5 weeks old

Sleeping baby, and happy mommy!

Again, time seems to be making a mockery of me!  I can't believe I've been a mother for over a month now.  It seems like just yesterday that I was being sent to the hospital to be induced.  Gabby is a constant joy (even at 3:00 am), and nothing makes me happier than her sleeping on my chest in the afternoons.  I had to get a Moby wrap (basically a sling that allows me to carry her hands-free) so that I could get things done while she naps.  Eventually I'll move her to her crib to nap, but for now I'm just enjoying holding her close during the day.  I have stopped pulling her into bed with me during the night, since I figured breaking that habit now would be much easier than breaking it when she's older!  She's actually been sleeping in her crib in her own room rather than the Pack N Play in our bedroom for the past few nights, and she's doing great!  The first night, I actually slept less than I normally do, since I wasn't sure I trusted the monitor :)  Turns out it works just fine, and I was able to hear her when she started to cry and get some good feeding time in on the recliner in her room, rather than propped up on pillows in my bed!  We had 1 night where she woke up at midnight, but in general, we can put her in there around 10, and she'll stay asleep until 2 or 3.  I'm hoping this good sleeping continues!  We do plan on putting her down earlier when she gets older, but for now, I'll take 10:00.

One baby burrito, no onions.

At least she wakes up in a good mood!

As far as sleeping goes, she's actually been really good.  She generally eats around 9:30 or so, and then we swaddle her and she sleeps a good 4-6 hours.  She'll wake up between 2 and 4:00, eat again, and then go down until about 7:00.  If I feed and re-swaddle her at 7:00, she'll sleep until 9:30 or so, allowing me to get up, eat breakfast and shower.  She generally stays awake with a short catnap through the morning, and then falls asleep for a few hours after lunch in the Moby or swaddled.  After that, she catnaps and eats the rest of the day.  The times do vary depending on how she and I feel that day, and if I drag her out on a walk or to the store, but overall, she's pretty good about keeping her schedule.

What she really thinks about going outside

Sleeping off of me during the day for a bit!

Gabby went to the doctor last week for her one month check-up.  She weighed 7 lbs 9 oz, making her only 3 oz heavier than her birth weight.  However, since she lost almost a pound in those first few days, she was actually up half a pound from her previous appointment 2 weeks ago.  Her pediatrician was very happy with that, and said that she should be gaining about a quarter of a pound a week.  I don't see her weight gain as an increase in chubbiness, but I do see it in her length!  The pediatrician didn't measure how long she was now, but I can tell she has definitely grown a few inches--her feet now hang off ,my side while she's eating, and she just seems bigger.  She also outgrew the smallest of the newborn sleepers!  We don't go back to the doctor until she's 2 months old, but he told us to feel free to bring her in for weight checks if we want.  I think we'll just weigh her at home, since taking her in with all those sick kids seems like a really bad idea!

My big girl!

Since my last post, we also had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Pechenino and Auntie Amy.  They flew in from IL on March 7, and stayed until March 11.  They actually slept at the condo that Brian's parents rent here in Sac, and it worked out really well.  While they were here at the house, Gabby didn't get put down once!  Between Grandma and Amy, the only time I actually held Gabby was when I was feeding her.  It was very cool to see my parents interacting with Gabby, and Amy really amazed me by being all about holding Gabby.  Amy was really good at soothing her, too.  The only downside (for Amy anyway) was that it seemed Gabby pooped every time Amy was holding her.  It got to be pretty funny!  We all had a good time together--we went out to lunch every day, we also went shopping and took Gabby out to a park in Sac.  It was really nice to have help while they were here (they cleaned the entire house one afternoon), and it definitely made me more confident taking Gabby places.

Post-lunch.  It was kind of chilly, so this is the best picture of Gabby from that day

I do like the blanket.

With the proud grandparents and auntie

Family photo.  I promise Gabby's in there!

Brian is absolutely fantastic with Gabby--I couldn't ask for a better dad for her!  He basically takes her from me when he gets home from work during the week and only lets me have her back when she needs to eat.  He holds her most of the weekend too, which gives me a nice break and allows me to take care of myself some.  He obviously loves her so much, and can't get enough of holding her and playing with her.  He gets upset when she's upset and he can't get her to calm down.  It's really very cute.  I knew he'd be a great dad, but I didn't realize just how great!

Daddy's little girl

We did have to correct him when he tried to eat her one night.  A squirt of water did the trick!

As for me, I still love being a mom.  Breastfeeding was quite a challenge (and sometimes still is), but I seem to have a pretty good handle on it now.  It's cool to think that I'm still solely responsible for providing her the nutrition she needs to get big and strong.  I'm trying to pump some milk to store in the freezer, but it's really hard to do when I'm home alone with her all day.  Plus, I have trouble getting the timing down--it seems like I just finish pumping and she wants to eat again.  Then she gets all frustrated and head butts the crap out of my boob to get more milk out.  My diaper changing time has gotten much better, and I can (mostly) do it without getting peed or pooed on. Overall, I really enjoy this time I have with Gabby--even on the days when she won't let me put her down, and during that weekend when Brian wasn't allowed near her due to his mild bronchitis and I had 7 straight days with no break.  She is such a joy and a huge blessing!

I just love this little girl!

And lastly, Gabby's future BFF, Phoebe Berry, was born on March 15!  Congratulations to Stephanie, Chris and big sister Charlotte.  Gabby is looking forward to years of fun playdates :)

3 weeks old!

I can't believe how the time has flown!  One of my friends told me that the days would be long, but the weeks short, and she was absolutely right!  Some days seem to drag on for an eternity, but then I turn around, and it's already the end of the week, and she's survived for another one.

On her changing pad (cover by Nancy)

Honestly, this is what I usually see from her when I'm not holding her!

The first week was actually a bit of a blur--I was still in a fair amount of pain from the episiotomy, and it was basically hell trying to get enough rest to heal up from that and take care of a newborn who didn't (and still doesn't) understand that mommy has needs too.  Grandma and Grandpa Romo were in town for that first week, and brought us lunch everyday.  They then stayed through the afternoon, helping with chores and giving me a break from baby for a nap, and made us dinner at night.  Brian was also off work that week, and he was invaluable with fetching me things and making sure I was as comfortable as I could be.  We also had tons of visitors that week (Robbie and Judy, The Berrys, Christina and Floyd, Kelley--love you all!) who brought us yummy food and some much-needed outside world contact.  I can't thank everyone enough for reminding me that there is a world out there still!

Grandpa getting her nose

Grandma and Grandpa Romo

Robbie wasn't scared to hold her!

She is rocking the hat that Judy got her.

We have given her a couple of baths, which since we're new takes 2 of us, so here are some "after" pictures, but no "during".  Rest assured that she cries like a normal baby while she's being bathed!

All happy again wrapped up in her towel

She looks like a Jedi

Brian also set up the living room for us to do a photo shoot with her. 

Sleeping baby

Our best family shot

Mommy and Gabby

The second week, Aunt Jennifer came up from LA to stay with us for a few days to help me get over the transition of Brian going back to work.  She was completely invaluable with helping me to figure out pumping and feeding schedules, and getting me more comfortable getting out of the house with the baby.  She gave me very nice breaks taking care of Gabby while I took care of myself.  I'm so grateful to her for taking time out of her busy life to help us out!

This week has been my first week on my own.  It's been going fairly well, but Gabby is not at all happy any time I put her in the carseat.  We took a walk yesterday, and you'd think I was dipping her in acid.  It was a bit chilly outside with a pretty brisk wind, so I'm pretty sure she was just cold, but it was not a very fun time for either one of us!  I'm sure the people in my neighborhood thought I was crazy! 

Otherwise, we've been dealing with Brian having a slight cold.  He and I decided that he should stay away from the baby completely, since something  minor for us can be really really bad for a small baby.  I didn't realize how much I relied on his help at night with her--it's been hard taking sole care of her and not getting a break.  I know he feels really badly too, since he really wants to hold her and can't.

Daddy, Gabby and Beau in healthier times

Overall, Gabby has been a really good baby so far.  She only gives me 2-3 hour stretches at night between feedings, but she does go back to sleep really quickly after eating.  She's still sleeping in the Pack N Play in our room, and she stays there all night (except feedings) until around 6 am, when I pull her into bed with me so that I can get some more sleep in the morning!  I was always one of those people who swore that I would never bring a child into bed with me, and look at me now :)  It's amazing how much your philosophy changes when you actually have kids!

During the day, Gabby tends to eat every 2 hours or so, depending on how big her appetite is.  She'll usually take a really long morning nap, which gives me a chance to shower and get some lunch in, and then she'll take another shorter nap in the afternoon.  When she is awake, she's super aware and looking around.  She loves to look at lights and anything with a high contrast (I'm wearing a purple and white striped shirt today, and she's been mesmerized).  She has the biggest blue eyes, and the cutest little face and hair.  She's dealing with some baby acne right now, which is because of my hormones coming out in the breast milk, but that should clear up on its own fairly soon.  Breast feeding is going pretty well so far.  I get some pain when she latches, but it goes away after a few seconds.  She actually lost 14 oz between being born and her first doctor's appointment, which is on the high side, but we took her back in 3 days later, and she was back up 8 oz.  She goes back to the doctor on March 5, so we'll see if everything is still on track.  I feel like she is getting heavier, and the newborn clothes aren't fitting nearly as well as they did when she was born, so I think everything will check out just fine.  We have Grandma and Grandpa Pechenino and Auntie Amy flying in from IL to visit next week, and we're all super excited to see them, and for them to meet Gabby!

On that note, until next time, please enjoy this picture of how I spend my days now:

Take care everyone!