Julianne is 2 months old!

I am going to try and post once a month to Julianne regarding her previous month of life. I have seen this a lot in blog land and think it is a neat way for us all to look back and remember what she was up to on any given month. I missed month one but plan to write about it when I get a chance.

Here are her 2 month stats (she is a little thing):

Head circumference: 14.5 inches (10th percentile)
Weight: 10 lbs (25th percentile)

Length: 22 inches (48th percentile)

Dear Julianne-

It is hard to believe it has been 2 months since you joined our family. At times it feels difficult to remember life before you and impossible to imagine what we did without you! In the last 4 weeks we have gotten much more acquainted and into a loose routine which has really helped your momma. You are learning new things every day and it is beautiful to watch you change and grow. I just wish time wasn't flying by so quickly. You are getting so big so fast!

Top 6 highlights of this month in no particular order:

1. You are starting to know us. At 5 weeks you smiled at me in recognition and my heart swelled with joy! Now you smile at us all the time and lock eyes with me often showing you know I am your mommy. I love it since up until now you didn't give us a lot of feedback.

2. Bath time is fun for you! At first you cried whenever we bathed you, but now seem to love a dip in the tub. I love how you smell like baby soap and lotion afterwards and you seem to sleep better on bath nights.

3. We go out now! This month we have been all kinds of places and explored all kinds of things. We make weekly runs to Target and Sprouts for groceries and venture to the bank and dry cleaners when needed. This month we also went to the arboretum and started going to church and small group. At first it was pretty intimidating taking you places with all of the required gear, but now it seems like old hat.

we even do diaper changes in the trunk of the car....

4. We overcame Thrush! Thrush is a nasty and very painful yeast infection we were diagnosed with at 2 weeks in your mouth and on my breasts. I made breastfeeding excruciating and your mouth sore. We fought it long and hard for 4 weeks treating your mouth and my chest through a long series of trial and error medications and home remedies. Finally it seems to have cleared up in both of us. Praise the Lord!

5. We are all sleeping more! You are sleeping longer and longer stretches at night. It makes all the difference to your Mommy to sleep more hours in a row. Like you, I get a little cranky when I am tired.

when you are not sleeping in your crib Daddy is ready with open arms to hold you when he gets home from work. You love your Daddy snuggle time! 

6. You are making new friends. Haddon is your newest friend born last week. Before we know it y'all will be playing together!

It scares me a little to realize how fast time is passing and how quickly you are changing. I feel like I am going to blink and you will be heading off to college. I am trying to cherish this time and soak you up now while looking forward to what you will learn and how you will grow next. Your Daddy and I love you so much!

Love, 

Mommy

Not sure where to start

I finally have a minute to sit and blog and feel overwhelmed by how to communicate all that has happened since I last posted. I guess it would be impossible to share everything we have been through in these weeks, so I will just write and see where I end up.

6 weeks in and we are rounding corners every day it seems. I am feeling less like a fish out of water and more like the new normal which is nice. Julianne is gaining weight and becoming more and more aware of her surroundings. Last week she even smiled at me for the first time and in that moment all of the long days and sleepless nights were so worth it. I love her so much! She can focus and follow things with her eyes now and I like to think she knows I am her mommy. The feedback is welcomed as before all she did was eat, sleep, and poop. Nights are going better too since she is able to go a little bit longer stretches between feedings. Last night she even made it a record 7.5 hours! I checked on her at 6 hours because I was worried we hadn't heard from her but she was snoozing away. I would love it if this became a habit for her, but time will tell....could have been a fluke thing.

I am also gaining confidence in going places alone with Julianne. At first the thought of taking her somewhere was very daunting. It is amazing the planning needed to get us both out the door with all of our gear. However, I seem to be getting better at it and it is becoming easier. Typically our ventures are limited to the grocery store or dry cleaners, but last week we made a trip to the Dallas Arboretum with our new cousin Amelia. My cousin and his wife had a little girl exactly 4 weeks after Julianne came so it has been fun hanging out. Major props to Amelia's momma Michelle who was able to get to the Arboretum with a 1 week old. I barely made it at 5 weeks. Below are some pictures from the day.

turns out the photo opportunities are limited with a sleeping newborn in the stroller.....

 At least she will know she was there that day

 awake for this one...I look odd but she is cute

With that I will end this post. I have a little girl who seems to be fighting her nap. It is humbling that some days naps go great yet other days she just won't go down. Meanwhile I am doing all I can to recreate a good day. Yet another reminder that I am so not in control. 

OK I am really done now. I will try to get back here more regularly so these posts that drone on and on do not become the norm. Thanks for your patience. 

Nathalie