Friday, May 10, 2013

Mama and Baby Update - Month 4

Sweet little P-Nut. She is a true joy in all our lives. As evidenced below...






She is doing so good and I am just so stinking proud of her! Which is funny because really she hasn't done anything overly outstanding she is just a baby being a baby but still... I'm very proud.

I am also incredibly proud of my Little C. He is quite the big brother and I am so happy how much he seems to love his "Baby Sis!" He will crack up at any noise, wiggle, or sneeze she makes. He thinks she is hilarious! And she lights up when he is around and always tracks him, watching his every move. It truly is so much fun to behold the sibling love.

The biggest change for Miss P this month was her introduction to daycare. I was stressed and kind of sad about it while her big bro had a major meltdown not understanding why he couldn't stay with her all day. Then she was all...

"What's the big deal, guys?"
 
 
As far as developmental changes are concerned, she rolled over the other night from her tummy to her back. That was a pretty big deal! She is also starting to bring her feet up to her hands while on her back and the other morning when I went into her room I found her like this...

We had her 4 month check-up and her stats are as follows:

Weight: 13.5 lbs (50%)
Height: 24 inches (40%)
Head: 15 1/2 inches  (13%)

Eating:
She averages about 5 feedings a day. On the weekdays they are primarily from bottles with nursing in the evenings and on the weekends. I have started to reintroduce dairy into my diet and she has been responding well so I think her colic and constant gas is a thing of the past. Woop!

Sleeping:
We had some set backs as far sleeping through the night. She started waking up at random times and needed to be nursed back to sleep. On a rough night I'd be down with her for close to an hour but most of the time it was a quick 20-30 minute spell. We would try to let her cry it out (CIO) but I think I was caving too soon. So we have decided to get a bit more stern with it since she is getting older but thankfully, she is back to sleeping through the night so we have not had to practice our toughness yet. ;)

Miscellaneous:
I am still on pins and needles wondering what color her eyes are going to be. Right now they are still blue but I swear I see some bits of green near her pupil. My eyes are green with gold/brown around the pupil, Hubs are hazel and Little C's are deep chocolate brown. There is green and brown on my family's side, and green and blue on Hubs' so we'll see!

Mommy Update:
I've already shared how exhausted I am so I won't beat a dead horse here. I did have one reader suggest getting my thyroid levels checked because exhaustion, even after a sufficient night's sleep, is a symptom of levels being out of whack. I did have some thyroid issues with both of my pregnancies so I will be getting my levels checked out very soon to see if something is going on. Thanks for looking out for me, Anonymous! ;)

Another thing I am struggling with is how to keep my breast milk supply up. During the work day I can really only pump once but I'm starting to think I will need to negotiate with my boss pumping twice or my supply will be gone before I know it. Right now my pumping schedule looks like this:
  1.  6:20am - As soon as I get out of the shower in the morning while I'm applying my make-up.
  2. 12:00pm - On my lunch break
  3. 5:00pm - On my drive home from work.
After that I try to nurse when I'm home. We do have to supplement with a bit of formula but she is still getting the majority of breast milk. We'll see if I can keep up as she starts eating more.

Lastly, I'm adjusting to being back at work as a mama of two. It is draining and challenging at times but overall, I'm handling it the best I can. I'm not going to lie and say it's a piece of cake because it feels like anything but. Yes, I like my job and I enjoy what I do but the work/life balance always feels skewed one way or the other. I know I will hit my stride eventually, just like I did after C was born, but right now I'm definitely treading water.

But it's not all doom and gloom so I don't want to end this post negatively.  I may be treading water but I am most certainly happy, very thankful, and very content and fulfilled by my little family.

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