One-handed days

I'm typing this post one-handed. I've done most things with one hand today. Today I've been reminded of the countless tales my parents have told about my persnickety sleep habits as a child. My Dad loves to tell about rocking me to sleep, carrying me up the stairs as he tries to miss the creaky spots, and finally reaching my bedroom door. But then my eyes would pop open, my arms would fly out, and I would start crying. According to him, this was repeated several times each night.

Today I kind of know how he felt. Miss Evelyn has fought sleep today more than usual. Just as I get her to sleep and set her down, she pops those pretty blue eyes open. As a result, she's been in my arms most of the day. Even holding her, she will doze off only to wake up if I make any slight move that resembles setting her down.

But you know what? I don't mind. I'm figuring out how to manage. I figured out how to do laundry with one hand, go to the bathroom with one hand, and eat my lunch with one hand. I even wrote a blog post with one hand.

6 Weeks

 

Wednesday marked 6 weeks with our sweet Evelyn. She's getting so big and growing too fast! We're loving the changes she's making each day, the smiles, learning to "talk", and getting more into a routine.




I am starting to loosely see a little bit of a routine to our day. Evelyn isn't a big sleeper during the day. She prefers to take little 30 minute cat naps and generally one longer nap in the afternoon/early evening. She does pretty well at night. She's usually asleep around 10:30-11 and sleeps until around 3. Then she's up for an hour or two and goes back to sleep until 7.



We're very much nursing on demand, which is completely fine by me. She sometimes goes 30 minutes between feedings, sometimes three hours. Generally, I can count on about 2 hours. As you can tell by her pictures, she's a big eater! :)

Evelyn loves going on our morning walks with Sarah and Harlow. She is usually asleep by the end of our street and sleeps the whole time. She also likes being in the Moby wrap as I do household tasks or do the grocery shopping. She will stay awake and look around for a while, but then usually falls asleep. She  likes sitting in her bouncer (that doesn't bounce because I keep forgetting to put batteries in it), on the play mat, or in her rock in play for about 10 minutes at a time. The girl gets bored easily and likes a lot of variety. I'm afraid she might have her Daddy's ADD tendencies.



Some of her favorite things to do (besides eating) are bath time, laying on her changing table, looking at the ceiling fan, being outside, and being swaddled. She also loves being sung to. I seriously need to learn the words to more hymns. I currently sing "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds," "Child of Grace," and "Just the Same Today" about 20 times a day. They're the only hymns I know all the words to. It's funny because in church I can sing most hymns without looking at the words. But when I try to sing them by myself, my mind goes completely blank.

Evelyn HATES tummy time! She also doesn't care for getting dressed after her bath. 

I'm feeling really good and pretty much back to normal. I'm  back to walking 3.5-4 miles most days and will soon be adding some more exercises to do at home to tone up and drop the baby weight. I'm usually wiped out by about 8:00 each night. We've gotten in the habit of getting ready for bed early and spending most of the evening in bed watching TV and snuggling. I love it!

 

Mother's Day

Yay! I figured out how to create a page using the My Memories Suite software I won in Kerry's giveaway back in March.

On another note, I had a wonderful first Mother's Day. Chris and Evelyn bought me a necklace with our three birthstones on it, a jewelry box, and sweet cards. We had a wonderful day at church followed by an afternoon/evening of spending time in bed cuddling and watching TV. I can't wait for many, many more Mother's Days.

One Month

 One month stats:

Weight: 10 lbs 1/2 oz, 73%

Length: 21 1/4 inches, 50%

Head: 14 inches, 20%

My Sweet Evelyn,

It's hard to believe you are one month old already! Even though some days seemed they would never end, this month has flown by. It has been a wonderfully blessed month. You are a precious gift and we treasure every moment with you.

From the moment I first laid eyes on you and held you in my arms, I was madly in love. My love for you grows more and more each day. I'm sure you get tired of hearing me tell you "Mama loves you," a thousand times a day and kissing your little cheeks. It's hard to resist.

I try to recall some of my favorite moments with you, but it's difficult to narrow them down. There's not doubt seeing you for the first time is at the top of my list. I remember feeling so surprised that you didn't have a head full of dark hair. But your strawberry blonde hair is beautiful and now I can't imagine you any other way. You were so tiny when the doctor placed you on my chest! You definitely let us know you had a good set of lungs right away and you're still reminding us daily. If any of our neighbors didn't know we had a baby, they sure do know by now! Call me a mean Mama, but sometimes I like to just watch you cry. I like to watch your mouth get pouty and you make the funniest faces.

I love watching you sleep. Those peaceful moments when your body is so relaxed and an occasional smile comes across your face are precious. I could spend hours just watching you and feeling the calming rhythm of your breathing. That said, I am thankful you have seemed to turn a corner in your sleeping habits the past few days. Up until this point, you wouldn't sleep more than an hour unless I was holding you. I love holding you, but this Mama needs to get some things done. The past three days you have been taking naps and sleeping in your rock n play, which makes me happy! Last night you slept for 4 hours straight in your rock n play! You also have started liking to be swaddled, which has helped you sleep. I call you my Baby Burrito when you're swaddled up tight.

It took a really long time for your cord stump to fall off, but since it has you are loving your bath time. You just like to be naked in general. You are content and just kick around when we have your diaper off to change it. I think you would be happy as a lark if we never put clothes or a diaper on you. But that might be a little messy.

Your Daddy sure does love you too. Nothing makes me happier than for him to say, "Come to Daddy. I'll make it all better," when you're upset. I love hearing him sing to you when he's trying to calm you down. He loves to kiss you on your cheeks, even when you make funny faces at him.

Some of my favorite times with you are when you've just finished nursing. You're so relaxed and happy. I love kissing you right on your lips. If you've fallen asleep, I just hold you and look at you. If you're awake, I love to look into your denim blue eyes. There's something captivating about staring into your eyes and losing track of time. I'll take your hand and you grab onto my finger. If I put you up on my shoulder to burp you, you often nuzzle into my neck and fall asleep. I love feeling the warmth of your breath on my neck and taking in the sweet smell of your head.

You're a delight in our life. I'm excited to see what changes the next month brings. Until then, I want to soak up every moment of your little life and never let it go.

Mama loves you sweet girl!