Six Weeks

Taylor Leigh is six weeks old today!!

I think we have hit a growth spurt period this past week – combination of really LONG naps, and eating every HOUR some evenings seems to indicate that our little girl is expending more energy than usual lately!

So at six weeks, here is what Taylor is up to…

** Much more cooing, our girl is finding her voice, very cute!!

** More frequently only waking me up once between 11pm and 7am!!

** Giving me more little smiles during the day (mornings are her most smiley times right now)

** Lots more head control, she is being able to sit for longer and longer periods with her head up

** Still loves pushing with her little legs – push, push, push, kick, kick, kick!

** Sucking a pacifier more easily now, which has become a great way to help her calm down when she starts to get overtired and fussy (but she still hasn’t really figured out how to KEEP it in once she starts sucking)

** Taking feedings every once and a while from a bottle (we lucked out with the Dr. Brown’s bottles that we bought to try first), but it is still not her favorite thing – we have six more weeks to work on it until it is time for daycare!

** When she sits in her bouncy chair, she really focuses on the little turtle and will bat at it with her little hand

** She seems to really like her monkey mobile and will stare at it as the little monkeys go round and round

Pictures...

Getting ready to go out and walk in 70 degree weather!!

Snuggling with her new, handmade pink blanket - love it!! (It's her first blanket that is not gender neutral :-))

Sweet, sleeping face

Hitting the turtle with her little hand

Staring at the monkey mobile

Having fun taking pictures with Photo Booth together

My favorite time of day - nap time!!

35 days - it's been five weeks!

Yes - for now, this blog has been taken over by baby updates. But I love our little girl, and she is much more interesting than Ryan or I - so here goes the five week update.

Taylor continues to change so much week by week. We stepped on the scale together this morning, and she is somewhere around 10 and 1/2 pounds (give or take a half pound) - big girl! She is wearing mostly 0-3 month clothes, some 3 month things, but I think I shrunk a few of those little outfits. Taylor is a warm little girl, and even though she has a lot of cute little outfits, she mostly hangs out in her long sleeve onesies -anything more makes her too hot! She is awake much more often, especially in the evenings. She is so much stronger, too. When she is doing tummy time, she just kicks and pushes with her little legs, and she can hold up her head much longer than ever before! Taylor is very close to smiling on a regular basis. In the morning, and when she wakes up from long naps I can sometimes get little grins out of her. Taylor goes to sleep around 11:00 every night, and gets up around 2 or 3, then again at 4 or 5, then is up at 7 or 8 in the morning. I change her diaper, feed her, and she goes right back to sleep after feeding, so I am very thankful for that!! She is also starting too coo a lot more - which I love! She makes the cutest little noises. Taylor gets a bath every other day, we walk daily, she enjoys her Little Einstein play mat much more (see pictures below), and looks up at me with the sweetest little eyes when I sing Disney songs to her as we rock in the rocking chair together. She had her first overnight in Battle Creek last weekend, and finally got to meet her uncle Jeff! We also got to visit Ryan at work, and we had the nicest little get-together with Ryan's coworkers. It has been a great week!
And now...pictures!!
Taylor at 5 weeks

Taylor at a week and a half old - can you see a difference from the picture above?

Taking a walk in the baby Bjorn


Taylor getting ready to head out for a walk
Taylor looking in the mirror
Hmmm... I'm not sure about these toys...

Taylor checking out the big blue whale

Taylor with her first piggy bank - given to Taylor by one of Ryan's coworkers (a perfect gift for an accountant's daughter!)Trying to catch Taylor giving one of her morning smiles


Taylor checking out daddy's ball cap
Taylor with grandma mem and grandpa in Battle Creek
Taylor very relaxed and cozy

Taylor meeting uncle Jeff!! Yay!!

One Month :-D

My life has been amazingly blessed for one month already!! One month ago, both Ryan and I were really tired, but so excited about Taylor being here and healthy! I think the two of us were still in shock and just living minute to minute and getting used to being parents, but now a month later, it feels so much different! We are a lot more used to her, and she is more used to us, too!! :-) She responds more when Ryan and I interact with her - and I am just waiting for that first little smile (that is more than just a reflex).

At one month she is wearing size 1 diapers, and is now taking a pacifier - but we are trying to keep it to just nap times and bedtime only if she seems to need something to suck on - I am nervous about her getting too attached to it! Taylor is up a lot more during the day, and so we have a lot more play time. I remember when she was first home it was hard to keep her awake even to eat! Now she can be up 3, 4, or even close to 5 hours at a time!

Here are some pictures from the last week!
Almost a smile

Sleeping in
Family picture
New spring outfit
Taking a little snooze on her tummy

Three Weeks Old

22 days ago our lives looked a LOT different!!

My typical day pre-Taylor started at 5am. I would get up, workout, go to work, come home, eat dinner, hang out with Ryan, and was in bed by 9:30ish.

My days have completely changed now. Taylor is my alarm. When she is hungry we get up - this is anywhere between 6:30 and 8:00. I change her diaper, feed her, and then the rest of the day revolves around her eating/awake schedule. If she goes back to sleep after eating, I try to sneak in a shower or eat breakfast. I do a load of laundry a day. It is a productive day if we get our tummy time in, take a walk, and do our baby/mommy exercises together. Some days we even get to have fun with bath time! I go to bed after her late night feeding around 11:00-11:30pm, then get up with her every 2-3 hours during the night. And then we do it all over again the next day. And I love it. It is really tiring and I feel like I may never catch up on my sleep ever again, but it is so rewarding and fun. My world revolves around this little snuggly girl and I wouldn't have it any other way!

I stepped on the scale with her here at home, and she is around 9 1/2 pounds now! She is awake for longer periods of time and has many more facial expressions when Ryan or I interact with her. My favorite is her "popeye" face when she stretches really big after a nap or when waking up in the morning.

Pictures!!

All cozy before heading outside on our walk

Getting ready to go for a walk in the Baby Bjorn

Totally cashed out after our walk

First walk in the stroller

Tummy Time!

Mom and Taylor in their Life is Good shirts

Bath time - in a bath tub now, which is so much more fun!!

Washing hair

Clean little monkey :-)


Wearing the onesie that I bought to surprise Ryan and tell him we were pregnant - and now here Taylor is wearing it 10 months later!!

Two weeks old

In about 5 hours, Taylor Leigh will be two weeks old!

We love this little girl, and she continues to be really, really good!! The only time Taylor cries is if she gets too hungry, or sometimes during a diaper change and/or sponge bath (she doesn't like being cold :-)). We know that this may change as she gets older, but for now we are very thankful that she makes this parenting thing pretty easy so far!! I get about 3 hour stretches of sleep at night, and with a nap or two (or three) during the day, I find that I am not as exhausted as I anticipated. Even during her few fussy moments, I can't help but look at her little face and just melt. :-)

Taylor is eating and growing like a champ! When she was born, she was 7lbs 2oz. When we left the hospital, she was down to around 6lbs 8oz, but by five days old she was back up to her birth weight. Today, at her two week appointment, she was 8lbs 9.5oz!!! The doctor was really happy with how she is doing overall, and was pleased with her awesome weight gain in a week! Go, Taylor! This morning she also lost her little umbilical cord stump, so I am excited to be able to do regular baths in a few days when her belly button is completely healed.

Ryan assembled the stroller tonight, and I am looking forward to going for a walk OUTSIDE with Taylor tomorrow!! Yay!! :-)

Pictures....

Little feet

Little hands

Tummy time (working hard to lift that head!)

Sponge bath

Heading to her two week appointment

So snuggly

Awake time in the morning!!
Full tummy = happy baby