Well hello everyone! It's good to be back in the Land of the Living again. Things are starting to normalize slowly but surely. The first three weeks at home with Noa were so much more difficult than I could have imagined. Adjusting to her complete helplessness and dependency have been a direct challenge to my own independence. As everyone kept telling me they would, things did get better! By the third week we got our first glimpse at a restful night, and that began to make all the difference. Each night is a little different, but the good news is that she is beginning to develop a nighttime/daytime differentiation now. For a while she would seemingly be bothered by the stillness of the night and had trouble resting at all. A 30 minute nap before dawn was considered a success! Now, she feeds well and often throughout the day, and sleeps for 2-3 hour stretches at night. What a difference! She still has times when feeding is no fun and cannot complete a meal in peace. It's hard to know why she's uncomfortable or what she needs, but nearly every expert says to just give it time. Little babies still act more like fetuses for the first 3 months or so; their digestive systems and reflexes are still immature and adjusting. So Noa, Daddy, and I are working together as a team as best we can.
On a fun note, she is starting to respond to our playtime antics by smiling and calming when we kiss her feet or nuzzle her neck. This works especially well during diaper changes! She gives us the biggest smiles when she finishes a meal. It's the funniest thing to watch as she, in an instant, will unlatch, close her eyes and let her head drift back as a big, drunk smile spreads across her face. We'll try to get a decent picture of her "punch drunk face" as we call it.
She weighed 8 lbs. 15 oz. at her 2 week visit - that's one pound gained since the week before! Her 1-month visit will not come up for another couple of weeks, and we're convinced she's over 10 lbs by now. She's got a champion appetite and feeds as often as she needs to, so it's no surprise!
Daddy time...
She is still faithful to communicate her distaste for diaper changes...
Now this is something we had to share - she makes the funniest faces and noises as she wakes up from her naps. Along with the squeaks and grunts, she loves to stretch! Here are a couple of her finer moments:
Rock on!
2 comments:
Wow she is so big!!!! Do you feel like a milk factory?? I am so glad you are having a better time!!! She must love the factory!!!
Thanks for the updated post. We are glad you guys are doing better. Hopefully you'll be up for hanging out one of these days/nights/weekends??? We miss you guys.
Dell & Khadi Miller
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