1 whole month!!!

Happy 1 month birthday to our sweet baby girl!!

*Weighs 10lbs 4oz
* inches long
*Diaper size 1
*loves the light and the fan! She zones out staring at them!
*Has started making different sounds. She "ooooo's" more and more now!
*Has had her non-gas smiles and is starting to smile more and more.
*Makes a 'piggy noise" when she's hungry
*Gets the hiccups a lot and sounds like a cute little toad when they're really bad...lol
*Has started grunting (hilarious!!)
*Loves taking a bath and looking at herself in the mirror while we're giving her a bath. She just hates being taken out of the bathtub but loves snuggling in her towel after she calms down.
*We've started giving her a bath at 9 o'clock every night so we can start a bedtime routine.
*Eats around every 3 hours and has started going 4-5 hours a night.
*Sleeps so much better now that she's being swaddled during the night.
*Is great in the mornings! She "zones" and is happy to sit in her Boppy on our bed or in her pink bouncy/vibrating seat while I get ready in the mornings.
*Can calm herself down with her "binky"
*Josh has given her the first bottle and she did really well.
*Likes stroller rides as far as we can tell because she falls asleep every time she's put in it!
*LOVES car rides! She's out in less then 2 minutes!
*has ROLLED OVER twice while doing tummy time...this happened when she got upset and started squirming and pushed herself from her tummy to her back at least 4 times!
*Gets cranky around 6ish-8ish but has started crying less and is able to self-comfort with her "binky" but sometimes there is no soothing during this time.
Has had her first trip to Chuckwagon and the mall!
*Got to have lunch with Daddy today!

Picture Post

I figured I would do a fun picture post today because my little girl turns ONE MONTH old tomorrow and I'm sure I'll have one of those "I can't believe she' s a month old, it's going by too fast, this is how she's changed" posts tomorrow...lol

1st trip to Chuckwagon!!

Bath time!
Air drying!

Being held by "Squirt" and petted by Jimmy!

1st trip to the mall!


Fussy face...which will be pulled out when the boys start coming around...
And two minutes later...sleeping peacefully in my bouncy/vibrating seat!

A little pick me up.

So, the pacifier was just a novelty and after the first day/night Teagan doesn't want anything to do with it. I was desperate the other night and decided to swaddle her. She was really tired but she kept waking herself up and poor baby was crying so hard because she was so tired so that meant I wasn't getting any sleep either and I ended up crying with her! I hadn't swaddled her since we left the hospital (well, she just always came back from the nursery swaddled so I never really had to swaddle her). Well, I will be swaddling her every single night from now on. The first night she slept a solid 5 1/2 hours! Now she is hitting that 3-4 week growth spurt period so she's waking up around every 2 hours again but she's sleeping very nicely in between feedings and I'm sure it's because she's not able to wake herself up since her arms can't jerk around.

I was reading my "Hugs for New Moms" book and found two things that made me nod my head and smile and I just figured I'd share because maybe a fellow mom needs a pick me up today too.


"When motherhood is draining the best of you and you feel overwhelmed and ill-equipped for the responsibilities of caring for your family, look up and remember that I'm your ever-present helper! Come to Me, and I'll refresh you and recharge your emotional, physical, and spiritual batteries. You'll find that with My help you can accomplish amazing things you could never do alone.

Energizing you
Your All-Powerful God"

~from Psalm 121:1-2, Matthew 11:28 and Philippians 4:13



Also, there was this quote:

"Who could look into the eyes of such a miracle and doubt the reality of God?"
~ Angela Thomas Guffey

Pacifiers are AMAZING....

Let me just brag on my baby girl for a few minutes!

First off, our baby girl turned 3 weeks old yesterday! Time is flying by so quickly and she's changing so much on a daily basis. As much as I want the time to slow down I can't wait to see how she continues to change and to grow. I looked at her newborn pictures today and just shook my head in amazement at how much she's changed over the last 3 weeks...It's incredible.


We decided that since feeding is going really well and she's gained her weight back (and then some) that we would introduce a pacifier to help her "self soothe" at night. Also, the doctor said since she was gaining weight so well that we could let Teagan sleep as long as she wanted during the night and we didn't need to wake her up for feedings. Well, the past few days she's been pretty fussy and wouldn't let me put her down in her crib to sleep until around 2am and then we'd get back up three hours later and she'd be hungry. So, after Josh gave her the first bottle yesterday afternoon and then she finished up with me we figured she'd be okay and not get confused with a pacifier so we headed to Wal Mart (her first Wal Mart trip) and got two pacifiers. Last night was AMAZING. She slept for 5 hours last night! She slept on my chest for until around 1 o'clock ( we were asleep on the couch) and then she ate and then we put her in the crib. She woke up around 2ish (she still has the newborn jerks and wakes herself up) and I changed her diaper and put the pacifier in her mouth and after only two times of having to put it back in her mouth she konked out and slept until around 7:30! This might have just been a fluke but Josh and I are both greatful for that fluke!

We had a great Valentine's day today! We were able to just hang out as a family and enjoy each other. Josh and I couldn't e happier to have Teagan in our lives and we love having a new little Valentine! =-) We were also able to go out for Teagan's first stroller ride around the neighborhood! It went pretty well! It was a beautiful day and we definitely took advantage of it!

We hope everybody had a great Valentine's Day!

The period of PURPLE crying...

P- Peak of crying. Your baby may cry more each week. The most at 2 months, then less at 3-5 months.
U-Unexpected. Crying can come and go and you don't know why.
R- Resists soothing. Your baby MAY NOT STOP crying no matter what you try.
P- Pain-like face. A crying baby may look like they are in pain, even when they are not.
L- Long lasting. Crying can last as much as 5 hours a day, or more.
E- Evening. Your baby may cry more in the late afternoon and evening.

Before we had Teagan I felt strongly about Shaken Baby Syndrome but now that we have her it hits even closer to home. There was a story last night on the news that had been in the news before but the father recently got sentenced to 23 years in prison because he shook his baby to death. I saw the mother crying and pleading to the judge for the strongest sentence possible (and he should have gotten life if you ask me). I also feel like the situation could have been prevented all together.

We were given a dvd at the hospital that I wish I would have watched at the hospital or as soon as we got home. In no way would Josh or I ever shake Teagan out of frustration but I can understand the frustration of the unknown. You do everything you possibly can and it's still not the thing that will calm her and so she continues to cry and you feel like a faliure. There was some amazing information on the dvd...stuff they just don't tell you in the hospital or in classes that I think people should be aware of ahead of time and I feel like if they were aware then shaken baby syndrome wouldn't happen as frequently.

For example:

The first two weeks are NOT a precursor to what will happen past the first two weeks. The first two weeks can often times be almost a honeymoon period (it was for us). The babies are still kind of tired all the time and just want to eat and sleep and poop and there isn't much crying in between. Once the two week mark hits (or just around it) babies cry MORE and will do so until around 3mths with a peak at the 2 mth mark. The crying/fussiness also typically peaks in the late afternoon/evening hours. ( I had NO idea about this and we hit the two week mark last Saturday and it is so true! She started crying more and even though I knew she was going to cry I wish I would've known this BEFORE the 2 week mark because it made for a few rough nights and tears from both of us but now I know I feel so much better even when she's screaming and I can't soothe her.)

You can't always soothe your baby. You can go through "the checklist" of changing the diaper, feeding, rocking, walking, singing, checking if they're too hot or too cold, etc. and they will sometimes STILL cry. This isn't your fault and it especially IS NOT their fault, it's just something babies do. Try and think of it as them singing to you or preparation for the teenage years...

It's okay to get frustrated. It's what you do with the frustration that matters. If you feel like you are starting to get angry or too frustrated then you need to put the baby down in their crib or swing or Boppy and walk away because you being frustrated only makes them cry worse. So, take a break, calm down and then come back.

There was more information but those were the three things that really stuck out to me. I really feel like new moms and dads need this information and I've decided to advocate for awareness of this because I feel like if people are informed BEFORE the baby comes then we'll have less cases of shaken baby.

Just a few promises to my daughter...

I wrote this in my letters to Teagan journal months ago but I'd like a back up copy (and eventually I'll print this blog out) and so I'm putting my first "Dear Teagan" letter here on my blog.

Dear my Baby Love,

There are so many things that I want to say and write to you but they seem to be circling around my head and I can't quite take a hold of them but I will make you some promises that I will do my very best to keep.

1) I promise to love you unconditionally no matter what.
2) I promise to let you get dirty and play in water puddles and not get angry (as long as we aren't in a hurry and out the door somewhere). I also promise to play in the puddles with you!
3) I promise to dance with you in the kitchen or anywhere else we decide to groove!
4) I promise to bake cookies with you and let you eat the cookie dough!
5) I promise to make sure we have a swing set! I also promise to swing with you!
6) I promise to color with you! Mommy loves to color!
7) I promise to play with you inside when it's cold and rainy instead of just turning on the tv and going about my business.
8) I promise to snuggle with you whenever you want!
9) I promise to read you bedtime stories.
10) I promise to listen first, hug second and talk last.
11) I promise to be open with you and be open to what you have to say.
12) I promise to not be judgemental of you.
13) I promise to protect you no matter what. So yes, if we don't trust your boyfriend, I promise I will not let you go out with him.
14) I promise to try and cook good meals. They might not be the best meals but they will be healthy.
15) I promise to teach you how to shave your legs, fix your hair and paint your toes and fingernails...we'll leave the make up to the professionals!
16) I promise to let you do whatever you want to your hair. It's only hair and it will grow back.
17) I promise to take too many pictures of you for the rest of your life. Get over it! ;-)
18) I promise to sing you to sleep until you get to the age my singing hurts your ears.
19) I promise you will have rules, consequences and chores but I promise there will also be praise, love and "prizes".
20) I promise to stay in shape so I can keep up with you!
21) I promise to help you with your homework the best I can. Daddy will have to help you with the math though!
22) I promise to encourage you to be what you want as long as it's safe and healthy for you.
23) I promise to let you have birthday parties and sleepovers.
24) I promise (much to your dismay) that you won't go on your first date until you are 16.
25) I promise I will slather you with sunscreen so you won't have to worry about skin cancer later in life.
26) I promise that when I get pregnant with your brother or sister that I will still set aside special you and mommy time. Both while I'm pregnant and when we welcome the new baby home. I will promise to try my best to never let you feel like you've been replaced. You are my first little baby girl and you will always have that place in my heart. I love you.
27) I promise to teach you all about Jesus and how he came to save us. I promise that you will grow up in church and I will do my best to set the best example I can for you.

There are many more promises I will do my best to keep these promises and so many more the rest of your life. I love you more then you'll ever know and more then I can ever express. I will make many mistakes and so will you but know that my love is unconditional forever.


Love,
Mommy

2 weeks old today....

I can't get over that our baby girl is 2 whole weeks old today! It feels like the time is whizzing past me and all I want to do is reach out and stop the clock...if just for a little while!


(will post a 2 week picture here later when I'm less tired)

We've had quite the day today! We ventured out of the house because Trinity church had a birthday/baby shower for Teagan so we made her first trip to Grandma and Grandpa's and Mamaw and Papaw's house today. The shower was great but not a lot of people were able to show up because of the weather but we got a lot of great stuff that we're excited about! I definitely have some Teagan laundry to do next week! She did quite well but the excitement wore both of us out since we're pretty used to just hanging around the house all day with just each other until Daddy gets home.

Teagan was really excited about seeing Josh's sister, her Aunt Livy today! She can't wait to see and meet her Aunt Kristina and Uncle Matthew! We all hope they can dig out of the snow soon and come see her!!

Well, I've left about a million details out right now and might come back and post more later on but for now I'm tired, Teagan's waking up from a nap and it's feeding time!

2 week check up!

We went to Teagan's second doctor's appointment today! We went to her first appointment the day after we were able to go home from the hospital because they were worried about her weight. She lost 9% of her weight and they don't like it to get lower then 10% but they wanted to check it anyway. So last Wednesday she weighed 8lbs 1oz....today she weighed in at 8lbs 13oz!! The doctor just laughed and said "Mommy must have some good milk!!". She also told us that Teagan has done so good weight wise that we can let her sleep as long as she wants during the night! (I have been getting up every 2 hours just to make sure she eats and gains weight) She slept really well last night. I got at least 6hrs of sleep with a short feeding in between! It was amazing! I'm not sure how long this is going to last (maybe another week because then she has "a growth spurt" at 3 weeks and I'm sure it'll make for a few long nights) but I'm going to enjoy it while I can!

I'm still in amazement of being a woman. I've never really appreciated it until now. My body is doing things I never imagined it doing. I knew this was going to be difficult (but VERY worth it) but my body still knows what it's doing. Like last night, when it had been three hours since her last feeding my body woke itself up and not 3 minutes later Teagan was crying because she was hungry. It's incredible what the LORD has made a woman capable of!

Also, I'm in extreme amazement of my husband! I knew before we even really discussed having kids that he was going to be a great daddy. He is a strong and calm man with an old soul. He has been wonderful with Teagan. When I see him holding her my heart just melts. He thinks he isn't doing a lot (because he can't feed her and she eats and sleeps more then anything) but he has been an amazing help to me and makes sure I have what I need to care for his little girl. He definitely helps build my confidence in myself because he's always saying how great I am doing and how proud he is of how I've handled this (lack of sleep, etc). He is doing all he can and everything I need right now and I'm in amazement of him and how he's handling all of this!

Let me just tell you, having an (almost) 9lb baby (as of now) really helps with the weight loss! I'm so excited that I only have 13 more pounds before I am back to pre-pregnancy weight! I'm sure I'm going to hit that lovely "10 lb wall" and get stuck for a little while but by then hopefully the weather will start getting better and I can take her out in her stroller! I'll be able to drive next week so we'll definitely be getting a little more out and about and hopefully that will help! I <3 breastfeeding!! lol

Speaking of breastfeeding...I have a hungry baby!

Such an amazing thing!

A woman's body and mind are definitely blessed by the LORD to be able to handle a newborn! It's so surreal to me that I can be so awake during the day AND the night even when I know I'm running on empty. My body just adapts to Teagan's needs because it has to and wants to.
She's got her days and nights a little mixed up still but as much as I try to sleep when she sleeps I've never been a sleep during the day person (except when I was pregnant). So, when she's sleeping I'm still up for the most part. Mostly, I watch her and catch up on old movies I haven't seen in a while. I worked on her baby book last night and shed a few happy tears reliving the whole experience.
I'm really trying to grasp the fact that she is ALREADY a week and 2 days old. How can that be possible? Time is already flying by way too quickly and as much as I am enjoying every second I need time to slow down...Josh went back to work today and reality hit that wow, time is going to continue to go by this quickly so I need to cherish every minute. Like right now, I can't stop looking up at her sleeping in her Boppy! I can't stop looking at her period! She is just the epitome of perfection to me and I can't imagine life without her already! She's so animated when she sleeps! She has this adorable "cheerleader" move that she does quite often! I have to make sure she's far enough away from the slats on the crib that she doesn't hurt her hand during the night! It's so cute!
We go back to the doctor on Wednesday to check her weight again. I've been checking it on my scale and she's almost back to her birth weight! She is definitely toning up my arms! Haha! As far as the scale goes on my end I'm pretty happy...I ended up gaining around 50 lbs but luckily a TON of it was fluid and all that other good stuff and I've only got around 17 pounds to really lose! (Thanks to the fact that they suck a lot of the extra stuff out during a c-section and you don't have to weight for it to go away on it's own!! Thanks to Dr. James for making my life a little easier!)

Well, Sprout is waking up and will most definitely be hungry after a 3 hour nap! More when I can!