett & I have as her parents to model all that is pure and True!






Look who's smiling now!








If you have time, watch this video of Steven Curtis Chapman's song, Cinderella. I'd heard it before, but it is so much more meaningful now that I have a little girl of my own. Be prepared to cry!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfxL0S-7yVo

Aunt Eli's visit & Family Photo Shoot

This post is to make Elizabeth happy! We had a great visit last Wed. & Thurs.-- Leah loved to meet her "Aunt" Eli. We also had a blast taking some family photos. Click to see more: http://picasaweb.google.com/brettandsabrina/FamilyPhotoShoot#

Must-Have Newborn Items

Baby Necessities You Will Need for the First 6 Weeks:

4-5 onesies

2-3 pairs pants

3-4 long-sleeved sleepers or gowns

3-4 pairs socks

1 knit cap or hat

2 lightweight blankets

1 heavy blanket

3-4 receiving or swaddling blankets

5-6 burp cloths

5-6 baby washcloths

2 hooded towels

3 four-oz. bottles w/ slow nipples

bottle cleaning brush

baby nail clippers

portable diaper changing pad

10 diapers per day = 420 diapers

3 wipes per diaper change = 1260 wipes

diaper rash cream

1 bottle baby wash

crib or bassinet

2-3 bassinet or crib sheets

car seat

swing or bouncer seat

1 or 2 toys: with lights & music

diaper bag



Diaper Bag Packing List for Newborn

1 diaper per hour you will be out

travel-sized pack of wipes

small sized bottle of diaper rash cream

1 receiving or lightweight blanket

1 burp cloth

2 extra outfits (weather-appropriate)

1 pair socks

1 knit cap or hat (if cold outside)

1 prepared bottle (if bottle-feeding)

1 small toy

1 pacifier in small Ziploc bag (if using)

grocery bags for dirty diapers



Hospital Packing List

insurance card/ hospital paperwork

magazines or books for labor

bathrobe

slippers

nursing nightgown

nursing pillow

2 pairs underwear

2 nursing bras

2 pairs warm socks

toiletries: shampoo, soap, deoderant, etc.

toothbrush & toothpaste

makeup

going home outfit for mom

going home outfit for baby

warm blanket for baby

camera w/ extra film & batteries

cell phone

change for drinks & snacks

for labor partner: 2 changes of clothes; toiletries

1 month already!

Leah at one month old:

* Measurements- At her doctor's appointment Thursday, she weighed 8 lbs. (2 whole pounds above her birthweight!) but gained no length. She's still in newborn sized clothes-- so I'm hoping the weather stays warm a little longer, since there's not much cold-weather stuff for newborns.

* Sleeping- She is slowly becoming more active & alert. She generally has one "awake" period every day, where she'll play or just stay awake without wanting to eat for about 2 hours.

- She still sleeps two 3 or 4 hr. stretches every night-- sometimes she'll go right to sleep after she eats, sometimes she'll get a little fussy, depending on how she feels.

* Eating- Her digestive system is still developing I think, so she has a little trouble with gas. I can tell it hurts her and there's very little I can do. I have been monitoring what I eat, though, and am doing some experimenting with removing different foods from my diet to see how it affects her. We've also tried a different kind of bottle, which helps, and now we're spiking her bottle with "Tummy Drops."

- She still sleeps best in her car seat, her swing, or someone's arms.

- She is hilarious when she talks to herself while falling asleep.

* Playtime- She loves looking at herself in the mirror on her playmat, or looking at the flashing musical star toy on that same mat. For some reason it fascinates her!

- She is absolutely perfect!

Now that I am adjusting to her sleeping patterns, I am getting used to the idea of being home 24/7. She is easy to go out & take places, so I try to get out at least once a day with her, even if it's just to go for a walk around the neighborhood (with the hills in our neighborhood & the weight of pushing the stroller, this is great exercise!). She has been to church the past few Sundays (even if she did get fussy and had to go to the nursery before the sermon last week). She is starting to be a lot more fun to have around!