Evelyn Jo-One Month Old

One Month!  Wow!  This time if flying by SO fast!  I can't believe it!  Yes, this is coming in late but that is the story of my life right now :)

The first month of Evie's life has once again been a learning experience for us as e get used to having two children.  It has been busy as life with your second child does not slow down much like it does with the first child.  She does pretty good in the car seat and doesn't fuss much when we are out and about which is wonderful.  She started out pretty easy going but between Week 3 and 4 she has become more fussy-almost colicky-unconsolable at times. April 27th was the first "tough" day.  I messaged Amber saying it was our most challenging day yet.  Evie cried most of the day and would only sleep for 10-15 minutes at a time and would wake up angry.  This was the start of a very trying period of time for us. Lets just say this definitely gets worse into her second month.  

GROWTH:

Evelyn is done wearing newborn clothes.  In fact, she was pretty much our of newborn clothes by week 2 or 3.  She is fully in Size 0-3 Months.  We did an at home weight check around 10 lbs.  Which at first I didn't think was accurate because in my mind I though she was close to 10 lbs at her two week check up but it was actually close to 9 lbs so 10 lbs sounds about right.  Her thighs are super chunky haha.  We are using cloth again 100% of the time and some of the newborn diapers are hard to get around her chunky legs.  So different from Elsie's little chicken legs.  Also she is a supersoaker.  Her diapers are completely saturated after 1-2 hours.  I guess that means she is hydrated.  

SLEEP

Evie is a pretty sleepy baby and many times we have to wake her to eat.  I do think this fact has impacted my milk supply.  At night time she will sleep anywhere from 3-5 hour stretches at a time. We do not wake her to eat at night since she is getting her 8 feedings in a day and seem content with this.  She is still sleeping in her small pack and play at night but will sleep during the day in the rock and play, swing, or the Ergo baby carried (a lifesaver for us this time around).  She doesn't really take a pacifier and oh there are times we really wish she did and times that we try but does little good. 

FEEDING

Evie is eating at least 8 times a day.  I will nurse her first and then she gets a bottle of formula afterwards.  We make up a 2 oz  bottle and most feedings she will polish that off without a problem.  Night time she doesn't eat quite as much but will still drink some formula.  There are even times during the day we have to mix up another 2 oz.   In the first two weeks though she was not a very aggressive eater, would just eat for  little bit and then stop.  I believe we are at least at a 50/50 ratio for formula to breastmilk but I can't say for sure since I have no idea how much she gets when she nurses.  Also before we give her formula we will supplement with any milk I got while pumping which I do after nursing her.  I generally get .5-1 oz total after each time I pump which is about 2-4 times a day.  

Evie is getting so strong.  She can hold her head up for a decent amount of time (as you can see in the picture above).  We try to do tummy time which she actually seems to enjoy.  She goes for walks in the Ergo carrier and really seems to like that.  I think we have used the stroller only once for her. We have been hearing sounds our of her that is not crying which is wonderful and the best day yet is when she first smiled!  (4/30)  Just shy of her one month birthday!  She hates getting dressed but doesn't mind getting her diaper changed.  In fact she is VERY quick to let you know she has a wet diaper and wants it changed immediately.  

This just made my day :)

I love looking at these pictures I took of her-not because they are such wonderful pictures-in fact, she looks a bit scared and wondering what they heck is going on! :) 

Elsie is still in love with her sister!  by the time we got to taking these pictures though Evie was over it.

And here is a quick comparison of Evie and Elsie at one month.  Not the best comparison pictures but it will have to do :) 

 

Two Week Highlights-Evie Jo

I know it is time for our month two recap but I am so far beind-I guess I have been busy ;).  I feel like I could sum up the first two weeks home as tons of appointments.  It was VERY busy between doctor appointments, Easter, Elsie's dance recitals and activities, and adjusting to be a family of four. It has been good, but very busy.

We were welcomed home on Friday April 3rd.  My parents and Elsie were there when we arrived home with our little Evie Jo.  We were also welcomed home by this sign. Bev had made this and hung it up before we arrived.  She did the same when we came home with Elsie.  When we walked in the door we were greeted with excitement from my mom, dad, and Elsie.  The rest of the day was low key, just trying to get to know my little girl.

On Saturday our second day home, we took Elsie to the Easter Egg Hunt put on by the local Jaycees chapter, took Evie on her first grocery shopping trip for Easter dinner supplies.

Sunday was Easter and we celebrated with my parents.  I wrote a specific post about Easter so I won't go into details.

You can't see it but this shirt says "My First Easter"

Elsie was so excited to have a baby sister and took some time out to read to her.  It was the sweetest thing ever for me.  

Evelyn's Sleeping Quarters-She is in a small pack and play next to my side of the bed.

Our first morning at home and Elsie slept until 7:48 which was wonderful!!!  Evie slept this late too except she was up a few times throughout the night ;)

Snuggling with Daddy

Oh the pump!  I became all too familiar with this machine much earlier than I had hoped.  Once again a low milk supply has become an issue.  

Because our hospital is so much in support of breastfeeding, they had a great staff of lactation consultants that are there to help to make breastfeeding a success.  On Monday April 6th, we had an appointment with a lactation consultant.  Evie hadn't lost any weight but she hadn't gained any either.  The plan was to just keep nursing and pumping.  I was dealing with some pain issues which led me to have to pump because there was no way I could let her nurse on my left side.  I was taking herbal supplements at this time too to help with supply.  On Wednesday I took Evie back for a weight check and an appointment with the lactation consultant.  Unfortunately, she lost .5 oz which isn't a lot but it was at a point where she should be gaining weight.  She observed Evelyn nursing and after 4 minutes of nursing she had to suck 6-8 times before she swallowed any milk. She should be doing 1-1 or 2-1 not 8-1. After consulting with a pediatrician at the hospital, they ended up recommending that I start supplementing with formula for medical reasons.  As the lactation consultant put it there are three levels.  Hydration, Maintaining, and then Thriving.  Evelyn was reaching the first two levels but sadly was not thriving and gaining weight.  This killed me, it was tough to hear because I so badly wanted things to go different this time, I wanted it to come easier.  I was prepared mentally that this would happen but it was still disappointing. The lactation consultant was wonderful though and super supportive.  We made another appointment for the following Monday for a weight check.  We started her on Similac Advance (the normal kind).  

On Friday April 10th, we ended up going in to see the pediatrician.  Evie lost her cord stump on Day 5 and it just was not healing at all so they wanted to see her to make sure it wasn't infected.  Good news came from that appointment-there was not infection and Evie had gained weight finally!  8 lbs 6 oz!  So 3 oz!  "they" say about an ounce a day is pretty average for growth at this stage in the game. One thing I want to also remember from this appointment was how the doctor made me feel. He wasn't our normal pediatrician as he was out of the office that day.    He asked how feeding was going and remarked on her weight gain.  I told him how we were supplementing and I got a little emotional.  He was so caring and reassuring that she was okay to have formula.  He asked "What is the difference between a baby who breastfeeds or a baby that drinks formula? Nothing, they are both loved so much by their parents" and reassured me that we are doing the best we can and that I am a good mama.    On Monday 4/13 we had her weight check at the hospital and good news-another weight gain.  8 lbs 10.5 oz.  She was finally thriving-even if it does mean she is getting formula.  

My first day home alone on maternity leave 4.

Me with my girls! :)  First solo bedtime with both of them. 4/7/15

On April 8th-When Evie was 8 days old we had her newborn photos taken.  This was one of my favorites.  See more here

Doing payroll-I am still working a bit while on "maternity leave"

4.11.15

Elsie was trying to take care of her sister.  She was so concerned because Evie was sleeping without a blanket and she was so concerned she was going to get cold.  We had to explain to her babies don't sleep with blankets and that she wears a sleepsack which keeps her warm and that when she was little that is what she used too.  Also super sweet because this is her "blankie".  Also here you can see how she is sleeping on her side-scares me to death how she rolls over onto her side like this already.  Something I plan to bring up at her two week checkup.  

4.12.15

Look at that sweet face

Waking up from an afternoon nap-all three of us!  4.13.15

I took this picture of Evelyn while at a Dr. appointment for me.  In the first two weeks of life Evie got dragged to 8 appointments and a trip to the emergency room.  Five of those appointments were for her-three appointments with the lactation consultant, one for her umbilical cord, and one for her two week check up, two chiropractor appointments for me, one dr. appointment for me, and the emergency room appointment was for me.  Shortly after arriving home from the hospital I started having really bad pain in my right calf.  It hurt to walk sometimes.  It felt almost like I had pulled a muscle which was really weird.  I thought maybe something happened during my epidural and I didn't feel it when I injured it.  on Monday April 13th, my right ankle swelled up, hurt, was hot to the touch, and was red.  I called first nurse and they told me I had to come in immediately because they were afraid of a blod clot-a complication that they are concerend about during and shortly after pregnancy.  Bev came and stayed with Elsie and John, Evie, and I headed in to the emergency room.  They performed an ultrasound on my leg and it came back clear thank goodness.  The ER doctor diagnosed it a skin infection, prescribed antibiotics, and sent me on my way.  They said to follow up with my primary care provider.  I really don't have one so I called the local clinic and made an appointment on the 15th because I wanted a second opinion.  I didn't think it was a skin infection and didn't want to take antibiotics if I didn't need to.  Well my suspicions were right, it was a skin infection it was "superficial phlebitis"  blood clots in my superficial veins vs deep veins which is what they checked for in the ER.  He said what I had could lead to DVT so I had to be careful, watch for changes, and limit exercise.  I asked if I could walk around the block with Elsie while she rode her bike and he said no :(  I was so bummed.  He increased my ibuprofen dosage to 4 tablets 3 times a day and told me to stop taking all the herbs I was taking for breastfeeding because there is no real FDA studies on them and the could be causing some of this stuff.  I am not sure I buy that but I was okay stopping them-after almost two weeks I didn't feel like they were really helping anyways. I had a follow up appointment the following week and it was getting better so I could stop taking the ibuprofen and start walking slowly and for short distances.  Eventually, my leg returned to normal.  

Elsie wanted to be swaddled just like her sister :)

She just adores her!  She always wants to "see her face"

Two Week Dr. Appointment

On April 16th, Evelyn had her two week check up.  I was very curious about her weight, although with supplementing I knew she was eating enough.  

Weight:  8 lbs 10.5 oz-she finally passed her birth weight which is a goal they have by two weeks

Length:  21" Long

Being this is my second child I didn't have near as many questions. I was curious how this would be different than Elsie's because we are seeing a new/different doctor.  He covered a lot of my questions just in our discussion.  One of the concerns I have is bugs/sun since she is younger than 6 months during the summer-with Elsie I didn't have to worry because she was 6 months by the time summer rolled around.  He said with the sun we just have to keep her covered and in the shade.  With bugs he recommended bug netting as much as possible. If that isn't an option he said we could put a little spray on our hands and touch her clothing in a couple of spots.  He has always recommended DEET because he says that anything else doesn't work.  We aren't huge fans of DEET so this is something we don't agree on :).  

I also asked about sleeping and having to wake her up in the middle of the night to eat.  Up until now we were told we had to wake her every three hours to eat and to be honest, I didn't follow this. I just thgouht there was something wrong to set my alarm to wake her in the middle of the night.  I figured she wakes me up enough on her own ;).  He said we didn't have to wake her but she needed to eat at least 8 times a day.  

I asked about the red spot on her eye-like I suspected it was just some broken blood vessels from delivery and would go away on its own.  

I asked about how she rolls on her side during sleep.  He told me we needed to use the sleepsack like we had been using and to keep her arms out of the swaddle.  We had been doing that too because I had read up on that.  

I had also notice that she likes to turn her head to one side-to her left side.  Was there any neck/head issues with this?  He said this was normal, that babies tend to prefer one side over the other and just to ocassionally turn her head to the right to stretch out the muscles and mix things up so that it doesn't become an issue.  

That is about it for the appointment.  We left being reassured that we have a beautiful, healthy girl.  

To see how this compares with Elsie's Two Week highlights click here.

Elsie Marie-1 Month

One month ago our little girl was born and what an adventure this past month has been. It has been a learning process for us all, and I have enjoyed every minute of it!  I look back at some of the pictures taken of her right after she was born and she has already changed so much.

Her current weight taken at home is somewhere between 8 lbs 14 oz and 9 lbs.  She is my little chunker :)  She is eating anywhere between 2 oz. to 6 oz a feeding.  She also likes to mix up how long she goes between feedings.  Sometimes is is 3 hours and sometimes it is 5 hours.  She is still eating a mix between breatmilk and formula.   We are currently at a 50/50 ratio which I am pleased with.  Of course I would be happier if she was getting more breastmilk but we are doing better that I had expected.  She definitely lets us know when she wants to eat and has very little patience as we get it ready.  

We have made the switch to exclusively cloth diaper.  Yay!!  It took us a few weeks we are finally there and  she has not be red at all since the switch.  So far what we are doing is working great.  She is still in newborn size but we have also been able to use some of the next size up and some one size diapers.  They are so cute and I love snapping pictures of her in them.  

Not only is she getting so big she is getting so strong!  She is really getting a lot of strength in her neck and can hold her head up for a decent amount of time.  She loves tummy time and we try to do it often.  She has discovered her hands and are mesmerized by them.  At times she looks like she is checking out her biceps but in reality she is checking out her hands.  When she sleeps, she prefers to have her hands out.  We don't really swaddle her anymore, especially with her arms in.  She gets really upset. She loves her daddy's made up songs and listening to my stories.  She hates getting dressed but has finally stopped crying when we change her diaper.  She is officially out of newborn clothes and has moved up to the 0-3 size.  

We like to take outings to get out of the house every now and then.  We have lunch one or twice a week in town with John, Grandma Bev, and Grandpa Dale.  We have also had a girls lunch with Lisa and Kara.  On the days we don't go out for lunch we have lunch at home and if we are lucky John gets to join us.  She had her first dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings and also out at the country club.  She does so good and mostly just sleeps her way through dinner. With all the beautiful weather we have been blessed with this winter we have had the chance to get out for a walk or two as well. She has made one trip up to Minnesota and will be going up soon for another trip where she will finally get to meet her Uncle Tony.  

The bunny is to show scale and I plan to use it to compare month to month photos.  

I love looking at her little nose, mouth, fingers, and toes.  I can't get enough snuggle time and I love watching her as she starts to wake up.  Her stretches are adorable and the sounds she makes are so cute (until she starts crying because she wants to eat now).  I can't imagine anymore what our life without Elsie would be like.  She is truly a blessing and I can't wait for all the adventures that are up ahead.