5 Weeks ~Amelia~

  

It’s hard to believe a month plus has already come and gone.  I wanted to wait for this post until after Amelia’s 1 month check up today so I could include her official stats from the pediatrician. 

Growth:  Amelia weighs 11 lbs 1 oz (92nd percentile).  She is 22.5" long (84th percentile) and her head is 38.1 cm (84th percentile).  Overall, she is obviously growing exceptionally well!  She is wearing 0-3 month and 3 month clothing and size 1 diapers. 

Mobility/Coordination:  Amelia is very strong and her head control is very good already.  During tummy time she can easily hold her head at 45⁰ for 30-45 seconds and even look side to side while doing it (the doctor was very impressed with her today when she was showing off).  When sitting upright, she can hold her head high and steady and look side to side as well. 

I also thought it was a fluke when it happened last week but Amelia wide awake and bright-eyed smiled at me when I was talking and smiling at her.  Well, it has happened many more times since then so it seems we have our official conscientious first smiles.  I forgot how sweet those 1^st smiles are and how much they melt your heart.     

Language/Communication:  Of course there isn’t much language and/or communication to speak of at this point but we have noticed she is making some sounds other than grunts and cries.  She coo’s and we have even heard occasional aah sounds.  Otherwise she only fusses when she is hungry, tired or has a gas bubble.  We had a couple days when I was worried about colic possibly developing where she was very fussy in the evening hours but it has passed and I think it was just an upset tummy.    

Personality/Amelia-isms:  It is still very early to tell what kind of real personality is going to emerge but thus far Amelia seems extremely laid back just like Grant was.  We really haven’t changed our busy lifestyles and we haven’t slowed down one bit since she was born.  She is along for the ride and goes with the flow. 

       

Sleep:  We are no longer swaddling because she could break out of her swaddle since about week 2-3.  She made the transition very easily and was never as dependent on being swaddled as Grant was.  She still sleeps like a champ and I wake her or she wakes on the mark every 3 hours during the day and at night she easily sleeps 5-7 hours.  I thank our lucky stars she is such a good sleeper.  I have even been putting her in her crib for at least one nap a day since 3 weeks and she does it like a champ.  Otherwise, she is in our room at night and rotates between the crib, bassinet, pack n’ play, or our arms for sleeping just depending on where we are in the house and what we are doing.  90% of the time we can lay her down wide awake for a nap and she will quietly go to sleep on her own (very much like Grant was).   

Feeding:  Amelia still nurses like a champ and can easily finish in 15-25 minutes (Grant was a marathon nurser and would easily take 45 minutes).  I feel sorry for her a lot of times because I have such an abundant milk supply and she spends much of her time at the breast gulping and sometimes choking.  This is probably part of the reason she nurses for nutrition and then she is done and rarely nurses for comfort.  Just as an example of how much milk we are talking about… when I nurse Amelia on one side, I hold a container to catch the milk that leaks out of my other breast.  By the time she is done nursing on one side my opposite breast has leaked anywhere between 1-2.5 oz!  My supply is finally adjusting a little and it isn’t quite as bad now that she is getting older and she is able to keep up a little better.  Sometimes nursing sessions can turn into a leaky, wet mess though!

She is not much of a spitter and most days she doesn’t spit up a single time.  This is the opposite of how Grant was.

Amelia has had a couple of bottles and has done very well taking them from both Matt and myself.  She has been eating anywhere between 3-4 oz when taking a bottle. 

Likes:  Baths, lotion, massages, swinging, cuddling, tummy time for short periods of time (only if she has a pillow or boppy under her chest), her hands (occasionally sucking on them), mommy, daddy, and of course big brother Grant.       

Dislikes:  Car seat (if it isn’t in motion by either being carried or the car physically moving and she is awake she is normally fussing), diaper changes when she is trying to sleep, having a shirt/onesie being pulled over her head, having her nose suctioned, losing her hair… or maybe it is just me who is sad that she is losing it.  I know baby hair loss is completely normal though and eventually it will return.  As of now, it seems most of the loss is occurring on top so who knows… she may have a rockin’ mullet by her first birthday.   

Hard to tell but I think she looks a little like me.  My eyes were already turning brown/hazel but Amelia's are still a very dark greyish blue.  We'll see if she gets my eyes like Grant did or if she has Matt's baby blues.

We love you baby girl Amelia and we can't wait for what the months ahead of us hold!  Happy 1st month of life!